Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor
Chapter 196: One hundred ninety-six is the one who made the first move!

Chapter 196: One hundred ninety-six is the one who made the first move!

When Bi Luo calmed his mind and looked up, he immediately understood the whole story, because on the right shoulder of Yun Xiao was a small red mouse, its little eyes staring at him filled with anger.

"Vein Demon? And a Fourth Rank Low Level Vein Demon at that?"

It had to be said that Bi Luo’s Power of Soul was strong, and he was well-informed. At a glance, he recognized exactly what that palm-sized red mouse was.

Yet this discovery caused Bi Luo to roar with anger in his heart. He knew very well how proud a formidable Vein Demon could be; under normal circumstances, they would absolutely never follow a human of the same level.

Besides, Yun Xiao’s Meridian Qi Cultivation was clearly only at the Peak of the Meridian Gathering Realm, equivalent to the cultivation of a Third Rank advanced Vein Demon. How could it possibly make a Fourth Rank Low Level Vein Demon obediently follow him?

While Bi Luo looked gloomily at the Fire Cloud Rat Chi Yan, Xuan Zhi, not far away, had finally come back to his senses. He had never seen Chi Yan before and was feeling dejected at this moment.

"Hmph, just a Fourth Rank Low Level Vein Demon, it can’t stop me, Bi Luo!"

Moments later, the gloom on Bi Luo’s face had faded slightly, replaced by an undaunted spirit; his strength was, in fact, much stronger than Chi Yan’s.

However, what Bi Luo failed to notice was that as he spoke, Yun Xiao’s face revealed a strange smile. Then, with a shake of his shoulder, Chi Yan suddenly burst out, growing without wind, and in an instant, transformed into a giant rat almost three meters in length.

"What the hell is that?"

Seeing the enlarging giant red rat pouncing towards him, Bi Luo was also startled. To his knowledge, he had never heard of a Vein Demon whose body could change so tremendously.

Even among Vein Demons with violent bloodlines, when they stimulated their Bloodline Power, they would at most grow a bit larger, but never become ten times bigger like the rat in front of him.

Originally at the peak of Fourth Rank Low Level, the Fire Cloud Rat Chi Yan, after transforming, its Demon Meridian Qi suddenly climbed to Fourth Rank Intermediate, once again narrowing the gap with Bi Luo.

Bang!

This time, although Chi Yan was pushed back several feet in the punch exchange with Bi Luo, the Inner Sect genius Disciple also staggered slightly, implying that Chi Yan’s power made him quite uncomfortable.

Whoosh!

But at this moment, while Xuan Zhi, who was watching the battle from afar, still hadn’t fully recovered, he suddenly felt a breeze on his face, and the next moment, a familiar lean figure had appeared before him.

"Your Highness Xuan Zhi, you were the ones who started this, don’t blame my mercilessness under Yun Xiao’s hand!"

The one appearing before Xuan Zhi was indeed Yun Xiao. Although he still had a smile on his face, the coldness and murderous intent in his tone were not concealed at all.

As Yun Xiao said, since these two wanted to put him to death, then he might as well take this opportunity while Chi Yan was holding Bi Luo back to kill the Third Prince of the empire right here.

Even if killing Xuan Zhi, a member of the Xuanyue Imperial Family, would bring him endless trouble, what was Yun Xiao? With the soul of the Long Xiao Battle God from his past life, he was no longer that timid young man from the Shang Family who would nod and bow in submission; he also had a sometimes violent heart.

Moreover, Yun Xiao was clear in his heart, even if he spared Xuan Zhi today, this Third Prince of the empire would definitely not let him go. If that was the case, then it would be better to go all out and take one down with him.

Yun Xiao was extremely fast, and with his current cultivation at the Peak of the Meridian Gathering Realm, he would not take Xuan Zhi, only in the Late Stage of the Meridian Gathering Realm, seriously. He believed that this Third Prince of the empire would surely perish under his sudden strike.

Swoosh!

However, just as Yun Xiao struck out with all his might, prepared to end Xuan Zhi with a strike that he believed was sure to kill him, something unexpected happened, something that Yun Xiao had not anticipated at all.

Just as Yun Xiao’s palm was about to strike Xuan Zhi’s head, from a crescent pendant below his neck, suddenly burst out a bright white light.

The light, like a Protective Light Shield, enveloped Xuan Zhi’s entire form within it, causing Yun Xiao’s palm to strike directly on it, producing a loud noise.

Bang!

Crack!

It had to be said that Yun Xiao’s strength was indeed incomparable to before; his palm was immensely powerful. Although the Protective Light Shield was formidable, it began to show hairline cracks under Yun Xiao’s strike.

And at the same time, due to Yun Xiao’s palm, both Xuan Zhi and the white light shield were sent flying backward, crashing into a wall on the second floor of the great hall, his aura greatly weakened.

Swish!

Xuan Zhi, heart still pounding with fright, experienced the terror of a narrow escape from death. As the white light shield surrounding him vanished, the crescent-shaped pendant that hung from his chest since childhood exploded into a cloud of dust, leaving behind only a sleek hanging cord.

"It was Father Emperor!"

At this moment, Xuan Zhi finally realized the truth. He had never known the purpose of the white crescent pendant, but ever since he could remember, his father, the King of Xuanyue Country, had ordered him never to take it off.

It seemed that this crescent-shaped pendant was a life-saving item deliberately given to Xuan Zhi, the younger son, by the Xuanyue Country. Unfortunately, it was shattered today by a powerful palm strike from Yun Xiao.

In fact, the crescent-shaped pendant could withstand a blow from a practitioner of the Meridian Rushing Realm, but Yun Xiao’s strike contained some special power, which caused Xuan Zhi’s life-saving item to be instantly destroyed.

Yun Xiao, missing his target with that strike, did not dawdle. If one attempt failed, then he would try again. This ruthless prince of Royal lineage was determined to ensure that his target would remain forever within the Mysterious Artifact Hall today.

"Bi Luo Elder Brother, save me quickly!"

Just as Yun Xiao made his move, Bi Luo knew he was no match for him and immediately called out loudly for help, fearing Bi Luo’s hesitation, he shouted again, "If I die, all the things I promised will no longer count!"

Bi Luo, who had been locked in close combat with Chi Yan, grew stern-faced upon hearing these words. Unleashing a strong aura, his next punch, vastly different from his previous attacks, sent Chi Yan flying several meters away.

After sending Chi Yan flying, Bi Luo didn’t bother to give him another look, instead, he swooped over towards Xuan Zhi. As Xuan Zhi had said, if he were to expire, it likely meant the promised items would go to waste.

"You got lucky, kid!"

Yun Xiao, with his powerful Power of Soul, instantly sensed the change on this side. He recognized that compared to Bi Luo, an Inner Sect Disciple, Chi Yan’s strength was far inferior. Missing his initial strike meant losing the best chance to kill Xuan Zhi.

To avoid being entangled by Bi Luo and unable to escape, Yun Xiao made a decisive move, not sparing another glance at Xuan Zhi. After a few steps and a turn, he mounted Chi Yan’s back.

The speed of the Fire Cloud Rat was unmatched; even Mo Qing could not keep up with it back at Yurong Volcano, let alone Bi Luo whose strength was slightly inferior.

Moreover, Bi Luo had no intention to pursue at that moment. He truly feared that Yun Xiao would resort to some trick, using the size-shifting fiery red rodent to hold him back and then take the opportunity to kill Xuan Zhi first.

"What a useless guy!"

Drawing his gaze back from Yun Xiao, who disappeared towards the exit of the second floor, Bi Luo looked at the Third Prince of the Empire beside him, cursing inwardly, thinking that if Xuan Zhi weren’t so helpless, they might have had a chance to capture Yun Xiao today.

"Elder Brother Bi Luo, what do we do now?"

Xuan Zhi was short of breath, unaware that he was silently berated by Bi Luo. His eyes fixed on the spot where Yun Xiao vanished, it seemed he had yet to give up on that Black Key.

"Xuan Zhi, tell me, what exactly is that Black Key?"

At this moment, Bi Luo was somewhat unsure himself, as he couldn’t decide how far he was willing to go for Xuan Zhi, particularly since Yun Xiao had already taken the key and left, making forceful retrieval impossible. He would have to come up with another plan.

For this plan, it was inevitable that Bi Luo would have to face greater danger, or perhaps what Xuan Zhi had promised was no longer sufficient incentive for Bi Luo to take the risk. He must seize this chance to extort Xuan Zhi further.

"I also don’t know what exactly it is, but that key is something my Father Emperor insisted I must obtain!"

Xuan Zhi, who had weathered many storms, could see that Bi Luo was hiking up the price. He was no pushover himself and quickly played the card of his father, the King of Xuanyue Country.

In truth, Xuan Zhi’s trip to the Jade Pot Sect this time had nothing to do with the King of Xuan Yue Country. All of it was directed by his older brother, the Crown Prince.

Nonetheless, Xuan Zhi, who understood Bi Luo’s thoughts, knew that compared to his own father, the Crown Prince, who had not yet become the King, had far less deterrent effect and power. Therefore, he used his father’s name as a banner to press his advantage.

"His Majesty the King?"

Hearing these words from Xuan Zhi, Bi Luo was struck with a thought, and immediately his previous indecision disappeared. Since it was a direct command from His Majesty the King, Bi Luo believed that if he managed to retrieve the key, he might even forge a connection with His Majesty.

Within the entire Xuanyue Empire, the Xuanyue Imperial Family’s power was undoubtedly the greatest. Even the Jade Pot Sect had to bow its head, and Bi Luo’s family was also quite renowned. If he could climb up the ranks by getting in with the Royal Family, it might elevate his status even further.

"If that’s the case, then let’s gamble on it. I want to see, will this insignificant steward of the Outer Sect’s Mysterious Artifact Hall help Yun Xiao, or will he choose to help me, Bi Luo?"

A laugh tinged with a different coldness escaped from Bi Luo’s lips, then their figures quickly vanished from the second floor of the Mysterious Artifact Hall, and peace returned once more.