Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor

Nine-layered Dragon Cloud, Western Regions!

Here lies an extremely desolate region, often stretching for miles without a trace of human presence. Even solitary great thieves have never taken an interest in this place, as it holds nothing worthwhile.

Within this barren land, there is a small village, with a little river running through it, adding a touch of life to this remote settlement.

Pa-pa-pa-pa...

A boy, around fifteen or sixteen years old, stood by the river, idly throwing stones into it, occasionally making the sound of stones skipping across the water.

This boy was quite unattractive, with ears that stuck out like sails, a nose that collapsed flat, large lips, and a forehead that protruded like a longevity peach. Ordinary children might be scared to tears at the sight of him.

"Ah... the cultivation technique my cousin secretly gave me has been practiced for three whole months, yet there’s still no progress. It seems I, Wang Zilang, am truly fated to be unable to walk the path of cultivation!"

The ugly boy tossed another stone, then withdrew his hand, seemingly trying to work a cultivation technique. Yet, seeing no trace of Meridian Qi from his palm, he couldn’t help but murmur to himself in melancholy.

This boy named Wang Zilang actually hailed from a rather noble background; he was not a native of this village called Five Desolate Village but rather the Third Young Master of the Wang Family from Yulong City, about several hundred miles away.

Unfortunately, Wang Zilang was diagnosed at birth with Innate Pulse Cutting, a special condition rendering him utterly incapable of cultivating any Meridian Qi.

Among the families of Nine-layered Dragon Cloud, being ugly isn’t a problem—if you possess formidable cultivation talent, who would dare comment on your appearance?

Yet when the Third Young Master of the Wang Family can neither cultivate Meridian Qi nor has pleasing looks, the situation becomes entirely different.

Similar to the Ling Wan of the Zhao Family on Hidden Dragon Continent, who was sometimes ridiculed for turning into a meatball, Wang Zilang was treated as a monster by his Zhao Family relatives, even to the extent that his own father and brother wanted him dead.

Wang Zilang’s situation was somewhat better than that of Ling Wan—once he reached adulthood without cultivating any Meridian Qi, he was directly relegated to Five Desolate Village, a fall from grace for a Wang Family’s Third Young Master.

In truth, Yulong City’s Wang Family wasn’t dominated by Wang Zilang’s branch alone, facing both internal strife and external threats; no one cared about an unworthy individual who couldn’t cultivate.

For Wang Zilang, it was undeniably a form of relief—out of sight, out of mind. Living far from the superficial Wang Family members might spare him from further humiliation.

However, Wang Zilang never gave up hope; over the years, he constantly switched cultivation techniques, wishing for one that could miraculously allow his Innate Pulse Cutting to generate Meridian Qi.

Yet while desires are beautiful, reality is harsh. Since being relegated to Five Desolate City, Wang Zilang had tried several cultivation techniques, only to find disappointment.

Three months ago, a cousin from the Second Branch of the Wang Family gifted Wang Zilang a beginner-friendly cultivation technique, sparking excitement for days.

Unfortunately, after three months, Wang Zilang had fully grasped the circulation paths of the technique, but there remained no sign of Meridian Qi within him.

Even though Wang Zilang knew that Innate Pulse Cutting could be called a terminal illness on the Continent, another disappointment left him disheartened, not wanting to return to the village.

"Huh? What is that?"

Just as Wang Zilang was drowning in gloom, his gaze suddenly shifted, and he murmured aloud. In his line of sight, a corpse-like figure appeared in the river.

Gurgle!

When Wang Zilang suspected it might be a drowned body from upstream, he suddenly noticed a subtle bubble emerging at the head of the "corpse."

"Could it still be alive?"

Though Wang Zilang lacked Meridian Qi cultivation, his vision was sharp, and he knew that a true corpse wouldn’t breathe or produce bubbles.

Even if the bubble could accidentally come from a fish at the riverbed, Wang Zilang’s kind heart led him to decide to retrieve the body and take a look.

Wang Zilang scanned his surroundings, rushed to fetch a long rod nearby, and after exhausting himself, he managed to drag the corpse to the shore.

When Wang Zilang finally dragged the wet body onto the bank, he was thoroughly out of breath, being just a boy without the support of Meridian Qi; it was a painstaking task.

"It’s... truly not dead!"

After catching his breath, Wang Zilang boldly checked the individual’s nostrils, and upon sensing no breath, he pressed on their carotid pulse.

When Wang Zilang sensed the faint throb, he jumped up as if startled, thinking that this person truly has great fortune. He floated in the water for an unknown amount of time and yet did not drown; it was simply a miracle.

"You don’t look much older than me, seems like you are also a fellow unfortunate!"

Wang Zilang examined the half-dead body, and upon seeing that it was merely a delicate young man dressed in coarse cloth clothes, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of shared misfortune.

So without much hesitation, Wang Zilang directly extended his hand and started pressing on the young man’s abdomen. After pressing several dozen times, the young man suddenly vomited out a large mouthful of dirty water.

Although he expelled the muddy water from his chest and abdomen, the young man in coarse clothing still did not wake up, probably due to being in a coma for too long and needing some time to recuperate.

"Wang Zilang, are you slacking off again? Have you finished fetching water today?"

Just as Wang Zilang was staring at the young man in coarse clothes with some hesitation, a familiar voice suddenly came from the direction of the village entrance, causing his body to stiffen as he looked towards the source of the voice.

Upon looking, he indeed saw an extremely burly figure approaching quickly, appearing to be in his twenties, with a face full of hostile flesh, not looking like a good person.

"Brother Hu, I was delayed because I rescued someone from the river!"

Seeing the burly figure coming quickly, Wang Zilang naturally wouldn’t say he was in a melancholic mood and dazed by the river, so he could only blame the delay on the person he fished out of the river.

Smack!

Unexpectedly, just as Wang Zilang finished speaking a sentence, he received a slap on his face. It turned out Hu Ge lightly swung his right hand, and the long whip in his hand lashed across Wang Zilang’s face like a spiritual snake, instantly leaving a blood mark.

This burly man called Brother Hu was named Zeng Lianhu, and his father was the village head of Five Desolate Village. It’s worth mentioning that although Five Desolate Village is extremely remote, the father and son village chiefs are genuine cultivators.

Five Desolate Village belonged to Yulong City, several hundreds of miles away, and Village Chief Zeng Changshou was originally a house slave of the Wang Family. Due to some abilities, he was sent to manage Five Desolate Village, which although had little benefit, still made him a local boss.

While at the Wang Family, the Zeng father and son didn’t dare to treat Wang Zilang, the Third Young Master of the Wang Family, any way, but after Wang Zilang came of age with not a trace of Meridian Qi, being sent to Five Desolate Village by the family, they acted with impunity.

An abandoned waste young master, probably worse than some branch family members and even some high-status house slaves, after all, strength is respected on this continent.

Especially here in Nine-layered Dragon Cloud, a person with no cultivation is merely a disgrace in a reputable family like the Wang Family.

Therefore, the Zeng father and son both believed that Wang Zilang, afflicted with Innate Pulse Cutting, would never have a chance to recover in his lifetime, turning from former house slaves into superiors who could bully the Wang Family’s Third Young Master at will, which the Zeng father and son took pleasure in.

"Wang Zilang, remember that you are no longer the Wang Family’s Third Young Master, but a miscellaneous worker of Five Desolate Village. If you don’t finish fetching water today, don’t expect dinner tonight!"

Seeing the Wang Family Third Young Master who occasionally slacked off, daring to make excuses, Zeng Lianhu was immediately displeased. After whipping Wang Zilang, he felt unsatisfied and coldly spoke out.

Zeng Lianhu, although only having Spirit Vein Realm cultivation, was far beyond the powerless Wang Zilang’s capability to resist, and this was not the first time either, so he could only remain silent, although his body didn’t move much.

"Brother Hu, they say saving a life is better than building a seven-tiered pagoda. Can you let me escort him back to the village first and then fetch water?"

Wang Zilang endured the sharp pain on his face, pointed a finger at the coarse-clothed young man lying on the ground, and spoke words that finally made Zeng Lianhu shift his gaze to the young man.

"Why save this half-dead guy?"

Zeng Lianhu, cold-hearted, instinctively wanted to oppose Wang Zilang. But just as he spoke coldly, he brightened his eyes, shifting his gaze to the young man’s waist.

There, a rather exquisite Waist Storage was wrapped around the young man’s waist, and upon seeing this Waist Storage, Zeng Lianhu immediately changed his mind, thinking he might make a fortune this time.

"Do you want dinner? Hurry up and fetch water!"

Zeng Lianhu suppressed his greed, then turned his head coldly, pointing to the water buckets over there, words that made Wang Zilang quite troubled.

"Then what about him..."

Wang Zilang, with a heart full of compassion, indeed wanting to rescue people to the end, thought at this moment that even if he wouldn’t get dinner tonight, he should first settle the young man.

"Leave this guy to me, rest assured, I guarantee he’ll be saved!"

Seemingly impatient, Zeng Lianhu waved his hand at Wang Zilang, then eagerly hoisted the coarse-clothed young man onto his shoulder, quickly disappearing towards the remote village entrance.