Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor

"Hmph, this is the innate array formation of my Chongxiao Stairs. I refuse to believe you can truly break it!"

After a brief moment of shock, the Strange Spirit of the Chongxiao Stairs seemed to regain some confidence, as if trying to bolster itself. However, this newfound confidence was once again shattered by Yun Xiao’s subsequent actions.

Just as Yun Xiao appeared to retreat to his original position, instead of moving left or right, he leaped upwards, as if jumping on the spot.

But just witnessing this leap from Yun Xiao made the heart of the Half-step Holy Spirit—or its Spirit Crystal—skip a beat.

"He actually knows? Who exactly is this human boy?"

As Yun Xiao made this upward leap, the thread of confidence just arising in the Half-step Holy Spirit was instantly broken, replaced by deep confusion.

Tap!

Yun Xiao, who leaped into the air, did not fall back to his original spot; instead, he landed securely on a somewhat ethereal step several feet above, where he found stable footing.

Next, Yun Xiao either leaped several yards to the left or moved a few inches to the right. Sometimes there seemed to be no path ahead, but after falling for a while, a step would suddenly appear.

After this went on for about an hour, Yun Xiao leapt again and changed direction mid-air, finally landing on an extremely obscure stone step.

"Myriad Phenomena Stone Stair Formation... broken!"

Seeing that even the last resort didn’t escape the young human’s notice, the Half-step Holy Spirit couldn’t help but mutter, then noticed a slightly familiar tip of the Black Light Sword, only inches away.

"The large array is broken. Will you still try to hide?"

A clear voice resonated from Yun Xiao, and his hand didn’t slow down in the slightest. The tip of the Dragon Taming Sword was about to pierce the Half-step Holy Spirit.

The Half-step Holy Spirit probably didn’t expect Yun Xiao’s attack to come so swiftly, nor did it expect the positions where Yun Xiao broke the array to hold such hidden tactics.

Thus, any action the Half-step Holy Spirit attempted was undoubtedly too late, but fortunately, this was its domain, within its Space Domain. Yun Xiao’s sudden sword strike couldn’t take its life.

"Ladder Defense!"

Suddenly, a cry erupted from the Half-step Holy Spirit’s mouth, and in front of it appeared a small, pure white wooden ladder.

Of course, this couldn’t be a real wooden ladder, as that could not pose a threat to Yun Xiao nor help the Half-step Holy Spirit escape the danger of being pierced by the Dragon Taming Sword.

Whoosh!

However, this seemingly unremarkable small wooden ladder made Yun Xiao hesitate to confront it head-on. As the ladder tip neared his body, he slightly shifted his form, avoiding the White Ladder thrust.

With Yun Xiao’s movement, the Dragon Taming Sword naturally couldn’t hit the Half-step Holy Spirit. However, he reacted quickly, letting go of the sword hilt just as he realized the sword tip wouldn’t reach.

Whoosh!

The Dragon Taming Sword whizzed out like a dull blade. Yet, the Half-step Holy Spirit’s reaction was just as swift, perhaps having released the Ladder in preparation for a fleeting chance to dodge.

In the next moment, a trace of black light brushed past the Half-step Holy Spirit’s side, missing its Spirit Crystal and the Strange Spirit Expert’s body entirely.

"Dragon Taming Flying Concealment!"

A low voice resonated from deep within Yun Xiao’s heart. Suddenly, as if vanishing into thin air, the Dragon Taming Sword, which had brushed past the Half-step Holy Spirit, disappeared from sight.

Swish!

Moments later, a fierce sound of breaking wind rang out from the Half-step Holy Spirit’s left side. The Dragon Flying Shadow appeared out of thin air, and its sword tip was now mere inches from the Half-step Holy Spirit.

Unfortunately, the next scene greatly disappointed Yun Xiao, as the unrivaled Dragon Taming Flying Concealment still failed to touch the Half-step Holy Spirit.

"What’s going on? He seemed to have been prepared?"

Observing the Half-step Holy Spirit dodging in time, Yun Xiao frowned, this opponent’s calm demeanor giving him an unsettling feeling, as if the Dragon Taming Flying Concealment had long been anticipated.

Yun Xiao vaguely caught some important information, but for a moment, he didn’t react to it. After retracting the Dragon Taming Sword, he fell into a brief silence.

"Yun Xiao, could it be that you have forgotten, this is within the Chongxiao Stairs Space, in my domain, and you actually want to use such a method to plot against me, it’s simply a dream!"

It wasn’t until that Half-step Holy Spirit himself revealed the reason that Yun Xiao suddenly realized, secretly noting that in his urgency, he actually forgot about this matter, truly foolishly cute.

In his previous life, Yun Xiao was the Long Xiao Battle God with a domain, and in this life, he is already at the Heavenly Realm level with a heaven-defying creation like the Ten Thousand Sword Domain. It can be said that his understanding of domains is rarely matched.

For example, if a cultivator were to fall into Yun Xiao’s Ten Thousand Sword Domain and attempt to plot against him with some unexpected sneak attacks, those subtle means would undoubtedly be completely exposed within Yun Xiao’s sensing.

This so-called Chongxiao Stairs Space is the same. In some sense, it might even be more powerful than Yun Xiao’s Ten Thousand Sword Domain, considering that the Half-step Holy Spirit was cultivated from the Artifact Heart of these Chongxiao Stairs.

Within such a domain space, even the Dragon Taming Flying Concealment of the Dragon Taming Sword would probably be clearly sensed by the opponent when deployed.

This isn’t a sensing that belongs to the cultivator himself or the power of the soul; it’s something that actually exists, easily perceived by the Half-step Holy Spirit.

"I see!"

After Yun Xiao understood this reasoning, he was no longer entangled, realizing that certain clever methods might indeed have limited efficacy within this space.

"The only way is to find the Artifact Heart and completely destroy it!"

Given Yun Xiao’s broad experience, when one strategy fails, he promptly devises another. He also recalled the scene at the Wuyan Water Palace, breaking the Water Formation, which undoubtedly bore similarities.

The Half-step Holy Spirit, being cultivated from the Chongxiao Stairs’ Artifact Heart and residing within this special space, is utterly unkillable. Continuing would merely waste his Meridian Qi Energy.

However, if he can find and destroy the Artifact Heart of the Chongxiao Stairs, it would be akin to removing the firewood from under the pot, delivering a fatal blow to the Half-step Holy Spirit, addressing the root of the problem.

In the space controlled by others, finding the true Artifact Heart of Chongxiao Stairs is no easy task, evidenced by the mere sighs from Heavenly Realm Late Stage experts like Xue Changze.

Even Li Yunfan, known as the foremost Array Master of the Tenglong Continent, could do nothing, as this far exceeds his capabilities and differs somewhat from typical large arrays.

Fortunately, Yun Xiao is more than a mere cultivator or Array Master. The Half-step Holy Spirit, having suffered greatly at his hands in this Chongxiao Stairs Space, continuously avoids confronting him directly, giving him many opportunities to find the Artifact Heart.

If the Half-step Holy Spirit were to forcefully attack Yun Xiao here, even if Yun Xiao unleashed all his Ancestor Vein Power, it would be difficult to withstand.

At most, Yun Xiao could rely on Little Five’s power, but doing so introduces countless variables. Even if he ultimately kills the Half-step Holy Spirit, it would plunge him into a state of extreme weakness.

Yun Xiao has no bonds with the humans entering the Chongxiao Stairs Space; whether they would seize the opportunity to strike him down remains uncertain.

Thus, unless absolutely necessary, Yun Xiao won’t rely on Little Five’s power. Fortunately, the Half-step Holy Spirit has similar concerns, forming a bizarre mutual understanding.

At this moment, everything was clear before Yun Xiao. Although the Myriad Phenomena Stone Stair Formation was broken here, the large arrays from people like Xue Changze still existed.

They lack Yun Xiao’s methods. Under the intentional control of the Half-step Holy Spirit, escaping might only be possible when Yun Xiao finds and completely destroys the Artifact Heart.

With plans in mind, Yun Xiao’s feet no longer hesitated as he moved forward, finally stepping onto the true Chongxiao Stairs, giving him a special sensation.

Earlier steps seemed illusory, and now the white stone stairs where Yun Xiao stands might indeed be the correct path to the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud.

The special sensing within Yun Xiao stemmed from the white stone stairs, where he felt the presence of Nine-layered Dragon Cloud. He was, without a doubt, exceedingly familiar with this presence.

Since his rebirth, this was the first time Yun Xiao perceived the presence of Nine-layered Dragon Cloud again. Its significance to him was profound, and stepping onto this first stone stair rekindled his bond with the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud.

Though the deep-seated grudges from his past life remained buried in Yun Xiao’s heart, he never once forgot them. These animosities, as time progresses, have grown increasingly intense.

Yet, the grievances of his past life now seem too distant for Yun Xiao at this moment. What he must resolve first is how to find the Chongxiao Stairs’ Artifact Heart.

"Then... let’s begin!"

Suppressing his thoughts, Yun Xiao took a deep breath and ascended step by step. Unbeknownst to him, in the void, a pair of mocking eyes watched. They belonged to the Half-step Holy Spirit.