Chapter 1675: All Done?
As a cultivator of the Emperor Palace and even an elder of the Yongxiu City Emperor Palace, these people had never imagined such a frustrating moment in the past.
They had always been the ones who arrogantly bullied others, never having anyone dare to challenge them, not even powerful beings at the peak of the Heavenly Realm or half-step Saints would dare to think lightly of killing someone from the Emperor Palace.
Because it was like a hornet’s nest; an Emperor Palace like Yongxiu City was not frightening on its own, after all, its strongest member only reached the middle stage of the Heavenly Realm.
But if one offended the Emperor Palace, it was as if they had offended the Canglong Emperor Palace. If that colossal entity took it seriously, not just the person involved but even their family might face total destruction.
This incident was extremely unfamiliar to these cultivators of the Emperor Palace, overturning their long-held confidence that their belonging to the Emperor Palace would render anyone too scared to provoke them.
Yun Xiao’s actions at this moment were not just about dealing with a Great Elder of the Emperor Palace; it marked the beginning of a human cultivator from the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud daring to challenge the authority of the Emperor Palace.
This might become a spark and someday erupt into a wildfire that engulfs the entire Nine-layered Dragon Cloud, representing a meaning of utmost significance.
Slash!
While these Emperor Palace cultivators in the Lingyun Realm were feeling fearful, a slight sound suddenly drew their attention from a certain direction.
"I... I..."
There, a late-stage Lingyun Realm cultivator from the Emperor Palace looked down at the bloody hole in his chest with disbelief, seemingly unable to comprehend how this happened.
A dark light flashed in front of the cultivator, and unlike the bewildered individual, the other Emperor Palace cultivators instantly understood what was happening.
"It’s that wooden sword!"
Among them, a peak Lingyun Realm cultivator from the Emperor Palace exclaimed, only now truly beginning to value the inconspicuous wooden sword.
It’s a pity they realized the excellence of the Dragon Taming Sword too late; the strange wooden sword piercing someone’s chest acted like a venomous snake, with every flash of dark light taking the life of an Emperor Palace cultivator.
Ordinary cultivators at the Lingyun Realm wouldn’t possibly evade the thrust of the Dragon Taming Sword; the deadly flying sword left corpses scattered around with ease.
"Old scoundrel, don’t run!"
Just as Yun Xiao controlled the Dragon Taming Sword to kill many Emperor Palace cultivators, a voice suddenly reached his ears, causing him to turn his gaze immediately.
The voice came from Nangong Xiaofeng, the genius of the Nangong Family, but his face looked rather bad at this moment because the Chief of the Emperor Palace, Fei Qingchen, had already distanced himself by nearly a hundred feet.
"Don’t worry, he won’t escape!"
Spotting the robust figure disappearing from his view, a cold smile appeared on Yun Xiao’s face. Such a distance wouldn’t cause despair for him.
"Little bastard, do you not want that kid’s life anymore?"
But just as Yun Xiao was about to unleash the Wind Power and pursue Fei Qingchen, he heard a loud shout behind him.
Thud!
Yun Xiao’s heart stirred, and when he turned his head, he saw Nangong Xiaofeng, who had just chased out a few steps, suddenly stiffen, with a muffled sound erupting from somewhere inside him.
"Is this... poisoned?!"
As an advanced Heavenly Rank Meridian Refining Master, proficient in Medical Poison Beast techniques, Yun Xiao knew at a glance that Nangong Xiaofeng was poisoned.
This was obviously a careful after-strategy from Fei Qingchen, ensuring that if Yun Xiao continued the pursuit, Nangong Xiaofeng would likely die from the poison.
Fei Qingchen’s move was indeed a divine stroke; seeing Nangong Xiaofeng already sitting weakly on the ground, Yun Xiao realized the poison was exceptional, not allowing even a moment’s delay.
"Lucky you!"
Seeing Fei Qingchen’s figure disappear into the dense forest in his instance of hesitation, Yun Xiao cursed quietly, feeling a sense of reluctance.
After all, the Dark Star Moon Pavilion also escaped from him earlier. Letting go of two enemies of the same level consecutively was rare in his past battles.
But with things as they were, Yun Xiao no longer dwelled on it. Having deep connections with the Nangong Clan Leader, he wouldn’t idly watch the descendant suffer a poisonous death, choosing to let the old fellow go for now.
"This... brother, don’t touch me!"
Seeing the young boy in simple clothes halt and then walk towards him, about to clumsily check his wrist pulse, Nangong Xiaofeng instinctively retracted his hand while letting out a solemn voice.
It seemed that Nangong Xiaofeng knew this person as a good friend who had come to help him and had given up chasing Fei Qingchen to save him first, considering him a friend already.
Although Nangong Xiaofeng wasn’t a Poison Vein Master, he deeply understood how potent the rampant poison within him was as he was experiencing it first-hand. He was genuinely afraid that this young boy before him would also get tainted by this powerful poison, which would be more harmful than beneficial.
"You’re really kind-hearted!"
Hearing this, Yun Xiao was initially taken aback. With his intelligence, he instantly understood Nangong Xiaofeng’s intention and felt an even stronger sense of goodwill. As he spoke, he stretched out his right arm and grabbed Nangong Xiaofeng’s wrist.
"You... sigh..."
Seeing the other person entirely ignoring his warning and swiftly touching his skin, Nangong Xiaofeng wanted to persuade further, but seeing the situation had already unfolded, he could only let out a sigh.
The reason why Poison Vein Masters are feared is due to their powerful and unrivaled poison. Sometimes, even being one rank lower, they could unexpectedly poison someone and win.
Only some Meridian Refining Experts have the means to neutralize such poisons. Moreover, there are countless kinds of strange poisons, many of which ordinary cultivators haven’t even heard of.
While the young man before him indeed had excellent Meridian Qi cultivation and combat power, if he wasn’t a Meridian Refining Master, he might be helpless against the poison and even endanger himself.
"It’s done!"
As Nangong Xiaofeng was get lost in his thoughts, he realized that the young boy in simple clothes had already removed his right hand from his wrist, and the two words he uttered left Nangong Xiaofeng momentarily stunned.
"Done...?"
Subconsciously repeating these two words, Nangong Xiaofeng felt a short-circuit in his mind, and he even selectively ignored the pain within him that had already disappeared.
"I said that the poison within you is already neutralized!"
Seeing the dazed opponent, Yun Xiao could understand his feelings. After all, the detoxification methods he used were vastly different from those of ordinary Poison Vein Masters and Medical Pulse Masters, something Nangong Xiaofeng had never heard of.
Speaking of which, Yun Xiao had only placed his right two fingers on Nangong Xiaofeng’s wrist pulse for just over ten breaths. Nangong Xiaofeng’s worry and doubt hadn’t even completely dissipated when Yun Xiao’s fingers had already left.
"This..."
Only after Yun Xiao spoke for the second time did Nangong Xiaofeng awaken as if from a dream, his body shivering all over. He impatiently sensed the situation within his body, his face changing repeatedly.
"It’s actually really neutralized?!"
Nangong Xiaofeng’s face was full of doubt. Despite secretly cultivating all these years, he was, after all, from the Nangong Family. His parents had managed to escape back then, bringing with them many of the family’s legacies.
Even though those legacies were incomplete, they couldn’t be compared to those of small families or small sects, so Nangong Xiaofeng had a profound understanding of Meridian Refining.
However, no matter how well he understood the art of Meridian Refining, he never thought that the strange poison within him could be completely neutralized in just over ten breaths. It was obviously too irrational.
"Could it be that I wasn’t poisoned earlier? Was Fei Qingchen just bluffing?"
Nangong Xiaofeng’s thoughts spun out of control, but as this idea emerged, he dismissed it. The rampaging poison that made standing difficult had only recently subsided.
Since it wasn’t Fei Qingchen’s doing, there was only one explanation: the young man before him, who appeared to be in his early twenties and much younger than himself, was actually a deeply skilled Meridian Refining Master.
Previously, Nangong Xiaofeng had witnessed Yun Xiao’s extraordinary Meridian Qi combat power, easily killing a Heavenly Realm Early Stage expert like slaughtering a dog and skillfully handling his Flying Sword to leave behind all the cultivators of the Emperor Palace.
Moreover, Fei Qingchen, the genuine Heavenly Realm Middle Stage powerhouse serving as the Emperor Palace’s Chief, fled in chaos without daring to fight, eliminating Nangong Xiaofeng’s doubts about Yun Xiao’s combat power long ago.
But now, when another heaven-defying skill of this young man was displayed before him, Nangong Xiaofeng suddenly realized how little he understood this youth who had appeared out of nowhere to save his life.
"Brother, my gratitude for saving my life is beyond words. Please accept my deep bow!"
Realizing that his life was saved by the other, Nangong Xiaofeng suppressed all the mixed thoughts in his head, stood up, and deeply bowed to Yun Xiao, his tone extremely sincere.
"No need for courtesy. I have an old friendship with Buxun... the Clan Leader. Since you are a descendant of the Nangong Family, I naturally will protect you!"
Yun Xiao waved his hand, almost revealing the words "Brother Buxun" before realizing in time, as it would have been impossible to explain otherwise.
However, his words still instilled a hint of doubt in Nangong Xiaofeng’s heart, silently questioning how this young man, appearing only in his twenties, could have an "old friendship" with the long-deceased clan leader of a hundred years ago?