Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor

Crack! Crack! Crack!

A moment later, under Yuan Dayou’s astonished and angry gaze, the Fourth Elder of Murong City Emperor Palace turned into a humanoid ice sculpture, sparing him from the pain of a broken leg.

For this Fourth Elder of the Emperor Palace who dared to attack him, Yun Xiao held no pity; this was a path to death he chose himself, and he couldn’t blame others.

Yun Xiao retrieved Yuan Dayou’s Waist Storage, then shook out the Demon Core of the Black Bear Pulse Demon, and drifted away, leaving behind only a bear corpse and a shimmering humanoid ice sculpture—marks of a battle that hadn’t lasted long.

At the same time, various battles unfolded throughout the Rongshan Mountain Range, battles between humans and pulse demons, and conflicts between opposing cultivators were happening everywhere.

Most cultivators, however, were heading towards the location of the previous energy fluctuation, thinking that even if they couldn’t find the true entrance to the Murong Tomb, they could at least find some clues.

Nobody paid attention to the cultivators who died in various skirmishes; as the saying goes, people die for wealth, and those who wished to obtain treasures must be prepared to sacrifice their lives.

What’s more, this time they were seeking the Murong Tomb, which even Emperor Canglong was interested in; a few deaths would be fitting with such a prestigious pursuit, otherwise, why call it an adventure treasure hunt?

......

Deep within Rongshan, by the edge of a mirror-like large lake, stood shadowy figures, among them, the Emperor Palace Director Tan Qigong stood at the forefront, his gaze flickering as he scrutinized the large lake ahead.

This large lake somewhat resembled the Yanji Lake Yun Xiao had seen on the Tenglong Continent, yet the two were not comparable; in terms of aura and size, the present lake was far more imposing.

"So the source of that energy fluctuation is ’Yingrong Lake’!"

On the other side of the lakeshore, an elder spoke softly. If anyone recognized him, they would realize he was Murong Sou of the Murong Family, a Holy Rank expert.

Yet none of the cultivators around Yingrong Lake recognized Murong Sou’s background, nor did they realize a Holy Rank expert had appeared in Rongshan.

"For decades, the bottom of Yingrong Lake has likely been thoroughly searched by people. Is the entrance to the Murong Tomb really at the bottom of the lake?"

A glimmer of light flickered in Murong Sou’s eyes; even though he was a super expert of the Murong Family back then, he was not the clan leader and thus didn’t know the location of the tomb’s entrance.

Besides, Murong Sou knew the Murong Tomb was renowned, and since the Murong Family had perished, countless people, including the Canglong Emperor Palace, would come to seek treasures.

Given the situation, the mountain ranges surrounding Murong City must have been thoroughly searched, and the distinct Yingrong Lake certainly wouldn’t have been overlooked.

Yun Xiao had found the Wuyan Water Palace beneath Yanji Lake in the Wuyan Palace Ancestral Land back then, so it wasn’t impossible for the entrance to the Murong Tomb to be hidden under Yingrong Lake.

However, countless searches over the years indicated that apart from muddy fish and shrimps, there was no entrance to the Murong Tomb at the bottom of Yingrong Lake—many cultivators diving into the lake seeking it came up empty-handed.

"In any case, since the energy fluctuation erupted from Yingrong Lake, it’s still worth diving to take a look!"

Though Murong Sou suspected there was no entrance to the Murong Tomb at the lake’s bottom, the unusual activity days ago prompted him to decide on a dive to ease his mind.

Splash!

As Murong Sou decided to explore the lake, a sudden splash sounded, and immediately a figure dove into the water, quickly disappearing from sight.

Seeing this, Murong Sou didn’t dare delay; he too leapt up and plunged into Yingrong Lake. However, just after entering the water, he sensed an alien power strike, causing his heart to tighten.

"Is this... poison?"

With Murong Sou’s expertise, even though he wasn’t a Meridian Refining Master, he instantly sensed the oncoming substance—it was evidently a potent toxin.

Yet this toxin had little effect on Holy Rank Advanced Murong Sou, unlike the tragic fate of other Heavenly Rank Third Realm cultivators who entered the lake and immediately slipped into trouble.

Splash! Splash! Splash!

The people on the lakeshore above were unaware of the anomaly in the water, continuing to dive into Yingrong Lake. Meanwhile, the first Heavenly Realm Early Stage cultivator to enter was convulsing, his face turning black.

"I should go have a look as well!"

On the lakeshore, Emperor Palace Director Tan Qigong gazed at the lake for a while, finally deciding to dive in and investigate. Confident in his skills, he feared no danger from the lake’s depths.

Whoosh!

Just as Tan Qigong was about to move, he heard the sound of rushing wind, and turning his head, he saw it was the Emperor Palace’s Great Elder Ruan Buwei.

"Lord Director, something happened!"

As Tan Qigong’s gaze swept over, Ruan Buwei’s expression also turned a bit grim. As soon as his voice fell, he had already spread open his right hand, revealing several broken soul token fragments in his palm.

"This is...Fourth Elder Yuan Dayou’s soul token?!"

When Tan Qigong saw a "Yuan" character on one of the soul token fragments, a sudden realization struck him. Coupled with what Ruan Buwei had previously mentioned, he already had a hunch.

"Indeed, our Emperor Palace’s Fourth Elder has been killed!"

Ruan Buwei’s eyes carried a trace of disbelief, along with an uncontrollable anger, reflecting that such an event of an Emperor Palace Elder being killed had never occurred until now.

"Who dares to have such audacity to kill someone from the Emperor Palace?"

Supervisor Tan Qigong’s mood wasn’t much better. In his decades of tenure as the Supervisor of the Murong City Emperor Palace, only one elder had erred and was eventually killed by him in a single blow. The other elders were long-time veterans who had been with him for ages.

Particularly Yuan Dayou, the deceased, whose cultivation might only have been at the Late Stage of the Heavenly Realm, but his formidable physical strength had always been valued by Tan Qigong. It was unexpected that he was inexplicably killed in Rongshan, and how could Tan Qigong not be enraged?

"Lord Supervisor, someone is challenging the authority of our Emperor Palace. This matter must be thoroughly investigated!"

Ruan Buwei’s voice carried a note of resentment, and his words caused Tan Qigong to nod slowly, knowing that if this issue wasn’t resolved, it would undoubtedly be a severe blow to the Emperor Palace’s dignity.

Moreover, it was a time when the Dragon Emperor Palace had issued orders for every city’s Emperor Palace to intensify efforts and unify various family sects under the Dragon Emperor Palace’s command.

In such a situation, with this heinous incident occurring, Tan Qigong knew if the news reached the Emperor Palace, he would likely face severe reprimand.

"The investigation is necessary, but there is an even more important matter at hand, and this must be set aside for now!"

With these thoughts crossing his mind, Tan Qigong shifted his gaze back to Yingrong Lake, thinking that compared to avenging Yuan Dayou, finding the entrance to the Murong Tomb was far more critical.

If he could truly locate the entrance to the Murong Tomb and obtain its treasures, even if all the elders of the Emperor Palace died, Tan Qigong wouldn’t feel an ounce of regret.

That was indeed what the Dragon Empress was interested in. For the sake of his own future, Tan Qigong was undoubtedly willing to forego seeking revenge for Yuan Dayou, and even prepared to sacrifice everyone in the Emperor Palace.

If Ruan Buwei and the others knew of Tan Qigong’s thoughts, one could only wonder what they would feel, but alas, at this moment, they simply hadn’t considered the ruthless and cunning nature of the Supervisor.

"Eh? What is that?"

Just as Tan Qigong took a deep breath, poised to enter Yingrong Lake, Ruan Buwei suddenly cried out in surprise, causing Tan Qigong’s face to darken. He mused that the Great Elder was unusually reckless today.

"Hmm?"

However, in the next moment, without needing another reminder from Ruan Buwei, Tan Qigong had already noticed the anomaly in Yingrong Lake. A figure had suddenly emerged from beneath the water, appearing rather eerie.

"Is that person... poisoned?"

As a Half-step Holy Rank expert, Tan Qigong had incredibly sharp eyesight. Instantly, he observed the person’s face, which was entirely black, with white foam frothing from their mouth, clearly indicating they hadn’t died normally.

Furthermore, these experts who had achieved the Heavenly Rank could maintain a Meridian Qi Shield to avoid suffocation underwater, so it was evident this person hadn’t drowned.

Plop! Plop! Plop!

Amidst Tan Qigong and Ruan Buwei’s uncertain expressions, bizarre figures continued to emerge silently from the waters of Yingrong Lake, where previously only cultivators had leaped from the shore.

Each of these figures that emerged from the lake was without exception, their faces completely black, and foaming at the mouth. It was apparent to many what this meant.

"Not good, this lake is poisoned!"

Once a loud shout rang out, everyone’s movements in the scene suddenly stilled, especially those who were already airborne, about to plunge into the lake, who turned deathly pale in terror.

Some who had already touched the water quickly recoiled like swallows skimming the water, hurriedly removing their shoes in fear of the poison from Yingrong Lake.

"This is troublesome!"

Seeing the blackened corpses still emerging from the lake, many displayed fearful expressions as they recognized those people as the cultivators who had previously entered the lake.

Some were even close friends of theirs, and they knew full well these people’s cultivation was akin to theirs or even stronger.

If even such people couldn’t withstand the lake’s poison, their fate would likely be no different from the blackened corpses if they dared to enter.