Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor

Bang!

As the loud noise rang out, Yun Xiao only felt as if his arms were struck heavily, and his entire body was sent flying backward by the powerful force.

Not until he had retreated seven or eight zhang did Yun Xiao stabilize himself, looking at the white-robed elder with a gaze filled with a trace of uncertainty, as if he hadn’t expected such a tremendous force.

"You won’t kill him in front of me!"

The white-robed elder, after blasting Yun Xiao back with one strike, resumed his calm demeanor, as if he had done something trivial, and his previous rage was well concealed.

"Oh? Really?"

Yet just as the white-robed elder spoke with confidence, Yun Xiao’s face turned into a strange smile, and his words made the elder’s eyes narrow.

Swish!

Suddenly, a wooden sword emitting a black light appeared behind You He, the very Dragon Taming Sword Yun Xiao had concealed using certain methods.

Previously, Yun Xiao had controlled the Dragon Taming Sword as a mere feint, intending to lull the white-robed elder, even enduring the elder’s hit as part of his plan.

Indeed, after the youth was knocked back seven or eight zhang, the elder believed that at this distance, Yun Xiao had no chance to harm You He, holding such confidence.

But regardless of how powerful the elder was, he was unprepared for certain special aspects of the Dragon Taming Sword, such as the surprise appearance of Dragon Taming Flying Concealment behind You He.

With the white-robed elder’s face looking grim, Yun Xiao wasted no time, knowing this was his only chance. The mysterious elder was too strong, and Yun Xiao had no intention of a prolonged fight.

Chasing to this place, Yun Xiao had no interest in climbing the Chongxiao Stairs, but merely in finishing off You He completely. If this sword strike succeeded, he would immediately retreat along the original path, even if it was no longer the way he came.

Screech!

He heard a subtle sound, followed by a scream from the Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit You River, but it was too late. The speed and sharpness of the Dragon Taming Sword were unmatched, and with You He already severely injured, his fate was sealed.

However, under Yun Xiao’s control, the Dragon Taming Sword did not pierce You He’s Spirit Crystal directly but instead knocked it out of You He’s body, into the path where Yun Xiao stood.

"Come over here!"

Right as Yun Xiao used the Dragon Taming Sword to push out the Spirit Crystal, ready to control it and let the Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit’s Spiritual Wisdom dissipate, a deep, angry shout came from the side.

Clearly, the white-robed elder had come to his senses. Furious at Yun Xiao’s audacity, he was unwilling to see the Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit die, so he acted immediately.

This was the Chongxiao Stairs, the domain of the white-robed elder. If he let the human youth succeed after speaking, where would he save face?

The elder’s decisive action was timely, knowing if the youth controlled the Spirit Crystal, the Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit might never recover.

A powerful suction force invisibly swept from the air, targeting You He’s Spirit Crystal, but Yun Xiao was already wary of the elder’s move. At that moment, with a slight change in his seal, the Dragon Taming Sword altered its direction.

Though the Dragon Taming Sword had broken contact with the Spirit Crystal, inertia still drove it toward Yun Xiao, while the wooden sword’s tip pierced into the suction force, dispersing it.

No matter how strong the elder was, he couldn’t reclaim the prepared Spirit Crystal from Yun Xiao with just suction. The Black Light Wooden Sword was not as simple as the white-robed elder imagined.

Swish!

Seeing his Meridian Qi suction broken, the white-robed elder was naturally unwilling to give up, this time rushing out with his true form, intending to snatch the Spirit Crystal before Yun Xiao could grasp it.

Hiss!

Yet at that instant, a black light flickered in the elder’s eyes, once again the unremarkable wooden sword changing course in mid-air, stabbing rapidly toward his back.

"Damn it, this is actually an Ancient Divine Artifact!"

The white-robed elder cursed under his breath. With his experience, he had already suspected earlier, and now seeing the Dragon Taming Sword repeatedly change direction unsupported, he was convinced.

Knowing it was an Ancient Divine Artifact, the white-robed elder realized he couldn’t take it head-on, as that could lead to a disastrous failure.

Amidst the lightning-fast exchange, the Water Attribute Spirit Crystal belonging to You River was snatched by Yun Xiao, marking the end of the thrilling confrontation.

With the Spirit Crystal in hand, Yun Xiao instantly erased the aura belonging to the You River, including its spiritual wisdom, which it relied on for resurrection. How could a seriously injured You River still have any strength to resist?

"Apologies!"

Seeing that he had finally achieved his goal, Yun Xiao’s mood undoubtedly improved greatly. After putting the Spirit Crystal into his Waist Storage, he turned his head and cupped his hands towards the white-robed old man with a gloomy expression.

"Forget it!"

For some reason, the white-robed old man, who had been angry over the loss of the Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit You River Spirit Crystal, did not choose to act against Yun Xiao at this moment, instead softly uttering these two words.

This unexpected action caught Yun Xiao off guard. He had originally prepared to battle the old man, knowing that he might not be his match, at most he could only retreat safely.

Who knew that the old man would behave so unusually, giving up on taking action immediately after the death of the You River, which seemed indeed quite pragmatic.

This also gave Yun Xiao some speculation, thinking that the living You River might have a certain allure to the old man, but a dead You River was utterly useless.

"In that case, I’ll take my leave!"

Yun Xiao did not wish to stay longer with this mysterious old man. He made a gesture to retrieve the Dragon Taming Sword, then spoke aloud and left swiftly without looking back.

"Hold on!"

Unfortunately for Yun Xiao, his desire to leave was not easily fulfilled, as the mysterious old man would not allow it. A flash of white appeared, and the white-robed old man, familiar to Yun Xiao, blocked his path.

"I already mentioned before, once you come to the Chongxiao Stairs, there’s no turning back. The only path is to go through the Chongxiao Stairs to the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud!"

Without waiting for Yun Xiao to speak, the white-robed old man spoke first, repeating what he had said before, his body emitting a faint aura of danger.

Seeing the intent of the white-robed old man, it seemed that if Yun Xiao did not voluntarily step onto the Chongxiao Stairs, he would immediately take action and throw him in, undoubtedly darkening Yun Xiao’s expression.

"Is there truly no other way?"

Yun Xiao furrowed his brows. To be honest, he was really not prepared to go to the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud yet. On the Tenglong Continent, he still had some unresolved matters.

Of course, the biggest reason was this old man seemed too cunning, someone who would protect Strange Spirit experts. Deep down, Yun Xiao had a deep sense of distrust from the very moment earlier.

It’s known that the human cultivators and Strange Spirits on the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud are at odds. The original Long Xiao Battle God’s duty was to deal with Strange Spirits, so he was very knowledgeable about the relationship between the two sides.

If the so-called Chongxiao Stairs were open to Vein Demons, Yun Xiao might not suspect much, just like the Boundary Tower before, which also transmitted Chi Yan to the Tenglong Continent, didn’t it?

But speaking of the Boundary Tower before, Yun Xiao had never heard of it allowing Strange Spirits to enter. The actions of the old man in front were truly suspicious; he would not easily follow his words.

"It’s not impossible, but the premise is you must first enter the Chongxiao Stairs!"

The old man’s first words made Yun Xiao’s eyes brighten, but the subsequent words made them seem like useless nonsense; wasn’t it still just one way?

"Enter the Chongxiao Stairs. If you pass its test and enter the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud, fine. But if you can return here from the Chongxiao Stairs, I’ll open the Chongxiao River and let you return to the Tenglong Continent. What do you say?"

The old man’s following words made Yun Xiao somewhat understand his intentions. Clearly, he was offering Yun Xiao a special test.

Whether the Chongxiao Stairs truly lead to the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud aside, Yun Xiao could be sure that this was likely the mysterious old man’s final bottom line. If he didn’t agree, a fight might be inevitable.

To be honest, Yun Xiao was quite wary of the old man whose cultivation was not clearly sensed. He knew he was likely not his match, even with the help of the Golden Snake Worm Xiao Wu’s power, he might not truly escape.

As for the so-called Chongxiao Stairs, at this moment, Yun Xiao’s gaze once again shifted to the mysterious stairs shrouded in white mist, and this time, the scene appeared somewhat different.

"Huh?"

With Yun Xiao’s surprised sound, his eyes suddenly narrowed, for within the mist-shrouded Chongxiao Stairs, some shadowy figures had appeared, seemingly climbing upwards.

"Are those humans who entered the Chongxiao Stairs?"

Yun Xiao thought of a possibility, murmuring aloud, feeling that the Chongxiao Stairs were indeed not as simple as they appeared, resembling a ladder to the sky, but actually possibly a special space, one where people might never reach the end.

"You guessed right. Those people are the Tenglong Continent experts who entered the Chongxiao Stairs. Some of them have been climbing the Chongxiao Stairs for decades!"