Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor

Crash!

In the depths of Chongxiao River, a massive wave surged, followed by a Thunder-winged Giant Dragon descending from the sky, diving into Chongxiao River, as if evaporating the river water into wisps of steam.

This Thunder-winged Giant Dragon was, of course, controlled and manifested by Yun Xiao. This time, he chased into the depths of Chongxiao River not to leave Tenglong Continent, but simply because he didn’t want to let go of that Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit You River.

Previously on Impermanence Island, Yun Xiao had injured the You River Spirit Crystal, yet over time, not only did its strength not diminish, but it also fully restored to its peak state.

It was evident that the water attribute Strange Spirit’s restoration ability was extremely powerful. Yun Xiao believed that if he let the You River go this time, disaster would surely befall Tenglong Continent in the future.

Yun Xiao himself need not fear excessively. With his cultivation talent, the current You River was no longer his match, and the gap would only widen in the future.

But this was ultimately Dragon Continent, a land of humans. Yun Xiao knew that one day he would leave Tenglong Continent and move on to a higher plane, the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud.

Once he left, there would be no one left to resist an intermediate Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit Strange Spirit expert on Tenglong Continent, leading inevitably to widespread devastation.

If it were just devastation, Yun Xiao might not fret too much. Entities like Zhao Family of Sky Thunder Valley being wiped out were of little significance.

But people like Liu Hanyi and Mo Qing Ling Wan were highly valued by Yun Xiao. Offending You River severely this time, he believed, with its nature, it would exact revenge, targeting his loved ones and friends first.

Thus, Yun Xiao, disregarding potential dangers in the depths of Chongxiao River, charged in without hesitation. This wasn’t just the You River’s last escape, but also an opportunity he needed to seize.

With the residual aura of the Dragon Taming Sword on the You River Spirit Crystal, Yun Xiao had not lost track. At this moment, controlling the Thunder-winged Giant Dragon to strike down towards the depths of Chongxiao River meant it had reached an attackable distance.

However, this time the You River had no shield, but after diving into Chongxiao River, the Thunder-winged Giant Dragon did not achieve the effect Yun Xiao had imagined.

The Thunder-winged Giant Dragon, which caused massive waves, vanished into the depths of Chongxiao River, as if a stone sinking into the sea, disappearing without a trace, leaving Yun Xiao puzzled and uncertain.

"What on earth is in the depths of Chongxiao River?"

Even though Yun Xiao was the Long Xiao Battle God in his past life, a native cultivator of the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud, he never meddled in affairs of these lower planes after reaching such heights.

In his past life, Yun Xiao was always waging wars in the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud, battling numerous Strange Spirit experts or foul villains, so how could he care about how a cultivator from the Middle Three Realms entered the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud?

But here and now, when Yun Xiao couldn’t sense any special aura from his Thunder-winged Giant Dragon, he realized he underestimated the entities in the depths of Chongxiao River.

At least Yun Xiao knew that an injured You River couldn’t possibly withstand the Thunder-winged Giant Dragon’s assaults, and the disappearance of its aura indicated some changes happening in the depths of Chongxiao River.

Yun Xiao was indeed confident but not arrogant. He understood there were many strange things in the world, and the existence of Chongxiao River was such an incredible matter.

How could a body of water, vast as an ocean with no sight of the opposite bank, be named a "river"? Yet since it was a river, there must be banks, but after chasing for so long, Yun Xiao still hadn’t found the opposite shore.

Not only was there no opposite bank, but Yun Xiao couldn’t even see the Tenglong Continent behind him anymore. Combined with the strange changes in his Thunder-winged Giant Dragon, he became more cautious.

Crash!

Just as Yun Xiao felt a slight tremor in his heart, not far in front of him, a gigantic splash arose again, closely followed by a massive entity breaking out of the water—it was the Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit You River.

At this moment, the Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit You River didn’t seem to be in control but rather pulled from the water by a mysterious force, its entire body rushing forward.

"What is that power?"

Seeing this, Yun Xiao suddenly grew curious. With Thunder Wings flapping behind him, he raced again towards the Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit, but this time, he didn’t act rashly. He wanted to understand the force pulling the river.

It’s worth mentioning that this force posed no threat to Yun Xiao, seemingly targeting only the Strange Spirit You River, pulling it like a flash of wind, and in a blink, it was dragged miles away.

"Hmm? What is that..."

After chasing for miles, the scenery in Yun Xiao’s eyes suddenly changed. In the distant north, there seemed to be a thin line, appearing as the river’s opposite bank or a coastline nearing land.

Now, being a strong Heavenly Rank Advanced Soul, Yun Xiao had an incredibly powerful sensing ability. After a moment, what he saw was not just the riverbank, but a marvelous scene.

On that opposite riverbank, there was something reaching straight into the sky, like a heavenly ladder. This heavenly ladder, surrounded by a white glow, appeared exceptionally sacred, and before the ladder stood a white-haired elder in a white robe.

Whoa!

With Yun Xiao drawing ever closer to the Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit You River, a mysterious force suddenly erupted, grabbing the Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit and violently throwing it onto the riverbank.

Swoosh!

Yun Xiao was full of surprise and suspicion, but his figure didn’t pause and he directly landed next to the riverbank, staring at the white-robed elderly man, seemingly trying to sense his true cultivation.

No matter how Yun Xiao unleashed his Power of Soul, the white-haired, white-robed elder always seemed to emit a special aura, making it impossible for Yun Xiao to perceive anything.

"Young man, have you come to take the test of the Chongxiao Stairs, heading to the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud?"

Just as Yun Xiao was observing the white-robed elder, the latter spoke first, giving Yun Xiao insight into what the white Heavenly Ladder behind him truly was.

It appeared to be the channel to the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud, but Yun Xiao looked far ahead and saw no end to the so-called Chongxiao Stairs, shrouded with mist and some mystical forces, making it unclear.

"No, I don’t want to go to the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud for now. I’m here to chase down this Strange Spirit!"

But Yun Xiao wasn’t intending to hide anything, as he pointed at the feeble Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit You River lying beside him, not wanting to break ties with this mysterious person whose aura he couldn’t sense.

Yun Xiao still had unresolved matters on the Tenglong Continent and hadn’t said goodbye to Mo Qing Lingwan and others. He didn’t want to leave the Tenglong Continent for the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud, at least not in such haste.

"Young man, it seems you don’t know about the Chongxiao Stairs. Once you’ve arrived here, you’ll never be able to return to the Tenglong Continent!"

When Yun Xiao pointed at the You River, these words from the white-robed elder made his expression subtly change.

"If you don’t believe me, turn around and see for yourself!"

As if seeing through Yun Xiao’s thoughts, the elder raised his arm and pointed behind Yun Xiao. When Yun Xiao turned his head, the somberness in his eyes intensified.

Because at this moment, behind Yun Xiao, there was no trace of the water-swelling Chongxiao River, just a land shrouded in hazy mist, with no end in sight.

"What’s going on here?"

Seeing this, Yun Xiao thought deeply, silently wondering how the massive Chongxiao River he had just crossed vanished without a trace.

Yun Xiao could confirm that he wasn’t in an illusion realm; everything — the elder in front, the gravely injured You River, and the mist behind — was real.

"And I must tell you, within the range of the Chongxiao Stairs, whether human, Vein Demon, or Strange Spirit, all must equally face its test, so you cannot kill him!"

The white-robed elder ignored Yun Xiao’s confusion, instead motioning towards the You River again, causing a wave of dislike for the elder to arise in Yun Xiao’s heart.

"Do you know, he’s a Strange Spirit!"

Yun Xiao questioned coldly, although he couldn’t sense the elder’s cultivation, understanding that he should be human. As a strong human, shouldn’t he loathe Strange Spirits?

"In my space, there’s no distinction between humans and Strange Spirits. As long as one passes the test of the Chongxiao Stairs, they can enter the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud, and whether you fight to the death afterward, I won’t care!"

The elder remained calm, as if stating a fact, which made Yun Xiao’s expression more somber and a sense of defiance arose in his heart.

"No matter who you are, today he must die!"

Yun Xiao’s cold voice followed his words as he ignored the white-robed elder, a dark light flashing, aimed at the grievously injured Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit You River on the ground.

"Such audacity!"

Seeing a small human youth disregarding his words and attempting to strike the You River right before him, a hint of anger appeared on the white-robed elder’s face for the first time.

Angry words emerged from the white-robed elder’s mouth, immediately after Yun Xiao felt a vast power, resembling a thunderbolt, striking from the side.

Perceiving the power’s fury, Yun Xiao was wise enough to know that if he insisted on killing the You River first, he might be struck down by this force.

Bam!

But the power came so swiftly that, just as Yun Xiao began to dodge, it slammed into his crossed arms before his chest, producing a loud sound.