Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor

"So that’s how it is! So that’s how it is!"

Compared to the bewilderment of the human cultivators watching, You River, who was directly involved, was overjoyed at the moment, and for him, it was simply a pleasant surprise.

Earlier the You River Spirit Crystal had a piece shaved off by the Dragon Taming Sword, causing him to be unable to move at that critical moment, and he could only watch helplessly as the attack from the Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit behind him struck without any evasive action.

Originally, You River thought that under this strike, he would at least be seriously injured. By that time, facing these human cultivators eager to kill him, escape would undoubtedly be impossible.

But who would have thought that the seemingly powerful strike, when it landed on him, was like a gentle breeze, without the slightest force.

At this moment, You River naturally understood everything, and he also realized that he had fallen for Yun Xiao’s nasty trick. That despicable human boy somehow only managed to conjure a mere illusion.

Yet this illusion, whether in the image seen or the aura of the Intermediate Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit, was extremely lifelike, so much so that the real Intermediate Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit You River had been chased for so long without realizing it.

At this moment, You River couldn’t help but feel angry at his own foolishness. If he had known that it was just an illusion, wouldn’t he have just let the strike hit him directly?

Unfortunately, in such a situation, You River couldn’t see through the illusion of Mirror Flowers and Water Moon, and naturally didn’t dare to withstand the attack of an Intermediate Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit with his own body.

At the same time, You River also realized that Yun Xiao’s purpose in summoning the illusory Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit was ultimately to lure him close to the Dragon Taming Sword, a careless move that could lead to death and doom.

Fortunately, You River was indeed lucky. Although the Spirit Crystal was shaved by the Dragon Taming Sword, it didn’t make him completely lose his combat power, at least allowing him to know that the Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit behind him was merely an illusion.

"Yun Xiao, I will break your limbs so that you cannot die easily, and I will ensure that you see your family and friends die before your eyes, suffering endless pain!"

Having figured out these connections, the Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit You River finally calmed his chaotic aura, and his mouth emitted a suppressed threatening voice, sounding eerily chilling in the ears of many human cultivators.

It seems that having his Spirit Crystal injured and being tricked by Yun Xiao had driven You River to a genuine fury, and he was no longer willing to hold back at all.

A dignified Intermediate Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit was actually forced into such a plight by a human youth who had just broken through to the Early Stage of the Heavenly Realm. For You River’s reputation, this was undoubtedly a huge blow.

To human cultivators, Heavenly Spirit experts have no mercy at all, and from Yun Xiao’s previous tactics, You River felt a strong sense of threat.

He believed that given time, Yun Xiao wouldn’t even need his Meridian Qi cultivation to surpass his own. As long as he reached the Middle or Late Stage of the Heavenly Realm, You River would not be able to match this human youth.

You River was extremely ambitious. He wanted to turn the entire Tenglong Continent into the domain of the Strange Spirits. He had slept and endured for many years with the purpose of gaining enough power to wipe out all human experts.

Unfortunately, both of his plans were thwarted by Yun Xiao. This was You River’s last chance, and he believed that if he could kill this infinitely potential human youth, the morale of the human side would plummet.

In fact, You River guessed correctly. Now on the Tenglong Continent, aside from a few faction leaders who had some grievances with him, almost everyone showed respect and fear towards Yun Xiao.

Over the years, Yun Xiao had accomplished countless feats, whether it was turning the tide on the Slaughter Spirit Battlefield or later obliterating the Wuyan Palace and Spirit Fighting Commerce, it could be said he ruled with both grace and power.

In such a context, whenever a Strange Spirit expert appeared, the human cultivators of Tenglong Continent wouldn’t first think of the top-ranked Lu Yanji on the Heavenly List or Xuanyin Hall Master Xue Tianao, but rather that youth barely over twenty years old.

Therefore, both publicly and privately, You River couldn’t allow Yun Xiao to continue living in this world, as it would undoubtedly be a monumental obstacle to his plans.

"Oh? You actually have more tricks up your sleeve?"

Hearing this, a puzzled expression appeared on Yun Xiao’s face, seemingly extremely calm, but a flash of hostility in the depths of his eyes went unnoticed by others.

If You River were only threatening him, Yun Xiao might not have paid much attention, but family and friends were his Achilles’ heel, and no one could touch them lightly. To attempt to harm those he valued the most was a sure path to destruction.

Ever since the Shang Family was destroyed, causing the separation of his mother and sister, Yun Xiao placed tremendous importance on friendship and family. Over the years, fighting side by side with Ling Wan, Liu Hanyi, and others, he regarded them as no different from family.

Unluckily, You River chose to provoke those Yun Xiao valued the most. When he attacked Lianyun Mountain and kidnapped Mo Qing and the others, he was already bound for an eternal calamity.

"Soon enough, you’ll know!"

You He naturally didn’t know Yun Xiao’s thoughts, and even if he did, at this moment, he couldn’t possibly leave. He believed that his most powerful technique could definitely kill that human boy completely.

Swish, swish, swish!

Knowing that the situation was urgent, if there was any more delay and those human cultivators caught on and swarmed him, You He feared he wouldn’t be able to use his final technique. Therefore, right after his words, he moved immediately.

Only the sound of flowing water was heard, and then You He’s entire body seemed to transform into a black river. This sight was somewhat familiar to Xue Tianao and Wu Zhukong.

"Is it that move again?"

Xue Tianao murmured, recalling the scene on Impermanence Island where You He was forced out of the lake by Yun Xiao. It seemed to be the confusion of this black river that allowed You He to escape in the end.

The black river reappeared, a nearly hundred-zhang long black river, true to its name, seemingly a Nine Nether River surging with the power of the world, containing extremely vast energy fluctuations.

Perhaps this was You He’s true form, or perhaps it was the manifestation of his strongest power. In any case, the instant this black river formed, even Yun Xiao’s expression became exceptionally grave.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Following that, a strong aura erupted from the black river, targeting not Yun Xiao, but the Ten Miles Chongxiao River beside the Stepping Heavenly Stone, already frozen by Yun Xiao.

Previously, Yun Xiao froze the entire Ten Miles Chongxiao River to break the Sky-covering Water Formation. The reason he didn’t undo the ice seal after breaking the array was to prevent You He of the water attribute from continuously absorbing energy from the Chongxiao River.

One must say that Yun Xiao’s plan was quite successful before, as You He had always been fighting with his own power. But the current situation was now somewhat different.

As those strange sounds arose, cracks started to creep up on the frozen surface of the Ten Miles Chongxiao River, growing more and more densely packed, wider and wider.

Crash!

In a specific moment, when the black river’s aura reached an extreme, it seemed to establish some connection with the ice surface of the Ten Miles Chongxiao River, which exploded with a loud boom.

The endless water of the Chongxiao River was drawn by some special force, pouring directly out of the Chongxiao River and finally converging into the body of the black river.

At the same time, with the augmentation of the Chongxiao River’s water, You He’s aura surged up abruptly, breaking through to the advanced Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit level in an instant.

"Advanced Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit!"

As the one with the highest cultivation present, Lu Yanji also had the strongest power of soul there, so he was the first to sense the change in You He’s aura, and his face became extremely grave.

If previously Yun Xiao could still fight above his level despite being lower by a small realm, now that You He had transformed into his true form and borrowed the water of the Chongxiao River, elevating his cultivation to the advanced Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit level, the situation was completely different.

At the level of the Heavenly Realm, even a difference of one small realm was vastly different in terms of energy combat power, let alone two small realms.

Yun Xiao, being a peerless demon, could battle across levels at this tier, but crossing one level was one thing, crossing two was another matter entirely.

Lu Yanji’s voice was not concealed, allowing many human cultivators to hear it clearly, and their expressions immediately turned extremely gloomy.

Especially the thought that if Yun Xiao truly fell to You He, relying on the dominance of an advanced Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit, who among the human cultivators of Tenglong Continent could stop him?

At that time, most of the human cultivators present would probably die under You He’s rampage, even a middle-stage Heavenly Realm cultivator like Lu Yanji probably wouldn’t stand as a match against an advanced Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit.

An advanced Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit, equivalent to a peak-level super expert at the Heavenly Realm Late Stage, was just one step short of the Holy Spirit level, or the human Holy Rank Third Realm level.

No one expected that You He had such an enhancement secret technique. The advantage Yun Xiao had painstakingly created through precise calculations earlier was completely erased after You He’s surge in power.

Everyone sensed the terrifying aura emanating from the black river, feeling an unusual oppression as if staying in this domain a while longer would make even breathing difficult.

At this moment, everyone’s gaze turned back to the plain-clothed boy. Upon looking, they felt a surge of confidence, for the boy’s posture remained upright, showing not a hint of fear on his face.