Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor

"Yun Xiao, in this Chongxiao Stairs Space, you cannot kill me!"

Seeing the expression of the young man below raising his head, the Half-step Holy Spirit’s rage was truly extraordinary, and the cold voice he issued also revealed his deep-seated self-confidence.

Although those several methods failed to completely kill or trap the boy, this place is the domain space of the Half-step Holy Spirit, and no matter how many tricks the human boy has, he can’t do anything to him.

This is the source of confidence in the Half-step Holy Spirit’s heart. At most, they might only fight to a draw, and he wasn’t even prepared to confront the human boy directly. Since that’s the case, he couldn’t understand why the boy would show such an expression?

"You were never meant to appear in this world, much less play tricks on those human cultivators hoping to enter the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud, so from today onwards, you will cease to exist!"

Yun Xiao didn’t acknowledge the words of the Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit, but instead, he spoke coldly, expressing his attitude. Towards such Strange Spirits, he never held any compassion.

Unless it’s a Strange Spirit Expert that Yun Xiao absolutely cannot defeat, like the Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit You River he once saw at Xuanyin Cave, only then would he choose to flee, seeking another opportunity in the future.

But at least the Half-step Holy Spirit before him poses no significant threat to Yun Xiao, and since the opponent’s methods within this space have been broken one by one. When Yun Xiao stands here, everything is already destined.

"Humph, I’d like to see how you will make me cease to exist!"

The Half-step Holy Spirit also had a temper, although Yun Xiao was confident, he was not overly desperate, after all, this space was the Chongxiao Stairs’ space where he could endlessly appear.

For instance, if one manifestation were dispersed, the Half-step Holy Spirit could quickly condense another body by leveraging space, and within this body, there wasn’t a critical fatal weakness like a Spirit Crystal found in ordinary Strange Spirits.

"Then you better watch closely!"

Just after the confident words of the Half-step Holy Spirit fell, an odd smile appeared on Yun Xiao’s face before his right leg lifted and stomped down hard.

"What is he doing?"

Watching Yun Xiao’s actions, the Half-step Holy Spirit smirked but was curious because, in his impression, the stone steps the human boy stood on seemed to never have appeared before?

Crack!

A faint sound echoed as Yun Xiao’s right foot stomped down. Having reached the Middle Stage of the Heavenly Realm and with the Earth Attribute Ancestor Veins in his right leg, this stomp was incredibly forceful, creating a distinct crack in the stone steps.

Crash!

Following that, the platform seemed unable to bear such a powerful impact and directly shattered into fragments. When a hint of white light appeared, the Half-step Holy Spirit’s entire body trembled violently.

"No! This is impossible!"

Seeing the increasingly dense white light amidst flying debris, the Half-step Holy Spirit roared because a certain vague sensation finally revealed to him what that white light was.

"How’s this? Completely unexpected, right? Isn’t it magical?"

Yun Xiao hovered above the shattered steps as endless white light rose from beneath his feet, issuing three consecutive rhetorical questions.

"No, this absolutely isn’t real; it must be an illusion you created!"

The Half-step Holy Spirit stubbornly refused to believe what he was seeing. His gaze latched onto the dazzling white light, and though speaking such words, a storm surged within the depths of his heart.

Shh!

As the words of the Half-step Holy Spirit fell, the dazzling white light gradually restrained itself, and shortly after, both of their eyes beheld a white ladder emitting a soft white glow.

This resembled a miniature version of the Chongxiao Stairs’ main structure, and seeing this mini white ladder, Yun Xiao couldn’t help but smile with satisfaction.

"It seems you’ve sensed it already, this is the Artifact Heart of the Chongxiao Stairs, right? But why did it suddenly appear here, even you, the Strange Spirit of the Chongxiao Stairs, couldn’t discover it?"

Yun Xiao, displaying a look of satisfaction, glanced at the white ladder and then turned his gaze to the Half-step Holy Spirit above, smiling lightly.

"You’re lying; this is definitely not the Artifact Heart of the Chongxiao Stairs!"

By this time, the Half-step Holy Spirit was horrified and roared loudly, as if cheering himself on, or truly attempting to debunk Yun Xiao’s "lie."

"Actually, you want to ask why the Artifact Heart appeared here, right? Don’t worry, as long as you ask, I will answer you!"

Yun Xiao didn’t pay the slightest attention. He knew that deep down, the Half-step Holy Spirit actually believed this was indeed the Artifact Heart of the Chongxiao Stairs, but due to extreme shock, he didn’t want to show it.

"Why... why?"

The second question was like a heavy hammer striking the heart and mind of the Half-step Holy Spirit, prompting him to instinctively ask, and then he saw a hint of mockery flashing across the human teenager’s face.

"I can answer you, but I’m afraid you won’t understand, so let’s not bother!"

This softly spoken phrase from Yun Xiao’s mouth caused the Half-step Holy Spirit’s body to tremble violently, seemingly on the verge of explosively bursting, as if he was about to be enraged to the point of explosion.

"Ah! I’m going to kill you!"

After being toyed with by Yun Xiao several times, the Half-step Holy Spirit felt a surge of pent-up anger stuck in his heart, unable to be released. The next moment, his entire figure swooped down rapidly from the sky, fiercely charging towards Yun Xiao.

Perhaps this Half-step Holy Spirit, while verbally refusing to admit it, actually believed in his heart that this was indeed the Artifact Heart of the Chongxiao Stairs. If such a crucial object were controlled by Yun Xiao, he would truly become nothing more than a wandering ghost.

This Half-step Holy Spirit was originally the Spiritual Wisdom nurtured by the Artifact Heart of the Chongxiao Stairs. Therefore, the miniature white ladder in front of Yun Xiao could be said to be his true form, or at the very least, his Spirit Crystal.

Thus, the Half-step Holy Spirit could absolutely not stand by and watch Yun Xiao employ his techniques to control the Artifact Heart. As Yun Xiao had said, from that point on, he would cease to exist.

"At this stage, why are you still struggling?"

Seeing the Half-step Holy Spirit pouncing towards him, Yun Xiao didn’t panic at all. He extended his hand directly, gripping the corner of the miniature white ladder.

Swish!

The moment Yun Xiao’s right hand touched a corner of the white ladder, a brilliant white light suddenly burst forth from it, as if illuminating the entire space of the Chongxiao Stairs.

"Hmm?"

The charging Half-step Holy Spirit stopped abruptly upon sensing the white light. Then, instead of continuing towards Yun Xiao, he twisted his body, attempting to flee in a different direction.

It seemed the Half-step Holy Spirit had just wanted to take a gamble. He bet that even if the Artifact Heart of the Chongxiao Stairs was found, the human teenager might not be able to control it instantly.

But now it appeared that not only were the teenager’s methods astonishing, but his speed in controlling the Artifact Heart was remarkably fast. Otherwise, the Chongxiao Stairs Artifact Heart wouldn’t have emitted such a dazzling white light in an instant.

At this moment, the Half-step Holy Spirit knew he was doomed. From now on, he could only exist in this form, without his true body, much like a dandelion blown away by the wind, without a home.

However, compared to having his Spiritual Wisdom eradicated entirely, the Half-step Holy Spirit still found survival preferable. He believed that if he could just escape the range of the Chongxiao Stairs, that kid might not be able to catch up with him.

"I say, don’t you actually think you can escape?"

As the Half-step Holy Spirit retreated tens of meters, a soft voice seemed to sound next to his ear. Then, the brilliant white light enveloped him, causing his entire form to suddenly become rigid.

"Yun... Yun Xiao, wait... wait a moment!"

Feeling the white light as if it was causing his body to show signs of melting, the Half-step Holy Spirit was utterly terrified, his words coming out stutteringly.

Perhaps the Half-step Holy Spirit finally realized that the seemingly young, coarsely dressed human teenager had already employed certain techniques to control the Chongxiao Stairs’ Array Core the moment he found it.

In fact, it seemed the teenager’s grasp on controlling the Chongxiao Stairs using the Artifact Heart was even more proficient than his own as the Artifact Heart Strange Spirit. Under the illumination of the white light, the Half-step Holy Spirit knew there was no turning back for him now.

Strange Spirits seldom manage to cultivate Spiritual Wisdom, let alone this Artifact Heart Strange Spirit of the Chongxiao Stairs who had spent an extremely long time reaching this stage. He absolutely refused to have his Spiritual Wisdom erased.

Compared to the value of his little life, temporary submission was a small price to pay. Unfortunately, the Half-step Holy Spirit had encountered Yun Xiao this time—a peerless demon who held deep hatred for the Strange Spirit Clan.

If it had been some ordinary cultivators, like Xue Changze and others still trapped in the Myriad Phenomena Stone Stair Formation, they might have at least listened to what the Half-step Holy Spirit wanted to say before making a final decision upon hearing his plea.

At the very least, they’d gain some information about the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud from this guy’s mouth, so that when they eventually reached there, they wouldn’t be completely in the dark.

But who was Yun Xiao? The memories of the previous life as the Long Xiao Battle God gave him more understanding of the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud than some Holy Rank experts born and raised there.

"Yun Xiao, if you spare my Spiritual Wisdom, I will tell you everything I know, and... I also know a tremendous secret!"

Seeing Yun Xiao silent, the Half-step Holy Spirit thought perhaps his words had sparked some interest in Yun Xiao’s mind. At that moment, he wanted to seize the opportunity, coldly laughing inwardly, thinking this human kid was indeed easy to deceive.