Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor

"You know nothing about life or death!"

Seeing the ruggedly dressed young man with a wooden sword on his back paying no heed to their own commands, two guards were instantly enraged. After shouting again, one of them swiftly moved to Yun Xiao's side, extending his large palm toward him.

On his journey through the mountain forests, Yun Xiao, along with Chi Yan, searched for Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, which left him travel-worn. Furthermore, being quite young, no one would regard him as a formidable figure.

Only those Cultivators present at the Baiyue City during the Countries Hidden Dragon Conference had seen him claim the championship; other Cultivators from different Empires had merely heard his name.

The commotion Yun Xiao caused later was even bigger, but it was limited to the Xuanyue Empire. How could these soldiers of the Lingtian Empire know that the young man before them was an extremely fearsome person?

Thus, the one ignorant of life or death turned out to be the Lingtian Empire guard who had abruptly made a move. From the moment he acted, his fate had already been sealed.

Pu!

In just an instant, before the palm even touched Yun Xiao, the guard's entire body was engulfed in a blood-red flame, turning him into a fireman.

This state of being burned by flames didn't last long. Within a few breaths, the living soldier, previously standing upright, turned into a pile of pitch-black ash.

"This... this... this... guffaw!"

Seeing this eerie and terrifying scene, the remaining soldier's face instantly turned extremely pale. He struggled to utter a complete sentence and one could clearly hear his teeth clashing.

What was thought to be an easily crushable ant turned out to be a terrifying murderer. Perhaps, the only thing left in this soldier's heart was regret?

As for Yun Xiao, who used Lifebound Fire to turn the soldier into ashes, he seemed as if he had done something trivial. However, just as he was about to step into the North Gate of Moon Cool City, he suddenly stopped.

"I ask you, how long has the Lingtian Empire been invading the Xuanyue Empire?"

From the looks of it, and considering these two soldiers from the Lingtian Empire, Yun Xiao had already guessed some clues; thus, he didn't ask which empire was invading the Xuanyue Empire, but instead directly questioned the duration.

"Re...replying to your honor, it has been... it has been a month!"

The sudden change in demeanor of this young man in front of him left the soldier somewhat unable to recover his senses, but instinctively, he dared not delay, not only giving the time but also spilling everything he knew.

"Eight Empires Alliance, is it?"

Hearing this, Yun Xiao's face inadvertently showed a trace of worry. He had initially thought it was merely Lingtian due to the relationship between Nie Yi and Xuan Jiuding that had prompted them to send troops to Xuanyue, but unexpectedly, it turned out to be an alliance of eight empires.

About the alliance of the Eight Great Empires, Yun Xiao could guess some clues, as other than the Black Star Empire, which had always been hostile towards Xuanyue, the other Empires had geniuses with whom he had interacted.

For instance, the geniuses from Yufeng Empire and Thunderwind Empire had been defeated by Yun Xiao in the past, and he didn't know if it was somewhat his fault.

Moreover, since a month had already passed, Yun Xiao was completely unaware if the Eight Countries Alliance had invaded the Xuanyue Imperial City. He didn't have much affection for the Xuanyue Royal Family, but the Jade Pot Sect was a Sect that protected the Xuanyue Empire, and there was no reason for it not to participate in the battle.

Yun Xiao could ignore other Sects, but he couldn't possibly watch the Jade Pot Sect be wiped out in this battle, the first Sect he considered home after his rebirth.

Swoosh!

Therefore, Yun Xiao didn't linger too long in Moon Cool City, nor did he trouble these low-ranking soldiers much. He knew these soldiers were merely following orders, and senseless slaughter wouldn't help this war for the destruction of a nation much.

The Blood Winged Fire-Eyed Lion was extremely fast; it flew nearly half the distance in just one day. However, while standing on the back of the Blood Winged Fire-Eyed Lion, Yun Xiao glanced down and his expression subtly changed.

"That figure, it looks somewhat familiar!"

With Yun Xiao's current eyesight, even from thousands of feet in the air, he could sense something below, and he had already recognized who that figure was.

"Let's go down and save them!"

Yun Xiao lightly tapped the back of the Blood Winged Fire-Eyed Lion, and understanding his intent, the creature rapidly descended. In a short while, they had arrived within a mountain range, and here, a unique pursuit battle was unfolding.

...

In the dense mountain forest.

Two figures lay low in the underbrush, daring not to move, seemingly evading someone's pursuit, but the eyes that were the only things visible were filled with a trace of despair.

Tap tap tap...

A series of urgent footsteps approached from a distance, and soon, a dozen soldiers clad in armor appeared in this dense forest, led by a robust figure with a powerful aura, who was none other than a peak Spirit Vein Realm expert.

"Little mouse, stop hiding. You can't escape from my grasp, Lie Wu!"

The brawny leader was Lie Wu, the Captain of the personal guard of the Emperor of the Lingtian Empire. The person he was chasing was naturally Lin Hao, the Commander who had escaped from Moon Cool City to deliver a message.

However, over the past month, Lin Hao, with his familiarity with the Northern Territory of the Xuanyue Empire, had managed not to be caught by Lie Wu, which infuriated the latter.

Although Lin Hao had not been caught and killed by Lie Wu, the latter was not someone to be underestimated; after finding out the details, he waited for Lin Hao on the essential road back to Baiyue City in the Imperial City.

Eventually, the two sides fought an encounter battle, and Lin Hao's subordinates, the Death Soldiers, fought to the death to protect him, barely allowing the pair to escape alive. Thus, the whereabouts of Lin Hao and his companion could no longer be hidden. The two sides continued to chase each other until they arrived at this mountainous dense forest.

Lie Wu's triumphant voice echoed through the dense forest. For the first time, a smile appeared on his face because he knew those two "mice" were nearby; finding and killing them was only a matter of time.

Crouching within the underbrush, Lin Hao and his companion dared not even breathe out loudly. What they cared about was not the looming threat to their lives but the fact that they hadn't managed to bring news of Moon Cool City's fall back to the Imperial Royal Family.

In fact, a month had passed since the fall of Moon Cool City. Even without Lin Hao's message, Baiyue City would probably have received the news already. But whether they could withstand the attack from the coalition of the Eight Great Empires was another matter.

Crack!

In an instant, Lin Hao suddenly heard a faint sound nearby, and immediately cried out in alarm, only to see Lie Wu turn around, casting his gaze sharply in their direction.

"No good, run!"

Knowing that it was his subordinate who had accidentally made a noise, Lin Hao didn't think twice; he pushed his subordinate hard, sending him several meters away, but this left him completely exposed to Lie Wu and his men.

However, Lin Hao's push did not manage to get his subordinate to a safe distance, as there already stood a soldier of the Lingtian Empire assigned by Lie Wu, who was even stronger.

"You wretched little mice, keep running! Why have you stopped?"

Finally capturing the two "mice" that had eluded him for nearly a month, Lie Wu felt all his pent-up anger dissipate. All he could think about was how to make these two detestable individuals suffer agonizing deaths.

"Disable their Meridian Qi, then sever the tendons in their hands and feet, and bind them to the top of a large tree to be exposed for seven days and nights!"

In an instant, Lie Wu had devised an exceedingly cruel method. Hearing this, Lin Hao and his subordinate exchanged glances, then both launched themselves towards two different Imperial Soldiers of the Lingtian Empire.

"Even in death, we must take one with us!"

That was the most real thought in the minds of Lin Hao and his companion. Unfortunately, they had forgotten that not only were they much weaker than Lie Wu, but even compared to the elite soldiers of the Lingtian Empire, they were clearly outmatched.

Because these subordinates brought by Lie Wu were at least at the Early Stage of the Spirit Vein Realm, which in some smaller Sects, might qualify as Sect Leaders.

Lin Hao was indeed at the Middle Stage of the Spirit Vein Realm, and his subordinate also had the cultivation of the Early Stage, but alas, two fists were no match for four hands, and despite their determination, they quickly found themselves overwhelmed.

"Commander, take care!"

After receiving several heavy blows, his subordinate's cultivation was utterly depleted. Thinking of the tortures that awaited after being captured alive, he couldn't help but shout out and then seize a moment to strike his own Heavenly Spirit.

It seemed that Lin Hao's subordinate was also a resolute person. Since he couldn't drag anyone down with him, rather than falling into the hands of those fellows and suffering endless tortures, he would rather end his own life.

Bang!

However, just as his palm was about to touch his Heavenly Spirit, a great force suddenly came from an angle, and he was hurled backward, crashing into a large tree with a loud thud.

Bang!

As he slid down the tree, another loud sound came from his side, and then he saw Commander Lin Hao himself, his face filled with despair, and his aura completely chaotic.

"In my hands, Lie Wu, death is not so easy to come by!"

It turned out that Lie Wu, seeing that they were about to make an end of it, couldn't help but intervene. True to his words, with him, a peak practitioner of the Spirit Vein Realm present, hoping for death was merely wishful thinking for Lin Hao and his companion.

"So be it, it seems this life is truly to be forfeited here!"

Feeling the last traces of Meridian Qi ebbing from within and severe injuries besides, Lin Hao simply gave up struggling. However, thinking of the impending crisis for the Xuanyue Empire, his eyes couldn't help but drift towards the distant skies.