Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor

"Swallow him!"

Despite Nie Wencang's panicked and stern shouting, Yun Xiao didn't care at all. Hearing his light drinking voice, the Ice and Fire Giant Dragon opened its massive mouth and swallowed Nie Wencang, who was about to make a move, right into its gaping maw.

"This... is this too fierce?"

Seeing this scene, whether it was soldiers from both the Lingtian and Black Star Empires or cultivators from the Xuanyue Empire, everyone was stunned. That was a powerful being of the Earth Rank Third Realm, and yet he was swallowed by the Ice and Fire Giant Dragon.

Swallowed by the dragon, Nie Wencang didn't even let out a cry of agony, but no one doubted his fate and outcome; under that extreme power of ice and fire, even an iron man would probably die instantly right?

It's ironic that the ambitious Lingtian Emperor, determined to bring the entire Xuanyue Empire under his control, almost succeeded in conquering a large part of the Xuanyue Empire, only to fail just outside the North Gate of Baiyue City in the Xuanyue Imperial City.

"Roar!"

The Ice and Fire Giant Dragon that swallowed Nie Wencang let out a huge roar to the heavens, then turned its dragon body and gave a cold glance at the soldiers of the two empires, its dragon eyes filled with undisguised murderous intent.

"Do you... also want to taste the might of the giant dragon?"

A crisp, clear voice seemed to echo from the Ninth Heaven, devoid of any emotion. At this moment, everyone knew who that voice belonged to; it was Yun Xiao, the one controlling the Ice and Fire Giant Dragon.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Under Yun Xiao's cold voice, and the tyrannical gaze of the dragon, the fighting spirit of all the soldiers from both empires seemed to vanish in that instant. The sound of weapons hitting the ground rose, as those low-level soldiers all dropped their weapons.

Under the watch of the Nine Heavens Divine Dragon, no one thought they could truly fight back. It was a joke; even Nie Wencang, a cultivator of the Earth Rank Third Realm, was swallowed in one bite, let alone these low-level practitioners.

Everyone had reason to believe, if they didn't wise up and continued to resist stubbornly, they were likely to face total annihilation. With one swallow from that dragon, how many could stand against it?

"We won!"

Seeing countless soldiers from the two empires throw away their weapons, many cultivators from the Xuanyue Empire were overjoyed and tearful, looking at the young man standing austerely in the distance, filled with gratitude.

The Eight Great Empires had joined hands to annihilate their nation; originally, these Xuanyue Empire cultivators had already given up hope, their only option being to fight to the death.

Yet, that young man called Yun Xiao returned and with overwhelming force, killed Luo Qingkong, the Emperor of the Black Star Empire, and summoned such a powerful Ice and Fire Giant Dragon that swallowed the Earth Rank powerhouse, Nie Wencang.

Although everyone knew that the crisis at the North Gate was resolved, they had even more reason to believe that Yun Xiao, with the power of the Ice and Fire Giant Dragon, could likely defeat powerful figures such as Xie Jiupeng, the Sect Master of Yuqi Sect, and Flying Flower Empress Ye Luochen.

Though these rulers from the two empires were also strong practitioners of the Earth Rank Third Realm, their powers may not surpass Nie Wencang's. As long as Yun Xiao can still summon the Ice and Fire Giant Dragon, the crisis facing the Xuanyue Empire could be completely resolved.

"Thank goodness that back then, I didn't fall for Jiuding's schemes, otherwise the Xuanyue Empire would have perished by my own hands!"

As opposed to the other excited cultivators, Xuan Haoran, the former King of the Xuanyue Empire, was sincerely grateful. As a direct descendant of the Xuanyue Royal Family, no one valued the inheritance of Xuanyue more than he did.

If the Xuanyue Empire had really perished, especially due to his offspring Jiuding, Xuan Haoran wouldn't have the face to meet his ancestors after death.

It can be said that Yun Xiao's powerful return saved an Xuanyue Empire that was in turmoil; this was truly an act of stabilizing a collapsing building and combating a fierce storm.

Xuan Haoran had reason to believe that if he had followed Jiuding's schemes back then and acted against Yun Xiao or Jade Pot Sect, the calamity facing Xuanyue today would have had no savior.

Huh... Huh...

Meanwhile, as everyone felt a mix of emotions, the Ice and Fire Giant Dragon in the sky underwent a transformation and then split into five beams of light, flying back into Yun Xiao's body.

Only then did some practitioners with powerful Soul Forces sense something - it seemed that the dragon was not just comprised of ice and fire attributes.

"Haoran, the aftermath here is for you to handle, I'll go check on the other gates!"

Yun Xiao, unlike those low-level practitioners, had fewer considerations. He knew that the North Gate of the Imperial City only had troops from two of the Eight Great Empires. Despite deploying the Red Flame Blood Winged Fire-Eyed Lion to support other units, he was still wary of unforeseen incidents.

Now, with Luo Qingkong and Nie Wencang, two kings, having fallen, and the remaining troops from the two empires left leaderless, under the leadership of Xuan Haoran, an Earth Rank cultivator, even though the Xuanyue Empire had far fewer numbers, he believed no further incidents would occur.

"Yun Xiao, gratitude beyond words, please take care of yourself!"

Watching the young man dart towards the gates of the Imperial City, Xuan Haoran could only shout out loud, then saw the young man wave without turning back, disappearing into the North City Gate.

Feeling somewhat emotional, Xuan Haoran ultimately set aside those emotions and turned his attention to a figure about to disappear amidst the troops of the Lingtian Empire.

"Nie Yi, at this point, do you think you can still escape with your life?"

Although Xuan Haoran was internally injured, his sensing ability remained undiminished. Upon his shout, a graceful figure turned her head with a pale face—it was the former Empress of the Xuanyue Empire, Nie Yi!

Earlier, Nie Yi, realizing the dire situation, indeed tried to blend into the soldiers. In her view, it would not be easy to be singled out among hundreds of thousands of soldiers.

However, Nie Yi clearly underestimated Xuan Haoran's focus on her. After all, this war of annihilation was likely instigated by her, leading to continuous conflicts and immense suffering across the Xuanyue Empire. How could Xuan Haoran easily let her go?

"Xuan Haoran, victors are crowned, and losers condemned. Even if you kill me today, I will have no regrets about this decision!"

Seeing no escape, Nie Yi instead showed her resolute side. However, her words instantly stirred a mix of anger and pain in Xuan Haoran.

"For personal grievances, you involved the entire Xuanyue Empire, causing millions to perish and countless soldiers to die brutally. Does your conscience not ache at all?"

Watching the scene of carnage outside the North Gate of the Imperial City, Xuan Haoran felt as though he could see through the blood-red sky and observe the widespread desolation across the Xuanyue Empire.

It should be known, with the Eight Great Empires joining forces, except for the Imperial City Baiyue City, the Xuanyue Empire was conquered within a month, indicating the one-sided nature of the war.

Moreover, some irate emperors even annihilated entire cities of both military and civilians in their rage. Each time Xuan Haoran received such military reports, his sorrow deepened.

All this tragedy, rooted in Nie Yi and her son's resentment, and yet she still did not recognize her faults. How could Xuan Haoran not be pained and angered?

"Ha, Xuan Haoran, you have the nerve to accuse me, don't think I don't know how you obtained the throne—by murdering your father and brother. What right and standing do you have to moralize from such a high ground?"

Seeing Xuan Haoran reproach her, Nie Yi, unable to hold back, blurted out these words, which, however, did not win any support as the cultivators from Xuanyue Empire were well aware of the past events.

"Nie Yi, stop misleading others here. The previous King of Xuanyue Empire was incompetent, drawing the ire of both heaven and the people. It was my father who set things right and saved the deteriorating Xuanyue Empire, allowing it a rebirth. What wrong did he do?"

Xuan Jing, as the new King, knew much about the past, and indeed, he spoke the truth. Though Xuan Haoran's ascent to the throne was controversial, the later prosperity of Xuanyue Empire offset the infamy of his usurpation.

Had that incompetent previous king and his son continued to rule, the Xuanyue Empire would likely have quickly declined and been destroyed by adversaries like the Black Star Empire. What chance would there have been for a centennial prosperity then?

"As for you, Nie Yi, you and your son's actions were against the tide. Even if you die now, you're probably destined for the eighteenth level of hell."

Xuan Jing looked around at the blood-riddled scenery, his expression growing severer, and raised his voice again: "Forget our Xuanyue Empire's soldiers; look at these corpses of Lingtian Empire soldiers before you, which one isn't a result of your personal vendetta?"

Seeing the accusatory facts, Nie Yi, previously filled with righteous indignation, found no words to rebut. Moreover, faced with Lingtian Empire soldiers now directing their venomous gazes towards her due to Xuan Jing's words, she couldn't help but feel terrified.

"It's all because of this woman that our brothers died miserably. Brothers, kill this woman and avenge our fallen comrades!"

A roar erupted from the crowd, igniting the fuse, and waves of resentment could no longer be contained as countless soldiers swarmed towards Nie Yi.

Seeing this, the cultivators of the Xuanyue Empire were momentarily taken aback but soon revealed cold smirks. After all, this intense battle could have been avoided if not for Nie Yi and her son, leading to such a tragic outcome, which was deserved.

Even as a Peak of Spirit Vein Realm expert, Nie Yi couldn't withstand the sheer numbers. Without Yun Xiao's capabilities, under the barrage of attacks, she was quickly torn to pieces by the enraged soldiers of the Lingtian Empire.