CHAPTER 571: FIVE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-ONE, ISN’T IT A BIT TOO EARLY TO BE PROUD NOW?

At the start of the Countries Hidden Dragon Conference, Liu Hanyi was only at the Late Stage of Meridian Union Realm, ultimately defeated by the wielder of Golden Blade, the Strange Spirit Jin Wuli. However, by misfortune turned fortunate, she initially controlled her own Immortal Poison Body and broke through to the Peak of Meridian Union Realm.

But to break through from the Peak of Meridian Union Realm to the level of Spirit Vein Realm was not so easy; the gap between these two major realms was also extremely large.

Therefore, upon sensing the massive force striking towards her, likely from a Spirit Vein Realm powerhouse, Liu Hanyi did not choose to take it head-on but instead dodged away in time.

Whoosh!

Liu Hanyi, who had nimbly dodged, felt a strong force sweep past the spot where she had just stood, feeling very fortunate that she had made this wise decision on time.

"Yan Shi?"

As Liu Hanyi turned her head, catching her breath heavily, she recognized at first glance the figure who had ambushed her. She had seen him once before, during Xuan Haoran’s birthday banquet.

At that time, the Yan brothers got scolded by Crown Prince Xuan Jiuding for letting "the thief who stole the treasure" Yun Xiao escape, so Liu Hanyi had some impression of them.

Only back then, Yan Shi was also in the Late Stage of Meridian Union Realm, not much stronger than Liu Hanyi herself. Who would have known that after just over a year of not seeing him, this guy had actually broken through to the Early Stage of Spirit Vein Realm.

"The little girl’s reflexes are indeed not bad!"

Yan Shi, whose strike had missed, had a flash of sharp light in his eyes and simultaneously felt something stirring inside him. Suddenly, he felt a tinge of envy for those young geniuses with amazing talents.

After all, for Yan Shi to break through to the Spirit Vein Realm in such a short time, he had paid a very heavy price—making his future cultivation path much more difficult.

It was precisely because of this that when Yan Shi saw that Liu Hanyi had already reached the Peak of Meridian Union Realm’s cultivation, he began to harbor a sense of jealousy. How could fate be so unfair?

Yan Shi didn’t waste too many words, as a Spirit Vein Realm powerhouse, he targeted Liu Hanyi, who was at the Peak of Meridian Union Realm, driven by jealousy. The thrill of killing a prodigy was also a kind of enjoyment.

Regardless of how strong Liu Hanyi’s skills were, whether she was the rare Immortal Poison Body seen once in the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud, she was ultimately not Yun Xiao. The disparity between realms was still hard to bridge.

Thus, in just two moves, Liu Hanyi was already in grave danger. At this moment, those powerhouses from the Luoyi Sect were all too busy with their own predicaments to lend a hand.

As for the Spirit Vein Realm powerhouses of the Jade Pot Sect, they were at a critical moment of neutralizing the potent poison, relying on the protection of the Luoyi Sect’s powerhouses. Thus, they were even less able to assist her.

However, disregarding the old powerhouse sects like the Luoyi Sect and the Jade Pot Sect, both Yan Shi and Liu Hanyi had ignored the one person they should not have, and that was Yun Xiao.

"Little girl, just accept your fate!"

Yan Shi, who had pushed Liu Hanyi into a corner, became rather smug. As he shouted aloud, raising his palm, he was about to smack it down on Liu Hanyi’s head. If this palm landed, this talented girl of the Luoyi Sect would instantly vanish like smoke and break like jade.

"No!"

Jia Yi, who was in a fierce battle with Qingshan Sect’s Sect Master Li Feng, caught a glimpse of this scene from the corner of her eye and was terrified out of her wits. She had never been married, had no children, and had long considered Liu Hanyi as her own daughter—how could she not be horrified and despairing?

Although Jia Yi knew that if the Luoyi Sect stepped in, the loss would be heavy, when the first to die was Liu Hanyi, regret inevitably rose in her heart.

Of course, Jia Yi didn’t regret coming to the aid of the Jade Pot Sect, but regretted bringing Liu Hanyi to this place of conflict, since the latter only had the cultivation of the Peak of Meridian Union Realm.

It seemed like sensing Jia Yi’s frantic attack, in that moment, Li Feng surprisingly assumed a purely defensive stance, blocking the path between Jia Yi and Liu Hanyi, making it impossible for her to break through and help no matter what.

Everything changed in the blink of an eye. Just as Yan Shi was reveling in his satisfaction and Jia Yi was overcome with despair, a thin figure appeared in front of Liu Hanyi as swift as an arrow shot from a bow.

"Old chap, isn’t it a bit too early to be pleased with yourself?"

A clear and resonate voice reached the ears of Liu Hanyi and Yan Shi. As the latter was startled, feeling that the voice sounded familiar, his abdomen had already been struck by a heavy force. No longer able to hold back, he was sent flying backward.

"Yun Xiao..."

Only then did Liu Hanyi see the figure standing before her was so familiar. Although slender, he seemed immensely tall in her eyes.

"Pfft!"

Yan Shi, who had been sent flying far away, now also realized who had struck him. At this moment, he had no inclination to think of anything else, as blood sprayed from his mouth and his bodily aura plummeted steeply.

"Ah... my Dantian!"

Yan Shi, who fiercely fell to the ground, felt his Dantian, the storage place for Meridian Qi within his lower abdomen, was already shattered. In an instant, his face turned deathly pale, knowing that from now on, he would be a cripple.

Though the human body cultivates the Qi of the meridians, these meridians also act as intermediate storage points, the vital one being the Dantian located in the lower abdomen. Once ruptured, only a miracle could restore it.

But at least on the Hidden Dragon Continent, with its Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, and even its Spiritual Rank Meridian Refining Masters, there simply were no means to repair the Dantian and meridians. Just like Yun Xiao, whose meridians were completely destroyed. If not for the miraculous Ancient Dragon Taming Technique, he would have long since perished in the belly of a snake.

Out of desperation, Yan Shi suddenly recalled the first time he encountered Yun Xiao. Back then, it was within the Northwest Vein Storage, and at that time, he had already been severely injured by Yun Xiao once.

Aware that Yun Xiao had broken through to the level of the Spirit Vein Realm, Yan Shi did not seek revenge at the first opportunity. Yet, he did not expect that merely acting against Liu Hanyi would bring about such a tragic misfortune. Truly beyond fury and expectation.

"Are you okay?"

Yun Xiao, who blasted Yan Shi away, showed no concern for the desperate and resentful gaze directed at him and instead turned his head to ask softly.

For Yun Xiao, with his current Early Stage cultivation in the Spirit Vein Realm, dealing with Yan Shi, also at the Early Stage of the Spirit Vein Realm, was effortless. This meant that if others underestimated him, they could very well meet the same fate as Yan Shi.

"I’m alright!"

Liu Hanyi’s face was a bit pale, but though she had been driven to desperation just a moment ago, she hadn’t been severely injured. As soon as she uttered these words, her expression changed once again.

"Not good, Sister Mo Qing is in danger!"

Liu Hanyi, in just a glance, saw a robust man in yellow clothing stealthily approaching the formation of the younger generation of the Jade Pot Sect. She felt a vague sense of familiarity toward this person.

"That’s Qi Heishi from the Qingshan Sect, a mid-stage powerhouse of the Spirit Vein Realm!"

It seemed that Liu Hanyi indeed had much more knowledge than Yun Xiao, identifying the man in yellow with just one look. Anxiously, she said, "Yun Xiao, don’t worry about me, hurry and save them!"

In Liu Hanyi’s view, despite being a Peak talent of the Meridian Union Realm, she couldn’t even defeat Yan Shi of the Early Spirit Vein Realm. How could Mo Qingling and others, who were less powerful, stand a chance against Qi Heishi, a mid-stage powerhouse of the Spirit Vein Realm?

"Don’t worry, they’ll be fine!"

However, just as Liu Hanyi’s anxious voice fell, the coarse-clothed youth beside her remained still and spoke leisurely, seemingly without a trace of worry.

Seeing Yun Xiao’s expression and hearing his words, for some reason, the previously anxious Liu Hanyi instantly felt at ease. It was as if there was some magic about the young man before her that made people involuntarily believe in him.

...

Qi Heishan, the mid-stage Spirit Vein power from the Qingshan Sect, had a status far from low within his sect. With just a little more effort, he could enter the ranks of the six Great Elders, so he was determined to make a significant impact in this battle to gain the Sect Master’s recognition.

For a sect to flourish, nurturing the younger generation is essential. The Qingshan Sect had always been suppressed mainly because it could not rival the Jade Pot Sect, which had numerous Meridian Masters.

Now, Qi Heishan intended to use his power to completely annihilate the future pillars of the Jade Pot Sect while they were still in their infancy. In this way, even if the Jade Pot Sect couldn’t be destroyed today, it would never recover from the blow.

As a mid-stage powerhouse of the Spirit Vein Realm, although the Jade Pot Sect disciples were many, Qi Heishan did not have the slightest concern. Such a vast gap meant that even if they swarmed him, they wouldn’t pose the slightest threat to him.

Qi Heishan was well-informed about the renowned talents of the Jade Pot Sect. Without mentioning others, just the two who had shone brilliantly at the Countries Hidden Dragon Conference, a young man and a woman, had left a profound impression on him.

Putting aside the most dazzling Yun Xiao, Mo Qing and Ling Wan were already considered the most talented of the Jade Pot Sect’s younger generation. So Qi Heishan’s first target was these two geniuses.

"Qi Heishan, have you no shame? A mid-stage powerhouse of the Spirit Vein Realm bullying a few young disciples, what kind of skill is that?"

Li Shan, who was severely injured, could not help but curse out loud upon seeing Qi Heishan’s actions. However, for the thick-skinned Qi Heishan, it had no effect whatsoever.

Having made up his mind, Qi Heishan was not going to change it. Given that the elders of the Jade Pot Sect were currently surrounded by the Luoyi Sect, it was impossible for him to start with Li Shan in a short amount of time.

"Little ones, to die by the hand of Black Mountain here is an honor in itself!"

A confident Qi Heishan, self-proclaimed as Black Mountain, made his move without delay. However, what he did not see was the mocking glint in the eyes of the chubby boy and the girl in black clothes.

If Yun Xiao was not concerned about these two, how could he possibly not have a contingency plan? Perhaps the next moment would greatly surprise this so-called Black Mountain.