CHAPTER 450: FOUR HUNDRED AND FIFTY, SHE BELONGS TO ME!

"What about my sister?"

Yun Xiao blurted out the possibility that came to mind. Since his mother was still alive, his sister might also be alive. If that were true, it would be a double blessing.

"Your sister? She is probably dead."

Yu Qian pondered for a moment but couldn’t remember anything. However, he knew that the tall and thin elder who took them away only took Yun Xiao’s mother Shang Li and Xue Qi. As for the others, they were probably all dead.

"Is that so?"

Yun Xiao was extremely disappointed at not getting the answer he wanted. A trace of sadness flashed through his eyes, instantly turning into hatred.

"Yun Xiao, I’ve told you so much, can you cut your meridians and obediently come with me now?"

Yu Qian said with a smiling face. He only divulged so much because he felt in control of the situation. In his view, the boy before him had no chance to struggle.

"You’re right, I should thank you!"

Hearing Yu Qian’s words, Yun Xiao oddly nodded his head, then his figure subtly shifted, and a golden light was already erupting from the palm of his right hand, aiming straight for Yu Qian at the peak of the Spirit Vein Realm.

"Is this... a Meridian Spirit?!"

Yu Qian, catching a glimpse of the golden light flying out of Yun Xiao’s right palm, was surprised. He sensed it clearly; the golden light seemed to contain a spiritual element, indeed the unique Meridian Spirit attack method of a strong cultivator in the Spirit Vein Realm.

But how could this kid, who is merely at the early stage of Meridian Union Realm, possess a Meridian Spirit? It completely defied the usual rules of Meridian Qi Cultivation.

"Hmph, even if you have a Meridian Spirit, what does it change? The outcome remains the same!"

After a brief shock, Yu Qian snorted coldly. Whatever the case might be, Yun Xiao was only at the early stage of Meridian Union Realm. How powerful could the Meridian Spirit he summoned be?

Little did he know, Yun Xiao did not summon a Meridian Spirit this time, but a golden snake worm with an extraordinarily mysterious origin.

This creature professed to be a Five-Clawed Golden Dragon. Even if its power hadn’t restored a fraction, it was certainly not someone Yu Qian, a cultivator at the peak of the Spirit Vein Realm, could dismiss lightly.

"I’ll leave this guy to you!"

Seeing this, Yun Xiao shouted, and then his figure shifted, with no intention of engaging in battle. He darted out in a different direction.

Joking aside, Yu Qian was a strong cultivator at the peak of the Spirit Vein Realm. Although the golden snake worm was powerful, it might not be able to hold him off. With the Blood Winged Fire-Eyed Lion trapped, if Yun Xiao didn’t seize this chance to escape, when would he?

Bang!

As Yun Xiao turned to flee, Yu Qian lashed out in anger, not a trifling matter. Nevertheless, when he tried to slash away the little snake worm radiating golden light, he suddenly felt a strong force attacking him. He struggled to maintain his stance and took a step back.

"Hm?"

Only at this moment did Yu Qian realize he had underestimated that golden snake worm. Contained within that tiny body was a physical strength not inferior to his own.

That strike, even though Yu Qian didn’t use his full strength, would have severely injured any late stage Spirit Vein Realm cultivator, yet it shockingly forced him to retreat.

Looking at the golden snake worm, although it tumbled and was sent flying dozens of feet away by the slash, it seemed to have not received any serious injuries and floated in mid-air. Its pair of snake eyes was filled with hostility, glaring at Yu Qian.

At this very moment, Yun Xiao’s figure was about to disappear behind a large tree, making Yu Qian quite anxious. Could his flawless plan ultimately fail because of this golden snake worm?

Yun Xiao, running far away, naturally thought the same. Sensing the commotion behind him, he couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. As long as the golden snake worm could hold off Yu Qian for a few breaths, allowing him to escape from this place, it wouldn’t be so easy for the Great Elder of the Lingyun Sect to find him again.

But plans always change faster than reality. Just when Yun Xiao thought he could escape and be free as a bird, without knowing when, an old man and a young man appeared on the path ahead of him.

"Damn!"

Sensing something with his Power of Soul, Yun Xiao’s heart sank, and his footsteps came to an abrupt halt. As he lifted his head, he couldn’t help but curse silently.

"Ran Xing! Nie Qianqiu!"

The two figures standing not far in front of Yun Xiao were not strangers to him. He had several encounters with one of them, and those encounters were rather unpleasant.

The elder dressed in black was none other than Ran Xing, the Earth Rank Low Level Meridian Refining Master who had dealings with the Royal Family of Xuanyue Empire back in the day, and the young figure was Yu Qianqiu, the Crown Prince of Lingtian Empire.

Speaking of which, Yun Xiao did not have such a bad impression of Yu Qianqiu. Back at the Meridian Refining Master Guild, the Crown Prince had even lent him money to participate in the assessment, having been called a "good person" by him several times.

But now, when Yun Xiao saw Yu Qianqiu standing together with Ran Xing, he naturally understood some things. It seemed that the intentions of these two were not much different from those of Yu Qian over there.

"Crown Prince, what do you mean by this?"

Although Yun Xiao guessed something, he still had to give it a shot at this time. After all, he believed that he and the Crown Prince did not have deep hatred for each other; perhaps it was just a misunderstanding.

"Hmph, what do I mean?"

Seeing Yun Xiao’s confused face, Yu Qianqiu was really infuriated. Not knowing Yun Xiao’s identity before was one thing, but now that he knew this was the person who was betrothed to Xu Hongzhuang, how could he possibly wear a pleasant expression?

"Hongzhuang is mine, Yu Qianqiu’s. To insult her is to insult this Crown Prince, naturally deserving of death!"

As if declaring his authority, Yu Qianqiu’s words were full of vigor, which made Yun Xiao instantly understand why the Crown Prince suddenly appeared here, targeting him at every turn.

For some reason, when Yun Xiao heard the words "Hongzhuang is mine, Yu Qianqiu’s", an inexplicable irritation welled up from the depths of his heart, even though he himself had crushed the Jade Pendant that represented the betrothal token into several pieces.

"Crown Prince, why waste words on this brat, just kill him and be done with it!"

Ran Xing had not a single good feeling towards Yun Xiao, having his plans thwarted by him several times. Now that there was such an opportunity, how could he possibly let it go easily?

"Heh, looks like this kid has offended quite a few people!"

Hearing what Ran Xing said, Yu Qianqiu glanced at Yu Qian in the distance, immediately recognizing this Great Elder of the Lingyun Sect, and sneered coldly.

In Yu Qianqiu’s view, the reason why Yu Qian made a move against Yun Xiao must be because of the latter’s trip to the Lingyun Sect to cancel the engagement. How could the first major sect of the Lingtian Empire swallow such a humiliation?

Whoosh...

Ran Xing could hardly bear it any longer, and in the next moment, his Meridian Qi surged violently. His strength seemed even stronger than Yu Qian, the Great Elder of the Lingyun Sect. With the eruption of energy, Yun Xiao felt his breathing becoming constrained.

"Boy, remember in your next life not to offend those you cannot afford to offend!"

Seeing that Yun Xiao was about to die under his palm, Ran Xing’s cold voice came out without any hesitation, as he believed there would be no unexpected outcome to his strike.

Bang!

However, Ran Xing’s palm strike, which he believed would surely end Yun Xiao’s life, ultimately failed to kill him because, in that critical moment, a golden figure swept across and blocked his sure-kill blow.

The powerful blast of wind forced Yun Xiao back several steps, his face quite unsightly as he thought to himself that Ran Xing had attacked without warning. If the Golden Snake Worm hadn’t arrived in time, he might have indeed been in an indefensible situation.

The one who blocked a palm strike for Yun Xiao was naturally that Golden Snake Worm. Although it usually displayed great disdain for Yun Xiao, in this life-and-death moment, it understood that their fortunes were intertwined. If Yun Xiao died, it would do no good for itself either.

"Kid, let’s see where you can escape to this time!"

With the Golden Snake Worm no longer a hindrance, Yu Qian quickly moved forward, a loud shout emerging, completely disregarding the peculiar expressions on Ran Xing and Yu Qianqiu’s faces. A gigantic Meridian Qi Palm Seal pressed down towards Yun Xiao from above.

This was the critical moment, and Yun Xiao had to act without restraint. With a mere thought, the three Ancestor Veins on his left and right hands and right leg erupted together.

Whoosh... Whoosh...

In just a brief moment, Yun Xiao’s Meridian Qi Cultivation had soared directly from the Early Stage of Meridian Union to the Mid Stage of Meridian Union Realm. Such an elevation caused a flash of unspeakable jealousy in Yu Qianqiu’s eyes.

With Yu Qianqiu’s insight, he naturally knew that what Yun Xiao had activated was the power of the Ancestor Vein. And whether it was the quantity or quality of this Ancestor Vein Power, it far surpassed what he, the Crown Prince of the Lingtian Empire, could compare to.

To Yu Qianqiu’s knowledge, Yun Xiao came from an extremely weak family in the Xuanyue Empire. How could such a family pass down such a formidable Ancestor Vein, and moreover, as many as three of them?

To be able to invoke Ancestor’s Power at the Meridian Union Realm and advance by a minor realm, these Ancestor Veins must at least reach the Spiritual Rank. At least such Ancestor Veins, even Yu Qianqiu, the Crown Prince of the Empire, only possessed a single one.

The Lingtian Empire had a thousand years of heritage, and yet their Ancestor Vein Power couldn’t compare to a young man from a minor family; how could Yu Qianqiu accept this?

At this moment, both Yu Qianqiu and Ran Xing felt a surge of intense killing intent in their hearts. Such a heaven-defying talent, if allowed to grow unchecked, one day they may all be stepped on by him.

On the other side, Yu Qian, who had already smashed out that gigantic Meridian Qi Palm Seal, believed that even if Yun Xiao activated the Ancestor Vein Power and increased his Meridian Qi to the Early Stage of Meridian Union, the consequences of taking this palm strike would be no different.