Free Web NovelChapter 1536: Chapter 1536: What Was He Trying to Say?
"How... how is it possible that it’s him?"
No matter how much Ma Nu calculated, he never imagined that the young man in his early twenties before him, who had grown up on the Hidden Dragon Continent, could actually be the Long Xiao Battle God who once dominated the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud?
Perhaps when he was with the Lu family, Ma Nu’s disposition wasn’t bad, but he had a peculiar obsession with Lu Qinwan. Whatever that lady did, he thought was right, even if it meant betraying her husband.
So when Lu Qinwan stated her decision, Ma Nu instantly abandoned his reverence for the Long Xiao Battle God, replacing it with an unwavering secret betrayal.
Back then, the Long Xiao Battle God was calculated against by Lu Qinwan, and then stabbed to death by Emperor Canglong. Ma Nu watched it all happen clearly from a short distance away.
He clearly saw the Long Xiao Battle God get pierced in the heart by Emperor Canglong’s spear. Even as a Daluo Golden Immortal, there was no way he could survive. For many years, those who knew the truth believed this was an unchangeable fact.
Little did he know that just by following the lady’s disciple to the Lower Realm once, he would encounter such a young man, and this young man, after instructing others how to defeat him, would say something so shocking.
"No... that’s impossible, he died long ago, he can’t still be alive?"
It was as if he was trying to encourage himself. Ma Nu’s gaze was fixated on the plain-clothed young man before him, and his voice carried a hint of obsession. The scene he witnessed with his own eyes back then surged like a tide in his mind.
"Believe it or not, it has nothing to do with me, but what I want to tell you is..."
Yun Xiao’s face was cold. He paused slightly here, and then the calmness in his eyes turned into a hint of hostility, as he said, "One day, I will settle the old debts with Emperor Canglong and Lu Qinwan!"
At this moment, Ma Nu suddenly had an illusion that on this small, plain-clothed young man, he saw a shadow of the Long Xiao Battle God from back then.
At the same time, deep in Ma Nu’s heart, a trace of unease rose. No matter how much he refused to believe the young man before him was the Long Xiao Battle God of the past, his intuition told him this might just be the truth.
Otherwise, how do you explain why Lu Qinwan’s clone projection was easily destroyed by Yun Xiao earlier? Why did Ma Nu, a strong Heavenly Realm Middle Stage cultivator, lose miserably after a few pointers from him?
Everything was telling Ma Nu that this young man named Yun Xiao standing before him could not possibly have a simple background, and the greatest possibility was he possessed the inherited memories of the Long Xiao Battle God, which allowed him to have so many targeted methods.
Ma Nu was well aware of how powerful the Long Xiao Battle God once was. If not for a fortuitous circumstance where Lu Qinwan had first poisoned him with a special toxin, killing the Long Xiao Battle God would not have been an easy task.
What Ma Nu hadn’t expected was that the Long Xiao Battle God who once ran rampant through the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud was like a centipede dead but not stiff, seemingly about to make a comeback.
As these thoughts crossed his mind, a chill unwittingly rose in Ma Nu’s heart, silently lamenting that with this young man’s mysterious ways and the trump card that seemed like the reincarnation of the Long Xiao Battle God, his lady might face great disaster in the future.
Ma Nu had an unusual obsession with Lu Qinwan. Even at the cost of his own life, he wanted to protect the lady, so at this moment, his thoughts were no longer about how to escape but how to convey this information to the lady.
"Listen carefully, he is the Long..."
However, at this moment, Lu Qinwan’s clone projection had long dissipated along with Xue Qi. Ma Nu, knowing there was no hope of escape, decisively gathered his breath to loudly expose Yun Xiao’s identity in front of the crowd.
At the brink of death, Ma Nu’s thoughts were indeed clear. He believed that as long as he could fully shout out this phrase, Yun Xiao’s identity could never be hidden again.
At that time, even if people didn’t quite believe his words, they would still be somewhat skeptical. After the news spread from mouth to mouth, reaching the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud would have a sliver of hope.
Unfortunately, since Yun Xiao dared to reveal his greatest secret to Ma Nu, there was no way he hadn’t prepared in advance. Just as the latter shouted out a few words, Yun Xiao’s right hand, which was placed on his heart, suddenly erupted with Meridian Qi.
Although Ma Nu was a strong cultivator at the Heavenly Realm Middle Stage, in his severely injured state, there was no way he could resist Yun Xiao’s methods.
Under the powerful shock of Yun Xiao’s Meridian Qi, Ma Nu’s heart veins were instantly shattered, and his loud voice came to an abrupt halt, never revealing those critical words.
The vitality in Ma Nu’s eyes quickly dissipated, though in his dilated pupils, there was still a trace of fear and unwillingness, for he knew that the secret would ultimately remain with the person before him.
In his dying moment, Ma Nu seemed to foresee the future, when this young man would head to the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud, it would be a scene of tumult and slaughter.
Even though Yun Xiao appeared to have only an Early Stage Cultivation of the Lingyun Realm, completely at the bottom tier in the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud, Ma Nu couldn’t shake off his sense of concern.
The strength of the former Long Xiao Battle God was something Ma Nu had known clearly for a long time. Even after all these years, many High Rank Cultivators in the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud still revered that great figure.
Now, Yun Xiao, so young, had already cultivated his Meridian Qi to the Lingyun Realm Early Stage. Such talent seemed far superior to the Long Xiao Battle God of the previous life.
It was because of these thoughts that Ma Nu harbored concern. But no matter how unwilling he was, with his heart meridian shattered, he was beyond saving. As his life force gradually disappeared, a generation’s powerhouse fell.
Of course, this term "powerhouse" only applied within the Tenglong Continent. A cultivation at the Heavenly Realm Middle Stage was nothing in the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud, but because Ma Nu was backed by Emperor Canglong, no one dared to provoke him.
"What did he want to say?"
Looking at Ma Nu, whose life dissipated and slumped at Yun Xiao’s feet, many people were puzzled, as Ma Nu’s incomplete shout before dying was too intriguing.
Along his journey, Yun Xiao committed many shocking acts. The cultivators of Tenglong Continent were already convinced that this youth’s background was far more complex than just the Hidden Dragon Continent.
Looking at it now, Yun Xiao’s familiarity with Ma Nu’s techniques seemed to suggest he was from the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud. Ma Nu’s dying shout led many to speculate that there might be some unknown ties between the two.
But with Ma Nu dead, and Yun Xiao not likely to reveal it himself, no matter how curious or doubtful, none of the onlooking cultivators dared to ask the coarse-clothed youth!
Meanwhile, Hou Tianlie, Xiao Bailin, and others showed some curiosity and doubt on their faces, followed by spontaneous joy. After all, those threatening Demons Mountain had almost all been taken care of.
This sudden attack by the Spirit Fighting Commerce left Demons Mountain extremely unprepared. Coupled with Xue Qi and Ma Nu’s prowess, Demons Mountain was nearly pushed to the brink of destruction, temporarily defended only by the Demon Realm space artifact.
It was at this critical moment that Yun Xiao, accompanied by Wu Zhukong, arrived in time, averting the imminent destruction of Demons Mountain. Later, when Lu Yanji arrived, the situation changed once more.
However, even with Lu Yanji’s arrival, Demons Mountain’s crisis was not fully resolved. The strongest on the Heavenly List was surprisingly being suppressed by this unknown powerhouse called Ma Nu.
Fortunately, the coarse-clothed youth Yun Xiao, using some unknown method, guided Lu Yanji to injure Ma Nu, then personally stepped in to finish him off.
Regarding Yun Xiao’s secrets, Hou Tianlie had no interest in dwelling on them. Everyone has their secrets, and as long as such secrets bring benefits to oneself, that is enough.
Yun Xiao’s intervention preserved the legacy of Demons Mountain. At this moment, Hou Tianlie’s gratitude toward the coarse-clothed youth was unparalleled, willing even to die without a frown if necessary.
As for the thoughts of those onlookers, Yun Xiao paid no mind. Having shattered Ma Nu’s heart meridian, he now turned his sights on the Waist Storage of this loyal servant of the Lu Family.
"That item, I recall Lu Qinwan entrusted it to you for safekeeping. I wonder if it’s still on you?"
A trace of excitement flickered in Yun Xiao’s eyes. Thinking of certain effects of that item, he even felt a slight heat. Perhaps it could push his just-broken-through Lingyun Realm Early Stage cultivation even further.
Swish!
Yun Xiao reached out, a surge of Sky Power emanating, causing the Waist Storage originally on Ma Nu’s waist to leap into his hand automatically.
"Sure enough, it’s here!"
When Yun Xiao infused a wisp of Meridian Qi into Ma Nu’s Waist Storage, sensing that familiar aura, a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
"This time’s harvest is indeed substantial!"
With Yun Xiao’s sensing, his smile grew more pronounced. Besides the essential item, Ma Nu’s Waist Storage also contained many rare items from Tenglong Continent.
It was known that Ma Nu was the most trusted servant of Emperor Canglong. Although his Meridian Qi Cultivation hadn’t reached the Holy Rank Third Realm, his possessions far surpassed those of Tenglong Continent’s cultivators.
For instance, items that Emperor Canglong didn’t need were often given to Ma Nu. This time, however, they all benefited Yun Xiao. For him now, these things were akin to manna from heaven.
Of course, if these items fell into the hands of an ordinary Lingyun Realm Early Stage cultivator, they might not dare to refine them. But with the Ancient Dragon Taming Technique and both Little Five and Red Feather within him, Yun Xiao had no such reservations.
