Chapter 317: Ninth-Grade Mystic Beast

Chapter 317: Ninth-Grade Mystic Beast

A bloodied black eagle claw flew through the air and landed on the ground, reverting into a lump of flesh. This was not the Dragon Eagle Heir’s true claw but rather a hand formed from transformed flesh. Once severed and deprived of Profound Qi, it immediately reverted to its original state.

"Ah, damn it!"

The Dragon Eagle Heir recoiled in pain, circulating Profound Qi within its body to regenerate its arm. Its voice deepened as it growled, "How audacious! You dare oppose me? Do you even know who I am?"

Its hatred for Ning Xiaochuan intensified, and its killing intent thickened.

After returning the Desperate Crescent Blade to Duanmu Linger, Ning Xiaochuan fixed his gaze on the Dragon Eagle Heir and said, "All I know is that this is the Dragon King’s birthday banquet, not a place for slaughter."

The crowd had refrained from acting, intending to let the mystic beast cub eliminate the Demon Sect. Yet, to their surprise, a Minor Marquis from the imperial court had stepped forward to aid the Demon Sect against the mystic beast cub.

Was a mystic beast cub so easy to deal with?

Many wore expressions of amusement, reveling in the spectacle.

"Master, Ning Xiaochuan is acting recklessly. If he offends the mystic beast cub, it could bring disaster upon the imperial court. Shouldn’t we call him back?" Ji Hanxing understood the gravity of the situation and feared Ning Xiaochuan’s impulsiveness.

"No need," the Cloud Marquis replied indifferently.

He glanced at Ning Xiaochuan, a faint, mocking smile curling at the corner of his lips.

Nie Lanzhi’s eyes darted around as she transmitted a mental message, "Sister, this Minor Marquis is too meddlesome! He’s part of the imperial court, yet he not only saved us but is now rescuing Demon Sect members too. Is there something wrong with his head?"

Nie Lanxin also disapproved of the crowd’s indifference, but as a representative of the Tianyin Sect, she dared not act rashly, fearing repercussions for her sect. Ning Xiaochuan’s bold intervention had taken her completely by surprise.

"Since you’ve chosen to throw yourself into death’s embrace, don’t blame me for showing no mercy."

The Dragon Eagle Heir’s body erupted with radiant light, swelling to a towering height of tens of meters as it transformed into a massive black Dragon Eagle.

A pair of wings spanning tens of meters unfurled from its back, and its head resembled that of a true dragon. With a roar, it spewed a torrent of azure flames.

"Hisss—"

The azure flames melted the ground, turning it into searing magma.

This was no ordinary fire—it was the Dragon Eagle’s Innate Divine Ability, the Azure Flame.

For seventh-grade mystic beasts, divine abilities could manifest naturally within them, inherited through their bloodline from their ancestors. These were known as Innate Divine Abilities.

Human Martial Artists passed down their Martial Arts Divine Abilities through scrolls, preserving them for future generations.

Mystic beasts, however, inherited their divine abilities through bloodline, bequeathing them to their descendants.

The Dragon Eagle’s ancestor was none other than the Azure Nether Divine Dragon Eagle, a being of earth-shaking power that had once devoured a Divine Dragon.

But those were legends from the Age of Gods.

The Dragon Eagle clan residing in the Yulan Empire, though descendants of the Azure Nether Divine Dragon Eagle, possessed a bloodline that had grown exceedingly thin. Only the most exceptional among them could awaken the dormant bloodline and inherit the Innate Divine Abilities left behind by their progenitor.

It can be said that the "Azure Flame" is the innate divine ability of the Azure Nether Divine Dragon Eagle, possessing the power to scorch the heavens and boil the seas. Unfortunately, the Dragon Eagle Heir couldn't even unleash one ten-thousandth of its true might.

Ning Xiaochuan activated the "Cloud and Sunset Returning Qi," forming a 10-meter-diameter Profound Qi Shield to block the Azure Flame's assault.

Pointing both hands skyward, hundreds of lightning bolts gathered between his palms, coalescing into a ferocious divine beast resembling the mount of the legendary Thunder God. Its eyes burned crimson.

"Roar!"

The Lightning Divine Beast let out a furious howl, charging toward the Dragon Eagle Heir amidst a storm of lightning.

Flames and lightning clashed violently, emitting piercing collisions.

The Dragon Eagle Heir let out a mournful cry as its feathers were scorched black by the lightning. A massive claw mark tore open its chest, blood gushing endlessly.

"A mere human martial artist dares bully our Mystic Beast kin? Dragon Eagle, I’ll lend you my strength!" A golden-haired youth with a tiger-like demeanor erupted in golden radiance, transforming into an eight-meter-tall Golden Lion Beast.

The Golden Lion Beast was also a seventh-grade mystic beast cub, its fur gleaming as if cast from pure gold, dazzlingly brilliant. Its meter-long teeth resembled twin rows of golden battle swords.

The Dragon Eagle Heir and the Golden Lion Beast attacked simultaneously, unleashing their innate divine abilities and turning the entire Dragon Valley into a battlefield.

"Ning Xiaochuan is only eighteen, yet he can already fight two seventh-grade mystic beast cubs? No wonder he’s called the Imperial City’s top prodigy. The imperial court truly breeds extraordinary talents," remarked a genius from the Lingxi Sect.

"He’s too reckless, lacking restraint. To dare oppose mystic beast cubs—such a person will inevitably meet an early demise."

"Even the Cloud Marquis didn’t intervene, yet he dared strike. How foolhardy."

The martial artists present held extreme opinions of Ning Xiaochuan.

Some believed his talent was exceptional, likely enabling him to reach the Earthly Venerable Realm before forty. Others thought his flawed temperament—lacking subtlety and misreading situations—made him too brash.

Only a handful secretly admired Ning Xiaochuan, knowing he wasn’t reckless at all. In fact, his mind was sharp. He simply couldn’t stand watching his fellow humans be devoured by mystic beasts while other martial artists turned a blind eye.

Such indifference was truly terrifying.

Ning Xiaochuan’s bones held no trace of apathy.

The Dragon Eagle spread its wings, blotting out the sky like a black cloud. A draconic roar echoed as it spewed a one-meter-wide Azure Flame.

The Golden Lion Beast’s body was ten times larger than an elephant, its Golden Battle Qi surging with boundless strength.

Compared to the two colossal beasts, Ning Xiaochuan seemed minuscule, darting between them like a leaf drifting in the wind.

Yet he moved with effortless grace, showing no sign of panic.

The two mystic beast cubs attacked fiercely—Azure Flame and Lion’s Roar, their innate divine abilities unleashed. Any other martial artist would have been reduced to ashes.

"Is this all you seventh-grade mystic beast cubs can do? Let’s end this now!"

Within Ning Xiaochuan's body, specks of starlight radiated outward, swirling with mist and rotating around him as if his body had transformed into a miniature cosmos.

Stars and Moon Sharing the Sky

"Whoosh—"

A silver moon materialized above Ning Xiaochuan's head, slashing toward the two Mystic Beast cubs with a long, gleaming silver tail in its wake.

A large swath of feathers was sheared off the Dragon Eagle, and another gash over two meters long split open its body, nearly severing its neck.

The Golden Lion Beast fared even worse—its tail was sliced clean off, thudding heavily onto the ground. That severed tail alone weighed dozens of kilograms of flesh and blood.

Standing firmly on the ground, his robes untouched by dust and his body wreathed in starlit mist, Ning Xiaochuan declared, "I have no wish to spill blood at the Dragon King’s birthday banquet. Otherwise, you would already be in pieces."

"What arrogance," a cold voice sneered.

The Mystic Beast cubs hastily retreated as a white-haired male sat upon a stone bench, holding a wine jug and savoring the Fine Wine gifted by the dragon clan.

Not only was his hair white, but his skin was also pale, exuding a crystalline glow. With delicate brows and upturned eyes, he was undeniably handsome—yet eerily otherworldly.

Of course, the most striking feature was his ears.

They were unlike those of any human—sharp and twice as long, marking him clearly as non-human.

Even more astonishing was that none of the Mystic Beast cubs recognized him. Their gazes brimmed with curiosity.

The white-haired male rose, lifting a battle sword and pointing it first at Ning Xiaochuan—then shaking his head and redirecting it toward the Cloud Marquis. "Among human Martial Artists, you are the strongest. Step forward and face me."

Such audacity!

He dismissed all other warriors, daring to challenge the Cloud Marquis directly.

The Cloud Marquis had entered the Earthly Venerable Realm a decade ago—his cultivation now unfathomably profound. How could a mere Mystic Beast cub presume to contend with him?

The other Martial Artists deemed the cub outrageously arrogant—all except Ning Xiaochuan.

When the cub had merely pointed its sword at him earlier, an overwhelming, suffocating force had locked onto Ning Xiaochuan. Fortunately, the cub deemed his Martial Path unworthy and turned its challenge to the Cloud Marquis instead.

The Cloud Marquis spoke lightly, "This Marquis holds great reverence for the White Fox of the Sky-Cutting Desolate Ridge. Since you are its descendant, I shall not engage you in battle."

With a single glance, the Cloud Marquis discerned the white-haired male’s origins—his insight far surpassing his peers.

At the mention of the "Sky-Cutting Desolate Ridge," not only were the Martial Artists stunned, but even the Mystic Beast cubs fixed their gazes on the white-haired male.

The Sky-Cutting Desolate Ridge lay not within the Yulan Empire but beyond its southern borders—an endless expanse of primeval forest, its towering peaks piercing the clouds like a ridge cleaving heaven and earth.

No one had ever crossed it. None knew what lay on the other side. To many, it was the empire’s southern frontier—a barrier between earth and sky, the spine upholding the heavens.

The Mystic Beast King of the Sky-Cutting Desolate Ridge is a "White Fox," the only known ninth-grade Mystic Beast among the Martial Artists of the Yulan Empire.

This is precisely why the Cloud Marquis's mention of "White Fox" caused such a massive shock.

The White Fox cub was quite satisfied with the Cloud Marquis's attitude and said disdainfully, "You know your place. I won’t bother with you. Is he one of yours? I want him dead. Execute him now."

The White Fox cub pointed at Ning Xiaochuan.

"Think you’re so impressive, huh? Now you’ve messed with the wrong person! Haha!"

Everyone’s eyes turned to Ning Xiaochuan, their faces filled with gleeful schadenfreude.