Chapter 1009: 接取

The cool parchment landed in Zhou Yuan's hand. He gently rubbed it with his fingers, his gaze sweeping over the details.

Zhang Zihao, mid-stage Heavenly Sun, Purple-Gold Heavenly Sun, estimated Genesis Qi foundation of 630 million.Cao Xiao, mid-stage Heavenly Sun, Purple-Gold Heavenly Sun, estimated Genesis Qi foundation of 660 million.Bei Gongqiao, mid-stage Heavenly Sun, Purple-Gold Heavenly Sun, estimated Genesis Qi foundation of 750 million.

Inside the Hall of Battle Achievements, many eyes lingered on the parchment. Given the sharp eyesight of those present, they could naturally see its contents clearly. Thus, at this moment, many looked at Zhou Yuan as if he were insane. They hadn't expected Zhou Yuan not only to refuse to give up but also to choose three such formidable targets.

The three individuals Zhou Yuan had chosen were quite renowned on the Chiyun Province battlefield, especially Bei Gongqiao. With a Genesis Qi foundation reaching 750 million, his strength had clearly peaked at the mid-stage Heavenly Sun realm, even showing signs of condensing a third Heavenly Sun.

Such individuals were considered among the top tier within the mid-stage Heavenly Sun realm. In the past few months, no fewer than ten Heavenly Sun realm experts from the Tianyuan Region had perished at his hands, a testament to his immense power and ruthless methods.

Facing opponents of this caliber, most of the Heavenly Sun realm experts present in the Hall of Battle Achievements would likely flee immediately if they encountered them in the hunting grounds. A moment's delay could mean death. Yet, Zhou Yuan dared to directly take on such formidable enemies that even they couldn't handle. This made many of the Heavenly Sun realm experts present feel that he was truly too arrogant. So, at this moment, many gazes on Zhou Yuan were somewhat strange. It didn't seem like he was putting on an act... he seemed to be courting death!

As others looked on with strange expressions, Qin Lian also took a deep breath. A hint of anger flickered in the depths of her eyes, a result of Zhou Yuan's recklessness. After all, if Zhou Yuan were just an ordinary Heavenly Sun realm practitioner at this moment, she wouldn't have paid him any mind. On this battlefield, which day didn't see a Heavenly Sun realm expert fall? But Zhou Yuan was different now; he was the Grand Elder's personal disciple. If anything went wrong here and he were slain by the enemy, it would be a severe blow to the Tianyuan Region's reputation.

"Chief Pavilion Master Zhou Yuan," Qin Lian said, enunciating each word, "I understand your intentions, but I also hope you won't cause us trouble. You know your status. To protect you, we would have to pay a greater price, even lives."

If Zhou Yuan were to enter the battlefield, they would certainly have to act. At the very least, Elder Yi Qianji, a Genesis Infant realm expert, would need to keep watch on the enemy's Genesis Infant realm experts. And they, the top combatants at the late-stage Heavenly Sun realm, would also need to monitor enemy experts of the same level to prevent them from discovering Zhou Yuan. Therefore, this entire battle zone would become even more volatile due to Zhou Yuan's participation.

If Zhou Yuan truly possessed the ability to slay the targets he had chosen, then doing so would be meaningful. But... Qin Lian's red lips pursed slightly, her eyes sharp. Could Zhou Yuan do it? In the future, with his capabilities, Qin Lian believed he would certainly be able to, but that would take some time... Zhou Yuan was too impatient right now!

Faced with Qin Lian's sharp gaze, Zhou Yuan smiled helplessly. He said, "I will take responsibility for all consequences arising from this."

He knew Qin Lian wasn't targeting him, but what could he say? Should he directly tell her that his Genesis Qi foundation was 720 million? If she didn't believe him, would he then have to publicly reveal his Genesis Qi foundation, exposing his true strength and hidden cards? Who knew if there weren't spies from the five major powers lurking here? The more some things remained hidden, the greater the advantage when they were finally unleashed.

Qin Lian gritted her teeth, staring at Zhou Yuan for a long moment before abruptly turning and walking away, her ponytail swinging behind her. It was clear that she was filled with anger and disappointment.

Zhou Yuan watched her departing figure, then turned to Yi Qianji and said, "Elder Yi, you won't try to stop me too, will you?" Yi Qianji gave a wry smile, gazing deeply at Zhou Yuan. "While your choice is indeed baffling, you haven't disappointed anyone since the day you arrived in the Tianyuan Region. Perhaps that's why the Grand Elder favored you over us..." He added, "If you are truly determined, then I suppose I should make some arrangements."

Just as Qin Lian had said, if Zhou Yuan were to engage in battle, measures would be taken to protect him. At the very least, they would need to prevent enemy Genesis Infant realm experts from entering the fray.

"Thank you for the trouble, Elder Yi," Zhou Yuan said gratefully. As arrogant as he might seem, he wasn't so deluded as to believe he could contend with top-tier Genesis Infant realm experts.

Yi Qianji waved his hand. "I'll have more information about these three sent to you shortly. Please be extra careful." With that, he turned and left.

Zhou Yuan watched him leave, then turned his gaze to Ye Bingling, Yi Qiushui, Mu Liu, and the others behind him. At this moment, all of them were staring at him wide-eyed.

Yi Qiushui stammered, "Zhou Yuan, are you really planning to hunt down these mid-stage Purple-Gold Heavenly Sun cultivators?" Ye Bingling's face showed doubt. "Don't drag us into trouble. We just want to earn some battle achievements. Do you really need to make it this difficult for us?"

Given their close relationship, there was no need for formalities in their speech. Zhou Yuan pouted slightly. "Don't worry, if there's a pit, I'll be the first to jump in. If you want to earn battle achievements, you can't go wrong following me!" He finished with a cheerful smile, then rolled up the parchment and slowly walked out of the Hall of Battle Achievements.

Venturing into the hunting zone, he couldn't rely solely on himself. He needed a team to scout ahead and locate targets for him. Of course, the others would only be providing assistance; the final battle would still fall to him.

Yi Qiushui, Ye Bingling, and Mu Liu exchanged glances. They could tell Zhou Yuan didn't seem to be joking. "Does this guy really have such confidence?" Mu Liu scratched his head, sounding incredulous. Even a Glass Heavenly Sun practitioner in the initial stage, who had condensed a Glazed Heavenly Sun, wouldn't dare directly confront formidable enemies with a Genesis Qi foundation of six or seven hundred million, would they? After all, an initial-stage Glazed Heavenly Sun usually only had about four to five hundred million!

They looked at each other, still unable to comprehend the source of Zhou Yuan's confidence. They could only speculate that perhaps Elder Xi Jing had given him some life-saving means. "This guy is playing a huge game this time... I hope he can handle it," they sighed softly, then quickly followed him.

Inside the Hall of Battle Achievements, numerous eyes watched their retreating figures. A moment later, a buzz of conversation erupted. Many frowned and shook their heads repeatedly. It seemed this "young elder" was truly determined. They could only hope he returned alive; otherwise, given his status, any mishap would not bode well for the Tianyuan Region.

Li Qingyue also watched the scene, a sneer forming at the corner of his lips. "He doesn't know his place..." "If he's looking for death, then truly no one can stop him." "Let's see how you clean up the mess when you fail!"