Chapter 1012: One Punch

Somewhere in the ancient forest.

Zhou Yuan's figure appeared like a shadow on a giant crimson tree, startling Yi Qiushui and the others who were waiting there. Only after recognizing him did their tense bodies relax.

"Did you find it?" Zhou Yuan asked quietly.

Yi Qiushui and Ye Bingling nodded with serious expressions, then parted the dense crimson leaves and looked into the distance.

Zhou Yuan's gaze followed theirs. In the distant forest, a large area of Skyfire Trees had been felled, creating a clearing. Tents were set up in the clearing, and busy figures could be vaguely seen moving about. Most of them were in the Divine Dwelling stage. They were splitting open Skyfire Trees, searching for the tree essence within.

"These scoundrels are truly barbaric," Yi Qiushui said with a pained expression, watching the scene. In the past, when the Tianyuan Region collected tree essence from this area, they would never fell the trees. Instead, they would drill small holes to extract it bit by bit. However, the people from the five top factions clearly had no such consideration, treating it as disposable since it belonged to the Tianyuan Region anyway.

Mu Liu whispered, "Zhang Zihao is stationed in the central tent. We saw him earlier."

Han Yuan asked, "What's the plan? There are dozens of Divine Dwelling stage practitioners here. Should we lure some of them away first, and then you look for an opportunity to attack Zhang Zihao?" It was clear they were all very tense, their bodies coiled like springs. This was understandable, as they were about to face someone on the hunt list – a Purple-Gold Heavenly Sun mid-stage expert who had already killed several Heavenly Sun stage cultivators from their own side.

Zhou Yuan shook his head when he heard this. "No need for such trouble. They are just Divine Dwelling stage cultivators. Once Zhang Zihao is dead, they won't be a threat." As his voice fell, he leaped directly from the tree, much to Han Yuan and the others' shock.

"My heavens!" Mu Liu and the others' faces paled slightly at the sight. They hadn't expected Zhou Yuan to just brazenly charge towards the camp. Wasn't he going to meticulously plan this, waiting for Zhang Zihao to drop his guard completely before launching a surprise attack? "What do we do?" Yi Qiushui and Ye Bingling exchanged anxious glances, fine beads of sweat appearing on their pale foreheads from fright. But they didn't dare to follow him out; that would be like sheep entering a tiger's den.

As they panicked, Zhou Yuan's figure had already appeared outside the camp. Inside the camp, the busy Divine Dwelling stage cultivators immediately spotted him. After an initial moment of stunned silence, they quickly realized he was an enemy. Immediately, warning horns blared through the ancient forest. "Enemy attack!" "Enemy attack!"

The central tent of the camp was thrown open, and a tower-like figure slowly walked out. It was a burly middle-aged man, holding a greasy roasted beast leg, his mouth glistening with oil as he ate. With his appearance, the chaotic atmosphere in the camp immediately subsided, and gazes of awe turned towards him. The tower-like man glanced at where Yi Qiushui and the others were hidden in the distance, and grinned. "Just a few flies. I spotted them earlier. I just wanted to see what tricks they were playing. No need to panic." Yi Qiushui and the others in the shadows felt a chill run down their spines as they met Zhang Zihao's gaze. It turned out he had discovered them long ago.

"What do we do, what do we do? Should we retreat!" Yi Qiushui said nervously.

"We can't retreat, Zhou Yuan has already gone in," Ye Bingling said with a bitter smile, pointing at Zhou Yuan, who was now outside the camp.

As everyone's scalps tingled, Zhou Yuan, standing outside the camp, looked at the tower-like man and asked, "You are Zhang Zihao?"

Zhang Zihao squinted at Zhou Yuan. After a few seconds, his eyes suddenly gleamed, and an uncontrollable euphoria appeared on his face. He laughed thunderously, "You, you are Zhou Yuan of the Tianyuan Region?!" He had actually recognized Zhou Yuan, which wasn't surprising, as Zhou Yuan was now quite well-known in Hunyuan Heaven. "Hahahaha, what incredible luck I've stumbled upon, to have you delivered right to my doorstep! Do you know what a great deed it is in our alliance to capture or kill you, young man?!" His laughter reverberated through the surrounding forest. The Divine Dwelling stage cultivators in the camp also looked at Zhou Yuan with wary surprise, as his name had recently become extremely prominent in Hunyuan Heaven, especially after his identity as Great Venerable Cang Yuan's direct disciple became known. But was this guy crazy? How dare he venture this deep! Although Zhou Yuan had defeated Zhao Mushen at the Nine Regions Grand Assembly, that was in the Divine Dwelling stage. Even if he had successfully broken through to the Heavenly Sun stage now, he would only be at the initial Heavenly Sun stage. Yet, Zhang Zihao, standing before him, was a Purple-Gold Heavenly Sun mid-stage expert!

"Hahaha!" Zhang Zihao continued to laugh wildly, but at the same time, his perception spread out. After a thorough scan, he found that apart from those few 'flies,' there was indeed only Zhou Yuan here! This guy... he really came deep into the battlefield alone? This was truly a gift from the heavens!

A powerful and astonishing Genesis Qi erupted from Zhang Zihao's body at this moment. Faintly, a purple-gold great sun seemed to manifest in the void behind him. A terrifying Genesis Qi pressure spread out, and the ground beneath his feet immediately began to crack. The surrounding Divine Dwelling stage cultivators couldn't withstand this pressure and retreated repeatedly, their eyes filled with even greater awe. Yi Qiushui and the others nearby also sensed the pressure, and their alarm immediately intensified. That was the pressure from a six-hundred-million Genesis Qi foundation. If they got too close, that level of Genesis Qi pressure alone would likely render them immobile and completely extinguish their will to fight.

"Haha!" Zhang Zihao locked onto Zhou Yuan with a menacing gaze, like a man-eating tiger. He wasted no more words. Although he didn't know what foolishness had brought Zhou Yuan here, since he had delivered himself, there was no reason to let him go.

"Bang!" He stomped his foot, and the ground immediately collapsed. His figure then shot out like a streak of light, compressing the air around him to the point of explosion, creating a piercing sonic boom. "Die!" Zhang Zihao sneered. His figure appeared almost instantly above Zhou Yuan. A purple-gold great sun manifested behind him, vast Genesis Qi surged, and a fierce, scorching fluctuation swept out like a storm. As his roughly six-hundred-million Genesis Qi foundation was unleashed, the surrounding space subtly showed signs of solidification.

"Boom!" He punched downwards, and dark red Genesis Qi roared out like a torrent. The Genesis Qi was pure and condensed, resembling blood-red flames. With a single punch, the ground below already began to crack. This punch had no fancy moves; it simply showcased the extreme power of his pure Genesis Qi foundation.

Inside the camp, the Divine Dwelling stage cultivators from the five great alliances sneered. Zhou Yuan was dead for sure! Behind them, Yi Qiushui gritted her teeth, her eyes red. She made a move, intending to rush out, but was immediately held back by Ye Bingling and Mu Liu. "Are you going to your death?!" Yi Qiushui's hands were tightly clenched, her gaze fixed on the scene.

Unaware of the commotion behind him, Zhou Yuan calmly watched Zhang Zihao, who was descending with an incomparably dominant punch. Zhang Zihao's roughly six-hundred-million Genesis Qi foundation, if Zhou Yuan had faced it before his breakthrough, would likely have rendered any resistance utterly futile. A pure gap in Genesis Qi foundation could not be bridged by any means. But, unfortunately for Zhang Zihao...

Zhou Yuan clenched his five fingers. White hairs emerged from beneath his skin, enveloping his fist, then swiftly turning jet black, like a black gauntlet. He shifted his foot back half a step, then unleashed a punch. In that instant, brilliant platinum Genesis Qi roared out from his body. Faint dragon roars reverberated, shaking the heart. A lustrous, glazed great sun shimmered faintly behind him. The layer of ground beneath his feet silently vanished at that moment, as if melted away.

Zhou Yuan, expressionless, launched a punch that seemed to carry a platinum dragon shadow. Under the gaze of countless eyes, it collided head-on with Zhang Zihao's bare fist in mid-air. "Die!" Zhang Zihao laughed wildly. However, his wild laughter quickly froze. A hint of horror surged in his pupils, because in the very first moment of collision, he finally felt just how terrifyingly strong the Genesis Qi roaring towards him was! His proud six-hundred-million Genesis Qi was almost instantly, overwhelmingly, submerged.

"Glazed Heavenly Sun!" "Seven—" His face was instantly filled with terror, and his body turned ice-cold. He finally understood why Zhou Yuan dared to appear here: because the opponent's Genesis Qi foundation was even more terrifying than his own Purple-Gold Heavenly Sun mid-stage! Zhang Zihao couldn't comprehend why someone who had just broken through to the initial Heavenly Sun stage could possess such an abnormal Genesis Qi foundation. He had no chance to comprehend further. In that instant, a violent Genesis Qi shockwave erupted. The camp was instantly obliterated, and the towering Skyfire Trees around them were directly snapped in half, then shredded by the Genesis Qi shockwave.

The Divine Dwelling stage cultivators from both sides retreated in disarray. And when the shockwave's rampage ceased, their gazes immediately focused on the center of the scene. Then, both sides let out exclamations of incredulous horror.

At the point of impact, one figure stood motionless, like an unyielding rock, not even shifting their feet by an inch. Zhou Yuan?! Yi Qiushui and the others' eyes widened abruptly. Meanwhile, the Divine Dwelling stage cultivators from the five great alliances wore expressions of terror. Where was Zhang Zihao?! Why had he vanished?

"Where's Zhang Zihao?" Shang Xiaoling finally managed to stammer out. Mu Liu was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "Look at those specks of light floating in front of Zhou Yuan. Don't they look like shattered spirit light?" As soon as he spoke, the atmosphere became utterly silent. Yi Qiushui and Ye Bingling looked at the spot with an indescribable gaze, their expressions somewhat blank. It really did look like shattered spirit light... Could it be that Zhang Zihao was completely obliterated by Zhou Yuan's single punch, his very spirit instantly shredded?

At this moment, Yi Qiushui and the others felt their scalps prickle with dread.