Chapter 1046: Bad News

Another draw!

Countless gazes fell upon Bai Yu and Chen Le, who had been blasted out of the black iron tower. This time, there was no uproar; instead, a strange, quiet atmosphere pervaded.

It seemed this was the Five Great Alliances' prepared tactic. As long as they possessed those strange runes, the Five Great Alliances were at least invincible. In this way, if they could just manage to snatch one victory, the fight for the wonder item would naturally belong to them.

Countless eyes turned towards the Tianyuan Region, lingering on Bian Buji, Mu Youlan, and Zhou Yuan, who had yet to participate. These gazes ultimately swept past Bian Buji and Mu Youlan, converging on Zhou Yuan. Among the five combatants from the Tianyuan Region, Zhou Yuan, with the shallowest foundation, was naturally the most likely to be defeated. After all, everyone else was a genuine late-stage Heavenly Sun Realm practitioner, while Zhou Yuan had only entered the Heavenly Sun Realm a few months prior.

The atmosphere in the Tianyuan Region was somewhat oppressive. Many gazes continued to fall upon Zhou Yuan, filled with sighs of regret. Yi Qiushui, Ye Bingling, and others gathered together, their faces solemn and their eyes filled with worry.

"Zhou Yuan is just too unlucky..." Ye Bingling couldn't help but whisper. Originally, with Qin Lian and Bai Yu's strength, they should have been able to secure direct victories without any surprises. Then, Bian Buji could win one more, securing three wins out of five matches, and Zhou Yuan would only need to go through the motions. But who could have predicted such a sudden turn of events, with Qin Lian and Bai Yu forced into draws? This meant immense pressure on the remaining participants. It had to be said that Zhou Yuan's luck was incredibly terrible.

"Bian Buji." Xi Jing's voice was so cold it seemed to lower the temperature of the world itself.

Bian Buji took a deep breath, cupped his fists in salute to the five elders, and then shot forward. However, even he himself held a pessimistic view of this battle; the opponent's strange runes were simply irresistible. From the Five Great Alliances' side, a figure stepped forth, wreathed in lightning—it was Ke Wen from Soaring Thunder Mountain. Their gazes met, both filled with surging killing intent, before they immediately rushed into the tower. Yet, only a dozen or so breaths after they entered, a terrifying power surged from within the tower, causing the nearby void to show signs of collapse.

As expected, it was another draw.

The atmosphere in the Tianyuan Region was almost completely frozen. Bian Buji possessed a Genesis Qi foundation of 1.84 billion, while Ke Wen was only at the 1.7 billion level. Moreover, in terms of combat techniques, Bian Buji was clearly superior. However, the opponent had no intention of fighting; they simply unleashed the rune orb, ending the battle.

Countless gazes landed, as only Mu Youlan and Zhou Yuan from the Tianyuan Region had yet to fight. From the Five Great Alliances, there were Zhuang Ming of the Soul Devouring Pavilion and Lu Qing of the Three Mountains Alliance. Both of the latter had Genesis Qi foundations around the 1.6 billion mark. While their foundations were slightly weaker than Mu Youlan's, both were clearly far superior to Zhou Yuan. Could this be the Five Great Alliances' scheme? To force draws until the very last match, then defeat Zhou Yuan?

"Mu Youlan!" Xi Jing said slowly.

Mu Youlan nodded gently, her small face tense, and her lithe figure darted into the air. From the Five Great Alliances' side, Zhuang Ming of the Soul Devouring Pavilion also appeared outside the black iron tower. Immediately, both floated into the tower. Inside the tower, the two confronted each other, three brilliant glazed suns shining brightly behind them.

Mu Youlan's Genesis Qi foundation was undoubtedly stronger, reaching 1.69 billion, nearly breaking through to 1.7 billion. Zhuang Ming, though slightly weaker, was still at the 1.63 billion level. This difference was not insurmountable for those in the Heavenly Sun Realm, so Zhuang Ming did not immediately unleash the strange runes. Instead, he chose to activate his own Genesis Qi and engage Mu Youlan in an intense battle. Evidently, Zhuang Ming had a touch of arrogance. If he could defeat Mu Youlan with his own strength and secure the first victory, it would undoubtedly establish a tremendous advantage for the Five Great Alliances.

However, he had somewhat underestimated the combat prowess of the seemingly delicate Mu Youlan. The two fought for dozens of rounds within the tower, but Mu Youlan seized an opportunity. With a longsword entwined like a green vine in her hand, she shrewdly and ruthlessly severed one of Zhuang Ming's arms. This mishap left Zhuang Ming shaken to his core, as he knew full well that Mu Youlan had definitely intended to kill him with that sword strike. Fortunately, he had narrowly avoided a vital spot.

After such an intense struggle, Zhuang Ming dared not be negligent again. If he failed here and caused the plan to collapse, he couldn't imagine the punishment he would face. So, he tore open his flesh without hesitation and activated the rune orb. When the rune orb exploded, both figures were, as expected, blasted out of the tower once more.

The fourth match: a draw!

Many sighs of regret erupted from the Tianyuan Region. Mu Youlan had nearly defeated her opponent earlier and secured the first victory, but unfortunately, the opponent had evaded her attack. As Mu Youlan's match ended in a draw, countless sympathetic gazes fell upon Zhou Yuan. Perhaps the Five Great Alliances would now secure their sole victory through him, thus ending this fight for the wonder item.

"Zhou Yuan, Lu Qing of the Three Mountains Alliance has a Genesis Qi foundation of just over 1.6 billion. That's only a hundred million more than your augmented strength. With your abilities, you might not necessarily lose to him," Qin Lian said, having calmed herself, her pretty face now grave as she looked at Zhou Yuan. "Moreover, with the situation as it is, if you can just drag this last match into a draw, then this fight for the wonder item will remain undecided. While it might not sound good, they won't be able to take the wonder item!"

"Therefore, no matter what, you must ensure your match also ends in a draw!"

The others nodded in agreement. Although the Tianyuan Region had suffered a great loss of face, as long as the wonder item was protected, the opponent's scheme would still be thwarted.

"I'm just afraid he won't even be able to secure a draw," Bai Yu said in a low voice.

Qin Lian glanced at him. "After augmentation, Zhou Yuan at least has a foundation of 1.5 billion. If he can't do it, who else can reach that level?"

Bai Yu pursed his lips in displeasure but ultimately said nothing more. He was currently full of suppressed anger with nowhere to vent it.

Zhou Yuan looked at Xi Jing. Seeing this, Xi Jing also nodded gently at him. "As long as you can secure a draw, it won't be considered a complete..."

However, before her words fully left her lips, her expression suddenly changed drastically. The faces of the other four elders beside her also turned extremely grim.

Boom! Boom!

The surrounding world trembled violently, and the oppressive aura of Law Domain experts permeated the air, causing many nearby Genesis Infant and Heavenly Sun Realm practitioners to gasp for breath.

"Senior Sister Xi Jing, what's happening?!" Zhou Yuan cried urgently.

Xi Jing and the others also sensed the commotion around them and quickly reined in their oppressive aura. However, their eyes, filled with thick killing intent, glared towards the distant Five Great Alliances. Meanwhile, the Law Domain experts from the Five Great Alliances looked on with a hint of mockery.

Xi Jing closed her eyes briefly, then slowly opened them again. She gently massaged her temples, saying with a hint of weariness and helplessness, "The fight for the wonder item at Golden Lightning Abyss has concluded... As expected, all five matches there ended in draws."

Zhou Yuan's eye twitched. The opponent's preparations were truly thorough; not only had they schemed against the Heavenly Sun Realm, but they hadn't spared the Genesis Infant Realm either.

"If it's a draw, although we've lost face, it's still somewhat acceptable," Zhou Yuan sighed, attempting to console her.

"What do you know!" Sect Master Xuan Kun's voice was filled with fury. "Though all five matches ended in draws, when the draws occurred, Grand Elder Wanzu's decree shattered the iron tower established by Grand Elder Cang Yuan, forcibly seizing the wonder item!"

"What?!" This time, even Zhou Yuan's expression changed drastically. "The wonder item from the Genesis Infant Tower is lost? How is that possible? Didn't it end in a draw?!"

Xi Jing slowly explained, "Master established these twin towers to force Wanzu to comply with the rules here and avoid casualties from a large-scale war. However, we underestimated Grand Elder Wanzu's capabilities. Although Master compelled him into this situation, he altered the rules Master had left."

"That rule must have been changed to allow him to take the wonder item even if all matches in the tower ended in draws."

"In other words, within these twin towers, we must win to protect the wonder item. As for them, whether they win or draw, it will count as their victory."

Everyone fell silent, a subtle sense of despair creeping in. If even a draw counted as a victory for the opponent, then they had no hope whatsoever. The opponent only needed to unleash the rune orb to easily secure a draw.

"This is simply... too unfair!" someone said through gritted teeth. Earlier, they had thought a draw would only result in a loss of face, but now it was clear this was far from a matter of mere embarrassment.

Qin Lian's face had turned much paler, her eyes filled with unwillingness and rage. But how could they change the struggle between Grand Elders? The only thing they could do was play their part as pawns, exerting their own strength within it.

"One wonder item has been lost. Is the impact significant?" Zhou Yuan was silent for a moment before asking Xi Jing.

Xi Jing replied, "It's just one. While it has an impact, it won't achieve the outcome Wanzu desires. Otherwise, they wouldn't have delayed activating it when they obtained the Heavenly Fire Tree King earlier. To completely destroy the Heavenly Abyss Grotto-Heaven, they likely need at least two wonder items working together."

Zhou Yuan nodded gently. "So, we haven't completely lost yet?"

Xi Jing gave a wry smile. This situation was, in fact, not far from a complete defeat.

Zhou Yuan said nothing more. With a movement, he appeared outside the black iron tower, under the watchful eyes of countless spectators. Since a draw also counted as a loss... then, in this match, he would exert his full strength to secure a victory!