Chapter 1052: Strange Item Acquired

As Lu Qing’s charred body hit the ground with a heavy thud, countless eyes outside the pagoda widened, and the atmosphere instantly froze.

No one had expected such a rapid turn in the battle.

Just a dozen breaths earlier, Lu Qing, relying on the powerful defense of his Origin Convergence Shield, had rendered Zhou Yuan helpless. Now, a mere dozen breaths later, Lu Qing lay there, his fate unknown.

Zhou Yuan’s sudden burst of astonishing power left countless people stunned.

Such a powerful attack clearly surpassed what 1.5 billion units of Genesis Qi could achieve!

The frozen silence lasted for several breaths before being shattered by a sudden explosion of clamor.

A cacophony of whispers erupted: “Lu Qing was actually defeated!” “But Zhou Yuan couldn’t do anything to him earlier, could he?” “Zhou Yuan’s Genesis Qi foundation shouldn’t be stronger than Lu Qing’s... and Lu Qing is a veteran late-stage Heavenly Sun expert with strong techniques, how could he lose?!” “No matter how unbelievable, it’s the truth. It just goes to show that everyone underestimated this former Divine Dwelling realm king...” “Incredible! We thought he would need a long time to distinguish himself after entering the Heavenly Sun realm, but it turns out... we still underestimated him.” “No wonder even Grand Exalt Cang Yuan favors him. This young man’s cultivation and combat talents are truly rare in the world...” “Who would have thought that the Five Great Alliances’ grand scheme would ultimately be thwarted by a single Heavenly Sun realm practitioner...”

Amidst the countless murmurs, gazes filled with surprise, admiration, and shock converged on the young figure standing tall within the pagoda.

And amidst this widespread commotion, the Heavenly Abyss Territory faction, after a moment of stunned silence, finally came to their senses. The next moment, thunderous cheers and applause erupted, echoing across Wind-Rain Lake.

For the people of the Heavenly Abyss Territory, this contest for the rare object had been a rollercoaster of emotions.

They had initially believed that the formidable strength of the Heavenly Abyss Territory would ensure an easy victory over the Five Great Alliances. However, the Five Great Alliances had secretly employed tactics, turning every sure win for the Heavenly Abyss Territory into a frustrating draw.

Qin Lian, Bai Yu, and other top Heavenly Sun experts from the Heavenly Abyss Territory had all returned defeated or disappointed.

Yet now, it was Zhou Yuan—a figure many had seen as merely a placeholder—who, in this moment of despair, had single-handedly reversed the entire situation.

Much like during the Nine Regions Grand Assembly in the past.

Thus, at this moment, even the notoriously arrogant Heavenly Sun experts of the Heavenly Abyss Territory regarded Zhou Yuan with exceptionally complex gazes. Any lingering resentment they harbored had all but vanished.

Previously, while they didn't outright despise Zhou Yuan's status as a Divine Dwelling realm king, their arrogance, fueled by their own seniority, led them to believe that no matter how gifted Zhou Yuan was, he would require a significant period of accumulation before he could truly challenge them.

During this time, they expected this rising talent to remain relatively unassuming.

However, when Zhou Yuan was later revealed to be a direct disciple of a Grand Exalt, it directly sparked envy and jealousy among countless Heavenly Sun experts in the Heavenly Abyss Territory, leading to their unconcealed displeasure.

Yet, all these sentiments were utterly extinguished by the outcome of this battle.

“I finally understand why he was chosen as a direct disciple by a Grand Exalt,” Qin Lian remarked with a sigh, her gaze fixed on Zhou Yuan’s figure.

Mu Youlan pursed her lips and declared, “That guy is an absolute freak! I’ve never heard of anyone defeating a late-stage Glazed Heavenly Sun practitioner just months after entering the Heavenly Sun realm.”

Bian Buji slowly nodded in agreement.

Bai Yu’s expression was conflicted. He had wanted to offer a dissenting remark, but ultimately, he remained silent. He knew that any words he spoke would sound utterly ridiculous in the face of Zhou Yuan’s tide-turning victory.

Behind them, Yi Qiushui and Ye Bingling embraced tightly, cheering with unrestrained joy.

The members of the Four Pavilions, in particular, had flushed faces and eyes brimming with pride. After all, Zhou Yuan was still their Chief Pavilion Master, and his triumph brought immense honor to all four pavilions.

At the very front, Xi Jing, Sect Master Xuan Kun, and the five other elders gazed at the iron pagoda for a long moment, then collectively let out a quiet sigh of relief.

“This direct disciple taken by the Grand Exalt is indeed quite extraordinary,” Sect Master Xuan Kun remarked slowly.

Although Zhou Yuan had previously been involved in disputes with the Heavenly Spirit Sect, at this moment, Sect Master Xuan Kun had to admit that Zhou Yuan had indeed created many miracles since arriving in the Heavenly Abyss Territory.

A slight smile touched Xi Jing’s red lips. “That Grand Exalt must be quite displeased right now,” she said.

She knew that Grand Exalt Wan Zu was undoubtedly observing the situation. He had painstakingly orchestrated the Five Great Alliances as his pawns, only to have his plans ultimately foiled by a mere Heavenly Sun realm practitioner. Such an outcome, even for a Grand Exalt as profound as Wan Zu, must undoubtedly cause some degree of vexation.

This, in turn, brought Xi Jing a great sense of satisfaction.

After all, they had been utterly overwhelmed and frustrated by Grand Exalt Wan Zu’s schemes for quite some time.

While the rare object from the Genesis Infant Pagoda had been lost, the one in the Heavenly Sun Pagoda had at least been barely secured. This would undoubtedly significantly disrupt Grand Exalt Wan Zu’s subsequent plans.

All in all, their Heavenly Abyss Territory had not suffered a complete defeat.

In stark contrast to the thunderous cheers emanating from the Heavenly Abyss Territory, the atmosphere among the Five Great Alliances was utterly desolate.

Even Law Domain experts like Hong Jiuyuan watched the scene with slightly wide eyes, their faces subtly turning ashen.

No one else behind them dared to even breathe loudly.

A vein throbbed on Hong Jiuyuan’s forehead as he glared at Mountain Master Gui Yuan, demanding angrily, “Didn’t you say Lu Qing could hold him off?!”

Mountain Master Gui Yuan’s face twitched as he retorted, “That Zhou Yuan is quite peculiar. Even a Grand Exalt’s methods proved ineffective against him. Did you truly expect Lu Qing to be absolutely certain of victory?”

Hong Jiuyuan was momentarily speechless. Mountain Master Gui Yuan’s words held truth; after all, if Zhou Yuan could neutralize a Grand Exalt’s techniques, then defeating Lu Qing wasn’t an impossible feat.

“With Lu Qing’s defeat, the Heavenly Abyss Territory has secured a victory. We have failed to obtain the rare object from the Heavenly Sun Pagoda,” Hong Jiuyuan stated gravely.

The other Law Domain experts nodded as well. None of them had anticipated that their meticulously planned scheme, which had progressed so smoothly, would ultimately be undone by a seemingly insignificant Zhou Yuan.

Mountain Master Gui Yuan waved a dismissive hand. “We are merely carrying out orders,” he said. “The Grand Exalt’s scheme is far more complex than this. We simply need to follow instructions.”

Hearing this, Hong Jiuyuan and the others exchanged flickering glances before finally nodding in understanding.

Inside the black iron pagoda.

Zhou Yuan’s body, which had resembled a fire demon, rapidly began to shrink, returning to its normal form after a few breaths.

He glanced at Lu Qing, who lay nearby, resembling a charred husk. At that moment, a streak of light descended, swept Lu Qing up, and ejected him from the pagoda.

This signaled the conclusion of the pagoda contest.

Zhou Yuan quietly let out a sigh of relief. He could feel the vast and boundless Genesis Qi within him rapidly dissipating, indicating that the “Promotion” effect of the Heavenly Yuan Brush had reached its limit.

He clenched his hand, and the Heavenly Yuan Brush materialized.

Zhou Yuan looked at the seventh pattern on the brush, noticing that the ancient Genesis Rune there had become extremely dim. Clearly, the “Promotion” rune could not be activated again anytime soon.

Fortunately, it wasn’t needed for the time being.

Rumble.

Just then, Zhou Yuan felt a rumbling vibration within the pagoda. The azure jade slab beneath his feet slowly lifted him, carrying him steadily upwards until he reached the very top of the structure.

There, he found a stone platform.

Upon the platform, numerous ancient runes were inscribed. In its center, a crystal orb hovered, and within it, emerald waves churned and wind and rain howled, creating a miniature world of tempest.

As the waves surged, they seemed to possess a life of their own, capable of manifesting countless transformations.

It resembled a spirit of water.

Zhou Yuan realized that the unique, ocean-like life form within the crystal orb must be the rare object from Wind-Rain Lake.

He extended his hand and, with a gentle grasp, took the crystal orb into his palm without any resistance.

The rare object from Wind-Rain Lake was finally his.