Chapter 1053: Heaven and Earth Prison

As soon as the wonder landed in Zhou Yuan's hands, faint sighs of admiration echoed across the land outside. It seemed the competition for the wonder had ultimately been won by the Tianyuan Region.

Zhou Yuan likewise felt a wave of relief. Although the wonder from the Genesis Infant Pagoda had been lost, thankfully, this one had been secured, preventing the situation from deteriorating to an unbearable degree.

“The power of the Grand Exalts is truly immense,” Zhou Yuan murmured, pursing his lips. Though the Tianyuan Region held a slight advantage in their conflict with the Five Great Alliances, their hearts remained constantly on edge. This was ultimately due to the pressure exerted by Grand Exalt Wan Zu, who stood behind the Five Great Alliances.

This Grand Exalt had not truly made a move, but even his mere schemes had brought a profound sense of crisis to Law Domain experts like Xi Jing.

With this scheme foiled, it was uncertain whether Grand Exalt Wan Zu would cease his efforts. If he remained unwilling to concede, the Tianyuan Region would likely find little peace.

Zhou Yuan sighed softly to himself. There was no use in pondering such matters further; if that Grand Exalt truly intended to make another move, it was beyond the interference of someone like him, a mere Heavenly Sun stage cultivator. All he could do was meet challenges as they came.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, Zhou Yuan slowly ascended, emerging from the top of the pagoda.

Hovering above the pagoda, Zhou Yuan intended to return immediately to the Tianyuan Region’s main camp.

However, at that very moment, he sensed something amiss in the world around him.

It was too quiet.

Zhou Yuan stared with wide eyes towards the direction of the Tianyuan Region’s main camp. He could see figures like Xi Jing, but for some reason, he couldn't hear any sound.

At that moment, he felt as if he had stepped into an oil painting.

A sense of terror welled up in his heart. Zhou Yuan clearly felt no physical restraints, yet this world seemed to have transformed into an isolated prison, preventing him from interacting with the outside.

In the face of such terrifying power, capable of turning the very world into a prison, even Zhou Yuan felt fear.

“Grand Exalt Wan Zu!”

He clenched his fists, gritting his teeth. Who else but Grand Exalt Wan Zu could achieve such a feat?

Clearly, Grand Exalt Wan Zu had no intention of letting him leave with the wonder. Thus, he had finally made his move personally!

Above the void, thick clouds churned. Faintly, a pair of indifferent eyes seemed to pierce through space, projecting towards him, emotionlessly gazing at the small ant struggling within the world-prison.

Zhou Yuan's Qiankun Pouch automatically disintegrated, and the crystal orb containing the wonder of Wind and Rain Lake slowly rose.

Zhou Yuan's face turned ashen. He suppressed the immense fear, gripping the crystal orb tightly with trembling hands.

However, that power, though seemingly calm, was irresistible. He could only watch as his ten fingers slowly began to crack open, flesh and bone exposed, blood flowing freely.

Yet, Zhou Yuan clung on desperately, bloodshot veins appearing in his eyes.

“Something's wrong!”

Outside Wind and Rain Lake, Xi Jing gazed at the motionless black iron pagoda. Ahead, there appeared to be nothing unusual, yet she faintly sensed an unease.

At her warning, Sect Master Xuankun and the others also frowned, a look of surprise and doubt in their eyes.

Xi Jing was the most decisive. With a clench of her slender hand, a green pearl containing a world of storms materialized. The pearl shot out, wrapped in surging green winds, directly striking the void where Wind and Rain Lake lay.

The Wind God Pearl struck the void as if hitting an invisible barrier, causing layers of ripples to spread. Yet, the Wind God Pearl, imbued with infinite power, was directly repelled!

It achieved nothing!

“World-Prison!”

Witnessing this, Xi Jing, Sect Master Xuankun, and the others immediately turned ashen.

“How shameless, Grand Exalt Wan Zu! To strike at a Heavenly Sun stage junior!” Xi Jing glared furiously. Who would have thought that Grand Exalt Wan Zu, a figure of such prestige, would disregard the rules so utterly, personally intervening after his schemes failed!

However, her angry cry elicited no response. Xi Jing scanned around, discovering that everyone in this world was enveloped in silence. Clearly, they were all trapped within the World-Prison, and what they saw was an illusion, not reality.

Perhaps what they perceived was Zhou Yuan successfully leaving the iron pagoda and safely departing.

Only Law Domain experts could avoid being affected by this illusion, but that was all they could do. Against the power of a Grand Exalt, they were utterly unable to break free.

Xi Jing still wished to act, but she was stopped by Sect Master Xuankun.

“Don't waste your strength,” Sect Master Xuankun said in a low voice.

They were not on the same level. Even if Xi Jing fought with all her might, she couldn't shake the World-Prison.

Xi Jing understood this. She bit her red lip so tightly that blood trickled down, revealing the depth of her grief, indignation, and helplessness.

“Grand Exalt Wan Zu!”

“Does he think that by imprisoning this area with the World-Prison, he can prevent others from knowing what's happening? That's just burying his head in the sand!”

However, Xi Jing also knew that beings of that level were no longer completely bound by rules; if they wished for something, there was nothing they couldn't do.

Her heart was filled with self-reproach. If they hadn't been incompetent, how would Zhou Yuan have stepped forward and ultimately become a target for Wan Zu?!

“Wan Zu, if you kill Zhou Yuan, I swear I will pursue you endlessly in this life!”

Xi Jing's eyes blazed with intense killing intent and hatred. While she was indeed powerless against Grand Exalt Wan Zu now, if an opportunity arose in the future, even if it meant sacrificing her lifetime of cultivation, she would avenge Zhou Yuan!

Crack!

Zhou Yuan's ten fingers, one by one, broke, and the blood-stained crystal orb slowly began to slip away.

His gaze was fixed intently on the void.

His eyes no longer held anger, but instead appeared calm and profound.

Currently, he might be nothing more than an ant to Wan Zu, but the future was uncertain. When he first began cultivating, King Wu had also seemed unreachably high to him...

Crack!

His tenth finger finally broke, looking utterly miserable.

The crystal orb slipped from his grasp, slowly rising.

However, at that very moment, another immense power descended upon the world, and the crystal orb froze in the void.

“Wan Zu, that's enough.”

From the void, an ethereal yet majestic voice resounded.

Upon hearing that voice, Zhou Yuan's heart stirred slightly. It was somewhat familiar... it was the Grand Exalt of the Martial God Domain!

During the Nine Regions Grand Assembly, this Grand Exalt had suppressed the last trace of Saint Dragon Qi in Wu Yao's body from him. At that time, he had made a deal with him...

But Zhou Yuan hadn't expected that the Martial God Grand Exalt would actually intervene at this most crucial moment!

Beyond the boundless void, two vast powers seemed to clash once, causing the Genesis Qi of the entire Hunyuan Heaven to surge violently.

Ultimately, Zhou Yuan saw the rising crystal orb slowly descend again, landing in his hand with its broken fingers.

The silent world was suddenly shattered.

The clamor of human voices once again reached his ears.

Zhou Yuan gazed blankly at the void. Everything that had just happened felt like an illusion, but only his broken fingers made him realize that he had indeed experienced an extremely terrifying ordeal.

“Young man, our debt is settled.”

A faint voice, coming from beyond the void, entered Zhou Yuan's mind.

Zhou Yuan was silent for a moment, then bowed slightly towards a certain spot in the void, acknowledging the Martial God Grand Exalt's intervention. After all, the disparity in their statuses was too great; even if the Grand Exalt had not intended to honor their previous agreement, Zhou Yuan would have had no choice but to accept it.

But now, the Martial God Grand Exalt had actually clashed with Grand Exalt Wan Zu for that promise, which was a tremendous show of respect to Zhou Yuan — though it was more likely due to the presence of Master Cang Yuan.

Nevertheless, Zhou Yuan felt obliged to acknowledge this favor.

He took a deep breath, his gaze profound as he looked towards the spot in the void where Grand Exalt Wan Zu's indifferent eyes had previously been. A moment later, he turned and headed towards the Tianyuan Region’s main camp.

“Grand Exalt Wan Zu...”

“These broken fingers... if there's an opportunity in the future, I will certainly claim recompense from you!”