Chapter 1064: 息事

As all beings in heaven and earth reeled in shock, the eight great Sovereigns in the void slowly collected themselves. They gazed at the figure with the crimson gourd on his back, their eyes revealing a mix of emotions.

The current outcome had exceeded all of their expectations.

No one had imagined that Grand Sovereign Wan Zu's scheme would not only fail to force out Cang Yuan but instead lead to the Heavenly Abyss Region gaining another Grand Sovereign.

This was an earth-shattering development.

The addition of another Saint to Hunyuan Heaven would bring about immense changes to the entire world.

Although Zhuan Zhu was currently only at the One-Lotus stage, which did create a certain gap between him and them, that gap was no longer insurmountable. As a Saint, he was now considered an equal to the eight Grand Sovereigns present.

Two Saints in one region was a rare occurrence in the history of Hunyuan Heaven.

Faced with this situation, the eight Grand Sovereigns fell silent for a moment.

Zhuan Zhu placed one hand upright in front of him, returning a bow to the eight Grand Sovereigns. He then glanced at the shattered light-map barriers at the entrance of the Heavenly Abyss Region behind him and chuckled, "Grand Sovereign Wan Zu, a venerable Saint, actually deigned to personally deal with the Heavenly Abyss Region when it had no Grand Sovereign presiding. You truly show exceptional regard for my Heavenly Abyss Region."

He raised his gaze and looked at Grand Sovereign Wan Zu among the eight.

Grand Sovereign Wan Zu's expression was indifferent, showing no trace of emotion. He merely said calmly, "Grand Sovereign Zhuan Zhu, you should know my objective. Furthermore... there are some matters for which Cang Yuan owes not only me but also the other Grand Sovereigns an explanation."

Zhuan Zhu scratched his head and said, "If you want my master to give an explanation, just go find him beyond the heavens. Why bother troubling the Heavenly Abyss Region?"

Grand Sovereign Wan Zu's brows furrowed slightly. If Cang Yuan insisted on hiding, the myriad heavens were vast and endless, with layers upon layers of void; even as a Saint, he would be unable to locate him. Zhuan Zhu's words were clearly a blatant evasion.

At this moment, Grand Sovereign Wan Zu was also in a terrible mood. After all, just as his scheme was about to succeed, it was completely disrupted by Zhuan Zhu's sudden appearance. Even with his composure, he couldn't help but feel a surge of frustration.

Zhuan Zhu smiled, "Grand Sovereign Wan Zu, let's let today's matter end here."

Grand Sovereign Wan Zu's eyes narrowed slightly as he said flatly, "Zhuan Zhu, you've only just entered the Saint stage. Are you already trying to order me around?"

Zhuan Zhu shook his head and said, "Grand Sovereign Wan Zu, you're overstating things. Your scheme this time has caused my Heavenly Abyss Region immense losses. My current willingness to settle this peacefully should be considered giving you ample face."

He thought for a moment, then chuckled, "If Grand Sovereign Wan Zu is truly still not satisfied, then I'll simply withdraw and let you destroy the Heavenly Abyss Region."

Grand Sovereign Wan Zu watched Zhuan Zhu with an indifferent gaze. He knew the latter undoubtedly had more to say.

Indeed, Zhuan Zhu let out a soft laugh and said, "However, if Grand Sovereign Wan Zu truly insists on being so aggressive, then from now on, not even a rat from your Wan Zu Region will be able to cross its borders."

In Grand Sovereign Wan Zu's eyes, boundless storms seemed to gather, and the entire world began to feel oppressive. "Are you threatening me?"

On the crimson gourd on Zhuan Zhu's back, ancient light patterns began to emerge. The gourd seemed to possess a life of its own, subtly "breathing." He said, "While it's true that I, a One-Lotus Saint, can't defeat a senior like you, dealing with other people in your Wan Zu Region would pose no difficulty for me. And you wouldn't be able to stop me at all."

Zhuan Zhu smiled, "If my Heavenly Abyss Region is truly destined to fall apart, then so be it. However, your Wan Zu Region wouldn't find peace so easily either."

Grand Sovereign Wan Zu's face subtly darkened, because he knew Zhuan Zhu was indeed correct.

As a One-Lotus Saint, Zhuan Zhu was indeed not as strong as him. Grand Sovereign Wan Zu was even confident he could defeat him, but... merely defeat him, not eradicate him. If Zhuan Zhu escaped and hid in the shadows, then the people of the Wan Zu Region truly wouldn't dare to step outside its boundaries.

Nor could he constantly focus all his energy on protecting them.

A phantom-like Saint would pose an extremely terrifying threat.

Zhuan Zhu was playing the role of someone who has nothing to lose. He was willing to suffer great losses himself to inflict significant damage on his opponent.

Wan Zu stared grimly at the smiling Zhuan Zhu. He had never before realized that Cang Yuan's seemingly carefree eldest disciple would be so difficult to deal with.

Meanwhile, countless beings across heaven and earth watched this scene, trembling and holding their breath. The struggle between two Grand Sovereigns could determine the rise or fall of an entire region with a single word, affecting billions of lives.

Inside the Heavenly Abyss Grotto-Heaven, Xi Jing and the others also wore tense expressions. However, compared to their previous panic and helplessness, they were now much calmer. After all, as long as Grand Sovereign Zhuan Zhu was present, even if the Heavenly Abyss Grotto-Heaven were destroyed today, the Heavenly Abyss Region would still have another spiritual pillar.

Thus, even if the Heavenly Abyss Region were scattered, it wouldn't be difficult to stage a comeback once the opportune moment arrived.

Of course, there would inevitably be enormous losses during this period, so avoiding it would naturally be for the best... But at this moment, it depended entirely on whether Grand Sovereign Wan Zu was willing to concede.

Under the gaze of countless beings across heaven and earth, Grand Sovereign Wan Zu's eyes gleamed with a chilling light. He then turned his gaze to the other seven Grand Sovereigns and said, "Gentlemen, today's events were just one step away from forcing Cang Yuan out. Is there any Grand Sovereign willing to join forces with me to capture and seal Zhuan Zhu first? Rest assured, I understand the importance of a Saint and will not harm his life. He will be released once this matter is concluded."

He alone could defeat Zhuan Zhu but couldn't prevent his escape. However, if another Grand Sovereign were to assist, Zhuan Zhu would have no choice but to be captured today.

As these words were spoken, one of the Grand Sovereigns suddenly let out a soft laugh, "Wan Zu's words do make sense."

The man who spoke had an ethereal face and long black hair cascading down. His hair constantly writhed in the void, casting endless shadows. He was Grand Sovereign Yaokui.

Legend had it that every strand of this Grand Sovereign's hair was transformed from a demonic puppet. These puppets were scattered across countless realms, and as long as one puppet remained, he could regenerate at any time, no matter how severely his true body was damaged.

"Thank you, Brother Yaokui." Wan Zu was slightly pleased.

Grand Sovereign Yaokui was already one of his major allies. They had an agreement that if Cang Yuan appeared today, they would join forces to deal with him.

However, not all the Grand Sovereigns present were aligned with Wan Zu.

Grand Sovereign Wushen of the Wushen Region was the first to speak, his voice powerful, causing the void to tremble: "Are the two of you planning to violate Hunyuan Heaven's Saint's Pact?"

Grand Sovereign Wushen's true form was that of a lean, ordinary-looking middle-aged man. However, all the Grand Sovereigns present knew that among the Saints of Hunyuan Heaven, Grand Sovereign Wushen was a rare one who had achieved Sainthood through his physical body, possessing terrifying and heaven-shaking combat power.

The so-called Saint's Pact of Hunyuan Heaven had only one rule: Saints were not to lightly engage in conflict with each other, serving to restrain them. After all, the power of Grand Sovereigns was too terrifying; if they fought without restraint, the entire Hunyuan Heaven would be greatly affected.

"This action is indeed inappropriate. Zhuan Zhu has already achieved Sainthood; how can he be arbitrarily sealed? Cang Yuan's matter is ultimately unrelated to him, and the two should not be conflated," an elegant voice also chimed in at this moment.

It was a graceful figure. Behind her were layers of purple halos. Her face was like that of an immortal banished from heaven, and her aura was ethereal. Especially her pair of purple eyes, which were mysteriously noble and beyond reach.

Grand Sovereign Zixiao!

The other Grand Sovereigns remained silent, not speaking further, indicating their neutrality.

Grand Sovereign Wan Zu and Grand Sovereign Yaokui's brows furrowed. With the opposition from Grand Sovereign Wushen and Grand Sovereign Zixiao, their plan to seal Zhuan Zhu was clearly difficult to implement.

Wan Zu said in a low voice, "Are we just going to let Cang Yuan act recklessly outside? If he falls into the hands of the Saint Race, who will take responsibility then?"

The Grand Sovereigns frowned slightly.

At this moment, Zhuan Zhu spoke again, "Grand Sovereigns, Master will return to Hunyuan Heaven within a few years at most."

He knew that if he didn't offer a promise today, it might indeed be difficult to conclude the matter.

Upon hearing his words, the Grand Sovereigns present exchanged subtle glances. Within a few years—to them, that wasn't a long time...

"Then we hope you remember this promise. If Cang Yuan still doesn't appear by then, we will have no choice but to jointly search for him." The one who spoke this time was an old man with a yin-yang disc suspended behind his head. The yin-yang disc rotated, seemingly capable of peering into the boundless world. He was the Grand Sovereign of Xuanji Region.

Zhuan Zhu nodded.

A flicker of disappointment crossed Grand Sovereign Wan Zu's eyes, but he knew that today's events could only end here.

The Grand Sovereigns exchanged glances, and their figures began to gradually dissipate.

Seeing this, the ancient light patterns emanating from the crimson gourd on Zhuan Zhu's back faded away, and the tense, confrontational atmosphere in heaven and earth slowly dissipated.

This conflict, at last, showed signs of subsiding with Zhuan Zhu's appearance as a Saint.

And all beings in heaven and earth collectively sighed in relief.

Rumble!

However, just as all parties were about to withdraw, a terrifying ripple suddenly erupted from beyond the endless void. The sheer power of this ripple swept down, directly creating a storm throughout all of Hunyuan Heaven.

The eight Grand Sovereigns, whose figures were about to dissipate, abruptly solidified. They suddenly looked up, their gazes piercing through layers of void to the Hunyuan Heaven's boundary wall!

There, a subtle crack had appeared. Through the crack, a massive, cold eye could be seen peering into Hunyuan Heaven.

The expressions of all eight Grand Sovereigns and Zhuan Zhu suddenly changed drastically at this moment. In the next instant, nine terrifying auras surged from their bodies, and the very primordial qi of Hunyuan Heaven violently churned.

"Grand Sovereign of the Saint Race, how dare you covet my Hunyuan Heaven?!"