Chapter 1079: Wang Xuanyang

When Wang Xuanyang's smiling voice echoed through the stone hall, the previously lively room instantly fell silent. All eyes, filled with various emotions, turned towards Zhou Yuan, who was seated at the black round table.

Wang Xuanyang's provocation did not come as much of a surprise to those present.

The previous war between the Five Great Alliances and Tianyuan Region had been orchestrated by Wanzu Region. However, the war's outcome was far from favorable for them, as Zhuan Zhu's return as a Saint completely derailed Wanzu Region's schemes.

Ultimately, Wanzu Region gained nothing; instead, their subordinates suffered heavy losses. The Three Mountain Alliance, for instance, was forced to relocate their entire sect, losing not only vast resources but also all their prestige.

This humiliation undoubtedly extended to Wanzu Region itself.

Therefore, in summary, Wanzu Region lost this war.

This loss certainly left everyone in Wanzu Region seething. After years of uninterrupted success, they had never experienced such a setback. To suddenly suffer a decisive defeat at the hands of Tianyuan Region, which they typically held in low regard, was utterly unacceptable.

Consequently, Tianyuan Region and Wanzu Region were now at odds. Their meeting here, combined with Wang Xuanyang's personality, naturally led to numerous provocations.

Moreover, Zhou Yuan's presence provided him with the perfect pretext.

After all, nearly everyone seated at the round table was at the late Heavenly Sun Stage. Zhou Yuan, being only at the mid-Heavenly Sun Stage, stood out like a lone wolf among a pack of tigers.

Yet, in the face of Wang Xuanyang's instigation, Zhou Yuan remained unperturbed, displaying remarkable composure.

Qin Lian, however, could not tolerate it. With a frosty expression, she retorted, "Wang Xuanyang, Zhou Yuan is an elder of my Tianyuan Region. If he isn't qualified to sit here, then you wouldn't even be qualified to enter the building!"

Wang Xuanyang leisurely replied, "A Tianyuan Region elder? Heh, if he's an elder, he should be attending the meeting for Law Domain experts. Why would he come to our gathering, which is meant for junior Heavenly Sun Stage cultivators?"

Some in the hall secretly chuckled. While Zhou Yuan's status technically qualified him for the Law Domain experts' meeting, the thought of him actually attending struck them as absurd.

If Zhou Yuan was considered a wolf among tigers here, then at a meeting of Law Domain experts, he would likely be nothing more than an ant.

Wang Xuanyang stared at Zhou Yuan with a grin. "It's your Tianyuan Region's business if you choose to childishly bestow elder positions so freely," he said, "but don't assume other factions will recognize such appointments.

"Since you're here, refrain from bringing up your elder status; it only serves as a joke..."

Zhou Yuan lifted his gaze, returning Wang Xuanyang's smile. "Then what *should* I bring up?"

"Naturally, it's our true strength," Wang Xuanyang replied, a smirk playing on his lips. "Otherwise, when you enter the Ancient Origin Heaven, are you going to wave your elder status around to scare off teams from other heavens?"

Zhou Yuan nodded. "I believe my strength is just about sufficient, so you needn't trouble yourself," he said. "As for what I do when I encounter people from other heavens in the Ancient Origin Heaven... what's it to you?"

When those last four words left his mouth, many in the hall couldn't help but widen their eyes slightly, their gazes fixed on the smiling Zhou Yuan.

No one had anticipated that this elder of Tianyuan Region would be so... direct and utterly disrespectful towards Wang Xuanyang.

Upon reflection, it made sense. Although Zhou Yuan was only at the mid-Heavenly Sun Stage, his undeniable status as a Tianyuan Region elder meant he truly didn't need to give Wang Xuanyang any face.

In the section for Zixiao Region, Dong Ye remained expressionless. Having no particular fondness for either Zhou Yuan or Wang Xuanyang, she turned slightly to Su Youwei behind her and commented, "How crude."

Su Youwei let out a soft chuckle, her beautiful eyes twinkling as she gazed at Zhou Yuan. "Not at all," she replied. "I find it quite genuine."

Dong Ye's lip twitched involuntarily. *That* could be considered genuine? *You're* the one who's truly something!

Dong Ye felt a surge of irritation. She had initially planned to subtly turn Su Youwei against Zhou Yuan, but the girl's eyes were clearly only for him. It was a lost cause.

"What's so special about him, anyway..." Dong Ye thought, exasperated. In her view, Zhou Yuan's impudence would be utterly unacceptable to Wang Xuanyang, given his disposition.

True to Dong Ye's prediction, the smile on Wang Xuanyang's face subtly receded. The next moment, the black and white jade fan in his hand snapped shut.

A streak of black and white light shot forth, heading directly for Zhou Yuan with astonishing speed.

As the black and white light streaked by, a faint, peculiar fragrance emanated from it.

"Yin-Yang Poison Mist?"

Many discerning individuals in the hall recognized it. Their eyes narrowed as they saw the fragrant black and white light. It was one of Wang Xuanyang's unique techniques: a poisonous mist refined from his own Yin-Yang Genesis Qi combined with various secret materials.

It was rumored that once exposed to this poison, victims would become consumed by carnal desires and lose all reason.

This poison was notoriously difficult to deal with, capable of penetrating Genesis Qi and directly affecting the spirit. Even cultivators of comparable strength had to be exceedingly careful and avoid contact with such a potent mist.

Wang Xuanyang's deployment of this poisonous mist was clearly malevolent. He didn't intend to kill Zhou Yuan but rather to publicly humiliate him, causing him to lose all dignity and, by extension, severely diminish Tianyuan Region's reputation.

Wang Xuanyang and Zhou Yuan were not far apart. His sudden attack was so rapid that Qin Lian, despite her usual vigilance, had no time to react. She could only watch helplessly as the black and white light sped towards Zhou Yuan.

The moment the attack struck, Genesis Qi automatically surged from within Zhou Yuan's body, rapidly forming a barrier in front of him.

However, the black and white light instantly pierced through the Genesis Qi barrier upon contact, then shot directly into Zhou Yuan's glabella.

The black and white light bloomed upon Zhou Yuan's glabella.

Many eyes in the hall turned expectant, no doubt anticipating a spectacle. With Zhou Yuan affected by Wang Xuanyang's Yin-Yang poison, they wondered how he would lose his composure.

Wang Xuanyang, too, rested his chin in his hand, a smile playing on his lips as he watched Zhou Yuan. Yet, in the depths of his eyes, there was only icy cruelty.

The atmosphere in the great hall settled into silence, all attention fixed on Zhou Yuan.

Under their expectant gazes, however, the black and white light on Zhou Yuan's glabella did not expand further, nor did his eyes show any signs of losing rationality.

Instead, invisible flames began to surge and burn around his body.

And the black light, upon encountering these flames, rapidly dissipated.

In mere moments, it was completely incinerated.

This sight prompted gasps from the onlookers. "This is... Soul-Guarding Flame?"

"Such a potent Soul Flame... that must be a Spirit at the mid-Incarnation Stage, right?"

"Even a Spirit at the mid-Incarnation Stage typically can't condense such robust Soul Flame. This fellow's Spirit cultivation has likely reached the peak of the mid-stage..."

When the onlookers saw Zhou Yuan's placid expression, they felt a degree of astonishment. No wonder he wasn't afraid of the opponent's poisonous mist. While the Yin-Yang Poison Mist directly targeted the spirit, Zhou Yuan's powerful spirit allowed him to instantly condense Soul-Guarding Flame. The mist simply couldn't penetrate his spiritual defense.

While everyone present might have been an elite among Heavenly Sun Stage cultivators, few, if any, could truly match Zhou Yuan in terms of pure Spirit cultivation.

As the black and white light dissipated, Wang Xuanyang's eyes narrowed slightly.

Such an attack, yet it yielded no results. The smile on Wang Xuanyang's face vanished entirely. After all, for someone of his strength, initiating an attack on Zhou Yuan and achieving nothing was, in itself, quite embarrassing.

"This brat..." Wang Xuanyang's eyes turned icy.

"Wang Xuanyang, you're looking for death!"

At that moment, however, a cold voice filled with killing intent suddenly cut through the air, accompanied by a terrifying Genesis Qi pressure that permeated the hall. Qin Lian's figure materialized directly in mid-air. With a grip of her slender hand, a Sparrow Blade flashed forth, and she unleashed a slash infused with terrifying Genesis Qi, cleaving down fiercely towards Wang Xuanyang.

The power of that single strike was so immense it shattered even the void.

Wang Xuanyang's expression remained impassive. He raised the black and white jade fan in his hand, where black and white Genesis Qi swirled, directly clashing with the descending blade.

The clang of metal echoed through the hall as a terrifying storm of Genesis Qi erupted.

Experts from all sides swiftly moved to neutralize the surging Genesis Qi shockwaves.

Both Qin Lian and Wang Xuanyang reeled slightly. The latter casually tapped the armrest, causing a crack to appear in the stone chair's armrest, while Qin Lian was sent flying backward, skidding several steps upon landing.

Evidently, Wang Xuanyang held the advantage in this brief exchange.

This was hardly surprising, given that Wang Xuanyang's ranking on the Heavenly Sun List was already higher than Qin Lian's.

With her attack blocked, Qin Lian's eyes grew even colder. Her Genesis Qi erupted as she prepared to strike once more.

Wang Xuanyang's lips curled into a cold sneer. "You alone aren't enough," he said. "Do you want to bring in your elder Zhou Yuan as well?"

Zhou Yuan's face remained impassive, but a hint of killing intent flickered in his eyes as he slowly rose to his feet.

"Wang Xuanyang, isn't that enough?"

At this moment, however, a low voice suddenly cut through the air, accompanied by a terrifying Genesis Qi pressure that permeated the hall. Numerous gazes shifted, converging on Guan Qinglong of the Martial God Domain.

The conflict between the two parties was escalating. If it wasn't brought under control soon, the meeting would likely be unable to continue.

Wang Xuanyang cast a glance at Guan Qinglong, then shrugged with a smile. As his black and white jade fan gently unfolded, his Genesis Qi pressure receded. He then smiled at Zhou Yuan. "Elder Zhou Yuan," he said, "the Ancient Origin Heaven is fraught with danger. You'd best stick close to Qin Lian at all times. Otherwise, if anything happens, an elder of Tianyuan Region like yourself might perish very quickly."

Zhou Yuan extended a hand to stop the frosty-faced Qin Lian. He, too, wore a smile, and his voice was gentle.

"You should also be careful, sir," he said. "However, should anything unexpected befall you, out of consideration for being from the same heaven, I will do my utmost to retrieve your body."

Both men smiled, appearing to have put their conflict aside for the moment. Yet, deep within their eyes, an icy killing intent unmistakably swirled.