Chapter 1090: Harvest

Zhou Yuan leaped out of the deep pit, his figure flashing as he appeared beside Qin Lian.

At that moment, Qin Lian's gaze swept across the deep pit. With a smile in her eyes, she remarked, "How brutal."

Hearing her tease, Zhou Yuan felt helpless; the scene was indeed quite bloody. So, he didn't pursue that topic, instead turning his gaze directly to the several stalactites, his eyes burning with eagerness.

Numerous stalactites hung from the ceiling of this cavern, but only a very few could condense into "Ancestral Qi treasures." Zhou Yuan counted them; apart from the one previously swallowed by the Golden Rat King, five more remained.

"I didn't expect there to be Ancestral Qi treasures here," Qin Lian continued to exclaim, clearly aware of their immense value.

But then her gaze suddenly fell upon Zhou Yuan, and she asked with a hint of surprise and doubt, "Is this why you had me choose this area?"

Zhou Yuan smiled and did not deny it. He had, after all, instructed Qin Lian to make this choice, and with his confident demeanor combined with the current discovery, Qin Lian, being shrewd, would naturally connect the dots.

"Did the Grand Elder give you some special means?" Qin Lian asked, looking at Zhou Yuan with a hint of excitement.

In her view, Zhou Yuan himself could not possibly possess such ability. The only explanation must be that Grand Elder Zhuan Zhu had bestowed upon him some undisclosed methods.

Zhou Yuan's smile was profound and enigmatic. Being able to credit his Eldest Senior Brother saved him a lot of explanation and prevented him from exposing the Barrier-Breaking Saint Rune.

"Let's collect the treasures first."

Zhou Yuan waved his hand, then flicked his fingers. The clusters of light hanging from the five stalactites detached and floated gently before them.

The light gradually faded, revealing their true forms: five unique treasures, varying in shape but all imbued with an ancient aura, serving as rare materials.

Gazing at them, Zhou Yuan felt the Genesis Brush within him cheer once more. Additionally, there was a much weaker fluctuation, likely from Silver Shadow.

Zhou Yuan pondered briefly, then looked at Qin Lian and asked, "How do you think we should distribute them?"

Qin Lian pondered for a moment, then said calmly, "There's no need to distribute these items among them for now. After all, the quantity is too small, and uneven distribution could easily lead to resentment among some."

"Furthermore, your contribution was primary in acquiring them; mine was secondary. Others aren't yet qualified to receive such treasures."

"So, I suggest you take four. As for me... if Elder Zhou Yuan is willing, I'd be content with just one."

Zhou Yuan couldn't help but smile upon hearing this. Qin Lian was right; with over two thousand people outside, these five treasures were impossible to distribute fairly. More importantly, in terms of contribution, the others weren't yet worthy of such rare treasures.

"There will certainly be more Ancestral Qi treasures later," Zhou Yuan said. "When there are outstanding contributors in the team, these items can be used as rewards."

Zhou Yuan flicked his fingers, and two of the five Ancestral Qi treasures before them floated towards Qin Lian. He said, "I am, after all, an elder of the Tianyuan Region; just one might seem a bit ungenerous."

Qin Lian didn't know that he had already retrieved the Ancestral Qi treasure swallowed by the Golden Rat King, but Zhou Yuan didn't intend to take advantage of that. There would be plenty more opportunities later.

Qin Lian looked at the two Ancestral Qi treasures floating before her, slightly startled. She hadn't expected Zhou Yuan to be so generous, as they both clearly understood the immense value of Ancestral Qi treasures.

Qin Lian's gaze swept over Zhou Yuan; he merely smiled, his eyes sincere and without any hidden meaning. She no longer hesitated and gracefully accepted. "Then thank you, Elder, for your generosity," she said. "In the future, whatever your commands, I will go through fire and water for you." By the end, she couldn't help but smile.

Zhou Yuan waved his hand, putting away the remaining three Ancestral Qi treasures. "Let's go out," he said.

With the two Rat Kings slain, the rat tide outside should have retreated. Next, there was an important matter to handle: absorbing the Ancestral Qi branch here, which was the top priority.

Qin Lian nodded slightly. Their figures moved, and they swiftly returned along the path they came.

As the two emerged from the deep pit, they saw the main force of the Tianyuan Region gathering their troops. Countless rat corpses lay on the ground, blood was everywhere, and a bloody stench permeated the air.

Bian Buji, Mu Youlan, Han Jinhe, and others quickly came forward to greet them.

"The rat tide has retreated. We lost over thirty people..."

Zhou Yuan and Qin Lian both nodded slightly. Casualties were inevitable from an attack of that magnitude. The Tianyuan Region would provide compensation and care for the families, but that was a matter for other departments.

Zhou Yuan's gaze swept over the battle-worn crowd. Knowing what they were anticipating, he didn't utter any meaningless words. Instead, he simply waved his hand and announced, "Everyone, prepare yourselves! We will now begin to draw in the Ancestral Qi branch!"

Cheers immediately erupted from the main force. Everyone's faces were flushed with eagerness and anticipation. They had crossed heavenly regions to come to the dangerous Ancient Origin Heaven, seeking precisely the Ancestral Qi resources here.

Although most of the Ancestral Qi from the branch would flow into the Hunyuan Heaven, being at the forefront meant they would be able to absorb the first wave of Ancestral Qi, a considerable gain for them.

Zhou Yuan waved his sleeve, and a streak of light flew out, landing on an open space on the hill.

The light expanded rapidly against the wind, finally transforming into a towering black altar.

Upon the altar were countless ancient Genesis Runes. These runes were incredibly profound and mysterious; even with Zhou Yuan's current mastery of Spirit, it was difficult to discern their true essence.

This was the Ancestral Qi Altar, personally refined by Zhuan Zhu.

This artifact could not only connect to the Hunyuan Heaven but also protect the Ancestral Qi branch. Of course, more importantly, nearly half of the Ancestral Qi within it would be guided towards the world of the Tianyuan Region.

Zhou Yuan's figure moved, appearing at the center of the altar, where he formed hand seals.

As his hand seals shifted, the black altar immediately began to tremble. The ancient Genesis Runes engraved upon it also began to emit light, and streams of light converged, tearing a fissure in space.

The fissure was pulled by the light streams, gradually forming an unstable spatial channel.

Within the spatial channel, a mystical power erupted, directly enveloping the Ancestral Qi branch below. A powerful force burst forth, pulling it upwards.

The Ancestral Qi branch possessed an instinct to seek fortune and avoid danger, so it resisted based on that instinct. However, the power erupting from within the spatial channel was extremely formidable; no matter how much it resisted, it was ultimately being pulled bit by bit from the depths of the earth.

Rolling, mysterious pale yellow streams of Qi rose. The entire mountain range trembled violently, and from a high-altitude perspective, it was as if an immense yellow dragon was being pulled from deep within the earth.

At this moment, that "yellow dragon," under the force of the suction, began to surge towards the spatial channel.

"Everyone, calm your minds, absorb with peace, no noise!" Zhou Yuan shouted, watching the surging Ancestral Qi branch, his booming voice echoing in everyone's ears.

The two-thousand-strong team all sat down cross-legged in front of the altar, disregarding the bloodstains on the ground.

Their location was precisely the path the Ancestral Qi branch had to pass through, so when the "yellow dragon" surged past, it enveloped their figures.

Everyone closed their eyes, absorbing frantically as their Genesis Qi surged throughout their bodies.

The "yellow dragon" entered the spatial channel and continuously poured in.

After supervising for a while and finding no issues, Zhou Yuan's figure appeared in front of the channel. He then sat down cross-legged, watching the rolling, mysterious Ancestral Qi, his eyes becoming extremely eager.

If the Ancestral Qi treasures obtained earlier were for enhancing the Genesis Brush and Silver Shadow, then the nourishment from this Ancestral Qi would truly bring a significant improvement to himself.

"Come on, let me try," he thought. "Just how miraculous can this Ancestral Qi of yours be?!"

Zhou Yuan took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes.

At this moment, the "yellow dragon" surged forward, swallowing Zhou Yuan's figure whole.