Chapter 1098: January

Inside a spacious and brightly lit cave.

Zhou Yuan sat cross-legged on a piece of bluestone. His eyes, which had been closed for half a day, slowly opened, a sharp glint flickering within them. The pressure of Genesis Qi emanating from his body had become even more formidable.

“My Genesis Qi foundation has reached 1.95 billion...”

A stream of white air shot out from his mouth like an arrow, directly piercing the cave wall and creating a small, bottomless black hole.

A satisfied smile appeared on Zhou Yuan’s face as he sensed the Genesis Qi foundation within him. Almost a month had passed since he entered the Ancient Origin Heaven.

Within this month, the forces from Hunyuan Heaven had completely swept through the Ancestral Qi branches within a hundred thousand miles around the towns. Of course, numerous conflicts and disputes were inevitable during this period. Some forces even resorted to fierce battles over the Ancestral Qi branches.

Even the Nine Regions had not tried to stop such disputes, nor could they. With more monks than gruel, conflicts were unavoidable; only the truly strong could enjoy greater opportunities. Weren’t their Nine Regions precisely the beneficiaries of this rule?

Over the past month, the Tianyuan Region, led by Zhou Yuan and Qin Lian, had reaped considerable rewards. Thanks to the marvelous power of the Barrier-Breaking Saint Rune, they were undoubtedly able to bypass a lot of trouble.

Because of this, in just one month, Zhou Yuan's Genesis Qi foundation had surged from its initial 1.86 billion upon entry to the current 1.95 billion. A full 90 million increase in his foundation—this would be an unbelievable feat in Hunyuan Heaven.

Besides the increase in his Genesis Qi foundation, Zhou Yuan also had significant gains in Ancestral Qi treasures over the past month.

Zhou Yuan reached out and gently patted the Cosmos Sack at his waist. Dozens of streams of light shot out, transforming into jade boxes that floated around him. There were twenty-five jade boxes in total, each containing an Ancestral Qi treasure. This was Zhou Yuan’s haul for the month.

Zhou Yuan flicked his finger, and all the jade boxes slowly opened. Immediately, a dazzling array of colors burst forth, incredibly brilliant. The Ancestral Qi treasures inside emitted mystical aura, making the Genesis Qi in the cave thick and heavy.

Zhou Yuan gazed at these "little darlings" with enchantment, feeling like he could never tire of looking at them.

However, he soon regretfully withdrew his gaze. He had kept these little darlings hidden for a month, and today they were meant to feed his two "little ancestors." Lately, these two little ancestors seemed to have sensed the increasing number of Ancestral Qi treasures on him, becoming quite restless.

Actually, Silver Shadow was still relatively well-behaved, but the Heavenly Yuan Brush was truly a wily old rogue. Every day, Zhou Yuan could feel it stirring up a storm within his Divine Dwelling. Sometimes, when Zhou Yuan wanted to activate it during battle, this thing would even dare to go on strike... Zhou Yuan found this both exasperating and amusing, and he could only give this former Saint artifact some leeway.

“There are twenty-five Ancestral Qi treasures here in total. How will you two divide them?” Zhou Yuan muttered to himself. As soon as he finished speaking, snowy-white bristles emerged from his left hand, swiftly coiling around the jade boxes and extracting the Ancestral Qi treasures within. From Zhou Yuan’s right hand, silver liquid surged out like a silver chain, also vying for the Ancestral Qi treasures.

But how could Silver Shadow be a match for the Heavenly Yuan Brush? Whenever it encountered the white bristles, its silver chains were instantly shattered. After a struggle, the Heavenly Yuan Brush claimed twenty, while Silver Shadow only got five.

At that moment, Zhou Yuan could even sense a wave of grievance emanating from Silver Shadow. “You’re a Saint artifact, after all. Don’t bully your junior like this, okay?” Zhou Yuan couldn't help but interject to uphold fairness.

The Heavenly Yuan Brush, being exceptionally spiritual, naturally understood Zhou Yuan’s meaning. After a moment of hesitation, it reluctantly gave up five Ancestral Qi treasures. Silver Shadow quickly accepted them. While its sentience was far inferior to the Heavenly Yuan Brush's, it subtly emitted a wave of excitement.

The Heavenly Yuan Brush paid no mind and directly retreated into the Divine Dwelling to begin refining the Ancestral Qi treasures. Silver Shadow, slowly, like a timid bride, followed it.

Seeing this, Zhou Yuan smiled with a hint of expectation. He wondered what changes, if any, the Heavenly Yuan Brush and Silver Shadow would undergo after consuming these Ancestral Qi treasures. So he was not in a hurry to leave; instead, he calmly sat cross-legged, awaiting the final outcome.

This waiting period lasted for roughly an afternoon. When evening glow appeared on the horizon, Zhou Yuan felt the vibrations within his Divine Dwelling cease. To his regret, however, the Heavenly Yuan Brush showed no significant changes after consuming the fifteen Ancestral Qi treasures. Its mottled brush body merely became more profound, and its eighth Saint Rune brightened slightly.

“It truly isn't easy to awaken this eighth Rune,” Zhou Yuan sighed lightly, feeling a touch of regret. In the current Ancient Origin Heaven, powerful enemies were abundant. Leaving aside other heaven regions, Wang Xuanyang alone was enough to cause him trouble. Wang Xuanyang had remained inactive for the past month, but Zhou Yuan remained constantly vigilant.

However, just as Zhou Yuan was about to rise and conclude his cultivation, he suddenly felt a faint vibration from within his Divine Dwelling. His expression shifted immediately, and he raised his hand.

He watched as silver liquid seeped directly from his palm, eventually forming a silver sphere that floated in the air. This was, of course, Silver Shadow.

Zhou Yuan gazed in surprise. He could vaguely sense that some special changes seemed to be occurring within Silver Shadow. Ancient patterns faintly appeared on its smooth surface. The significant transformation Zhou Yuan had anticipated did not manifest in the Heavenly Yuan Brush; instead, it appeared in Silver Shadow.

Zhou Yuan extended a finger and gently touched the silver sphere. He could clearly feel an indescribable connection between them.

As Zhou Yuan’s finger made contact, ripples suddenly spread across the silver sphere. A buzzing sound seemed to emerge from within, and then Zhou Yuan watched as silver liquid began to flow out from it.

The silver liquid continuously flowed, then gradually condensed into a human-like shape. The silver figure became increasingly distinct and clear, until its form was completely shaped. At this moment, Zhou Yuan’s eyes widened abruptly.

Because the silver figure before him, apart from its entirely silver color, had a face and physique identical to his own! Most importantly, Zhou Yuan could feel an exceptionally powerful Genesis Qi fluctuation within it. If measured by Genesis Qi stars, he estimated that this humanoid form, transformed from Silver Shadow, likely possessed a foundation of around one billion.

Zhou Yuan’s face was filled with astonishment. If the previous Silver Shadow could only be considered an inanimate object with a bit of sentience, then now, it was truly alive. This transformation had clearly brought about earth-shattering changes to Silver Shadow.