Chapter 1105: Great Battle Against Li Zhu

When Zhou Yuan uttered his last word, the "promotion" pattern on the Heavenly Yuan Brush erupted with a dazzling light, far more brilliant than any time before.

Zhou Yuan's Genesis Qi reserves within his body also began to surge at an astonishing rate, activated by the "promotion."

When Zhou Yuan's Genesis Qi reserves reached 2.3 billion, Li Zhu's expression drastically changed, as the surge showed no signs of abating, continuing to erupt ferociously.

2.4 billion!

2.5 billion!

The increase in Zhou Yuan's Genesis Qi reserves gradually began to level off as they approached 2.5 billion.

Holding the Heavenly Yuan Brush, Zhou Yuan's robes billowed, and the astonishing pressure emanating from his body caused the very ground beneath him to crack continuously.

He looked up at Li Zhu, whose face was grim in the night, and grinned, "Are you satisfied now?"

Previously, when sparring with Qin Lian, he had not fully unleashed the power of "promotion" because it was unnecessary; Qin Lian was not an enemy. This was, therefore, Zhou Yuan's first time fully activating the "promotion" ability since entering the mid-Heaven Sun Stage.

This undoubtedly came as a considerable "surprise" to Li Zhu.

"So this is your true strength," Li Zhu muttered, his eyes shadowed. Who would have thought Zhou Yuan could hide his power so profoundly?

"As I said before, leave now, and we can pretend none of this happened," Zhou Yuan stated.

Li Zhu, however, sneered. As the top expert of the Puppet Domain's Heaven Sun Stage, he possessed considerable arrogance. "So what if you have 2.5 billion Genesis Qi reserves?" he retorted coldly. "That merely puts you on the same level as me. We'll only know the outcome after a real fight!"

His gaze suddenly sharpened. With a flick of his sleeve, numerous beads shot forth, expanding rapidly as they met the wind, transforming into over a dozen enormous puppet beasts.

Each of these colossal beasts radiated fierce malevolence, their grim eyes fixed on Zhou Yuan.

The next instant, the dozen-plus puppet beasts lunged at Zhou Yuan.

Seeing this, Zhou Yuan smiled faintly. He raised his palm, and a silver sphere appeared, which then undulated like liquid, quickly forming a silver figure identical to himself.

"Deal with them," Zhou Yuan commanded.

Upon receiving the command, the silver figure instantly shot out like a silver lightning bolt. As it moved, crimson light patterns appeared on its metallic body, unleashing a scorching and violent aura.

Great Blazing Demon!

The silver figure charged into the puppet horde, silver light flashing. Its silver fists became blurs, forcefully sending the formidable puppet beasts flying.

Li Zhu couldn't help but be startled by this sight, his eyes wide with surprise and doubt as he stared at the silver figure. He knew intimately the strength of his puppet beasts, and their fearlessness in battle meant their ferocious assaults could even restrict some top-tier late Heaven Sun Stage experts.

Yet, this silver figure, whose true nature was unknown, proved even more ferocious than his puppet beasts. Its wide, aggressive blows suggested a complete disregard for taking damage.

"This kid certainly has many tricks up his sleeve!"

"Whoosh!"

Just then, the void in front of Li Zhu suddenly tore open. A cold gleam pierced through the air, followed by platinum Genesis Qi surging behind it, like a colossal platinum dragon rolling.

"Can you still afford to be distracted at a time like this?" Zhou Yuan's laughter echoed with the cold gleam.

As the formidable assault swept in, Li Zhu's expression darkened. He flicked his wrist, and a golden umbrella appeared in his hand. Its canopy unfurled, shimmering with Genesis Qi, acting as a shield before him.

The snow-white brush tip struck the center of the umbrella, sending sparks flying. The immense platinum Genesis Qi slammed into it, causing the umbrella's surface to ripple violently. However, most of the Genesis Qi was deflected outwards by the umbrella's rotation.

Evidently, the golden umbrella in Li Zhu's hand was also a top-tier Heavenly Origin Weapon, capable of deflecting some of the incoming force.

Swish! Swish!

Zhou Yuan's expression remained unchanged. With a flick of his wrist, the brush tip transformed into countless afterimages, raining down like a torrential storm.

The formidable assault tore through the void, and piercing sounds echoed across the night sky.

Li Zhu scoffed, utterly unfazed, and thrust his golden umbrella forward.

In the void, countless afterimages collided.

In mere moments, they exchanged hundreds of blows.

Yet, in this head-on clash, Li Zhu's expression gradually soured as he began to feel some pressure.

Both their Genesis Qi reserves were clearly at nearly identical levels.

However, each of Zhou Yuan's attacks was sharper and more dominant than his own.

"Is this guy's Genesis Qi... Rank 8?" Li Zhu stared intently at the platinum-gold Genesis Qi rising from Zhou Yuan's body, sensing a dangerous aura from it.

Their Puppet Domain's cultivation techniques were passed down through a single lineage, with the highest-tier ones naturally reaching Rank 8. However, such a high-grade technique required immense contributions, and despite Li Zhu's many years of effort, he still only cultivated peak Rank 7 Genesis Qi.

Zhou Yuan's Genesis Qi could suppress him, clearly because its rank surpassed his own.

The brush tip and umbrella tip collided, and two astonishing streams of Genesis Qi clashed, shattering that section of the void. Both figures were forced to recoil.

Zhou Yuan held the Heavenly Yuan Brush angled towards the ground. He stomped his foot, and platinum Genesis Qi surged skyward from his head, like rolling clouds.

"Heavenly Dragon Claw!"

The platinum Genesis Qi converged, instantly forming a colossal dragon claw that slammed down fiercely.

The dragon claw was covered in radiant platinum dragon scales.

"Shadow of the Demon Puppet!"

Li Zhu also roared fiercely, as immense Genesis Qi swept forth, subtly forming a giant phantom behind him. The phantom struck out with a palm, and within its grasp, countless puppets seemed to writhe and shriek.

The two collided forcefully, and Genesis Qi shockwaves raged, leveling vast swathes of the nearby forest.

Yet, after this direct clash, Li Zhu's expression grew even darker. He found it unacceptable that, after several exchanges, he had not gained any advantage whatsoever.

Previously, Li Zhu had, deep down, regarded Zhou Yuan with a degree of disdain. After all, the latter was merely a junior in his eyes. When Li Zhu had made a name for himself in the Hunyuan Heaven back then, Zhou Yuan was likely still an unknown in some obscure corner!

But now, in combat, this junior was causing him considerable embarrassment.

This was something Li Zhu, with his inherent pride, found difficult to accept.

"I refuse to believe that I, Li Zhu, cannot subdue a mere junior like you today!"

A fierce glint flickered in Li Zhu's eyes, and a determined expression crossed his face. He moved, instantly appearing in the void, where he formed hand seals. Two uncanny patterns appeared in his palms, from which mysterious light blossomed, and then his palms sharply clapped together.

"Demon Puppet!"

As his roar reverberated through heaven and earth, the ground trembled. Countless rocks and massive trees were pulled into the air, transforming into dust that swiftly converged upon Li Zhu.

Concurrently, the vast and mighty Genesis Qi of the world also began to converge.

Thus, in just over ten breaths, Li Zhu's figure vanished, replaced by a colossal thousand-zhang giant puppet body. Countless ancient patterns flickered faintly across its surface.

Winds howled and thunder rumbled as the colossal figure seemed to breathe.

An astonishing Genesis Qi storm erupted from its core, sweeping outwards in all directions.

Zhou Yuan also looked up at the giant figure, his expression turning slightly solemn.

"Zhou Yuan, no matter how extraordinary your talent, this Heaven Sun Stage is no place for a mere junior like you to act so brazenly in front of us veteran Heaven Suns!"

"Now get lost!"

Li Zhu's roar thundered across the area. The next moment, he lifted his colossal foot, revealing countless light patterns on its sole, then stomped it down with a thunderous crash. The impact shattered the void, causing the mountain ranges below to collapse and crack.

The power of Li Zhu's single stomp was so immense that even other top figures on the Heaven Sun Ranking would not dare to take it lightly.

In the more intense battle raging in the distance.

Wang Xuanyang wielded his Yin-Yang Jade Fan, conjuring black and white hurricanes that fiercely clashed with Qin Lian and Dong Ye, causing incessant wind howls across the heavens and earth.

At that moment, they also witnessed the immense disturbance in the distance.

Wang Xuanyang looked at the colossal puppet figure in the distance and couldn't help but smile. "This Zhou Yuan certainly has some ability, to force out Li Zhu's ultimate move. From what I understand, that was something he had prepared specifically for you all."

"It seems Zhou Yuan's situation might become quite unfavorable now," he said with a half-smile.

Qin Lian and Dong Ye remained silent. They glanced at the distant spectacle, then intensified their assault.

However, deep within their eyes, solemnity and concern began to surface.

If Zhou Yuan couldn't withstand the attack, the entire situation would become quite problematic.

(End of Chapter)