Chapter 113: Holy Land of Sacred Relics

"It seems you're interested?" the grey-robed old man said, looking at Zhou Yuan with a smile. Zhou Yuan's answer had clearly indicated his decision.

Zhou Yuan smiled slightly and replied, "If I hadn't known about such a great opportunity, it would have been fine. But since you, Senior, have already pointed it out to me, it would be truly foolish of me not to seize it."

The "Saint Relic Remains" was clearly the most important opportunity on the Boundless Continent. Even geniuses from numerous great dynasties, prominent aristocratic families, and major powers, including Wu Huang, were striving with all their might for it. What reason did Zhou Yuan have to ignore it?

This was no trivial matter; it was a true contest for destiny!

The path of cultivation was fraught with difficulties and dangers. Only by seizing each arriving opportunity and constantly surpassing the strong adversaries appearing before one could a cultivator truly stand at the pinnacle of the world.

"You certainly have some courage," the grey-robed old man nodded. He had already made his point: if Zhou Yuan didn't even dare to compete with the proud talents from those great dynasties, prominent aristocratic families, and major powers, then his future would be limited, and he wouldn't be worth his excessive attention.

He took a scroll map from his sleeve and said, "This is a map of the entire Boundless Continent, with the location of the Saint Relic Remains marked on it. From your Great Zhou, it will probably take several months to travel there. However, the Saint Relic Remains will open in half a year, so you should be able to make it in time."

Zhou Yuan took the map and unrolled it. His gaze swept over it and then fixated on the very center of the map, where a large patch of blood-red was exceptionally conspicuous.

The terrain there was sunken, truly looking as if it had been formed by a drop of fresh blood striking the ground. However... this drop of blood seemed a bit too terrifying.

"Is this the Saint Relic Remains?" Zhou Yuan murmured, then sighed, realizing that reaching it from the Great Zhou Dynasty would require traversing dozens of dynastic territories, a truly immense distance.

Even at full speed, it would take at least several months.

Zhou Yuan stared at the map, surmising that almost all talented and powerful individuals marked on it were probably already heading towards the Saint Relic Remains.

This would truly be a gathering of heroes, a convergence of proud talents.

However, it was precisely this that made it even more exciting. The path of a strong cultivator required tempering, and weren't these proud talents from various powers the best whetstones?

A burning fighting spirit surged in Zhou Yuan's eyes.

After giving the map to Zhou Yuan, the grey-robed old man reached into his sleeve again and rummaged around. Finally, he pulled out a jade tablet and tossed it to Zhou Yuan.

Zhou Yuan quickly caught it. The jade tablet was ancient, inscribed with a seal script character: 'Cang'.

"What is this?" Zhou Yuan asked, holding the jade tablet in confusion.

The grey-robed old man said languidly, "If you can distinguish yourself in the Saint Relic Remains, you'll naturally know what this item is then. If you fade into obscurity, there will be no need to bring it out and embarrass yourself."

Zhou Yuan was puzzled, but he still nodded and put it into his Qiankun Pouch.

"Young man, I've said all I need to say," the grey-robed old man announced. "I will take Youwei and her grandfather away from here today."

"Leaving today?" Zhou Yuan was startled. He cast a complicated look at the small house where Su Youwei was, and finally nodded.

Inside the house, Su Youwei had also packed her things and walked out. The expression on her pretty face had once again become subdued.

She looked up, her gaze meeting Zhou Yuan's. For a moment, neither of them spoke.

"Your Highness, please remember, you must come find me later on!" Su Youwei whispered.

Zhou Yuan smiled and nodded, saying, "Don't worry, I never go back on my word."

Upon hearing this, a bright smile finally appeared on Su Youwei's small face.

"Let's go." The grey-robed old man chuckled faintly and looked at Zhou Yuan once more. Without saying anything further, he waved his sleeve, and a surge of Genesis Qi swept out, directly enveloping Su Youwei and her grandfather. It then transformed into a streak of rainbow light, soaring into the sky.

"Young man, strive well. If you can't distinguish yourself in the Saint Relic Remains, I suggest you don't come looking for her in the future. Otherwise, you might needlessly wound your self-esteem, haha." As the grey-robed old man transformed into a rainbow light and ascended into the sky, a laugh slowly drifted into Zhou Yuan's ears.

Zhou Yuan looked up, watching the direction where the rainbow light vanished. After a long while, he finally withdrew his gaze, a sense of loss in his eyes. He looked at the clean small courtyard, recalling the first time he had escorted Su Youwei home...

Back then, she was just a dirty little girl. Now, however, she had begun to shine. No one knew how far she would go in the future.

Perhaps, just as the grey-robed old man had said, the future Su Youwei would be so dazzling that even he would find her hard to reach.

"When we meet again, will things still be the same?" Zhou Yuan sighed softly.

However, Su Youwei had her own destiny and path. And he, too, should strive for his own opportunities.

"I should also work hard now," Zhou Yuan smiled, "otherwise, if I can't even compare to her when we meet again, that would truly be embarrassing." A bright, dazzling light erupted in his eyes.

He lowered his gaze to the map in his hand.

"Saint Relic Remains... it seems quite interesting..."

"Wu Huang... it seems we'll finally meet..."

Zhou Yuan smiled faintly. He then stepped out of the small courtyard and slowly closed the courtyard gate. The people here were gone; he wondered when the gate would next open again.

Su Youwei, he hoped her future would also be splendid.

"What? You're leaving Great Zhou?" In the royal palace, Zhou Qing and Qin Yu both exclaimed when they heard Zhou Yuan's plan.

Zhou Yuan nodded. He placed the map before them, pointed to the 'Saint Relic Remains,' and said, "Father, Mother, all the proud talents on the continent are now fighting for this great opportunity, including Wu Huang of the Great Wu Dynasty. If I miss this chance, I might regret it for the rest of my life."

"The Saint Relic Remains..." Zhou Qing sighed as he looked at the map. He had obviously heard of it before, but with Great Zhou's diminished status, he naturally no longer harbored any covetous thoughts towards the Saint Relic Remains. He just hadn't expected Zhou Yuan to still learn about it from another source.

"Yuan'er, the Saint Relic Remains are extremely far away, and the contenders are all proud talents from various factions," Qin Yu said with a pained heart. She knew very well how much hardship would be involved in competing for this opportunity, as all those struggles would be life-or-death battles.

"Mother, do you still not trust me?" Zhou Yuan smiled.

"Stubborn boy," Qin Yu said with a wry smile. In her heart, her son was naturally unparalleled in the world, but the thought of Zhou Yuan leaving them to face such pressure alone made her heart ache.

Zhou Qing remained silent. A moment later, he said, "Your choice is the right one."

He knew how important this opportunity was. If Zhou Yuan could obtain it, it would be immensely helpful for his future cultivation.

"However, it will be very difficult to compete with those proud talents." Zhou Qing knew very well that the proud talents cultivated by major powers with all their might were undoubtedly the cream of the crop among the younger generation.

Zhou Yuan nodded with a smile. "If it were easy, it wouldn't be called a contest for destiny."

He had long been mentally prepared for this. Although those proud talents were indeed formidable, if they underestimated him, they wouldn't have an easy time.

"Father, you must secretly send people to take over the War Puppet Sect ruins in the Black Abyss as soon as possible," Zhou Yuan said. "If we can control them, the power of our Great Zhou will surely greatly increase. It will be a tremendous help in confronting Great Wu in the future."

"Don't worry, I've already arranged for Genesis Rune experts to learn the key to opening the Genesis Rune barrier from Yaoyao," Zhou Qing nodded.

"When do you plan to leave?"

Zhou Yuan looked up, gazing into the distance. There, wind and clouds were gathering.

"In three days, I suppose."