Chapter 1130: Bluffing

"How is that possible?!"

When Ji Mo saw Zhou Yuan, he was similarly struck by lightning, an expression of incredible shock appearing on his face. Zhou Yuan had actually withstood his Annihilation Ray head-on?!

"Impossible... impossible!" Ji Mo, usually aloof, finally lost his composure, his face contorted in a ferocious expression. He knew that even he had to rely on the "substitute death technique" of his Saint Pupil to withstand Zhou Yuan's Seven-Colored Divine Ray. This meant that without such a technique, he could very well have been killed by Zhou Yuan's attack.

Even though he had endured, he paid the heavy price of sealing his Saint Pupil. Ji Mo was confident that the power of his Annihilation Ray was absolutely no weaker than Zhou Yuan's Seven-Colored Divine Ray. Yet, he had only managed to withstand it by using his Saint Pupil, so how was Zhou Yuan still standing there alive?!

Ji Mo clenched his fists, his gaze incredibly dark. He had previously thought he had overestimated Zhou Yuan, but now it seemed his estimation had been far too conservative.

Behind him, the Saint Race contingent was silent, their faces showing an even greater shock and horror than Ji Mo's. After all, they were well aware of Ji Mo's strength. In their Sacred Spirit Heaven, Ji Mo was undeniably the strongest in the Heavenly Sun Stage. With his capabilities, he could even rank among the top contenders in the most powerful Sacred Ancestor Heaven and the secondary Sacred King Heaven. Thus, they couldn't fathom how someone of Ji Mo's power could suffer such a significant loss at the hands of Zhou Yuan, who appeared to be only at the mid-Heavenly Sun Stage.

As members of the Saint Race, they were immensely arrogant, viewing other races as mere straw dogs. Yet, they never expected such a monstrous figure to emerge from the human race, whom they so disdained. The contempt that had previously been in their gazes towards Zhou Yuan quietly vanished, replaced by a much heavier hostility and killing intent.

The Saint Race was a formidable enemy to the other races of the Genesis World because they had no intention of coexisting. The Saint Race aimed to be the sole rulers of the Genesis World, and for other races to survive, they would have to become their slaves. Therefore, the more outstanding Zhou Yuan proved to be, the more he should be eradicated in the eyes of these Saint Race individuals.

Despite these thoughts, no one dared to make a move. The distant young figure, though appearing somewhat dishevelled, exerted immense pressure on them. Others might not have known, but they could see the faded Saint Mark on Ji Mo's brow, clearly indicating that he had paid an extremely heavy price to resist Zhou Yuan's Seven-Colored Divine Ray. This was also evident from the slightly turbulent Genesis Qi fluctuations around him.

Though they were reluctant to admit it, they understood that the current situation was gradually slipping out of their control.

Zhou Yuan, bathed in countless astonished gazes, appeared quite calm. He glanced down at the large patches of scorched flesh on his chest. These injuries looked gruesome, but they were merely superficial. With his body's recovery speed, they would soon return to normal.

He raised his palm, and silver liquid converged, forming a silver sphere in his hand. The sphere was covered with countless ancient patterns, which was, naturally, Silver Shadow. However, Silver Shadow was unusually dim at the moment, its volume even reduced by about half. This was because Silver Shadow had previously acted as a meat shield, resisting Ji Mo's Annihilation Ray.

Of course, Silver Shadow alone, even with its cultivation of the "Great Fiend Demon," was far from enough to withstand such a lethal move from Ji Mo. It was able to block it in the end because Zhou Yuan had directly activated the "Heaven Punishing Saint Rune" just as the Annihilation Ray was about to hit him. The Spatial Domain, spanning a *zhang* (approx. 3.3 meters), unfolded, directly weakening the power of the Annihilation Ray by nearly half. However, even with its power reduced by almost half, the Annihilation Ray still directly pierced through Silver Shadow and injured Zhou Yuan's body, which was also protected by the Great Fiend Demon and the Heaven Primal Brush's bristles.

Therefore, if not for the Spatial Domain of the Heaven Punishing Saint Rune, Zhou Yuan likely wouldn't have dared to directly take on this Annihilation Ray.

Zhou Yuan put away Silver Shadow, then, under countless watchful eyes, looked towards Ji Mo and smiled, "It seems the outcome isn't quite what you expected."

Ji Mo's face was grim. After a moment, he said faintly, "You certainly surprise me. I didn't expect such a figure to emerge from the human race."

Zhou Yuan's sharp gaze lingered on Ji Mo's brow. He smiled and said, "It seems you paid quite a price to block my attack, didn't you?"

Ji Mo replied, "You shouldn't be having an easy time either, should you?"

"Much better than you," Zhou Yuan chuckled.

Their verbal exchange was sharp and confrontational, seemingly probing each other's injuries.

After a brief exchange, Ji Mo coldly exhaled. He was silent for a moment, then said, "Zhou Yuan of the Tianyuan Region from Hunyuan Heaven, correct? I'll remember you. I admit I underestimated you."

"Hunyuan Heaven indeed has some capability to be the chief of the Lower Five Heavens. It's surprising that even a declining Tianyuan Region could produce someone like you."

Hearing him repeatedly refer to them as "Lower Five Heavens" with an undisguised air of superiority, Zhou Yuan couldn't help but smile. "We don't accept that 'Lower Five Heavens' title," he said.

Ji Mo's lips curled into a sneer. "I know you're unhappy, but that's the reality. Of the Nine Heavens in the Genesis World, my Saint Race occupies four, already countless times stronger than your five races combined. The fate of the world also lies with my Saint Race. These are not things a mere Heavenly Sun Stage cultivator like you can change."

"If you're weak, you must endure. Don't dream of challenging existences you cannot withstand."

He waved his hand, disinclined to speak further with Zhou Yuan. "You do have some ability, seeing as you didn't die by my hand today... Fine, take the people from Cangxuan Heaven and leave. If we meet again, I'll make sure you experience the true power of my Sacred Spirit Heaven."

Upon hearing this, Li Xuan of the Sacred Palace was immediately startled and was about to protest, but he was silenced by Ji Mo's cold gaze. The Saint Race contingent whispered among themselves, but ultimately remained quiet, indicating their compliance with Ji Mo's command.

On the Cangxuan Heaven side, numerous figures erupted in cheers, as if having narrowly escaped disaster. Their gazes were filled with respect and gratitude towards Zhou Yuan. Had he not turned the tide, the Saint Race would likely not have let them go so easily.

Qin Lian and the others from the Tianyuan Region also relaxed slightly. The Saint Race contingent was formidable, and a direct confrontation would inevitably lead to casualties. Being able to rescue their people without bloodshed was the best possible outcome.

Zhou Yuan gazed at the indifferent Ji Mo, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Seeing that Zhou Yuan had not moved, Ji Mo's eyes immediately turned chilling. "What? Still not leaving? I've already notified the other forces of my Sacred Spirit Heaven. If you wait until they arrive, you won't be able to escape!"

Hearing Ji Mo's threat, Zhou Yuan merely smiled. He looked down at the great canyon, ravaged and left desolate by the battle, and gently stamped his foot, an unreadable expression in his eyes. Then he looked up and smiled faintly at Ji Mo.

"How about we try a different approach... You and your people can leave now. This great canyon, my Tianyuan Region is taking it."

Upon hearing this, furious killing intent immediately surged from Ji Mo's eyes.