Chapter 1133: Distribution

In the severely damaged great canyon, the various forces from Cangxuan Heaven were reorganizing their personnel and assessing their losses.

Zhou Yuan stood in a part of the canyon, his gaze scanning the rushing river below. Deep within his eyes, sacred patterns swirled.

With the Saint Race having retreated, it was now time for them to claim their rewards.

Under the scrutiny of the Barrier-Breaking Sacred Pattern, the hidden depths beneath the ground became perfectly clear to him. Similarly, the high-grade Ancestral Qi branch, concealed deep within, also came into view.

"It's hidden so deeply..."

Zhou Yuan was somewhat surprised. The underground terrain here was exceptionally complex, and the Ancestral Qi branch was hidden so deep that ordinary detection methods were utterly ineffective. He wondered how Jimo had managed to obtain this intelligence. Under normal circumstances, even Zhou Yuan himself would have overlooked this place without activating the Barrier-Breaking Sacred Pattern for a thorough scan.

He had sensed something earlier precisely because he had detected it when his body had previously gone underground.

What's more...

This time, Zhou Yuan's scan revealed that the Ancestral Qi concentration of this branch was ten times stronger than the most powerful branch they had ever encountered!

In terms of potential gains alone, this single Ancestral Qi branch would be enough to make thousands of people from Tianyuan Region rush here without stopping, even if it meant engaging in battle with the Saint Race's forces.

"How is it? Is there really a high-grade Ancestral Qi branch here?" Qin Lian asked impatiently from behind Zhou Yuan.

She was equally eager to obtain that high-grade branch.

Zhou Yuan nodded with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Qin Lian, Mu Youlan, Han Jinhe, and the others all showed expressions of pleasant surprise and smiles. No one had expected to accidentally stumble upon such a massive gain this time. This was truly a great morale booster.

"No wonder I felt earlier that they were intentionally driving us," Chu Qing, who was nearby, said with some doubt. "But why did they drive us all here? Because of this high-grade Ancestral Qi branch?"

Zhou Yuan explained, "It's because this high-grade Ancestral Qi branch is hidden too deeply. They drove the forces of Cangxuan Heaven here to make you and the Sacred Palace people fight each other. The bloodshed and Genesis Qi fluctuations caused by that would trigger a subterranean disaster deep underground, thus drawing out that high-grade branch..."

"Although their methods are cruel," he continued, "I must say they were quite effective. That high-grade branch has now reached a state where it can be captured."

Frost covered Li Qingchan's cool, clear face as she declared, filled with hatred, "They are truly beasts!"

Zhou Yuan also nodded. In fact, there were other ways to draw out the high-grade branch, but Jimo had chosen the cruelest one. This showed that in their eyes, perhaps people of these various races were simply like pigs and dogs, utterly worthless.

"How should this high-grade branch be distributed?" Zhou Yuan asked, suddenly changing the subject.

As soon as these words were spoken, silence fell upon the surroundings.

High-grade branches were extremely rare in this early stage, and the benefits they contained far surpassed those of more than a dozen medium-grade Ancestral Qi branches, making this a huge temptation for any force.

Qin Lian, Mu Youlan, Han Jinhe, and the others from Tianyuan Region remained silent, simply looking at Chu Qing and Li Qingchan. In fact, under normal circumstances, Tianyuan Region would not have intended to share such benefits. However, the current situation was unusual. Although Zhou Yuan was an elder of Tianyuan Region, he was also a Saint Son of Cangxuan Sect, and it was clear he held very deep feelings for the Cangxuan Sect.

So, at this moment, they were waiting to hear what the others would propose.

Li Qingchan also showed a rare look of difficulty. Morally speaking, it would be reasonable for them to concede this high-grade branch, as Tianyuan Region had traveled thousands of miles to rescue them. However, other forces from Cangxuan Heaven had secretly approached her earlier, also regarding this high-grade branch. They weren't particularly greedy; they just hoped for a share to help boost the currently low morale.

Li Qingchan's gaze turned to Chu Qing, only to find him spacing out, and her expression immediately soured.

Noticing her gaze, Chu Qing quickly snapped back to attention and said with a wry face, "There's no need to ask me about this, is there? Can't you just make all the decisions?"

Qin Lian, with her arms crossed, watched this scene and said with some dissatisfaction, "You're a grown man, and you won't step up at a time like this. Are you still expecting a girl to take charge?"

Chu Qing was silent for a moment, then said, "Actually... I'm just a puppet."

Qin Lian was speechless at Chu Qing's shamelessness. She glanced at Zhou Yuan and said exasperatedly, "I guess I know where you learned your hands-off approach to managing things."

"How could I possibly be that lazy?" Zhou Yuan retorted indignantly.

"Junior Brother, give your Senior Brother some face," Chu Qing said awkwardly.

Zhou Yuan rolled his eyes at him, then pondered for a moment before saying, "I'll make the decision on this distribution. Of this high-grade Ancestral Qi branch, Tianyuan Region will take seventy percent, and Cangxuan Heaven will take thirty percent. Furthermore, for the foreseeable future, Tianyuan Region will provide protection to Cangxuan Heaven."

Chu Qing scratched his head and said, "Thirty percent is a bit much, isn't it?"

The Ancestral Qi contained within this high-grade branch, even if it was only thirty percent, would be equivalent to several medium-grade branches. They had been busy for so long before without ever obtaining such a gain.

Li Qingchan lightly bit her red lips, her gaze towards Zhou Yuan complex.

They all understood that Zhou Yuan was looking out for Cangxuan Heaven, and this was entirely due to his consideration for Cangxuan Sect.

Zhou Yuan waved his hand. He understood that Cangxuan Heaven's current situation was dire; their losses were substantial, and their morale was extremely low. Allowing them to share some of the Ancestral Qi at this time would significantly boost Cangxuan Heaven's morale. More importantly, it would enhance the strength of some individuals, at least making Cangxuan Heaven's overall power stronger.

Of course, he also didn't deny that this was preferential treatment for Cangxuan Sect.

"How about it? What do you think?" he asked, looking at Qin Lian and the others.

Qin Lian smiled faintly and gave a slight nod, indicating no objections.

The others naturally shrugged. They also clearly understood that giving Cangxuan Heaven this thirty percent was not out of pity; it was all simply due to Zhou Yuan's standing.

After the previous battle with Jimo, Zhou Yuan's prestige among the Tianyuan Region's forces had reached an unprecedented peak. This was the first time he had displayed such terrifying strength, far surpassing Qin Lian's, in front of them, providing a huge morale boost. After all, in this dangerous Ancient Source Heaven, the stronger their leader was, the greater the benefits for them.

"Then it's settled," Zhou Yuan declared, making the final decision.

Li Qingchan still wanted to say something, but Chu Qing stopped her. He said helplessly, "Forget it, this is his goodwill. However, afterwards, we must clarify this matter with the other forces. This counts as them all owing Zhou Yuan a favor. In the future, when we return to Cangxuan Heaven, their respective forces just need to provide more care and protection to the Great Zhou Dynasty."

Hearing this, Li Qingchan nodded gently.

She looked at Zhou Yuan's figure as he turned to communicate with the Tianyuan Region's forces and said softly, "I truly didn't expect that after seeing him again after several years, he would have already come this far..."

"Back when he first arrived at Cangxuan Sect, he was just a fledgling young man."

In the past, she had always felt that Yaoyao's care for Zhou Yuan was somewhat undeserved, but now, it was clear that her judgment wasn't as good as Yaoyao's.

Chu Qing gave a weary smile and said, "This is nothing compared to what's to come... Just wait. When he returns to Cangxuan Heaven again, that's when you'll truly be shocked by the commotion he causes."

"Even I, someone so lazy, am somewhat looking forward to that day. So, let's also seize the time to improve our strength. Otherwise, when the main show begins, we won't even have the qualifications to participate..."

Li Qingchan was silent for a moment, then nodded vigorously.

She thought of the Sacred Palace's rampage in Cangxuan Heaven over the years, and her delicate hands slowly clenched, deep hatred burning in her eyes.

"That day..."

"I also look forward to it."