Chapter 1135: Mystic Trace

For several days after the advanced Ancestral Qi branch in the Grand Canyon was completely plundered, Zhou Yuan did not rush to lead the Tianyuan Region team back. Instead, he chose to cooperate with the Cangxuan Heaven forces to plunder the Ancestral Qi branches they had previously detected. After all, Cangxuan Heaven had discovered several Ancestral Qi branches earlier, but the outbreak of conflict with the Sacred Palace had left them no time or energy to exploit them.

Now, with the strong support of the Tianyuan Region, it was an excellent opportunity to seize all these pre-scouted targets.

Most of these Ancestral Qi branches were low-grade, their quality incomparable to the advanced branch plundered earlier. However, no one disdained them; they continued to mine them enthusiastically.

After all, advanced branches were rare finds, but accumulating these mid-to-low-grade Ancestral Qi branches could add up to a comparable amount, almost as good as an advanced branch.

Within the Guyuan Heaven, every wisp of Ancestral Qi was a precious substance. If found in the Hunyuan Heaven or Cangxuan Heaven, it would be an opportunity that countless fortunes couldn't buy.

This was evident from the significant increase in everyone's strength within just one or two months of entering Guyuan Heaven.

Deep within a large mountain, the towering peak was breached, and surging Ancestral Qi poured out.

Zhou Yuan stood on high ground, casually absorbing the incoming Ancestral Qi without much intensity. After experiencing the advanced branch, his perspective had broadened. While he didn't look down on these low-grade Ancestral Qi branches, his mindset had certainly elevated.

In front of the altar, thousands of Tianyuan Region and Cangxuan Heaven cultivators sat cross-legged, greedily absorbing the Ancestral Qi. Zhou Yuan could treat this low-grade Ancestral Qi with indifference, but they clearly could not.

"This is the last branch we detected," Li Qingchan said, walking up to Zhou Yuan.

Zhou Yuan nodded. "Any news about the Saint Spirit Heaven teams recently?"

Li Qingchan shook her head, a hint of confusion in her voice. "At first, we could find traces of them from afar, but recently, there's been no sign at all. It's as if they've all left this area."

"Are they scared?" Mu Youlan casually remarked from the side.

"We're just one team from Hunyuan Heaven; it's impossible to scare away all the forces from Saint Spirit Heaven," Zhou Yuan said, shaking his head. He wasn't that arrogant.

"What are your plans now?" Qin Lian asked.

Zhou Yuan pondered for a moment, then looked at Chu Qing, Li Qingchan, and the others. "What about you all? Do you plan to explore on your own, or...?"

Chu Qing thought for a moment. "Cangxuan Heaven's strength was already the weakest among the heavens. After the Sacred Palace's rebellion, our strength has plummeted even further. We no longer have great ambitions. If we can just hold on until the end and secure even the weakest Ancestral Qi main vein, our mission will be considered a complete success."

He gave a wry smile. "But it seems even this modest aspiration might not be achievable now."

With Cangxuan Heaven's current strength, encountering any force from a Saint Race heaven domain could easily lead to their complete annihilation.

Chu Qing hesitated, then said, "I've already discussed this with the other factions in Cangxuan Heaven. Our suggestion is to temporarily integrate the Cangxuan Heaven forces into your Tianyuan Region. We would operate under the Tianyuan Region's command. While our combat strength isn't as formidable as yours, we can undertake exploration tasks, provided we receive a share of the benefits later."

Zhou Yuan smiled upon hearing this. "That's actually what I was thinking too."

Among the Five Heavens of the All-Races, Cangxuan Heaven was currently half-crippled. If they were too proud to go out alone, Zhou Yuan wouldn't stop them, but since they were willing to set aside their pride, this was naturally the best outcome.

After all, despite being crippled, Cangxuan Heaven still possessed some fighting capability. For instance, Chu Qing would be strong enough to rank highly on the Hunyuan Heaven's Sun Ranking if he were there. Integrating their forces into the Tianyuan Region would undoubtedly enhance their overall strength.

As for sharing some of the benefits, that wasn't a major issue.

Qin Lian, Mu Youlan, and other Tianyuan Region members behind him also supported this. With the addition of Cangxuan Heaven's forces, the Tianyuan Region's overall strength might no longer be weaker than that of the Myriad Ancestors Region or the Martial God Region.

"Alright then, we'll scout our way back along the same path and head towards the Hunyuan Heaven's territory first," Zhou Yuan said.

Zhou Yuan was extremely satisfied with this expedition to aid Cangxuan Heaven. Not only had he saved many old friends, but his own gains were also immense. His own Genesis Qi foundation had reached 2.4 billion, and his Dragon Claw Heavenly Sun had advanced to a five-clawed stage!

More importantly, Silver Shadow had undergone a transformative improvement.

With a Genesis Qi foundation of 2 billion, combined with the Great Blazing Demon and its unique material, Silver Shadow's combat power was now capable of engaging enemies with a Genesis Qi foundation of around 2.2 billion. This level of strength meant it could truly assist Zhou Yuan, instead of merely serving as a meat shield in every battle.

Most frighteningly, Silver Shadow also possessed the Saint Art, "Seven-Colored Sky Severing Gourd."

Inside its vital apertures, within the gourd phantom that was neither fully illusory nor fully substantial, a seven-colored radiance now flowed.

This meant that Zhou Yuan now possessed two streams of Seven-Colored Sky Severing Sword Light.

However, once Silver Shadow unleashed this sword light, its Genesis Qi would be completely depleted, requiring a period of recovery before it could move again. Regardless, this significantly boosted the ferocity of Zhou Yuan's trump card.

Had he possessed these two sword lights during his battle with Jimo a few days ago, Jimo would have undoubtedly met his demise.

"Huh?"

Just as Zhou Yuan was engrossed in his gains, Qin Lian, who was behind him, suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

Zhou Yuan quickly turned his head and saw Qin Lian taking out a golden sandalwood incense stick from her Cosmos Bag.

At that moment, the incense stick lit itself, and a wisp of blue smoke slowly curled upwards.

"It's a message from Hunyuan Heaven!" Qin Lian said, her voice serious.

When they had previously come to aid Cangxuan Heaven, they had exchanged greetings with other Hunyuan Heaven factions and left behind communication incense sticks. These were originally meant for them to contact Hunyuan Heaven for assistance if they encountered trouble, but unexpectedly, they hadn't even used theirs yet, and the other side had already lit theirs first.

"It seems something has happened." Zhou Yuan's expression also grew solemn. Given the strength of the Hunyuan Heaven forces, for them to light the incense, it certainly wouldn't be a minor matter.

The blue smoke rose amidst the anxious gazes of Zhou Yuan and Qin Lian, gradually forming a smoke screen in the air before them.

Within the smoke screen, a figure appeared: it was Guan Qinglong.

"Elder Zhou Yuan, have things been resolved on your side?" Guan Qinglong's steady voice came through.

Zhou Yuan nodded, asking directly, "What happened?"

Guan Qinglong replied, "Yes. While you were away, our exploration led us to a region where we discovered a massive jade wall entirely condensed from Ancestral Qi. It contains infinite mysteries. If our guess is correct, we've encountered a Guyuan Heaven's Mystic Vestige!"

"Mystic Vestige?!"

At his words, Zhou Yuan, Qin Lian, and the others all gasped in shock.

Legends said that within Guyuan Heaven, besides the Ancestral Qi branches, there were also places where Ancestral Qi was so intensely concentrated that it would condense into various substances. These substances possessed infinite wonders, and in terms of rarity, they surpassed even advanced Ancestral Qi branches. Within the entire Guyuan Heaven, only the nine Ancestral Qi main veins could possibly exceed them!

However, Mystic Vestiges were extremely difficult to find and incredibly rare to form. Zhou Yuan and the others hadn't expected Hunyuan Heaven to discover one!

But if these Hunyuan Heaven guys had found a Mystic Vestige, they'd probably wish the Tianyuan Region wasn't present, right? After all, it would mean one less faction to share the benefits.

Zhou Yuan's eyes flickered slightly. "Have other heaven domains also discovered this Mystic Vestige?"

Guan Qinglong slowly nodded. "The commotion here is quite significant, so it's been detected by other heaven domains. The confirmed heaven domains present now include the Myriad Beast Heaven, one of the Five Heavens of the All-Races, and the Saint King Heaven, which ranks second among the Saint Race's heaven domains. However, I don't know if there are any other heaven domains."

"Myriad Beast Heaven..."

"Saint King Heaven..."

Zhou Yuan's expression also turned serious. No wonder Guan Qinglong had come to notify them; they had indeed encountered formidable adversaries.

Although Hunyuan Heaven was reputed to be the strongest among the Five Heavens of the All-Races, Myriad Beast Heaven was also not to be underestimated. Its strength far surpassed that of Cangxuan Heaven and posed a significant threat to Hunyuan Heaven.

As for Saint King Heaven, it was even more powerful, being the second strongest heaven domain of the Saint Race, stronger than the Saint Spirit Heaven they had encountered before.

Thinking of Saint Spirit Heaven, Zhou Yuan's heart suddenly stirred. "Besides Saint King Heaven, it's likely that the forces from Saint Spirit Heaven are also heading there."

No wonder there had been no trace of Saint Spirit Heaven in this region recently. It now seemed very probable that they had received news and rushed over.

Upon hearing this, Guan Qinglong's expression became even more solemn. If Saint Spirit Heaven also became involved, they would have a total of four heaven domains gathered there. This was truly shaping up to be a major chaotic battle.

"Elder Zhou Yuan, please lead the Tianyuan Region forces here as quickly as possible."

"Understood. We'll set off immediately," Zhou Yuan nodded in agreement.

The blue smoke gradually dispersed, forming a map-like image. A certain point on it shimmered, presumably indicating the location of the Hunyuan Heaven forces.

Zhou Yuan stared at the map for a moment, then exhaled deeply, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.

"Everyone," he said, "this time, we might be in for big trouble..."