Chapter 1136: Return to Camp

It had been almost ten days when Zhou Yuan, leading the forces of Tianyuan Region and Cangxuan Heaven, rushed tirelessly to the location marked on the map.

The destination was an ancient, seemingly endless mountain range. Its peaks were incredibly majestic, piercing the clouds, and a single glance inspired a feeling of profound reverence. Everything here exuded a wild, primeval aura, as if it had remained unchanged since the dawn of time.

Moreover, a dense fog pervaded the mountains. This mist was so thick that even fierce gales could not disperse it, and spiritual perception found it difficult to penetrate far.

Fortunately, Hunyuantian had stationed alert scouts in the outer perimeter. These scouts were initially startled upon seeing Zhou Yuan's vast forces, as the Tianyuan Region's contingent had never been so large before.

However, once they recognized Zhou Yuan and Qin Lian, their initial panic began to subside.

"Elder Zhou Yuan, Captain Qin Lian, please follow us," a scout came forward to greet them, saying respectfully, "Our Hunyuantian main camp is already established within the mountains."

Zhou Yuan nodded, instructing the scout to lead the way, and then followed with his large contingent.

The large force entered the ancient, fog-shrouded forest. After traversing it for nearly an hour, the view ahead suddenly cleared significantly. They saw a massive Origin Pattern barrier descend, dispelling the dense fog, and within the barrier, numerous tents stood.

Many watchtowers dotted the area around the camp. When the guards spotted the suddenly appearing large contingent, they immediately sounded the alert horn.

The main camp immediately stirred, as waves of Genesis Qi erupted. Immediately, figures appeared like lightning outside the camp, gazing at the large contingent with surprise and uncertainty.

Guan Qinglong stood conspicuously at the front of the crowd. He remained relatively calm, though a little surprised by the sheer number of people. His gaze then fixed on Zhou Yuan, who was at the very front, and he asked, "Elder Zhou Yuan, what is the meaning of this?"

Zhou Yuan stepped forward and explained, "These are forces from Cangxuan Heaven. They recently suffered an attack from Saint Spirit Heaven. We went to their aid and repelled a Saint Spirit Heaven contingent. However, Cangxuan Heaven sustained significant losses, so they have been temporarily integrated under my Tianyuan Region."

"Forces from Cangxuan Heaven, you say?"

Upon hearing this, the other Hunyuantian factions lost some interest. Cangxuan Heaven was known as the weakest of all Heavens, and now, having sustained further damage, there was even less reason to pay them much attention.

Guan Qinglong's gaze, however, drifted behind Zhou Yuan to the bald man standing at the forefront of the Cangxuan Heaven forces. The man appeared lazy and listless, yet Guan Qinglong could sense that his Genesis Qi foundation was far from weak. To have reached such a level in a place like Cangxuan Heaven spoke volumes about his extraordinary talent; if this individual were in Hunyuantian, even Guan Qinglong would likely have to take him very seriously.

"It seems that although Cangxuan Heaven is weak, it isn't entirely devoid of noteworthy individuals," Guan Qinglong thought to himself. He then chuckled wryly. Zhou Yuan, his junior sister Wu Yao, and Su Youwei from Zixiao Region—these three standing before him were far from ordinary. Thus, there was indeed no reason to underestimate Cangxuan Heaven.

"You've arrived at precisely the right moment. People from All-Beast Heaven will be visiting us today, supposedly to discuss cooperation. However, it's more likely they're here to assess whether our Hunyuantian possesses the necessary strength and qualifications."

As Guan Qinglong spoke, he instructed someone to open the barrier and usher the large contingent inside.

"That's quite bold," Zhou Yuan chuckled. "Does Hunyuantian's strength still need to be measured?"

Dong Ye, standing nearby, said faintly, "Don't underestimate All-Beast Heaven. While our Hunyuantian is renowned as the strongest of the Five Heavens among all races, that title is quite old. Furthermore, top-tier Heavenly Domains like Qiankun Heaven and All-Beast Heaven have never ceased their attempts to catch up to and surpass our Hunyuantian."

However, before she could finish speaking, she saw Zhou Yuan already smiling and greeting Su Youwei, who was beside her, and the latter was responding with a charming smile.

This caused her eyebrows to furrow in annoyance. She took a step diagonally forward, shielding Su Youwei behind her.

Zhou Yuan felt somewhat helpless regarding Dong Ye's protective stance. He pursed his lips, then glanced at Zhao Mushen from Wanzu Region, who had remained silently, almost invisibly, in the background. With a half-smile, Zhou Yuan remarked, "Captain Zhao Mushen, a new official typically shakes things up. Have you finished reorganizing the Wanzu Region's team?"

The Wanzu Region team still regarded Zhou Yuan with some hostility, but Wang Xuanyang's demise had clearly dealt them a significant blow. Consequently, their arrogance was considerably subdued compared to before, and at present, they seemed hesitant to provoke him recklessly.

Zhao Mushen's expression was impassive. He stated, "I will uphold Senior Brother Wang Xuanyang's final wishes and lead my Wanzu Region to achieve its rightful glory."

Zhou Yuan gave a thumbs up. *Dying wish?* he thought. *You devoured him so completely there's not even ash left. How did I not realize before that this guy is also a ruthless character who devours people whole? Wang Xuanyang was truly unlucky to have such a junior brother.*

But then again, it was Wang Xuanyang who brought it upon himself by constantly suppressing Zhao Mushen, which ultimately forced this ruthless individual to plot his direct absorption.

Zhou Yuan, however, had no objection to Zhao Mushen integrating the Wanzu Region team. As long as Wanzu Region didn't provoke him, he couldn't be bothered to deal with them. After all, Zhou Yuan's apprehension towards Zhao Mushen was actually greater than it was towards the simple-minded Wang Xuanyang.

Zhou Yuan retracted his gaze, then noticed he was being constantly watched. He turned his head to look at the slender, graceful figure beside Guan Qinglong and remarked, "It seems you've also made significant progress during this time."

That graceful figure was, of course, Wu Yao. Her sharp, phoenix-like eyes fixed on Zhou Yuan, her radiant face more brilliant than light. Her red lips parted slightly as she said, "It seems you have quite a resilient fate. I was worried that if you accidentally perished out there, who would I seek to reclaim the Genesis Qi from then?"

"What 'reclaim'?" Zhou Yuan scoffed. "That was originally mine. Don't misuse your words."

Wu Yao's expression remained calm. She said, "This is inherently a struggle of destiny. If you ultimately win, I will have no complaints even if I die by your hand, and I expect the same from you."

"Cough."

Guan Qinglong cleared his throat, interrupting their dispute. "For now," he said, "we are barely considered to be on the same side, so let's not fight each other to the death. There are always ways to resolve things."

He looked at Zhou Yuan, changing the subject. "There's actually another reason why you were urgently called back this time," he said. "The messenger from All-Beast Heaven specifically stated that someone among them wishes to meet you."

This time, it was truly Zhou Yuan's turn to be surprised. "People from All-Beast Heaven want to see me?" he asked in astonishment.

Guan Qinglong nodded seriously.

Zhou Yuan frowned, utterly bewildered. He had never been to All-Beast Heaven, nor did he know anyone from there. So who exactly would specifically request a meeting with him?

What are these guys up to?