Chapter 1154: Distribution

When the Sacred Race's forces retreated from the battlefield, the armies of the Three Heavens all collapsed, utterly exhausted.

The preceding battle had been truly brutal.

Both the Three Heavens and the Sacred Race's two heavens had suffered significant casualties.

The entire battlefield was ravaged, littered with corpses, and the stench of blood permeated the air.

Some fellow disciples were collecting the bodies of their comrades, and the sounds of mournful sobbing echoed across the battlefield, weighing heavily on everyone's hearts.

Zhou Yuan descended, and as he surveyed the scene, he fell into a pensive silence.

Qin Lian, Mu Youlan, and others also rushed to his side. They all bore various injuries, large and small, clearly having endured fierce combat themselves.

"What are the casualties for the Tianyuan Region?" Zhou Yuan asked.

Qin Lian's expression was grim as she replied, "Over two hundred people died, and more than five hundred sustained severe injuries."

These simple numbers, however, represented a particularly brutal reality.

Zhou Yuan softly said, "Collect their bodies and bring them back to the Hunyuan Heaven. They fought for the Tianyuan Region, and the Tianyuan Region will not fail them."

Qin Lian and the others nodded in agreement.

"If not for Captain's awe-inspiring display of power this time, the battle would likely have been even more brutal, and our losses far greater," Mu Youlan said, her beautiful eyes fixed on Zhou Yuan with a hint of admiration.

Zhou Yuan's remarkable achievements in this battle were witnessed by everyone firsthand.

"Your prestige among the Heavenly Sun Stage cultivators in Hunyuan Heaven can now rival Guan Qinglong's," Qin Lian said, nodding in agreement. She added, "In this battle, if Zhou Yuan hadn't stepped forward to slay Ji Mo and gravely injure Mi Shi, the final outcome would truly have been uncertain."

This was evident from the constant gazes of gratitude and awe that the various powerful figures directed towards him.

Before this, although Zhou Yuan held the title of an Elder of the Tianyuan Region, most other Hunyuan Heaven factions had merely regarded him with curiosity, and they hadn't truly believed he was qualified to stand as their equal. However, after this battle, such notions would undoubtedly be completely extinguished.

Although Zhou Yuan was only at the intermediate Heavenly Sun Stage, his capabilities at this stage were clearly extraordinary.

Zhou Yuan merely smiled, unconcerned by this. He didn't care about prestige; after all, the Sacred Race was the true formidable enemy. If he were to stand by and watch them crush the Three Heavens, then no matter how powerful he became, he wouldn't be able to turn the tide.

At that moment, Chu Qing and Li Qingchan also approached quickly, their expressions equally somber. Clearly, the Cangxuan Heaven had also suffered significant losses.

Zhou Yuan could only pat Chu Qing's shoulder. He then attempted to embrace Li Qingchan for comfort but was met with a cold glare from her clear eyes, causing him to retract his hand and smile helplessly.

This interruption, however, served to slightly alleviate the heavy atmosphere.

On the battlefield at this moment, various factions were gathering their forces and tallying their losses.

"Elder Zhou Yuan, Captain Guan Qinglong requests your presence for a discussion."

At this moment, a figure approached to report, their demeanor respectful.

Zhou Yuan glanced at a high slope in the distance, where captains from various factions had gathered. He nodded and walked over, accompanied by Qin Lian, Chu Qing, and others.

Upon his arrival, the captains of all factions cast respectful glances his way. Even the proud and untamed individuals from the Myriad Beasts Heaven suppressed their arrogance, showing a hint of deference.

Jin Ling'er stood with Jin Feng, her wild, beautiful eyes fixed on Zhou Yuan, with a certain fervor in her gaze.

Their clan, the Source Beast Race, inherently revered power. For Zhou Yuan to achieve such brilliant accomplishments at the intermediate Heavenly Sun Stage, how could she not be completely convinced?

"Truly worthy of being the one the Little Ancestor values," Jin Ling'er murmured, biting her red lip, her beautiful eyes sparkling with a strange brilliance.

Noticing this, Jin Feng immediately cleared his throat and whispered, "Sister, what are you doing? Don't forget the Little Ancestor's warning."

"What?" Jin Ling'er asked, a little confused.

Jin Feng gave a dry chuckle. After a moment of bewilderment, Jin Ling'er finally remembered something: before they came to the Ancient Origin Heaven, the Little Ancestor had given them a warning – strictly speaking, it was meant for her.

What was that warning again?

Do not attempt to flirt with Zhou Yuan, or the consequences will be severe! So severe that even the Little Ancestor itself would get a beating!

At the time, Jin Ling'er had almost scoffed at this warning. As a prodigy of the Golden Kirin Clan, sought after by countless exceptional talents both within and outside her clan, how could she possibly fancy a mere human? Furthermore, who dared to beat the Little Ancestor? Given its status, those with such audacity in the entire Myriad Beasts Heaven could be counted on one's fingers.

Therefore, Jin Ling'er had always found the Little Ancestor's warning quite incomprehensible.

Jin Ling'er pouted slightly in annoyance and said, "The Little Ancestor is so annoying."

However, the spark in her beautiful eyes did subside somewhat, indicating that the Little Ancestor's warning had indeed had some effect.

Zhou Yuan, however, paid no attention to Jin Ling'er's gaze, as Jiang Jinlin and Ai Qing were standing in front of her.

At this moment, Jiang Jinlin's face was quite pale, and his genesis qi was somewhat listless. His body was covered in deep wounds, indicating that even with the formidable physical body of his Xuanlong Clan, he couldn't instantly recover from his severe injuries.

When facing Zhou Yuan, Jiang Jinlin's expression was somewhat unnatural. After all, prior to this battle, he honestly hadn't thought much of Zhou Yuan. Otherwise, they wouldn't have sent Jin Ling'er to assist him, which clearly showed a lack of trust in Zhou Yuan's capabilities.

But no one had anticipated the final outcome.

If Zhou Yuan hadn't turned the tide, it would have been their Three Heavens that suffered defeat.

Zhou Yuan's achievements – slaying Ji Mo and gravely injuring Mi Shi – were so impressive that even Jiang Jinlin, with his arrogant disposition, dared not casually dismiss them.

His strength was comparable to Mi Shi's. If Mi Shi hadn't been rescued by Mi Shan using the power of the Sacred Pupils, there was a significant chance he would have been slain by Zhou Yuan.

Thus, the power Zhou Yuan displayed made Jiang Jinlin no longer dare to underestimate him.

Ai Qing's gaze towards Zhou Yuan was also complex. She had originally thought that the most outstanding person in Hunyuan Heaven was Guan Qinglong, but now it seemed that Zhou Yuan, from the Tianyuan Region, was equally formidable and had hidden depths. What was most frightening was that he was only at the intermediate Heavenly Sun Stage; if he were to advance to the late Heavenly Sun Stage, wouldn't he surpass even Guan Qinglong?

Perhaps he would become the strongest Heavenly Sun Stage cultivator among the Five Heavens of all races.

"Elder Zhou Yuan, your merit in this battle against the Sacred Race's two heavens is beyond doubt. We are here to express our gratitude to you," Guan Qinglong said, looking at Zhou Yuan with a solemn expression.

The others also nodded slightly at this, showing their appreciation. Zhou Yuan's accomplishments in this battle had won over almost everyone.

Even Jiang Jinlin remained silent, offering no challenge or doubt.

However, Zhou Yuan had little interest in their gratitude; he simply waved his hand, his gaze fixed on the dense fog shrouding the distant mountain range. Within the fog, the ancient stone stele seemed to have existed since eternity, exuding a unique aura.

"Everyone, the formidable enemy has retreated, so it's time to discuss the distribution of resources from this Mystic Vestige among the various factions, isn't it?" Zhou Yuan said with a smile.

What he was referring to was not the most crucial allocation but rather the arrangements for the ordinary members of each faction.

According to previous reconnaissance, approaching that ancient stone stele required a genesis qi foundation of nearly two billion. Thus, only the top experts from each faction would be able to obtain the most significant opportunities.

However, many more individuals from the various factions were unable to approach the stele and thus couldn't benefit from such opportunities.

Yet, they too had contributed during the war, so a way had to be found to secure benefits for them. Otherwise, who would be willing to risk their lives further? Without these team members, relying solely on a few top combatants would likely achieve little.

Fortunately, the leaders of the various factions had already made preparations for this.

Although individuals with less than a two-billion genesis qi foundation found it difficult to approach the stele, once activated, it would unleash an incredibly vast and potent Ancestral Qi, along with countless Ancestral Qi Treasures. This Ancestral Qi would then spread outwards, and these were the opportunities many within the various factions hoped for.

The closer one was to the stele, the more Ancestral Qi and Ancestral Qi Treasures one could obtain.

According to the previously agreed-upon arrangement, the positions in front of the stele would be divided into three tiers.

The first tier, naturally, was the closest position to the stele, where the initial wave of Ancestral Qi would be received.

After the first wave of Ancestral Qi was absorbed by the first tier, it would then flow to the second tier, then the third, and so on.

In the prior discussions, only two factions were deemed capable of securing a first-tier position: the Martial God Domain of Hunyuan Heaven and the Xuanlong Clan of Myriad Beasts Heaven. This was due to their superior strength and the presence of leading figures like Guan Qinglong and Jiang Jinlin.

However, now...

Guan Qinglong looked at Zhou Yuan and smiled. "Elder Zhou Yuan's contributions are the greatest, so the Tianyuan Region naturally qualifies for the first tier."

Jiang Jinlin remained silent. If this had been earlier, he would undoubtedly have objected, as an additional faction in the first tier would mean a greater share of Ancestral Qi being distributed, and no one would willingly see such benefits flow to others. But Zhou Yuan's accomplishments were so formidable that even Jiang Jinlin was left speechless. If Zhou Yuan didn't qualify for a first-tier position, then perhaps neither the Xuanlong Clan nor the Martial God Domain would.

"Thank you," Zhou Yuan said.

Zhou Yuan pondered briefly, then said, "Aside from that, I wonder if we could also request a second-tier position?"

This position was, of course, requested for the Cangxuan Sect. After all, if it were solely based on battle merits, all factions from the Cangxuan Heaven would likely fall into the third tier. However, Zhou Yuan was also a member of the Cangxuan Sect and felt he ought to secure some benefits for his fellow disciples. In the current situation, even if Chu Qing spoke, his words would likely carry little weight.

Upon hearing this, Guan Qinglong glanced at Chu Qing and the others behind him, hesitated slightly, and finally nodded in agreement.

"Elder Zhou Yuan comes from the Cangxuan Sect, so of course, they are also entitled to a share of your merits."

This was considered giving Zhou Yuan face.

Jiang Jinlin, however, frowned and was about to retort but was pulled back by Ai Qing from behind.

"Zhou Yuan is not someone to provoke. Don't offend him over such petty gains," Ai Qing's low voice reached Jiang Jinlin's ears. "Have you considered what if he breaks through to the late Heavenly Sun Stage within this Mystic Vestige?"

Jiang Jinlin's expression shifted slightly. Zhou Yuan was only at the intermediate Heavenly Sun Stage now, yet he could already gravely injure Mi Shi. If he were to reach the late stage, how much stronger would he become? At that point, perhaps even he and Guan Qinglong would not be a match for him.

At the thought of that, even with Jiang Jinlin's arrogance, he secretly swallowed hard.

Therefore, he also nodded gently and said with a calm expression, "I have no objection."

With the final decision made by these two chief commanders of the two heavens, the position was thus settled.