Chapter 123: Break the Sky

Zhou Yuan's gaze swept around, then focused behind Gu Ling. On a stone platform there, a black crystal ball emitted a strange light, with ancient patterns spreading out beneath it, connecting to the ground. Clearly, that crystal ball was likely the core of this Soul Swallowing Tower.

"Little nobody?" Zhou Yuan seemed to smile upon hearing Gu Ling's words. He had, after all, slain a Genesis Realm expert, albeit with the help of "Silver Shadow's" power. Yet, the Gu Ling before him was merely at the mid-stage Heavenly Gate Realm.

"How does it feel to shoot yourself in the foot?" Zhou Yuan chuckled faintly. If Gu Ling hadn't harbored intentions towards Yao Yao in the Treasure Pavilion, he wouldn't have given them the spots to enter the Soul Refining Tower. Otherwise, they might have left quickly, having no interest in getting involved with the Soul Refining Tower.

Gu Ling's indifferent expression remained largely unchanged. He said, "You? Are you even worthy of being considered a stumbling block? At most, you're just a pebble to be casually kicked aside."

He stared at Zhou Yuan, a grim smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. "You and that girl seem to have a good relationship? Don't worry, once I capture both of you, I'll make sure to enjoy her thoroughly right in front of you!"

Zhou Yuan subtly lifted his head, his eyes fixed on Gu Ling. He sighed and said, "It seems you truly have no path to survival today." His vile words had clearly ignited Zhou Yuan's killing intent.

"Oh?" Gu Ling's smile grew increasingly sinister. He took a step forward, and formidable Genesis Qi suddenly erupted from his body, unequivocally displaying his initial-stage Heavenly Gate Realm strength. Gu Ling's Genesis Qi was dark yellow and exceedingly heavy, as if imbued with the power of mountains. This was precisely the Gu Clan's top-tier fourth-grade Genesis Qi, the Myriad Mountains Suppressing Earth Qi!

"Little nobody, where do you get the confidence to utter such nonsense in front of me, with your mere Qi Nourishing Realm strength?" Gu Ling sneered.

The moment his voice fell, his figure shot out fiercely. Within a few breaths, he appeared before Zhou Yuan, his eyes malicious, and unleashed a punch.

Whoosh! The air before him exploded under this punch. The furious fist wind, enveloped in dark yellow Genesis Qi, was incredibly fierce, like a giant boulder rolling down a mountain.

Zhou Yuan's eyes flashed. The next instant, dark golden Heaven-Piercing Mysterious Python Qi also erupted fiercely from his body. He showed no sign of retreat, clenching his five fingers and unleashing a punch of his own.

Their fists collided heavily, instantly cracking the ground beneath their feet. Shockwaves surged outwards, and both their bodies jolted, sending them flying backward.

Smoke and dust filled the air. Gu Ling stared grimly at Zhou Yuan opposite him, realizing he hadn't gained the slightest advantage in their previous head-on clash. Moreover, he could sense an extremely potent poison within Zhou Yuan's Genesis Qi. Once it made contact, it would aggressively corrode the body. If his spirit sense hadn't been exceptionally keen, he truly would have fallen victim to it.

This left Gu Ling slightly astonished. After all, he was at the Heavenly Gate Realm, while Zhou Yuan was merely at the late-stage Qi Nourishing Realm. There should have been a significant gap between them.

"The Genesis Qi this guy cultivates is not simple." Gu Ling quickly realized this, his eyes burning with greed as he stared at the dark golden Genesis Qi surging around Zhou Yuan. Clearly, the quality of the Genesis Qi the latter cultivated surpassed fourth-grade.

"It seems this is the source of your confidence." Gu Ling sneered, "However, I'm quite interested in your Genesis Qi. Once I capture you, I have plenty of methods to extract its cultivation technique from you."

Zhou Yuan, on the other hand, smiled faintly. "Since you're interested in it, then... I'll just use it to beat you to death."

Both figures shot out almost simultaneously. On that patch of ground, two figures intertwined, their fists and feet becoming streaks of afterimages that whistled through the air.

During the clash, a sinister look flashed across Gu Ling's eyes. He clenched his five fingers, and a luminous pattern lit up on the skin of his arm.

"Second-grade Origin Pattern, Iron Rhinoceros Pattern!" Gu Ling's fist instantly glowed like black iron, and astonishing power erupted from within it. This punch, with its sudden surge of power, was enough to utterly defeat an opponent of the same level in a direct confrontation.

However, just as that black iron-like punch came crashing down, a cold glint appeared in Zhou Yuan's eyes, and he twitched his shoulder.

"Golden Ape Mountain Moving Pattern!" At his shoulder, a luminous pattern appeared, and his power surged dramatically. He unleashed a punch that exploded the air, clashing fiercely with Gu Ling's fist.

The ground beneath their feet cracked, and they both staggered back over ten steps.

Zhou Yuan looked up, smiled at Gu Ling, and said, "Second-grade Origin Patterns, I have them too." Since he already knew the Gu Clan members possessed expertise in spirit sense, he was naturally constantly on guard against the Origin Patterns they might have already inscribed on their bodies.

A hint of gloom flashed across Gu Ling's eyes. At this moment, he finally began to feel how troublesome this "little nobody" he spoke of truly was. An ordinary opponent, even one at the same initial-stage Heavenly Gate Realm, would have long since been defeated by him. Furthermore, with the power of a second-grade Origin Pattern, Gu Ling was confident he could even put up some resistance against mid-stage Heavenly Gate Realm experts. Yet now... he found himself somewhat helpless against a youth in the late-stage Qi Nourishing Realm.

Gu Ling took a deep breath, and the contempt he had initially felt for Zhou Yuan completely subsided. At this point, maintaining such a scornful attitude would truly be foolish.

"My mission is to guard the core. As long as the Origin Pattern barrier remains unbroken, Father and the two elders can maintain their combat strength. If we prolong this, they will surely resolve the situation. By then, this boy before me will be nothing more than a fish on a chopping block. So there's no need to contend for temporary glory with him here." Gu Ling's eyes flickered, his expression gradually calming down as he stared at Zhou Yuan with a cold gaze.

Noticing Gu Ling's gaze, Zhou Yuan knew he had changed his strategy. He was no longer attacking but instead adopting a defensive stance to stall for time and protect the Origin Pattern barrier.

"I originally wanted to use you as a whetstone to test the power of the Heavenly Gate Realm," Zhou Yuan said, shaking his head. "Since you're unwilling, then you have no value."

"Arrogant nobody," Gu Ling sneered, dismissing Zhou Yuan's words as mere bluster. He admitted that he couldn't win quickly, but at least he was confident he could block Zhou Yuan here, preventing him from advancing a single step.

Zhou Yuan stopped wasting words with him, simply closing his eyes slightly and exhaling a puff of white air. He took half a step, his body swaying as he extended his palm. His palm moved slowly and heavily, as if carrying a mountain, and even the air vibrated as its wind swept past. The Genesis Qi within Zhou Yuan's body also surged violently at this moment. Strong winds howled beneath Zhou Yuan's feet, kicking up dust. As Zhou Yuan's palm moved, dark golden light surged, as if a giant dragon was extending its claw, seizing mountains and shattering the sky. An astonishing aura erupted from within Zhou Yuan's body at this moment.

"I have a palm strike that can cleave the heavens." Zhou Yuan took a step, appearing directly in front of Gu Ling. His palm, like a falling monument, descended heavily. The ground in front of him was brutally torn apart.

Dragon Monument Hand, Third Form, Heaven-Shattering.

As the palm strike was unleashed, Gu Ling's expression instantly shifted to one of shock and horror.