Chapter 1331: All Saints Praise

At the moment Yuan Quan perished, the battle for the anchor point in the 77th war zone was essentially decided.

The outcome was, without a doubt, a great surprise.

No one had expected that Yuan Quan, clad in golden armor and possessing a considerable reputation within the Saint Race, would fall here. With their team's overall strength, they would have had a good chance even in highly contested war zones.

Unfortunately, he met his demise unexpectedly.

As Tun Tun emerged from the shattered Law Domain, spreading the news of Yuan Quan's death, the Saint Race powerhouses were utterly terrified. Their morale collapsed almost instantly, and all will to fight vanished.

Consequently, when Tun Tun roared through the air, the Saint Race forces were completely routed and began to flee for their lives.

Meanwhile, Ai Tuanzi, Wu Yao, Su Youwei, Zhao Mushen, and others stared at the scene in a daze. Moments earlier, they had been locked in a bitter struggle with the enemy, their hearts filled with worry. They were acutely aware of Yuan Quan's immense power; as a third-stage Law Domain expert, he was capable of overwhelming everyone present.

If Zhou Yuan and Tun Tun failed to stop Yuan Quan, they would undoubtedly face a massacre that day.

But who could have imagined that just as their hearts were filled with trepidation, Tun Tun would deliver such shocking news...

“Yuan Quan was actually killed? How is that possible…” Ai Tuanzi wiped the blood from her cheek, speaking in a daze.

He was a top-tier expert of the third-stage Law Domain! Zhou Yuan, in the Nascent Soul stage, and Tun Tun, just entering the eighth rank, would normally not be on the same level of combat power. Even if Zhou Yuan had previously defeated opponents beyond his rank, who would dare to assume such a feat against Yuan Quan?

An expert of Yuan Quan's caliber was no minor figure, even within the Saint Race!

“His Highness possesses an invincible bearing,” Su Youwei said with a gentle smile, a luminous glow on her fair and beautiful face. While others found the outcome unbelievable, she accepted it the fastest, as she held an almost blind trust in Zhou Yuan.

Zhao Mushen, standing nearby, disliked Su Youwei's mindless praise of Zhou Yuan the most and reflexively wanted to retort. However, when he thought of the fallen Yuan Quan, the words he intended to speak seemed to catch in his throat.

He, too, could be considered a prodigy, which made him understand the immense difficulty involved even more. Once Zhou Yuan's achievement was known, it would surely cause an uproar across the heavens.

After all, what he had slain this time was not some trivial foe, but a genuine third-stage Law Domain expert—a level closest to a Saint.

“This scoundrel is becoming more and more monstrous,” Zhao Mushen finally grunted. He recalled how, during the Nine Regions Grand Assembly, Zhou Yuan had to exert his full strength to barely defeat him, yet now, the gap between them was widening.

However, Zhao Mushen did not feel any despair or despondency because of this. Instead, his gaze was fervent, filled with conviction: “I will not concede defeat. With the increasing friction between the heavens and the Saint Race, this is undoubtedly an unprecedented situation in tens of thousands of years. Great opportunities will arise from it. If I can seize them, I, Zhao Mushen, will also have a chance to become a Saint. By then, I will naturally prove myself his equal!”

Wu Yao turned her head, her phoenix eyes gazing at the distant location where the Law Domain had dissipated. Previously, a Law Domain had enveloped that area, preventing them from perceiving the level of battle that had erupted within, but they could imagine it must have been incredibly brutal.

In the conflict between the two teams, the most crucial point was the clash between Zhou Yuan and Yuan Quan.

Regardless of who lost, it would lead to a fatal outcome.

Zhou Yuan must have understood the heavy responsibility he bore, yet he ultimately carried it through. That person possessed a resilience beyond imagination, a resilience perhaps cultivated from the very moment her Imperial Father forcibly extracted his Saint Dragon Qi years ago.

“Imperial Father, though you have done many foolish things, perhaps you unintentionally forged a true Saint Dragon… In a way, it’s truly ironic.”

Wu Yao’s phoenix eyes lowered slightly, complex emotions swirling within them.

***

Outside the Stone Dragon Secret Realm, the Saints of the heavens resided.

At this moment, the Saints were somewhat quiet, their gazes fixed with a hint of astonishment on a light screen. The image displayed on it was precisely the moment Zhou Yuan had slain Yuan Quan.

“What a sharp crimson shuttle…” A voice filled with admiration chuckled, breaking the silence.

The Saints looked over, seeing Ancient Venerable Jin Luo nod with a smile.

“On this crimson shuttle, I sensed some familiar fluctuations, which should originate from Cangxuan Heaven, shouldn't they? It's a pity about that one from Cangxuan Heaven,” Ancient Venerable Jin Luo slowly remarked.

The expressions of all the Saints stirred. Cangxuan Heaven was truly at the bottom among the heavens, its strength considered the weakest, and it had produced the fewest Saints. However, the most renowned among them was naturally Ancestor Cangxuan.

Regarding Ancestor Cangxuan, the Saints present all held feelings of respect.

While Cangxuan Heaven had produced the fewest Saints, Ancestor Cangxuan was not the only one. It was just that previous Saints had eventually left Cangxuan Heaven, not out of forgetfulness or betrayal, but out of necessity.

In ancient times, Cangxuan Heaven was severely corroded by the Saint Race, harboring numerous hidden dangers. These dangers had no effect on Law Domains, but if one became a Saint, they would be affected and corroded, leading to slow progress in their cultivation.

Therefore, to avoid being hindered by this, the past Saints of Cangxuan Heaven had no choice but to leave.

However, this led to a severe consequence: with no Saints guarding it, the Saint Race's erosion of this heaven became increasingly severe. In ancient times, the Saint Race could even summon lightning tribulations to directly destroy sects and forces that disrespected them, treating the beings of Cangxuan Heaven as mere pawns.

At that time, the entirety of Cangxuan Heaven was on the verge of falling under the Saint Race's control, while the other four heavens were constrained by the Saint Race and unable to offer aid.

It was at this critical moment that Ancestor Cangxuan broke through to become a Saint. He chose not to leave Cangxuan Heaven; instead, he remained there, gained recognition from the Cangxuan Saint Seal, and became the Heaven Master of Cangxuan Heaven. This allowed Cangxuan Heaven to break free from the Saint Race's control.

However, Ancestor Cangxuan paid a price for this, ultimately even… suffering a Saintfall.

The Saints present wore solemn expressions, holding the utmost respect for Ancestor Cangxuan's choice.

Ancient Venerable Jin Luo gazed at the young figure on the light screen, then smiled at Cang Yuan and said, “Cang Yuan, this disciple of yours might be the second Saint to emerge from Cangxuan Heaven after Ancestor Cangxuan.”

The Saints also sighed with emotion. If Zhou Yuan could truly become a Saint, wouldn't Cang Yuan's lineage boast three Saints? This would be truly unprecedented.

Upon hearing this, a gratified smile appeared on Cang Yuan’s aged face. He then glanced at Green Willow beside him, who remained expressionless, his eyes not even looking at the light screen where Zhou Yuan was, as if he were deliberately blind.

Cang Yuan, however, had no intention of letting him off so easily. He chuckled lightly, “Saint Green Willow, does Zhou Yuan's performance meet your expectations?”

Green Willow’s eye twitched. How could he not discern Cang Yuan’s implication? Yet, even Ancient Venerable Jin Luo had praised Zhou Yuan's achievement this time. Even if he felt irritated, what fault could he find? So, in the end, he could only grudgingly reply, “It’s decent, but he’s likely reached his limit. The subsequent battles will still depend on those at the forefront.”

Seeing the old man still stubbornly holding his ground, Cang Yuan merely smiled faintly, choosing not to debate further with him.

This attitude, however, only infuriated Green Willow further, forcing him to stifle a grunt of displeasure in his heart.

“Old man, what are you so proud of? If it's so difficult to defeat a third-stage Law Domain expert from the top ten, then the final struggle will still depend on Bei Yan…”