Chapter 1352: Zhou Yuan's Counterattack

When the blood-red halo formed a circular shield, trapping Zhou Yuan, the armies of the heavens all showed signs of worry. No one had expected Taixuan to possess a Sacred Source Weapon with a Lotus Seal! Such a sacred artifact was an indispensable divine weapon even for a Saint, yet Taixuan possessed one. This revealed the immense effort the Sacred Race had invested in their current scheme!

"Zhou Yuan, this Blood Spirit Ring is formed by a Lotus Seal; anything below the Saint level that enters it will be reduced to mere blood." Taixuan watched Zhou Yuan, trapped within the blood ring, with indifference, like a hunter observing prey caught in a snare. "Don't worry," he added, "I will absorb all your blood, leaving nothing to waste."

Standing within the blood-ringed shield, Zhou Yuan could feel an incredibly terrifying force eroding him as the ring rotated. Even he sensed a dangerous aura emanating from that power. With a flick of his sleeve, purple-gold Origin Qi roared forth like two massive dragon shadows, heavily striking the blood ring's barrier. However, it only caused ripples on the surface, failing to shatter it.

"A futile effort. How can you possibly contend with the power of a Lotus Seal?" Taixuan sneered. As he spoke, he also urged the blood ring barrier to slowly contract. The space within it collapsed into a void, and that terrifying power rapidly enveloped Zhou Yuan.

Zhou Yuan gazed at the blood ring barrier. "What are you trying to pull?" he scoffed. "It's merely a Lotus Seal imprint bestowed upon you by a Saint, not a genuine Lotus Seal." The so-called Lotus Seal imprint was a mark similar to a true Lotus Seal that a Saint had, through immense power, branded onto Taixuan's Sacred Source Weapon. However, this imprint was consumable, could only be used once, and its might was incomparable to a genuine Lotus Seal. Taixuan was merely putting on a show, using psychological tactics to pressure Zhou Yuan into revealing a weakness. It made sense. A Lotus Seal sacred treasure required countless years of accumulation for even a Saint of the Sacred Race to condense. How could it possibly be casually given to Taixuan?

Taixuan seemed somewhat surprised by these words, then chuckled. "Your insight is indeed sharp to have perceived that," he said. "But what does it matter? Even a Lotus Seal imprint is enough to cause you immense trouble. Without a Sacred Source Weapon with a Lotus Seal, you simply cannot break it."

"Is that so?"

Zhou Yuan's eyes lowered slightly. He then extended his palm and placed it on the tip of the Heavenly Yuan Brush's bristles. The next moment, purple-gold Origin Qi surged forth, and a drop of vital blood, shimmering with brilliant luster like a purple-gold gem, appeared on Zhou Yuan's fingertip.

"Playing tricks!" Taixuan's gaze turned cold upon seeing this. He finally pushed the blood ring's power to its extreme. Blood light flickered as the barrier rapidly contracted, bringing with it a terrifying force capable of obliterating all matter, overwhelmingly pressing down on Zhou Yuan, who was trapped within. "Turn into blood!"

Zhou Yuan remained unmoving, his gaze fixed on the tip of the brush. Purple-gold light flickered wildly in his palm, and the next moment, a low murmur escaped him. "Although no Saint has blessed me with a Lotus Seal, this doesn't require a Saint… I can do it myself! How can your simplified version even compare to the true Ancestral Dragon Scripture?" He then uttered, "Heaven and Earth Sacred Dragon Qi... Ascending Dragon Seizes Heaven Art."

The instant the blood ring fully pressed down, a brilliant light, as bright as the sun, burst forth from within. A terrifying force, like ten thousand volcanoes erupting simultaneously, swept out. A streak of purple-gold light cut through the air, and the blood ring, formed by the Lotus Seal, was instantly cleaved open! The purple-gold light streaked across the sky, seemingly dividing heaven and earth.

Taixuan's expression drastically changed upon witnessing this. He blurted out, "How is this possible!" Although the blood ring was merely a single blessing from a Saint, its power was still incredibly formidable. Taixuan believed that if he were to fall into it, while not fatal, it would certainly cause him no small amount of trouble. Yet, how could Zhou Yuan have cleaved it open? The black brush in that fellow's hand clearly hadn't even reached the Lotus Seal level!

However, no one offered an explanation. With the Lotus Seal blood ring cleaved, Zhou Yuan's figure appeared directly in the void before Taixuan. His expression was indifferent as he lightly thrust out the mottled black brush in his hand. *Rip!* The thrust appeared gentle and weak, yet as the brush tip lunged forward, a dark trace spanning thousands of miles of void instantly appeared in the sky. Purple-gold light flowed from the tip, making it gleam as if crafted from golden stone. Especially on the bristles of the brush tip, a faint golden Lotus Seal was discernible, exuding an ineffable aura of power that made the brush's strike feel capable of piercing even the heavens.

Taixuan, too, immediately noticed the faint golden Lotus Seal on the Heavenly Yuan Brush's tip. His pupils instantly constricted, and for the first time, a look of disbelief appeared on his face. "How can his Sacred Source Weapon possess a Lotus Seal?!" During their previous clash, Taixuan had experienced the might of this Heavenly Yuan Brush. Yet, at most, it was an ordinary Sacred Source Weapon, still incredibly far from condensing a Lotus Seal. But in the blink of an eye, how had a Lotus Seal appeared on it?! "No, that's not right. This Lotus Seal is ethereal, not a genuine one; it's an enchantment!" But even so, Taixuan's mind was in turmoil, for no Saint was present to assist Zhou Yuan. It was clear, then, that this Lotus Seal was one Zhou Yuan had himself enchanted! But how could this be possible? Only Saints were capable of enchanting a Lotus Seal!

Thoughts flashed through his mind like lightning, but Taixuan dared not hesitate for an instant. The power emanating from the Sacred Source Weapon, now imbued with a Lotus Seal, was already a significant threat to him. "Blood Sea Senluo Gate!"

His figure rapidly retreated. As his sleeves waved, a vast blood sea roared into existence, forming crimson bronze walls and iron barriers. On each barrier, ferocious ghost faces shrieked, spewing forth torrents of blood qi. Boom! The Heavenly Yuan Brush, however, ignored these numerous obstructions. A purple-gold torrent pierced directly through them. Wherever it passed, the ghost-faced iron barriers instantly exploded; all eighteen layers were pierced in mere moments. By the time Taixuan recovered his senses, he saw Zhou Yuan standing before him, still holding the brush. The latter's face was indifferent, but his eyes gleamed with chilling killing intent.

On the brush tip, the purple-gold Lotus Seal was becoming increasingly faint. "Origin Soul!" Zhou Yuan's five fingers tightened around the mottled brush body. At that instant, vast Origin Qi and spirit power erupted in full. The two surging forces perfectly merged, seemingly transforming into a sky-rending strike. With the momentum of thunder, it surged directly onto Taixuan's body, witnessed in his suddenly constricted pupils.

At that moment, it was as if a great sun had exploded in the void. An indescribable shockwave raged outwards. Even the many powerful cultivators from both sides, though far away, felt their Origin Qi violently churn within them, their faces filled with shock. However, they all ignored these effects, their eyes fixed on the source of the shockwave. They clearly saw Taixuan's figure plummeting from the sky, finally crashing to the ground. The impact tore open abysses thousands of miles long across the earth, and countless massive rocks tumbled down, burying Taixuan's form. This was just as Zhou Yuan had previously been slammed into the ground by Taixuan's palm print. This scene, however, delivered a powerful visual shock to the experts of the heavens. After all, who could have imagined that Taixuan, previously almost invincible, would ever appear in such a disheveled state! At this moment, countless experts across the heavens gazed at the tall figure standing in the void, holding the brush, their eyes burning with fervent intensity.