Chapter 1355: Nine Stars

When that ancient fragment pierced through Taixuan’s chest, the boiling and furious tide of Genesis Qi in heaven and earth suddenly froze.

Taixuan’s expression likewise solidified. A moment later, he lowered his head with some difficulty, only to see a small wound appear on his chest. The wound seemed insignificant; with his physical recovery speed, it could be healed almost instantly.

But the reality was far from it.

Because at this moment, Taixuan could feel an ancient and powerful force spreading through his body. Wherever that force passed, everything within him gradually turned intangible, as if being utterly erased.

That ancient power was incredibly overbearing!

This time, a wave of panic surged within Taixuan. Zhou Yuan’s attack was indeed incredibly powerful, but in Taixuan’s estimation, even if he were truly hit, he would only be severely wounded. He had not anticipated that the attack would also contain a strange fragment, whose destructive power was far more terrifying than he had imagined.

Taixuan’s skeletal figure staggered. Clasping the wound on his chest, he looked at Zhou Yuan, his eyes filled with horror and disbelief: “What was that?!”

Zhou Yuan extended his palm, and an ancient fragment emerged from the void, hovering above it.

The fragment, whose material was unknown, was covered in ancient, primal patterns, as if it had been formed at the dawn of creation.

This fragment came from the Cangxuan Saint Seal!

Previously, this item was hidden within the innermost part of the light sphere formed by the four Saint Runes. Zhou Yuan had been unable to activate it, but with his recent breakthrough, his control over the four Saint Runes had advanced another step. It was only then that he could harness the power of the four Saint Runes to activate this fragment of the Cangxuan Saint Seal, delivering a fatal blow to Taixuan.

The Saint Seal fragment was extremely special; it contained the power of the Cangxuan Heaven’s domain. Now that Taixuan’s body had been pierced by it, his power would inevitably be rapidly eroded by that Heavenly Domain power.

One could only say that Taixuan had underestimated Zhou Yuan’s attack. He probably never imagined that Zhou Yuan had such a powerful weapon hidden up his sleeve.

“It seems you won’t have the chance to use me to complete your path to Sainthood,” Zhou Yuan said calmly.

Taixuan’s body trembled, and faint cracks began to appear on his skin. The sea of blood beneath his feet rapidly dwindled. The Undying Blood Demon, which had been fiercely battling the Nine-Clawed Saint Dragon, also let out a pained roar, its colossal body suddenly shattering into a bloody mist that covered the ground.

Meanwhile, the armies on both sides, who had been watching the battle, stared at this scene in stunned silence.

No one had expected such a sudden turn of events...

Previously, Taixuan had clearly gained the absolute upper hand by unleashing the Nine Blood Hell Seals. According to the powerful figures of the Saint Race, Zhou Yuan should have been suppressed into the Infernal Blood Hell, enduring endless torment. But who could have imagined that the first to collapse would be Taixuan, the one they had placed all their hopes on!

“How is this possible!”

Countless Saint Race experts roared, their faces contorted with horror and fury.

Especially the top experts of the third stage of the Law Domain, their faces were ashen. They were furious at Taixuan’s failure, yet simultaneously horrified by Zhou Yuan’s power. They could not imagine how anyone below the Saint realm could defeat Taixuan in that state!

Taixuan was defeated?

This was utterly inconceivable!

But no matter how shocking, the truth was before their eyes. Taixuan’s progressively disintegrating body and Law Domain indicated that he had suffered a truly fatal blow.

On the other hand, there were no cheers from the All-Heavens’ side, but rather a profound silence. Everyone was so stunned by the outcome that they were speechless. Their gazes were somewhat vacant as they looked at the young figure in the void. After all, even when Zhou Yuan reappeared with his power greatly amplified, no one had truly believed he could defeat Taixuan.

Their greatest hope had been for Zhou Yuan to merely contend with Taixuan, at least preventing him from acting as unrestrainedly as before.

But who could have imagined that Zhou Yuan not only defeated Taixuan but also completely crippled him? Given the current situation, Taixuan might even perish entirely...

What a truly astonishing conclusion this was!

Many experts of the third stage of the Law Domain exchanged glances, and from each other’s eyes, they saw a mixture of shock and a growing sense of reverence. Previously, they had only regarded Zhou Yuan as a junior, a younger generation. But now, they understood that this young man, who had continuously created miracles in the All-Heavens over the years, had begun to completely surpass them.

This person was destined to become a Saint in the future!

Facing such a figure, showing reverence was not shameful.

Chi Jing’s eyes were also filled with immense relief at this moment. She still remembered her first encounter with Zhou Yuan many years ago when he appeared in the Tianyuan Region. At that time, he was merely at the Divine Palace stage. In her eyes, he was truly a raw, inexperienced youth. Yet, who could have imagined that the once callow boy had now reached such a level?

Among those present, only Xu Beiyan’s body trembled slightly. In the depths of his eyes, hidden were envy, reluctance, and a trace of fear.

Even he was startled by the power Zhou Yuan displayed.

Even a monster like Taixuan had been defeated by him, indicating that the gap between him and Zhou Yuan was already immeasurable.

He had previously schemed against Zhou Yuan, and he wondered if Zhou Yuan had noticed...

Xu Beiyan’s eyes flickered. He had decided that once this battle concluded, he must leave immediately. Regardless of whether Zhou Yuan had detected his previous machinations, he had to seek refuge under the protection of his three masters. After this incident, he would resolve to go into secluded cultivation. With the impending great change, if he could implore his three masters to acquire some Ancestral Dragon Soul Marrow for him, he might even have a chance to break through to the Saint realm.

Once he entered the Saint realm, he would naturally no longer need to fear Zhou Yuan’s retaliation. Moreover, who could say what the future held? Zhou Yuan had thwarted countless good deeds of the Saint Race and was too prominent. Perhaps one day he would be targeted and truly eliminated, and then, he would be the one to have the last laugh.

As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Xu Beiyan’s panic gradually subsided. He stared deeply at Zhou Yuan’s distant figure.

Zhou Yuan paid no mind to the numerous gazes of reverence and anger directed at him. He simply stared at Taixuan, whose body and Law Domain were gradually disintegrating, and slowly said, “If you withdraw from the Stone Dragon Secret Realm now and have your Saint Race Saints intervene, they might still be able to save you.”

He wasn’t acting out of compassion; he simply understood that although Taixuan was severely wounded, at this level, any desperate counterattack could be terrifying.

As long as Taixuan was forced to leave, the Stone Dragon Secret Realm would fall into the hands of the All-Heavens, and their mission would be completely fulfilled.

Taixuan sensed the situation within his body. A disturbing smile suddenly appeared on his skeletal face: “Zhou Yuan, your perception is truly terrifying.”

He looked at Zhou Yuan and sighed, “I truly didn’t expect that even I, Taixuan, would have such a day... Perhaps Jiatu felt the same way when you defeated him earlier.”

“You are the hope of the All-Heavens. I have a feeling that in the future, you will bring great trouble to the Saint Race.”

Then, he said, word by word, “Therefore, Zhou Yuan, you must die here.”

As his voice faded, everyone witnessed Taixuan’s body gradually disintegrating and turning ethereal... inch by inch, spreading upwards from his feet until it consumed his entire form.

Within a few breaths, Taixuan’s body completely vanished, as if erased from this world.

However, Zhou Yuan’s expression abruptly changed at that moment. For when Taixuan’s physical body disappeared, a Saint Pupil quietly hovered in the spot where he had vanished. The Saint Pupil glowed with an eerie light, as if Taixuan’s vanished body had completely transformed into nutrients absorbed into it.

What caused Zhou Yuan’s expression to turn grim was that within the original eight-star Saint Pupil, a point of starlight condensed, gradually... forming the ninth star.

That was the Nine-Star Saint Pupil!