Chapter 1359: Accounting

"Results? What results? Zhou Yuan, I don't understand what you're talking about!"

Xu Beiyan stared at Zhou Yuan in front of him, his face a mix of shock and anger. At this moment, other powerful figures from all-heavens also looked over, and a wave of bewildered whispers erupted. No one had expected that after dealing with the formidable Sacred Race, Zhou Yuan would directly turn his attention to Xu Beiyan. Was this due to some past grievances between them? But resolving it here didn't seem appropriate, did it?

Xu Beiyan's gaze swept around, then he said in a deep voice, "Zhou Yuan, are you angry about me closing the defensive barrier earlier? But consider this, if I hadn't done that, we would have been slaughtered by Taixuan by now, bleeding rivers. How could we have waited for your return after your advancement?!" As soon as he spoke, many powerful individuals from all-heavens couldn't help but nod, and voices of persuasion immediately rose among them.

"Elder Zhou Yuan, Xu Beiyan really can't be blamed for this. He was thinking of the greater good."

"Although his words might have been harsh, at that moment, even a split second's delay could have led to utter annihilation."

"Please, Elder Zhou Yuan, prioritize the overall situation."

Although Zhou Yuan's prestige was immense at this time, many powerful figures from all-heavens still spoke up. After all, from the perspective of the all-heavens army, Xu Beiyan's act of closing the defensive barrier was not considered a mistake. While it might have been unfair to Zhou Yuan and his companions, sometimes such drastic measures were unavoidable.

Seeing that public opinion was on his side, Xu Beiyan's eyes flickered, and he said with a mournful expression, "If you have anger in your heart, you can direct it at me. I won't resist in the slightest. However, if I had to do it all over again, I would still choose to close the barrier! Since the authority over the barrier was entrusted to me, I must be responsible for everyone!" His righteous stance immediately garnered more sympathy, and thus, more people stepped forward to persuade Zhou Yuan.

Zhou Yuan's expression remained calm. He ignored the numerous pleas and simply stared at Xu Beiyan, saying, "Have you finished your act?"

Xu Beiyan's heart sank. He forced himself to say, "What exactly do you want?!"

Zhou Yuan's gaze swept across the crowd. Anyone who met his eyes immediately ceased their persuasions, as they could discern a chilling intent within his gaze. The surroundings fell silent. Zhou Yuan's calm voice then resonated: "I'm not confronting him because he closed the barrier. Rather, it's because the moment I was about to enter the barrier with Wu Yao and Su Youwei, an invisible surge of spiritual power obstructed me. It was this momentary stagnation that prevented me from entering the barrier and simultaneously caused me to be struck by Taixuan's fist print. In other words, our failure to take shelter in the barrier in time was due to someone's malicious scheme."

As his words spread, everyone present revealed looks of shock. They had not expected such a thing to occur at that critical, split-second moment! Gaze after gaze, filled with suspicion, turned towards Xu Beiyan, as the deeper meaning in Zhou Yuan's words clearly implicated him.

Xu Beiyan's expression also changed, and he immediately retorted angrily, "Zhou Yuan, I know you resent me for previously pursuing the Saintess. Are you now going to directly frame me because of that?! In this Stone Dragon Secret Realm, you certainly contributed the most, but did I not contribute anything at all? I was also fighting for all-heavens, risking my life. Aren't you being too arrogant by leveraging your achievements to suppress others now?! You have no proof, yet you accuse me of plotting against you. Do you really think anyone will believe that?!"

The surrounding powerful figures from all-heavens looked bewildered. They were utterly confused, with both sides presenting their own versions of events, unsure whom to believe. Xu Beiyan's face showed anger, but inwardly he sneered. His previous scheme, hidden by the barrier, had been executed flawlessly, leaving no trace. As long as he could muddy the waters, he didn't believe Zhou Yuan would dare to attack him in front of the all-heavens Saints.

"I can confirm that the moment Zhou Yuan led us into the barrier, there was indeed a spiritual force that obstructed us for an instant!"

Just then, a voice suddenly rang out. The surrounding crowd quickly turned their gaze, tracing the sound to the rear, where three figures appeared. They were one man and two women: Zhao Mushen, Wu Yao, and Su Youwei, who had also been sent plummeting underground with Zhou Yuan by Taixuan's punch.

At this moment, the three of them had their divine light restrained, yet each exuded a heart-palpitating wave of Genesis Qi. When some cultivators of the third stage of the Law Domain realm observed them, their hearts immediately trembled. These three individuals had actually all entered the Law Domain realm, and the Genesis Qi pressure subtly emanating from them definitely far surpassed that of an ordinary first-stage Law Domain cultivator! Many third-stage Law Domain cultivators exchanged bewildered glances. It seemed that Zhou Yuan and his companions, having been struck underground, had all encountered fortunate opportunities. This was truly a case of misfortune turning into fortune. The three passed through the crowd and came to stand behind Zhou Yuan.

Zhou Yuan also turned to look at them. When he sensed their Genesis Qi fluctuations, he wasn't particularly surprised. The three of them were already top-tier prodigies, with talent and potential far exceeding ordinary people. Earlier, when he had left the underground, he had even specifically helped them to disperse and refine the Ancestral Dragon Marrow. With such an opportunity, their breakthrough to the Law Domain realm was almost a foregone conclusion.

When Zhou Yuan's gaze swept over Wu Yao, her narrow phoenix eyes blinked slightly, and then she somewhat unnaturally averted her gaze. Su Youwei, however, offered Zhou Yuan a gentle smile, though a trace of shyness was hidden deep within her beautiful, limpid eyes. Earlier, she had acted as a conduit to help Zhou Yuan and Wu Yao harmonize their Yin and Yang energies. That spiritual fusion had, in a sense, affected her as well. At the time, she hadn't paid much attention, but thinking back on it now, it certainly made her heart race. However, it was fortunate that it was His Highness... otherwise, Zhao Mushen would definitely be a dead man by now!

Zhou Yuan's gaze suddenly fell upon Zhao Mushen. The latter's arms had grown back, but his face was bruised, making him look as if he had received a severe beating. "Are you alright?" Zhou Yuan asked, a hint of suspicion in his voice. Zhao Mushen remained expressionless. Just as he was about to speak, he felt two gazes, cold as a winter spring, pierce him like daggers.

So, he touched his handsome, chiseled face, marred by bruises, and said flatly, "Mind your own business." He couldn't possibly tell Zhou Yuan how awkward the atmosphere had been when Wu Yao and Su Youwei woke up, especially when Su Youwei mentioned that it was he, Zhao Mushen, who had proposed the so-called spiritual fusion method. Wu Yao had silently pulled out a large cleaver, looking as if she genuinely wanted to chop him into pieces. Thus, while Zhou Yuan was confronting Taixuan on the surface, Zhao Mushen himself was being severely beaten underground by the combined efforts of Wu Yao and Su Youwei.

Seeing Zhou Yuan now, Zhao Mushen was inwardly furious. If it weren't for the two streams of Ancestral Dragon Marrow, he would definitely try to retaliate. Those two women were simply unreasonable; Zhou Yuan was the one who benefited, so why did they have to beat him?! Women, *heh*... truly boring. Fortunately, Zhao Mushen's heart was solely set on becoming a Saint. So-called breathtaking beauty, in his mind, was nothing more than painted bones. It was truly pathetic that Zhou Yuan was entangled with these two women. There would come a day when he would deeply regret it.

"What kind of look is that?" Zhou Yuan asked, frowning as he looked at Zhao Mushen, feeling as though the man's eyes were full of mockery. Zhao Mushen ignored him, simply turning his gaze towards the grim-faced Xu Beiyan and stating calmly, "I'll say it again: the moment we were entering the barrier earlier, there was indeed a spiritual force that obstructed us. What Zhou Yuan said is true."

A commotion immediately erupted around them. Xu Beiyan, his face cold, said, "You two are collaborating just to cause trouble for me, aren't you?"

Zhao Mushen said indifferently, "Don't be so quick to deny it. I am skilled in the power of devouring. When that spiritual force obstructed us earlier, I inadvertently devoured a wisp of it. Now that I can release it, it will naturally reveal whose it belongs to." As his words fell, he raised his palm, and a vortex formed within it. Deep within the vortex, a seemingly invisible wisp of spiritual force was indeed trapped.

At that moment, Xu Beiyan, who had been stubbornly arguing, suddenly felt a chilling sensation rise from the soles of his feet, rushing straight to the top of his head, causing his scalp to tingle.