Chapter 1372: Cang Xuan Transformation

"A great change in Cangxuan Heaven?!" Zhou Yuan's face went pale at the news brought by Venerable Jin Luo and Cang Yuan. Although he had left Cangxuan Heaven years ago, it remained his birthplace. His parents and the Great Zhou Dynasty were still there. While his current status meant that even the ruler of a continent, let alone a small dynasty, held little significance to him, that small dynasty held an irreplaceable meaning in his heart.

"What's going on?" Zhou Yuan asked, taking a deep breath to suppress his emotions.

Cang Yuan's expression was grave. "Cangxuan Heaven has been quite chaotic in recent years; you must be aware of that, right?" Zhou Yuan's eyes flickered. He recalled that when he was forced to flee by the Saint Yuan Palace Master back then, he had shattered the Cangxuan Saint Seal. The scattered fragments became the source of the chaos in Cangxuan Heaven over the subsequent years. Various factions had been desperately searching for these fragments, leading to countless conflicts. Yet, it had been unavoidable. If Zhou Yuan hadn't destroyed the Cangxuan Saint Seal, it would undoubtedly have fallen into the hands of the Saint Yuan Palace Master. This man was a minion of the Saint Race; if he had obtained the Cangxuan Saint Seal and become the Heaven Master of Cangxuan, the entire Cangxuan Heaven would likely have been severed from the Heavens and fallen under the Saint Race's control.

"For years, Cangxuan Heaven has been exceptionally chaotic due to the fragments of the Cangxuan Saint Seal. All factions are vying for these fragments, with the Saint Palace being the strongest. The Saint Palace has continuously annexed various forces, seizing Saint Seal fragments and igniting ceaseless warfare across Cangxuan Heaven."

"During the recent struggle for the Stone Dragon Secret Realm, we hardly saw anyone from Cangxuan Heaven in All-Heavens City," Cang Yuan explained. "The competition there has become increasingly fierce, and no faction dares to withdraw personnel." Zhou Yuan suddenly understood. He had previously wondered why he hadn't encountered any Law Domain experts from Cangxuan Heaven in the Stone Dragon Secret Realm this time; now he knew the reason.

"In earlier years, the Saint Palace was powerful, but the other five great Saint Sects maintained a united front, just barely managing to resist it."

"However, over the past six months, while you were refining the Ancestral Dragon Pill, the situation changed dramatically. The Saint Palace suddenly erupted, even annihilating the Heavenly Ghost Mansion, one of the five great Saint Sects. This directly shattered the existing balance. Now, the Saint Palace is pushing forward, intent on forcing the remaining four great Saint Sects to surrender the Saint Seal fragments they hold," Cang Yuan said with a heavy voice.

"What?! The Saint Palace destroyed the Heavenly Ghost Mansion?!" Zhou Yuan's pupils contracted slightly. He had some memory of the Heavenly Ghost Mansion; he recalled that Zhen Xu was supposedly a member of that sect.

"Why doesn't the Return to Ruin Divine Hall intervene in the conflicts within Cangxuan Heaven? The Saint Palace is the root of Cangxuan Heaven's troubles; surely, with the Return to Ruin Divine Hall's power, they could easily suppress it?" Zhou Yuan asked, frowning.

Venerable Jin Luo sighed. "The Return to Ruin Divine Hall's stance is inherently neutral. Its foundational rule is to never intervene in disputes between any heaven domain or any faction within the Heavens. Only when confronting the Saint Race can it rally the power of the Heavens."

"But the Saint Palace *is* a minion of the Saint Race. Surely that warrants your intervention?" Zhou Yuan pressed.

Venerable Jin Luo replied, "It's not as simple as you might think. First, Cangxuan Heaven is unique; it has no Heaven Master in control. It's extremely difficult for external Saints to enter. In a sense, Cangxuan Heaven is adrift outside the Heavens, its connections far less established than the other four heaven domains. Moreover, the Saint Race has been eyeing Cangxuan Heaven covetously for years; any Saint from the Heavens who approaches it is immediately intercepted and attacked."

Zhou Yuan's brow furrowed tightly. He hadn't realized Cangxuan Heaven harbored so many hidden dangers, which explained why it had fallen to the lowest rank among the Heavens. Without a Heaven Master, the internal worldly rules were chaotic, naturally preventing better development. The Saints born in Cangxuan Heaven had left one by one, unable to contribute back to the world. However, these Saints couldn't be blamed, as Cangxuan Heaven's very origin was chaotic; staying there for long would make it difficult for their strength to improve. This was not something Saints could easily tolerate. Not everyone possessed the selfless righteousness of Old Ancestor Cangxuan.

"From the intelligence we've gathered, the Saint Palace's sudden explosion of power likely has the Saint Race's shadow behind it... Their unusual silence over the past six months was probably part of their meticulous planning for this."

"I suspect they intend to help the Saint Yuan Palace Master acquire the fragments, then use the power of the Cangxuan Saint Seal to detach Cangxuan Heaven from the protection of the Primal Chaos Saint Slaughtering Array. That way, the Saint Race could launch a full-scale invasion of Cangxuan Heaven and take complete control," Cang Yuan explained slowly.

"What an enormous ambition!" Zhou Yuan gritted his teeth.

"But I possess four Saint Runes and a fragment of the Cangxuan Saint Seal. Even if the Saint Yuan Palace Master acquires all the other fragments, he still won't be able to form a complete Saint Seal, will he?"

"Without a truly complete Cangxuan Saint Seal, the Saint Yuan Palace Master certainly cannot become the Heaven Master of Cangxuan. However, even a partial Cangxuan Saint Seal still possesses the power to destabilize Cangxuan Heaven. As long as he can subtly manipulate the Primal Chaos Saint Slaughtering Array, the Saint Race likely has other methods." Venerable Jin Luo was not surprised that Zhou Yuan possessed Saint Runes and a fragment, clearly having been aware of this for some time, as Zhou Yuan had used the power of the Saint Runes more than once under his watchful gaze. Other Saints might be unfamiliar with such matters, but nothing could escape Venerable Jin Luo's perception.

Zhou Yuan's expression flickered, and he stated grimly, "We cannot let the Saint Yuan Palace Master have his way."

Cangxuan Heaven was his homeland. Zhou Yuan held deep affection for both the Great Zhou Dynasty and the Cangxuan Sect; he would absolutely not allow them to be destroyed by the Saint Yuan Palace Master.

Zhou Yuan looked up at Venerable Jin Luo. "Venerable, you didn't just come to me to relay information, did you?"

Venerable Jin Luo raised a hand. "Young man, don't be so impatient. While the Saint Palace's ambitions are vast, none of the Heavens will agree to their desire to sever Cangxuan Heaven."

"Our purpose in seeking you out this time is for the Heavens to dispatch an elite force, with you as its leader. Your mission is to return to Cangxuan Heaven, eradicate the Saint Palace, restore peace to Cangxuan Heaven, and cut off the Saint Race's malicious designs."

"However, this mission is not simple. Due to Cangxuan Heaven's unique circumstances, Saints cannot enter. Yet, Saint Yuan possesses semi-Saint power... Even if you are now considered the strongest below the Saint level, if you were to truly fight Saint Yuan, the outcome would be difficult to predict."

"Therefore, traveling to Cangxuan Heaven at this moment carries significant danger. However, after careful consideration, it seems no one is more suitable for this task than you."

Venerable Jin Luo gazed at Zhou Yuan. "What do you say?"

Hearing this, Zhou Yuan offered a free-spirited smile. "Even without this current situation, I had already planned to return to Cangxuan Heaven once the Ancestral Dragon Pill was refined, to finally settle those years of grievances. As for Saint Yuan, it's time for a definitive end between us."

"I accept this mission."

Zhou Yuan bared his gleaming white teeth, though a chilling ferocity, like that of a beast's fangs, emanated from them.

"I've been eyeing this semi-Saint's life... for many years now..."

"This time, I will personally send him on his way."