Chapter 138: Outsourcing

On the second day, Saint Remains City was abuzz with excitement. When six brilliant streaks of light soared from the City Lord's Mansion and headed directly towards the Saint Remains Region, countless prodigies across the city also erupted, riding on their Genesis Qi. They surged forth like a swarm of locusts, blanketing the sky.

“Let’s go,” Zhou Yuan said, smiling at Yao Yao, Luluo, and Zuoqiu Qingyu as he observed the magnificent sight.

For the past few days, Zuoqiu Qingyu had been constantly hovering around Yao Yao. Yao Yao, too lazy to offer explanations, and Luluo, simply amused by the unfolding drama, had both remained silent. Consequently, Zuoqiu Qingyu remained oblivious that the handsome man she had taken a liking to was, in fact, an impostor.

Yao Yao and the others readily agreed, and the group swiftly departed, hastening towards the Saint Remains Region.

The Saint Remains Region lay several hundred miles from Saint Remains City. Traveling at full speed, the group reached their destination in a short amount of time.

Zhou Yuan gazed into the distance, where an endless basin appeared at the horizon. The basin was cloaked in mist, from which subtle, unsettling fluctuations emanated, causing a ripple of apprehension.

Beneath the mist lay an immensely vast river. It shimmered with a soft luminescence, appearing perfectly still without a single ripple, yet conveying an unsettling sense of unfathomable depth. This river, he presumed, was the Saint River that encircled the Saint Remains Region.

Countless figures descended, an overwhelming multitude whose numbers were impossible to count.

Outside the Saint Remains Region stood six enormous stone platforms, onto which figures were continuously descending. Zhou Yuan and his group also selected one of the platforms and landed.

Above the six stone platforms, six powerful currents of Genesis Qi roared like individual storms. Within these swirling energies, six figures sat in a meditative pose, vaguely discernible.

“Are those the envoys from the Six Saint Sects?” Zhou Yuan murmured.

Luluo nodded. “Yes, it’s said that all six of these envoys are experts who have reached the Divine Dwelling stage.”

“Six Divine Dwelling stage experts,” Zhou Yuan mused with a touch of awe. On the Cangmang Continent, individuals of such power would undoubtedly be considered top-tier.

“The one above our platform is said to be an envoy from the Sacred Palace,” Zuoqiu Qingyu remarked with a cheerful smile, her hand gracefully shading her eyes as she looked up.

“The Sacred Palace…” Zhou Yuan’s gaze sharpened slightly. He recalled the barefoot elder he had met yesterday mentioning that the Sacred Palace envoy seemed to favor Wu Huang. If Wu Huang distinguished himself in the Saint Remains Region this time, he could be accepted into the Sacred Palace, thus ascending to greatness in a single stride.

As Zhou Yuan’s thoughts churned, he suddenly lifted his head and looked into the distance. There, a golden figure stood with his hands clasped behind his back, exuding a powerful aura. A palpable pressure radiated from him, making the surrounding prodigies hesitant to approach. That imposing pressure, of course, belonged to Wu Huang.

Wu Huang, too, turned his head, his emotionless gaze sweeping over Zhou Yuan before momentarily pausing. “His Spirit has actually advanced to the late Void Stage,” a flicker of surprise crossed Wu Huang’s eyes. “This degenerate dragon from the Zhou family isn’t completely without ability.”

“A truly bothersome fly,” Wu Huang murmured, a peculiar glint suddenly appearing in his eyes.

In that very instant, Zhou Yuan’s hairs stood on end as an indescribable sense of danger surged through him. His gaze locked onto Wu Huang with grim intensity.

At that moment, Wu Huang suddenly raised his hand, clenching his fist, and unleashed a punch from a distance directly towards Zhou Yuan. Crimson Genesis Qi howled forth, resembling a furious, blazing sun, rocketing towards Zhou Yuan with the speed of lightning.

“Wu Huang, you’re going too far!” Luluo and Zuoqiu Qingyu both instantly sensed the attack and cried out in fury, their potent Genesis Qi abruptly bursting forth.

A glint of coldness flashed in Yao Yao’s eyes as her smooth forehead pulsed with surging Spirit energy. Tun Tun, nestled in her arms, also let out a low growl.

However, just as they were about to intervene, an indescribable oppressive force suddenly descended from above, suppressing all the surging Genesis Qi around them.

“The Sacred Palace envoy?!” Luluo and Zuoqiu Qingyu’s expressions shifted, as the oppressive sensation clearly emanated from the Sacred Palace envoy seated in the sky. In the very instant they were obstructed, the crimson fist light had already reached Zhou Yuan. The might of that single punch instilled fear even in late Heaven Gate stage experts.

“That guy is surely dead,” the surrounding prodigies murmured. No one had expected Wu Huang to strike so suddenly and ruthlessly, clearly intending to kill Zhou Yuan with a single blow.

Crimson light filled Zhou Yuan’s vision, and the fierce surge of power rushing towards him caused his pupils to constrict. Yet, in this critical moment, he did not panic. Instead, he abruptly took half a step forward.

He crossed his arms in front of him, and luminous patterns began to appear on them. “Third-grade Genesis Rune, Great Tortoise Shell Rune!”

As Zhou Yuan roared inwardly, the luminous patterns in front of his arms intertwined, forming a dark gray tortoise shell several feet across. The shell was thick and mottled, appearing capable of withstanding mountain-shattering blows.

The crimson fist light slammed heavily into the tortoise shell. As the crimson light violently churned, cracks rapidly appeared on the tortoise shell. After stubbornly resisting for a few breaths, it ultimately shattered into pieces. The remaining crimson fist light then struck Zhou Yuan’s arms.

His body reeled from the impact, sent flying backward, his feet carving long gouges into the ground as dust billowed around him.

Countless eyes turned towards the scene, and many people frowned. Wu Huang’s actions were truly disgraceful; despite being clearly superior in strength to Zhou Yuan, he still resorted to such underhanded tactics.

“Zhou Yuan must have been killed instantly, right?” many voices murmured, as all eyes turned towards the dust-shrouded area.

Further away, Xiao Tianxuan, Gu Ling, and others couldn't help but chuckle as they watched the scene unfold. Zhou Yuan had finally managed to provoke Wu Huang’s ire.

Wu Huang’s expression remained indifferent, as if his previous action was nothing more than casually swatting an annoying fly.

As the dust gradually dissipated, countless eyes fixed on the spot. Then, their expressions abruptly changed. There, a figure still stood upright. The stone slabs beneath his feet were shattered, and on his crossed arms, faint greenish scales had emerged, though these scales were now also fractured. Blood dripped from his arms.

Zhou Yuan’s expression remained calm, yet the killing intent surging within his eyes was almost overflowing. This time, had he not already prepared himself by learning a defensive third-grade Genesis Rune, combined with the protection of the Profound Serpent Scales, Wu Huang’s punch truly could have killed him outright.

“Zhou Yuan, are you alright?!”

Yao Yao, Luluo, and Zuoqiu Qingyu swiftly rushed to Zhou Yuan’s side.

Tun Tun leaped from Yao Yao’s embrace and let out a fierce roar. Its small body rapidly expanded, transforming into a mysterious beast. Black light emanated from its massive maw, and its beastly eyes fixed intently on Wu Huang. Tun Tun possessed extremely high intelligence. While it usually treated Zhou Yuan with disdain, in its eyes, he was the closest person to it besides Yao Yao. It was acceptable for Tun Tun to tease him, but for someone else to dare to launch a sudden attack was simply unforgivable.

Sensing Tun Tun’s ferocity, the surrounding prodigies quickly recoiled.

Beside them, Yao Yao’s beautiful face became incredibly cold for the first time. Her hand clenched tightly, and the luminous patterns on her brow began to ripple subtly, her eyes sharp and piercing.

“Don’t be impulsive!”

Zhou Yuan extended his bloodied hand, taking Yao Yao’s small hand and gripping it firmly. He remembered that Master Cang Yuan had warned him not to let the seal on Yao Yao’s forehead loosen. Yao Yao looked at Zhou Yuan, and for once, her usual aversion to uncleanliness didn’t seem to bother her regarding his bloodied hands. She felt a pang of self-reproach, realizing that Wu Huang had almost killed Zhou Yuan right before her eyes.

“Stop!”

At that moment, a low shout descended from the sky. The Sacred Palace envoy cast his gaze downwards, and the oppressive aura of a Divine Dwelling stage expert enveloped the area, suppressing Tun Tun until it was unable to move.

“The Saint Remains Region is about to open. Do not cause a disturbance here!” the Sacred Palace envoy stated gravely.

Luluo retorted angrily, “Then why didn’t you stop Wu Huang earlier?!”

Zuoqiu Qingyu also pursed her lips. “This envoy truly has no concept of fairness,” she remarked.

By now, they fully understood that the Sacred Palace envoy had deliberately suppressed them earlier, preventing them from assisting Zhou Yuan. Evidently, the Sacred Palace envoy was openly favoring Wu Huang. The surrounding prodigies also buzzed with chatter; the Sacred Palace envoy’s actions were undeniably unfair.

In the sky, the Sacred Palace envoy’s expression darkened. He shot a cold glance at Zhou Yuan’s group, then, without further words, he commanded, “Since you have objections, then do not enter the Saint Remains Region.”

Luluo and Zuoqiu Qingyu’s expressions turned grim. This detestable envoy!

However, just as the Sacred Palace envoy’s voice trailed off, a figure within a dazzling cluster of light in the distant sky seemed to turn their gaze in this direction, and a mocking voice followed.

“Heh heh, Zhao Pan, you are representing the Sacred Palace after all. Can you at least try not to be so unpleasant?”