Chapter 1383: Peacekeeping

Thunderous cheers erupted throughout the city, as voices calling out His Royal Highness Zhou Yuan soared into the sky, reverberating in all directions.

The crowd on the city wall had now come to their senses. Their eyes held complex emotions as they gazed at Zhou Yuan's figure. It was likely that no one present, including Zhou Qing, Qin Yu, and Shen Taiyuan, had ever imagined that the young man who had once left the Great Zhou Dynasty now wielded such incredible might.

In an instant, a Law Domain expert was slain.

What kind of power was this?

That was a Law Domain expert, a top-tier existence in Cangxuan Heaven, capable of overturning the Great Zhou Dynasty with a mere flick of a hand. Not only the Great Zhou Dynasty, but if Pang Yang had been allowed to run rampant, the entire Cangmang Continent would have been utterly destroyed by him.

Yet now, such an existence had been obliterated by a single palm strike, right before their eyes. The shock was overwhelming, so powerful that when the people on the city wall looked at Zhou Yuan again, their gazes were filled with profound reverence.

When power transcends ordinary comprehension, people can only prostrate themselves in worship and maintain reverence.

Zhou Yuan turned around. He smiled slightly, looking at the many reverent gazes, and said, "You have all guarded my Great Zhou Dynasty for a long time; you've worked hard."

The Great Zhou officials certainly didn't dare to accept such praise. They quickly bowed in salute.

The man before them might be just a prince of Great Zhou, but the power he wielded far surpassed that of Zhou Qing, their king. For everyone understood that with Zhou Yuan's current strength and status, a small dynasty held no meaning for him whatsoever.

"Black Poison King," Zhou Yuan said, his gaze sweeping over the Great Zhou officials before resting on a familiar figure, "after all these years, have you also reached the Divine Dwelling Realm?"

Pinpointed by Zhou Yuan's gaze, the Black Poison King instantly felt cold sweat bead on his forehead. He replied, a mix of nervousness and honor in his voice, "I didn't expect Your Highness to still remember me."

"I brought you back from the Black Abyss," Zhou Yuan said with a hint of nostalgia. He recalled that the first time he left Great Zhou City, he ventured into the Black Abyss, and it was there that he subdued the Black Poison King.

The Black Poison King, feeling the envious gazes from all directions, grinned. "Leaving the Black Abyss with Your Highness and coming to the Great Zhou Dynasty was the best decision I've ever made in my life."

"Yet at that time, you were unwilling," a voice interjected from the side, that of General Wei Canglan, "and only pledged allegiance to Great Zhou after Your Highness imprinted a Genesis Rune on you."

The Black Poison King rolled his eyes. "Now, in this Cangxuan Heaven, is there anyone worthy enough for Your Highness to imprint with a Genesis Rune?"

Wei Canglan chuckled, but he had to admit the truth in the statement.

"General, you have also made great contributions to my Great Zhou over the years," Zhou Yuan said, his gaze turning to his old acquaintance, Wei Canglan, as he smiled.

"I wouldn't dare," Wei Canglan hastily replied, "This is merely my duty as a subordinate."

Zhou Yuan smiled. With a flick of his finger, two faint streams of light shot towards the Black Poison King and Wei Canglan. The two men quickly caught them. Upon closer inspection, they were two round pills radiating astonishing spiritual energy.

"These are some secondary pills I refined when making Ancestral Dragon Pills," Zhou Yuan explained. "They aren't very useful for Origin Infant or Law Domain experts. I see that both of you have been stuck in the Divine Dwelling Realm for many years, so perhaps these can help you both take another step forward."

The Black Poison King and Wei Canglan were stunned. They tremblingly clutched the spiritual pills in their hands. They had never even heard of elixirs of this caliber before, yet now, His Royal Highness had casually bestowed them.

They fully understood the immense value these pills held for them.

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

Too overwhelmed with emotion to speak, the two men immediately knelt down, expressing their gratitude repeatedly.

The surrounding crowd watched with burning envy. But they also understood that these two had been close to His Highness during Great Zhou's humblest days. For them to receive such an opportunity now, it could only be said that their fortune was exceptionally good.

"You brat," Zhou Qing playfully chided him at this moment, "you come back and immediately start winning hearts. These people will probably only recognize you as their prince now."

In any other dynasty, a king speaking of a prince in such a way would surely cause an uproar among the high-ranking officials. But here, everyone merely chuckled. After all, Zhou Qing's position as king was truly no longer befitting Zhou Yuan's current status and power, and a mere Great Zhou could not possibly restrict Zhou Yuan's path.

Zhou Yuan took out some jade boxes and handed them to Zhou Qing. They mainly contained the remaining secondary pills, which he had accumulated a substantial amount of while refining Ancestral Dragon Pills over the past six months. Giving them to Zhou Qing now would be perfect for winning over people's hearts and strengthening their power.

Seeing this, Zhou Qing accepted them all without pretense. With Zhou Yuan's current strength, even a casual leftover would be an immense opportunity for Great Zhou.

Zhou Yuan then turned his gaze to Shen Taiyuan. He bowed solemnly and said, "For all these years, Peak Master has guarded my Great Zhou Dynasty. Zhou Yuan sincerely thanks you."

Shen Taiyuan smiled and waved his hand. "You are, after all, a member of my Saint Genesis Peak. Of course, after you left, we had to keep watch over your home. How else could we explain ourselves when you returned?"

Zhou Yuan smiled. "I also brought a gift for Peak Master."

Shen Taiyuan said dismissively, "This old man has no interest in anything these days, so there's really no need..."

Zhou Yuan took out a jade bottle, holding it with both hands as he offered it, and said, "This is an Ancestral Dragon Pill."

Shen Taiyuan's voice cut off abruptly. His gaze was fixed, stunned, on the jade bottle. Inside, a wondrous pill, glowing with ethereal halos, floated. The pill's fragrance, even with the jade bottle obscuring it, still caused the Genesis Qi within his body to stir restlessly.

"Ance- Ancestral Dragon Pill?" Shen Taiyuan swallowed hard. The Ancestral Dragon Pill had, in recent years, become the most coveted elixir in all the Heavens. Countless Origin Infant and Law Domain experts had sought it in vain. So even though Cangxuan Heaven was relatively isolated, Shen Taiyuan had still heard of it. Within their Cangxuan Sect, only Master Qing Yang had managed to painstakingly acquire one previously. Yet now, Zhou Yuan had actually gifted him one?

After a few moments of silence, Shen Taiyuan swiftly reached out and took the jade bottle. His aged face broke into a smile as bright as a blooming flower. "Oh, this is truly too kind..."

While maintaining one's dignity was important, what was it compared to an Ancestral Dragon Pill?

Shen Taiyuan was sure that if the other peak masters of the Cangxuan Sect learned he possessed an Ancestral Dragon Pill, their eyes would surely turn red with envy.

Zhou Yuan also smiled. He naturally knew the Ancestral Dragon Pill's immense appeal to Origin Infant and Law Domain experts; it was a gift almost no one could refuse.

And Shen Taiyuan had guarded his Great Zhou Dynasty for over a decade, which was a considerable act of kindness.

As the atmosphere on the city wall completely relaxed, Zhou Qing looked into the distance, a hint of worry in his voice. "Yuan'er, what about the Sacred Demon Army?"

Zhou Yuan smiled. "Father, rest assured. No one who has brought harm to the Great Zhou Dynasty will escape unscathed."

His words were understated, yet the implied meaning sent a shiver down everyone's spines.

Just as doubt flickered in their minds, streaks of light suddenly tore through the distant sky. Each streak radiated astonishing Genesis Qi pressure.

The appearance of these streaks of light immediately caused renewed alarm on the city wall.

"What's going on? Has the Sacred Demon Army returned?!"

"Why do they feel stronger?"

Shen Taiyuan's expression drastically changed as he exclaimed, "Careful! There are many Law Domain experts among them! Has the Sacred Palace mobilized all its forces?!"

Everyone was appalled.

Just as everyone was horrified, the streaks of light swiftly appeared above the city wall. Immediately after, they threw down figures, letting them slump onto the city wall like discarded rags.

Bang! Bang!

As the figures crashed onto the city wall, everyone looked on in astonishment, realizing these were none other than the Sacred Demon Army members who had fled earlier. Now, it seemed, they had all been captured and brought back.

Stunned gazes turned towards the void above, revealing figures standing suspended in mid-air as the light dispersed. What truly sent shivers down the spines of those on the city wall was realizing that every single one of these figures exuded powerful Genesis Qi fluctuations; at the very least, they were all in the Origin Infant Realm!

Moreover, more than twenty of them radiated Law Domain fluctuations!

As the crowd on the city wall reeled in shock, the mysterious team in the void all clasped their fists towards Zhou Yuan. A voice called out, "Captain Zhou Yuan, all the escapees have been apprehended. Not one was missed."

On the city wall, everyone's gazes slowly, with difficulty, turned back to Zhou Yuan. This group of astonishingly powerful mysterious experts—could they also be people Zhou Yuan had brought back?

Facing their gazes, Zhou Yuan smiled and explained, "These are all powerful reinforcements I have gathered. I said that my goal for this return is..."

"To destroy the Sacred Palace."

In those final four words, spoken flatly, there seemed to stir an immense, overwhelming killing intent.

And it seemed to be at that very same moment.

Shengzhou, deep within the Sacred Palace.

An altar stood amidst a sea of blood. Upon the altar, a figure with flowing white hair, yet appearing as youthful as a boy, sat quietly in meditation.

As he sat there, the entire world seemed to move in rhythm with his breathing.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes. His gaze was as deep as the starry sky, distant and ruthless.

"Pang Yang is dead..."

He gazed into the void, as if piercing through countless distances. He saw the Great Zhou, and everything that occurred there seemed to be reflected within his pupils.

Then, he saw the young figure.

"Zhou Yuan..."

"That stray dog from back then has indeed returned..."