Chapter 1411: Maneuvering

Mysterious, nightmare-like murmurs emanated from an unknown place.

At that moment, an aura that instilled fear in countless Law Domain experts erupted from the Saint Origin Palace Master, who was kneeling on the surface of the blood sea.

The aura emanating from his body surged rapidly and terrifyingly.

His long, snow-white hair grew wildly, spreading across the blood sea, gradually turning crimson and becoming a jarring sight.

What was even more alarming was that the sealing light patterns on the Saint Lotus Bud, which Zhou Yuan had previously sealed, were now rapidly shattering and dissolving.

Finally, the Saint Lotus Bud slowly floated up, hovering above the Saint Origin Palace Master’s head.

Vast, mysterious energy currents rose from the Saint Origin Palace Master’s head, flowing entirely into the Saint Lotus Bud.

As these mysterious currents surged in, Grand Elder Qing Yang and the others watched in horror as the Saint Lotus Bud slowly began to bloom!

Once the Saint Lotus Bud fully bloomed, it would transform into a complete Saint Lotus Flower.

This meant that the Saint Origin Palace Master would completely break through his limitations, advancing from a Half-Saint to a true Saint.

While seemingly a subtle distinction, the difference in power between the two realms was monumental. Even Zhou Yuan, as powerful as he was, had stated that his ability to contend with Saint Origin relied on the latter not having truly achieved sainthood. This demonstrated the immense gap between a Half-Saint and a true Saint.

Countless beings in Cangxuan Heaven stirred uneasily. Many were perhaps unfamiliar with the distant realm of a Saint, yet this did not prevent them from feeling a profound fear deep within their souls.

It was an innate survival instinct.

If even ordinary beings reacted this way, how much more so the experts of the Cangxuan Alliance? At that moment, their faces were ashen. If not for Zhou Yuan, their Alliance Head, standing in the void and offering a glimmer of hope, the Cangxuan Alliance army would likely have already crumbled.

The might of a Saint was enough to shake heaven and earth.

“Zhou Yuan, we must stop him from achieving sainthood!” Xi Jing urged, sensing the growing unease within the Cangxuan Alliance army.

Grand Elder Qing Yang and the others looked on, their eyes filled with anxiety.

Zhou Yuan stared at the Saint Lotus Bud slowly blossoming above the Saint Origin Palace Master’s head and shook his head. “It cannot be stopped. His ascension ritual has begun. He sacrificed all the experts of the Sacred Palace, and now the Sacred God has sent a wisp of mysterious energy to aid his breakthrough. At this point, not even a true Saint could stop Saint Origin from achieving sainthood, let alone me.”

Upon hearing this, everyone felt a surge of despair.

Previously, the Saint Origin Palace Master had already been incredibly formidable; Zhou Yuan had exerted immense effort just to seal his Saint Lotus Bud. Now, the Palace Master was on the cusp of transforming the bud into a lotus. If he truly entered sainthood, even Zhou Yuan might not be able to defeat him.

Would Cangxuan Heaven still have hope then?

“It seems you are quite rational,” the Saint Origin Palace Master remarked, raising his head to offer Zhou Yuan a faint smile from his seated position on the blood sea.

“But it makes no difference now. Once I achieve sainthood, Zhou Yuan, not only you but everything you know will be erased.”

His words were light, yet they held immense murderous intent.

“Now, there is nothing you can do but quietly await your destruction. Heh heh, are you experiencing true despair?”

Countless experts of the Cangxuan Alliance wore furious expressions, but their rage was utterly powerless.

They could all sense that as the Saint Lotus Bud above Saint Origin’s head gradually bloomed, his aura became progressively more terrifying.

Zhou Yuan, however, showed no signs of anger. Instead, the coldness in his eyes deepened as he calmly stated, “The final outcome is not for you to decide.”

The Saint Origin Palace Master looked on with interest. “Do you still have some trick up your sleeve?”

Zhou Yuan did not answer directly, instead posing a question: “Where did you hide the other part of the Saint Seal fragments?”

The Saint Origin Palace Master replied playfully, “Take a guess.”

Zhou Yuan smiled. “When we fought earlier, I didn’t detect any Saint Seal fragments on you. I even used my Saint Runes to sense for them, but still found nothing. It seems you’ve hidden them very well.”

“They must be in the deepest part of this Sacred Blood Pool, right?” He gestured towards the turbulent sea of blood.

The Saint Origin Palace Master’s expression faltered slightly.

“I possess four Saint Runes, giving me a unique connection to the Cangxuan Saint Seal fragments. Now, that connection is completely obscured. Looking around, what else in this place, besides your bizarre sea of blood, could possibly conceal them?” Zhou Yuan said with a smile.

The Saint Origin Palace Master scoffed. “Clever. The portion of the Saint Seal fragments collected by the Sacred Palace over the years are indeed in the depths of the blood sea. What’s more, it was precisely by using this half of the Saint Seal fragments as a guide that I was able to make a sacrifice to the Sacred God.”

“What? Do you intend to retrieve those Saint Seal fragments, then forge them into the complete Cangxuan Saint Seal, and use it to contend with me once I achieve sainthood?”

The Saint Origin Palace Master possessed keen insight, seeing through Zhou Yuan’s intentions immediately.

Zhou Yuan did not deny it. Instead, he smiled. “I do indeed have that plan.”

The Saint Origin Palace Master chuckled playfully. “Then it depends on whether you have the courage to enter the depths of this blood sea and reclaim those fragments.”

The Sacred Blood Pool was now terrifyingly dangerous. If Zhou Yuan dared to enter, no matter his methods, he would ultimately find escape impossible. Thus, if Zhou Yuan were reckless enough to charge into the blood pool’s depths to seize the Cangxuan Saint Seal fragments, the Saint Origin Palace Master would eagerly await his demise.

Zhou Yuan smiled, his expression enigmatic. “I don’t necessarily need to retrieve them in person.”

The Saint Origin Palace Master squinted, sneering. “At a time like this, are you still playing games?”

Zhou Yuan slowly stated, “Saint Origin, don’t assume you’re the only one with a hidden move…”

As he spoke, his hands swiftly formed a seal.

The moment his hand seal was complete, streaks of light suddenly burst forth from the depths of the blood sea.

This development slightly startled the Saint Origin Palace Master. His gaze swept across the depths of the blood sea, where, to his surprise, several jade tablets had appeared at some unknown point, now emitting light.

“When did these jade tablets enter the depths of the blood sea?” The Saint Origin Palace Master exclaimed, yet his actions were swift. With a thought, the blood sea surged, and the jade tablets were instantly crushed.

But as the jade tablets shattered, the light did not diminish; instead, it intensified.

At the center of the intensified light, a mysterious fragment became visible.

The Saint Origin Palace Master recognized the fragment; it was undoubtedly a Cangxuan Saint Seal fragment!

Each jade tablet had concealed a Saint Seal fragment!

What the Saint Origin Palace Master found utterly unbelievable was that Zhou Yuan had voluntarily cast the Cangxuan Alliance’s portion of the Saint Seal fragments into the blood pool!

Wasn’t this akin to walking into a trap?!

In that moment, if he hadn't understood Zhou Yuan’s position, the Saint Origin Palace Master might even have believed that Zhou Yuan, like himself, was a fanatical devotee of the Sacred God!

Despite this, the Saint Origin Palace Master couldn’t help but burst out laughing. “Zhou Yuan, I’ve spent years trying to collect these Saint Seal fragments without success, and now you’re delivering them right to my doorstep?!”

Zhou Yuan gazed at the laughing Saint Origin Palace Master and smiled back, his expression deep and inscrutable.

With a flick of his finger, the Saint Seal fragments that had submerged into the blood sea’s depths suddenly shot forth, aiming directly for the other suppressed portion of Saint Seal fragments deep within the blood sea!

“That’s right… I’ve given them all to you. Make sure you catch them!”