Chapter 1424: Purple Lotus Burns in the Sea of Blood

As Zhou Yuan's indifferent gaze from the void fell upon him, Sheng Yuan felt the rejection from the world intensify.

"Zhou Yuan..."

Palace Master Sheng Yuan's expression was grim. This mere ant, whom he had once dismissed, had actually become the Celestial Lord of Cangxuan Heaven, wielding supreme authority—power that should have rightfully belonged to him.

The more glorious Zhou Yuan's current position, the deeper Palace Master Sheng Yuan's regret. He lamented not taking this "ant" seriously back then; if only he had casually eradicated him, there would be no trouble today.

However, Zhou Yuan had no inclination to acknowledge Sheng Yuan's emotions at that moment. He merely cast an indifferent glance before turning his attention to the distance.

His gaze seemed to penetrate the void, directly perceiving the rampant blood-red pillars of light. As the crimson glow spread, it relentlessly devoured countless despairing beings.

A chill flickered in Zhou Yuan's eyes, and the temperature throughout the world instantly plummeted.

The Cangxuan Saint Seal glowed in his palm, and the mysterious, ancient genesis runes on his Celestial Lord's robe brightened.

Simultaneously, in various parts of Cangxuan Heaven where the blood-red pillars of light raged, the sky suddenly split open. Immediately, purple-glowing heavenly flames surged down, illuminating the firmament. These purple flames landed around the blood-red pillars, then spread and rapidly connected, encircling them.

The purple flames surged fiercely, finally colliding with the blood-red pillars.

Sizzle!

The moment they touched, countless sharp shrieks seemed to emanate from within, as two terrifying forces wildly eroded and intertwined, each striving to extinguish the other.

Where they intertwined, the space was completely warped into a dark void.

This stalemate, however, was only temporary.

Cracks continuously appeared in the sky, from which lumps of purple heavenly flames ceaselessly descended, making the sea of purple fire ever more turbulent and fierce.

With Zhou Yuan wielding the Cangxuan Saint Seal, he could now mobilize the power of the entire heaven domain. Supported by the domain itself, even the supremely domineering blood-red pillars could not withstand such relentless consumption.

Consequently, as time passed, after a short while, the blood-red pillars finally began to wane, slowly receding inch by inch...

Finally, the purple flames swept over, and as the purple tendrils engulfed them, the blood-red pillars were completely incinerated.

Across Cangxuan Heaven, the towering blood-red pillars of light gradually vanished, one after another.

Seeing this, the beings who had been desperately fleeing beneath the blood-red pillars erupted into cheers, weeping tears of joy. Only after enduring the previous despair and wails could they truly appreciate the preciousness of this moment.

Countless beings now knelt, excitedly prostrating themselves towards the void, knowing full well that this was undoubtedly the work of Celestial Lord Zhou Yuan.

As the last blood-red pillar vanished from Cangxuan Heaven, Patriarch Qing Yang and the others likewise felt a wave of relief, their tensed bodies slowly relaxing.

In the void, Zhou Yuan's gaze withdrew from the distant horizon, then indifferently settled on Palace Master Sheng Yuan, who was on the blood sea altar below.

At this moment, Sheng Yuan also sensed the disappearance of the sacrificial blood pillars. His expression became utterly grim, tinged with a hint of disbelieving dread.

He found it hard to believe that the sacrificial barrier, which he had spent over a decade preparing, had been so easily dismantled by Zhou Yuan.

"Is this the power of a Celestial Lord?" Palace Master Sheng Yuan murmured bitterly to himself.

However, he immediately suppressed this emotion. His face twisted as he declared, "I haven't lost yet! This altar was bestowed by the Saint Race; even if you've become a Celestial Lord, you cannot destroy it!"

Rumble!

Just as he finished speaking, Sheng Yuan suddenly felt the ground beneath him begin to tremble violently. Then, his pupils constricted as he witnessed unimaginably vast purple flames rising from beneath the sea of blood.

As the purple flames ascended, they subtly formed a purple fiery lotus, spanning an area of millions of miles.

The sea of blood where he was located was precisely and slowly lifted up by this purple fiery lotus.

This scene was truly magnificent; from a distance, it resembled a small continent rising.

Patriarch Qing Yang and the others were also considerably shaken by this sight, their faces etched with shock. Such power... it truly instilled a profound sense of helplessness.

Zhou Yuan's expression, however, remained calm. He extended his right palm, slowly closing his fingers.

As his fingers closed, the massive fiery petals of the purple lotus carrying the sea of blood slowly converged towards its center.

Terrifying power coalesced within. The sea of blood began to boil, blood mist rose, and then instantly vanished upon contact with the surging purple flames.

Now, having ascended to Celestial Lord of Cangxuan Heaven, Zhou Yuan commanded power within this heaven domain that was terrifying beyond description. It could be said that even a Saint of the One-Lotus realm would gain no advantage whatsoever by engaging him in battle within Cangxuan Heaven.

Furthermore, this was merely with Zhou Yuan's initial grasp of the Cangxuan Saint Seal.

Such was the vast and mighty power of a Heaven Lord.

Sheng Yuan, seated on the altar, watched the fiery petals slowly converge. The power emanating from the boiling sea of blood made him tremble slightly.

The boiling sea of blood was rapidly evaporating, and the strange, violent power it contained was also dissolving.

Crack.

Suddenly, a faint cracking sound reached his ears. Sheng Yuan looked down, his pupils constricting as he saw cracks beginning to appear on the altar beneath him.

"Even it can't withstand this..."

Sheng Yuan sighed softly. The scorching heat sweeping in from the surrounding void made his Sacred Soul increasingly ethereal. Within his Sacred Soul, specks of purple light appeared, signifying its erosion by the purple lotus flames.

Sheng Yuan remained silent for a few breaths, understanding that his demise was truly imminent.

Yet, at this moment, he felt an unusual tranquility. He dazedly raised his head, gazing at the giant fiery lotus slowly closing and gradually obscuring the sky.

"How did I ever end up like this...?" Sheng Yuan murmured, a hint of bewilderment in his voice.

He, too, once possessed astonishing talent and boundless prospects. Yet, it seemed he had gradually lost his true self on the path of pursuing power.

When did it all begin?

Was it when he witnessed the mighty power of Patriarch Cangxuan, then Celestial Lord of Cangxuan Heaven, wielding his authority...? At that time, he had felt envy and aspired to emulate him, but he later discovered that no matter how he strived, he could never catch up to Patriarch Cangxuan's pace.

The unwillingness in his heart gradually transformed into an obsession. Unbeknownst to him, an inexplicable whisper began in the depths of his heart. He now knew that whisper came from the omnipotent Saint God.

Before that whisper emerged, he had explored an ancient ruin bearing traces of an ancient war. It was highly probable that, at that time, he had unknowingly become contaminated by the Saint God's will.

Sheng Yuan shook his head with a bitter smile, realizing that ultimately, it was his own troubled mind that had allowed the Saint God's will to seize an opportunity.

"So be it. Let everything end here."

Sheng Yuan extended his ethereal palm and patted the altar beneath him, where cracks were appearing. He chuckled, "Saint God, it seems all your investments in me will be wasted."

Crack!

More and more cracks emerged from the altar. Above, the giant fiery lotus had only a minuscule gap remaining as terrifying power swept in from all directions, poised to annihilate everything, including Sheng Yuan and the altar itself.

Sheng Yuan stared at the crumbling altar, when suddenly, an inexplicable whisper resonated in his mind once more.

As he listened to the whisper, his face dramatically changed the next instant. He abruptly looked up and cried out, "Don't destroy the alt—"

But his voice ultimately failed to escape, for the fiery lotus had completely closed at that very moment.

Surging purple flames roared forth, overwhelming everything.

As the purple flames swept through, Sheng Yuan's Sacred Soul was instantly and utterly evaporated into nothingness. Simultaneously, the blood-red altar shattered into pieces.