Chapter 1425: Black Hand Revealed

The enormous purple fire lotus slowly closed, turning everything within it into nothingness.

Countless strong practitioners of the Cangxuan Alliance watched the scene from afar. After a moment of silence, a thunderous cheer suddenly erupted, echoing through the sky.

At this moment, the culprit who had brought so much disaster to Cangxuan Heaven was finally eliminated. The warfare in Cangxuan Heaven, which had lasted for over a decade, finally came to an end.

Countless people, overwhelmed with emotion, cried tears of joy, then respectfully knelt before the slender figure standing in the void, exuding immense majesty.

This war against the Sacred Palace was full of twists and turns, with countless levels of contention. For the Cangxuan Alliance to ultimately achieve victory, the greatest credit naturally belonged to Zhou Yuan, who had now become the new Heaven Master. No one could deny this.

Moreover, had Zhou Yuan not returned from the Heavens at this critical moment, leading the heroes to establish the Cangxuan Alliance, attempting to fight against the Sacred Palace relying solely on the scattered state of other factions would undoubtedly have been a fool's errand.

This time, Zhou Yuan was the undisputed savior of Cangxuan Heaven.

As cheers echoed throughout Cangxuan Heaven, Grand Master Qingyang and the others gazed blankly at the gradually dissipating purple fire lotus. They could clearly sense that Saint Yuan's aura had indeed completely vanished from the world.

"Is it finally over?"

They exchanged glances, their expressions complex. This archenemy, with whom they had fought for many years, had now completely become history.

"Saint Yuan's talent was indeed superior to ours," Venerable Ancient Whale said in a low voice. "In fact, I always thought he might genuinely become the next Heaven Master of Cangxuan Heaven."

"Perhaps precisely because many people thought so, he eventually lost himself due to his inability to enter the Saint stage," Venerable Heavenly Sword slowly said.

Grand Master Qingyang sighed, saying, "Although he is indeed quite regrettable, no matter what, he brought immense disaster to Cangxuan Heaven, so there's no need to mourn him. Let him, along with the Sacred Palace, slowly be buried by time."

Several Grand Masters also nodded, indicating their agreement.

Then their gaze turned to the young figure in the void, who exuded the majesty of a Heaven and Earth Master. Now that Cangxuan Heaven once again had a Heaven Master, Zhou Yuan, from now on, would wield the authority of this realm, becoming the undisputed foremost figure in Cangxuan Heaven.

"Since the Sacred Palace has now been destroyed," Grand Master Qingyang said with a subtle flicker in his eyes and a smile, "there's likely not much need for the Cangxuan Alliance to continue existing."

However, no sooner had he spoken than a smile appeared on Venerable Heavenly Sword's aged face. "Grand Master Qingyang, you are mistaken," he said. "Although the Sacred Palace has been destroyed, the Saint Race still lurks behind it, coveting us. It is said that the Saint Race has been restless in recent years, and no one knows if they will initiate the ancient war to destroy worlds. Therefore, at a time like this, having the Cangxuan Alliance integrate various forces can provide Cangxuan Heaven with greater security."

Venerable Ancient Whale and Palace Master Dan Qingzi were not fools. They quickly understood Venerable Heavenly Sword's intentions and immediately nodded in agreement.

"Heh heh, Grand Master Qingyang, are you so eager to disband the Cangxuan Alliance because you have some special intentions?" Palace Master Dan Qingzi said with a charming smile.

"Although Heaven Master Zhou Yuan originated from the Cangxuan Sect, he is also the leader of our Cangxuan Alliance," Venerable Ancient Whale asked, blunt and undisguised. "Does Grand Master Qingyang wish to remove his latter identity so that the Cangxuan Sect can monopolize this favor?"

Grand Master Qingyang couldn't help but feel a bit awkward upon hearing this, secretly cursing the three old foxes in his heart.

His suggestion to disband the Cangxuan Alliance indeed stemmed from some personal motives. After all, Zhou Yuan's connection with the Cangxuan Sect was unbreakable. When he later presided over Cangxuan Heaven, even a slight favoritism towards the Cangxuan Sect would allow the Cangxuan Sect to regain its peak glory. However, Zhou Yuan also held the identity of the Alliance Leader, which would encourage other factions to latch onto him and seek connections, just like these three old foxes currently were.

Originally, he thought that Venerable Heavenly Sword, Dan Qingzi, Venerable Ancient Whale, and others would be very happy about the dissolution of the Cangxuan Alliance and the return of independence to various forces. However, he had not expected these three old figures to possess such far-sighted and shrewd perspectives.

It was clear they intended to firmly cling to Zhou Yuan's identity as the Alliance Leader, embracing him as the strongest pillar of support in Cangxuan Heaven.

Seeing the three Grand Masters' wary gazes, Grand Master Qingyang could only let out a dry cough. "What kind of talk is this?" he said. "I was just casually mentioning it. After all, you all used to worry that after the Cangxuan Alliance was established, your disciples' sense of belonging to their sects would be weakened."

Venerable Heavenly Sword gently said, "Grand Master Qingyang, you worry too much. With Alliance Leader Zhou Yuan overseeing the Cangxuan Alliance, in the future, this will be the most desired place in Cangxuan Heaven. We who are part of it will only gain glory."

Dan Qingzi said, "Is someone trying to claim Alliance Leader Zhou Yuan as their personal property and prevent others from revering or looking up to him?"

Grand Master Qingyang's mouth twitched slightly. This Dan Qingzi, while appearing charming, graceful, and utterly dignified, was ultimately a woman and quite sharp-tongued when speaking.

"Since everyone thinks this way, then of course, that's good," Grand Master Qingyang said, no longer daring to argue, only able to concede. "After all, whether to disband the Cangxuan Alliance or not, I cannot make the decision. It still depends on Heaven Master Zhou Yuan."

"If Alliance Leader Zhou Yuan were to have such thoughts, we would certainly plead earnestly, asking him not to abandon the various sects," Venerable Heavenly Sword said sincerely.

Grand Master Qingyang was completely speechless and could only shut his mouth.

While the fighting had just ceased and the various Grand Masters were making plans for the future, Zhou Yuan, in the void, was gazing at the enormous purple fire lotus.

Saint Yuan's Saint Soul had been completely incinerated.

The altar was also shattering and dissipating.

This outcome left Zhou Yuan feeling a little dazed. When he left Cangxuan Heaven back then, he had regarded Saint Yuan as a mortal enemy. He had trained diligently at all times, with the intention of returning to Cangxuan Heaven to settle their grievances. Now that this goal was achieved, he felt a complete release throughout his body.

"This turmoil has finally ended."

A voice reached him. Zhou Yuan looked up and saw that Old Ancestor Cangxuan's figure was already almost completely ethereal. Clearly, this last wisp of Old Ancestor Cangxuan's clone left in the world was also about to vanish.

"On behalf of the beings of Cangxuan Heaven, Zhou Yuan thanks you, Old Ancestor."

Zhou Yuan's expression was solemn as he bowed deeply to Old Ancestor Cangxuan. If not for the many contingency plans left by Old Ancestor Cangxuan, that he was able to eliminate Saint Yuan this time, the final outcome would indeed have been unpredictable.

As for Old Ancestor Cangxuan, Zhou Yuan was indeed filled with gratitude and respect. The bewildered young man who had left the Great Zhou Dynasty back then eventually went to the Cangxuan Sect under his guidance.

In a sense, Old Ancestor Cangxuan was Zhou Yuan's guide.

Old Ancestor Cangxuan looked at Zhou Yuan with eyes full of satisfaction. He smiled, saying, "Zhou Yuan, you have done even better than I imagined. In the future, you will surely surpass me."

"This clone is truly the last one," he continued. "From now on, there will be no more opportunities to meet again."

His body became increasingly transparent. Then his gaze turned to Grand Master Qingyang, Liu Lianyi, and the others in the distance, all of whom had red eyes.

Old Ancestor Cangxuan waved his hand at them. His transparent body slowly dissipated at last, leaving behind a sigh.

"Zhou Yuan, the future of Cangxuan Heaven is entrusted to you..."

"I was very fortunate, back then in the Saint Remains Domain, to have waited for you to enter..."

Old Ancestor Cangxuan's figure vanished between heaven and earth, only his final voice faintly echoing.

Zhou Yuan watched this scene with a touch of melancholy. He understood that Old Ancestor Cangxuan, who had truly sacrificed everything for Cangxuan Heaven, had truly exhausted all his contingency plans this time.

From now on, there would be no more opportunities to meet.

At this moment, throughout this realm, many strong practitioners of the Cangxuan Alliance also bowed, expressing their profound respect for this former Heaven Master.

After a while, Zhou Yuan composed himself. His gaze then turned to the gradually dissipating purple fire lotus. In his perception, everything within it had been incinerated into nothingness.

"Hm?"

However, just as the fire lotus completely disappeared, Zhou Yuan suddenly felt an inexplicable unease in his heart.

And just as this unease emerged, a black light suddenly shot out from where the fire lotus had vanished, rushing directly towards Zhou Yuan.

The black light arrived with extreme strangeness. However, in a flash, Zhou Yuan's thoughts stirred, and layers of purple fire screens appeared before him.

But the black light's strangeness exceeded his expectations. To it, the layers of purple fire screens seemed as if they didn't exist at all. With a single touch, it pierced through them and then struck Zhou Yuan's face directly.