Chapter 1470: The Ninth Mark, Tianyuan

When the SkyNet Chessboard fell from before his eyes, Yan Xu felt a chill shoot straight from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. He hadn't expected Zhou Yuan to possess such a powerful sealing Genesis Art, one capable of sealing even his Twin-Lotus-rank Sacred Object. Although he could sense the seal was temporary, in the current situation, losing the SkyNet Chessboard's protection would genuinely put him in trouble.

Just as his thoughts raced, Zhou Yuan gave him no more time. With a thought, the last few meteorites, containing small spaces, whistled towards him. Yan Xu's expression subtly changed. His figure became ethereal, retreating like lightning, oscillating between solid and illusory, as if existing at the boundary between reality and illusion.

At the same time, he formed hand seals, and between his brows, a Sacred Eye slowly opened. Within the Sacred Eye, nine stars shone. Mysterious light whistled out from the Sacred Eye, forming nine massive luminous tendrils that gently swayed, centered around the Sacred Eye.

"Dragon Whisker Fire!"

As the luminous tendrils appeared, Yan Xu suddenly let out a sharp cry. The next moment, golden flames swept out from within the Sacred Eye. These flames were slender, swaying like dragon whiskers, emitting an extremely terrifying temperature. Just one stream of this fire, if it entered a small space, would likely melt it completely, showcasing its immense power.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Streaks of Dragon Whisker Fire whistled out, colliding with the falling small-space meteorites. The instant they collided, a piercing sound rang out, and the space meteorites instantly melted, turning into fiery red magma that splattered through the void.

But before Yan Xu could even breathe a sigh of relief, the sky suddenly shattered, revealing a giant fist smashing down with a roar, wrapped in vast power.

Boom!

The mighty giant fist cleanly shattered more than a dozen slender streaks of Dragon Whisker Fire, then, with a brutal and domineering posture, it slammed directly into Yan Xu's seemingly illusory yet substantial body.

Yan Xu's figure was sent flying tens of thousands of miles, and a mouthful of fresh blood spurted out. Though he looked extremely disheveled, his illusory body had clearly neutralized most of the attack.

"He can really take a beating."

Zhou Yuan watched Yan Xu, who, though suppressed throughout, remained lively and agile, and couldn't help but shake his head. The vitality of a Saint was truly tenacious; if their Sacred Lotus couldn't be destroyed, they could rapidly regenerate even from just a single drop of Sacred Blood.

"Zhou Yuan, trying to destroy me is a fool's dream!" Yan Xu, covered in dirt, was still ferociously roaring. "Time is on my side now! As long as I can stall you for a bit, once Ancient Saint Thunder-Wielder arrives, you'll wish for death but cannot find it, wish for life but cannot live!"

Zhou Yuan ignored his roar, although he understood that the other party was indeed right; destroying a Twin-Lotus Ancient Saint in such a short time was not an easy task. However, being unable to destroy him didn't mean Zhou Yuan truly had no means to deal with him.

Zhou Yuan stared indifferently at the ferociously roaring Yan Xu. That chilling gaze made the latter's heart skip a beat, and he suddenly felt a sense of unease. Just as Yan Xu felt uneasy, Zhou Yuan clenched his hand, and a streak of black light flowed around his fingertips, finally resting quietly in his palm. The mottled pen body was, naturally, the Heavenly Origin Brush.

Zhou Yuan flicked his finger, and the Heavenly Origin Brush shot out nimbly, circling around him a few times before expanding against the wind, growing to about a zhang in size. Zhou Yuan looked at the Heavenly Origin Brush hovering before him, his face softening, and a hint of a smile rippled in his eyes.

"Old friend, you've been with me for many years, haven't you?" His palm gently stroked the mottled pen body. He seemed to recall something, his eyes dimming slightly as he whispered, "After leaving that space back then, now, only you are by my side."

When he left the space where Master Cang Yuan resided, Zhou Yuan was with Yao Yao, Tun Tun, and the Heavenly Origin Brush. But now, both Yao Yao and Tun Tun had fallen into sealed slumber, and only the Heavenly Origin Brush remained by his side.

Buzz! Buzz!

The Heavenly Origin Brush, imbued with spirit, subtly vibrated as if offering comfort. Zhou Yuan braced himself and smiled, "When Master Cang Yuan bestowed you upon me back then, you were heavily damaged and reduced to an ordinary item. I said then that one day, I would definitely help you return to your peak."

"And now... it's time for the Heavenly Origin Brush's name to resound throughout all-heavens once more."

His palm slowly stroked over it, and as his palm passed, the ancient Genesis Runes upon its surface progressively brightened.

First Rune: Civil and Martial.Second Rune: Erosion.Third Rune: Myriad Transformations.Fourth Rune: Myriad Whales.Fifth Rune: Source Breaker.Sixth Rune: Soul Devourer.Seventh Rune: Promotion.Eighth Rune: Genesis Soul.

The eight Genesis Runes radiated profound light, and terrifying power condensed into layers of wondrous halos. Zhou Yuan gazed at them, acknowledging how these eight Genesis Runes bore witness to his cultivation path, from the initial opening of his eight meridians to becoming the master of an entire heaven today.

His palm moved over the ninth Genesis Rune. At this moment, tens of thousands of rays of light burst forth. Vast Genesis Qi surged between heaven and earth, continuously converging towards the Heavenly Origin Brush. Thunder rumbled between heaven and earth, reverberating loudly in every corner of this space. Everyone could clearly feel an extremely powerful might and pressure sweeping out from within the Heavenly Origin Brush, raging across the sky.

Yan Xu's expression in the distance also drastically changed at this moment, because he could feel that the fully awakened Heavenly Origin Brush, in terms of rank, was no weaker than his SkyNet Chessboard! Moreover, his SkyNet Chessboard leaned more towards rules and defense, but the Heavenly Origin Brush was clearly more focused on offense! Zhou Yuan was already gaining the upper hand; if he had the aid of such a Sacred Object, it would be like adding wings to a tiger!

As Yan Xu's expression changed, the Heavenly Origin Brush's ninth Rune was completely lit. At this moment, the Sacred Genesis Weapon that once followed Master Cang Yuan through countless battles had finally fully recovered its former glory. Zhou Yuan held the Heavenly Origin Brush in his hand. He could feel the joyful and excited emotion emanating from the brush's body, and he himself was influenced, a smile appearing on his face.

Then, he raised his head and, with a smile, locked onto Yan Xu. However, beneath this smile, Yan Xu felt a bone-chilling cold. The next moment, his figure abruptly transformed into a streak of light and shot through the air; judging by this stance, he was actually planning to escape this sea-region space! Clearly, a Saint's perception allowed him to sense a dangerous aura.

Zhou Yuan watched Yan Xu, who was attempting to flee. His hands gripped the Heavenly Origin Brush tightly as vast power surged into it. The nine Genesis Runes emitted countless rays of light, illuminating every corner of this space.

"Heavenly Origin Brush, Ninth Rune..."

Accompanying Zhou Yuan's low murmur, streams of light flowed down from where the nine Genesis Runes were, finally converging at the brush's tip. A black light spot, like an ink stain, emerged at the brush's tip. That black light spot was exceptionally pure black, seemingly capable of even devouring light. Zhou Yuan gazed at the somewhat eerie black spot, then slowly spoke the name of the ninth Rune: "Heavenly Origin."

The black light spot detached from the brush tip like a drop of water falling into a lake, rippled slightly, then... vanished into thin air. But the instant it vanished, Yan Xu, who was about to escape this space, his pupils suddenly constricted. He saw the void shatter before him, and a black light spot about the size of a fist flew towards him, striking his chest.

Upon impact, there was no earth-shattering sound, but everyone was horrified to see Yan Xu's physical body suddenly twist. The black light spot, like a black hole, swallowed Yan Xu whole the instant it made contact.

Zhou Yuan's figure appeared before the black light spot. He extended his palm, and a black orb of light hovered there, dark and profound within. He could sense that in the deepest part of that black orb, Yan Xu was as if covered by a black ocean; no matter how he roared or struggled, he found it difficult to break free.

In the sea-region space, the Saints from both the Saint Race and the All-Heavens had all ceased fighting due to the clash between Zhou Yuan and Yan Xu. As their gazes turned towards this side, their expressions were all moved.

"This is the Heavenly Origin Black Realm..." Zhuan Zhu looked at the black light spot hovering in Zhou Yuan's palm, his expression becoming much more solemn. The so-called Heavenly Origin Black Realm was a transformation derived from the Heavenly Origin Brush's ninth Rune, "Heavenly Origin." It was said that this Rune formed a unique world of its own, filled with darkness, effectively a dark prison. This prison could imprison Saints!

In ancient times, many Saint Race Saints were trapped within it, which is why the Heavenly Origin Black Realm had earned a formidable and ominous reputation. However, in a later great battle, Master Cang Yuan, who wielded the Heavenly Origin Brush, was targeted by an Ancient Saint from the Saint Race. The latter, wielding a Three-Lotus Sacred Object, heavily damaged the Heavenly Origin Brush. From then on, the Heavenly Origin Black Realm gradually faded into obscurity throughout the All-Heavens as the Heavenly Origin Brush became broken. Unexpectedly, today, it would reappear in Zhou Yuan's hands.

"This is the Heavenly Origin Black Realm!"

"Zhou Yuan, even this Black Realm can only temporarily imprison me! As soon as the enhancements on you weaken, I'll be able to break free! Trying to destroy me with the Heavenly Origin Black Realm is simply a fool's dream!"

Ripples spread within the black orb of light, and Yan Xu's faint roars could be heard. Zhou Yuan's eyes were indifferent as he said calmly, "The Heavenly Origin Black Realm is indeed more for imprisonment. But since you've fallen into my hands, do you think I lack ways to deal with you?"

"I have a method here that actually pairs perfectly with the Heavenly Origin Black Realm." He extended his palm, and the void in his palm slightly twisted, ultimately revealing an ancient gourd. The gourd was ancient and primitive, exuding a unique aura.

It was the Chaos Saint Refining Gourd!

The Heavenly Origin Black Realm had the power of imprisonment, while the Chaos Saint Refining Gourd possessed the power of Saint refining! Together, the two were a perfect match!

Zhou Yuan flicked his finger, and the black orb of light floated up, then descended towards the mouth of the Saint Refining Gourd. At this moment, Yan Xu, imprisoned in the Black Realm, seemed to sense something and immediately let out furious and frenzied roars.

"Zhou Yuan, you can't kill me!"

"Just you wait! Ancient Saint Thunder-Wielder will be here soon, and he'll definitely rescue me!"

Before his roars had fully faded, the black orb of light disappeared into the Saint Refining Gourd. All sounds ceased abruptly. As the numerous gazes watched this scene, the experts from both the Saint Race and the All-Heavens couldn't help but swallow, their eyes filled with shock.