Chapter 172: Saint Tablet Inscription

The ground was scorched black and littered with debris.

Wu Huang stared grimly at the bloody gash on his arm, his eye twitching slightly. He hadn't expected Tuntun's claw to be so incredibly sharp.

With that single claw, his Genesis Qi defense had been easily torn through, offering little resistance.

Ye Ming approached Wu Huang, glancing at his arm. His eyes narrowed slightly as he said, "This Genesis Beast is extraordinary."

Wu Huang nodded. "It must be a Genesis Beast with an exceptionally high-grade bloodline."

The mysterious Genesis Beast before them was incredibly powerful and ferocious. If he were to face it, he wouldn't dare hold back anything.

However, the current situation clearly wouldn't allow him to fight it alone.

"If you don't have any other tricks, I'll have to find a way to leave myself," Wu Huang said coldly. "If we continue like this, none of us will escape."

The current situation was extremely unfavorable for them. Besides Zhou Yuan and the others lurking nearby, the dozen or so Rank 4 Genesis Beasts alone were enough to give them a severe headache.

If they continued to be entangled, something unexpected might genuinely happen.

Ye Ming clearly understood this as well. He sighed helplessly, glancing towards Zhou Yuan. "I didn't expect the situation to turn out like this. This Zhou Yuan is truly troublesome; no wonder he became your mortal enemy..."

"But don't worry, if we want to leave, they won't be able to stop us."

He slowly stepped forward, his hands suddenly forming a seal. Black whirlpools emerged in his dark pupils, spinning furiously.

"Night Devil Qi, Night Devil Sky!"

Two streams of profound dark Genesis Qi suddenly shot out from Ye Ming's eyes. In the next instant, the entire world seemed to plunge into an endless darkness.

The darkness spread everywhere, not only obstructing vision but also reducing spiritual perception to its lowest point.

The Rank 4 Genesis Beasts lost their bearings and dared not attack recklessly. They coiled up, protecting themselves, and emitted low roars.

"Closer, consolidate," Zhou Yuan's voice echoed. This darkness was difficult to dispel, and individual attacks would undoubtedly give the opponent an opportunity to pick them off one by one.

Zhen Xu and Lu Luo moved closer, guided by the sound, gathering around Zhou Yuan. Tuntun, its crimson beast eyes scanning, also slowly retreated.

"How troublesome," Ye Ming murmured in the darkness.

His original plan was to catch the opponents off guard with this sudden move. If they had continued to attack recklessly, he could have gathered his strength and swiftly eliminated them.

However, Zhou Yuan's quick reaction rendered his plan ineffective.

"Now, we can only retreat."

He shook his head, then flicked a finger. A subtle sound entered the ears of Wu Huang, Zhu Ying, and the others, and immediately, everyone sharply drew back and rapidly retreated.

The darkness gradually dispersed.

Lu Luo immediately looked in the direction where Wu Huang and the others had been. The area was empty, and their figures were faintly visible on the horizon, clearly having chosen to retreat.

"They got away!" Lu Luo said, unwilling to accept it.

Zhou Yuan also felt some regret. This had indeed been an opportunity to completely trap Wu Huang and Ye Ming here. However, it was clear that Wu Huang and Ye Ming were not simple opponents; they possessed an endless array of tactics, making it far from easy to eliminate them.

Zhou Yuan gazed in the direction where Wu Huang and the others had vanished, his eyes narrowing slightly, a chilling killing intent flashing through them.

"No rush," he murmured. "There will be other opportunities. In this Sacred Remains Domain, a victor will eventually be decided."

As Wu Huang and the others retreated, the dozen or so Rank 4 Genesis Beasts turned their heads and roared at Zhou Yuan's group, intending to drive them away.

However, Tuntun roared back at them, its thunderous growl echoing through the forest.

After Tuntun's roars, the Rank 4 Genesis Beasts slowly retreated.

Tuntun shook its body, its massive form rapidly shrinking until it reverted to its usual dull grey appearance, looking unremarkable save for its cuteness.

However, after the previous battle, everyone knew what terrifying power this seemingly lazy little creature possessed.

Tuntun hopped onto Zhou Yuan's shoulder, its beast eyes glinting as it patted him.

"It's asking how Sister Yaoyao is," Lu Luo translated from the side.

Zhou Yuan patted Tuntun's head. "Yaoyao has escaped them. She's fine for now and should be recuperating. She'll rejoin us once she's rested."

Hearing this, Tuntun visibly relaxed.

Just as they were speaking, they all suddenly felt something, looking up at the high sky. The Sacred Stele high above had begun to tremble.

Light gathered on its surface, and ancient characters began to flash once more.

"Someone else has left their name on the Stele!" Lu Luo exclaimed in surprise.

Zhou Yuan and Zhen Xu both focused their gaze.

On the Sacred Stele, only Yaoyao, Wu Huang, and Ye Ming had previously left their names. Now, below them, another name appeared.

"Jiang Quan, Eastern Profound Continent."

"Record: Fought Zhen Xu, Victorious."

Lu Luo looked at Zhen Xu sympathetically. To be displayed there as a negative example was quite embarrassing.

Zhen Xu's face remained pale and expressionless. He simply stated calmly, "If he hadn't had teammates secretly observing and locking me down, it wouldn't have been so easy for him to defeat me."

However, his hand was clenched tightly, indicating that he wasn't as indifferent as he appeared.

After all, as one of the top prodigies of the Cangxuan Continent, Zhen Xu naturally had his pride.

Zhou Yuan nodded. He believed that given Zhen Xu's evident pride, he likely wasn't boasting. Moreover, the people from the Eastern Profound Continent truly resorted to unscrupulous methods.

This was evident from their complete disregard for fairness, directly choosing to use superior numbers to confront Yaoyao and the others.

And just after Jiang Quan's name appeared, light gathered below it, and then another name began to emerge.

"Zhu Ying, Eastern Profound Continent."

"Record: Fought Lu Luo, Minor Victory."

Lu Luo's little mouth immediately pouted. She had just been mocking Zhen Xu, and now she, too, had instantly become a negative example.

"This is infuriating! Where did I lose to her?!" Lu Luo retorted indignantly. "If I hadn't been caught off guard and allowed her to immediately trap Little Han, and if Little Han and I hadn't fully merged our powers, how could Zhu Ying have possibly done anything to me?"

While Lu Luo was still protesting, the Sacred Stele's light hadn't stopped. Then, yet another name slowly began to appear.

"Zhou Yuan, Cangxuan Continent."

"Record: Fought Zhu Ying."

"Victory."

A look of surprise appeared on Zhou Yuan's face. He clearly hadn't expected his earlier battle with Zhu Ying to also be recognized by the Sacred Stele, earning him a place on it.