Chapter 185: Blue Wave Blocks the Holy Path

The moment Zhou Yuan moved to the forefront, gasps of astonishment erupted both inside and outside the Saint Remains City, and countless people were visibly moved.

They simply couldn't understand why Zhou Yuan, who had appeared to be at the end of his rope, suddenly became full of vigor and vitality, not only catching up but even standing on par with Wu Huang and the others.

It was baffling because, after all, Zhou Yuan was still only in the Heavenly Gate Realm, while Wu Huang and the rest had truly entered the Alpha Origin Realm!

The gap between them was not small, yet Zhou Yuan had managed to close it. How could this not be astonishing?

Outside the Saint Remains City, Mu Wuji watched the scene, a hint of surprise in his eyes. He murmured to himself, "This young man seems to have cultivated some extremely profound Qi-drawing technique."

His discerning eye immediately spotted that Zhou Yuan's Genesis Qi was recovering rapidly, a speed that could only be achieved through a highly advanced Qi-drawing technique.

"But, he finally persevered..."

Mu Wuji smiled, taking a puff from his pipe, a stream of blue smoke puffing out from his nostrils. Through the drifting smoke, he looked at Zhao Pan, the envoy from the Sacred Palace. The envoy was staring expressionlessly at the light mirror, but from the slight twitch at the corner of his eye, Mu Wuji knew that his heart was probably not as calm as he appeared.

"It seems this young man might truly be a dark horse..."

Mu Wuji grinned, thinking that the old man's foresight was truly remarkable.

Soon after Zhou Yuan's surge, which put him on par with top talents like Wu Huang and Ye Ming, the eighth stone platform appeared in their sight.

Ye Ming's gaze fell upon the last top talent from the Eastern Profound Continent following him: a white-haired young man with an indifferent expression. However, judging by the formidable Genesis Qi emanating from him, he was even stronger than Zhu Ying and the others who had come before.

"Fang Zong, you go."

The white-haired youth didn't reply. With a slight tap of his foot, he appeared like a phantom on the stone platform, his cold gaze sweeping over Zhou Yuan, Li Chunjun, and Ning Zhan. "Who among you dares to contend with me for the fortune of this platform?"

Zhou Yuan, Li Chunjun, and Ning Zhan exchanged glances. Li Chunjun slowly suggested, "How about the one with the weakest Genesis Qi goes?"

Ning Zhan scratched his head. He looked at Zhou Yuan; originally, Zhou Yuan's Genesis Qi was the weakest, but after the previous events, it was still robust. It seemed he was slightly weaker.

"I originally wanted to fight Wu Huang again, but I didn't expect to stop here."

Ning Zhan gave a wry smile, but then his eyes, full of fierce combat intent, turned blazing hot as he looked at the white-haired youth on the platform. "However, this guy looks like he can take a beating. I hope he can give me a good fight!"

"Hey, Zhou Yuan! If you encounter Wu Huang, give him a good beating for me!"

Ning Zhan shouted at Zhou Yuan, then burst forward with a thunderous roar, landing directly on the eighth stone platform like a cannonball.

Zhou Yuan watched his retreating figure and nodded slightly.

As Ning Zhan and Fang Zong landed on the eighth platform, only Zhou Yuan, Wu Huang, Ye Ming, and Li Chunjun remained on the azure stone steps.

These four were considered the most exceptional talents in the Saint Remains City.

Countless gazes intently watched this scene. As time passed, the struggle on the azure stone steps clearly became more intense and thrilling.

What piqued their curiosity most was which two of the top talents would contend for the ninth stone platform.

Inside and outside the Saint Remains City, countless eyes fixated on the scene, and a profound silence fell over the land.

Just over ten minutes quietly passed in this silence.

"It's appeared!"

"The ninth stone platform has appeared!"

Suddenly, countless exclamations echoed through the air, breaking the silence. All eyes were drawn to the sight, and indeed, above the azure stone steps, a stone platform floated silently.

This was the final stone platform on the Saint Stairs!

Conquering this platform meant reaching the summit of the Sacred Mountain and seizing the greatest fortune!

At this moment, almost everyone's eyes burned with eagerness, unblinking.

Not only them, but even the four—Zhou Yuan included—felt a ripple of emotion and a subtle sense of relief upon seeing the ninth stone platform.

The appearance of the ninth platform signified that the Saint Stairs were nearing their end.

However, just as the four of them felt a moment of relief, the entire Saint Stairs suddenly seemed to vibrate. Then, to their shock, Zhou Yuan and the other three watched as a torrent of azure energy began to gather on the upper part of the steps, forming colossal azure waves that piled up continuously.

In just a few breaths, the azure waves swelled to a height of nearly a thousand feet.

The waves were filled with rampant, incomparably fierce Genesis Qi.

"Damn it!"

Faced with such monstrous waves, even the four of them, including Zhou Yuan, couldn't help but curse aloud.

Boom!

However, the thousand-foot azure wave completely disregarded their curses, shaking violently and unleashing its overwhelming power, pouring down upon the four of them.

The momentum was so immense that it seemed anything in its path would be obliterated.

The four of them took a deep breath, and in the next instant, they all shot forward simultaneously.

They all knew this was the final obstacle before reaching the summit; if they could break through, they would undoubtedly ascend!

Wu Huang roared, and crimson Genesis Qi surged behind him, transforming into a rising crimson sun. Within the sun, a three-legged Golden Crow was faintly discernible.

Li Chunjun, wielding his black heavy sword, seemed to merge with his weapon, turning into a streaking sword light as he shot forward.

In Ye Ming's eyes, vortices spun. Black Genesis Qi gathered in his palm, rapidly expanding to form a dark vortex that shielded him.

Zhou Yuan also let out a long cry. The Genesis Qi in his Qi Residence erupted without reservation, the dark golden energy subtly forming a colossal golden python. The python opened its massive maw, swallowed Zhou Yuan, and then, with a flick of its tail, surged forward.

The four figures, pouring out all their strength at that moment, collided head-on with the descending thousand-foot azure wave under the scrutiny of countless burning gazes.

Bang! Bang!

The entire Saint Stairs seemed to tremble slightly at that instant.

Violent shockwaves raged wildly.

All eyes were fixed intently on the four figures as they plunged into the azure wave, continuously breaking through the surging water, as if trying to pierce straight through it.

Everyone knew that if they could break through this thousand-foot azure wave, the very next step would lead them to the summit of the Sacred Mountain!

But who, indeed, would be able to accomplish it?!

At this moment, both inside and outside the Saint Remains City, no one dared to breathe.

Zhao Pan's eyes were wide and unblinking.

Mu Wuji even forgot to puff on the pipe held to his lips. Their gazes were all intently glued to the light mirror.

They all desperately wanted to know who, after such fierce contention, would be the final winner.