Chapter 342: Four Great Realms

A colossal hand of Genesis Qi whistled down, seemingly obscuring the sky and sun. Qingfeng Peak was entirely enveloped, and the Genesis Qi between heaven and earth instantly boiled, making the whole world feel as if it was about to be torn apart.

Faced with such a terrifying scene, many disciples turned pale with fright, trembling uncontrollably, their eyes filled with terror.

The previous clash between Zhou Yuan and Wei Youxuan seemed like the difference between a giant and an infant compared to this.

As the colossal hand descended, Lu Hong, who was in the stone pavilion, was also startled. Immediately, he roared furiously, and boundless, ocean-like Genesis Qi surged skyward, forming an enormous Genesis Qi canopy that blocked the descending Genesis Qi hand.

Boom! Boom! Resounding thunder echoed, continuously reverberating between heaven and earth.

However, despite the clash, both Lu Hong and Shen Taiyuan exercised restraint, daring not to let the aftershocks spread to avoid harming the disciples. Thus, although thunder continued to reverberate, the shockwaves were suppressed within an extremely small area.

The stone pavilion where Lu Hong was standing was instantly reduced to dust.

The disciples around the stone pavilion were so terrified their legs turned to jelly. Even exceptional disciples like Yuan Hong had twitching faces and a look of lingering fear in their eyes.

If even a slightest bit of those previous aftershocks had spread, the disciples here would likely all have met the same fate as the stone pavilion.

"Shen Taiyuan!" Lu Hong looked at Shen Taiyuan, his face ashen, and roared angrily. He hadn't expected the latter to dare attack him directly in front of so many people.

If the aftershocks had spread and these disciples suffered heavy casualties, both of them would surely be severely punished by the sect.

Just thinking about such consequences, even Lu Hong's forehead beaded with cold sweat, filled with extreme shock and fury.

Shen Taiyuan's aged face was covered with a cold expression. He stared at Lu Hong and said chillingly, "Lu Hong, you old scoundrel, have you no shame? When the younger generation fights, a loss is a loss. How dare you oppress my disciple in front of me?"

Lu Hong's face twitched as he said, "Don't spout nonsense. I was merely emotionally unstable earlier, and my Genesis Qi was a bit out of control."

Of course, he would never admit that in his earlier rage, he had intended to use Genesis Qi pressure to force Zhou Yuan to kneel.

Shen Taiyuan sneered and scoffed, "You sore loser. If you want to play games, this old man will accompany you to the end!"

Being mocked in front of so many disciples, Lu Hong's face also turned ugly. His eyes darkened, and he said, "Hmph, do you really think I'm afraid of you? I'd also like to see what achievements you've made while holed up on Saint Genesis Peak all these years?"

"Then come and try!"

Shen Taiyuan took a step forward, and immense Genesis Qi surged forth, roaring, almost covering half the sky. Under that Genesis Qi pressure, the entire world trembled continuously.

"Try it, then!" Lu Hong retorted with an angry laugh and also stepped forward.

Instantly, two immense currents of Genesis Qi permeated the heavens and earth, continuously clashing and causing the surrounding colossal peaks to tremble as if on the verge of collapse.

Many disciples around, seeing these two elders confronting each other fiercely, were frightened, their faces turning pale. A confrontation of this level, even its aftershocks, was more than they could bear.

"Stop!" Elder Lu Song, seeing that these two were actually about to fight here, also changed his expression, hurriedly stepped forward, and shouted in a deep voice, "You two, don't act recklessly! If you injure any disciples, the Sect Master and the various Peak Masters will surely not let you off lightly."

He moved swiftly, appearing directly between the two confronting figures. With a flick of his sleeve, mighty Genesis Qi swept out, separating the clashing Genesis Qi of the two.

Shen Taiyuan and Lu Hong exchanged fierce glares, but ultimately did not completely lose their rationality. So, they both reined in their Genesis Qi, and the terrifying Genesis Qi pressure that filled the sky gradually dissipated.

They both understood that if they truly came to blows, it would inevitably reach Sect Master Qing Yang, and then neither of them would benefit.

On the cliffside, the terrifying pressure that had permeated the surroundings also dissipated. Zhou Yuan's tense body finally relaxed, and he let out a sigh of relief, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

The Genesis Qi pressure that Lu Hong had previously unleashed made him understand what true terror was. He feared that with just a single thought from the elder, he could be instantly obliterated.

"It is said that the primary condition for being an elder of the Cangxuan Sect is to have personally entered the Heavenly Sun Stage..." Zhou Yuan's eyes were fervent as he muttered to himself.

After the Alpha-Origin Stage, one cultivates the Divine Dwelling, which is known as the Divine Dwelling Stage.

The evolution of the Divine Dwelling forms a 'fetus' resembling a great sun. It originates from the Divine Dwelling, so the stage after the Divine Dwelling Stage is also known as the Heavenly Sun Stage.

The Heavenly Sun nurtures, giving birth to the primordial Qi of heaven and earth, hence it is also known as the Nascent Source Stage.

After the Nascent Source Stage, the Law Domain takes form.

Divine Dwelling, Heavenly Sun, Nascent Source, Law Domain.

These are the four major stages after the Alpha-Origin Stage.

And clearly, the three elders before him—Lu Hong, Shen Taiyuan, and Lu Song—were all powerful cultivators who had entered the Heavenly Sun Stage. In the entire Cangxuan Heaven, they could become figures renowned throughout a region.

This was also the realm Zhou Yuan was striving for.

"The Cangxuan Sect truly lives up to its reputation as a giant among sects in Cangxuan Heaven," Zhou Yuan sighed inwardly. His current great enemy, King Wu of the Great Wu Dynasty, was merely at the Divine Dwelling Stage. But if he were in the Cangxuan Sect, he wouldn't even qualify to be an elder.

Of course, King Wu might not amount to much for the Cangxuan Sect, but to Zhou Yuan, he was still an insurmountable obstacle.

To achieve the strength to contend with him, he still needed to cultivate diligently within the Cangxuan Sect.

Thoughts churned in his mind, but Zhou Yuan eventually suppressed them. Under the gaze of many disciples, he raised his head, looking at Lu Hong fearlessly, and asked, "Elder Lu Hong, is there a result for today's Cave Examination?"

His voice was calm, showing no fear despite Lu Hong's previous terrifying display.

This was the Cangxuan Sect. Even if Lu Hong was an elder, he had to abide by the rules. Otherwise, Sect Master Qing Yang and the various Peak Masters would not go easy on those who broke them.

Lu Hong's face was ashen, and he glared at Zhou Yuan hatefully.

Shen Taiyuan also sneered, "Elder Lu Hong, aren't you going to announce the result?"

In the past, Lu Hong would mercilessly provoke him after winning. Today, Zhou Yuan had finally earned him an opportunity, so Shen Taiyuan naturally wanted to vent his frustration.

Being jointly pressured by Zhou Yuan and Shen Taiyuan, Lu Hong's face grew even uglier, clouded with gloom.

Lu Song, on the other hand, sighed helplessly, playing the role of mediator. He said, "The results of today's Cave Examination are clear: Elder Shen's lineage has won. Does anyone have an objection?"

The disciples scattered across the mountain all shook their heads. Today's Cave Examination had been truly full of twists and turns, and the final outcome had exceeded everyone's expectations.

At the beginning, who would have thought that the one standing at the end would be Zhou Yuan, who appeared to be only at the third layer of the Alpha-Origin Stage?

Countless gazes fell upon the young figure on the broken stone platform, their expressions complex.

They knew that after today, the name Zhou Yuan would surely rise to prominence within the Cangxuan Sect.

They had originally come today wanting to see Zhou Yuan make a fool of himself. But who would have thought that they would instead witness Zhou Yuan's astonishing rise, which was truly impressive.

If the Genesis Marrow cleansing was attributed to Zhou Yuan's luck, then this time, it was truly a display of his actual combat prowess.

Lu Hong's face alternated between green and white, and he finally flicked his sleeve and walked away, full of indignation.

His disciples also followed in silence.

Lu Xuanyin, meanwhile, tightly clenched her jade-like hands, gazing at Zhou Yuan with unwillingness in her eyes, her silver teeth clenched.

As she felt unwilling, Xu Yan walked beside her with a faint smile, lightly inhaling her delicate fragrance, and said softly, "Junior Sister Xuanyin, there's no need to be upset. This Zhou Yuan indeed has some ability. How about I have someone call him over to apologize to you, and we can let this grievance go?"

As he spoke, he didn't wait for Lu Xuanyin to reply and simply nodded to a disciple nearby.

At this moment, Zhou Yuan also soared onto the cliff. The disciple walked over and conveyed Xu Yan's message to him.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yuan looked up in Xu Yan's direction. At that moment, the latter also gave him a faint smile.

Zhou Yuan returned a smile, then turned and walked towards Shen Taiyuan's side. He did not, as Xu Yan had suggested, go up and apologize to Lu Xuanyin to resolve the grievance.

Because in his view, there was no need for that.

Xu Yan watched Zhou Yuan's retreating figure, was slightly taken aback, then gave a faint smile.

"Truly a display of sharp talent..." he murmured to himself. Then he looked at Lu Xuanyin, turned to leave, and his voice drifted back.

"Let's go, Junior Sister Xuanyin. If there's an opportunity in the future, I, your senior brother, will help you get satisfaction."

"Heh heh, our Junior Brother Zhou Yuan... it seems he's never truly suffered a loss before..."