Chapter 424: Troublesome Yang Xuan

In the sky, the black Heavenly Yuan Brush collided with a section of pale bone whip. The originating energy fluctuations radiating from the impact caused space itself to tremble slightly.

Clang! The bone whip vibrated violently, unleashing a burst of originating energy that directly forced the Heavenly Yuan Brush back. At the same time, Zhou Yuan swiftly retreated.

Yang Xuan did not pursue. He stood in the void, his gaze fixed ominously on Zhou Yuan. Pale grey originating energy coiled around the bone whip in his hand, emitting a piercing shriek.

The aura around him was constantly rising.

Countless gazes from across the world converged on Yang Xuan at this moment, finally settling on the pale bone whip in his hand, their eyes all narrowing in focus.

“It’s also a Heavenly Origin Weapon?!” “Goodness, Yang Xuan has been pushed this far… Even Bai Li and Qin Hai couldn’t manage this when they teamed up earlier!” “What a pity. Zhou Yuan’s previous display of power was mainly due to the Heavenly Origin Weapon in his hand. Now that Yang Xuan also has one, the situation will likely change again.”

Amidst the numerous whispers, Zhou Yuan also gazed at Yang Xuan with a slightly grave expression. After their brief earlier clash, it was clear that the bone whip in his opponent’s hand had indeed surpassed the level of a Profound Origin Weapon.

However, it wasn’t a true Heavenly Origin Weapon. More precisely, it could perhaps be considered a quasi-Heavenly Origin Weapon.

Even so, once Yang Xuan deployed his Heavenly Origin Weapon, Zhou Yuan’s advantage would begin to diminish. After all, the Heavenly Yuan Brush's "Origin-Breaking" ability was most effective against pure originating energy attacks.

But when facing an opponent's Heavenly Origin Weapon, the power of Origin-Breaking would be somewhat weaker.

Zhou Yuan’s hand slowly tightened its grip on the Heavenly Yuan Brush. Deep light flowed across its ink-black tip.

The next instant, his eyes suddenly narrowed, as Yang Xuan’s figure instantly appeared before him. Then, the pale bone whip transformed into countless bone shadows, sweeping towards him with a resounding roar.

Each bone shadow carried a shriek that pierced the ears. Even the originating energy within his body was affected, becoming somewhat chaotic.

Zhou Yuan quickly circulated his originating energy to resist the shriek’s interference. With a tremor of the Heavenly Yuan Brush, originating energy surged forth, immediately meeting the attack.

Clang! Clang! In the sky, two figures intertwined like lightning. Countless brush and whip shadows clashed fiercely, and with each collision, ripples of originating energy, thousands of feet wide, exploded outwards, shaking the void.

That kind of confrontation was utterly ruthless.

This time, however, everyone could see that against Yang Xuan, who wielded a quasi-Heavenly Origin Weapon, Zhou Yuan’s previous overwhelming dominance was gone.

Although in terms of grade, the bone whip in Yang Xuan’s hand was inferior to the Heavenly Yuan Brush, Yang Xuan’s own originating energy reserves far surpassed Zhou Yuan’s. Therefore, with the added power of the bone whip, he gradually managed to regain control of the situation.

Across the world, countless gazes watched the two figures battling in the sky with extreme tension.

In just a few minutes, they had exchanged hundreds of blows.

After another fierce collision, Zhou Yuan’s figure was knocked back. His expression grew even more solemn; the amplification of combat power from a Heavenly Origin Weapon was indeed extraordinary. Yang Xuan was far more formidable now than before.

At this moment, a faint stinging sensation came from his palm.

“Weren’t you very arrogant earlier?!” Yang Xuan looked at him, a mocking smirk appearing at the corner of his mouth.

“Gloating can wait until the fight is over,” Zhou Yuan retorted with a cold laugh.

“Then let’s see how long you can keep up that tough talk!” Yang Xuan’s eyes turned icy. The bone whip in his hand suddenly vibrated, shooting skyward, and instantly, the sky was filled with chilling shrieks.

The originating energy of the world surged forth, pouring into the bone whip, and a wave of oppressive power was released along with it.

“Heavenly Bone Whip, Heavenly Bone Shadow!” Yang Xuan formed hand seals and roared.

In the sky, pale originating energy erupted from the bone whip, faintly forming a gigantic phantom of white bone around it.

That phantom was neither human nor beast, resembling a grotesque amalgamation of countless forms; it looked quite eerie.

Whoosh! Whoosh! The gigantic white bone phantom gathered astonishing originating energy around itself. The next instant, it roared downwards, diving towards Zhou Yuan with incredible speed.

Gazing at the white bone phantom, Zhou Yuan’s pupils also contracted slightly, clearly sensing the ferocity of Yang Xuan’s attack.

He took a deep breath, loosened his grip, and the Heavenly Yuan Brush shot skyward, absorbing the originating energy of the world. Immediately, brilliant golden light erupted.

“Heavenly Yuan Brush, Myriad Whale Imprint!”

As Zhou Yuan’s hand seals changed, the Heavenly Yuan Brush seemed to emit a long, ancient whale cry, and vast originating energy surged like a storm.

At the same time, a gigantic whale shadow emerged, circling around the Heavenly Yuan Brush. Then, another appeared… Whale shadows continuously materialized, eventually reaching a total of five!

With the Heavenly Yuan Brush’s evolution into a Heavenly Origin Weapon, the power of the Myriad Whale Imprint had clearly received a huge boost. Previously, when Zhou Yuan used it, at most one whale shadow would appear, but now, it had increased fivefold!

Each whale shadow possessed extremely formidable power. With five now gathered, they were enough to overturn rivers and seas.

Evidently, facing Yang Xuan’s increasingly astonishing assault, Zhou Yuan also began to exert his full strength.

“Go!” Zhou Yuan roared, and the Heavenly Yuan Brush vibrated, emitting a buzzing sound. It then shot through the air, with five whale shadows circling around it, their cries echoing through the heavens and earth.

Countless gazes were fixed intently on this scene.

In the sky, the gigantic white bone phantom roared downwards, while the Heavenly Yuan Brush, carrying five whale shadows, shot skyward. Finally, under countless extremely tense gazes, the two collided with unmatched ferocity.

Boom! Boom! Thousands of feet of originating energy shockwaves exploded with a roar. Even from a distance above the ground, they caused numerous hills to collapse and the earth to crack…

In the sky, the whale shadows were torn apart, and the white bone phantom also fractured inch by inch. Zhou Yuan and Yang Xuan’s figures bore the brunt of the attack, caught by the terrifying shockwave. Immediately, both their bodies trembled, and they were sent flying backward in a somewhat disheveled state, ultimately slammed into separate crimson mountain peaks.

The mountain peaks collapsed, and rubble rolled down, burying both of them. However, the next instant, the rubble was flung away, and both figures simultaneously shot skyward, landing on two opposing mountaintops.

Countless gazes were cast towards them.

At this moment, both figures’ clothes were somewhat tattered, and a trace of blood appeared at the corners of their mouths. Clearly, both had sustained some injuries in the previous clash.

It was an even match.

A series of exclamations arose across the world, as gazes filled with surprise fixed on Zhou Yuan’s figure…

They had initially thought that once Yang Xuan also brought out a Heavenly Origin Weapon, the situation would be reversed. However, they hadn't expected Zhou Yuan to be so resilient, actually managing to block Yang Xuan’s astonishing attack.

In the distant sky, Li Qingchan gazed at this result, and a look of delight crossed her exquisite face. The frost that had been on her cheeks seemed to melt a little.

“This fellow… he truly is full of surprises,” she murmured softly, her words not lacking in admiration.

Zhao Zhu, who was nearby, pursed his lips and said, “I just worry he’s already at the end of his rope.”

Li Qingchan’s delicate brows furrowed slightly as she said, “Junior Brother Zhao Zhu, although Zhou Yuan has some grievances with your Sword-Comes Peak, now is the time to stand united against an outside threat. Don’t bolster the morale of our opponents. If Zhou Yuan loses, you and I will both be subject to punishment this time.”

Rebuked by Li Qingchan, Zhao Zhu could only reluctantly fall silent.

Opposite Li Qingchan and Zhao Zhu, Wang Li and Cao Jinzhu of the Sacred Palace were also observing the battlefield. Their expressions, which had initially been relaxed, also gradually turned somewhat grim.

They hadn't expected Yang Xuan to be held back by a mere disciple at the fourth layer of the Alpha Origin stage…

“What exactly is Yang Xuan doing?” Cao Jinzhu frowned.

“That Cangxuan Sect disciple named Zhou Yuan is quite peculiar,” Wang Li said slowly. “His originating energy reserves are incredibly vast, beyond imagination.”

They also realized that even without that strange black brush, Zhou Yuan’s originating energy reserves were no weaker than those of a typical seventh-layer practitioner. This indicated an extremely solid foundation in his originating energy.

“If Yang Xuan wants to win against him, he can no longer hold anything back.”

Wang Li glanced coldly at Li Qingchan and Zhao Zhu. Then, his voice, amplified by originating energy, rolled across the sky like thunder, carrying to the distance.

“Yang Xuan, don’t hold back any longer!”

His voice, rolling across the sky, finally resonated at the place where Zhou Yuan and Yang Xuan were confronting each other.

Yang Xuan’s face was ominously fixed on Zhou Yuan. When he heard Wang Li’s voice, his brows furrowed slightly, and a hint of hesitation seemed to flicker in his eyes.

But in the end, hesitation turned into resolve.

Within the Sacred Palace, the rules were strict. If he were to fail here this time, he would certainly be punished upon returning, his cultivation resources would be stripped, and it would severely impact his future cultivation.

Therefore, he absolutely could not lose today.

A ruthless glint surged onto Yang Xuan’s face.

He gave Zhou Yuan a sinister glance, then directly ripped open his clothes, revealing his chest. At the location of his heart, there was a circular blood-red pattern that seemed to writhe within his flesh, with faint, ancient markings on it.

It looked like a seal.

“This seal was originally prepared for me to contend for the chief position of the Sacred Palace’s Twelve Halls. I never expected to have to use it on you today…” “You’ve ruined my plans.” “So rest assured, when I defeat you, I will crush every bone in your body, piece by piece, to vent my hatred!”

As Yang Xuan’s sinister voice, laden with intense hostility, rang out.

Yang Xuan bit the tip of his tongue, spraying out a mouthful of vital blood. He grasped the vital blood in his hand, then smeared it onto the blood-red seal over his heart. Instantly, the seal hissed, emitting mist, and began to dissolve.

The moment the seal was completely dissolved, everyone could feel a terrifying wave of originating energy, like a long-suppressed volcano, erupting with a thunderous roar!

The mountain peak beneath his feet trembled and cracked.

Countless gazes, filled with horror, watched that figure.

Because as the originating energy continued to surge, Yang Xuan at this moment had clearly broken through the seventh-layer limit, subtly ascending to the eighth-layer realm!

Facing this sight, Bai Li, Qin Hai, and the others all changed expressions.

Even Zhou Yuan’s pupils constricted, and his expression became extremely solemn.

This Yang Xuan… actually had such a shocking trump card!

(Resuming updates today.)