Chapter 450: Strong-Willed Zhou Yuan

On the cultivation platform, a deep gash almost tore the stone slab apart, leaving a terribly ravaged mark. At the end of the gash, the mountain wall continuously crumbled, and massive boulders tumbled down.

An unsettling silence fell over the entire area.

All eyes were fixated, almost dazed, on the endlessly rolling rocks.

The disciples from Lu Hong's lineage, who had been laughing moments before, now had their smiles frozen on their faces, making them look utterly ridiculous.

The disciples from Shen Taiyuan's lineage had initially been filled with alarm after seeing Zhou Yuan block Wu Hai's lightning sword projection with his bare hand, but the next moment, they witnessed Wu Hai being sent flying backward in a sorry state.

The disciples beside Lü Yan were also silent, and even Lü Yan herself gazed blankly at the young figure who still maintained the posture of having just thrown a punch.

No one had expected Zhou Yuan's counterattack to be so fierce.

"How is that possible?" Lü Yan murmured.

Her eyes were filled with shock and doubt. In her perception, Zhou Yuan's Genesis Qi fluctuations hadn't significantly increased compared to before. So why had that previous punch unleashed such terrifying power?

Although Wu Hai had been caught off guard by Zhou Yuan's sudden burst of power at the last moment, his layered Genesis Qi defenses should have been able to easily withstand any attack below the Eighth Heaven.

Yet, those defenses crumbled like paper under Zhou Yuan's single punch.

Moreover, Zhou Yuan hadn't even used his Heavenly Genesis Weapon; his black brush was still stuck in the cliff face.

Based on the Black Flame Province mission details previously released by the Mission Hall, Zhou Yuan's ability to contend with Yang Xuan of the Sacred Palace was entirely due to the amplification from his Heavenly Genesis Weapon. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for him to fight Yang Xuan, who was halfway into the Eighth Heaven.

But now...

Zhou Yuan hadn't used his Heavenly Genesis Weapon here.

Lü Yan stared intently at Zhou Yuan. She vaguely sensed that, although his Genesis Qi fluctuations were as before, there was something subtly different about him.

Under the many shocked gazes, Zhou Yuan slowly retracted his fist, and the jade-like glow on his skin gradually returned to normal.

He looked down at his fist, a hint of awe flashing in his eyes. The Lesser Heaven Genesis Saint Body was indeed incredibly powerful. He had only just cultivated the "Jade Skin stage," yet the strength it amplified had already reached an astonishing level.

With the amplification from the Jade Skin combined with his own Genesis Qi power, the combined strength was already enough to directly contend with opponents at the early Eighth Heaven.

And this Wu Hai had probably just barely reached the early Eighth Heaven.

It served him right that he, in his carelessness, allowed Zhou Yuan to get close and unleash a punch that combined physical strength with concentrated Genesis Qi, sending him flying.

After all, most people encountering an external cultivation practitioner would need to maintain distance and use Genesis Qi attacks. Once in close quarters, external cultivators could leverage their physically powerful bodies.

Zhou Yuan looked up at the crumbling mountain wall. With a flicker of his body, he appeared among the scattered rocks. With a sweep of his sleeve, Genesis Qi surged, clearing away all the debris.

As the rocks were swept away, a buried figure was revealed beneath.

Wu Hai was covered in blood, looking extremely dishevelled. However, he was still glaring angrily at Zhou Yuan, though the Genesis Qi within his body was sluggish and unable to circulate due to Zhou Yuan's fierce punch earlier.

Zhou Yuan looked at him indifferently, then stared down at him from above. "Was it you who hit Shen Wanjin in the face earlier?"

Wu Hai said coldly, "Zhou Yuan, don't get ahead of yourself! I was just caught off guard!"

Zhou Yuan, however, ignored him, extended his palm, and swung it forcefully.

Genesis Qi whistled out, forming a palm print that smacked hard across Wu Hai's face, a crisp sound ringing out.

A blood-red handprint appeared on Wu Hai's face.

Wu Hai seemed to have been stunned by Zhou Yuan's slap. A moment later, he snapped back to his senses, his face contorting into a snarl as he roared, "How dare you slap me?!"

"Smack!"

However, another slap was his answer.

"Zhou Yuan, I'll kill you!"

"Smack!"

"You bastard, you're dead!"

"Smack!"

"Smack!"

Eventually, even before he could roar, Zhou Yuan's palm would descend again, and so the crisp slapping sounds continued without end.

Around the cultivation platform, the disciples from all three lineages watched this scene, dumbfounded.

"Don't hit someone in the face" is a common saying, but Zhou Yuan clearly intended to give Wu Hai no face at all.

Some, seeing the cold glint in Zhou Yuan's eyes, understood that Wu Hai and the others had somewhat provoked him by humiliating Shen Wanjin earlier.

The faces of Lu Hong's disciples turned pale alternately. They wanted to speak up and stop him, but seeing Zhou Yuan's chilling gaze, they lost their nerve and could only hastily say, "Quick, go get someone!"

Meanwhile, after dozens of slaps, Wu Hai's face was swollen like a pig's head. The Genesis Qi that had gathered within him was also dispersed by Zhou Yuan, leaving him unable to resist.

"Stop! Stop!" The searing pain on his face made Wu Hai dizzy and disoriented. He finally couldn't take it anymore, his voice distorted. "I didn't say anything!"

Zhou Yuan paused his hand, saying blandly, "My apologies, I didn't hear you."

Then his palm began to rise again.

A chill went through Wu Hai's heart. He quickly said, "Don't hit me, I apologize!"

Faced with Zhou Yuan's mercilessness, he finally broke. If this continued, his face would probably be ruined.

Zhou Yuan lowered his eyes slightly. "Is an apology enough?"

"Then what else do you want?"

Zhou Yuan thought for a moment. "Pay up in Genesis Jade. One hundred thousand Genesis Jade."

Wu Hai nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. He had just used one hundred thousand Genesis Jade to toy with Shen Wanjin, and now Zhou Yuan was demanding the same amount from him. Suppressing the indignation in his heart, he said, "I don't have one hundred thousand Genesis Jade either."

Zhou Yuan expressionlessly raised his palm.

Wu Hai hastily said, "No, no, not one hundred thousand, but I have thirty thousand Genesis Jade."

He slapped his Qiankun pouch, and immediately, Genesis Jade whistled out, scattering across the ground, glinting.

Seeing this, Zhou Yuan's hand slowed. With a flick of his sleeve, a surge of Genesis Qi gathered all the jade and tossed it to Shen Wanjin behind him. "Keep all of this," he said.

Shen Wanjin was stunned, his eyes shining at the sight of so much Genesis Jade. But he eventually hesitated, saying, "Brother Xiaoyuan, you should take it."

"You were the one who got beaten, not me. Consider this a small compensation," Zhou Yuan said, slightly annoyed.

Shen Wanjin swallowed. "Thirty thousand Genesis Jade for a beating?"

His eyes suddenly turned fervent as he looked at Wu Hai. "How about... Senior Brother Wu Hai gives me another beating?"

Wu Hai's mouth twitched.

Zhou Yuan rolled his eyes. This guy's nerve was truly unexpectedly thick. He had worried earlier about how Wu Hai and the others' actions might affect Shen Wanjin, but it now seemed that Shen Wanjin's resilience far exceeded his imagination.

He sighed, then pointed towards the cliff at Wu Hai. "Are you going to jump yourself?"

Wu Hai's face stiffened. "Still jumping?"

Zhou Yuan was expressionless. "Or should I throw you down?"

Wu Hai gritted his teeth, unable to hold back. "Zhou Yuan, don't go too far!"

Zhou Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly, and his palm slowly began to rise again.

However, at that moment, a whooshing sound suddenly echoed through the air as several figures descended from the sky, landing not far away. Immediately, a powerful Genesis Qi pressure enveloped the area.

"Zhou Yuan, release him." A cold voice spoke faintly, with no hint of negotiation, like a commanding decree.

Around the cultivation platform, many disciples watched, their expressions subtly changing.

The disciples from Lu Hong's lineage, on the other hand, were overjoyed.

"Senior Brother Yuan Hong!"

Zhou Yuan looked up. Not far away, several figures stood, and at the lead was a figure as robust as an ape. A faint, almost imperceptible Genesis Qi pressure emanated from his body, causing many surrounding disciples to look on with trepidation.

It was none other than Yuan Hong, the head disciple of Lu Hong's lineage.

"Yuan Hong is here!" Lü Yan's pretty face also changed slightly as she looked at Yuan Hong's figure, her eyes full of apprehension.

Under the numerous gazes of reverence, Yuan Hong stood with his hands behind his back, his indifferent eyes fixed on Zhou Yuan. "You've had enough fun. Release him, return the Genesis Jade, and we'll consider today's events as if they never happened."

Behind Zhou Yuan, Shen Wanjin's expression was uneasy, and he no longer dared to collect the Genesis Jade.

After all, Yuan Hong's formidable reputation at Saint Genesis Peak was well-known.

Countless gazes turned to Zhou Yuan. Faced with the hottest contender for the chief disciple position at Saint Genesis Peak, surely Zhou Yuan, no matter how arrogant, wouldn't dare to directly defy him?

However, just as they thought this, Zhou Yuan withdrew his gaze from Yuan Hong and looked at Wu Hai in front of him.

Wu Hai smirked grimly. "Regretting it now, aren't you? I'm telling you, it's too late..."

However, just as the smile appeared on his face, Zhou Yuan suddenly stepped forward and delivered a fierce punch to his lower abdomen. A torrent of violent power surged into Wu Hai's body, once again dispersing his gathered Genesis Qi.

Next, Zhou Yuan coldly grabbed Wu Hai's hair, swung him hard, and Wu Hai's body flew outwards, finally plummeting down the cliff amidst a scream.

Wu Hai's pained cries echoed, reverberating through the cliffs.

Zhou Yuan clapped his hands, muttering, "I told you to jump, but you had to talk so much nonsense."

He looked up at Yuan Hong and smiled faintly. "Senior Brother Yuan Hong, what did you say earlier?"

A profound silence fell around the cultivation platform.

Everyone, including Lü Yan, stared at Zhou Yuan in shock. No one had expected that after Yuan Hong's appearance, Zhou Yuan would not only show no intention of defusing the situation but would directly throw Wu Hai off the cliff right in front of Yuan Hong.

This was simply too aggressive!

Countless gazes turned to Yuan Hong, and indeed, his indifferent expression gradually darkened. His lion-like eyes fixed on Zhou Yuan, and a fierce, oppressive aura slowly emanated from his body.

"Zhou Yuan, are you provoking me?"

Many disciples felt their scalps tingle. Yuan Hong was truly enraged!