Chapter 466: Obstacle in the Road

When Chu Yang and Liu Xiang's unconscious bodies rolled to Zhu Qing's feet, his body was clearly trembling slightly, and the fear in his eyes was impossible to conceal.

He looked at Zhou Yuan with difficulty, his face filled with horror and disbelief.

He had never imagined that Chu Yang and Liu Xiang, after teaming up to hunt Zhou Yuan, would instead be defeated.

Had Zhou Yuan's strength truly reached such a level?

He wasn't the only one shocked; Han Yu, behind him, also had a horrified expression on her face. Clearly, she had never thought Zhou Yuan could defeat both Chu Yang and Liu Xiang and return safely.

How strong must he be to defeat two opponents by himself?

Han Yu swallowed hard. At first, she had been a bit disdainful, worrying that Zhou Yuan would be a liability, but the current reality made her feel restless and anxious.

If Zhou Yuan hadn't turned the tide, it would likely be her and Han Yan lying on the ground right now.

Zhu Qing felt a chill run through him. If Liu Xiang had still possessed some fighting spirit before, Zhu Qing's own will to fight had now completely vanished. It seemed all four participants from their faction had been defeated by Zhou Yuan.

Thus, in the next instant, Zhu Qing abruptly retreated, lacking even the courage to engage. He chose to flee directly.

"He's too strong, we can't fight him! Quick! Go to Senior Brother Yuan Hong!"

Fear surged in Zhu Qing's eyes as he pushed his speed to the limit, desperate to escape.

However, just as he moved, Zhou Yuan, who was not far away, blurred and then vanished like a wisp of smoke.

Immediately afterward, a violent Genesis Qi fluctuation erupted directly behind Zhu Qing. A terrifying punch, glowing with jade light, struck fiercely. Scales appeared on the arm, shimmering with a cold luster.

Genesis Qi surged, shaking the void like a clap of thunder.

Zhu Qing also felt the fierce attack and dared not delay. Genesis Qi furiously roared out from within him, instantly forming layers of defensive barriers in front of him.

However, when the jade-glowing fist landed, all the Genesis Qi defenses shattered instantly. The fist rapidly expanded in Zhu Qing's eyes before smashing into his body.

In that instant, Zhu Qing was struck as if by a ferocious beast. A terrifying, overwhelming force surged through him, causing him to instantly spit out a mouthful of blood as his body flew backward in disarray.

Zhu Qing stared forward in horror, seeing Zhou Yuan's figure slowly appear. That seemingly slender physique, in Zhu Qing's eyes, seemed to conceal an ancient behemoth.

Such explosive power was enough to shatter mountains.

Only now did he understand why Wu Hai had been defeated by Zhou Yuan with a single punch that day.

Because when Zhou Yuan's Genesis Qi and physical strength combined, terrifying power surged with every movement he made.

Zhou Yuan gripped the Heavenly Yuan Brush tightly. He watched the retreating Zhu Qing with an unperturbed gaze, then shot forward again, the snow-white brush tip scraping the ground and producing dazzling sparks.

The pure white brush tip gradually darkened to a deep, mysterious black.

The brush tip whistled through the air, tearing through the void, transforming into a black streak that lunged like lightning towards Zhu Qing.

"I surrender!"

The black light rapidly expanded in his pupils. Zhu Qing's last shred of courage completely crumbled, and he screamed, his face ashen.

The sharp brush tip stopped half an inch from Zhu Qing's face. The fierce wind it generated struck him, tearing small bloody gashes across his skin.

Zhou Yuan glanced indifferently at the crestfallen Zhu Qing, then slowly retracted the Heavenly Yuan Brush. Clearly, he didn't give the latter much thought.

Perhaps it was this dismissive attitude that angered Zhu Qing. He gritted his teeth and said coldly, "Zhou Yuan, don't get too smug. What I've experienced today, you'll probably feel soon enough!"

"Senior Brother Yuan Hong will show you what true fear is!"

Zhou Yuan merely smiled at this. "Then I look forward to the lesson," he said.

With that, he ignored Zhu Qing and turned his gaze towards Han Yu, who was standing nearby.

Han Yu had yet to recover from Zhou Yuan's earlier, incredibly fierce assault. She had struggled with all her might just to fight Zhu Qing to a stalemate, yet with Zhou Yuan's single move, Zhu Qing was defeated.

The disparity was unimaginable.

"I'm going to the peak now," Zhou Yuan said, looking at the dazed Han Yu.

Han Yu snapped out of her daze, her slender brows furrowed. "I wonder how Senior Sister Lu Yan and the others are doing?" she asked, a hint of anxiety in her voice.

Although they had achieved a great victory here, in her opinion, the battle raging at the very summit of Chief Peak was the decisive one. If even Lu Yan, Zhou Tai, and Zhang Yan together couldn't defeat Yuan Hong, then she simply couldn't imagine who else could stop him.

Even Zhou Yuan... probably couldn't, could he?

"We'll see."

Zhou Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly, then shot skyward, piercing through layers of mist, heading straight for the peak.

Seeing this, Han Yu hesitated for a moment, then quickly followed him.

Since they had come this far, they might as well go and see.

The two figures ascended past countless stone platforms, under the gaze of many eyes. As they climbed higher, they began to see shattered platforms, leaving a trail of devastation.

Clearly, an extremely fierce battle had taken place here.

Han Yu's expression grew increasingly tense as she observed this scene. Such destructive power was clearly beyond anything they could muster.

What truly unnerved her was that as they neared the peak, they still couldn't detect any Genesis Qi fluctuations. This implied the battle must have already ended.

Had Senior Sister Lu Yan and the others won?

Han Yu's face kept changing expressions.

Finally, their figures pierced through the mist and landed at the very summit of Chief Peak. Thick mist enveloped the surroundings, obstructing their view.

Zhou Yuan looked ahead without any fear, stepping directly forward.

At the peak was a vast plaza. Zhou Yuan slowly walked across it; the surroundings were silent. After a moment, his footsteps suddenly paused, and he looked ahead.

He abruptly waved his sleeve, and Genesis Qi surged, directly sweeping the thick mist upward.

As the mist was cleared away, the surroundings gradually became clear.

Then, Zhou Yuan and Han Yu saw a stone seat, the Seat of the Chief Disciple, standing in the center of the plaza ahead.

At this moment, a figure was leaning on the stone seat.

Zhou Yuan's brows slowly furrowed as he looked at the figure.

Han Yu's face, however, turned completely pale.

For the figure was none other than Yuan Hong, from the Lu Hong lineage!

"Yuan Hong, where are Senior Sister Lu Yan and the others?" Han Yu asked, biting her lip, her voice trembling slightly.

On the stone seat, Yuan Hong lightly tapped the armrest with his fingers. His eyes slowly lifted, filled with a brutal aura that made him resemble a savage beast.

When he looked at Zhou Yuan and Han Yu, he seemed slightly surprised, but then he grinned, revealing stark white teeth like those of a wild animal.

Then he raised a finger and pointed to the right.

There, the ground was cracked and broken, with almost half the peak having collapsed. Within the wreckage lay three blood-soaked figures, breathing faintly.

Han Yu's small hand clamped tightly over her mouth.

Yuan Hong gently turned his head, a faint crackling sound emanating. He seemed to have little interest in the two individuals before him, merely waving his hand as if shooing away flies.

"Though I'm a little surprised you made it this far..."

"Still, you should concede and withdraw." Yuan Hong leaned back against the seat, his expression indifferent, his eyes slowly closing.

Han Yu trembled slightly, a hint of fear surfacing in her beautiful eyes. She looked at Zhou Yuan, but he merely seemed to smile.

Zhou Yuan then slowly walked forward, his steps firm, showing no trace of fear.

The Heavenly Yuan Brush in Zhou Yuan's hand twirled in a flourish, emitting a hum. He slowly raised it, pointing it at Yuan Hong on the stone seat, and let out a light chuckle.

"Senior Brother Yuan Hong, why don't you come down and play?"

"I'd like to sit in that spot too."