Chapter 467: The Last Yuan Hong

Outside the main summit of Saint Genesis Peak, countless gazes converged on the mist-shrouded peak. Even Sect Master Qing Yang and others high in the sky turned their attention towards Saint Genesis Peak. Sect Master Qing Yang gazed at the robust figure seated on a stone chair and sighed, saying, "Yuan Hong is quite capable. With his strength, he would be a strong contender for chief disciple even on Sword Cometh Peak."

While Zhou Yuan was successively defeating Chu Yang and others, an even more intense battle was clearly unfolding at the peak. This battle was naturally witnessed by Sect Master Qing Yang and the other onlookers.

The battle was extremely fierce. After all, Zhou Tai, Zhang Yan, and Lü Yan were all among the top-tier purple-belt disciples. Unfortunately, they ultimately fell to Yuan Hong because his strength was unexpectedly formidable.

Zhou Tai and the other two had reached the mid-stage of the Eighth Layer Heaven, but Yuan Hong was at the peak of the Eighth Layer Heaven, just one step away from the Ninth Layer Heaven. This clearly surpassed the trio by a significant margin, which is why they ultimately lost.

Peak Master Ling Jun watched the scene with an indifferent expression and said, "Yuan Hong displayed impressive talent even when he was on Sword Cometh Peak. Such a result is not surprising."

Peak Master Lian Yi sneered, "I hear you, Peak Master, personally deigned to offer him a good deal of guidance." This was clearly a sarcastic remark, implying that Peak Master Ling Jun had lowered himself to personally intervene, all to ensure Lu Hong's faction secured the chief disciple position of Saint Genesis Peak.

Peak Master Ling Jun calmly replied, "He was a disciple of my Sword Cometh Peak before. Seeing his excellent talent and perseverance, it's natural for me to have a soft spot for such ability." He glanced at Peak Master Lian Yi, smiled, and said, "Don't be so anxious, Peak Master Lian Yi. The results aren't out yet. That disciple named Zhou Yuan has also reached the peak. Perhaps he can accomplish what Zhou Tai and the other two could not."

However, his words carried a hint of mockery. While Zhou Yuan had defeated five opponents, this couldn't compare to Yuan Hong's feat of defeating Zhou Tai and the other two. Any one of Zhou Tai's group could likely have done what Zhou Yuan did. Yet, even with their combined strength, they ultimately lost to Yuan Hong, which showed just how much higher Yuan Hong's level was compared to others. Peak Master Ling Jun's confidence in speaking this way stemmed from his belief that victory was already assured.

Peak Master Lian Yi naturally understood his meaning. A flicker of anger crossed her beautiful face, but she quickly reined it in, letting out only a cold snort, unable to refute him. From the current situation, while Zhou Yuan had performed exceptionally, Yuan Hong's performance was unfortunately even more terrifying.

"Zhou Yuan actually made it to the peak. He's quite capable," Kong Sheng said from among the Ten Great Saint Disciples, appearing to smile as he looked at the distant summit. Though his words were appreciative, there was a hint of amusement in his eyes.

"I hope Yuan Hong doesn't strike him too hard; he's a promising talent after all…" he said to Chu Qing with a faint smile. Chu Qing gave him a look, then helplessly rubbed his bald head, finally showing some concern. Zhou Yuan's consecutive victories against five opponents were indeed impressive. However, Yuan Hong's earlier performance was even more astonishing, as he directly defeated the combined efforts of Zhou Tai's trio. Such strength would undoubtedly be considered top-tier among the other six peaks.

Beside them, Li Qingchan's delicate brows were slightly furrowed, and her pretty face showed some worry. The opponent Zhou Yuan was about to face would likely be unlike any he had encountered before. If he couldn't overcome Yuan Hong, all his previous achievements would be meaningless. Having become acquainted with Zhou Yuan, she naturally didn't wish for him to suffer such a great setback. Yet, facing Yuan Hong, that formidable obstacle, she couldn't muster much confidence in Zhou Yuan either. For now, she could only hope that even if Zhou Yuan failed, it wouldn't affect him too deeply.

Outside the chief peak, the factions of Elder Shen Taiyuan and Elder Lü Song were somewhat subdued. The source of this gloom was, of course, the defeat of Zhou Tai, Lü Yan, and Zhang Yan's combined efforts. No one had expected Yuan Hong to be this powerful. Consequently, even when they saw Zhou Yuan defeat five opponents and reach the peak, they felt little excitement, only a disheartened sigh. Zhou Yuan's performance this time had been astonishing, but unfortunately, this final hurdle was simply too difficult to overcome.

Elders Shen Taiyuan and Lü Song both had taut expressions. When Lü Yan, Zhou Tai, and Zhang Yan had previously fallen, their hearts had already felt a sense of despair. Now, although Zhou Yuan was still in the fight, the situation was already extremely disadvantageous.

Not far away, Lu Hong's previously grim expression gradually softened. He cast a sideways glance in the direction of Shen Taiyuan and Lü Song, and the derision at the corner of his mouth grew more pronounced. "What good was their earlier pride?" he thought. "What if Zhou Yuan defeated five opponents? Before this final hurdle, all their previous efforts seemed utterly laughable."

At the peak, under the watchful eyes of the multitude, when Zhou Yuan's voice reached his ears, Yuan Hong finally slowly opened his closed eyes. He seemed to gaze at Zhou Yuan with interest, then nonchalantly said, "Want to play? Are you sure you can afford to play?" His fingers lightly tapped the back of his chair, the sound reverberating across the square, creating an oppressive atmosphere.

"While I'm still feeling lazy, surrender and leave now. Otherwise, if you end up with some trauma later, don't blame me." Behind him, Han Yu couldn't help but take a step back, a hint of fear in his eyes.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yuan sighed with a hint of helplessness and said, "You… talk too much nonsense. If you don't want to fight, then move your backside." Han Yu's mouth twitched.

Yuan Hong's fingers stilled. The expression on his face sobered, and a ferocious glint gradually gathered in his eyes. Then, he slowly stood up. A terrifying aura erupted, overwhelming everything. It was as if a peerless fierce tiger had opened its drowsy eyes, its menacing fangs quietly bared.

Seeing this, Zhou Yuan finally smiled and said, "That's more like it. Why bother pretending to be a magnanimous senior brother?"

Yuan Hong pointed a finger at Zhou Yuan, revealing his stark white teeth. A chilling aura emanated from him, making him appear somewhat monstrous. "You ignorant fool, if I don't break both your legs today and make you crawl down this mountain, then you can start calling me by my name backwards from now on!"

Waves of violent Genesis Qi erupted from his body like a volcano. Under this pressure, the surrounding ground cracked inch by inch.