Chapter 472: Fierce and Tragic

The clear, resonant clash of metal still echoed between heaven and earth. The tip of Zhou Yuan's Heavenly Yuan Brush sparked brilliantly against the ground as his figure gradually steadied.

He squinted slightly, gazing forward. There, Yuan Hong stood, his clothes torn and disheveled, gripping a crimson heavy sword.

Waves of Genesis Qi erupted from Yuan Hong's body, causing a look of solemnity to cross Zhou Yuan's face.

"A low-grade Heavenly Yuan Weapon..."

Zhou Yuan naturally sensed that as Yuan Hong wielded the crimson heavy sword, the Genesis Qi within his body began to surge. Clearly, this was a genuine Heavenly Yuan Weapon, not a quasi-Heavenly Yuan Weapon like the ones Wu Hai and others had used previously.

Heavenly Yuan Weapons could draw Genesis Qi from the world to amplify their wielder, so when Yuan Hong brought out his Heavenly Yuan Weapon, his combat power became even more formidable. Zhou Yuan had clearly felt this during their previous direct confrontation. In other words, Yuan Hong was now being forced to reveal his true capabilities.

Under the gaze of countless spectators, Yuan Hong gripped the Heavenly Flame Sword, his eyes fierce like a lion or tiger, staring intently at Zhou Yuan. Waves of Genesis Qi surged from his body like an endless tide, shaking the very air.

"I never thought, I, Yuan Hong, would one day be forced to this extent by a fourth-layered Heaven disciple," Yuan Hong said, baring his teeth, his voice filled with coldness. A hint of fury lay deep in his eyes; clearly, being pushed this far by Zhou Yuan made him feel humiliated. He had never truly taken Zhou Yuan seriously. Even though Zhou Yuan had achieved many impressive feats, Yuan Hong had always viewed him as a senior looking down on a newcomer. Yet, he never imagined that this newcomer, whom he had never paid attention to, could push him into such a disheveled state in the Chief Disciple competition. This was clearly something Yuan Hong found difficult to accept. Therefore, he had to display his true power and let Zhou Yuan understand the gap between them.

The fierce glint in Yuan Hong's eyes grew stronger. In the next instant, violent Genesis Qi erupted from his body, and his figure directly appeared high in the sky. Gripping the Heavenly Flame Sword, Genesis Qi surged forth and poured into the blade. Everyone watched as the already crimson blade turned an even more vivid red. A terrifying heat emanated from it, gradually distorting the surrounding space.

"Blazing Light!" Yuan Hong roared like thunder, forming a hand seal. The Heavenly Flame Sword transformed into a streaking crimson light, whistling forth. Crimson fiery waves surged, as if carrying a sea of flames descending from the sky, swiftly slashing down at Zhou Yuan below with the speed of lightning.

As the crimson light descended, some forests on Chief Peak began to ignite, and even large boulders showed signs of melting. This kind of attack caused countless disciples to blanch. With the amplification of the Heavenly Yuan Weapon, Yuan Hong was clearly even more terrifying. And facing such a fearsome assault, it was uncertain whether Zhou Yuan could withstand it.

Zhou Yuan stood on the ground, the stone slabs beneath his feet gradually turning crimson. He looked up as the crimson light, carrying a sea of flames, rapidly expanded in his pupils. He took a deep breath. Although his expression was solemn, there was no trace of fear. Now, Yuan Hong had even unleashed his hidden Heavenly Yuan Weapon, clearly daring not to hold back any longer. Since that was the case, the upcoming battle would be a true showdown. No matter what, Zhou Yuan absolutely would not yield the Chief Disciple position to Yuan Hong today!

A cold glint flashed in Zhou Yuan's eyes. He stomped his foot, causing the scorching crimson ground to collapse instantly, and his figure shot into the sky like a wisp of green smoke. He gripped the Heavenly Yuan Brush tightly in both hands. Inside his Qi Dwelling, Genesis Qi stars twinkled, and surging Genesis Qi continuously poured out, flowing through his limbs and bones.

"Jade Skin stage!" His skin began to glow with a jade-like radiance.

"Silver Bone stage!" Silver light emerged from his bones.

At this moment, Zhou Yuan had also activated the Minor Heavenly Cycle Saint Body to its peak. His powerful physical strength and Genesis Qi power converged, causing terrifying power to emanate from Zhou Yuan with every movement.

The Heavenly Yuan Brush whistled upwards, finally carrying Zhou Yuan's strongest power, and collided heavily with the crimson light that brought with it a sea of flames. As the two Heavenly Yuan Weapons clashed, the sound of metal rang out, and visible shockwaves rampaged outwards. Subtle traces even appeared in the void at the point of impact. Zhou Yuan's figure shot backward, but with a slight tremor of the Heavenly Yuan Brush, he stabilized himself. The crimson light, formed by the Heavenly Flame Sword, also whistled upwards. The sea of flames was dispersed, and it finally transformed into sword light, circling around Yuan Hong.

In this fierce exchange, the two seemed evenly matched. Zhou Yuan and Yuan Hong's gazes clashed in mid-air, both glinting with cold light. In the next instant, the Heavenly Flame Sword roared out again. Crimson light swept across the heavens and earth, transforming into countless sword shadows, directly attacking Zhou Yuan. Facing Yuan Hong's aggressive assault, Zhou Yuan let out a long cry to the sky, shooting forth with the Heavenly Yuan Brush in hand, meeting the attack head-on.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

And so, in the sky above the peak, violent Genesis Qi surged like thunder, wave after wave. Yuan Hong controlled the Heavenly Flame Sword with Genesis Qi. Crimson sword shadows, carrying fiery waves, cleaved the sky and earth, continuously transforming into terrifying attacks, like the wrath of a Flame God. Meanwhile, Zhou Yuan, wielding the Heavenly Yuan Brush, utilized his physical strength and Genesis Qi power. Like a giant deity, he caused space to tremble whenever the shadow of his brush whistled forth. In the sky, every direct clash between the two sent out terrifying aftershocks. The massive Chief Peak below trembled constantly under these repercussions. At this point, both sides had unleashed their full power, clearly having been provoked to fury.

Outside Chief Peak, countless gazes watched the two fiercely clashing figures, all filled with shock. Who could have imagined that the Chief Disciple competition of Saint Genesis Peak would be so intense? To some extent, the intensity here was no less than that of the other six peaks. Countless eyes, unblinking, stared at the sky above Chief Peak. At this moment, neither Shen Taiyuan's faction nor Lu Hong's faction dared to make a sound. At the peak, Lu Yan, Zhou Tai, and Zhang Yan huddled together, dodging the battle's aftershocks from above. They watched the young figure wielding the black brush, continuously meeting the attacks in the sky, their expressions becoming incredibly complex. Their past doubts had long since completely vanished.

Boom! Boom!

Under the gaze of countless eyes, Zhou Yuan and Yuan Hong exchanged hundreds of blows in the sky with lightning speed. Every clash was a full-power, no-holds-barred confrontation.

After another fierce exchange, the Heavenly Flame Sword shot skyward, circling around Yuan Hong, its crimson light slightly dim. Zhou Yuan also stabilized himself, blood dripping from the palm that held the Heavenly Yuan Brush. Both had cold sweat on their foreheads, and their breathing became heavier. Clearly, the intensity of their previous exchange had been a tremendous drain on both of them. This showed just how brutal and ferocious their fight had been.

Zhou Yuan shook the blood from his hand, his brows furrowing slightly. This Yuan Hong was indeed incredibly troublesome. He hadn't expected that even with the help of the Minor Heavenly Cycle Saint Body's second stage, the Silver Bone stage, he still couldn't truly defeat him. While Zhou Yuan was thinking this, he was unaware that Yuan Hong's inner fury was even more intense. Flames even seemed to erupt from his eyes as he stared at Zhou Yuan. To save face, he had even brought out the Heavenly Flame Sword. However, what he found difficult to accept was that even then, he still couldn't decisively defeat Zhou Yuan and make him understand the gap between them.

"This guy!" Yuan Hong's eyes were gloomy.

Meanwhile, high above the Cangxuan Sect. Peak Master Ling Jun watched the indecisive battle, his deep eyes flickering with an inexplicable light. Then, with a long finger from his sleeve, he lightly flicked it.

At the same instant.

Yuan Hong suddenly felt the Heavenly Flame Sword before him emit a strange hum. On the blade, some sort of glowing pattern seemed to emerge, appearing slightly eerie. Seeing this, Yuan Hong's pupils constricted slightly. He then subtly glanced at the distant sky, a flicker of hesitation in his eyes, but it quickly dissipated, replaced by determination. He clasped his hands together, forming a strange hand seal. The Heavenly Flame Sword vibrated, hovering above Yuan Hong's head, slowly sinking down. From afar, it looked as if it was plunging into the crown of Yuan Hong's head.

Zhou Yuan's brows furrowed at this sight, feeling a vague sense of unease. However, before he could make any move, the Heavenly Flame Sword had, in this strange manner, completely submerged into the crown of Yuan Yuan's head.

Yuan Hong stared at Zhou Yuan, his voice indifferent. "Zhou Yuan, it's true that your abilities are considerable to have pushed me this far. But unfortunately, in this Chief Disciple competition, you never had a chance from the start!" His eyes slowly closed at this moment. Faintly, a whisper filled with an indescribable frenzy quietly sounded, causing the surrounding Genesis Qi of heaven and earth to instantly heat up, as if in a blazing cauldron.

"Sword! Nurturing! Art!"