Chapter 476: Asking for the Throne

Above Chief Peak, countless astonished eyes were fixed on the two intensely powerful attacks as they whistled down. Everyone could sense that both individuals had unleashed their full power, delivering what was undoubtedly a peak strike.

Outside Chief Peak, both Shen Taiyuan and Lu Hong stared fixedly at the sky above the summit, their breaths seemingly held in suspense. They knew the battle had pushed Zhou Yuan and Yuan Hong to their absolute limits, and the final outcome was imminent.

Lu Hong's expression was particularly grim. He had never imagined that Zhou Yuan, whom he considered insignificant, could push Yuan Hong to such an extreme point. Even Yuan Hong's trump card, the "Sword-Feeding Art," had failed to deliver a decisive, overwhelming victory.

“Damn it!” The words burst from between Lu Hong’s clenched teeth, his eyes filled with regret and fury. If only they had known how formidable this young man was, they would have changed their strategy immediately and focused all their efforts on eliminating Zhou Yuan first. But regret was useless now; even Lu Hong could only wait anxiously for the final result.

Under the convergence of countless gazes, high above the peak, Zhou Yuan's fist, wreathed in black bristles, descended with crushing force, tearing through the void. It collided fiercely with Yuan Hong's crimson palm strike, which shimmered with a sword's shadow.

The world seemed to pause for a fleeting instant at the precise moment of impact. Then, a colossal Genesis Qi storm, thousands of feet wide, erupted explosively from their point of collision, sweeping wildly across the landscape. Even disciples located far from Chief Peak could keenly feel the storm's ferocious power. Cracks spread across the entire mountain, and its very summit began to crumble.

At the storm's epicenter, Yuan Hong's eyes were bloodshot. He glared intently at Zhou Yuan, who was directly above him, and roared through clenched teeth, “A mere new disciple thinks he can stop me from becoming Chief? Delusional!” He roared, his inner Genesis Qi surging wildly and making the void tremble. Within his arm, the crimson sword's shadow grew increasingly distinct, making his entire limb appear as if transformed by the Heavenly Flame Sword, radiating an intensely sharp and searing aura.

However, Zhou Yuan's face remained impassive in the face of Yuan Hong's ferocious expression and roar. He clenched his fingers tightly, and the dark bristles wrapped around his hand like a gauntlet, shimmering with a profound light.

“Get! Out! Now!”

A low roar seemed to emanate from Zhou Yuan's throat. His fist drew back slightly, then swung out again with devastating force. The fist, seemingly covered by a black gauntlet, slammed into Yuan Hong's palm with a sound like clashing metal. A tremendous shockwave erupted and spread again.

It was at this moment that Yuan Hong’s pupils constricted sharply. He felt an indescribably vast power surge towards him, and under its immense force, faint streaks of blood immediately appeared on his arm, where the sword's shadow had been shimmering.

Crack! His entire arm seemed to fracture in that instant. Then, countless horrified eyes watched as Yuan Hong's body plummeted from the sky like a cannonball. The wind whistled frantically past his ears. A look of utter shock appeared on Yuan Hong’s face; he seemingly hadn't anticipated the overwhelming power of Zhou Yuan's punch! The Heavenly Flame Sword within him seemed to let out a mournful hum.

His body slammed directly onto Chief Peak's summit. Deafening thuds echoed as the already unstable peak completely collapsed under the impact. Yuan Hong’s body tore through the mountain, ultimately plunging deep into the heart of Chief Peak. The mountain collapsed, and the entire colossal peak crumbled. The sheer destructive power made countless disciples gasp in awe.

A profound silence fell upon the entire area. Countless stunned gazes moved upward from the collapsed Chief Peak, revealing Zhou Yuan hovering in mid-air, the bristles on his hand quickly receding. Blood dripped from his fingertips onto his fist. While that punch had been incredibly fierce, the recoil force was equally terrifying. Had Zhou Yuan not achieved minor mastery of his external tempering technique, the impact alone might have shattered his arm.

His gaze turned coldly downward. Chief Peak was still collapsing, and following the path of the crumbling debris, he could see deep within the mountain's core. Yuan Hong's figure lay slumped within. He was covered in blood, and his arm was visibly twisted, clearly broken. A look of horror still lingered on Yuan Hong's face. He struggled to lift his head, his gaze piercing through the collapsed rocks to find the figure hovering high above. A raspy sound escaped his throat. He painstakingly extended his hand, as if trying to grasp something. His eyes were still filled with profound unwillingness.

He never imagined he would be defeated by Zhou Yuan… A new disciple he had never even considered… could actually defeat him, Yuan Hong?!

Their gazes met through the fractured rocks. “I—I refuse to accept this! How could you possibly defeat me?!” he roared hoarsely, blood gushing from his mouth. A crimson light shimmered on his body, and finally, a sword shadow shot out, embedding itself with a mournful clang into the ground beside him – it was the Heavenly Flame Sword. By now, this Heavenly Origin weapon had become exceptionally dim, clearly having sustained significant damage. As the Heavenly Flame Sword left his body, the light in Yuan Hong’s eyes dimmed. He looked up at the young figure in the sky, whose gaze was cold and piercing, and slowly, his raised hand fell.

Despite his profound unwillingness, Yuan Hong knew that this struggle for Chief… He had lost.

Rocks tumbled down, obscuring the massive crater.

In mid-air, Zhou Yuan spat out a mouthful of blood, and the Genesis Qi around him gradually dimmed. This arduous battle had been incredibly challenging for him as well. Had he not managed to break through to the Fifth Heaven in the end, he would likely have had no choice but to deploy the "Silver Shadow" once more. However, under Yuan Hong’s intense pressure, he had not only cultivated the Silver Bone Realm but also advanced into the Fifth Heaven, achieving a truly complete mastery.

Zhou Yuan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked up. He glanced into the distance, where Zhou Tai, Lu Yan, Zhang Yan, and Han Yu were gathered, all staring at him with looks of utter shock. Their gazes were as if they had seen a ghost. Because they had witnessed, from the closest possible distance, how Zhou Yuan had managed to turn the tide from a desperate situation and ultimately crush Yuan Hong. The shock they felt was indescribably intense.

Lu Yan swallowed hard, her pretty face a mask of complex emotions. How could she have imagined that this new disciple, whom she had always somewhat underestimated, had actually defeated Yuan Hong, accomplishing what even the three top Purple Sash disciples combined could not?

“Junior Brother Zhou Yuan… this is just too… incredible, isn’t it?” Zhou Tai murmured.

Zhang Yan remained silent, but the shock in his eyes was undeniable. A hint of awe had even crept into his gaze as he looked at Zhou Yuan.

Zhou Yuan smiled at them, then looked at Han Yu, who stood frozen nearby. At this point, she was the only one left on Chief Peak who hadn’t been eliminated.

“Senior Sister Han Yu, shall we spar?” Zhou Yuan chuckled. If Han Yu was eliminated, he would be the only one left on Chief Peak, and the position of Chief would naturally fall to him.

Han Yu froze upon hearing this, then recoiled as if she had seen a terrifying beast, ultimately collapsing to the ground and passing out. She had actually been scared unconscious.

Zhou Yuan stared blankly for a moment at the sight, then scratched his head with a wry, helpless smile. It seemed his formidable presence, established by defeating Yuan Hong, was simply too overwhelming for Han Yu to handle. However, with Han Yu's unconsciousness, she too was eliminated.

Only he remained on the entire Chief Peak. At this thought, even Zhou Yuan's heart swelled with excitement. He looked up, gazing beyond the high sky, and bowed with clasped fists.

“The struggle for Chief of Saint Genesis Peak has concluded. I request the Peak Master to bestow the position.”

His powerful and clear voice resonated through the silent heavens and earth.