Chapter 564: Crushing Blow

Thunder rumbled, shaking the heavens and earth. The lightning seal between Lei Qinghai's palms burst forth, streaking through the air. Flickering with electric light, it roared like a lightning dragon. Under the gaze of many astonished onlookers, it descended with terrifying power, enveloping the area where Zhou Yuan stood.

From a distance, Zhou Tai, Lu Yan, and others watched, their eyes filled with worry. Lei Qinghai's strength, displayed at this moment, was even more formidable than Baili Che's during the Genesis Pool Festival. Although they knew Zhou Yuan's power had significantly increased after the Nine Dragons Baptism, he hadn't truly fought since then. Consequently, they were unsure of his actual combat prowess at this moment. If Zhou Yuan were indeed suppressed by Lei Qinghai in this confrontation, it would be a considerable blow to his reputation. After all, Zhou Yuan was the chief disciple of the Cangxuan Sect, while Lei Qinghai hailed from the much smaller Little Thunder Sect.

Boom!

Under the convergence of countless gazes, the lightning seal roared forth with brilliant electricity. It then crashed down violently, aiming directly for Zhou Yuan's position. In the next instant, dazzling lightning completely engulfed Zhou Yuan's figure.

Lei Qinghai stood proudly in the air, his eyes cold as he gazed at the brilliant lightning. "Arrogant fool, how dare you withstand my Thunder King Seal!" he sneered. "Since you're seeking death, don't blame me." His Thunder King Seal was the exclusive Genesis Art of the Little Thunder Sect, incredibly potent. In countless past battles, many had fallen before it. And now, Zhou Yuan would become the latest addition to his illustrious battle record.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the brilliant lightning persisted for a while before gradually receding. Then, the scene within became clear. Lei Qinghai looked immediately, expecting Zhou Yuan, after being struck by his Thunder King Seal, to be severely injured, regardless of his physical strength. A heavily wounded Zhou Yuan would obviously no longer be his opponent.

As these thoughts spun in Lei Qinghai's mind, his gaze slowly froze. He saw a slender, youthful figure standing calmly amidst the dissipating lightning. There appeared to be no injuries on his body whatsoever. The sneer on Lei Qinghai's lips gradually solidified into a rigid expression.

He saw the lightning-flickering Thunder King Seal suspended above Zhou Yuan. Behind Zhou Yuan, golden Genesis Qi permeated the air, forming a starry sky spanning a thousand feet, with golden stars shimmering within it. Waves of powerful and abundant Genesis Qi continuously emanated, resisting the Thunder King Seal that tried to suppress him, preventing it from falling.

The various factions watching erupted in an uproar, their faces filled with shock as they stared at the thousand-foot-wide starry expanse. "That's... that's Genesis Qi transforming into stars?!" they finally exclaimed in horror. They knew that such a phenomenon could only be manifested when the Genesis Qi stars in one's Qi Dwelling reached ten thousand. Only exceptionally well-grounded prodigies could barely achieve ten thousand Genesis Qi stars upon breaking through to the Ninth Layer. For instance, Lei Qinghai, despite entering the Ninth Layer, possessed only about nine thousand Genesis Qi stars in his foundation. Therefore, they couldn't fathom how Zhou Yuan, with only a Seventh Layer Genesis Qi cultivation, could possess such a terrifyingly deep Genesis Qi foundation.

This was simply monstrous!

Compared to the outsiders, Lei Qinghai was undoubtedly the most shaken. As he gazed at the Genesis Qi stars, his heart churned with overwhelming waves of shock. He had previously believed that Zhou Yuan rarely used Genesis Qi because his own Genesis Qi foundation was weak. But he never imagined that Zhou Yuan's Genesis Qi foundation had actually surpassed ten thousand... He thought physical strength was Zhou Yuan's only reliance, but he hadn't expected that Zhou Yuan's Genesis Qi foundation was, in fact, even more terrifying than his physical power!

"How is this possible?! His physical body is already so powerful, how can his Genesis Qi foundation also be this strong?!" Lei Qinghai roared internally. He considered himself a genius within the Little Thunder Sect, but compared to Zhou Yuan now, the disparity was simply unbearable.

However, Zhou Yuan paid no mind to Lei Qinghai's internal roar. He stretched his neck, having confirmed through the previous exchange that his physical strength seemed to have significantly improved. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to fight Lei Qinghai to a standstill earlier, relying only on physical strength and a small amount of Genesis Qi. Still, Zhou Yuan understood that while his physical strength was formidable, relying solely on it to defeat Lei Qinghai would likely require a prolonged struggle. Zhou Yuan clearly didn't have time to keep playing with him.

Zhou Yuan extended his palm, his skin shimmering with a jade-like glow, and silver light pulsed from the bones beneath his flesh. With a flash, he appeared like a phantom directly in front of the lightning seal. He slammed his palms down, trapping the lightning seal with golden Genesis Qi. Then, he slowly brought his palms together, unleashing all the Genesis Qi and physical strength within him.

Crack.

The space between his palms twisted, and faint spatial cracks appeared. Though the lightning seal within fiercely erupted with electricity, it could not escape its confinement. It could only emit a groaning, protesting sound as Zhou Yuan's palms drew closer. Zhou Yuan's palms finally closed completely. The lightning seal, caught between them, shattered into countless silver points of light. Lingering energy ripples spread out, but Zhou Yuan's palms directly absorbed them. Thus, Lei Qinghai's most powerful Genesis Art was utterly extinguished by Zhou Yuan's bare hands.

Zhou Yuan casually clapped his hands, then turned his gaze towards the pale-faced Lei Qinghai. He said with a faint, unreadable smile, "Earlier, you wanted to see how much power I was hiding? Are you still disappointed?"

Lei Qinghai's lips twitched, but he uttered no words. As he met Zhou Yuan's cold gaze, a sense of dread slowly crept from the depths of his heart. Zhou Yuan's effortless annihilation of his strongest Genesis Art was more than enough to illustrate the vast disparity between them. At this moment, Lei Qinghai's courage completely evaporated. Therefore, he had no intention of answering. Under the astonished and angry gazes of the various factions, he abruptly turned and shot away, his figure a phantom streak of lightning, fleeing desperately.

Lei Qinghai finally understood: the chief disciple of the Cangxuan Sect had merely been toying with him. When Zhou Yuan became truly serious, Lei Qinghai, though unwilling to admit it, had to acknowledge that he was no match for him. If he prolonged the fight, he might truly die here. Lei Qinghai's flight instantly threw the various factions into disarray. Members of the Little Thunder Sect, especially, turned and fled in haste, daring not to linger. In an instant, the various forces besieging the mountaintop collapsed, suffering heavy casualties under the pursuit of the Cangxuan Sect disciples.

"Quite decisive," Zhou Yuan murmured with a faint smile, watching the lightning streak across the sky. Yet, his eyes remained quite cold. "But to stir up trouble and then just walk away?"

"You're being a bit naive."

Zhou Yuan waved his sleeve, and a black light shot out, rapidly expanding against the wind. It was none other than the Heavenly Yuan Brush, which whistled through the air, seemingly piercing through space like a meteor streaking across the night sky. Zhou Yuan's abundant Genesis Qi converged on the Heavenly Yuan Brush, making its power reach an extreme peak. The fleeing Lei Qinghai in the distance seemed to attempt a forceful resistance. But as the Heavenly Yuan Brush swept past, it was accompanied by a piercing scream...

Zhou Yuan stood calmly in the void and beckoned with his hand. The Heavenly Yuan Brush whistled back, its snow-white bristles binding a blood-soaked figure and suspending him before Zhou Yuan.

Lei Qinghai, his face covered in blood and ashen white, pleaded, "Brother Zhou, I was blind earlier, but is there any need to go to such extremes? Although our Little Thunder Sect cannot compare to your Cangxuan Sect, why would you want to make another enemy here?"

Zhou Yuan chuckled. "When you attacked us earlier, you paid no mind to the Cangxuan Sect. Why should I care about your Little Thunder Sect now?" His gaze was icy, and Genesis Qi gathered in his palm. He raised his hand, clearly intending to deliver a killing blow.

A violent gust of wind assaulted Lei Qinghai's face, terrifying him out of his wits. A sharp, ear-splitting shriek pierced the air. "Stop! Don't kill me! I'll trade you a clue to a Six-Colored Treasure Land for my life!"

Zhou Yuan's palm stopped right in front of Lei Qinghai's face, the forceful wind causing blood to pour from the latter's wounds. His eyes flickered, and he stared at Lei Qinghai, slowly asking, "Are you talking about... a Six-Colored Treasure Land?"