Chapter 575: Sinister

Fan Yao's voice, thick with murderous intent, rang out, and the sinister aura seemed to lower the air temperature.

Tang Xiaoyan and the others were startled. Earlier, Fan Yao had been quite amiable when speaking with them, but now, facing the Cangxuan Sect, his expression had turned somewhat terrifying. Although they knew there was considerable friction between the Sacred Palace and the Cangxuan Sect, they hadn't expected Fan Yao and his group to immediately turn hostile upon seeing the Cangxuan Sect, without any hesitation.

Under the gaze of the many from the Hundred Flowers Immortal Palace, Zhou Yuan's gaze met Fan Yao's slightly bloodshot eyes. His expression remained calm, showing no distress despite Fan Yao's undisguised killing intent.

"What big words," Zhou Yuan said slowly. "I just hope you have the ability to back them up."

He didn't back down in the slightest; instead, he seemed even more unyielding.

His response caused many girls from the Hundred Flowers Immortal Palace to exclaim in surprise. Fan Yao clearly looked like someone not to be provoked, and if they were to clash so fiercely now, was the Cangxuan Sect truly planning to wage war with the Sacred Palace here and now?

"Zhou Yuan..." A flicker of worry crossed Lu Luo's large eyes.

"Hmph, this guy really doesn't know his place," Zhao Ru snorted coldly from the side, saying, "Fan Yao leads the Sacred Palace group, and his strength ranks among the top of their ten chief disciples. For Zhou Yuan to choose to confront him head-on now is simply absurd." In her opinion, Zhou Yuan was merely putting on a brave front for the sake of his reputation, even if it meant completely provoking Fan Yao. Such verbal bravado would likely only lead to extremely unfavorable outcomes for them.

Tang Xiaoyan also fell silent for a moment. Although Zhao Ru's words were harsh, they held some truth; when one's strength is inferior to the opponent's, choosing to endure is not a mistake. For the sake of a momentary impulse, it would only endanger the other disciples of the Cangxuan Sect. After all, it was clear that the Sacred Palace's lineup was noticeably stronger than the Cangxuan Sect's.

"Sister Xiaoyan," Lu Luo tugged at Tang Xiaoyan's sleeve, her small face showing urgency, seemingly wanting to ask her to help de-escalate the situation. She had heard of Fan Yao's reputation, knowing that he could rank among the top ten chief disciples of all forces in Shengzhou Continent. In a one-on-one fight, even their Sister Tang Xiaoyan might not gain much of an advantage against him.

Tang Xiaoyan saw Lu Luo's pleading gaze and hesitated. After all, if they intervened in the current situation, they would undoubtedly offend the Sacred Palace, and as a leader, it would not be wise for her to do so.

"Xiaoyan, their grievances have nothing to do with our Hundred Flowers Immortal Palace!" Zhao Ru's face immediately darkened slightly upon seeing this. "We have no reason to intervene." She was somewhat familiar with Fan Yao and naturally unwilling to risk offending him to help the Cangxuan Sect disciples, whom she didn't have much affection for. "Moreover, this whole situation is due to that guy Zhou Yuan's recklessness. Letting him learn a lesson would be good for him too." Other female disciples of the Hundred Flowers Palace who were close to Zhao Ru also nodded in agreement, indicating their unwillingness to get involved in the two parties' grievances without reason.

Seeing this, Tang Xiaoyan could only cast an apologetic glance at the anxious Lu Luo. After all, Zhao Ru was not wrong; they had no reason to help the Cangxuan Sect.

While they were discussing, Fan Yao's eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at Zhou Yuan. A sinister smile appeared at the corners of his mouth. "Zhou Yuan, you killed my Sacred Palace junior brother Ning Mo, a chief disciple, and now you dare to be so arrogant? Do you really think my Sacred Palace is made of mud?"

The surrounding Sacred Palace disciples all fixed hostile gazes on Zhou Yuan, their eyes filled with hatred.

His words caused some commotion among the Hundred Flowers Immortal Palace members. This time, even the two chief disciples, Tang Xiaoyan and Zhao Ru, looked at Zhou Yuan in astonishment. Zhou Yuan had actually killed a Sacred Palace chief disciple?!

"How is that possible? This guy is only at the seventh layer of Heaven Realm cultivation; how could he kill a Sacred Palace chief disciple?!" Zhao Ru couldn't help but exclaim.

Tang Xiaoyan, however, gazed in surprise at Zhou Yuan, whose expression remained calm. Her red lips parted slightly as she said, "It seems this chief disciple of the Cangxuan Sect is not as simple as we thought."

"I told you, Zhou Yuan is very powerful!" Lu Luo said with a hint of smugness.

Zhao Ru glanced at her and sneered, "Powerful indeed, which is why he's now angered Fan Yao after killing a Sacred Palace chief disciple. Let's see how he gets out of this!"

Hearing this, Lu Luo's willow-like brows couldn't help but furrow.

"Ning Mo is dead?"

Zhou Yuan was also slightly surprised when he heard this. Although Ning Mo had been severely wounded by him earlier, he shouldn't have died immediately... However, dwelling on it was pointless. Ning Mo's death was well-deserved.

"He killed over a dozen of my Cangxuan Sect disciples. His death is his own doing," Zhou Yuan said nonchalantly. He clenched his fingers, and golden Genesis Qi slowly rose from his body. He stared at Fan Yao, smiling faintly. "Stop with the idle talk. If you want a fight, my Cangxuan Sect is ready."

"However..." His voice paused, and he suddenly glanced at the Hundred Flowers Immortal Palace in the distance, saying, "If you want to devour us, you'll have to be careful not to choke yourselves and let a third party take advantage."

In the distance, Tang Xiaoyan and Zhao Ru were momentarily stunned when they heard this.

Zhao Ru's willow-like brows shot up. "This boy is cunning; he dares to use us!"

Tang Xiaoyan's beautiful eyes flickered. She gave Zhou Yuan a meaningful look but did not speak.

"Haha, boy, I know the two junior sisters from the Hundred Flowers Immortal Palace. Your trick probably won't work," Fan Yao also laughed mockingly.

Zhou Yuan smiled. "I see. Then I was overly concerned. Come on."

Fan Yao looked at Zhou Yuan. The smile on his face gradually faded, and his eyes became somber. He was naturally suspicious, and trusting the Hundred Flowers Immortal Palace was even less likely. Under the temptation of the Six-Colored Treasure Land, even fellow disciples couldn't necessarily be trusted, let alone outsiders. Given the current strength of the Cangxuan Sect, if the two sides fought, they would inevitably suffer losses. At that point, with their strength diminished, if the Hundred Flowers Immortal Palace harbored ill intentions, it would indeed be extremely disadvantageous for them.

Wang Yuan, who was nearby, also hesitated for a moment before whispering to Fan Yao, "The Hundred Flowers Immortal Palace is no mere flower vase." He was also reminding Fan Yao that although the Hundred Flowers Immortal Palace comprised only female disciples, it was one of the six major giant sects. Anyone who treated them as useless flower vases would likely pay a significant price.

Fan Yao's face was expressionless, and his eyes were extremely cold and furious. This Zhou Yuan was indeed ruthless, forcing him into a dilemma with just one sentence. His gaze flickered. A moment later, he suddenly took a deep breath, and the coldness on his face completely dissipated. He chuckled lightly, then extended a finger, pointing at Zhou Yuan with a smile.

"You boy, you're quite cunning..."

"However, this is indeed not the place to deal with you right now," Fan Yao said, giving Zhou Yuan a deep look. "But trust me, if you don't choose to leave now, you won't be able to blame me for what happens later."

"Then let's wait and see," Zhou Yuan said casually.

Fan Yao sighed, "That would truly be a pity."

Saying this, he turned around, seemingly to end the conversation. Seeing his posture, Jin Zhang and the others, who had been tense, quietly let out a sigh of relief.

However, at the very moment Fan Yao turned around, a sudden blood-red light appeared in his eyes. In that instant, the ground beneath Zhou Yuan's feet suddenly ripped open. A streak of blood-red light, accompanied by a sharp shriek, shot upwards, directly aiming for Zhou Yuan's vital throat. This attack was extremely cunning and sinister, so much so that Jin Zhang and the others nearby couldn't react in time. They could only watch in horror as the blood-red light pierced towards Zhou Yuan's vital spot.

Fan Yao had clearly adopted a temporarily yielding posture, yet he had secretly set up such a vicious killing blow. He was simply treacherous to the extreme.

At the Hundred Flowers Immortal Palace, many female disciples also gasped in alarm, and Lu Luo's pupils widened.

"Zhou Yuan!" Her shriek echoed out.