Chapter 624: Holy Palace Retreat

Chai Ying's figure fell from the sky and landed heavily. With his Black Gold Pellet shattered, Chai Ying had clearly sustained unimaginably severe injuries. His Genesis Qi was now listless within him, leaving him with no strength left to fight.

Countless gazes silently watched the fallen, unconscious figure. The entire world remained utterly silent.

All eyes converged on the young figure standing tall and calm. This time, the gazes from all factions clearly held a newfound apprehension. Even the Saint Sons from the various sects had, at this moment, reined in their previous condescension.

The Saint Sons had heard of Zhou Yuan's previous battle achievements, but that was all. In their view, it was merely a struggle between chief disciples and held no significance for them, just as lions and tigers wouldn't care about fights among jackals.

But at this moment, they had to rein in that condescension, because they realized that this young jackal, in their eyes, also possessed the power to contend with lions and tigers.

Zhou Yuan, the chief disciple of the Cangxuan Sect, was now comparable to a Saint Son! In all these years, it was the first time they had encountered a chief disciple who could defeat a Saint Son in a direct confrontation!

At this moment, the Saint Sons from the various sects truly began to take Zhou Yuan seriously. Because they knew that if they didn't take him seriously now, then next time they encountered him, Chai Ying's fate would serve as a dire warning for them.

As Chai Ying fell, his condition unknown, the battlefield at the other end of the valley mouth, where Zhao Zhu and Chi Lei were fighting, also became somewhat awkward.

At this moment, both Zhao Zhu and Chi Lei stared stiffly in that direction. The horror in their eyes almost made them feel a sudden kinship. Clearly, neither of them could quite accept this outcome.

Earlier, when Zhou Yuan volunteered to become a provisional guardian, Zhao Zhu was the most opposed. In his view, Zhou Yuan merely wanted to earn contribution points. What qualifications did a chief disciple like Zhou Yuan have to participate in a clash between Saint Sons?

So when Chai Ying rushed towards Zhou Yuan earlier, Zhao Zhu had almost resigned himself to Zhou Yuan's grim fate, but he could do nothing, as he was also fully engaged and couldn't be distracted.

However, he never imagined that while he was still struggling with Chi Lei, the battle on the other side had already seen a winner and a loser. And that outcome was one he couldn't even have dared to imagine.

"How could he have defeated Chai Ying?!" The same words almost simultaneously escaped from the mouths of Zhao Zhu and Chi Lei. For Zhao Zhu, it was shock and disbelief, while on Chi Lei's side, there was an added hint of terror.

The current situation had instantly slipped out of their control. Their original plan was for Chai Ying to quickly deal with Zhou Yuan, after which they would team up with him to take down Zhao Zhu. At that point, the initiative for the entire situation would fall into the Saint Palace's hands, and the Cangxuan Sect would have no choice but to yield.

But now, the situation had deviated: not only did Chai Ying fail to deal with Zhou Yuan, but he was dealt with instead. Their plan had completely failed.

Cold sweat appeared on Chi Lei's forehead. He no longer dared to proactively attack Zhao Zhu. Instead, he began to retreat, his gaze warily fixed on both Zhou Yuan and Zhao Zhu.

In the distance, Zhou Yuan waited for the boiling Genesis Qi within him to gradually calm down, then opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of bloody froth. Piercing pain still radiated from his body; an ordinary person would likely have lost all fighting strength by now. Fortunately, Zhou Yuan cultivated the "Taiyi Green Wood Mark," and a dense life-force permeated from within him, rapidly healing his injuries.

He raised his head, his gaze locking onto Chi Lei in the distance. Then his figure moved, and in a few flashes, he had already appeared beside Zhao Zhu.

"Saint Son Zhao Zhu, haven't you finished yet?" Zhou Yuan asked with a faint smile.

Zhao Zhu's face turned slightly green, and he snorted. In the past, he would certainly have reprimanded Zhou Yuan, but at this moment, he understood that Zhou Yuan was no longer the chief disciple he once was. The moment he defeated Chai Ying, he gained the qualification to become a Saint Son of the Cangxuan Sect. Therefore, in terms of status and standing, Zhou Yuan was no longer inferior to him. He no longer had any reason to look down on Zhou Yuan, whether in terms of strength or status.

Chi Lei, seeing Zhou Yuan approach, his expression became even more solemn, and Genesis Qi surged around him, fully alert.

However, Zhou Yuan merely glanced at him and did not directly attack. Instead, he raised his head and looked in the direction of Chu Qing and the others, because by now, the situation was extremely clear. If the Saint Palace did not want both Chai Ying and Chi Lei to fall here, then they should yield.

Chu Qing, seeing Zhou Yuan's gaze cast his way, also nodded lightly. He then turned his gaze to Jiang Taishen outside the barrier, sighed, and said, "Jiang Taishen, I'm truly sorry, but it seems the two Saint Sons you painstakingly sent in failed to complete your mission."

Jiang Taishen's eyelids drooped slightly, and he said indifferently, "Chu Qing, aren't you a bit too smug?"

Chu Qing smiled and said lazily, "What to do next, that's your choice. If you still want to continue fighting, my Cangxuan Sect will be happy to oblige." As for the current situation, the initiative had fallen into the hands of the Cangxuan Sect. If the Saint Palace continued to prolong this, it would mean they truly intended to fight to the death regardless of the cost. But with various sects gathered here, lurking in the shadows and eyeing them covetously, it was unlikely the Saint Palace had the courage to fight to the death.

That's why Jiang Taishen had planned to use means to send Chai Ying and Chi Lei inside, attempting to break through from within and force the Cangxuan Sect to yield. It was just a pity that his plan had now completely fallen through. If the Saint Palace still intended to drag this on, then Saint Sons Chi Lei and Chai Ying would certainly be lost. In truth, Jiang Taishen didn't particularly care about their lives or deaths; it was just that even if they died, it wouldn't improve the Saint Palace's current situation one bit.

Jiang Taishen's eyes closed slightly. After a moment, he slowly opened them, then a faint smile reappeared on his face. He said lightly, "Chu Qing, this time, our Saint Palace concedes. This Seven-Colored Treasure Land is not destined for our Saint Palace."

He was indeed a decisive person, knowing that dragging it on was useless. Since that was the case, he chose to give up. The other Saint Sons of the Saint Palace all looked unwilling but dared not defy Jiang Taishen's will. So they could only gradually retract their Genesis Qi, because they also understood that in today's struggle for the Seven-Colored Treasure Land, their Saint Palace had already fallen into a disadvantageous position.

Seeing this, Chu Qing also let out a light chuckle and then said, "Since that's the case, then you may retreat. Once it's over, my Cangxuan Sect will naturally release these two Saint Sons of yours."

Jiang Taishen's face remained calm, and he said nothing more. But his gaze suddenly turned towards Zhou Yuan's figure in the valley. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he said faintly, "Zhou Yuan, isn't it? Very well. The events of today, my Saint Palace has noted."

As his words fell, he immediately turned and soared away on Genesis Qi, completely disregarding Chi Lei and the severely injured Chai Ying. He wasn't particularly worried that the Cangxuan Sect would kill the two, because just as he didn't want to fight the Cangxuan Sect to the death here, the Cangxuan Sect also wouldn't dare to truly provoke them.

Zhantai Qing turned and followed, while Jin Chanzi's golden vertical pupils stared at Zhou Yuan from afar, the chilling coldness and cruelty in his eyes completely undisguised.

"Zhou Yuan, I hope you can leave this Xuanxuan Cave Heaven alive." He smiled indifferently, the killing intent in his words almost uncontrollably surging forth. Immediately after, he also turned and left.

Thus, in just a few dozen breaths, the Saint Palace's forces had completely retreated. With the Saint Palace's retreat, the various sects lurking within the mountains also felt a sense of regret. They understood that if even the Saint Palace had returned in defeat, then no one could lay claim to this Seven-Colored Treasure Land.

Therefore, the forces from the various sects also began to withdraw. However, before leaving, all their gazes were cast towards the slender, tall young figure in the valley. They knew that after today, Zhou Yuan's name would spread throughout all sects.