Chapter 706: Nine God Mansion

The lingering echoes of the thunder still reverberated through the graveyard, and King Wu’s venomous voice also lingered, like a ghost.

Zhou Yuan watched this scene with a calm expression, though his gaze towards Wu Yao grew increasingly serious and wary. While he didn't know what had transpired between Wu Yao and King Wu, her decisive act of regicide was enough to reveal her sharp and ruthless nature.

Wu Yao’s gaze fixated on the spot where King Wu’s spirit had dissipated. She remained in a daze for a long time, then slowly closed her narrow phoenix eyes.

After a while, her eyes opened, all ripples of emotion vanishing from them, leaving only a chilling sharpness that made one’s heart palpitate.

Zhou Yuan and Wu Yao’s gazes met again. Without a word, a murderous undercurrent flowed between them.

King Wu’s final roar had clearly been intended to incite a fight to the death between the two of them, but it was somewhat unnecessary. From the moment he first saw Wu Yao, Zhou Yuan knew she was the most formidable person in the Wu family…

Although the reason for Wu Yao’s patricide was unknown, it could not possibly lead to any reconciliation between Zhou Yuan and her.

They were naturally destined to be in absolute opposition.

Moreover, from Wu Yao’s eyes, Zhou Yuan could sense that, like him, she possessed an unshakeable, tenacious belief in becoming stronger.

Such individuals would undoubtedly go far on the path of cultivation.

Zhou Yuan’s goal was to reclaim the Sacred Dragon Qi, but would Wu Yao voluntarily hand it over? Clearly, that was impossible.

In fact, Wu Yao was likely thinking of seizing the portion of Sacred Dragon Qi within Zhou Yuan to completely perfect her own, which would be of immense benefit to her future path as a powerhouse.

As their gazes met, the ground suddenly began to tremble, and faint dragon roars seemed to resound through the heavens and earth.

Zhou Yuan looked up and saw wisps of mysterious aura surging from all directions, finally gathering at the spot where King Wu’s spirit had dissipated.

The currents of aura intertwined, and faintly, illusory dragon shadows began to appear.

Zhou Yuan’s eyes narrowed; he was all too familiar with that fluctuation – it was the Sacred Dragon Qi!

With King Wu’s demise, the Great Wu collapsed and its national destiny dissipated. The portion of Sacred Dragon Qi that had been tied to it also gathered at the place where King Wu had dissipated.

A dazzling golden light erupted from Zhou Yuan’s body, and he shot out instantly, clearly intending to seize this portion of Sacred Dragon Qi back.

But while he was fast, Wu Yao was even faster.

This was because the black lightning at the spot where King Wu’s spirit had dissipated had never dispersed, having been waiting for this very moment.

The black lightning surged like a net, directly enveloping the Sacred Dragon Qi. It then shot back and landed on Wu Yao’s outstretched slender, fair hand.

Zhou Yuan stopped, staring coldly at Wu Yao. “Patricide and seizing the Dragon Qi—is this your plan? Your Wu family members are truly crazier than the last.”

A cold glint flashed in Wu Yao’s phoenix eyes. Gazing at the Sacred Dragon Qi enveloped in black lightning in her hand, her red lips parted slightly. “In this world, I am probably the person who despises this thing the most.”

Zhou Yuan’s brows raised. “If that’s the case, then return it to its rightful owner.”

Wu Yao glanced at him and simply uttered two words: “Naive.”

“Zhou Yuan, hand over the portion of Sacred Dragon Qi within you. All grievances can be settled today. You killed Wu Huang and have now destroyed the Great Wu; I can choose not to pursue the matter with you.”

“I have little interest in avenging them. In fact, in the future, I might not even step foot in Cangxuan Heaven again.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yuan merely chuckled faintly. “What grand ambition.”

“However, it’s a pity, because these are also the words I wanted to say. Hand over these two strands of Sacred Dragon Qi to me, and you can leave today; all grievances will be written off.”

Their gazes met, and the air itself seemed to grow colder at that moment.

Black lightning flickered faintly around Wu Yao’s slender body. Her fair chin lifted slightly, and her phoenix eyes narrowed. “Zhou Yuan, you should know that unless the Sacred Dragon Qi is unified, you and I will ultimately be locked in an endless struggle.”

Zhou Yuan looked at her, grinning to reveal his gleaming white teeth. “If that’s the case… then let’s fight to the death.”

The moment his voice fell, Zhou Yuan’s eyes suddenly sharpened. A chaos-colored halo appeared behind him as a surging amount of Genesis Qi erupted, directly transforming into a giant golden palm that fiercely struck down towards Wu Yao.

He already knew that words would not solve any problems. Both were decisive individuals, and neither would easily yield. Since that was the case, they would ultimately have to fight.

The giant golden palm slammed down heavily. Wu Yao lifted her beautiful face, which remained expressionless, and her delicate body didn’t budge.

As the giant golden palm descended, violent shockwaves ravaged the surroundings.

Zhou Yuan watched the source of the Genesis Qi impact, his brows furrowing slightly. Wu Yao had actually withstood his attack head-on.

The Genesis Qi impact gradually subsided.

Zhou Yuan’s gaze shot over, and the next instant, his pupils abruptly contracted.

There, Wu Yao stood suspended in the air, her slender, proud figure enveloped in a crimson gown, her dark hair fluttering. Her countenance possessed a breathtaking beauty.

Her willow-leaf eyebrows were slightly raised, exuding a sharpness and dominance no less than that of a man.

Of course, what shocked Zhou Yuan the most was that behind Wu Yao, three halos floated, and each halo radiated with nine brilliant lights!

“Late Divine Dwelling stage!”

“Nine Divine Dwellings!”

Deep wariness appeared on Zhou Yuan’s face. To condense three Divine Dwelling halos, one must have entered the late Divine Dwelling stage.

Moreover, Wu Yao’s three Divine Dwelling halos each shimmered with nine-colored light, dazzling to the eye—a clear indication that she had cultivated the most supreme Nine Divine Dwellings!

This Wu Yao was indeed the most formidable person in the Wu family, and his strongest foe!

Wu Yao’s phoenix eyes fixed on Zhou Yuan, her voice chillingly clear. “Zhou Yuan, among the younger generation in Cangxuan Heaven, you might currently be considered at the pinnacle. But there’s always a higher peak. In the Tianyuan World, even excluding the five Heavens occupied by the Sacred Race, Cangxuan Heaven is merely at the bottom among the remaining four.”

“Hunyuan Heaven is the greatest of the four Heavens. It is a true grand era of cultivation, with countless peerless prodigies far beyond your imagination.”

“So, if you think your strength is enough to take the Sacred Dragon Qi from me, I’m afraid I can only say you are a bit overconfident, Zhou Yuan.”

As her voice fell, Wu Yao abruptly extended a slender, fair finger, and immediately, a massive black lightning bolt shot forth from her fingertip. The lightning snaked like a dragon, carrying a destructive fluctuation, and directly roared down towards Zhou Yuan below.

The lightning arrived in a blink. Feeling its destructive power, Zhou Yuan didn’t dare to neglect it; a jade light erupted from his body.

The Profound Saint Body!

His five fingers clenched tightly, and he threw a punch that made the air itself explode.

At the same time, a phantom appeared outside his body; it was the Grand Profound Sacred Spirit Art.

Zhou Yuan’s full-strength punch, imbued with abundant Genesis Qi, directly clashed with the black lightning.

Boom!

A massive roar erupted.

The ground was torn apart, and Zhou Yuan’s body jolted violently. His feet scraped along the ground as he shot backward, his fist charred black, with blood even dripping from it.

In a single move, Zhou Yuan was completely at a disadvantage.

Zhou Yuan’s expression became extremely solemn. Wu Yao, at the late Divine Dwelling stage, was immeasurably stronger than King Wu. If not for his perfected physical body, that black lightning might have directly pierced his arm and severely wounded him.

Wu Yao’s phoenix eyes watched this scene. “To think someone at the early Divine Dwelling stage could actually withstand one of my moves. You do have some capability, but unfortunately, you are currently no match for me.”

Immediately, her countenance turned as cold and piercing as winter.

She wasted no further words. Raising her fair hand, strands of black lightning spiraled around her, like lightning dragons, releasing extremely astonishing Genesis Qi fluctuations.

“Black Dragon Profound Thunder!”

Dragon roars echoed as black lightning bolts roared down one after another in an overwhelming torrent, as if to destroy the entire Great Wu imperial city.

Zhou Yuan watched the terrifying offensive with a slightly sinking expression. He pondered for a few breaths, then let out a helpless sigh, knowing that at present, he truly had little chance of winning against Wu Yao in a fight.

Wu Yao was a genuine late Divine Dwelling stage practitioner, and with Nine Divine Dwellings at that!

From any perspective, fighting her now meant he was more likely to lose than win.

Zhou Yuan was also a decisive person; after discerning the gap in their strengths, he no longer hesitated and swiftly retreated.

“Trying to run?” Seeing this, a cold glint appeared in Wu Yao’s phoenix eyes.

The black lightning snaked, incredibly agile. Flickering, it instantly appeared around Zhou Yuan, blocking all his escape routes, then roared down.

“This woman is truly ruthless,” Zhou Yuan frowned deeply. The sense of danger Wu Yao brought him was a hundred times stronger than Wu Huang.

He took a deep breath, and the Genesis Brush appeared in his hand. Genesis Qi surged within his body as he knew that to escape Wu Yao today, he would have to fight to the death.

The black lightning roared closer. However, just as Zhou Yuan was about to use all his strength to tear apart the black lightning and find an escape route, the descending black lightning seemed to suddenly encounter an invisible barrier.

Boom! Boom!

The black lightning exploded, but the terrifying shockwaves did not affect Zhou Yuan, because an invisible barrier of light had appeared around him.

“Spirit energy?!”

Zhou Yuan was startled, but he quickly sensed a familiar fluctuation emanating from that invisible spirit energy.

“Who’s there?!” Wu Yao also cried out coldly, her phoenix eyes sharp.

Zhou Yuan and Wu Yao simultaneously looked towards a nearby direction. On a large tree, a beautiful figure stood gracefully.

She held a small beast in her arms, her beautiful eyes clear as a lake. Her skirt hem fluttered in the wind, her dark hair streamed, and her aura was ethereal, like an immortal.

“Yao Yao!”

Yao Yao’s bright eyes looked over, gazing at Zhou Yuan’s somewhat disheveled appearance. Her red lips curled slightly as she leisurely said, “Had enough? Did you truly think that by defeating King Wu, who was at the intermediate Divine Dwelling stage, you would become invincible among your peers?”

Zhou Yuan felt a bit helpless. He had indeed been a bit careless this time, as he hadn’t expected Wu Yao to be at the late Divine Dwelling stage and to have cultivated Nine Divine Dwellings!

“Who are you?” Wu Yao’s phoenix eyes fixed on Yao Yao. A hint of solemnity appeared on her pretty face for the first time; clearly, she also sensed a dangerous aura from the latter.

This, in turn, somewhat surprised Wu Yao. How could there be such a powerful peer in Cangxuan Heaven?

Yao Yao’s gaze also turned to Wu Yao. When facing the latter, her eyes gradually returned to their usual indifference. “Who I am isn’t important. What’s important is that you mustn’t hurt him.”

“Oh?”

Yao Yao’s imposing aura was overwhelming, but Wu Yao was also no ordinary person. Her phoenix eyes narrowed slightly. “What if I say… no?”

The gazes of the two women met. At that instant, even the sound of the wind seemed to freeze.

Both women possessed astonishing beauty. If Yao Yao’s aura was cool and indifferent, ethereal like a goddess, then Wu Yao constantly exuded sharpness and dominance, like an empress ruling the world, capable of turning her hand to conjure clouds or rain.

The most brilliant sights in this world seemed to converge upon them.

Even Zhou Yuan, standing nearby, was overshadowed by the radiance of the two women, appearing unremarkable and trembling…