Chapter 714: Old Haunts

"The Place of Lightning Strikes..." Zhou Yuan watched Gu Zong and his group depart in disarray, his expression remarkably grave. He mumbled, repeating the clue about the Cangxuan Saint Seal that Gu Zong had just spoken of.

"This is truly troublesome..." He couldn't help but sigh. He possessed three Saint Runes, and if the Cangxuan Saint Seal were to fall into the wrong hands, it would undoubtedly sense their presence. In such a scenario, whoever acquired the Saint Seal would surely prioritize making it complete, meaning his Saint Runes would inevitably be taken. With his current strength, how could he possibly contend with such a force?

A delicate fragrance drifted towards him as Yao Yao landed beside Zhou Yuan. "Cangxuan Heaven is likely on the verge of a major upheaval," she murmured. Once the Cangxuan Saint Seal emerges, the resulting turmoil will be unimaginable. The Sacred Palace, the Cangxuan Sect, and all other major sects will undoubtedly contend for it with their full might. The ensuing conflict will be far beyond the skirmishes previously seen between disciples of the Sacred Palace and the Cangxuan Sect. It will be a true world-ending war.

Zhou Yuan took a deep breath. He had just brought peace to Great Wu and had anticipated a period of calm, but he never expected such a momentous event to unfold so suddenly. Of course, if he didn't possess the three Saint Runes, he wouldn't have given the Cangxuan Saint Seal much thought, as it was beyond his current reach. But there was no "if."

"What are we going to do?" Zhou Yuan asked, a headache blooming in his temples. "Regardless, we must pay close attention to any clues regarding the Cangxuan Saint Seal," Yao Yao said, her crimson lips slightly parted. "If possible, it would be best to find it first and secure an initial advantage. We would rather this item fall into the hands of the Cangxuan Sect than the Sacred Palace."

If the Sacred Yuan Palace Master were to obtain the Cangxuan Saint Seal, he would become the Heavenly Master of Cangxuan Heaven, and no one in this world would be able to check his power. At that point, he would certainly not spare Zhou Yuan, who possesses three Saint Runes. Given their past grievances, it's highly probable the Sacred Yuan Palace Master would simply eliminate Zhou Yuan, and even the Great Zhou Dynasty could be dragged into the conflict. However, if the Cangxuan Saint Seal were to fall into the hands of the Cangxuan Sect, Zhou Yuan would at least have a fallback.

Zhou Yuan pondered for a moment. "But finding such a clue is easier said than done," he mused. "'Place of Lightning Strikes'... does that mean a place where lightning has fallen? That clue is far too vague. Forget other continents, even on this small Cangmang Continent, who knows how many locations fit that description." He considered this, then leaped down to stand before Zhou Qing.

At that moment, Wei Canglan, the Black Poison King, and the others nearby respectfully bowed to Zhou Yuan, their eyes filled with reverence. The sight of Zhou Yuan forcing back so many Divine Palace Realm experts had profoundly shaken them. They knew that such a concentration of Divine Palace Realm experts could easily destroy a kingdom, yet they had been repelled by Zhou Yuan, demonstrating the terrifying power he now wielded. Zhou Yuan was now the Great Zhou Dynasty's strongest pillar of support. As long as he remained, the Great Zhou empire would be forever stable.

Zhou Qing gazed at Zhou Yuan's youthful face, a sense of wonder in his eyes. The boy who had once left home had, without him realizing it, grown strong enough to become his true support. This filled him with both relief and pride.

"Yuan'er," Zhou Qing asked, glancing worriedly in the direction Gu Zong and his group had departed, "those people won't leave harboring resentment and cause widespread destruction, will they?" The Great Zhou had only recently gained control of Great Wu, and the situation was still unstable. If those Divine Palace Realm experts were to cause trouble, it would lead to significant unrest.

"They wouldn't dare," Zhou Yuan said with a smile. Although he had made Gu Zong and the others pay a price, they should be well aware that reckless retaliation would escalate into something far beyond mere Divine Palace elixirs. Seeing Zhou Yuan's composed demeanor, Zhou Qing set aside his worries.

"Father, there's something I'd like your help with," Zhou Yuan said, a smile on his face. "Oh?" Zhou Qing replied, surprised, then chuckled. "It's rare for you to need your father's assistance these days. Tell me, what is it?"

Zhou Yuan chuckled. "I'd like to ask you, Father, to help me investigate all locations on the Cangmang Continent where lightning has struck." "Places where lightning has struck?" Zhou Qing paused, then frowned in thought. "There should be quite a few, shouldn't there? While not commonplace, it's not exactly rare either." "Are there any that are particularly unique?"

Zhou Qing mused, "I'll have someone look into it." At that moment, the Black Poison King stepped forward from the side, a ingratiating smile on his face. "Your Highness," he offered, "regarding a place struck by lightning, I do know of one that I believe is quite unique." "Oh?"

The Black Poison King smiled. "Does Your Highness recall where we first met?" Zhou Yuan paused, then his eyes suddenly brightened. "You mean... the Black Abyss?!"

Back then, when he first left the Great Zhou capital to gain experience, the Black Abyss on the Great Zhou's border was his very first destination! Yao Yao, carrying Tun Tun, descended, and a look of surprise blossomed on her beautiful face. "Do you still remember the War Puppet Sect?" she whispered.

Zhou Yuan nodded. Of course he remembered; his Silver Shadow had been acquired there. "And do you recall the recorded images we saw in the War Puppet Sect's underground palace?"

Zhou Yuan's heart jolted as those old memories resurfaced. "A Saint Race prodigy perished here. This place is declared a land of sin and shall suffer divine punishment. Within eighty thousand *li*, all life shall be annihilated." In the recorded images from that underground palace, a merciless voice had unleashed a thunderous retribution, obliterating all ancient sects that had once resided in the Black Abyss. Zhou Yuan had been profoundly shaken then; it was also there that he first learned of the Saint Race's existence.

Over the years, he had also learned from ancient texts of the Cangxuan Sect that, in primeval times, most of Cangxuan Heaven was under the control of the Saint Race. Only later, after countless struggles, did Patriarch Cangxuan rise to prominence, ultimately seizing the Cangxuan Saint Seal and becoming the Heavenly Master, forcing the Saint Race to withdraw from Cangxuan Heaven. The destructive lightning punishment in the Black Abyss, therefore, must have occurred before Patriarch Cangxuan acquired the Saint Seal. Thus, that former land of sin truly did fit the description of a place struck by lightning.

Yao Yao's bright eyes met Zhou Yuan's. "That truly is a peculiar place," she murmured. Zhou Yuan nodded. It was indeed peculiar; a place where the Saint Race's might had once run rampant. Normally, the current powerful cultivators would likely avoid any connection to or memory of that area. It was a blind spot.

So, when Patriarch Cangxuan met his end, could he have done the opposite, deliberately hiding the Cangxuan Saint Seal within that so-called land of sin? As this thought crossed his mind, Zhou Yuan's heart began to pound, because he felt there was a genuine possibility of it being true!

Zhou Yuan and Yao Yao exchanged glances, each seeing the surprise mirrored in the other's eyes. "It seems we'll have to investigate the Black Abyss once more..."

Zhou Yuan couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion. Years ago, when he first ventured out from Great Zhou Manor, the Black Abyss had been his inaugural destination for cultivation. He never imagined that, so many years later, he would once again return to that familiar place. It felt like a full circle.