Chapter 727: Heavenly Saint Temple Master

Zhou Yuan's entire body surged with Origin Qi, and a divine mansion halo appeared behind him. At this moment, his face seemed somewhat frenzied, and his eyes were filled with ferocity. The Heavenly Yuan Brush appeared in his hand, its pristine white tip instantly turning jet black. The Heavenly Yuan Brush moved, leaving a trail of afterimages, while within Zhou Yuan's divine mansion, powerful Origin Qi erupted without reservation, causing his body to glow. At this very moment, Zhou Yuan poured out all his strength.

However, the Palace Master of the Sacred Palace still didn't turn around. A sneer played on his lips as he shook his head and chuckled lightly, "I didn't expect an ant, when cornered, could still bite, did I?"

He extended a finger and lightly tapped behind him. The sharp brush tip, concentrated with all of Zhou Yuan's power, struck heavily against the Palace Master's finger. The impact felt like hitting a piece of ten-thousand-year-old cold iron. All of Zhou Yuan's power seemed to vanish into a bottomless black hole.

The Palace Master of the Sacred Palace flicked his finger against the brush tip. In that instant, the brush tip shattered, its countless bristles falling limply. An indescribable force, like a surging tide, rushed forth. Zhou Yuan's palm instantly split open, splattering blood. The Heavenly Yuan Brush flew from his grasp. The divine mansion halo behind him sensed the danger and appeared before Zhou Yuan, but it only lasted for a moment before shattering under the impact of that terrifying force.

*Pffft!*

A mouthful of fresh blood directly spurted from Zhou Yuan's mouth, and his figure shot out like a cannonball, tumbling across the stone steps for a long while before finally coming to a halt. At this point, Zhou Yuan was covered in blood, his skin torn open. Had his physical body not been highly developed, he would likely have been torn apart by that force. Nevertheless, he was utterly dishevelled and wretched. With just a single touch, Zhou Yuan was utterly routed by the Palace Master of the Sacred Palace, demonstrating the immense gap in their strength.

Foamy blood gushed from Zhou Yuan's mouth, his hair dishevelled. A bitter smile played on his lips. "Is this the power of the Genesis Infant stage? It truly is incomparable to the Divine Mansion stage."

The Palace Master of the Sacred Palace slowly turned around, his gaze indifferent as he looked at Zhou Yuan. "Your courage is somewhat surprising to me, but unfortunately, courage alone changes nothing." He extended his finger again, and incredibly terrifying Origin Qi gathered at its tip, causing the space to crack.

However, just as the Palace Master was about to deliver the killing blow, an angry beast roar suddenly echoed through the void. The next instant, a giant golden shadow appeared above him. It was Tun Tun, transformed into its battle form.

As Tun Tun roared, its sharp claws viciously tore downwards, black light entwining around them, causing the space to tremble. The Palace Master of the Sacred Palace narrowed his eyes. With his other hand, he abruptly pierced through the void and savagely gripped Tun Tun's throat. Tun Tun's claws tore across his palm, leaving faint streaks of blood.

"Hmm?" The Palace Master of the Sacred Palace let out a surprised sound. In his perception, the Tun Tun before him only possessed Divine Mansion stage strength, yet it could leave a mark on him. Although the wound was negligible, it was enough to show its extraordinary nature. "What a fine beast," the Palace Master said with a smile. "I'll take it back to guard the gates." With a casual flick of his hand, he violently flung Tun Tun far away.

The moment he flung Tun Tun away, the void seemed to tremble slightly. A streak of gilded light silently shot forth, aiming directly at the Palace Master's glabella. When the gilded light appeared, the Palace Master immediately sensed it. He narrowed his eyes, a look of surprise and suspicion flashing within them, for he detected a mysterious fluctuation on the gilded light. For some unknown reason, that fluctuation caused even him to feel a momentary palpitation.

The gilded light shot past. The Palace Master of the Sacred Palace clamped two fingers in front of him, firmly pinching the gilded light. The gilded light trembled between his fingertips, and upon closer inspection, it resembled a drop of blood. The Palace Master's expression was unreadable. Origin Qi surged between his fingers, obliterating it. He touched his glabella; a small, bloody hole had appeared there.

"Interesting."

The Palace Master of the Sacred Palace's eyes darkened. He looked towards the end of the stone steps below, where a slender girl with a delicate figure was watching him with icy eyes.

"There's no Origin Qi fluctuation, yet she's so dangerous..." The Palace Master's gaze was cold and snakelike. The girl before him clearly wasn't very powerful, yet the intuition he had cultivated over years made him feel an unexplainable apprehension deep within his heart. "How strange... But never mind... Since you're the most dangerous, I'll deal with you first."

The Palace Master of the Sacred Palace shook his head. He extended a finger and lightly snapped it. Vast Origin Qi condensed, forming a blade of light. As the blade trembled, even the void fractured. The Origin Qi blade vibrated slightly, then eerily vanished from its spot, reappearing the next instant directly in front of Yao Yao.

The blade of light rapidly expanded in Yao Yao's pupils. She bit her lip slightly; this was also the first time she had encountered such a formidable enemy. In her current state, she would indeed find it difficult to cope. But... must it really come to the final step? A look of struggle flashed in Yao Yao's eyes.

However, just as the blade of light swiftly approached, a figure suddenly appeared before her, like a sturdy mountain. It was Zhou Yuan! As Yao Yao momentarily froze, the blade of light pierced directly through Zhou Yuan's body. More than half of the blade protruded from his chest, and a mist of blood erupted. The blood mist splattered onto Yao Yao's fair and beautiful cheek, leaving her momentarily stunned.

She looked at Zhou Yuan, who was facing her, having taken the blow of the light blade with his back. Her red lips trembled slightly at that moment. Zhou Yuan also lowered his head to glance at the light blade piercing his chest, then wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. He looked at the girl before him, a bitter smile on his lips. "I'm truly sorry for dragging you into this dangerous situation." He continued, "Although I've always known you're stronger than me... But I promised Master Cang Yuan back then that if there ever came a day when I couldn't stop someone from harming you, then at the very least... they'd have to step over my corpse first."

Yao Yao's eyes seemed to redden slightly at this moment. Zhou Yuan endured the intense pain radiating from his chest and said hoarsely, "Do you think I'm useless? I know... I'm too weak." Yao Yao shook her head.

Behind them, Tun Tun let out an enraged roar, but the Palace Master of the Sacred Palace casually waved his hand, and a massive Origin Qi hand slammed down, firmly suppressing Tun Tun. The Palace Master of the Sacred Palace looked down at Zhou Yuan and Yao Yao and chuckled, "What a touching scene." He added, "Very well, today I'll be a little merciful and let you two be a pair of mandarin ducks, sharing the same fate." He waved his sleeve, and countless Origin Qi blades formed before him. The next instant, the blades pierced through the void and shot towards the two figures below.

Feeling the destructive power surging from behind, Zhou Yuan let out a bitter laugh. Then, with trembling hands, he spread his arms, shielding Yao Yao behind him. This was the only thing he could do. Yao Yao gazed at him, her cool, delicate hand gently caressing Zhou Yuan's blood-stained face. A shimmering tear trembled on her long eyelashes, then slowly slid down her cheek.

"Zhou Yuan, in my heart, you are a hero..." She lightly rose on her tiptoes, and in Zhou Yuan's widening pupils, she gently kissed his lips.

That jade-like coolness made Zhou Yuan's heart tremble. "Zhou Yuan... thank you for all these years," a soft voice whispered at that moment. Then, Zhou Yuan's pupils suddenly constricted as he saw the mysterious sealing patterns on Yao Yao's smooth glabella seemingly begin to crack at that very moment. Her seal was broken.