Chapter 760: Arriving at Xuanzhou

"Youwei..."

Zhou Yuan stared blankly at the third name on the Genesis Realm ranking list, lost in thought for a long time.

Several years ago, Zhou Yuan was merely in the Heavenly Pass Stage. At that time, the young man had just left the Great Zhou Dynasty, seeking opportunities to contend against King Wu.

It was then that Su Youwei parted ways with him, taken away by a mysterious old man.

Since then, they had not met again.

Later, Zhou Yuan learned that she had gone to Hunyuan Heaven. Feeling melancholic, he could only wish her well.

"I never imagined that the frail little girl from back then would achieve such a position in Hunyuan Heaven now..." Zhou Yuan sighed inwardly, his eyes filled with nostalgia. When he first met Su Youwei, she was a small girl covered in mud, struggling in heavy rain to drag her gravely ill grandfather. She knelt before one pharmacy after another, crying desperately and pleading for help.

That little girl, from humble origins, was like a blade of grass growing resiliently among the rocks in the Gobi Desert. She endured many hardships and grew tenaciously, eventually blossoming with her own brilliance.

In Su Youwei, Zhou Yuan saw a strength that even he found admirable. Therefore, he wasn't particularly surprised by her current achievements.

"Youwei, congratulations..."

Zhou Yuan smiled faintly to himself, as if he could still hear the echoes of those days when the little girl, like a small maidservant, constantly called him "His Highness."

However, many years later, that little girl was no longer the same. In terms of status, she had far surpassed the prince of that small dynasty from back then.

He wondered if things would be different when they met again, if time had changed them both.

Given her current identity and status, he doubted anyone would still be worthy of her willingly calling them "His Highness" again.

"What's wrong? Have you heard of Su Youwei from the Violet Cloud Domain?" Yi Qiushui asked, noticing Zhou Yuan's gaze lingering on Su Youwei's name.

Zhou Yuan slowly withdrew his gaze and smiled, "How could I have...? I just find the girls of Hunyuan Heaven truly impressive, with two of them in the top three."

Yi Qiushui chuckled softly and said, "Wu Yao from the Martial God Domain and Su Youwei from the Violet Cloud Domain are indeed top talents renowned throughout Hunyuan Heaven. Even the two Grand Sovereigns of their respective domains hold them in high regard, and in time, their achievements will be limitless."

"But speaking of them, it's quite interesting. Su Youwei from the Violet Cloud Domain is said to be very gentle and composed normally, but whenever she encounters anything related to Wu Yao from the Martial God Domain, she becomes like a different person, fighting to the very end."

"In recent years, whenever Su Youwei and Wu Yao encounter each other, a conflict is bound to arise, and Su Youwei becomes extremely tough and confrontational, completely unlike her usual self."

"It feels as if there's a deep-seated enmity between them."

"Yet, it's said that even Wu Yao finds this quite troublesome and doesn't understand why Su Youwei is so inexplicably hostile towards her. The elders of the Violet Cloud Domain have also spoken with Su Youwei about it, but to no avail. The girl who is normally as gentle as a spring breeze is incredibly stubborn on this point, beyond everyone's imagination."

"So later, the elders of the Violet Cloud Domain stopped interfering. Perhaps they believe that the competition between two such outstanding talents also benefits their personal growth."

Yi Qiushui covered her mouth and chuckled, "So now, wherever Wu Yao and Su Youwei appear together, they immediately attract immense attention. Of course, they are indeed considered the most stunning young women of the current generation in Hunyuan Heaven, whether it's their beauty, demeanor, or talent. Countless talents from various factions have bowed before them..."

"Because of them, many outstanding young talents within Hunyuan Heaven have even split into what are called the 'Wu Yao Faction' and the 'Youwei Faction,' and their clashes are quite spectacular."

By the end, even the beautiful Yi Qiushui showed a hint of envy, but she had to admit that Wu Yao and Su Youwei were indeed the two most dazzling pearls among the younger generation of Hunyuan Heaven.

Zhou Yuan, after listening to Yi Qiushui, was stunned. He couldn't help but scratch his head. Others might find Su Youwei's extreme hostility towards Wu Yao baffling, but he had a different idea...

Su Youwei had spent so many years in the Great Zhou Dynasty, so of course, she would know about his grievances with the Great Wu Dynasty, and also about the existence of Wu Huang and Wu Yao...

Could it be that Su Youwei was targeting Wu Yao because of him?

However, Zhou Yuan clearly didn't dare to fully confirm this, as it would be quite embarrassing if he was just imagining things.

Time and circumstances could change many things, and he couldn't know if the current Su Youwei was still the same girl she used to be...

Back then, she had looked up to and admired Zhou Yuan, but after coming to Hunyuan Heaven and entering a colossal power like the Violet Cloud Domain, her horizons had broadened. If she were to recall their past now, she might find it somewhat ridiculous, right?

With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Zhou Yuan smiled faintly and said, "Perhaps it's because they are both so outstanding that they are constantly at odds."

Yi Qiushui nodded. That was indeed a possibility; when people are exceptional to such an extent, they can become difficult to get along with.

Zhou Yuan continued reading the Genesis Realm ranking list. He noticed that those who made it onto the list were at least in the late stage of the Genesis Realm, and most of them had opened eight Divine Dwellings.

This made him sigh once more, truly Hunyuan Heaven was a golden age for cultivation. After all, if one looked at the Cangxuan Heaven, those capable of opening eight Divine Dwellings were probably very few...

"The rankings on this Genesis Realm list are not absolute; most are based on reputation, so there's no need to treat them as gospel."

"Just like those in the top ten, none of them are to be trifled with. They all have many trump cards and strategies. Unless it's a true life-or-death battle, who can really say they are much stronger than another?"

"At least in my opinion, Wu Yao and Su Youwei are probably not weaker than Zhao Mu Shen, who is ranked first." Yi Qiushui put away the Genesis Realm list and said with a smile.

Zhou Yuan nodded slightly upon hearing this. Indeed, only in life-or-death combat could true superiority be determined. So-called rankings were primarily for simple reference.

"Zhou Yuan, keep up the good work! I believe your name will definitely appear on this Genesis Realm list once you reach the late stage of the Genesis Realm." Yi Qiushui clenched her small fist and gave Zhou Yuan a gesture of encouragement. The cute gesture, coming from her, had a touch of charm.

"Then I'll take that as a good omen," Zhou Yuan replied.

Zhou Yuan smiled indifferently. He didn't particularly care whether he made it onto the so-called Genesis Realm list.

Currently, he had only two goals: first, to enhance his own strength, and second, to find an opportunity to obtain the Ancestral Dragon Lamp. Of course, if the chance arose, he also needed to retrieve the two portions of Sacred Dragon Qi from Wu Yao's body...

"Mistress, Xuanzhou City has arrived." At that moment, Zhao Yue's voice came from outside the carriage.

Yi Qiushui, with Zhou Yuan, stepped out of the carriage.

Zhou Yuan looked up into the distance, where he saw a massive, impressive city appearing on the horizon.

As they gradually approached the city, Zhou Yuan's eyes suddenly narrowed. His entire body tensed, and his gaze sharpened as he looked towards the top of the city wall.

There, three figures stood with their hands clasped behind their backs, their cold, sharp gazes like blades, directly locking onto him from a distance.

Vast and powerful Genesis Qi fluctuations emanated from their bodies.

They were clearly three experts in the Heavenly Sun Stage!

Their clothes were identical to Qiu Ji's earlier!

People from the Qiu family!

Just then, the middle-aged man among the three, staring grimly at Zhou Yuan, spoke with a chilling, indifferent voice filled with killing intent.

"Yi Qiushui, hand over the beast who killed my son!"