Chapter 773: Fierce Battle

High above, a demonic ape seemed to roar as Mo Yuan descended from the sky. Around his body, the spectral image of a colossal ancient ape materialized. The black iron rod in his hand merged with the luminous staff held by the ape, surging down towards Zhou Yuan imbued with destructive power.

Within Xuanzhou City, many Divine Dwelling stage experts felt the profound depth of that Genesis Qi, and their faces turned bitter. Compared to Mo Yuan, a late Divine Dwelling stage expert, they felt utterly insignificant.

Boom! As the rod’s shadow swept down, Genesis Qi also surged explosively within Zhou Yuan’s body. Eight million Genesis Qi stars illuminated the void, dazzling and mysterious.

He tightly gripped the Heavenly Yuan Brush. The brush tip trembled, and a massive amount of dual-colored, azure-gold Genesis Qi condensed, transforming into a vast brush-phantom that collided with the descending spectral rod.

Boom! A Genesis Qi storm immediately erupted, distorting the void. The instant the brush and rod collided, Zhou Yuan’s body trembled slightly and he finally recoiled backward. Each step he took caused a piercing sonic boom in the air.

"If your Genesis Qi foundation is all you have, then today you will likely die with regret!" Mo Yuan sneered. Zhou Yuan’s Genesis Qi foundation was indeed slightly stronger than his, but Mo Yuan hailed from the Heavenly Spirit Sect, and all his learned techniques were peak-tier Genesis Arts. So, even if his own Genesis Qi foundation was slightly weaker, he could gain a significant boost by leveraging the power of his Genesis Arts.

Boom! Boom! As Mo Yuan’s words fell, the massive rod-phantom pursued relentlessly again, enveloping Zhou Yuan with immense pressure. He clearly intended to press his advantage and completely defeat Zhou Yuan.

As rod-phantoms filled the sky and swept down, Zhou Yuan’s eyes narrowed slightly. He sneered to himself, "A High-grade Heavenly Genesis Art? Do you think you're the only one who has it?"

"Grand Profound Saint Spirit Art!" Zhou Yuan formed hand seals. The next instant, majestic Genesis Qi surged forth, rapidly condensing into a mysterious spectral image outside his body. The spectral image spread enormous luminous wings, absorbing and exhaling the Genesis Qi of heaven and earth.

The Genesis Qi fluctuations emanating from Zhou Yuan's body also surged dramatically. He stomped his foot, and his figure shot into the sky. The Heavenly Yuan Brush in his hand transformed into countless Genesis Qi rainbows that shot out, directly clashing head-on with the rod-phantoms filling the sky.

Boom! Boom! Continuous resounding booms instantly echoed across the sky. Countless gazes watched in shock as each time a brush-phantom rainbow swept past, it cleanly cleared away the rod-phantoms that filled the sky. Zhou Yuan’s figure, meanwhile, stood firm in the void, no longer wavering.

Mo Yuan's pupils constricted slightly as he saw Zhou Yuan stabilize his offense. He stared at the mysterious winged spectral image outside Zhou Yuan’s body; the Genesis Qi fluctuations it emitted were no weaker than those from his own giant ape spectral image. Clearly, Zhou Yuan had also employed a High-grade Heavenly Genesis Art!

"Just where did this kid come from?" Such a thought flashed through Mo Yuan’s mind. He then coldly snorted, his eyes filled with a desire for battle. The next instant, his figure shot out, unleashing another offensive. He refused to believe he couldn't handle a mid-Divine Dwelling stage opponent!

Zhou Yuan showed no quarter, and the two spectral figures immediately clashed like lightning high above. Each time they intersected, a violent Genesis Qi shockwave erupted. In a short time, they had exchanged over a hundred blows, neither giving way.

Neither side held back in the slightest; every attack was fierce and aggressive, filling countless spectators with trepidation. The intensity of the fight was enough to make one's scalp tingle.

The Yi family members watched the battle high above, not daring to blink, their faces extremely tense. Zhou Yuan was now considered their Yi family's last hope.

Yi Qianji and Liu Tianying also watched with grave expressions. After a long while, they couldn't help but exclaim, "This Zhou Yuan is extraordinary! To be able to fight Mo Yuan to a standstill!"

They could naturally see that Mo Yuan had unleashed his full power, but even so, Zhou Yuan had not fallen into a disadvantage. It truly was a splendid Jiao-ape battle.

"Father, can he win?" Liu Ming asked nervously.

Liu Tianying pondered for a moment, then said: "It's hard to say for now. Mo Yuan is no ordinary person; victory won't be easy."

Zhou Yuan's performance had already far exceeded their expectations, but Mo Yuan’s reputation in the Tianyuan Region was considerable, and a great reputation is rarely unfounded. So, even a Heavenly Sun stage expert like Liu Tianying dared not guarantee Zhou Yuan's victory.

Yi Qianji slowly said: "I once heard that Mo Yuan refined a drop of essence blood from a 'Heavenly Demonic Ape,' which is a Seventh-grade Genesis Beast. Once this blood is integrated into his own bloodline, when he fights, he grows fiercer with each passing moment, his Genesis Qi continuously surging, becoming as ferocious as a demonic ape incarnate."

"This is his greatest trump card."

"Essence blood of a Heavenly Demonic Ape?" Liu Ming was greatly startled. A Seventh-grade Genesis Beast—that's equivalent to the strength of the Nascent Source stage! She looked up at the sky, a hint of worry appearing on her face.

After all, if Zhou Yuan were to lose, then today the Yi family would have no choice but to relinquish the position of Governor of Little Xuanzhou.

On the Qiu family's side, a crowd was also staring intently at the sky. Even the family head, Qiu Long, had a grim expression; clearly, he hadn't expected Zhou Yuan to be able to contend with Mo Yuan to this extent.

"Hmph, he can still jump around, but he's underestimated Mo Yuan too much..." Qiu Long sneered grimly.

Boom! Boom! The fierce battle high above continued, growing increasingly intense. However, as the fight became a stalemate, Zhou Yuan noticed that Mo Yuan's attacks were becoming heavier and more ferocious. He narrowed his eyes, vaguely seeing Mo Yuan’s pupils gradually turn blood-red. An indescribable aura of ferocity surged from his entire body.

"Roar!" The next instant, a simian roar erupted from Mo Yuan's mouth. His eyes were completely scarlet, and the Genesis Qi throughout his body began to boil, causing the void to tremble.

"Die!" he shrieked. The black iron rod in his hand flew out, transforming into a black torrent that shattered the void and hurtled towards Zhou Yuan with the speed of thunder.

Zhou Yuan’s arm shook, and the bristles on the tip of the Heavenly Yuan Brush shot out, layering over each other to form a giant net.

The torrent formed by the black iron rod slammed into the bristled giant net, instantly pressing it into a terrifying arc, before finally piercing through it with a loud boom and colliding with Zhou Yuan’s body.

A deafening sound reverberated as Zhou Yuan’s figure was violently sent flying backward. Countless exclamations erupted within Xuanzhou City.

"Zhou Yuan!" Yi Qiushui couldn't help but cry out.

Mo Yuan's eyes were bloodshot. His figure moved, appearing directly behind Zhou Yuan. A sinister smile appeared on his lips, and with a grip of his hand, the black iron rod flew back into his grasp.

He savagely swung the black iron rod in his hand towards Zhou Yuan’s body. If that rod were to strike, even a mountain range would be flattened.

However, just as he was about to bring down that rod, a point of light suddenly appeared in Zhou Yuan’s palm. The light point expanded against the wind, quickly growing to the size of a fist. At the same time, a clear sword hum resonated throughout heaven and earth.

"Demon-Slaying Sword Orb Art!" Zhou Yuan’s palm flickered, and the sword orb shot out rapidly. From within the luminous orb, a monstrous sword cry immediately erupted as sharp and keen sword qi burst forth, enveloping the orb and finally transforming into a massive sword of light.

His eyes were cold and indifferent as he swung the sword, completely disregarding Mo Yuan’s ferocious rod strike.

"You're asking for death!" Zhou Yuan's head-on ferocity further ignited Mo Yuan's savagery. When fighting others, Mo Yuan had always been known for his ruthlessness; he never expected that Zhou Yuan, right before him, would dare to match his ferocity!

"Let's see if you dare to contend with me!" His rod strike showed no restraint, heading straight for Zhou Yuan.

The rod-phantom rapidly enlarged in Zhou Yuan’s eyes, but he remained expressionless. The sword light formed by the sword orb showed no hesitation.

Both sides' attacks were incredibly ferocious, with neither giving way. Thus, amidst countless gasps of shock across heaven and earth, as the black rod-phantom struck Zhou Yuan, the colossal sword formed by the majestic sword qi also, at an extremely tricky angle, fiercely slashed across Mo Yuan's chest. At this moment, both combatants were like desperate fiends.