Chapter 881: Last Round

Chapter 877: The Final Round

At the peak of the towering giant mountain, an ancient token hovered in mid-air. Etched onto the token was the image of the Four Spirits Returning to Origin Tower, emanating a unique aura of majesty.

The mountaintop was covered with countless rocks, large and small, of every conceivable shape. At that moment, a figure emerged from the mists, gazing up at the ancient token floating in the air. His expression was calm, though a hint of emotion flickered in the depths of his eyes.

“The General Pavilion Master token…” Zhou Yuan murmured to himself. It had been a year since he arrived in the Tianyuan Region of Hunyuan Heaven. When he first came, he had no foothold there, but after a year, he had earned the right to contend for the position of General Pavilion Master with the various elites of the Tianyuan Region.

No, it was more than just a right; with one more step forward, this highly coveted position of General Pavilion Master would be his.

Throughout this past year, Zhou Yuan had never relaxed. He had striven to improve his strength in every possible way, for he dared not falter. Yaoyao was still waiting for him in that lonely, cold crystal coffin.

In those years, the young man had emerged from the Great Zhou Dynasty, and throughout the many dangers and hardships he later faced, Yaoyao had provided him with immeasurable help and protection.

Without Yaoyao, Zhou Yuan truly couldn't be certain who would have the last laugh in his struggles against Wu Huang and King Wu…

Therefore, Zhou Yuan knew deeply that he owed Yaoyao a great deal over the years.

Now, with Yaoyao injured and asleep because of him, Zhou Yuan blamed himself internally. However, he knew self-reproach solved nothing. So, alone and without hesitation, he had come to this unfamiliar Hunyuan Heaven, this strange Tianyuan Region, to begin a new journey…

In his year here, he had advanced from the early to late stage of the Divine Dwelling realm, and from an unknown figure, he had become the dazzling dark horse of the Tianyuan Region.

None of this was for so-called fame.

Zhou Yuan didn't particularly covet the position of General Pavilion Master of the Four Pavilions. However, it was the first step to obtaining the Ancestral Dragon Lamp, so he could not give up under any circumstances.

Fortunately, success in this first step was within reach.

“Yaoyao, though this is only a small step, as long as it can awaken you, I will brave any danger, even a mountain of blades or a sea of fire.” Zhou Yuan whispered in his heart. A serene and beautiful face appeared in his mind, stirring his very soul. His face, hardened by the recent battle, softened at that moment.

“I never imagined that the person competing with me for the General Pavilion Master position at the very end would be you…” A faint voice suddenly came from behind.

Zhou Yuan slightly turned his head. Looking at Lu Xiao, who was emerging from the mist, he said, “What you’ll find even harder to imagine is that this General Pavilion Master position won’t fall to you.”

Lu Xiao stepped forward, standing abreast with Zhou Yuan. He looked up at the token in mid-air and said, “I truly don’t know where you get such confidence. It seems defeating Han Yuan has given you a lot of courage.”

“Won’t we know after we fight?” Zhou Yuan smiled.

Lu Xiao shook his head and said no more. His figure moved, and he appeared directly on a massive hundred-zhang boulder, his gaze indifferently cast down. “Pavilion Master Zhou Yuan, please.”

After the cloud ladder challenge and the first round of battles among the Four Pavilion Masters, the atmosphere outside had completely erupted. Especially when Zhou Yuan and Lu Xiao confronted each other on the mountaintop, intense anticipation surged in the eyes of countless spectators.

This battle for the General Pavilion Master was even more exciting than they had imagined.

They had initially thought that Lu Xiao would undoubtedly be the victor in this General Pavilion Master competition. However, after Zhou Yuan’s previous duel with Han Yuan, everyone knew that Zhou Yuan was now capable of posing a threat to Lu Xiao.

Yet, from the ceaseless discussions, it was clear that the majority still favored Lu Xiao. Although Zhou Yuan had proven to be an astonishing dark horse, Lu Xiao was, after all, the top talent among the younger generation of the Divine Dwelling realm in the Tianyuan Region and ranked ninth on the Divine Dwelling List. Thus, in terms of both reputation and demonstrated strength, he surpassed Zhou Yuan.

“Finally, this day has come!”

At the Fire Pavilion, Zuo Ya bit her lip, her face filled with satisfaction. In recent months, the Fire Pavilion’s struggles with the Wind Pavilion had been repeatedly unfavorable, causing much frustration among the Fire Pavilion’s higher-ups. In their view, the Fire Pavilion’s overall strength far surpassed the Wind Pavilion’s, so how dared the Wind Pavilion challenge them?

However, the previous disputes had little to do with overall strength, leaving the Fire Pavilion’s leadership feeling powerful yet unable to exert their full force.

But thankfully, they had finally waited for the battle for the General Pavilion Master!

In this battle, Lu Xiao would unleash his full strength without reservations!

“Let’s see how Zhou Yuan can possibly fight against Senior Brother Lu Xiao!”

At the Wind Pavilion, the earlier joy from Zhou Yuan’s victory over Han Yuan had once again turned solemn. Even Yi Qiushui and Ye Bingling’s expressions were serious, their previous absolute confidence gone.

Because they, too, knew very well that Lu Xiao was definitely a more formidable opponent than Han Yuan!

And Lu Xiao would be the biggest obstacle blocking Zhou Yuan’s path to becoming the General Pavilion Master of the Four Pavilions.

If Zhou Yuan could overcome this challenge today, then from now on, he would replace Lu Xiao’s status in the Tianyuan Region, becoming the new face of the Divine Dwelling realm in the Tianyuan Region.

But if he failed, then all the advantages the Wind Pavilion had gained in its struggle with the Fire Pavilion would be completely wiped out. Furthermore, Lu Xiao would have plenty of ways to deal with the Wind Pavilion in the future, making them pay back all the pride they had felt in the past few months.

“Now… we can only trust Zhou Yuan,” Ye Bingling said slowly.

Yi Qiushui nodded gently, then smiled and said, “At worst, we can just leave the Wind Pavilion. With Zhou Yuan’s capabilities, if he were assigned elsewhere, he would be qualified to become a provincial lord.”

If Lu Xiao truly became the General Pavilion Master, rather than being constantly troubled by him, it would be better to be reassigned elsewhere and avoid the frustration.

Ye Bingling gave a wry smile. If that happened, it would indeed be the worst outcome. Outsiders might even think Zhou Yuan had failed in the competition and lacked the courage to remain in the Wind Pavilion… So, the current situation truly called for an all-out fight. Neither Zhou Yuan nor Lu Xiao could afford the title of loser.

On the mountaintop, piled with numerous colossal boulders, two figures stood facing each other, each on a massive rock. The air seemed to solidify, and the atmosphere was oppressive.

Lu Xiao’s expression was indifferent. A surging tide of purple Origin Qi swept forth, turning half the sky purple, a scene like a violet aura arriving from the east. The purple light illuminated the void, revealing countless Origin Qi stars, numbering as many as twenty-three million…

As such a majestic Origin Qi pressure raged, the massive mountaintop trembled slightly.

Within Zhou Yuan, green Origin Qi surged. In the void, it subtly transformed into an ethereal azure dragon shadow. The dragon roared, emitting a thunderous sound.

Behind the azure dragon were twenty-one million Origin Qi stars.

Two vast and powerful surges of Origin Qi shot skyward, clashing and causing the void to tremble with thunderous roars.

Throughout the world, countless gazes, including those of the five elders high in the sky, converged upon these two figures at this moment…

The final battle for the General Pavilion Master position had finally arrived.