Chapter 902: Battle Challenge

It is a widely accepted truth throughout the world that the Nine Regions hold the highest standing in Hunyuan Heaven. The founders of the Nine Regions are considered peak-level existences, not only within Hunyuan Heaven but also across all heavens, excluding the Sacred Race. Their presence is precisely why Hunyuan Heaven has become the pivotal force in resisting the Sacred Race.

Yet, as is common wherever people coexist, competition is inevitable even within the shared domain of the Nine Regions. While the Nine Regions almost unanimously commit to fully supporting the fundamental objective of resisting the Sacred Race, they also engage in intense competition among themselves in various aspects. Each region is powerful, and all aspire to overpower the others to become the true supreme authority of the Nine Regions.

Given the immense scale of the Nine Regions, an all-out war to determine supremacy would plunge all of Hunyuan Heaven into turmoil, ultimately benefiting the Sacred Race. Therefore, such a conflict is absolutely unacceptable, and the Nine Regions strive to avoid it at all costs. Consequently, with high-level combatants unable to engage, confrontations must be limited to mid-to-low tiers. This is how the Nine Regions Grand Assembly was established.

The participants of the Nine Regions Grand Assembly are the most outstanding super-geniuses from each region. They will represent their respective domains, competing to determine their standing. The final rankings of the Grand Assembly will then reveal to all of Hunyuan Heaven which young elite truly dominates this generation of the Nine Regions. The ultimate victor will undoubtedly make their region a highly sought-after destination for countless aspiring talents of the next generation. This is crucial, as a continuous influx of exceptional new talent is essential to ensure that each generation produces outstanding geniuses capable of leading the elite.

Beyond this, the stewardship of the "Ancestral Dragon Lamp" is also of paramount importance. The Ancestral Dragon Lamp is a supreme sacred artifact, a Three-Lotus Sacred Treasure of infinite power, highly coveted even by peak experts of the Saint realm. As no single region can monopolize it, only the victor of the Nine Regions Grand Assembly earns the right to manage it on a rotational basis. During their tenure with the Ancestral Dragon Lamp, the victor's region will see its influence within Hunyuan Heaven significantly enhanced.

For all these reasons, the Nine Regions Grand Assembly is destined to be a premier event in Hunyuan Heaven. Consequently, each announcement of the assembly always generates widespread excitement and attention throughout the realm. This time was no exception. All major forces across Hunyuan Heaven buzzed with fervent discussion. Amidst this, the Hunyuan Heaven Divine Palace Ranking once again became a focal point, with countless individuals analyzing the listed names, eager to identify any potential dark horses. While dark horses are always a possibility, the vast majority of attention remained fixed on the top-ranked individuals, particularly Zhao Mushen, who has held the number one spot for several years. Many believe that this unfathomable Zhao Mushen is the most likely contender to overcome all rivals and truly ascend to the pinnacle of Hunyuan Heaven's many prodigies in this Nine Regions Grand Assembly.

Within the Tianyuan Region, the news of the Nine Regions Grand Assembly also generated considerable discussion, though the prevailing mood was notably pessimistic and subdued. This sentiment stemmed from the fact that, since the disappearance of Grand Elder Cang Yuan years ago, Tianyuan Region’s strength and reputation had both significantly declined. In the last Nine Regions Grand Assembly, Tianyuan Region had even ranked last, suffering a considerable loss of prestige.

For the current assembly, the strongest among Tianyuan Region’s Divine Palace generation is Zhou Yuan, the Chief Pavilion Master of the Four Pavilions. However, even he ranks only fourteenth on the Divine Palace Ranking. While this is not a low position, it is nonetheless inconsistent with Tianyuan Region's historical standing within Hunyuan Heaven. Consequently, many adopted a pessimistic outlook, finding it difficult to imagine how Zhou Yuan, ranked fourteenth, could possibly contend with the top-ranked super-geniuses. If Tianyuan Region were to again rank last in this Nine Regions Grand Assembly, the blow to its prestige would likely be unbearable. But what choice was there? If one's own skills are inferior, there truly is no one to blame.

Furthermore, while many in Tianyuan Region were feeling despondent about the upcoming assembly, another significant event suddenly erupted, igniting widespread indignation throughout the entire region. The cause of this outrage originated from the Three Mountains Alliance, a formidable power neighboring Tianyuan Region. The Three Mountains Alliance was originally formed from three first-rate powers within Hunyuan Heaven. When these three allied, their collective strength surged, elevating them from first-rate to top-tier. They are now regarded as a leading power, second only to the Nine Regions themselves.

As the Three Mountains Alliance grew in power, so too did its ambitions. They began to covet the esteemed status of the Nine Regions, seeking to elevate their own standing. However, over many years, the established order of the Nine Regions remained rigid, making it extremely difficult for any new force to gain entry. Thus, the Three Mountains Alliance had to bide its time. Their patience eventually created an opportunity: with the disappearance of Grand Elder Cang Yuan, the Tianyuan Region became leaderless and its power steadily waned, prompting the Three Mountains Alliance to begin its maneuvers.

In recent years, the Three Mountains Alliance has consistently challenged Tianyuan Region's authority from various angles, their ambitions becoming widely known. The provocations from the Three Mountains Alliance sparked extreme anger within Tianyuan Region, as its inhabitants completely disdained this upstart power. They believed that if Grand Elder Cang Yuan were still alive, the Three Mountains Alliance wouldn't dare to even think of challenging them. It was truly a case of a powerful entity being preyed upon by a lesser one. Tianyuan Region showed no inclination to compromise with the Three Mountains Alliance, leading to increasingly severe friction and deepening conflicts between the two factions over the years.

This time, upon the announcement of the Nine Regions Grand Assembly, the Three Mountains Alliance once again caused trouble. Their objective was self-evident: they were clearly aiming for a qualification spot in the Grand Assembly, as regulations stipulated that only the Nine Regions were eligible to participate. However, other factions were not entirely without opportunity. Should a force legitimately defeat the leading Divine Palace realm expert of a region, they would earn the right to claim that region's qualification spot. This rule also served to motivate the Nine Regions, ensuring they wouldn't lose their qualification spots and suffer public humiliation.

Yet, such an audacious challenge for a qualification spot had seemingly never occurred throughout the years. Given the established status of the Nine Regions, no power was willing to easily provoke them. Thus, even when peerless prodigies occasionally emerged, other factions would exercise restraint and avoid challenging the prestige of the Nine Regions. But this time... the Three Mountains Alliance evidently had other plans.

Therefore, shortly after the Nine Regions Grand Assembly was confirmed, a formal challenge was issued from the Three Mountains Alliance to the Tianyuan Region. This challenge letter, distributed in countless copies, simultaneously spread throughout the Tianyuan Region and even into other domains. Instantly, the matter caused an uproar across Tianyuan Region and its neighboring areas. The challenge was issued by Chen Xuandong, the formidable dark horse from the Three Mountains Alliance who had recently garnered immense fame in Hunyuan Heaven, securing the ninth position on the Divine Palace Ranking.

The letter itself was brief and direct, yet permeated with an overwhelming sense of dominance and confidence:

“Chen Xuandong of the Three Mountains, I hereby challenge Chief Pavilion Master Zhou Yuan of Tianyuan Region to yield his position!”