Chapter 907: Why

As Zhou Yuan’s voice echoed, countless gazes converged on him from all directions, followed by a surge of murmuring.

“Is that Zhou Yuan, the Chief Pavilion Master of the Four Pavilions from Tianyuan Region?”

“Judging by his Genesis Qi cultivation, he seems to have only opened seven Divine Dwellings, hasn’t he?”

“In that case, he hasn’t changed much since his fight with Lü Xiao two months ago?”

“Heh heh, if that’s true… then Tianyuan Region might suffer a huge loss of face today!”

This place was a melting pot of various factions, with spies from many powers. Their sharp eyes immediately discerned that Zhou Yuan seemed to have made no significant progress since two months prior.

This realization instantly filled them with schadenfreude towards Tianyuan Region, as Chen Xuandong, currently before them, was far stronger than Lü Xiao.

Two months ago, Zhou Yuan had a difficult battle just to defeat Lü Xiao. If he were to face the even stronger Chen Xuandong, he would likely suffer a humiliating defeat.

Zhou Yuan seemed oblivious to the countless gazes of doubt and schadenfreude around him. After cupping his fist in greeting to Elder Xi Jing and the other four elders, he stepped into the air and slowly floated above the vast abyss.

Xi Jing watched his receding figure, her slender finger gently tapping. Ripples spread through the air, gradually forming a massive light mirror. Countless ancient Genesis Runes flowed across its surface, and the mirror emitted beams of light, directly projecting the figures of Zhou Yuan and Chen Xuandong into it.

At that moment, beams of light shot out from towers in the hundreds of main cities across Tianyuan Region, forming light mirrors in mid-air. Within these mirrors, the current scene at Boundless Abyss was displayed.

This included Tianyuan Cave Heaven.

On the floating circular platform of the Four Spirits Returning to Source Pagoda, almost all members of the Four Pavilions had gathered. They held their breath, gazing at the enormous light mirror that had appeared high above, drawing the attention of countless eyes throughout Tianyuan Cave Heaven.

“What? He hasn’t made a breakthrough? In this state, how can he be a match for Chen Xuandong!” Zuo Ya frowned tightly, unable to help but exclaim.

“If you don’t speak, no one will think you’re mute!” retorted Yi Qiushui from nearby, her beautiful eyes turning cold.

Infuriated, Zuo Ya said, “Am I wrong? Although it gets harder to open Divine Dwellings the further you progress in the Divine Dwelling stage, if he had cultivated diligently for the past two months, he might have succeeded. His current lack of breakthrough is simply because he focused his time on the Mountain Spirit Rune and Forest Spirit Rune. That’s not a smart choice!”

“Even if he manages to condense the remaining two Genesis Runes, it would only increase his Genesis Qi by about seven million. Yet Chen Xuandong’s Genesis Qi reserves alone are nearly thirty million. Do you think he doesn’t possess external methods similar to the Four Spirit Runes?”

“Zhou Yuan now represents not just himself, but the entire Divine Dwelling stage generation of our Tianyuan Region. If he loses, our generation of Divine Dwelling cultivators in Tianyuan Region will be utterly disgraced.”

The surrounding Fire Pavilion members secretly nodded in agreement, their brows furrowed with worry.

Yi Qiushui calmly said, “Zhou Yuan naturally has his plans. You can’t see them because your vision is narrow. There’s no need to sow doubt among others here. And if you continue to chatter, you can start by returning the rest of the Origin Returning Treasure Coins you owe me.”

Previously, the two women had made a bet, with a stake of ten thousand Origin Returning Treasure Coins. To this day, Zuo Ya had only repaid about half.

With Yi Qiushui striking her weak point, Zuo Ya’s face instantly turned ashen with anger. Yet, she truly dared not say more, only stomping her foot fiercely and saying, “Fine! I’ll just have to see what plans he has!”

The two women’s quarrel finally ceased. Although many members of the Four Pavilions had gathered, the atmosphere was quite oppressive.

Yi Qiushui raised her beautiful eyes, looking at the massive light mirror high above. Her hands instinctively clenched slightly, a hint of worry hidden deep within her eyes. Because Elder Xi Jing had taken Zhou Yuan away as soon as he exited seclusion, she didn’t know what he had been doing during his two months of closed-door cultivation…

At the very least, from the current situation, Zhou Yuan was indeed at a significant disadvantage.

“Zhou Yuan… come on.”

Yi Qiushui murmured.

Now, all eight hundred prefectures of Tianyuan Region were watching this contest. If Zhou Yuan lost, his newly acquired position as Chief Pavilion Master would likely become unstable. Even if everyone knew that Lü Xiao would have lost even more spectacularly, there was no choice—someone had to bear the responsibility.

Of course… she also knew that if Zhou Yuan won, his prestige in Tianyuan Region would instantly reach its peak. At that point, his position would be unshakeable, and even if Sect Master Xuan Kun disliked him, he would be powerless to do anything about it.

This was undoubtedly a high-stakes gamble.

“Elder Xi Jing, are you so confident in him? You even activated the ‘Myriad Eye Reflection Mirror.’ Aren’t you afraid of it backfiring and turning into a joke?” Sect Master Xuan Kun looked at the light mirror in the sky. The Genesis Runes flowing across its surface resembled countless mysterious eyes, making it exceptionally peculiar.

He glanced at Xi Jing and said indifferently, “If Zhou Yuan loses today, Elder Xi Jing, you should know the consequences.”

Xi Jing’s fair face remained quite calm. She replied, “And if he wins?”

Sect Master Xuan Kun was silent for a moment, then said, “If he wins, the disciples of Heavenly Spirit Sect will faithfully obey his commands in the Fire Pavilion.”

If it truly came to that, he knew how powerful Zhou Yuan’s influence would become. Coupled with Xi Jing’s protection, he would be utterly powerless against Zhou Yuan. It would be better to concede gracefully, preserving face for both sides.

“Then let’s wait and see,” Xi Jing replied, saying nothing further. Her gaze shifted to the distant, slender figure standing above the vast abyss.

She wasn’t trusting her own judgment, but rather her master’s.

Under the scrutiny of countless eyes, Zhou Yuan stood above the abyss. Ferocious mountain winds howled, flapping his robes, yet his expression remained as calm as an ancient well. His composure, unfazed even as a mountain crumbled before him, caused many to nod secretly in approval.

Though the Chief Pavilion Master of Tianyuan Region might be lacking in strength, his courage was considerable.

Gazes shifted towards the Three Mountains Alliance. There, Chen Xuandong, clad in black robes and wielding a black-scaled long spear, also stepped into the air, appearing directly in front of Zhou Yuan.

Both stood suspended in the air above the massive abyss.

Chen Xuandong flicked the tip of his long spear, creating a spear flower. He stared at Zhou Yuan with interest and said, “I originally thought there would be a truly satisfying battle today, but Chief Pavilion Master Zhou Yuan has left me a little disappointed.”

Zhou Yuan replied, “Then I’m truly sorry to disappoint.”

Chen Xuandong shook his head and asked, “Do you really intend to play with me?”

Zhou Yuan merely smiled, not bothering to answer such a trivial question.

Seeing this, Chen Xuandong shrugged. The next instant, three Divine Dwelling halos appeared behind him. His vast and mighty Genesis Qi surged skyward like a torrent, illuminating the void. The number of Genesis Qi stars… was thirty million!

Exclamations of awe rose from all corners of the world.

A terrifying Genesis Qi pressure spread from above the abyss. Chen Xuandong’s gaze grew increasingly cold as he stared at Zhou Yuan, a hint of playfulness in his eyes.

“Your cultivation…”

“What makes you think you can contend with me?”