Chapter 912: Sit Tight at Nine Hundred Eight

The outcome of the battle at Boundless Ravine spread quickly, reaching the ears of all factions interested in the conflict within a few days, immediately causing quite a stir. Clearly, Chen Xuandong's defeat had surprised many.

This sparked considerable interest in the Heavenly Abyss Territory's Chief Pavilion Master. From the current perspective, it seemed the Heavenly Abyss Territory had unearthed a promising talent. With this Chief Pavilion Master leading them, people wondered if the upcoming Nine Regions Grand Tournament would still see them finish last. Regardless, after this battle, Zhou Yuan's reputation finally began to soar across the vast and boundless Hunyuan Heaven.

---

**Xuanji Territory**

When the girl named Jiugong received the news, she was stunned for a good while.

"Hehe, Senior Sister Jiugong, it seems you really made a mistake this time," a young female disciple beside her chuckled.

Jiugong didn't reply. Instead, she carefully read through the detailed report of Zhou Yuan and Chen Xuandong's battle. After reading for a moment, she slightly raised her eyebrows and said, "The second form of the Four Spirits Rune? Two enhancements? A Genesis Qi foundation of 42 million?"

She gently put down the jade slip, a hint of surprise visible in her clear, bright eyes. "This Chief Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Abyss Territory is truly surprising, to be able to develop the second stage of the Four Spirits Rune..."

Almost all Nine Regions possessed secret techniques that could boost Genesis Qi foundation, but very few could achieve a two-stage transformation like this. Furthermore, a Genesis Qi boost of nearly 20 million was extremely rare in all of Hunyuan Heaven, with only a handful of comparable secret arts existing.

"Senior Sister Jiugong, could this Chief Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Abyss Territory now be ranked ninth?"

Seeing the grinning face of the girl beside her, Jiugong couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Are you that happy that I miscalculated?"

The young girl covered her mouth and chuckled. After all, Jiugong was always composed, as if she could predict everything, so witnessing her make a mistake was indeed a rare occurrence.

Jiugong pursed her rosy lips slightly and said, "Since he defeated Chen Xuandong, the ninth spot on the God Palace Ranking naturally belongs to him, and Chen Xuandong will move down one place."

She shook her head, mentally noting Zhou Yuan's name before dismissing it from her thoughts. While Zhou Yuan's victory over Chen Xuandong created a considerable stir, it merely proved he had the qualifications to contend with the top talents from the other eight regions in the Nine Regions Grand Tournament.

Moreover, as the current reviewer of the God Palace Ranking, Jiugong knew very well that while a Genesis Qi strength of 42 million might be shocking to the top talents of other factions, it was still somewhat lacking when compared to the monstrous talents ranked in the top eight. One must remember that those monstrous talents were all known as "Little Heavenly Suns." Chen Xuandong, on the other hand, was still some distance from that level.

Therefore, if the Heavenly Abyss Territory wished to avoid the bottom rank in this Nine Regions Grand Tournament, Zhou Yuan would likely need to become even stronger. After all, if there was blame, it was on the Heavenly Abyss Territory for falling so far behind the other eight regions over the years. How could it be so easy to catch up now, all at once?

---

**Martial God Territory**

On a cloud platform shrouded in mist, Wu Yao stood gracefully in a vibrant red dress, her phoenix eyes gazing into the distance as the wind gently lifted her dark hair. In her hand, she held a jade slip detailing the entire battle between Zhou Yuan and Chen Xuandong.

"Junior Sister Wu Yao, you truly are clairvoyant," Lan Ting said with a smile from behind her, his eyes also showing a hint of surprise. Wu Yao had been in this state for half a day since receiving the news.

Hearing his voice, Wu Yao slowly withdrew her gaze and said indifferently, "This Zhou Yuan might very well become a major adversary for us in this Nine Regions Grand Tournament."

Lan Ting was startled, then chuckled. "Junior Sister Wu Yao, you must be overthinking things. Defeating Chen Xuandong is something I could easily do, let alone you. Calling him a major adversary might be overstating it."

He genuinely didn't understand why Wu Yao was so focused on and paid so much attention to this Zhou Yuan from the Heavenly Abyss Territory. Their major adversary in the Martial God Territory? One must remember that their targets for this Nine Regions Grand Tournament were Zhao Muqian from the Myriad Ancestors Territory and Su Youwei from the Purple Cloud Territory! What was this Zhou Yuan based on?

Wu Yao's pretty face remained calm, as if she couldn't be bothered to explain further. Her gaze returned to the distance. No one knew that person's danger better than her. In her view, Zhao Muqian was indeed a major adversary, but he was an obvious one. Zhou Yuan, however, was a venomous dragon hidden in the shadows; once he revealed his fangs, it would surely be a fatal strike.

If Zhou Yuan weren't currently in the Heavenly Abyss Territory, holding a high position, Wu Yao might even have considered finding an opportunity to eliminate this hidden danger before he revealed his fangs. However, thinking of the danger Zhou Yuan posed, a hint of fierce battle intent instead surged deep within Wu Yao's phoenix eyes.

"Zhou Yuan, this time, no one will come to help you!"

"If you are only at this level, don't blame me for taking that trace of Sacred Dragon Qi within you."

---

**Purple Cloud Territory**

In a building resembling a multi-tiered circular arena, numerous Purple Cloud Territory disciples were seated. Their gazes were fixed on the center, where a glowing orb projected a light screen. Within it, two figures were locked in an incredibly fierce battle, which, upon closer inspection, were Zhou Yuan and Chen Xuandong. This was likely a commemorative stone obtained by the Purple Cloud Territory, recording the battle between Zhou Yuan and Chen Xuandong from days prior.

The battle gradually drew to a close, ending with Zhou Yuan's victory. A chorus of exclamations erupted from the surroundings; clearly, this outcome had also surprised them.

"This Zhou Yuan from the Heavenly Abyss Territory truly has some capability..."

"It's said his God Palace is only at the seventh stage. Once he fully penetrates all nine stages of the God Palace, how formidable will his Genesis Qi foundation become?"

"He should not be underestimated."

At the front of the many disciples, Xue Jingtao withdrew his gaze. Compared to the others' astonishment, he appeared somewhat nonchalant.

"Heh heh, Senior Brother Xue, what do you think of this Zhou Yuan?" someone beside him asked with a smile.

Xue Jingtao smiled faintly and said, "His strength is indeed not weak, but to truly stand out in the Nine Regions Grand Tournament, it will still be quite difficult."

"Senior Brother Xue, are you confident you can defeat him?" someone asked curiously.

Hearing this, Xue Jingtao merely smiled faintly. Although he didn't answer directly, the arrogance in his smile revealed the answer. The surrounding disciples all sighed in admiration and offered their compliments.

Xue Jingtao waved his hand, modestly saying, "This is nothing. Compared to Junior Sister Youwei, I'm still far behind."

His gaze turned to his right, where a slender figure stood up and walked along the aisle. It was Su Youwei. Xue Jingtao noticed that Su Youwei's exquisite face now carried a faint, refreshing smile of joy.

His heart stirred slightly. When Su Youwei drew near, he chuckled softly, "With Junior Sister Youwei's strength, watching a battle like this must be quite boring, I imagine."

Su Youwei subtly shook her head, then said, "This Chief Pavilion Master Zhou Yuan from the Heavenly Abyss Territory possesses extraordinary potential. If he can fully penetrate all nine stages of the God Palace, the number of people who can be his opponent at this Nine Regions Grand Tournament will be few. Even I might not have much chance of victory."

"Therefore, Senior Brother Xue, do not underestimate him. Otherwise, if you get into trouble, don't blame me for not being able to help you out."

Her voice was gentle but carried a hint of warning. After speaking, she stepped gracefully away, leaving behind a somewhat stiff-faced Xue Jingtao.

---

The battle between Zhou Yuan and Chen Xuandong created quite a stir in Hunyuan Heaven. Many marvelled that the Heavenly Abyss Territory, being one of the Nine Regions, still possessed considerable foundations despite its decline over the years. However, more people commented that this battle didn't definitively prove anything yet; everything still depended on the Nine Regions Grand Tournament.

If the Heavenly Abyss Territory still ended up at the bottom of the rankings in this tournament, then all of this would be meaningless. After all, as one of the Nine Regions, it had to aspire to the highest tier, not lower itself by comparing itself to factions like the Three Mountain Alliance. In the end, the Nine Regions Grand Tournament was the true touchstone!

And the grand battle between Zhou Yuan and Chen Xuandong seemed to have begun the prelude to the upcoming clash of top talents in Hunyuan Heaven...