Chapter 942: 法域争斗

In the vast, ravaged canyon.

After the torn gashes on Zhou Yuan's arm gradually healed, he moved, descending towards the cheering members of the Tianyuan Region on one side of the canyon.

"Zhou Yuan, are you alright?" Yi Qiushui was the first to approach him, her beautiful oval face etched with worry.

Although they were a considerable distance away, they could still sense the terrifying power of Zhao Mushen's attack. What was most crucial was that the attack had actually pierced through space to follow him.

Zhou Yuan shook his head and said, "Zhao Mushen is indeed very strong. If I had stayed there to fight him, I would most likely have been defeated."

Shang Xiaoling and the others also crowded around, saying, "Chief Pavilion Master, you are already incredibly powerful! That was Zhao Mushen, and you actually managed to retreat successfully right under his nose. News of this will certainly cause quite a stir."

Zhou Yuan smiled. He knew the immense prestige Zhao Mushen held among those of the Divine Dwelling stage in Hunyuan Heaven, so it was no surprise that Shang Xiaoling and the others were filled with awe when they mentioned him.

He didn't dwell on the topic. Looking at the group, he said, "Meeting the Myriad Ancestors Territory and Zhao Mushen earlier was probably just bad luck for us. But since we retreated safely, there's no need to argue about who won or lost this time."

"Next, we'll continue exploring this small dimension. If you discover any other teams, first covertly ascertain their strength and background, then report back to me."

Zhou Yuan issued a series of instructions. The Tianyuan Region members listened obediently, then received their orders and dispersed.

Zhou Yuan, meanwhile, found a rock and sat down cross-legged on it.

The most pressing issue at the moment was to check the mark. Otherwise, if Zhao Mushen led his group to pursue them again, that would be real trouble, as they couldn't keep retreating indefinitely.

Zhou Yuan raised the back of his hand, where a faint mark had appeared.

Zhou Yuan activated his spirit, probing the mark to carefully detect if any unusual fluctuations remained within it. This mark had been jointly refined by the Nascent Source experts of the Nine Regions, thus containing the aura of nine such experts. However, these auras maintained a balance, serving as mutual oversight.

Therefore, Zhou Yuan could use that point of balance to check if the mark was normal.

After a while, Zhou Yuan lowered his hand, his expression slightly relaxed. He found that the aura within the mark was in perfect balance, indicating that whatever trick Zhao Xianjun had pulled was likely a one-time affair.

This made sense; no matter how formidable Zhao Xianjun was, he couldn't possibly pull off anything too elaborate right under the noses of other Nascent Source experts.

This meant that for now, he didn't have to worry about Zhao Mushen pursuing him.

This gave him some time to improve himself.

Relieved of his biggest concern, Zhou Yuan closed his eyes. Although he had ultimately resolved the previous confrontation, it had significantly drained his Genesis Qi, which he now needed to recover.

While Zhou Yuan was recovering his Genesis Qi, he was unaware that outside the Abyss of Falling Stars, his actions had also stirred up quite a commotion.

Half a day earlier, in the void outside the Abyss of Falling Stars.

A group of Nascent Source experts sat cross-legged in the void, immense Genesis Qi gathering around them.

All their gazes were fixed on a massive compass before them, within which thousands of light dots flickered, each representing a participant from the Nine Regions who had entered.

Xi Jing's eyes were also on the compass, and based on the auras within the marks, she could identify which faction each light dot belonged to.

And she had been continuously watching Zhou Yuan's light dot.

Until he led his group into a small dimension. Immediately after, she also noticed another group of people entering the same dimension at the same time.

The next instant, her pupils constricted as she recognized that group.

It was the Myriad Ancestors Territory, Zhao Mushen!

Xi Jing fell silent for a moment. The next instant, all the Nascent Source experts present turned sharply to look, as a terrifying fluctuation erupted from within Xi Jing's body.

Xi Jing raised a slender finger, and boundless Genesis Qi from the heavens and earth converged above her head, instantly forming a colossal azure blade of light ten thousand feet long. The blade seemed to be forged from crystal, a manifestation of Genesis Qi condensed and compressed to its extreme.

The moment the light blade appeared, the surrounding space began to show signs of shattering.

In the next instant, the azure light blade pierced through the void, carrying destructive power, and directly slashed down towards Zhao Xianjun.

Zhao Xianjun's eyebrow twitched slightly. With a flick of his sleeve, boundless Genesis Qi also converged, and a gigantic wing, ten thousand feet wide, appeared out of thin air, blotting out the sky and sun. The feathers on the wing were clear and translucent, gleaming with brilliant luster.

The azure light blade collided with the wing, causing the void to ripple and crack layer by layer.

The other Nascent Source experts were startled to see the two attack without warning. They quickly intervened to defend against the aftermath of the battle, otherwise, the land below would likely have been instantly obliterated.

"Elder Xi Jing, have you gone mad?" Zhao Xianjun said indifferently.

Xi Jing sneered, "Zhao Xianjun, I never thought a distinguished Nascent Source expert like you would stoop so low. Aren't you afraid such methods will bring complete disgrace to your Myriad Ancestors Territory?"

She pointed to the compass. The other Nascent Source experts looked and immediately noticed the encounter between Zhou Yuan and Zhao Mushen, their brows furrowing slightly.

Having reached the Nascent Source stage, they were certainly not fools. Thus, they understood that the probability of Zhou Yuan encountering Zhao Mushen in the very first round was indeed far too low.

Hearing this, Zhao Xianjun chuckled, "Elder Xi Jing, you shouldn't make baseless accusations. Do you have any proof?"

He had covered his tracks extremely well and wasn't worried about being discovered. As long as he flat-out denied it, his opponents couldn't do anything to him.

However, Xi Jing had no intention of arguing with him. Her gaze turned icy, and her slender form slowly ascended, emanating a faint blue light from within her body.

The next moment, a massive azure Nascent Source Domain appeared behind her.

Within that domain, boundless azure winds howled, possessing destructive power that reduced everything in their path to nothingness.

The Wind God Domain!

Zhao Xianjun's eyes narrowed when he saw Xi Jing directly activating her Nascent Source Domain. A Nascent Source Domain could only be countered by another such domain, and he dared not easily allow himself to fall into her domain.

So, with a cold snort and a flick of his sleeve, a Nascent Source Domain also abruptly emerged and spread from him as its source.

Within that domain, the indistinct silhouette of an enormous, endless flying beast could be seen hovering, radiating boundless might.

The Immortal Falcon Domain!

It was rumored that Zhao Xianjun's Immortal Falcon Domain had once, with a single gulp, swallowed a majestic mountain range stretching for a hundred thousand miles, its power truly terrifying.

With two Nascent Source experts deploying their domains in a standoff, the entire world was filled with an aura of grim hostility.

Seeing this, the other Nascent Source experts immediately shouted to stop them. This place was close to the Abyss of Falling Stars, and if they were to engage in a domain battle here, it might trigger unusual movements within the Abyss. Should something go wrong, the disciples of the Nine Regions would likely suffer heavy casualties.

The Nascent Source expert from the Purple Cloud Region, an old man in grey robes named Lu Xuangang, also said in a deep voice, "If the two of you fight here, you might cause consequences that even you cannot bear."

"If you wish to fight, wait until the Nine Regions Grand Assembly concludes, then find a suitable opportunity to have a proper match," said Jin Zhong of the Martial God Region, his voice booming like thunder across the heavens and earth.

The other Nascent Source experts nodded, indicating that if the two insisted on fighting, they would intervene to expel them.

Lu Xuangang looked at Zhao Xianjun and said, "Zhao Xianjun, the Nine Regions Grand Assembly requires fairness. You are the overseer this time; resorting to petty tricks only demeans your position."

Zhao Xianjun squinted his eyes and chuckled, "I truly don't know what you're talking about, Elder Lu."

Jin Zhong of the Martial God Region chuckled, "How can you still be so shameless?"

Zhao Xianjun's feigned ignorance might work on ordinary people, but it was utterly useless against them, who were all Nascent Source experts.

Zhao Xianjun remained smiling, completely unfazed by Jin Zhong's sarcasm. He clearly had a thick skin and was unscrupulous.

Meanwhile, the Nascent Source expert from the Demonic Puppet Region, a fair-skinned, eyebrowless man rotating several glowing beads in his hand, smiled faintly. "It's pointless for everyone to keep discussing this. Even if Zhao Xianjun did pull some strings, the fact that we didn't notice it earlier actually speaks to our own incompetence."

This man, named Zhen Yu, was also a well-known figure in Hunyuan Heaven.

However, his words clearly sided with Zhao Xianjun.

For a while, the Nascent Source experts in the void argued amongst themselves, creating a cacophony.

But from the look of things, the fighting couldn't continue.

"Huh? Zhou Yuan and his people escaped?" Just then, a Nascent Source expert who had been watching the compass suddenly exclaimed.

The commotion in the void ceased. All eyes immediately turned to the compass, and sure enough, the light dot representing Zhou Yuan had indeed withdrawn from that small dimension.

"Zhao Mushen has launched a pursuit..." Lu Xuangang's eyes flashed as he suddenly remarked.

The other Nascent Source experts also nodded. They too had detected an incomparably fierce attack pursuing Zhou Yuan from behind, clearly a move from Zhao Mushen.

Xi Jing's gaze was also fixed intently on this scene.

Everyone wanted to know if Zhou Yuan could neutralize Zhao Mushen's pursuing lethal move.

Under the gaze of these Nascent Source experts, they watched as Zhou Yuan fled to another small dimension, where he then clashed with the pursuing attack...

The light dot representing Zhou Yuan trembled violently.

However, after more than ten breaths, although the light dot had dimmed slightly, it still remained bright...

He had neutralized Zhao Mushen's lethal move!

The many Nascent Source experts present all raised their eyebrows slightly at this moment. This outcome was somewhat unexpected.

This Zhou Yuan indeed possessed some capabilities.

With merely the strength of someone who had opened eight Divine Dwellings, he was actually able to contend with a Divine Dwelling realm 'king' like Zhao Mushen.

The terrifying fluctuations surging around Xi Jing gradually subsided at this moment. Her slightly raised willow-like eyebrows relaxed, and the Nascent Source Domain behind her dispersed accordingly.

She glanced coolly at Zhao Xianjun. Although he still maintained a smiling expression, Xi Jing could nonetheless perceive the flash of anger that briefly flickered in his eyes.

"Zhao Xianjun, remember these despicable tactics of yours. When the opportunity arises in the future, my Tianyuan Region will certainly settle the score."

Xi Jing said coldly, then descended, returning to her position outside the compass.

The other Nascent Source experts cast a glance at Zhao Xianjun and secretly shook their heads. This time, he had truly lost face. All his painstaking efforts to manipulate things had ultimately yielded no results whatsoever.

It was truly a case of trying to steal a chicken but losing the rice, losing face for nothing.

Zhao Xianjun also retracted his domain and quietly returned to his original spot, though the hand in his sleeve couldn't help but clench.

"Zhao Mushen, what exactly are you doing?! How could you let that useless person escape?!"

A low growl of anger echoed in his heart.

But in the end, he suppressed his anger. This time he had failed, but it didn't matter. He believed Zhao Mushen would have another chance. Zhou Yuan had escaped like a stray dog this time, but next time, he would certainly not have such an opportunity again.

In the end, that little beast still had to die!