Chapter 949: Yuan Kun

The land was a vibrant green, teeming with life. Mountain ranges extended from the plains, their peaks overlapping. From a distance, they resembled a colossal barrier standing between heaven and earth.

At this moment, Zhou Yuan led his team to land on a colossal peak. As the others descended, exclamations of surprise and shouts of delight erupted one after another. They had discovered a significant amount of spiritual energy within the mountain!

Zhou Yuan couldn't help but marvel. The Genesis Qi in this space was incredibly dense, resulting in a much higher rate of spiritual energy generation than in any previous spaces they had encountered. What was more, this particular location had only been found by a scout during a casual exploration, suggesting that even more spiritual energy surely existed elsewhere. However, this space was also much vaster than the previous ones.

"This mountain range likely holds a good deal more spiritual energy. Send out scouts to first search and pinpoint its locations," Zhou Yuan told Shang Xiaoling.

Shang Xiaoling nodded and immediately turned to give the orders.

Yi Qiushui stood beside Zhou Yuan, stretching on her tiptoes to peer into the distance. "Given how rich the Genesis Qi is in this space," she said, "primordial spiritual energy might even be forming here." She paused, then added, "This also means we might encounter the main forces from the other eight domains. There might even be more than one."

Zhou Yuan's expression turned slightly serious, but he showed no trace of fear. "It's fine," he stated. "No matter who shows up, we fight if we can, and if we can't, we run."

Yi Qiushui chuckled, unable to resist rolling her eyes at him. She had expected some rousing words, but his straightforwardness was unexpected.

Zhou Yuan merely smiled, unburdened. "It's no disgrace to retreat temporarily when outmatched," he said. "So, until I break through to the ninth level of the Divine Dwelling, I don't intend to confront the top four head-on."

Yi Qiushui clicked her tongue. "How can I detect a hint of arrogance in your words?" she asked. "Are you saying that if you encounter the latter four [on the Divine Dwelling list], you're confident you can contend with them?"

One must remember that the top eight on the Divine Dwelling list were true peak prodigies, fresh blood cultivated with the full might of the eight domains. Their talent and the resources they received were enough to leave even the prodigies from other top factions far behind. So, even though Zhou Yuan had defeated many prodigies like Lu Hai, Zhao Yunxiao, and Liu Qingshu along the way, there was still a significant gap between them and the top eight.

In Yi Qiushui's opinion, it would be no disgrace for the current Zhou Yuan to be outmatched by the top eight. However, Zhou Yuan's words clearly suggested that he would only consider a temporary retreat if he encountered the top four; the latter four, however, were not enough to make him flee at the mere mention of their names. In a sense, this was quite arrogant.

Zhou Yuan simply smiled and said nothing more. He closed his eyes slightly, quietly sensing a wondrous fluctuation in the world around him, one that made his Divine Dwelling tremble. That was primordial spiritual energy. Unfortunately, while he could sense the presence of primordial spiritual energy within this space, he couldn't pinpoint its exact location. It seemed this would require gradual exploration.

Moments later, Zhou Yuan opened his eyes. Just as he was about to speak, his expression suddenly shifted, and his gaze sharpened as he looked toward another part of the continuous mountain range. From that direction, a violent clash of Genesis Qi had suddenly erupted.

"Order everyone to be on alert! The scouts have encountered other teams!"

Yi Qiushui was startled by the news and quickly turned to relay the orders. In the mountains, the Heavenly Abyss Territory members who were gathering spiritual energy instantly leaped up at the command, converging on the peak. Their Genesis Qi surged as they watched vigilantly in the direction of the Genesis Qi clash.

As everyone stood alert, a rushing sound swiftly approached from the distance, and more than a dozen figures rapidly swept into view. These were the scouts they had sent out. Zhou Yuan's gaze fixed on the area further behind them. In the distance, countless, deafening roars of beasts seemed to fill the air, followed by hundreds of figures sweeping through the sky in hot pursuit.

As Zhou Yuan observed these figures, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. This was because all hundreds of figures were riding various types of Genesis Beasts, some avian, some terrestrial. When they arrived, their roars were thunderous, creating a truly intimidating spectacle.

"It's the Beast Control Domain's team!" Yi Qiushui exclaimed immediately upon seeing them. Among the Nine Domains, only the Beast Control Domain had the ability to command such a large number of Genesis Beasts.

"I wonder who's leading this team?" Yi Qiushui murmured. "I hope it's not their main force, otherwise, we're in for trouble."

However, Zhou Yuan immediately dashed her hopes. "You're right," he said. "This is indeed the Beast Control Domain's main force." His gaze fixed on the center of the Beast Control Domain's formation. There, a large, dark yellow fat ox, shaking the ground with its steps and letting out lazy moos, slowly lumbered forward. On the ox's mountain-like, stout body, a chubby, fair-skinned man was seated.

A fat ox paired with a plump man—it was indeed a comical sight. Yet, as Yi Qiushui and the others gazed at the chubby, fair-skinned man, their expressions turned extremely grave. They recognized him: this was Yuan Kun, the Beast Control Domain's top cultivator, ranked eighth on the Divine Dwelling List!

"That's an Earth God Ox," Yi Qiushui whispered. "It possesses boundless strength, capable of carrying mountains. It's said that a fully mature one can reach the seventh rank, comparable to a Genesis Infant stage expert."

Zhou Yuan nodded, then slowly floated up, hovering in mid-air.

"Zhou Yuan of the Heavenly Abyss Territory greets Lord Yuan Kun," Zhou Yuan's clear voice resonated.

From atop the enormous ox, Yuan Kun squinted his small eyes at Zhou Yuan, revealing a simple, honest smile. "I didn't expect this team to be led by General Governor Zhou Yuan," he said.

Zhou Yuan smiled. "Lord Yuan Kun," he said, "our Heavenly Abyss Territory arrived in this area first. May I ask why you expelled our scouts?"

Hearing this, Yuan Kun shook his head. "General Governor Zhou Yuan, your words are mistaken," he said. "The rules of the Nine Domains Grand Assembly have never been 'first come, first served'." His gaze swept over Zhou Yuan, a hint of scrutiny deep in his eyes. When he had first discovered the Heavenly Abyss Territory team here, he hadn't paid much attention, simply leading his forces to drive them away. But he hadn't anticipated that this Heavenly Abyss Territory team would be led by Zhou Yuan.

Yuan Kun held no contempt for Zhou Yuan. Despite his seemingly simple and honest demeanor, he was in fact exceptionally shrewd and cautious. He vaguely sensed a hint of danger emanating from Zhou Yuan. This person was not as weak as others might believe. It was precisely this touch of caution that had prevented him from immediately ordering an attack. However, it was impossible for him to simply give up. Ultimately, he needed to assess Zhou Yuan's capabilities. He needed to know if this rising star from the Heavenly Abyss Territory truly had the qualifications to stand as an equal among established prodigies like himself.

Zhou Yuan was silent for a moment after hearing this, then replied, "It seems, then, Lord Yuan Kun still intends to contend with us." He knew that despite Yuan Kun's plump, fair appearance, resembling a pampered scion, he had firmly secured his position as the top Divine Dwelling realm cultivator in the Beast Control Domain. Anyone who genuinely believed he was as simple as he appeared would be a fool.

Zhou Yuan extended his palm and gently waved it. Behind him, hundreds of Heavenly Abyss Territory members immediately unleashed their formidable Genesis Qi. On the Beast Control Domain's side, a stir began as well, and the atmosphere grew increasingly tense.

Yuan Kun, still seated on the back of the Earth God Ox, wiped the oil from his face with his sleeve. He surveyed the unfolding situation, then patted his ox, which slowly stepped forward into the air. He stopped a thousand yards in front of Zhou Yuan. "General Governor Zhou Yuan," he said, "if our teams clash, significant casualties will be unavoidable. How about..."

He smiled, his eyes narrowing into slits, appearing utterly harmless. "How about you and I have a little duel?"