Chapter 950: Zhou Yuan Battles Yuan Kun

Zhou Yuan observed Yuan Kun, who was astride the Earth God Ox. Yuan Kun's plump, oily face was wreathed in a smile, and Zhou Yuan sensed that he was likely trying to gauge his strength. Was Yuan Kun trying to assess if he, the Chief Pavilion Master of Tianyuan Region, was truly qualified to stand as his equal?

Zhou Yuan's thoughts raced, but his expression remained unruffled. He calmly stated, "If that is your desire, I am at your service." He had previously told Yi Qiushui that he wasn't afraid of anyone in the top eight of the Divine Dwelling List, except for the very top four. This was not an idle boast, but a reflection of his genuine self-confidence. Furthermore, to be frank, he truly desired to gauge the abilities of these seasoned top prodigies from the Eight Regions. Although Yuan Kun was ranked eighth, his strength was formidable and not to be underestimated, making him an ideal opponent to test.

Seeing Zhou Yuan accept the challenge, Yuan Kun remarked, "Chief Pavilion Master Zhou Yuan, your courage is quite impressive. I only hope your actual strength doesn't disappoint me."

The instant his words faded, a vast and immense Genesis Qi surged skyward, blotting out the sun. This Genesis Qi illuminated the void, revealing countless Genesis Qi stars, numbering forty-five million!

"A Genesis Qi foundation of forty-five million..."

Zhou Yuan's eyes narrowed at the sight. After breaking through to the eighth layer of the Divine Dwelling, his own Genesis Qi foundation stood at thirty-eight million. With this, he had easily crushed opponents like Lu Hai and Zhao Yunxiao. Now, for the first time, he was facing someone with an even deeper foundation. This must be the true foundation of a seasoned top expert from one of the Eight Regions—truly astonishing.

Without a word, Zhou Yuan's body vibrated as his Genesis Qi erupted, causing thirty-eight million Genesis Qi stars to illuminate the void. But this was not the extent of his power; he immediately activated four Genesis Runes and the second form of the Four Spirits Returning to Origin Diagram. The number of Genesis Qi stars surged rapidly, reaching fifty-eight million! The immense Genesis Qi howling through the void elicited numerous gasps from the Beast Master Region's side. Many watched with grave, even fearful, expressions, as Zhou Yuan's display of Genesis Qi strength clearly exceeded their expectations.

Upon seeing this, Yuan Kun chuckled, "I knew it. Chief Pavilion Master Zhou Yuan, to dare confront Xu Ming, must possess considerable skill." To achieve a foundation of thirty-eight million upon reaching the eighth layer of the Divine Dwelling, and then to boost it to fifty-eight million with external methods, is truly astonishing. Yuan Kun, having experienced it himself, understood that breaking through to the ninth layer of the Divine Dwelling would bring the most significant increase in foundation within that realm. He knew that once Zhou Yuan reached that stage, his Genesis Qi foundation would likely rival that of the top four. Xu Ming's intense dislike for Zhou Yuan likely stemmed from a degree of jealousy and apprehension.

Yuan Kun sighed with a chuckle, yet showed no sign of stopping. He clasped his hands together, and strange light patterns began to emerge across his corpulent, mountain-like physique. These patterns resembled beast markings, and with the appearance of each one, the Genesis Qi fluctuations emanating from Yuan Kun's body steadily climbed. In the void behind him, his Genesis Qi stars also began to surge. When the surge concluded, numerous beast markings shimmered across Yuan Kun's body, and he radiated an exceptionally formidable aura. His Genesis Qi stars had surged by sixteen million! Ultimately, they reached sixty-one million! Such an immense display of Genesis Qi caused winds to howl across the land and the very mountain ranges to tremble.

Yuan Kun smiled, "This is a secret technique of my Beast Master Region, the Ten Thousand Beast Profound Mark... but it still pales in comparison to Chief Pavilion Master Zhou Yuan, who has managed to develop a second form for the Heavenly Abyss Region's Four Genesis Runes." With the second form of the Four Genesis Runes, in terms of Genesis Qi amplification, it ranks among the top-tier secret techniques across all Nine Regions.

Yuan Kun flicked his sleeve, and colossal Genesis Qi roared, transforming into dozens of torrents in the void. Within these torrents, faint phantoms of giant beasts could be seen, radiating immense ferocity. Though Yuan Kun's words were polite, his attack was utterly merciless. The beast-like Genesis Qi torrents swept forth, surging overwhelmingly towards Zhou Yuan.

Fierce beast roars echoed across the heavens and earth. Zhou Yuan's expression subtly hardened; apart from his brief prior encounter with Zhao Mushen, this was likely his first true confrontation with a top prodigy from another of the Eight Regions, and he could not afford to underestimate it. He raised his palm, and the Sword Pill ascended. Fifty-eight million Genesis Qi stars shimmered as vast Genesis Qi infused into it. A sword hum resonated, and in the next instant, a brilliant sword light arced across the sky like a streaking meteor, directly cleaving towards the ferocious beast Genesis Qi torrents.

Bang! Bang!

The two forces collided in the void with an earth-shattering impact. Terrifying aftershocks spread outwards, instantly leveling mountain peaks below and tearing deep fissures through the dense forest. This was a direct clash of pure Genesis Qi. The sword light, sharp and relentless, continuously shredded the ferocious beast Genesis Qi torrents. However, the torrents were strangely resilient; upon being shattered, they would merely reform into even more torrents, continuously surging forward. As the beast torrents grew increasingly ferocious, the sword light appeared to falter, beginning to be pushed back.

Moments later, the space around Zhou Yuan was swarming with beast torrents. The beasts roared, diving down, intent on tearing Zhou Yuan to shreds. However, as they plunged downwards, Zhou Yuan's figure flickered into a shadow, vanishing from sight. The myriad beast torrents found nothing but empty air.

Yuan Kun's eyes narrowed; Zhou Yuan's movement technique was remarkably elusive. Yet, he showed no panic. He formed hand seals, and his pupils gradually transformed into the sharp, predatory eyes of a hawk.

"Spirit Eagle Eye Technique!"

A radiant light bloomed within his hawk-like eyes. The world before him snapped into sharp focus, and Yuan Kun finally detected a wisp of shadow darting towards him with lightning speed. In that exact instant, the shadow burst open directly in front of Yuan Kun. Zhou Yuan emerged from the void, his body radiating a translucent, jade-like glow.

The Profound Sacred Body!

Within his heart, all his golden blood erupted, causing a faint golden light to permeate Zhou Yuan's skin as terrifying power surged through his body like a flood. Snow-white bristles emerged from his fists, covering them like gauntlets.

Shattering Source!

The snow-white bristles turned pitch black, imbued with destructive power.

Ten Thousand Whales!

Ancient whale phantoms materialized, unleashing formidable power. Zhou Yuan's punch was incredibly fierce; with a single strike, the void before him subtly began to crack.

Yuan Kun's pupils constricted slightly at that instant, clearly sensing the might of Zhou Yuan's counterattack. A low roar burst from his throat: "Beast Demon Body!" His corpulent body underwent a drastic transformation. His flesh tightened, seemingly hardening into black, rock-like muscle. In mere moments, the plump figure morphed into a dark giant, bristling with terrifying muscles that looked as though cast from bronze and iron, creating an imposing visual impact. Black scales also emerged on his body, gleaming with a sinister light, and he exuded an immense ferocity, like a demonic beast! A savage roar burst from his mouth. He clenched his massive fist and unleashed a powerful punch, a strike that seemed to unleash countless furious beast roars, shaking the very heavens and earth.

Under the awestruck gazes of countless onlookers, their massive fists collided violently in the void. The colossal sound of their impact was like a thunderclap, clearly audible for hundreds of miles. Furthermore, terrifying shockwaves radiated outwards from their collision point, instantly flattening several massive mountains below. Both teams scrambled backwards in disarray, fleeing faster than rabbits, terrified of being caught in the aftershocks. Despite their haste, some unlucky individuals were still swept away, only to limp back much later, bruised and battered. Both teams stood at a safe distance, gazing with trepidation at the epicenter of the clash.

Boom! Boom!

The two figures there exchanged over a hundred blows in a mere dozen breaths, their fists meeting with bone-jarring force, creating sonic booms.

Rumble!

Eventually, both figures were struck by shockwaves, their bodies shaking as they were sent hurtling backwards. With every powerful step they took to slow their retreat in the void, a deafening sonic boom erupted. Both retreated over a thousand zhang before finally regaining their balance.

Zhou Yuan rubbed his fists and remarked, "What an impressive Beast Demon Body." Yuan Kun appeared round and plump, like a sphere, but to Zhou Yuan's surprise, his physical body proved to be incredibly robust. His Profound Sacred Body had gained little advantage in their earlier exchange.

Yuan Kun's ferocious form gradually receded, returning to his usual plump physique. He fixed his gaze on Zhou Yuan and said, "To force me to activate my Beast Demon Body so quickly, Chief Pavilion Master Zhou Yuan... you are truly formidable."

Zhou Yuan replied, "That was merely a test, and you, too, held back some of your abilities." Yuan Kun hails from the Beast Master Region, where many powerful techniques require coordination with Genesis Beasts. The Earth God Ox had not yet joined the fray; if it were to enter the battle, Yuan Kun's combat power would multiply exponentially.

Yuan Kun shook his head. "I can tell you've also held back some techniques. So, in a true life-and-death battle, the outcome would indeed be hard to predict."

Zhou Yuan smiled. Although he had just fought Yuan Kun, he sensed no significant hostility from him. After a moment's thought, he proposed, "Let's divide the spiritual energy within this mountain range equally."

Yuan Kun chuckled, "Chief Pavilion Master Zhou Yuan is indeed generous; that's an excellent idea." Had this proposal been made earlier, Yuan Kun might have been ambivalent, but their recent clash had clearly demonstrated Zhou Yuan's qualifications.

Once they reached an agreement, the tension in the air immediately dissipated. Both teams approached from a distance and began to interact. Yuan Kun's spherical figure floated closer to Zhou Yuan. He then grinned and asked, "Chief Pavilion Master Zhou Yuan, would you be interested in cooperating with me on something big?"

Zhou Yuan met his gaze with a faint smile. Ever since Yuan Kun appeared, he had been testing Zhou Yuan's strength. Now that he had a sense of it, he was finally revealing his true intentions. Zhou Yuan chuckled, "Are you referring to Innate Spiritual Energy?"

Yuan Kun gave a thumbs up. "A man of understanding," he said.

Zhou Yuan's eyes narrowed. It appeared Yuan Kun knew the location of the Innate Spiritual Energy. After a moment's consideration, he nodded with a smile. "Brother Yuan Kun," Zhou Yuan began, "perhaps we should sit down and discuss this properly..."