Chapter 969: Occupying the Statue

Golden fragments were scattered across the plaza-like expanse of the stone statue's head.

Countless gazes, filled with a touch of shock, stared at the chaotic scene. Their eyes finally converged on the slender figure, clad in silver armor, emerging amidst a myriad of shimmering lights. At this moment, even the top prodigies from the other eight domains showed a hint of solemnity in their eyes.

The astonishing combat power Zhou Yuan displayed now made everyone wary.

No one had expected that Xu Ming's Twelve Golden Beasts would be utterly crushed by Zhou Yuan in such a devastating manner.

"How is this possible?"

Xu Ming also watched the scene with a twisted expression. His previous provocations toward Zhou Yuan stemmed from a sense of jealousy, as he clearly knew that even with eight Divine Dwellings, Zhou Yuan could contend with established prodigies like them.

Once Zhou Yuan opened his ninth Divine Dwelling and his Genesis Qi surged, he would likely surpass Xu Ming significantly.

However, what Xu Ming hadn't anticipated was that Zhou Yuan had defeated his proud Twelve Golden Beasts even before opening his ninth Divine Dwelling!

This was undoubtedly a massive blow to the always arrogant Xu Ming.

"Toys?"

Hearing Zhou Yuan's words, Xu Ming's face became ferocious. He suddenly looked up and sneered furiously, "What are you?! How dare you defame the treasures of my Puppet Domain!"

He abruptly formed hand seals.

*Whoosh! Whoosh!*

The golden fragments scattered across the ground suddenly shot towards Xu Ming in an overwhelming tide. These fragments directly pierced his body, causing blood to flow out.

*Thump! Thump!*

Within a few breaths, Xu Ming's body swelled, resembling a giant puppet made of stacked golden fragments. A violent, almost brutal aura erupted from within.

The ground beneath his feet cracked in several places.

"Demonic Puppet Art!"

A sharp hiss echoed through the heavens and earth. Xu Ming, enveloped by golden fragments, his head began to twist, vaguely resembling a beast.

*Roar! Roar!*

Xu Ming roared. The next moment, he stomped his foot, and his enormous figure shot up, unleashing a devastating punch directly at Zhou Yuan's position.

Even before the punch landed, the deafening sonic boom reverberated, and a shallow fist-print even appeared on the ground!

"Zhou Yuan, die!" His furious roar echoed along with it.

Zhou Yuan, clad in silver armor, looked up. The terrifying gale whistling down from above caused his expression to shift slightly. This Demonic Puppet Art seemed to merge the power of the puppet with the user's own, which in some ways had a similar effect to "Silver Shadow."

However, it was clear that Xu Ming's cultivation was not yet perfected, and this fusion was far too forced.

To Zhou Yuan, Xu Ming was merely a trapped beast fighting for survival.

Zhou Yuan slowly clenched his five fingers, and snowy-white hairs emerged, covering his fist like a gauntlet.

"Genesis Break."

A low murmur came from within the silver armor.

The snowy-white hairs turned inky black and profound, as if stained with ink.

Zhou Yuan stomped his foot, cracking the ground. The next instant, his figure transformed into a streak of silver light, soaring into the sky like a raging silver dragon, imbued with immense power.

A golden and a silver streak of light flashed across the massive head of the stone statue, finally colliding with a thunderous impact in the sky above the center.

*Boom!*

Golden and silver fireworks erupted.

Waves of visible shockwaves spread from the void, crashing against the Genesis Qi barrier surrounding the stone statue, creating layers of violent ripples.

All eyes were fixed on the sky above the stone statue's head. Everyone knew that the battle between Zhou Yuan and Xu Ming would be decided at this moment.

Amidst the golden and silver fireworks, two figures plummeted from the sky, each leaving long trails on the ground before coming to a stop.

A golden and a silver figure stood in distant confrontation.

The black hairs on Zhou Yuan's silver fist completely receded, and the light on his silver armor flickered rapidly, as if dissipating the terrifying impact force.

He looked up at the massive golden figure and said, "You eliminated my Tianyuan Region's team earlier. Now that I've eliminated you, consider it an eye for an eye."

As his voice fell, the enormous golden figure slowly knelt down. Golden fragments began to peel off its body, finally revealing Xu Ming's true form.

Then, countless gazes watched in shock as a bloody hole appeared in Xu Ming's chest.

The hole pierced through his chest, and his beating internal organs were even visible.

Xu Ming's face was ashen, his eyes filled with unwillingness. He couldn't believe that he had ultimately been defeated by Zhou Yuan!

And by Zhou Yuan, who was only at the eighth Divine Dwelling stage!

"How could this happen?"

"How is it possible!"

"How could I lose!"

Xu Ming stammered tremblingly. The space around him began to twist, indicating that his severe injuries were causing the marks on his body to trigger his expulsion from the Fallen Abyss.

Once expelled, it meant he would be eliminated!

This implied that their Puppet Domain's ranking in this Nine Regions Grand Meeting would likely be at the very bottom!

But at this moment, any regret was useless. Xu Ming could only grit his teeth, glaring ferociously at Zhou Yuan, and croaked, "Zhou Yuan, don't get too smug! You'll be eliminated soon too!"

"Zhao Mu Shen won't let you off!"

"I'll be waiting for you outside!"

As his enraged voice faded, a vortex formed in the space behind him, finally swallowing him whole.

Under the starry sky, countless people gasped in unison, their faces filled with shock. Who could have imagined that the battle between Zhou Yuan and Xu Ming would result in Xu Ming's elimination!

The forces from the Puppet Domain were all ashen-faced, as if they had lost their parents.

With Xu Ming eliminated, who among them had the ability to contend for the nine ancient stone statues?

On the other hand, after the initial shock and disbelief, the people from the Tianyuan Region erupted into earth-shattering cheers.

Ye Bingling and Yi Qiushui clasped their hands tightly, their eyes filled with excitement.

Lu Xiao and Mu Liu exchanged glances, breathing a sigh of relief. With Zhou Yuan eliminating Xu Ming, at the very least, their Tianyuan Region wouldn't finish last in this Nine Regions Grand Meeting!

Amidst countless shocked and amazed gazes, the silver armor on Zhou Yuan's body receded like liquid. His expression showed no excessive elation; he remained remarkably calm.

He looked up, his gaze sweeping across the multitude of people under the starry sky.

Then, a faint voice rang out: "I've temporarily claimed this stone statue. If anyone covets it, feel free to step forward."

His voice echoed through the starry space, but it was met with silence.

Zhou Yuan's previously displayed combat power was startling. Yuan Kun and Jiu Gong had no interest in challenging him now, as they had other options.

Li Tongshen and Wang Xi were not content with this third-to-last ranked stone statue, so in their view, there was no need to contend with the fiercely dominant Zhou Yuan.

Zhao Mu Shen stared at Zhou Yuan, his gaze flickering slightly, but before he could make a move, Su Youwei suddenly shot out, soaring directly towards the largest and most ancient stone statue.

Upon seeing this, Wu Yao narrowed her phoenix eyes. Without a word, she too transformed into a streak of light and swiftly gave chase.

Evidently, both their targets were the most ancient stone statue!

Zhao Mu Shen smiled faintly, a bit helpless, upon seeing the two women's actions. He could only withdraw his gaze from Zhou Yuan, as he couldn't allow the two women to occupy the most ancient stone statue.

Compared to Wu Yao and Su Youwei, Zhou Yuan's threat was clearly far less significant.

"Never mind, I'll let him be for now."

Having made his decision, Zhao Mu Shen no longer hesitated. His figure flickered, as if teleporting, and he instantly pursued Wu Yao and Su Youwei.

The actions of these three immediately ignited the starry space.

Wang Xi and Li Tongshen also darted towards the ancient stone statues ahead.

Yuan Kun and Jiu Gong pondered for a moment, then quickly followed.

Everyone desired to occupy the larger and more ancient stone statues, as they represented greater opportunities and innate spiritual essence.

Thus, their movements fully unleashed the final climax of this Nine Regions Grand Meeting.

Zhou Yuan stood atop the stone statue. No one seemed to be approaching him; clearly, the statue's position was somewhat awkward, being ranked seventh out of nine, neither high nor low. Moreover, his imposing presence earlier made his location the most quiet for the time being.

Seeing this, Zhou Yuan immediately sat down cross-legged. He glanced at the powerful Genesis Qi fluctuations erupting from the depths of the starry sky, but then slowly lowered his eyes.

He lightly touched the top of the stone statue with his palm, clearly feeling the immense innate spiritual essence and a pure, vast Genesis Qi fluctuation contained deep within it.

He took a deep breath, his eyes resolute.

Right here, now is the time to open the ninth Divine Dwelling!

Only by opening the ninth Divine Dwelling would he truly possess the power to contend with Zhao Mu Shen!

A stone statue ranked seventh wouldn't be enough for him!

Because in this Nine Regions Grand Meeting, Zhou Yuan's goal was the top position!