Chapter 986: ?One Kick

The chaotic activity raging within the Divine Dwelling suddenly ceased. A moment ago, it was like a raging flood inside the Divine Dwelling; now, all was calm.

Zhou Yuan's attention, however, wasn't on these changes; instead, it focused directly on the most dazzling Genesis Qi star within his Divine Dwelling. That star was brilliantly captivating, its light far surpassing that of any other Genesis Qi star.

One hundred million!

Gazing at the one hundred million shimmering Genesis Qi stars, boundless ecstasy surged within Zhou Yuan. He had done it! He had truly broken through the limit of the Divine Dwelling stage!

Most importantly, the Genesis Qi absorbed by the Earth Saint Rune would normally only temporarily increase his Genesis Qi's strength. Yet, the one hundred million Genesis Qi stars now hung high with no sign of dissipating, meaning that even if the Earth Saint Rune dispersed, Zhou Yuan's Genesis Qi would remain at this enhanced strength, rather than reverting to the initial ninety-three million.

Thus, Zhou Yuan's current foundation stood at one hundred million.

As the one hundred million Genesis Qi stars shimmered in the sky, overwhelming streams of light poured down. Under this luminescence, Zhou Yuan perceived that his entire Divine Dwelling seemed to expand, becoming even vaster. Moreover, at the far reaches of his Divine Dwelling, a faint, glazed light began to appear. The entire Divine Dwelling seemed to grow more immense and resilient.

"Is this the Glazed Crystal Wall?"

Zhou Yuan gazed at the boundary of his Divine Dwelling, bathed in that glazed light, with a hint of surprise. It seemed that after forging a Glazed Heavenly Sun, the Divine Dwelling would radiate this light, enabling it to not only hold more vast Genesis Qi but also accelerate its refinement. What's more, the Glazed Crystal Wall even possessed purifying capabilities: should external Genesis Qi attempt to invade and cause trouble within the Divine Dwelling, this crystal wall would block and purify it.

In a sense, a Divine Dwelling possessing a Glazed Crystal Wall would have far superior self-defense capabilities than before. Yet, the Glazed Crystal Wall was only supposed to appear after one entered the Heavenly Sun stage and forged a top-tier Glazed Heavenly Sun. Why was it manifesting within his Divine Dwelling now?

Though somewhat puzzled, Zhou Yuan didn't dwell on it for too long. After all, having broken through the Divine Dwelling stage limit, it wasn't overly strange for some unusual phenomena to occur.

Zhou Yuan's consciousness converged on the holy rune light orb suspended within his Divine Dwelling. He murmured, "Thank you." The Four Holy Runes undoubtedly played the most crucial role in his ability to break through the limit this time. Their collision with the invisible shackles was something no ordinary holy object could achieve. These four holy runes, detached from the "Cangxuan Saint Seal," were indeed incomparably profound.

*Buzz! Buzz!*

The holy rune light orb emitted a circle of light, as if responding to Zhou Yuan's gratitude.

Zhou Yuan smiled faintly, and his consciousness began to withdraw from his Divine Dwelling.

On the plain, Zhou Yuan stood quietly, his eyes slightly closed. The countless Genesis Qi stars that had been reflected in the void behind him had vanished cleanly at some unknown point. Even the surging, powerful Genesis Qi fluctuations continuously emanating from his body had become imperceptible. He stood there, calm and unperturbed, just like an ordinary person.

Countless gazes, filled with doubt and uncertainty, converged upon him.

"What happened? Why has all his Genesis Qi vanished?"

"I can't detect a single fluctuation. What's going on?"

"Did he fail? Was there a backlash that completely dispersed his Genesis Qi?"

"It's not impossible. After all, breaking through a limit is no easy feat, is it?"

Countless whispers arose. Many people believed Zhou Yuan must have failed, as they had never even imagined he could succeed. Wang Xi, Li Tongshen, Jiugong, Yuan Kun, and other top Heavenly Talents also looked puzzled. They, too, couldn't discern the exact situation. Breaking through such limits was something even they wouldn't dare to contemplate, so they had no idea what the consequences of success or failure would entail.

In the Tianyuan Region, Yi Qiushui, Ye Bingling, and others were tense, their faces etched with anxiety and worry. They understood that if Zhou Yuan succeeded at this moment, he would become the most dazzling new star in Hunyuan Heaven. However, if he failed, it would undoubtedly draw secret mockery from those who harbored jealousy.

"Zhou Yuan, you can do it!"

"Did he succeed, or did he fail?"

On the plain, Wu Yao's delicate brows were also slightly furrowed, her exquisite face showing fluctuating emotions. Even she didn't know whether to anticipate Zhou Yuan's success or hope for his failure.

Su Youwei's small hands were tightly clenched as she stared at the motionless, slender figure in the distance. She murmured, "He must have succeeded." Her voice was firm. In the Zixiao Region, many people considered her a top Heavenly Talent, yet deep down, she knew that His Highness possessed true innate genius. He was born with the destiny of a Saint Dragon, and even after his destiny was stolen, he still transformed himself little by little, ultimately rising to prominence. If even he couldn't break through this Divine Dwelling limit, then surely no one else could.

Amidst these countless gazes, Zhou Yuan finally opened his eyes. The moment they opened, his eyes revealed an astonishing greenish-gold hue, and his pupils transformed into vertically slit dragon eyes. An indescribable aura of coercion emanated, causing the surrounding space to ripple. This was an anomaly caused by the overwhelming power of the World-Suppressing Sky Dragon Qi within his body.

Zhou Yuan lightly clenched his hand, and the space within his palm trembled slightly, with cracks appearing. Within his body, Genesis Qi of astonishing power, strong enough to shock even Zhou Yuan himself, coursed through him. This Genesis Qi was immeasurably more potent than the ninety-nine million Genesis Qi stars he possessed before. Although it was only an increase of ten thousand stars, it felt like a qualitative transformation.

Under the gaze of countless onlookers, Zhou Yuan stretched. He then took a step, and his figure instantly appeared outside the dazzling Genesis Qi barrier surrounding Zhao Mushen, as if he had teleported.

Meanwhile, inside the barrier, Zhao Mushen stared intently at Zhou Yuan, his eyes flickering.

"Zhou Yuan, stop playing games."

"In this Nine Regions Grand Meeting, to have achieved second place is already quite..."

However, before Zhao Mushen could finish his sentence, Zhou Yuan raised his hand with a smile, forcibly inserted it into the barrier, and with a slight exertion of both palms, the barrier—formed by the combined Genesis Qi of Zhao Mushen, Wu Yao, and Su Youwei—was torn open as easily as thin paper.

Silence fell across the world; it seemed even the wind had frozen. Zhao Mushen's voice caught in his throat. Countless gazes watched this scene in utter shock. The ability to so easily tear apart the Genesis Qi barrier of three of the most powerful Divine Dwelling cultivators spoke volumes.

"He, he... he succeeded?!"

At this moment, even Wang Xi and Li Tongshen's eyes widened, their faces filled with utter horror. Zhao Mushen, too, stared in shock at Zhou Yuan, who had torn open the Genesis Qi barrier, approached him step by step, and now looked at him with a teasing smile.

"You haven't finished your breakthrough yet, have you?" Zhou Yuan glanced at the Genesis Qi stars in the void behind Zhao Mushen that were beginning to merge, and smiled.

Zhao Mushen's eyes flickered as he said in a low voice, "Zhou Yuan, you are truly remarkable. You actually accomplished something legendary!" His expression was complex. Zhao Mushen was immensely proud, but today, that pride had been utterly crushed. He took a deep breath and said, "If you're bold enough, then wait for me a moment. I want to see how strong you, who have broken through the Divine Dwelling stage limit, can truly be once I break through! What do you say? Do you dare?"

Zhou Yuan tilted his head slightly, smiling at the defiant Zhao Mushen. Then, he abruptly spun his entire body. His right foot, imbued with terrifying Genesis Qi, shattered the space and, like a meteor impact, slammed heavily into Zhao Mushen's face, witnessed by his suddenly widened eyes. That handsome, sculpted face instantly became a twisted mess, its nose caved in, and blood gushed forth. The countless Genesis Qi stars in the void behind Zhao Mushen burst, and his breakthrough was forcibly halted at that moment.

*Thump! Thump!*

His body was sent flying backward, creating one massive crater after another on the ground. Finally, a ten-thousand-foot-long gouge scarred the plain. Zhao Mushen's body, like a tattered ball, lay buried in a deep pit, covered in blood, his skin torn and raw, on the verge of death.

Silence once again descended upon the entire world.

Zhou Yuan, however, lightly clapped his hands. He looked into the distance and smiled, "Isn't this far more straightforward? Why would I wait for you to break through?"