Chapter 988: 了清

Wu Yao gazed at Zhou Yuan, who stood before her. Her exquisite face was expressionless, except for a faint pallor caused by her weakened Genesis Qi. Yet, even in this state, there was no hint of defeat in her narrow, phoenix-like eyes.

There was only a touch of complexity.

She gazed at Zhou Yuan's young face. When they first met in the Great Wu capital, perhaps she never imagined that years later, he would stand before her in such a manner.

This man, born with the Saint Dragon Qi, truly possessed the potential to astound the world.

But what evoked a subtle sigh of lament in Wu Yao was not Zhou Yuan's talent, but rather the resilience he maintained even when his life had hit rock bottom.

Although she didn't know what Zhou Yuan had endured, from the initial difficulty of opening his eight meridians to embarking on the cultivation path, she could imagine it must have been filled with hardships that would have made ordinary people give up hundreds, even thousands of times. Yet, he persevered.

So, in the end, he rose and turned the tables.

Wu Yao found this outcome far from difficult to accept. She gently exhaled, feeling her entire body relax at that moment, a sense of profound relief washing over her.

Had this fated struggle finally reached its conclusion?

King Wu's face flashed through her mind. She smiled faintly to herself. "Father," she thought, "your schemes from back then have completely failed today. This Saint Dragon Qi, perhaps our Wu family was never meant to bear it."

Wu Yao's eyelids slowly closed. She said faintly, "Take it back."

In her current state, she couldn't possibly be Zhou Yuan's match. Of course, even if her Genesis Qi fully recovered, facing Zhou Yuan, who had broken through the Divine Dwelling stage limit, she still wouldn't have much chance of winning. Given this, there was no need to display any reluctance.

Her lithe figure was tall and slender, her back straight. Although she had failed, pride still resided in Wu Yao's heart.

Zhou Yuan also stared at Wu Yao for a long moment. His heart, too, was stirred with emotion, for ever since the day he began cultivating by opening his eight meridians, he had been waiting for this very day.

Now, he would completely reclaim what he had lost.

"Father, I've done it..."

Zhou Yuan murmured softly in his heart.

He then extended his hand, gently placing it on Wu Yao's slender shoulder. At that instant, he could feel her slight tremor.

Such a sight might turn a man of steel into pliable softness, but Zhou Yuan remained expressionless, his heart entirely unaffected. This was his, after all, something he had strived for years to reclaim. So, no matter what, he would take it back today.

Inside Zhou Yuan, the resonating sound of a dragon's roar echoed.

All around him, light gathered behind him, gradually forming a giant dragon-like phantom.

As soon as the giant dragon phantom appeared, it caused the Genesis Qi of heaven and earth to surge violently. Zhou Yuan's figure even showed signs of merging with the world.

That was the Saint Dragon phenomenon.

The radiant phantom dragon faced Wu Yao, opened its mouth, and powerfully inhaled.

Wu Yao's delicate body trembled violently once more. Intense light began to emanate from her, and in the next moment, a vast and mysterious aura surged from the crown of her head. As the aura rose, it seemed to transform into winding blue smoke, ascending towards the dragon's mouth.

That familiar aura was precisely the Saint Dragon Qi that Wu Yao had intercepted when the Great Wu was annihilated!

Wu Yao's smooth face grew even paler, and traces of blood even appeared at the corners of her lips.

She could feel that as the Saint Dragon Qi was stripped away, her vitality seemed to drain with it. This made her realize that once Zhou Yuan took away the last remnant of the Saint Dragon Qi that had remained in her body, she would likely perish.

In the struggle between dragon and phoenix, the devourer lives.

At this moment, the memory of King Wu's desolate roar as she slew him flashed through Wu Yao's mind.

"So this is how it is..."

In Wu Yao's heart, however, there was no fear, but rather a profound tranquility.

Zhou Yuan and Wu Yao's movements here were witnessed by countless eyes beneath the starry sky. Immediately, numerous exclamations erupted, for even from such a long distance, they could feel Wu Yao's vitality draining away.

In the direction of the Martial God Domain, the thousands of team members were all furious. In the next moment, hundreds of figures soared into the air, rapidly rushing towards the last stone statue.

It was a scene of collective outrage.

Wang Xi, Li Tongshen, and others frowned deeply. They weren't entirely clear about the situation between the two, but it certainly looked like Wu Yao was in a very bad state.

"Zhou Yuan is also taking away the Qi of Fate from Wu Yao... What's going on? Does he also have the Devourer's Qi of Fate?" Jiu Gong couldn't help but ask. "But even when Zhao Mushen tried to devour Wu Yao's Qi of Fate before, she wasn't about to die. Why is it like this when she meets Zhou Yuan?"

"No, that's not right. The Qi of Fate of these two is extremely similar... as if born from a single entity."

Jiu Gong's heart was also full of doubts. However, if Zhou Yuan truly caused Wu Yao to lose all her vitality here, it would undoubtedly enrage the Martial God Domain, which didn't seem like a wise move.

In the Tianyuan Region, Ye Bingling, Yi Qiushui, and others also had serious expressions on their faces.

Lu Xiao couldn't help but exclaim, "What is Zhou Yuan doing? He's already won, so why is he attacking Wu Yao? If something happens to Wu Yao, he won't be able to handle the consequences!"

No one answered him. Everyone's previous joy was now overshadowed by the shock of the moment.

After all, if life and death occurred during a battle, it would be understandable. But in the current situation, Wu Yao clearly had no strength left to fight. If Zhou Yuan caused her death under these circumstances, that would be truly troublesome.

"Your Highness..."

Su Youwei looked at the somewhat swaying Wu Yao, a hint of worry flashing in her eyes, and spoke softly.

She wasn't worried about Wu Yao herself, but rather the consequences if Zhou Yuan truly stripped away all of Wu Yao's vitality, because it was said that the Grand Elder of the Martial God Domain greatly valued Wu Yao.

Zhou Yuan gazed with a somewhat indifferent expression at Wu Yao's pale, exquisite face, his eyes flickering slightly.

And just then, Wu Yao, with her eyes closed, said faintly, "Zhou Yuan, at a time like this, must you still hesitate? My father never hesitated when he took your Saint Dragon Qi back then."

"I told you back then, this Saint Dragon Qi is what I detest the most. If not for it, my mother wouldn't have died, my brother Wu Huang wouldn't have become such a person, and I wouldn't have killed my own father with my hands, left to live alone in this world."

"So... now, I'll give it back to you!"

The instant her voice fell, she formed a hand seal with one hand. In the next moment, her body violently vibrated. Faintly, a desolate, prolonged roar seemed to echo, and another mysterious aura surged from the crown of her head, turning into a dragon phantom that swept towards the giant dragon's mouth behind Zhou Yuan.

She had actually voluntarily forced out the last remnant of the Saint Dragon Qi!

The moment the Saint Dragon Qi left her body, the radiance on Wu Yao's face completely dimmed. Her delicate body then slowly swayed forward and fell.

Zhou Yuan extended his arm and embraced her slender shoulder. He looked at her profile, his eyes complex, and said softly, "From this day forward, the grievances between our two families are settled."