Chapter 989: Great Venerable

When Wu Yao collapsed, caught by Zhou Yuan's arm, the Sacred Dragon Qi that surged from her body transformed into a winding green smoke and ascended towards the dragon's mouth of the giant dragon phantom high in the sky.

Facing this final wisp of Sacred Dragon Qi, which was willingly presented, Zhou Yuan did not hesitate. He immediately urged the giant dragon phantom to prepare to devour it.

This was something that belonged to him; now, he was simply taking it back.

Even if it meant Wu Yao would pay with her life, Zhou Yuan had no intention of showing mercy. As she herself had said, perhaps this was their destiny.

"Let me end all of this now."

The giant dragon phantom roared, biting towards the last wisp of Sacred Dragon Qi.

However, just as the giant dragon phantom's mouth was about to close on the Sacred Dragon Qi, Zhou Yuan suddenly felt as if the entire world had frozen.

Even the Genesis Qi of heaven and earth had become stagnant.

The giant dragon phantom remained in its biting posture but could not complete the action. It felt as if an indescribably terrifying force had directly solidified it.

It was important to note that this giant dragon phantom was not formed by Genesis Qi; rather, it was a manifestation of destiny. It was ethereal and elusive, and ordinary power could not harm it. Yet, at this moment, it was like an insect trapped in amber, completely immobilized.

Zhou Yuan's expression drastically changed at this moment. This situation clearly indicated that an incredibly terrifying external force had intervened.

Within the Fallen Abyss, even Law Domain experts couldn't interfere. This meant that the person who intervened must have surpassed the Law Domain stage.

A Saint!

A Grand Elder!

It was the Grand Elder from the Martial God Domain!

Zhou Yuan's eyes darkened, as this Grand Elder's action undoubtedly violated the rules of the Nine Regions Tournament. However, facing such an existence, he couldn't angrily refute them; it would be meaningless.

He looked up at the frozen giant dragon phantom. At this moment, the final wisp of Sacred Dragon Qi that Wu Yao had expelled also seemed to be restrained by some force. It slowly descended and was ultimately pushed back into Wu Yao's body.

Zhou Yuan watched this scene impassively, not attempting to forcibly reclaim it. Under the gaze of a Grand Elder, he was merely an ant. If he were to forcefully provoke them, he feared he wouldn't be able to bear the consequences.

“Zhou Yuan, you have already triumphed this time. There's no need to take all of the Sacred Dragon Qi, is there?”

At this moment, a grand voice, filled with an indescribable majesty, echoed in Zhou Yuan's mind.

Zhou Yuan paused slightly, then softly asked, “Martial God Grand Elder?”

The voice's reply was an undeniable affirmation.

Zhou Yuan said, “Then I presume the Martial God Grand Elder also knows where the Sacred Dragon Qi in Wu Yao's body came from, right?”

“When her royal father took the Sacred Dragon Qi from me all those years ago, he didn't leave even a wisp to care about my life or death.”

The Martial God Grand Elder's voice sounded again: “Now is not the best time to take back the Sacred Dragon Qi from Wu Yao's body. My intervention this time indeed goes against the rules, but I won't take advantage of you for nothing, young man. As long as you don't take that final wisp of Sacred Dragon Qi from Wu Yao's body this time, I will also help you with one thing.”

Zhou Yuan frowned slightly. Help him with one thing? What could he possibly need help with?

“I will help you stop Grand Elder Wanzu from personally attempting to capture you,” the Martial God Grand Elder said.

Zhou Yuan's pupils sharply contracted. He said in a low voice, “Martial God Grand Elder, why bother trying to deceive me? I'm just a mere Divine Dwelling stage practitioner; why would a Grand Elder from Wanzu Domain personally make a move against me?”

“Heh heh, young man, do you really think you can hide from Grand Elder Wanzu? Did Cang Yuan believe that by not entering Hunyuan Heaven and sending a little ant in, he could escape Wanzu's notice?” the Martial God Grand Elder seemed to scoff, saying.

Zhou Yuan's expression turned grim. So, Grand Elder Wanzu indeed knew his identity.

He had already guessed some clues from Grand Elder Wanzu's instructions to Zhao Mu Shen to capture him, but now it was confirmed by the Martial God Grand Elder.

This made Zhou Yuan's scalp tingle. After all, being targeted by a Grand Elder was truly not a pleasant experience. With Master Cang Yuan currently outside, whatever happened in Hunyuan Heaven, distant waters would likely not quench a nearby fire.

“That person, at least, is a Grand Elder with a transcendent status. It's impossible for him to lower himself to deal with a mere Divine Dwelling practitioner like me,” Zhou Yuan said somewhat unwillingly.

“Indeed, no one would care about a mere Divine Dwelling practitioner like you, but the implications behind you are enormous, enough to make Wanzu take action.”

The Martial God Grand Elder's faint voice echoed in Zhou Yuan's mind: “What do you think? Are you interested in my proposal? A Grand Elder personally taking action for you — that carries significant weight.”

Zhou Yuan's eyes flickered, and after a moment, he said, “Does that Grand Elder never intend for me to retrieve the final wisp of Sacred Dragon Qi that belongs to me?”

“When the time is right, you will naturally retrieve it,” the Martial God Grand Elder's tone was ethereal.

Zhou Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly. If he were alone, he wouldn't truly fear Grand Elder Wanzu; death would simply be the outcome. But now, he couldn't die, nor could he be captured, because he had a far more important task: awakening Yao Yao.

To achieve this goal, while the Sacred Dragon Qi was important, it wasn't something that couldn't be temporarily forsaken.

Currently, the Martial God Grand Elder was simply relying on the fact that his backer, Cang Yuan, couldn't act. However, Zhou Yuan believed that Cang Yuan would eventually return to Hunyuan Heaven, and by then, he wouldn't have to worry about the Martial God Grand Elder's interference anymore.

Therefore, he no longer hesitated and nodded gently: “I agree.”

The Martial God Grand Elder seemed to smile faintly. He didn't make many promises, for the status of a Grand Elder alone was worth thousands of words.

At this moment, the force that had frozen heaven and earth vanished, and the stagnant Genesis Qi began to flow again.

“Your Highness!”

Su Youwei immediately came to Zhou Yuan's side, her pretty face grave, evidently having noticed the unusual situation earlier.

Zhou Yuan shook his head at her, signaling that nothing was wrong. Then, with a flick of his sleeve, the giant dragon phantom hovering in the sky gradually dissolved into nothingness, disappearing without a trace.

Meanwhile, Wu Yao, whose delicate body had been leaning, her cheek resting gently on Zhou Yuan's shoulder, slowly opened her long, narrow phoenix eyes.

She immediately straightened up, taking two hurried steps back.

Her beautiful face flickered with various emotions. Especially when she felt the wisp of Sacred Dragon Qi within her body, her teeth immediately bit down on her lip. She lifted her pretty face to gaze at the void, thinking to herself, “Why did the Grand Elder intervene? Victor takes all, vanquished loses all. I lost; there was no need for the Grand Elder to do this.”

The Martial God Grand Elder's voice also sounded in her mind, seemingly with a touch of helplessness: “Wu Yao, there's no need to dwell on momentary success or failure. The Divine Dwelling stage is merely an insignificant checkpoint on your path of cultivation. The true test lies in the future.”

Wu Yao bit her red lip, feeling somewhat stubborn. She didn't like this outcome. From Zhou Yuan's perspective, wouldn't it seem like she was someone who couldn't accept defeat?

“Wu Yao, you are not weaker than Zhou Yuan. There's no need to deny yourself because of a temporary defeat. Also, remember what I once told you: you've possessed the Sacred Dragon Qi for so many years, but in truth, it doesn't belong to you, nor is it suitable for you. You should seek what truly belongs to you.”

The Martial God Grand Elder's voice became ethereal and gradually faded away.

“A python-sparrow devouring a dragon—how could a sparrow capable of devouring a dragon be an ordinary sparrow? Is it truly inferior to a dragon?”