Chapter 995: Identity

Inside the Azure Law Domain.

Somewhere within the Law Domain, Xi Jing stood with her hands behind her back, while Zhou Yuan stood behind her.

"The five supreme factions have declared war on the Tianyuan Region?" Zhou Yuan's face registered shock upon hearing Xi Jing's words. He knew precisely what this meant: a war of astonishing scale was about to unfold. This was a war on a scale he had never witnessed before. Although in the Cangxuan Heaven, the Sacred Palace's Master Sheng Yuan had initiated the "Cangxuan Sacred Seal" conflict, affecting several other major Sacred Sects, in terms of sheer scale, if one disregarded Master Sheng Yuan's quasi-Saint strength, the Sacred Palace likely couldn't compare to the Tianyuan Region. Furthermore, the combined strength of the Three Mountains Alliance, the Scarlet Cloud Sword Sect, the Dragon Gu Palace, and other supreme factions was, in fact, no weaker than that of the Tianyuan Region. For this reason, the war was bound to be exceptionally brutal, casting a shadow over the entire Hunyuan Heaven.

Xi Jing's face was etched with cold determination. She said, "All of this must have been secretly orchestrated by the Myriad Ancestors Domain. Grand Elder Wan Zu has been preparing for this for a long time. The rise of these supreme factions—the Three Mountains Alliance, the Scarlet Cloud Sword Sect—all occurred after Master disappeared."

"Therefore, perhaps this day has been part of Grand Elder Wan Zu's plan all along."

"Moreover, now that you've claimed first place at the Nine Regions Conference, if the 'Ancestral Dragon Lamp' were to truly fall into the Tianyuan Region's hands, it would grant our region a terrifying means. This is likely not what Grand Elder Wan Zu wishes to see, which is why all his schemes are now coming to light."

Zhou Yuan's expression also turned grim. He gritted his teeth and muttered, "That old dog!"

He had painstakingly worked for nearly two years, finally managing to win first place at the Nine Regions Conference. Just as the Ancestral Dragon Lamp was within his grasp, Grand Elder Wan Zu had forcibly obstructed him. How could this not fill one's heart with fury?

Xi Jing offered reassurance, "There's no need to be disheartened. Due to the rules, the Myriad Ancestors Domain cannot directly intervene. They can only pour all their efforts into supporting these supreme factions like the Three Mountains Alliance and the Scarlet Cloud Sword Sect. Now that Grand Elder Wan Zu has shown his hand, as long as our Tianyuan Region withstands this, he will ultimately have to surrender the Ancestral Dragon Lamp."

Zhou Yuan took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "Grand Elder Wan Zu probably intends to push the Tianyuan Region to the brink, ultimately forcing Master to reveal himself in the Hunyuan Heaven."

Xi Jing nodded gently. "Once Master appears prematurely, he will likely fall into Grand Elder Wan Zu's machinations. For cultivators at their level, even a small flaw could lead to endless trouble."

"Therefore, we absolutely cannot let them succeed!"

Xi Jing looked at Zhou Yuan and said, "I have already sent word to the other Grand Elders. Once we return to the Tianyuan Cave Heaven, we will activate the war signal. In this great battle, our Tianyuan Region must emerge victorious!"

Zhou Yuan nodded. After a slight moment of contemplation, he recounted his exchange with Grand Elder Wu Shen in the Abyssal Fallen Ravine.

"So, it was Grand Elder Wu Shen interfering with you then. However, this matter might be a blessing in disguise. Given the Tianyuan Region's current predicament, we truly cannot afford to offend the always-neutral Martial God Domain." Xi Jing glanced at Zhou Yuan apologetically. As his second senior sister, she was unable to help him seek justice.

Zhou Yuan, however, smiled casually, indicating his understanding. Moreover, he hadn't left empty-handed this time; at the very least, he had reclaimed a strand of Sacred Dragon Qi from Wu Yao. Once he found the time to integrate it, his Ancestral Dragon Scripture would undoubtedly advance further. While it wouldn't elevate his Genesis Qi to the Ninth-Grade Qiankun Sacred Dragon Qi, progressing from Seventh-Grade to Eighth-Grade should be achievable, which would cause his strength to surge dramatically. Even more importantly, he could use this opportunity to break through and truly enter the Heavenly Sun Stage!

After this Nine Regions Conference, spiritual opportunities were abundant, meaning many peak Divine Dwelling Stage cultivators in the Hunyuan Heaven would inevitably begin breaking through. The top talents from various regions would strive for high-grade Heavenly Sun stages. If Zhou Yuan didn't seize this chance to break through as well, he would once again be left behind. After all, even if he had pushed past the limits of the Divine Dwelling Stage, he still couldn't truly compare to those in the Heavenly Sun Stage. Therefore, he too had to begin his breakthrough.

"Also," Xi Jing added, "since you mentioned that Grand Elder Wan Zu, Grand Elder Wu Shen, and others have already discerned your identity, there's no longer much need for you to conceal it. At this upcoming Grand Elder meeting, I intend to reveal your identity. Because, according to Master's rules from back then, all of his disciples are eligible to become Grand Elders of the Tianyuan Region."

"Moreover, with this great war approaching, revealing your identity can also reassure the people, letting everyone in the Tianyuan Region know that Master hasn't perished, but simply hasn't returned yet."

Zhou Yuan was taken aback by her words and couldn't help but scratch his head. The position of Grand Elder of the Tianyuan Region was, undoubtedly, the highest authority. In terms of status, it was incomparably higher than his current position as Chief Pavilion Master. If he were to become a Grand Elder, even the Nascent Soul Elders would have to bow to him.

However, Zhou Yuan eventually pondered and said, "Revealing my identity to inspire morale is fine, but as for the Grand Elder position, let's hold off for now." This position was too high and too conspicuous. Even if he broke through now, he would only be in the Heavenly Sun Stage. How many powerful figures in the Tianyuan Region would find it strange for a Heavenly Sun Stage cultivator to be a Grand Elder? Even if they dared not speak due to Cang Yuan's prestige, it was difficult to guarantee that they wouldn't harbor resentment in their hearts.

If Cang Yuan were personally presiding over the Tianyuan Region, none of this would be a problem. However, the Tianyuan Region was on the verge of a fierce war, and morale had to be stable. Zhou Yuan was unwilling to undermine the Tianyuan Region's grand strategy just to satisfy some desire for perceived power. Besides, as long as his identity as Cang Yuan's personal disciple was revealed, even if he didn't become a Grand Elder, it was unlikely anyone in the Tianyuan Region would dare to criticize or interfere with him.

Xi Jing was momentarily stunned by Zhou Yuan's refusal. Then she understood, and couldn't help but gaze at him again, reaching out her slender hand to gently pat Zhou Yuan's head. "You are indeed more thoughtful. It seems your senior sister was a bit rash." The admiration in her eyes for Zhou Yuan deepened. She knew all too well what the position of Grand Elder of the Tianyuan Region represented, yet Zhou Yuan was able to resist such a temptation, which clearly showed his character. No wonder Master valued him so highly.

"After we return to the Tianyuan Cave Heaven, you should prepare to enter secluded cultivation and push for the Heavenly Sun Stage."

Xi Jing smiled faintly. "As for this war, you don't need to worry. Even if our Tianyuan Region has been in decline these past years, we are not so weak as to be provoked by any mere clown."

Zhou Yuan nodded gently. He knew that the situation certainly wouldn't be as simple and relaxed as Xi Jing made it sound. However, a war of this magnitude wasn't something a Divine Dwelling Stage cultivator like him could significantly impact. For now, his top priority was to break through to the Heavenly Sun Stage. Even within the Hunyuan Heaven, the Heavenly Sun Stage represented truly top-tier elites. And in the Cangxuan Sect, this stage was even considered equivalent to an Elder.

In this war declared by the five supreme factions against the Tianyuan Region, Law Domain experts constituted the absolute strongest force. It was unlikely they would easily engage in battle in the short term. Therefore, the Nascent Soul Stage cultivators represented the second-tier strength. However, the true main clash of forces would occur at the Heavenly Sun Stage! The Heavenly Sun Stage cultivators from both sides were bound to erupt into extremely fierce combat. And to quickly conclude this war and legitimately reclaim the Ancestral Dragon Lamp, Zhou Yuan wouldn't mind testing the veteran Heavenly Sun Stage powerhouses among the five supreme factions when the time came.