He gently caressed the spatial bag at his hip. He had a certain feeling that the most important item in the small spatial domain had not been the two six-color fruits, but that mysterious broken tablet-like object.
There was, however, currently no way for him to ascertain this.
Plop.
Two figures broke out from the surface of the water and landed on a vantage point nearby.
Night still held the sleeping land in her silent embrace.
Luluo stretched her back in satisfaction before extending a small hand towards Zhou Yuan. Smiling, she said, “It was a good collaboration.”
Zhou Yuan chuckled as he shook her hand.
“Let’s part ways here. I need to catch up to my Cangxuan Sect team, and I believe you have to do the same, right?” Zhou Yuan smiled.
Luluo stuck out her tongue. “I found an excuse to slip away, so I’ll have to rush back as soon as possible.”
Zhou Yuan nodded. “Take care on your journey back.”
Luluo waved at him and said, “We’ll meet again in the deeper regions!”
As her voice rang out, Little Frost released a sharp cry as it transformed into its giant ice-blue form. With a single leap, she nimbly landed on the giant bird’s back.
Eeee!
Little Frost’s cry echoed as it shot into the air with a jerk of its wings. A streak of blue zipped across the horizon and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Zhou Yuan watched Luluo leave. He was not the least bit worried about her safety, especially since she now had the three-headed Spirit Ghost Python at her side. Given her current strength, even a chief disciple would find it very difficult to take advantage of her.
“I can finally head towards the deeper regions without worry.”
Zhou Yuan sighed deeply before he cast his gaze into the distance. The deeper regions of the Mythic Utopia was where the various Chosen would vie with each other. It was also the true core and most marvelous zone in the Mythic Utopia.
It was unimaginable for a six-color treasure location to appear in the outer regions. In contrast, though it would be rare, it was very likely that several had already been uncovered in the deeper regions.
“I wonder how Yaoyao and Tuntun are doing…," he mumbled to himself before chuckling. Given Yaoyao’s strength, she would effortlessly thrive even in a place where Chosen were as numerous as the clouds.
Zhou Yuan cast away such thoughts as golden Genesis Qi appeared beneath his feet and lifted him into the air. He soon turned into a flash of gold and swiftly zipped away into the distance.
……
A day later.
Zhou Yuan finally caught up to the team that had intentionally slowed their pace. Upon seeing him return unharmed, Jin Zhang, Gu Hongyi and the rest breathed a small sigh of relief.
Although they were curious about why Zhou Yuan had left the group, they wisely chose to not probe him for information. Everyone had their secrets, and prying too deeply would only make them appear unreasonable.
As such, the team returned to their usual travelling speed.
They naturally encountered several factions as they travelled. However, each faction backed away as if they had encountered a ferocious tiger or wolf upon seeing that Zhou Yuan was leading this Cangxuan Sect team.
Zhou Yuan’s accomplishment of killing Fan Yao from the Sacred Palace had evidently spread, resulting in the other teams becoming aware of him, an extremely formidable chief disciple from the Cangxuan Sect’s Saint Genesis Peak.
Armed with this intimidating reputation, Zhou Yuan and the team’s progress was exceedingly smooth, and nearly no one dared to challenge them.
With how peaceful things were, Zhou Yuan began to devote time towards cultivating the little Mythic Saint Body. Every evening, numerous disciples were treated to the sight of him retrieving and jumping into a giant wooden vat. Suppressed grunts and hisses of pain would then begin to play, sounds that made the scalps of several individuals turn numb.
Inside these wooden vats was the golden water Zhou Yuan had found in the spatial domain on the lake bed.
As the group gradually approached the Mythic Utopia's deeper regions, they began to encounter increasingly stronger teams. Hence, Zhou Yuan did not dare to relax, and used every second he could to raise his strength.
He needed to push his little Mythic Saint Body to the golden blood stage before they reached the deeper regions!
Chapter 599 Golden Blood Stage
The fiery-red sun rose from the horizon, its scorching rays tearing apart the night sky and shining upon every corner of the land.
On a certain mountain peak, Zhou Yuan was seated within a giant wooden vat. The vat was filled with viscous golden liquid, which was currently boiling like oil. Despite this, Zhou Yuan remained calm and composed; only the occasional tremble of his flesh betrayed the pain he was enduring.
Over the past eight days of travelling, he had tirelessly borrowed the golden water to temper his body each night.
Though the pain was tremendous, Zhou Yuan had gradually grown numb to it, and he could now clearly feel the enormous transformation that was occurring in his body.
The golden water was extremely beneficial to external cultivation.
Warm sunlight sprinkled from the sky, landing on Zhou Yuan’s body.
His tightly shut eyes slowly cracked open. Every fibre in his body overflowed with rich vital energy as an explosive power secretly condensed within him.
His body had finally reached the tipping point.
Huu.
Zhou Yuan took in a deep breath before he suddenly clapped his hands together. All the pores in his body seemed to open. Strands of golden Qi were rapidly extracted from the water before his body frantically sucked them in.
The golden Qi madly surged about in his body as it slowly fused into his flesh and blood.
*Drip*
Everything else fell silent, allowing Zhou Yuan to hear the blood flowing in his body. The noise ultimately converged into one as something unique slowly began to form.
It was a drop of golden blood.
It circulated through his body, completing an entire round before coming to a stop in his heart.
Zhou Yuan looked inward with his Spirit sense. Countless tiny veins reached out from the golden drop of blood and branched into his flesh and blood. The veins gushed with a surging power, saturating his body.
Rumble!
Zhou Yuan’s body trembled faintly as raw power exploded. The wooden vat immediately burst apart, spilling out now-clear water.
He stretched out his arms and lowered his head, a curve slowly rising from the corners of his mouth.
He could clearly feel that the power in his body had grown several times greater!
The formation of the golden drop of blood meant that the little Mythic Saint Body had truly reached the third level golden blood stage.
The tough training he had endured over this period had finally borne fruit.
Zhou Yuan’s eyes were filled with excitement as he mumbled to himself, “It’s said that at the apex of external cultivation, one’s body will reach the Saint level. When that happens, the blood that flows within the body will turn golden, and every drop could transform into a small world of its own, bestowing unlimited power onto the cultivator.”
It was a level beyond his imagination. Just this single drop of golden blood alone had already taken him tremendous effort and luck. Who could imagine how difficult it would be to turn all the blood in his body golden?
If Zhou Yuan were to fight Fan Yao again, he was more than confident in matching the latter through pure physical might alone, and if Genesis Qi were added into the mix, Fan Yao would not be able to last more than a dozen rounds even with his Great Blood Demon skill activated.
The golden blood stage. In the current generation of Cangxuan Sect disciples, it was likely that even Shang Chunqiu of Hongya Peak had yet to reach this realm.
Of course, it must be noted that Zhou Yuan was prac
ticing the little Mythic Saint Body while Shang Chunqiu, as the Chosen of Hongya Peak, practiced the true Mythic Saint Body. Hence, even if Shang Chunqiu was still at the silver bone stage, the power of his body would not be inferior to that of Zhou Yuan’s golden blood stage.
“If there’s a chance, I wouldn’t mind getting my hands on the true Mythic Saint Body…,” Zhou Yuan could not help but sigh. Although the little Mythic Saint Body was an amazing technique, it was ultimately only a mid-grade Heaven Genesis technique, whereas the Mythic Saint Body was a genuine high-grade Heaven Genesis technique.
Swish!
While he was sighing, the sound of rushing wind was heard nearby. A pretty figure had flown onto the mountain peak, revealing itself to be Gu Hongyi.
She landed and cast a seemingly interested glance at the currently bare torsoed Zhou Yuan, teasing, “You’ve got a pretty nice body.”
Zhou Yuan’s body was currently very lean and slender. Although he had no attention-grabbing, bulging muscles, anyone could sense the power contained within his body.
Zhou Yuan retrieved a set of clothes from his spatial bag and quickly put them on before rolling his eyes at Gu Hongyi. “What is it?”
Gu Hongyi’s expression turned a little more serious. “We made contact with a messenger sent by the Chosens, and we have been notified about their current location. From our current position on the map, we should be able to reach the deeper regions in half a day and meet up with the Chosens.”
A look of joy flitted across Zhou Yuan’s eyes as he smiled and said, “Good, let everyone know that we will begin preparations to leave immediately.”
Although there was already a six-color Divine Establishing Treasure in his Qi Dwelling, Zhou Yuan would not be satisfied with just this much. Only by reaching the deeper regions of the Mythic Utopia would he be able to find more opportunities to once more rank up his Divine Establishing Treasure.
After all, his goal was to achieve a seven-color Divine Establishing Treasure at the very minimum!
……
With the messenger leading the way, Zhou Yuan and the others finally reached their destination after travelling non-stop for half a day.
A majestic but gloomy mountain range greeted them. Mountains rose into the clouds like countless towering giants, giving off a feeling of immeasurableness.
Amidst the endless mountain range, violent thunderstorms and torrential rain would descend from time to time.
At times, Genesis Qi would even take on the form of destructive gales. Once caught in it, even someone with the strength of a chief disciple would be torn to shreds.
Compared to this place, the mountain forest around the six-color treasure location was akin to a little mud nest.
“Chief disciple Zhou Yuan, we will be stopping at a checkpoint outside the mountain range. The Great Mythic Mountain Range is a dangerous location even in the deeper regions, and we need to wait for the Chosens to come out and bring us through.”
The Chosens’ messenger said to Zhou Yuan and the rest, “There are currently many factions gathered at this waiting point, with all kinds of characters amongst them. Everyone should be a little more careful.”
Zhou Yuan and the rest nodded in acknowledgement.
The messenger began to speed up once more. After half an incense stick of time, a town appeared in front of them.
It was mostly made from wood and had clearly been constructed recently.
However, there were countless figures inside. It was obvious that many factions had gathered here.
When Zhou Yuan and the rest landed in the town, they suddenly sensed a commotion, and countless figures began to flock towards a certain direction.
“What’s going on?” Zhou Yuan asked.
A nearby disciple immediately stopped someone to enquire about the matter.
The one who had been stopped was clearly a little annoyed, but when he saw the Cangxuan Sect badge on Zhou Yuan and the rest, a strange look appeared on his face. He said, “So it’s the Cangxuan Sect...do you guys really not know?
“There’s a chief disciple called Zhou Yuan from your sect who has killed two chief disciples from the Sacred Palace, which is a really impressive feat.
“In response, eight chief disciples of the Sacred Palace have surrounded five chief disciples from your Cangxuan Sect…and the chief disciple of the Hongya Peak has even had an arm taken from him.
“Heh heh, the Sacred Palace is trying to force the Cangxuan Sect into handing over chief disciple Zhou Yuan. If they refuse, I wonder how many chief disciples from the Cangxuan Sect will be able to escape alive today?
“You guys should hurry up and run after angering the Sacred Palace. Why are you still wasting time here asking me questions?” A mocking look emerged in the person’s eyes.
The Cangxuan Sect disciple angrily shouted, “You!”
Zhou Yuan patted his shoulder, indicating for him to fall back. He then smiled at the individual and said, “Could I trouble you to lead us there?”
The person shot a glance at Zhou Yuan and sneered, “Who the hell are you?”
Zhou Yuan smiled faintly. “I’m the chief disciple who has killed two of the Sacred Palace's chief disciples, Zhou Yuan…and I’m beginning to feel that you talk too much.”
Although he was smiling, his eyes were filled with cold indifference.
The look of ridicule on the person’s face slowly turned rigid.
Chapter 600 Watched by All Parties
West of the city.
A huge manor stood tall and proud. Although newly built, it was grand and imposing. Only highly ranked factions within Cangxuan Heaven were permitted to enter this place.
Here was where Cangxuan Heaven's young elites had gathered, and at this moment, they all had their eyes fixed on the manor's courtyard.
Undercurrents were surging; two great forces were standing opposite each other.
Cangxuan Sect.
Sacred Palace.
Five figures stood at the front of Cangxuan Sect's side. They were namely Cangxuan Sect's five chief disciples, and behind them were many of their fellow elite disciples, whose faces were filled with anger as they stared at the people opposite them.
The eight figures across from them stood with their hands clasped behind their back, all exuding a fierce and violent imposing aura. The numerous Sacred Palace disciples behind the eight also gazed at the Cangxuan Sect with ridicule.
The atmosphere between the two sides was so tense and hostile that the slightest of disagreement could very likely cause an extremely violent fight to break out.
Of course, the other forces would be glad to see such a battle. They knew that only when the two tigers fought would they, the wolves, have an opportunity to act.
In a place like the Mythic Utopia, even a great sect would be surrounded by a pack of wolves the moment it revealed a single opening.
Not far from the courtyard, a towering pavilion stood tall and upright. At its top, several gazes observed everything happening in the courtyard.
“Haha, the scale of this isn’t small at all. If a fight really did break out, it would be magnificent. The Cangxuan Sect is going to suffer,” a bone-chilling voice rang out from inside the pavilion.
The person who had spoken was a man wearing a black robe embroidered with a fierce ghost face pattern. His face was thin as if he were a skeleton.
He was Liu Fu, a chief disciple from one of the six greatest sects of Cangxuan Heaven, the Heavenly Ghost Sect.
From his words and tone alone, he seemed to bear ill intent towards the Cangxuan Sect. He had previously fought against Cangxuan Sect chief disciple Tang Muxin and was ultimately defeated. Therefore, he was more than glad to witness the Cangxuan Sect being taught a lesson.
Behind him were numerous disciples from the Heavenly Ghost Sect and among them was a familiar face. Unexpectedly, it was Zhen Xu.
After the Saint Remains Domain, he had joined the Heavenly Ghost Sect.
He was still extremely pal
e and still had the same soft and handsome face as before, but the Genesis Qi rippling around his body was colder and stranger than before.
His line of sight was also on the courtyard below. He swept his gaze across the Cangxuan Sect’s side, but was unable to find the familiar figure he was looking for.
He then withdrew his gaze and turned to face the other side of the pavilion. Not only were the chief disciples of his Heavenly Ghost Sect present; those from the Hundred Flowers Fairy Palace, the Sword Seeker Sect and the North Sea Dragon Subduing Hall were also in attendance.
Surprising him slightly, he saw some familiar faces amongst the crowd.
On the Hundred Flowers Fairy Palace’s side was Zuoqiu Qingyu. She was clothed in a black dress, as beautiful and alluring as she had been.
On the Sword Seeker Sect’s side, there was a young man whose eyes were wrapped with a black cloth. He stood there, carrying a blunt sword on his back. Although he was silent, the sharp sword Qi radiating from his body was terrifying. He was Li Chunjun the Blind Sword.
And on the North Sea Dragon Subduing Hall’s side was a young man with bare arms who was wielding a red-and-gold staff. He was Ning Zhan.
The six people who had come to the Shengzhou continent together and joined the six great sects were all present except for Zhou Yuan and Luluo.
They simply nodded when they met each other’s gazes, but they did not exchange greetings.
“Even if the Cangxuan Sect is going to suffer, the Sacred Palace most likely won't fare much better,” a woman's voice sounded. She was one of the chief disciples from the Hundred Flowers Fairy Palace. From her voice one could tell she bore malice towards the Sacred Palace. Her group had also received a letter from Tang Xiaoyan notifying them that the Sacred Palace had attacked their Hundred Flowers Fairy Palace.
Liu Fu curled his lips and said, “I heard that a Cangxuan Sect chief disciple named Zhou Yuan had killed two chief disciples from the Sacred Palace? How true is this rumour? I have never even heard of the name Zhou Yuan before.”
On the Hundred Flowers Fairy Palace’s side, Zuoqiu Qingyu raised her long, beautiful brows. She slowly lifted her head to say, “The gentleman of the Heavenly Ghost Sect is wrong. The disciples of our Hundred Flowers Fairy Palace witnessed Zhou Yuan kill the Sacred Palace's third ranked chief disciple.”
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