It was the scouts they had sent out.
He fixed his eyes farther away, where hundreds of figures were skimming across the sky among deafening beast roars.
Surprise flashed past Zhou Yuan’s eyes.
The hundreds of figures were riding all sorts of Genesis beasts, whether it be birds, beasts or animals. The aura they emitted was truly frightening.
“It's a team from the Yushou Region!” Yi Qiushui exclaimed.
Of the nine regions, only the Yushou Region could control so many Genesis beasts.
“I wonder who is leading that team? I hope it’s not the main team; otherwise, we’re in trouble,” Yi Qiushui said softly.
But Zhou Yuan put a damper on her optimism. “You guessed it. It’s their main team.”
His eyes were locked on the center of the Yushou Region team, where a dark yellow ox was marching forward, quaking the ground and producing lazy moos. Sitting astride its sturdy body was a chubby pale man.
A fat ox with a chubby man. How comical.
But Yi Qiushui and the others grew serious when they saw the chubby pale man. They recognized that he was the number one figure of the Yushou Region and the one ranked eighth on the Divine Dwelling List, Yuan Kun!
“That’s the Divine Earth Ox. It possesses remarkable strength and can carry a mountain on its back. It is said that when it fully matures, its strength is comparable to an expert of the Nascent Source stage.”
Zhou Yuan nodded, and then his body floated up slowly, hovering in mid-air.
“Zhou Yuan of the Tianyuan Region pays respect to Mister Yuan Kun,” Zhou Yuan said loud and clear.
Sitting astride the giant ox, Yuan Kun narrowed his eyes and said with a wide smile, “I didn’t expect to run into the team led by chief pavilion master Zhou Yuan.”
Zhou Yuan smiled. “Mister Yuan Kun, our Tianyuan Region came to this area first. I don’t know why you drove away our scouts.”
Yuan Kun shook his head. “Chief pavilion master Zhou Yuan is wrong. The rules of the nine regions tournament are never first come, first served.”
He ran his eyes up and down Zhou Yuan’s body, carefully scrutinising him. In truth, he didn’t care too much when he found out it was a Tianyuan Region team, so he led his group towards them.
But he didn't expect the team to be led by Zhou Yuan.
Yuan Kun didn’t feel any contempt towards Zhou Yuan, because although he looked honest and simple, he was extraordinarily shrewd and cautious. He had vaguely sensed a dangerous aura from Zhou Yuan's body.
This man isn’t as weak as others think.
It was also because of this cautiousness that he didn’t directly order his team to act.
But it was impossible for him to give up. He had to see what ability Zhou Yuan had and whether or not the Tianyuan Region’s new talent had the qualification to be on the same level as him and the other heaven prides of Hunyuan Heaven.
Zhou Yuan pondered for a moment before saying, “Does that mean Mister Yuan Kun intends to fight us?”
Zhou Yuan knew that although Yuan Kun was pale and chubby and looked like a wealthy young master, Zhou Yuan would be stupid to think that Yuan Kun was as simple as he looked. After all, Yuan Kun was the Yushou Region’s number one Divine Dwelling stage expert.
Zhou Yuan stretched out his hand and waved it gently.
Boom!
The hundreds of Tianyuan Region members erupted with Genesis Qi, and a commotion broke out on the Yushou Region’s side. The atmosphere grew tense.
Yuan Kun wiped the grease on his face with his sleeve. He observed the situation for a moment, then patted his ox. It slowly and leisurely stomped across the air.
He stopped a thousand feet from Zhou Yuan and said, “Chief pavilion master Zhou Yuan, if a battle breaks out between the two teams, there will inevitably be casualties on both sides.
“How about...” He smiled, his eyes disappearing into squinty crevices as if he were harmless. “How about just the two of us play?”
Chapter 952 Zhou Yuan Against Yuan Kun
Looking at Yuan Kun, who was riding a huge ox and wearing a smile on his face, Zhou Yuan could feel that Yuan Kun wanted to test his strength.
He wanted to weigh whether or not the Tianyuan Region’s chief pavilion master was qualified to talk to him.
Zhou Yuan's mind raced, but he didn’t reveal a ripple of emotion. He said calmly, “If you want, I can accompany you.”
He had told Yi Qiushui before that he wasn't afraid of running into anyone else other than the top four on the Divine Dwelling List. He didn’t just say that as a bluff—he was confident in his strength.
And in truth, he craved to test out the strength of the top eight heaven prides of the other eight regions.
Although Yuan Kun was ranked eighth, his strength shouldn’t be underestimated, and he was the best test subject.
“Chief pavilion master Zhou Yuan is indeed courageous. I just hope your strength won’t disappoint me.”
Boom!
As his voice faded, mighty Genesis Qi shot into the sky, blotting out the sun and lighting up the void with countless Genesis Qi stars. There were at least 45 million!
“A foundation of 45 million Genesis Qi stars...”
Zhou Yuan froze for a moment. After connecting the eighth Divine Dwelling, his Genesis Qi foundation had reached the level of 38 million. It was because of this that he was able to utterly crush Lu Hai, Zhao Yuanxiao and the others when he had faced them.
And now, he finally met an even stronger opponent.
Is this the foundation of a heaven pride from the other eight regions? It is indeed astonishing.
Zhou Yuan didn’t utter a word, but his body shook and erupted with Genesis Qi. Thirty-eight million Genesis Qi stars illuminated the void.
But this wasn’t the end. He once again activated the four Genesis Runes as well as the second form of the Four Spirits Origin Diagram.
The number of Genesis Qi stars skyrocketed, reaching 58 million!
Such powerful Genesis Qi whizzed across the void, drawing gasps and exclamations from the Yushou Region’s team. A serious and terrified look even crossed some people’s faces. It was obvious that Zhou Yuan’s Genesis Qi had exceeded their expectations.
Yuan Kun smiled. “I knew that chief pavilion master Zhou Yuan had to have some ability since he dared to confront Xu Ming.”
Zhou Yuan’s foundation was already at the level of 38 million when he had opened up the eighth Divine Dwelling, and after external means, his foundation soared to a terrifying level of 58 million. As someone with the experience, Yuan Kun knew well that one’s foundation would increase most terrifyingly when one connected the ninth Divine Dwelling.
Once Zhou Yuan reached that point, his Genesis Qi foundation would be comparable to that of the top four heaven prides.
Perhaps Xu Ming hated Zhou Yuan because of jealousy.
Yuan Kun sighed with a smile, but he showed no intention of stopping. He folded his hands together, and strange light runes began to glow on his mountain-like body.
Those light runes were like beast runes, and every time one appeared, he steadily erupted with more Genesis Qi pressure as Genesis Qi stars soared into the void behind him.
At the end of the increase, Yuan Kun was glowing with beast runes all over his body and was exuding an extremely fierce aura.
His Genesis Qi stars had soared by 16 million!
And it had reached the level of 61 million!
A Genesis Qi foundation of that level caused the wind to howl and roar and the mountains to tremble incessantly.
Yuan Kun laughed, “This is a secret technique of my Yushou Region. It’s called the Million Beast Rune...but I still can't be compared to chief pavilion master Zhou Yuan, who is able to develop the four Genesis Runes of the Tianyuan Region into its second form.”
The second form of the four Genesis Runes was regarded as one of the nine regions’ top-secret techniques for increasing Genesis Qi.
Yuan Ku
n flicked his sleeve, sending mighty Genesis Qi roaring as the qi transformed into dozens of torrents in the void. Within the void were shadows of giant beasts, each exuding terrifying ferocity.
Roar!
Yuan Kun spoke politely, but his attack was merciless. His Genesis Qi was filled with murderous intent, and torrents of it charged toward Zhou Yuan like beasts.
A fierce roar resounded throughout the world.
Zhou Yuan’s expression turned solemn. Besides his encounter with Zhao Mushen, this was the first time he truly faced one of the top heaven prides of the other eight regions. He knew he couldn’t underestimate him.
He lifted his hand, and a sword pill rose into the air.
Fifty-eight million Genesis Qi stars flickered.
Om!
A sword cry filled the sky, and then a bright dazzling sword light streaked across the sky like a comet, slashing towards the torrents of beast Genesis Qi.
Bang!
The clash between the two sides in the void could be described as earthshaking, and the terrifying shock waves that followed flattened numerous mountains and tore deep cracks into the forest.
This was a collision of pure Genesis Qi.
The sword light was piercingly sharp, and it directly slashed the torrent of beast Genesis Qi to pieces. But this only created more torrents, which then attacked him.
As the torrents of ferocious beasts grew more and more violent, the sword light seemed unable to withstand them anymore and began to retreat.
A moment later, torrents of ferocious beasts swooped down to tear Zhou Yuan to shreds.
Chi.
But as they dived down, Zhou Yuan's figure turned into a shadow and vanished from the world.
The flood of fierce beast torrents had failed.
Yuan Kun narrowed his eyes, seeing Zhou Yuan’s bizarre movement-type technique, but he didn’t panic. He swiftly folded his hands together, and his eyes gradually changed, turning sharp and fierce like those of a hawk.
“Spirit Hawk Eye Art!”
Light glowed inside his hawk-like eyes.
The world in front of him suddenly became extremely clear. Yuan Kun finally realized a shadow was speeding towards him like a bolt of lightning.
It was at that moment that the shadow exploded in front of Yuan Kun. Zhou Yuan strolled across the void, his body emitting a jade-like luster.
Mythic Saint Body!
All the golden blood in his heart had broken out. Golden light faintly seeped out his skin, and a terrifying power gushed from him.
Snowy-white hair burst forth from his fists, covering them like a glove.
Rune Breaker!
The snowy-white hair turned jet black, filled with destructive power.
Million Whale!
An ancient whale shadow emerged, bringing a frightening power with it.
Boom!
Zhou Yuan’s punch was so fierce and powerful that the void began to crumble under that one strike.
Yuan Kun's pupils shrank abruptly. He was evidently aware of the tremendous power of Zhou Yuan’s counterattack, and a deep roar burst from his throat, “Beast Demon Body!”
His chubby body suddenly underwent a huge change. In just a few breaths, his fat tightened and transformed into solid-black muscles. He had become an eye-catching giant cast from black iron.
An armor of black scales shrouded his body, glistening in the light. His monstrous fierceness resembled that of a beast demon!
Roar!
He unleashed a deafening roar as he clenched his giant fist and threw out a punch. With his punch, countless berserk beasts seemed to roar and quake the world.
Boom!
Amidst changing gazes, the two fists collided fiercely in the air.
The boom was like a clap of thunder, crisply audible from hundreds of miles away.
Moreover, the frightening shock waves spread out from the two people at its center and wreaked havoc, flattening all the towering mountains.
Both teams drew back haphazardly and fled faster than rabbits to avoid being caught in the impact. But even so, some unlucky people were blasted away and only returned bruised and battered a good while later.
Both teams stood far away, staring at the center of collision with looks of horror.
Boom!
The two figures had fought hundreds of rounds in just a few seconds.
Rumble!
In the end, the two figures were also struck by the shock waves. They trembled before they were blasted away. Every time their foot stomped in the void, it created an ear-splitting rumble.
The two reeled back thousands of feet before they finally steadied their bodies.
Zhou Yuan rubbed his fist, saying, “What a powerful Beast Demon Body.”
Yuan Kun looked chubby and round like a ball, but he unexpectedly possessed such tremendous bodily strength.
Even his Mythic Saint Body didn’t have much advantage.
Yuan Kun’s tough body gradually recovered, resuming his usual chubby form. “Chief pavilion master Zhou Yuan is remarkable for being able to force me to use the Beast Demon Body so quickly.”
“That was just a test, and you also didn’t use all your strength,” Zhou Yuan said.
Yuan Kun was part of the Yushou Region, and many of the Yushou Region’s powerful techniques required the cooperation of Genesis beasts. However, his Divine Earth Ox didn’t participate in the battle. If it did, Yuan Kun would have been twice as strong.
Yuan Kun shook his head. “I also feel that you were concealing your strength. Therefore, if a real battle breaks out, it is difficult to say who would win.”
Zhou Yuan smiled. Although he was fighting Yuan Kun, he didn’t feel much hostility from him. He pondered for a moment and suggested, “Let’s split the Spiritium in the mountains.”
Yuan Kun smiled. “Chief pavilion master Zhou Yuan is really generous. That isn’t a bad idea.”
Yuan Kun might not have agreed before, but after the fight, Zhou Yuan had proved with his strength that he was qualified to split the Spiritium with him.
The atmosphere on the battlefield slowly eased, and the members of the two teams began to discuss with one another.
Yuan Kun's round, ball-like body floated over, and he leaned closer to Zhou Yuan with a smile. “Chief pavilion master Zhou Yuan, are you interested in cooperating with me to get something even greater?”
Zhou Yuan surveyed him, and a slight smile curved his lips. Yuan Kun finally revealed his true purpose after testing his strength.
“You are talking about Alpha Spiritium?”
Yuan Kun gave him a thumbs up. “You’re a clever person.”
Zhou Yuan narrowed his eyes and nodded. It seemed that Yuan Kun knew where Alpha Spiritium could be found.
“Brother Yuan Kun, we can sit down and discuss this...”
Chapter 953 Cooperation
A bonfire was blazing in the mountains. A fat cow was skinned and cleaned, then skewered with a wooden stick. Yuan Kun held the stick with one hand and skillfully rotated it over the fire.
He sprinkled some spices over it, and an aroma instantly filled the air.
The ox was roasted until it was a golden color. Its fat dripped off and hit the campfire, creating bursts of intense flames. Its aroma was mouth-watering.
Yuan Kun looked very skillful, like a real chef.
Half an hour later, Yuan Kun gave a satisfied nod and tore off one of the steaming beef shanks and handed it to Zhou Yuan.
“Hey, try it. My cooking skills are unique in the Yushou Region.” Yuan Kun clearly sounded proud. It even seemed that he was more proud of his cooking skills than being ranked one in the Yushou Region.
The corners of Zhou Yuan’s mouth twitched, and then he reached his hand out to take it. He watched Yuan Kun split the remaining fatty beef into two, one for himself to feast on, and he tossed the other to the Divine Earth Ox lying to the side.
The Divine Earth Ox seemed to really enjoy it, and it finished the meat even quicker
than Yuan Kun, leaving grease all over its lips.
Zhou Yuan speechlessly shook his head when he saw this bizarre scene, then lowered his head to slowly enjoy the fatty beef shank in his hand. Besides, the flavor was really delicious. It was no wonder Yuan Kun was so proud of it.
When Zhou Yuan finished the beef shank, Yuan Kun patted his stomach, looking very satisfied.
“Brother Yuan Kun, let's talk about Alpha Spiritium.” Once the roast beef feast was finished, Zhou Yuan returned to serious business.
Yuan Kun lifted up a stick to pick his teeth and grinned at Zhou Yuan. “Brother Zhou Yuan must have noticed the strange fluctuation of energy when you entered this space, right?”
“There is indeed Alpha Spiritium in this space.”
“You came a few days late. We’ve actually discovered the existence of Alpha Spiritium earlier.”
Zhou Yuan asked puzzledly, “Then you obtained the Alpha Spiritium?”
Yuan Kun smiled stiffly. “If I’ve got it, how would I ask you to cooperate with me.”
“Did someone else get it before you?” Zhou Yuan’s eyes flashed.
“In this space, in addition to our two teams, there is also a team from the Zixiao Region and the team led by Jiu Gong. However, the team from the Zixiao Region is not the main force,” Xuan Kun said helplessly.
“Jiu Gong of the Xuanji Region?” Zhou Yuan sounded a little surprised. He didn’t expect there to be another main force team besides them.
Although he was unfamiliar with Jiu Gong of the Xuanji Region, he had long heard of her name. After all, she was the reviewer of the Divine Dwelling List, and she was also the reason why he couldn’t make it into the top ten initially.
“You didn't fight with her?” Zhou Yuan laughed.
A faint flush spread across Yuan Kun’s chubby and pale face, and immediately he grumbled, “That little woman is very domineering. She first occupied the area containing the Alpha Spiritium and then set up a Meridian Golden Light Boundary. I led a team of people to try to break through but gave up after half a day and tried to search for other Alpha Spiritiums. But unfortunately, we failed to find any.”
Zhou Yuan whispered, “Is Brother Yuan Kun saying that we should cooperate to break through Jiu Gong’s Meridian Golden Light Boundary and seize the Alpha Spiritium?”
Dragon Prince Yuan c1-1251 Page 497