The Four Pavilions’ people were all gathered.
Almost everyone of the Four Pavilions possessed strength of the Divine Dwelling stage and were elites of the young generation. Therefore, when they all gathered together, the momentum and imposing aura they exuded weren't weak in the slightest.
Of course, more importantly, the slender figure standing at the forefront not only attracted awed gazes from Divine Dwelling experts. Even Heavenly Sun stage experts studied him curiously.
Naturally, he was Zhou Yuan.
He received so much attention because he had defeated Zhao Mushen and won first place in the nine regions tournament. It should be said that ever since the Tianyuan Region was established, the best result achieved was only third place, and they had never won first place in the nine regions tournament.
The Tianyuan Region had never achieved this honor even during its strongest time, but it happened to achieve it when it was at its weakest. How could others not find it unbelievable?
Zhou Yuan seemed unconcerned about the countless astonished gazes, while Yi Qiushui and Ye Bingling wore proud expressions on their faces.
“The summoned powers are too great. Many heaven pride experts have shown up.” Mu Liu couldn't help marveling when he saw the sea of people on the square.
The majority of the people on the square was once part of the Four Pavilions, and they were also the most influential figures. After leaving the Four Pavilions, they were appointed to various positions in the Tianyuan Region and were rarely seen after that. But they had all been summoned to the Tianyuan Region.
Mu Liu smiled at Zhou Yuan, jokingly saying, “But no matter how powerful they are, they can’t be compared to you, the chief pavilion master who has made history. Isn’t that right, Lu Xiao?”
Lu Xiao’s face stiffly twitched, and he didn't answer Mu Liu, but he kept scanning the surroundings, looking a little nervous.
“What are you doing?” Han Yuan couldn't help asking.
He found that Lu Xiao’s state was a little strange, like he was in a state of anxiety. It wasn't just him; the Heavenly Spirit Sect disciples in the Four Pavilions also recoiled in fear.
Zhou Yuan swept a puzzled look at them.
Seeing Zhou Yuan's inquiring gaze, Lu Xiao uttered in a low voice, “Grand elder Chi Jing has issued a summoning order, which means all experts of the Divine Dwelling stage, Heavenly Sun stage and Nascent Source stage have to come today...”
He swallowed a mouthful of saliva before he continued, “In other words...senior sister Qin Lian will also appear.”
When he uttered the name, Zhou Yuan saw the Heavenly Spirit Sect disciples shudder quietly, as if the temperature had dropped several degrees.
Mu Liu’s and Han Yuan’s faces also changed. They both inhaled sharply and cast a sympathetic look at Lu Xiao. “Hurry and apply to go into closed-door cultivation.”
Lu Xiao was tempted.
Zhou Yuan shook his head and pointed to the crowd moving aside in seconds to let a group of people pass. The group was led by an extremely imposing and tall figure, and where she passed, even Heavenly Sun experts withdrew one after another, their expressions changing.
“I don't know the details, but I'm afraid it's too late.”
Chapter 1000 Qin Lian
Lu Xiao hurriedly cast his gaze over, and when he saw a wave of figures led by a tall woman coming toward them, his face paled abruptly, and he couldn't stop shaking.
The other Heavenly Spirit Sect disciples beside him all bowed their heads like ostriches.
Zhou Yuan was a little surprised to see the woman called Qin Lian have such an imposing manner and power to scare the Heavenly Spirit Sect disciples to such a state.
“Who is Qin Lian?” he asked Yi Qiushui.
Yi Qiushui covered her mouth and whispered, “An influential figure well-known throughout the entire Tianyuan Region. She is ranked sixth on the Heavenly Sun List, and once led the Tianyuan Region to win fifth place in the nine regions tournament, the best result in almost one hundred years except for yours.”
A look of surprise crossed Zhou Yuan's face. He was aware of the nine regions tournament’s difficulty. Ever since the Tianyuan Region was established, it had only achieved third place even during its most flourishing period. Therefore, it was extremely difficult to win fifth place.
“Senior sister Qin Lian is a disciple of the Heavenly Spirit Sect. No, she is now considered the youngest elder in the sect, and within Heavenly Spirit Sect, she is known as the female devil who sends shivers down countless disciples’ spines.
“She is in charge of disciplining and teaching the disciples, but her methods of correction are brutal and cruel. She must have strictly disciplined Lu Xiao and the others in the past for them to be so fearful of her. Even though the Tianyuan Region is somewhat weak in these years, amongst the Four Pavilions, the most outstanding people of each generation were mostly disciples of the Heavenly Spirit Sect.”
Yi Qiushui looked at Zhou Yuan and said, “Until you appeared.”
Zhou Yuan was taken aback. His appearance had dimmed the brilliant light of this generation’s Heavenly Spirit Sect disciples, and he had completely suppressed them. Qin Lian no doubt felt that Lu Xiao and the other Heavenly Spirit Sect disciples were incompetent compared to him. It was no wonder that Lu Xiao and the others trembled at her name.
It must have left a deep psychological shadow within them.
Yi Qiushui sighed. “The outside world says that the glory of the Tianyuan Region stopped at Qin Lian's generation, because ever since her, each generation of young people got weaker and weaker. If you hadn’t appeared, the Tianyuan Region certainly would be ranked at the bottom of the nine regions tournament again, and we might not have been able to even capture a stone statue.”
This was very likely, because without Zhou Yuan, the Tianyuan Region could only rely on Lu Xiao. But Lu Xiao didn't even have the confidence to win against the second-rate heaven prides of the other eight regions.
The Tianyuan would become a laughing stock if he lost.
While the two were whispering, the threatening wave of people finally arrived before the Four Pavilions people.
Zhou Yuan swept a glance over the woman in the front.
She had an extraordinarily tall figure, and her legs were straight and slender. She was dressed in a spotless azure robe, and it made her face look even more beautiful. Her sword-like eyebrows, in particular, made her eyes especially sharp, and nobody dared to look at her directly.
Her long hair, tied in a ponytail with a bamboo strip, hung down to her ankles and swayed gently as she walked, like a scorpion’s tail.
When her footsteps halted, the atmosphere seemed to freeze for a moment.
“Elder Qin Lian,” Lu Xiao and the other Heavenly Spirit Sect disciples said cautiously.
There wasn't a trace of an expression on Qin Lian’s face. She shot a glance at Lu Xiao and the others before an icy voice rang out like the cold winter. “You have disappointed me. You are the worst generation of the Heavenly Spirit Sect in many years. When I sent you to the Four Pavilions, I repeatedly reminded you to practice hard if you don't want to be trampled.
“Unfortunately, not a single one of you listened because you thought it was enough for you to dominate the Four Pavilions. If it weren’t for special circumstances, you would have made the Tianyuan Region lose face!”
Mu Liu, Han Yuan and the others felt their scalp go numb because Qin Lian’s words were too ruthless. She basically pointed at Lu Xiao and the others in the face and scolded them like trash.
Lu Xiao and the others flushed with embarrassment and bowed their heads in shame.
“Senior sister Qin Lian, please calm down. I think Lu Xiao and the others have done their best. After all, you can’t ask everyone to be as good as you.” A laugh sounded from behind Qin Lian. It was a man in white. He looked handsome, but when he smiled, he exuded an imposing aura.
The white-clad man immediately shifted his gaze t
o Zhou Yuan and said, “You must be chief pavilion master Zhou Yuan, am I right? Our Tianyuan Region really should thank you for turning the tides in the nine regions tournament. Haha, but chief pavilion master Zhou Yuan must quickly break through to the Heavenly Sun stage. After all, Divine Dwelling experts can only serve others in this war.
“If you're afraid of something happening, you can follow us, and we'll be sure to protect you then.”
He spoke with a smile, but there was a deep meaning in his words. It seemed that he wanted to tell the other Heavenly Spirit Sect disciples that although the present chief pavilion master was remarkable, they shouldn't feel too much pressure. Just like in this war involving the Tianyuan Region, Zhou Yuan, as a Divine Dwelling expert, would require the protection of him and other Heavenly Sun stage experts.
Zhou Yuan looked at the man in white, and Yi Qiushui whispered to him, “His name is Li Qingyue, the previous generation’s chief pavilion master and now an intermediate Heavenly Sun stage expert.”
Zhou Yuan looked a little surprised. He didn’t expect him to be the former chief pavilion master.
He could tell that Li Qingyue had some unclear feelings towards him, and it must be some kind of discomfort and jealousy. After all, as the previous generation’s chief pavilion master, the achievements he made were a world of difference to Zhou Yuan’s.
Zhou Yuan said indifferently, “After today, I will go into closed-door training and attack the Heavenly Sun stage.”
Li Qingyue smiled. “Then I hope you succeed, but if you really make a breakthrough, according to the rules, you will have to lose the identity of chief pavilion master. As your senior, I can directly recruit you into the team.”
If Zhou Yuan weren’t the chief pavilion master, he would no longer have the special status similar to an elder. He would become a normal expert who just entered the Heavenly Sun stage, and in a battle situation, Li Qingyue indeed was qualified to order him around.
Zhou Yuan shook his head and ignored him.
Li Qingyue still wanted to say something, but he immediately kept quiet when he felt a chilling gaze.
Qin Lian stepped forward, saying indifferently, “Let alone you, the former chief pavilion master, there haven’t been any chief pavilion masters since the Tianyuan Region’s establishment who could compare with the present. Therefore, you don't need to have such jealous emotions.”
Li Qingyue shrugged his shoulders, looking a little embarrassed.
Qin Lian came to stand in front of Zhou Yuan, and her tall height made her on the same eye level as Zhou Yuan. Her scorpion-tail-like ponytail gently swung behind her.
As she stood in front of Zhou Yuan, a gush of extremely astonishing Genesis Qi pressure spread out from her body, distorting the void with a yang energy unbearable to ordinary people. It was as though the void was burning.
Lu Xiao and the others couldn't help drawing back frantically.
Only Zhou Yuan remained calm. The mighty Genesis Qi in his Divine Dwellings roared to withstand the pressure from the woman in front of him.
The pressure lasted for more than a dozen seconds before gradually fading.
Zhou Yuan faintly smiled. “Does elder Qin Lian also have some advice?”
The group seemed a little aggressive, but Zhou Yuan didn't find it strange. After all, he had suppressed all Heavenly Spirit Sect disciples of this generation to the point that they couldn't even throw a fit. Qin Lian and Li Qingyue were disciples of the Heavenly Spirit Sect, so it was inevitable that they wanted to come out to suppress and intimidate Zhou Yuan.
Qin Lian stared at Zhou Yuan's face, studying him for a good moment, then finally nodded.
“You aren’t bad. I hope you break through to the Heavenly Sun stage as soon as possible. With your ability, I look forward to seeing you once again create stormy waves in the Heavenly Sun stage and raise the prestige of my Tianyuan Region.
“In addition, I would like to thank you on behalf of the Heavenly Spirit Sect. If it weren’t for you, the Tianyuan Region team led by Lu Xiao would have made the Heavenly Spirit Sect lose face in the nine regions tournament.”
Zhou Yuan looked a little surprised at Qin Lian. The female devil that made many Heavenly Spirit Sect disciples tremble didn't seem as unreasonable as he imagined.
Chapter 1001 Gather
Zhou Yuan was a little surprised to hear Qin Lian speak such words. After all, she was imposing, and he had originally thought that she had come to remove him from the limelight and support the Heavenly Spirit Sect disciples by suppressing him.
While Zhou Yuan stared at her in surprise, she seemed to know what he was thinking. She raised her sword-like eyebrows and said, “Don't worry, I’m not that narrow-minded. If you hadn’t turned the tides in the nine regions tournament, the Divine Dwelling experts in the Tianyuan Region would have been trampled into the ground.
“Compared to suffering a devastating blow to our reputation, what would it matter if you suppressed the Heavenly Spirits Sect’s Divine Dwelling experts? They’re just too incompetent.”
She again shot Lu Xiao and the others an icy stare with her piercing sword-like eyes.
Zhou Yuan didn't know how to respond to Qin Lian’s ruthless words and could only force a smile.
“But…,” Qin Lian paused for a moment before she continued, “Lu Xiao and the others are useless, but that doesn't mean the Heavenly Spirit Sect is like them. Besides, those on the Heavenly Sun List are the real hidden dragons. I look forward to you making your way onto the Heavenly Sun List and seeing whether you can create waves in that bottomless pool.
“One last thing. If you want to be involved in this war, try to come to the territory under my control, and I will do my best to take care of you.”
Zhou Yuan had made a name for himself in the nine regions tournament, which undoubtedly attracted a lot of jealousy. In ordinary times, those jealous feelings wouldn’t matter, but during a war, it was impossible to guarantee that the five top forces’ Heavenly Sun experts wouldn't look for an opportunity to kill him.
Although Zhou Yuan was considered the strongest among all Divine Dwelling experts, if he broke through to the Heavenly Sun stage, he would only be at the initial level. This meant it would be very dangerous for him to face veteran Heavenly Sun experts or even deal with those who hadn’t made it onto the Heavenly Sun List.
Therefore, Qin Lian was looking out for Zhou Yuan.
In response to Qin Lian’s goodwill, Zhou Yuan said with a smile, “If I face a problem, I will certainly ask elder Qin Lian for help.”
Qin Lian could feel the politeness in Zhou Yuan’s words. She couldn't help but shake her head inwardly. She just treated it as Zhou Yuan still having an air of arrogance from being the strongest of the Divine Dwelling stage and his not wanting to lose face. Did he know that the waters of the Heavenly Sun stage were much deeper than the Divine Dwelling’s?
It doesn’t matter. When this boy suffers some hardships, he will understand that even if he possesses remarkable talents and is at the top of the Divine Dwelling stage, he will have to act conscientiously in the Heavenly Sun stage for a while. It’s only when he reaches the advanced Heavenly Sun will he be able to display some of his former brilliance.
Therefore, Qin Lian didn’t say anything else. She was also an extremely proud person, and she only expressed goodwill to Zhou Yuan because he helped the Tianyuan Region in the nine regions tournament. But if he didn’t appreciate her goodwill, there was nothing else she could say.
Qin Lian turned around and led her people to the side.
Zhou Yuan retracted his gaze. Looking at the countless figures on the tremendous floating island, he felt the intense battle intent that had filled the world. He pursed his lips. From a certain point of view, these people were fighting for the same goal as him.
Only when they defeated the five forces would the Wanzu Region hand over the Ancestral Dragon Lantern.
The atmosphere on the floating island became more and more intense, and fa
mous Heavenly Sun experts constantly appeared, causing exclamations of surprise to often ring out.
Qin Lian was undoubtedly the most dazzling among the arrivals, so their gazes were filled with awe as they stared at her. Even some Nascent Source stage experts occasionally cast her admiring gazes. Qin Lian was evidently the most popular among the Tinayuan Region’s Heavenly Sun experts.
In addition to Qin Lian, Zhou Yuan saw other imposing figures.
He peered ahead and saw a large number of White Clan experts assembling. At the forefront of the group was a white-haired man whose face was pale, and he wore a heart-chilling smile on his face. He even exuded a faint discernible oppressive pressure.
He was Bai Yu from the White Clan, and he belonged to the same generation as Qin Lian and was ranked 15th on the Heavenly Sun List.
Not far from Bai Yu was a burly man standing with his arms crossed. The man’s eyes were like crystals, and a mysterious light surged around his body. He was Bian Buji from the Profound Crystal Clan, ranked 19th on the Heavenly Sun List.
Farther away was a delicate woman with a particularly slim willow-like body. Her expression was gentle and kind. It was Mu Youlan of the Wood Clan, ranked 23rd on the Heavenly Sun stage.
In addition to those most eye-catching people, several other Heavenly Sun stage experts were exuding equally terrifying pressure from their bodies. Some were most likely ranked on the Heavenly Sun List. From this, it was already enough to indicate that the Tianyuan Region’s Heavenly Sun foundation was indeed much stronger than their foundation of Divine Dwelling stage experts.
This was normal because many Heavenly Sun experts had emerged before the Tianyuan Region had begun to decline and weaken.
Under the pressure of the many Heavenly Sun experts, the Divine Dwelling experts on the floating island couldn't help trembling, feeling weak and insignificant.
Although what Li Qingyue had said wasn't pleasant to the ear, it was indeed true. In a war of this level, the Heavenly Sun stage experts were the main force, whereas the Divine Dwelling experts could only assist and receive their commands.
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