“With no one to protect you this time, how will a crippled dragon like you flail about before your inevitable doom?”
Chapter 142 Perilous Situation
In front of the lake.
Zhou Yuan’s expression had turned rather grave as he gazed upon the toying look on Wu Huang’s face. Meeting Wu Huang here was definitely not part of his plans.
This was really quite unlucky.
After all, the current Zhou Yuan was completely outclassed.
Hence, Zhou Yuan’s gaze flickered slightly for an instant, before Genesis Qi suddenly exploded below his feet. Not even a shred of hesitation could be seen as his figure turned and fled.
The only thing to do in this situation was run.
“Can you really escape?” However, Wu Huang merely smiled faintly in response to Zhou Yuan’s decisive choice to escape, a smile that contained a faint hint of mockery.
His foot slammed into the ground as vigorous scarlet-red Genesis Qi erupted from within his body. Unbearable heat pulsed, making the lake waters boil as the ground rapidly cracked.
Bang!
Wu Huang’s figure abruptly shot forth.
In the mere span of a few breaths, he had appeared directly behind Zhou Yuan, a scarlet-red hand swatting downwards at the latter with power so great that the ground below began to fissure.
“Dragon Step!”
Zhou Yuan did not dare to be even a split second late and hurriedly performed Dragon Step.
His figure turned somewhat blurry as the hand descended, causing the attack to brush past his body.
Bang!
The ground split apart, while Zhou Yuan borrowed the force to propel himself even further away.
Though his attack had missed, Wu Huang was unaffected, neither hurried nor slow as his figure continued to closely give chase. The smile on his face was akin to a cat toying with a mouse as he sent a hand swatting towards Zhou Yuan from time to time, making the latter cut an extremely sorry figure.
In a short few minutes, Zhou Yuan had seen his life flash past his eyes multiple times after nearly taking several direct hits from Wu Huang.
He was also clearly growing rather weary as the chase dragged on.
"What a pitiful crippled dragon…" Wu Huang walked towards Zhou Yuan with his hands behind his back, his face full of compassion as he said, "But don't worry, after killing you, I will destroy the Great Zhou Empire so that your family can keep you company."
Boom!
However, the moment he neared Zhou Yuan, the wearines on the latter's face abruptly disappeared, replaced by an icy coldness. With a stamp, Zhou Yuan no longer tried to flee, but instead charged at Wu Huang like a bolt of lightning.
"Dragon Tablet Hand, break the sky!"
His hand was swung, Genesis Qi rumbling as the air in front of it was rapidly blasted away.
"Grade 3 Genesis Rune, Black Gold Hand Rune!"
In conjunction with using the strongest move in his arsenal, a light rune appeared on Zhou Yuan's palm. A black gold radiance emerged, amplifying the destructive power of the attack and the hardness of the hand.
An astonishing amount of power exploded in a split second.
Boom!
A hand containing all the power Zhou Yuan could muster powerfully swung towards Wu Huang.
Wu Huang's eyes narrowed slightly, his five fingers clenching into a fist as he punched.
Dong!
A deep sound rang out as the ground below the two cracked open. Zhou Yuan's body was flung backwards, his feet leaving deep grooves on the ground.
Wu Huang's sleeves had been torn open, the force making him take a dozen steps back.
His expression became extremely ominous at this moment, killing intent flaring as he stared at Zhou Yuan. "So even a cornered rabbit can bite back."
"But you've now truly angered me!"
Powerful scarlet-red Genesis Qi flooded out from the top of Wu Huang's head like a tsunami as an extremely domineering heat spread.
It was clear that he no longer planned to play the role of a cat toying with a mouse. He was now out to kill.
Zhou Yuan's expression grew increasingly grave. He rubbed the silver ring on his finger as a grim coldness flashed in his eyes.
If there was really no other choice, he would have to use Silver Shadow. The current him was already at the advance Illusory stage, and would surely be able to quickly escape Wu Huang by borrowing Silver Shadow’s power. The only uncertainty was how long he would be unconscious after using Silver Shadow.
It was extremely risky. There was no one around to protect him, and he was in the Saint Remains Domain that was filled with unknown dangers.
But… it would at the very least be better than dying at Wu Huang’s hands.
Wu Huang’s body slowly rose into the air, standing on Genesis Qi as he looked down from above at Zhou Yuan and indifferently said, “I should really let Wu Yao see your miserable appearance. I believe she will no longer have any doubts about the fact that I am the true dragon, don’t you agree?”
He shook his head, deciding that he would not waste anymore time. His hands slapped together, and scarlet-red Genesis Qi roared out, like a river of magma filled with overwhelming destructive force that flowed towards Zhou Yuan.
Space warped and twisted wherever the scarlet-red flood passed.
Scarlet-red filled Zhou Yuan’s vision. He took in a deep breath as a resolute look flitted across his eyes. With a pat of his Universe bag, a silver ball appeared in his hand.
Bzz!
However, right before Zhou Yuan was about to activate Silver Shadow, a peculiar sound suddenly rang out across the area, a sound that seemed similar to the cry of a sword.
Swish!
The flood of red descended, but it was at this very moment that a black shadow suddenly zoomed over from behind at a shocking speed. A sharp aura burst forth, cutting deep wounds on the ground.
Bzz!
The black shadow met the scarlet-red flood, the berserk aftershocks from their clash tearing up the surrounding ground.
As the dust gradually settled, Zhou Yuan was stunned to see a thick tipless black broadsword standing in front of him.
Sharp sword Qi pulsed from the sword as it trembled.
Wu Huang’s expression sunk when he saw the black broadsword and icily shouted, “Blind Sword Li Chunjun! Why are you being a busybody?!”
“Blind Sword?”
Zhou Yuan’s heart shook as he turned his head, only to see a figure in black slowly approaching. The figure’s footsteps were not quick, but in a mere few breaths, he had already arrived in front of Zhou Yuan, standing behind the black broadsword.
He raised his head, his black cloth covered eyes looking towards Wu Huang as he placed both hands on the sword grip and said in a hoarse voice, “I owe him a meal debt.”
Wu Huang’s gaze darkened as the scarlet-red Genesis Qi around him began to churn, clearly now enraged.
The black clothed youth called Li Chunjun tilted his head slightly and said to Zhou Yuan, “Go, I will stop him.”
The silver ball in Zhou Yuan’s hand returned to his Universe bag. He looked at Li Chunjun in silence for some time, before he said, “Thank you.”
Although he still had his final trump card, it was naturally best to avoid using it.
Li Chunjun shook his head. “I’m merely repaying the roast meat debt.”
Zhou Yuan grinned. “Don’t kill him… I intend to personally end him.”
Lu Chunjun was taken aback, evidently surprised by Zhou Yuan’s charisma. The former could feel that the latter was trying to act tough, but was truly serious about it.
For the first time, a faint smile appeared on his stiff face. “Don’t worry, the current me cannot kill him.”
Zhou Yuan chuckled and nodded, before raising his head as he looked towards the stormy-face Wu Huang and said, “Such a great opportunity, and yet you’ve still failed to kill me. What do you think this means?”
“It means that yo
ur blessing is a fake…”
Zhou Yuan let out a hearty laugh, paying no further notice to Wu Huang, whose face had grown so stormy that it was about to break into a downpour. There was no hesitation as Zhou Yuan turned around and transformed into a flash of light that rapidly disappeared into the horizon.
A voice seemed to echo from far away.
"Wu Huang, make sure to take good care of your head so I can take it the next time we meet!”
Chapter 143 String of White Qi
By a stream deep within a mountain.
Zhou Yuan squatted by the stream as he drank two mouthfuls of water. It had been half a day since he encountered Wu Huang. The former had most of the time travelling at full speed without stopping for a single break.
It was difficult for even Zhou Yuan to manage such a high pace.
“But I should now be free of him.” Zhou Yuan wiped away the water at the corner of his mouth, his eyes narrowing slightly as a fierce look flitted across them.
He did not feel that running away from Wu Huang was humiliating. The latter’s strength far surpassed his own, a lead that had arisen due to various reasons.
What he needed to do now was to shrink that gap with all his might, not fight to the death while knowing that he was clearly outclassed because that was not bravery, but foolishness.
One’s path cannot be smooth sailing forever, and there were times when it was essential to patiently bear with the situation. This was not weakness, but similar to a spring, shrinking back not due to fear, but in preparation for the moment when one would let loose the strongest blow.
The vast Saint Remains Domain was filled with opportunities, and this was where Zhou Yuan’s chance lay. He needed to grasp some of these opportunities and strengthen himself till he reached the level that allowed him to oppose Wu Huang.
When that time finally came, Zhou Yuan would naturally no longer harbor even the tiniest thought of retreating.
“I wonder how Yaoyao and the rest are doing…” Zhou Yuan stood up and swept his gaze about his surroundings. The Saint Remains Domain was just too huge, and he did not know how to find them.
While scanning the area, he eyes suddenly froze. He had seen a giant black beast walk out of the forests to his front, its beady beast eyes tightly glued to him.
The giant black beast looked like a lion, but a flame burned on its tail. Fire also raged within its enormous mouth.
“Mid Heaven Gate strength…” Zhou Yuan was a little amazed by the sight of the black lion. It was likely a Genesis Beast of the Saint Remains Domain and was pretty strong too.
“It seems that I’ve been categorized as prey again.”
Zhou Yuan chuckled as his hand reached towards his waist and pulled out the Heavenly Yuan Brush. The brush swiftly expanded, its snow-white hairs twisting into a sharp spear tip.
He raised the tip of the brush and pointed at the blazing black lion.
“After being forced to flee for so long, I’ll be more than happy to use you as an outlet for my frustration.”
Roar!
The blazing black lion roared in response to Zhou Yuan’s provocation. In a flash, it transformed into a blur of black as it dashed forward, its sharp claws tearing through the air, viciously slashing at Zhou Yuan.
Dark gold Genesis Qi exploded from Zhou Yuan’s body as the Heavenly Yuan Brush shivered slightly. Deep green light gathered at its tip, revealing an incomparable sharpness.
“Auraflare technique.”
Zhou Yuan’s toes pushed off the ground as his body abruptly rocketed forward, and the two figures crossed above the stream.
The blazing black lion’s sharp claws slashed at Zhou Yuan’s shoulder, but instead of blood, all it could draw was sparks from the green scales that had appeared on his skin.
While the blazing black lion’s claws scraped across Zhou Yuan’s shoulders, the brush tip that pulsed with a green aura pierced the former’s throat.
Fresh blood spurted out like a fountain.
Zhou Yuan and the blazing black lion had exchanged places, but the latter’s enormous body soon crashed to the ground with a loud thud.
Zhou Yuan turned around and looked at the fallen blazing black lion, only to be stunned. He had just caught sight of a wisp of faint white Qi rise from its corpse.
A string of white surged towards Zhou Yuan, splitting into two. One half homing in on Zhou Yuan, while the other swam towards the Heavenly Yuan Brush in his hand.
Zhou Yuan cautiously observed the strands of white Qi. His Spirit senses reached out, but did not detect any danger. Instead, he could feel extremely pure Genesis Qi contained within them.
It was even purer than the Genesis Qi here.
“What’s going on?” Confusion colored Zhou Yuan’s eyes. He hesitated for a few moments, before very carefully absorbing the strand of pure Genesis Qi.
Once it entered his body, it flowed through his eight meridian channels, before ultimately arriving in his Qi Dwelling where it was subsequently transformed into a sliver of Omni Python Qi.
This process was smooth, without a single hiccup occuring. So smooth that it was even more effortless than his usual training.
In addition, it was also more effective. The gains from that single strand from earlier was approximately equal nearly two hours of training.
Zhou Yuan mumbled to himself, “Why do the Genesis Beasts in the Saint Remains Domain possess such pure Genesis Qi?”
His gaze flickered in thought. It was a long time later before he arrived at a conclusion.
“The Saint Remains Domain originated from a Saint’s blood, and the same is likely true for these Genesis Beasts within it. That’s why their bodies contain extremely pure Genesis Qi, Genesis Qi that probably originated from the fallen Saint.”
“Only then does it explain how such a tiny sliver can have such a huge effect on my cultivation.”
Zhou Yuan’s eyes grew increasingly bright. If this conjecture was true, hunting Genesis Beasts in the Saint Remains Domain would be an extremely effective training method.
In addition…
He lowered his head and looked at the Heavenly Yuan Brush in his hand. After absorbing the strand of Genesis Qi from earlier, the third ancient rune on its mottled body had become a little brighter.
The absorption of the white Qi was clearly extremely beneficial to the Heavenly Yuan Brush.
At this rate, it would not be long before the third rune of the brush was awakened, and there was a high chance that it would reach the high grade Black tier level.
Most importantly, every awakened rune would bestow a new ability unto the brush, an ability that would surely become a powerful support to Zhou Yuan.
For the sake of gaining the power to contend against Wu Huang, the current Zhou Yuan needed to raise his battle power from every avenue possible.
“As expected of the Saint Remains Domain.”
Zhou Yuan sighed as his gaze gradually filled with excitement and anticipation. He knew that this information would soon be known by all of the prided geniuses that had entered. When that happened, the competition would become much fiercer.
“I’ve gotta take advantage of this time to act!”
Zhou Yuan tightly gripped the Heavenly Yuan Brush and looked towards the mountains before him, from which the faint cries of beasts could be heard. No longer hesitating, his figure moved, transforming into a shadow that charged straight in.
Zhou Yuan’s entry broke the peace of the mountain. Majority of the Genesis Beasts here had the strength of grade 3, and were comparable to the Heaven Gate stage, making them very appropriate opponents for someone of his level.
It only took a day for Zhou Yuan to reach the deeper parts of the mountain where he finally encountered some resistance.
...
In the depths of the mountain.
Zhou Yuan's eyes fell upon the over ten feet tall golden ape before him as it released a deafening roar. At this moment however, there was an extremely strange look in his gaze
as his stared at the creature.
The latter’s strength had reached the peak of grade 3, and was comparable to an advance Heaven Gate practitioner.
But what made Zhou Yuan puzzled was not the golden ape’s strength, but the fact that… it actually knew a Genesis technique!
The last Genesis Beast he had seen using one was Tuntun.
But Tuntun was an extraordinary existence. Could it be? Did this golden ape possess a special bloodline like Tuntun?
Chapter 144 The Third Rune
Roar!
Deep in the mountains.
A golden ape roared as it hammered its chest, creating a thunderous din. Berserk Genesis Qi exploded from its body, shaking the surrounding space.
It eyes fell upon Zhou Yuan as it suddenly shot forward with a sudden stamp of its foot. It appeared above Zhou Yuan in an instant, giant fists hammering downwards with power so wild that even cracks began to appear on the ground below.
Zhou Yuan did not dare to be negligent in the face of the golden ape’s incoming attack. The big guy’s strength had reached the advance Heaven Gate stage, plus it had a strong physical body, traits that made it a pretty tough opponent.
“Dragon Tablet Hand, break the sky!”
Zhou Yuan’s hand was swung, heavy as can be. The howling palm winds that accompanied it blasting away the air.
This attack of his was similarly ferocious to the extreme.
Boom!
The two forces collided in the most violent manner. Berserk Genesis Qi shockwaves immediately unfurled upon impact, causing cracks to extend along the ground, while towering tree after tree was snapped at their waist.
Countless falling leaves were instantly turned to dust.
Roar!
The golden ape’s titanic body jerked, before being sent flying backwards, crashing into a cliff wall as it let out a painful yelp.
Zhou Yuan’s body was also forced a dozen steps back, but what made his face turn a little grave, however, was the strange force contained within the Genesis Qi of the golden ape’s attack that had stealthily exploded when they came into contact.
He had suffered when they clashed earlier, the stealthy explosion making the Qi and blood in his body churn.
Dragon Prince Yuan c1-1251 Page 83
