Chapter 485 Sacred Palace’s Wu Huang
The northern area of the Shengzhou Continent was a vast land of unmatched beauty, and was flooded with natural energies.
People often said that the sixty percent of Cangxuan Heaven’s blessing was monopolized by the Shengzhou Continent. If so, the flourishing northern area was most likely blessed with thirty percent of Cangxuan Heaven’s blessings.
This beautiful land and thirty percent of Cangxuan Heaven’s blessings supported an overlord sect… the famous Sacred Palace.
For many years, the Scared Palace had merely been an unremarkable sect in the vast Shengzhou Continent. During that era, the Cangxuan Sect had still been an untouchable existence in Cangxuan Heaven.
No one could precisely pinpoint when exactly, but the Sacred Palace had begun growing at an astonishing pace. In a short span of a hundred years, it had risen to become one the strongest sects in Cangxuan Heaven.
It was also during this period that the master of Cangxuan Heaven, patriarch Cang Xuan, was attacked and killed by several mysterious experts, putting the entire Cangxuan Heaven in a state of shock. As a result, the once number sect in Cangxuan Heaven began to fall into decline, no longer able to retain its title as number one.
The Sacred Palace was the entity that took its place, aspiring to be the strongest hegemon sect in Cangxuan Heaven. The Sacred Palace occupied the northern land of Shengzhou Continent, enjoying thirty percent of Cangxuan Heaven’s blessings as they reigned superior over everyone else.
Till today, the Sacred Palace was akin to a giant rising sun in the Shengzhou Continent, with power that could sweep away anyone on this land.
With regards to the increasingly powerful Sacred Palace, even the five other hegemon level sects felt a certain amount of wariness.
...
Extreme north of the Shengzhou Continent.
It was ice and frost all year round, a land blanketed in pure-white snow. Amidst the snow, an enormous and seemingly endless boundary rose from the ground, creating a vibrant paradise of lush mountains and clear streams.
Magnificent mountains towered, white cranes dancing in the air, while waterfalls fell like silver rivers. It was a scene from the land of immortals.
Countless giant white palaces and halls were built amidst the mountains in a neat and orderly manner, giving off a feeling of tight security.
This was the location of the current strongest sect in Cangxuan Heaven.
The Sacred Palace.
Deep within the Sacred Palace stood a grand palace atop a giant peak. At this current point in time, there was a seemingly bottomless pool of blood inside the palace. Opposite the pool were mats on which several figures sat, immeasurable presences pulsing from their bodies.
At the very center was a man with long silver hair that draped over his shoulders. The man had a warm smile, while his pupils were the same silver as his hair, making him appear rather mysterious and unfathomable.
This silver-haired man was the master of the Sacred Palace, known to many as palace master Sheng Yuan, and one of the most famous hegemons in Cangxuan Heaven.
Several figures were seated beside him. From their presences, they were clearly the upper echelons of the Sacred Palace, each an individual of extraordinary status.
Plop
All of their gazes were focused on the blood pool at this very moment. Bubbles rose from the pool as a whirlpool swiftly began to form. In the end, the naked body of a man slowly rose from within.
Faint blood-colored runes were visible on his body. The runes seemed to wiggle within his flesh, a rather bizarre sight. If one took a closer look, one would discover that these blood runes resembled sinisterly twisted faces.
Strange and frightening.
As one’s gaze slowly shifted upwards, a handsome chiselled face appeared.
This was not an unfamiliar face. If Zhou Yuan was present, he would instantly recognize this individual, because it was his greatest enemy from back then, Wu Huang!
However, Wu Huang’s body had been slain by Zhou Yuan in the Saint Remains Domain, and only his Spirit had managed to escape. But it now appeared that Wu Huang possessed a physical body again.
Wu Huang’s tightly shut eyes slowly opened at this moment. Blood-colored light faintly flashed within them before slowly fading away.
He stood up in the blood pool, kneeled down before palace master Sheng Yuan, and respectfully said, “Many thanks to palace master for reconstructing my body!”
The silver-haired and silver-pupiled palace master Sheng Yuan smiled slightly as he gazed upon Wu Huang. His eyes scanned the numerous strange blood runes on the latter’s body as he nodded and said, “Not bad, this Blood Asura Body is extremely compatible with you.”
Wu Huang tightly clenched his hands, feeling the astonishing power surging within his body as he said, “I can feel that this body’s power is even greater than my previous one.”
Palace master Sheng Yuan smiled and said, “Naturally. We invested a lot of resources to make this body for you.”
Wu Huang licked his lips, savagery surfacing in his eyes as he lowered his head to look at his hands and mumbled, “Zhou Yuan, I bet you you never have imagined this. So what if you destroyed my physical body? I’ve become even stronger now!”
“The next time we meet, I will definitely make you have a thorough taste of what it’s like to have your body destroyed!” Endless hatred flowed on his face.
Palace master Sheng Yuan chuckled and said, “Zhou Yuan is doing rather well for himself in the Cangxuan Sect. I’ve heard that he has already become a purple sash disciple.”
“But now that you have the Blood Asura Body, you’ll be able to unleash its power once your Spirit and the body has perfectly fused. When that time comes, killing Zhou Yuan and avenging yourself will be no problem at all.”
Wu Huang respectfully cupped his fists together. “Many thanks for helping me!”
Palace master Sheng Yuan smiled and nodded, before he waved his hand, signalling for Wu Huang to leave.
Wu Huang respectfully withdrew from the room, causing it to fall silent once more.
A white-haired elder beside palace master Sheng Yuan slowly said, “Is it worth it for palace master to have spent so much effort to help Wu Huang craft the Blood Asura Body?”
“Although Wu Huang is quite talented, there are disciples in our Sacred Palace who can easily match him. Pouring so much resources into him will make the other disciples complain.”
Palace master Sheng Yuan softly chuckled. “Complaints are for the powerless. If there’s anyone like that in the Sacred Palace, expel him or her from the sect.”
His eyes turned as deep as the night as he watched Wu Huang’s departing figure. “He holds the sacred dragon blessing after all.”
“Didn’t we already investigate this matter? The sacred dragon Blessing in his body belongs to Zhou Yuan, while Wu Huang is merely a fake dragon.” Said one of the other upper echelons.
Palace master Sheng Yuan smiled and said, “What is a fake dragon? As long as he kills and devours Zhou Yuan, he will naturally become a real dragon.”
“As for Zhou Yuan, though he bears the sacred dragon blessing, he does not seem to possess the sacred dragon’s destiny. Otherwise, his blessing would not have been stolen the moment he was born.”
“But he is admittedly quite a tenacious one. To think that he managed to fight his way out from such despair, and even snatched back half of Wu Huang’s sacred dragon blessing. Truth be told, he is quite capable.”
An elder puzzledly asked, “What use is this sacred dragon blessing to our Sacred Palace?”
Palace master Sheng Yuan’s eyes narrowed slightly, light flickering within his silver pupils as he slowly said, “The sacred dragon blessing will aid us in finding the Cangxuan Saint Stamp hidden away by patriarch Cang Xuan.”
The figures in the hall were stunned.
“The Cangxuan Saint Stamp is a divine artifact that was born from Cangxuan Heaven tha
t can resonate with the land, while the sacred dragon blessing was also born from this land, and those who possess it are naturally considered the prided geniuses of this world.”
“We only need to wait till Wu Huang matures, slays Zhou Yuan and devours the half his blessing. When that time comes, I will be able seize the opportunity to break patriarch Cang Xuan’s concealment, and locate the Cangxuan Saint Stamp.”
“As for these real and fake dragons, they will no longer be of any importance to me…”
Palace master Sheng Yuan’s silver pupils gazed upon the blood pool. The color of blood was reflected in his eyes as a fanatical smile slowly emerged from the corners of his lips.
“When that happens…”
“I will become the supreme heaven master of Cangxuan Heaven…”
“And the Sacred race… will rule over Cangxuan Heaven once more.”
Chapter 486 Nine Divine Dwelling
The festivities of Saint Genesis Peak lasted for three whole days.
However, Zhou Yuan waved the white flag on the second day, and hid away in his cave dwelling. He had experienced several desperate battles one after another, and was tired both in body and mind, so he really no longer had the energy for another bout of wild celebrations.
Moreover, his attempt at unsealing the main peak would begin three days later, a matter which not only affected the future of the entire Saint Genesis Peak, but also the second Saint Rune he deeply yearned for.
Hence, he locked himself away on the second day to adjust his condition, in order to ensure he was at peak performance three days later.
…
The peaceful and cooling cave dwelling was lush with greenery.
Zhou Yuan had just completed his daily training, and had changed into a set of comfortable, loose-fitting robes. He sat in a stone pavilion, leisurely sipping on fragrant tea, as he admired the view before him.
It was the view of a flower garden, where hundreds of beautiful flowers vied for attention. At this current time, a slim and graceful girl with her hair pulled back into a bun, was wandering about in the garden as she tended to the many plants with a look of concentration.
Light sprinkled down from above, shining on her perfect face. The light made her skin glow, making it impossible for anyone to turn away.
This scene was even more enchanting than a hundred beautiful flowers.
Under Zhou Yuan’s admiring gaze, Yaoyao completed her inspection, before stretching her back, revealing her soul-stirring curves.
She leisurely walked out of the flower garden, and sat down in the stone pavilion. Upon realizing that Zhou Yuan’s gaze was still fixed on her, her eyes turned a little frosty.
Zhou Yuan immediately let out an awkward laugh as he withdrew his gaze, and hurriedly poured Yaoyao a cup of tea.
Yaoyao ignored him, and instead retrieved a letter from her sleeve and placed it on the table. “Shen Taiyuan sent someone to deliver this while you were training earlier. It seems to concern the Cangmang Continent.”
Zhou Yuan’s expression trembled faintly when he heard this. He had previously been informed that although the Cangxuan Sect could not directly interfere, they would help him observe the situation in the Cangmang Continent.
He speedily tore open the letter, before carefully reading it.
Moments later, Zhou Yuan breathed a small sigh of relief as he looked towards Yaoyao and said, “Over the past year, the Great Wu Empire has begun slowing their other campaigns, and are clearly turning attention towards the Great Zhou Empire.”
“It seems that king Wu has finally begun to take note of the Great Zhou Empire he had once forgotten.”
Yaoyao said, “You nearly killed Wu Huang, of course he no longer dares to neglect the Great Zhou Empire.”
Zhou Yuan nodded and said, “However, the Great Wu Empire is still being cautious. They’ve offended quite a number of top tier empires during their earlier campaigns, and do not dare to take action against the Great Zhou Empire till they are absolutely certain.”
“But it’s only a matter of time.”
Zhou Yuan let out a long, drawn-out sigh as his expression turned focused. “There’s isn’t much time left…”
Yaoyao slowly said with a tone of warning in her voice, “But you cannot rush things. Your progress is already very swift, and if you attempt to speed things up, your hardfought foundations will end up being destroyed by you instead.”
Zhou Yuan nodded. There was naturally no way he would be so short-sighted.
His fingers gently tapped the surface of the table and suddenly asked, “How strong are the Chosens of the Cangxuan Sect?”
Yaoyao shot a glance at. “Oh? Turning your sights to the Chosens so soon after becoming a chief disciple?”
“They’re the next step.” Zhou Yuan grinned. Though a chief disciple was strong, a Chosen was the true ultimate goal.
Yaoyao propped up her chin with a hand, making herself appear lazy as she said, “You’d better not think about Chosens for the time being. Even the tenth ranked Zhao Zhu is far beyond your capabilities.”
“So powerful?” Asked Zhou Yuan in a skeptical voice. His Genesis Qi cultivation was currently at the fifth layer, but his foundations were extremely strong, making him no weaker than ordinary eighth layer disciples.
When the power of his physical body was added into the mix, Zhou Yuan felt that he might be able to match even a ninth layer disciple.
Yaoyao slowly said, “The gap between the eighth and ninth layers is the biggest in the Alpha-Origin stage.”
“How many stars do you currently have in your Qi Dwelling?”
“Four thousand.” Replied Zhou Yuan.
“To have reached such a number at the fifth layer, your Genesis Qi foundations are indeed extraordinary.”
“But do you know how many stars ordinary ninth layer disciples have?”
She looked towards Zhou Yuan as she extended a single slender finger.
“Ten thousand.”
Zhou Yuan’s heart shook a little, somewhat shocked. Ordinary eighth layer disciples should only have about four thousand Genesis Qi stars, but a ninth layer actually reached the realm of ten thousand?
This did seem to be a rather large gap.
“Although Zhao Zhu is ranked last among the Chosens, the fact that he was able to become one is more than evidence of his outstanding talent. As such, his foundations will be stronger than ordinary disciples, which means that he will also have more Genesis Qi stars.” Yaoyao’s clear eyes looked towards Zhou Yuan. “That’s why your current chances against him are very slim.”
Zhou Yuan let out an awkward laugh. Only now did he truly understand why Yaoyao had stopped him from fighting Zhao Zhu the day before. It turned out to be because of the gap between them.
Yaoyao unhurriedly said, “Do not underestimate the Chosens of the Cangxuan Sect… the higher ranking few are much more powerful than you imagine. Do you really believe that they’re unable to step in to the Divine Dwelling stage after so many years of training?”
“What do you mean?” Zhou Yuan was a little taken aback.
“From what I can see, Chu Qing and the rest can choose to enter secluded cultivation and advance to the Divine Dwelling stage any time they wish to. They are merely unwilling.”
“But why?” Zhou Yuan was quite confused.
“Because they are proud individuals that refuse to have an ordinary breakthrough.” Yaoyao laughed softly, before she continued, “Elder Shen Taiyuan should be the one telling you this after you reach the ninth layer, but I can inform you about it in advance.”
“The Divine Dwelling stage is the evolution of the Qi Dwelling. The Divine Dwelling can contain more Genesis Qi, for instance, if your current Qi Dwelling is akin to a river, the Divine Dwelling will be the sea…”
“Do you recall the different grades of Qi Dwelling back when you opened yours? The Divine Dwelling is naturally the same…”
“The Divine Dwelling stage is also known as the Nine H
eavens Divine Dwelling stage, but is usually simplified to Nine Divine Dwelling… because when the Qi Dwelling evolves, different changes would occur according to one’s Genesis Qi foundations.”
“When an ordinary person experiences a breakthrough, three heavens at most would form in the Divine Dwelling, which is called a Three Divine Dwelling.”
“The stronger one’s foundations, the more heavens would form during a breakthrough, with nine as the maximum!”
“Chu Qing and the rest have refused to advance, because they are continuously strengthening their foundations in hopes of evolving a higher grade Divine Dwelling.”
“Their goal is likely above the Six Divine Dwelling, the high class Divine Dwelling.”
“For this target, they have patiently accumulated Genesis Qi for many years.”
“Hence, the most important thing to do at the ninth layer Alpha-Origin stage is to accumulate more Genesis Qi and strengthen one’s foundations. However, when one reaches that level, one’s foundations would already be extremely sturdy and compact, making further strengthening it as difficult as ascending the heavens. Thus, one would also require a substantial amount of luck.”
Zhou Yuan’s expression slowly turned solemn. It seemed that he had severely underestimated the Chosens. It turns out that the reason why they had been unable to advance for many years, was not because they lacked the ability, but because they were purposely suppressing a breakthrough...
After so many years of accumulation, how solid would their foundations be now?
“Is a Nine Divine Dwelling very difficult to achieve?” Asked Zhou Yuan in a hesitant manner.
Yaoyao took a small sip of her tea, before she unhurriedly said, “In the history of the Cangxuan Sect, no more than three individuals have succeeded in attaining the Nine Divine Dwelling, while patriarch Cang Xuan was the first amongst them. So what do you think? Is it difficult?”
Zhou Yuan gasped a little. Only now did he truly feel the difficulty of the Nine Divine Dwelling. Even in such an old sect, only three out of the innumerable geniuses had been able to attain a Nine Divine Dwelling?
Dragon Prince Yuan c1-1251 Page 264
