Dragon Prince Yuan c1-1251

by Translator: Yeow

  Zhou Yuan smiled helplessly. Of course he knew that it was not as simple as Ye Bingling had made it out to be. A heavily injured Sky Obscurer Beast was not a foe that should be underestimated. After all, even a gravely injured Heavenly Sun stage expert was one greater realm above Divine Dwelling stage experts like them.

  However, Zhou Yuan was quite happy with everyone’s attitude. He was currently in complete control of the Wind Pavilion, and most importantly, he had won the hearts of its members.

  Although he had won their hearts through the benefits he provided, Zhou Yuan would not be unreasonable about it. Benefit was the most stable chain in the world, and without a relation built on overcoming life-and-death struggles together, talking about things like camaraderie was honestly meaningless sweet-sounding words.

  “Since that is the case, I will not say more. Regardless of the success of the mission, I will take care of everyone’s high-grade Mother Wind Rune cultivation needs in the future.” Zhou Yuan grinned.

  His words caused joy to bubble in the eyes of all seven members—even Ye Bingling’s eyes lit up.

  The usually silent Shang Xiaoling swallowed several times. She used to be a cultivator without any affiliation, and she had often risked her life for even a small quantity of cultivation resources. She never experienced such generosity before.

  Most importantly, a high-grade Mother Wind Rune wasn’t even purchasable. Zhou Yuan was the only one who could provide them.

  Xiao Hong happily remarked, “Heh heh, if word of our pavilion master’s generosity spreads, the guys who didn’t get to participate in this mission would beat the ground with their fists in regret.”

  The others nodded in agreement, each person wearing a wide smile on their face.

  Seeing that everyone was satisfied, Zhou Yuan also smiled and said, “Since there are no objections, you guys go back and prepare first. We’ll set off in three days.”

  He intended to use the three days to make some necessary preparations.

  “Understood!” the seven acknowledged.

  Three days swiftly passed.

  On the third day, Zhou Yuan, Ye Bingling, Xiao Hong, Sheng Xiaoling and the others met up before leaving the Wind Island.

  Not long after Zhou Yuan and his team left.

  Fire Island, pavilion master building.

  An expressionless Lu Xiao was seated above everyone, while Fang Ao, Zhu Lian and the other deputy pavilion masters were seated below.

  Fang Ao openly asked, “Boss, why did you suddenly call for us?”

  Lu Xiao softly chuckled and answered, “Haven’t you been unhappy with Zhou Yuan for a long time? A chance has now presented itself.”

  A ruthless look immediately flashed in Fang Ao’s eyes as he happily said, “What chance?”

  Lu Xiao flicked his finger, sending a mission scroll shooting forth as he said, “I’ve received news that Zhou Yuan has left Tianyuan Utopia with Ye Bingling and a few others. Their goal is to hunt a heavily injured Sky Obscurer Beast.”

  Their Heavenly Spirit Sect had eyes everywhere in the Tianyuan Utopia and had people watching even the mission hall. Hence, it was not difficult for them to observe Zhou Yuan’s movements.

  Fang Ao caught the mission scroll. He took two quick glances and said in surprise, “He’s got balls. To think that he even dares to set his sights on a Sky Obscurer Beast. I wonder what he wants.”

  “What he wants is not important. The important thing is that he’s given us a very good opportunity.”

  Lu Xiao tapped the table as he indifferently said, “We may not dare to touch him in the Tianyuan Utopia, but once he leaves, who can say what dangers are hidden outside? What’s more, they are going after a Sky Obscurer Beast. No one can say for certain that they won’t end up being killed instead.”

  Fang Ao immediately understood as a savage smile emerged on his lips. “Boss means for us to kill them during their mission?”

  Lu Xiao nodded. “Best to capture them alive. Zhu Lian has a way to peek into Zhou Yuan’s memories and may be able to find out what core he used to make the four Mother Runes.”

  Fang Ao grinned, revealing his eerily white teeth. His eyes were filled with violence as he said, “Okay then. I will break his arms and legs before giving him to Zhu Lian.

  “I’ve been wanting to kill him for a long time!”

  Lu Xiao gave a faint nod.

  Although it was definitely not appropriate for them to do this, their Heavenly Spirit Sect was currently a rapidly rising power in the Tianyuan Region, and it should not cause much problems for them as long as they left no loose ends. A mere wind pavilion master was honestly nothing to Tianyuan Utopia.

  Lu Xiao originally had not intended to use such methods, but the four Mother Runes were far too fatal to their Fire Pavilion. In the long run, it would destroy the Fire Pavilion’s foundations. Hence, Lu Xiao could no longer sit by and wait another four months.

  Since Zhou Yuan foolishly gave him such a good opportunity, he would naturally not hold back.

  Lu Xiao said, “I originally intended to go myself, but I will draw too much attention as the Fire Pavilion’s pavilion master. Thus, I need to stay here to draw everyone’s attention.”

  “There’s no need for you, boss, to personally take action for a mere wind pavilion master.”

  Fan Ao clearly did not mind as he revealed an icy smile. “I will use this chance to teach him that no stray dog or cat has the qualifications to jump around before our Fire Pavilion!”

  Lu Xiao cautioned, “Don’t be careless. The fact that he managed to beat Chen Beifeng at the intermediate Divine Dwelling stage means there’s something strange about him.”

  Fang Ao frowned a little but still nodded in acknowledgement.

  Lu Xiao felt somewhat helpless about his attitude. However, there was nothing to nitpick about Fang Ao’s strength. In Lu Xiao’s eyes, if he did not include himself, Han Yuan and Mu Liu, Fang Ao was likely the strongest among those of the four pavilions.

  Even Chen Beifeng was nothing before Fang Ao.

  Lu Xiao waved his hand and said, “Go gather your team.”

  Fang Ao nodded and impatiently turned around to leave. A cruel light seemed to radiate from his eyes.

  Lu Xiao let out a soft sigh as he watched Fang Ao and Zhu Lian leave. His eyes narrowed as he peered into the distance and muttered, “Zhou Yuan, ah, Zhou Yuan, since you can’t appreciate my kind intentions, don’t blame me for what happens next.

  “Don’t worry, I will properly circulate the four Mother Runes once I get their manufacturing method.”

  Chapter 838 Yu Prefecture

  The Yu Prefecture was located in the southwest area of the Tianyuan Region. The entire prefecture was plagued by heavy rains all year round and covered in ancient forests. Hence why it was called the ‘rain’ prefecture.

  The Yu Prefecture was one of the weakest among the eight hundred prefectures of the Tianyuan Region. It was said that the prefecture lord had only reached the advanced Divine Dwelling stage, making him very insignificant in the Tianyuan Region.

  It was precisely because the Yu Prefecture was weak that they were incapable of dealing with the Sky Obscurer Beast’s destructive rampage. They could only report this matter to the higher-ups and wait for Tianyuan Utopia to send a team to exterminate the creature.

  It was five days later when Zhou Yuan, Ye Bingling and the rest of the team reached the Yu Prefecture.

  The Tianyuan Region was far too vast. Even with teleportation arrays of some of the greater prefectures, it took quite some time to reach the Yu Prefecture from Tianyuan Utopia.

  ...

  The Yu Prefecture.

  A torrential rain enveloped the land, accompanied by a never ending heavy pitter patter of raindrops.

  Zhou Yuan and his team stood on a lush, green peak. Genesis Qi surged around their bodies, evaporating any rain that fell within a half foot radius.

  Zhou Yuan was currently holding a map as he gazed at the endless ancient rainfo
rest before him. It was resident to countless giant trees.

  “How’s the progress? Have you found the district where the Sky Obscurer Beast has been active?” asked Ye Bingling. They had first paid a visit to the prefecture lord upon arriving in the Yu Prefecture, and he had given them a map together with some recent information about the Sky Obscurer Beast.

  According to the information received, the Sky Obscurer Beast should be somewhere in the vast rainforest before them.

  However, the environment was quite terrible, and there were numerous strange Genesis Beasts hidden within. Any negligence would be easily punished, and even a Divine Dwelling stage expert might die. Hence, Zhou Yuan and the team had been very careful along the way and did not dare to search too openly.

  However, this also made their search much less effective. They had been searching the enormous rainforest for the past two days but had failed to find any clues so far. The Sky Obscurer Beast was evidently extremely cunning and did not dare to move about in the open due to its injuries.

  Zhou Yuan shook his head and said, “Let’s venture deeper and continue our search.”

  After speaking, he leaped forward, and his figure soon vanished into the torrential rain.

  Ye Bingling, Shang Xiaoling and the others immediately followed.

  The search continued for another two days. Just as Zhou Yuan was beginning to feel impatient, they finally found a few clues.

  Zhou Yuan stepped onto the branch of a giant tree as he looked towards the front where an enormous abyss had appeared. Its pitch-black mouth seemed to greedily swallow the falling rain.

  Zhou Yuan could sense a hidden, savage aura inside the abyss.

  It was an aura that felt dangerous even to him.

  “This place is likely the resting grounds of that Sky Obscurer Beast,” said Zhou Yuan in a soft voice.

  “We found several suspicious areas previously but ultimately determined they were wrong.”

  Ye Bingling cautioned, “We need to make sure first. If we’re wrong, these Genesis Beasts will certainly hold a grudge and cause problems for us down the road.”

  Zhou Yuan gave a faint nod of agreement but soon realized the difficulty of the situation this time. No one knew what was in the abyss, and taking the risk to venture in for a scout was evidently not very wise. After all, any one of them would be in grave danger if they were faced with the Sky Obscurer Beast alone, but if they sent more members, the beast would easily detect their presence.

  Shang Xiaoling had been silent all along, but at this moment she suddenly said, “You may leave the scouting to me.”

  The others looked towards Zhou Yuan. He hesitated for a moment before nodding in approval.

  Shang Xiaoling’s hands rapidly formed a series of seals as Genesis Qi rippled in front of her. “Divine Eye Technique!”

  The rippling Genesis Qi converged into a somewhat translucent glowing ball of Genesis Qi which contained a swivelling eye.

  Bzz!

  The eyes disappeared with a flash, but Zhou Yuan could sense an extremely faint undulation moving away from them. As it travelled further and further away, even Zhou Yuan was no longer able to sense the presence of the eye.

  Space faintly rippled in front of Shang Xiaoling, revealing a mirror. Images rapidly flitted past in the mirror as if it were connected to the eye.

  A look of surprise flitted across Zhou Yuan’s face. Although Shang Xiaoling’s technique had no offensive capabilities, it could scout out the enemy and give one the initiative. This would greatly boost one’s ability to survive.

  Looks like Shang Xiaoling is indeed very capable.

  Zhou Yuan’s attention soon turned towards the mirror and found that the eye was rapidly approaching the abyss. The eye stealthily looked down from above, finding a complicated maze-like interior.

  Everyone held their breaths as they watched.

  The eye continued to scout and slowly approached the depths of the abyss. A split second later, the pupils of Zhou Yuan and the others violently shrank. They had seen a giant black beast silently resting in what appeared to be a cave.

  The beast’s body was covered in black scales, and there was a bluish-green curved horn on its head. The beast’s shape was similar to a tiger or lion, and they could just barely make out a sinister wound on its enormous body that cut all the way to the bone.

  A powerful pressure spread from the creature. Even through the mirror, it made Zhou Yuan and the rest feel a substantial amount of pressure.

  However, joy flowed out in their eyes. The giant black beast was exactly as described on the mission brief. It was the heavily injured Sky Obscurer Beast.

  “That’s it!” Zhou Yuan grinned as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

  Shang Xiaoling nodded. With a thought, the eye disappeared into thin air, and the mirror before them turned dark.

  Deep in the abyss, the giant black beast suddenly opened its red eyes and lifted its head in a puzzled manner. But it ultimately did not find anything and soon lay down again to rest and recover its injuries.

  ...

  Outside the abyss, the atmosphere relaxed somewhat due to finding the target.

  However, Shang Xiaoling softly said, “Pavilion master, although the Sky Obscurer Beast is still in a gravely injured state, its injuries are lighter than described in the mission brief. I believe it managed to recover somewhat over this period.”

  The smiles on everyone’s faces immediately receded, replaced by grave looks.

  They did not dare to forget that the Sky Obscurer Beast was a grade-six Genesis Beast that was comparable to a Heavenly Sun stage expert. If it was not injured, even all of them combined together would not be able to shake it.

  Since Shang Xiaoling had said that it had recovered somewhat from its injuries, the difficulty of the mission was higher.

  Ye Bingling’s red lips parted slightly as she said, “When we attack the Sky Obscurer Beast, Zhou Yuan will be the main force while the rest of us only need to support him.”

  Although Zhou Yuan was only at the intermediate Divine Dwelling stage, his battle prowess was the strongest in the team. With him as the main attacker, the others would be under much less pressure.

  Zhou Yuan reminded the group, “Don’t worry everyone, if we find that we’re not its match, we can withdraw. There’s no need to fight to the death.

  “I will set up some Genesis Rune boundaries first to avoid drawing over other powerful Genesis Beasts when the battle starts.” As he spoke, Zhou Yuan cast a glance towards a certain spot behind him as a strange smile emerged from the corners of his lips.

  The others acknowledged his words with solemn expressions. They were also somewhat nervous, because they knew that the subsequent battle would surely be exceptionally intense.

  ...

  While Zhou Yuan and his team were making their preparations, several figures appeared in the rainforest some distance away.

  They wore long gray robes on which faint glowing runes emerged. The robes both covered their entire bodies and concealed their Genesis Qi undulations.

  The leader of the group raised his head slightly, revealing his face. It was Fang Ao of the Fire Pavilion.

  “It seems they have found the Sky Obscurer Beast.”

  An interested smile rose from the corners of his mouth as he leisurely said, “Let’s watch them fight first and sweep in towards the end. Hehe, I wonder what kind of expression Zhou Yuan will make then?”

  The others softly chuckled as toying looks filled their eyes.

  Zhou Yuan would never have imagined that there was a fisherman waiting behind him…

  Chapter 839 Trap

  “That Zhou Yuan seems to be arranging a Genesis Rune boundary.”

  In the rain-shrouded world, Zhu Lian was peering into the distance with narrowed eyes. He could vaguely feel that there were subtle movements of Genesis Qi.

  “What boundary?” Fang Ao asked with a frown.

  “It should be some kind of b
oundary that blocks the perception of the outside world. He must be worried that the battle against the Sky Obscurer Beast would attract other Genesis Beasts in the forest,” Zhu Lian explained.

  Fang Ao relaxed his brows and sneered, “That boy is quite sharp witted.

  “But unfortunately, it would never cross Zhou Yuan’s mind that the thing he should be most wary of wasn’t other Genesis Beasts but a group of fishermen hiding in the dark and watching carefully!”

  He looked at Zhu Lian and reminded, “I’ll take action with the others, and you’ll provide support from behind.”

  A hint of discontent flashed in Zhu Lian’s eyes. How could he not catch the trace of contempt in Fang Ao’s tone of voice? Fang Ao had been competing with him for the position of number two in the Fire Pavilion for a long time. Moreover, he had always looked down on him because he only possessed the strength of the initial Divine Dwelling stage.

  This muscular fool should think about whether the Fire Pavilion could have developed to this level over the years if it weren’t for the Mark Capturer Rune. Without it, how would it become the state it is today?

  Based on contribution, Fang Ao wasn’t even qualified to carry shoes for him.

  But Zhu Lian didn’t say anything in the end. He simply grunted because he understood that he wouldn’t benefit much if he were to participate in a battle of that level, given his strength was only at the initial Divine Dwelling stage.

  Fang Ao also didn’t care about Zhu Lian’s attitude. As long as he successfully completed the task, it would be a great achievement, and he might even become the number two person of the Fire Pavilion. Moreover, once Lu Xiao won the chief pavilion master position in three months, the pavilion master position would be vacant and could possibly fall to him.

  While they were fighting and scheming against one another, in the distance the Genesis Rune boundary had taken form. It suddenly shrouded an area and distorted the area, making it difficult for people to see inside the boundary.

  “There should be a fight soon.” Fang Ao smiled, his eyes gleaming in anticipation.