He shook his head. From his tone, it was clear that he did not think much of the Divine Dwelling stage experts from the Tianyuan Region.
After a cursory glance, Zhao Mushen lost all interest in the Divine Dwelling List. Given his standards, the recent changes on the Divine Dwelling List weren’t worth mentioning.
Hence, his gaze shifted back to the front few rankings. He paused on the name just below his with a slight smile, and his eyes twinkled.
“Wu Yao...
“Your luck and blessing have become even stronger after returning from Cangxuan Heaven…”
...
While Zhao Mushen was looking at the new Divine Dwelling List, in the far away Wushen and Zixiao Regions, two girls that everyone in Hunyuan Heaven knew also received the new list.
Chapter 894 Wu Yao and Su Youwei
The Wushen Region.
In an ancient forest.
Roar!
A loud roar vibrated the air, filled with savagery and violence.
Boom!
A wave of berserk Genesis Qi erupted, instantly flattening the area within a thousand-foot radius, revealing eight giant ape-like beasts. Their giant fists seemed to dance in the air, brimming with boundless power as they viciously hurled towards the slender figure before them.
The bodies of these eight giant apes were entirely golden yellow as if they were wearing a layer of gold. These eight golden apes were peak grade-5 Genesis Beasts, and they wielded strength comparable to that of peak advanced Divine Dwelling stage experts. With the terrifying defensive power of their golden armor, even peak advanced Divine Dwelling stage practitioners would not be willing to challenge them, let alone eight at once!
At the center of the eight golden apes was a slim figure in a glaringly red dress. Her dress fluttered in the wind but did not seem to make her any more special.
Boom!
Eight golden apes slowly closed in, surrounding her from all sides. However, when they ferociously pounced towards the human girl, a clap of thunder sounded, and black lightning roared out from the pretty figure in red.
Eight black lightning dragons pierced through space, instantly blasting the eight golden apes.
Their bodies instantly turned rigid as black smoke rose from them. In the face of such tyrannical black lightning, even their proud golden armor was rendered ineffective. Their lives were taken in an instant.
Thud!
The eight giant beasts slowly fell onto the ground, a giant cloud of dust rising as the earth shook.
The figure in red slowly descended. She indifferently glanced at the smoking bodies with her phoenix eyes and shook her head in disappointment. These grade-5 Genesis Beasts were already incapable of posing any threat to her.
The figure in red had an absolutely beautiful face and a pair of phoenix eyes. She gave off a stern and dignified presence as if she were an empress who would intimidate any ordinary man.
Who else could this be but Wu Yao?
After slaying the eight golden apes, a figure flew over from far away. Despite being a girl as well, a respectful look emerged on the girl’s face as she gazed at Wu Yao and reported in a low voice, “Senior sister Wu Yao, the new Divine Dwelling List is out.”
She respectfully raised a scroll with both hands.
Wu Yao’s face remained impassive as she nonchalantly received the scroll and opened it.
“There doesn’t seem to be much change.” Wu Yao’s voice was tinged with a faint indifference. Her eyes did not ripple as they swept across the first place Zhao Mushen before pausing on the second place Su Youwei.
At the sight of this name, Wu Yao’s brows wrinkled together for a moment without anyone noticing. She had met this ten heavens Divine Dwelling heaven pride from the Zixiao Region multiple times, but the outcome had never been pleasant. Moreover, Wu Yao could feel that Su Youwei seemed to be a bit hostile to her.
Such hostility did not seem competitive in nature but seemed to be due to some other unknown reason.
However, Wu Yao could not understand what the reason was. She and Su Youwei had always minded their own business, and Wu Yao did not feel that Su Youwei regarded the rankings with much importance, because she too felt the same.
Since she could not understand it, there was no need to think too deeply. Wu Yao was not afraid of anyone.
Her gaze habitually swept across the top ten names. She paused on Chen Xuandong’s name for a brief moment before shifting her attention away.
Since she was done, she proceeded to keep the scroll.
However, just as she was about to do so, the scroll unfurled a teensy bit more, revealing a few more names. Her uncaring eyes suddenly froze, and her foot came to an abrupt halt.
She slowly raised the scroll, her eyes narrowing as she stared at the fourteenth name.
The Tianyuan Region, Zhou Yuan.
Zhou Yuan?
Wu Yao’s cold and oppressive aura faintly changed. Was it that Zhou Yuan?
The expression in Wu Yao’s eyes fluctuated for a brief moment before she returned the scroll to the girl and said in a composed voice, “Go investigate Zhou Yuan from the Tianyuan Region. I want to know everything about him.”
The girl was taken aback, somewhat surprised. She clearly had not expected Wu Yao to suddenly pay attention to the person ranked fourteenth on the list. However, she was smart and immediately answered, “Understood, senior sister!”
Wu Yao nodded. She began walking forward again, arriving at the edge of the cliff. A breeze blew a few stray strands of her hair as she stared at the endless forest before her.
Is it really you, Zhou Yuan of the Great Zhou Empire? If it really is you, have you come to take back the sacred dragon blessing? I do hope that you have the ability now. If you’re stronger than me, I can return the blessing and give this life of mine to you, but if you’re still weaker than me, don’t blame me for making the sacred dragon blessing whole again.
The struggle for the sacred dragon blessing was a life or death battle with no need for mercy or reason.
The Zixiao Region.
Layer after layer of stone stages surrounded a giant cloud stage. At this current moment, every stone stage was filled with seated figures, their eyes fixed on the cloud stage in the middle.
A graceful figure stood on the main stage, drawing countless gazes.
She was wearing a violet dress and had a slim and graceful figure. Her skin was fair and unblemished, and she had a slightly high nose, large almond-like eyes and long shapely eyebrows. There was a small birthmark near the corner of her eye, giving her a unique charm. She was a beauty that could cause the downfall of countries.
She had a gentle expression, and a faint, warm smile hung from the corners of her lips, making her seem very approachable.
However, under this softness was an unrelenting determination and tenacity that glinted in the depths of her eyes.
Zixiao Region, Su Youwei.
On a tall platform, an elder from the Zixiao Region asked, “Is there anyone who wants to challenge Su Youwei?”
The innumerable figures in the vicinity merely chuckled softly, but no one entered the arena. All of them clearly understood Su Youwei’s strength. Her overwhelming Genesis Qi foundation would easily suppress any opponent.
The elder was not surprised by the response. He helplessly shook his head before announcing the end of the practice bouts.
After the elder left, the atmosphere immediately relaxed. Numerous youthful figures rose to their feet and began chatting happily, creating an extremely lively atmosphere.
However, even more youths secretly glanced at the beautiful figure in the center.
Numerous handsome and pretty male and female disciples seemed to revolve around Su Youwei as happy laughter continuously rang out. One could see that Su Youwei was exceedingly popular.
When the group was exiting the arena, a young man walked over with a carefree appearance. “Junior sister Youwei is once again invincible in the practice bouts. You real
ly make the many male disciples of our Zixiao Region feel shameful in comparison.”
The young man was very handsome and gave off a special air. Several of the female disciples around Su Youwei secretly glanced at him.
They knew this young man. He was called Xue Jingtao and was extremely well-known in the Zixiao Region. Although his name was not on the Divine Dwelling List, it was only because the higher-ups of the Zixiao Region had intentionally hidden his existence as preparation for the upcoming nine regions tournament.
Xue Jingtao might not be as strong as Su Youwei, but he had the qualifications to vie for the top ten spots on the Divine Dwelling List.
Xue Jingtao looked only at Su Youwei, not concealing the sliver of adoration in his eyes.
Su Youwei softly said, “The many senior and junior disciples were merely being courteous. I’m unworthy of the title invincible.”
Xue Jingtao chuckled before he retrieved a scroll and said, “Junior sister, this is the new Divine Dwelling List. I immediately brought it over for you the moment I got a hold of it.”
The surrounding female disciples immediately began to giggle and whisper. Xue Jingtao’s intentions were rather clear.
Su Youwei ignored the commotion as she shook her head. “Thank you, senior brother Xue, but there shouldn’t be many changes to the Divine Dwelling List, so there’s no need for me to take a look.”
Her rejection was not only towards the Divine Dwelling List but also to Xue Jingtao, because she likewise understood his intentions.
Xue Jingtao did not mind Su Youwei’s rejection, and he let out a carefree chuckle. “Hehe, junior sister’s guess is truly accurate. The Divine Dwelling List hasn’t changed much.”
Su Youwei began to walk away.
Xue Jingtao followed her as he continued, “The only fresh name among the top ten is Chen Xuandong, who replaced Lu Xiao from the Tianyuan Region. Lu Xiao is pretty useless, I heard he even lost the chief pavilion master selection and was beaten by someone called Zhou Yuan, who has currently taken the fourteenth rank—”
His voice suddenly paused because Su Youwei’s footsteps came to an abrupt stop.
Puzzled, Xue Jingtao asked, “Is something the matter, junior sister?”
Su Youwei was silent for several seconds. She turned around and stretched out a hand as she displayed a gentle smile. “Senior brother, give the Divine Dwelling List to me. I’ll go back and have a look.”
Xue Jingtao was overjoyed and hurriedly handed the scroll over.
Su Youwei tightly grasped the scroll but did not open it in front of everyone. Instead, she kept it and headed back to her dwelling.
She said her goodbyes to the crowd of girls and Xue Jingtao as she swiftly returned to her lodging.
She closed the door and leaned against it as she quickly retrieved the Divine Dwelling List and abruptly pulled it open. Her eyes darted to the fourteenth position as her heart trembled.
Tianyuan Region, Zhou Yuan.
Su Youwei stared at the name with a dazed look on her face as her eyes turned red. She was not certain that he was the person she was thinking of, but such a similar name made her usually strong self incapable of controlling her emotions.
She trembled slightly as her finger gently caressed the name. Deeply buried memories continuously flooded out, still as clear and important as before.
“Your highness, is it really you?”
A soft voice filled with anticipation echoed in the room.
Chapter 895 Divide
In the pavilion master building on Wind Island, Yi Qiushui slammed the Divine Dwelling List onto the table and angrily said, “The Xuanji Region is too much. I can’t believe they moved you to fourteenth place!”
By the side, Ye Bingling was also frowning. She nodded to indicate that she also felt the Xuanji Region had gone overboard this time.
In contrast, there was no trace of anger on Zhou Yuan’s face. He took a look at the Divine Dwelling List, then chuckled and said, “Fourteenth, then fourteenth. Didn’t you guys tell me that Lu Xiao’s ranking wasn’t accurate? Since I beat him, being placed at fourteenth isn’t unexplainable.”
His gaze shifted downwards, finding Lu Xiao’s name on the twenty-third position. It seemed being defeated had been a substantial blow to Lu Xiao’s ranking.
To be honest, Zhou Yuan did not really care about the rankings. After all, only true power could be relied on, and rankings would not bring any real material benefit.
Yi Qiushui rolled her eyes at him. “You’re so magnanimous. However, this matter concerns not only yourself but the reputation of the Tianyuan Region. What will others say when they see that our strongest Divine Dwelling stage expert is only ranked fourteenth?
“They will certainly feel that our Tianyuan Region is continuously declining, which is bad for our reputation.”
Zhou Yuan shrugged. These were honestly facts after all, and there was no need to hide them, nor was it possible.
However, he did not argue, allowing Yi Qiushui to vent for a while. When it was over, he lazily stretched his body and said with a smile, “The four pavilions conference should be held later, right?”
He had been resting for the past few days after the chief pavilion master selection, and it was finally the day he would officially take his post.
Yi Qiushui nodded. “I’ve already notified the other three pavilions.”
She then retrieved a scroll and placed it in front of Zhou Yuan. “As the current chief pavilion master, the Wind Pavilion and Forest Pavilion will definitely support you, but the Fire Pavilion will be a little more difficult to win over. The Mountain Pavilion on the other hand is slightly better; they usually go wherever the wind blows.
“If you intend to gain full control over the four pavilions and make them obey your commands, you’ll have to use some tactics.”
Zhou Yuan humbly asked, “What should I do?”
“Divide them from the inside,” Yi Qiushui answered without the slightest shred of hesitation.
“Divide?”
Yi Qiushui explained, “In the current Fire Pavilion, there are eight deputy pavilion masters. Among these eight, seven are from the Heavenly Spirit Sect. However, you should know that the majority of the Fire Pavilion members do not belong to the Heavenly Spirit Sect. They joined the Fire Pavilion because it would give them more cultivation resources.
“But almost all of the upper echelon of the Fire Pavilion are from the Heavenly Spirit Sect, something that the members will certainly be unhappy with. They merely did not dare to reveal their true thoughts due to Lu Xiao’s overwhelming power and influence.
“You only need to use your power as chief pavilion master to promote some of the more outstanding non–Heavenly Spirit Sect Fire Pavilion members to commanders and deputy pavilion masters. This will not only win them over but also divide them internally. When that happens, even Lu Xiao and his gang will no longer be able to put up any opposition or unify the Fire Pavilion against you.
“As for the Mountain Pavilion, you should do the same. Once this is done, the four pavilions will soon fall under your control.”
Zhou Yuan could not help but wet his lips and give the confident looking Yi Qiushui a huge thumbs up. Even though they had yet to engage these tactics, he already knew how huge of a headache it would cause Lu Xiao and Han Yuan.
Yi Qiushui pursed her lips into a slight smile as she pointed towards the scroll and said, “I’ve already investigated the Fire Pavilion and Mountain Pavilion over the past few days. The individuals I’ve listed are not disciples of the Heavenly Spirit Sect, and they are pretty talented and strong. Lu Xiao has been suppressing them for many years, so they likely hold some resentment against him. You should choose who to promote from among them.”
Zhou Yuan nodded as he inwardly sighed. With a secretary-manager like Yi Qiushui, he had things easy as the chief pavilion master.
Zhou Yuan unfurled the scroll and closely inspected the contents for a while. He suddenly said, “These methods
are enough to show them who's the boss, but doing something so bold and decisive so quickly after being promoted to the chief pavilion master will likely make people talk. As such, I feel that we lack some appeasement.”
“Appeasement?” Yi Qiushui was taken aback. “What do you plan on doing?”
Zhou Yuan pondered for a moment before he slowly said, “I intend to reduce the price of the four mother runes by 30%.”
The four mother runes were originally intended to counter the Fire Pavilion. Since Zhou Yuan was now the chief pavilion master, he could no longer place all of his concern on the Wind Pavilion alone. Otherwise, it would give rise to negative feelings from the other three pavilions in the future, and they would feel that he was too biased towards the Wind Pavilion.
If he reduced the sales price of the four mother runes, all four pavilions would benefit.
However, doing so would also reduce his profits, but this was something Zhou Yuan was not concerned about. He would still have more than enough after a 30% cut.
Yi Qiushui’s eyes brightened at his plan. “That’s a good idea. With such benefits, the majority of both the Fire Pavilion and the Mountain Pavilion will support you no matter what you do to them.”
Together with the earlier tactic she suggested, these two methods would complement each other, creating a perfect plan.
By the side, Ye Bingling also nodded in support. “I will notify the Wind Pavilion. I’m sure everyone will understand.”
After Zhou Yuan was promoted to chief pavilion master, the wind pavilion master position had become vacant and Zhou Yuan had handed it over to Ye Bingling. After all, although Yi Qiushui was full of plans and ideas, she was still somewhat lacking in strength and could not fully subdue everyone. Ye Bingling, on the other hand, had more than sufficient strength and qualifications to take on the role.
Zhou Yuan nodded with a grin.
He stood up and said, “Since that is the case, let’s go and meet the three pavilions.”
Zhou Yuan exited the room. He knew that he could not relax although he had been promoted to chief pavilion master. Numerous people were still watching him, and if he failed to swiftly unify the four pavilions and resolve all their internal problems, the Heavenly Spirit Sect might find an excuse to accuse him of not doing his duty.
Dragon Prince Yuan c1-1251 Page 469
