Dragon Prince Yuan c1-1251

by Translator: Yeow

  He sighed inwardly as his figure descended from the sky and landed in front of Zuoqiu Qingyu and Luluo. “Alright, everything is okay now.”

  The two girls had yet to return to their senses after seeing the Yushou Region withdraw. It was hard to believe that such a powerful force would retreat just like that.

  “Wow! Zhou Yuan, you’re just too amazing!” Luluo excitedly cried out as she pounced at Zhou Yuan, hugging him by the neck. However, due to her exceptionally tiny body, she looked akin to a squirrel swinging from him.

  Zuoqiu Qingyu also stared in astonishment at the young man before her, unable to express herself for a time. The young man who had walked out of the Cangmang Continent with them all those years ago seemed to have achieved some pretty remarkable things.

  While such thoughts were swirling in her head, with Luluo still hanging by his neck, Zhou Yuan helplessly reached out and pulled her towards him as he revealed a slightly pleased smile. “Are you awed by my heroic rescue?”

  Zuoqiu Qingyu rolled her eyes at him and scoffed, “Tch, you’re still far from Yaoyao!”

  Soon after, a smile emerged on her lips.

  He was still the same Zhou Yuan from back then...

  Chapter 1118 Cangxuan Heaven’s Situation

  Night enveloped the land. Bonfires rose in the mountain forest like stars in the night sky.

  Zhou Yuan, Zuoqiu Qingyu, Luluo and the others were currently gathered around one of the bonfires.

  Zuoqiu Qingyu and Luluo still felt a little unreal as they gazed at Zhou Yuan, especially when they saw the respectful attitudes the numerous Tianyuan Region experts displayed towards him.

  Luluo asked in a small voice, “Zhou Yuan, so you went to Hunyuan Heaven all those years ago? And you even joined the Tianyuan Region?”

  Zhou Yuan smiled and nodded.

  “I heard them call you grand elder? Is that your nickname?” Zuoqiu Qingyu’s ears had pricked up at how Zhou Yuan was addressed. No matter where it was, grand elder was not an easily picked-up title.

  Information about the various heavens had been crammed into their heads before the battle for Guyuan Heaven. Hence, they understood what grand elder meant in the Tianyuan Region.

  It was precisely because of what it represented that Zuoqiu Qingyu did not dare to believe it. Instead, she had rationally concluded that it was some kind of special nickname.

  Zhou Yuan chuckled, not concealing anything. “I’m indeed a grand elder of the Tianyuan Region...moreover, it is exactly what you’re thinking of. It’s not a nickname.”

  Zuoqiu Qingyu and Luluo blankly stared at him.

  The shock that assaulted them now was even more intense than when he had chased away Tong He.

  Zuoqiu Qingyu finally managed to pull her gaze away, looking at Qin Lian and the others. The Genesis Qi pressure from this young lady was stronger than even the white-haired man. Such an individual was definitely apex-level in the Tianyuan Region.

  Zuoqiu Qingyu finally managed to stutter, “He’s joking, right?”

  Qin Lian could not help but laugh before she solemnly answered, “Zhou Yuan is indeed one of the five grand elders of our Tianyuan Region. It is not a joke.”

  The corners of Zuoqiu Qingyu’s lips twitched slightly. “But...from what I understand, the Tianyuan Region’s grand elders are Law Domain experts!”

  The Law Domain stage. In the Hundred Flowers Fairy Palace, only their sect master had managed to reach this cultivation level!

  It represented the pinnacle of Cangxuan Heaven. Although Zhou Yuan was absurdly stronger than before, there was still a gargantuan gap between him and the Law Domain stage.

  “Zhou Yuan is supreme sovereign Cang Yuan’s disciple. According to the rules set by the supreme sovereign, he is qualified to become a Tianyuan Region grand elder,” explained Qin Lian. She knew how inconceivable it was for a Heavenly Sun expert like Zhou Yuan to become a grand elder. Hence, she understood Zuoqiu Qingyu’s and Luluo’s reactions.

  “Supreme sovereign’s disciple…” Zuoqiu Qingyu and Luluo looked at each other before letting out bitter laughs. So that’s what happened...what a lucky fellow.

  Supreme sovereign was a title given only to Saint experts. Cangxuan Heaven had not seen a Saint expert ever since patriarch Cang Xuan’s death.

  Zhou Yuan waved his hand and curiously asked, “Let’s not talk about me. Tell me about you guys...aren’t you supposed to be with the Cangxuan Heaven team? Why did you separate from them?”

  Zuoqiu Qingyu’s and Luluo’s faces dimmed at his words.

  “Hey, don’t bring that up. Many things happened after the Cangxuan Heaven teams entered Guyuan Heaven.”

  Luluo gnashed her teeth and angrily said, “It’s because of those Sacred Palace bastards!”

  “What happened?” Zhou Yuan’s eyes rippled slightly at the mention of the Sacred Palace, and iciness flowed out from deep within them. The hatred from long ago had not faded due to the passage of time but had intensified.

  After all, in a certain manner of speaking, he had been forced out of Cangxuan Heaven by the Sacred Palace.

  Most importantly, they were the main culprits of Yaoyao’s current unconscious state!

  Zuoqiu Qingyu softly sighed and slowly said, “We have to start from when you disappeared...you had shattered the Cangxuan Saint Stamp, causing its fragments to scatter in Cangxuan Heaven. Over the years, the various factions have been finding and fighting over these fragments.”

  Zhou Yuan sighed inwardly. An ultimate treasure like the Cangxuan Saint Stamp was far too tempting, and its scattered fragments would most certainly draw everyone’s attention and greed. But he had no choice back then. If he had not done so, the Cangxuan Saint Stamp would have landed in palace master Sheng Yuan’s hands, and when that happened, it would be a disaster for Cangxuan Heaven.

  “Fortunately, the other great sects were still rational. They took precautions against the Sacred Palace while searching for the Saint Stamp fragments. After all, palace master Sheng Yuan is currently Cangxuan Heaven’s only false Saint…”

  “Has he recovered?” Zhou Yuan frowned. He remembered that palace master Sheng Yuan had been gravely injured in the battle.

  Zuoqiu Qingyu shook her head. “He does not seem to have completely recovered. Otherwise, Cangxuan Heaven would have been turned upside down...but even so, the Sacred Palace is still growing at an alarming rate.

  “The Sacred Palace and the five great sects have clashed repeatedly while searching for the Saint Stamp fragments. Both sides have suffered substantial losses.”

  As she spoke, Zuoqiu Qingyu’s expression grew increasingly somber. “But the scales have been tipping towards the Sacred Palace. I’ve heard my sect master mention that palace master Sheng Yuan’s recovery has been speeding up.”

  Zhou Yuan slowly asked, “Have the five great sects considered exterminating the Sacred Palace?”

  Although the Sacred Palace was powerful, the five great sects should not lose if they worked together, right?

  Luluo was the one to answer this time. “Although the five great sects stand united on the surface, they are incapable of fully trusting each other. To destroy the Sacred Palace, they have to deal with palace master Sheng Yuan. Even if he hasn’t fully recovered, he’s still a false Saint…

  “If he’s pressed too far, at least half of the Law Domain experts from the five great sects will die. This price is too heavy, and even the five great sects do not dare to take such a risk.

  “Hence, their current plan is to focus on searching for the Cangxuan Saint Stamp fragments. As long as palace master Sheng Yuan does not obtain all of the fragments, he will not be able to become a true Saint.”

  Zhou Yuan nodded, feeling somewhat regretful. This was the best chance to finish off palace master Sheng Yuan, but the five great sects were clearly unwilling to pay such a huge price. After all, everyone had their own motives, and losing a Law Domain expert was too devastating. If they were unlucky, they might even fall from their place
as great sects.

  “This is why Cangxuan Heaven’s situation became very messy. As for why we appeared here alone…” Zuoqiu Qingyu gritted her teeth as anger flourished on her pretty egg-shaped face. “Who else is responsible but the Sacred Palace?!

  “When our Cangxuan Heaven team entered Guyuan Heaven, the Sacred Palace team immediately clashed with the rest of us. However, they did not fight but instead chose to withdraw. We had originally believed they had decided to keep the peace for the time being.

  “But who could have imagined that they would launch a night attack on our main camp seven days later. The various factions suffered terrible losses and were repeatedly forced back.”

  Zhou Yuan interjected, “Although the Sacred Palace is powerful, they shouldn’t be strong enough to defeat the combined might of the five great sects, right?”

  The five great sects would definitely have dispatched their elites. How could such a force be crushed so easily?

  Zuoqiu Qingyu and Luluo exchanged a glance as their faces turned exceptionally frosty.

  “The Sacred Palace had the support of a Sacred Race team…”

  The originally noisy surroundings instantly turned deathly silent as Zhou Yuan’s expression slowly darkened.

  Chapter 1119 Rescue

  “They brought in the Sacred Race?!” Zhou Yuan was not the only one to react. Even Qin Lian frowned deeply as her face turned somewhat frosty. After all, all of the races knew that the Sacred Race was their mortal enemy. To think that Cangxuan Heaven’s Sacred Palace actually dared to have relations with the Sacred Race!

  Mu Youlan could not help but ask, “How dare the Sacred Palace team do that! Aren’t they afraid of cutting themselves off from everyone else?”

  If something like this occurred in Hunyuan Heaven, even an entity like one of the nine factions would become everyone’s common enemy and be immediately exterminated by everyone else.

  Hence, this was inconceivable to people like Qin Lian, Mu Youlan and the other Hunyuan Heaven members.

  Zuoqiu Qingyu and Luluo felt uncomfortable under the many surrounding gazes. After all, this matter had happened in Cangxuan Heaven, and it was honestly quite shameful for them.

  Zhou Yuan waved his hand and explained, “Cangxuan Heaven is the weakest of the heavens. Hence, it has been the target of the Sacred Race’s plotting for many years. The Sacred Palace is a faction the Sacred Race had brought up.

  “In the beginning, the Sacred Palace had managed to conceal their roots. By the time the truth was finally revealed, their strength had already reached the apex of Cangxuan Heaven, and there was no longer anyone left to restrain them. It was also the Sacred Palace that forced me to leave Cangxuan Heaven.”

  Qin Lian and the others nodded in comprehension. They understood that the other Cangxuan Heaven factions were not to blame. After all, Cangxuan Heaven did not possess Hunyuan Heaven’s overwhelming power, and it was very difficult for them to eliminate the Sacred Race’s influence.

  Moreover, even a seemingly almighty existence like Hunyuan Heaven was extremely wary of the mysterious and powerful Sacred Race, let alone the weakest Cangxuan Heaven...

  Zhou Yuan solemnly asked, “What’s the current state of Cangxuan Heaven’s main force?”

  “After being beaten, the Cangxuan Heaven factions elected the Cangxuan Sect’s senior brother Chu Qing as their leader. He’s been leading the remaining forces to resist the Sacred Palace’s attacks. However, the situation is still very dire. With a Sacred Palace team on the other side, we only continue to suffer devastating losses.”

  “Senior brother Chu Qing?” The familiar name evoked several memories within Zhou Yuan. The picture of a bald and carefree man who was exceptionally lazy flashed in his mind.

  However, when even someone as lazy as Chu Qing was forced to step forward and become a leader, one could see just how bad things were for Cangxuan Heaven.

  “We were sent out by senior brother Chu Qing. He told us to find the other heavens and seek help from them. After all, we’re all in the same camp against the Sacred Race.”

  Luluo puffed her cheeks and angrily said, “I met those people before coming here, but they didn’t even bother listening to me first before trying to snatch Little Frost.”

  Zhou Yuan nodded and suddenly asked, “Who's the Sacred Palace captain?”

  “Li Xuan, a Chosen of the previous generation, and also the current strongest Heavenly expert in the Sacred Palace and the entire Cangxuan Heaven.” Zuoqiu Qingyu had a grave expression. Her face filled with hatred and fear at the mention of his name.

  “He’s a vicious, double-crossing bastard! He’s practically a snake!” added Luluo.

  The name was unfamiliar to Zhou Yuan, but that was to be expected. When he was still active in Cangxuan Heaven, he had only been at the initial Divine Dwelling stage, while Li Xuan was most likely already at the Heavenly Sun stage since he was a Chosen of the previous generation.

  Li Xuan might have heard of Zhou Yuan and had most likely laughed him off. An initial Divine Dwelling expert was not worthy of his attention.

  Zuoqiu Qingyu hesitated for a moment before asking, “Zhou Yuan, will you...will you help us?”

  Although she knew Zhou Yuan had extraordinary status in the Tianyuan Region, this matter was far too big. Once he got involved, he would have to face the Sacred Race.

  Hence, Zuoqiu Qingyu was not certain if Zhou Yuan would be willing. After all, he was now a Tianyuan Region grand elder and needed to be responsible for the Tianyuan Region team’s safety.

  Luluo did not say anything. She merely looked at Zhou Yuan with expectant eyes.

  The numerous surrounding gazes converged onto Zhou Yuan.

  He stared at the rising flames, displaying no hesitation as he smiled and said, “Although I’m currently a Tianyuan Region grand elder, my roots are in Cangxuan Heaven. This is an unchangeable fact. My feelings for the Cangxuan Sect are no weaker than the Tianyuan Region.

  “If the Cangxuan Sect is in danger, I will definitely come to their aid. Of course, this is my decision, not the Tianyuan Region team’s. They will make their own choice.”

  Zuoqiu Qingyu bit her lip, her eyes dazzling as she stared at Zhou Yuan.

  Luluo rubbed her tearing eyes and said, “Zhou Yuan, I’m so touched, but if you go alone, won’t you be going to your death?”

  Zhou Yuan curled his lips and said, “You’re the one who will be going to your death. I’m pretty strong now.”

  “Hey, you’re the leader of our Tianyuan Region team. How can you go off by yourself?” Qin Lian rolled her eyes at Zhou Yuan. “And you’re also a grand elder. If something happens to you, how will we explain this to supreme sovereign Zhuan Zhu?

  “So don’t say such meaningless things!”

  She looked towards Zuoqiu Qingyu and Luluo as her expression softened somewhat. “What’s the Sacred Palace team’s numbers like, and how strong are they? And the Sacred Race team, is there any information you have to share on them?”

  While she was questioning them, Qin Lian cast a glance at Zhou Yuan and said, “We have to at least find out this information so we can come up with a plan, right?”

  Zuoqiu Qingyu quickly answered Qin Lian in detail. Of course, it was limited to what she knew.

  Qin Lian fell silent for a brief moment before she said, “The Sacred Palace team is not much of a threat. The only uncertainty is the Sacred Race team, but from what we know, it’s not the entire force of one of the Sacred Race heavens, but a subteam.”

  “Only a subteam?” Zuoqiu Qingyu could not help but say. A subteam had destroyed the elites from the various factions of Cangxuan Heaven? If senior brother Chu Qing had not stepped up, the Cangxuan Heaven team would have suffered even heavier losses.

  Qin Lian calmly said, “If it was the entire force of a Sacred Race heaven...you guys would have been wiped out.”

  Although her words were a little cruel, it was the truth. Cangxuan Heaven was the weakest of the heavens, and their strong
est faction, the Sacred Palace, had also betrayed them. The full power of an entire Sacred Race heaven team would certainly be able to easily destroy such a force, leaving at most a handful of survivors.

  “But if it’s only a Sacred Race subteam, our Tianyuan Regino should be able to take them down.” Qin Lian looked at Zhou Yuan. “Please remember your status. You’re a Tianyuan Region grand elder that has the authority to command everyone from the Tianyuan Region. Don’t try and handle everything by yourself because it’s your personal matter. We will never agree for you to go alone.”

  Zuoqiu Qingyu’s and Luluo’s eyes immediately brightened. They understood what Qin Lian was trying to say: the entire Tianyuan Region will be coming to their aid.

  Moreover, it was all because of Zhou Yuan.

  Zuoqiu Qingyu joyfully said, “Thank you. Senior brother Chu Qing has also said that we can give up some of the ancestral qi branch channels we discovered to anyone who helps us.”

  Although the Tianyuan Region team was basically helping because of Zhou Yuan, they did not want the Tianyuan Region to help for nothing. There should be some reward so both sides could be happy.

  Qin Lian nodded. The other party’s tactful response had bettered her impression of them. “Although it's only a Sacred Race subteam, we cannot be careless. No one knows whether the main team would be drawn over. Hence, we have to first inform the other Hunyuan Heaven factions so that we can call for reinforcements if the situation requires it.”

  Zhou Yuan nodded in agreement. If they encountered the main force of any Sacred Race heaven, it would be impossible for the Tianyuan Region to stop them alone. Qin Lian’s plan was the most reliable.

  Hence, he gave Qin Lian a thumbs up, his eyes filled with appreciation. He said, “Very meticulous. Elder Qin Lian has yet to find a cultivation companion, right? My Cangxuan Sect’s senior brother Chu Qing is actually a pretty good choice, but he’s bald. Shall I introduce him to you?”

  He felt that they were very compatible. Qin Lian was capable, efficient and direct. It would certainly be very interesting to see what would happen when she met senior brother Chu Qing, who refused to voluntarily do anything unless you placed a knife to his neck.