As Yuan Hong"s deep voice boomed across the cultivation platform, a heart palpitating Genesis Qi pressure slowly spread from his body.
Crack!
Crack after crack began to grow from the ground under his feet.
Yuan Hong"s clothes loudly flapped without wind.
Some of the nearby figures could not help but back away to create some distance, their eyes filled with terror.
Pleased looks flowed out in the eyes of Lu Hong"s disciples as they viciously glared at Zhou Yuan. To think that this foolish kid actually dared to act so arrogantly before senior brother Yuan Hong. This truly was seeking one"s own humiliation.
In comparison, worried looks appeared on the faces of Shen Taiyuan"s disciples.
"Zhou Yuan is way too reckless." Lu Yan could not help but remark. Throwing Wu Hai down the cliff in front of Yuan Hong was basically a clear provocation.
Although it was very relieving to watch, angering Yuan Hong was obviously not a rational choice.
Though she did not know how Zhou Yuan had defeated the unprepared Wu Hai, Yuan Hong and Wu Hai were clearly on different levels.
Zhou Yuan could likewise feel the pressure pulsing from Yuan Hong"s body, causing his eyes to narrow slightly. The one who managed to become the strongest and most popular contender for the upcoming Saint Genesis Peak chief disciple selection was indeed a formidable individual.
However, Zhou Yuan did not give in.
He had been relatively compliant in the past, but it seemed that his tolerance had instead been viewed as a display of weakness, which led to Wu Hai and gang actually daring to do such a thing to his close friend.
If he so easily let Wu Hai off today, such incidents would never stop. Hence, even when Yuan Hong appeared, Zhou Yuan had no intentions of patching things up but instead chose to proceed in the most uncompromising manner.
Jade light flowed on the surface of Zhou Yuan"s body as Genesis Qi star after star began to light up in his Qi Dwelling, surging towards his four limbs.
Meanwhile, he made a grabbing motion with his hand, causing the Heavenly Yuan Brush to fly over from its snug spot in the cliff.
In the face of an opponent like Yuan Hong, Zhou Yuan clearly did not dare to show any negligence.
The tip of the brush was pointed towards the ground at an angle as Zhou Yuan calmly said, "Senior brother Yuan Hong, since Wu Hai has done something wrong, he will naturally have to pay for his actions. This is something no one can change."
A faint hint of mockery rose from the corners of Yuan Hong"s mouth. "Even if a disciple from our faction has done something wrong, we will naturally be the ones to discipline him. What right do you think you have?"
"Even Zhao Tai and Zhang Yan do not dare to be so unbridled before me. What more the likes of you?!"
"You dare to throw my junior brother down the cliff in front of me? Since that is the case, you shall accompany him at the bottom!"
Boom!
The instant Yuan Hong"s final words thundered, an extremely powerful surge Genesis Qi abruptly exploded from his body. It transformed into a several hundred feet wide giant hand that ferociously swung down onto Zhou Yuan.
The surging power within it was enough to split mountains.
The Genesis Qi hand swatted with matchless violence, creating a palm print on the ground even before it landed.
Yuan Hong"s attack revealed his astonis.h.i.+ng strength. In the face of this hand attack, the expressions of every disciple present changed.
Zhou Yuan"s eyes widened slightly, similarly feeling the overwhelming power in Yuan Hong"s attack. The former tightened his grip around the Heavenly Yuan Brush, ready to meet this formidable foe with his full might.
"Stop!"
However, just as Zhou Yuan was about to take action, a loud yell once again sounded from above the cultivation platform.
A glowing figure swiftly flew over and landed in front of Zhou Yuan. It was Zhou Tai.
"Scram!" However, Yuan Hong showed no indication of stopping, his Genesis Qi palm attack growing increasingly ferocious instead with an icy shout.
Anger erupted in Zhou Tai"s eyes when he saw this. With a stomp of his foot, torrential Genesis Qi dashed out from the top of his head, also transforming into a Genesis Qi hand that thrust forward.
Boom!
Two giant Genesis Qi hands clashed viciously in mid-air. A devastating shockwave unfurled, causing crack after crack to grow on the cultivation platform.
While the two Genesis Qi hands pushed against each other, Zhou Tai was the first to let out a groan. His expression was extremely grave as Genesis Qi continued to surge out, because Yuan Hong"s Genesis Qi hand was slowly but surely inching forward.
Yuan Hong clearly had the upper hand in this clash.
A storm seemed to churn in Yuan Hong"s eyes as he coldly said, "Zhou Tai, did you really think that you will be a match for me? Is this all your faction has?"
Behind Zhou Tai, Zhou Yuan tightly gripped the Heavenly Yuan Brush as he prepared to back up his senior.
"Humph, Yuan Hong, you are too arrogant. Did you think there"s no one else in our faction?"
But before he could move, another icy shout was heard. A glowing figure appeared beside Zhou Tai, revealing itself to be Zhang Yan.
Although Zhang Yan and Zhou Tai were usually at odds with each other, the former naturally could not idly sit by and watch Zhou Tai suffer when Yuan Hong was bullying their faction.
Rumble!
Zhang Yan"s sleeves flapped as two hundred feet long Genesis Qi streams poured out. Like two hissing giant pythons, they slammed themselves into the giant Genesis Qi hand.
Cah cah!
With Zhang Yan inserting himself in, the three Genesis Qi attacks clashed in the air. In the end, all three attacks simultaneously destroyed each other with a boom, causing a shockwave to sweep outwards.
Yuan Hong waved his sleeve, scattering the shockwave as he frostily stared at Zhou Tai and Zhang Yan with a mocking smile, "Are the two of you planning to join forces?"
"Haha, fine then, show me how capable both of you are!"
He laughed as he took a step forward in an imposing and eager manner, not the slightest bit afraid of Zhou Tai and Zhang Yan.
In the face of the overbearing Hong Yuan, Zhou Tai and Zhang Yan"s expressions turned grave as vigorous Genesis Qi spiralled around their bodies.
The numerous disciples watched this scene in shock and awe. Were the top disciples from these two factions really going to go at it even before the start of the chief disciple selection?
Three figures stood facing each other, as the surging Genesis Qi around them grew stronger and stronger.
"Hey, the law enforcement group is coming, are you guys still going to continue fighting?" While the trio bristled with hostility, a clear voice sounded. It was the nearby Lu Yan who had spoken.
The trio"s Genesis Qi paused as they lifted their heads to peer into the distance. Sure enough, they saw several glowing figures flying towards them.
Yuan Hong frowned as the Genesis Qi around him receded.
Zhou Tai and Zhang Yan breathed a small sigh of relief when they saw this as the Genesis Qi around them shrank back into their bodies.
"The two of you are quite lucky. I originally planned on crippling you guys here so your faction will no longer need to partic.i.p.ate in the chief disciple selection next month." Said Yuan Hong with an expressionless face.
Zhang Yan laughed loudly in anger, "What big words!"
Zhou Tai followed up, "We will naturally seek you out in the chief disciple selection to have a taste of your skills."
Yuan Hao merely chuckled. His fierce tiger-like gaze turned towards Zhou Yuan behind as he extended a finger and waved it in the air.
"Zhou Yuan if you have even a shred of rationality left, voluntarily seal your Genesis Qi and jump off the cliff. Once that is done, I shall consider today"s matter settled."
"Or else… even if you managed to escape this time, you won"t be so lucky next time."
"If we meet in the chief disciple selection… it will be far too late for regrets."
His tone was calm, without even the slightest hint of anger, as if he was talking about an insignificant manner. It was obvious that he had never viewed Zhou Yuan as a threat since the very beginning.
Countless gazes were cast towards Zhou Yuan. Given Yuan Hong"s status and strength, anyone would be tremendously pressured by such words.
Zhou Yuan could not help but laugh when he heard this, before he slowly said with a small pause between each word, "Senior brother Yuan Hong, we"ll see each other in the chief disciple selection."
Yuan Hong"s sharp gaze stared at Zhou Yuan. Moments later, he smiled, but it was a smile devoid of all warmth, making anyone who saw it feel chills ripple in their bodies.
"Zhou Tai, Zhang Yan. It seems that a tough one has emerged from your faction…"
"I only hope that he will still be as tough when we meet in the chief disciple selection…"
He indifferently withdrew his gaze, not giving a single glance more to Zhou Yuan as he waved his hand.
"Let"s go."
His figure rose into the air as the other Lu Hong disciples quickly followed.
As Lu Hong"s faction left, the tense atmosphere on the cultivation platform slowly faded away.
Zhou Tai and Zhang Yan watched Lu Hong leave, before they looked to each other, finding the same sliver of graveness in the other"s eyes. Although the earlier exchange had been brief, they had clearly felt the tremendous pressure brought by Yuan Hong.
It seemed that a bitter fight was unavoidable in the upcoming chief disciple selection.
Zhou Tai turned his head towards Zhou Yuan and asked, "Junior brother Zhou Yuan, are you alright?"
Zhou Yuan responded with a smile and a shake of his head.
Zhang Yan let out a cold snort. "You"re not very capable and yet you have quite a temper. Do you think the likes of you can afford to offend Yuan Hong?"
He left these words behind as he turned around to leave. There was after all not much friends.h.i.+p between them, and he had only interceded earlier because Yuan Hong was looking down on their faction.
Zhou Yuan could only chuckle upon seeing this. There was no point bickering about this matter.
Zhou Tai patted Zhou Yuan"s shoulder in consolation, before he too bid his goodbyes. However, Zhou Yuan could see the sliver of worry in the former"s eyes, a sign that he was feeling the pressure even more after today"s brief exchange with Yuan Hong.
Zhou Yuan looked towards the direction Yuan Hong had left in, as his eyes narrowed slightly for a moment.
Yuan Hong was indeed a very formidable foe.
Zhou Yuan"s fingers clenched tightly as he lowered his head to look at his glowing skin.
It seems that he needed to redouble his training for this final stretch.