The mountain top was a mess. A deep, dark crack ran through the middle of the plaza, nearly splitting it into two. At the end of the crack, Yuan Hong’s figure lay amidst a pile of rubble.

It was deathly silent outside the chief disciple peak.

Every gaze could only blankly stare at this scene in shock. Yuan Hong had been so calm and unruffled since the start of the chief disciple selection, and had not been the least disadvantaged even against the trio of Zhou Tai, Lu Yan and Zhang Yan.

In comparison with Zhou Yuan, Yuan Hong had truly seemed invincible.

Hence, when the numerous disciples were shocked to the core at the sight of the seemingly unstoppable Yuan Hong being blown away by a punch from Zhou Yuan.

One must know that Zhou Yuan was being completely overwhelmed by Yuan Hong a short period ago.

But it was this very short period of time in which Zhou Yuan seemed to have undergone a complete metamorphosis.

Who could have anticipated that Zhou Yuan would be able to release such terrifying power?

At Shen Taiyuan’s faction, without even mentioning the ordinary disciples, even Shen Taiyuan himself could not help but be slack jawed, as he stared at this scene in a daze.

Shen Taiyuan had honestly lost all hope when Zhou Tai and the other two had been defeated earlier. After all, although Zhou Yuan was doing pretty well, there was still a substantial gap between him and Yuan Hong.

Hence, Shen Taiyuan had already been prepared for defeat.

He never would have imagined that the situation would suddenly take such an unexpected twist.

A surprise like this had truly caught him a little off guard.

But as the surprise began to pass, Shen Taiyuan could only look towards the glowing silver figure on the mountain top with unequaled gratification, as a rejoicing mood infected his heart.

He was rejoicing his choice of standing his ground against the majority back then to select Zhou Yuan and give him the greatest support possible.

In the very distant future, this choice of his would perhaps become the most successful decision he had made over the years.

While Shen Taiyuan was sighing deeply with emotion, the nearby elder Lu Song was breathing a soft sigh of relief. Though he had already chosen to back down in this chief disciple selection, he still felt his heart stir a little when he saw Zhou Yuan blowing away Yuan Hong.

After all, he too had felt a small desire to recruit Zhou Yuan as his disciple back then, but had ultimately chosen not to fight with Shen Taiyuan such as to maintain a friendly relationship.

He was now beginning to feel a little regret at that decision back then.

If Zhou Yuan truly succeeded in obtaining the chief disciple seat, Shen Taiyuan’s faction would gain the possibility of becoming the master faction of Saint Genesis Peak. Shen Taiyuan’s status would also rise, surpassing Lu Song’s.

“That old fogey…”

He sighed as he looked towards Shen Taiyuan with envy.

“His foresight is really something.”

Even further away from them, the celebratory atmosphere over Lu Hong’s faction had once again turned to silence, the faces of numerous disciples overwhelmed with shock. This was the first time they had seen Yuan Hong in such a position for so many years.

And the one who had created this scene was merely a newly promoted fourth layer purple sash disciple.

The disciples sneaked quick glances at Lu Hong, only to discover a stormy and somewhat twisted expression on the latter’s old face. He quietly grinded his teeth as he stared at the figure atop the mountain with both alarm and seething rage.

Zhou Yuan had never really entered his eyes. In fact, Lu Hong had not been too worried even when the former defeated Wu Hai and the other four, because there was still Yuan Hong.

In Lu Hong’s opinion, when Zhou Yuan encountered Yuan Hong, he would naturally understand the tremendous gap between them.

When that happened, Yuan Hong would naturally take back all the face they had lost.

But Lu Hong never expected the situation to take such a turn...

The sudden explosion of power from Zhou Yuan had stunned everyone, including Lu Hong.

He took in a deep breath, the sure-win attitude he had from before already beginning to crack a little. Fortunately, the worst scenario had yet to occur.

It would not be so easy for Zhou Yuan to take the chief disciple seat from Yuan Hong.

“Show me just how capable you are!”

Lu Hong gnashed his teeth, an ominous light flashing in his eyes as he stared at the figure on the peak.

…

On the peak, Zhou Tai, Zhang Yan and Lu Yan’s mouths were hanging wide up, the astonishment on their faces not fading even after so long. The sudden turn of events had truly shocked them to their core.

Who could have imagined that Zhou Yuan would send Yuan Hong flying with a punch...

One must know that even the trio's combined efforts earlier had failed to even put a single dent on Yuan Hong. And yet, Zhou Yuan had achieved what they had failed to.

So what did this mean?

It meant that Zhou Yuan’s strength had surpassed their combined might.

The trio had dull, sluggish looks on their faces, especially Lu Yan and Zhang Yan. The two of them had nitpicked on Zhou Yuan the most, and even genuinely felt that he would be a burden in this chief disciple selection.

Never in their wildest dreams would they have imagined that the very person they had looked down on, would actually possess strength that surpassed even the trio’s combined might.

This made their expressions turn extremely complicated.

Zhou Yuan brandished the Heavenly Yuan Brush, its sharp tip pointed towards the ground at an angle as Genesis Qi pulsed from it.

His tranquil gaze looked towards the glaring deep crack, pausing on the pile of rubble at the very end. Though his earlier attack had been rather swift and fierce, and had made Yuan Hong suffer somewhat, the former could sense that the latter had not sustained any fatal injuries.

This opponent was also unexpectedly difficult for Zhou Yuan.

However, Zhou Yuan also felt that he had nothing to fear. After all, he had succeeded in pulling through the most dire juncture earlier. What’s more, the situation was already beginning to turn.

The newly acquired silver bone stage, plus his Genesis Qi and the Heavenly Yuan Brush made it such that Zhou Yuan’s true battle power was no weaker than Yuan Hong’s peak eighth layer strength.

“You’ve already lost your final chance by choosing not to crush me earlier.”

Iciness surfaced in Zhou Yuan’s eyes. In the next instant, his foot powerfully pushed off the ground, sending his figure shooting forward and appearing above the pile of rubble.

“Are you only able to hide like a mouse now?”

Zhou Yuan let out an icy laugh as he swung the Heavenly Yuan Brush. Dreadful power poured down, instantly turning the countless rocks below to power.

A pitch-black brush fell with unmatched force, causing the surrounding ground to crumble as it darted towards the depths of the crack.

Swish!

As the brush descended with terrifying power, a ray of scarlet light suddenly soared out from the pitch-black darkness, and ultimately collided with the brush.

Clang!

A loud and clear sound of metal striking metal echoed.

A frightening shockwave of Genesis Qi unfurled, devastating the surroundings. It was as if the giant plaza had been relentlessly plowed, as cracks continuously appeared on the mountain top.

Some distance away, Zhou Tai, Zhang Yan and Lu Yan were caught in the aftershocks, causing their figures to be swept away as blood spurted from their mouths.

However, they ignored their injuries and focused instead on the clash.

Zhou Yuan’s figure was flung backwards, his feet drawing two long marks on the ground.

He stared to the front, where Yuan Hong’s figure emerged once again from the scattering dust.

His clothes were in tatters and hair a mess, making him cut quite the sorry figure. However, his eyes were currently akin to wild beast’s, filled with savageness and ferocity.

Vigorous Genesis Qi rose around him, causing a tremendous pressure to spread.

The most eye-catching thing, however, was the object he was tightly gripping with both hands, a scarlet-red edgeless broadsword that seemed to tower in front of him.

Intense heat spread from the sword, that was seemingly capable of melting the ground.

Yuan Hong’s hands rested on the pommel of the sword as the surrounding Genesis Qi frantically converged towards him, causing his aura to rise.

Countless gazes looked towards the broadsword in Yuan Hong’s hands, as their pupils shrank slightly .

“Low grade Heaven Genesis Weapon, Heaven Flame Sword!”

Several cries of surprise rang out across the area.

High up in the sky, peak master Lianyi let out an icy chuckle when she saw this, turning towards peak master Ling Jun as she said, “From what I know, that Heaven Flame Sword should belong to Sword Cometh Peak, right?”

Peak master Ling Jun’s eyelids lowered slightly as he nonchalantly replied, “Due to the spectacular ability displayed by Yuan Hong in Sword Cometh Peak, I bestowed this sword to him before he left for Saint Genesis Peak.”

Peak master Lianyi coldly snorted, her tone filled with mockery.

Outside the chief disciple peak, Lu Hong breathed a sigh of relief, before gritting his teeth once more.

“Blasted brat… since you’ve forced Yuan Hong to bring out even the Heaven Flame Sword, you should prepare yourself to pay a very painful price!”

From what he could see, bringing out the Heaven Flame Sword meant that Yuan Hong was finally going to use his true power.