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.