Atop the mountain peak.

Zhou Yuan’s clothes fluttered, his eyes suffused with a sliver of iciness as he stared at Xiao Tianxuan some distance away.

Not only had the latter caused him to pay extra in the auction for no good reason, Xiao Tianxuan had even placed a bounty on Zhou Yuan, causing him no small amount of trouble. It was now finally time for these debts to be cleared.

Xiao Tianxuan did not seem to mind Zhou Yuan’s icy gaze, instead, mockery appeared on the former’s face as he coldly said, "What bold words."

"Do you truly believe that advancing to the Heaven Gate stage makes you invincible? Who here is not also at the Heaven Gate stage?"

"Moreover, so what if your Genesis Qi can reach over 400 feet? At the end of the day, you are merely an initial Heaven Gate practitioner."

His gaze turned towards the numerous restless individuals in the area as he continued to speak, "My bounty I previously placed on his head is still valid. Whoever can take his life will be awarded 5 million Genesis crystals."

Those that stayed were clearly aiming for the bounty. 5 million was no small sum after all, and was more than enough to buy the cultivation resources they needed.

Hence, several gazes filled with ill intent began to turn towards Zhou Yuan.

It was just as Xiao Tianxuan had said. Zhou Yuan’s feat of reaching over 400 feet was indeed stunning, and was more than a testament to his solid foundations. When all was said and done however, he was still only an initial Heaven Gate stage practitioner.

Turning their Genesis Qi into a pillar that was over 400 feet tall was something that several of the advance Heaven Gate stage practitioners present were also capable of.

The current Zhou Yuan was merely an initial Heaven Gate stage practitioner. Although he was one cultivation level higher, this did not make much of a difference to the advance Heaven Gate stage practitioners present.

Therefore, it was not long before a bald man walked out. He had a fierce looking face while cruelness flickered in his eyes. He displayed a savage smile to Zhou Yuan as he said, "I’ve butchered quite a few geniuses, but its my first time dealing with someone like you."

Boom!

Vigorous Genesis Qi exploded from his body, revealing that he was an advance Heaven Gate stage expert.

Bang!

His body lowered slightly and his foot powerfully slammed into the ground, causing it to crack as his figure was sent shooting forward like a cannonball, charging straight at Zhou Yuan.

"Mid grade Black Genesis technique, Metal Devil Head!"

The bald man’s shout was akin to thunder. One could only watch in surprise as he used his head as a weapon, Genesis Qi surging over it as the smooth head took on a gleaming metallic black luster. The terrifying charge blasted away the surrounding air, an attack that was forceful and unyielding to the limit.

The bald man’s attack looked rather comical, but its ferocity still made the expressions of several people present change slightly.

Surprise flitted across Zhou Yuan’s eyes as he watched the black figure ferociously charge towards him. Every individual specialized in a different kind of offense, while this person’s most deadly weapon was his gleaming bald head.

"If it was before breaking through to the Heaven Gate stage, I would have to be a little more cautious about this headbutt." Zhou Yuan softly chuckled. He did not move to avoid the attack, merely slowly closing his five fingers into a fist as tiny scales emerged on the back of his hand, scales that appeared golden.

In a few breaths, a layer of gold python scales had appeared on Zhou Yuan’s hand.

They were the Magical Python Scales. As Zhou Yuan advanced to the Heaven Gate stage, the scales also evolved, turning from the green of the first level to the gold second level.

Color was not the only change, the scales had also clearly grown much stronger.

Zhou Yuan tightened his fist as he stepped forward, sending a punch at the incoming black head, the two forces violently clashing together.

Clang!

A loud clang rang out at the moment of impact, before a shockwave that could be seen with the naked eye swept outwards, causing crack after crack to grow from under Zhou Yuan’s feet.

Bang!

A split second after these cracks appeared, everyone watched as Zhou Yuan’s fist continued forward, sending the bald man’s body flying backwards even quicker than he had arrived with a miserable cry.

Thud thud!

Blood flowed from the bald man’s head as his body was sent flying into the forest, smashing through several giant trees before slowly coming to a stop. His figure was only visible for a brief moment before being buried by numerous broken trees.

No one knew whether he was dead or alive.

Silence, complete silence.

Everyone blankly watched this scene as they swallowed a mouthful of saliva. No one had expected that the ferocious headbutt charge of the bald man would end up with him being sent flying with a single punch from Zhou Yuan.

The bald man had put his everything into that attack, not to mention that he was also an advance Heaven Gate expert. The might of his earlier blow was so great that those of the same cultivation level had no choice but to avoid it.

But... why had he been sent flying by a single punch from Zhou Yuan?

Gaze after gaze stared at Zhou Yuan in a strange manner. Although the latter had just ascended to the Heaven Gate stage, the power he possessed was clearly extremely astonishing.

Under numerous shocked gazes, Zhou Yuan lowered his head in surprise and looked at his gold scale covered fist. The power of the earlier punch had likewise also exceeded his expectations.

"Is this the effect of the gold Magical Python Scales..." Zhou Yuan quickly understood as amazement flitted across his eyes.

It turned out that the second level of the Magical Python Scales could not only form a defensive layer to protect him, but also amplify his strength and power.

According to Zhou Yuan’s estimate, the places where the gold scales appeared would multiply the power released from there.

Zhou Yuan laughed. He looked towards the crowd that had been awed by his punch and said, "Is there anyone else who wants the bounty? If so, please hurry up."

Everyone looked to each other, bitterly shaking their heads in the end as they began to withdraw.

Zhou Yuan’s earlier punch had already made clear his strength. It was not known whether the advance Heaven Gate bald man was dead or alive after receiving a single punch, and most of them were at best only equal in strength to the latter. If they stubbornly chose not to back off, they would likely end up with the same fate as the bald man.

Therefore, although Genesis crystals were valuable, they were not worth one’s own life.

Given the current situation, people like them could no longer interfere.

Zhou Yuan nodded his head in satisfaction when he saw them withdraw. He could not be bothered with these people, and they would only waste his energy. Hence, his gaze turned towards Xiao Tianxuan.

𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

The latter’s expression was currently extremely ugly, clearly surprised that the bald man did not cause even a single injury to Zhou Yuan. Instead, the bald man had even become an example for others, making them too intimidated to interfere any longer.

Xiao Tianxuan took in a deep breath, his grim expression gradually returning to an expressionless one.

He stared at Zhou Yuan, killing intent flooding out in his eyes as his hand slowly closed around the fiery-red long spear that appeared within it.

Powerful Genesis Qi erupted from his body like a storm, shaking the surrounding space.

An overwhelming pressure enveloped the area.

The numerous gazes in the vicinity looked towards him in respect. Xiao Tianxuan’s strength was clearly a different level than ordinary advance Heaven Gate experts.

The spear in his hand was slowly raised, pointing towards Zhou Yuan as an icy voice sounded across the mountain.

"I originally wanted to save myself the trouble, but it seems that I have to do this personally. Well... guess I’ll save myself 5 million Genesis crystals."

The numerous figures on the mountain began to back away, their gazes filled with searing anticipation as they looked towards Xiao Tianxuan. Was the junior city lord of Saint Remains City finally going to fight?