Boom!

Two powerful attacks, each at the pinnacle of their respective user’s strength, flew towards each other in the sky above the chief disciple peak, while countless gazes watched in shock.

Everyone could feel that the two individuals had already squeezed out every drop of their power, making these attacks their strongest possible strikes.

Outside the chief disciple peak, both Shen Taiyuan and Lu Hong were unable to turn their gazes away, even forgetting to breathe for the moment.

They knew that both Zhou Yuan and Yuan Hong were basically at their limits by this point in the fight, and the final outcome was soon to appear.

Lu Hong’s expression was the uglier of the two, because he never imagined that the very same person he had originally believed they need not pay any attention to, would be the one to force Yuan Hong so far.

What’s more, even bringing out a trump card like the Sword Feeding Technique had actually failed to achieve a crushing victory.

"God damnit!"

A curse was spat out from the cracks between Yuan Hong’s teeth, his eyes filled with regret and frustration. If he had known what a problem that brat would be, they would have immediately changed their strategy to concentrate all their power into dealing with Zhou Yuan.

However, it was already too late for regrets, and even Lu Hong could only nervously wait for the eventual result.

...

Under the countless watching gazes, Zhou Yuan’s black brush hair covered fist plowed through the sky, blasting away the surrounding air as it ruthlessly collided with Yuan Hong’s scarlet-red sword superimposed fist.

Clang!

At the instant of impact, the entire world seemed to freeze for a moment.

Next, a several thousand feet large Genesis Qi storm exploded from the point of collision, madly sweeping outwards.

Even the numerous disciples outside the chief disciple peak could clearly feel the berserk energies within a storm of this scale. Cracks spread across the entire peak as the mountain top crumbled once more.

At the epicenter, Yuan Hong’s scarlet-red eyes were locked onto Zhou Yuan, who was mere inches away, as he roared through gritted teeth, "A new disciple dares to stop me from becoming the chief disciple? Delusional!"

Genesis Qi frantically gushed out from his body as he roared, rippling the space around him.

The scarlet-red silhouette of a sword superimposed on his arm grew clearer and clearer, making it appear as if his arm was the Heaven Flame Sword itself, as increasingly deadly and hot undulations pulsed from it.

However, Zhou Yuan’s expression remained calmly indifferent in response to roaring from Yuan Hong’s twisted face. The former’s fist clenched even harder, the pitch-black hairs wrapped around it like a gauntlet gleaming with a deep, bottomless luster.

"Get! Out! Of! My! Way!"

A bellow rang out from Zhou Yuan’s throat, his fist slightly pulling back, before brazenly punching forward a split second later.

Clang!

The first that seemed to be covered by a black gauntlet smashed into Yuan Hong’s fist like metal striking metal, as an enormous shockwave unfurled once more.

Yuan Hong’s pupils violently shrank at this moment. He had felt an indescribable boundless power rush towards him. As the power poured out, faint red cracks began to appear on his sword-like arm.

Crack!

His entire arm seemed to shatter at this instant.

Next, countless gazes watched in astonishment as Yuan Hong’s figure hurtled down from the sky like a cannonball.

Wind rapidly rushed past his ears as a look of fear and shock appeared on Yuan Hong’s face. It was as if he never expected Zhou Yuan’s punch to have reached such a frighteningly powerful level!

The Heaven Flame Sword in his body seemed to emit a mournful cry.

Boom!

His body landed on the mountain top, followed by several loud booming sounds, as the already crumbling mountain top fully collapsed.

Yuan Hong’s body pierced into the mountain, ultimately stopping deep in its bowels.

The body of the mountain began to cave in as the entire peak started to crumble.

The sight of such destructive power caused the numerous watching disciples to suck in a cold breath of air.

The entire place was completely silent.

Countless gazes shifted away from the collapsed chief disciple peak in shock, to find Zhou Yuan’s figure standing in the air as the brush hairs on his fist swiftly receded.

Blood flowed down his hand, dripping from his fingertips.

The earlier punch had been unequaled in ferocity. As a result, the resultant force had also been extremely frightening. If not for his progress in external cultivation, Zhou Yuan’s arm would have been torn to pieces.

He looked downwards with a frosty gaze at the still collapsing chief disciple peak. His gaze followed the tumbling rubble, and found Yuan Hong’s figure lying amidst numerous boulders in the bowels of the mountain.

His entire body was drenched in blood, his somewhat crooked arm clearly broken in quite a number of places.

A look of terror was still present on Yuan Hong’s face as he struggled to lift his head. His gaze penetrated the falling boulders to find the figure high up in the sky.

He emitted a struggling hiss from his throat as he reached out to grab at the figure with some difficulty.

His eyes were filled with an intense unresigned look.

He never imagined that he would actually lose to Zhou Yuan...

A new disciple he had never even registered as a threat... had managed to defeat him?! The almighty Yuan Hong?!

The gazes of two individuals met amidst the falling boulders.

"I... I refuse to accept this!! How can you possibly have defeated me?!" A hoarse howl of rage was accompanied by a gush blood.

His body glowed with scarlet light. In the end, a sword shot out, wailing as it stabbed into the ground beside him. It was the Heaven Flame Sword.

The Heaven Genesis Weapon had already turned extremely dim, a sign that it had also sustained serious damage.

After the Heaven Flame Sword left his body, the light in Yuan Hong’s eyes began to waver. He stared at the cold eyes of the young figure in the sky, as his outstretched hand slowly began to fall...

No matter how unresigned he was, Yuan Hong understood that in this chief disciple selection...

He had lost.

...

Boulders continued to tumble down, covering the giant pit.

Urgh.

In the air, Zhou Yuan spat out a mouthful of blood and saliva as the Genesis Qi around him gradually weakened. The intense battle had been an extremely difficult one for him.

If he failed to ascend to the fifth layer at the end, he would have no choice but to bring out Silver Shadow.

Currently, by borrowing Yuan Hong’s power, Zhou Yuan had not only mastered the silver bone stage, but also stepped into the fifth layer, a very satisfactory and perfect end indeed.

Zhou Yuan wiped away the blood at the corner of his mouth and raised his head to glance at a certain spot in the distance, where Zhou Tai, Lu Yan and Zhang Yan were gathered, staring at him with gazes that were a mix between shock and horror.

It was as if they had seen a ghost.

Due to their close proximity, they had witnessed how Zhou Yuan had made a comeback from a near hopeless situation, and ultimately crushed Yuan Hong under his heel.

The resultant shock was so intense that it was impossible to increase it any further.

Lu Yan swallowed again and again, a complicated expression on her pretty face.

How could she have ever imagined that the new disciple she always looked down on would end up defeating Yuan Hong, doing something that even the combined efforts of the three top tier purple sash disciples had failed to achieve.

"Junior brother Zhou Yuan... this is... too fierce, right?" Mumbled Zhou Tai.

Zhang Yan was silent, but the shock in his eyes was unconcealable. In fact, there was even a trace of respect in his gaze when he looked at Zhou Yuan.

Zhou Yuan smiled at them, before turning to the side towards the still dazedly standing Han Yu. The only person left who had yet to be eliminated was her.

"Senior sister Han Yu, shall we have a little bout?" Zhou Yuan grinned.

Once he eliminated Han Yu, he would be the only remaining participant, and the chief disciple position would naturally become his.

Han Yu was first stunned by these words, before she anxiously backed away as if having seen some kind of terrifying creature. In the end, she fainted.

Basically scared out of consciousness.

Zhou Yuan was stunned by this sight for a moment, before he awkwardly scratched his head, split between whether to laugh or to cry. It seems that watching him beat Yuan Hong earlier had terrified her too much, making Han Yu unable to bear the physiological stress of facing Zhou Yuan now.

However, being unconscious meant that she was now disqualified.

He was the only remaining participant in the entire chief disciple peak.

At this thought, even Zhou Yuan felt his heart begin to rise in his chest.

He lifted his head, looking towards the sky as he cupped his fists together.

"The Saint Genesis Peak chief disciple selection is over, will sect master please bestow the title onto me."

His clear and powerful voice sounded in the silent surroundings.