But Zhou Yuan didn’t feel anxious. He already knew that Jiu Gong was much more skilled than Xue Jingtao. Given her mastery in Genesis Runes and her advantageous position within the boundary, it was already a pretty good result for him to destroy two nodes.
He only needed to move forward steadily and not be impatient. Otherwise, he could easily fall into her trap.
Thus, Zhou Yuan began to slow down. He carefully deduced and observed the subtle changes within the boundary before advancing forward.
For the next hour, Zhou Yuan and Jiu Gong repeatedly fought several rounds, but the battle’s outcome still remained undecided. As the nodes continued to shatter, Zhou Yuan’s team also suffered significant damage, with some eliminated from Fallen Abyss after suffering the boundary’s impact.
But overall, as Zhou Yuan occupied more and more nodes, the situation seemed to tilt towards his side.
Outside of the ice mountain, Yuan Kun and Yi Qiushui could feel the boundary weakening little by little.
Yuan Kun didn’t say a word. Although that appeared to be the case, he possessed a keen sense like a Genesis beast, so when the situation seemed to tilt towards Zhou Yuan’s side, he felt a little uneasy. He knew Jiu Gong was very difficult to deal with. And he knew this very well.
Is Jiu Gong really unable to withstand his attacks?
....
On the top of the ice mountain, Jiu Gong wore a solemn expression as she stared at the dimming nodes, but there wasn’t a hint of panic on her face.
An urgent voice sounded all of a sudden, “Senior sister Jiu Gong, the twelfth node has been destroyed!”
Jiu Gong’s eyes glinted fiercely. She straightened her back and stared at a certain place on the light screen. Her red lips suddenly curved upwards, and her clear voice sounded, “Zhou Yuan, you are impressive to have struck so many holes into my Meridian Golden Light Boundary....
“But you mustn’t forget that there is a saying...one will suffer from his own scheming!
“Now that you're inside, don't even think about leaving!”
Jiu Gong held a Genesis Rune brush in her slender hand, and its tip drew across the void like a bolt of lightning, forming a series of ancient Genesis Runes. They sprang into the sky and integrated into the boundary.
When they fused with the boundary, a light speck in the depths of the light screen grew brighter.
With a fierce glint in her eyes, Jiu Gong looked terrifying as she whispered to herself, “Zhou Yuan, since you could force my Meridian Golden Light Boundary to this point, I must admit that your ability is remarkable, but unfortunately for you, I will be the one to win in the end!
“Meridian Golden Thunderbolt, break out!”
Boom!
A violent voice reverberated throughout the boundary, and an aura of destruction rapidly rose.
Outside the boundary, Yuan Kun’s face turned ashen. The wave of energy surging out from the boundary sent a chill down his spine. He realized that this was Jiu Gong’s final attack!
She led the enemies deep into the boundary to defeat them with one strike!
Chapter 958 Formation Destroyed
Boom!
Within the golden boundary, berserk waves of Qi gathered, golden light raged, and thunder vaguely echoed.
A heart-pounding power gradually emerged.
Zhou Yuan was aware of the power. His pupils shrank as he stared at the deepest part of the golden boundary. He muttered, “So this is your plan. You had deliberately lured me into the depths to destroy me with one strike. Is this called making a person suffer from his own scheming?
Zhou Yuan's eyes flashed, and he said with a smile, “It's a good plan, but...aren't you afraid of leaving yourself open to attack?”
He drew a deep breath, ignoring the golden boundary that was violently shaking, and issued a series of commands. The rhythm of his attacks accelerated.
Rumble!
His attacks were also far more effective than before.
It was clear that Jiu Gong intended to abandon those nodes, because she was gathering all her power to prepare for a terrifying attack, and a counterattack of that level wasn’t something that Zhou Yuan and his teams could withstand.
Her attack would be enough to reverse the situation.
But Zhou Yuan seemed unconcerned and continued to occupy and break the nodes.
Atop the ice mountain.
“Senior sister Jiu Gong, they are capturing nodes much faster than before!” Urgent voices sounded from all over the place and passed into Jiu Gong’s ears.
Jiu Gong was unconcerned. “It doesn’t matter. Gather all the boundary’s power into the core node. The outcome of the battle will be decided by that.”
“Yes!” many people responded. The golden light boundary began to shrink, and the gathered power grew increasingly terrifying.
Outside the ice mountain, Yuan Kun’s and Yi Qiushui’s faces grew more and more solemn when the two found that the power within the golden light boundary was becoming stronger.
“That power...even I will be severely injured if struck,” Yuan Kun stated.
The Meridian Golden Light Boundary was Jiu Gong’s masterpiece; thus, its power would be no trivial matter if it broke out.
“It’s really troublesome now. It will be difficult for Zhou Yuan to advance or retreat.”
Generally speaking, Zhou Yuan should have led the teams back when he saw the danger before him, but if he retreated, Jiu Gong would be able to quickly recapture the nodes and restore the golden light boundary. Zhou Yuan's previous efforts would then be completely wasted.
If that happened, breaking through the formation would be out of the question.
Therefore, in Yuan Kun's view, Zhou Yuan was truly caught in a very difficult and dangerous situation.
Yuan Kun sighed inwardly and circulated his Genesis Qi, ready to help at any time.
....
Within the golden boundary, Zhou Yuan acted indifferent to the terrifying power gathering together, and he still commanded the teams to occupy the nodes and pushed forward step by step.
But as they advanced, the two regions’ teams began to show fear. They could distinctly feel the destructive power surging ahead of them.
Once that kind of power broke out, their teams would suffer disastrous losses.
Aware of their fear, Zhou Yuan immediately reassured, “It’s already too late to back down. If you don’t want to be eliminated from the competition, listen to my command.”
His sternness made the teams suppress some of their fear of the power ahead. They gritted their teeth and pushed forward once again.
But it was at this moment that the violent, thunder-like rumbling in the boundary’s depths suddenly subsided.
It was this silence that intensified the fear and panic in everyone’s heart. They all knew that the momentary silence was just a prelude to the destructive counterattack that was coming.
Jiu Gong’s counterattack finished forming.
At the top of the ice mountain, her red lips moved slightly, and she breathed out an orchid-like aroma. While her beautiful eyes were intently fixed on the light screen in front of her, her hands folded together, and a chilling voice rang out from the top of the ice mountain.
“It’s over...
“Golden thunder...
“Fly...”
Rumble!
Thunder rumbled in the deepest part of the golden light boundary, and a mighty golden thunderbolt similar to a giant python came roaring out. It charged toward Zhou Yuan and the several teams.
As the golden thunder surged toward them, it quaked the void.
Xue Jingtao, who was somewhere in the boundary, couldn’t stop his eyes from gleaming with excitement when he saw a counterattack of this level.
There is no way Zhou Yuan can survive this!
“Let’s see how arrogant you will be after this!” He gritted his teeth, excited.
Zhou Yuan lifted his head, gazing into the depths of the boundary where the golden
thunderbolt was shooting toward them. Even he shuddered when he saw that kind of power. If he were to withstand the attack alone, he was certain that he would have to use all his strength to protect himself.
Furthermore, he could only protect himself. The other teams would most likely be destroyed directly.
From this point of view, Jiu Gong’s Meridian Golden Light Boundary was indeed extraordinary.
The teams within the boundary turned ashen with fear. If they weren’t the elites of the Tianyuan and Yushuo Regions, they would have already tried to flee.
But even though they were elites, they still felt a little hopeless. How could they withstand an attack of that level?
Just as despair filled them as they watched the terrifying thunderbolt rapidly approach, Zhou Yuan’s calm voice rang in their ears. “Everyone, crush the bamboo slip in your hand. Don't worry, I’m the person who brought you here, so I guarantee that I will take you all out.”
He spoke in an indifferent voice, but that calmness seemed to have some sort of magical power that calmed the despair in their hearts. They peered down at the bamboo slips in their hands, gritted their teeth, and crushed them.
Buzz!
Beams of light shot up into the sky from where they stood.
Countless Genesis Runes fluttered within the pillars of light, turning into strands of light that intertwined and rused with one another.
Gradually, a huge transparent tortoiseshell appeared before them, and numerous Genesis Runes were flowing on the shell’s surface. The shell reflected the golden light, making it appear even more dazzling.
Zhou Yuan stood in front of the tortoiseshell. As he looked at it closely, the corners of his lips curved upwards, and his tensed body slowly relaxed.
He looked at the approaching golden thunderbolt and uttered, “Tortoise Mirror Boundary.”
Boom!
The torrent of golden lightning bombarded the tremendous tortoise mirror, causing the mountains to tremble and the ground to quake violently.
Atop the ice mountain, Jiu Gong cast her beautiful eyes to the mountainside where the collision happened. She gently clenched her hands. The battle’s outcome was about to be decided.
The golden lightning should destroy everything in its way. She peered down at where the golden lightning was raging and wreaking havoc.
Boom!
But it was at this moment that the torrent of golden lightning suddenly vibrated and another torrent of golden lightning counterattacked and clashed with it.
Boom!
Spatial cracks formed in the void.
Jiu Gong’s pupils abruptly shrank, and her eyes widened in shocked disbelief. That golden thunderbolt possesses the boundary’s power. Why and how could it suddenly attack the boundary?
“What’s going on!?”
Genesis Runes whirled in her eyes as she penetrated the golden light with her gaze. She finally saw the huge Genesis Rune Tortoise Mirror.
The golden thunderbolt repeatedly bombarded the mirror, and the attack rebounded. In the end, a tsunami-like counterattack collided with the golden thunderbolt.
“Tortoise Mirror Boundary?!”
Jiu Gong’s expression changed drastically. “How is that possible? How could he set up a Tortoise Mirror Boundary within my boundary?!”
She scanned the nodes Zhou Yuan had occupied, and her eyes suddenly flashed. “It’s those nodes!”
It was precisely by connecting those nodes that Zhou Yuan was able to set up a Tortoise Mirror Boundary so quickly. In other words, Zhou Yuan had constructed a boundary from the foundation of her boundary.
This wasn’t something simple! To do so, he had to possess a deep mastery over Genesis Runes!
Jiu Gong clenched her hands tight, and her heart sank. She realized that Zhou Yuan had been vigilant of her from the very beginning and the Tortoise Mirror Boundary was waiting for her counterattack.
The Tortoise Mirror happened to completely suppress the golden light boundary because of its rebound characteristics! And the rebounded golden thunderbolt would swallow everything.
“So cunning!” Jiu Gong gritted her teeth.
Boom!
A torrent of golden thunderbolt counterattacked, and the light boundary’s remains bore the brunt of the attack. In just a few breaths, the golden lightning vanquished all the nodes.
Boom!
The golden lightning whizzed through the boundary, completely dispersing the golden light filling the sky.
Yuan Kun and the others at the foot of the mountain were stunned to see the huge boundary, which was enveloping the ice mountain, collapse. The true appearance of the ice mountain finally appeared in their sights, and at its summit, the Zixiao Region team stood with a blank face.
The Meridian Golden Light Boundary...it was destroyed?!
Chapter 959 Driven away
The sky was cloudless, and the ice mountain stood tall and majestic like a giant pillar among the mountains.
At this moment, no matter whether it was on or beyond the mountains, everyone was staring wide-eyed at this side of the world. The violent rumble of thunder and the dazzling golden light had long disappeared. And disappearing with them was the Meridian Golden Light Boundary that had previously made it difficult for Yuan Kun and the Yushou Region to advance any further.
At the foot of the mountain, Yuan Kun stared dumbstruck at the scene for a good while, and he finally drew a deep breath and said, “Chief pavilion master Zhou Yuan is indeed quite capable.”
A flicker of jealousy and fear flashed across his eyes. The fact that Zhou Yuan was able to break through the golden light boundary proved that his achievements in Genesis Runes were extremely remarkable.
“Everyone says that the Tianyuan Region’s chief pavilion master doesn’t deserve his fame and that his foundation is lacking, but everything they said must seem ridiculous now.”
Yuan Kun shook his head. He and Zhou Yuan were evenly matched in their previous fight. Although they both hadn’t used all their strength, Yuan Kun still felt he couldn’t beat Zhou Yuan even if he brought out all his trump cards.
Moreover, Zhou Yuan had a deep mastery of Genesis Runes.
Therefore, when Yuan Kun looked at Zhou Yuan again, he felt a hint of mysteriousness emanating from him.
“Xu Ming clashed with Zhou Yuan previously, and given his arrogance, he will certainly try to get vengeance with Zhou Yuan. But Xu Ming will be the one who will suffer in the end.”
A gloating look flashed across Yuan Kun’s narrowed eyes, and immediately after, he waved his hand cheerfully at Yi Qiushui. “Let’s go, Zhou Yuan has broken through the boundary, and we should also enter the mountain.”
The huge Divine Earth Ox marched over, rocking the mountains. Yuan Kun flashed away and appeared on its body. The ox then charged towards the towering ice mountain with a deafening roar.
The remaining teams quickly followed.
On the ice mountain summit.
Jiu Gong fell into a dumbstruck state when the golden light boundary broke. She evidently couldn’t accept this fact.
The Meridian Golden Light Boundary was one of her trump cards. She was confident she could trap anybody in the boundary except for the top four on the Divine Dwelling List. No, Li Tongshen might be somewhat troublesome to deal with because his achievements in Genesis Runes were greater than hers. After all, the Xuanji Region focused on Genesis Qi and Genesis Runes, while the Shengwen Region devoted the majority of their time and energy to Genesis Runes.
This was the reason why even someone as strong as Yuan Kun had left in embarrassment when he had tried to break through the formation.
But Jiu Gong didn’t expect to see her boundary destroyed in Zhou Yuan’s hands. It wasn’t destroyed by one of the top eight on the Divine Dwelling List, but by Zhou Yuan, the rising star whom she had never thought highly of.
Jiu Gong didn’t feel any contempt towards Zhou Yuan, but she thought that Zhou Yuan’s foundation was inferior to the top heaven prides of the o
ther eight regions. This was because Zhou Yuan had risen to fame too quickly and hadn’t faced an opponent considered a top heaven pride.
The top heaven prides were naturally prideful, and it wouldn’t be easy for them to admit that a new rising star was comparable to them.
This was why Jiu Gong felt a little aggrieved when she learned that the outstanding Su Youwei had a close relationship with Zhou Yuan, but such thoughts were destroyed with the golden light boundary.
Chi! Chi!
Many figures appeared behind Jiu Gong one after another. It was the Xuanji Region team. They looked a little dejected, and their morale had been greatly affected as well.
Xue Jingtao brought his people over and quickly stepped forward to whisper, “Miss Jiu Gong, it’s just a fluke that Zhou Yuan could break through the formation. What does Miss Jiu Gong plan to do next? We will all follow your orders.”
Xue Jingtao’s eyes glinted with malice. He similarly didn’t expect Zhou Yuan to possess such tyrannical strength. Although he was considered strong, he paled in comparison to Zhou Yuan. But not only did this not reduce his jealousy and resentment, his negative emotions intensified.
Xue Jingtao wanted to spur Jiu Gong on. As long as Jiu Gong refused to follow the agreement with Zhou Yuan and Yuan Kun, a battle would break out between the two sides, and the Tianyuan Region and the Xuanji Region would tear each other’s faces. Coupled with the fact that Zhou Yuan had previously offended Xu Ming, the Tianyuan Region would have angered two powerful regions in the nine regions tournament.
It was only then that Jiu Gong finally recovered from her shock, and a complicated look flickered in her beautiful eyes.
Swoosh!
The wind suddenly whistled as multiple silhouettes rose into the sky and landed on the snow-capped mountain summit.
Zhou Yuan and Yuan Kun were leading the teams.
Yuan Kun grinned at Jiu Gong and said, “Jiu Gong, you won’t go back on your words, right?”
Jiu Gong simply ignored him and fixed her beautiful eyes on Zhou Yuan, who hadn’t said a word. She suddenly asked, “Had you intended to use the Tortoise Mirror Boundary to break my Meridian Golden Light Boundary from the very start?”
Dragon Prince Yuan c1-1251 Page 500
