Chapter 1168: The Battle of Breaking the Formation

"Found it?!"

On the mountaintop, gazes filled with irrepressible delight turned towards Zhou Yuan's figure.

Zhou Yuan's eyes were bloodshot, with streaks of blood at the corners, and his expression was exceptionally weary. Evidently, the previous deduction, even with the aid of the Barrier-Breaking Sacred Rune, had placed a tremendous burden on him. If his spirit hadn't been resilient enough, it might have been directly dispersed by the strain of such a profound deduction.

"What a terrifying barrier array," Zhou Yuan mused to himself. He sighed inwardly, noting that if the grand array hadn't been incomplete, with his current abilities, he likely wouldn't have been able to deduce even the slightest flaw, even if his spirit were completely scattered in the attempt. Fortunately, the luck of their five heavens and various clans had not yet run out.

Zhou Yuan raised his head, looking at the people who were staring at him with a mix of surprise and tension, then nodded to confirm. A low cheer immediately rose from the crowd, and smiles of relief appeared on their anxious faces. They all understood the importance of this step: if Zhou Yuan couldn't find the flaw in the barrier, even sacrificing all their lives might not shake it in the slightest. They would have been forced to watch the Sacred Race completely dominate all nine main conduits of ancestral qi!

As everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief, a fragrant breeze wafted towards Zhou Yuan. A slender, fair hand held a scented handkerchief and meticulously wiped away the bloodstains from the corner of Zhou Yuan's eye. "Your Highness, you've worked hard," Su Youwei said. After wiping, the somewhat fastidious Su Youwei did not discard the handkerchief but subtly tucked it into her sleeve. She then gave Zhou Yuan a faint smile, whose gentleness seemed capable of soothing any weariness. She felt a pang of heartache over the pressure Zhou Yuan was currently bearing. The so-called "Commander-in-Chief of All Heavens" didn't hold much practical use, yet Zhou Yuan had dedicated a great deal to it. But Su Youwei understood that this was Zhou Yuan's nature; he had never changed throughout the years.

Some envious glances were cast their way. After all, even among the many exceptional young women gathered here from the five great heavens, Su Youwei was undoubtedly still among the very best, in both temperament and appearance. During the brief interactions over the past few days, many young elites from the five great heavens had already shown interest in Su Youwei and attempted to strike up conversations. Watching this scene, Wu Yao's phoenix eyes flickered slightly. Guan Qinglong also sensed the mood, cupped his fists, and said to Zhou Yuan, "Elder Zhou Yuan, if our five heavens and various clans achieve a good outcome in this struggle for the Ancient Origin Heaven, your contributions will undoubtedly be immense."

Hearing this, Zhou Yuan merely shook his head calmly. He fought so hard for his own reasons; his most crucial mission in the Ancient Origin Heaven was to obtain the Ancestral Dragon Flesh and Blood. Since the Ancestral Dragon Flesh and Blood had not yet appeared, it was likely contained within those main conduits. Therefore, he could not stand by and watch the Sacred Race completely seize and plunder all nine main conduits. That was the key to Yaoyao's awakening. No matter who tried to obstruct him, he wouldn't hesitate to kill his way through.

Zhou Yuan nodded to Su Youwei in thanks. Then, with a flick of his sleeve, a thousand green jade slips floated before them. "You are to divide the forces from the five great heavens into one thousand teams. Each team will hold one jade slip, which contains the locations I've marked and instructions on how to proceed once inside the barrier," he instructed. "These teams will spread throughout the barrier, shaking its foundations." "However, this is only the first step."

Zhou Yuan flicked his fingers, and nearly a hundred purple jade slips flew out. "These purple jade slips are to be held by the top experts from the five great heavens. They contain the locations of some key nodes within this barrier. Sacred Race powerhouses will undoubtedly guard these nodes, and your mission is to break through them as much as possible." "Only by breaking through layer by layer in this manner can we ultimately truly destroy this 'Saint Evolution Grand Array'."

Hearing Zhou Yuan's solemn and serious voice, everyone's expressions became grave. "Commander-in-Chief Zhou Yuan, rest assured, we will relay your orders completely," Bai Xiaolu said, a serious look appearing on her youthful face. Zhou Yuan nodded upon hearing this, then closed his eyes, which were heavy with fatigue. "We will launch the attack in one day." Beneath his calm words, a chilling aura of killing intent began to rise.

Upon hearing this, Bai Xiaolu, Guan Qinglong, Jiang Jinlin, and others flashed out, beginning to issue these commands. One day passed in the blink of an eye.

Zhou Yuan's condition had fully recovered. He stood on the mountaintop, his gaze cold as he watched the grand barrier array that distorted space and enveloped the heavens and earth. He vaguely felt that within the array, countless mocking gazes might be fixed upon them. Perhaps the people of the Sacred Race had never believed he could truly find the flaws in the barrier.

"Commander-in-Chief Zhou Yuan, everything is ready," Bai Xiaolu's voice came from behind him. Zhou Yuan turned around and looked into the mountain range, where he saw a thousand teams arrayed in perfect order. The fierce wind howled through the mountains, but it could not disperse the intensely palpable killing intent.

Zhou Yuan gazed at these peak Heavenly Sun Stage forces, gathered from the various clans of the five great heavens, and slowly said, "Everyone, in this barrier-breaking operation, there are only two paths: shatter the barrier and seize the Ancestral Qi main conduits, or fail the contention... and face total annihilation!" "Once we enter the barrier, there will be no turning back." "If anyone is unwilling, you may withdraw now." His voice, carried by the strong wind, echoed in everyone's ears.

Yet, no one spoke. On their faces, though apprehension and tension were present, there was more significantly a resolute determination. Everyone understood the importance of this battle. If they were to yield the nine Ancestral Qi main conduits, the Sacred Race would gain an unknown number of new powerhouses in the future, growing even stronger. Once the Sacred Race began to invade the five great heavens, their families and friends would be brutally slaughtered, refined alive into blood pills for the Sacred Race to consume, or simply bred like pigs and dogs. At the higher levels of the Ancient Origin Heaven, experts of the Genesis Infant, Law Domain, and even Saint stages from the five great heavens were already making their moves, striving for a glimmer of hope for the future of all beings in the heavens. Facing the ruthless, cold, and powerful Sacred Race, no one could remain aloof. Therefore, despite any inner nervousness and unease, no one retreated at this moment.

Zhou Yuan looked at their determined faces, took a deep breath, and then nodded to Bai Xiaolu and the others. "Teams of the Five Heavens..." "Follow me, attack!"

As his chilling voice resonated, Zhou Yuan's figure was the first to soar into the sky, rocketing towards the majestic and vast grand array standing in the distance between heaven and earth. Boom! Boom! Behind him, a thousand teams also surged forward like a swarm of locusts, covering the sky and obscuring the sun with their magnificent momentum.

Inside the Saint Evolution Grand Array, Jiatu sat cross-legged on the mountaintop. He lowered his head and watched an ant nest emerging from the soil beside him. Then, with a smile, he extended a finger and crushed the ant nest directly, sending countless ants scattering in panic. He stretched lazily, then raised his head to look beyond the grand array, a cruel and heartless curve forming on his lips. "Ants..." "Finally coming to their deaths."

Behind him, several Saint Heaven Chosen from the Sacred Ancestor Heaven also appeared. "Do you think these people from the five great heavens really found a flaw to enter the grand array?" someone asked with a laugh. "How is that possible? Even if the grand array has flaws, they couldn't have found them in just a few days," one Saint Heaven Chosen scoffed. "That leading weakling is probably just putting on a show." "I actually hope they can get in. Otherwise, it would be too boring."

As they spoke, the main forces from the five great heavens had already surged forward, rapidly arriving before the layered, distorted, and folded space. The voices of these Saint Heaven Chosen ceased, and they watched with varying expressions. Then, they saw the young figure standing at the very front of the main force seem to look up into the grand array, his gaze as if seeing them. Immediately after, he extended his palm and waved it gently. Behind him, countless figures shot forward, crashing without hesitation into various points of the distorted space.

At the instant of contact, Jiatu and the others immediately felt the grand array barrier tremble slightly. However, the scene they had imagined—where the grand array's immense power would erupt and obliterate all the forces from the five great heavens—did not occur. Instead, those teams vanished abruptly the moment they touched the distorted space. Simultaneously, Jiatu and the others detected countless unfamiliar Genesis Qi fluctuations suddenly blossoming throughout various parts of the grand array.

The atmosphere on the mountaintop subtly solidified. The faces of the Saint Heaven Chosen were grim. Jiatu's expression was impassive, but the chill in his eyes nearly froze the very air. "That boy..." "We truly underestimated him."

Jiatu exhaled, turned his head, and said indifferently, "Don't just stand there. Go and guard the most crucial barrier nodes..." "Since these five great heavens are so audacious..."