Chapter 355: The Means of Yaoyao

"Nine Star Pattern!"

Jin Zhang stood atop a water pillar. As his bronze-like Genesis Rune Pen descended, a complex genesis pattern suddenly took shape. The Genesis Qi in the heavens and earth was drawn in, surging towards it.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Starlight instantly flared. The genesis pattern seemed to transform into a starry sky, from which nine massive stars roared forth, interconnected and carrying an astonishing momentum, directly hurtling down towards Yao Yao on the sea surface.

The entire sea surface was torn apart by that violent force. Jin Zhang attacked mercilessly. Standing at the core of the barrier, he could harness eighty percent of its power, granting him an almost endless supply of energy.

The nine stars hurtled closer, rapidly expanding in Yao Yao's clear eyes. With a gentle flick of her slender hand, her jade genesis rune pen drew numerous rune marks.

"Profound Ice Shield Pattern!"

A genesis pattern swiftly formed and merged directly into the seawater beneath her feet. Instantly, a colossal shield of seawater, about a thousand feet wide, surged up to block the incoming attack. It then solidified into a massive ice shield, adorned with mystical, unbreakable luminous patterns.

Boom! Boom!

The nine stars struck the ice shield fiercely, causing cracks to appear. As each star crashed down, the ice shield grew increasingly fractured until it could no longer withstand the onslaught, exploding into a shower of ice fragments.

Jin Zhang watched as his genesis pattern attack was dissolved. He raised an eyebrow slightly, not surprised, but instead smiled faintly. As his genesis rune pen dropped, another genesis pattern merged into the seawater.

Hiss! Hiss!

The next moment, the seawater beneath Yao Yao's jade-like feet suddenly emitted faint sounds. Countless incomparably sharp ice shards shot forth like a deluge, piercing towards all of Yao Yao's vital points.

Yao Yao lightly tapped her jade feet, rising on a gentle breeze, and once again sketched a genesis pattern.

"Iron Water Pattern!"

The sea surface rippled. The surrounding seawater quickly turned jet black, transforming directly into the color of dark iron.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The countless sharp ice shards in the seawater struck the iron-like water, but this water was as hard as metal. Upon impact, the ice shards shattered completely.

The exchange between the two was back and forth, exceptionally intense. Furthermore, every genesis pattern, regardless of which one, possessed astonishing power, far more formidable than the clashes involving Zhou Yuan and Xia Yu.

However, in the exchange between Yao Yao and Jin Zhang, Jin Zhang was clearly more proactive. Utilizing the barrier's continuous power, he launched relentless attacks, while Yao Yao chose to constantly neutralize his offensives. This naturally made her appear somewhat passive.

Jin Zhang stood on the water pillar, his gaze flickering slightly as he watched Yao Yao's graceful figure. After their previous exchanges, he felt that Yao Yao seemed somewhat wary of him, likely having realized that he possessed a continuous supply of power by leveraging the barrier.

"Since Junior Sister Yao Yao wishes to defend, let's see how she handles this move!"

Jin Zhang smiled, then sharply pointed his genesis rune pen in mid-air. In the seawater beneath Yao Yao's feet, countless lights suddenly rose. Upon closer inspection, two massive crescent moons were slowly forming in the water below her.

The crescent moons, like blades, slowly rotated. As their moonbeams swept across, even the seawater was sliced apart. An indescribably sharp aura emanated, and the permeating moonlight ripped countless holes in the sea surface.

"This is the Dual Moon Spirit Pattern. Under normal circumstances, casting this pattern would exhaust all my power. It's only here that I can use it so freely," Jin Zhang said, looking at Yao Yao. "Junior Sister Yao Yao, please enlighten me."

He pointed a finger, and the two massive crescent moons in the seawater suddenly soared up, moving at astonishing speed, slashing violently towards Yao Yao. The radiating moonlight tore two thousand-foot-long tracks through the seawater.

As Jin Zhang's astonishing attack unfolded under the gaze of many spectators in front of the Spirit Rune Hall, it predictably caused a stir. Clearly, everyone present knew that this genesis pattern was Jin Zhang's proudest killing move. Facing this "Dual Moon Spirit Pattern," no one below the ninth layer of the Absolute Beginning Stage could withstand it.

"Alas, how could Zhou Xiaoyao let Jin Zhang unleash this pattern... Once this pattern is out, there's absolutely no chance of winning."

"She's been on the defensive all along. It seems she's wary of Jin Zhang, as he can leverage the barrier's power after all."

"What a pity..."

Many disciples shook their heads and sighed, especially those from Spirit Rune Peak, who looked relaxed. They knew that once Senior Brother Jin Zhang unleashed the "Dual Moon Spirit Pattern," the battle's rhythm would fall entirely under his control. From this perspective, it seemed that Zhou Xiaoyao, so highly praised by the Peak Master, wasn't exceptionally powerful after all?

Ye Ge also gazed at the Genesis Qi mirror. He watched the clash within, his brows furrowed. Although Jin Zhang appeared to be in control, for some reason, Ye Ge felt a strange sense of unease. Was Yao Yao truly that easy to deal with? Even if Jin Zhang could use the barrier's power, could he really force Yao Yao into a purely defensive stance?

"What... what exactly are you thinking?" Ye Ge murmured.

Under the gaze of countless eyes in front of the Spirit Rune Hall, the two crescent moons ripped through the sea surface, hurtling in from both sides at astonishing speed. Their trajectories were mystical, directly blocking all of Yao Yao's escape routes. Yao Yao stood on the sea surface, her jade-like face serene, without a ripple of emotion. The genesis rune pen in her hand remained motionless, as if she were allowing the two crescent moons to strike her with their immense power.

In front of the Spirit Rune Hall, countless disciples gasped. Ye Ge's eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn't speak. He knew that the Peak Master was also watching, and naturally wouldn't truly allow Yao Yao to come to harm. But why wasn't Yao Yao defending at all?

The two crescent moons tore through the sea surface and, amidst gasps of horror, passed directly through Yao Yao's delicate body...

"She was hit?!" Many disciples turned pale. Such an attack, even someone at the ninth layer of the Absolute Beginning Stage, probably couldn't withstand it with their physical body, could they? What's more, Yao Yao's strength lay in her mastery of genesis patterns, but her physical body had no Genesis Qi protection.

Jin Zhang stood on the water pillar. Watching the two crescent moons pass through Yao Yao's figure, his expression couldn't help but change slightly. "Junior Sister Yao Yao?" he said. However, no sooner had his voice fallen than he abruptly sensed something was wrong. Yao Yao was still standing there silently, her clear, ethereal eyes calmly fixed on him. There didn't seem to be any trace of blood on her body.

"What's going on?!"

Not only did Jin Zhang's pupils constrict at this sight, but many disciples in front of the Spirit Rune Hall also had their expressions change slightly, finding it exceedingly strange. Only Ye Ge's eyes flickered rapidly with light. A moment later, as if he had realized something, an expression of utter disbelief suddenly appeared in his eyes, and he exclaimed, "Could it be?!"

Crack!

The instant his voice fell, Jin Zhang suddenly felt cracks appearing in the surrounding world, like shattered glass. At that moment, his spirit in his glabella felt a momentary daze.

Crack! Crack!

The cracks in the world multiplied, and the entire realm was about to collapse. Jin Zhang stared blankly at the collapsing world for a moment, then seemed to understand something. He bit the tip of his tongue hard, spitting out a mouthful of vital blood, which his spirit in his glabella immediately absorbed. Jin Zhang's eyes closed at that moment, and after a few breaths, they snapped open again.

The collapsing world quietly restored itself. The entire realm became quiet, with only the vast ocean rolling its waves. The earth-shattering battle from earlier seemed to have left no trace. As if it were an illusion.

However, Jin Zhang suddenly turned his head to look at where Yao Yao had been, only to find the spot empty. Then, with a slight tremor, he raised his head and saw a graceful figure standing silently atop a water pillar on the sea surface. That water pillar was the core. Yet now, the core he was protecting had inexplicably been taken by Yao Yao...

"How could this be?!" In front of the Spirit Rune Hall, many disciples were dumbfounded.

Ye Ge took a deep breath, his gaze at Yao Yao becoming extremely solemn. He slowly said, "It was an incredibly rare illusionary genesis pattern... What terrifying mastery of genesis patterns. Jin Zhang was trapped in her illusionary genesis pattern from the very beginning. The battle just now was nothing more than an illusion."

Jin Zhang appeared to be in control of the battle, but little did he know he was merely expending energy fruitlessly, fighting against thin air. Yao Yao, it seemed, had simply watched him attack wildly, then watched him abandon the core, while she steadily advanced, taking over his position at the center... Truly... a bizarre tactic.

Ye Ge sighed softly and pursed his lips. Jin Zhang, as expected, had fallen into Yao Yao's trap. However, it was fine. Even if Yao Yao occupied the core, breaking the barrier still required Zhou Yuan's cooperation. As long as Zhou Yuan couldn't secure his core, then even if Yao Yao succeeded, it would ultimately be in vain.

He looked up at another Genesis Qi mirror.

"Junior Sister Xia Yu... the rest is up to you..."

"I never had high hopes for Jin Zhang's side, but your situation is the real crux. Zhou Yuan couldn't possibly contend with you..."