Chapter 516: Declaration of War

High above the island where the Saint Genesis Peak disciples were stationed, numerous Sword Cometh Peak disciples hovered in the air, watching menacingly.

In front of these Sword Cometh Peak disciples stood a tall, slender man with his hands clasped behind his back. His gaze was sharp, and faint but powerful Genesis Qi fluctuations emanated from his body.

This man was Zhong Yun, no ordinary figure in Sword Cometh Peak. He had been a top contender in the Chief Disciple competition but ultimately lost to Baili Ce, missing out on the position.

Although defeated by Baili Ce, Zhong Yun was proud and had never truly accepted the loss. He often had disputes with Baili Ce, so Baili Ce's decision to send him here clearly implied a desire to keep him occupied elsewhere.

"Hmph, to think I'd be dispatched for a mere Saint Genesis Peak! This Baili Ce is truly going too far!" Zhong Yun scoffed, his expression grim as he gazed at the distant island.

The surrounding disciples chuckled awkwardly, not daring to respond. While Zhong Yun was bold enough to criticize Baili Ce, they were not.

"Senior Brother Zhong Yun, we've had this place surrounded for two days, and Saint Genesis Peak hasn't made any moves..." a disciple quickly interjected, changing the subject.

Zhong Yun sneered with disdain. "What can a few hundred people from Saint Genesis Peak possibly do? Do they really think they can turn the world upside down just because they have a chief disciple?"

"That Zhou Yuan merely defeated Yuan Hong. If he were in our Sword Cometh Peak's chief disciple competition, he probably wouldn't even make it into the top five."

"If I weren't wary of Zhou Xiaoyao and that mysterious little beast, I would have just swept through them and kicked them all out of the Genesis Pool."

Clearly, like Baili Ce, Zhong Yun didn't truly take Zhou Yuan, the Chief Disciple of Saint Genesis Peak, seriously. After all, while both involved chief disciple competitions, the difficulty level for Saint Genesis Peak was clearly not on par with Sword Cometh Peak.

The disciples beside him repeatedly agreed, then spoke with some hesitation, "But it's strange. No matter how much we've provoked and plundered the Saint Genesis Peak disciples these past two days, Zhou Yuan and Zhou Xiaoyao haven't shown themselves."

Zhong Yun's eyes narrowed slightly, having clearly noticed this as well. He murmured, gazing into the depths of the island, "That Zhou Yuan isn't very capable, so he's nothing to fear. But Zhou Xiaoyao, even the two Holy Sons wouldn't dare underestimate her... If they're holed up on the island, they must be up to something."

His eyes gleamed. After a moment, he said gravely, "Wu Qingteng, you lead 800 men to feign an attack from the right side of the island to draw the attention of the Saint Genesis Peak disciples and that mysterious little beast. I will lead 200 elite disciples to infiltrate the island at that opportune moment. I must find out exactly what Zhou Yuan and Zhou Xiaoyao are hiding inside and doing!"

"Yes, Senior Brother!"

The other Sword Cometh Peak disciples, who had been incredibly bored, instantly perked up upon hearing Zhong Yun's plan to attack the island. They responded in unison.

The Sword Cometh Peak's assault began an incense stick's time later.

Such a forceful attack immediately caused an uproar among the Saint Genesis Peak disciples on the island. In the end, Zhou Tai, Zhang Yan, and Lu Yan led the disciples to meet the attack, engaging in fierce combat on the sea.

Tuntun also lazily joined the battle, but wherever it passed, the Sword Cometh Peak disciples scattered in fear.

While chaos erupted in this skirmish, Zhong Yun quietly led his 200 elite disciples to infiltrate the island and quickly began searching.

After more than ten minutes, they completed their search of the island. To Zhong Yun's surprise, they found no trace of Zhou Yuan or Zhou Xiaoyao, and despite the fierce fighting outside, there was no sign of the two appearing.

"They're not here!"

Zhong Yun's face was filled with surprise, then a mocking smirk appeared at the corner of his lips. "Could it be that those two abandoned the Saint Genesis Peak disciples and went off to hunt for Genesis Marrow by themselves?"

"How shrewd of them! They knew the Saint Genesis Peak disciples were hopeless, so it was better to rely on themselves to gather more Genesis Marrow."

*Whoosh! Whoosh!*

Zhong Yun looked up towards another direction, seeing Zhou Tai, Zhang Yan, and Lu Yan hurrying back with some Saint Genesis Peak disciples. They had clearly realized the infiltration.

A malicious glint flashed in Zhong Yun's eyes upon seeing them. He roared, "You fools from Saint Genesis Peak! That Zhou Yuan and Zhou Xiaoyao have long since fled, abandoning you useless lot! And here you are, foolishly guarding this place!"

Zhou Tai, the other two, and many Saint Genesis Peak disciples stopped, staring at the island's interior in shock. They, too, were unaware that the island they had painstakingly guarded for several days was now empty.

The other disciples exchanged bewildered glances, their expressions turning disheartened. Their already low morale completely collapsed at this revelation.

Zhou Yuan and Zhou Xiaoyao were all their hope for this Genesis Pool event. Now, with both of them gone, the blow to everyone was considerable.

Zhou Tai and the other two fell silent, their faces complex as they looked at the utterly demoralized Saint Genesis Peak disciples.

Seeing their expressions, Zhong Yun couldn't help but smile triumphantly. "I advise you to voluntarily withdraw from the Genesis Pool event, lest you suffer more humiliation later."

"Besides, your chief disciple doesn't seem very reliable."

Zhong Yun burst into laughter.

Beside him, the Sword Cometh Peak disciples also laughed mockingly, their gazes at the Saint Genesis Peak members filled with derision.

Many Saint Genesis Peak disciples remained silent, numbly enduring the mockery from the other side.

"Shut up!" Lu Yan snapped, her pretty face ashen.

Zhong Yun scoffed dismissively. "I'll give you one day. If you don't withdraw voluntarily, don't blame us for being impolite."

With a wave of his hand, he was about to lead the Sword Cometh Peak disciples away.

However, just as he was about to turn, a calm voice suddenly rang out, reaching everyone's ears: "Since you've come, where do you think you're going?"

Zhong Yun's body stiffened. He sharply turned his head towards a mountain peak deep within the island. There, a tall, slender young figure had appeared unnoticed, staring at him expressionlessly.

Zhou Tai, Lu Yan, and many other Saint Genesis Peak disciples also spotted the figure, immediately erupting in joyous shouts: "Chief Disciple!"

The figure was none other than Zhou Yuan, who had been missing for several days!

Zhong Yun stared at Zhou Yuan with a mix of surprise and suspicion. "Where did you come from, kid?"

They had clearly searched the entire place earlier and hadn't sensed Zhou Yuan's presence.

Zhou Yuan's gaze was icy as he stared at Zhong Yun, but he said nothing. Instead, he took a step, and his figure appeared like a phantom directly in front of Zhong Yun, unleashing a punch.

"Courting death!"

Seeing Zhou Yuan dare to attack him first, Zhong Yun's face immediately turned cold, followed by a sneer. "Do you really think I'd take a Chief Disciple from Saint Genesis Peak seriously?!"

"Since you want to humiliate yourself, I'll show you just how big the gap is between your Saint Genesis Peak and my Sword Cometh Peak!"

A mighty and astonishing Genesis Qi suddenly erupted from his body.

Despite his words, Zhong Yun showed no mercy in his attack. His palms clasped together, then sharply pulled apart, and a dark green sword phantom formed in his hand, radiating boundless sharpness.

"Azure Moon Shadow Sword Light!"

Zhong Yun roared, and the azure sword phantom whistled forth like a streak of green light, stabbing towards Zhou Yuan with a speed imperceptible to the naked eye.

Where the sword light passed, even the void seemed to split.

Zhong Yun's first move was a killing blow.

The azure sword light rapidly expanded in Zhou Yuan's pupils, yet he remained expressionless. On his skin, a jade-like glow emerged, and within his bones, a silver radiance began to shine.

Genesis Qi surged through his meridians.

He clenched his five fingers and threw a punch.

Snowy white hairs surged from his sleeve, wrapping around his palm like a gauntlet, eventually covered by a deep black color...

Shattering Genesis!

The fist shadow swept forth, colliding head-on with the azure sword light.

"You're asking for death!" Zhong Yun snarled.

*Crack!*

However, no sooner had his words faded than his pupils abruptly constricted, and a look of horror emerged. He saw that as the fist shadow swept past,

his azure sword light was forcefully shattered by a single punch!

"How is this possible?!" A voice filled with shock escaped his lips. He couldn't believe that his full-power strike had been shattered by one punch from Zhou Yuan.

All the hairs on Zhong Yun's body stood on end, and a faint sense of unease crept over him. The Zhou Yuan before him didn't seem as weak as he had imagined.

He shot backward, clearly intending to retreat.

However, the moment he moved, a fist shadow ripped through the air. Five fingers splayed open, and the next instant, they clamped onto his throat like an eagle's talons.

Zhou Yuan slowly raised his head, looking emotionlessly at Zhong Yun, whom he held aloft. He said indifferently, "You're not that impressive, so why the big talk?"

The Saint Genesis Peak disciples, seeing Zhou Yuan display such divine power and capture Zhong Yun in one move, erupted in cheers. The pent-up frustration of the past few days finally began to dissipate.

Zhong Yun struggled, his face ashen, and harshly strained out, "Zhou Yuan, if you dare touch me, do you believe Sword Cometh Peak will directly declare war?!"

From behind him, the Sword Cometh Peak disciples also shouted, "Release Senior Brother Zhong Yun immediately, or our Sword Cometh Peak will flatten you in an instant!"

The cheers from the Saint Genesis Peak disciples abruptly ceased. They, too, clearly felt the pressure emanating from Sword Cometh Peak.

Seeing this, Zhong Yun's eyes showed a hint of mockery. He glared fiercely at Zhou Yuan and snarled, "Aren't you going to let me go?!"

With Sword Cometh Peak backing him, he didn't believe Zhou Yuan would dare do anything to him.

However, no sooner had his words fallen than a palm shadow swung fiercely, slapping him directly across the face and drawing blood from the corner of his mouth.

Zhou Yuan retracted his hand, casually shaking it, and frowned, "Don't be noisy."

Zhong Yun froze. The next moment, he glared savagely at Zhou Yuan and roared, "You dared to hit me?!"

His response was a heavy punch, capable of shattering mountains. The punch came with a sonic boom, slamming powerfully into Zhong Yun's chest, sending him flying. He crashed through several mountain peaks on the island, shattering them as huge rocks tumbled down, burying Zhong Yun's body.

Silence fell over the entire island, both inside and out.

Everyone stared at the scene in disbelief, especially the Sword Cometh Peak disciples. They hadn't expected Zhou Yuan to be so audacious, crippling Zhong Yun without hesitation.

The Saint Genesis Peak disciples also swallowed hard, equally awestruck by Zhou Yuan's actions. However, alongside the shock, a burning sensation coursed through their bodies. Zhou Yuan had used his actions to declare that he would not yield an inch to Sword Cometh Peak.

Zhou Yuan tilted his head slightly, looking at Zhou Tai and the other Saint Genesis Peak disciples. "Are you afraid?"

The disciples exchanged glances. One of them gritted their teeth and said, "We are not afraid of Sword Cometh Peak! Not as long as we have you, Chief Disciple!"

Seeing this, Zhou Yuan gave a faint smile, then pointed at the Sword Cometh Peak disciples. He said calmly, "In that case, let's keep all of them here..."

"From now on..."

"Saint Genesis Peak declares war on Sword Cometh Peak."

As Zhou Yuan's final words fell, all the Saint Genesis Peak disciples felt the blood within their bodies begin to boil.