Chapter 521: Displaying Might in the Confusing Sky

A colossal barrier enveloped the land and sky. Within its confines, the world instantly inverted, seemingly dissolving into chaos. All those trapped inside lost their grasp of time and space.

Screams of alarm echoed as the disciples of Sword Cometh Peak, like birds with broken wings, plummeted en masse from the sky, splashing into the ocean one after another.

They struggled in the water, yet for some unknown reason, no matter how hard they tried to ascend, they invariably plunged back into the sea, as if ensnared by a mysterious power.

Even Kong Sheng, Zhao Zhu, and Baili Che were steadily descending. Though their formidable strength allowed them to circulate their Genesis Qi reserves, significantly slowing their fall, it was clear they would eventually plunge into the mist-shrouded ocean.

The sight before them was utterly bizarre.

The scouts from other peaks, watching from a distance, were equally dumbfounded and clearly stunned. After all, the spectacle unfolding before them was quite magnificent.

Nearly ten thousand disciples from Sword Cometh Peak had all been ensnared!

The entire surface of the sea seemed to boil.

"It's a barrier!"

"What a powerful Genesis Rune barrier! What an immense undertaking!"

"So this is the strategy of Zhou Yuan and Zhou Xiaoyao. They weren't fleeing at all; they were luring us in! They had set up this barrier here long ago, just waiting for Sword Cometh Peak to walk into their trap!"

"What kind of barrier is this? It can trap so many Sword Cometh Peak disciples?! Even Ye Ge of Spirit Rune Peak couldn't deploy a barrier like this!"

The scouts from various peaks erupted with astonished exclamations. They had initially believed Saint Genesis Peak would be utterly crushed by Sword Cometh Peak in moments, but who could have imagined such a dramatic turn of events in the blink of an eye!

Not only were they stunned, but even Zhou Tai and the other Saint Genesis Peak disciples, who had been prepared to fight to the death against Sword Cometh Peak, stood with their mouths agape, staring at the unfolding scene.

"H-how could this be?" Zhou Tai swallowed hard, gazing at Zhou Yuan in disbelief.

Zhou Yuan smiled faintly and said, "This is what we prepared."

Lu Yan also stared blankly at Zhou Yuan, asking, "So you weren't on that island before? You came here to set up the barrier?"

Zhou Yuan nodded gently. "If the barrier had been set up on the island, they probably wouldn't have approached so easily," he said. "Only on this vast open sea could we ensnare them all."

He smiled at the stunned group. "This matter was of great importance, so we didn't disclose it earlier," he said. "I hope you don't mind."

Zhou Tai, Lu Yan, and the others numbly shook their heads. The scene before them had completely muddled their minds; they were utterly at a loss for what to do.

Faced with such overwhelming pressure from Sword Cometh Peak, they had been prepared to fight to the bitter end. Yet, who could have predicted such a dramatic turn of events...

While the Genesis Pool area was being turned upside down by this dramatic change, outside the pool, Patriarch Qingyang, the five Peak Masters, and numerous other elders watched the scene unfold.

"This is... the Heaven-Veiling Barrier?" the white-browed elder of Spirit Rune Peak was the first to exclaim, his voice tinged with surprise. He was familiar with this barrier, as it was an item preserved in the Spirit Rune Hall.

However, setting up this barrier was extremely complex and highly difficult. Even with Ye Ge's mastery of Genesis Runes, it would be challenging for anyone in Spirit Rune Peak to successfully deploy it.

Unexpectedly, it had now been deployed by Yaoyao and Zhou Yuan.

"Truly brilliant!" he exclaimed admiringly. "They actually harnessed the power of the Genesis Pool to connect the Heaven-Veiling Barrier with the seawater. This way, the barrier's scale could greatly expand, easily trapping ten thousand people."

As he exclaimed in admiration, the other Peak Masters exchanged peculiar glances, then subtly turned their attention to the expressionless Peak Master Lingjun.

In recent days, everyone in the Cangxuan Sect knew that Sword Cometh Peak harbored deep resentment towards Saint Genesis Peak. It was clear that during the Genesis Pool Ceremony, Sword Cometh Peak would inevitably unleash this resentment upon Saint Genesis Peak.

Faced with this situation, Patriarch Qingyang had tried to mediate, hoping Sword Cometh Peak wouldn't bully Saint Genesis Peak excessively. However, each time, Peak Master Lingjun deflected, claiming it was merely the disciples' own intentions.

But the other Peak Masters knew full well that Peak Master Lingjun was also displeased and intended to suppress Saint Genesis Peak.

Therefore, regarding this Genesis Pool Ceremony, the other Peak Masters felt a degree of sympathy for Saint Genesis Peak. They understood that even with Zhou Yuan and Yaoyao, it was highly unlikely Saint Genesis Peak could contend with Sword Cometh Peak.

After all, Saint Genesis Peak's foundation was simply too weak.

How could a mere few hundred disciples possibly contend with nearly ten thousand from Sword Cometh Peak?

However, who could have imagined that while Saint Genesis Peak's disciples remained secluded on a small island, Zhou Yuan and Yaoyao would secretly slip out and, without anyone's knowledge, deploy a barrier of such immense scale?

And this barrier had now directly ensnared all the disciples of Sword Cometh Peak.

Faced with this tactic from Zhou Yuan and Yaoyao, even Patriarch Qingyang and the others sighed faintly. These two youngsters truly possessed extraordinary ambition and courage.

"This barrier is indeed ingenious," Peak Master Lingjun said, his voice flat. "However, its ambition is a bit too grand."

Peak Master Lingjun's voice remained flat. "To ensnare all of Sword Cometh Peak's disciples, they sacrificed the barrier's potency. Ordinary disciples might be trapped, but the elite ones will quickly find its flaws and break through. Then, with a little external force, this barrier will shatter."

"And in this limited time," he continued, "how many Sword Cometh Peak disciples can Saint Genesis Peak's mere hundreds eliminate?"

Peak Master Lingjun said indifferently, "Therefore, this barrier is merely delaying Saint Genesis Peak's inevitable elimination. It's nothing to worry about."

Patriarch Qingyang and the others did not deny his assessment. They, too, could see that while this barrier might trap ordinary disciples, it lacked significant restraining power against the elite ones.

If Zhou Yuan and his allies had no further tactics, then, as Peak Master Lingjun suggested, this astonishing barrier would indeed only serve to buy them some time.

In the sky, distorted by the barrier, Zhou Yuan looked at Zhou Tai and the others, who were still in shock, and smiled. "This barrier can only trap ordinary disciples," he said. "Kong Sheng and the others will likely break through soon."

Zhou Tai and the others were startled, snapping back to reality. They stammered, "Although Sword Cometh Peak disciples are trapped now, with so few of us, we can probably only eliminate about a thousand of them in a short time."

They felt somewhat ashamed. Zhou Yuan and Yaoyao had created such a good opportunity for them, but due to Saint Genesis Peak's insufficient strength, they couldn't gain a decisive advantage.

Hearing this, Zhou Yuan smiled. "You don't need to worry about that," he said. "Leave it to me."

Zhou Tai, Lu Yan, and the others looked at Zhou Yuan with some doubt. They had also noticed that this barrier seemed primarily for trapping, without much offensive power. How many people could Zhou Yuan eliminate by himself, even if he personally attacked?

Faced with their doubts, Zhou Yuan offered no explanation. He simply met Yaoyao's gaze, and she nodded slightly. "Go ahead," she said. "I'll stabilize the barrier."

Zhou Yuan nodded, took a deep breath, and his figure suddenly plunged downward, splashing into the Genesis Pool.

He looked up, observing how the seawater within tens of thousands of feet around him had been segmented by the barrier into numerous small, individual spaces. Each space held a struggling figure.

A chilling glint flickered in Zhou Yuan's eyes.

Today's grand spectacle had only just begun!