Chapter 955: Top-tier Strategies

Outside the iceberg, the enormous, dazzling golden barrier began to ripple violently, as the golden light started to recede inward in circles. A corner of the iceberg, previously hidden, was also revealed.

The two-domain teams remaining outside, upon seeing this scene, immediately erupted in cheers, evidently believing the barrier was beginning to shatter.

“Is the barrier about to break?” Yi Qiushui asked, a hint of surprise in her voice.

Yuan Kun, who was beside her, glanced at it, but his brows furrowed. He said with some hesitation, “Probably not...”

“Although this golden barrier is contracting, it doesn’t appear turbulent. It’s clearly a rhythmic, controlled contraction, and this feeling, on the contrary, is more dangerous than before.”

A glint of light suddenly flashed in Yuan Kun’s narrowed eyes. He declared, “Nine Palaces has taken over!”

“Nine Palaces?” Yi Qiushui was slightly startled. She asked, “Wasn’t she in control of the barrier before?”

“Previously, Xue Jingtao was likely in control. Nine Palaces, that woman, has an extremely arrogant personality. At first, she probably didn’t think Zhou Yuan could break the golden barrier, so she had no desire to act.”

“But Zhou Yuan’s ability clearly exceeded her expectations...”

“Earlier, we could feel signs of disorder in the golden barrier, which must have been Zhou Yuan’s doing. If that situation had continued, the golden barrier would surely have broken.”

“So Nine Palaces couldn’t sit still. She cast aside Xue Jingtao and prepared to confront Zhou Yuan herself.”

Yuan Kun rubbed his almost invisible chin. “Although this woman is extremely haughty, her capabilities are indeed significant, and she’s exceptionally decisive. The moment she acted, she directly and proactively severed the nodes that Zhou Yuan had previously damaged. It’s a form of ‘cutting off one’s tail to survive,’ which is why we’re seeing the golden barrier contract.”

Although Yuan Kun’s attainments in Genesis Runes were very low, he was still ranked eighth on the Divine Dwelling List. His discernment was extraordinary, so he quickly perceived the changes occurring within the barrier.

“I see...” Yi Qiushui nodded in sudden understanding.

“But now that Zhou Yuan has broken many nodes in the barrier, even if Nine Palaces takes over, it would be difficult to reverse, right?”

Yuan Kun sighed. “This Meridian Golden Light Barrier should be divided into two layers, an inner and an outer. Before, Xue Jingtao only controlled the outer layer. Now, Nine Palaces has abandoned the outer layer and retreated into the inner layer. If we’re talking about danger, it’s definitely more troublesome than before.”

He raised his head, gazing at the golden barrier, which was contracting, gradually stabilizing, and whose golden light was becoming increasingly dazzling and piercing. His expression was slightly solemn.

“The real trouble begins now.”

Within the golden barrier, Zhou Yuan likewise felt the continuously contracting golden barrier. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he too let out a soft sigh: “What a formidable opponent.”

The opponent’s decisiveness in abandoning the outer layer prevented him from pressing his advantage.

The nodes he had breached were like necrotic areas on a body. Now, Nine Palaces had directly wielded a knife to cut away the flesh, preventing the necrotic areas from further contamination.

Moreover, as the range contracted, the golden barrier would become even more impenetrable. Detecting the remaining nodes would no longer be as smooth as before, as Nine Palaces was not Xue Jingtao; her control over the barrier was perfect, leaving none of Xue Jingtao’s numerous exploitable loopholes.

However, despite the difficulty, it was clearly impossible for Zhou Yuan to give up now.

Zhou Yuan closed his eyes, his spiritual perception spreading. He sensed the flow of numerous Genesis Runes within the golden barrier and the formation of Genesis Traces. The next moment, a series of attack commands were issued again, unhurriedly.

“Squad A4, advance two hundred zhang, then turn right three hundred zhang, attack the northwest.”

“Squad A8, go left one hundred paces, attack due south.”

“Squad B3...”

Under Zhou Yuan’s command, one squad after another launched their offensives again. They swiftly moved to the positions Zhou Yuan indicated, then attacked the designated directions.

At the same time, on the mountaintop, Nine Palaces stared at the light screen before her. Her red lips parted slightly, and her clear voice rang out urgently: “Node nine, reinforce defenses.”

“Node thirteen, activate golden light, attack the squad to the southwest.”

“Node fifteen, attack north.”

Under her command, the nodes within the golden barrier immediately began to operate, either attacking, defending, or concealing themselves.

Zhou Yuan wanted to attack and break the nodes. Nine Palaces, however, quickly defended and created deceptive illusions, making it impossible for Zhou Yuan to accurately calculate the node positions.

Although the two sides had not met, a highly intense game of strategy had already begun.

Boom! Boom!

Within the golden barrier, violent Genesis Qi fluctuations continuously erupted.

Zhou Yuan felt the obstruction from Nine Palaces. His expression also grew more solemn, because during this period of attack, they had only discovered and destroyed two true nodes. It was important to note that Zhou Yuan had designated nearly ten positions.

This meant that eight of those positions were illusions projected by Nine Palaces, misleading Zhou Yuan’s calculations.

Furthermore, at those positions, Nine Palaces had gathered immense golden light, attempting to destroy Zhou Yuan’s squads. If Zhou Yuan hadn’t reacted swiftly and retreated promptly, his squads would likely have suffered significant damage.

The speed of the squads’ advance and the destruction of nodes was shockingly slow compared to before.

However, Zhou Yuan was not anxious. He knew that Nine Palaces was not comparable to Xue Jingtao. Given the latter’s Genesis Rune attainments and the barrier’s advantages, being able to break two more nodes was already quite good.

Next, he simply needed to advance steadily, without haste, to avoid falling into the opponent’s scheme.

Thus, Zhou Yuan began to slow down, meticulously deducing and observing the subtle changes within the barrier, gradually closing in.

Over the next incense stick’s time, Zhou Yuan and Nine Palaces repeatedly clashed, with both sides experiencing victories and losses. As more and more nodes were continuously shattered, Zhou Yuan’s squads also sustained damage, with some individuals even being directly affected by the barrier’s golden light and forcibly expelled from the Abyss of Falling Stars.

However, overall, as more and more nodes were occupied by Zhou Yuan, the situation seemed to be gradually shifting in his favor.

Outside the iceberg, Yuan Kun and Yi Qiushui gazed at the fiercely churning golden barrier. They could feel the barrier’s strength weakening little by little.

“It seems Zhou Yuan has gained the upper hand!” Yi Qiushui said joyfully.

Yuan Kun remained silent. Although it certainly appeared that way on the surface, he possessed senses as keen as a Genesis Beast, so as the situation gradually improved for Zhou Yuan, he instead felt a slight unease.

He knew full well that Nine Palaces was truly not easy to deal with.

But in this current situation, was Nine Palaces truly unable to hold on?

On the mountaintop, Nine Palaces gazed at the continuously dimming nodes. Her cool face also held a solemn expression, yet she showed no signs of panic.

“Senior Sister Nine Palaces, node twelve has been breached!” A hurried voice suddenly reported.

A sharp glint flashed in Nine Palaces’ bright eyes. She straightened her back, her figure graceful. Staring at a certain spot on the light screen, her red lips slightly curved, she said, “Zhou Yuan, you are indeed impressive, to be able to make my Meridian Golden Light Barrier so riddled with holes...”

“However, don’t forget the saying... ‘Please enter the urn!’”

“Since you’ve come in, don’t even think about leaving!”

Nine Palaces held a Genesis Rune brush in her slender, jade-like hand. Its tip streaked across the void like lightning, finally forming ancient Genesis Runes that soared skyward and poured into the barrier.

As those Genesis Runes merged into the barrier, some light points at the very back of the light screen before Nine Palaces began to glow brilliantly.

Nine Palaces’ gaze was fervent as she murmured to herself: “Zhou Yuan, to be able to force my Meridian Golden Light Barrier to its final phase, I acknowledge your ability, but unfortunately, the ultimate victor will still be me!”

“Meridian Golden Thunderlight, unleash!”

Boom! Boom!

Violent sounds resounded thunderously within the barrier, and an aura of destruction surged forth.

At this instant, Yuan Kun, who was outside the barrier, suddenly changed color. The surge of fluctuations from within the barrier made even his heart tremble. In that moment, he understood: this was Nine Palaces’ ultimate move!

She was luring the enemy deep, to crush them in a single strike!