Chapter 956: Breaking the Formation

Boom!

Inside the golden light barrier, violent fluctuations gathered. The golden light surged, and the faint sound of thunder echoed. A heart-pounding force was gradually emerging.

Zhou Yuan also noticed this power, and his pupils subtly contracted. He gazed into the deepest part of the golden light barrier and murmured, "So that's it. You intentionally lured us deep inside, then planned to defeat us with a single strike? A trap, then..." Zhou Yuan's eyes flickered, then he smiled and said, "It's a good scheme, but... aren't you afraid of letting the wolf into the house?"

He took a deep breath, ignoring the violently swirling golden light barrier. He suddenly spoke, issuing a series of attack commands, and the pace of the offensive rapidly accelerated.

Boom! Boom! This time, the attack yielded far more effective results than before. Jiu Gong was clearly planning to abandon these nodes because she was concentrating all her power for the most terrifying attack—a counterattack that Zhou Yuan's teams absolutely couldn't withstand. That would be enough to completely reverse the situation. Zhou Yuan seemed oblivious to this, continuing to occupy and shatter various nodes.

On the peak of the ice mountain, urgent voices from various directions reached Jiu Gong's ears: "Senior Sister Jiu Gong, their speed in capturing nodes is increasing!" Jiu Gong remained unmoved, saying, "Ignore them. Concentrate all the barrier's power towards the core node. The outcome of this battle will be decided now." "Yes!" Many voices affirmed, and then the golden light barrier continued to contract. But as it contracted, the concentrated power became increasingly terrifying and astonishing.

Outside the ice mountain, Yuan Kun and Yi Qiushui's expressions grew extremely solemn, as they also perceived the increasing power within the golden light barrier. "At this intensity, even I would be severely wounded if I confronted it head-on," Yuan Kun said slowly. This Meridian Golden Light Barrier was Jiu Gong's specialty, and when it fully unleashed its power, it was naturally extraordinary. "This is truly troublesome. Zhou Yuan is probably in a difficult position now, caught between a rock and a hard place..." Normally, with a destructive attack gathering ahead, Zhou Yuan should lead his team to retreat. But if they retreated, Jiu Gong would quickly reclaim those nodes, and the golden light barrier would completely recover. And all of Zhou Yuan's previous efforts would be for naught. Breaking the formation would become impossible. Therefore, in Yuan Kun's view, Zhou Yuan was truly in a highly awkward predicament. Yuan Kun sighed softly, his Source Qi circulating within him, ready to intervene at any moment.

Inside the golden light barrier, Zhou Yuan remained unperturbed by the terrifying power gathering within it. He continued to command his team, steadily occupying nodes and pushing forward step by step. However, as they advanced further, the teams from both domains began to show fear, as they could clearly sense the destructive power surging ahead. If that power erupted, their teams would suffer extremely heavy losses. Zhou Yuan also noticed their fear, and his voice immediately came through: "It's too late to retreat now. If you don't want to be eliminated in vain, then follow my orders without question." The sternness in his voice made the various teams slightly suppress their fear of the power ahead, and gritting their teeth, they advanced again.

However, at that very moment, the violent thunder deep within the barrier suddenly quieted. It was this silence that abruptly intensified everyone's panic, for they all knew that this momentary quiet was merely the prelude to the coming destructive counterattack... The counterattack from Jiu Gong had finally taken shape.

On the peak of the ice mountain, Jiu Gong's red lips slightly parted as she exhaled a breath like orchids. Her beautiful eyes, cold and sharp, stared at the light screen before her. Her hands clasped together, and a low voice, imbued with chilling power, resonated across the ice mountain. "It's over... Golden Thunder... Soar..."

Boom! At that instant, deep within the golden light barrier, thunder exploded. Overwhelming golden lightning, roaring like giant pythons, poured forth, directly engulfing Zhou Yuan and the other teams caught within. As the golden lightning surged, space itself trembled. Xue Jingtao, located somewhere within the barrier, watched this assault with an expression of wild delight. Such a counterattack, even Zhou Yuan was bound to be unable to withstand! "Let's see you be so smug now!" he muttered, gritting his teeth, his face alight with excitement.

Zhou Yuan also raised his head, looking into the depths of the barrier where the golden lightning was sweeping towards them. The sheer power of it sent a shock through his heart; if he had to face this attack alone, he would likely need to exert all his strength just to protect himself. And that was just for self-preservation... the other teams would probably be completely annihilated. From this perspective, Jiu Gong's Meridian Golden Light Barrier was indeed extraordinary. Within the barrier, the teams from both domains also showed signs of fear. If they weren't elites from their respective domains, they would probably have been unable to resist retreating and fleeing at that moment. But even so, they felt a sense of despair. How could they possibly withstand such an assault?

However, just as their despair grew while watching the overwhelming golden lightning approach, Zhou Yuan's calm voice once again echoed in their ears: "Everyone, crush your jade slips now. Don't worry. Since I brought you in, I will naturally ensure you all get out in one piece." His voice wasn't fervent, but its calmness seemed to possess a magical quality, calming the despair in the teams' hearts slightly. Then, looking at the jade slips in their hands, they gritted their teeth and forcefully crushed them.

Buzz! Buzz! The moment each jade slip was crushed, pillars of light shot up from where they stood. Within the light pillars, countless Source Runes fluttered, transforming into interwoven and connected lines of light. Gradually, a massive transparent turtle shell appeared before them. Countless Source Runes flowed across the turtle shell, which reflected light, dazzling brightly. Zhou Yuan stood behind the turtle shell, gazing at it. A slight curve lifted at the corner of his lips, and his tense body finally began to relax. He looked at the golden lightning torrent now almost upon them and softly said, "Turtle Mirror Barrier."

The torrent of golden lightning slammed heavily against the massive Turtle Mirror. In that instant, the earth shook. On the ice mountain, Jiu Gong also cast her beautiful gaze towards the mountainside, where the collision occurred. Her hands gently clenched; the victory or defeat would be decided now. Next, the golden lightning should sweep through everything with overwhelming force. She stared down, where the golden lightning raged. However, at that moment, on the mountainside, the golden lightning torrent suddenly vibrated. Then, a surge of golden lightning unexpectedly rebounded, colliding with the ongoing golden lightning torrent.

Boom! Boom! Even the void itself began to tear with spatial rifts. Jiu Gong's pupils abruptly contracted, and a trace of disbelief appeared in her eyes. The golden lightning was clearly a part of the barrier's power; how could it suddenly counterattack the barrier itself? "What's going on?!" Source Runes swirled in her eyes as her gaze pierced through the golden light, finally revealing the suddenly appearing massive Source Rune Turtle Mirror. The golden lightning, after striking it, was directly repelled by the Turtle Mirror. It then rebounded like a tsunami, colliding with the original golden lightning torrent. "Turtle Mirror Barrier?!" Jiu Gong's expression suddenly changed. "How is that possible? How could he set up a Turtle Mirror Barrier within my own barrier?!" Her gaze swept over the nodes Zhou Yuan had previously captured, and her eyes flashed: "It's those nodes!" It was by connecting to these nodes that Zhou Yuan was able to swiftly set up a Turtle Mirror Barrier. In other words, Zhou Yuan had practically derived a new barrier from the foundation of her own barrier. This was no simple feat! It required extremely profound mastery of Source Runes! Jiu Gong's jade hands clenched, but her heart slowly sank. So Zhou Yuan had been guarding against her from the very beginning, and this Turtle Mirror Barrier had been waiting for her full-force counterattack. Because the reflective property of the Turtle Mirror could perfectly counter the Golden Light Barrier! Next... the rebounded golden lightning would backfire on everything. "Deceitful!" Jiu Gong gritted her teeth.

Boom! Boom! The next instant, a torrent of golden lightning rebounded on the mountainside. The remaining Meridian Golden Light Barrier was the first to be hit, and almost within a few breaths, all its nodes were completely destroyed by the golden lightning. The golden lightning swept past, and the pervasive golden light dispersed. It was at this moment that Yuan Kun and the others at the foot of the mountain stared dumbfounded as the massive barrier enveloping the ice mountain collapsed. The original appearance of the ice mountain became visible to them. Meanwhile, on the ice mountain, the teams from the Violet Heavens Domain and Profound Mystery Domain all wore bewildered expressions. The Meridian Golden Light Barrier... was broken just like that?!