Chapter 967: Cannot Hide

Twelve streaks of golden light rapidly expanded in Zhou Yuan's eyes. The violent, ominous aura was like a true fierce beast lunging, and the rampant Genesis Qi storm made Zhou Yuan's skin suddenly taut, with a faint stinging sensation.

With no intention of underestimating his opponent, Zhou Yuan clenched his hand and took a deep breath. Fifty-eight million Genesis Qi stars flickered, and the surging Genesis Qi fluctuations caused the very fabric of heaven and earth to tremble.

Boom! Boom! A golden beast was the first to lunge forward, its sharp claws sweeping through the void, tearing even space into subtle marks. The air beneath its claws exploded like air cannons.

Zhou Yuan's expression was solemn. Gripping his sword light, he slashed down fiercely.

The sword light directly clashed with the sharp golden claws, sending sparks flying and making space tremble.

At the moment of impact, Zhou Yuan clearly felt a terrifying force pouring over him, causing his body to tremble violently.

Clang! Clang! Before Zhou Yuan could even regain his composure, the attacks from the other eleven golden beasts roared in. A deluge of claw shadows descended, directly targeting all of Zhou Yuan's vital points.

Facing such a concerted assault, even Zhou Yuan dared not fully withstand it. His figure instantly flickered, transforming into a shadow and retreating rapidly.

Yet, the twelve golden beasts' attacks relentlessly pursued him, wave after wave, giving Zhou Yuan no chance to breathe.

Clang, clang, clang! Sparks continuously flew as Zhou Yuan was repeatedly forced back by the impacts. The combined assault of the twelve golden beasts was utterly suffocating.

Under the starry sky, onlookers from all sides clicked their tongues in silent amazement. The puppets from the Fiend Puppet Domain were truly terrifying; an attack of this magnitude would likely give even seasoned experts of the same caliber, like Yuan Kun and Jiugong, quite a headache.

Yuan Kun's plump face also appeared somewhat solemn. He could clearly see that Xu Ming's offensive was filled with killing intent, evidently aimed at severely wounding Zhou Yuan.

Faced with such murderous intent from Xu Ming, it seemed highly unlikely Zhou Yuan could turn the tide without resorting to other tactics.

What Yuan Kun perceived, the other Heaven Chosen from the other domains naturally understood as well.

Jiugong secretly shook her head. From this perspective, although Zhou Yuan had barely managed to elevate his Genesis Qi foundation to 58 million with the help of the Four Source Runes, he still seemed to be lacking in other techniques.

"It's a pity," Jiugong murmured with a hint of regret, "this Zhou Yuan possesses extraordinary potential. Once he breaks through to the ninth layer of the Divine Dwelling, Xu Ming will likely be utterly crushed by him." Perhaps Xu Ming was aware of this, which was why he repeatedly provoked Zhou Yuan, attempting to eliminate him before Zhou Yuan could achieve that breakthrough.

Deep down, Xu Ming likely harbored more envy than anything else towards Zhou Yuan.

After all, despite being only at the eighth-layer Divine Dwelling realm, Zhou Yuan could contend equally with someone like Xu Ming, who was at the ninth layer. This alone proved Zhou Yuan's talent far surpassed his own.

Wu Yao's exquisitely beautiful face, with its subtly sharp features, calmly observed the battle unfolding atop the massive stone statue. Behind her, Zhao Yunxiao's eyes were wide, and he gnashed his teeth, seemingly anticipating the moment Zhou Yuan would be utterly destroyed.

"Junior Sister Youwei, you've already offended Zhao Mushen. If Zhou Yuan is defeated by Xu Ming later, you absolutely cannot intervene again!" From the Violet Cloud Domain, Xue Jingtao, feeling a surge of excitement as he watched Zhou Yuan being thoroughly suppressed by Xu Ming, turned to Su Youwei and stated gravely.

"Otherwise, offending both the Myriad Ancestors Domain and the Fiend Puppet Domain at once would be too much for even our Violet Cloud Domain to handle." He urged earnestly.

Su Youwei's clear eyes quietly observed Xue Jingtao. He, in turn, awkwardly turned his head and said, "I'm only thinking about our Violet Cloud Domain's standing."

A trace of disdain flickered deep within Su Youwei's eyes, and she said calmly, "Don't worry, he won't lose to Xu Ming."

Hearing Su Youwei's strong faith in Zhou Yuan, a spark of irritation rose in Xue Jingtao's heart. He sneered, "Oh? Right now, he's completely suppressed and looks so pathetic. I don't see how he could possibly turn the tables."

Su Youwei said flatly, "That's simply because the gap between you and him is too vast."

Veins pulsed on Xue Jingtao's forehead. Suppressing his fury, he said sarcastically, "Is that so? Then I'm truly eager to see what other tricks he can pull."

The sword light swept across, directly clashing with five golden beasts. In the next instant, the brilliant sword light was forcibly shattered, dissolving into countless scattered specks of light.

Zhou Yuan's figure was knocked back, his feet scraping long marks across the ground.

The Genesis Qi within his body was somewhat agitated. The combat power of these twelve golden beasts exceeded his expectations, and coupled with their perfect coordination, it was indeed quite challenging for Zhou Yuan to contend with them relying solely on his 58 million Genesis Qi foundation.

Zhou Yuan subtly pursed his lips. It seemed these seasoned Heaven Chosen from the other eight domains truly couldn't be underestimated; their signature techniques were incredibly troublesome.

It seemed he would have to get serious. These methods could no longer be concealed.

The moment Zhou Yuan seemed slightly distracted, the roars of the twelve golden beasts echoed. With a flash of golden light, they instantly appeared all around Zhou Yuan, locking him down from all twelve directions.

Moreover, golden light surged on their bodies, dispelling shadows and making it difficult for Zhou Yuan to fully utilize his Shadow Immortal Art for evasion.

Dark golden light furiously gathered in their mouths, and terrifying Genesis Qi fluctuations condensed. The surrounding void began to tremble violently.

Not far away, Xu Ming watched Zhou Yuan with a smile, sighing, "Zhou Yuan, at a time like this, you still have the mind to be distracted. Since that's the case, don't blame me for showing no mercy."

"Take your people and get lost." His hands suddenly clapped together, and a low voice resonated: "Twelve Golden Warriors!"

The instant his voice fell, twelve magnificent golden lights suddenly erupted from the mouths of the golden beasts. The light furiously condensed, and after a few breaths, directly transformed into twelve distinct golden light-weapons!

Sword, spear, halberd, axe... Each golden light-weapon shimmered with boundless sharpness. As they shot out, they sliced through the void, bringing forth an aura of clashing weapons and charging steeds.

The Twelve Golden Warriors moved with the speed of lightning. Many could only discern a fleeting golden blur, yet this did not prevent them from sensing the scalp-tingling sharpness they exuded.

At this moment, everyone knew Xu Ming had unleashed his killing move. An attack of this magnitude was enough to severely wound or even kill Zhou Yuan!

Golden light roared, and Zhou Yuan seemed unable to dodge. Ultimately, he could only allow the twelve golden light-weapons, imbued with terrifying destructive power, to heavily strike his body.

Boom! At that instant, golden light erupted, and golden waves of energy surged outwards.

Lu Xiao, Ye Bingling, Yi Qiushui, and others who witnessed this scene all trembled, their faces turning significantly paler.

If Zhou Yuan were to withstand such an astonishing assault head-on, he would undoubtedly be severely wounded!

A smirk played at the corner of Xu Ming's mouth. He lazily stretched, muttering to himself, "He really is just a waste of words..."

He raised his head, his gaze sweeping towards a certain direction outside the stone statue, where Su Youwei stood. He grinned, silent words conveying: "Su Youwei, I told you, you can't protect this trash!"

This stone statue belonged to him, Xu Ming!

But just as Xu Ming was grinning broadly, he suddenly heard gasps of surprise erupting from outside.

Xu Ming's eyebrow twitched slightly. He sharply turned his head, looking at the spot where Zhou Yuan had been struck. The golden light there gradually receded, and a figure emerged.

And at that moment, Xu Ming's pupils suddenly contracted.

Because he saw a silver-armored figure standing quietly there, an indescribably terrifying aura slowly emanating from it.

The twelve golden light-weapons, shattered, lay scattered in all directions, gradually dissipating into specks of light.

The specks of light reflected in Xu Ming's eyes. He stared at the silver-armored figure, which radiated a chilling aura, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly. For some inexplicable reason, a cold dread quietly began to rise from deep within his heart.