400: Chapter 335: A Moment of Stagnation, a Surprise Attack Decides Victory

Dao Xuanzhen's declaration of surrender was still echoing across the battlefield, as the golden phantom of the [Nine-Bend Yellow River Array] began to slowly dissipate. One by one, the Formation's golden pillars of light dimmed and collapsed. The yellow sand filling the sky, losing the support of the Primal Chaos Qi, turned into ordinary dust and drifted down in a flurry.

Everything indicated that the captain of Honghuang Academy's Second Team had given up resistance.

However—

"Something's wrong!"

Lin Zhou's pupils suddenly constricted, and the warning from the Temple of Civilization exploded in his consciousness like an alarm bell! He sensed that although the core of the [Nine-Bend Yellow River Array]—those nine Formation eyes—had stopped functioning, the energy fluctuations of the Jinao Island projection, far from weakening, were gathering beneath Dao Xuanzhen's feet in an even more concealed and concentrated manner!

That wasn't a surrender; that was—charging up!

"Everyone, stop advancing! Maintain Formation!" Lin Zhou's low shout exploded in the command link, his voice carrying an unprecedented urgency. "He hasn't surrendered! He's deceiving us!"

Just as he finished speaking, before the echoes of Dao Xuanzhen's "surrender" declaration had completely faded—

Boom—!!!

The Jinao Island projection suddenly shuddered, and the dissipating phantom of the [Nine-Bend Yellow River Array] froze abruptly as if gripped by an invisible giant hand! The nine golden pillars of light that were about to go out simultaneously erupted with a blinding radiance, more dazzling than ever before!

The "dissipation" of the Formation was merely an illusion!

Dao Xuanzhen was using "surrender" as bait to lure the enemy in deep!

"Fellow Daoist Lin Zhou, your Discussing the Dao truly shook me," Dao Xuanzhen's voice came from the top of Jinao Island, no longer peaceful but carrying a hint of cold sternness. "But, as I said, I am the captain of Honghuang Academy's Second Team. What I carry is not just my personal Dao Heart, but the honor of the entire team!"

With a wave of his Horsetail Whisk, the remaining eight Formation eyes of the [Nine-Bend Yellow River Array] (the first bend having already been broken) simultaneously reversed their rotation! The Formation no longer expanded outward but contracted inward, forming a massive, inverted golden dome that enveloped the entire [Hundred Schools Myriad Phenomena Array] within it!

[Nine-Bend Yellow River Array · Reversed Form — Trapping Formation!]

- Type: Innate Trapping Formation (Using the Jinao Island projection as the core, enhancing the "trapping" effect to the extreme)

- Coverage Area: Contracted to a diameter of eighty kilometers (completely enveloping the [Hundred Schools Myriad Phenomena Array])

- Formation Trait Changes:

1. [Yellow Sand Lost Tracks] effect doubled: Visibility within the Formation reduced to five meters, sense of direction completely distorted, non-Daoist Disciples' movement speed -70%, accuracy -60%.

2. [Nine-Bend Strangling] changed to [Nine-Bend Lockdown]: Each bend's Domain no longer actively attacks but instead forms a sturdy barrier of rules to trap enemies within.

3. [Primal Chaos Qi] changed to [Primal Chaos Suppression]: Heavenly Dao resonance shifts from "buffing" to "suppression," non-Daoist units within the Formation have all attributes reduced by 25%.

4. [Formation Eye Hiding] changed to [Formation Eye Defense]: The nine Formation eyes (the first bend broken, eight remaining) no longer move but are instead linked as one with the core of Jinao Island, increasing defense by 300%.

- Current Status: Reversal activated, Formation stability recovered to 78%.

"A trap! It's a trap!" Wang Meng's face was ashen. "That kid faked his surrender to trick us into lowering our guard, then launched a trapping Formation to wipe us all out!"

Qin Qing's expression was also extremely grim. Under the suppression of the [Nine-Bend Yellow River Array], her Net of Law's coverage was compressed by more than half. She could feel the rules within the Formation being forcibly distorted by "Heavenly Dao resonance," and the Legalist "Order Definition" was facing an unprecedented challenge.

[Net of Law coverage area: Compressed from 150 kilometers to 60 kilometers.]

[Order Definition stability: 78% (continuously dropping).]

"What a clever 'retreat to advance' move." Lin Zhou's voice was frighteningly calm, devoid of anger or panic, containing only cold analysis. "He used the illusion of 'surrender' to make us think the battle was over, causing us to lower our guard and approach Jinao Island. Then he suddenly activated the trapping Formation to lock us in the core area."

He looked up at the golden dome covering the sky and earth, a cold light flashing in his eyes. "But, he made a mistake."

"What mistake?" Qin Qing asked.

"He was too eager for success." Lin Zhou pointed at the slowly contracting golden dome. "The effect of a trapping Formation relies on 'trapping the enemy.' If we weren't inside the Formation, his trapping Formation would be meaningless. Therefore, he had to wait until we entered the optimal 'trapping' range before he could activate it."

"And that 'optimal range' happens to be the very range where we are most likely to strike the main body of Jinao Island!"

A sharp glint flashed in his eyes. "In other words, although he has trapped us now, Jinao Island itself is also exposed within our attack range!"

[Distance Calculation: Star Sea Divine Kingdom Projection and Jinao Island Projection — Currently only 80 kilometers apart!]

- Within this distance, Lin Zhou's [Sword of Civilization], Zhao Hao's Dragon Legion, and Wang Meng's Behemoth Legion can all directly attack the main body of Jinao Island!

"Zhao Hao!" Lin Zhou commanded in a low voice. "How confident are you that your Dragon Legion can charge into the airspace above Jinao Island within three seconds?"

Zhao Hao made a quick estimate and gritted his teeth. "Under the trapping Formation's suppression, our speed is only 30% of normal. Eighty kilometers will take... at least ten seconds!"

"Too slow," Lin Zhou shook his head. "Ten seconds is enough for Dao Xuanzhen to change the Formation again and move Jinao Island out of our attack range."

He scanned the battlefield quickly, his gaze finally landing on the contracting golden dome.

"The trapping Formation's contraction speed is one kilometer per second," Lin Zhou calculated rapidly. "Eighty kilometers would take eighty seconds to fully contract to the core of Jinao Island. However, during the contraction process, the Formation's stability will fluctuate due to energy redistribution."

He looked at Li Mo. "Li Mo, calculate the Formation's 'Fluctuation Gaps'!"

Li Mo's projection shone brightly, his electronic voice carrying the static of high-speed computation. "Analyzing... In the [Nine-Bend Yellow River Array]'s reversed form, for every ten kilometers it contracts, a 'Fluctuation Gap' of approximately 0.5 seconds will appear in the Formation's stability. During these gaps, the trapping Formation's suppression effect weakens by 50%!"

"0.5 seconds..." A sharp light flashed in Lin Zhou's eyes. "That's enough."

He turned to Zhao Hao and Wang Meng. "At the next Fluctuation Gap, you will both strike simultaneously. Zhao Hao, your Dragon Legion will rush toward Jinao Island at maximum speed; Wang Meng, your Behemoth Legion will charge from the ground. The target is—Dao Xuanzhen himself!"

"0.5 seconds? Charging from eighty kilometers away to Jinao Island?" Zhao Hao gave a bitter smile. "Captain, even at full speed, my dragons can't fly eighty kilometers in 0.5 seconds."

"You don't need to fly the whole way," Lin Zhou shook his head. "You only need to enter my attack range within 0.5 seconds."

He raised the [Sword of Civilization] in his hand, pointing it toward Jinao Island. "At the moment of the Fluctuation Gap, I will use the [Scroll of Civilization] to forcibly open a 'passage' and 'fold' the distance between you and Jinao Island. Within 0.5 seconds, your attacks can land directly on Jinao Island!"

[Scroll of Civilization · Space Folding (Consumable Version)]

- Effect: Temporarily compresses the spatial distance between two points to one-tenth.

- Duration: 1 second.

- Cost: 5,000 Divine Power per use.

- Side Effect: The scroll will suffer spatial backlash, requiring at least a one-hour cooldown after use.

"Space Folding?" Li Mo's electronic voice was filled with surprise. "Captain, this skill is still in the theoretical stage; it's never been verified in actual combat!"

"Today is the time to verify it." Lin Zhou's tone was calm but left no room for doubt.

The [Nine-Bend Yellow River Array] continued to contract.

The edge of the golden dome drew closer and closer to the core of the [Hundred Schools Myriad Phenomena Array].

90 kilometers... 85 kilometers... 80 kilometers...

"The first Fluctuation Gap is expected in fifteen seconds!" Li Mo announced.

"Prepare." Lin Zhou took a deep breath. The light on the [Sword of Civilization] in his hand flowed, and the phantom of the [Scroll of Civilization] began to emerge on the blade.

Fifteen seconds felt like a long ordeal.

"Countdown: Ten, nine, eight..."

Lin Zhou's gaze was locked tightly on Jinao Island. Dao Xuanzhen stood at the top of the island, waving his whisk and controlling every contraction of the Formation. His expression remained stern, but deep in his eyes, there was a faint, almost imperceptible tension.

"Three, two, one—Fluctuation Gap! Now!"

Buzz—!!!

The stability of the [Nine-Bend Yellow River Array] experienced a brief, extremely weak fluctuation the moment it contracted to eighty kilometers! The suppression effect plummeted from 100% to 50%!

"Scroll of Civilization—Open!"

Lin Zhou gave a low shout, and a brilliant, pale-golden phantom of a scroll unfurled from the blade of the [Sword of Civilization]! The scroll did not Seal the enemy; instead, it acted like a bridge, extending straight from the core of the [Hundred Schools Myriad Phenomena Array] toward Jinao Island!

[Scroll of Civilization · Space Folding — Activated!]

- Folded Distance: 80 kilometers compressed to 8 kilometers!

- Duration: 1 second!

- Passage Width: Can accommodate ten dragons passing through side-by-side!

"Zhao Hao! Wang Meng! Now!"

"Charge!"

Zhao Hao roared and led the Dragon Legion into the scroll passage! The 80-kilometer distance was compressed to 8 kilometers, and with the dragons' flight speed (10 kilometers per second), they could cross those 8 kilometers in 0.8 seconds!

Wang Meng led the Behemoth Legion close behind. In their berserk state, the Behemoths' running speed (8 kilometers per second) also allowed them to pass through the passage within 1 second!

0.3 seconds—Zhao Hao's Dragon Legion burst out of the passage, appearing in the airspace above Jinao Island!

0.5 seconds—Wang Meng's Behemoth Legion burst out of the passage, appearing at the edge of Jinao Island!

0.7 seconds—Dao Xuanzhen finally reacted, his face changing drastically!

"How is this possible?!"

He waved his whisk frantically, trying to change the Formation again and move Jinao Island away. But the [Nine-Bend Yellow River Array] was in a "Fluctuation Gap," and the Formation's reaction speed was weakened by 50%! He needed at least 2 seconds to complete the change!

But Zhao Hao and Wang Meng only needed 1 second!

"Dragon Breath—Volley!"

Zhao Hao roared, and dozens of dragons simultaneously spat Dragon Breath. Golden flames poured like a waterfall onto Jinao Island's protective array! The protective array had already been slashed with a crack by Lin Zhou earlier; now, under the continuous searing of the Dragon Breath, the crack expanded rapidly!

"Behemoth—Berserk Charge!"

Wang Meng led the Behemoth Legion like a red torrent, charging into the interior of Jinao Island through the crack! The Behemoth Giant Beasts' claws tore through all the defensive Formations and Daoist Disciples in their path, heading straight for Dao Xuanzhen at the island's summit!

"Brother Dao, it's over." Lin Zhou's voice came from the other end of the scroll passage, calm and firm.

Dao Xuanzhen looked at the Behemoth Legion charging into Jinao Island, the Dragon Legion circling overhead, and the rapidly collapsing protective array, then slowly lowered his whisk.

"0.5 seconds..." he murmured, a hint of disbelief flashing in his eyes. "You actually managed to cross eighty kilometers in 0.5 seconds..."

"It wasn't crossing; it was folding," Lin Zhou's voice came through. "My [Scroll of Civilization] can fold space. You trapped me, but you also exposed yourself within my attack range."

"Trapping the enemy is also trapping oneself."

Dao Xuanzhen was silent for a moment, then gave a bitter laugh. "What a 'trapping the enemy is also trapping oneself.' Fellow Daoist Lin Zhou, I have lost again."

He offered no further resistance.

Under the impact of the Dragon Breath and the Behemoths, the island's protective array completely collapsed.

The Jinao Island projection, losing the support of the Formation, began to slowly dissipate.

The golden dome of the [Nine-Bend Yellow River Array] shattered like glass, disintegrating inch by inch.

And Dao Xuanzhen stood at the top of the dissipating Jinao Island, looking at Lin Zhou in the distance. The cold sternness was gone from his eyes, replaced by pure respect for a strong opponent.

[Honghuang Academy Second Team — All members withdrawn!]

[Nine-Bend Yellow River Array — Completely collapsed!]

[Xinghai University Team — Victorious! Advanced to the Top 25!]

The tournament's notification sound rang out again, and this time, there was no "fake surrender" trap.

Zhao Hao ceased his Dragon Breath and landed beside Lin Zhou, panting heavily. "Captain, those 0.5 seconds... I almost thought I was going to crash."

"I believe in you." Lin Zhou smiled slightly and put away the [Scroll of Civilization]. A tiny crack had appeared on the scroll's surface—a trace left by the spatial folding's backlash, which would take at least an hour to repair itself.

[Scroll of Civilization · Space Folding: Cooldown (Remaining time: 59 minutes 58 seconds).]

Wang Meng also returned with the Behemoth Legion. He was wounded in several places, but his spirit was high. "Captain, that charge was so exhilarating! That kid didn't even have time to react!"

Qin Qing, however, was lost in thought. "Dao Xuanzhen... did he really surrender? Or is he tricking us again?"

Lin Zhou shook his head. "This time it's for real. His Formation has collapsed, and the Jinao Island projection is dissipating. Even if he wanted to deceive us again, he no longer has the resources."

He looked in the direction where Dao Xuanzhen was dissipating, a complex look flashing in his eyes. "He is a respectable opponent. In terms of Formation mastery, I am inferior to him. But he lost because... he relied too much on the Formation and forgot about the person setting it."

"The use of the Formation lies in the person," Qin Qing murmured.

"Yes," Lin Zhou nodded. "No matter how strong a Formation is, it is set by a person. If the heart wavers, no matter how strong the Formation is, it is useless."

[Battle Settlement in progress...]

[Xinghai University Team — Advanced to the Top 25!]

- This round's points: +18,000 points (Team), +10,000 points (Lin Zhou's individual contribution).

- civilization points reward: +250,000 points (An additional 50,000 points awarded for the first successful combat use of [Scroll of Civilization · Space Folding]).

- Spoils of War: Jinao Island Projection Fragment (decomposable into Daoist Formation fragments), Nine-Bend Yellow River Array Diagram Incomplete Manual (learnable).

Lin Zhou glanced at the spoils list and nodded slightly. The Jinao Island Projection Fragments could be decomposed into the core rules of Daoist Formations, which were of great value for perfecting the [Hundred Schools Myriad Phenomena Array]. The Nine-Bend Yellow River Array's Diagram Incomplete Manual could be handed over to Li Mo for research; perhaps they could find more ways to counter Innate Formations from it.

"Who will the opponent be in the next round?" Wang Meng asked.

On the light screen, the list of those who advanced to the Top 25 was scrolling.

Xinghai University's name was prominently listed.

Their next opponent would be decided by a draw tonight.

Lin Zhou withdrew his gaze and turned to the others. "No matter who the opponent is, we are ready."

"Way of Civilization is unstoppable."

Everyone responded in unison, their eyes burning with Battle Intent.

And on the light screen, the golden text "Xinghai University Team — Advanced to the Top 25" shone brightly in the void, as if announcing to the entire Universe—a new star was rising.