166: The first wave arrived, and the legal website reassured people.

The heavy footsteps of the Berserk Demons were like muffled thunder, beating against the taut heartstrings of every defender on the defensive line. Dark red Devilish Qi churned and gathered on their bodies, transforming into visible, viscous flames, illuminating the already dim world in an even more eerie and ferocious manner. The figures of black-robed wizard apprentices flickered within the Devilish Qi tide; as they waved their bone staves, the surrounding Devilish Qi seemed to be endowed with life, surging even more frantically, and even beginning to condense into tiny, malicious energy vortices.

The oppressive feeling of the second wave of the Devilish Qi tide far exceeded the simple accumulation of quantity seen in the first wave of minor demons. They brought stronger individual power, as well as... rudimentary tactical coordination and Devilish Qi manipulation abilities!

"Hold steady! They aren't fast!" Rock Shield's voice echoed across the defensive line through a simple megaphone. His own 【Steadfast Protection】 aura was fully deployed, barely covering the foremost shield wall. However, the soldiers' palms, tightly gripping their weapons, were still slick with sweat. Facing those Berserk Demons, which were like moving hills, and the mysterious, eerie wizards, they instinctively felt fear.

Just as this suffocating pressure reached its peak, Lin Zhou's figure, suspended in mid-air, moved.

He did not once again fully deploy the energy-consuming Vast Righteous Qi Domain. Instead, his hands quickly formed several profound hand seals. The part of his godhood representing the 【Civilization · Law】 divine office resonated with unprecedented depth with the 【Net of Law (Wartime Enhanced Version)】 that had already covered the territory!

"Net of Law, heed my command!"

"Here, now, I define—Chaos, Fear, Disorder, Erosion... all are 'Illegal'!"

"Where Order exists, Law prevails! All things 'Illegal' shall be suppressed!"

Lin Zhou's voice, like a cold gavel striking the cornerstone of rules, carried an unquestionable will of judgment. Through the Net of Law, it was branded directly into the underlying rules of this battlefield!

In an instant, the pale blue light patterns of the Net of Law, which covered the entire territory (a radius of about one kilometer), suddenly brightened several times over! Countless more intricate and complex rule runes flowed and manifested within the light network. It was no longer just a simple management and monitoring network, but had transformed into an inescapable net targeting "Illegal" entities!

This was one of the core applications of Legalist thought when confronting the "Chaos" faction—using "Law" to define "Order," and using "Order" to overcome "Chaos"!

【Net of Law · "Illegal" Definition and Suppression Effect Deployed (Targeting Abyssal Devilish Qi Tide)】:

Coverage: Radius 1000 meters (Territory core area and forward defensive line).

Core Definition Effective:

"Chaos" definition effective: Within the range, all energy, mental fluctuations, and behavioral patterns originating from the Abyss and non-Order factions have their activity and influence weakened at the rule level.

"Fear" definition effective: For all non-Abyssal units within the range (i.e., Lin Zhou's dependents and allies), negative mental effects such as "Fear," "Despair," and "Chaos" caused by Devilish Qi, monster pressure, and the battlefield environment are significantly weakened by 60% (after stacking with the previous Vast Righteous Qi effect, the total weakening is close to 90%)!

"Disorder" definition effective: The group coordination, energy flow, and tactical cooperation of Abyssal units within the range are slightly interfered with, reducing efficiency by about 10%.

"Erosion" definition effective: The physical corrosion and energy pollution characteristics of Devilish Qi are partially "negated" by the rules, and their erosion efficiency is reduced by 25% (stacked with Vast Righteous Qi suppression).

Additional Effects (Enhanced based on the original functions of the Net of Law):

【Order Blessing】: All friendly units within the range that abide by the "Law" (i.e., obey Lin Zhou's commands and execute defensive tasks) gain the temporary status 【Order Protection】.

【Order Protection】 Effect:

Mental resistance +30% (stacked with the above weakening).

Attacks carry a faint "Order Exorcism" attribute, dealing an additional 5% - 15% damage to Chaos/Evil/Abyssal faction units (depending on the attacker's own strength of Order belief and attack method).

10% damage reduction when receiving "Illegal" attacks (Devilish Qi corrosion, mental pollution, etc.).

【Resource Decree Solidification】: The priority of resource allocation decrees during wartime is raised. Any behavior attempting to destroy resource points or interfere with logistics lines will be actively marked and counter-ruled (mildly) by the Net of Law.

Energy Consumption: Moderate (about 40% of the full power of the Vast Righteous Qi Domain). The duration can be significantly extended, but it places extremely high demands on Lin Zhou's godhood calculation and rule maintenance capabilities.

The moment the rule suppression of the Net of Law took effect, the atmosphere on the battlefield changed abruptly!

The soldiers on the defensive line felt as if the maddening whispers and heavy fear in their minds, which had been like maggots on bones, had been violently torn away by more than half by an invisible pair of hands! Although the monsters' shrieks and ferocious appearances were still terrifying, the impulse from the depths of their Souls that made them want to drop their weapons and run was firmly suppressed by a cold, rational sense of Order! Their thinking became clear again, their heartbeats gradually stabilized, and their gazes refocused on the enemies before them and the weapons in their hands.

"It's the Dominator's Law!" "I feel... I can control myself now!" "For Order! For our home!"

Low shouts began to ring out across the defensive line. Although not high-pitched, they were full of determination. Morale was no longer a bubble driven by fear, but had transformed into cold, hard rock.

At the same time, the rolling, dark red Devilish Qi tide, upon touching the edge of the Net of Law's coverage, seemed to collide with an invisible wall of Order full of repulsive force! Its surging momentum visibly stalled, and its concentration also appeared visibly diluted. The Devilish Qi flames burning on the Berserk Demons seemed to dim slightly, and their footsteps became slightly heavier.

More importantly, those Abyssal wizard apprentices hidden in the Devilish Qi tide! When they tried to guide and gather Devilish Qi to cast evil Spells such as 【Fear】, 【Cloud of Corrosion】, or to strengthen the Berserk Demons, they immediately felt powerful rule resistance! The Devilish Qi they gathered became sluggish and difficult to control, and unstable "logic conflicts" frequently appeared when constructing Spell models (being defined as "Illegal" by the Law and thus interfered with)! One wizard apprentice even suffered a minor backlash due to forced spellcasting, and dark green blood seeped out from under their black robe!

"Now! Fire Hammer!" Lin Zhou's Divine Thought command arrived instantly.

Fire Hammer, who had long been prepared, with the brilliance of 【Ingenious Craftsmanship】 flashing in his eyes, waved his hand violently: " 'Demon-Suppressing Arrows,' 'Demon-Breaking Short Spears'—fire! Target, the black-robed wizards and the Devilish Qi gathering points of the Berserk Demons!"

The specially made arrows and short spears, which had already been equipped with simple rune devices (inscribed with basic Order concept runes such as "Exorcism," "Peace," and "Stability," and driven by stable spirit coal energy), transformed into streams of light trailing faint golden or silver traces from the crossbow positions behind and on both sides of the defensive line, as well as from the hands of elite spear-throwers, accurately shooting toward key nodes in the Devilish Qi tide!

The physical damage of these special weapons might only be slightly higher than ordinary weapons, but the faint Order concepts and stable energy they contained produced miraculous effects the moment they came into contact with the dense Devilish Qi!

Hiss, hiss, hiss—!

When a "Demon-Suppressing Arrow" shot into the center of a Devilish Qi vortex guided by a wizard apprentice, the "Peace" rune inscribed on the arrow shaft suddenly lit up, and a faint yet incomparably pure concept of "Calmness" and "Order" spread out! The turbulent Devilish Qi vortex, as if hot oil doused with cold water, rolled and conflicted violently, its structure instantly becoming extremely unstable, and the energy feedback to the wizard also became chaotic! A Berserk Demon next to it, strengthened by this vortex of Devilish Qi, also suddenly stiffened, the Devilish Qi flames on its body flickering unsteadily.

A "Demon-Breaking Short Spear" pierced fiercely into the center of the densest Devilish Qi on a Berserk Demon's chest. The "Exorcism" rune took effect, and the Order energy carried by the short spear, like a sharp thorn, disrupted the circulation of Devilish Qi within its body! The Berserk Demon let out a painful roar, its attack movements deformed, even affecting the flow of Devilish Qi in a small area around it!

Precision strikes, disrupting nodes!

Although it failed to directly kill many enemies, it successfully disrupted the rhythm of the Devilish Qi tide (especially the wizards) and weakened its overall threat!

"Crossbows, bows and arrows, fire at will! Target—all exposed Abyssal units! Under the blessing of the Net of Law, our attacks carry Order Exorcism!" Rock Shield seized the opportunity and ordered loudly.

At this moment, under the blessing of the Net of Law's 【Order Protection】 status, the arrows, crossbow bolts, and even stones thrown from the defensive line were all faintly covered with a layer of imperceptible Order halo (【Order Exorcism】 attribute activated). Although far less effective than the specially made "Demon-Suppressing Weapons," the accumulation of small amounts led to a significant increase in damage dealt to the monsters, especially in more effectively penetrating and consuming the Devilish Qi protection on their bodies.

Those Spirit-powered Puppets, as constructs, did not directly enjoy the mental resistance bonus, but the stable spirit energy contained in their attacks, under the faint blessing of 【Order Exorcism】, had its destructive effect on Devilish Qi enhanced by a notch. Each punch landed could more effectively disperse the Devilish Qi on the target.

The battle entered a more tragic yet also more orderly phase of attrition.

The Berserk Demon swarm finally rushed to the front of the defensive line, colliding fiercely with the shield wall and the Puppets! The huge bone clubs and stone axes smashed onto the iron-clad wooden shields, emitting a deafening roar. The shield wall shook violently but did not collapse. The soldiers gritted their teeth, relying on the formation to support each other, and thrust their spears fiercely through the gaps in the shields.

The Spirit-powered Puppets engaged in a head-on struggle with the Berserk Demons. Their wooden and rough iron bodies emitted unbearable creaking sounds under the immense strength of the Berserk Demons, but their stable energy cores and 【Steady Defense】 skill allowed them to tenaciously withstand the impact and counterattack with heavy punches.

The crossbows in the rear, bows and arrows, and the steam crossbows supported by Li Mo, continuously poured out firepower, focusing on those wizard apprentices attempting to cast Spells or break away from the formation, as well as areas where Devilish Qi was exceptionally dense.

The entire defensive line, under the powerful stabilization and rule suppression of the Net of Law, was like an iron anchor firmly nailed into a reef in a storm. Although swaying in the wind and rain, it never loosened!

Further away, through the Star Gazing Platform and the faint extended perception of the Net of Law, Lin Zhou could vaguely perceive intense energy fluctuations coming from other areas of the "New Realm" and countless "lights extinguishing," representing Examinees withdrawing. Clearly, in the first wave of the Devilish Qi tide, especially under that ubiquitous mental pollution and Devilish Qi corrosion, a large number of Examinees lacking effective countermeasures had already quickly collapsed.

And the Order Alliance he led (the territory and its sphere of influence), relying on the Legalist Net of Law to stabilize hearts, Confucian Righteousness (partially remaining) to cleanse filth, Mohist Mechanisms for strong firepower, the School of Military's command to steady the formation, plus precise node strikes with on-the-spot adaptation, managed to hold the position under the mixed impact of the first wave (Sea of Minor Demons) and the second wave vanguard (Berserk Demons and wizards)!

First Wave of Devilish Qi Tide (Mixed) Battle Results Preliminary Statistics (Automatically summarized by the Law network):

Abyssal Minor Demons killed: Approximately 148,000 (including remnants of the first wave and part of the second wave vanguard).

Abyssal Berserk Demons killed: Approximately 80.

Abyssal wizard apprentices killed/severely injured: 5.

Own losses:

Spirit-powered Puppets destroyed: 4 (completely), 6 severely damaged and need major repairs.

Pioneer soldiers killed/severely injured and lost combat capability: Approximately 120.

Defensive fortifications damage: 35% (continuously being repaired).

Resource consumption: Spirit coal reserves dropped by 22%, consumables such as arrows and crossbow bolts consumed by 45%, special "Demon-Suppressing Weapons" exhausted.

Key effect evaluation:

The mental pollution weakening effect of the Net of Law is significant; no large-scale collapse occurred on the defensive line.

The "Demon-Suppressing Weapon" node disruption tactic has seen initial success, effectively curbing the threat of wizard apprentices.

Overall defensive line integrity maintained above 85%, core area (Lords Hall) not directly impacted.

However, Lin Zhou did not relax in the slightest. He clearly perceived that in the direction of the central Abyssal Fissure, that terrifying pressure not only did not weaken but was continuously increasing! More powerful, more twisted monsters were gathering and roaring deep within the fissure, ready at any moment to transform into the third wave, the fourth wave... up to the twelfth wave of the destructive tide!

Moreover, although the Net of Law was highly efficient, maintaining such intense rule definition and suppression continuously was also a huge burden on Lin Zhou's godhood. He had to find a more durable or more decisive way to break the situation.

Just then, the Star Gazing Platform transmitted a new message with a strong warning tag: "Detected super-large-scale Abyssal energy gathering deep in the central fissure! Energy characteristics... mixed with 'Corrosion,' 'Mental,' 'Entity Sea'... Suspected to be the third wave main Devilish Qi tide forming! Estimated arrival time: one hour later! At the same time... detected multiple high-intensity, non-Abyssal rule fluctuations, approaching our territory and the central fissure area at high speed from different directions of the 'New Realm'!"

High-intensity, non-Abyssal rule fluctuations? Are they other top Examinees? Or... some kind of existence or mechanism hidden within the "New Realm" itself? Lin Zhou's heart tightened. The final survival trial seemed to be sliding into a more complex, more dangerous unknown abyss.