171: The sixth wave of turmoil, the Taoist principle of non-action calms the storm.

Inside Li Mo's workshop, the scene was both bizarre and magnificent.

A massive device, over ten meters tall, entangled with countless metal pipes, gears, crystal lenses, and cables of unknown materials, stood quietly on the temporarily reinforced foundation. Its shape was indescribable, resembling both a giant steel tree and a dizzyingly complex geometric structure. Unstable, constantly shifting energy streams—dark red, gray-black, ghastly green, icy blue—flowed across the device's surface. These were clearly the energy characteristics of the previous Demonic Tides, now forcibly restrained and compressed within this metallic cage!

This was the culmination of Li Mo's efforts, combining the ultimate Concept of Mohist “The Exploitation of the Works of Nature” with the Daoist philosophy of “Refining Primordial Unity,” and reverse-engineering the Abyss's “Absorption and Reorganization” mechanism: the [Chaos Energy Absorption and Conversion Array · Prototype]. Li Mo privately referred to it as "Taotie."

[Chaos Energy Absorption and Conversion Array · Prototype "Taotie"]:

Type: Ultra-Large Experimental Rule/Energy Interference Device.

Core Principle:

Absorption: Actively attracts and absorbs dispersed Chaos/Chaotic Energy (Devilish Qi, remnants of Mental Pollution, dissipated energy from dead demonic creatures, etc.) that was not reclaimed by the Abyss, using preset [Rule Resonance Probes] (mimicking Abyss Fissure fluctuations).

Restraint: Temporarily restrains the absorbed energy using multiple composite force fields (Mohist Mechanical Arts for structural stability, Daoist Runes for balancing Yin and Yang) to prevent it from going berserk.

Conversion/Release (Theoretical): Processes the absorbed Chaos energy through "harmless" or "orderly" treatment, converting it into stable energy output, or releasing it directionally as a one-time weapon. (This section is incomplete and extremely risky.)

Current Status:

Absorption Module: Activated, currently efficiently absorbing free-floating battlefield energy. Absorption efficiency: approximately 1,500 units of mixed Chaos energy per minute.

Restraint Module: Overloaded and operating! Restraint force field integrity is 78% and continuously dropping. Internal energy pressure has reached 145% of the design critical value!

Conversion/Release Module: Incomplete! Only features the extremely dangerous "Overload Pressure Relief Vent" design. If activated, it will uncontrollably spray a high-pressure mixed energy stream towards a predetermined direction (currently set to the central Abyss Fissure). The power is immense but could trigger unknown chain reactions or even lead to the device's self-destruction.

Controller: Li Mo (LV25, Mechanical Goblin Domain Master / Heavenly Craft Institute Vice President). He and ten top Mechanical Goblin engineers are desperately struggling to maintain the device's stability via complex Psychic Control Consoles.

Risk Rating: Destruction Level (for our side). It could explode at any moment due to energy overload, structural fatigue, or control error, with enough power to flatten half the territory.

"Dominator! You're here!" When Li Mo saw Lin Zhou flash into existence, his bloodshot eyes flickered with zeal and tension. "The energy absorbed by 'Taotie' far exceeds expectations! The energy dispersed when those Stitched Monsters die is exceptionally 'nourishing'! But the restraint force field can't hold much longer! We must immediately perform the 'Eye Dotting' to stabilize the core, or... activate the pressure relief!"

Lin Zhou's Divine Thought swept over the behemoth, immediately sensing the terrifying, violent, chaotic, and conflicting energy turbulence within. They were like caged beasts, frantically crashing against the fragile prison. The so-called "Eye Dotting" involves intervening with a higher-level rule power (such as Fire of Civilization or purified Divine Power) to temporarily balance or guide these conflicting energies, stabilizing them, or even... injecting a trace of "Order" spirituality into them, laying the foundation for subsequent conversion. This was Li Mo's Concept, based on the Daoist "Enlightenment" theory.

However, just as Lin Zhou was about to attempt the "Eye Dotting," the Star Gazing Platform's alarm and a dramatic change in the direction of the Abyss Fissure occurred simultaneously!

"The Sixth Demonic Tide Wave—Abyss Energy Storm has erupted!" The Star Gazing Platform's voice carried a rare, sharp distortion. "A super-high intensity, ultra-large-scale chaotic energy turbulence has been detected! It is indiscriminately sweeping outwards from the Fissure's center! The storm is mixed with: High-Energy Corrosive Particles, Psychic Fragment Impacts, Spatial Distortion Force Fields, and Rule Interference Ripples!"

"Physical defense effectiveness is extremely low! Those with insufficient energy resistance will be instantly torn apart or assimilated! Storm range: rapidly expanding, expected to cover the entire battlefield (including our territory) in thirty seconds! Intensity: estimated to be sufficient to severely damage or even destroy unprotected buildings below Epic level, and instantly kill non-elite units below LV40!"

"Warning! This storm may cause unknown interference with the 'Taotie' device or trigger a resonance explosion!"

"Warning! Energy reactions for the Seventh Demonic Tide Wave have been detected within the storm core, generation speed unknown!"

RUMBLE—!!!

It was as if ten thousand thunderbolts exploded simultaneously nearby! The space of the entire "New Realm" violently shook! The central Abyss Fissure was no longer spewing demonic creatures, but instead erupted outward like a supernova, spewing an endless, violently colorful and bizarre energy torrent! Wherever this torrent passed, space warped, light was swallowed, and the earth was corroded into deep ravines. The surviving demonic creatures (whether Gargoyles or Corruptors) were swept up and shredded like paper, and even the three Warlord still fighting fiercely let out terrified roars, attempting to evade it!

The Energy Storm had arrived! And it was an all-encompassing, indiscriminate, devastating strike!

Within Lin Zhou's territory, all living beings felt a tremor originating deep within their Souls! Before the storm even arrived, the terrifying pressure nearly suffocated the warriors on the defense line, and the morale that the School of Medicine had just stabilized was again on the verge of collapse. Even on the surface of the "Taotie" device, the energy streams darted around wildly, and the restraint force field integrity instantly plummeted to 60%! Li Mo and the Goblin engineers cried out repeatedly, and Sparks flew from the control console!

The seven Observers in the sky, except for star map phantom which remained calm (though fluctuating noticeably), had the light emanating from their six elemental bodies intensely flicker, and they all raised their respective protective barriers. Clearly, the intensity of this storm also exceeded their expectations.

"An Energy Storm... a scouring at the rule level..." star map phantom's voice carried a hint of solemnity. "A pure violent release, testing the foundation of one's understanding and control of rules. Young Fire Sower, can your 'Order' find its own 'Dao' amidst this Chaotic frenzy?"

At this critical juncture, Lin Zhou's mind was exceptionally calm. His Godhead operated at an unprecedented speed, analyzing the storm's energy composition, movement patterns, and rule perturbation modes.

Resist head-on? Given his current Divine Kingdom scale and rule integrity (the territory is only a projection), plus the unstable factor of "Taotie," directly resisting an energy storm of this magnitude would result in heavy losses even if he survived, leaving him with no reserves to handle the imminent Seventh Wave.

Evade? There was nowhere to hide. The storm covered the entire area.

Counter with offense? The consumption would be huge, and it might not even neutralize the threat.

Then... a sentence originating from the fundamental Daoist classic, the "Dao De Jing," surfaced in his mind: "Man follows the Earth, the Earth follows Heaven, Heaven follows the Dao, and the Dao Follows Nature."

"Tao Follows Nature..." A flash of realization crossed Lin Zhou's eyes. Facing this violent, seemingly world-ending "natural" great power (the Abyss Energy Storm), forceful confrontation was the inferior approach. Guiding, adapting, or even... "borrowing" it, was the superior method!

One of the core tenets of the School of the Dao philosophy—"Non-Action" (Wuwei)—does not mean doing nothing, but rather not acting rashly or forcefully, but conforming to the inherent trend of things, guiding them according to circumstances, thereby achieving the Realm of "Nothing Left Undone"!

This Energy Storm was Chaotic, violent, and disordered. But it was also a manifestation of "nature," a form of energy movement. If he could grasp its movement patterns and use his understanding of the "Dao" (rules) to subtly interfere and guide it, perhaps... "Li Mo!" Lin Zhou's Divine Thought transmitted like lightning. "Stop the 'Eye Dotting' stabilization on 'Taotie'! Immediately adjust all its 'Overload Pressure Relief Vents' and Energy Guidance Runes! Target: the dense area behind the Demonic Tide, especially the remaining Gargoyle clusters and Corruptor gatherings! No conversion is needed; just make it 'flood' the absorbed and incoming energy in the most violent, direct way toward that direction! Can you do it?"

Li Mo was stunned for a moment, then his eyes burst with astonishing brilliance. "Dominator, are you suggesting... not controlling it, but boosting it instead? Turning 'Taotie' into a 'Flood Channel' and 'Amplifier' for the storm, diverting the disaster towards the enemy?!"

"Exactly! The storm is also 'Momentum'; we must borrow its momentum!" Lin Zhou spoke rapidly. "Execute immediately! All operational authority is yours! I need to focus on 'guiding' the main flow of the storm!"

"Understood! Let's risk it!" Li Mo roared, his hands blurring into a phantom across the control console. The Mechanical Goblin engineers also began frantically adjusting the device parameters.

Simultaneously, Lin Zhou took a deep breath. His figure, suspended in the air, slowly adopted a strange posture, his hands held loosely as if embracing the Void Realm. He closed his eyes, sinking his entire consciousness deep into his Godhead, communicating with the area within the Temple of Civilization that represented the philosophy of the [School of the Dao].

Unlike the majestic righteousness of Confucian classics, the cold severity of Legalist bamboo slips, the precise logic of Mohist Mechanisms, the decisive killing intent of the School of Military's Strategy, or the life-nurturing warmth of the School of Medicine's scriptures... the Daoist classics emanated a Concept that was profound and mysterious, hazy and indistinct, yet all-encompassing, clean, and characterized by Pure Non-Action (Wuwei).

"The Dao that can be told is not the eternal Dao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name..."

"The highest goodness is like water. Water benefits all things without contention, dwelling in places that the masses despise, and thus is close to the Dao..."

"The softest thing in the world overcomes the hardest thing in the world. That which has no substance enters where there is no space. Hence I know the advantage of Non-Action (Wuwei)..."

Countless Taoist scriptures and philosophical essences, like trickling streams, flowed into Lin Zhou's will. His Divine Fire no longer burned fiercely; instead, it became restrained and tranquil, its color shifting from pale gold to a warm, jade-white hue that seemed to contain infinite vitality. An indescribable rhythm, as if breathing and sharing fate with the heavens and earth, emanated from him.

He opened his eyes, and deep within them, Yin and Yang Qi seemed to circulate, evolving into myriad things.

Facing the destructive, colorful energy storm that was almost upon him, Lin Zhou neither dodged nor retreated. He slowly moved his hands, tracing abstruse trajectories in the Void Realm. His movements seemed slow, yet they appeared to draw the surrounding rules into motion with them.

"Taoist Profound Art · First Form — Tao Follows Nature · Guiding the Flow!"

His voice was no longer impassioned, but carried an ethereal, distant Concept, as if he had merged with the Dao. There was no dazzling divine light, no violent energy fluctuations, only a faint, distinct black and white Tai Chi phantom, slowly rotating and emerging with him at its center, then rapidly expanding!

This Tai Chi phantom was not a physical entity, but a manifestation at the rule level! It represented the balance of Yin and Yang, the harmony of motion and stillness, and the unity of opposites—it was the Taoist understanding and simulation of the fundamental laws of the Universe.

The expansion speed of the Tai Chi phantom seemed not fast, yet it perfectly met the surging vanguard of the energy storm!

A strange phenomenon occurred!

The violent storm, capable of tearing steel and annihilating energy, did not violently collide or explode when it touched the edge of the slowly rotating Tai Chi phantom. Instead, it was as if a raging flood had encountered an exquisitely designed hydraulic hub; a portion of its energy and momentum was actually guided and diverted by the rotational force of the Tai Chi phantom!

Not a direct block, but a redirection! Like the most skilled Tai Chi Push Hands, it didn't resist or oppose, but followed the incoming force, subtly guiding it to change its direction.

Lin Zhou's Godhead load instantly surged to 89%! Maintaining this precise guidance at the rule level consumed far more mental energy and Divine Power than imagined! His Divine Power reserves plummeted at a rate of dozens of units per second!

But he succeeded!

The overwhelming energy storm assaulting Lin Zhou's territory, upon touching the fan-shaped area of the Tai Chi phantom, subtly shifted its direction! A portion of the energy was dissipated, grazing the edge of the territory; a larger portion was pulled by the rotational force of the Tai Chi phantom, as if nudged by an invisible hand, diverting and converging towards Lin Zhou's predetermined direction—the area behind the Demonic Tide, pointed to by the pressure relief vents of the 'Taotie' device!

And at this moment, the 'Taotie' device also completed its final adjustments!

"Pressure relief vents fully open! Energy Guidance Runes at maximum power! Absorption module overclocked! Fire!" Li Mo pressed the final button with a ferocious expression.

Boom————————!!!!

A colossal roar, even more deafening and strangely piercing than when the energy storm erupted, burst forth from the 'Taotie' device! The mixed Chaos energy it had forcibly absorbed and contained for so long, combined with the torrent of the energy storm that Lin Zhou had just guided, found an outlet. It transformed into a destructive energy torrent, more than twenty meters in diameter, twisted with extremely chaotic colors, seemingly capable of shredding all matter and rules, gushing out from several pressure relief vents of the device!

This torrent itself contained the characteristics of the previous Demonic Tides (Corrosion, Mental Pollution, Stone Shattering, etc.), mixed with the violent rule turbulence of the sixth wave's storm, plus the additional impact and distortion from the 'Taotie' device's unstable structure... Its destructive power could no longer be simply quantified!

It followed the 'channel' Lin Zhou had guided with the Tai Chi phantom, like an enraged Chaos Dragon, slamming fiercely into the rear of the Demonic Tide!

There, tens of thousands of Gargoyles, slightly chaotic as they tried to evade the storm, dozens of advancing Corruptors, and the three critically wounded Warlord were gathered!

Wherever the destructive torrent passed, space seemed to be erased! The Gargoyle swarm didn't even have time to scream before they were directly vaporized and annihilated in the colorful light! The Corruptors' hard bodies, mixed with characteristics of various demonic creatures, melted and disintegrated rapidly like ice cream in the sun, without even time to trigger their Corrosive Explosion! Of the three LV38 Warlord, two (including the left-flank Warlord, who had been worn down to a sliver of health by the Rock Shield squad) were grazed by the edge of the torrent; half of their massive bodies instantly vanished, dark red blood and organs gushed out, and after a few convulsions, they fell silent. Only the furthest Warlord narrowly escaped with just an arm severed, letting out a horrific wail and retreating frantically.

["Tao Follows Nature" Guidance + "Taotie" Flood Discharge Combined Battle Results]:

Gargoyles directly annihilated: Approximately 42,000 (over half of the remaining Gargoyles at the time).

Corruptors killed: 58.

Warlord killed: 2 (including the critically wounded left-flank Warlord), 1 severely wounded.

Devastating strike on ground units at the rear of the Demonic Tide (a small number of Lesser Demons, remaining Berserk Demons): Estimated over 15,000.

Total Demonic Tide friendly fire/casualties: Over 60,000 units (far exceeding the estimated 30,000 in the outline)!

Actual damage from the energy storm to Lin Zhou's territory: Minor. Approximately 70% of the storm's energy was guided and diverted, and after the remaining 30% was partially offset by the Tai Chi phantom, territory rule barrier, and 'Taotie' flood discharge, it only caused about 10% light damage to the territory's edge (building durability decreased, a few non-combat personnel lightly injured).

'Taotie' device status: Severely damaged. Internal structure collapsed after flood discharge, containment field dissipated, absorption module overloaded and burned out, main structure showed numerous cracks, but miraculously did not explode, in a semi-scrapped state, urgently needing major repairs.

Lin Zhou's consumption: Divine Power reserves decreased by 850 units! Godhead load peaked at 92%, currently slowly falling back to 85%. Employing [Tao Follows Nature · Guiding the Flow] consumed a great deal and severely depleted his mental energy.

The battlefield fell into a brief silence.

Both the defenders and the seven Observers in the air were utterly stunned by this astonishing reversal!

Lin Zhou actually chose not to directly confront the destructive energy storm, but used mysterious and unpredictable means (the Tai Chi phantom) to partially guide it, then combined it with that dangerous device (Taotie) for secondary guidance and amplification, ultimately cleverly 'returning' the disaster to the Demonic Tide itself!

Using the enemy's spear to attack the enemy's rear! Not only did he resolve his own crisis, but he also inflicted unprecedented heavy losses on the Demonic Tide!

Within the territory, after a brief silence, thunderous cheers erupted! The warriors looked at the vast cleared sky and ground in the distance, at the panicked state of the remaining demonic creatures, their hearts filled with the ecstasy of surviving a catastrophe and supreme reverence for their Dominator!

"Tao Follows Nature... inaction yet nothing is left undone..." The star map phantom Observer murmured, its phantom fluctuating like boiling water. "What a 'Guiding the Flow'! What a 'borrowing strength to strike'! This child's understanding of 'rules' and 'momentum' has already reached the entry level! No wonder the 'Spark' chose him..."

The lights on the other six elemental Observers also flickered, clearly deeply moved by Lin Zhou's method of breaking the deadlock, which was completely different from his previous head-on clashes and full of Eastern philosophical wisdom.

However, Lin Zhou dared not relax in the slightest. His face was slightly pale, and he rapidly absorbed the Power Of Faith feedback from his Divine Realm to replenish his consumption. His gaze was fixed on the central Abyss Fissure.

The energy storm gradually subsided, but the light from the fissure became deeper and more dangerous. A pressure far heavier and more terrifying than any previous wave was condensing and rising from deep within the fissure.

The seventh wave... or rather, some more Advanced existence, was about to arrive.

The Star Gazing Platform's alarm sounded with a hint of powerlessness: "Energy storm subsided... Seventh wave Demonic Tide core reaction rapidly strengthening... Unable to parse specific form... Energy level... Estimated to reach Demigod-tier (LV90+)... And possesses a highly condensed 'Core Will'... Estimated arrival time: one to two minutes..."

Demigod-tier demonic creatures? And highly intelligent ones?

Lin Zhou's heart sank. He knew that the true decisive battle was probably coming early. And on his side, most of his trump cards were out, Divine Power and mental energy were severely depleted, the defenses were shattered, 'Taotie' was scrapped... "All units, immediately conduct final rest and reorganization! Replenish arrows, potions! All seriously wounded personnel retreat! Those who can still fight, prepare to face... the final battle!" Lin Zhou's voice echoed throughout the territory, carrying an undeniable resolve.

His gaze once again swept over the seven Observers. This time, his eyes held a clear question: Observers, will your 'trial' stand by and watch a Fire Sower be torn apart by a Demigod-tier Abyss monster?

The star map phantom seemed to receive his gaze, fell silent for a moment, then its calm voice sounded again, but with a deeper meaning:

"The Demigod-tier is no ordinary trial. Young Fire Sower, you have proven the potential of your 'Spark' and your comprehension of the 'Dao'. But what follows is a matter of life and death. We will still not directly intervene in the 'trial', however..."

It paused, and the lights on the other six elemental Observers simultaneously brightened slightly.

"...We can give you a chance to 'choose', which is also one of the ultimate goals of our 'observation' this time."

Choose? Lin Zhou frowned slightly, looking at the seven powerful presences suspended in the air, seemingly out of place in this bloody battlefield.

The roar of the Abyss Fissure sounded again, this time with clear malice and greed, directly locking onto Lin Zhou!