175: The long river cleanses and purifies, revealing the sacred way.

The phantom of the river of civilization violently collided with the Abyssal Lord's dark claws and Abyssal Curtain on a fundamental level of rules, as a silent storm of annihilation raged frantically at the point of contact. Lin Zhou bled from his nose and mouth, and his Godhead wailed, but his eyes were like burning stars as he held on with everything he had.

He knew that the thirty-second countdown had begun to tick away silently. Every second was a frantic burning of Divine Power, and every second was a dangerous dance on the brink of his Godhead's collapse.

However, the power manifested by the river of civilization was far more than just the stalemate of rule-cancellation when facing a demigod lord head-on. Its true power lay in the "principles of civilization" represented by its very "existence," a natural repulsion and purification of all Chaos, filth, and disorder!

As that vast river spanned across the battlefield and the glaze-colored brilliance of civilization shone in all directions, the Abyssal Devilish Qi touched by the brilliance began to boil, evaporate, and dissipate violently, as if meeting its nemesis!

Bearing the brunt were the remaining monsters struggling in the swamp, directly covered by the brilliance of the river of civilization!

Those lower Rank (below LV25) Berserk Demons and Dretches, already in poor condition due to the swamp and previous battles, saw the dense Devilish Qi on their bodies melt away like snow under a blazing sun the moment they were struck by the brilliance of civilization! They let out shrill, short wails as large plumes of foul-smelling black smoke rose from them. Their massive bodies shriveled and carbonized at a visible rate, eventually turning into heaps of lifeless black ash that scattered in the wind!

Some monsters lucky enough not to be directly hit but caught on the edge of the brilliance sizzled as if splashed with concentrated sulfuric acid. They rolled in agony as their Devilish Qi was continuously stripped away and their vitality rapidly drained.

Even those Gargoyles floating in the air, attempting to bypass the river's brilliance to attack from the flanks, found the Abyssal energy attached to their stone bodies quickly purified once they got too close to the brilliance's range. This caused their flight to become unstable, and they fell one after another like birds with broken wings!

【river of civilization · Purification Effect Real-time Data (First 10 Seconds)】:

Direct Purification (Instant Kill) of low-tier monsters (LV25 and below): Approximately 8,000 (mainly remaining Berserk Demons and Dretches in the swamp, and a small number of low-flying Gargoyles).

Continuous Purification Damage to mid-to-high-tier monsters:

Dealing 150-300 points of mixed Holy/Order damage per second to LV30-LV35 Corruptors and remaining Gargoyles (depending on the monster's Devilish Qi concentration and distance from the brilliance).

Dealing 80-150 points of continuous purification damage per second to seven Abyssal Giants (LV35, with all attributes reduced by 20% by the river), and suppressing their health regeneration by 50%.

Environmental Purification:

【filthy scorched earth / Shadow Scorched Earth】: Under the continuous illumination of the brilliance of civilization, the transformation process has completely stopped. The Devilish Qi concentration in existing scorched earth areas has decreased by about 40%, and the corrosive damage effect has been halved.

The residual Devilish Qi in the [Swamp] area created by Lin Zhou has been purified in large quantities, improving the water quality. The "demon-devouring vine" has received weak nourishment from the brilliance of civilization, slightly increasing its activity (Entanglement effect +5%).

Purification Range: Centered on the river phantom, the brilliance covers a radius of two kilometers, with purification intensity decreasing from the center outward.

Purification! Large-scale, high-efficiency purification! This was not a crude destruction of energy, but a more fundamental "rule repulsion" and "Order correction"! Wherever the light of civilization reached, the Abyssal filth receded like a tide, revealing the original color of the earth before it was defiled (though it remained barren)!

The warriors on the defensive line watched this scene in stunned silence before erupting into even more fanatical cheers! Those tough and relentless monsters that had cost them heavy casualties were actually so fragile under the brilliance of the river summoned by the Dominator! This was not just a display of power, but a victory of faith—Order would eventually dispel the darkness, and civilization would eventually purify the filth!

"The River above! May civilization prosper forever!" No one knew who shouted it first, but it soon turned into a mountain-shaking, ocean-roaring wave of sound that swept across the entire position. Even the silent Stone Spirit Guards saw the yellow light in their eyes become steadier and brighter; from this light of purification, they felt an aura that resonated with the earth's "purification" and "bearing" traits.

The Abyssal Lord also clearly sensed that its legion of Devilish Qi, derived from its own power (after being weakened), was being rapidly "cleansed." The coldness in its two points of white-flame eyes grew even more intense. This river phantom was not only weakening it but also pulling the rug out from under it by eliminating its minions and purifying the home field it was trying to transform!

"Accursed... light of Order!" The Abyssal Lord let out a sharp mental shriek. The expanding Abyssal Curtain behind it suddenly retracted and condensed into its hands. The color of its dark claws became even deeper, as if ink were about to drip from them. It abandoned its area suppression and concentrated its power into a single point, attempting to break through the surface, tear apart the river phantom, and directly attack Lin Zhou's main body!

"Shadow Pierce: Order Breaker!" Ten extremely condensed dark rays, like poisonous needles piercing through space, ignored some of the river's brilliance barriers and shot straight for the space between Lin Zhou's eyebrows! This strike contained its demigod-level destructive power specifically targeted at the rules of "Order"!

Lin Zhou's pupils constricted! Most of his mental effort was focused on maintaining the manifestation of the river. His Godhead load had reached 96%, making it almost impossible for him to effectively dodge or defend!

At this critical moment—

The section of the river of civilization phantom spanning between him and the dark rays suddenly surged violently! The countless sparks of thought, imprints of civilization, and phantoms of ancient sages floating within it seemed to be stimulated by the external invasion, spontaneously gathering and condensing!

Splash—!

A more solid and brilliant section of "river water" was swept up by an invisible force, transforming into a translucent Shield of Civilization flowing with countless golden characters (faintly representing core Confucian concepts like "Benevolence," "Righteousness," "Propriety," "Wisdom," "Trust," "Loyalty," "Filial Piety," "Integrity," and "Shame," as well as Legalist concepts like "Law," "Regulation," "Decree," and "Punishment") that blocked the path in front of Lin Zhou!

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

The ten dark rays slammed hard against the Shield of Civilization! The surface of the shield rippled violently, and the golden characters flickered uncertainly, but in the end, it was not penetrated! The dark rays and the principles of civilization violently annihilated each other, and both eventually dissipated.

The river phantom had automatically protected its master! This was the instinctive protection of the Civilization Legacy for the Fire Sower!

Although he had blocked the strike, Lin Zhou felt another jolt of sharp pain in his Godhead, and the load increased once more! The consumption for maintaining the river's manifestation grew even larger! He glanced at his internal status:

【Lin Zhou · Current Status (Danger)】:

Divine Power Reserve: 82/5000 (-50 per second for river of civilization manifestation; natural recovery +12/hour, negligible)

Godhead Load: 97% (Critical! Minute cracks have appeared in the Godhead, calculation efficiency is beginning to drop, and rule maintenance capability is weakening)

civilization points: 4210/8570 (-100 per second for maintaining river manifestation)

Divine Fire Status: The glaze-colored Fire of Civilization is flickering violently, with brightness decreased by about 30%.

Estimated Remaining Manifestation Time: 15 seconds (Calculated based on current consumption rate and Godhead endurance).

Fifteen seconds! At this rate, his Divine Power would be completely exhausted in fifteen seconds, and his Godhead might collapse! Before that happened, he either had to repel the lord or... find a new source of power!

Under this extreme life-or-death pressure, the deep resonance between Lin Zhou and the river of civilization reached an unprecedented peak!

He suddenly felt a strange "breathing" synchronization between his flickering glaze-colored Divine Fire and the phantom of the river of civilization spanning heaven and earth. The "momentum" of the river's ceaseless flow, and the wisdom of countless sages and unyielding spirit contained within it, seemed to turn into streams of warm and resilient power, inversely nourishing his nearly withered Divine Soul and Divine Fire.

This was not a direct infusion of Divine Power (the river phantom itself was a consumable), but a resonance and feedback of rules! Just as the faith of subjects in their king transforms into Divine Power, this manifested "river" representing the spirit of civilization was also recognizing and giving back to its current "Wielder"!

[Divine Fire and the River's Deep Resonance Triggered!]

Trigger Condition: Lin Zhou uses his Divine Fire as a catalyst to manifest the river of civilization and maintains its existence under immense pressure; his personal conviction is highly aligned with the spirit of civilization represented by the river.

Resonance Effect:

Divine Power Recovery Overclock: Lin Zhou's own Divine Power recovery speed is increased by +300% during the resonance! (From an almost negligible 12 units/hour, it is temporarily increased to approximately 0.1 units/second, or 6 units/minute. Although the absolute value is still far lower than the consumption, this is a positive signal and represents a "qualitative" change—the nature of his Divine Fire is synchronizing with the higher-level "principles of civilization," increasing his future potential.)

Deepened Rule Insight: Temporary and significant increase in affinity and understanding of rules related to "Civilization" (Education, Law, Legacy, etc.). The spreading speed of the Godhead Crack is slowed by 20% due to the nourishment of the rules.

Willpower Fortification: Mental feedback from the river of civilization acts like a shot of adrenaline, restabilizing Lin Zhou's near-collapsing will and slightly increasing his ability to resist Demigod Pressure.

Sustainability: Dependent on the manifestation of the river and Lin Zhou's own state; expected to last until the river's manifestation ends.

Although this recovery speed is a drop in the bucket, it symbolizes hope! It symbolizes that Lin Zhou's path has received a deeper level of recognition from "Civilization" itself! His Divine Fire is undergoing a budding transformation toward a "Divine Fire of Civilization"!

Meanwhile, the river of civilization continues to wash over the battlefield, purifying the Devilish Qi and fiercely clashing with the dark power of the Abyssal Lord. In areas repeatedly illuminated by the river's radiance, especially where low-tier monsters were completely purified, a miraculous change occurred.

After the Abyss's filth was dispelled, the land did not simply return to ordinary barren earth. The continuously flowing light of civilization, containing fragments of positive rules such as Order, wisdom, Legacy, and vitality, acted like the finest spring rain, quietly permeating and settling into the purified ground.

Gradually, centered on an area about fifty meters in front of Lin Zhou's territory's defensive line where the river of civilization's radiance was most concentrated, a unique "Domain" began to take shape.

This area was about the size of half a football field. The ground was no longer black, cracked scorched earth or murky swamp, but instead presented a warm, light brown color as if it had been carefully cultivated, with fine soil and a faint flow of light. The air no longer smelled of sulfur and decay, but of a faint, refreshing mixture of bookish fragrance and medicinal herbs; listening closely, one could even hear the faint sounds of ancient reading, debating, metal and stone striking, and even the melodious tolling of bells!

Within this Domain, the remaining, extremely thin Spiritual Qi (from the dragon vein fragment and the territory's own accumulation) seemed to have been "combed," becoming gentle and orderly, spontaneously nourishing the Order units within range. The wounded warriors standing there felt the pain of their wounds ease slightly, and their spirits were refreshed.

[Order Pure Land · Domain (Temporary/Prototype)]:

Formation Cause: The river of civilization continuously purifies Abyssal pollution, and its light of civilization and fragments of Order rules settle in the purified area, temporarily changing the local environmental rules.

Range: A circular area with a radius of approximately 40 meters (located at the forefront of the defensive line, partially overlapping with the swamp but with its effects covered).

Domain Characteristics:

[Environmental Affinity]: For units of the Order/Lawful alignment, while inside, Health recovery speed +20%, Energy (Stamina) recovery speed +30%, and a slight increase in skill comprehension and casting success rate (+3%).

[Rule Rejection]: For units of the Chaos/Abyss alignment, while inside, they suffer continuous low-amount Holy/Order damage (approx. 10-20 points per second), and all negative status effects (such as corrosion and Mental Pollution) are weakened by 15%.

[Purification Residue]: Abyssal Devilish Qi within the Domain is completely cleared, and it can weakly inhibit the intrusion of Devilish Qi from outside the Domain.

[Civilization Echo]: Weakly increases the sense of civilization identity and morale of units within range.

Duration: Depends on the continuous illumination and rule deposition of the river of civilization's radiance. It is estimated that after the river's manifestation ends, the Domain can be maintained for 5-10 minutes before gradually returning to normal as the rules dissipate.

Remarks: This is a preliminary manifestation of the Way of Civilization influencing the physical environment. If Lin Zhou's Divine Kingdom is fully completed and the rules are stabilized, he can attempt to solidify such "Order Pure Lands" as special buff zones within the Divine Kingdom.

"Order Pure Land!" Lin Zhou understood in his heart. This was not a miracle he had actively performed, but a "by-product" of the river of civilization's power naturally cleansing filth and depositing Order! It was like a lighthouse, a harbor, providing a small but precious "safe zone" and "buff zone" for the side of Order on the foul battlefield!

Rock Shield was the first to notice the change in this area. He made a prompt decision and ordered some of the less severely wounded warriors and Stone Spirit Guards at the front to establish a firmer support point based on this "Order Pure Land." The warriors standing in the Pure Land clearly felt much better, and their fighting spirit soared.

The seven Observers in the sky witnessed the formation of the "Order Pure Land" with varying reactions, but all were shaken.

The light of the star map phantom softened significantly, and its voice carried undisguised admiration: "Purifying filth, manifesting the Holy Path... not through force, but through reason; transforming through culture. This 'Pure Land' is the beginning of civilization taking root. Even if it is just a prototype, just a moment... its significance far exceeds mere slaughter. This boy's Dao has already seen the true meaning of 'Enlightenment' and 'Beneficence'."

The earth-yellow rocky figure said slowly: "The earth... carries... purifies... The soil of this Domain... already has the flavor of 'Virtue'..."

The emerald green light cluster swayed: "Not plunder... but symbiosis... Civilization... can also nourish nature..."

The crimson flaming humanoid's light flickered: "Weak... but pure... like a newborn spark... worthy of... expectation..."

The Abyssal Lord naturally sensed the appearance of this "Order Pure Land," as well as its weak rejection of itself and the benefits it provided to Order units. To it, this was undoubtedly another layer of provocation and humiliation! On the battlefield it dominated, a small "Order territory" had actually been forcibly carved out!

"Mere... Pure Land... the delusions... of ants!" Its intent twisted with rage, and its attacks became even more violent, attempting to bypass the obstruction of the river of civilization to directly destroy the Pure Land and Lin Zhou!

But the river of civilization remained tenaciously blocked in front, its waters rushing and its radiance undying. Supported by the weak resonance of the Divine Fire, Lin Zhou gritted his teeth and held on.

Ten seconds... eight seconds... five seconds... the countdown was about to hit zero. Lin Zhou's Divine Power was nearly exhausted, the Godhead Crack was spreading, and his vision began to blur.

However, at this final moment, through his hazy vision, he saw behind the Abyssal Lord, deep within that constantly churning Abyss Fissure—perhaps because the Lord had been detached for so long and due to the continuous washing and purification of the river of civilization—a trace of extremely weak... turbulent fluctuation appeared in its stable energy structure?

A thought that was nearly insane, yet consistent with the "Attacking Strategy" of the School of Military and the "Insight into Opportunity" of the School of Diplomacy, flashed through Lin Zhou's nearly chaotic mind like a bolt of lightning!

If... if he could seize this trace of turbulence in the fissure and concentrate all his remaining power, not to attack the Lord himself, but... to strike the fissure connecting the Lord to the Abyss Origin?

Perhaps it wouldn't hurt the Lord fundamentally, but maybe it could... briefly cut off or interfere with its source of power? Or even trigger a chain reaction?

This was a gamble, a final, desperate roll of the dice!

In Lin Zhou's eyes, the last of his spirit suddenly coalesced!