176: The final battle against the demigods of the abyss.

"Fire Hammer! Calculate the weak points of the Abyssal Fissure's energy structure immediately! Concentrate all functional Kite-Hunter Crossbows and Steam Ballistae, and load them with the specially crafted bolts that have the strongest 'Magic-Breaking,' 'Armor-Piercing,' and 'Concussive' effects! The target is the Abyssal Fissure itself! Wait for my command and be ready to volley fire at any moment!"

"Rock Shield! Pull back all ground troops to the Pure Land of Order and the final defensive line! Abandon the outer swamp area! Organize all Stone Spirit Guards, the remaining Dwarf Shield Guards, and the psionic Puppets into a triangular assault formation under your command! Qing Lin, concentrate all healing resources on the assault squad! Your goal is not the Abyssal Lord; it is to stall it, distract it, and create opportunities for long-range attacks on the Abyssal Fissure!"

"Li Mo! Can you still extract any unreleased, relatively stable energy from the 'Taotie' wreckage? Even a little bit! I need a one-time energy shock capable of disrupting the laws!"

"Zhao Hao! Wang Meng! Qin Qing! Su Yueyao! If your consciousness is still focused here... I need your long-range support! You don't need to directly intervene in the battlefield, but if your followers possess ultra-long-range strikes or rule-disruption capabilities, target the Abyssal Fissure! Help me disrupt it!"

"Everyone! This is our last chance! Within fifteen seconds, we decide life and death!"

In an instant, Lin Zhou's Divine Thought transmitted this nearly insane, yet crystal-clear final operational order to all key nodes!

His voice was hoarse from the burden of his Godhead, yet it carried a sense of burning bridges and unquestionable resolve!

Time, fifteen seconds remaining!

The phantom of the river of civilization still spanned across the sky, its radiance shining down, but Lin Zhou's Divine Power was like a candle in the wind, and the "crack" sound of the fissures spreading across his Godhead seemed to be right in his ears!

The Abyssal Lord also keenly sensed Lin Zhou's desperate intent, as well as the faint, extremely slight lag at the connection point between itself and the Abyssal Fissure caused by prolonged separation and the scouring of the river of civilization.

A flash of offended fury surged in its cold, white-flame eyes!

"Ants... delusional... to shake... the foundation of the Abyss?!"

Its intent turned into a sharp roar. No longer attempting to tear apart the river of civilization, it drew all its dark power inward, covering its shadow armor.

The purple-black energy flowing on the surface of the armor instantly solidified and crystallized, emitting an aura of destruction deeper and more despairing than before!

It intended to use absolute power and defense to crush all resistance in a short time, and then completely devour that annoying spark and this damned "river"!

【 Abyssal Lord · Dominator of Lava and Earth (Demigod / LV190, Full Manifestation / Energy Burst State) 】:

Form Modification: Shadow armor has crystallized, presenting a dark-red, near-black metallic texture, with bone spurs burning with pale flames protruding from the joints. The Abyssal cloak behind it has transformed into a churning dark storm mixed with lava and earth. Height maintained at five meters, but mass and energy density have surged.

Divinity Confirmation: Destruction (Inclined towards the annihilation, disintegration, and ending of matter and laws).

Current Status: Even after having all attributes suppressed by 20% by the river of civilization, it remains highly dangerous. Strength/Physique/Spirit are estimated to still far exceed a LV100 True God, and the [Destruction] divinity grants its attacks additional "Armor-Breaking," "Annihilation," and "Ending" properties.

Core Skills (Partially Expanded):

[Destruction Pressure (Aura)]: Enhanced version of presence suppression, with a "Despair" effect, significantly reducing the attack desire and skill success rate of enemy units within range.

[Shadow Lava Armor]: Crystallized armor provides extremely high physical and energy defense (estimated defense 150+), and inflicts counter-damage and lava burn on melee attackers.

[Touch of Devouring · End]: Claw attacks carry an "Instant Death" judgment (a probability to instantly erase targets with HP below 20%) and an "Unhealable" effect.

[Destruction Roar (Demigod Skill)]: Consumes a large amount of energy to emit a terrifying roar that strikes directly at the Soul and material structure. Effect: Deals massive mixed Shadow/Sonic damage to all units in a large conical area in front based on its own Spirit attribute; deals double damage to buildings, barriers, and rule-based constructs (such as the phantom of the river of civilization); highly likely to carry "Stun," "Silence," and "Armor-Break" effects; long cooldown.

[Abyssal Summon · Earth Golem]: Can briefly summon several LV40 Abyssal Earth Golems from the polluted scorched earth to assist in battle.

[??? (Demigod-tier ability not fully analyzed)]

Current Tactical Intent: Frontal crushing; use powerful skills like [Destruction Roar] to quickly destroy the phantom of the river of civilization and Lin Zhou's core defenses, ending the battle.

With the Abyssal Lord's power fully unleashed, the gravity of the entire battlefield seemed to increase several times over!

The air became as thick as glue, suffocating!

As the [Destruction Pressure] aura spread, the warriors on the defensive line, even with the protection of the river of civilization and the weakening from the Pure Land of Order, still felt their hearts being gripped, their limbs turning cold, and their burgeoning Battle Intent extinguished as if doused with ice water!

"Roar——!!!"

The Abyssal Lord let out a tentative low roar. The sound wave spread like a tangible black ripple, colliding with the phantom of the river of civilization and stirring up large ripples.

The light of the river visibly dimmed by another fraction!

Lin Zhou groaned, and blood spilled from the corner of his mouth again.

He couldn't wait any longer!

"Now! Assault squad—charge! Draw its attention!" Lin Zhou endured the intense pain and shouted the order hoarsely!

"For the Dominator! For civilization!"

Rock Shield's eyes were bloodshot. He roared wildly and activated the [Steadfast Protection · Full Power] mode!

The pale golden protective aura not only enveloped himself but also strained to extend to the entire triangular assault squad—composed of himself, fifty of the best-conditioned Dwarf Shield Guards, one hundred Stone Spirit Guards (including the Stone Spirit Leader), and twenty functional psionic Puppets!

Like a heavy triangular wedge shimmering with the light of metal and stone, they charged ferociously out of the Pure Land of Order, braving the terrifying Destruction Pressure, and launched a desperate counter-charge towards the Abyssal Lord!

"Long-range concentrated fire, prepare!"

Fire Hammer stood at the Tian Gong Institute control console, veins bulging on his hands, staring fixedly at the energy scan map.

The thirty-five functional Kite-Hunter Crossbows and five Steam Ballistae were all adjusted and in position.

The thick bolts were engraved with dense Magic-Breaking, Concussive, and Armor-Piercing runes, flickering with dangerous light in the dim surroundings.

Target locked: the Abyssal Fissure itself, fluctuating slightly about three hundred meters behind the Abyssal Lord!

"Energy extraction complete! But it's extremely unstable and can only be maintained for five seconds!" Li Mo messaged, his voice urgent.

"It's a highly compressed sphere of mixed energy, containing various energies like earth, fire, and chaos absorbed earlier—the final essence from the 'Taotie' wreckage!"

"Qing Lin! The assault squad is in your hands!" Lin Zhou looked at the master of the School of Medicine who had been silently supporting the healing system all along.

Qing Lin's face was pale but her eyes were firm. She nodded heavily.

She raised the [Lingshu Needle], and the tip lit up with an unprecedented emerald green light.

She chanted in a low voice: "Benevolent heart saves the world, blessings reach all living beings—[Group Life Link · Sacrifice]!"

A soft, vibrant emerald green band of light, centered on her, quickly connected every member of the assault squad currently charging!

This was not simple healing, but a secret technique of the School of Medicine that briefly linked the life force of the caster and the recipients.

Qing Lin used herself as a "Source of Life" and a "Damage Buffer Pool" to share damage for the assault squad and provide continuous healing!

But the cost was that she herself would bear immense pressure and backlash!

The assault squad smashed fiercely into the Abyssal Lord, who was waiting in formation!

It was like an egg hitting a rock!

Rock Shield, bearing the brunt of the impact, poured all his strength and spirit into his shield, activating the highest Profound Truth of [Immovable as a Mountain], attempting to block a casual [Touch of Devouring] strike from the Lord!

Crack!

Amidst an ear-piercing sound of shattering, the heavy steel shield that had accompanied Rock Shield through many battles was easily torn apart by the dark claws as if it were made of paper!

The claws did not lose momentum and slashed fiercely across his breastplate!

The sturdy plate armor was cut open like butter, and the bone-deep wound instantly turned black.

The [Unhealable] and [Devouring] effects took hold, and Rock Shield's HP plummeted like water through an open floodgate!

The intense pain and weakness almost caused him to faint instantly!

"Rock Shield!" Qing Lin cried out in pain.

The [Group Life Link] flared brightly, and emerald green energy surged frantically toward Rock Shield, forcibly stabilizing his life while transferring a portion of the damage and negative effects onto herself.

Qing Lin's face turned pale instantly, and blood seeped from the corner of her mouth.

But Rock Shield's sacrifice was not meaningless! He had bought that fraction of a second! The Stone Spirit Leader and the remaining Stone Spirit Guards, who were following closely behind, seized the opportunity to smash their heavy rock fists and thrown boulders fiercely against the Abyssal Lord's crystalline armor! Although most of the attacks only left shallow scratches on the armor, they successfully attracted the Lord's attention, causing him to shift the target of his next attack to these "annoying stones"!

At the same time, the Dwarf Shield Guards and psychic Puppets launched harassment attacks from the flanks, distracting him.

"Foolish... resistance!" The Abyssal Lord seemed irritated by the entanglement of these "ants." He no longer held back; the armor on his chest suddenly lit up with a blinding dark red light, and a destructive energy was rapidly gathering!

"It's the 【Devastating Roar】! Everyone! Defend!" Lin Zhou's pupils constricted, and he warned sharply! At the same time, he exerted all his strength to gather most of the radiance of the river of civilization phantom, transforming it into a more solid 【Wall of Civilization】, flowing with countless golden characters, blocking the space between the assault team and the Lord!

In the shadow under the Abyssal Lord's helmet, it seemed as if a hideous smile spread.

"Perish——!!!"

The terrifying roar, indescribable in words, was like the mixing of the wails of billions of Souls and the sound of matter disintegrating, transforming into a dark red shockwave visible to the naked eye that distorted light. It erupted forward in a fan shape, centered on the Lord!

Bearing the brunt of it was the 【Wall of Civilization】 that Lin Zhou had hurriedly condensed!

Boom————!!!

Amidst the deafening roar, the Wall of Civilization shook violently, and countless golden characters were instantly extinguished and shattered! The entire river of civilization phantom swayed violently, its light suddenly dimming! Lin Zhou felt as if he had been struck by a heavy blow; golden divine blood seeped from his seven orifices simultaneously, and his godhead emitted a clear, crisp sound like glass shattering! His Divine Power bottomed out instantly, and the river of civilization phantom became extremely thin, as if it would dissipate at any moment!

The aftermath of the 【Devastating Roar】 penetrated the weakened Wall of Civilization and swept fiercely across the assault team behind it and the defensive buildings further back!

【Devastating Roar · Effect Feedback】: To the river of civilization phantom: Caused massive damage (estimated equivalent to the total consumption of Lin Zhou maintaining the river for 30 seconds), the phantom's integrity dropped to 30%, nearing collapse. To the assault team: Rock Shield, Stone Spirit Leader, and other frontline units: Even with the weakening of the Wall of Civilization, their own defense, and Qing Lin's Life Link sharing, they still received 2000-3500 points of massive damage! More than ten Stone Spirit Guards disintegrated into gravel on the spot! Rock Shield's HP dropped to the 5% danger line, falling into a near-death coma! The Stone Spirit Leader was heavily injured, and its mobility was greatly reduced. Mid-to-rear units: Received 800-1500 damage, and a large number of Dwarf Shield Guards and psychic Puppets were heavily damaged or knocked away. Qing Lin: As the Life Link core, she absorbed a massive amount of transferred damage, her HP bottomed out instantly, the light of the 【Ling Shu Needle】 dimmed, and she collapsed softly to the ground, her breath weak. To defensive buildings (double damage): The second dwarf wall completely collapsed! Partial external structures of the 【Tiangong Workshop】 and 【Mohist Mechanism City】 were severely damaged, and many ballista towers were collapsed by the shock! Some buildings in the Imperial Hospital developed cracks, and a large area of spiritual plants in the Herb Garden withered! The light of the Temple of Law and Jixia Academy flickered violently, and the stability of their rules was impacted! Additional effects: A large number of surviving units fell into "Stun" (unable to act), "Silence" (unable to cast spells), and "Armor Break" (greatly reduced defense) states, with durations ranging from 10-30 seconds.

One strike! Just one strike! It nearly wiped out the assault team, heavily damaged the river of civilization, and destroyed a large number of key buildings! The might of a demigod is truly terrifying!

"It's over..." Despair welled up in countless hearts. Even the seven Observers in the sky seemed to hold their breath. The light of the star map phantom froze.

The Abyssal Lord let out a satisfied, low roar, seemingly enjoying this absolute destruction. It prepared to step forward to deliver the final blow to that resisting spark.

However, at this moment when it seemed everything had ended——

"Now——!!!" Lin Zhou's roar, almost inaudible yet containing his final frantic will, like the desperate cry of a dying beast, resounded in the minds of Fire Hammer, Li Mo, and all the long-range operators who still maintained a last shred of consciousness!

After the Abyssal Lord released the 【Devastating Roar】, there was an extremely short (perhaps less than half a second) interval of energy backflow and skill recovery! Moreover, his attention was completely attracted by the "battle results" in front, and he had the slightest negligence regarding the fissure behind him!

And Fire Hammer had long since locked the ballista's aiming point onto that "node" calculated by the Star Gazing Platform, where the fissure's energy structure was most unstable and which was most critical to its connection with the Lord!

"Hunting Kite Ballista Array——Full volley! Target: Abyssal Fissure node! Fire!!!"

"Steam Ballista——Overload shot! Fire!!!"

"Li Mo! Energy ball——Launch!!!"

Bang! Bang! Bang! Boom!!!

Thirty-five special heavy crossbow bolts, five overloaded steam ballista shells, and that extremely unstable energy ball emitting chaotic light that Li Mo threw with a simple throwing device, cut through the smoke-filled sky. They shot toward the specific, slightly fluctuating area of the Abyssal Fissure simultaneously, following different trajectories but with precise accuracy!

The Abyssal Lord sensed it the moment the attacks were launched, and his white-flame eyes turned sharply to the rear! But he had just finished releasing his ultimate move and was in the moment where his old strength was exhausted and his new strength had not yet been born! The flow of energy on his shadow armor also experienced an imperceptible stutter!

He tried to move his body to block or cast a defense, but he was that fatal tenth of a second too slow!

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Rumble——!!!

The special crossbow bolts hit first! The anti-magic runes tore open the chaotic energy shield on the periphery of the fissure, the armor-piercing effect penetrated deep into the internal structure, and the vibration runes triggered a chain reaction of energy turbulence!

Immediately after, the steam ballista shells and that ball of unstable mixed energy crashed in almost simultaneously!

An unprecedented explosion erupted at the edge of the Abyssal Fissure! Not outward, but inward! Chaotic energy turbulence, rule interference, and physical impacts raged wildly within the fissure's internal structure, which had already become unstable due to the Lord's long-term departure and the scouring of civilization!

"No——!!!" The Abyssal Lord let out a mental shriek of shock and anger! He clearly felt that the connection between himself and the Abyssal Origin, and with this erosion point of the "New Realm," had been briefly cut off and severely interfered with by this sudden, precise, and fatal joint attack!

Although this interference might only last for a few seconds to a dozen seconds for a demigod existence, at this critical juncture of a life-and-death battle, these few seconds were the difference between heaven and Hell!

The light of the crystallized shadow armor on his body suddenly became unsteady! His aura showed a clear decline and turbulence! The continuous supply of power from the Abyss was cut off for an instant! The activity of his 【Destruction】 divinity also decreased accordingly!

More importantly, the river of civilization phantom that had always stood before him—though thin, it was incredibly tenacious—did not dissipate under the support of Lin Zhou draining his last shred of Divine Thought and civilization points. Instead, as if experiencing a final burst of life, it once again lit up with a faint yet incredibly pure glazed-colored radiance!

Within the river, those phantoms of sages and book characters that were almost about to dissipate seemed to feel the opportunity to "break the situation" and emitted their final resonance and shouts!

Lin Zhou's hair was disheveled, blood was flowing from his seven orifices, and his body was tottering, but his eyes were frighteningly bright! He saw the Lord's momentary stiffness and aura turbulence!

Now! The last, the only chance!

He no longer attempted to maintain the complete river of civilization, but instead poured all his remaining strength—the last of his Divine Thought, the resonance of the Temple of Civilization, the faith burning in his divine fire, and even the final light of his godhead before it was about to completely shatter—into the "water" of the river of civilization phantom!

Then, he channeled everything that had been gathered, transforming it into a concentrated, heaven-piercing spear of civilization light, aimed directly at the Abyssal Lord's chest (the estimated location of the energy core), which had been exposed due to the interference with its connection!

"Hundred Schools Return to Origin! Civilization — Exorcise Evil!"

The light spear was silent, but it carried a resolute will to purify all filth, pierce through all falsehoods, and bear all wisdom as it shot toward the target!

The Abyssal Lord had just barely recovered from the connection interference when he saw this fatal strike! He frantically urged his power, trying to dodge or defend, but the power lag caused by that momentary connection interruption made him half a beat too slow!

Pfft——!

It was not a loud sound.

The glazed-colored light spear, like a hot knife cutting into slightly cooled butter, pierced through the crystallized shadow armor on the Abyssal Lord's chest and sank deeply into it!

Time seemed to stand still at this moment.