180: With a self-sacrificing strike, hero Elwin falls.

The silver-gray light of Order from the Nine Cranes' consecutive explosions had not yet fully dissipated when the Abyssal Lord's exposed, violently flickering dark core phantom—like an ice cube thrown into boiling oil—emitted a teeth-grinding "hissing" sound and the mournful wail of energy annihilation.

That fleeting 1.5-second stun was a momentary window for a finishing blow, bought with the lives of countless Souls who fought to the death and the ingenious fusion of ink and Dao!

Rock Shield's white-glowing battle-axe, fueled by his burning Soul and carrying a desperate, do-or-die will, was the first to slam ruthlessly into that dark core phantom!

Following closely behind was a torrent of attacks formed by the final strength of the surviving warriors, some even burning their own lives—broken blades, overloaded energy beams, hurled rocks, and even bodies charging in with reckless disregard for death!

Rumble—!!!

An unprecedented explosion erupted in the Abyssal Lord's chest!

This time, it was not merely an external impact, but an attack from both inside and out!

The internal energy turbulence and backlash caused by the Nine Cranes' detonation were compounded by the concentrated bombardment of hundreds of desperate attacks from the outside!

The light of the dark core phantom instantly dimmed, twisted, and contracted; as if unable to withstand this pressure from both inside and out, it let out a shriek of impending collapse!

The Abyssal Lord's massive body trembled violently, and its shadow armor shattered completely, turning into black crystal shards that danced across the sky!

It let out a howl unlike any before—a mixture of extreme pain, rage, and disbelief!

The crazed flames in its white-flame eyes flickered unsteadily, and its aura plummeted at an astonishing speed!

In the exposed core area of its chest, dark energy gushed and dissipated uncontrollably like a breached flood, while simultaneously trying frantically to gather and repair itself, but the speed of repair could not keep up with the trend of collapse!

It had suffered the heaviest injury since the war began, one that truly touched its Origin!

However—a demigod is still a demigod! Especially a demigod who controls the divinity of 【Destruction】 and has been thoroughly enraged in a desperate situation!

Just as the dark core seemed on the verge of complete disintegration, an even deeper, more tyrannical will of destruction—as if intending to drag itself along with the entire world into the end—suddenly erupted from the deepest part of the core!

"Ants... you... have completely... enraged me!!!"

This was no longer a telepathic thought, but a roar that directly shook the Soul!

The Abyssal Lord forcibly reined in all the overflowing, rampaging destruction energy, even at the cost of burning a portion of its own Divine Power Origin, to forcibly stabilize that core phantom which was about to collapse!

A small, black-hole-like energy singularity—more solid, darker, and burning with a single point of pure white destruction flame at its center—replaced the original core phantom, appearing at the wound on its chest!

The moment this singularity appeared, the surrounding space began to collapse and tear inward!

All approaching attacks, whether physical or energy-based, were ruthlessly swallowed and annihilated by the singularity! Even light could not escape!

A suction force of devouring and destruction, far exceeding anything before, erupted from the center of the singularity, attempting to drag everything around it into eternal darkness!

【Abyssal Lord · End-Time Form (Divine Power Burning/Near-Death Counterattack)】:

Status: Heavily injured and near death, Divine Power Origin damaged (approximately 40%), but burning remaining Divine Power to enter the ultimate defense and counterattack form.

Core Change: 【Destruction Singularity】—a temporary rule construct formed by highly compressed Destruction divinity and Origin energy.

Effects: Absolute defense (absorbs and annihilates the vast majority of attacks), extremely high continuous area-of-effect damage (devours all surrounding matter and energy), strong gravitational field (restricts movement), and accumulates energy for the next (and possibly final) ultimate counterattack.

Threat: If the core (singularity) is not completely destroyed before it accumulates enough energy to launch its final counterattack, everything within a radius of one kilometer will be dragged into the singularity and annihilated when the counterattack is launched! Lin Zhou's broken Divine Domain projection will bear the brunt and be completely reduced to nothingness!

Duration/Weakness: This form consumes a huge amount of energy and cannot be sustained (estimated to last at most 10-15 seconds). The singularity itself is a point of highly concentrated energy and is its most vulnerable "vital point" that is most tightly connected to the main body, but conventional attacks cannot penetrate its devouring and annihilation field.

"Retreat! Retreat quickly!"

Rock Shield had already collapsed from exhaustion after throwing his battle-axe, and upon feeling that terrifying devouring suction and aura of destruction, he issued a final warning in a hoarse voice.

But many warriors who had charged too close were already unable to retreat; they were forcibly pulled by the invisible gravitational field and slid toward the dark singularity, their bodies beginning to disintegrate and dissipate in the process!

The remaining defensive line once again faced the crisis of imminent annihilation! The hope that had just been ignited was on the verge of being swallowed by this terrifying singularity of desperate counterattack!

Just at this critical moment, when everyone was nearly in despair—

A milky-white light, not dazzling but exceptionally gentle and firm, slowly lit up from the rear of the battlefield, from the ruins of the main hall of 【Jixia Academy】—the most broken part, yet one that had never completely collapsed.

Amidst the light, a figure stumbled out, yet walked with determination.

He was dressed in a Confucian scholar's robe stained with dust and blood, though its original elegant style could still be discerned. He was slender, with a gaunt face. He was Elwin, one of the earliest hero units to follow under Lin Zhou, transformed from a Forest Elf Priest, deeply studied in Confucian thought, and hailed as the model of the "Literary Heart Elves"!

Unlike heroes such as Rock Shield, Fire Hammer, and Qing Lin who were on the front lines and had experienced repeated bloody battles, Elwin had remained stationed deep within 【Jixia Academy】 for most of the battle.

His task was not direct combat, but rather to use his profound understanding of Confucian thought, combined with the functions of the academy's miracle architecture, to maintain the stability of the "Enlightenment" aura within the Divine Domain, providing the frontline soldiers with weak intellectual inspiration and Mental Energy resistance bonuses; at the same time, he also served as a guardian and resonance node for some of Lin Zhou's "backup plans" or "Foundations."

It was precisely because of this that, during the previous brutal battles, although he had been severely injured due to the shaking of the Divine Domain and the destruction of the buildings, he had not been on the verge of death like Rock Shield and the others.

However, at this moment, his condition could definitely not be called good. His face was as pale as paper, dried blood hung from the corner of his mouth, and the hand holding the 【Subtle Influence Pen】—which symbolized the "teaching pointer" and "ruler"—was trembling slightly.

Yet his eyes were as clear and firm as jade washed by a thousand years of time, containing a calmness and determination that had seen through life and death and realized the Dao.

He looked up, gazing at the dark singularity in the distance that emitted a terrifying devouring aura, looking toward the Abyssal Lord's crazed and painful white-flame eyes behind the singularity, and finally, his gaze fell back upon the unconscious Lin Zhou deep within the Imperial Hospital.

"Dominator..." Elwin whispered to himself, his voice gentle yet carrying an unquestionable power, "You used The Way of the Hundred Schools to enlighten our ignorance, taught us the principles of civilization, gave us the Foundation to settle down and establish our lives, and even granted us the right and possibility to pursue the 'Dao.' This grace and virtue, Elwin... will never forget for eternity."

"Today, the Abyss presses on the border, the Fire of Civilization is about to extinguish, the Dominator is unconscious, and comrades are bleeding. This is truly a time of crisis and survival."

He slowly raised the 【Subtle Influence Pen】 in his hand, and a point of pure, warm, milky-white light began to shine at the tip of the pen; within that light, it seemed as if countless characters were flowing and chanting.

"The Way of Confucianism places the highest priority on 'Benevolence' and 'Righteousness.' The benevolent love others, and the righteous take responsibility. To see what is right and not do it is a lack of courage; to avoid danger and seek survival is not benevolence."

His voice gradually grew louder, carrying a strange rhythm that seemed to resonate with heaven and earth, "Since we have received the Dominator's enlightenment, understanding propriety and righteousness, how can we cherish this broken body and sit idly by at this time of civilization's survival and the Dominator's peril?"

He walked forward step by step, his pace not fast, but exceptionally steady.

With every step he took, the milky-white light on his body brightened by a fraction, and the light of the 【Subtle Influence Pen】 grew even stronger!

In the surrounding ruins of the broken 【Jixia Academy】, those scattered stone tablets and bamboo slips inscribed with fragments of Confucian classics seemed to be summoned; they vibrated slightly, emitting a faint yet homologous Vast Righteous Qi, gathering toward Elwin!

"Lord Elwin! What are you doing?!" an Elf apprentice responsible for guarding the academy ruins struggled to shout, sensing something ominous.

Elwin did not look back, but simply smiled slightly, a smile filled with peace and... liberation.

"What do we Confucian scholars seek? Not immortality, not wealth, but to 'hear the Dao.'" He recited softly, yet his voice clearly spread across the battlefield, "If one hears the Dao in the morning, one can die in the evening without regret."

"Today, Elwin, at the Dominator's side, amidst the contention of the Hundred Schools, has 'heard the Dao'—heard the Dao of civilization's inheritance, heard the Dao of benevolence and responsibility, heard the Dao of the torch being passed on, and the Dao of endless life!"

"This Dao is enough!"

The moment his voice fell, the last trace of hesitation and attachment in Elwin's eyes completely dissipated, replaced by a brilliant radiance like that of a martyr!

He no longer suppressed himself; instead, he actively released all constraints on his life essence, his Divine Soul, and that faint but pure "Wenxin"!

Burn! Not burning Qi and blood, but burning something even more fundamental and precious—the Divine Soul and the Wenxin!

The Divine Soul is the core of a sentient being's consciousness and Soul, the fundamental basis of its existence.

The Wenxin is a unique spiritual power he condensed after years of studying Confucian thought, combined with his own Elwin Bloodline and Elf Priest talent, and nurtured under the influence of the Temple of Civilization; it is the crystallization of his understanding and obsession with the Dao.

At this moment, he used both of these, along with his loyalty to the Dominator, his belief in civilization, and his determination to practice 'Benevolence' and 'Righteousness', as fuel, injecting it all into the Subtle Influence Brush in his hand, and into that ever-growing milky-white light!

【Hero Unit · Elwin (LV30, Literary Heart Elves/Great Scholar) · Final Sacrifice】:

Sacrifice Core: Divine Soul + Wenxin (Crystallization of Confucian thought).

Method of Sacrifice: Active, thorough, and irreversible combustion.

Sacrifice Goal: To unleash a supreme Confucian Profound Truth that transcends his own limits and touches the fundamental rules.

Profound Truth Unleashed: Subtle Influence · Ultimate Edition — 【Judgment of Heart · Defining the Dao】!

Principle: At the cost of burning his Divine Soul and Wenxin, he condenses his understanding of core Confucian concepts such as 'Benevolence, Righteousness, Propriety, Wisdom, and Faith', his pursuit of the Dao, and his resolute will to 'give up life for righteousness' into a single 'True Word' containing supreme spiritual power and rule-interference capability, directly attacking the target's Soul core and fundamental existence (Divinity/Rule Cognition).

Effect: Ignores the vast majority of physical and energy defenses, directly conducting a final collision and 'definition' at the 'spirit/will/rule' level!

Target: The Abyssal Lord's 【Destruction】 Divinity cognition and its Soul will.

Expected Effect: To severely damage, shake, or even briefly 'negate' the target's will of destruction and Divine Foundation, creating unprecedented, internally-sourced rule disorder and Soul flaws for its core (singularity), with the duration depending on the gap in will strength and rule understanding between the two parties.

Cost: The caster — Body and Soul destroyed, true spirit dissipated, never to be reincarnated. Along with every trace of their existence, memories, and possibilities, all will return to nothingness. It is an end more thorough than death.

"No—! Master Elwin! Stop!" The Elf apprentices in the ruins of the academy let out shrill cries, attempting to rush forward to stop him, but they were pushed back and blocked by the increasingly intense and unapproachable milky-white Vast Righteous Qi.

Fire Hammer, the heavily injured Stone Spirit Leader, and even the seven Observers in the sky all watched this scene in shock. The light of the star map phantom fluctuated violently: "Burning the Divine Soul and Dao thoughts... to unleash a verbal spell that touches the fundamental rules with such pure 'Heart' and 'Thought'... such determination and sacrifice..."

Elwin seemed not to hear the shouts and cries around him. All his attention, his entire life, all his beliefs, and all his 'Dao' were concentrated at the tip of the brush, concentrated on the 'True Word' about to be spoken.

The milky-white light on his body was already as intense as a small sun! Wherever the light reached, the filthy aura of the abyss was forced back, the distortion of space was smoothed out, and even the devouring suction emitted by the dark singularity showed a hint of stagnation! This light represented the purest and most extreme 'Order', 'Benevolence', and 'Sacrifice'!

The Abyssal Lord clearly also felt this force, which was completely different yet caused its Divinity of destruction to feel instinctive disgust and threat, gathering! Its white-flame eyes suddenly turned toward Elwin, and the destruction energy accumulated in the singularity stirred, attempting to strike first and erase this 'variable'!

But, it was too late.

Elwin took a deep breath, as if to draw all the righteous energy between heaven and earth into his chest. He gripped the Subtle Influence Brush with both hands, pointing the tip at the distant Abyssal Lord, at the dark singularity, and at those mad white-flame eyes.

His voice, calm, clear, yet containing immense majesty capable of changing heaven and earth and defining rules, resounded across the entire battlefield, even overpowering the roar of the abyss and the thunder of energy:

"Shadow of the abyss, listen to this decree—"

"Your Dao is 'Destruction', 'Devouring', 'End', and 'Nothingness'."

"Yet, heaven and earth have a Dao, and all things have their Order. Destruction is not the end of the Dao, devouring is not the norm of principles; after the end, there is rebirth, and within nothingness, subtle existence is hidden."

"The 'Destruction' you see is but a corner; the 'Nothingness' you cling to is but prejudice."

"Today, I use the 'Dao' I have realized in my life, and my Divine Soul and Wenxin as a sacrifice, to—rectify your name!"

He shifted his brush, as if writing a supreme code in the void; every word he uttered triggered a resonance of rules:

"Your 'Destruction'—should know that 'the benevolent love others'; within destruction, there can also be a heart of 'compassion'!"

"Your 'Devouring'—should understand 'taking with propriety'; devouring all things also requires 'bearing its Karma'!"

"Your 'End'—should know that 'the cycle is ceaseless'; after the end, there is naturally 'cyclical recurrence'!"

"Your 'Nothingness'—should realize 'something from nothing'; within nothingness, 'infinite possibilities' are contained!"

Finally, the divine light in Elwin's eyes surged, and using all his life, all his Soul, and all his 'Dao', he roared out that final definition and interrogation, which was also the ultimate strike that hit the very Foundation of the Abyssal Lord's existence:

"Your existence, your Divinity, your will—"

"Has there ever been a moment,"

"When you yearned for 'Life'?"

"Understood 'Love'?"

"Thought about 'Creation'?"

"Instead of... endless 'Destruction'?!"

"This question—pierces the heart!"

Boom—!!!

It was impossible to describe whether this was an explosion of sound or light! A spiritual torrent purely condensed from milky-white Vast Righteous Qi, supreme Confucian principles, and the will of sacrifice, as if crossing time and space, ignored the devouring field of the dark singularity and poured directly into the depths of the Abyssal Lord's Soul, striking at its Divinity Origin burning with the white flames of destruction!

This was not a physical attack, not an energy impact, but an interrogation of concepts, a questioning of existence, and a subversive challenge to the fundamental path of 'Destruction'!

The Abyssal Lord's mad white-flame eyes instantly froze! Immediately after, they erupted with unprecedented chaotic and painful light!

"Ah—!!!"

It let out the most shrill and twisted wail since the start of the war! It was not the pain of the flesh, but the pain of its fundamental existence being shaken! It was the pain of its 'Destruction' Divinity and will, which it relied upon for survival and firmly believed in, being fiercely struck, torn, and even briefly 'polluted' by a completely opposite, yet magnificent and upright 'Benevolence and Righteousness' and 'Life-giving' Dao, condensed with all the life and belief of the sacrificer!

The operation of the dark singularity suddenly stagnated and became chaotic! Large blank spaces and loopholes appeared on its surface in the devouring annihilation field! The Abyssal Lord's massive body twitched violently, the light in its white-flame eyes flickered and dimmed madly, sometimes chaotic, sometimes furious, and sometimes... it actually flashed with a hint of extremely brief confusion and emptiness from the deepest part of its Soul, which even it did not notice!

Elwin's ultimate verbal spell 【Judgment of Heart · Defining the Dao】 successfully severely damaged the Abyssal Lord's Soul and Divinity cognition! Although it could not last long (perhaps only a few seconds), these few seconds of Soul disorder and Divinity shaking created an unprecedented, internally-sourced fatal flaw for that dark singularity—the core of its power and existence at this moment!

"Now... is the time..." Elwin let out a final whisper, weak as a sigh. The Subtle Influence Brush in his hand turned into specks of milky-white light dust and drifted away with the wind. His entire body also began, starting from his feet, to rapidly turn into equally warm and pure light spots, floating upward and dissipating.

He took one last look in the direction of the Imperial Hospital, his eyes filled with gratification and no regrets, his lips moved slightly, as if he still wanted to say something, but he could no longer make a sound. Only that initial whisper seemed to still echo over the battlefield:

"To hear the Dao in the morning... is enough to die in the evening..."

The hero Elwin, fallen. Body and Soul destroyed, only the Vast Righteous Qi and spirit of sacrifice from that final strike remained like a brand, briefly lingering within the rules of this battlefield soaked in blood and fire, continuously washing away the filth of the abyss, opening a fleeting gap leading to destruction inside that dark singularity.

"Elwin—!!!"

The sorrowful cries resounded across the position. But Rock Shield and the others knew there was no time for grief! This was the last and best opportunity that Master Elwin had exchanged his life for!

"Everyone who can still move! Attack! Attack that singularity! Attack its interior!" Rock Shield roared with his last strength, though he himself no longer had the strength to even stand up.

The remaining warriors, suppressing their grief and weakness, once again cast their gaze toward the dark singularity that had fallen into brief disorder and had loopholes in its defense due to its Soul being damaged.

The final decisive moment had arrived. And the key to breaking the deadlock had already been ignited by the fall of the hero.