181: Fueled by grief and indignation, Lin Zhou's divine fire blazed fiercely.

The moment Elwin dissipated into pure points of light, a warm yet sorrowful rain of light seemed to fall over the battlefield.

The milky white Vast Righteous Qi did not completely disperse; instead, like a living stream, part of it continued to wash over the wounds of the Abyssal Lord's Soul, while the other part drifted slowly toward the Imperial Hospital, like a silent farewell and a final gift.

However, when this rain of light fell upon the unconscious, dying figure within the ruins of the Imperial Hospital, it seemed to trigger a deeply hidden switch on the verge of extinction.

Lin Zhou's consciousness was sinking into an abyss of boundless darkness and shattered pain.

His Divinity was almost completely silent, covered in cracks like a smashed glazed lamp.

His Divine Fire was as faint as a candle in the wind, with only a trace of glazed halo instinctively maintaining the last vestiges of life and existence.

The heaven-shaking cries of battle, the roar of energy, and the collapse of buildings outside all seemed to be separated by a thick layer of frosted glass, blurry and distant.

But one "feeling" pierced through these layers of obstruction, like a red-hot steel needle, stabbing fiercely into the deepest part of his consciousness.

It was not a sound, nor an image, but a sharp pain of existence being stripped away, a rupture of belief resonance, a kind of... emptiness and desolation as the true spirit of a close friend completely dissipated.

He "saw" it—not with his eyes, but with that remaining, faint perception connected to the Temple of Civilization and the Souls of all his kin—"saw" the heartbreakingly brilliant milky white light when Elwin burned his Divine Soul and Wenxin; "saw" the gratified and unregretful look in his eyes when he last looked toward him; "heard" the final whisper echoing at the level of the Soul: "Having heard the Dao in the morning... one can die in the evening..."

And in the scattered points of light, there was the final intent: loyalty to the Dominator, belief in civilization, the practice of the Dao of "Benevolence and Righteousness," and... a faint, lingering regret for not being able to continue following, for not being able to see the Fire of Civilization spread across the land.

Elwin... had fallen.

To create an opportunity for him, to guard this broken territory, to uphold that ethereal yet heavy-as-Mount-Tai "Dao"... he was destroyed in body and spirit, never to be reincarnated.

That Wenxin Elf who had first accepted the Hundred Schools of Thought, who had studied classics tirelessly at the 【Jixia Academy】, who had educated his companions with "Subtle Influence," who was gentle in temperament yet firm at heart... that hero whom he regarded as an important part of the civilization's Legacy, on whom he had placed such high hopes... was gone.

Completely and utterly gone.

"No...!!!"

A silent roar, yet one that seemed to come from the deepest level of the Soul, exploded in Lin Zhou's silent Sea of Consciousness!

It was not a conscious cry, but an instinctive resistance, an eruption of extreme grief and anger breaking through all restraints!

This erupting emotion, like a spark thrown into a deathly silent oil depot, instantly ignited the only remaining, nearly extinguished Fire of Civilization within his body!

Hum—!!!

The originally faint and dim glazed Divine Fire, as if splashed with hot oil, suddenly burned violently and expanded!

The color of the flames changed at an astonishing speed from a gentle glazed color to a blinding, scorching, seemingly capable of burning away all falsehood and darkness, incandescent white!

This was no longer the normal state of the Fire of Civilization that fused the Hundred Schools and encompassed everything, but an overload burning state entered by the Fire of Civilization driven by extreme grief and indignation!

It was as if all fuel, all potential, and all emotions were being ignited and released at once, regardless of the cost!

【Lin Zhou · Divine Fire State (Grief and Indignation Overload)】:

Divine Fire Color: Glazed color → Incandescent white.

Divine Fire Temperature/Energy Density: Soared by over 500%! The core temperature of the flames was enough to briefly burn the rule defenses of a demigod rank.

Burning Mode: Overloaded, unsustainable, violent mode of burning the Origin (including overdraft of Divine Power reserves, overdraft of Divinity potential, overdraft of civilization points, and even overdraft of life force).

Divine Power Output: Temporarily broke through the Bottleneck limit of Faint Divinity (LV201), with output power and quality briefly reaching the Early Stage level of Lesser Divinity (LV201-500) (approximately equivalent to a stable output of LV220 - LV250)! However, this was only an "output" achievement, not a true promotion, and it was extremely unstable, like an overclocked engine that could collapse at any time.

Rule Influence: The incandescent white Fire of Civilization brought its own strong "Purification," "Anger," and "Unyielding" rule attributes, temporarily greatly increasing the suppression of Chaos, Evil, and Abyssal attributes.

Duration: Extremely short! Estimated to last at most 10-15 seconds.

After the time limit, the Divine Fire would be completely extinguished due to over-exhaustion, the Divinity would completely shatter, and Lin Zhou himself would be destroyed in body and spirit.

Cost: Regardless of the outcome of this battle, after this state ends, Lin Zhou will inevitably fall into an unprecedented state of deep trauma and a long period of weakness, the Foundation of his Divinity will be severely damaged, and the Temple of Civilization will also suffer backlash.

The incandescent white flames soared from Lin Zhou's broken body!

Instantly illuminating the dim ruins of the Imperial Hospital!

Wherever the flames passed, the remaining Devilish Qi melted like ice and snow, and even the distortion of space was forcibly smoothed out!

A coercion, though violent but containing the unyielding will of civilization, slowly spread out like a waking giant beast!

"That is... the Dominator?!" Fire Hammer, who had already collapsed to the ground from exhaustion, felt the familiar yet strange incandescent white flames and coercion, and suddenly raised his head, an unbelievable light bursting from his bloodshot eyes!

"The Dominator... has awakened?" The Stone Spirit Leader's thought was also filled with shock.

Even the seven Observers in the air, the star map phantom fluctuated violently: "Such intense emotion triggering a qualitative change in Divine Fire... This is... burning the Origin to forcibly raise the output level? Dangerous! But... there is no other choice at this moment."

Lin Zhou, in his coma, began to twitch and tremble violently, not because of pain, but because that violent and scorching power was forcibly impacting and connecting his nearly exhausted and broken Meridians and Divinity cracks!

The severe pain made him emit suppressed groans even in his coma, veins bulging on his forehead, and incandescent white flames seemed to flow beneath his skin!

His consciousness, under the impact of this scorching power, did not wake up immediately, but instead fell into a state that was more chaotic, yet more "pure."

He "saw" a boundless starry sky composed of countless sparks of thought and imprints of civilization—that was the deep projection of the Temple of Civilization.

At this moment, in this starry sky, the Star Domain representing the Hundred Schools of Thought was shaking and burning violently!

Countless golden characters like "Benevolence," "Righteousness," "Ritual," "Wisdom," "Trust," "Loyalty," "Filial Piety," "Integrity," and "Shame" streaked across like meteors, finally converging into the incandescent white flame in the center!

Elwin's final figure seemed to merge with these characters, becoming the final firewood to ignite this rage!

It was not just the Hundred Schools of Thought!

The "Law," "Rules," "Punishment," and "Reward" of the School of Law; the "Craft," "Skill," "Universal Love," and "Non-Aggression" of the Mohist School; the "War," "Strategy," "Formation," and "Momentum" of the School of Military; the "Dao," "Nature," "Wu Wei," and "Yin and Yang" of the Daoist School; the "Soil," "Grain," and "Nurture" of the School of Agriculture; the "Life," "Healing," and "Benevolent Heart" of the School of Medicine; the "Debate," "Name," and "Reality" of the School of Names; the "Vertical," "Horizontal," and "Momentum" of the School of Diplomacy; the "Broadness," "Tolerance," and "Convergence" of the School of Miscellaneous...

The radiance of the Hundred Schools of Thought seemed to be drawn by this incandescent white fire of grief and indignation, no longer a gentle resonance, but like an enraged giant wave, violently pouring into the flames!

They did not disappear, but in this extreme burning, they were forcibly smelted and purified!

Those "principles of civilization" belonging to wisdom, Order, Legacy, creation, vitality, debate, strategy, and tolerance were refined into a more direct, more explosive, and more "resistant" and "protective" flame of civilization under the catalysis of grief and indignation!

"Elwin... your Dao... will not be in vain..." A vague but incomparably firm thought rose in Lin Zhou's chaotic consciousness, "Destruction... must pay the price... Civilization... will never yield!"

Outside, the incandescent white flames grew more and more intense, and Lin Zhou's body slowly floated up from the stone bed!

The terrifying wounds on his body, under the scorching of the incandescent white flames, actually began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye—not the gentle nourishment of the School of Medicine, but forcibly "welding" and "reshaping" the damaged tissues with incomparably domineering energy!

This process was extremely painful and would leave serious sequelae, but at this moment, power was rapidly returning!

His eyes opened suddenly!

In his eyes, there was no longer the usual calmness and depth, but two groups of incandescent white flames burning!

Within the flames, the dark singularity of the Abyssal Lord, which was in painful disorder due to Elwin's 【Execution of the Heart】, was reflected, the tragic scene of casualties on the battlefield was reflected, and the direction where Elwin dissipated was reflected...

Boundless grief, soaring anger, and a resolute will that would never yield and vowed to destroy everything dark in front of him burned fiercely in these two incandescent white eyes!

"Abyss—!!!"

From Lin Zhou's throat, the first, and also the most furious and hoarse roar since the beginning of the war was emitted!

The voice did not rely on Divine Power to amplify, but seemed to directly shake the rules, carrying the scorching heat of the incandescent white flames and the anger of civilization, fiercely crashing toward the Abyssal Lord!

This roar was like a signal!

Lin Zhou, floating in the air, suddenly grabbed forward with his right hand!

The incandescent white flame of civilization instantly condensed and elongated in his hand, turning into a giant flame sword with a simple style, burning with incandescent white flames, and having characters of the Hundred Schools faintly flowing on the blade!

He no longer considered any tactics, any defense, or any consumption!

At this moment, he had only one thought in his heart—cut it down!

Use everything that is burning to cut down that monster that destroyed Elwin, destroyed his home, and destroyed civilization!

"Die—!!!"

Lin Zhou's figure flashed, the incandescent white flames dragging a long tail in the air, his speed far exceeding his normal state!

In an instant, he crossed a distance of hundreds of meters and appeared in front of the Abyssal Lord, who was still struggling in the disorder of the Soul and whose dark singularity was running poorly!

The Abyssal Lord had just barely recovered a trace of clarity from Elwin's mental attack, only to see the figure coming with the incandescent white flames that made its destructive Divinity feel stinging and disgusted!

It was both shocked and angry, forcibly urging the dark singularity, trying to release the swallowing field to resist, and at the same time waving its sharp claws to counterattack!

However, Lin Zhou's current power was an explosion that briefly reached the level of Lesser Divinity in exchange for burning everything!

Its speed, power, and energy level were all above the heavily injured and unstable Abyssal Lord!

"Slash!"

The giant incandescent white flame sword slashed fiercely at the dark claws that the Abyssal Lord had hastily waved, in the simplest, most direct, and most violent way, without any fancy tricks!

Chi—!!!

There was no sound of metal clashing, only the violent hissing of flames burning darkness!

The incandescent white flame of civilization and the dark destructive energy were crazily annihilated!

But this time, the scale of annihilation was clearly tilted!

Crack!

A clear cracking sound!

The Abyssal Lord's incomparably hard dark claws, which had resisted countless attacks before, were actually slashed with a deep crack under the slash of the giant incandescent white flame sword!

At the edge of the crack, the incandescent white flames, like maggots on a tarsal bone, crazily eroded and burned inward!

"Ah!" The Lord roared in pain, a flash of fear flickering in its white flame eyes!

It felt that this flame was not only burning its body, but also burning its destructive Divinity!

That feeling of "restraint" and "purification" was more direct and violent than the previous river of civilization!

Lin Zhou did not give it a chance to breathe at all!

After one sword hit, the incandescent white figure followed like a shadow, the giant sword turning into a sky full of incandescent white sword shadows, slashing toward the Lord's body like a storm!

Every sword contained extreme grief and burning power of civilization, and every sword left deep scorch marks and cracks on the Lord's shadow armor (already broken) and body!

Boom, boom, boom, boom—!!!

The center of the battlefield instantly turned into a storm of destruction where white and darkness collided!

Two figures fought fast, and every collision caused small-scale spatial tremors and rule annihilation!

Lin Zhou completely gave up defense, trading injury for injury, life for life!

The incandescent white flames constantly added new wounds to him (from the erosion of dark energy from the Lord's counterattack), but they were immediately forcibly suppressed and burned out by more vigorous flames!

And every one of his attacks caused real, heavy damage to the Abyssal Lord!

Within three seconds, both sides exchanged more than a hundred moves!

The dark singularity on the Abyssal Lord's chest, which had just stabilized a bit, became flickering again under the dual effect of the continuous incandescent white flame impact and the internal Soul trauma, and the swallowing field on the surface was full of loopholes!

The wounds on its body were increasing, and its aura was becoming more and more withered!

"The Dominator... is mighty!!!" The remaining warriors looked at the figure like a god of fire descending, attacking the demigod Lord, and burst into hysterical cheers!

Tears and blood flowed wantonly!

The Observers in the air were also moved.

"Burning to this extent... is already crazy." The star map phantom whispered, "But this power born of grief and indignation, this will of protection and revenge, has indeed touched the threshold of Lesser Divinity... although it is just a flash in the pan."

"The Abyssal Lord... has shown signs of defeat." The earthy yellow rock body rumbled.

However, Lin Zhou knew that the burning of this incandescent white flame consumed his non-renewable Origin every second!

Ten seconds... maybe shorter!

He must completely destroy that dark singularity before this flame goes out, and end all of this!

"The last strike... for Elwin... for everyone..."

He suddenly deflected a counterattack from the Lord, his figure drifted back a little, his hands gripped the giant incandescent white flame sword, and he raised it high!

All the flames, all the power, all the grief and will were crazily converging toward the tip of the sword!

The light of the giant incandescent white sword reached its peak, as if it had turned into a miniature white sun!

Even space could not withstand its heat and began to show signs of melting!

The Abyssal Lord felt a fatal threat, emitted a roar of fear and fury, and regardless of everything, sprayed out all the remaining energy in the dark singularity, together with the burning Divine Origin, turning it into a dark torrent that destroyed everything, facing the white sun!

"Civilization—Rage Flame · End—Slash!!!"

Lin Zhou roared, and slashed that white sun toward the very center of the dark singularity!

The final collision was about to decide everything.

And the countdown of the incandescent white flames had also reached its end.