182: A hundred schools of thought converge, the flame of civilization is finally ignited.

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

Lin Zhou's roar was like a thunderclap tearing through the sky, as he brought his giant flame sword, now transformed into a blazing white miniature sun, down in a resolute slash toward the flickering dark singularity core in the Abyssal Lord's chest!

Opposite him, the Abyssal Lord also let out a final roar, mixed with the madness of total destruction and a death struggle, unleashing all the remaining energy within the dark singularity, along with its burning divine Origin, transforming it into a dark torrent condensed purely from the concepts of "End," "Annihilation," and "Nothingness," capable of swallowing stars, and surged upward!

The blazing white sun of the Fire of Civilization and the all-consuming dark torrent of the End — collided fiercely in a billionth of a second!

BOOM————————!!!

No language could describe the deafening sound and light of this moment!

It was not merely an energy explosion, but the ultimate collision and annihilation of two diametrically opposed and extreme "principles" and "Dao" at the most fundamental level of the rules!

On one side was the principles of civilization, burning with grief, protection, Legacy, Order, wisdom, creation, and vitality...

On the other side was the Dao of the Abyss, venting madness, destruction, devouring, Chaos, nothingness, and ending...

At the center of the collision, space completely vanished, turning into an absolute singularity where even "nothingness" did not exist!

The concept of time there became chaotic, flowed backward, and solidified!

Pure white and extreme black devoured, canceled, and annihilated each other, bursting forth with a primordial light of Chaos that transcended all color spectra, capable of blinding the senses of Mortals and even low-tier gods!

The entire virtual battlefield of the "New Realm," under the aftermath of this unimaginable collision of great power, trembled and wailed violently!

With the collision point as the center, the ground cracked, collapsed, and vaporized in a radial pattern!

The sky was torn with countless black spatial rifts, only to be forcibly sealed by the violent energy turbulence!

The remaining Gargoyle swarms, monsters, and even some Order warriors who were too close, dissipated into basic particles the moment they were caught in the shockwave!

The Imperial Hospital, Tiangong Workshop, Temple of Law, Jixia Academy... all remaining structures had their protective runes shattered like paper under this limit-breaking impact, and their main structures collapsed further!

If not for the remaining Domain of the "Pure Land of Order" and the emergency protective arrays Li Mo had set up at the very end (sacrificing all remaining spiritual energy Puppets) that barely withstood part of the aftermath, this collision alone would have been enough to wipe out all survivors in Lin Zhou's territory!

However, Lin Zhou and the Abyssal Lord, located at the very core of the collision, were enduring pressure and damage millions of times greater than the outside world!

The blazing white giant flame sword and the dark torrent of the End continued to confront and annihilate each other!

In every instant, massive amounts of the Fire of Civilization and Abyssal energy turned into nothingness!

Lin Zhou felt the "sword" in his hand melting at a terrifying speed, and the feedback from the recoil was nearly enough to shatter his broken body and divine office completely!

The burning of the blazing white flame had reached its limit and began to flicker unsteadily, its color shifting from extreme white toward a grayish-white on the verge of extinguishing!

He could feel the Origin within his body depleting and evaporating at an unprecedented speed!

The cracks in his divine office had widened to an irreversible point, and the core processing units were dimming and failing one by one!

The Temple of Civilization shook violently within his Sea of Consciousness, and the light in many areas of the classics that had just been unlocked or not yet fully comprehended dimmed rapidly, even beginning to show signs of damage!

And the Abyssal Lord was suffering even more!

Under the continuous burning and annihilation of the Fire of Civilization, the destructive white flame at the core of the dark singularity flickered madly, its volume shrinking and dimming at a speed visible to the naked eye!

Its massive body constantly disintegrated under the backlash of energy and the pressure of the collision, its shadow armor completely turning to ash, revealing the constantly collapsing body beneath, which was composed of pure dark energy and the rules of pain!

The madness in its white-flame eyes was replaced by a dying fear and unwillingness!

Stalemate! A destructive stalemate!

Both sides had exhausted their last shred of strength, engaging in a final struggle on this life-or-death balance!

Whoever could hold on for one more instant, whose "principles" could be one bit tougher, would be able to push the other into an abyss of no return!

But Lin Zhou knew that his "fuel" was about to run out!

The countdown for the blazing white flame had reached its final second!

At this rate, his divine fire would extinguish before he could completely incinerate the Abyssal Lord!

Could it be... after Elwin's sacrifice, after burning everything, was he still only able to reach this point and perish together with this monster?

No! Absolutely not!

Just at the final moment when the blazing white flame was about to dim completely, his divine office was about to shatter entirely, and his consciousness was about to fall into eternal darkness—

Deep within Lin Zhou's consciousness, which was nearly chaotic due to the extreme burning, the core—bound to the Temple of Civilization and carrying the Soul of the Transmigration and endless beliefs—suddenly "saw" a point of light.

It was not blazing white, not glazed, not any known color.

It was a point of "primordial light" that seemed to be born before everything began, and yet seemed to exist after everything ended—formless, massless, colorless, odorless, yet containing infinite possibilities and definitions.

It lay quietly at the very bottom and core of the Temple of Civilization, covered by the brilliance of the Hundred Schools classics and wrapped in layers upon layers of civilization imprints.

But at this moment when Lin Zhou was about to burn everything and return to nothingness, at the critical point where all "existence" was about to turn into "nothingness," this point of "primordial" was triggered.

It was not a specific thought or power, but the "source" and "destination" of all thoughts, all powers, and all existence and non-existence.

It was the ineffable "Dao" in "The Dao that can be told is not the eternal Dao," the "Yi" before "The Yi has the Supreme Ultimate, which generates the two modes," the most primitive spark of wisdom before the birth of civilization, and the eternal imprint that might remain after the end of civilization.

In this split second of life and death, Lin Zhou had a sudden flash of inspiration.

The Hundred Schools of Thought each had their own focus, different paths, and even occasional contradictions.

Confucianism valued benevolence and ritual, Legalism valued punishment and names, Mohism valued craftsmanship, the School of Military valued strategy and warfare, Daoism valued nature, the School of Medicine valued growth and nourishment, the School of Agriculture valued Foundation, the School of Names valued debate and reason, the School of Diplomacy valued grand trends, and the School of Miscellaneous valued inclusiveness...

But they all originated from the same source — humanity's (intelligent beings') exploration and cognition of the world, themselves, and the meaning of existence!

They all pointed to the same destination — allowing civilization to survive, develop, prosper, and even transcend!

The "benevolence" of Confucianism and the "Law" of Legalism were two sides of the same coin of social Order; the "craftsmanship" of Mohism and the "nature" of Daoism were different paths to exploring the Laws of the world; the "warfare" of the School of Military and the "life" of the School of Medicine, while seemingly opposing, were actually different needs of civilization when facing external enemies and internal continuation; the "debate" of the School of Names and the "trends" of the School of Diplomacy were both wisdom for understanding and utilizing "principles" and "power"; the "Foundation" of the School of Agriculture and the "inclusiveness" of the School of Miscellaneous were the very roots and attitudes of civilization's survival and development...

All Laws return to the Origin; the Hundred Schools share the same source!

Previously, when he unleashed "Hundred Schools Return to Origin · Civilization Exorcism," he had forcibly combined the power of the Hundred Schools into one, like mixing paints of different colors; although it was immensely powerful, it was inevitably mottled.

At this moment, in the instant of burning everything and catching a glimpse of the "primordial," he understood the true "Return to Origin" — it was not mixing, but tracing back to the source!

It was not about superimposing the power of the Hundred Schools, but "reducing" them all to that most fundamental "starting point" that produced all wisdom, and then, from this starting point, re-"defining" the most fundamental "judgment" against the extreme existence of "destruction" before him!

This starting point was that point of "primordial light" at the core of the Temple of Civilization!

This judgment was the ultimate negation of "destruction," based on the fundamental requirement for the survival of civilization!

"So... that's how it is..."

In Lin Zhou's consciousness, which was about to be extinguished, a flash of clear realization flickered.

He no longer tried to inject more power into the blazing white flame, but instead... began to withdraw it!

Withdrawing the burning grief (School of Military/emotion), withdrawing the will to protect (Confucianism/Legalism), withdrawing the inspiration of creation (Mohism/Daoism), withdrawing the desire to survive (School of Medicine/School of Agriculture), withdrawing the wisdom of debate (School of Names), withdrawing the insight of assessing trends (School of Diplomacy), withdrawing the heart of inclusiveness (School of Miscellaneous)...

He pulled back all the "power" and "emotions" belonging to the Hundred Schools of Thought that were supporting the burning of the blazing white flame, like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, converging toward that point of "primordial light" deep within his consciousness!

This process was indescribably fast; to the outside world, the light of the blazing white giant flame sword suddenly dimmed, as if it lacked follow-up strength!

The Abyssal Lord let out a roar mixed with ecstasy and cruelty, thinking its opponent was finally exhausted, and immediately drove the dark singularity, pressing the last bit of its Origin into it; the dark torrent expanded violently, about to completely swallow the dimming flame!

However, just at the moment when the darkness was about to drown everything—

Deep within Lin Zhou's consciousness, the "primordial light," which had gathered the essence of all the Hundred Schools, all emotional beliefs, and all civilization imprints, gently "pulsed."

Then, it did not burst forth with more dazzling light, but instead became completely "introverted," turning into a "point" that could not be described by any dimension, seemingly containing all possibilities and definitions.

Immediately after, this "point," following the final connection between Lin Zhou and the giant flame sword in his hand, "flowed" out in a way that transcended the concept of speed, replacing the incandescent white flames that were about to extinguish, and merged into that giant sword!

At this moment, the form of the giant sword underwent a fundamental change!

It was no longer in the form of fire, nor was it in the form of a sword. It transformed into a stream of light that was clear and transparent, yet seemed to contain the starry sky of the Universe, the long river of history, the lights of ten thousand homes, and endless wisdom...

This stream of light had no temperature, no weight, and no color, yet it seemed to contain all temperatures, all weights, and all colors. It "flowed" there quietly, yet it gave people a supreme feeling of being able to define everything, judge everything, and encompass everything.

Within the stream of light, countless tiny scenes could be vaguely seen rising, falling, appearing, and disappearing: there were Saints lecturing, craftsmen creating, farmers tilling fields, physicians applying needles, soldiers lining up in formation, strategists maneuvering, scholars debating... The aura of the Hundred Schools was all contained within, yet harmoniously unified, together constituting the Foundation of this "stream of light."

And at the very core of the stream of light, two ancient, vigorous, and phantom-like characters—which seemed to be condensed from the Law itself—manifested: 【principles of civilization】!

The moment these two characters appeared, the entire battlefield—no, the underlying Law of the entire "New Realm"—trembled and resonated! It was as if a higher-level, more fundamental "principle" had arrived!

The Abyssal Lord's swelling torrent of darkness, the moment it touched this stream of "principles of civilization" light, encountered its absolute natural enemy, letting out a wail so shrill and extreme that it felt as if its very existence had been denied! The darkness began to spontaneously collapse, disintegrate, and dissipate! It was not annihilated by energy, but rather like snow exposed to sunlight, or like something "judged" by a higher-level Law as "should not exist," and was being repelled and erased by the rules of the entire world!

"This... impossible... what is... this... power...?!" The Abyssal Lord's consciousness was filled with unprecedented fear and bewilderment stemming from the very roots of its existence! It could not understand; the nature of this power had completely surpassed any "Order" or "divinity" within its cognition! This seemed to be... a fundamental Law that stood above "Order" and "Chaos," one that defined "what is Order" and "what is Chaos"!

Lin Zhou hovered at the core of this "principles of civilization" stream of light. The incandescent white flames in his eyes had long since extinguished, replaced by a pair of void-like pupils that were incomparably deep, incomparably calm, and seemed to have insight into the essence of all things. He slowly raised his hand, pointing at the collapsing dark singularity and the Abyssal Lord, and what he spat out was no longer a roar, but a calm and majestic declaration, like a final verdict delivered by the highest court:

"In the name of Civilization, by the Foundation of wisdom, by the wish for survival—"

"Your 'destruction' has no root and no base, possessing only the form, not understanding the 'Dao' of the cycle of heaven and earth and the birth and death of all things, not understanding the 'principles' of creation and protection, inheritance and innovation."

"Your existence is merely an accident of Chaos, a spray of disorder, and will eventually return to calm."

"Now, I issue the final verdict—"

"principles of civilization · Judgment!"

"I sentence you—to return to nothingness!"

The moment the declaration fell, the stream of light containing the 【principles of civilization】 moved gently.

There was no earth-shattering momentum, no world-destroying explosion.

It simply "flowed" past, as if the river of time were flowing over a stubborn reef, or as if the scroll of history were gently turning a page.

Wherever the stream of light passed, that violent torrent of darkness and finality disappeared silently, as if it had never existed.

The tiny point of destructive white flame at the core of the dark singularity let out a "pop" so slight it was almost inaudible, and extinguished.

The Abyssal Lord's massive, disintegrating body, along with its final consciousness filled with unwillingness, fear, and bewilderment, disappeared completely and cleanly, like a smudge erased from a canvas by an eraser.

No remains were left behind, no energy, no traces. It was as if this terrifying existence of the demigod rank had never descended upon this battlefield.

【"principles of civilization · Judgment" Effect Summary】: Target: Abyssal Lord · Ruler of Lava and Rock (Demigod / LV190, heavily wounded and dying, divinity burning state). Principle of Action: Transcends simple energy confrontation, reaching the level of defining Laws. Using "Civilization," a "fundamental principle" that encompasses everything, pursues survival and development, and contains infinite wisdom and possibilities, to conduct a final negation and "definitional erasure" on the existence level against the "misguided path of principle" that is "destruction," which is single, extreme, and denies everything. Manifestation: The target is thoroughly "erased" from the levels of energy, matter, information, and rules, as if it never existed. Range: Precisely acts on the individual target, with minimal impact on the surrounding environment (only energy vacuums and rule ripples caused by the target's disappearance). Consumption: All of Lin Zhou's remaining Origin—Divine Power, Divine Thought, divinity potential, civilization points, life force, and the temporary overdraft of insights from the Hundred Schools. After this strike, Lin Zhou will fall into an unprecedented state of "absolute emptiness." Tier Judgment: Touches the edge of "defining rules" which only a god above gods (Dao Saint) can initially grasp, but due to Lin Zhou's insufficient power and shallow understanding, it is only a fleeting, non-reproducible ultimate burst. Can be seen as a fleeting glimpse of the "Civilization" divine office (unformed) in a desperate situation.

The battlefield fell into a deathly silence.

The wind stopped, the energy subsided, and even the tremors in space slowly calmed down. The setting sun was like blood, shining on the devastated land, shining on the survivors who had lived through the catastrophe and were dumbfounded, and shining on the figure floating in the air, whose surrounding "principles of civilization" stream of light was slowly dissipating, revealing the riddled, weak figure beneath, whose breath was almost non-existent.

The Abyssal Lord was dead. It had been completely "erased" by the Dominator's final strike, which was incomprehensible, indescribable, and seemed to come from the roots of the world.

Did they win? Really... did they win?

After a brief, deathly silence, like a volcano that had been suppressed for hundreds of millions of years, the surviving warriors—whether dwarves, elves, mermen, stone spirits, or the remaining human pioneers—erupted into hysterical cries and cheers mixed with ecstasy, grief, the relief of surviving a catastrophe, and endless reverence!

"They won—!!! The Dominator won—!!!"

"The Abyssal Lord is dead! Dead!!!"

"Lord Elwin... did you see... we won... sob, sob, sob..."

"Long live Civilization! Long live the Dominator!!!"

Voices were hoarse, faces were covered in tears, and many people collapsed directly to the ground, crying and laughing. Fire Hammer stared blankly at the empty spot where the Dominator had previously been, then looked at the figure slowly falling in the air, gave a sudden jolt, and roared with his last remaining strength: "Quick! Catch the Dominator! Imperial Hospital! Save him!!!"

The seven Observers in the air fell into a long, silent pause. After a long time, the star map phantom let out a sigh that sounded so distant it seemed to come from the end of time: "principles of civilization · Judgment... erasure at the level of definition... this is not ordinary Divine Power; it has already touched the edge of the 'Dao.' This child... was actually able to catch a glimpse of the true essence of 'Civilization' in such a situation, and use his own body as a conduit to manifest it... although only for a moment, it was enough."

"This battle no longer needs to be watched. The 'Fire' has not only not been extinguished, but instead... has ignited a true, inextinguishable light."

"Our mission... perhaps, is about to enter the next phase."

The light of the star map phantom, along with the light of the other six elemental Incarnations, became more solid at the same time; they were no longer just "observing," and seemed to be preparing for something.

As for Lin Zhou, after delivering that ultimate strike and witnessing the Abyssal Lord being thoroughly erased, his last shred of consciousness, like a burnt-out candle flame, quietly extinguished. The "principles of civilization" stream of light completely dissipated, and his broken body, like a kite with a broken string, fell powerlessly from the sky.

Before his consciousness sank into eternal darkness, his final thought was not the joy of victory, nor the relief of Rebirth, but a whisper that no one heard: "Elwin... and... everyone... I'm sorry... I'll... sleep for a while..." "Civilization... I leave it... to you all..."

His figure was carefully caught by the warriors rushing up from below, who were also scarred and battered but had exhausted their last strength, and was then surrounded and sent to the depths of the equally dilapidated Imperial Hospital.

On the battlefield, the smoke had not yet cleared, the blood had not yet dried, ruins were everywhere, and casualties were heavy. But the Abyssal haze that had shrouded everything had already dissipated. A faint, yet incomparably real ray of dawn pierced through the thick clouds above the "New Realm" and shone on this devastated land. The bloody battle of the Hundred Schools, the survival of Civilization, at this moment, finally drew a tragic and heroic... temporary pause. And the true test and the future, perhaps, were only just beginning.