225: Despite fierce fighting and perseverance, the miraculous buildings suffered frequent damage.

On the Void Realm combat platform, time seemed to be stretched and distorted. Every second was filled with the aftershocks of rule collisions, light shards of energy annihilation, and countless silent screams and roars on the conscious level. The defense line jointly constructed by Lin Zhou and Qin Qing, under the precise and cold advancement of Xuanyuan Hong's divine kingdom, was like a lonely boat swaying in a storm; though it struggled to hold on, it was already covered in wounds.

The fragile neutral Alliance previously drawn in using Gongsun Li's "Vertical and Horizontal Alliance" technique, and the subsequent local counterattack that seized a small flaw in the opponent's rhythm, had indeed won precious breathing room for Lin Zhou and Qin Qing and briefly disrupted Xuanyuan Hong's perfect tactical rhythm. However, the time and space that such "cleverness" could win in the face of an absolute gap in strength were ultimately limited.

Once Xuanyuan Hong truly regarded Lin Zhou as an "opponent who needs to be taken slightly seriously," the pressure he exerted increased geometrically in an instant. No longer simply relying on the frontal crushing force of the Stigmata Titans and the flank containment of the Holy Radiance Angels, his tactics began to become more multi-dimensional, varied, and precisely targeted at vital points.

[Xuanyuan Hong's Tactical Adjustment (Targeting Lin Zhou's Divine Domain Characteristics)]

Core Concept: Identify that the core source of Lin Zhou's divine domain power is not traditional powerful followers or vast Divine Power, but his unique group of Miracle Buildings represented by the Jixia Academy and the Temple of Law, as well as the phantom of the river of civilization that contains the principles of civilization. These buildings and phantoms are the key nodes for the manifestation and regulation of Lin Zhou's Hundred Schools of Thought power, providing continuous buffs. Destroying or severely weakening them would shake his Foundation far more than eliminating some of his followers.

Execution Strategy:

Deep Scan and Lock-on by Celestial Track Array: Concentrate computational resources to perform high-precision marking and frequency analysis on the nodes with the most abnormal energy and rule fluctuations in Lin Zhou's divine domain (i.e., the Miracle Buildings).

Will Focus of the throne of conquest: Partially shift the pressure of will directed at Lin Zhou personally to "rule interference" and "conceptual negation" of his core Miracle Buildings, attempting to weaken the "rationality" and "authority" of these buildings from a conceptual level.

Multi-dimensional Precision Strikes:

Stigmata Titans: Change the strategy of purely pushing forward. While maintaining frontal pressure, detach several Titans to perform "artillery saturation" on the locked Miracle Buildings by remotely throwing "Holy Thunder Annihilation Bombs" (highly compressed holy thunder and rule fragments).

Holy Radiance Angels: While fighting on the left flank, deploy elite squads to execute "surgical" raids, utilizing their high mobility and holy Evil Breaking properties to attempt direct attacks on the building structures or interfere with their energy cycles.

Rule Level: Through the continuous erosion of the Conquest Order Field, focus on "polluting" the rule environment around the Miracle Buildings, causing their operational efficiency to decline.

This adjustment had an immediate effect.

The first to bear the brunt was the Jixia Academy within Lin Zhou's divine domain, which symbolized the source and educational core of the Hundred Schools of Thought.

This magnificent building complex, which fused multiple Concepts such as the Confucian "Inclusive Education," the Taoist "Tao Follows Nature," and the Mohist "Logical Craftsmanship," was originally enveloped in a warm and broad halo of wisdom. Within the academy, Wenxin Elf Priests chanted and studied principles day and night, Tiangong Dwarf craftsmen exchanged skills here, and Law Fishmen bailiffs learned the essence of legal principles... It was the absolute core for the wisdom enhancement, skill comprehension, and ideological unification of Lin Zhou's followers. Its inherent "Eternal Teacher" halo effect could significantly increase the wisdom, comprehension, and skill learning speed of followers within its range.

However, at this moment, several Holy Thunder Annihilation Bombs thrown remotely by a Stigmata Titan, trailing blinding golden flames like spears of heavenly punishment, accurately smashed into the area where the Minglun Hall and the Library—the main buildings of the academy—were located!

"Intercept them!" Lin Zhou's eyes nearly split from rage as he wildly pushed his Divine Thought. Nearby Elf Rangers and Tiangong Dwarf Ballistae desperately shot into the sky, and Xuan Zhenzi also barely managed to prop up a weak "Breeze Barrier." Qin Qing's Judgment Angels wanted to return to help, but were pinned down by even more Holy Radiance Angels.

Boom! Boom! Boom—!!!

The violent explosions were not pure physical destruction; that highly condensed holy thunder contained powerful forces of "Order formatting" and "conceptual purification"! The golden lightning raged, not only destroying the eaves and pillars on one side of the Minglun Hall but also shattering that warm halo of wisdom! A corner of the Library's roof was blown off, and countless phantoms of "classics" formed from Divine Power and thought wailed and dissipated in the lightning!

[Jixia Academy Heavy Damage Report]

Damaged Areas: Minglun Hall (Main Lecture Hall) structural damage 35%, Library (Knowledge Storage and Derivation Core) damage 28%.

Direct Destruction: Partial collapse of building structures, with some permanent loss of the "educational rule" carriers (such as images of ancient sages and phantoms of classics) contained within.

Rule/Conceptual Level Damage:

"Eternal Teacher" halo range reduced by 40%, effect intensity decreased by 55%!

Follower Comprehension Ability Bonus: Plunged from the original "skill learning speed +100%, chance to self-comprehend new skills" to "learning speed +45%, extremely low chance of self-comprehension."

Wisdom Enhancement Effect: Significantly weakened.

School of Thought Resonance Efficiency: Decreased by approximately 30%, leading to reduced skill synergy smoothness between different follower units.

Direct Impact:

Casting efficiency and Spell power of the Wenxin Elf Priest group have decreased.

The speed at which Tiangong Dwarves develop new technologies and understand complex blueprints has slowed down significantly.

Precision in the understanding and Execution of new Laws by Law Fishmen has shown deviations.

Overall follower morale has taken a hit due to the damage to the "Source of Wisdom" (Morale -15%).

Repair Requirements (Preliminary Estimate):

Divine Power: At least 1,200 units (for reconstructing rule carriers and repairing conceptual damage).

Time: Under no interference, approximately 10 days of Secret Realm time (about 4.8 hours of real time) for basic repairs; full functional recovery will take longer.

Special Resources: May require civilization points or Materials containing "Wisdom" or "Legacy" traits to compensate for permanent losses.

Lin Zhou felt a pang in his heart, as if a part of himself had been violently torn away. He could clearly feel the "spirituality" and "Comprehension Ability" of the followers in his divine domain receding, and the previously seamless sense of command became somewhat sluggish.

Misfortunes never come alone.

Almost at the same time the Jixia Academy was attacked, the Temple of Law, which symbolized the strict Order and absolute rules of Legalism, also suffered a precise strike at the rule level.

Xuanyuan Hong's throne of conquest drove a more condensed and domineering will of "conquest as the only Order" like an invisible drill, ruthlessly piercing into the core rule zone of the Net of Law maintained by the Temple of Law! Simultaneously, a small squad of six-winged Holy Radiance Angel elites (3 units, LV45+) broke through the outer interception and appeared above the Temple of Law. They held high longswords burning with pure white holy flames and launched a joint skill—[Holy Purification · Order Correction]!

Their goal was to directly "purify" the core legal Concepts within the Temple of Law that conflicted with Xuanyuan Hong's "conquest Order," such as "coexistence of multiple Orders" and "settling disputes by Law"!

The Temple of Law was constructed entirely of an obsidian-like material, with silver legal inscriptions flowing across its surface, solemn and dignified. Now, under the pincer attack from inside and out, the temple vibrated violently! The silver inscriptions on the surface flickered and twisted wildly, as if enduring unspeakable pressure and burning! Inside the temple, the Xiezhi statue (a manifestation of rules) that symbolized "Law Shows No Mercy" emitted a low, rage-filled cry, and the light around it dimmed rapidly.

[Temple of Law Heavy Damage Report]

Damage Type: Rule Concept conflict and holy energy erosion.

Direct Destruction: Cracks appeared on the temple's outer walls, and some law steles (rule carriers storing specific Laws) grew dim and cracked.

Rule/Conceptual Level Damage:

The coverage of the Net of Law was forced to shrink by 25%, and rule binding force (judgment and weakening effects on "illegal" acts) decreased by 40%.

The ability to define and maintain "Order diversity" was significantly weakened, leading to a reduced effect in resisting the assimilation of Xuanyuan Hong's "conquest Order."

The temple's inherent "Law Shows No Mercy" (immunity to mental effects like fear and confusion) halo effect weakened by approximately 30%.

Direct Impact:

The power of the Law Fishmen bailiffs' "Judgment" and "Execution" skills has decreased, and their effectiveness against high-spirit units has weakened.

Instability has appeared in the synergy with Qin Qing's Divine Edict Barrier, causing overall defensive stability to decline.

The "Order Degree" in some areas of the divine domain has declined, and there are signs of slight loosening in follower discipline.

Repair Requirements (Preliminary Estimate):

Divine Power: At least 800 units (for stabilizing core rules and purging external will and energy pollution).

Time: Basic stabilization requires 7 days of Secret Realm time.

Special Requirement: Requires Lin Zhou or a Legalism hero unit to reorganize and stabilize the Concepts of legal principles to resist the erosion of the residual 'Will of Conquest'.

"Pfft—!" Lin Zhou let out another stifled groan, this time feeling a stinging pain at the level of his Divine Soul. The Temple of Law was closely linked to his Godhead, and its damage directly rebounded onto him. He felt his control over the rules within the divine domain declining; that sense of commanding with ease, the 'Right of Definition', had become sluggish and laborious.

This wasn't the end. The Tiangong Workshop, symbolizing the Mohist 'The Exploitation of the Works of Nature' and the source of creation; the Eight Trigrams Furnace side hall, representing Taoist 'Tao Follows Nature' and the place of Alchemy; and even the Altar of Shennong, which had just begun to show signs of improvement... any Miracle Building or important functional building emitting unique rule fluctuations began to successively enter Xuanyuan Hong's 'priority hit list'.

The Celestial Track Array acted like the coldest executioner, precisely marking targets. The will of the throne of conquest exerted continuous pressure like an invisible heavy hammer. The long-range bombardment of the Stigmata Titans combined with the sudden raids and harassment of the Holy Radiance Angels—like a combination of a surgical scalpel and a sledgehammer—constantly created new wounds across Lin Zhou's divine domain territory.

Lin Zhou and Qin Qing were exhausted from running around. Qin Qing's Judgment Angel legion had to split its forces to put out fires everywhere, causing the pressure on the front and left flanks to increase again, resulting in casualties. Lin Zhou, meanwhile, was like a clumsy mason, patching up wherever was broken, frantically injecting his precious Divine Power into the damaged buildings to maintain their basic functions and delay the speed of collapse.

[Statistics of Lin Zhou's Divine Power Consumption Surge Phase (Since targeted strikes on buildings began)]

Jixia Academy Emergency Stabilization: Consumed 350 units of Divine Power (only stopped the collapse and restored part of the aura; far from full repair).

Temple of Law Rule Confrontation and Repair: Consumed 280 units of Divine Power (temporarily repelled the Holy Purification and stabilized the core stele).

Rapid repairs of multiple damaged points including Tiangong Workshop and Eight Trigrams Furnace side hall: Averaged 50-150 units per location, totaling approximately 600 units.

Maintaining the linked defense of the Net of Law and Divine Edict (effect decreased due to building damage, requiring extra Divine Power): Consumption rate increased from approximately 95 units per second to 130 units.

Miscellaneous consumption for other commands, healing followers, small-scale counterattacks, etc.: Approximately 200 units.

Total additional Divine Power consumed in this phase: Approximately 1430 units.

This massive consumption of Divine Power was like opening several huge holes in Lin Zhou's already meager reserves. He entered the battle with about 85% Divine Power; after the initial clash, maintaining the defense line, the Vertical and Horizontal Alliance, and small-scale counterattacks, he had about 65% left. However, after this round of defense and repair for the Miracle Buildings, his Divine Power reserves plummeted like an avalanche, quickly dropping below the 40% warning line and continuing to drain rapidly!

Divine Power Reserve: 31%... 30%... 29.5%... The feeling of weakness from Divine Power depletion began to spread from the depths of his Godhead like a cold tide. The burning of the Divine Fire seemed weak and listless. Even maintaining the basic defense line began to become difficult, let alone repairing buildings or organizing an effective counterattack.

Qin Qing's condition was equally poor; her Divine Power reserves had also dropped below 40%, her Judgment Angel legion had lost over thirty percent of its personnel, and the light of the Sanctuary was dimming.

On the opposite side, Xuanyuan Hong's Divine Kingdom remained as steady as a rock. Although individual units of the Titan Guard were slightly sluggish due to previous interference and counterattacks, the overall Formation remained solid, and their advance was steady. The Holy Radiance Angel legion still held aerial superiority. The scanning light of the Celestial Track Array was cold and efficient. The will of the throne of conquest hung overhead like an untiring Sword of Damocles.

The battle situation seemed to have irreversibly slid toward the edge of total collapse.

On the Void Realm observation platform, there was a heavy silence. Everyone could see the black smoke rising and buildings collapsing within Lin Zhou's divine domain, and they could feel his rapidly declining Divine Power fluctuations.

"It's over... the Miracle Buildings are being targeted; this is digging up the roots!"

"Lin Zhou's Divine Power is almost at the bottom... the repairs simply can't keep up with the destruction."

"The top student is too ruthless; he saw through the core of the Hundred Schools Divine Domain's power at a single glance."

"Those buildings look so important; after they were damaged, Lin Zhou's followers clearly became weaker..."

"Qin Qing can't hold on either... defeat is certain."

"To have held out until now is already a miracle..."

At the Hundred Schools Society station, Zhao Hao, Wang Meng, and the others clenched their fists so hard their nails almost dug into their flesh, yet they could not make a sound. Su Yueyao watched the light screen quietly, her cool eyes reflecting the mess of the divine domain and the projection that still stood tall but was swaying, her fingers curling slightly within her sleeve.

On the battlefield, Lin Zhou's consciousness went black in waves due to excessive Divine Power consumption and the backlash from the damaged buildings. He could hear the panicked and bewildered chanting coming from Jixia Academy (its effect greatly reduced), feel the wailing and resistance at the rule level from the Temple of Law, and see the despairing eyes of the dwarves in the Tiangong Workshop looking at their damaged precision instruments... Every Miracle Building destroyed felt like a piece of flesh being cut from his body, a Foundation stone being removed from the path he persisted in.

Is it... really going to end here?

Just as his Divine Power dropped below 28%, and he began to feel powerless even to maintain the basic framework of the Net of Law—while Xuanyuan Hong's Titan vanguard approached again and new Holy Thunder Annihilation Bombs began to condense light in the Titans' hands—

Deep within the Temple of Civilization, the phantom of the river of civilization, which appeared somewhat dim due to successive damage and Divine Power depletion, suddenly fluctuated abnormally and violently.

It wasn't an impact from an external force, but rather like... some internal accumulation or resonance had reached a critical point.

A fragmented, blurry image of a historical segment containing a certain will of unyielding struggle and resistance suddenly surged up from the depths of the river like disturbed sunken treasure, flashing through Lin Zhou's nearly scattered consciousness!

In those images, there were cities breaking, civilizations collapsing, and ancestors in the midst of war and ruins using leftover rubble, broken swords, and even their own blood and lives to construct a final line of defense... It wasn't an exquisite Formation, nor a powerful force, but a resolute, tragic wisdom of turning everything usable into barriers and blades.

"Desperate straits... kindling..." A few fragmented phrases accompanied the images, crashing into Lin Zhou's mind.

At the same time, a faint but clear throb came from the Temple of Civilization, along with a brief notification message (not from the System, but feedback from the Sanctuary itself):

"Detected that the divine domain core civilization buildings [Jixia Academy] and [Temple of Law] have suffered heavy damage, and the principles of civilization are facing oppression... Specific conditions met... [School of Miscellaneous · Drawing from Many Sources] contingency plan... [Emergency Fusion Protocol]... can be passively triggered... requires consumption of massive civilization points and remaining Divine Power to guide... success rate unknown... consequences unknown..."

School of Miscellaneous? Emergency Fusion Protocol?

Lin Zhou's consciousness, on the verge of Chaos, was suddenly jolted by this unexpected information.

He had no time to think about the specific meaning and risks of this prompt, because Xuanyuan Hong's new round of strikes was already upon him! Several Holy Thunder Annihilation Bombs of even greater power tore through the void, crashing down once more toward the barely stabilized but still broken Jixia Academy and Temple of Law!

There was no time to hesitate!

Either sit back and watch the core buildings completely collapse, the Foundation of the divine domain ruined, and accept defeat.

Or... seize this mysterious, possibly final glimmer of hope—which might also accelerate destruction—this 'unknown prompt', and bet everything!

In Lin Zhou's bloodshot eyes, an extreme light of resolution suddenly burst forth, like a final surge of energy before the end.

"civilization points... invest them all! Remaining Divine Power... guide it! No matter what protocol it is... open it for me!"

Accompanied by a roar he squeezed from the depths of his Soul, the Temple of Civilization radiated brilliant light! The phantom of the river of civilization boiled as never before! The broken Jixia Academy, the Temple of Law, and even the surrounding ruins of other damaged buildings, dissipated ownerless energy, and even certain rule fragments drifting in the battlefield... were all drawn in and enveloped by an invisible, strange power originating from 'School of Miscellaneous' that embraced all things while refining the essence!

An unpredictable transformation quietly began in the midst of desperate straits.