328: Chapter 263: Whispers of the Abyss, the Flame of Civilization Burns Away Demonic Thoughts

"Illegal... the rules of this world... the price..."

The projection of Malassa the Skinner, a twisted existence formed from the abyssal will, chaotic rules, and Shadow Killer's sacrifice, let out a roar mixed with pain, rage, and a hint of disbelief under the restraint of the rule chains formed by Lin Zhou's eight golden characters.

A 30% suppression of all attributes is a heavy blow to any existence, especially for an Abyssal Lord projection that relies on absolute power level crushing. It is not just a weakening of data, but a denial and humiliation of its existential essence. The sulfurous flames boiling like lava around it flickered and dimmed as if doused with cold water, web-like fine cracks (instability at the rule level) appeared on its dark red scales, and even the flames burning on its three pairs of curved horns shrank by a circle. Its strength was forcibly suppressed from its original threshold of approaching Lesser Divinity (LV500) back to approximately LV350-LV370 (lower-middle stage of Lesser Divinity).

Although it was still a behemoth and still emitted a heart-palpitating evil Aura, the desperate gap in Rank had been forcibly leveled by more than half by Lin Zhou's clever rule-based methods!

"Ant! You have enraged me!" The three pairs of burning eyes of Malassa's projection locked onto Lin Zhou. Its voice was no longer pure Abyssal, but a demonic sound mixed with the wails of countless suffering Souls that could directly vibrate the Divine Soul. "Do you think that by weakening my power, you can defeat the majesty of the Abyss? Ignorant! The power of the Abyss is far more than just brute force! Taste this despair and madness from the depths of the Soul—[Abyssal Whispers · Wailing of Ten Thousand Souls]!"

It gave up on direct energy breath and physical strikes (which were greatly reduced in effect after being weakened) and opened its maw filled with sharp teeth. However, it did not let out a deafening roar, but rather an extremely eerie murmur and wail of countless overlapping voices that seemed to ring directly in the deepest part of the consciousness of all living beings!

These whispers were not in any known language, yet any existence that heard them (or rather, whose Soul perceived them) would involuntarily understand the infinite negative thoughts contained within: the deepest despair, the purest pain, the most twisted desires, hatred for all beauty and Order, doubt about one's own existence, and a longing for ultimate nothingness... Like the filthiest venom, it was injected directly into the Soul, polluting the spirit and twisting the will!

Wherever the whispers passed, even those originally dim dark energy pipes in the Shadowy Corridor seemed to be stained with a sickly purple-black layer, making a sizzling corrosive sound. Space itself seemed to be trembling slightly, producing a nauseating "corruption" frequency.

This was an Abyssal Lord-level Soul attack! It ignored most physical defenses and conventional energy barriers, pointing directly at mental weaknesses! For subordinates and deities who rely on faith, morale, collective will, or precise logic, it possessed terrifying destructive power. Shadow Killer chose to summon Malassa likely not just for its physical destructive power, but for this pollution ability targeting the Soul and Order, used to counter Lin Zhou's civilization system that seemingly condensed based on "thoughts" and "principles"!

"Not good! It's the Abyssal Whispers!" In the Star Ocean Rest Area, Su Yueyao's expression changed slightly, and her cold moonlight rippled uncontrollably, showing her inner shock. "This kind of attack that directly pollutes the Soul's Origin is devastating to subordinates who rely on belief and Enlightenment! Lin Zhou's subordinates..."

Wang Meng also clenched his fists nervously: "Damn it, this ghost thing even knows how to play dirty!"

Qin Qing frowned deeply, the phantom wings of the Judgment Angel slightly unfolding: "Law can restrain behavior and judge sins, but for this kind of Soul pollution directly originating from the source of chaos... the effect is limited."

Vice Dean Wang Zhenyue said in a deep voice: "Let's see how Lin Zhou responds. If his Way of Civilization is truly all-encompassing as he says, he should have a way to deal with it. If not..." He didn't continue, but the meaning was clear: if he couldn't withstand this Soul pollution, the subordinates would collapse and the divine kingdom would fall in an instant.

On the battlefield, the Abyssal Whispers, like an invisible tide, instantly washed over the outer warning circle of Lin Zhou's divine kingdom and surged toward the core area. The first to be hit were some Wenxin Elf Scholars and Law Fishmen guards of lower levels (LV30-LV33) patrolling the edge of the divine kingdom.

As the whispers entered their ears (Souls), these subordinates' faces immediately showed expressions of extreme pain and struggle. The light of wisdom in the eyes of the Wenxin Elf Scholars became scattered, and they involuntarily murmured chaotic and inverted phrases; the upright bodies of the Law Fishmen began to slouch, the codes of Law in their hands seemed to weigh a thousand pounds, and their eyes were filled with self-doubt and vacillation. Their faith links began to fluctuate, and the Power Of Faith they provided to Lin Zhou began to be mixed with Impurities of fear and despair!

Even the core runes of the Tiangong Dwarves' precisely operating mechanisms began to flicker with erratic light, as if affected by invisible interference.

"Do you see it, ant?!" Shadow Killer's voice, filled with ecstasy and malice, rang out from the shadows. "Your civilization, your principles, are so fragile and laughable in the face of absolute chaos and despair! Your subordinates will go mad one by one, fall, and kill each other! And you will watch helplessly! This is the consequence of opposing the Abyss!"

Cruel pleasure also appeared in the eyes of Malassa's projection as it continued to urge the [Abyssal Whispers]. It believed that as long as it polluted the opponent's core subordinates and shook their Foundation of faith, even if its own attributes were weakened, victory would still belong to the Abyss.

However, Lin Zhou, who was in the core of the divine kingdom and facing this tide of Soul pollution, did not show the panic Shadow Killer had expected. He even closed his eyes, as if savoring the Abyssal Whispers that were enough to make an ordinary deity's Soul tremble.

"Despair... pain... nothingness... hatred..." Lin Zhou thought to himself, "As expected, it's still these old tricks. After all, the Abyss is more about 'breaking' than 'building,' more 'destroying' than 'creating.' Your whispers seem to point directly at mental weaknesses, but in reality, they just amplify the inherent negative emotions of living beings and use absolute darkness to deny all meaning."

He opened his eyes, and what was reflected in them was no longer the approaching tide of darkness, but the countless unyielding fires of civilization shining through adversity in the river of civilization.

"But my civilization has never been a delicate flower grown in a greenhouse." Lin Zhou's voice was calm and firm, echoing in the divine kingdom and drowning out the subtle but malicious noise of the whispers. "It was born from clearing the path through brambles, grew amidst blood, fire, and thorns, remained unbroken through catastrophic floods, and stayed unyielding in the face of weapons. Its history is an epic of constant struggle and victory against natural disasters, man-made calamities, and the inner darkness!"

"Despair? When the ancestors faced the catastrophic floods, they did not despair; thus, there was Great Yu taming the floods!"

"Pain? Sima Qian suffered the humiliation of castration, a pain that pierced his heart, yet he composed the Records of the Grand Historian to shine through the ages!"

"Nothingness? Confucius traveled through various states, and though his Dao was not practiced, he still 'did what he knew was impossible,' establishing a heart for all generations!"

"Hatred? 'What then shall be used to requite kindness? Requite resentment with justice, and kindness with kindness!' Hatred should be transformed into the driving force for forging ahead, not a poison for self-destruction!"

With every word he spoke, the Fire of Civilization within Lin Zhou's godhead grew more intense! That flame, which had fused with a trace of Innate Purple Qi and appeared pale purple-gold, was no longer limited to converting faith and tempering Divine Power. Instead, following Lin Zhou's will, it surged violently, spreading from him as the core to the entire divine kingdom!

"Way of Civilization, passing the torch, endless and eternal!"

"This fire is the fire of wisdom, the fire of Legacy, the fire of hope, the fire of Order, and also the fire that purifies all filth and illuminates all darkness—the Pure Fire of Civilization!"

"In my name, manifest—[Civilization Pure Land]!"

"Boom—!"

The pale purple-gold Fire of Civilization, like a single spark starting a prairie fire, instantly swept through the entire Hundred Schools Divine Kingdom! The flame was not hot; instead, it carried a gentle and vast Aura, like a mother's hand stroking a frightened child, or a wise man's words enlightening a lost mind.

Wherever the fire passed, the pervasive Abyssal Whispers that polluted the Soul met their nemesis!

Sizzle sizzle sizzle...

Like cold water dripping into boiling oil, or the morning sun dispersing the morning mist. The moment the Fire of Civilization came into contact with the Abyssal Whispers, a violent annihilation and transformation occurred at the rule level!

The evil murmurs full of despair, pain, and nothingness, at the moment they touched the Fire of Civilization, their chaotic and unordered "information structure" and "mental toxicity" were actually forcibly analyzed, dismantled, and reorganized by the highly ordered and positive "civilization information flow" contained within the fire!

Thus, in the unbelievable perception of all observers inside and outside the divine kingdom, a scene that could be called a miracle occurred:

The maddening Abyssal wails and curses that originally filled the ears (Souls) began to twist and change their tone... gradually transforming into... the sound of clear chanting?!

"The Way of Great Learning lies in manifesting illustrious virtue, in loving the people, and in resting in the highest excellence..."

"As heaven's movement is ever vigorous, so must a gentleman ceaselessly strive for self-improvement; as the earth's condition is receptive devotion, so must a gentleman sustain all things with great virtue..."

"Universal love and mutual benefit..."

"The Law does not favor the noble, and the plumb line does not bend to curves..."

"War is a matter of vital importance to the state, a matter of life and death, the road to survival or ruin. It is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected..."

"The Dao that can be told is not the eternal Dao..."

...

The chapters, aphorisms, and core thoughts of the Hundred Schools classics—Confucianism's Great Learning and I Ching, Mohism's Mozi, Legalism's Han Feizi, the School of Military's Sun Tzu, and Taoism's tao te ching—actually flowed out from that pale purple-gold Fire of Civilization, replacing the original Abyssal Whispers and echoing within Lin Zhou's divine kingdom, even faintly spreading outward!

This was not Lin Zhou deliberately chanting, but the Fire of Civilization using its own "positive rule information," derived from the wisdom of countless sages, to perform a mandatory override and purification of "negative chaotic information" like the "Abyssal Whispers"! Like the most powerful antivirus software, it reverse-compiled the virus code into beneficial programs!

"Ah—!!"

The first to be hit was the Abyssal Lord projection that was continuously releasing the whispers—Malassa!

The Abyssal Whispers it had exerted, which contained part of its original will, were forcibly transformed by the Fire of Civilization into "positive energy information" full of Order, wisdom, benevolence, and self-improvement—qualities completely opposite to the essence of the Abyss. Furthermore, this transformed "information flow" actually poured back into its own consciousness core along the mental link from which the whispers were emitted!

This was equivalent to it launching a powerful spiritual impact on itself, one that instantly reversed from "absolute chaotic evil" to "highly ordered positive"! And it was an impact that had been strengthened by its own released power before bouncing back!

"Pfft—!"

Malassa's projection's massive body shook violently, and the flames in its three pairs of burning eyes flickered intensely, almost going out! Its chest, covered in painful tattoos, heaved violently, as if something was about to explode from within! Then, under the gaze of countless horrified eyes, thick, pitch-black flames, as viscous as asphalt, erupted from the seven orifices of its hideous head—eyes, ears, nostrils, and maw—simultaneously!

These black flames were not the sulfurous fires it actively released, but a malignant collapse phenomenon caused by its Abyssal Origin suffering a violent backlash and the conflict of rules reaching an extreme, leading to it being "ignited," "polluted," or even "purified" from within! Every wisp of black flame that overflowed represented a part of its original power being "burned away" or "transformed" into meaningless chaotic embers by the Pure Fire of Civilization.

"Roar—!!!"

This time, the roar was filled with genuine, bone-deep (if it had any) pain and fear! The Aura of Malassa's projection plummeted again at a speed visible to the naked eye! The Aura, which was around LV350 after being suppressed, instantly dropped below LV300, its body became more illusory, and it even began to have difficulty maintaining its projection form!

"No! No! Lord Malassa!" Shadow Killer's scream of terror came from the shadows, filled with fear and incomprehension. His greatest reliance had not only been weakened but had even been heavily damaged and backlashed by the opponent in such an inconceivable way! This completely exceeded his understanding of power!

In Lin Zhou's divine kingdom, however, the situation was completely the opposite.

Those subordinates who had been eroded by the Abyssal Whispers and fallen into painful struggle, upon hearing the chanting of the Hundred Schools classics transformed by the Fire of Civilization echoing in the divine kingdom, quickly regained clarity in their confused and painful eyes, which even became firmer and brighter!

The Wenxin Elf Scholars stopped their chaotic murmuring and involuntarily began to chant along. The Vast Righteous Qi around them not only recovered but became more solid and pure!

The Law Fishmen guards straightened their backs again, the codes of Law in their hands shone brightly, and the doubt in their eyes was replaced by absolute conviction!

The erratic runes on the Tiangong Dwarves' mechanisms also stabilized, and their operation became even more smooth and efficient!

The faith links of all subordinates to Lin Zhou not only solidified instantly, but the Power Of Faith provided became more pure and fervent than ever before! Because they had collectively experienced this test of "Soul purification," the cohesion and centripetal force of the entire subordinate group, as well as their sense of identification with the "Way of Civilization," had all risen to a new level!

Within the range of the "Civilization Pure Land," the filth of the Abyss was swept away, replaced by a dense light of wisdom, power of Order, and an uplifting spiritual atmosphere. This place had truly become an absolute fortress that the power of the Abyss could not invade!

Lin Zhou stood in the center of the Fire of Civilization, feeling the refreshed atmosphere in the divine kingdom and looking at the Abyssal Lord projection that was rolling in pain and on the verge of death due to the backlash, his gaze indifferent.

"Now," he looked toward a certain direction in the shadows where the Aura was disordered due to the backlash and could no longer be perfectly hidden—the very core of Shadow Killer's divine kingdom—"it's my turn."

The phantom of the river of civilization surged and roared behind him, and amidst the sound of the waves, the sound of weapons and armor suddenly rose!