335: Chapter 270: A Narrow Victory in the Second Battle, the Power of the Natural Aura is Revealed

The golden light of judgment, like the first absolute sword piercing through dawn, erupted from the tip of the holy sword held high by the Archangel. Carrying the supreme will to judge "heresy" and purify "Impurities," it crossed space in an instant, pointing directly at the leader of the Taoist True Cultivator who was presiding over the [Natural Dao Domain] Formation—Qingjingzi!

This was exactly the terrifying divine technique that had instantly collapsed Zhao Hao's Dragon Legion in the previous match—[Divine Judgment]! Once locked and judged, the subsequent damage bonus of up to 200% was enough to turn any core unit of a non-holy faction into ashes!

On the Xinghai University platform, everyone's hearts leaped into their throats! Su Yueyao subconsciously clenched her fists, her moonlight rippling uncontrollably; Wang Meng's eyes widened; Qin Qing's face was tense; even Zhao Hao, who was adjusting his breathing, suddenly looked up, his eyes full of shock and worry.

At the moment the golden light erupted, Lin Zhou's Divine Thought was already highly concentrated. He didn't panic and Order Qingjingzi to dodge or defend—in the face of a skill like [Divine Judgment] which was nearly a rule-based lock-on, hasty evasion or individual defense was often futile. His response was to continue and redouble the power of the Taoist branch within the river of civilization, while simultaneously activating the ultimate joint casting preset for Qingjingzi and his Taoist True Cultivator legion!

"The Great Dao is nameless, giving birth to Heaven and Earth; the Great Dao is emotionless, moving the sun and moon; the Great Dao is formless, nurturing all things!" Facing that life-taking golden light, Qingjingzi did not retreat. Instead, he suddenly opened his eyes, which flickered with the light of wisdom that perceived the secrets of heaven. His hand seals changed, and his voice suddenly rose, perfectly synchronizing with the chanting of the forty-nine Taoist True Cultivator behind him (who were arranged in a simplified "Cosmic Star Spirit-Guiding Formation")!

"Heaven and Earth are born with me, and all things are one with me! The Way of Nature, manifest—Cosmic Natural Spirit Halo!"

"Buzz—!!!"

With Qingjingzi as the core and the forty-nine Taoist True Cultivator as nodes, all the natural spirit light, dawn blessings, woodland vitality, and even the power of the "Tao Follows Nature" rules enhanced by the river of civilization accumulated within the [Natural Dao Domain] were completely detonated, integrated, and sublimated at this moment!

A light green halo, clear as water, warm as jade, yet as vast as the sea, rippled out from the center of the Taoist True Cultivator' Formation in a visible form. It spread rapidly, not only covering Lin Zhou's entire divine kingdom but also extending towards the junction of the two battlefields and even to the edge of Michael's Divine Rule Domain!

This was not an attack, nor was it a defense, but a large-scale, deep-level [Assimilation and Overlap] of environment and rules!

[Cosmic Natural Spirit Halo] (Joint secret technique of the Taoist True Cultivator legion, requires specific environment and prerequisite Formation support):

Effect 1: Innate Dao Domain Descends. Forcibly twists and elevates the environmental rules of the halo-covered area towards an "Innate Natural Harmony" state. Within range, the activity of all natural elements +300%, energy recovery speed +50%, and non-natural/destructive rule effects are suppressed and assimilated to varying degrees.

Effect 2: Resonance of All Things as One. The halo contains rule information that "all things in heaven and earth originate from the Dao and can return to nature," attempting to eliminate the absolute barriers and opposition between factions, attributes, and forms. It produces a strong neutralizing and inclusive effect against rules with "exclusive" or "absolute" characteristics (such as extreme holiness or absolute chaos).

Effect 3: Natural Proliferation. During the halo's duration, trace amounts of "Innate Natural Spirit Essence" will naturally be nurtured within range, attaching to non-natural creations and slowly changing their external forms and internal energy attributes towards "nature."

Cost: Light depletion of the Divine Soul Origin of the caster (Qingjingzi) and all participating True Cultivators, requiring a long recovery time; consumes a large amount of the divine kingdom's stored natural attribute energy and civilization points.

Wherever the light green halo swept, the [Dawn Woodland] seemed to glow with ancient vitality. Ancient trees grew wildly, with crystalline spirit light dewdrops hanging from their branches; flowers and grass swayed, emitting a refreshing fragrance and a faint light containing Dao rhymes; the stream gurgled, its sound seemingly containing the rhythm of heaven and earth. This area seemed to have briefly transformed from an ordinary spirit land into the legendary "Innate Dao Domain"—an ideal environment closer to the world's original state of natural harmony.

And this halo collided violently with that sharp [Divine Judgment] golden light in the void!

There was no earth-shattering explosion. The golden light was like the sharpest chisel, trying to pierce and tear through this soft yet incredibly resilient natural halo. The natural halo, however, was like the deepest ocean, using its endless power of inclusion and penetration to wrap, soak, and dilute the sharpness of the golden light and the "absolute judgment" will contained within it!

Zzz... Zzz...

A tooth-aching sound of rule friction echoed at the Divine Thought level. The originally invincible and pure blazing golden light of Divine Judgment actually slowed down visibly after rushing into the range of the natural halo! On the surface of the golden light, fine light-green ripples like water waves began to emerge! The rule information stream of "judging heresy" and "imposing punishment" within the golden light seemed to be interfered with and reinterpreted by some grand and gentle power—in this "All Things as One" Natural Dao Domain, the boundary between "holy" and "non-holy" seemed to become a bit blurred; the pure "judgment" will seemed to be embraced and softened by the surrounding boundless "natural vitality"!

"What?!" Michael's pupils shrank slightly. He clearly felt that the power and locking effect of the [Divine Judgment] he released had been weakened by at least thirty percent by this strange natural halo! Although it still hit the target, the subsequent application of the "Judgment Mark" and the damage bonus failed to achieve the expected results!

"Puff—!" The golden light finally hit Qingjingzi. This LV42 Taoist True Cultivator leader was struck as if by a heavy blow, spitting out a mouthful of blood containing light golden spots (containing the Origin). His surrounding Dao rhymes flickered, clearly suffering a significant injury, and the Formation he presided over shook violently. However, he was not instantly killed like Zhao Hao's Dragon Elder, nor was a complete [Divine Judgment] mark even applied to him! When the subsequent Angel Legion's attacks landed on him, the damage bonus was far from the terrifying 200%, only about 80%-100%. Under the desperate maintenance of the Formation by the other Taoist True Cultivator and emergency healing within the divine kingdom, Qingjingzi actually managed to withstand this wave of focused fire. Although he was seriously injured and in critical condition, he did not fall!

This scene left all the spectators, especially the supporters of the Galactic Royal Academy, dumbfounded! A unit could actually survive after being hit by [Divine Judgment]? This simply subverted their understanding!

And even more shocking changes were yet to come.

After neutralizing part of the [Divine Judgment]'s power, the [Cosmic Natural Spirit Halo] did not stop spreading. Instead, it used the "ripples" from this rule collision to accelerate its penetration deeper into Michael's Divine Rule Domain!

Wherever the halo reached, the [Angel Warriors (LV42-LV45)] and [Seraph Vanguards (LV44-LV48)] closest to the edge of the holy Domain were the first to be affected!

When their brilliant Holy Light shields touched the light green natural spirit light, they made a faint rustling sound, like snow melting or plants growing. On the surface of the shields, those fine spirit patterns that had been seeped in by the Natural Dao Domain earlier now seemed to be injected with life and power, beginning to spread and grow wildly! Soon, they were no longer fine patterns, but clear natural entities like moss, vines, and tender leaves starting to cover the Holy Light shields! These natural creations were not simple attachments; they emitted a soft natural spirit light and were actually slowly and continuously absorbing and converting the shield's Holy Light energy into harmless natural vitality, feeding back into the surrounding environment!

"My Holy Light... is being 'digested'?" An Angel Warrior looked in shock at the rapidly spreading emerald green on his shield. He tried to use Holy Light to shake them off, but found it had little effect. These natural attachments were exceptionally stubborn and perfectly integrated with the surrounding environment; forcibly shaking them off consumed a huge amount of energy, and they would quickly regrow under the nourishment of the natural halo.

Next, the changes spread to the angels themselves.

The edges of the flawless white wings of some Seraph Vanguards, which were burning with faint holy flames, began to be stained with bits of emerald moss. As their wings flapped, a faint fragrance of plants was emitted instead of a pure Holy Light aura. On the flaming holy swords they held, which symbolized judgment and purification, small, glowing buds actually broke through the "light" near the hilt or guard, swaying gently! Although the buds were weak and the main power of the holy swords remained, that absolutely pure holy imagery that allowed no Impurities had been broken!

Deeper in, even the [Cherub Priest (LV41-LV46)] chanting in the air were affected. The edges of the holy halos surrounding them began to show light-green phantoms like entangling vines, and their chanting seemed to be disturbed by subtle natural rhythms, no longer being absolutely ethereal.

The entire Angel Legion seemed to have been forcibly dragged into a vibrant natural scroll where all things competed for growth. The originally pure and exclusive holy majesty was forcibly mixed with an unignorable "natural" color, becoming... not so "absolute."

System Prompt/Rule-level Feedback (Lin Zhou's perception):

Target Angel Legion is continuously affected by [Cosmic Natural Spirit Halo] (Innate Dao Domain).

Effect: Holy attribute partially assimilated by natural spirit light. Current assimilation degree: approximately 18%-22% (higher for edge units, lower for core units).

Assimilation Effects:

Holy Rule suppression effect weakened: Attribute suppression against 'Heresy/Chaos' faction units decreased by approximately 20%.

Holy damage bonus attenuation: Damage bonus against 'Heresy/Chaos' faction units decreased by approximately 15%-25% (depending on the degree of assimilation).

Unit characteristic slight change: Some angel units show natural features in their external forms, internal energy circulation is slightly sluggish, and acceptance of pure holy-type buffs is slightly decreased.

Environmental affinity change: The Angel Legion suffers weak environmental rejection within the Natural Dao Domain (non-hostile, but unadapted), with slight increases in movement, attack, and casting costs.

"This... how is this possible?!" Michael could no longer maintain absolute calm, a trace of shock and anger flashing across his handsome face. He could clearly feel that the [Divine Rule] he was proud of and which had always been invincible was being diluted and embraced by a grander, more fundamental, and more "shameless" "natural harmony" rule! His Angel Legion was sliding from "pure holy creations" towards "holy creatures with natural attributes"! This was not just a weakening of combat power, but a direct defilement of his path and beliefs!

"Purify! Fully purify these filthy natural traces!" Michael roared, urging his Divine Power in an attempt to disperse the halo with stronger Holy Light and purify the natural marks on the angels. The Holy Light flared up again, clashing fiercely with the natural spirit light. Many newly grown moss and buds were scorched and fell off, and the forms of the angels began to return to purity.

But how could Lin Zhou give him this chance?

"Now is the time!" Lin Zhou's eyes flashed with brilliant light. Taking advantage of the perfect opportunity while Michael and the Angel Legion were pinned down by the natural halo, the power of their Divine Rule had decreased, and their minds were wavering, he boldly launched a long-prepared general offensive!

The main channel of the river of civilization roared. It was no longer a single school of thought, but the condensation of Confucian Order (morale), the enhancement of Legalist decrees (Execution), the tactical integration of the School of Military (Formation changes), and the mechanical coordination of Mohism (mechanical support), perfectly combined with the environmental advantage of the Taoist natural halo. It turned into a torrent, commanding all available forces in the divine kingdom—partially recovered Literary Heart Elves scholars (long-range mental interference and enhancement), city-defense/mobile machines operated by Tiangong Dwarves, squad assaults by Law Fishmen, and an elite Behemoth squad briefly transferred from Wang Meng (led by an LV46 Behemoth Chieftain, with fifty Behemoths averaging LV40)—acting like precisely meshed gears. From several directions, they launched precise and violent multi-point raids against the Angel Legion's defensive line, which had become temporarily chaotic and weakened due to natural assimilation!

This time, when the Behemoths' claws struck the Holy Light shields stained with moss, the effect was significantly improved! When the Angel Warriors' Holy Light slashes landed on the Behemoth fur slightly corroded by natural spirit light, the damage was no longer so lethal! The [Subtle Influence] interference from the Literary Heart Elves was more effective after the Divine Rule was weakened! The mechanical Ballistae of the Tiangong Dwarves successfully penetrated locally weak defenses!

The battle situation underwent a stunning reversal within just a few minutes after the natural halo unfolded! Lin Zhou's allied forces were like a scalpel, constantly cutting and weakening the Angel Legion's lines, approaching the core area of Michael's divine kingdom step by step!

Michael was both shocked and angry, commanding the Angel Legion to resist with all their might, even using [Divine Judgment] again to try and turn the situation around. However, under the continuous suppression and assimilation interference of the natural halo, the power of the judgment was greatly reduced. Moreover, Lin Zhou's side was prepared, with core units strictly protected, making it difficult to achieve a one-hit kill effect again.

The battle fell into a brutal stalemate and attrition. But the scales had already begun to tip towards Lin Zhou's side. The losses of the Angel Legion were gradually increasing, the power of the Divine Rule could not be fully exerted, and Lin Zhou's multi-unit coordination fought more and more smoothly under the enhancement of the Natural Dao Domain.

Forty-five minutes later.

An important subsidiary hall of Michael, the [Holy Light Pool], was forcibly demolished by the squad led by the Behemoth Chieftain. Obvious cracks appeared in the rules of the divine kingdom.

"The second match is over! Winner: Xinghai University, 'Civilization' (Lin Zhou)!" The System judgment sounded.

The score was tied at 1:1!

When Lin Zhou's figure was teleported back to the platform with a tired but firm expression, he was greeted by the excited gazes of his teammates. Su Yueyao looked at him, her cold eyes seemingly flowing with moonlight, and said softly: "That was wonderful."

Lin Zhou nodded, feeling the massive consumption within his body (remaining Divine Power less than 30%, civilization points consumed near ten thousand, and the Taoist True Cultivator legion almost losing its combat effectiveness), as well as the increasingly robust Taoist branch in the river of civilization. He understood in his heart: this narrow victory was not just a tie in the score, but a major Breakthrough in the confrontation of ideologies.

The breaking of the "Unique" holiness by the Taoist "Nature" had shown its initial success.

But the finals had only just begun.