344: Chapter 279: Enlightenment in Desperate Circumstances, the River of Civilization Protects the Soul

Death followed like a shadow.

Behind them was the boundless black mist that constantly surged and devoured light, along with that massive vengeful spirit representing the end and madness within the mist. Ahead was a distorted, sluggish, and malicious shattered space. Every breath felt like cold steel needles piercing the alveoli; every circulation of Divine Power was like pushing rusted gears, arduous and heavy.

Lin Zhou led the remaining team members—Su Yueyao, Qin Qing, and fewer than thirty core race heroes and elites in various states—fleeing for their lives through the shattered terrain of the bone mountains. Their speed had reached its limit, and they were even burning their life Origin, but the cold, venomous will behind them, carrying the absolute suppression of a higher Rank, was like a maggot on a bone, firmly locked onto them, and... getting closer!

Environmental Suppression (intensifies during high-speed movement):

Divine Power Consumption: Basic recovery has nearly stopped, active skill consumption increased by 80%, maintaining the divine kingdom link and protection Domain costs an additional 500 Divine Power per second.

Rule Erosion: The "End" Law is like a maggot on a bone, continuously weakening the maximum health, defense, and rule resistance of all units (decaying by 1%-3% per minute).

Spatial Disorder: Frequent short-distance spatial flickering causes slight confusion in spatial coordinates, with a low probability (approx. 0.1% per time) of triggering tiny spatial rifts or falling into space-time turbulence.

Mental Load: The pressure of the God King's resentment is like a physical hammer, continuously performing willpower checks; failure leads to "Fear," "Despair," or "Confusion" states (duration 10-60 seconds).

"Left! Three o'clock! There's a relatively intact giant beast skull that can temporarily shield us from direct energy hits!" Su Yueyao's face was as pale as paper, her Lunar Glow Eyes flickering with unstable light as she forced her way through the chaotic energy turbulence and rule interference to point out a relatively safe path for the team. Her [Lunar Glow] Bloodline was nearing the edge of exhaustion under such high-intensity pressure and continuous consumption. Pale gold divine blood occasionally overflowed from the corners of her mouth, dripping onto her plain white lapel and spreading into startling stains.

Qin Qing's situation was even worse. Her divine office [Law] clashed most violently with the chaos and "End" Law here. The originally bright and majestic radiance of Law around her was now as dim as a candle in the wind, barely covering herself. Her hand holding the sword trembled slightly; every time she swung her sword to cut through the vengeful spirit entities or rule fragments that occasionally condensed ahead, it would let out a muffled groan, and her godhead's light would dim a bit more. On her personal attribute panel, [Divine Power] and [Spirit/Willpower] were sliding toward the danger line at an alarming speed.

Qin Qing (Hero Unit · Spokesperson of Law) Current Status (Rough):

Rank: LV44

Divine Power: 1250/8500 (Severely depleted, recovery efficiency -95%)

Health Points: 62%

Status: [Law Backlash], [Rule Conflict], [Divine Soul Tremor], [Severe Fatigue]

Core Skill [Decree · Define] Available Uses: 1/3 (Cooldown)

Estimated Continuous Combat Time: < 5 minutes

The core race members following them were also in an unfavorable situation. A few of the highest-ranking [Civilization Elf Great Scholars (LV48)] and [Creation Dwarf Master Craftsmen (LV47)] could barely keep up, but their casting speed and skill power were greatly reduced. More elite units carried "Rule Wounds" of varying severity—grayish, transparent, or even conceptual missing areas on their bodies after being eroded by the vengeful spirit's aura, for which ordinary healing methods were almost useless.

Lin Zhou was the core pillar of the team and the one consuming the most. Not only did he have to maintain the [Hundred Schools Temple · Temporary Protection Domain] covering the entire team, using the light of civilization to resist the omnipresent resentment erosion and "End" Law, but he also had to constantly urge the river of civilization to wash away the death mist walls and rule barriers that automatically condensed ahead due to the vengeful spirit's pursuit. Meanwhile, the complex throbbing from the god-king fragment within him—both repelling and carrying a hint of shared sorrow toward the vengeful spirit behind—was also continuously draining his mind.

Lin Zhou's Current Status (Continuously Worsening):

Divine Power Reserve: 42100/95000 (and decreasing at a rate of over 800 per second)

Godhead Load: 87% (Operating under high load, divine fire showing unstable fluctuations)

river of civilization Stability: 71% (Continuously impacted by resentment Laws, some peripheral branches showing freezing or backflow phenomena)

god-king fragment Resonance: Intense (Both a guide and a burden, intensifying Divine Soul pressure)

Estimated Domain Maintenance Time (Current consumption rate): Approximately 52 seconds

"This can't go on!" Lin Zhou shouted through the Divine Thought link while leading the team into the sunken shelter formed by the giant skull Su Yueyao had pointed out. "Its speed is faster than ours, and the rule suppression prevents us from effectively distancing ourselves! We must find a way to break its lock or create a larger obstacle!"

Just as he finished speaking, a will even colder and more suffocating than before swept forward like an invisible tide from behind!

The vengeful spirit collective had caught up!

Its massive body, composed of countless resentments and broken rules, did not fully enter the canyon where the skull shelter was located. However, just the part of its front that poked in, along with the omnipresent dark aura, caused the temperature within the entire shelter space to plummet below absolute zero. Light was completely swallowed, leaving only the faint, stubbornly flickering light emitted by the Temple of Civilization Domain in the darkness.

"Ants... cannot escape... civilization... hypocritical... the end is eternal..."

Overlapping, crazed thoughts once again struck everyone's minds.

Immediately following that, at the front of the churning black mist, a point of profound darkness that froze the Soul began to condense and rotate once more—the precursor to [Godfall Gaze]!

"It's going to use that move again!" Qin Qing's voice carried a hint of trembling, a primal fear when facing the threat of absolute death, but her hand holding the sword tightened, her eyes refocusing with a light of determination. "Lin Zhou! Let me try one last [Define]! Even if I can't completely negate it, I have to interfere with it!"

"No!" Lin Zhou and Su Yueyao shouted almost simultaneously. In Qin Qing's current state, forcibly activating the ultimate Law skill to counter the instant-death rules of a God King-level remnant had a minuscule success rate, and the backlash would almost certainly be fatal!

Su Yueyao wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, her cool eyes looking at Lin Zhou, flashing with a complex and difficult-to-describe emotion—worry, determination, and a deeply hidden softness that was no longer concealed in this desperate situation. "My Lunar Glow might be able to create a powerful 'Purification Shock' to disrupt its resentment core for a moment, buying everyone..."

"Yue Yao!" Lin Zhou interrupted her. He saw the resolute light in the depths of Su Yueyao's eyes, like moonlight about to burn out, which meant she might use a forbidden technique that would damage her Origin. "Don't do anything foolish!"

In the midst of this split-second argument and pervasive despair—

"Screeech—!!!"

A tooth-aching sound, as if spatial fabric were being forcibly torn, rang out! It didn't come from the vengeful spirit behind them, but from the "giant beast skull" ceiling above their heads!

On the hard skull of that unknown giant beast, several crisscrossing cracks emitting an ominous grayish-white light actually split open out of thin air! From the cracks, a thick, pale mist writhed like a living thing! This mist was different in attribute from the vengeful spirit's black mist; it was colder, more silent, carrying a sense of "all things returning to silence" and "dissolution of existence."

[Warning! Detection of high concentration "God-Slaying Curse" materialization detected!]

[Warning! The current area's spatial structure has entered an extremely unstable state due to the conflict of multiple high-tier powers!]

[Warning! Encountered "God-Corpse Resentment (Sub-tier)" attack!]

Those pale mists, as if alive, quickly condensed into dozens of distorted tentacles without fixed forms, silently coiling and piercing toward everyone in the shelter! Their goal seemed not to be direct killing, but... assimilation and devouring of existence! Rocks touched by the tentacles instantly lost all color and texture, turning into pale powder; a Tianxian Mermen Inquisitor (LV43) who couldn't dodge in time had his arm grazed by a tentacle; the entire arm, along with his equipment, immediately became transparent and blurred, as if being "erased" from reality!

The [Godfall Gaze] about to be launched ahead, the suddenly erupting [God-Corpse Resentment] that could dissolve existence above, and the boundless black mist and main body of the vengeful spirit blocking the retreat behind...

A desperate situation! A true situation of certain death!

Within the team, the last of the morale began to crumble. Several race heroes showed utter despair in their eyes, and some even let their weapons slowly lower.

Qin Qing smiled bitterly and looked at Lin Zhou: "It seems we've really reached the end. It's a pity... I haven't seen the day when the Hundred Schools' civilization shines upon the Universe as you described."

Su Yueyao didn't speak, but silently moved a step closer to Lin Zhou. A kind of almost burning, pure yet tragic moonlight began to glow on her. This was the most primal radiance of the Moon God Bloodline; she was preparing for her final and most costly strike.

In this moment when all things were silent and despair swallowed everything—

"No!!!"

Lin Zhou suddenly let out a low roar—not of fear, not of anger, but a shout from the deepest part of his Soul, like a trapped beast breaking its chains or a drowning man grasping a piece of driftwood!

In the depths of his eyes, the Fire of Civilization that had been steadily burning suddenly flared up! It was no longer a gentle light of Enlightenment, but like a prairie fire, carrying an unyielding, inextinguishable, and passed-down-through-generations determination to light the way forward even if ten thousand tribulations were upon him!

The final roars and gazes of Wang Meng and Zhou Yan when they resolutely went to their deaths...

The scenes along the way of believers moving from despair to hope, building their homes through hardships under the guidance of Hundred Schools of Thought...

In the river of civilization, those flickering waves representing the Human Race's sages of different eras hacking through brambles and thorns, fighting natural and man-made disasters, and passing on the seed of civilization...

The hint of indignation and unwillingness toward the "End" coming from the god-king fragment...

The resolute yet soft light in the depths of Su Yueyao's eyes...

Qin Qing's regret of "not having seen the Hundred Schools' civilization shine upon the Universe"...

Countless images, emotions, and thoughts, like a flood breaking through a dam, crushed the final layer of shackles!

All along, he had regarded the river of civilization as a tool, a source of power, an extension of his divine Domain, and a manifestation of thought. He used it, nurtured it, but had never truly... merged with it, or understood its most fundamental core.

What is civilization?

Is it knowledge? Technology? Systems? Thoughts?

It is all of those, but it is also more than that.

Civilization is recording, it is struggle, it is Legacy, and it is hope! It is that inextinguishable spark of light that remains even when individual lives are as brief as shooting stars, even when disasters and calamities surge like tides, and even when powerful enemies surround us like tigers and wolves—there will always be a group of people who dare to look up at the starry sky, dare to face suffering head-on, and dare to carve experience and wisdom into their very bones and blood to pass down to future generations!

This light may be faint, it may flicker, and it may even be swallowed by darkness for a time.

But as long as one Soul still remembers, as long as one conviction remains unbroken, and as long as there are successors willing to take up that seed of civilization...

Civilization will never perish!

The Divine Soul should be the same!

"I understand..." Lin Zhou murmured to himself, his voice very soft, yet carrying a strange calm that pierced through all chaos and despair.

In the next moment, under the astonished gazes of Su Yueyao and Qin Qing, at the very instant the vengeful spirit's [Godfall Gaze] was about to complete, and the moment the pale tentacles were about to touch his body—

Lin Zhou made a move that no one could understand.

He closed his eyes.

It wasn't surrender, but... a return.

He let go of his control over the Godhead, the Divine Fire, the Divine Kingdom, and all external powers.

He threw all of his consciousness, all of his emotions, all of his memories, and all of his convictions... unreservedly and proactively into that surging river of civilization!

Not to harness the river as a deity.

But as a successor of civilization, a bearer of the fire, and an unyielding Soul, he embraced the river and became a part of it!

Boom—!!!

Like the first thunderclap at the dawn of the Universe, it resounded deep within everyone's Soul! But this was not a sound; it was a resonance of rules, a vibration of concepts!

The phantom of the river of civilization behind Lin Zhou erupted with unprecedented light at this moment! It wasn't a piercing glare, but a gentle, grand radiance of civilization that encompassed all things and spanned across time!

The waters of the river were no longer just a phantom; they became incredibly solid and surging! Within the river, those originally blurred and flickering sprays of civilization suddenly became crystal clear!

Within the sprays, towering phantoms began to emerge!

There was the phantom of Confucius, wearing wide robes and long sleeves, his expression compassionate yet firm, with golden seal script characters for 'Benevolence', 'Righteousness', 'Ritual', 'Wisdom', and 'Trust' manifesting around him!

There was the phantom of Laozi, lean and indifferent, riding out on a green ox with a Yin and Yang fish rotating endlessly behind him, expounding the principles of 'Tao Follows Nature'!

There was the phantom of Mozi, dark-skinned and dressed in coarse brown cloth, holding a compass and square, surrounded by countless exquisite mechanical creations, his eyes bright with practical wisdom!

There was the phantom of Han Feizi, stern and cold-faced, holding a book of Laws, with a scale and a sharp sword appearing behind him, symbolizing that 'The Law does not favor the noble'!

There was the phantom of Sun Wu, dressed in military uniform with eyes like lightning, a sand table behind him evolving infinite military formations, his aura as sharp as a blade!

There were also Shennong, Bian Que, Lu Ban, Guiguzi... phantoms of sages, some clear and some blurred, but all radiating the light of wisdom, courage, persistence, and hope, manifesting within the river!

These phantoms were not summoned by Lin Zhou; they were spontaneous resonances and manifestations generated by the river of civilization in response to his act of 'merging into civilization and realizing the true essence'! They were the collective will imprints of the most elite parts of the Huaxia Civilization accumulated within the river of civilization!

"As Heaven's movement is ever vigorous, so must a gentleman ceaselessly strive for self-improvement!" The phantom of Confucius spoke, his voice like a great bronze bell, carrying the power to enlighten all things and forge ahead.

"The highest excellence is like water; water benefits all things and does not strive." The phantom of Laozi whispered, his voice ethereal yet pointing directly to the Origin, expounding the principles of resilience and endurance.

"Universal love and mutual benefit." The phantom of Mozi spoke loudly, filled with a longing for peace and creation.

"The Law does not favor the noble; the plumb line does not bend for curves." The phantom of Han Feizi said coldly, manifesting the fairness and majesty of rules.

"All warfare is based on deception. Therefore, when we are able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must appear inactive..." The phantom of Sun Wu's gaze swept over the vengeful spirit, as if analyzing its weaknesses.

The chanting, teaching, debating, and practicing voices of countless sages converged into an indescribable great power of civilization that transcended simple energy levels! This power did not seek destruction or worship conquest; its core concept was—existence, Legacy, development, and unceasing life!

This was a concept diametrically opposed to, and even fundamentally conflicting with, the 'end', 'resentment', 'destruction', and 'madness' represented by the vengeful spirit collective!

"Civilization is imperishable, the Divine Soul lasts forever!"

Eight dazzling Dao runes, seemingly condensed from countless civilization epics, rose from the center of the surging river of civilization and hovered above Lin Zhou's head (at this moment, his Physical Body seemed to have lost all vitality as he stood silently, but his Divine Soul radiance was completely merged with the river).

The light of these eight runes intertwined and spread, instantly forming a translucent barrier flowing with countless miniature scenes of civilization (drilling wood for fire, Yu the Great taming the floods, the Hundred Schools of Thought contending, the Great Wall standing tall, the spread of poetry and prose...), firmly protecting Lin Zhou, as well as Su Yueyao, Qin Qing, and all the team members behind him!

[Imperishable Civilization · Eternal Divine Soul Barrier] (Conceptual Defense / Rule-Level)

Nature: A conceptual defense formed by the core essence of the river of civilization, fused with the collective will imprints of the huaxia sages.

Effects:

Absolute Existence Anchoring: The 'concept of existence' for all units within the barrier is anchored by the Fire of Civilization and the will of Legacy, granting significant immunity to attacks based on the rules of 'ending', such as 'instant death', 'erasure', and 'conceptual negation'.

principles of civilization Protection: Provides extremely high resistance and purification effects against all negative rules (resentment, destruction, madness, chaos, ending, etc.) that contradict 'Civilization' (Legacy, wisdom, creation, Order, hope, etc.).

Divine Soul Resonance Guard: Temporarily increases the Divine Soul strength of friendly units within the barrier by 300%, reduces the effect of mental attacks by 90%, and grants the 'Unyielding' state (a certain probability to lock at the last point of health/Divine Fire when near death).

Cost: Maintaining the barrier requires the continuous consumption of Lin Zhou's Divine Soul Origin and the 'civilization imprints' accumulated by the river of civilization; the barrier is immobile and has a fixed range.

Current Intensity: Extremely High (Based on the depth of Lin Zhou's Epiphany and the foundation of the river of civilization)

Estimated Duration: Unknown (Depends on consumption and external pressure)

The moment the barrier formed—

The vengeful spirit collective's [Godfall Gaze] was completed!

That indescribable, terrifying wave that negated existence spread out silently once again, accurately hitting the barrier!

Poof~

A sound so faint it was almost inaudible, like a bubble bursting.

The [Godfall Gaze], which was enough to erase a Mid-Tier Divine Power and cause a Lesser Divinity to instantly vanish, actually dissolved silently like snow under the sun when it touched that translucent barrier flowing with scenes of civilization! No, it wasn't dissolving; it was more like being embraced, understood, and then transformed.

When the rule fluctuations of 'ending' touched the concept of 'Civilization is imperishable, the Divine Soul lasts forever', it was as if they had met their natural enemy, or like a violent flood rushing into a boundless, bottomless ocean of knowledge and history. The destructive will it contained was diluted and decomposed bit by bit by the wisdom whispers of countless sages, the heavy epics of civilization's Legacy, and the spiritual conviction of unceasing life and struggle, finally turning into an imperceptible philosophical sigh within the river about how 'the end is also a kind of beginning'.

The barrier did not move an inch. The people inside were completely unharmed.

"Im... Impossible!!!" For the first time, the vengeful spirit collective let out a clearly discernible roar of intent, filled with shock, fury, and disbelief! "Civilization... has long since decayed... Knowledge... is all vanity... Only the end is eternal! What kind of power is this?!"

Its massive body rolled violently, and even denser black mist and countless tentacles of resentment frantically lashed against the civilization barrier, producing sizzling sounds of corrosion and violent rule-collision explosions. Light flowed across the surface of the barrier, and those miniature civilization scenes flickered under the immense pressure, but the core eight Dao runes remained stable. Although the barrier itself rippled slightly, there was no sign of it breaking.

Su Yueyao and Qin Qing stood dazed inside the barrier, watching this incredible scene. They looked at Lin Zhou, who stood with his eyes closed, his Divine Soul resonating with the river and his body radiating a vast aura of civilization, and saw the attacks that could destroy everything being easily neutralized outside the barrier...

Hope, like a prairie fire started by a single spark, was ignited once again in their deadened hearts.

But they also saw that Lin Zhou's Physical Body, having lost the lead of his Divine Soul, was slowly weakening in aura, and his face was turning pale. And the phantom of the surging river of civilization above his head, though radiantly bright, saw some of the dimmer 'tributaries' and 'sprays' representing older or weaker civilizations deep within its 'riverbed' becoming transparent and dissipating at a visible rate... That was a sign that the civilization imprints were being consumed.

He had paid a massive price to buy this moment of respite, this single thread of life in a desperate situation.

The vengeful spirit's attacks became even more frenzied. The pale tentacles of the divine remains' resentment, along with the black mist, constantly battered the barrier. The light of the barrier began to dim at a slow but definitely visible pace.

The crisis was only temporarily held back; it was far from resolved.

The Epiphany in the midst of desperation had brought a miraculous defense. But where was the way out?

Lin Zhou's Divine Soul was merged with the river, feeling the resonance of the sages' will and also the loss of civilization imprints. His consciousness floated in endless fragments of knowledge and history, and one realization became clearer and clearer:

Defense alone would not allow them to escape.

He had to... find the root of this vengeful spirit, find the way to deal with it.

His 'gaze' passed through the barrier and focused once again on the core of the frantically attacking vengeful spirit collective—that core of resentment that looked like a black sun.

This time, under the illumination of the principles of civilization, he seemed to 'see' something deeper... a sliver of extremely faint but high-level... loneliness and obsession masked by the mad resentment?

Time passed second by second in the stalemate of offense and defense. Every second, the barrier weakened, and Lin Zhou's consumption intensified.

The Epiphany in the midst of desperation had brought a miraculous defense. But next, where was the way out?