347: Chapter 282: The Dissipating Gift, Obtaining Fragments of the God-King's Divine Spark

Darkness is not eternal.

When his consciousness slowly surfaced from an abyss of Chaos and intense pain, Lin Zhou first felt an extreme weakness, as if his entire Divine Soul had been hollowed out, dismantled, and then barely pieced back together; every "part" was groaning and trembling. Immediately following this was the flow of memory fragments—the madness of the wraith, the resolute backs of Wang Meng and Zhou Yan, the roar of the river of civilization, the chanting of the phantoms of the sages, and finally, that heart-wrenching, life-threatening session of "Discussing the Dao"...

"Cough..."

A suppressed cough escaped from deep within his throat, carrying the metallic sweetness of rust. His eyelids were as heavy as mountains, but Lin Zhou still struggled to force open a slit.

Blurred light and shadows gradually condensed. First to enter his vision was a dim but stable pale golden halo, which he could vaguely recognize as the light of the [Hundred Schools Temple · Temporary Sanctuary Domain], though its scale was much smaller than in his memory, only covering a radius of about ten meters. Outside the halo was the familiar, gray, and oppressive sight of the Ancient Battlefield, but it seemed... something was missing? Right, that ubiquitous, suffocating pressure of the God King's Resentment had vanished.

He was leaning back in a natural hollow formed by some kind of giant bone fossils, with a soft, seemingly specialized Spell fabric beneath him. He was covered with a plain white outer robe that carried a cold aura of moonlight—it belonged to Su Yueyao.

Turning his stiff neck slightly, his vision gradually cleared.

Su Yueyao was sitting cross-legged not far from his side, eyes closed, regulating her breath. Her exquisite face bore obvious fatigue, her lips were somewhat pale, and her originally jade-like skin had lost a bit of its luster. The moonlight swirling around her was thin and dim, clearly indicating a massive depletion. However, her breathing was steady, showing she had passed the most dangerous stage and was slowly recovering.

Qin Qing stood at the edge of the sanctuary Domain, her back to him, hand on her longsword, vigilantly watching the outside world. Her Law's radiance was also weak, but her posture remained upright, like an unbending javelin. Her armor had multiple points of damage and marks of energy burns, and her left arm seemed to be wrapped in a simple bandage, with blood faintly showing through.

Further out were the remaining twenty-odd Core Vassal Heroes. They were spread out in a defensive formation, each occupying an advantageous position, keeping watch while taking the time to treat their wounds and recover their strength. Everyone's face carried the relief of surviving the disaster, as well as a deep sorrow—for the companions who would remain here forever, especially Wang Meng and Zhou Yan.

Current Team Status (Rough Assessment):

Member count: 24 (including Lin Zhou, Su Yueyao, Qin Qing)

Average status: Severely injured/Extremely fatigued, remaining combat power is less than 30%.

Divine Power/Energy Reserves: Generally below 20%, recovery is slow (affected by the environment).

Main threats: Residual environmental curses, wandering low-tier Divine Remains Resentment, possible existence of other explorers or ancient dangers.

Location: Edge of the Bone Mountains, approximately fifteen kilometers from the Core Basin, in a relatively hidden Fossil Hollow.

"You're awake." A cold voice carrying a trace of imperceptible concern came over. Su Yueyao had opened her eyes at some point and was quietly watching him. She stood up, walked to Lin Zhou's side, knelt down, and placed three slender, jade-white fingers gently on Lin Zhou's wrist. A thread of cool, gentle energy carrying a faint moonlight glow entered to check his condition.

Lin Zhou opened his mouth, but his throat was dry, and he couldn't make a complete sound.

"Don't move; your Divine Soul has been severely damaged, and your Physical Body is also nearly exhausted." Su Yueyao's tone was calm, but the gravity between her brows had not entirely dissipated. "To be alive is already a miracle. Drink this first." She took an exquisite jade bottle from her spatial equipment and pulled out the stopper, releasing a crisp fragrance of herbs and the faint glow of moonlight.

[Moonlight Condensation Dew (Epic Quality)]

Effects: Rapidly repairs mental trauma, stabilizes the Divine Soul, supplements a small amount of pure Divine Power, and includes a minor purification effect.

Target: Deities/High mental attribute hero units.

Note: A specialty of the Moon God Divine Domain; production is scarce, and it is priceless.

Su Yueyao carefully fed the dew into Lin Zhou's mouth. The cool liquid slid down his throat and instantly transformed into a gentle yet massive flow of energy, rapidly seeping into his entire body, especially his parched and cracked Divine Soul Sea of Consciousness, like sweet rain after a long drought. Lin Zhou immediately felt his spirits lift; although he was far from recovered, that feeling of weakness where his consciousness might dissipate at any moment lessened considerably.

"Thank you," he was finally able to say in a hoarse voice.

Su Yueyao shook her head slightly and said nothing more, only taking out a crystal that also emitted an aura of moonlight and placing it beside Lin Zhou. "Hold onto this and absorb it slowly; it will help stabilize your Godfire."

At this moment, Qin Qing also walked over. Seeing Lin Zhou wake up, her tense expression softened slightly. "How do you feel? Can you perceive your God Kingdom and Divine Power?"

Lin Zhou did as she said, attempting to internally inspect himself and communicate with his God Kingdom countless light-years away.

The information that came back... was quite bad, but better than expected.

Lin Zhou's Personal Status Panel (Initial Perception after Waking):

Godhead Rank: LV420 (Has not dropped, but the Godhead's light is extremely dim and covered in fine cracks)

Current Divine Power: Approximately 1,500/95,000 (after Moonlight Condensation Dew supplement)

Godfire Status: Burning weakly, stability is [Poor], conversion efficiency has temporarily dropped by 70%.

Divine Soul Strength: 37% (Severely damaged, recovering), exists in states of [Residual Rule Pollution (Minor)] and [Mental Exhaustion].

God Kingdom Link: Stable but bandwidth is severely limited; faith transmission efficiency has dropped to 15%, unable to perform large-scale Divine Power mobilization or God Kingdom projection.

river of civilization: Stability has risen back to 71%; the consumed portion of Civilization Imprints (approx. 18%) has entered a slow, natural recovery cycle, with full recovery expected to take several years. Newly recorded the Epic Event "Persuading the God King's Remnant with Reason," slightly increasing the river's accumulation.

Special Status: [Absorbed the pure True Spirit Residue of the "Sole Master of My Dao"] — Effect: Godhead Origin resilience +5%, permanent +10% resistance to "Sole Self," "Ending," and "Resentment" type rules. Obtained fragmented "God King-level Insights into the Path (Skewed Version)," currently under analysis.

Seeing this data, Lin Zhou's heart settled slightly. His Foundation was not damaged; he just suffered from excessive consumption and severe trauma, requiring time to recuperate. This was also thanks to that session of "Discussing the Dao" at the final moment; while it seemed dangerous, it was actually conducted within the framework of the principles of civilization. Although the consumption to himself was massive, it did not damage his Foundation. Instead, because he "persuaded" the Wraith core, he obtained a trace of a pure gift and a valuable negative example.

"I'm alright, I won't die." Lin Zhou gave a bitter smile and looked at Qin Qing. "Thank you for your hard work. Regarding the evacuation and sentry duty... How long was I unconscious? Is it safe here?"

"About six standard hours," Qin Qing replied concisely. "Senior Su led us here. The journey was relatively smooth. After that Wraith dissipated, the concentration of curses and resentment in the core area dropped by about forty percent, and the wandering low-tier Divine Remains Resentment lost their mainstay, greatly reducing their threat. This is a relatively safe point we explored previously, and no new dangers have been discovered for now. However, we should not stay long; we must leave the Ancient Battlefield as soon as possible."

Lin Zhou nodded, struggling to sit up straight, but was interrupted by a wave of dizziness and weakness.

"Don't rush," Su Yueyao pressed his shoulder. "In your state, you need at least three days of rest before you can withstand the spatial teleportation pressure when leaving the battlefield. We have already sent emergency distress signals and coordinates to the Academy and Military, but interference on the battlefield is severe. Whether the signal got out and when reinforcements will arrive are both unknowns. The priority now is for you to recover a bit of your ability to protect yourself."

Lin Zhou also knew that now was not the time to act tough. He leaned back again and began to actively guide the residual medicinal power of the Moonlight Condensation Dew in his body, coordinating with the Moonlight Crystal Su Yueyao had left behind to slowly nourish his Divine Soul and repair the cracks in his Godhead.

However, just as his mind sank into his Sea of Consciousness to attempt to organize those fragmented and profound "God King-level Insights into the Path (Skewed Version)" that had flooded in from absorbing the True Spirit Residue, a sudden change occurred!

In the center of his Sea of Consciousness, that cluster of the Fire of Civilization, which represented the fundamental essence of civilization, seemed to be stimulated by some invisible presence and suddenly flared up! At the core of the flames, the [Godhead (Lin Zhou)] that had been quietly burning and providing conversion power also suddenly emitted a low humming!

Immediately after, a point of golden light so brilliant it seemed to condense infinite rules, Profound Truths, and pure divine essence slowly emerged from deep within Lin Zhou's forehead—the location where he had absorbed the True Spirit Residue of the "Sole Master of My Dao"—without any warning!

This bit of golden light was initially only the size of a grain of rice, but as soon as it appeared, it emitted an indescribably heavy, ancient, and noble aura! Its light was not dazzling, yet it seemed able to pierce through all illusions, pointing directly at the essence of rules. Around the golden light, space spontaneously produced subtle distortions, with countless profound phantom shadows of Dao runes vaguely flickering in and out of existence.

"This is...?" Su Yueyao and Qin Qing immediately sensed the abnormality and instantly looked alertly at Lin Zhou's brow, simultaneously preparing their defenses.

Lin Zhou himself was also stunned. He clearly felt that this golden light was not an external intrusion; instead, it had some deep-seated connection with his own Godhead, the Fire of Civilization, and even the bit of True Spirit Residue he had just absorbed. It seemed... to have been hidden there all along, only "awakened" at this moment when his consciousness actively touched those God King insights?

The golden light slowly rose, leaving Lin Zhou's brow and hovering in the air about a foot in front of him. As it detached, it began to gradually "unfold" and "take shape."

The rice-sized golden light expanded, stretched, and molded... finally transforming into an irregularly shaped crystal fragment about the size of a thumbnail with naturally jagged edges.

The fragment was a deep, restrained dark gold, as if containing an infinite galaxy. Its surface was covered with naturally formed, extremely complex rule patterns. These patterns were not static but were slowly flowing and changing, manifesting some supreme and simple principles of the Dao. Inside the fragment, a faint but essentially high-level purple mist swirled, adding a touch of mystery and nobility.

Just by looking at this fragment, Su Yueyao and Qin Qing felt an instinctive awe and longing from their own Godheads (Divine Fire)! It was as if it were a piece of the ultimate form pursued by all deities!

And the Temple of Civilization in Lin Zhou's Sea of Consciousness actively projected a stream of information at this moment:

[High-level rule creation detected... Scanning...]

[Identification: god-king godhead fragment (Incomplete)]

Quality: Mythic (Gold) · Incomplete

Source: After the fall of the ancient God King "Sole Master of My Dao," the most core and essential part of his Godhead's Origin miraculously survived the erosion of endless eons of resentment. After the core of resentment was purified and dissipated by the principles of civilization, it was stripped away and manifested, drawn by the Fire of Civilization. (Note: This fragment has been purged of the vast majority of negative intentions such as hatred, madness, and paranoia, retaining only the purest God King-level rule structures and Origin of insights.)

Contained Energy: Extremely vast and pure, estimated to be equivalent to the sum of 1,000 units of standard divinity crystals (attribute-less), and of higher quality.

Core Value:

Rule Insights: Contains part of the core understanding of Universe rules and path imprints from when the "Sole Master of My Dao" became a God King (great divine power) (though the path was skewed, the height reached and the rule levels touched are genuine). After absorption, it can significantly broaden the upper limit of Godhead potential and deepen the understanding of the God King Realm.

Origin Enhancement: By slowly absorbing its energy and rule information, one can comprehensively strengthen the essential intensity and capacity of one's own Godhead, Divine Fire, and Divine Soul without side effects, laying a nearly perfect Foundation for future promotion to higher divine Ranks.

Civilization Reference: The "Sole" path (skewed version) contained within can serve as an excellent negative example. Through comparison and critique, one can further consolidate and perfect the concepts and rule construction of one's own "Civilization Inclusivity" Dao.

Absorption Method: Due to the fragment's excessively high essence and fundamental differences from the host's current path (requiring gradual transformation and compatibility using the principles of civilization), it cannot be absorbed rapidly.

Automatic Absorption Rate (after initial Fusion): Approximately 0.01% / day (Standard Divine Domain Time).

Estimated Time for Full Absorption: Approximately 100 years (Standard Divine Domain Time). During this period, the absorption speed may slightly increase as the host's Godhead Rank rises and Way of Civilization deepens.

Absorption Effect (Estimated per 1% absorbed): Godhead potential upper limit increases by approximately 1%, depth of rule understanding increases slightly, and Divine Power quality increases marginally.

Warning: Although the fragment has been purified, its essence is extremely high. During the absorption process, one must constantly protect the heart with the Fire of Civilization to guard against potential influences on one's Dao Heart from the residual "Sole" path imprints. Deep resonance with the river of civilization is recommended during absorption.

Suggestion: Immediately perform initial Fusion binding to incorporate it into the Godhead system and begin the slow absorption process.

"A God King... Godhead fragment?!" Qin Qing gasped, her eyes filled with shock. Such a legendary thing actually exists, and it's right before our eyes! The value of this fragment simply cannot be measured by ordinary resources! It is one of the keys to a higher level!

Su Yueyao's beautiful eyes also sparkled with extraordinary light, but she was more concerned about Lin Zhou's state: "It seems to have recognized you and manifested voluntarily. But absorbing it... risks and opportunities coexist. Are you really going to..."

Lin Zhou took a deep breath, suppressing the excitement in his heart. He understood what this fragment meant. A hundred years for full absorption might seem long, but for the long life of a deity, it was nothing. More importantly, the potential enhancement and rule insights it brought were enough to give him crushing depth among those of the same Rank and clear many obstacles for his future push toward higher Realms.

"This is the last and most valuable legacy of the 'Sole Master of My Dao,'" Lin Zhou said slowly, looking at the dark gold fragment hovering before him. "It was clouded by resentment and purified by the principles of civilization. Now that it has chosen me... perhaps it is also a continuation of Karma. I used Way of Civilization to ferry its remnant thoughts, and it uses this fragment to aid my path."

He reached out, his fingertips touching the fragment.

There was no energy explosion or rejection as imagined. The fragment settled obediently in his palm, conveying a cool, heavy sensation that faintly resonated with his own Godhead.

"Let's begin." Lin Zhou no longer hesitated. With a thought, he urged the Fire of Civilization to slowly imprint a wisp of his purest Divine Soul mark onto the fragment's core. Simultaneously, using the river of civilization as a guide, he slowly connected the rule fluctuations emitted by the fragment with his own Godhead.

It was a natural progression. The fragment had already been "purified" and "recognized" by the Fire of Civilization. Now that Lin Zhou was actively merging with it, there was almost no resistance.

[Fusion of god-king godhead fragment (Incomplete) beginning...]

[Fire of Civilization protection activated... Resonance with the river of civilization established...]

[Fusion Progress: 1%... 5%... 10%... 20%... 50%...]

[Fusion Complete! The fragment has been bound to the host's Godhead and has entered a slow automatic absorption state.]

[Current Absorption Progress: 0.000% (First 0.01% estimated to be reached in 24 standard hours)]

The dark gold fragment turned into a streak of light in Lin Zhou's palm and re-entered his brow, finally resting deep within the core of his Godhead. It was gently enveloped and refined by the Fire of Civilization, slowly releasing its vast rules and energy.

In an instant, Lin Zhou felt as if an indescribable "sense of weight" and "fullness" had been injected into his Godhead. Although his power did not increase immediately, he could clearly perceive that the "capacity" and "texture" of his Godhead seemed to have opened a door to a higher level, possessing infinite potential for growth. The Godhead cracks that were originally dim due to heavy injuries seemed to recover slightly faster under the nourishment of the fragment's aura.

"It's a success." Lin Zhou let out a long breath of turbid air, a smile of relief mixed with a hint of anticipation finally appearing on his face.

Su Yueyao and Qin Qing looked at each other, both seeing shock and gratification in the other's eyes. This trip to the Ancient Battlefield had resulted in heavy losses, but the final harvest... perhaps, it was truly worth it.

"Next, we need to recover as quickly as possible and then leave this place." Lin Zhou looked at his two companions, his gaze becoming firm again. "The grudge of Wang Meng and Zhou Yan, as well as the responsibility brought by this fragment... the road ahead is still long."

Su Yueyao nodded gently and sat down beside him again, closing her eyes to regulate her breathing. Only her slightly trembling eyelashes revealed the lack of calm in her heart.

Qin Qing turned around and continued her duty of guarding, her back as straight as a pine tree.

Inside the Fossil Hollow, silence was temporarily restored. Only the low sound of the wind inherent to the Ancient Battlefield and the wailing of energy could be heard occasionally from afar.

Lin Zhou also closed his eyes. While slowly recovering with the help of the Moonlight Crystal, he looked inward at the dark gold fragment hovering quietly and emitting a faint light deep within his Godhead.

A hundred-year absorption period...

God King-level rule insights...

The comparison and deepening of Way of Civilization...

The future path seemed to have become clearer and more challenging because of this unexpected fragment.

And the immediate priority was to leave this burial ground alive.