348: Chapter 283: At the Core of the Battlefield, a Pool of Civilizational Legacy is Discovered

Two more days passed in a state of slow recovery and high vigilance.

The Ancient Battlefield had no distinction between day and night, only eternal gloom and wailing. Inside the Fossil Depression, the pale gold light of the temporary shelter Domain was a bit dimmer than at the beginning, but it still stubbornly held out, resisting the lingering 'God-Fall Curse' and stray negative energy from the outside world.

Lin Zhou's condition had improved significantly over these two days, thanks to what could be called luxurious rest (by the standards of the Ancient Battlefield) and Su Yueyao's unreserved supply of lunar essence resources.

Lin Zhou's current status (after two days of recovery):

Godhead Rank: LV420 (Fracture repair approximately 40%, radiance stability increased to [Medium])

Current Divine Power: Approximately 12,500/95,000 (Slow natural recovery + Lunar Essence Crystal replenishment)

Divine Fire Status: Burning steadily, conversion efficiency restored to 45% of normal levels.

Divine Soul Strength: 62% (Moderate damage, recovering), [Residual Law Contamination] basically cleared, [Mental Overdraft] state lifted.

Divine Kingdom Link: Stable, bandwidth restored to 35%, capable of limited faith reception and Divine Power conduction.

river of civilization Stability: 78% (Continuous slow recovery).

god-king fragment Absorption Progress: 0.02% (Initial 0.01% absorption complete; latent Godhead potential increased, Law perception slightly enhanced).

Estimated Tolerable Spatial Teleportation Pressure: 70% (Requires cautious operation).

Although he was still far from his peak, he had at least regained basic mobility and a certain level of self-protection. The newly fused [god-king godhead fragment] within him was like a source of constant, faint warmth. It not only accelerated the repair of his Godhead fractures but also allowed him to perceive the Law fluctuations of his surroundings with increasing clarity and depth. He could even faintly 'hear' the extremely weak 'echoes' left behind in time by civilizations that had long since vanished deep within this battlefield.

Su Yueyao and Qin Qing's conditions had also recovered quite a bit. Su Yueyao's lunar essence had become lustrous again; though the total amount was far from restored, she could now perform some practical detection and support skills. Qin Qing's Law radiance shone once more. Although it couldn't cover a wide area like it did outside, condensing it upon herself and her weapon was enough to handle sudden combat.

The remaining twenty-odd subordinate heroes, after rest and treatment, had reorganized into effective defensive and scouting formations. Although sorrow for lost companions and anxiety for the future were written on every face, the fighting spirit in their eyes had not been extinguished.

"We can't wait any longer." Lin Zhou finished a brief meditation session, opened his eyes, and said to the approaching Su Yueyao and Qin Qing, "It's been over two days since the distress signal was sent, and there's been no response. The battlefield interference is too strong, or the reinforcements have been delayed by other matters. We must rely on ourselves to leave. My condition is now good enough to support at least one short-range directional teleportation or to activate the emergency extraction talisman issued by the academy—provided we find a node where space is relatively stable and interference is low."

Qin Qing nodded. "In the past two days, I sent [Wind-Whisper Elves (LV41, a variant of Civilization Elves)] skilled in stealth and speed to explore three directions, reaching up to fifty kilometers away. To the southeast—the opposite direction from which we entered—the curse concentration and spatial disorder are indeed gradually decreasing, but the rate is very slow. Furthermore... about thirty kilometers to the northeast, they found traces of other explorers. Their aura is unfamiliar, not the style of our academy. They seem to be... searching for something purposefully."

"Other explorers?" Su Yueyao's brow furrowed slightly. "Friend or foe?"

"Impossible to tell. The traces are very fresh, no more than a day old. The other party was very cautious and erased most of their aura, but the Wind-Whisper Elves are extremely sensitive to energy flow and still captured some residue. The energy nature leans toward cold and corrosive; they don't seem like good people." Qin Qing's tone was grave. "We must decide on a withdrawal direction quickly and avoid contact with unknown forces."

Lin Zhou pondered for a moment, his fingers unconsciously tapping his knee. His perception—especially the perception of 'Laws' and 'Echoes of Existence' enhanced after fusing the god-king fragment—was faintly pointing in one direction. It was neither the southeast for withdrawal nor the northeast where the strange traces were found, but... due north, that area they never dared to enter before because of the wraith threat, and which was still shrouded in even thicker, darker mist now that the wraiths had vanished.

There, the resonance of the god-king fragment was extremely faint but persistent, and the river of civilization also sent out an indescribable fluctuation, as if of pity or a calling. More importantly, the insights transformed from the pure true spirit dregs of the 'Sole Master of My Dao' within him also seemed to sense something in that direction... a more vast and majestic civilization aura that was of the same source yet entirely different?

"North..." Lin Zhou murmured.

"North?" Su Yueyao followed his gaze, seeing only a deathly silent, heavy mist that seemed capable of swallowing everything. "That's deeper into the Bone Mountains, perhaps even near the true core area of this battlefield. The wraiths may be gone, but the dangers of such a place..."

"I know," Lin Zhou interrupted her, his eyes exceptionally firm. "But my intuition, as well as the sensations from the river of civilization and the god-king fragment, all point there. There... might be something vital to us, or perhaps the key to leaving this battlefield. Besides, since other explorers are active nearby, our withdrawal path might not be safe. It's better to proactively investigate possible opportunities or exits."

He looked at Su Yueyao and Qin Qing. "I plan to investigate the north. But this is my personal decision, and the risk is immense. You can take the other team members and withdraw toward the southeast first to find a spatial node. I will try to catch up, or... if we get separated, we'll meet at the pre-set rendezvous point outside the battlefield."

Su Yueyao hardly hesitated, her cool eyes looking directly at Lin Zhou. "I'm going with you." Her tone was calm but brooked no argument. "Your condition isn't fully recovered; you need someone to look after you. My lunar essence might be of help in terms of detection and purification."

Qin Qing was silent for a moment before also speaking up. "Whether the remaining people can safely withdraw on their own is also an unknown. Since you believe there might be a turning point to the north, I agree to go. But we must devise a thorough plan and an escape route. Furthermore, we need more information about the north."

Lin Zhou felt a warmth in his heart and nodded. He knew this was not the time to play the hero; the support of his companions was crucial.

He concentrated his mind again, deeply resonating his Divine Thought with the river of civilization and drawing upon a sliver of the god-king fragment's power to perceive the north with all his might. This time, he 'saw' a bit more clearly.

Beneath that heavy mist, it wasn't pure silence and destruction. On the contrary, after the degree of Law fragmentation there reached an extreme, it instead produced a bizarre 'calm.' And in the deepest part of that 'calm,' a faint yet pure, warm 'light source' containing countless information fragments seemed to be flickering. The aura emitted by that 'light source' resonated strongly with his own Fire of Civilization, the river of civilization, and even the recently absorbed 'Sole Master of My Dao' true spirit dregs (which contained echoes of partially destroyed civilizations)!

"There... is an extremely dense, highly condensed... residue of civilization information, or perhaps... the Essence of Civilization's Origin?" Lin Zhou described his perception with some uncertainty. "It's very vast, very ancient, and it seems... to have no active malice?"

This judgment shocked both Su Yueyao and Qin Qing. In the core of this Ancient Battlefield themed around death, destruction, and resentment, such a 'positive' thing actually existed?

But considering Lin Zhou's previous miracle of 'using logic to persuade the wraiths,' it didn't seem entirely impossible. Perhaps it was that protracted, cataclysmic divine war that caused the fall of countless civilizations which, while ultimately annihilating everything, also caused the final, most refined imprints of those fallen civilizations to settle and concentrate in a special way in the deepest part of the battlefield?

"It's worth investigating," Qin Qing finally made a judgment. "But we must prepare for the worst. All team members, enter the highest state of alert, discard all unnecessary weight, and carry only combat and survival essentials. We will advance slowly toward the north. If we encounter irresistible danger, or if you, Lin Zhou, judge that 'light source' to be unapproachable, we will immediately retreat the way we came and head southeast."

The plan was set.

The remaining small team moved out once more. This time, the goal was clear, but the atmosphere was even more solemn. Everyone knew that this might be the final proactive exploration—either they would find a chance for survival and Opportunity, or they would be completely buried here.

The road heading north was even more difficult than expected.

Although that terrifying pressure of the God King's resentment had vanished, the concentration of the 'God-Fall Curse' here was shockingly high, almost turning into a viscous black liquid that flowed slowly through the gaps in the bone fossils. The air was filled with a thick, nauseating stench of rot and decay. The spatial structure was also more fragile, with small, suction-emitting spatial rifts or brief areas of abnormal time flow frequently appearing without warning.

Environmental Attributes (Battlefield Core Transition Zone):

Curse concentration: 300% of the outer edge area. Continuous erosion effect: 0.05% loss of maximum health per second (requires Divine Power/positive energy for continuous purification and resistance).

Spatial stability: extremely poor, random appearance of micro spatial rifts (diameter < 10cm, suction is average but may cut), temporal turbulence (local time acceleration/deceleration 2-10 times).

Manifestation of Laws: a large number of broken, conflicting Law fragments floating like dust; contact may trigger random effects (such as brief attribute enhancement/weakening, skill mutation, obtaining temporary positive/negative states, etc.).

Energy inertia: free energy is nearly exhausted, active recovery efficiency is below 5%.

Mental interference: concentration of mental fragments like residual battlefield killing intent and despairing wails is extremely high, requiring continuous willpower checks.

The squad's progress was slow. Su Yueyao's moonlight fully unfolded, turning into a thin purifying light shield enveloping everyone, scanning ahead like the most precise radar to avoid the most dangerous spatial rifts and Law conflict points. Qin Qing held a Law longsword, its tip spitting sharp golden light, ready at any moment to slay the [Curse Derivatives]—mindless creatures that only knew how to bite living beings, condensed from the black cursed liquid.

Lin Zhou walked in the center of the group, saving strength while fully maintaining his sense of the "light source" to the north. He could feel that as the distance closed, the sensation became clearer, and the fluctuations of the river of civilization became more violent, even starting to actively absorb the floating broken information dust belonging to other fallen civilizations in the air, transforming them into new, tiny ripples in the river.

This further confirmed his suspicion.

It took a full six standard hours, bypassing and traversing over forty kilometers of extremely treacherous terrain, and paying the price of three Kinsfolk Heroes being seriously injured (having to be taken into the Divine Kingdom for emergency recovery) and several others lightly injured before they finally penetrated the thickest grey-dark mist.

The sight before them made everyone hold their breath instantly.

This was a massive, bowl-shaped basin, several times larger than the one where they had encountered the wraiths before! Around the basin, there were no longer piles of Bone Mountains, but countless broken Civilization Monuments burning with eternal, illusory flames! Those monuments had vastly different styles: some were composed of towering divine halls, some of sky-reaching mechanical towers, some were the petrified remains of a lush World Tree, and some were broken bridges flowing with starlight rivers... Each monument represented a once-glorious civilization that had ultimately fallen here! They surrounded the center of the basin in a tragic and eternal posture.

And the center of the basin was not a deep pit or ruins.

There lay a "lake," calm and waveless, emitting a soft, hazy halo.

The lake water was not actual water, but a thick, slowly flowing light-matter liquid that appeared to be the color of Chaos yet was constantly changing into thousands of civilization scenes! Within the liquid, it seemed as if countless characters were being born and dying, countless epics were being chanted, countless techniques were being demonstrated, and countless thoughts were colliding... It was a spectacle formed by the highly compressed, purified, and fused final knowledge, wisdom, emotions, skills, and even the most fundamental "Existence Imprints" of countless civilizations!

Just at the edge of the basin, looking at that "lake" from afar, everyone felt a yearning throb from their godhood (divine fire), Divine Soul, and even the knowledge and skills they had learned! It was as if every drop of liquid in that "lake" was a supreme treasure!

[Pool of Civilized Legacy (???)]

Quality: Beyond Cognition (Suspected to be above Mythic quality, a Law creation)

Essence: The final, most refined "Civilization Imprints" and "Existence Origin" of a large number of fallen civilizations (covering multiple races and systems) from the ancient divine war, settled, fused, and purified over infinite years under the influence of special battlefield environments and unknown factors. It contains immeasurable pure information, Law insights, and Origin energy.

Characteristics:

Source of All Laws (Weakened): Can complete, optimize, and deepen the understanding of Laws based on the bather's own path and cognition, significantly increasing the potential of godhood/life essence.

Civilization Baptism: Cleanses Impurities, hidden wounds, and Law conflicts in the Divine Soul and godhood (life core), strengthening the Foundation and enhancing tolerance and understanding of diverse civilizations.

Origin Nourishment: Provides the gentlest, most fundamental pure energy, repairing all damage and permanently increasing energy capacity and quality.

Information Torrent: Upon contact, one will endure a massive impact of civilization information, requiring extremely strong willpower and a clear guide of one's own path; otherwise, there is a risk of getting lost.

Uniqueness: The energy of the Legacy Pool is limited and non-renewable; once consumed, it cannot be replenished.

Estimated effects (on Lin Zhou's current state):

Godhood potential upper limit increase: +80% ~ +120%

Divine Kingdom Law system bearing limit increase: +40% ~ +60%

Divine Soul essence strength increase: +50% ~ +80%

Divine Power quality and total amount increase: +30% ~ +50%

river of civilization width/depth/stability significantly improved

Fully repair all current damage

(Note: Actual effects vary by individual differences, soaking time, and absorption efficiency)

Risks: Information overload leading to consciousness confusion/blurred self-cognition; energy impact leading to godhood/body overload; may trigger other hidden battlefield dangers.

Entry requirements: Requires a clear "path" (divine office/core Law) as an anchor, and sufficient willpower to harness the Information Torrent.

"Civilization... Legacy..." Lin Zhou murmured, his eyes bursting with unprecedented brilliance. This was simply an Opportunity tailored for him! No, it was one of the ultimate gifts prepared for any existence aspiring to climb to higher levels and pursue Way of Civilization!

Su Yueyao and Qin Qing were also shocked beyond measure. They could clearly feel the power contained in that pool water, which would also be of great benefit to their own paths.

"But... how do we get down? Between those monuments, there seem to be extremely strong energy force fields and residual defensive Laws." Qin Qing quickly calmed down, pointing to the edge of the basin. Between those broken Civilization Monuments, colorful energy turbulence flickered faintly, and space was distorted and unstable, clearly not something that could be easily crossed.

Lin Zhou also noticed. Moreover, he sensed that this Legacy Pool seemed to have some kind of "spirituality" or "entry mechanism." Not just anyone could approach or soak in it at will.

He tried once more to slowly extend his Divine Thought, carrying the aura of the river of civilization, the glow of the Fire of Civilization, and the insights from the "Sole Master of My Dao" True Spirit Residue he had just obtained (as a kind of "ticket" or "token"?) toward the center of the basin.

As if sensing this unique and "pure" (compared to other existences on the battlefield) civilization aura, a ripple suddenly spread across the surface of the calm Legacy Pool.

Immediately after, a Path of Light composed of a hazy halo, wide enough for only one person to pass, began to emerge out of thin air from beneath Lin Zhou's feet, crossing through those dangerous energy turbulences and distorted spaces, extending straight to the edge of the Legacy Pool!

On both sides of the path, those broken Civilization Monuments seemed to "come alive," casting down beams of light of various colors that were no longer hostile, as if silently watching yet another successor of the civilization's Legacy about to accept this collective gift that spanned countless eons.

"It... is inviting me." Lin Zhou took a deep breath and looked at Su Yueyao and Qin Qing, "You..."

"Go, quickly!" Su Yueyao said without hesitation, "This is your Opportunity, and the hope for all of us! We will guard the entrance here and act as your Protector! Hurry!"

Qin Qing also nodded heavily, her longsword unsheathed by half an inch, her eyes sharply scanning the surroundings: "Don't worry, unless we fall, nothing will disturb you."

Lin Zhou no longer hesitated; he knew every second was precious now. He lifted his foot and stepped onto the Path of Light.

The path was stable and warm, with the surrounding dangers seemingly separated by an invisible force. He walked step by step toward that lake containing the final essence of countless civilizations.

When he finally stood by the Legacy Pool, looking at that chaotic light liquid that was within reach and ever-changing, a sense of indescribable emotion and solemnity surged in his heart. How many dreams and glories of civilizations slept here?

He took off his damaged outer robe (leaving only his undergarments) and bowed solemnly toward the Legacy Pool and the surrounding broken Civilization Monuments.

Then, he took a step and slowly walked into the pool.

The thick, warm, seemingly living liquid instantly enveloped him. There was no sense of suffocation; instead, it felt like returning to the most primitive womb.

The next moment—

"BOOM!!!"

An indescribable Information Torrent, pure energy, and Law insights, like a released Universe starlight river, poured frantically from all directions into his body, his Divine Soul, his godhood, and his river of civilization!

The baptism began.