385: Chapter 320: The Long River Protects the Way, Civilization Resists Annihilation

Reality and the Divine Domain, a double desperate situation.

On the reality battlefield, a grey-white annihilation halo expanded at a speed of ten meters per second, like an irreversible countdown to the end, silently advancing toward the Temple of the Eternal Flame and the crumbling S-rank defensive line. Behind the halo was the Mother Empress, her figure as massive as a mountain, her aura withered, yet her compound eyes flashed with cruel delight.

Within the divine domain, the sky was covered in grey-white cracks, and the earth continuously collapsed and was annihilated. Buildings of the Hundred Schools, symbolizing civilization and Order, fell and dissipated in swathes. The subordinate races cried out and fled in despair; the population plummeted, faith crashed, and the Foundation of rules suffered a heavy blow.

Lin Zhou was barely supported by Su Yueyao and Qin Qing as they flew backward, but his consciousness felt as if it were being torn into two halves.

One half endured the suffocating pressure of death brought by the reality annihilation halo, as well as the agonizing pain of rule backlash from the erasure of his protective shield. His Divine Power continued to drop in the chaos, the numbers 68,000/200,000 coldly proclaiming his weakness. The slight sensation of his Godhead cracking and the tremors of his Divine Soul caused his vision to darken in waves.

The other half of his consciousness was submerged in the divine domain on the brink of collapse, helplessly "watching" as his Foundation was erased and destroyed bit by bit. The broken walls and ruins of the Jixia Academy, the grey patterns crawling over the Temple of Law, the dust that the Tiangong Workshop had become, the damaged plaque of the Temple of Literature... Every injury was like a blunt knife cutting back and forth across his consciousness. The despairing cries of his people before death and the fear and chaotic Impurities churning in the Sea of Faith were constantly assaulting and polluting his already wounded Divine Soul.

Divine Domain Stability: 59% (continuously decreasing, approaching the threshold of total collapse below 60%)

Divine Domain Area Loss: Exceeded 6%

Subordinate Population Loss: Exceeded 10% (and still rapidly increasing)

Core Building Damage: Averaging over 40% (key buildings like Jixia Academy and the Temple of Law are particularly severely damaged)

Faith Production Efficiency: Plummeted to 35% of normal values

civilization points Reserve: Due to the turmoil in the divine domain and massive casualties among the subordinate races, there is severe fluctuation and it has begun to slowly decline (currently approximately 850,000 points)

Beset by troubles both internally and externally, the Foundation was shaken.

Despair, like the deepest ice, spread from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, attempting to freeze his will and swallow his last thought of resistance. This strike from the Mother Empress, which burned her Godhead, was too ruthless, too absolute! She not only wanted to destroy them in reality but also to fundamentally destroy him, the bearer of "Way of Civilization"!

"Lin Zhou! Hold on!" Su Yueyao's cry, tinged with tears, seemed to come from a far-off place. Her Moonlight Power, like a cool stream, attempted to soothe the chaotic Divine Power within him, but it had little effect. Qin Qing's power of Law was also helping to stabilize the spatial rules around him, resisting the erosion of the rule aftershocks brought by the spreading annihilation halo, but the strength of the two appeared so minuscule before the Mother Empress's ultimate strike.

Elios and the others had long since retreated further back with their defeated troops, relying on the last damaged fortifications on the outskirts of the Temple of the Eternal Flame, watching with eyes nearly bursting as that grey-white ring of death drew closer bit by bit. They had tried to interfere with the halo using long-range attacks, but all energy and material attacks were erased the moment they touched the halo; they couldn't even slow its advance. They could only watch as death approached.

Was it... really going to end here?

Was the opportunity Elwin had exchanged his life and soul for going to be completely crushed by the Mother Empress in an even more violent and unsolvable way?

Lin Zhou's consciousness drifted amidst pain, weakness, despair, and the wails of his collapsing divine domain. In a daze, he seemed to see Teacher Elwin's calm, relieved, and even divinely radiant smile before his self-detonation, and heard that deafening phrase: "If one hears the Dao in the morning, one may die content in the evening."

There were also the epic scenes that had once shone brilliantly within the Fire of Civilization shield—Da Yu's unyielding spirit facing the torrential floods, Yu Gong's persistence before the towering mountains, Jing Wei's tragic heroism facing the vast Eastern Sea, and the wisdom of the Hundred Schools sages seeking truth in a chaotic world...

Struggle... Legacy... Immortality...

These images and this spirit formed the sharpest and most cruel contrast with the absolute "erasure" and "annihilation" happening before his eyes.

Is civilization truly so fragile before absolute destructive power? Can the will passed down through the flame truly not defeat the end where all things return to nothingness?

No!

A faint but incredibly firm voice rang out from the deepest part of Lin Zhou's consciousness, from that Temple of Civilization which stood stubbornly despite being covered in grey corrosive patterns.

It wasn't a specific voice, but the Sanctuary itself, the river of civilization flowing ceaselessly within the hall, conveying a certain message to him, an essential realization that transcended the current desperate situation.

The core of the Mother Empress's [Rule Annihilation] lay in "erasure," in "zeroing out" all existence, returning it to the silent "nothingness" defined by her [Void Realm] divine office authority—a state devoid of meaning or Order. What she negated was "existence" itself, as well as "change" and "development."

And civilization... what is it?

Civilization has never been a fixed, unchanging "entity." Civilization is a process, a flow, a passing of the torch, a cycle of life! It allows for brilliance and for dimness; it allows for rising and for setbacks; it even allows for temporary destruction and severance!

But as long as that single "spark"—the yearning for a better life, the pursuit of truth, the desire for Order, the responsibility of Legacy—has not been completely extinguished, as long as there are successors who remember, seek, inherit, and carry it forward... then civilization will never truly "die." It will be Rebirth from the ashes, rebuilt upon the ruins, and in the downstream of the river, it will coalesce once more in a new form!

Wildfire cannot burn it all; the spring breeze brings life again!

This is not confrontation, but inclusion! It is not a hard clash with "annihilation," but the manifestation of a Law of the Universe even more fundamental and underlying than "annihilation"—the immortality of civilization's Legacy! It is the Dao moving in cycles without end; it is the endless regeneration of the "Changes"!

In an instant, it was like a divine revelation! Lin Zhou's thoughts, which had almost stagnated due to despair and pain, were illuminated like a bolt of lightning splitting the heavens and earth!

He understood! He had found the way! Not the way to defeat the Mother Empress (which was still impossible for now), but the way to preserve his own divine domain Foundation and resist the erosion of this Rule Annihilation!

"Yue Yao! Qin Qing! Buy me three breaths of time! Ignore the halo! Protect me with everything you have and isolate all external interference!" Lin Zhou snapped his eyes open. Though they were still bloodshot and his aura remained withered, a flame deeper and firmer than the Fire of Civilization ignited in the depths of his gaze!

Although Su Yueyao and Qin Qing didn't understand what he was going to do, seeing the fighting spirit reignited in his eyes, they didn't hesitate for a moment and acted immediately. Su Yueyao bit the tip of her tongue and spat out a mouthful of Origin Essence Blood rich with Moonlight, which transformed into an incredibly solid milky-white cocoon of light, firmly enveloping the three of them. Qin Qing poured all her remaining Divine Power of Law into the cocoon, constructing layers of Order barriers within to isolate all external rule fluctuations, even if only temporarily.

Three breaths! This was the limit of what they could do!

Lin Zhou no longer paid attention to the slowly approaching annihilation halo outside, nor did he distract himself by "watching" the tragedy unfolding within his divine domain. He closed his eyes completely, and his entire mind, will, and even his burning Divine Soul Origin were unreservedly and resolutely... submerged into the core of his own divine domain!

Not to control, not to repair, but to... perform a Fusion!

He no longer viewed the divine domain as an "external object" that he needed to manipulate and protect, but as an extension of his own "Dao," a section of the "riverbed" for the river of civilization in this world, a station and a carrier in the process of "passing the torch"!

"With my Godhead as the lead, my Divine Soul as the bridge, and my Divine Fire as the source... divine domain core, rule Foundation, faith of the people, Order of the Hundred Schools... all of you, return and merge into the river!"

A silent shout exploded within his deepest connection to the divine domain!

BOOM—!!!

The divine domain, which was on the brink of collapse, underwent a world-shaking transformation at this moment!

The expansion of those grey-white cracks in the sky suddenly stalled! Not because the power of annihilation had weakened, but because the very Concept of the divine domain's "sky" was being covered and replaced by a grander, more inclusive power!

At the edges of the areas constantly collapsing and being annihilated on the earth, the grey-white "rust" seemed to have met its nemesis and actually began to retreat slightly! It wasn't being expelled, but rather enveloped and diluted by a flowing "water" that contained infinite vitality and possibility!

Within the Temple of Civilization, the river of civilization, which had previously developed gaps and static due to the turmoil in the divine domain, suddenly roared! The river water was no longer an illusory shadow of light but became incredibly solid and heavy! The water began to flow backward like a bursting Milky Way, surging out from the Sanctuary, instantly filling Lin Zhou's Sea of Consciousness, and then pouring back into the world of the divine domain through the invisible connection channel!

This was no longer a phantom projected by the Sanctuary, but Lin Zhou, at the cost of his everything, forcibly performing a deep-level Fusion of the conceptual essence of the river of civilization with the realistic Foundation of his own divine domain!

The sky of the divine domain became the "river surface" where the river surged, reflecting countless sparks of civilization.

The earth of the divine domain became the "riverbed" where the river settled, carrying the weight of history.

All things within the divine domain—mountains, rivers, flowers, trees, buildings, and living beings—seemed to transform into a drop of water, a grain of sand, or a shadow of light within the river, becoming a part of this ceaseless flow!

[Warning! Deity is performing a high-risk operation: Divine Domain Foundation Conceptual Reconstruction!]

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

[ Divine domain stability reconstructing... Current stability: 45% (violent fluctuations)! Danger! ]

[ Divine Power output exceeding limits! Current Divine Power reserves: 52000/200000 (rapidly depleting)! ]

[ divine status load exceeding critical value! Durability: 85%! ]

[ civilization points rapidly depleting (maintaining the manifestation and Fusion of the river of civilization), current: 720,000 points! ]

The intense pain almost tore Lin Zhou's Divine Soul apart! This operation of "breaking apart" his own divine domain and "fusing" it into a higher Concept was tantamount to self-dismemberment and reconstruction; the danger far exceeded any injury from a divine war! But he gritted his teeth and persisted, his consciousness firmly anchored in that roaring river of civilization, feeling the vast Concept of the rise and fall of civilizations and the undying Legacy that spanned countless time and space contained within it.

In reality, three breaths of time passed in a flash.

The protective light cocoon jointly cast by Su Yueyao and Qin Qing, under the erosion of the aftermath of the annihilation ring's expansion, fluctuated violently like a soap bubble in the wind, and then, with a "pop," shattered!

The gray-white annihilation ring had already advanced to within a hundred meters of them! The aura of absolute "erasure" was almost within reach! Su Yueyao and Qin Qing turned pale, despair flashing in their eyes, yet they still guarded Lin Zhou firmly, preparing to make their final stand.

And at the very moment the light cocoon shattered and the aura of the annihilation ring became clearly perceptible—

Lin Zhou opened his eyes.

In his eyes, there was no longer any distinction between pupils and whites; there was only a vast, boundless, pale golden projection of the river of civilization, reflecting countless sparks and historical shadows, slowly flowing! His aura became incomparably vast, ancient, and inclusive, as if he were no longer a single individual, but had incarnated into a flowing epic of civilization!

He slowly raised a hand, not pointing at the annihilation ring that was close at hand, but pressing it vaguely toward his own glabella, as if touching the surging river within him.

Then, he spoke, his voice no longer hoarse or roaring as before, but a peaceful, distant declaration, as if coming from the end of time:

"Annihilation is like fire, civilization is like a river. Fire can burn the vegetation of a moment, but how can it cut off the flow of eternity?"

With his words, an invisible, intangible, yet truly real "sense of existence" centered on him, moved forward to meet the gray-white annihilation ring.

There was no roar of energy collision, no shockwave of Law clashing.

That gray-white ring, which had been advancing ten meters per second and erasing everything in its path, stopped for the first time when it touched the boundary of this "sense of existence."

It was not blocked, nor was it canceled out.

It was as if it had crashed into an invisible, yet incomparably vast and deep river.

The ring was still "advancing," but its "erasure" effect underwent a strange change within this "river."

As the edge of the gray-white ring touched the void in front of Lin Zhou that was shrouded in the "Concept of the river of civilization," its property of erasing all things did not completely fail; it still erased the Concept of "existence" it touched. But the "existence" that was erased did not turn into absolute "nothingness."

Instead, in the very next instant after the "annihilation" occurred, further "downstream" in that "river," a faint, brand-new "spark of civilization," containing similar yet not identical essence, quietly re-condensed and lit up!

It was as if what had been erased was not a "point," but a splash in the river. The splash dissipated, but the river continued to roar, nurturing new splashes downstream.

In Lin Zhou's Sea of Consciousness and divine domain, the projection of the river of civilization, which was fused with the divine domain, was staging an even more shocking scene!

In the upper reaches of the river, the light and shadow of civilizations, epic scenes, projections of buildings, and even the faith imprints of his kin were being touched and "erased" by the gray-white "rust of annihilation" that was eroding backward along the connection channel, like strokes being wiped away by an eraser.

But the moment these civilization imprints were "erased" and dimmed, in the lower reaches of the river—the section representing "future" and "Rebirth"—bits of similar, yet seemingly "baptized" or "precipitated," more condensed and pure light of civilization were born and condensed from nothingness! Like a Phoenix reborn from the ashes!

The partially erased structural imprints of the [Jixia Academy] condensed downstream into a more magnificent projection of the [Temple of Civilization] that radiated a torrent of wisdom.

The Law fragments of the [Temple of Law] that were "erased" precipitated downstream into a more solid [Law Foundation] engraved with eternal Order.

The faith Impurities of fear and despair from his kin that were "erased" were washed and cleansed by the river downstream, transforming into more pure Power Of Will containing the beliefs of "survival after a disaster" and "endless Legacy."

Even the imprints of the individual kin that were "erased" vaguely reappeared downstream in the form of a collective light and shadow that was more blurred but represented "racial continuation" and "civilization memory."

river of civilization trait [Undying Legacy] triggered!

Effect: When facing rule-based attacks of "total erasure," "zeroing," or "negation of existence," the civilization Concepts carried by the river of civilization can obtain a certain degree of "exemption." Civilization units (buildings, Law, spirits, collective memories, etc.) "erased" by such Law attacks will re-condense downstream in the river (downstream in terms of time/Concept) in a way that loses some details but retains the core essence and the possibility of inheritance. The re-condensed civilization units will gain a slight increase in Law resistance and may trigger the "Civilization Refinement" effect (slightly improved quality).

Current status: The river is under continuous annihilation erosion; the upper reaches are constantly "annihilated," while the lower reaches are constantly "reborn," forming a dynamic balance. Consumption is huge.

In reality, although the gray-white annihilation ring was still slowly "immersing" into the area in front of Lin Zhou shrouded by the Concept of the river of civilization, its absolute nature of "erasing everything" had been broken! It could not truly "end" this river that symbolized the endless Legacy of civilization! For every point it erased, the river gave birth to a new possibility downstream. Although the newly born "point" was not as clear or complete as the erased "point," its essence of "existence" and the thread of Legacy were not severed!

The advancement of the ring had essentially become a war of attrition with this "invisible river"! It was consuming power to "erase," while Lin Zhou was consuming Divine Power, divine status reserves, and civilization points to maintain the "surging" and "Rebirth" of the river!

Divine Power reserves: 48000/200000 (maintaining the river against annihilation, consumption intensified)

divine status durability: 84% (load persists)

civilization points: 580,000 points (continuing high-speed consumption)

Divine domain stability: stabilized at 65% (stopped dropping! After the Fusion of the river of civilization, the trend of divine domain collapse was forcibly curbed!)

Annihilation ring advancement speed: dropped to 0.5 meters per second (in the area shrouded by the Concept of the river of civilization directly in front of Lin Zhou)! Almost stagnant!

Blocked!

Using the "Undying Legacy" trait of the river of civilization, with his own divine domain Foundation as the riverbed, Lin Zhou forcibly resisted the Mother Empress's terrifying Law-based annihilation ring!

Although the price was heavy, with Divine Power and civilization points burning crazily and his divine status continuously damaged, and even though it was only "blocked" and not "broken," the arrogant, all-erasing ring of the end had indeed stalled in front of him!

This scene shocked everyone on the battlefield!

Elios and the others looked at the gray-white ring that was almost stagnant tens of meters away from Lin Zhou, and at Lin Zhou's back, which seemed to have incarnated into an eternal river, all with their mouths wide open, their eyes filled with unbelievable shock. They could not understand what power that was, but they could feel the vastness, antiquity, and a kind of... eternal flowing will within that power that transcended mere destruction and creation!

Su Yueyao and Qin Qing were the closest and felt it the most clearly. Looking at Lin Zhou's back, they seemed to see a phantom of the river of civilization spanning the past and present, surging behind him. In that river, there was brilliance, dimness, destruction, and Rebirth... but no matter what, it always flowed forward, never truly severed.

"Lin Zhou..." Su Yueyao murmured, her beautiful eyes reflecting the pale golden projection of the river of civilization. A corner of her heart seemed to resonate strangely with this flowing Concept. Her Moonlight Power seemed to become colder and more lingering.

The Mother Empress's massive body stiffened significantly for the first time. In its remaining compound eyes, the cruel pleasure disappeared, replaced by a cold light mixed with shock, confusion, and... a trace of solemnity. It could feel that the "erasure" authority of the [Law Annihilation] it released by burning its divine status had actually been contained, diluted, and even... transformed by a "Law" it had never encountered and could not fully analyze!

That brat... what exactly is he?!

Although the annihilation ring had not completely stopped, it had been greatly delayed and weakened by the Concept of the river of civilization. The collapse of the divine domain was forcibly stabilized. The most dangerous moment seemed... to have passed for now.

But Lin Zhou knew this was just the beginning.

He could not afford a long war of attrition against an existence like the Mother Empress.

He must find a way to break the deadlock before he was completely dragged down.

And hope... might just lie in those principles of civilization, passed down like fire and never extinguished.