392: Chapter 327: The Battle Begins, the Gates of the Abyss Open Terrifyingly

The forty-eight-hour preparation time, like a bowstring stretched to its limit, finally snapped at some silent moment.

Inside the Xinghai University preparation space, Lin Zhou sat cross-legged, his Aura as calm and deep as an ancient well.

The three-dimensional structural diagram of the nine-layer defense line floating before him had dissipated into specks of light, replaced by a grander and more intuitive real-time battlefield sand table that appeared after deep connection with the divine domain core.

On the sand table, the pale golden light Domain representing the Star Sea Divine Domain had a clear outline, with nine layers of defense rings in different colors nested like tree rings, light points flowing to represent the status and troop deployment of each defense node.

Outside the divine Domain was a relatively neutral gray simulation space temporarily generated by the competition rules.

Qin Qing, Wang Meng, and Zhang Jun (having recovered to a barely combat-ready state) stood separately behind Lin Zhou, their expressions solemn, their Divine Power gathered but not released.

In a distant corner, Su Yueyao remained in a deep sleep, but around her, several layers of reinforcement and concealment barriers, jointly set up by Qin Qing and Zhang Jun, were added to ensure that the aftermath of the battle would not affect her.

"It has arrived." Lin Zhou suddenly whispered, his eyes becoming sharp.

Almost at the same moment his voice fell, on the opposite side of the battlefield sand table, the gray space representing the initial area of the enemy divine Domain suddenly began to boil!

There was no probing, no communication, not even the conventional tactics of sending out reconnaissance units or small-scale troops to make contact first!

A surge of Abyss fluctuation, thick and inseparable, mixed with the scent of sulfur, blood, decay, and the desperate wails of countless living beings, like an erupting volcano, arrogantly tore through the calm of the neutral space!

The dark red, filthy light was like splashed thick ink, instantly staining a large area and outlining a continuously twisting and expanding hideous phantom—that was the embryonic form of an indescribable portal composed of countless wriggling black flesh, pale bones, flowing pus and blood, and eyes burning with inextinguishable evil fire!

Beneath the portal, one could faintly see a more profound and dark Domain rapidly unfolding; that was the projection of Draka's divine Domain.

Unlike the clearly layered and orderly defense light Domain on Lin Zhou's side, that dark Domain was Chaos and viscous, with countless dark red light points representing low-Rank Abyss kin (Manes, Imps, Succubi) surging and howling within it like a boiling colony of ants; the sheer quantity and density were enough to make one's scalp tingle!

[Enemy Divine Domain Information (Preliminary Perception / Public Part):]

- Deity: Blood Curse · Draka (Abyss Contractor Academy)

- Divine Rank: LV550 (Mid-Tier Divine Power, Intermediate Stage, Confirmed)

- divine office Fluctuation: [Contract] (Strong), [Pain], [Blood].

- Divine Domain Style: Abyss Erosion Type (High Chaos, High Corrosion, Kin-Sea Tactics).

- Current Detected Kin Quantity: Estimated over 1.2 million (Mainly low-Rank Abyss creatures from LV10 to LV30).

"He even skipped the most basic probing." Qin Qing's voice was cold. "Is he trying to use absolute quantity and Abyss Aura to directly crush our first layer of psychological defense?"

"No." Lin Zhou's gaze was locked tightly onto that forming dark portal that was radiating heart-palpitating fluctuations. An ominous premonition, like a cold viper, coiled around his heart. "His goal... is likely not just attrition."

As if to confirm his premonition, on the sand table, in the core area representing Draka's dark Domain, a dark red black spot (Draka's true body) that was deeper and pulsing more constantly than the surroundings suddenly flared brightly! A violent, greedy will, mixed with endless pain, swept out!

Immediately after, a scene that left all spectators (including those with certain permissions who might be watching via the competition broadcast) dumbfounded occurred!

In Draka's dark divine Domain, that surging cluster of over 600,000 low-Rank Abyss kin light points (occupying half of its total detected quantity!), like a tidal wave, was suddenly gripped by an invisible giant hand at the same moment, all together emitting a deafening, Soul-reaching, shrill wail!

This wailing was filled with extreme pain, unwillingness, and despair, yet it was forcibly bound, twisted, and gathered by some stronger contract power!

Sacrifice! Sacrificing half of his kin right at the start!

Draka had no intention of engaging in any conventional entanglement or probing! What he wanted was to decide the outcome in one strike, to bare his fangs at the very beginning, and to tear apart all of his opponent's defenses in the most violent and uncompromising way!

"Roar—With the blood and Souls of half my servants, I welcome the gaze of the Abyss! Descend—Gate of Pain and Decay!"

Draka's hoarse, crazy voice, like sandpaper rubbing, resonated directly over both divine Domains through the battlefield rules.

As his sacrificial incantation was completed, the wailing of the 600,000 low-Rank kin reached its peak, and then... it was instantly extinguished!

On the sand table, the dense dark red light points representing them, like snuffed-out candle flames, dimmed and disappeared in swathes, turning into the purest life essence and painful resentment, mixed with Abyss Devilish Qi, rushing crazily into that not-yet-fully-formed dark portal like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea!

Rumble—!!!

Having absorbed a massive amount of offerings, the outline of that portal crazily solidified, expanded, and rose at a speed visible to the naked eye!

The frame of the portal was composed of pitch-black Abyss magic iron that seemed capable of absorbing all light, engraved with countless twisted, pus-dripping pain runes.

The surface of the portal was no longer a phantom, but covered with a layer of living flesh that constantly wriggled and secreted viscous black liquid!

On the flesh were embedded dense, constantly opening and closing pale eyes and sharp-toothed mouths dripping with corrosive saliva!

In the center of the portal, the originally Chaos darkness collapsed and rotated inward, forming a bottomless, gloomy vortex radiating infinite suction and malicious fluctuations!

[Gate of the Abyss (Epic-level War Summon / Sacrificial Product)]

- Rank: LV580 (Summoned object, influenced by the summoner's power and the quality of the offerings)

- Characteristics:

1. [Abyss Channel]: Connects to a certain layer of the Abyss (Pain/Decay Domain), can continuously summon mid-to-low-Rank Abyss creatures (efficiency varies with the portal's duration and energy supply), and releases high-concentration Abyss Devilish Qi, eroding the surrounding environment.

2. [Aura of Pain]: All non-Abyss units within range continuously suffer mental pain torture (Will check, failure results in attribute decrease and low morale).

3. [Field of Decay]: Significantly accelerates the rot, rust, and aging process of non-Abyss matter.

- Current Status: Fully formed, stably existing. Summoner: Blood Curse · Draka.

As soon as the portal was formed, that gloomy vortex began to rotate violently, emitting a terrifying sound like thousands of evil ghosts shrieking simultaneously!

Immediately after—Swish... Splat! Splat! Splat!

Countless thick, slimy, purple-black tentacles covered with suckers and barbs, like deep-sea monsters that had smelled blood, rushed out from the depths of the vortex, vying to be the first!

Each of these tentacles was over three meters in diameter, and their length could reach hundreds or even thousands of meters, their surfaces covered in viscous mucous membranes that constantly dripped with highly corrosive black liquid.

The ends of the tentacles were not pointed, but split into sucker mouthparts filled with layers of sharp teeth like a meat grinder; deep within the mouthparts, faint dark red light, like molten lava, was flowing.

The number of tentacles was in the hundreds or thousands!

As soon as they appeared, as if they had independent consciousness, they danced wildly, tearing through the air with shrill whistling sounds, and fiercely whipped, pierced, and coiled toward the direction of Lin Zhou's divine Domain—especially the carefully arranged first and second defense line areas!

[Abyss Tentacles (Gate of the Abyss Summon / Attack Unit)]

- Rank: LV50 - LV55 (Exists as a cluster, individual slight variations)

- Attributes: Strength 70+, Physique 65+, Agility 45+ (Tentacle attack speed is extremely fast)

- Attack Method: Physical whip/pierce, entanglement strangulation, corrosive spray.

- Characteristics (Core):

1 . [Corrosive Divinity]: Any physical contact (whipping, entanglement) by the tentacles, as well as the sprayed corrosive liquid, carries the "Corrosive Divinity" effect.

This effect is not mere energy corrosion or material destruction, but can directly erode, pollute, and weaken the rule structures and divine essence contained within the target!

For divine Domain structures hit, their architectural rules (such as the "Wisdom Enlightenment" rule of [Jixia Academy] or the "Order Stability" rule of the [Temple of Law]) will be slowly corroded and disintegrated, leading to a decline or even failure of the building's effects, and the difficulty of repair is extremely high (the residual corrosive rules must be purified first).

The Divine Power/divinity protection of hit familiars or gods themselves will also have their divinity resistance and rule integrity continuously weakened.

2 . [Pain Conduction]: Attacks carry intense mental pain, interfering with the target's judgment and spellcasting.

3 . [Abyss Symbiosis]: There is an energy link with the Abyss Gate main body; unless the connection to the portal is completely destroyed or severed, the tentacles possess strong regeneration and resistance.

"Corrosive Divinity..." Lin Zhou's pupils constricted sharply.

Chen Hai's intelligence mentioned the summoning of the Abyss Gate and the power of the tentacles, but it did not explicitly point out the rule-eroding nature of this "Corrosive Divinity" effect!

This is much more troublesome than the simple physical destruction and energy corrosion he had anticipated!

This means that his nine-layer defense line, especially those layers relying on specific rule effects (such as Formations, runes, Order Domains), might have their functionality rapidly weakened or even paralyzed once the tentacles strike the core directly!

"First layer of defense, activate! Wooden Oxen and Gliding Horses, self-destruct to delay! All traps open!" Lin Zhou did not hesitate for a moment.

The moment the tentacles were about to rush into the gray zone on the periphery of the divine Domain (the neutral buffer zone generated by the competition), he issued the first Order.

Hum—!

At the outermost periphery of the divine Domain, the first layer [Mohist Mechanisms · Consumption Delay Zone] was instantly activated!

Tens of thousands of [Wooden Oxen and Gliding Horses · Scout Type] (Rank LV1-LV5, Strength 5, Physique 3, Agility 8, Skill: [Self-Destruct Lv.1] causes 30-50 points of mixed physical/energy damage within a 3-meter radius, and carries a "Movement Speed -15%" slow effect for 3 seconds) rushed out like a disturbed ant colony from the simple bunkers or underground tunnels where they were pre-ambushed.

They were simple in structure and mechanical in movement, rushing like a tide toward the purple-black tentacle torrent whipping down from the sky!

Boom boom boom boom—!!!

The moment the tentacles made contact with the swarm of Wooden Oxen and Gliding Horses, the sounds of explosions connected into one!

Firelight, wood chips, and metal fragments mixed with the black corrosive mucus splattering from the tentacles exploded into chaotic fireworks in front of the first line of defense.

A large number of Wooden Oxen and Gliding Horses were easily whipped to pieces or crushed the moment they made contact.

Their weak self-destruct damage was almost negligible to those thick tentacles, but the accompanying slight slow effect accumulated in the large-scale explosions, causing the swinging speed of the dozens of tentacles rushing in the front to show a visible, extremely minute stagnation.

At the same time, the pre-set [Simple Ground Spike Traps] (wooden/stone ground spikes, causing slight piercing damage to ground units) and [Tripwire Traps] (tough vines mixed with metal wires, tripping low-Rank units) were also triggered.

These traps had even more negligible effects on the tentacles themselves; the tentacles either crushed the ground spikes directly or easily snapped the tripwires, but they still created a bit of insignificant Chaos and an extremely short delay.

Lin Zhou stared fixedly at the sandbox data.

The design goal of the first line of defense was to consume and delay for twenty seconds, using the cheapest units to trade for even a fraction of a second from the opponent.

From the moment the tentacles rushed into the range of the first line of defense to the time they completely crushed all the Wooden Oxen and Gliding Horses and destroyed most of the traps, breaking through this thin line of defense... the whole process lasted about 18 seconds.

Slightly lower than expected, but acceptable.

The attack intensity and quantity of the tentacles were slightly higher than anticipated.

However, the real threat had just begun.

The tentacle group that broke through the sparse first line of defense suffered almost no substantial damage (there were only a few insignificant scorch marks and scratches on the surface).

Carrying an even more ferocious Aura, they slammed into the second layer [Daoist Formation · Maze Disturbance Zone]!

Zhang Jun's face was pale and his forehead was sweating, but his hands were steady in forming seals.

Under his remote control via Divine Thought and the guidance of the pre-arranged simple Formation Plates, faint mist rose in the second line of defense area, and rune light and shadows flowed faintly on the ground; this was the [Small Maze Formation].

At the same time, a trace of cool and calming atmosphere permeated the air; it was the [Clearing Heart Talisman] taking effect.

The mist of the Maze Formation had greatly reduced effects on monsters like the tentacles, which had strange perception methods and relied more on abyssal instincts and energy locking; it could only slightly disturb their advance direction, causing a few tentacles to have minor path deviations.

The Clearing Heart Talisman was of some help in resisting the [Pain Aura] and [Pain Conduction] emitted by the tentacles, but the effect was also limited.

The second line of defense was expected to delay for 20 seconds.

Actual effect: The tentacle group rampaged through the Formation, and in just 12 seconds, they used brute force to almost completely destroy the key nodes of the Formation (the Formation Plates were directly whipped to pieces), the mist dissipated, and the runes dimmed!

"Third layer! Feint and distract! Define with Law!" Lin Zhou's speaking speed quickened.

A Behemoth scouting squad under Wang Meng and several light Mohist mechanical beasts rushed out from the flank, making an attack posture in an attempt to attract part of the tentacles' firepower.

Qin Qing's Law Domain unfolded at the edge of the third layer, and she shouted clearly: "Law Definition: Charging in this Domain must follow Order; chaotic charges—effect halved!"

The phantom of pale golden Law chains tried to entangle the tentacles rushing at the front, defining their "chaotic charge" as inefficient.

However, the black light of [Corrosive Divinity] permeating those tentacles came into contact with the golden light of Law, making "chi chi" sounds.

The Law chains quickly became dim and fragile, and after only persisting for two or three seconds, they were corroded and shattered!

The definition effect was greatly reduced, only causing the forward momentum of the few tentacles at the front to slow down by about 5%.

The third line of defense was expected to delay for 20 seconds.

Actual: 8 seconds! The tentacle group crushed through at a faster speed!

Three consecutive lines of defense were quickly breached, with a total actual delay time of only 38 seconds, far lower than the designed 60 seconds!

Moreover, the tentacle group suffered almost no effective damage during the Breakthrough process, and their momentum did not decrease but instead increased!

Even worse, after breaking through the third line of defense, several of the fastest, especially thick tentacles had their suction cup mouthparts filled with sharp teeth already slammed fiercely and solidly into several [Mechanical Repeating Crossbow Towers] and one [Mechanical War Beast · Armor-Piercing Type] at the forefront of the fourth line of defense!

Crack! Boom!

The hit Mechanical Repeating Crossbow Towers did not simply shatter.

The moment the tentacles made contact, a layer of thick purple-black corrosive energy spread rapidly along the contact point!

The specially made anti-magic metal on the tower surface turned black, softened, and bubbled disgustingly at a visible speed, while the internal precision gears and rune structures seemed to be rusted and twisted by invisible hands, making ear-piercing groans before collapsing with a bang, turning into a pile of scrap iron emitting black smoke with severely polluted rule structures!

The difficulty and consumption of repairing such a building polluted by "Corrosive Divinity" would far exceed building a new one!

That [Mechanical War Beast · Armor-Piercing Type] was even more miserable; it was directly coiled by the tentacles, and the terrifying strangling force combined with [Corrosive Divinity] instantly twisted its tough alloy shell into a twist, and the internal mechanical core was polluted and eroded, instantly scrapped!

"Corrosive Divinity... directly polluting architectural rules!" Li Mo's warning sounded in the link, carrying a trace of rare urgency, "The physical buildings of the fourth line of defense may not be able to hold on for long! We must weaken or clear the tentacles as soon as possible, or use high-purity Order/purification power to isolate the corrosion!"

Lin Zhou's eyes were cold.

Opening sacrifice, Abyss Gate, corrosive tentacles... Draka's tactics were more extreme and tricky than expected.

His nine-layer defense line had poor effects in the first three layers, and the fourth layer was facing the threat of erosion at the rule level.

"Fourth layer, focus heavy fire on the connection between the tentacle roots and mouthparts! Behemoth shield bearers, move up! Activate [Shield Wall]! Do not resist head-on; focus on deflection and unloading force! Zhang Jun, try to temporarily engrave [Exorcism Runes] on the surface of the shield wall!"

Lin Zhou ordered quickly, "Qin Qing, shrink the Law Domain to protect the core buildings and rune nodes of the fourth layer! Li Mo, prepare the energy for the early activation of the seventh layer [Non-Aggression Barrier]! We may need it to appear earlier!"

The battle entered a white-hot stage from the very beginning.

The Abyss Gate stood tall, and thousands of tentacles danced wildly.

The shadow of Corrosive Divinity shrouded every line of defense.

The tactic of delaying for three minutes faced its first severe practical test.