393: Chapter 328: Layer upon Layer of Blockade, Traps and Mechanisms Prove Remarkably Effective

The fourth defensive line—[Mohist Mechanisms · Heavy Firepower Interception Zone]—was undergoing a brutal tempering under the violent whipping of Abyssal tentacles imbued with [Corrosive Divinity].

Boom, boom, boom, boom—!

The [Mechanism Repeating Crossbow Tower] cluster spewed a dense storm of steel bolts, the sharp whistling sounds tearing through the air.

These specially crafted [Demon-Breaking Steel Bolts] (imbued with minor armor-piercing and energy interference effects) were like a metallic rainstorm, pelting the surface of those thick, purple-black tentacles and emitting dull "thud, thud" sounds.

However, the vast majority of the steel bolts could only leave shallow pits on the tentacles' tough skin, which was covered in thick mucous membranes and constantly secreting corrosive liquid, or they were deflected and ricocheted off by the slippery slime on their surface and their writhing movements.

Only the few steel bolts that struck the connections of the sucker mouthparts at the ends of the tentacles or the vulnerable spots on the surface that resembled "eyes" could cause some effective damage, triggering local spasms and even more violent counterattacks from the tentacles.

What could truly pose an effective interception against the tentacles were the [Mechanism Warbeast · Armor-Piercing Type] (Rank LV25-LV30, Strength 55, Physique 45, Skills: [Heavy Strike Lv.2], [Charge Lv.2], [Resistant Skin Lv.1]) that worked in tandem with the crossbow towers.

Resembling metal rhinoceroses and covered in heavy alloy armor, these mechanism beasts formed small shock Formations under Wang Meng's remote commands, fearlessly charging toward the few tentacles at the forefront.

Their heavy bodies and power-charged collisions could indeed temporarily curb the tentacles' forward momentum and even knock them off course.

However, once entangled by a tentacle, the purple-black light of that [Corrosive Divinity] would spread like marrow-eating maggots, rapidly eroding the mechanism beasts' alloy armor and internal rune structures.

Often, after one successful collision interception, the mechanism beast would rapidly lose its ability to move under the tentacles' constriction and corrosion, turning into a pile of wreckage emitting black smoke.

"Hold the line! Behemoth Heavy Shieldbearers, fan-shaped Formation, defensive stance! Raise the shield wall!" Wang Meng roared, his voice reaching the front line through the Divine Power link.

Dozens of [Behemoth Heavy Shieldbearers] (Elite Unit, Rank LV42-LV45, Strength 65, Physique 70, Will 55, Skills: [Shield Wall Lv.3] increases physical defense of self and surrounding allies by 30%, [Immovable as a Mountain Lv.2] significantly increases resistance to knockback and negative status effects for a short time), who were over four meters tall, had knotted muscles, wore heavy armor, and held giant shields comparable to door panels, roared in unison and slammed their heavy shields, engraved with rough anti-magic runes, into the ground, overlapping the shields to form a sturdy metal barrier emitting a yellow-earth glow.

At the same time, Zhang Jun gritted his teeth, disregarding the weakness of his Divine Soul, and remotely engraved [Exorcism Runes (Temporary)]—which were temporarily drawn and emitted a faint golden light—onto the surfaces of those giant shields using his Divine Thought.

These runes had limited effects and were difficult to sustain, but they could at least enhance the shields' temporary resistance to the Abyssal corrosive power.

Several of the most ferocious tentacles slammed into the Behemoth shield wall like battering rams!

Thud! Thud! Thud!!

The dull, thunderous sounds of impact merged into one; the Behemoth Heavy Shieldbearers shook violently, the ground beneath their feet cracking, but relying on the defensive bonuses of [Shield Wall] and the formidable power of their racial talent, they forcibly withstood this first wave of impact!

The golden light of the [Exorcism Runes] on the surface of the shields flashed rapidly and dimmed, clashing intensely with the purple-black corrosive energy on the tentacles, emitting "sizzling" burning sounds.

Although black spots of corrosion began to appear on the surface of some shields and the runes quickly failed, the shield wall itself was not immediately breached!

"Now! Crossbow towers, focus fire! Target: The roots of the tentacles hitting the shield wall!" Lin Zhou seized this brief opportunity of stalemate and gave the Order decisively.

The surviving crossbow towers and several [Mechanism Warbeast · Hunter Type] (high-speed, lightweight, equipped with poison-tipped short spear launchers) that had been harassing from the flanks concentrated their firepower and poured it onto the tentacles that were struggling against the shield wall.

This time, because the tentacles were relatively stationary, the hit rate increased significantly! A large number of steel bolts and short spears were driven deep into the root areas where the tentacles connected to the Abyssal Gate, or into the interiors of the sucker mouthparts that were constantly opening and closing, attempting to gnaw on the shields!

"Hiss—!!!"

Several tentacles let out painful hisses, similar to metal friction; their movements noticeably stalled, and the strength of their constriction and whipping weakened.

One of the smaller tentacles was even severed by more than half by the dense firepower, spraying large amounts of foul-smelling black pus from the wound, while the remaining part writhed violently like an injured venomous snake and retracted slightly.

The fourth defensive line, at the cost of several destroyed crossbow towers, over ten scrapped mechanism beasts, light corrosion on all the Behemoth Heavy Shieldbearers' shields, and some members suffering concussive internal injuries, had actually managed to temporarily block the most ferocious first wave of the tentacle swarm's assault! And it had successfully inflicted considerable damage on some of the tentacles!

Fourth defensive line delay time: 28 seconds! (Exceeded the designed 20 seconds, due to the tenacity of the Behemoth Heavy Shieldbearers and the concentrated counterattack of firepower.)

However, good times did not last long. From behind the Abyssal Gate, the cold and furious Divine Thought fluctuations of Draka came again: "Annoying ants... Then I shall crush another layer!"

Following his will, the rotation speed of the gloomy vortex in the center of the Abyssal Gate accelerated again! More and thicker purple-black tentacles surged out from the vortex like an endless tide!

At the same time, those previously injured or retracted tentacles, nourished by the Abyssal Devilish Qi, actually began to regenerate and repair themselves at a speed visible to the naked eye! Although the speed was not very fast, this terrifying endurance and recovery ability caused the pressure facing the defensive line to continue to soar!

The fifth defensive line—[Confucian-Legalist Combination · Order Weakening Zone]—immediately felt the pressure.

Hundreds of low-Rank scholars among the Literary Heart Elves (Rank LV20-LV30, prominent Intelligence attribute) gathered at the defensive nodes and chanted in unison: "The Master said: 'The wise are not confused, the benevolent are not worried, and the brave are not afraid!'"

The resonant chanting turned into faint golden [Vast Righteous Qi], permeating the sky above the fifth defensive line like a thin mist.

This Righteous Qi indeed had a natural repulsive and purifying effect on the chaotic Abyssal Aura; when the tentacle swarm rushed into this area, the corrosive black light on their surface seemed to be weakly suppressed and purified a little, and their movements also seemed to be hindered by a trace of invisible "Order" resistance, no longer as unscrupulous as before.

Qin Qing's Law Domain also fully unfolded at this moment, covering the core area of the fifth layer. "The Law is manifest, defining this Domain: Abyssal erosion is illegal, and chaotic disorder shall be restrained!"

The pale golden Law chains became more solid, attempting to reinforce the space from the level of rules, weakening the effects of [Pain Aura] and [Corrosive Divinity].

However, when coming into contact with the purple-black corrosive energy of the tentacle swarm, the Law chains still emitted "hissing" sounds of being overwhelmed, constantly being eroded and disintegrated, though the speed was slightly slower than before at the third layer.

Qin Qing's face became increasingly pale; maintaining the Law Domain to resist this scale of Abyssal erosion was extremely draining for her.

Zhang Jun tried his best and activated the pre-embedded [Hold-Fast Runes (One-time use)] at key positions of the defensive line.

The runes lit up, forming small light shields, slightly enhancing the defensive power of buildings and units within the range, and generating a weak repulsion against Abyssal energy.

The fifth defensive line, through confrontation at the level of rules, indeed further weakened the might of the tentacle swarm and delayed its advance speed.

But the vast number of tentacles and the domineering nature of [Corrosive Divinity] were still slowly and firmly eroding the defensive line.

The Vast Righteous Qi was tainted, the Law chains constantly broke and regenerated, and the light shields of the Hold-Fast Runes flickered unsteadily like candles in the wind.

Fifth defensive line delay time: 22 seconds! (Slightly exceeded the designed 20 seconds.)

Finally, at the cost of another batch of crossbow towers being destroyed, some Wenxin Elf Scholars being injured due to mental backlash, and Qin Qing's Divine Power being consumed at an accelerated rate, the tentacle swarm tore open a weak point in the fifth defensive line, like venom-tipped black spears, stabbing fiercely toward the sixth layer—[Daoist Core · Yin and Yang Trapping Zone]!

This was the first key node preset for the delaying tactics!

"Yin and Yang, Two Poles, Micro-dust Evolution, Trap!" Zhang Jun shouted hoarsely, resonating with the [Bagua Formation Plate] remotely controlled by Li Mo, and fully activated the pre-arranged core compound Formation—[Two Poles Micro-dust Formation (Simplified Version)]!

Hum—!!!

Throughout the Sixth Defensive Line area, the light suddenly became blurred and uncertain, as if space had been folded and twisted by an invisible force.

The tentacle swarm that rushed into the Formation immediately felt as if it had fallen into a quagmire!

The scene ahead became blurred, the sense of direction—up, down, left, and right—became confused, the originally straight charging path became winding, and some tentacles even felt as if they were spinning in place!

Within the Formation, the Yin and Yang Qi circulated, constantly wearing down the Abyssal Devilish Qi on the surface of the tentacles; although the speed was slow, it was indeed continuously consuming it.

[part:gemini-3.0-flash]

The Behemoth elites personally led by Wang Meng (Rank LV48-LV52, with even higher attributes after Berserk) and several massive [Mohist Mechanism War Beast · Mountain Guard Type] (Rank LV38-LV40, Strength 70, Physique 75, Agility 20; Skills: [Immovable Fortress Lv.3] providing extremely high defense and knockback resistance, and [Leyline Connection Lv.2] which allows slow durability recovery by drawing energy from the earth when standing still) firmly held the key Formation eyes. They did not clash head-on with the tentacles; instead, they utilized the chaos and sluggishness created by the Formation to constantly harass and sever from the flanks those tentacles caught in the trap, focusing their attacks on regeneration sites and the weak points of the energy links to the Abyssal Gate.

For a time, within the Sixth Defensive Line, the tentacles danced wildly but could find no clear targets. The Behemoths and Mohist Mechanisms appeared and disappeared unpredictably, while the power of the Formation continuously ground them down. The speed of the advance was greatly delayed!

Draka clearly hadn't expected the opponent to have such an exquisite trapping Formation. A Divine Thought fluctuation carrying obvious anxiety transmitted from behind the Abyssal Gate: "Damned Formation... Explode for me!"

Several particularly thick tentacles, radiating a dense, corrosive black light, stopped trying to find a way out. Instead, like frenzied giant pythons, they began to indiscriminately and crazily lash and strike everything around them! Every strike carried massive weight, and the purple-black corrosive energy splashed out like spilled ink! They were attempting to use the most barbaric force to forcibly destroy the spatial structure and energy nodes of the Formation!

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom—!

The Formation space vibrated violently, and several Formation bases (buried Formation Plates and rune nodes) began to crack under the frenzied assault. The Behemoths and Mohist Mechanisms guarding the Formation eyes also endured immense pressure; from time to time, a Mohist Mechanism was sent flying, or a Behemoth Warrior coughed up blood and retreated.

However, the Formation continued to operate tenaciously! Although every violent attack from the tentacles caused damage to the Formation, it also consumed a vast amount of their energy. Furthermore, due to their distorted sense of direction, many attacks failed to hit critical spots.

Time delayed by the Sixth Defensive Line: 35 seconds! (Far exceeding the designed 25 seconds! The core Formation's effect was significant!)

When the sixth layer finally collapsed after more than thirty tentacles bombarded it regardless of the cost, with over seventy percent of the Formation bases shattered, time had already quietly passed—

[Total time delayed by the first six defensive lines: 18 + 12 + 8 + 28 + 22 + 35 = 123 seconds! Approximately two minutes and three seconds!]

Less than one minute remained of the estimated three-minute peak period (180 seconds)! Moreover, although the number of tentacles had not significantly decreased during the Breakthrough of the six defensive lines (as the Abyssal Gate was constantly replenishing them), their overall Aura and energy intensity had visibly declined due to continuous combat, resistance against Laws, Formation attrition, and multiple injury repairs! The tentacles at the very front had lost much of their purple-black luster, their dancing speed had slowed, and their regeneration speed had noticeably slackened.

"How is this possible?!" Draka's incredulous will, a mix of rage and a trace of imperceptible panic, exploded like thunder over the battlefield. He had sacrificed half of his dependents at the start to summon the Abyssal Gate and launch a thunderous offensive, thinking he could tear through the opponent's defenses like dry weeds and strike directly at the heart! But now, over two minutes had passed, and his army of tentacles was still trapped in the outer regions of the opponent's Divine Domain! Although they had broken through six lines of defense, every layer they breached felt like sinking deeper into a quagmire; the consumption was enormous, and the advance speed was far lower than expected!

How could the opponent's defense be so troublesome? Those seemingly fragile mechanisms, simple Formations, and faint lights... when combined, actually produced such tough resilience! This completely contradicted his understanding of conventional Divine Domain defenses!

Anxiety, like poisonous weeds, began to grow in his heart. He knew that the peak period of [Abyssal Descent] was limited! The longer time dragged on, the more disadvantageous it became for him!

"I have no time to waste with you! All tentacles, stop dispersing and concentrate on one point—blast open that eyesore of a light shield ahead!" Draka roared, centralizing control over all tentacles. He made them abandon the cleanup of the remaining areas of the sixth layer and, like a gathering black torrent, launch an unprecedented, desperate concentrated charge toward the Seventh Defensive Line—that light shield radiating a hazy white light, looking like a giant eggshell!

The Seventh Defensive Line—the [Mohist Wonder · Non-Aggression Barrier Zone]—finally faced its true test.

Li Mo's projected light became more solid than ever, his voice carrying a focused electronic tone: "[Non-Aggression Barrier · Micro Projection]—Activate at maximum power! Energy circuits overloaded by 30%! Estimated duration will be shortened, but defensive strength is increased!"

Buzz—!!!

The eggshell-like white light shield suddenly flared with blinding light. Countless precise and complex geometric patterns and Mohist runes surfaced on the shield's face, circulating rapidly! A Concept of Law embodying "Absolute Defense" and "Non-Aggression and Ceasefire" permeated the air, firmly protecting everything behind the Seventh Defensive Line.

However, Lin Zhou's eyes remained exceptionally calm. He watched the torrent of tentacles converging into a single force, slamming into the white light shield like a black drill, and a faint, "everything is going according to plan" curve even appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"I was waiting for you to concentrate your attack. Li Mo, activate the true killing move of the Seventh Defensive Line—the [Mohist Mechanism · Serial Labyrinth]! Goal: Let these tentacles have a good 'stroll' inside!"

"Understood!" Li Mo replied.

At the critical moment just as the black tentacle torrent was about to hit the [Non-Aggression Barrier] shield, beneath the surface of the Seventh Defensive Line in front of the shield, countless pre-buried [Mohist Mechanism Formation Bases]—crafted from special Void-affinity Materials and engraved with complex space-folding runes—activated simultaneously!

These Formation bases were not independent; they created a wondrous resonance with the [Void Membrane] trait Lin Zhou had recently acquired for the edge of his Divine Domain! At the same time, Zhang Jun overextended his final Divine Soul power to strike several core [Spatial Turbulence Runes] into the Formation eyes!

In an instant, starting from a hundred meters in front of the [Non-Aggression Barrier] shield, the spatial rules of an entire area underwent a bizarre transformation!

It wasn't simple distortion or folding, but the Formation of a self-referential, infinitely looping [Serial Labyrinth]! The principle of the Formation drew from the Daoist philosophy of 'a foot-long stick, half of which is removed daily, will never be exhausted in ten thousand generations,' combined with Mohist Mechanisms' precise segmentation and reorganization of space, and further utilized the [Void Membrane]'s adaptation to and guidance of spatial fluctuations to create a circulating corridor that existed within a finite physical space yet extended almost infinitely!

Boom!!!

The black tentacle torrent plunged headlong into this area.

Then... something bizarre happened.

The tentacles charging at the very front clearly felt they were sprinting straight ahead toward the white light shield that was within reach. However, from the perspective of external Observers (Lin Zhou and the others) and the sandbox display, those tentacles were seen entering the specific area and then their forward trajectory began to undergo minute deviations and folds imperceptible to the naked eye; they seemed to have entered an invisible, continuously looping 'Möbius strip' spatial structure!

They desperately pushed forward, yet they always found themselves back near the starting point of their charge or veering off in other directions after rounding some invisible 'curve,' even colliding and entangling with the tentacles charging in behind them! Clearly, the white light shield was less than a hundred meters ahead, but under the spatial rules of the [Serial Labyrinth], this hundred-meter distance seemed to be stretched into infinity!

"What's going on?! The direction... is wrong!" The chaotic spatial feedback Draka perceived through the tentacles left him both shocked and furious. He tried to forcibly control the tentacles to tear through this bizarre space with brute force. However, although every violent lash of the tentacles caused severe vibrations in the labyrinth space and even tore open brief spatial rifts, the core rules of the labyrinth were 'circulation' and 'reference.' As long as the entire spatial structure of the Formation wasn't completely annihilated all at once, the torn rifts would quickly close under the Formation's self-healing and the replenishment from the Void Membrane, potentially creating even newer and more complex loop paths!

What drove Draka even more mad was that this labyrinth seemed to be learning and adapting! The attack patterns and energy characteristics of the tentacles were recorded and analyzed by the Formation, which then generated more targeted space-folding methods to mislead and trap them!

The Seventh Defensive Line, which was originally planned to endure with the [Non-Aggression Barrier], had turned into an even more disgusting and time-consuming spatial quagmire due to Lin Zhou's temporary adjustments and the extreme performance of Li Mo and Zhang Jun!

The black tentacle torrent thrashed about inside, destroying things frantically, yet they were like flies caught in amber, futilely exhausting their power and time. The white light shield of the [Non-Aggression Barrier] remained unscathed; in fact, because the pressure had decreased, its energy consumption had even dropped significantly.

Time delayed by the Seventh Defensive Line (ongoing and still continuing): Over 40 seconds! And it was still increasing!

"No—! Stop! Retreat! Re-disperse and attack!" Draka roared in exasperation, wanting to pull the tentacles out of this godforsaken labyrinth area.

But getting in was easy, while getting out was hard. The tentacles caught in the spatial loop couldn't even find the right direction to 'retreat.'

Time ticked away, second by second.

On the sandbox, the countdown bar representing the three-minute peak period had already entered the final fifty-second red zone.

Draka's anxiety and rage almost overflowed through the Abyssal Gate.

On Lin Zhou's side, although everyone was exhausted, their eyes grew brighter and brighter.

The unexpected success of the seventh layer had raised the effectiveness of the delay tactics to a new height!

The scales of victory were tilting firmly and slowly toward Xinghai University.