415: Chapter 350: Mount Buzhou Presses Down, Innate Power Shakes the Soul

The rainbow light of the qiankun tripod slowly receded into the Void Realm.

The Hundred Schools inscriptions on the tripod's body shifted from blazing brightness to a gentle warmth, their pale gold luster like lamps in the twilight—quiet yet steady. Lin Zhou stored the shrunken tripod into the core of his Divine Kingdom, placing it within the Temple of Civilization. The moment the tripod touched the ground, the sanctuary trembled slightly, as if welcoming its newest member.

[Temple of Civilization · Status Update]

- New Resident Wonder: qiankun tripod (Legendary/Civilization Sacred Relic)

- Sanctuary Resonance: river of civilization Water Level +5% (21% → 26%)

- Sanctuary Defense: +30% (Due to the 'Hundred Schools Blessing' trait of the qiankun tripod)

"Captain, Pan Qian is gone. Did we win?" Wang Meng's voice carried the relief of a survivor.

Lin Zhou did not answer.

His gaze remained fixed on the distance—the direction where Pan Qian had vanished. There, the projection of Mount Buzhou had not completely dissipated. Though the mountain's silhouette was blurred, it still stood tall in the Void Realm like a thorn stuck in the throat of heaven and earth.

"No, not yet," Lin Zhou's voice was low.

"What?" Wang Meng was stunned.

"Pan Qian hasn't admitted defeat. He only put away the qiankun tripod."

Lin Zhou pointed at the distant phantom of Mount Buzhou: "Look, the mountain is still there."

Everyone followed his finger to look.

Sure enough, the projection of Mount Buzhou had not thoroughly dissipated like Jinao Island. Instead, it had become semi-transparent, like a mirage. The Innate Runes on the mountain body had dimmed considerably, but they were still slowly circulating. The entire mountain floated in the Void Realm, neither advancing nor retreating, as if waiting for something.

"What is he waiting for?" Qin Qing frowned.

"Waiting for us to let our guard down," Lin Zhou shook his head, "or rather, waiting for himself to make up his mind."

"Make up his mind?"

"To make up his mind to use his final resort."

Just as Lin Zhou finished speaking, the distant Void Realm suddenly shook.

The phantom of Mount Buzhou abruptly shifted from semi-transparent to solid! The Innate Runes on the mountain's surface lit up simultaneously, erupting with a piercing golden light! That light was more dazzling than any time before, like a sun descending upon the mortal world!

[Mount Buzhou Projection · Final Form — Activated!]

- Status: Switched from "Suppression Mode" to "Heaven's Tilt Mode"

- Energy Output: 300%

- Coverage Area: 5,000 kilometers in diameter

- Effect: Using the body of Mount Buzhou as a weapon, it tilts toward the target, dealing a dual physical and rule-based strike of "Heaven-Collapsing and Earth-Shattering" proportions.

- Power: Equivalent to 10% of a full-strength strike from a great divine power (LV5000)

- Consumption: All energy reserves of the Mount Buzhou projection (One-time use)

"He's crazy!" Qin Qing's face turned deathly pale. "He wants to take us down with him!"

Lin Zhou did not move.

His gaze crossed Mount Buzhou and looked toward the mountain Peak.

There, Pan Qian's figure emerged once more.

His face was pale and his divine fire flickered; evidently, activating the final form of Mount Buzhou had consumed immense mental effort. But his eyes were exceptionally firm—not with madness, but with resolution.

"Lin Zhou," Pan Qian's voice came from afar, calm yet carrying a hint of raspiness, "I acknowledge your Way of Civilization. But acknowledgment is not the same as surrender."

"As the captain of the Honghuang Academy main team, I must give my all."

"This strike is my final bet."

He raised his hand, fingers spread wide, and aimed at Mount Buzhou.

"Mount Buzhou—Heaven's Tilt!"

BOOM—!!!

The entire mountain began to tilt.

It wasn't a slow, tentative tilt like before, but a resolute, irreversible collapse. The mountain body began to lean forward from its vertical state, its speed increasing. The Void Realm was collapsing, rules were shattering, and even the distant stars began to tremble.

[Mount Buzhou · Heaven's Tilt Data]

- Tilting Speed: 10 degrees per second

- Total Collapse Time: 9 seconds

- Mountain Height: 100,000 kilometers

- Coverage Area: 3,000 kilometers in diameter (Star Sea Divine Kingdom projection completely enveloped)

- Current Distance: Lin Zhou's Divine Kingdom core is approximately 200 kilometers from the mountain body

"Get out of the way!" Wang Meng roared.

But it was too late.

The speed at which Mount Buzhou tilted seemed slow, but it was actually as fast as lightning. Nine seconds—in just nine seconds, the entire mountain would smash into the Star Sea Divine Kingdom projection.

Nine seconds.

Lin Zhou watched the tilting Mount Buzhou as countless thoughts flashed through his mind.

Dodge? He couldn't. The movement speed of the Divine Kingdom projection couldn't keep up with the mountain's tilt.

Block? He couldn't. The power of this strike was equivalent to 10% of a great divine power, while his Divinity was only LV500 and his river of civilization water level was at a mere 26%.

What to do?

His gaze fell upon the qiankun tripod in the Divine Kingdom core.

The Hundred Schools inscriptions on the tripod's body circulated slowly in the rainbow light, as if saying: I can do it.

Lin Zhou took a deep breath.

"No dodging, no blocking," he murmured, "I'll prop it up."

He stepped forward and spread his arms.

"river of civilization—Transform into Heaven Pillar!"

The river water suddenly contracted, condensing from a surging flood into a massive, pale gold pillar of light that shot straight into the sky! Carved upon the pillar was the human epic—from drilling wood for fire to the Hundred Schools of Thought Contending, from bronze tools to spacecraft, from oracle bone script to quantum computers.

That was—the Civilization Pillar.

The pillar rose from the Divine Kingdom core, propping itself directly against the tilting Mount Buzhou!

[Civilization Pillar · Status]

- Height: 100,000 kilometers (Equal to Mount Buzhou)

- Diameter: 1,000 kilometers

- Stability: 67% (Due to insufficient river water level)

- Load Capacity: Can withstand a full-strength strike from a Peak Mid-Tier Divine Power (LV600), but the current power of Mount Buzhou's Heaven's Tilt far exceeds this limit

"It won't hold!" Li Mo's electronic voice carried a rare sense of despair. "The power gap is too large!"

Lin Zhou did not speak.

He knew it wouldn't hold.

But he had to prop it up.

Because he was the captain.

Because behind him were his teammates, his Divine Kingdom, and his civilization.

"Even if it won't hold, I must prop it up!"

He gritted his teeth and poured all his remaining strength—the last sliver of Divine Power in his Divinity, the last drop of water in the river of civilization, and even the last bit of life force in his body—into the pillar!

The pillar's light suddenly surged!

But Mount Buzhou was still tilting.

Eight seconds... seven seconds... six seconds...

The distance grew closer and closer.

Two hundred kilometers... one hundred fifty kilometers... one hundred kilometers...

The top of the pillar and the body of Mount Buzhou were about to make contact.

"Everyone, get behind me!" Lin Zhou's voice was raspy but brooked no argument.

"Captain!" Qin Qing wanted to say something.

"Get back!"

Everyone gritted their teeth and retreated behind Lin Zhou.

Five seconds... four seconds... three seconds...

The shadow of Mount Buzhou already loomed over the entire Star Sea Divine Kingdom projection.

It was a pressure that defied description—not a suppression of strength, but a denial of existence itself. It was as if the sky had fallen and the earth had caved in, as if the Universe were telling you: You should not exist.

[Mount Buzhou · Pressure — Heaven's Tilt State]

- Effect: All "Acquired" existences within range suffer "Innate Negation"

- Negation Effect: Presence -50%, Rule Resistance -50%, Conviction Shaken +50%

- Lin Zhou's Current Status: Divinity Integrity 55%... 52%... 48%...

- river of civilization Stability: 26%... 24%... 22%...

Lin Zhou's body was trembling.

His Divinity was being crushed inch by inch by the "Innate Might" of Mount Buzhou. It wasn't pain, but a deeper kind of—nothingness. It was as if he were turning from "existence" into "non-existence," returning from "Acquired" to "Innate."

But he did not retreat.

Because he knew that behind him was five thousand years of civilization.

Two seconds... one second...

The Civilization Pillar and Mount Buzhou finally collided!

BOOM—!!!

There was no sound.

Because sound was annihilated the instant they collided.

There was only light.

A piercing light that swallowed everything.

The golden light (Mount Buzhou) and the pale gold light (Civilization Pillar) intertwined, forming a massive beam of light that spanned the Void Realm. Wherever the beam passed, space was torn apart, time was warped, and rules were rewritten.

[Collision Data]

- Mount Buzhou Power: 10% of a great divine power (LV5000)

- Civilization Pillar Capacity: 120% of a Peak Mid-Tier Divine Power (LV600) (Overloaded)

- Power Gap: Approximately eightfold

- Expected Result: The Civilization Pillar will collapse within three seconds

One second.

Cracks began to appear on the surface of the pillar.

It wasn't being shattered from the outside, but from within—because the load exceeded its limits, the pillar's "rule structure" began to self-destruct.

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

The crack spread downward from the top of the Heavenly Pillar with lightning speed, like a bolt of lightning splitting a dead tree.

[Civilization · Heavenly Pillar · Stability: 67%... 50%... 35%...]

Two seconds.

The crack in the Heavenly Pillar had already spread to the middle section.

The entire weight of the mountain pressed down upon the Heavenly Pillar. The pillar trembled, groaned, and wailed. Yet, it did not fall.

Because Lin Zhou was still there.

His hands rested lightly upon the Heavenly Pillar, using himself as an "anchor" to fix the pillar to the core of his Star Sea Divine Kingdom.

His Divine Status integrity had dropped to 40%.

His Divine Power reserves had reached zero.

The water level of his river of civilization had dropped to 18%.

Yet, his gaze remained steadfast.

"Civilization · Heavenly Pillar — you must not fall!"

Three seconds.

The crack in the Heavenly Pillar had spread to the base.

The entire Heavenly Pillar was like an ancient tree struck by lightning, its surface covered in cracks, ready to shatter into dust at any moment.

Yet, it did not fall.

Because, behind Lin Zhou, countless phantoms were emerging.

They were not the phantoms of sages, but — ordinary people.

The millions of ordinary people who had left their marks in the river of civilization.

Farmers, craftsmen, soldiers, merchants, scholars, mothers, fathers, children...

They had no names, no achievements, no biographies.

Yet, they were the Foundation of civilization.

It was they who grew grain with their own hands.

It was they who built cities with their sweat.

It was they who built the Great Wall with their flesh and blood.

It was they who passed down civilization with their lives.

"So... they are here too," Lin Zhou murmured.

Tears welled up in his eyes.

Not from sadness, but — from being moved.

"I am not alone."

"We are none of us alone."

The crack in the Heavenly Pillar stopped spreading.

[Civilization · Heavenly Pillar · Stability: 35%... 38%... 42%...]

Because those phantoms of ordinary people were using their own "existence" to fill the cracks in the Heavenly Pillar.

A farmer's phantom filled a crack.

A craftsman's phantom filled a crack.

A soldier's phantom filled a crack.

They were silent, without complaint or regret.

As if saying: We have always been here.

Mount Buzhou was still toppling.

But the speed of its toppling was slowing down.

Because, although the Heavenly Pillar was cracked, it was still holding up.

Every crack was filled by the phantom of an ordinary person. As each crack was filled, the stability of the Heavenly Pillar rose slightly.

[Civilization · Heavenly Pillar · Stability: 42%... 45%... 48%...]

Pan Qian stood at the Peak of Mount Buzhou, watching this scene, his pupils constricting sharply.

"This is..."

He saw the phantoms of those ordinary people.

They had no power, no rules, no divine status.

They only had — conviction.

"Is this... the Foundation of civilization?" Pan Qian murmured.

He suddenly understood.

Way of Civilization does not rely on heroes, geniuses, or gods.

It relies on every single person.

Every single person is a part of civilization.

Every single person contributes their own strength to civilization.

Every single person deserves to be remembered.

"I have lost," Pan Qian said softly.

Not to Lin Zhou.

But to those ordinary people.

He withdrew his hand.

The toppling of Mount Buzhou stopped.

[Mount Buzhou · Heavens-Toppling — Stopped.]

- Remaining Energy: 15%

- Toppling Angle: 45 degrees

- Status: Stalemate

The mountain hung in mid-air, neither falling nor standing upright.

The Heavenly Pillar propped up the mountain, and the mountain pressed down on the Heavenly Pillar.

Both sides trembled, but neither fell.

"Lin Zhou," Pan Qian's voice came from the Peak, "I submit to your Way of Civilization."

"However, I must finish this strike."

He bit his tongue and spat out a mouthful of golden divine blood. The divine blood merged into Mount Buzhou, and the light of the mountain shone brightly once more!

[Mount Buzhou · Heavens-Toppling — Continue!]

- Energy Injection: Pan Qian burns his Divine Status Origin (consumes 5% permanent progress)

- Toppling Speed: Restored

- Power: Increased to 12% of a Great-Tier Divine Power

"He's crazy!" Qin Qing exclaimed, "He's burning his own Foundation!"

Lin Zhou did not speak.

His gaze crossed Mount Buzhou and looked at Pan Qian.

Pan Qian's face was as pale as paper. His Divine Fire flickered violently, and his Divine Rank began to drop from LV650 — LV640... LV630... LV620...

Yet, his gaze remained steadfast.

"Lin Zhou, this is my respect for you."

"Giving it my all is the greatest respect for an opponent."

Lin Zhou was silent for a moment, then nodded slowly.

"Very well."

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

His consciousness sank into the core of his divine kingdom, into the Temple of Civilization, and into that fist-sized Fire of Civilization.

The flame was still burning.

Though weak, it was steadfast.

"Fire of Civilization, give me strength one more time."

The flame did not answer.

But the temperature of the flame grew higher.

Lin Zhou opened his eyes, and within them burned the incandescent white Fire of Civilization.

He raised his right hand, splayed his fingers, and aimed at the Heavenly Pillar.

"Civilization · Heavenly Pillar — Second Form!"

The Heavenly Pillar shook violently!

Then, it began to change.

It was no longer a simple beam of light, but — a Great Wall.

On the surface of the Heavenly Pillar, countless battlements, arrow towers, and beacon towers appeared. Standing upon the city walls were countless phantoms — not sages, not heroes, but millions of ordinary people.

They held spears, wore armor, and their gazes were steadfast.

This was — a Great Wall of Flesh and Blood.

[Civilization · Heavenly Pillar · Second Form — Great Wall of Flesh and Blood]

- Trait: Using "people" as bricks, and "conviction" as mortar.

- Defense: Proportional to the number of defenders (Current number of phantoms: approx. one million).

- Special Effect: For every additional defender, the Great Wall's defense increases by 1%.

- Current Defense: Equivalent to 500% of a Mid-Tier Divine Power (LV600) Peak.

- Maximum Tolerance: 15% of a Great-Tier Divine Power (LV5000).

"This is..." Pan Qian's eyes widened.

He saw that the phantoms of those ordinary people were using their own bodies to build a city wall.

Not forced, but voluntary.

Because what they were protecting was their own home, their own civilization.

"So... this is civilization," Pan Qian murmured.

He hesitated no longer.

Mount Buzhou pressed down with full force!

The Great Wall formed by the Heavenly Pillar pushed up with full force!

Boom —!!!

The moment of collision, the entire Void Realm went silent.

There was no sound, no light, only — silence.

As if the Universe had stopped rotating at this moment.

Then, the light came.

Not golden, not pale golden, but — seven-colored.

Every phantom of a defender on the Great Wall emitted its own light. The farmer's light was green, the craftsman's light was white, the soldier's light was red, the scholar's light was blue, the mother's light was pink, the child's light was golden...

A million colors intertwined to form a rainbow that spanned across the Void Realm.

The rainbow struck Mount Buzhou.

Mount Buzhou stopped.

It stopped completely and irreversibly.

[Mount Buzhou · Heavens-Toppling — Failed!]

- Reason: Blocked by the "Great Wall of Flesh and Blood"

- Remaining Energy: 0%

- Status: Impending collapse

Pan Qian stood at the Peak of the mountain, looking at the rainbow, silent for a long time.

Then, he smiled.

His smile was bitter, yet carried a sense of relief.

"Lin Zhou, you won."

[Honghuang Academy Team — Concedes!]

[Xinghai University Team — Advances to the Top Five!]

The tournament notification sound rang out once again.

This time, it was the true end.

The projection of Mount Buzhou began to slowly dissipate. Starting from the Peak, it turned into nothingness inch by inch. The Innate Runes on the mountain body, like extinguished stars, dimmed and vanished one by one.

Pan Qian floated down from the Peak and landed in front of Lin Zhou.

His face was deathly pale, his Divine Rank had dropped to LV580, and his Divine Fire was as weak as a candle in the wind. Yet, his gaze was exceptionally calm.

"Lin Zhou, thank you."

"What are you thanking me for?"

"Thank you for letting me see that there is more than one Dao."

He extended his hand.

Lin Zhou took it.

Their hands clasped tightly in the Void Realm.

Not as opponents, but — as Fellow Daoists.

[Xinghai University Team — Advances to the Top Five!]

On the light screen, the golden text shone brilliantly.

And Lin Zhou leaned on Qin Qing's shoulder, closing his eyes.

A smile on his lips.