437: Chapter 372: Chaotic Riot, Beast Tide Attacks the Outpost

Three days after the activation of Shushan's three hundred Stone Statue Guardianss, the abnormal fluctuations deep within the Chaos Star Domain finally reached a critical point.

Xu floated at the top of the Embers Outpost's command tower, the Law runes surrounding its body flashing frantically with a piercing red light. Its face was pale, and its voice trembled: "Master... Chaos energy is gathering at an alarming rate. Direction... it's coming from all sides. The scale... is unprecedented."

Lin Zhou stood at the top of the tower, his gaze sweeping across the grayish-white mist. He could feel the earth trembling slightly—not from an earthquake, but from the resonance caused by countless Chaos Beasts running. In the air, the concentration of Chaos energy had skyrocketed from the usual 150 times to 300 times, and the Chaos resistance of the rune armor was being rapidly eroded.

[Chaos Beast Tide · Warning Data]

- Scale: Estimated 100,000 - 150,000 beasts

- Rank Distribution:

- LV200-LV250 (Common): Approx. 80,000

- LV250-LV300 (Elite): Approx. 40,000

- LV300-LV400 (Commander): Approx. 20,000

- Above LV400 (Beast King): At least 3

- Distance from Outpost: Approx. 50 km

- Estimated Arrival Time: Approx. 30 minutes

"It's finally here," Lin Zhou said in a low voice.

He turned and walked down the command tower.

"All forces—enter First-Degree Combat Readiness!"

The alarm bells rang, and five thousand soldiers quickly took their positions.

Wang Meng led one thousand men from the Vanguard Battalion, forming a line on the east side of the outpost, which was the most likely direction for the main assault. Tie Xiong led one thousand two hundred men from the War Hall Battalion, setting up shield Formations on the west, north, and south sides to form a circular defense. Qin Shuang led eight hundred men from the Administration Hall Battalion, deploying a Law · Order Domain behind the lines to weaken the chaotic rules of the Chaos Beasts. Wen Yuan led five hundred men from the Research Hall Battalion, manning the defensive Formations and Rune Turrets.

The remaining five hundred men were Lin Zhou’s personal guard—including seventy-two Shushan Sword Cultivators and three hundred Stone Statue Guardianss. They served as a mobile reserve, ready to reinforce any part of the defensive line at any time.

[Civilization Guardian Legion · Defense Deployment Data]

- Total Strength: 5,000 men + 300 stone statues

- Defensive Formation: [Iron Wall Guardian Array · Improved Version] (Covers 10km diameter)

- Formation Effects: Ally Defense +50%, Enemy Attack -30%, Chaos Resistance +80%

- Rune Turrets: 50 (Attack power of each = Lesser Divinity Peak)

- Law · Order Domain: Covers 3km diameter (Chaos unit all attributes -20%)

- Fire of Civilization: Burning atop the tower, covers 100km diameter (Ally all attributes +10%)

Lin Zhou stood at the top of the command tower, his zhan nian sword planted before him, hands resting on the hilt. The Civilization Sword River surged within his Divine Kingdom, ready to manifest at a moment's notice.

"Xu, monitor the beast tide's movements in real-time."

"Yes, Master."

Xu closed its eyes to sense, projecting the distribution, speed, and composition of the beast tide in real-time onto the command tower's light screen.

[Beast Tide · Real-time Data]

- Vanguard Force: Approx. 20,000, 20 km away

- Main Force: Approx. 80,000, 35 km away

- Beast Kings: 3, 50 km away (stationary)

- Estimated Vanguard Arrival: Approx. 10 minutes

"The vanguard only has twenty thousand," Wang Meng said through the communication link. "Captain, should we strike and wipe them out first?"

"No," Lin Zhou shook his head. "Wait for them to enter the Formation's range. We'll wear them down first, then counterattack."

"Understood!"

Ten minutes later.

Countless distorted figures appeared within the grayish-white mist.

The vanguard of the Chaos Beast tide surged from the east like a grayish-white tide. They came in various forms—some crawling on four legs, some wriggling with many legs, and some flying or gliding. Chaos fire burned in their eyes, and corrosive saliva dripped from their mouths.

[Vanguard Force · Composition]

- Quantity: Approx. 20,000

- Rank: LV200-LV250

- Form: Primarily reptilian/crawling

- Speed: Approx. 100 km/h

"They've entered the Formation's range!" Wen Yuan shouted.

[Iron Wall Guardian Array · Activated!]

- Coverage: 10km diameter

- Enemy Entry: Vanguard has stepped into the Formation's edge

- Formation Effects Active: Enemy attack -30%, movement speed -20%

The speed of the Chaos Beasts dropped noticeably.

"Rune Turrets—Fire!"

Fifty Rune Turrets opened fire simultaneously, fifty pale-gold light beams shooting into the beast swarm!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Each beam could kill over a dozen Chaos Beasts. The first volley cleared out about five hundred beasts.

[Rune Turrets · First Volley]

- Kills: Approx. 500

- Consumption: 100 Divine Power per turret

- Reload Time: Ten seconds

"Continue!" Wen Yuan ordered.

The Rune Turrets fired continuously.

Second volley, third volley, fourth volley...

By the time the vanguard reached the edge of the Formation, approximately three thousand had been killed.

However, seventeen thousand still remained.

"Wang Meng, prepare to engage!" Lin Zhou ordered.

"Understood!"

The one thousand Behemoth Berserkers of the Vanguard Battalion lined up on the east side of the outpost. Their battle-axes reflected a pale-gold light under the glow of the Fire of Civilization.

"Behemoth Berserk—Activate!"

Wang Meng roared, pushing his Behemoth Bloodline to the limit. His body expanded, his arms transformed into sharp claws, and Battle Intent burned in his eyes. One thousand Vanguard Battalion soldiers berserked simultaneously, their Killing Intent reaching the heavens.

[Vanguard Battalion · Berserk State]

- Strength: +100%

- Defense: -20%

- Attack Speed: +50%

- Duration: Thirty minutes

- Side Effect: Weakness for one hour after berserk ends

"Kill!"

Wang Meng was the first to charge into the swarm, his battle-axe sweeping out and cleaving three Chaos Beasts in half!

The Vanguard Battalion followed close behind like a sharp blade, piercing into the front of the Chaos Beast tide. Battle-axes rose and fell, sending severed limbs of Chaos Beasts flying everywhere. Grayish-white Chaos energy poured from their wounds, staining the battlefield a deathly white.

[Vanguard Battalion · Engagement Data (First 5 Minutes)]

- Kills: Approx. 2,000

- Losses: 50 light injuries, 10 heavy injuries

- Battle Line: Stable

"Tie Xiong, flank cover!" Lin Zhou ordered.

"Understood!"

Tie Xiong led the War Hall Battalion to outflank from both sides, their massive steel shields forming two mobile walls that blocked the impact of the Chaos Beasts' flanks. Rune light flashed on the shields, every collision stirring up ripples of energy.

[War Hall Battalion · Defense Data]

- Attacks Withstood: Approx. 5,000

- Shield Durability: Average 85%

- Battle Line: Solid

"Qin Shuang, Law · Order Domain—Expand!"

Qin Shuang led the Law Enforcement Team of the Administration Hall, expanding the Law · Order Domain from a diameter of three kilometers to five. The pale-gold light enveloped half the battlefield, and the speed and attack power of the Chaos Beasts dropped once more.

[Law · Order Domain · Expansion]

- Coverage: 5km diameter

- Consumption: 1,000 Divine Power per minute

- Effect: Chaos unit all attributes -25% (was -20%)

The scales of the battlefield were tipping toward the Civilization Guardian Legion.

However, Lin Zhou knew that this was only the vanguard.

The true main force was still behind them.

"Wen Yuan, where is the main force?" Lin Zhou asked.

Wen Yuan stared at the light screen, his expression grave: "The main force has advanced to within twenty kilometers of the outpost. Estimated arrival in fifteen minutes. Also... the three Beast Kings have started moving."

[Beast King · Movement Data]

- Beast King A (LV450): Approaching from the north

- Beast King B (LV480): Approaching from the south

- Beast King C (LV520): Approaching from the east (behind the main force)

- Estimated Arrival Time: Approx. 20 minutes

"Three of them, from three different directions." Lin Zhou frowned.

He thought quickly.

"Wang Meng, finish off the vanguard within five minutes, then retreat inside the Formation."

"Understood!"

Wang Meng roared and led the Vanguard Battalion in a general offensive.

Battle-axes danced wildly, and Behemoth claws tore through everything. The soldiers of the Vanguard Battalion were like meat grinders, slaying the remaining Chaos Beasts one by one.

[Vanguard Force · Annihilated!]

- Time Taken: Approx. 12 minutes

- Kills: 20,000

- Vanguard Battalion Losses: 200 light injuries, 30 heavy injuries, 5 KIA

- chaos crystals Obtained: Approx. 2,000

"Retreat!" Wang Meng led the troops back into the Formation.

Medics immediately stepped forward to treat the wounded.

Lin Zhou walked to the front of the Formation, looking out at the grayish-white mist in the distance. Within the mist, countless figures were surging—the main force, eighty thousand Chaos Beasts.

"Wen Yuan, how long can the Formation hold?"

"Based on the current rate of Chaos energy erosion, the Formation can hold for two hours at most," Wen Yuan said. "If the Beast Kings join the attack, that time will be even shorter."

"Two hours is enough."

Lin Zhou turned to look at the three hundred Stone Statue Guardianss.

"Stone Statue Guardianss—Deploy!"

The three hundred stone statues stepped forward simultaneously, moving to the front of the battle line. Cyan-white fires of Sword Intent burned in their eyes, and their longswords pointed toward the beast tide.

[Stone Statue Guardians · Data]

- Quantity: 300

- Rank: LV400-LV500

- Trait: Body of Sword Intent (80% Physical Immunity, 60% Energy Immunity)

- Skill: [Sword Intent Slash] — Attack power = full strike of an Early-stage Mid-Tier Divine Power

- Consumption: None (Autonomous combat)

"Form up—Sword Formation!"

The three hundred statues arranged themselves in a mysterious Formation. The distance, angle, and orientation between each other all perfectly aligned with the principles of the Shushan Sword Formation.

[Shushan Sword Formation · Basic Version]

- Coverage: 1km diameter

- Effects:

1. Ally sword technique power within the Formation +50%

2. Enemy defense within the Formation -30%

3. Sword Intent Resonance: Statues can buff each other, all attributes +20%

The main force of the beast tide finally reached the front of the Formation.

Eighty thousand Chaos Beasts, like a grayish-white tsunami, covered the sky and earth.

"Stone Statue Guardianss—Intercept!"

Three hundred stone statues struck with their swords simultaneously.

Sword light interlaced, forming a cyan-white sword net that ground the Chaos Beasts at the very front into fragments!

[Stone Statue Guardians · First Attack Round]

- Kills: Approx. 3,000

- Statue Status: Intact

- Sword Formation Stability: 95%

However, there were too many Chaos Beasts.

As those in front fell, those behind trampled over their companions' corpses and continued the charge. The sword net was struck repeatedly, and tiny cracks began to appear.

[Sword Formation Stability: 95%... 90%... 85%...]

"Wen Yuan, Rune Turret support!"

The fifty Rune Turrets opened fire again, light beams shooting into the swarm, killing hundreds with every volley.

[Rune Turrets · Sustained Fire]

- Volleys Fired: 20

- Total Kills: Approx. 10,000

- Consumption: 2,000 Divine Power per turret

- Remaining Energy: Approx. 60% per turret

The battle had entered its most brutal phase of attrition.

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

Wang Meng led the Vanguard Battalion to stand by behind the sword Formation, ready to relieve the stone statues at any moment.

Tie Xiong led the War Hall Battalion on the flank to fend off the Chaos Beast encirclement.

Qin Shuang's Order Domain maintained the stability of the battlefield.

Under the erosion of Chaos energy, the stability of Wen Yuan's Formation was slowly declining.

[Battlefield Data · After Half an Hour]

- Chaos Beasts remaining: approximately 60,000

- Stone Statue Guardians status: 50 lightly damaged, 10 heavily damaged, 240 undamaged

- Vanguard Battalion and War Hall Battalion losses: 500 lightly injured, 100 heavily injured, 20 killed in action

- Formation stability: 75%

- Rune Turret remaining energy: average 40%

"Captain, the Chaos Beast King is moving!" Wen Yuan exclaimed.

On the light screen, three Chaos Beast Kings accelerated simultaneously, charging toward the battlefield!

Chaos Beast King A (LV450) from the north, Chaos Beast King B (LV480) from the south, and Chaos Beast King C (LV520) from the east.

Their speed was extremely fast, three times that of normal Chaos Beasts.

"Wang Meng, north side! Tie Xiong, south side! Stone Statue Guardianss, east side!" Lin Zhou ordered, "I will deal with Chaos Beast King C!"

"Yes!"

Lin Zhou leaped up, the zhan nian sword unsheathed, and he flew by controlling the sword!

The sword light cut through the Void Realm, rushing straight at Chaos Beast King C.

Chaos Beast King C was a Chaos Beast resembling a giant lion, twice the size of the other two.

Its mane was composed of countless Rule Fragments, each one constantly changing color.

In its eyes burned a deep, black-hole-like Chaos fire.

[Chaos Beast King C · Data]

- Rank: LV520

- Characteristics: Rule Devour, Chaos Domain, Roar of Return to Void

- Rule Fragments devoured: approximately 5,000 (can be used to strengthen itself)

Lin Zhou swung his sword, and a pale golden sword light slashed toward Chaos Beast King C!

Chaos Beast King C opened its giant mouth and devoured the sword light.

[Rule Devour · Effect]

- Devoured target: Haoran Sword Intent

- Consumption: Core energy - 1%

- Chaos Beast King C core energy: 100% → 99%

"Devour, then." Lin Zhou sneered.

He swung his sword continuously, sending beams of sword light toward Chaos Beast King C. Chaos Beast King C had to devour them again and again, its core energy continuously dropping.

[Core energy: 99% ... 95% ... 90% ...]

Chaos Beast King C finally realized something was wrong; it no longer devoured passively but actively lunged at Lin Zhou!

Its speed was lightning fast, and the Rule Fragments in its mane turned into countless sharp blades, shooting toward Lin Zhou!

Lin Zhou dodged and simultaneously unfurled the Civilization Sword River.

The pale golden sword river surged out from his Divine Kingdom, spanning the heavens and the earth!

[Civilization Sword River · Manifestation]

- Length: 10,000 li

- Effect: Chaos units within range all attributes - 30%, allied units all attributes + 30%

- Consumption: 5,000 Divine Power per minute

Under the shroud of the sword river, Chaos Beast King C's speed and attack power dropped significantly.

Lin Zhou seized the opportunity and thrust the zhan nian sword into Chaos Beast King C's shoulder!

[zhan nian sword · Damage]

- Target: Chaos Beast King C

- Damage value: Peak Mid-Tier Divine Power full-force strike × 2 (restraint against Chaos)

- Effect: Shoulder scales shattered, Chaos energy leaked out

Chaos Beast King C roared and activated the Roar of Return to Void!

A grayish-white sound wave spread from its mouth, sweeping across the entire battlefield!

[Roar of Return to Void · Effect]

- Coverage area: 5 kilometers in diameter

- Existence check: All units must perform a Will check (Difficulty 85)

- Failure penalty: Divinity integrity - 5%

Lin Zhou passed the Will check (Dao Heart stability 99%), but the ordinary soldiers were not so lucky.

[Team status · After Roar of Return to Void]

- Number of people affected: approximately 3,000

- Failed checks: approximately 800

- Divinity integrity decrease: 5%

- Mental state: Mild confusion

"Everyone, hold steady!" Lin Zhou roared, "Fire of Civilization, protect!"

The Fire of Civilization at the top of the tower flared up suddenly, and the pale golden light illuminated the entire battlefield.

[Fire of Civilization · Group Protection]

- Coverage area: 10 kilometers in diameter

- Effect: Allied units Will check + 20, mental pollution resistance + 50%

- Consumption: 2,000 Divine Power per minute

Under the protection of the Fire of Civilization, the soldiers' state stabilized.

Lin Zhou turned and continued to grapple with Chaos Beast King C.

On the north side, Wang Meng led the Vanguard Battalion in a fierce battle against Chaos Beast King A.

Chaos Beast King A was a Chaos Beast resembling a giant bear, specializing in physical attacks. Every strike of its giant claws could tear the earth apart, so Wang Meng's Vanguard Battalion could only use guerrilla tactics to contain it and dared not fight head-on.

[Chaos Beast King A · Combat Data]

- Attack power: Mid-Tier Divine Power mid-stage full-force strike

- Defense: Extremely high (50% physical immunity)

- Speed: Relatively slow

- Weakness: Abdomen (scales are thinner)

"Hit its abdomen!" Wang Meng roared.

The soldiers of the Vanguard Battalion circled to the side of Chaos Beast King A and attacked its abdomen with battle axes. Chaos Beast King A felt pain and counterattacked frantically, but it was too slow and could never hit the agile Behemoth Berserkers.

On the south side, Tie Xiong led the War Hall Battalion to confront Chaos Beast King B.

Chaos Beast King B was a Chaos Beast resembling a giant python, specializing in Chaos Breath. Its breath had a wide range and high frequency, and Tie Xiong's giant steel shields could only barely withstand it.

[Chaos Beast King B · Combat Data]

- Attack power: Mid-Tier Divine Power mid-stage full-force strike (breath)

- Breath frequency: Once every ten seconds

- Defense: Medium

- Weakness: Neck (scales are thinner)

"Shield Formation—advance!" Tie Xiong ordered.

The War Hall Battalion's giant steel shields formed a moving wall, pushing forward slowly against the Chaos Beast King B's breath. With every step forward, the durability of the shields decreased, but no one retreated.

On the east side, the Stone Statue Guardianss engaged in a fierce battle with the remnants of Chaos Beast King C's forces.

The stone statues' sword Formation had already killed tens of thousands of Chaos Beasts, but dozens of them were damaged. Their fire of Sword Intent was slightly dimmed under the erosion of Chaos energy.

[Stone Statue Guardians · Status]

- Remaining: 260 (40 damaged, already withdrawn from battle)

- Sword Formation stability: 70%

- Kills: approximately 15,000

The battle between Lin Zhou and Chaos Beast King C reached a white-hot stage.

Chaos Beast King C's core energy had dropped to 60%, and its speed, strength, and defense had all significantly decreased. However, its level of madness had increased instead.

It lunged at Lin Zhou desperately, trying to win with brute force.

Lin Zhou dodged, and the zhan nian sword burned in his hand.

"Civilization Sword River—Ten Thousand Swords Return to Origin!"

He gave a low shout, and countless sword shadows within the Civilization Sword River shot toward Chaos Beast King C simultaneously!

[Ten Thousand Swords Return to Origin · Civilization Version]

- Attack power: Each sword shadow = Peak Lesser Divinity full-force strike

- Number of sword shadows: approximately 10,000

- Consumption: 50,000 Divine Power

- Cooldown: Seven days

Ten thousand sword shadows, like a rainstorm, engulfed Chaos Beast King C!

Chaos Beast King C's body was pierced by countless sword shadows, and Chaos energy surged wildly. Under the impact of the sword shadows, cracks appeared in its core.

[Chaos Beast King C · Status]

- Core integrity: 60% ... 40% ... 20% ...

- Health points: 30% ... 15% ... 5% ...

"Final strike!"

Lin Zhou leaped up and thrust the zhan nian sword into Chaos Beast King C's core!

[zhan nian sword · Core Pierce]

- Effect: Core ignited by Sword Intent, Chaos rules were "severed"

- Consumption: 5,000 Divine Power

Chaos Beast King C's body stiffened and then slowly collapsed.

Under the burning of the Sword Intent, its core turned from grayish-white to pale gold.

[Chaos Beast King C · Status]

- Life/Death: "Purified by Sword Intent"

- New form: Rule Guardian Beast (Order side)

- Rank: LV450 (decreased)

- Loyalty: 100%

"Shou!" Lin Zhou shouted.

Shou—the Chaos Beast King previously purified by the Fire of Civilization—rushed out from the Formation and came to Lin Zhou's side.

"Take it back," Lin Zhou said.

Shou nodded, picked up the purified Chaos Beast King C, and returned to the Formation.

Lin Zhou turned and looked toward the north and south sides.

Chaos Beast King A and Chaos Beast King B were still in a fierce battle with Wang Meng and Tie Xiong.

"Wen Yuan, Rune Turrets, concentrate fire on Chaos Beast King A!"

"Yes!"

Fifty Rune Turrets adjusted their angles and aimed at Chaos Beast King A simultaneously.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Fifty beams of light hit Chaos Beast King A's abdomen!

[Chaos Beast King A · Severely Damaged!]

- Abdominal scales shattered

- Large amount of Chaos energy leaked out

- Health points: 50% ... 30% ... 10% ...

Wang Meng seized the opportunity and slashed his battle axe into Chaos Beast King A's abdomen!

[Chaos Beast King A · Killed!]

- Time taken: approximately 25 minutes

- chaos crystal obtained: approximately 1,000

- Chaos Beast King Core obtained: 1

On the south side, Tie Xiong led the War Hall Battalion to corner Chaos Beast King B.

"Shield Formation—crush!"

The War Hall Battalion's giant steel shields pushed forward simultaneously, squeezing Chaos Beast King B in the middle. Chaos Beast King B struggled but could not break free. Its neck was exposed in the gaps of the shield Formation.

Qin Shuang's Law Enforcement Team flanked from the side and illuminated Chaos Beast King B's neck with the Light of Judgment.

"Now!" Tie Xiong roared.

Sharp blades popped out from the edges of the giant steel shields and stabbed into Chaos Beast King B's neck!

[Chaos Beast King B · Killed!]

- Time taken: approximately 30 minutes

- chaos crystal obtained: approximately 1,000

- Chaos Beast King Core obtained: 1

All three Chaos Beast Kings killed!

The beast tide lost its command and began to scatter.

"Pursue!" Wang Meng led the Vanguard Battalion to hunt down the retreating Chaos Beasts.

Lin Zhou landed back on the top of the command tower, his body swaying slightly.

[Lin Zhou · Status]

- Divine Power reserve: 230,000 → 180,000 (50,000 consumed)

- Divinity integrity: 100%

- Swordsmanship proficiency: 150%

- Civilization Sword River: Used (cooldown seven days)

"Captain, are you okay?" Qin Qing walked over.

"I'm fine." Lin Zhou shook his head, "Just a little tired."

He looked at the soldiers cleaning up the battlefield and felt a warm current rise in his heart.

"We won."

"We won." Qin Qing nodded, "But this was only the first wave."

Lin Zhou looked toward the grayish-white mist in the distance.

In the mist, the fluctuations of Chaos energy had not weakened.

Instead, it had become stronger.

"Xu, what else is in the depths of the Chaos Star Domain?"

Xu closed its eyes to perceive, its face pale: "Master... there are more powerful entities awakening."

"More powerful?"

"Stronger than the Chaos Beast Kings." Xu's voice trembled, "I sensed... the aura of the Return to Void."

Lin Zhou's pupils contracted sharply.

Return to Void.

The entity that ends the Universe.

"Prepare." Lin Zhou said, "A bigger storm is coming."