446: Chapter 381: News from the Grand Palace, Transcending Blessings to Protect Descendants

The light gate stood before him, like a solidified dawn.

Lin Zhou stood before the gate, only a hundred paces away.

He could feel the warmth surging from within the gate—it was a new Universe without Guixu, without Chaos, only containing Order and civilization.

Its radiance was of the same origin as the Fire of Civilization, resonated with the suppressing power of the Bronze Giant Hall, and echoed with every relic left behind by The Transcendent.

However, his footsteps halted.

Because, as he stepped within a hundred paces of the light gate, the entire Bronze Giant Hall trembled.

It was not an earthquake, but a tremor at the level of laws—the crystals on the hall ceiling flared with light, the reliefs on the ground began to flow, and the word "Suppress" on the hall gate erupted with blinding cyan-gold radiance.

The light converged into a beam, shooting out from the hall gate, landing before Lin Zhou, and transforming into a phantom.

The Transcendent.

It was not the lingering thought previously sealed within the crystal, but rather—the final message stored by the Bronze Giant Hall itself.

[Bronze Giant Hall · Final Message Triggered]

Trigger Condition: Defeat three Guixu Projections, approach the entrance of the new Universe.

Message Source: The Transcendent (left before falling).

Message Content: Regarding Guixu, the new Universe, and the final legacy of The Transcendent.

Recipient: Lin Zhou (inheritor of the Fire of Civilization).

The phantom was more solid than before, with a clear face, gentle eyes, and the vicissitudes of traversing eternity.

He wore ancient ceremonial robes, a crown with twelve tassels, and held a jade tablet.

But this time, there was something extra beside him—a star map.

The star map floated beside him, entirely transparent, like solidified light.

In the map, countless stars were flickering, and each star was marked with a coordinate.

Some stars were bright, some dim, and some had already extinguished.

"Latecomer." The Transcendent's voice was like an ancient bell, deep and distant. "That you can walk here means you have defeated the Guixu Projections, obtained the recognition of the Fire of Civilization, and inherited the control of 'Suppress'."

"However, this is not the end. This is only the beginning."

He raised his hand, pointing to the star map beside him.

"This star map is the crystallization of my life's work. It marks the locations of all civilization relics in the Universe—including those left by me, and those left by even older existences."

"Bright stars represent relics that still exist, waiting for those destined to find them. Dim stars represent relics that have been devoured by Guixu. Extinguished stars represent relics that have completely disappeared."

"Your task is not to guard 'Suppress', but to—find these relics, awaken them, and let the Fire of Civilization reignite."

Lin Zhou looked at the star map and was silent for a moment.

"Senior, why didn't you awaken them yourself?"

The Transcendent smiled.

"Because I no longer have time."

His phantom dimmed slightly.

"The speed of Guixu's erosion was faster than I imagined. Before I could awaken all the relics, I was severely injured by Guixu. I could only use my final strength to build 'Suppress', suppress the Chaos Star Domain, and delay the erosion of Guixu."

"And then, wait."

"Wait for someone who can inherit my legacy."

He looked at Lin Zhou, his eyes full of gratification.

"That person is you."

Lin Zhou was silent.

"Senior, I..."

"No need to say more." The Transcendent interrupted him. "I have seen your Dao. People-oriented, inclusive. It is different from my 'Unity of Heaven and Humanity', but they lead to the same destination."

"The Way of Civilization is not just one path."

"You walk your path, and I walk mine. But our destination is the same."

He raised his hand and pushed the star map toward Lin Zhou.

"This star map belongs to you."

The star map floated to Lin Zhou, merging into his palm.

[The Transcendent's Star Map · Obtained!]

Source: The Transcendent (original body)

Quality: Legendary (Unique)

Content: Coordinates of all civilization relics in the Universe

Number of marked relics: Approximately 3,000

Status distribution:

Bright (Intact): Approximately 500

Dim (Eroded): Approximately 1,000

Extinguished (Disappeared): Approximately 1,500

Functions:

Can perceive relic locations (Range: Entire Universe)

Can perceive relic status (Intact/Eroded/Disappeared)

Can perceive relic types (Sanctuary/Sword Tomb/Academy/Workshop, etc.)

Can resonate with the Temple of Civilization to accelerate relic awakening

Consumption: None (Passive)

Lin Zhou closed his eyes, perceiving the information within the star map.

Five hundred intact relics were scattered in every corner of the Universe. Some were in known Star Domains, some deep in the Chaos Star Domain, and some even on the edge of Guixu. Every relic sealed the essence of the civilization of the previous Universe—technology, thought, art, philosophy.

"Five hundred..." He muttered.

"That is enough." The Transcendent said. "Five hundred relics are enough for you to awaken the Fire of Civilization and resist Guixu."

"But you need time."

"Guixu's erosion will not wait for you."

His phantom dimmed again.

"My time is running out."

Lin Zhou's heart tightened.

"Senior..."

"Do not be sad." The Transcendent smiled. "I have lived too long and seen too many civilizations rise and fall. Being able to wait for you is enough."

He raised his hand and pointed to the light gate.

"The entrance to the new Universe is here. But now is not the time to enter."

"Why?"

"Because the new Universe has not fully formed yet." The Transcendent said. "It needs the nourishment of the Fire of Civilization, the irrigation of Order, and time to grow."

"When you awaken all the relics and the Fire of Civilization burns across the entire Universe, the new Universe will open naturally."

"At that time, you can take civilization into the new Universe and begin a new Reincarnation."

Lin Zhou looked at the light gate and was silent.

"How long?"

"I do not know." The Transcendent shook his head. "Perhaps a hundred years, perhaps a thousand, perhaps ten thousand. But no matter how long, you must persevere."

"Because you are the inheritor of the Fire of Civilization."

"Because you are the master of 'Suppress'."

"Because you are the guide of the new Universe."

His phantom began to dissipate.

"Senior!" Lin Zhou shouted.

The Transcendent's phantom looked at him one last time.

"The Way of Civilization is passed down from generation to generation. Do not let it down."

It dissipated.

Lin Zhou stood before the light gate, watching the direction where The Transcendent disappeared, and remained silent for a long time.

"Captain..." Qin Qing walked over. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Lin Zhou shook his head. "It's just... a little sad."

"Sad about what?"

"Sad that I couldn't meet him sooner."

Qin Qing was silent.

"Let's go." Lin Zhou turned around. "Back to 'Suppress'."

"Not going to the new Universe?"

"Not now." Lin Zhou said. "The new Universe has not fully formed yet. It needs time, it needs the Fire of Civilization, it needs Order."

"When it is ready, we will come back."

The team returned to the Bronze Giant Hall.

Lin Zhou stood on the high platform, looking at the civilization stele in the hall.

The awakening progress of the stele had already reached 40%.

"Wen Yuan, accelerate the awakening of the stele."

"Yes!"

Wen Yuan led the rune craftsmen of the Research Hall Camp to set up more acceleration Formations around the stele.

[civilization stele · Awakening Acceleration]

Current Progress: 40%

Acceleration Method: Fire of Civilization burning + essence of order injection + acceleration Formation

Daily Acceleration: +2%

Estimated Complete Awakening: Approximately 30 days

Lin Zhou sat cross-legged before the stele, condensing the transparent Fire of Civilization in his palm and pressing it onto the stele.

The flames seeped into the stele, and the characters on the stele body began to glow.

[civilization stele · Awakening Progress: 40%... 42%... 44%...]

Thirty days later.

The awakening progress of the stele reached 100%.

The characters on the stele body all glowed.

[civilization stele · Fully Awakened!]

Awakening Progress: 100%

Unlocked Content:

All technology from the previous Universe (approximately 100,000 items)

All thoughts from the previous Universe (approximately 10,000 types)

All art from the previous Universe (approximately 1,000,000 pieces)

All philosophy from the previous Universe (approximately 1,000 types)

All experience of The Transcendent in resisting Guixu

river of civilization water level: 85% → 100%

Heavenly Pillar height: 100,000 km → 150,000 km

Divine Kingdom rule stability: +50%

civilization points: +5,000,000

Lin Zhou opened his eyes.

In his eyes, the light of the stele was reflected.

"Wen Yuan, organize the technology in the stele, prioritize researching the Guixu Energy Conversion Furnace."

"Yes!"

Wen Yuan led the rune craftsmen of the Research Hall Camp to begin organizing the technology in the stele.

[Guixu Energy Conversion Furnace · Research Progress]

Principle: Use the Fire of Civilization as a catalyst to convert Guixu energy into Divine Power

Conversion Efficiency: 1 unit of Guixu energy → 10 Divine Power (estimated)

Construction Materials: chaos crystal, essence of order, Void Divinity

Research Progress: 10%... 20%... 30%...

Lin Zhou stood up and walked down the high platform.

Qin Qing came to meet him: "Captain, what's next?"

"Find relics." Lin Zhou said. "There are five hundred intact relics in The Transcendent's Star Map. We need to find them, awaken them, and let the Fire of Civilization reignite."

"Where do we start?"

Lin Zhou closed his eyes to perceive the star map.

In the star map, the closest bright star to him was on the edge of the Chaos Star Domain, about 5,000 kilometers away.

"There." He pointed in that direction.

The team set out.

Five thousand kilometers, within the suppression range of the Giant Hall, the traveling speed was very fast.

Three days later, they arrived at their destination.

It was an academy.

It was not a mountain gate like Shushan, nor a city like Yindu, but an—academy.

The scale was ten times larger than Jixia Academy, and the architectural style was ancient and magnificent.

On the lintel of the academy, two Dao characters were carved—Tai Xue.

[Tai Xue · Data]

Type: Ancient Civilization Ruins (Academy)

Scale: 10 km in diameter

Preservation Status: Intact

Rule Stability: 90%

Chaos energy concentration: 5 times the outside (relatively low)

Core: Fire of Civilization (weak)

Lin Zhou stepped into the academy.

Inside the academy, there were classrooms, a library, lecture halls, dormitories, and a cafeteria. Every place was perfectly preserved, as if the owners had just left.

He walked to the library.

In the library, there were a million volumes—not bamboo slips, not silk scrolls, but Jade Slips. The Jade Slips were engraved with knowledge from the previous Universe—astronomy, geography, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, philosophy, art...

[Imperial Academy · Collection Data]

Jade Slip quantity: about one million volumes

Content: All knowledge from the previous Universe

Status: Intact

Learnable: Requires Fire of Civilization to interpret

Lin Zhou picked up a Jade Slip and pressed it against his forehead.

The Fire of Civilization seeped into the Jade Slip, and information flooded into his consciousness.

[Jade Slip · Interpretation]

Content: Mathematics of the previous Universe (approximately a thousand years more Advanced than the current Universe)

Learning progress: 10%... 20%... 30%...

"Wen Yuan, bring all these Jade Slips back to 'Zhen'."

"Yes!"

Wen Yuan led the rune craftsmen of the Research Hall Camp and began transporting the Jade Slips.

[Imperial Academy · Exploration Harvest]

Jade Slips: One million volumes

Fire of Civilization: 1 wisp (weak)

Academy control: Can be transferred to 'Zhen'

Lin Zhou walked to the center of the academy, where there was a high platform. On the platform, a wisp of the Fire of Civilization was floating, weak but not extinguished.

He reached out his hand, and the flame jumped onto his palm, merging with the Fire of Civilization within him.

[Fire of Civilization · Fusion]

Source: Imperial Academy

Quality: Epic

Effect: river of civilization level + 5%, Heavenly Pillar height + 10,000 km

"Let's go, back to 'Zhen'."

The team returned to the Bronze Giant Hall.

In the following days, Lin Zhou led the team to shuttle through various parts of the Chaos Star Domain, searching for the ruins in The Transcendent's star map.

One, two, three...

[Ruins Exploration · Progress (Three months later)]

Ruins explored: 50

Ruins awakened: 50

Fire of Civilization obtained: 50 wisps

river of civilization level: 100% → 150% (Breakthrough the upper limit)

Heavenly Pillar height: 150,000 km → 200,000 km

Divinity Rank: LV900 → LV950

The level of the river of civilization broke through the 100% limit and reached 150%. The river water was no longer pale gold, but cyan-gold—the same color as The Transcendent's Fire of Civilization. The height of the Heavenly Pillar reached 200,000 km, and the names on the pillar were too numerous to count.

Lin Zhou stood on the high platform, looking at the civilization stele in the hall.

About 30% of the technology in the stele had been organized. Research on the Guixu energy conversion furnace had also made a Breakthrough.

[Guixu Energy Conversion Furnace · Research Complete!]

Principle: Using the Fire of Civilization as a catalyst to convert Guixu energy into Divine Power

Conversion efficiency: 1 unit of Guixu energy → 10 Divine Power

Construction Materials: chaos crystal × 1000, essence of order × 100 units, Void Divinity × 1 wisp

Construction time: 7 days

Daily output: 1000 Divine Power (per unit)

"Build it," Lin Zhou ordered.

Wen Yuan led the rune craftsmen of the Research Hall Camp and began building the Guixu energy conversion furnaces on the square.

[Guixu Energy Conversion Furnace · Under Construction]

Quantity: 10

Construction progress: 10%... 20%... 30%...

Estimated completion: 7 days

Seven days later.

The ten Guixu energy conversion furnaces were completed.

They were larger, taller, and more complex than the Chaos energy conversion furnaces. The furnace bodies were engraved with Guixu runes, the Fire of Civilization floated above the furnace tops, and the furnace bottoms were connected to the suppression Formation of the giant hall.

[Guixu Energy Conversion Furnace · Array]

Quantity: 10

Total conversion efficiency: 10,000 Guixu energy → 100,000 Divine Power per hour

Daily output: 2.4 million Divine Power

Current Divine Power reserve: 1 million (full)

"That's enough," Lin Zhou said. "With these furnaces, we will have an endless supply of Divine Power."

"That's not all," Wen Yuan said excitedly. "Legion Commander, there is even more Advanced technology in the stele—Guixu energy shields, Guixu energy weapons, and even God Kingdom engines powered by Guixu energy!"

"Research them slowly," Lin Zhou said. "No rush."

He turned and looked outside the hall.

In the gray-white mist, fluctuations of Chaos energy still existed. However, under the suppression of the giant hall and the protection of the civilization projection, they could not cross the boundary.

"Captain, what shall we do next?" Qin Qing asked.

Lin Zhou closed his eyes and sensed the star map.

In the star map, there were still 450 intact ruins.

"Continue exploring," he said. "Until all the ruins are awakened."

"Yes!"

The team set off again.

This time, they traveled further—deep into the deepest part of the Chaos Star Domain, approaching the edge of the Guixu.

There, there was a Sword Tomb.

It was ten times larger than the Shushan Sword Tomb, with 100,000 Flying Swords thrust into it. Each one was perfectly intact, with sharp Sword Intent.

[Sword Tomb · Data]

Flying Sword quantity: about 100,000

Quality distribution: Common to Legendary

Sword Intent concentration: Extremely high

Core: Fire of Civilization (medium)

Lin Zhou walked to the center of the Sword Tomb, where there was a high platform. On the platform, a wisp of the Fire of Civilization was floating, stronger than the one at the Imperial Academy.

He reached out his hand, and the flame jumped onto his palm, merging with the Fire of Civilization within him.

[Fire of Civilization · Fusion]

Source: Sword Tomb

Quality: Legendary

Effect: river of civilization level + 10%, Heavenly Pillar height + 20,000 km, sword technique proficiency + 50%

"Wen Yuan, bring all these Flying Swords back to 'Zhen'."

"Yes!"

The team continued to explore.

One, two, three...

[Ruins Exploration · Progress (One year later)]

Ruins explored: 300

Ruins awakened: 300

Fire of Civilization obtained: 300 wisps

river of civilization level: 150% → 300%

Heavenly Pillar height: 200,000 km → 500,000 km

Divinity Rank: LV950 → LV1200 (high-tier divine power)

One year later.

Lin Zhou's Divinity Rank broke through to LV1200, stepping into high-tier divine power.

The level of the river of civilization reached 300%. The river water was no longer cyan-gold, but transparent—containing all colors. The height of the Heavenly Pillar reached 500,000 km, and the names on the pillar were too numerous to count.

"Captain, there are 200 ruins left," Qin Qing said.

"Continue," Lin Zhou said.

"But the edge of the Guixu is too dangerous..."

"Therefore, we must speed up," Lin Zhou interrupted her. "The Guixu will not wait for us."

The team continued to go deeper.

At the edge of the Guixu, the concentration of Chaos energy was extremely high, and the rules had almost collapsed. However, under the protection of the civilization projection, the team remained safe and sound.

They found the 301st, 302nd, 303rd...

[Ruins Exploration · Progress (Two years later)]

Ruins explored: 500

Ruins awakened: 500

Fire of Civilization obtained: 500 wisps

river of civilization level: 300% → 500%

Heavenly Pillar height: 500,000 km → 1,000,000 km

Divinity Rank: LV1200 → LV1500

Two years later.

All 500 ruins were awakened.

The level of the river of civilization reached 500%, and the height of the Heavenly Pillar reached 1,000,000 km. Divinity Rank: LV1500, mid-stage high-tier divine power.

Lin Zhou stood on the high platform of the Bronze Giant Hall, looking at the civilization stele in the hall. 80% of the technology in the stele had been organized.

"Wen Yuan, how is the research on the Guixu energy weapons going?"

"Legion Commander, it is complete," Wen Yuan said excitedly. "The Guixu energy cannon has the power equivalent to a full-force strike of a Peak high-tier divine power. Furthermore, it can be charged using Guixu energy and fired infinitely."

"Build it."

Wen Yuan led the rune craftsmen of the Research Hall Camp and began building the Guixu energy cannons on the square.

[Guixu Energy Cannon · Under Construction]

Quantity: 10

Power: Full-force strike of a Peak high-tier divine power

Charging method: Guixu energy conversion furnace

Range: 10,000 km

Construction progress: 10%... 20%... 30%...

Ten days later.

The ten Guixu energy cannons were completed.

They were about 10 meters high, with barrels as thick as a human waist, and the cannon bodies were engraved with Guixu runes. The muzzles were aimed at the depths of the Chaos Star Domain, ready to fire at any time.

Lin Zhou stood in front of the cannon array, looking at the gray-white mist in the distance.

In the mist, the energy of the Guixu was surging.

"Captain, the Guixu is still there," Qin Qing said.

"I know," Lin Zhou said. "But we are not afraid."

He turned and looked at the crowd.

"Brothers, it has been two years. We have awakened 100 ruins, obtained the Fire of Civilization, and built the Guixu energy cannons."

"But the Guixu is still there."

"Therefore, we cannot stop."

"Next, what we need to do is—reinforce 'Zhen', expand the suppression range, and completely block the Guixu outside the Chaos Star Domain."

"Yes!" everyone replied in unison.

Lin Zhou turned and looked at the character "Zhen" on the hall gate.

The character was glowing, and the cyan-gold light illuminated the entire giant hall.

"Zhen, from today on, your mission has changed."

"It is no longer to suppress the Chaos Star Domain, but—to suppress the Guixu."

"Can you do it?"

The character "Zhen" flared with light.

As if answering: Yes.