471: Chapter 406: Joint Mission - Cleaning Up the Remains of the Corrupted Divine Kingdom

Early morning, on the fortress walls of the Seventh War Zone, General General Rex handed a dark red crystal to Lin Zhou. Inside the crystal was sealed a strand of twisted, constantly writhing gray-white mist—this was a sample of the Law Plague, collected from the edge of the Corrupted Divine Kingdom Remains.

"The spread of the Law Plague is faster than expected," General Rex pointed at the Star Map, "Yesterday it was ten kilometers per day, today it has increased to fifteen kilometers per day. If we don't deal with it, it will affect the fortress perimeter in half a month."

[Corrupted Divine Kingdom Remains · Latest Data]

- Location: Southeast of the fortress, about 2800 km away

- Spread Speed: 15 km/day (accelerating)

- Threat Level: SSS

- Estimated Time to Affect Fortress: approx. 14 days

Lin Zhou put away the crystal and looked at General Rex: "General, for this mission, I request a joint operation with the Heavy Armored Divine Kingdom Legion. Lei Zhan's defensive capabilities can buy us time, and my Fire of Civilization can purify the core."

"Approved," General Rex nodded, "I have already notified Lei Zhan; he is waiting for you at the camp."

Lin Zhou walked down the fortress wall and arrived at the East District camp. Lei Zhan was leading his Iron Rock Giants in warm-up training. Three thousand giants clad in heavy armor and holding giant shields were lined up neatly, each shield impact causing the ground to tremble slightly. Lei Zhan stood at the very front of the team, holding a greatsword longer than his own height in his hand, with a dark golden cloak draped over his broad back.

"Captain!" Lei Zhan saw Lin Zhou and strode over, "I've heard about the mission. Corrupted Divine Kingdom Remains, Law Plague, twisted consciousness at the core. My heavy armored legion will hold the front, you break through from the flank?"

"That suits me perfectly," Lin Zhou nodded, "My Civilization Projection can purify the Law Plague, but it consumes a lot of Divine Power, so I need your shield wall to buy me time."

"Leave it to me," Lei Zhan patted his chest, his armor emitting a dull metallic sound, "My Iron Rock Giants don't have other skills, but we can definitely hold the line."

[Joint Force · Composition]

- Lin Zhou's Unit: 500 members of the Civilization Guardian Legion (mobility/attack)

- Lei Zhan's Unit: 3000 members of the Heavy Armored Divine Kingdom Legion (defense/advancement)

- Total Force: 3500 members

- Equipment Carried: Fire of Civilization Coating · Enhanced Version, Space Teleportation Array Components, Law Plague Purification Talisman

The team set off.

Lin Zhou expanded the projection of the ark of civilization, and a deep blue light enveloped everyone. Lei Zhan's legion was on the perimeter, with giant shields forming a moving Great Wall of steel, and the cyan-gold light of the Fire of Civilization coating flashed occasionally through the gaps in the shields. Inside, Lin Zhou's vanguard team was responsible for reconnaissance and alertness.

[March · Status]

- Distance: 2800 km

- Estimated Arrival: approx. 30 hours

- Chaos energy concentration: 70 times that of the outside

- Rule Chaos degree: 12 times

- Law Plague concentration: 0.1% at the edge, doubling every 100 km closer to the remains

On the first day, the team traveled through the Void Realm. Space rifts, like black lightning, flickered near the team from time to time. Lei Zhan's shield wall blocked most of the suction from the space rifts, and even when a rift directly hit a shield, it only left a shallow crack.

"The Iron Rock Giants' shields are forged from Abyss Demon Iron and Star Alloy, and each shield is inscribed with seventy-two layers of defensive runes," Lei Zhan introduced his treasures to Lin Zhou, "It would take at least seven consecutive hits on the same spot to penetrate a shield from an ordinary space rift."

[Iron Rock Giant · Shield Wall Data]

- Shield Material: Abyss Demon Iron + Star Alloy

- Defensive Runes: 72 layers

- Single Shield Durability: 20,000 points

- Shield Wall Overall Durability: 6,000,000 points (3,000 shields stacked)

- Self-healing speed: 5% recovery per hour

"Good stuff," Lin Zhou praised.

"Of course," Lei Zhan grinned, "I've been guarding the front line for three years, and I've poured all my savings into these."

On the second morning, the team arrived at the edge of the Corrupted Divine Kingdom Remains.

The scene before them was even more shocking than described in the intelligence. It was a massive ruin about six hundred kilometers in diameter, with the former divine kingdom buildings reduced to broken walls and ruins, their surfaces covered with dark red, vein-like patterns. The patterns were slowly writhing, contracting and expanding at a frequency twice as fast as a human heartbeat. Every time they contracted, gray-white mist surged out from the patterns and spread to the surroundings.

[Corrupted Divine Kingdom Remains · Detailed Detection Data]

- Diameter: approx. 600 km

- Surface Patterns: "Veins" formed by condensed corrupted Law, about 12,000 in number

- Pulsation frequency: 72 times per minute

- Mist composition: Law Plague (extremely high concentration)

- Core location: Center of the remains, where the original Divine Kingdom Core was

- Twisted consciousness level: Estimated LV800

"It's much bigger than the last one," Wang Meng gripped his battle axe.

"And much more dangerous," Qin Qing unfurled the Net of Law, pale golden chains spreading through the Void Realm, detecting the concentration of the Law Plague, "The edge concentration is 0.5%, doubling every ten kilometers inward. By the time we reach the core, the concentration might be over 5000%."

[Law Plague · Concentration Gradient]

- Edge (0 km): 0.5%

- 10 km inward: 1%

- 20 km inward: 2%

- ... (doubles every 10 km)

- Core (at approx. 300 km): Estimated 5000%

- Fire of Civilization purification effect: Can reduce concentration by 90%, but consumption increases geometrically as concentration rises

Lin Zhou frowned.

"The core concentration is 5000%. Even if the Fire of Civilization purifies 90%, the remaining concentration is still 500%. If a person enters, their Divine Spark integrity will drop by at least 5% per second."

"That's ten seconds to be finished," Lei Zhan gasped.

"So, we cannot let the soldiers enter the core," Lin Zhou made a decision, "Lei, you lead the heavy armored legion to set up a defense on the perimeter of the remains to block any corrupted creatures that might surge out. I will take an elite squad to break directly into the core and destroy the twisted consciousness."

"Captain, that's too dangerous!" Lei Zhan was anxious.

"My Fire of Civilization counters the plague, your armor can't block it. Only I can go."

Lei Zhan was silent for a moment, then nodded firmly.

"Fine. I'll wait for you here. Three hours; if you don't come out, I'm charging in to find you."

Lin Zhou patted his shoulder.

"I won't make you charge."

He turned around and called for his troops.

Su Yueyao was still sleeping, so the Moon Brilliance Jade Pendant could not be used. Lin Zhou selected fifty elites from the vanguard team—fifty warriors with Divine Spark Ranks above LV500 and the thickest Fire of Civilization coatings. Wang Meng, Qin Qing, Li Mo (projection), and Chen Xuan accompanied him.

[Elite Squad · Data]

- Number of people: 54

- Average Divine Spark Rank: LV520

- Equipment: Civilization Armor · Enhanced Version (resistance to Law Plague +80%)

- Fire of Civilization coating thickness: twice that of ordinary soldiers

- Carried: Fire of Civilization Talisman (can form a purification Domain for a short time)

"Let's go."

Lin Zhou expanded his Civilization Projection, enveloping the elite squad. The deep blue beam of light was like a sharp sword in the gray-white mist, plunging straight into the core of the remains.

Lei Zhan watched the beam of light and gripped his greatsword.

"Brother, come back alive."

Inside the remains, it was even more terrifying than what was seen from the outside.

Dark red patterns spread out from the ground, walls, and ruins, like countless veins interwoven into a giant net. At the nodes of the net, fist-sized Law crystals condensed—not Order Essence, but corrupted, twisted "tumors" exuding the aura of the plague.

[Corrupted Law Crystal · Data]

- Origin: Original Divine Kingdom Law fragments corrupted by Return to Ruins energy

- Hazard: Divine Spark integrity -15% upon contact

- Value: Can be purified (requires Fire of Civilization burning), can be converted into Order Essence after purification

"Li Mo, mark the locations of these crystals. We'll have Lei send people to collect them later."

"Understood."

The team pushed inward.

The closer they got to the core, the thicker the Law Plague became. The consumption of the Civilization Projection soared from 5,000 Divine Power per minute to 20,000, 50,000, 100,000... Lin Zhou's Divine Power reserves dropped at a visible rate.

[Lin Zhou · Status (Advancing)]

- Divine Power reserves: 5 million → 4 million → 3 million

- Civilization Projection consumption: 100,000 per minute

- Divine Spark integrity: 100%

- Soldier Divine Spark integrity: average 98% (protected by Civilization Armor, slow decline)

When they were only fifty kilometers from the core, the "heart" of the remains gave a violent jolt.

The dark red patterns lit up simultaneously, and a massive phantom rose from the ruins—it was the twisted consciousness of the original owner, the residue after three years of corrosion by Return to Ruins and Chaos. Its form was already blurred, only vaguely recognizable as human-shaped, about a thousand meters tall, with two gray-white flames for eyes.

[Twisted Consciousness · Data]

- Level: LV800 (Peak Mid-Tier Divine Power)

- Form: Indefinite (Humanoid phantom)

- Skill 1: [Law Plague Aura] — Law stability within range -90%, Divine Spark integrity -2% per second

- Skill 2: [Touch of Corruption] — Units hit, Divine Spark integrity -15%

- Skill 3: [Consciousness Devouring] — Can devour Divine Kingdom remains within range, restoring 1% integrity per second

- Weakness: Fire of Civilization (damage to Corrupted faction +2000%)

"It has discovered us," Qin Qing's expression changed.

The phantom lunged toward Lin Zhou's direction.

A giant hand slammed onto the light shield of the Civilization Projection; the shield vibrated violently, and its durability plummeted from 100% to 70%.

[Civilization Projection · Durability: 100% → 70%]

"Hold on!" Lin Zhou gritted his teeth and injected more Divine Power into the projection.

The durability of the light shield stabilized and began to slowly recover.

70%... 75%... 80%...

The phantom attacked five consecutive times, and the shield's durability dropped by 10%-15% each time.

[Civilization Projection · Durability: 80% → 65% → 50% → 35% → 20%]

"Captain, we can't hold on!" Wang Meng shouted.

Lin Zhou's Sword of Civilization had already condensed to ninety percent.

"Hold on one last time."

The phantom struck for the sixth time.

The light shield shattered.

But, at this very moment, Lin Zhou's sword slashed out.

The cyan-gold sword light, carrying the purifying power of the Fire of Civilization, slashed into the phantom's chest.

[Sword of Civilization · Purifying Slash]

- Attack power: Full-force strike of a mid-stage great divine power

- Damage to Corrupted faction: +2000%

- Additional: Fire of Civilization purification effect

The phantom's body was pierced by the sword light, the dark red patterns shattered, and gray-white mist surged wildly. Its integrity plummeted from 100% to 30%.

[Twisted Consciousness · Integrity: 30%]

It let out a silent roar and began to crazily devour the surrounding remains.

The ruins, corrupted crystals, and even those dark red veins in the remains were all absorbed into its body. Its integrity began to recover—30%... 40%... 50%...

[Consciousness Devouring · Recovery speed: 5% per second]

"It's healing!" Wang Meng shouted.

"Slash it!" Lin Zhou swung his second sword.

The sword light slashed into the phantom's body again. Integrity dropped from 50% to 10%.

The phantom went crazy. It no longer devoured, but lunged at Lin Zhou, attempting to take him down with it.

Lin Zhou did not retreat.

He put away his Sword of Civilization, raised both hands, and condensed two clusters of cyan-gold flames in his palms.

"Fire of Civilization — Purification."

The two clusters of flames flew out, turning into two fire dragons that coiled around the phantom's body.

[Fire of Civilization · Purification Art]

- Effect: Continuous purification of corrupted units

- Damage per second: Target integrity -20%

- Cost: 10,000 Divine Power per second

The first fire dragon coiled around the phantom's left arm, and the left arm turned into ash. The second fire dragon coiled around the phantom's right leg, and the right leg dissipated.

The phantom's integrity: 10%... 5%... 0%.

It silently dissipated.

The dark red patterns began to fade, and the gray-white mist began to thin. The "heart" of the remains' core stopped beating.

[Corrupted Divine Kingdom Remains · Clearing Successful]

- Twisted consciousness: Purified

- Law Plague spread: Stopped

- Remains status: Recyclable (estimated to refine about 5000 units of Order Essence, about 10,000 chaos crystals)

- Lin Zhou Divine Power consumption: approx. 1.5 million

- Lin Zhou Divine Spark integrity: 100% → 95% (excessive consumption)

Lin Zhou knelt on one knee in the ruins, panting heavily.

"Captain!" Wang Meng rushed over.

"I'm fine," Lin Zhou stood up, "Just a bit of excessive Divine Power consumption."

He looked toward the direction of the remains' perimeter.

There, Lei Zhan's shield wall was still standing.

Three thousand Iron Rock Giants had not retreated a single step.

Lin Zhou smiled.

"Let's go, let's head back."

The team withdrew from the remains.

Lei Zhan saw Lin Zhou walk out of the mist, strode up to meet him, and gave him a fierce hug.

"Captain! You scared the hell out of me!"

"I'm not dying," Lin Zhou patted his back, "The core of the remains has been destroyed. The rest is up to you."

"Up to me?" Lei Zhan was stunned.

"Finish up. Clean up the remains, recycle the Materials. We'll split these Materials half and half."

Lei Zhan grinned.

"Alright!"

Over the next three days, Lei Zhan's heavy armored legion cleaned up and packed away all the corrupted crystals, Law fragments, and recyclable building Materials in the remains.

[Recycle · Spoils of War]

- Corrupted Law Crystals: approx. 5000 (need purification)

- Order Essence: approx. 5000 units (after purification)

- chaos crystals: approx. 10,000

- Divine Kingdom building remains: can refine Star Alloy, Abyss Demon Iron, and other Materials

- river of civilization absorbed Law fragments: approx. 3000, converted to 3000 units of Order Essence, river of civilization water level +1%

Lin Zhou distributed half of the spoils to Lei Zhan.

"Captain, this is too much..." Lei Zhan looked at the pile of Materials like a small mountain, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Without your shield wall, I wouldn't have lasted until the core was purified," Lin Zhou said, "This is what you deserve."

Lei Zhan was silent for a moment, then nodded firmly.

"Captain, if there's anything in the future, just give the Order. I, Lei Zhan, am with you!"

The two looked at each other, stretched out their hands at the same time, and shook hands tightly.

After returning to the fortress, General Rex looked at the full warehouse and nodded with satisfaction.

"Clearing the Corrupted Divine Kingdom Remains, recovering a large amount of Materials, and zero casualties. Lin Zhou, Lei Zhan, you two make a good team."

"General, you flatter us," both said at the same time.

General Rex handed a document to Lin Zhou.

"This is your battle record. Clearing the Corrupted Divine Kingdom Remains is a large-scale campaign-level mission, each of you is rewarded with three thousand military merit points."

[Military Merit · Third Settlement]

- Clearing the Corrupted Divine Kingdom Remains: 3000 points/person

- Lin Zhou current military merit: 35,500+3000 = 38,500 points

- Lei Zhan current military merit: 500+3000 = 3500 points

Lin Zhou looked at the number on the token and was silent for a moment.

"Captain, what are you thinking about?" Lei Zhan leaned over.

"Thinking about when I can save up one hundred and fifty thousand points."

"Take it slow," Lei Zhan grinned, "One day we will."

Lin Zhou nodded.

He turned around and looked toward the direction of the Chaos Star Domain.

In the gray-white mist, there were more dangers waiting.

But he was no longer alone.

Behind him was the Civilization Guardian Legion.

It was the Heavy Armored Divine Kingdom Legion.

It was Lei Zhan, it was Wang Meng, it was Qin Qing, it was Li Mo, it was Chen Xuan.

It was thousands upon thousands of comrades-in-arms.

"Captain, where to next?" Lei Zhan asked.

Lin Zhou thought for a moment.

"Northeast of the Seventh War Zone, there is another unexplored area. Tomorrow, we'll go there."

"Alright!" Lei Zhan slapped his thigh, "Wherever you go, I go."

The two walked down the fortress wall side by side.

The Fire of Civilization was burning, illuminating the path ahead and the backs of brothers walking together.