473: Chapter 408: Civilization Purification, the Long River Washes Away the Source of Filth

After the Star Map from the Void Sect space station was brought back to the fortress, General Rex organized intelligence personnel to analyze it overnight. Every one of the dozens of dark red light spots on the Star Map represented a Void Sect stronghold or outpost. The one closest to the New Universe was less than 6,000 kilometers from the Seventh War Zone.

"This is their main stronghold," General Rex said, pointing to the brightest dark red star on the Star Map. "It's located deep within the Chaos Star Domain, at the edge of the Guixu energy tidal belt. Our reconnaissance team once saw massive energy fluctuations there from afar, but we couldn't get close. Now it seems that is the core base of the Void Sect."

[Void Sect Main Stronghold · Preliminary Intelligence]

- Location: Deep within the Chaos Star Domain, approximately 5,800 kilometers from the Seventh War Zone

- Defense: Guixu energy shields (multi-layered), array of corrupted turrets, several patrol squads

- Troops: Estimated 200-300 personnel

- Commander: Unknown (at least high-tier divine power initial stage)

- Objective: Suspected infiltration and sabotage operations against the New Universe

"Captain, do we attack?" Lei Zhan asked.

Lin Zhou was silent for a moment, looking at the dark red star on the Star Map. The Void Sect had almost destroyed the Human Expeditionary Force in the Old Universe; three generals, twelve lieutenant generals, and dozens of major generals had been corrupted. They worshipped Guixu, believing that Nihility was the ultimate destination of the Universe. In the New Universe, they had returned, and they could not be allowed to succeed.

"Attack," Lin Zhou turned around. "But not a frontal assault—a purification."

He pulled up the tactical records used previously in the wreckage of the corrupted Divine Kingdom.

"The Void Sect's stronghold and the wreckage of the corrupted Divine Kingdom are essentially the same—they are both 'existences' polluted by Guixu energy. The Fire of Civilization can purify pollution, and the river of civilization can cleanse filth. Our goal is not to destroy the stronghold, but to 'save it back' from Nihility."

"Save it back?" Lei Zhan was stunned.

"Yes. There might still be uncorrupted remnants of Divine Kingdoms or civilization relics within the stronghold. If we can purify them, we can obtain more Order Essence, Rule Fragments, and perhaps even discover the Void Sect's secrets."

Lei Zhan nodded thoughtfully.

Lin Zhou began deploying the mission.

"Lei Zi, you lead the heavy armor legion to launch a frontal feint to draw their fire. I will take an elite squad to infiltrate from the flank and enter the core of the stronghold to deploy the river of civilization for purification."

"Frontal feint? Isn't that suicide?" Lei Zhan was anxious.

"It's not suicide; it's acting." Lin Zhou pulled up the defensive structure diagram of the stronghold. "The stronghold's Guixu energy shield has four energy nodes distributed in the east, south, west, and north directions. You lead the army to feint an attack on the eastern node, and they will mobilize troops to support it. At that time, the defenses in the other three directions will weaken, and I will infiltrate from the west."

[Infiltration Plan · Data]

- Feint Force: 1000 troops from the heavy armor legion

- Infiltration Squad: Lin Zhou + 50 elites

- Objective: Stronghold core, river of civilization purification

- Estimated Time: Infiltration must be completed within 30 minutes after the feint begins

- Risk: High

"Understood," Lei Zhan nodded. "Captain, be careful."

"You too."

The next day, the joint forces set out.

The Dragon Pulse Golden Scales coiled within Lin Zhou's Divine Kingdom, and golden light permeated through the Civilization Projection, enveloping the entire team. Six thousand people marched majestically toward the Void Sect's main stronghold.

[Joint Force · Data]

- Total Troops: 6000

- Lin Zhou's Unit: 500 (Infiltration)

- Lei Zhan's Unit: 3000 (Feint)

- Logistics Support: 2500 (On standby)

- Carried: Fire of Civilization Talisman × 500, Rule Plague Purification Talisman × 1000

After marching for two days, the team arrived at the outskirts of the stronghold.

The stronghold was much larger than a space station—it was a floating fortress with a diameter of about ten kilometers, its surface covered in dark red patterns, like countless blood vessels, slowly wriggling as they expanded and contracted. Around the fortress, three layers of Guixu energy shields circled, with twisted runes flowing on their surfaces. Hundreds of corrupted turrets stood on the fortress walls, their muzzles aimed at the Void Realm.

[Void Sect Main Stronghold · Detailed Data]

- Diameter: Approx. 10 km

- Shield Layers: 3 layers

- Corrupted Turrets: Approx. 500

- Troops: Estimated 300-400 personnel

- Energy Nodes: 4 (One in each of the east, south, west, and north)

Lei Zhan led the heavy armor legion to form a Formation on the east side. Three thousand Iron Rock Giants raised their giant shields simultaneously, and the defensive runes on the shields lit up, forming a golden wall of light.

"Steel Bastion — Activate!" Lei Zhan roared.

[Steel Bastion · Data]

- Defense: Can withstand attacks from high-tier divine power

- Coverage: 1 km diameter

- Durability: 2 million points

- Duration: One hour

"Heavy armor legion — Advance!"

Three thousand Iron Rock Giants marched in unison, advancing toward the eastern energy node of the stronghold. With every step, the Void Realm trembled. The golden light on the shield wall illuminated the gray-white mist.

The corrupted turrets on the east side of the stronghold fired simultaneously.

Hundreds of dark red beams of light shot toward the shield wall, hitting the golden wall of light and erupting with blinding radiance. The shield wall shook violently, and its durability plummeted from 2 million to 1.8 million.

[Steel Bastion · Durability: 1.8 million]

"Hold on!" Lei Zhan gritted his teeth. "Continue the advance!"

The shield wall advanced another five hundred meters. The corrupted turrets fired in a volley again, and the durability dropped from 1.8 million to 1.5 million. The third volley dropped it to 1.2 million. The fourth volley, to 900,000.

"General, we can't hold it!" the adjutant shouted.

"Even if you can't, you must hold!" Lei Zhan roared. "The Captain hasn't gotten in yet!"

Meanwhile, Lin Zhou led the elite squad to infiltrate from the west.

The energy node on the west side of the stronghold had weakened defenses because troops had been mobilized to the east. Only a few corrupted turrets and a dozen patrol members remained. Lin Zhou raised his hand, and the Fire of Civilization condensed into a needle, piercing the core of the western energy node.

[Energy Node · Destruction]

- Method: Fire of Civilization needle piercing

- Effect: Node short-circuited, a gap appeared in the shield

- Duration: Approx. 5 minutes

A gap with a diameter of ten meters appeared in the western shield. Lin Zhou led the squad through the gap and entered the interior of the stronghold.

The interior was even more terrifying than the exterior.

The core of the stronghold was a massive hall, its four walls sealing countless remnants of Divine Kingdoms—some were complete buildings, others were shattered ruins. They should have originally been golden or silver-white light of Order, but now, they were completely eroded by dark red patterns and had turned gray-white. The patterns spread out from the wreckage, weaving into a huge web in the Void Realm. In the center of the web floated a humanoid phantom—the Void Sect's commander in this location, a high-tier divine power initial stage, LV3500.

[Void Sect Commander · Data]

- Level: LV3500 (high-tier divine power initial stage)

- Form: Humanoid phantom, wearing a dark red robe

- Skill 1: [Guixu Erosion] — Rule stability within range -80%, Divinity integrity -3% per second

- Skill 2: [Corruption Touch] — Divinity integrity of the target hit -20%

- Skill 3: [Nihility Shield] — Can absorb 80% damage, duration ten minutes

- Weakness: Fire of Civilization (Damage to Corruption faction +2000%)

"Intruders," the commander's voice sounded like metal grinding. "You shouldn't have come here."

Lin Zhou did not answer. He raised his hand, and the river of civilization surged out from his Divine Kingdom, turning into a cyan-gold torrent that rushed toward the corrupted wreckage in the hall.

[river of civilization · Purification Mode]

- Coverage: 5 km diameter

- Effect: Scour corrupted wreckage, strip away Guixu energy

- Consumption: 100,000 Divine Power per minute

- Purification Speed: One piece of wreckage per second

Wherever the river flowed, the dark red patterns were stripped away, evaporating into gray-white mist. The corruption on the surface of the wreckage faded, revealing its original colors—gold, silver, bronze. These were the original civilization relics of the Divine Kingdom, polluted by Guixu energy for who knows how many years, finally seeing the light of day again.

[Purification · Progress]

- Purified wreckage: 10 pieces... 20 pieces... 30 pieces...

- Commander integrity: 100%

- Commander status: Enraged

"Stop!" The commander lunged at Lin Zhou.

Lei Zhan rushed out from the flank, his giant sword slashing at the commander.

[Heavy Armor Slash · Damage]

- Attack Power: Full-force strike of Mid-Tier Divine Power intermediate stage

- Effect: Commander knocked back, integrity 100% → 95%

"Your opponent is me!" Lei Zhan roared.

The commander sneered and raised his hand, firing a dark red beam of light at Lei Zhan. Lei Zhan raised his shield to block, and the shield's durability dropped from 100,000 to 80,000.

[Lei Zhan · Status]

- Shield durability: 80,000

- Divinity integrity: 100% → 97%

- Status: Combat-ready

Lin Zhou did not get distracted. He poured all his energy into the river of civilization, accelerating the purification speed.

[Purification · Acceleration]

- Consumption: 200,000 Divine Power per minute

- Purification Speed: Two pieces of wreckage per second

- Purified wreckage: 50 pieces... 80 pieces... 100 pieces...

The corrupted wreckage in the hall was purified one after another. When the number of purified pieces reached two hundred, the commander went mad. He burned his divinity, releasing all his power.

[Commander · Ultimate Skill — Guixu Descent]

- Effect: Summons a Guixu Projection, causing "Existence Erasure" judgment to all units within range

- Consumption: Divinity integrity -50%

- Judgment Difficulty: 90 (Requires Willpower check)

A gray-white Guixu Projection emerged in the hall, and an invisible shockwave spread in all directions.

Lin Zhou's willpower check passed (Dao Heart stability 100%). Lei Zhan passed (90%). But ten people in the elite squad failed the willpower check, and their Divinity integrity instantly dropped by 20%.

[Elite Squad · Status]

- Affected number: 10 people

- Divinity integrity drop: 20%

- Status: Combat-ready, but requires recuperation

"Hold on!" Lin Zhou gritted his teeth and increased the power of the river of civilization again.

[Consumption: 300,000 Divine Power per minute]

The river was like a burst dam, flooding every corner of the hall. When the last piece of corrupted wreckage was purified, there were no more dark red patterns in the hall. All the buildings had returned to their original colors—golden palaces, silver-white towers, bronze altars.

[Hall · Purification Complete]

- Purified wreckage: Approx. 300 pieces

- Obtained Order Essence: Approx. 3000 units

- Obtained Rule Fragments: Approx. 5000 pieces

- river of civilization water level: +2%

- Lin Zhou Divine Power consumption: Approx. 2 million

The commander's body began to turn transparent. His Divinity integrity had dropped to 0%, but he was still laughing.

"You... think you've won? Nihility... is everywhere... Guixu... will eventually descend..."

His body turned into gray-white light spots and dissipated in the Void Realm.

[Void Sect Commander · Fallen]

Lin Zhou retracted the river of civilization and fell to one knee.

"Captain!" Lei Zhan rushed over.

"I'm fine." Lin Zhou stood up. "Clean up the battlefield and collect the Materials."

[Battlefield · Salvage]

- Order Essence: Approx. 3000 units

- Rule Fragments: Approx. 5000 pieces

- Void Sect Secret Letters: Approx. 20 letters

- Corrupted Cards: Approx. 10 cards

- Blueprint for Guixu Energy Conversion Furnace (Complete version): 1 copy

Lin Zhou opened a secret letter and browsed it quickly.

[Secret Letter · Content]

- Sender: White-Robed Bishop

- Recipient: Commander of this stronghold

- Content: "The coordinates of the New Universe have been locked, and the infiltration plan has started. First objective: Corrupt the Seventh War Zone fortress and cut off the Expeditionary Force's supply line. Second objective: Pollute the super civilization furnace and extinguish the Fire of Civilization. Third objective: Kidnap the sleeping Moon God successor, Su Yueyao, and use the Moonlight Power to open the Gate of Guixu."

Lin Zhou's pupils contracted violently.

Su Yueyao.

Their target was Su Yueyao.

He put away the secret letter and turned to look at Lei Zhan.

"Lei Zi, after cleaning up the battlefield, return to the fortress immediately. I have an urgent matter."

"Captain, what's wrong?"

"Yue Yao is in danger."

Lin Zhou turned into a cyan-gold light and disappeared into the Void Realm.

After returning to the fortress, Lin Zhou rushed straight to the super civilization furnace. Su Yueyao's Moonlight Jade Pendant was floating above the furnace, being nourished by the Fire of Civilization. Her consciousness was still asleep, and her Moon God Origin had recovered to 60%.

[Su Yueyao · Status]

- Sleeping: Yes

- Moon God Origin recovery: 60%

- Estimated awakening: Approx. 40 days

- Safety: Heavily guarded around the furnace

Lin Zhou breathed a sigh of relief.

"Captain, is what the secret letter said true?" Qin Qing rushed over.

"It's true." Lin Zhou handed her the secret letter. "The Void Sect's targets are the New Universe, the Fire of Civilization, and Yue Yao."

"Do they have the capability?"

"Yes." Lin Zhou pulled up the data seized from the stronghold. "Their White-Robed Bishop is at least LV4000. Under him are three Red-Robed Bishops, each over LV3000. The total number of cultists is estimated to be over a thousand."

"A thousand... more than we imagined."

"So, we need to take precautions in advance." Lin Zhou turned and looked at General Rex. "General, I request to strengthen the guard of the civilization furnace and set up early warning Formations at all entrances of the New Universe. In addition, I need a batch of elites specifically responsible for Yue Yao's safety."

General Rex nodded.

"Approved. How many people do you need?"

"One hundred people. The warriors with the thickest Fire of Civilization coating."

"Good."

Lin Zhou walked out of the command headquarters and stood on the city wall.

Deep in the Chaos Star Domain, the dark red light was still there. The threat of the Void Sect was closer than Guixu. Guixu was a natural phenomenon, while the Void Sect was man-made madness. They could wait, they could lurk, they could infiltrate. But the Civilization Guardian Legion could only take the initiative.

"Captain, what are you thinking about?" Qin Qing walked over.

"Thinking about how to find their White-Robed Bishop."

"Any clues?"

"Yes." Lin Zhou took another secret letter from his bosom. "This letter mentions a location—the edge of Guixu in the Old Universe. There is a building there that has been half-swallowed by Guixu. The White-Robed Bishop has a secret base there."

"Old Universe? Hasn't Guixu already swallowed most of the area?"

"There are still a few edge areas that haven't been completely eroded." Lin Zhou put away the secret letter. "That might be their final stronghold."

"You want to go?"

"I have to go. But before that, we need to be prepared."

He walked off the city wall and returned to the barracks.

Three months later.

Su Yueyao woke up from her sleep.

She opened her eyes and saw Lin Zhou sitting by the bed.

"You're back."

"I'm back." Lin Zhou smiled. "How do you feel?"

"Very good." She sat up, the Moonlight flowing in her palms. "The Moon God Origin has recovered to 90%, and I can fight."

"That's good." Lin Zhou stood up. "The White-Robed Bishop of the Void Sect has a secret base at the edge of Guixu in the Old Universe. We are preparing to go and wipe them out. Are you coming with me?"

"Yes." Su Yueyao got out of bed. "Wherever you are, I will be."

Lin Zhou nodded.

"We set off in three days."

Three days later, the joint forces assembled.

Lin Zhou, Su Yueyao, Lei Zhan, Wang Meng, Qin Qing, Li Mo (Projection), Chen Xuan, and three hundred elite soldiers. The Dragon Pulse Golden Scales coiled within the Divine Kingdom, and golden light illuminated the entire team.

[Expedition Team · Data]

- Number of people: 300

- Average Divinity Rank: LV700

- Equipment: Civilization Armor · Enhanced Version, Rule Plague Purification Talisman, Space Teleportation Formation components

- Dragon Pulse Golden Scales: Accompanying

- Su Yueyao: Moonlight blessing (All attributes of friendly units within range +30%)

"Set off."

The team headed toward the edge of Guixu in the Old Universe.

That was the place where Lin Zhou had once fought.

The Fire of Civilization was burning.

It illuminated the path ahead and also illuminated the journey back.