475: Chapter 410: Difficult Purification, Lei Zhan Sacrifices Himself to Protect the Passage

The three-month long vacation by the sea passed quietly, like the tides on the beach, ebbing and flowing.

Lin Zhou stood in front of the wooden cabin, watching the morning light where the sea met the sky in the distance.

The sun of the New Universe rose from the horizon, dyeing the entire ocean a golden red.

Su Yueyao was packing their belongings behind him—a few changes of cloth clothes, a Moon Essence jade pendant, and that handwritten Way of Civilization Insights》 that Lin Zhou had brought back from the Old Universe.

That was something Qin Qing had given him when she graduated from Xinghai University, and he had kept it with him ever since.

[Lin Zhou · Vacation Status Summary]

- Vacation Period: 90 days

- Divine Personality Integrity: 92% → 98%

- river of civilization Level: 5010% → 5020%

- Heavenly Pillar Height: 11.5 million kilometers → 11.6 million kilometers

- Su Yueyao Moon God Origin: 90% → 95%

"Captain, it's time to go." Su Yueyao slung the bundle over her shoulder, and moon essence flowed in her palms, illuminating every corner of the wooden cabin.

Lin Zhou nodded and turned to look at the wooden cabin where they had lived for three months.

On the beach in front of the house, the Fire of Civilization was still burning; the spark he had left behind had already ignited the Spiritual Qi of this coast.

Perhaps in another hundred years, a new civilization would be born here.

"Let's go."

The two turned into streams of cyan-gold and silver-white light, flying toward the Seventh War Zone fortress.

On the ramparts of the fortress, Lei Zhan had already been waiting for three days.

Seeing Lin Zhou's figure, he strode up to meet him and punched Lin Zhou in the chest.

"Captain! You're finally back! I've been so idle these past three months that my bones are rusting!"

Lin Zhou smiled. "Lei Zi, how is your Divine Personality?"

Lei Zhan patted his chest. "It recovered long ago! That corruption and pollution were completely purified by the Fire of Civilization. Not only did I not drop in Rank, but I actually feel more solid now."

[Lei Zhan · Status Update]

- Divine Personality Rank: LV620 → LV630 (Purification Feedback)

- Divine Personality Integrity: 100%

- Heavy Armored Divine Kingdom: Repaired, Building Durability +120%

- Core Vassal Race: Iron Rock Giant, Rank LV60 - LV70

"That's good." Lin Zhou nodded and walked into the command center.

General General Rex was holding a meeting with several legion commanders in front of the Star Map.

Seeing Lin Zhou enter, he waved his hand, signaling the others to withdraw.

"Lin Zhou, you've come just in time. Abnormal fluctuations have appeared again deep within the Chaos Star Domain; it's not the Abyss, not the Shadow Clan, but—the Chaos Beast King."

He zoomed in on the Star Map, pointing to an area about 8,000 kilometers to the northwest of the Seventh War Zone. "There, a Chaos Beast King is sleeping, with an estimated Rank of LV1200. It has been sleeping for a hundred years, but recently there have been signs of it waking up. If it wakes up, the entire Seventh War Zone will be submerged by its beast tide."

[Chaos Beast King · Intelligence Update]

- Location: Northwest direction, about 8000 kilometers from the fortress

- Rank: LV1200 (Mid-Tier Divine Power Peak)

- Status: Sleeping (but waking up speed is accelerating)

- Beast Tide Scale: Estimated at least 100,000 Chaos Beast

- Awakening Countdown: About 30 days

Lin Zhou frowned. An LV1200 Chaos Beast King was stronger than the Shadow King or the Corruption Consciousness they had encountered before. There was no Abyss energy here to suppress it, only pure Chaos and disorder.

"Captain, are we fighting it?" Lei Zhan asked.

Lin Zhou was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "We won't fight it head-on. Its Rank is too much higher than ours. A frontal assault would result in heavy losses."

"Then what should we do?"

"Use Civilization purification." Lin Zhou said, "The Chaos Beast King is the same as the Corruption Consciousness; it is an 'existence' polluted by Chaos energy. If we can purify its core, perhaps we can convert it into an Order creature."

General Rex's eyes lit up. "Can it be done?"

"I'm not sure, but we can try." Lin Zhou pulled up the previous records of purifying the remains of the corrupted Divine Kingdom and the Dragon Vein. "The core of the Chaos Beast King is the source of all its Chaos energy. If the river of civilization can penetrate into it and purify the core, it will lose its power."

"How do we penetrate it?"

"We need someone to attract its attention and make it open its mouth—the mouth is the passage connected to the core."

The room fell silent. Entering the Chaos Beast King's mouth was equivalent to suicide.

"I'll go." Lei Zhan spoke up.

"You?" Lin Zhou frowned.

"My Iron Rock Giant has the strongest defense and can withstand the erosion of Chaos energy. Plus, my Divine Kingdom trait is Building Durability +100%, and I'm tough to kill myself." Lei Zhan grinned. "Captain, you handle the purification, I'll handle the suicide mission."

Lin Zhou looked at him and was silent for a moment.

"Alright. But you must evacuate the instant the core is purified. You cannot stay for even a second longer."

"Understood."

Three days later, the joint force set out. Lin Zhou's unit had 500 men, and Lei Zhan's unit had 3,000 men, totaling 3,500 people. The Dragon Vein Golden Scale coiled within Lin Zhou's Divine Kingdom, and Su Yueyao's moon essence expanded, its silver-white light illuminating the chaotic mist. Lei Zhan's Iron Rock Giants were at the very front, their shield wall forming a Steel Bastion.

[Joint Force · Data]

- Total Strength: 3500 people

- Average Divine Personality Rank: LV500

- Equipment: Civilization Armor · Enhanced Version, Rule Plague Purification Talisman, Space Teleportation Array Components

- Dragon Vein Golden Scale: Accompanying

- Su Yueyao: Moon Essence Blessing (All attributes of friendly units within range +30%)

After five days of marching, the team reached the area where the Chaos Beast King slept. It was coiled in the Void Realm, its body like a mountain range, about 200 kilometers long, grayish-white all over, and covered with Chaos runes on its surface. Its eyes were tightly closed, and as it breathed, it spewed out grayish-white Chaos energy, stirring up the Void Realm for a thousand miles around and leaving it in turmoil.

[Chaos Beast King · Detailed Data]

- Rank: LV1200

- Body Size: About 200 kilometers long

- Status: Sleeping

- Breathing Frequency: Once per hour

- Aftermath: With each breath, the concentration of Chaos energy within a thousand miles increases by 50%

Lin Zhou deployed the Civilization Projection, enveloping everyone. The golden light of the Dragon Vein Golden Scale and the silver-white of the moon essence intertwined, forming a triple shield.

[Civilization Projection · Triple Blessing]

- Coverage: 1 kilometer in diameter

- Consumption: 20,000 Divine Power per minute

- Effect: Chaos Energy Resistance +80%, Rule Stability +50%

"Lei Zi, are you ready?" Lin Zhou asked.

Lei Zhan took a deep breath and gripped his great shield tightly. "Ready."

"Go."

Lei Zhan led one hundred Iron Rock Giants and advanced toward the head of the Chaos Beast King. The shield wall was like a moving golden castle in the grayish-white mist. The aftermath of the Chaos Beast King's breath struck the shield wall, and its durability continued to drop.

[Shield Wall · Durability]

- Initial: 6 million

- Decrease per second: 10,000

- Estimated after ten seconds: 5.9 million

They arrived in front of the Chaos Beast King's mouth. The mouth was about five kilometers long, with teeth like white jade, each one a hundred meters high. Grayish-white Chaos energy surged from the gaps between the teeth. Lei Zhan stood before the giant gate, his great sword held horizontally across his chest.

"Captain, I'm going in."

"Be careful."

Lei Zhan leaped into the Chaos Beast King's oral cavity. Inside, the concentration of Chaos energy was a hundred times that of the outside. The Iron Rock Giant's armor began to change color under the erosion of the Chaos energy—from gold to grayish-white.

[Lei Zhan · Status (Inside Oral Cavity)]

- Chaos Energy Concentration: 100 times that of the outside

- Armor Durability: Decreases by 2% per second

- Divine Personality Integrity: 100% → 98% → 96%

- Estimated Survival Time: About 50 seconds

He ran deeper. The Chaos Beast King's throat was like a tunnel, and the tunnel walls were covered with dense Chaos runes. The runes were glowing, trying to block his advance, but the Iron Rock Giant's great shield smashed the runes one by one.

[Lei Zhan · Forward Speed]

- Distance to Core: About 3 kilometers

- Forward progress per second: 100 meters

- Estimated arrival: 30 seconds

At the thirtieth second, Lei Zhan reached the core. It was a huge grayish-white crystal, about a hundred meters in diameter, floating in the Chaos Beast King's chest cavity. On the surface of the crystal, countless Chaos runes were circulating. In the center of the crystal, there was a mass of black, constantly writhing shadow—that was the Chaos Beast King's consciousness.

[Chaos Core · Data]

- Diameter: 100 meters

- Chaos Runes: About 100,000

- Consciousness Status: Sleeping

- Pollution Level: 100%

Lei Zhan raised his great sword and slashed fiercely at the surface of the core. The great sword shattered, but the core remained unscathed.

[Lei Zhan · Attack Ineffective]

- Reason: Core defense is extremely high

- Required Method: Fire of Civilization penetration

"Captain! I can't break the core!"

Lin Zhou's voice came through the communication link: "Retreat! I'm coming!"

"It's too late! It's awake!"

The eyes of the Chaos Beast King snapped open. Its grayish-white pupils were like two whirlpools devouring everything. Sensing a foreign object in its throat, it suddenly unleashed a blast of Chaos Breath.

【Chaos Breath · Attack】 - Power: Full-force strike at the Peak of Mid-Tier Divine Power - Range: 10 kilometers in diameter - Target: Lei Zhan

Lei Zhan raised his shattered shield, and the durability of the shield wall plummeted from 6 million to 0.

The shield wall had shattered.

Lei Zhan was hit by the breath and sent flying. His Divine Kingdom manifested in the Void Realm, and cracks appeared on the walls of the steel castle. His Divinity integrity plummeted from 96% to 80%.

【Lei Zhan · Heavily Injured】 - Divinity Integrity: 80% → 70% → 60% - Divine Kingdom: Steel Castle, 70% integrity - Status: Combat-ready, but cannot withstand another breath

"Captain... I can't hold on..." Lei Zhan's voice was weak.

Lin Zhou gritted his teeth and leaped into the mouth of the Chaos Beast King. The Civilization Projection shrank to a diameter of ten meters, with Su Yueyao's Moon Essence following closely behind. The Dragon Vein Golden Scale roared, its golden light blocking the Chaos energy outside.

【Lin Zhou · Status (Inside Oral Cavity)】 - Chaos Energy Concentration: 150 times that of the outside - Civilization Projection Consumption: 100,000 Divine Power per minute - Divinity Integrity: 98% → 95% - Estimated Time to Core: 20 seconds

Twenty seconds felt like twenty years. In the throat tunnel of the Chaos Beast King, Chaos Runes shot out like a torrential downpour, each rune carrying the rules of Chaos. Lin Zhou used the Sword of Civilization to shatter the runes, while Su Yueyao used Moon Essence to purify the aftermath. The Dragon Breath of the Dragon Vein Golden Scale evaporated the surging Chaos energy ahead.

【Advance · Danger Log】 - Chaos Rune Impact: 12 waves - Sword of Civilization Slashes: 12 times - Moon Essence Purification: 12 times - Dragon Vein Golden Scale Dragon Breath: 12 times

At the twentieth second, Lin Zhou reached the core. A grayish-white crystal lay before him, with the consciousness of the Chaos Beast King writhing in its center. He raised his hand, and the river of civilization surged out from his Divine Kingdom, transforming into a cyan-gold torrent that rushed toward the core.

【river of civilization · Purification Mode】 - Consumption: 200,000 Divine Power per minute - Effect: Scour the Chaos Runes on the surface of the core - Purification Speed: Stripping ten runes per second - Total Runes: 100,000 - Estimated Purification Time: Approximately three hours

Three hours was too long. The Chaos Beast King would not give him three hours.

Sensing the abnormality in its core, the Chaos Beast King struggled frantically. Its body rolled in the Void Realm, spewing Chaos Breath indiscriminately. After the shield wall shattered, Lei Zhan's Heavy Armored Legion used their own bodies to block the breath, buying time for Lin Zhou.

【Heavy Armored Legion · Sacrifice Data】 - Iron Rock Giant: 3,000 units - Casualties: 1,000 lightly injured, 500 heavily injured, 100 fallen - Shield Wall: Shattered, rebuilding - Morale: Extremely high (buying time for the captain)

"Hold the line!" Lei Zhan roared, blocking a blast of breath with his broken greatsword. His Divinity integrity dropped from 60% to 50%, and the walls of his Divine Kingdom fell from 70% to 50%.

Lin Zhou accelerated the purification speed.

【Purification · Acceleration】 - Consumption: 300,000 Divine Power per minute - Purification Speed: Twenty runes per second - Purified Runes: 1,000... 2,000... 3,000...

When the number of purified runes reached 5,000, the consciousness of the Chaos Beast King fully awakened. It emitted a silent roar, and a black shadow from the core lunged at Lin Zhou. It was Consciousness Devour, capable of consuming a target's consciousness and converting it into a part of Chaos.

【Consciousness Devour · Attack】 - Target: Lin Zhou - Effect: If the Will check fails, the consciousness will be consumed by the Chaos Beast King - Check Difficulty: 95

Lin Zhou passed the Will check (Dao Heart stability 100%). Consciousness Devour was ineffective.

The Chaos Beast King went mad. It burned the energy of its core, pushing the power of its Chaos Breath to the limit.

【Chaos Breath · Overload Mode】 - Power: Full-force strike at the initial stage of high-tier divine power - Target: Lei Zhan's Heavy Armored Legion

Looking at the grayish-white beam of light that was ten times thicker than before, Lei Zhan did not retreat.

"Steel Bastion — Ultimate Form!"

His Divine Kingdom fully expanded, and the steel castle manifested from the Void Realm, enveloping the Heavy Armored Legion. The walls were a hundred zhang thick and a thousand zhang high, with dark golden defensive runes flowing across their surface. This was an ultimate defense he had never used before; the price was permanent damage to his Divine Kingdom.

【Steel Bastion · Ultimate Form】 - Defense: Can withstand a full-force strike at the Peak of high-tier divine power - Cost: Divine Kingdom integrity -30%, building durability -50% - Duration: One-time use

The Chaos Breath collided with the Steel Bastion, erupting in blinding light. The walls cracked and the towers collapsed, but the bastion did not shatter. Lei Zhan's Divinity integrity plummeted from 50% to 30%, and his Divine Kingdom integrity plummeted from 70% to 40%.

【Lei Zhan · Status (After Ultimate Defense)】 - Divinity Integrity: 30% - Divine Kingdom Integrity: 40% - Level: LV630 → LV580 (Divine Kingdom damaged, level dropped) - Status: Unconscious

"Lei Zhan!" Lin Zhou's eyes turned red. He pushed the power of the river of civilization to its limit.

【Consumption: 500,000 Divine Power per minute】 【Purification Speed: Fifty runes per second】 【Purified: 10,000... 20,000... 30,000...】

Thirty minutes later, the last Chaos Rune was stripped away. The core turned from grayish-white to gold, and the consciousness of the Chaos Beast King was purified by the Fire of Civilization, transforming into a bewildered creature of Order.

【Chaos Beast King · Purification Successful】 - New Form: Order Guardian Beast - Level: LV800 (decreased) - Loyalty: 100% (regards Lin Zhou as master) - Lin Zhou's Divine Power consumption: Approximately 5 million - Lin Zhou's Divinity integrity: 95% → 85%

Lin Zhou flew out of the Chaos Beast King's mouth and landed beside Lei Zhan. Lei Zhan was already unconscious, his Divinity integrity was only 30%, and his Divine Kingdom was in ruins. Lin Zhou channeled the Fire of Civilization into his body to stabilize his injuries.

【Fire of Civilization · Healing】 - Target: Lei Zhan - Effect: Divinity integrity +10%, Divine Kingdom repair accelerated - Estimated recovery: Approximately thirty days

"Lei-zi, you son of a..." Lin Zhou's voice was hoarse.

Lei Zhan opened his eyes groggily and grinned: "Captain... I... am still alive..."

"Alive. You won't die." Lin Zhou stood up and looked at the purified Chaos Beast King.

"From today on, you are called 'Iron Wall'. Protect the Seventh War Zone, protect the fortress, and protect the New Universe."

The Chaos Beast King lowered its head and emitted a low whimper.

【Order Guardian Beast · Iron Wall】 - Level: LV800 - Form: Mountain-sized Beast - Skill 1: 【Order Breath】 — Damage to Chaos faction +500% - Skill 2: 【Steel Body】 — Physical immunity 80%, Energy immunity 60% - Skill 3: 【Guardian Roar】 — Defensive power of friendly units within range +50%

Upon returning to the fortress, General Rex looked at the heavily injured Lei Zhan and the purified Chaos Beast King, remaining silent for a long time.

"Lin Zhou, Lei Zhan's sacrifice was worth it."

"It wasn't worth it." Lin Zhou shook his head. "His Divinity dropped by fifty levels, and his Divine Kingdom is forty percent damaged. It will take a long time to recover."

"But he is still alive," General Rex said. "As long as there is life, there is hope."

Lin Zhou nodded. "General, I request to remain on the front lines."

"Your Divinity also needs time to recuperate."

"As long as Lei-zi isn't better, I won't leave."

General Rex looked at him and finally nodded. "Very well."

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

In the direction of the Chaos Star Domain, the grayish-white mist was still churning. More dangers awaited, and more brothers might fall. But as long as the Fire of Civilization remained, he would not retreat.

"Captain." Lei Zhan's voice came from behind. He was leaning on a crutch, limping onto the city wall.

"Why did you come out?" "I couldn't just lie there." Lei Zhan grinned. "Besides, I can't let the Captain carry the burden alone."

The two stood side by side on the city wall, looking in the direction of the Chaos Star Domain.

"Lei-zi, thank you." "What are you thanking me for? Between brothers, there is no need for thanks."

Lin Zhou was silent for a moment, then reached out his hand. Lei Zhan grasped his hand. "Brother." "Brother."

The Fire of Civilization burned on the city wall, illuminating their two resolute backs.