487: Chapter 422: Raid on the Stronghold, Encountering Resistance from the Void God Kingdom

Three days after Zhao Lingyue fell, Lin Zhou sat at the desk in the Seventh War Zone headquarters, a Star Map taken from a secret compartment in Zhao Lingyue's office spread out before him.

Seven dark red coordinates were marked on the Star Map, each corresponding to a secret stronghold of the Void Sect.

The first six had already been cleared; the last one, also the deepest, was located at the edge of the Old Universe's Return to Ruins—deeper within the ruins of the God King Wang Zhenyue's Seal, in a void that had never been explored.

[Void Sect · Final Stronghold Coordinates]

- Location: Edge of the Old Universe's Return to Ruins, about 3,000 kilometers southeast of the Seal ruins

- Environment: Extremely high concentration of Return to Ruins energy (200 times the outside)

- Defense: Suspected to be guarded by a Void Divine Kingdom

- Forces: Unknown

- Objective: Thoroughly clear, leaving no future trouble

Lin Zhou stared at the coordinates, silent for a long time.

His authority as acting commander allowed him to mobilize all resources of the Seventh War Zone, but this time, he did not plan to bring many people.

A Void Divine Kingdom at the edge of the Return to Ruins was fatal to soldiers without the protection of the Fire of Civilization.

He only needed elites.

"Qin Qing, assemble the troops. Wang Meng, you, me, Chen Xuan, Su Yueyao. The Dragon Vein Golden Scale will accompany us. Also, bring fifty Civilization Sword Cultivators."

"Captain, only fifty people?" Qin Qing frowned. "If there is an enemy with high-tier divine power in the stronghold..."

"Civilization Sword Cultivators have resistance to Return to Ruins energy. More people would only get in the way." Lin Zhou put away the Star Map. "Besides, this time it is not a direct assault, but a purification."

"Purification?"

"Yes. The Void Sect's stronghold and the wreckage of the corrupted Divine Kingdom are essentially the same—both are 'existences' polluted by Return to Ruins energy. As long as we wash them with the river of civilization, they can be purified. The enemies are just incidental."

Qin Qing nodded and turned to assemble the troops.

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

Su Yueyao was waiting for him, moonlight flowing in her palms, the silvery-white light illuminating the grayish-white mist.

"Captain, am I going this time too?"

"Yes. Your moonlight can break through the disguise of the Void Divine Kingdom."

"Okay."

The Dragon Vein Golden Scale poked its head out of the Divine Kingdom, its golden pupils gazing into the distance.

It sensed the anomaly at the edge of the Return to Ruins—a large amount of Return to Ruins energy was gathering there, like a huge vortex, slowly rotating.

[Dragon Vein Golden Scale · Perception]

- Target: Final stronghold

- Distance: About 12,000 kilometers

- Return to Ruins energy concentration: 200 times the outside

- Anomaly: Has a rule structure (suspected Divine Kingdom)

"It is gestating something." Lin Zhou said in a low voice.

"Gestating what?"

"A Void Divine Kingdom. A Divine Kingdom composed entirely of Return to Ruins energy. If it is allowed to take shape, the entire edge of the Return to Ruins will become its Domain."

"Is it still in time?"

"It is in time. It hasn't taken shape yet."

Lin Zhou walked down the city wall, took the team through the teleportation array, and set off toward the edge of the Old Universe's Return to Ruins.

The end of the teleportation array was still 3,000 kilometers away from the target.

The remaining distance had to be flown manually.

The projection of the ark of civilization unfurled, covering the fifty-four people in deep blue light.

The Dragon Vein Golden Scale flew out from the Divine Kingdom, coiling at the bow of the ship, its golden Dragon Breath evaporating the Return to Ruins energy in front.

Su Yueyao's moonlight expanded, the silvery-white light illuminating the grayish-white mist.

[Reconnaissance Team · Data]

- Number of people: 54 + Dragon Vein Golden Scale

- Average Godhood Rank: LV650

- Equipment: Civilization Armor · Enhanced Version, Rule Plague Purification Talisman

- Projection of the ark of civilization: 100 meters in diameter

- Dragon Vein Golden Scale: LV850

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

Three thousand kilometers at the edge of the Return to Ruins was like thirty thousand light-years.

Spatial rifts were everywhere, the flow of time was sometimes fast and sometimes slow, and causal logic was sometimes forward and sometimes reversed.

The Dragon Vein Golden Scale's perception ability helped them avoid most of the fatal chaotic areas, but there were still a few close calls.

By the evening of the second day, the team reached the target area.

The scene before them made everyone hold their breath.

It was a "cocoon" in the process of taking shape—a cocoon condensed from Return to Ruins energy, about 100 kilometers in diameter, with dark red patterns flowing on its translucent grayish-white shell.

Inside the cocoon, the outlines of buildings could be vaguely seen—palaces, towers, city walls.

That was the embryonic form of the Void Divine Kingdom.

[Void Divine Kingdom · Data]

- Form: Cocoon (100 km diameter)

- Completion: 60%

- Interior: Buildings have taken shape, but the rules are not yet stable

- Guards: About 30 Void Sect believers

- Core: In the center of the cocoon, a huge Return to Ruins energy core

"It hasn't taken shape yet." Lin Zhou said. "If we fight now, it is in time."

He raised his hand, and the river of civilization surged out from the Divine Kingdom, turning into a cyan-gold torrent, rushing toward the cocoon.

[river of civilization · Purification Mode]

- Target: Void Divine Kingdom cocoon

- Consumption: 100,000 Divine Power per minute

- Effect: Strip away Return to Ruins energy

- Purification speed: 1 meter per second

Wherever the river passed, the dark red patterns on the surface of the cocoon were stripped away, and the grayish-white shell began to fade.

But from inside the cocoon, a large amount of grayish-white mist suddenly surged out—the "soldiers" condensed from Return to Ruins energy.

They had no fixed form, like clumps of smoke, pouncing toward Lin Zhou.

[Void Soldier · Data]

- Quantity: About 300

- Rank: LV300 - LV500

- Characteristics: 80% physical immunity, 50% energy immunity

- Weakness: Fire of Civilization

"Dragon Breath!" Lin Zhou ordered.

The Dragon Vein Golden Scale roared, and the golden Dragon Breath swallowed the Void Soldiers rushing to the front.

Su Yueyao's moonlight expanded, the silvery-white light enveloping the soldiers, and their bodies began to become transparent.

[Battle · First Wave Data]

- Void Soldiers: 300

- Kills: 50 (Dragon Breath + Moonlight)

- Remaining: 250

Wang Meng led the Civilization Sword Cultivators to charge.

Fifty Sword Cultivators flew into the sky on their swords, the cyan-gold sword light weaving into a net in the void.

Wherever the sword net passed, the Void Soldiers were shredded into pieces.

[Battle · Second Wave Data]

- Void Soldiers: 250

- Kills: 150 (Sword Cultivators)

- Remaining: 100

Lin Zhou did not participate in the battle.

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: 2 meters per second

- Cocoon completion: 60%... 55%... 50%...

When the cocoon's completion dropped to 40%, a low roar came from inside the cocoon.

It was not a human voice, but a tremor at the rule level—the "will" of the Void Divine Kingdom was waking up.

[Void Divine Kingdom Will · Data]

- Rank: LV1000 (Mid-Tier Divine Power Peak)

- Form: Indefinite

- Characteristics: Return to Ruins erosion, existence erasure, consciousness devouring

- Status: Waking up

The cocoon cracked open, and a grayish-white beam of light shot out from the crack, rushing straight at Lin Zhou.

Su Yueyao rushed forward, her moonlight condensing into a shield, blocking the beam of light.

The shield shattered, Su Yueyao was knocked back, and silvery-white blood spilled from the corner of her mouth.

[Su Yueyao · Status]

- Godhood completeness: 100% -> 95%

- Moonlight Shield: Shattered

- Status: Lightly injured

"Yue Yao!" Lin Zhou reached out to support her.

"I'm fine." Su Yueyao wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth. "It's coming out."

The cocoon split completely.

A huge palace emerged from the cocoon—the Void Divine Kingdom.

The palace was grayish-white throughout, with dark red patterns flowing on its surface.

On the palace walls stood dozens of Void Sect believers, and at their head was an old man in dark red robes with an aged face.

Dark gold patterns were embroidered on his cuffs—the same as the Cardinal seen before.

[Void Sect · Remnants]

- Number of people: About 30

- Commander: Cardinal? No, his aura is weaker than the Cardinal, and his Rank is only LV1000

- Identity: Guardian of the final stronghold

"Mortal, you shouldn't have come here." The old man's voice was like metal rubbing together.

"The Void Sect is finished. Your companions are all dead. Surrender."

The old man sneered. "The Void Sect will never be finished. As long as the Return to Ruins exists, we will exist."

He raised his hand, and a dark red beam of light shot toward Lin Zhou.

Lin Zhou swung his sword to cut off the beam, and the sword light took advantage of the momentum to slash at the old man.

The old man dodged, but the sword light slashed across his right arm.

Dark red blood gushed out, and his right arm fell to the ground.

[Old Man · Status]

- Godhood completeness: 100% -> 80%

- Right arm: Severed

"Void Divine Kingdom—Deploy!"

The old man burned his remaining Godhood, fully activating the Void Divine Kingdom.

Grayish-white light poured out from the palace, covering the void within a radius of 100 kilometers.

[Void Divine Kingdom · Domain Deployment]

- Coverage: 100 km diameter

- Effect: Within the range, the sense of existence of all non-Void units is slowly erased

- Erasure speed: 1% per second

- Duration: Until the Divine Kingdom's energy is exhausted

Lin Zhou felt his Godhood completeness slowly dropping—100%... 99%... 98%...

His memory also began to blur—he remembered his name was Lin Zhou, remembered he was the commander of the Civilization Guardian Legion, but some details were slipping away.

What was his mother's name? What was his father's name? He couldn't remember clearly.

[Existence Erasure · Impact]

- Godhood completeness: -1% per second

- Memory loss: Partial per second

- Duration: Godhood completeness returns to zero after about 100 seconds

"Captain, my memory is disappearing..." Qin Qing's voice was filled with panic.

"Steady!" Lin Zhou gritted his teeth and retracted the river of civilization, shrouding everyone.

[river of civilization · Anchoring]

- Effect: "Existence" within the range is solidified, resisting erasure

- Consumption: 50,000 Divine Power per minute

- Erasure speed: 1% per second -> 0.1% per second

"Use the river of civilization as an anchor, remember who you are!" Lin Zhou's voice exploded in everyone's consciousness.

Wang Meng gripped his battle axe, gritting his teeth. "I am Wang Meng, Wang Meng of the Behemoth Legion, Wang Meng of the Civilization Guardian Legion..."

Qin Qing closed her eyes. "I am Qin Qing, captain of the Law Enforcement Team, Qin Qing of the Civilization Guardian Legion..."

Su Yueyao expanded her moonlight. "I am Su Yueyao, successor of the Moon God Bloodline, Lin Zhou's..."

Chen Xuan silently recited the classics of the School of Names. "Names are the guests of reality. Holding Names Responsible for Reality, to determine right and wrong..."

The fifty Sword Cultivators chanted the "Vast Righteous Qi Scripture" in unison. "Between heaven and earth, there is Vast Righteous Qi, manifested in various forms..."

[river of civilization · Resonance]

- Resonance number: 54 people

- Resonance intensity: High

- Effect: Godhood completeness of friendly units within the range stops dropping, memory stops being lost

The old man's expression changed. "Impossible... How can the Void Divine Kingdom's erasure be blocked?"

"Because, civilization is not one person's business." Lin Zhou stepped forward, the Sword of Civilization in hand. "It is everyone's business."

The sword light slashed toward the old man.

The old man dodged, but the sword light was too fast, slashing across his chest.

[Old Man · Status]

- Godhood completeness: 80% -> 50% -> 20% -> 0%

The old man turned into grayish-white light points and dissipated.

[Void Divine Kingdom · Lost Control]

The palace began to collapse, the grayish-white light faded, and the dark red patterns shattered.

Lin Zhou retracted the river of civilization and knelt on one knee.

"Captain!" Su Yueyao rushed over.

"I'm fine. Just a bit of a large consumption of Divine Power." Lin Zhou stood up and looked at the collapsing Void Divine Kingdom.

[Battle · Summary]

- Kills: 30 Void Sect believers

- Captives: Zero

- Void Divine Kingdom: Destroyed

- Our losses: 10 lightly injured

- Lin Zhou Divine Power consumption: About 2 million

"Captain, there is something else here." Qin Qing pointed to the center of the palace ruins.

There, a dark red crystal was floating—the Return to Ruins energy core.

It was larger than any previously seized one, about three meters in diameter.

In the center of the crystal, a humanoid shadow was sealed—not a real person, but a fragment of the will of the Void Divine Kingdom.

[Return to Ruins Energy Core · Data]

- Size: 3 meters in diameter

- Energy concentration: Extremely high

- Interior: Sealed fragment of the Void Divine Kingdom's will

- Value: Can be converted into a Heart of Order

Lin Zhou walked to the core and reached out to touch it.

The Fire of Civilization seeped into the crystal, and the dark red light began to fade.

The shadow in the center of the crystal struggled for a moment, then dissipated into grayish-white light points.

The purification lasted about ten minutes.

The crystal changed from dark red to gold—a Heart of Order.

[Heart of Order · Obtained]

- Source: Return to Ruins energy core purification

- Size: 3 meters in diameter

- Value: Can significantly improve the efficiency of the civilization furnace

- Effect: civilization furnace conversion efficiency +30%, daily output +3 million Divine Power

Lin Zhou put the Heart of Order into his Divine Kingdom and turned to look at the ruins.

"Let's go, back to the fortress."

After returning to the fortress, Lin Zhou integrated the Heart of Order into the civilization furnace.

The furnace's efficiency improved again, and the daily output reached 18 million Divine Power.

After General Rex returned from headquarters, he read the battle report and was silent for a long time.

"The Void Sect, finally completely cleared?"

"No." Lin Zhou shook his head. "The final stronghold was destroyed, and the last Cardinal is dead. But the philosophy of the Void Sect still exists."

"Then what should we do?"

"Guard the New Universe, develop the Way of Civilization. Let more people understand that living itself has meaning."

General Rex nodded. "Lin Zhou, from today on, the defense of the Seventh War Zone is officially handed over to you."

"General?"

"I have already submitted my resignation to headquarters. You will succeed me as the commander of the Seventh War Zone."

"Me? A Brigadier General succeeding as Commander?"

"Headquarters has already approved it. Your military Rank has been promoted from Brigadier General to Major General."

[Lin Zhou · Military Rank Promotion]

- Original Rank: Brigadier General

- New Rank: Major General

- Position: Seventh War Zone Acting Commander -> Seventh War Zone Commander

- Effective date: Today

Lin Zhou looked at the second general star newly added to his epaulet and was silent.

"General, this is not my credit alone."

"I know. So, your subordinates have also been promoted." General Rex pointed to the list behind the document. "Wang Meng promoted to Brigadier General, Qin Qing promoted to Brigadier General, Chen Xuan promoted to Colonel, Li Mo awarded the Expeditionary Force Special Prize for Technological Contribution."

Lin Zhou nodded.

"General, where are you going?"

"Back to headquarters, to retire." General Rex smiled. "After fighting for so many years, it's time to rest."

He reached out. Lin Zhou shook his hand.

"Lin Zhou, the Seventh War Zone is handed over to you."

"General, I will not let you down."

General Rex patted him on the shoulder and walked out of the command post.

Lin Zhou stood on the city wall, looking in the direction of the Chaos Star Domain.

In the grayish-white mist, the dark red light had disappeared.

The threat of the Void Sect was temporarily lifted.

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

"Thinking about the Lord of Nothingness. In three years, it will wake up."

"There are still three years."

"Yes. Three years, we must be prepared."

"How to prepare?"

"Develop the Way of Civilization. Let more people become Civilization Walkers. Let the Fire of Civilization burn throughout the New Universe."

Lin Zhou looked toward the New Universe.

"Three years, it's enough."