490: Chapter 426: Conceptual Showdown

The moment Karon's body dissipated into ashen-white specks of light, the dark red fragment of the Void Mark deep within the ruins erupted with one final burst of light.

It was not an attack, but a recording—a piece of information that had been sealed away for an unknown amount of time, released the moment the mark shattered.

Lin Zhou reached out, and his Civilization · Enlightenment captured that information, transforming it into a blurry image projected into his consciousness.

The image revealed a scene he had never seen before.

In the center of a darkness even deeper than the Return to Ruins, a massive humanoid outline floated.

Its face could not be seen, only dark red veins covering its entire body like blood vessels, slowly writhing as they contracted and expanded.

That was the resting place of the Lord of Nothingness.

At the end of the image, a line of text appeared in the darkness: "Three years from now, I shall awaken. Mortal, your time is running out."

Lin Zhou gripped the fragment tightly and stored it in his Divine Kingdom.

He turned and flew toward the teleportation array, the deep blue light of the ark of civilization projection carving a lonely trajectory through the ashen-white mist.

Upon returning to the fortress, he did not rest but walked straight into Li Mo's laboratory.

"Study this fragment. Find the weakness of the Lord of Nothingness."

Li Mo took the fragment and inserted it into the analyzer.

The Civilization · Enlightenment burned within the instrument, peeling away the fragment's rule structure layer by layer.

Lin Zhou stood by the window, watching the Chaos mist outside the fortress, silent for a long time.

"Captain." Li Mo's voice came from behind him. "There is information in the fragment. It is not text, nor is it sound; it is... a contract at the level of rules."

"A contract?"

"Yes. A contract between the Lord of Nothingness and the Return to Ruins. The content is—as long as there are people who fear death and fear the void, the Lord of Nothingness will never truly perish. Fear is the source of its power, its 'anchor point' in the New Universe."

Lin Zhou's pupils constricted sharply. "So, to completely destroy the Lord of Nothingness, we must first eliminate everyone's fear of death?"

"Theoretically, yes. But eliminating fear is impossible." Li Mo pulled up an analytical model. "Fear is an instinct, not a thought. You can change a person's thoughts, but you cannot change his instincts."

"Then we change methods—we don't eliminate fear, but cover it with another emotion. Such as hope, such as protection, such as love."

"Emotional coverage... can the Civilization · Enlightenment do that?"

Lin Zhou thought for a moment. "The essence of the Civilization · Enlightenment is 'existence.' Existence itself contains hope, protection, and love. If we can implant the Civilization · Enlightenment into everyone's heart, fear will be covered."

"Implant it into everyone's heart? How much Civilization · Enlightenment would that require?"

"Not much. A single seed of civilization can ignite the hearts of millions. The key is how to pass this spark on."

He turned and walked out of the laboratory. Qin Qing was waiting for him at the door.

"Captain, Karon is dead, and the Void Sect has been completely wiped out. What do we do next?"

"Purify the corrupted remains of the Old Universe, collect essence of order, and strengthen the civilization furnace. At the same time, promote the Way of Civilization in the New Universe. Let more people become civilization walkers, and let the Civilization · Enlightenment burn in everyone's heart."

"That will take many years."

"We have three years."

Qin Qing nodded. "Then I will go make the arrangements."

The following days, the Civilization Guardian Legion entered a high-intensity cycle—purifying remains, collecting essence of order, strengthening the civilization furnace, and training new recruits. Every day, the sound of soldiers chanting names echoed in the fortress's training grounds. Holding Names Responsible for Reality and guarding oneself. The School of Names' "Separating Hardness and Whiteness" became an advanced skill for elite squads.

[Civilization Guardian Legion · Training Data (One Month Later)]

- Total Strength: 5000 troops

- Holding Names Responsible for Reality Proficiency: Average B-grade

- Separating Hardness and Whiteness Proficiency: Average C-grade (Elite squads A-grade)

- Existence Anchoring Coverage: 100%

Lin Zhou led the team to purify the remains personally every day. The river of civilization surged ceaselessly at the edge of the Return to Ruins, converting ashen-white corrupted ruins into golden essence of order.

[Purification · Progress (One Month)]

- Remains Purified: 150 locations

- essence of order Obtained: Approx. 40,000 units

- civilization furnace Daily Output: 20 million Divine Power → 22 million Divine Power

- Lin Zhou's Godhead Completeness: 90% → 95%

But the fluctuations deep within the Return to Ruins were growing stronger. The rule pulse every seven days became more violent each time. When the pulse reached the New Universe, even ordinary citizens could feel it—not an earthquake, not an energy shock, but a deep-seated "unease."

One day in the second month, Lin Zhou was attending a High Command meeting in the core area of the New Universe. Attendees included the Commander-in-Chief of the Expeditionary Force, commanders of various war zones, and representatives of the Cosmic Council. There was only one topic—the abnormal fluctuations deep within the Return to Ruins.

"According to detection, the intensity of the pulse increases by about 5% every seven days." The General Staff analyst pointed to the data chart. "At this rate, in three years, the pulse's intensity will be ten times what it is now. By then, the entire New Universe will be shrouded in the Return to Ruins' fear halo."

"Fear halo?" a war zone commander asked.

"A byproduct of Return to Ruins energy. It causes no physical damage, but it amplifies the fear in everyone's heart—fear of death, fear of the void. When the fear is strong enough, some people may actively turn to the Return to Ruins."

The air in the conference room froze.

Lin Zhou stood up. "Everyone, the entity deep within the Return to Ruins is called the Lord of Nothingness. Its source of power is humanity's fear of death. The stronger the fear, the stronger it becomes. It will awaken in three years, and if the New Universe is full of fear then, no one will be able to stop it."

"How do you know this?" the Commander-in-Chief asked.

"Information found in the remains of the Void Sect. The Lord of Nothingness has a contract with the Return to Ruins; as long as people fear death, it will never die."

"Then eliminate the fear," a council member said.

"Fear is an instinct; it cannot be eliminated. But it can be covered by another emotion—hope, protection, love. The Civilization · Enlightenment can ignite these emotions."

Lin Zhou raised his hand, and a wisp of cyan-gold flame appeared in his palm.

"I request to promote the Way of Civilization throughout the Universe. Let everyone come into contact with the Civilization · Enlightenment, even if it is just to perceive its light. When the Civilization · Enlightenment is bright enough, fear will be illuminated."

The Commander-in-Chief was silent for a long time. "What do you need?"

"Resources. Propaganda channels, educational institutions, and the cooperation of all races. The promotion of the Way of Civilization cannot rely solely on the military."

"I will give you three months. Within three months, the Expeditionary Force will fully cooperate with you. After three months, I want to see results."

"Yes."

After the meeting, Lin Zhou returned to the Seventh War Zone. He stood on the city wall, looking in the direction of the Chaos Star Domain. Qin Qing walked over.

"Captain, did the High Command approve?"

"Approved. Three months to promote the Way of Civilization throughout the Universe."

"Three months? Too short."

"That's why we cannot rely on traditional methods. We cannot use classrooms, we cannot use books. We must use—seed of civilization."

Lin Zhou took a transparent crystal from his Divine Kingdom—a seed of civilization. This was something he had obtained from The Transcendent's legacy. He could split off a wisp and gift it to others to ignite their Civilization · Enlightenment. He had only gifted it to Qin Qing before; now he needed to gift it to more people.

"There are only nine sparks. I gave one to Qin Qing, so eight remain. Eight people is not enough."

"Then what do we do?"

"We don't gift the spark directly, but gift the 'seed' of the spark. A type of Civilization · Enlightenment that can grow on its own. Once everyone gets a seed, they can cultivate it in their own Divine Kingdom, and when the spark matures, they can share it with the next person."

"Can it be done?"

Lin Zhou looked toward Li Mo's laboratory. "Li Mo, can the Civilization · Enlightenment 'reproduce'?"

Li Mo pushed his glasses and calculated rapidly. "Theoretically, yes. The essence of the Civilization · Enlightenment is 'existence,' and existence itself has expansiveness. If we can simplify the rule structure of the Civilization · Enlightenment and turn it into a 'seed' that can be absorbed by a godhead, self-reproduction can be achieved. But it needs time to research."

"How long?"

"One month."

"Wait."

One month later, Li Mo handed Lin Zhou a pale gold crystal. The crystal was only the size of a fingernail, with a faint cyan-gold light flowing on its surface. Within the light, tiny characters could be vaguely seen—not a specific language, but a definition of "existence" at the rule level.

[seed of civilization · Seed Version]

- Effect: Can be absorbed by a godhead to cultivate a Civilization · Enlightenment seedling in the Divine Kingdom

- Maturity Cycle: Approx. 30 days

- Reproduction Method: Can split into new seeds after maturity (Consumes 1000 Divine Power per split)

- Characteristic: The matured Civilization · Enlightenment resonates with the mother spark; the larger the range, the stronger the resonance.

Lin Zhou pressed the crystal to his brow, letting it seep into his Divine Kingdom. The crystal floated in the Temple of Civilization, washed by the river of civilization. Thirty days later, it sprouted—not a plant sprout, but a rule sprout. A new seed split from the mature spark.

[Civilization · Enlightenment · Reproduction Successful]

- Mature Spark: 1

- New Seed Split: 1

- Consumption: 1000 Divine Power

- Cycle: 30 days

Too slow. One seed can only split into one new seed every thirty days, twelve per year. To cover the entire Universe, it would take tens of thousands of years. Lin Zhou frowned.

"Li Mo, can we accelerate it?"

"Yes. Use essence of order to ripen it. It normally takes thirty days for a seed to go from sprouting to maturity. Injecting ten units of essence of order can shorten it to one day."

Lin Zhou calculated. The entire Universe has a population of hundreds of billions. It doesn't need everyone to have a spark, but at least every city and every village needs one. The New Universe currently has about 100,000 towns and cities, requiring 100,000 seeds. 100,000 seeds, each needing ten units of essence of order to ripen, would require a total of 1,000,000 units. He only has 50,000 units now.

"Cannot accelerate," Lin Zhou shook his head. "Not enough essence of order."

"Then don't accelerate. 100,000 seeds, each with a maturity cycle of thirty days, splitting twelve per year. Starting from one seed, how long to cover 100,000 towns?"

Li Mo pulled up a mathematical model. "Starting with one, doubling every thirty days. After ten splits, it reaches 1,000; after twenty splits, it reaches 1,000,000. Twenty splits require 600 days. Less than two years."

Lin Zhou's eyes lit up. "Less than two years?"

"Theoretically. But someone needs to constantly split the seeds. One person is not enough; we need ten people, one hundred people."

"Then we start with ten people." Lin Zhou took eight seeds from his Divine Kingdom—adding the one wisp he gave Qin Qing, he needed to split nine more.

The following days, Lin Zhou ripened seeds with essence of order every day. One, two, three...

[seed of civilization · Reproduction Progress (One Month Later)]

- Mature Spark: 32

- Gifted: Qin Qing, Wang Meng, Su Yueyao, Chen Xuan, Li Mo, Lei Zhan, Zhao Hao, Iron Face (8 people)

- To be Gifted: 24 (split and cultivated by the 8 people)

The eight people each received three seeds to cultivate in their own Divine Kingdoms. Qin Qing was the first to succeed. In her Divine Kingdom of Law, the Civilization · Enlightenment fused with the Net of Law, giving birth to the "Fire of Justice." Wang Meng was second; in his Behemoth Divine Kingdom, the Civilization · Enlightenment fused with his berserker Bloodline, giving birth to the "Fire of Courage." Su Yueyao's moon brilliance fused perfectly with the Civilization · Enlightenment, giving birth to the "Fire of Moon Brilliance."

[Civilization · Enlightenment · Mutation]

- Fire of Justice: Damage to evil faction +500%, Law-type skill effect +200%

- Fire of Courage: Immune to fear, sanity does not drop after berserk

- Fire of Moon Brilliance: Damage to Return to Ruins faction +1000%, moon brilliance purification efficiency +300%

Three months later, the number of sparks exceeded 1,000. Lin Zhou distributed these sparks to every soldier in the Seventh War Zone. The soldiers planted the sparks in their own Divine Kingdoms, and their godheads began to resonate with the Civilization · Enlightenment.

[Seventh War Zone · Civilization · Enlightenment Coverage]

- Total Soldiers: Approx. 100,000

- Sparks Obtained: Approx. 80,000

- Resonance Intensity: Medium

The pulse deep within the Return to Ruins still occurred every seven days, but when the pulse reached the Seventh War Zone, the soldiers' feelings changed. It was not fear, but—Battle Intent. Because the Civilization · Enlightenment was burning, fear was covered by hope.

General Rex sent news from headquarters. "Lin Zhou, the High Command is very satisfied with the results in the Seventh War Zone. They have decided to promote your seed of civilization plan throughout the entire Universe."

"The whole Universe? Are there enough resources?"

"The High Command has specially approved one million units of essence of order to be used for spark ripening."

One million units. Lin Zhou was stunned for a moment. With these resources, 100,000 seeds could all be ripened in one hundred days. 100,000 towns and cities in the New Universe, one for each; the Civilization · Enlightenment would blossom everywhere in the New Universe.

"When will it arrive?"

"Three days later."

Three days later, one million units of essence of order arrived at the Seventh War Zone. Lin Zhou led the Civilization Guardian Legion and began large-scale ripening of the sparks.

[seed of civilization · Large-Scale Reproduction]

- essence of order: 1 million units

- Seed Quantity: 100,000

- Ripening Speed: 1,000 per day

- Estimated Completion: 100 days

One hundred days later, 100,000 sparks were distributed to every town and city in the New Universe. Each spark burned in the town square. The cyan-gold flames illuminated the night sky.

The pulse deep within the Return to Ruins still occurred every seven days. But when it reached the New Universe, what it encountered was no longer fear, but—the Civilization · Enlightenment. The flames burned in 100,000 towns simultaneously, offsetting the pulse's fear halo.

[New Universe · Civilization · Enlightenment Coverage]

- Towns: Approx. 100,000

- Coverage: 100%

- Fear Halo Offset Rate: 90%

Three years later, the Lord of Nothingness awakened. When it opened its eyes, what it saw was not a darkness full of fear, but a starry sky illuminated by the Civilization · Enlightenment. Fear still existed, but it had already been covered by hope. The power of the Lord of Nothingness was weakened.

Lin Zhou stood on the fortress wall, watching the direction of the Chaos Star Domain. In the ashen-white mist, the dark red light was getting stronger. The awakening of the Lord of Nothingness had entered a countdown.

"Captain, are you afraid?" Su Yueyao walked over.

"Afraid. But not afraid of death."

"Afraid of what?"

"Afraid of failing expectations."

Su Yueyao held his hand. "You won't."

Lin Zhou looked toward the New Universe; the Civilization · Enlightenment in 100,000 towns looked like a sea of stars in the night sky. As long as the fire remained, the people remained.