51: The source of the plague: traces of the lich's casket appear (Part 2)

Horton watched as the light sword in Elwin's hand, formed purely from Vast Righteous Qi and radiating a glow that made his very Soul feel scorched, turned his Face deathly pale.

He could clearly perceive the terrifying power contained within that light sword; it was a force of rule that transcended simple elemental damage and struck directly at the Origin of Order and chaos!

It possessed an Innate, absolute suppression over his Harpy kin!

"No... impossible! How could your power..." Horton's voice trembled.

He could not understand why the opponent's hero had improved so drastically in such a short time.

Little did he know, this was not only the result of Elwin's own Rank increasing (LV30 → LV32) and her deepened understanding of Confucianism, but also the strengthened feedback to her kin after Lin Zhou ascended to Faint Divinity, as well as the implicit buffs brought about by the widespread recognition of Way of Civilization!

"A frog at the bottom of a well, how can it know the vastness of the celestial river?" Elwin's tone was calm but carried unquestionable majesty.

"How can you fathom the Dao of my Lord? I will give you one last chance: leave immediately and swear never to invade again, and I may spare your life."

Horton's Face flushed red and pale, his mind caught in a fierce internal struggle.

Retreat? He would lose all Face, and the harsh words he had previously uttered would become a joke!

Attack? Looking at the light sword that made his heart tremble, and the defenders on the city wall who were silent yet had firm gazes, he had no chance of winning!

Just as he was hesitating, Elwin seemed to lose patience.

"Stubborn and unyielding."

She gave a light shout, and the light sword in her hand did not strike at Horton himself or his floating airship, but instead, she made a gentle slash toward the restless swarm of Harpies behind him!

There was no earth-shattering roar, only a gentle yet incredibly swift wave of white light that spread out like ripples, instantly sweeping across the entire Harpy swarm!

[Hero Skill]: Righteous Judgment (Elwin has learned a new skill).

Effect: Performs a rule-based judgment on all chaotic/evil aligned units within range based on the concept of "Order." Those who fail the judgment will suffer a dual blow to their spirit and rules based on their "crimes" and "degree of chaos."

The Harpies swept by the white light wave froze in mid-air as if struck by a paralysis spell.

The light of madness and greed in their eyes quickly faded, replaced by confusion, fear, and even... a trace of repentance?

Immediately after, the weaker Harpies (below LV20) fell from the sky like dumplings.

Although they didn't die, they fell into a deep state of [Chaos] and [Fear], temporarily losing their combat capability.

As for the elite Harpies above LV20, they also wobbled in the air as if drunk, their desire to attack greatly reduced, and their attributes plummeted once again!

One strike! It had nearly crippled most of Horton's air force!

Horton was dumbfounded, his liver and gallbladder split with terror!

What kind of hellish skill was this?! It completely ignored conventional defense and magic resistance, directly performing alignment judgment and rule-based strikes?! How could he fight this?

"Scram!" Elwin withdrew her light sword and spat out the word.

The voice was not loud, but it exploded in Horton's mind like a thunderclap, shaking his divine flame so violently that his consciousness projection nearly collapsed!

Horton could no longer worry about Face.

He let out a strange cry, steered his floating airship around, and fled.

He didn't even bother with the Harpies who had fallen into a state of chaos, taking only a few elites who could still barely fly, and disappeared into the gray mist in a sorry state.

On the city wall, earth-shaking cheers erupted!

"Long live Your Excellency Elwin!"

"Long live the Lord of Civilization!"

The morale of the defenders soared, and their gazes toward Elwin were filled with fanaticism and worship.

Elwin, however, just waved her hand calmly, signaling everyone to remain vigilant.

She looked up at the sky and silently thought: "My Lord, I have not failed your mission."

Lin Zhou watched all of this and was very satisfied with Elwin's performance.

Combining kindness with severity, and benevolence with force—this was the proper demeanor for a transmitter of civilization.

Horton's rout could be used to deter other Examinees who might harbor ill intentions.

He no longer paid attention to this small episode and submerged his consciousness completely back into the Imperial Hospital.

Compared to a clown like Horton, The Silent Temple and the lich's phylactery were the real heart-deep troubles.

"Immediately consolidate all information regarding The Silent Temple and the lich's phylactery, and formulate an operational plan!" Lin Zhou ordered.

The Imperial Hospital and Temple of Civilization began to operate at high speed.

Combining the information obtained from tracing Origins, the observations brought back by Snik's team, and the fragments of information collected from the rescued Examinees and natives about "The Silent Temple," a relatively complete intelligence report was pieced together.

[Target Location]: The Silent Temple.

[Geographical Location]: Approximately 300 kilometers northwest of the Valley of the Dead, located in the center of a barren plain known as the "Ancient Battlefield."

[Historical Background]: Rumored to be a temple used by some extinct ancient civilization for sacrifices or conducting some kind of forbidden experiments. It was named so because its final outcome was related to "silence." It has long been shrouded in death and arcane energy; no living person should approach.

[Known Dangers]: Undead Legion: A large number of high-Rank undead roam inside and outside the temple, including but not limited to: Undead Knights (LV30+), Spectral Mage swarms (LV25-30), Skeletal Dragons (???), etc. Their strength and numbers far exceed those of the Valley of the Dead.

Arcane Traps: The temple itself contains powerful ancient arcane Restrictions and traps, involving spatial distortion, rule disruption, energy backlash, etc., which are extremely dangerous.

Environmental Erosion: The death and arcane energy within the area mix to form a unique [Silence Field] that continuously erodes life and energy, and strongly interferes with Divine Thought perception and communication.

Lich Entity: It is highly likely that at least one lich (estimated level LV40 - LV50, equivalent to mid-to-high Rank Lesser Divinity) is stationed there, guarding its phylactery and controlling the undead legion within the temple.

[Strategic Goal]: Infiltrate The Silent Temple, locate and destroy the lich's phylactery.

[Estimated Difficulty]: Extremely high! Far exceeding any previous battle.

It requires the deployment of core elites, and the success rate is less than 30%.

Looking at this suffocating intelligence report, Lin Zhou fell into silence.

A LV40 - LV50 lich, plus a fully organized high-Rank undead legion, along with weird arcane traps and environment... This was simply not a dungeon that a newborn god with Faint Divinity should challenge!

This looked more like a mission prepared by Xinghai University for those junior and senior elites, or simply for the teachers!

No wonder this plague was so tricky; a terrifying guy like this was indeed standing behind it.

A direct frontal assault would be tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock.

However, the phylactery must be destroyed! Otherwise, there would be no peace!

"I must find allies!" Lin Zhou made the judgment instantly.

With his current strength alone, he could absolutely not complete this mission.

He needed to unite all forces that could be united.

His gaze swept across the list of Examinees within his divine domain who were grateful because they had been rescued by him, and he thought of that mysterious and powerful Su Yueyao.

Perhaps... could he try to contact her?

But Su Yueyao was elusive; it was rare enough that she had helped last time.

What price would he need to pay to get her to act again?

And would she be willing to challenge a powerful lich for a stranger classmate?

Besides this, were there any other options?

Just as Lin Zhou was weighing the pros and cons and thinking of a way to break the deadlock, the Temple of Civilization sent a prompt again.

[Ding! Detected that the host is facing a major strategic choice, which fits the application scenario of the "School of Diplomacy" philosophy. Do you wish to consume civilization points to start the "School of Diplomacy" philosophy deduction and seek a strategy to break the deadlock?]

[Deduction Requirement]: Consume 1000 civilization points.

[Deduction Effect]: Based on existing intelligence and potential ally relationships, deduce the joint plan and negotiation strategy with the highest success rate.

School of Diplomacy! Vertical and Horizontal Alliances!

Lin Zhou's eyes lit up! How could he have forgotten this!

Facing a powerful enemy that he could not defeat alone, uniting other forces was exactly what the School of Diplomacy was best at!

"Start the deduction immediately!" Lin Zhou paid the 1000 civilization points without hesitation.

[civilization points deducted: 1000 points, remaining: 5790 points.]

[School of Diplomacy philosophy deduction started... Analyzing potential allies... Calculating common interests... Simulating negotiation processes...]

A moment later, a clear stream of information flowed into Lin Zhou's consciousness.

[Deduction complete!]

[Optimal Plan]: Form an "Anti-Lich Allied Army."

[Core Allies]:

Su Yueyao (Moon God Divine Domain): Powerful, her Moonlight Divine Power suppresses the undead, making her a key combat force.

Entry point: Jointly address the threat, maintain the balance of Order; can promise priority distribution of loot or future cooperation opportunities.

Zhao Hao (Dragon Divine Domain): A traditional combat-oriented divine domain, with extremely strong frontal assault capabilities, and he has old ties with the host, so his credibility is relatively high.

Entry point: State the stakes, stimulate his sense of combat and honor; promise him Dragon-type Materials or cards he is interested in.

Rescued Examinee group: Numerous in quantity, although individual strength is not strong, united they are a force that cannot be ignored, and they are grateful to the host.

Entry point: Call upon them with the high moral ground of "destroying the source of the plague and saving the astral world," and provide logistical support and tactical command.

[Secondary Contact/Deterrence Targets]: Horton and other potential hostile Examinees: Show muscle (such as Elwin defeating Horton), and issue a warning that if they cause trouble behind the scenes during the Allied Army's operation, they will definitely be settled accounts with later.

If necessary, adopt a strategy of division and solicitation.

[Negotiation Strategy Suggestions]: Move Su Yueyao with "profit" and "momentum"; move Zhao Hao with "sentiment" and "fame"; guide the masses with "righteousness" and "profit."

[Estimated Allied Army success rate]: Increased to 65% (fluctuates depending on specific joint conditions).

"Vertical and Horizontal Alliances... What a great School of Diplomacy!" Lin Zhou's mind suddenly cleared!

This plan utilized the resources and connections he could mobilize to the extreme!

There is no time to delay; he must act immediately!

"Elwin!" Lin Zhou's oracle descended again.

"There are two things you need to do immediately!"

"First, in my name, draft an 'Anti-Lich Allied Army' initiative, clarifying that the source of the plague is the lich's doing, and its phylactery is hidden in The Silent Temple.

Call upon all Examinees who are committed to the peace of this astral world to meet at Furnace Fortress in three days to discuss the grand plan of crusade! Spread the initiative far and wide!"

"Second, in my private name, send an invitation to the alliance to classmate Su Yueyao and classmate Zhao Hao respectively.

The wording must be sincere, and attach the detailed intelligence we possess."

"I will obey the oracle!" Elwin received the Order and immediately went to make arrangements.

Soon, the "Anti-Lich Allied Army" initiative, signed by Lin Zhou (Lord of Civilization), was transmitted through specific Divine Thought broadcasts and messengers, flying to every corner of the Blackrock astral world as if it had grown wings.

In the initiative, Lin Zhou revealed without reservation the existence of the lich, the location of the phylactery, and its huge threat, calling on all Examinees to put aside their prejudices, unite, and work together for their common survival environment and for the final assessment evaluation, to eradicate this tumor!

At the same time, two private invitations with more sincere wording, accompanied by detailed intelligence and analysis, were also sent to the areas where Su Yueyao and Zhao Hao might be located.

As the news spread, the entire assessment astral world was immediately thrown into an uproar!