513: Chapter 448: Post-Battle Gains, Divine Breakthrough

The golden light of the Great Wall of Civilization stood like an eternal lighthouse amidst the grayish-white mist.

Three days after the fourth wave of Chaos Beasts receded, the corpses of Chaos Beasts still floated in the Void Realm, and grayish-white mist rose slowly from the remains, only to be evaporated by the inscriptions on the city wall.

Lin Zhou stood atop the city gate, holding a fist-sized, dark red crystal—the core of a Chaos Beast Emperor.

He had intercepted this from the disintegrating body of the third beast emperor before it could escape.

The surface of the crystal flowed with Chaos runes, sealing within it a massive amount of Chaos energy and fragments of Law.

[Chaos Beast Emperor Core · Data]

- Source: Chaos Beast Emperor (LV7200)

- Energy contained: Approximately equivalent to 100,000 chaos crystals

- Law fragments contained: Approximately 10,000

- Purifiable: Yes

- After purification: Approximately 5,000 units of essence of order, approximately 100 units of Origin of Law

Lin Zhou deposited the core into his Divine Kingdom and turned to look at the battlefield.

Soldiers of the Civilization Guardian Legion were cleaning up the battlefield—collecting chaos crystals, Law fragments, and the corpses of Chaos Beasts.

The corpses could be decomposed into Chaos energy to provide the civilization furnace with the means to convert Divine Power.

rune craftsmen were repairing the inscriptions on the city wall, the projections of heroic spirits had returned to the Great Wall, and the Flying Swords had been re-inserted into the battlements, their light slightly dim.

[Battlefield Harvest · Preliminary Statistics]

- chaos crystals: Approximately 500,000

- Law fragments: Approximately 100,000

- Chaos Beast Emperor Core: One

- God King-Rank lord core: Thirty

- Ordinary Chaos Beast core: Approximately 100,000

Li Mo's projection calculated rapidly on the city wall. "Captain, if this entire harvest is purified, it can yield approximately 50,000 units of essence of order and approximately 1,000 units of Origin of Law. The daily output of the civilization furnace can be increased to 50 million Divine Power."

"Is it enough?" Lin Zhou asked.

"It is. But we need time. Purification will take at least a month."

"Then a month it is."

Lin Zhou walked down the city wall and returned to the fortress barracks.

He sat cross-legged and held the Chaos Beast Emperor core in his palm.

Fire of Civilization surged from his palm, enveloping the core.

The dark red shell peeled away in the flames, revealing the golden core inside—it was essence of order wrapped in Chaos energy.

His godhead integrity was only at 50%, and he still had significant memory loss, but he needed strength.

The fifth wave of beasts might already be on its way, the rift deep within the Return to Ruins was still expanding, and the true form of the Lord of Nothingness could appear at any moment.

[Godhead · Absorb Chaos Beast Emperor Core]

- Progress: 1%... 2%... 3%...

- Consumption: 5,000 Divine Power per minute

- Expected gains: Godhead Rank +50, river of civilization water level +10%, Heavenly Pillar height +100,000 kilometers

One month later. The core was completely purified, Lin Zhou's godhead integrity recovered from 50% to 80%, and his Rank increased from LV500 to LV550.

The water level of the river of civilization rose from 120% to 130%, and the height of the Heavenly Pillar rose from 1.2 million kilometers to 1.3 million kilometers.

[Lin Zhou · Status]

- Godhead Rank: LV550 (Mid-Tier Divine Power, initial stage)

- godhead integrity: 80%

- river of civilization water level: 130%

- Heavenly Pillar height: 1.3 million kilometers

- Divine Power reserves: 5 million

More importantly, a new tributary had been born in the river of civilization—the Dao of the Sword tributary.

The river originally only had tributaries for thoughts like Confucianism, Legalism, Mohism, Daoism, and the School of Military; now, there was an additional cyan-gold river composed of countless sword shadows.

That was the Sword Intent of the 12,000 Flying Swords in the Shushan Sword Tomb, condensed after merging with the Fire of Civilization.

[river of civilization · Dao of the Sword tributary]

- Form: Cyan-gold river, composed of countless sword shadows

- Characteristics: Sword Cultivator vassal sword technique proficiency +100%, sword move power +50%

- Damage to Chaos faction: +200%

- Growable: Increases with the quantity and quality of Sword Cultivator vassals

The moment the Dao of the Sword tributary formed, the 12,000 Flying Swords in the Shushan Sword Tomb hummed in unison.

The concentration of Sword Intent in the Sword Tomb surged, and those Flying Swords that were still in slumber began to awaken—not all of them, but at least 3,000.

They flew out of the Sword Tomb, circled above the Temple of Civilization, and then flew in all directions of the New Universe.

They went to find people of destiny, to find those civilization travelers who resonated with the Dao of the Sword.

[Flying Sword · Recognize Master]

- Quantity: Approximately 3,000

- Destination: Various war zones of the New Universe, civilian zones, and unexplored areas

- Conditions for recognizing a master: Sword technique proficiency Grade A or above, approved by the Fire of Civilization

Lin Zhou did not stop them. The Dao of the Sword needed a Legacy, and the Flying Swords needed masters.

He stood up and walked out of the barracks.

On the city wall, Wang Meng was training the Civilization Sword Cultivators of the Vanguard Battalion.

After the baptism of the fourth wave of beasts, the average Rank of the Sword Cultivators had increased from LV550 to LV580, and their sword technique proficiency had increased from Grade B to Grade A.

More importantly, ten Sword Cultivators had awakened their Sword Heart during the battle—their Sword Intent had deeply fused with the Fire of Civilization, allowing them to unleash "Civilization Sword Skills" with power comparable to a full-force strike of a Mid-Tier Divine Power.

[Civilization Sword Cultivator · Awakened]

- Number of people: 10

- Average Rank: LV600

- Awakened skill: Civilization Sword Skill (Damage to Chaos faction +500%)

- New title: Civilization Swordsman

Wang Meng saw Lin Zhou and walked over with large strides. "Captain, did your godhead Breakthrough?"

"Yes, LV550."

"Great!" Wang Meng grinned. "My godhead also had a Breakthrough, LV520."

Lin Zhou nodded. "What about Lei Zhan?"

"Lei Zhan also broke through, LV500. His Iron Rock Giant can now withstand a strike from a God King-Rank lord."

Lin Zhou walked to the edge of the city wall and looked at the Void Realm outside the Great Wall.

In the grayish-white mist, the dark red spots of light were denser than they had been a month ago.

The rift deep within the Return to Ruins was still expanding; Li Mo's detector showed that the width of the rift had expanded from 500 kilometers to 800 kilometers.

"Captain, has the Dao of the Sword tributary formed?" Su Yueyao walked over, moonlight flowing around her.

"It has. Does your moonlight have resonance with the Dao of the Sword?"

Su Yueyao raised her hand, and a small, silver-white sword appeared in her palm—not a physical entity, but a phantom condensed from moonlight and Sword Intent. "Moonlight can be attached to a sword to increase its power. But my sword technique is not good enough; it can only provide support."

"That is enough."

Lin Zhou turned and looked at the 12,000 soldiers on the city wall.

"Brothers, the fourth wave of beasts has been beaten back, but we cannot let our guard down. The rift deep within the Return to Ruins is still expanding, and the fifth wave of beasts may have already assembled. We need stronger power."

He raised his hand, and the river of civilization surged out from his Divine Kingdom. A thin stream separated from the Dao of the Sword tributary and poured into the 12,000 Flying Swords on the city wall.

The Flying Swords hummed, and the light on the swords changed from cyan-gold to an interweaving of cyan-gold and silver-white—that was the result of the Fusion of moonlight and the Dao of the Sword tributary.

[Flying Sword · Upgrade]

- Quality: Epic → Legendary (Partial)

- Characteristics: Adds moonlight effect, damage to Return to Ruins faction +500%

- Quantity: Approximately 3,000 (First batch)

"From today on, the swords of the Civilization Sword Cultivators are no longer just swords. They are Swords of Civilization, they are Swords of Moonlight, they are Swords of Protection."

Lin Zhou looked toward the direction of the New Universe. The Fire of Civilization of 100,000 towns was like a sea of stars in the night sky.

"A month from now, the fifth wave of beasts will come. Perhaps they will be stronger, perhaps the true form of the Lord of Nothingness will be there. But we are not afraid."

"Because the Fire of Civilization is burning. Because the Dao of the Sword tributary is surging. Because we are not alone."

"Civilization Guardian Legion—fight to the death, never retreat!"

"Fight to the death, never retreat!" 12,000 people roared in unison.

Just then, Li Mo's projection flickered suddenly. "Captain, there is an anomaly deep within the Return to Ruins."

"What anomaly?"

"In the rift... something has come out. It is not a Chaos Beast, not a God King-Rank lord, nor a Chaos Beast Emperor. It is... a humanoid energy entity."

Lin Zhou's pupils contracted.

"Humanoid?"

"Yes. Its energy fluctuations... are consistent with the phantom in the Anchor Point of the Lord of Nothingness."

Lin Zhou flew to the top of the Great Wall and looked toward the direction of the Return to Ruins rift.

In the grayish-white mist, a huge figure was slowly walking out. It was not a Chaos Beast, but a human—or rather, it used to be human.

It was about 100 meters tall, entirely grayish-white, with dark red patterns covering its surface.

Its eyes were two balls of grayish-white flame, without pupils, only emptiness.

In its hand, it held a massive grayish-white sword, with Return to Ruins runes flowing on the blade.

[Lord of Nothingness · Projection]

- Rank: LV5000 (high-tier divine power, initial stage)

- Form: Humanoid (100 meters tall)

- Weapon: Great Sword of Return to Ruins

- Characteristics: Void Halo, Existence Erasure, Return to Ruins Devour

- Source: Power projection of the Lord of Nothingness

"It is not the true form." Li Mo shouted, "It is a projection. But its power is stronger than a Chaos Beast Emperor."

Lin Zhou did not retreat. He took a step forward, Sword of Civilization in hand. "Dragon Vein Golden Scale, follow me into battle. Wang Meng, lead the Vanguard Battalion to hold the line. Lei Zhan, cover with the shield wall."

Man and Dragon flew toward the projection of the Lord of Nothingness. Golden Scale's Dragon Breath struck first, a golden beam of light shooting toward the projection.

The projection raised its great sword, the blade blocking the Dragon Breath. The dark red light clashed with the gold, deadlocked for three seconds.

The projection swung its sword, and a grayish-white Sword Qi slashed toward Golden Scale. Golden Scale dodged, the Sword Qi grazing its scales and leaving a deep crack.

[Dragon Vein Golden Scale · Status]

- Scale integrity: 80% → 70%

- Status: Lightly injured

Lin Zhou rushed forward, Sword of Civilization slashing toward the projection's head.

The sword light was blocked by a shield, the shield vibrating. The projection turned, its great sword sweeping horizontally. Lin Zhou blocked with the Shield of Civilization, and the shield shattered.

[Lin Zhou · Status]

- godhead integrity: 80% → 75%

- Shield of Civilization: Shattered

Wang Meng led the Vanguard Battalion to attack from the flank, 5,000 Flying Swords shooting toward the projection.

The rain of swords fell on the projection's shield, the shield vibrating and showing cracks.

Lei Zhan's shield wall advanced from the front, 3,000 Iron Rock Giants raised their shields simultaneously, drawing the projection's attention.

Qin Qing's Net of Law entangled the projection's legs from the rear.

Iron Face's Fire of Justice performed an existence judgment.

Su Yueyao's moonlight suppressed the projection's Return to Ruins energy.

Chen Xuan's School of Names' Separating Hardness and Whiteness stripped away the projection's "defense" attribute.

[Lord of Nothingness Projection · Status]

- Integrity: 100%... 80%... 60%...

- Under siege

Lin Zhou condensed the Sword of Civilization again, injecting the power of the Dao of the Sword tributary into the blade.

Within the cyan-gold sword light, countless sword shadows emerged—that was the Sword Intent of the 12,000 Flying Swords in the Shushan Sword Tomb.

[Sword of Civilization · Dao of the Sword tributary buff]

- Attack power: Mid-Tier Divine Power Peak full-force strike × 5

- Damage to Return to Ruins faction: +1000%

- Consumption: 100,000 Divine Power

The sword light slashed into the projection's core. The projection's body began to disintegrate, grayish-white mist surged wildly, and the dark red patterns shattered.

The integrity dropped from 60% to 40%, 20%, 0%.

[Lord of Nothingness Projection · Dissipated]

Lin Zhou retracted the Sword of Civilization and landed on the city wall. His godhead integrity dropped to 70%, but his memory did not leak.

"Captain, the projection was just a test." Li Mo's voice was heavy, "Its true form might still be deep within the rift."

"I know." Lin Zhou looked in the direction of the rift, "But it dares not come out."

"Why?"

"Because it is waiting. Waiting for the rift to expand enough to accommodate its true form. The rift is only 800 kilometers wide right now, and its true form is at least 1,000 kilometers. It cannot come out."

"Then we must seal the rift before it comes out."

Lin Zhou turned. "Li Mo, is there a way to seal the rift?"

"Yes. Use Origin of Space stones to set up space Anchor Points around the rift and compress it. But it requires at least 1,000 Origin of Space stones. We do not have that many."

"Then collect them. Order all war zones to requisition Origin of Space stones. At the same time, excavate from the ruins on the edge of the Return to Ruins in the Old Universe. There might be leftovers there."

"Yes."

Lin Zhou walked down the city wall and returned to the barracks.

One month later. 1,000 Origin of Space stones were collected. Lin Zhou took Li Mo and set up 300 space Anchor Points around the Return to Ruins rift.

Each Anchor Point was one kilometer apart, forming a huge space compression array.

[Space Compression Array · Data]

- Number of Anchor Points: 300

- Coverage: 1,000 kilometers in diameter

- Effect: Compress rift width, from 800 kilometers down to 100 kilometers

- Consumption: 1,000 Origin of Space stones

- Expected completion: Seven days

For seven days and seven nights, Lin Zhou and Li Mo did not sleep or rest.

The moment the 300th Anchor Point was set up, the Return to Ruins rift began to shrink. 800 kilometers, 500 kilometers, 300 kilometers, 100 kilometers.

[Return to Ruins Rift · Status]

- Width: 100 kilometers

- Energy outflow speed: Decreased by 90%

- Chaos Beast generation speed: Decreased by 90%

The true form of the Lord of Nothingness was blocked deep within the rift and could not come out in the short term.

But Lin Zhou knew this was only temporary. The space Anchor Points needed regular maintenance, and the Origin of Space stones would also be consumed. Once the Anchor Points failed, the rift would expand again.

"Captain, the rift is sealed." Li Mo's voice was weary.

"It is sealed. But only temporarily." Lin Zhou looked at the rift that had been compressed to 100 kilometers, "The Lord of Nothingness is still inside. It will still find a way to come out."

"Then what should we do?"

"Wait. Wait for it to come out."