526: Chapter 461: The Gate of Return to the Ruins, the Projection Fades, and the Crisis Temporarily Ends

The Marshal's golden light spots dissipated in the Void Realm. Lin Zhou knelt at the edge of the Guixu Rift, the Marshal's body heat still lingering on the golden crystal in his palm. He lowered his head, remaining silent for a long time. The Fire of Civilization burned within the crystal, fusing the Marshal's Order rules with the Way of Civilization. The level of the river of civilization rose from 33% to 40%, and the height of the Heavenly Pillar climbed from 1.3 million kilometers to 1.4 million kilometers. His godhead Rank broke through from LV550 to LV580, and a golden mark appeared on his left palm—the Legacy of the Hand of Order.

[Lin Zhou · Status Update]

- Godhead Rank: LV550 → LV580

- godhead integrity: 40%

- river of civilization Level: 40%

- Heavenly Pillar Height: 1.4 million kilometers

- New Skill: Hand of Order (Marshal's Legacy)

- Effect: One palm can shatter stars, damage to Guixu faction +3000%

He stood up and placed the Marshal's godhead core into his divine kingdom. The Guixu Rift had completely disappeared, and the gray-white mist dispersed, revealing the clear Void Realm. That ball of gray-white flame—the remnant obsession of the Lord of Nothingness—had completely dissipated in the Marshal's final strike of burning his godhead. But just as the rift closed completely, Lin Zhou's Fire of Civilization caught a trace of an extremely faint fluctuation. It was not energy, nor was it rules, but something deeper—intent. It came from the deepest part of the Guixu, the final obsession left behind by the Lord of Nothingness before falling.

[Guixu · Residual Intent]

- Source: Obsession of the Lord of Nothingness before falling

- Content: "A hundred years from now, I shall return. Mortal, your civilization is but a fleeting moment."

- Intensity: Extremely weak (cannot cause any impact)

Lin Zhou ignored that obsession. Things a hundred years from now could be dealt with in a hundred years. He turned and walked toward the teleportation array. Qin Qing, Wang Meng, Su Yueyao, Lei Zhan, and Iron Face were waiting for him by the array.

"Captain, is the Guixu Rift completely closed?" Qin Qing asked.

"Closed. Within a hundred years, there will be no more leakage of guixu energy."

"What about after a hundred years?"

"After a hundred years, there will be a new successor to the Way of Civilization."

Lin Zhou stepped into the teleportation array, and silver-white light enveloped him. After returning to the Iron Wall Fortress, he stood on the Wall of Heroes and embedded the Marshal's godhead core into the wall. The golden crystal intertwined with the cyan-gold inscriptions, and a mark of the Marshal appeared on the Wall of Heroes. One hundred Firewood Swords hummed in unison, and the Marshal's phantom appeared within the sword light—not his true spirit, just a memory. He was wearing the Expeditionary Force Commander-in-Chief's uniform, his right hand hanging at his side, his left hand behind his back. He looked at Lin Zhou and smiled.

"Child, well done."

The phantom dissipated. Lin Zhou walked down the city wall and returned to the barracks. The Fire of Civilization was burning, lighting up the road ahead and also lighting up the direction the Marshal had gone.

On the seventh day after the Guixu Rift closed, the Expeditionary Force headquarters officially lifted Lin Zhou's "traitor" status. After Chen Tianyou was arrested, his accomplices were also captured one by one. The new acting Marshal of the headquarters was the former commander of the Fourth War Zone, Qian Weiguo, whose godhead attribute was "Order · Thunder," which had not been polluted. His first Order after taking office was to restore all of Lin Zhou's duties and confer upon him the title of "War God Protecting the Nation."

[Lin Zhou · New Title]

- Title: War God Protecting the Nation

- Reason for Conferral: Led the Civilization Guardian Legion to resist the erosion of the Guixu, killed the Lord of Nothingness, and closed the Guixu Rift

- Military Rank: Major General → Lieutenant General (exceptional promotion)

- Position: Commander of the Seventh War Zone and Commander of the Civilization Guardian Legion

The conferral ceremony was held on the walls of the Iron Wall Fortress. There were no flowers, no salutes, only 12,000 soldiers lined up, and one hundred Firewood Swords burning on the city wall. Qian Weiguo personally pinned the Lieutenant General's epaulets onto Lin Zhou's collar.

"General Lin, the Marshal left a message before he left." Qian Weiguo's voice was low. "He said, if one day he couldn't come back, the Seventh War Zone would be handed over to you."

Lin Zhou was silent for a moment. "Did the Marshal say anything else?"

"He said, your Way of Civilization is brighter than he imagined."

Lin Zhou nodded. He turned to face the 12,000 soldiers below the city wall.

"Brothers, the Guixu Rift is closed. The Lord of Nothingness is dead. The Void Sect has been wiped out. The New Universe is safe." He paused. "But this is not the end. A hundred years from now, a new rift will appear, and a new Lord of Nothingness will be born. Our generation has held the line, and the next generation must hold it too."

He raised his left hand, and golden light condensed in his palm—the Hand of Order. "The Marshal's fire has merged into the river of civilization. His Order has become a part of the Way of Civilization. His will will be passed down forever as the Fire of Civilization burns."

"Civilization Guardian Legion—never disband!"

"Never disband!" 12,000 people roared in unison.

On the thirtieth day after the Guixu Rift closed, a statue was added to the walls of the Iron Wall Fortress. It was not of Lin Zhou, but of the Marshal. The statue was three zhang tall, with his left hand behind his back, his right hand hanging at his side, and his gaze looking toward the direction of the New Universe. Two lines of words were carved on the base of the statue—"The Way of Civilization, passing the torch. Do not let it down."

Lin Zhou stood before the statue and placed a bundle of Fire of Civilization on the base. The flames burned at the feet of the statue, and the cyan-gold light reflected on the face of the Marshal's stone statue.

"Marshal, a hundred years from now, there will be a new successor to the Way of Civilization. Their fire will be brighter than ours."

He turned and walked down the city wall. The Fire of Civilization was burning, lighting up the road ahead, and also lighting up the hundred years of waiting.