548: Chapter 483: The Final Showdown, the White-Clad Cult Leader is Actually Her

When the light of the teleportation array at the edge of the Withered Star Realm lit up, Lin Zhou looked back. That blank area had expanded again compared to just a moment ago. The gray-white mist was no longer churning, because churning also requires "existence." And that blankness had even erased "existence" itself. The spot where Professor Vera had once sat was now completely empty. Only the last segment of data remained in his godhead integrity.

The light of the teleportation array pulled him back to the Iron Wall Fortress.

When he stepped onto solid ground, the river of civilization had dropped from three percent to two percent, and his godhead integrity had dropped from eight percent to seven percent. But Vera's memory fragments were completely preserved in the Temple of Civilization, like an eternal lamp that never went out. Golden Scale flew down from the city wall and coiled beside him, a low Dragon roar tinged with concern.

"Master, are you injured?"

"No. I just saw something I shouldn't have."

Lin Zhou did not rest. He summoned Acting Marshal Qian Weiguo, the hundred God Kings, the commanders of each war zone, the speaker of the Cosmic Council, and everyone capable of participating in the final decision-making. The conference hall of the Iron Wall Fortress had never been so full; in the three-thousand-square-meter hall, hundreds of people were squeezed together, each of their faces as solemn as iron.

Lin Zhou stood before the Star Map and projected Vera's memory fragments into the air. The essence of Guixu, the laws of the Sea of Nothingness, the three-layered structure of the Gate of Guixu, and the truth of "harvesting civilizations as seeds"—all were presented before everyone. The conference hall was deathly silent; even the sound of breathing became cautious.

"Everyone, Guixu is not an enemy; it is a program. The ultimate program of the Universe, responsible for 'harvesting' all the achievements of a civilization as seeds for the New Universe when that civilization develops to a certain extent. It is not out of malice, but out of necessity. But necessity does not mean it cannot be changed."

Acting Marshal Qian Weiguo stood up. His voice was steady, but Lin Zhou noticed his fingers trembling slightly. "General Lin, do you mean that Guixu can be... surpassed?"

"The Fire of Civilization can surpass Guixu. Because the essence of the Fire of Civilization is 'existence,' while the essence of Guixu is 'oblivion.' When the Fire of Civilization is bright enough to make everyone remember the civilization, Guixu cannot harvest it. Because memory is existence."

Lin Zhou injected the Fire of Civilization into the projection, and cyan-gold flames burned on the Star Map. The three-layered structure of the Gate of Guixu was illuminated by the flames, and the runes on the door frame began to loosen. "The key to the Gate of Guixu has been purified by us, but the gate itself is already forty-five percent open. In half a year, it will open completely. The Sea of Nothingness will flood into the New Universe."

He looked at every attendee in the venue. "Before that, we must do two things. First, sow the seed of civilization in every inch of the New Universe. Let every star, every city, and every person's heart have a flame. Second, prepare a 'memory ritual.' At the moment the Gate of Guixu opens, everyone will recite the history of civilization simultaneously—from drilling wood for fire to the Hundred Schools of Thought contending, from steam engines to quantum AI, from the Old Universe to the New Universe. Let the memories of civilization converge into a river of civilization to scour the Gate of Guixu."

After the meeting, Acting Marshal Qian Weiguo walked up to Lin Zhou. "General Lin, on behalf of the Command Headquarters, I ask you to preside over the memory ritual."

Lin Zhou shook his head. "I cannot preside over it. When the Gate of Guixu opens, I will walk into that door. The memory ritual needs you to preside over it. You are the marshal of the Expeditionary Force, you are the symbol of the Order of the New Universe. Your voice carries more weight than mine."

Acting Marshal Qian Weiguo was silent for a long time. "General Lin, if you walk into that door, can you come back out?"

"I can. I will use the river of civilization to Seal the Sea of Nothingness, but not for the sake of a Seal, but for Fusion. Let the river of civilization become a part of Guixu, and let the program of Guixu be overwritten by the rules of the Fire of Civilization. Just like rewriting a piece of code."

In the following days, the seeds of civilization were sown at an unprecedented speed. Li Mo's rune craftsmen worked overtime, producing one hundred thousand seeds of civilization, which were distributed to every town, every planet, and every starry sky in the New Universe through space teleportation arrays. Billions of lives ignited the Fire of Civilization simultaneously. All the flames pulsed at the same frequency, converging into a wave that spanned the Universe.

Six thousand seven hundred and ninety-nine cities, three hundred and forty-two life-bearing planets, and one hundred and twenty thousand space stations were all burning.

The Firewood Sword on the Wall of Heroes resonated, a hundred Flying Swords hummed in unison, and the seven-colored light of a hundred God King-level rules illuminated the entire New Universe. The preparations for the memory ritual were ready, but the ritual had to wait until the moment the Gate of Guixu opened to begin.

Su Yueyao walked to Lin Zhou's side, moonlight flowing around him. "Captain, on the day of the ritual, where will you stand?"

"Standing before the Gate of Guixu." Lin Zhou raised his left hand, the golden Hand of Order condensing in his palm. "I will carry the river of civilization into it, allowing the river water to fuse with the Sea of Nothingness. When the river water covers the entire Sea of Nothingness, the program of Guixu will be overwritten and rewritten. Guixu will no longer be a place to harvest civilization, but the 'underlying code' where civilization lasts forever."

"What if it fails?"

"It will not fail." Lin Zhou held her hand. "Because fire will not be extinguished. The Way of Civilization is passed down like firewood."

He released her hand and walked to the Wall of Heroes. The marshal's statue still gazed toward the direction of the New Universe, but Lin Zhou knew that the marshal was no longer there. He stood under the statue, his hand pressed on the pedestal, the river of civilization flowing from his fingertips, soaking into the base of the statue. The stone pedestal began to emit a cyan-gold light. He did not pray, because prayer is asking from nothingness. And what he had to do was to endow nothingness with existence.

"Captain, what are you thinking about?" Su Yueyao walked over, her voice closer than he had expected. He turned his head and found that she was standing just one step behind him, moonlight like gauze, enveloping them in the same circle of light.

"I was thinking, on the day the Gate of Guixu opens, will the people of the New Universe remember me?"

"They will." Su Yueyao raised her hand, and moonlight condensed into a point of light in her palm—that was a wisp of her Origin fire. "I will leave my moonlight on you; no matter where you go, I will be able to perceive you. Even if you are not in this Universe, I will be able to find you."

The point of light merged into Lin Zhou's chest. He felt Su Yueyao's moonlight take root in the core of his godhead, intertwining with his Fire of Civilization. This was the Anchor Point she gave him, and also her promise to him. No matter where Lin Zhou went, she would not lose him.

"Captain, how much longer until the Gate of Guixu?"

Li Mo's projection appeared on the city wall, his voice lighter and slower than usual: "Recalculated according to Vera's data, the opening speed of the Gate of Guixu is faster than we expected. The cracks in the gate are spreading, not those we see from the outside, but at the level of rules—it is changing from 'not opened' to 'about to open.' At this speed, it is not half a year, but four months."

Four and a half months. One and a half months shorter than the expected six months. There was not much time left.

Lin Zhou did not panic. He had long been prepared. The seeds of civilization had been sown, and the memory ritual was ready. All that remained was to wait, and then walk into that door. He stood on the Wall of Heroes, looking at that sea of stars. Fire was burning, trillions of seeds of civilization were ignited simultaneously, and the sea of stars was turning into a sea of fire. At that moment, the Heavenly Pillar trembled slightly. It was not shaking, but a response. Like a human heart beating steadily in a chest. The Fire of Civilization was burning, illuminating the road ahead, and also illuminating the direction of the Gate of Guixu. Four months later, he would walk into that door. He knew he would not hesitate again.