56: Legalist precepts: Words spoken become law, breaking curses (Part 1)

At the breach in the city wall, the situation took a sharp turn for the worse!

Four Death Knights stood behind the breach like four cold statues of death. The Nightmare Beasts beneath them breathed black flames, and the ground cracked under their hooves. The leading Death Knight was exceptionally tall, its armor covered in twisted runes, and the two-handed greatsword in its hand was wrapped in a heart-palpitating dark red death light. Its Rank had actually reached LV38! Its dark red Soul-fire swept across the charging Young Golden Dragon and Zhao Hao with a hint of indifference and cruelty.

[Elite Hero Unit]: Death Knight Commander (LV38)

[Attributes]: Strength 68, Agility 32, Physique 62, Intelligence 25, Spirit 35 (Lawful Evil)

[Talent]: [Death Aura] (Slightly reduces all attributes and morale of surrounding living units), [Rune Sword Mastery]

[Skills]: [Death Coil] (Ranged shadow damage/Heals undead), [Shadow Strike], [Army of the Dead (Miniature)] (Summons a small number of undead warriors)

[Equipment]: [Rune Annihilation Greatsword] (Epic, high shadow damage, armor penetration), [Cursed Black Armor] (Epic, high physical/magical defense, includes damage reflection)

The other three Death Knights were around LV35, with slightly lower attributes, but they were equally difficult opponents. The death formation they formed was like a dam built of steel and death, firmly blocking the passage for the allied forces to pour in.

In the sky, the shrieks of the three Banshee Queens were even more terrifying! The sound didn't act on the eardrums but directly penetrated the flesh and tore at the Soul! Invisible sound waves swept in like a tsunami. Many lower-ranked units in the allied forces with insufficient mental resistance immediately clutched their heads and screamed, their eyes rolling back as they fell into [Deep Fear] or [Mental Confusion], even starting to attack nearby allies indiscriminately!

[Elite Hero Unit]: Banshee Queen (LV36)

[Attributes]: Strength 15, Agility 40, Physique 25, Intelligence 45, Spirit 50 (Chaotic Evil)

[Talent]: [Incorporeal] (50% immunity to physical attacks, double damage from energy attacks), [Soul Siphon]

[Skills]: [Banshee's Howl] (Massive area mental attack, high probability of fear/confusion/instant death), [Curse of Agony], [Mind Flay]

[Trait]: Flying unit, extremely high resistance to mental attacks.

"Hold steady! Priests and Clerics, dispel the fear! Magic units, focus fire on the Banshees!" Elwin commanded anxiously from the rear. Strands of Vast Righteous Qi transformed into soft light waves, attempting to dispel the effects of the Banshee's Howl. The Moon God Priests also sang [Tranquil Moon] with all their might, but the Banshee Queen's mental attack was of an extremely high level and wide range, so the dispelling effect was very limited!

On the front line, Zhao Hao and the Young Golden Dragon bore the greatest pressure. The Dragon breathed a blast of dragon breath at the Death Knight Commander, but the latter swung its greatsword and slashed out a wave of shadow energy, splitting the dragon breath down the middle! Although the Death Knight Commander was also shaken back several steps, it clearly hadn't suffered a heavy blow.

"Damn, what a tough nut to crack!" Zhao Hao cursed, wielding his Dragon Lance and coordinating with the Dragon to battle the four Death Knights. The Dragon could barely hold its own with its powerful body and dragon breath, and Zhao Hao's Dragon Lance could also pose a threat to the Death Knights, but breaking through in a short time was nearly impossible! Instead, they were pinned down, facing one dangerous situation after another.

The offensive at the city wall breach was abruptly halted! The following Dwarf Infantry and Mountain Giants were weakened by the Death Knights' [Death Aura] and interfered with by the Banshee's Howl. They couldn't form an effective charge and were jammed at the breach, becoming sitting ducks for the undead ranged units! Skeleton Archers and Wraith Mages took the opportunity to pour down arrows, bone spears, and curses from the intact walls on both sides. Allied casualties began to mount!

The entire allied offensive came to a standstill! The morale that had just been raised plummeted as if doused with ice water. The appearance of the high-tier undead lords demonstrated absolute power suppression!

"This can't go on!" Su Yueyao's cool voice carried a hint of urgency. Although the Moon Elf warriors around her resisted the Banshee's Howl thanks to the moonlight's protection, they couldn't break through the Death Knights' defense to attack the Banshees. "Someone must pin down or even deal with those Banshees! Their shrieks are too damaging to our morale!"

Lin Zhou stood in the center of the army, his Divine Thought rapidly sweeping across the entire battlefield to analyze the situation. The Death Knights had formidable defense; a frontal assault would take time and cost lives. But the threat of the Banshee Queens was immediate and widespread—they had to be dealt with first!

However, the Banshee Queens were Incorporeal, meaning physical attacks were only half as effective. They flew in the air, were extremely agile, and had strong mental resistance. Although there were many magic units in the allied forces, their Ranks and skill priorities were generally inferior to the Banshee Queens, making a quick kill difficult.

Unless... he used power at the level of rules, directly targeting the essence of their "curses" and "mental attacks"!

He thought of the Legalist philosophy within the Temple of Civilization and the embryonic ability of [Words as Law]! Back when he was treating Bronzebeard, he had tried to define rules. Now, facing this terrifying shriek enveloping the battlefield, perhaps he could... A bold and risky plan formed in his mind. This would consume a massive amount of Divine Power and put an enormous load on his Godhead, but right now, there seemed to be no better choice!

"Elwin, pass down the Order! All units, hold your current positions and defend with all your might to buy me time!" Lin Zhou's divine oracle carried a sense of resolve.

"My Lord, you are going to..." Elwin seemed to have guessed something, a flash of worry in her beautiful eyes.

"I'm going to teach them some 'rules'!" Lin Zhou's projection closed its eyes, and his entire consciousness returned to the core of the Divine Realm, deeply connecting with the Temple of Civilization. He needed to mobilize the Sanctuary's power to help him complete this rule declaration that surpassed his own Rank!

Within the Divine Realm, the Power Of Faith was like a boiling ocean, crazily pouring into Lin Zhou's Divine Fire and being converted into the purest Divine Power. The Temple of Civilization shone brilliantly, especially the light representing [Legalism], which became radiant to the extreme!

On the battlefield outside, although the allied forces didn't understand why, they faithfully executed the Order. The vanguard, led by Zhao Hao and Bronzebeard, shifted to a defensive posture, firmly resisting the Death Knights' counterattack. Ranged units concentrated their fire, trying to interfere with the Banshee Queens in the sky; though the effect was minimal, it was better than nothing.

Everyone could feel an indescribable, massive, and majestic power gathering at Lin Zhou's projection in the center of the army! That power was held back but not released, yet it caused subtle ripples in the rules of the entire battlefield. Even the Death Knights and Banshee Queens felt a hint of unease, and their attacks became more frenzied.

Time seemed to slow down. Every second, allied warriors fell under the undead's attacks.

Just as the allied defense line was about to collapse and the Banshee Queens' second round of [Banshee's Howl] was about to be completed—just as the destructive sound waves were about to sweep the battlefield again—

Lin Zhou's tightly closed eyes suddenly snapped open! His Divine Thought soared into the sky like a physical substance, merging with the power of the Temple of Civilization! A vast, majestic, and unquestionable "Order" will, like a sovereign descending upon the world, enveloped the entire battlefield outside The Silent Temple!

He opened his mouth. His voice wasn't loud, yet it seemed to contain the ultimate truths of the Universe, ringing clearly and word by word in the deepest part of every living Soul and echoing through the rule layer of the battlefield:

"This place is a field of battle, not a place for evil spirits to clamor!"

"In the name of the lord of civilization who wields the Law, I declare—"

"All things pertaining to 'curses', 'confusion', and 'fear', without the permission of the Law, are 'illegal'!"

"In this place, all 'illegal' mental disturbances and rule-based curses are forbidden!"

"My words are—"

"Law!"

As the last word fell, it was as if an invisible thunderclap exploded in the rule layer!

Buzz—!

A massive circular barrier, invisible to the naked eye but clearly perceivable by all living beings and composed of countless golden Law runes, instantly expanded with Lin Zhou's Divine Thought as the core. It enveloped the entire allied position and even more than half of the battlefield!

[Divine Spell/Rule Skill]: Words as Law - Forbidden Curse Chapter (Cast with Lin Zhou's full effort)

Effect: Based on the Divine Office of [Law] and Legalist thought, consumes a massive amount of Divine Power to forcibly define local battlefield rules for a short time.

Rule Definition: Within range, all "curse", "confusion", and "fear" type mental attacks and rule skills are judged as "illegal." Their effects are forcibly interrupted and cannot take effect.

Area of Effect: A radius of one thousand meters centered on the caster.

Duration: 30 seconds (depending on Divine Power maintenance and rule backlash).

Divine Power Consumption: 1500 points/cast (instant consumption, followed by 100 points per second for maintenance).

Casting Load: Extremely heavy! Risk of Godhead damage! Will fall into a brief state of weakness afterward.

The moment this Law barrier took shape—

The [Banshee's Howl] that the three Banshee Queens had just finished brewing to the limit was suddenly choked off as if by an invisible giant hand. That terrifying sound wave energy conflicted and twisted violently within their bodies, and in the end, it was actually... forced back! The skill backlash caused them to let out wails of pain, and their Soul bodies became flickering and unstable!

On the battlefield, the [Fear] and [Confusion] statuses on the allied units previously affected by the Banshee's Howl vanished instantly like snow under the sun! They looked around blankly, then reacted, letting out roars of survival and rejoining the battle!

The suffocating mental pressure over the entire allied position vanished! Morale surged back at a speed visible to the naked eye!

"This... what kind of power is this?!"

"My Lord's Divine Might! Words as Law!"

"Kill! Kill all these undead!"

The allied forces erupted in earth-shattering cheers. Their combat strength instantly returned to its Peak, even surpassing what it was before!

On the other hand, for the undead side, the Banshee Queens were temporarily neutralized, and the effect of the Death Knights' [Death Aura] seemed to have been weakened by this Law Domain. For the first time, emotions called "amazement" and "confusion" appeared in their cold consciousness.

"Old Lin! Beautifully done!" Zhao Hao's pressure was greatly reduced. He laughed wildly as he brandished his Dragon Lance and launched a fierce attack on the Death Knight Commander again! The Young Golden Dragon also seized the opportunity, forcing back a nearby Death Knight with its dragon breath.

The look in Su Yueyao's eyes as she watched Lin Zhou's projection was filled with unbelievable shock. Forcibly defining battlefield rules? This was a Domain that even many Lesser Deities found difficult to touch! Just who exactly was this Student Lin Zhou?

However, Lin Zhou had no time for anything else at this moment. The load of casting [Words as Law] was far beyond imagination. He felt as if his Godhead were about to shatter, his consciousness was as painful as being pricked by thousands of needles, and his Divine Power was pouring out like a floodgate had been opened. He had to open up the situation within these precious thirty seconds!