97: Chapter 98 Conferring of the Title of King of the Fission Region

All nodes in the perimeter of the No. 7 Rift Zone that had been cleared, lit, and recorded were illuminated and revealed by the fire ring: the West Outer Ring Blood Road, Grey Stele Post, Outer Fire Well, Rift Gate Fire Bridge, Main Stele West Anchor, and Frontline Fire Hall. Above each of the six nodes hung a small dark red flag, their shadows fluttering as if waiting for the strong to claim them.

Instructor Han Tiecheng's voice, deep as thunder, came through the iron fire order, piercing the clamor of the field: "Listen clearly! The Outer God Probe has retreated, and the Main Stele perimeter control assignment has begun. Within one quarter of an hour, whoever can stabilize their recorded nodes will secure the perimeter control for this round! You may fight, but anyone who dares to sever the Outer God sealing sample lines, destroy the Military Court's battle records, or touch the inner ring thin sheets, get out of the battlefield first!"

The front field instantly boiled over, yet there was no chaos—everyone understood that the previous fighting was just an appetizer; this was the moment to truly carve up the meat!

Fighting for the blood roads, seizing the West Anchor, and contending for the fire barrels were just reaching for the edge of the table, but now, the fat on the table was to be officially claimed. Whoever could stabilize a node would hold the right to speak for the perimeter!

The youth from Beiyue Academy in the grey-brown short cape shouldered his rock shield, a fierce light gleaming in his eyes: "Left slope line, press with me! Take the side line of the Grey Stele Post!"

The Heavy Hammer Team also quickly closed their formation, their hoarse roars shaking the ground: "Don't touch the fire platform from the front, smash the outer mouth of the blood road, cut his city-relocation line!"

The Upper-Layer Fast Team re-hooked their cables and ascended, their eyes locked on two high wind vents on the outer ring of the Main Stele, clearly intending to use their altitude advantage to intercept the node control.

Pei Chengxu stood outside the dark gold sealing line and finally raised his dark gold short ruler, his tone cold and resolute: "Pei Family Sealing Team, press the outer layer control assignment, verify the main control flags!"

Qiao Ye scoffed upon hearing this, stepping forward with his shield on his shoulder: "When the Outer God came just now, you all tucked your necks and played the coward, but now you're faster than anyone to grab the credit?"

Wen Zhao crouched on the ground, swiftly arranging the Line-Marking Nails, his tone calm but hitting the crux of the matter: "The battlefield is always like this. Being able to defend together doesn't mean you will share the spoils together. Lu Jin, they want the status of primary control, not just to steal nodes."

Lu Jin stood silently, his gaze sweeping over the six small dark red flags in mid-air, the black fire in his eyes calm and waveless.

The Multi-Nest Layer Divine Domain had just finished upgrading, and the seven layers of nest lines were still hot. He could not, at this moment, pull all the fire lines to full intensity with his own strength as he had in the past, but he did not need to—the main divine fire sat steadily on the central axis, and with each layer performing its own duties, that was the strongest defense line.

"Wu Fu." "Here!" "The Main Nest will not recruit new soldiers; prioritize repairing injuries and lines. The Worker Nest is to operate at full capacity." Lu Jin's tone was flat, yet it carried an indisputable command.

Wu Fu's mouth twitched, but she dared not refute: "Skimping right after upgrading?" "If we don't save, the Divine Domain will collapse." "...Fine!"

Wu Fu flicked her nest silk, and the three layers of the Worker Nest Egg Tray lit up simultaneously. The Main Nest stopped spitting out battle rats and instead gathered all the injured rats, scorched Night Wings, and cracked cleaning spore shells into the rear Grey Cavities. The Worker Nest layer, meanwhile, continuously spat out Work Rats; they did not charge the front lines but instead scurried along the city-relocation lines, fire troughs, and bone rails, rapidly repairing every crack like tireless sappers.

Grey Pupil did not need Lu Jin to say more; the seven thin fires of the Priest Court landed precisely in position, each fire pattern pressing down on one layer of the Divine Domain: "The fire order is stable. You just focus on setting the main position; leave the rest to me."

Lu Jin nodded and turned to look at Ning Yanqiu on the right side of the fire platform. A fine crack ran along the edge of the cold mirror fragment disk on her shoulder, a mark shaken out when she forcibly connected the auxiliary seal just now. The Cold Mirror Auxiliary Seal on the outer wall of the old fire barrel was glowing faintly, and as the Main Stele's fire ring shone upon it, it seemed to be transmitting some kind of battle order.

"It is calling me." Ning Yanqiu looked down at the fragment disk, her tone calm. "Can you connect?" "I can." She paused, then added, "But if I connect, the Ning Family will certainly notice."

Lu Jin gazed at her, his tone without a shred of coercion: "If you don't want to connect, then don't."

Ning Yanqiu raised her eyes, a cold, clear light in their depths: "I was merely telling you the price." As she finished speaking, she slammed the cold mirror fragment disk onto the outer wall of the old fire barrel. The cold white light collided with the Cold Mirror Auxiliary Seal; there was no roar, but rather, like an old lock meeting its key, they slowly interlocked.

The Master Crow flapped its wings and rose from behind her shoulder, the frost-white on its feather edges brightening into a sharp line. Ning Yanqiu's face instantly paled, but her fingertips remained motionless: "Before, I could seal a point; now, I will try a segment!"

"The high wind vents are yours." Lu Jin was concise. "Master Crow, raise the auxiliary seal!"

The Master Crow shot straight into the high sky, and the auxiliary seal on the outer wall of the old fire barrel released a line of cold white, which wrapped into the Master Crow's feather edges. Two auxiliary ravens followed on the left and right, and the cold white light was no longer a thin mirror line but expanded into a ten-zhang arc of light above the Main Stele's front field, perfectly sealing the most chaotic airspace between the West Anchor, the Frontline Fire Hall, and the high wind vents.

The Upper-Layer Fast Team's cable hooks had just been thrown into the range of the arc light when they were forcibly repelled, nailing into the dead-grey broken steles nearby. The leader's expression changed drastically: "She can actually seal a segment?!"

Ning Yanqiu stared straight ahead, her fingertips tightening slightly. The brighter the auxiliary seal on the Master Crow's feather edges became, the deeper the concentration in her eyes grew—the foundation of her Apprentice Perfection had only just been steadied, and now the Cold Mirror Auxiliary Seal was like a wedge, driving her foundation deeper.

She could clearly see the rhythm of the entire airspace: who entered the wind first, who added cables later, which inch of wind would roll back after half a breath, and which fire line would reveal a gap; everything was reflected in her eyes and carved into the Master Crow's consciousness.

A door seemed to creak open in her ears, distant yet clear—she knew that the threshold above Perfection was right before her eyes.

"High altitude stabilized." Ning Yanqiu exhaled, her voice soft but carrying an unquestionable certainty. "Received." Lu Jin replied with only two words, his gaze falling back onto the perimeter battlefield.

The Beiyue Academy left slope line struck first; rock shields were driven one by one into the grey soil of the left slope, intending to cut off the side line between the Grey Stele Post and the West Outer Ring Blood Road—once successful, even though the Grey Stele Post could record accounts, it would be unable to send battle-map fire to the Frontline Fire Hall, effectively cutting off Lu Jin's retreat!

"Left slope inserting shields, cutting the Post's return fire!" Wen Zhao immediately reported the position, and the Line-Marking Nails landed precisely, locking onto the position of the rock shields.

Lu Jin did not act personally, only giving a calm order: "Post battle-map layer, press the side line!"

Among the seventeen old steles of the Grey Stele Post, three suddenly lit up, and three black-red battle-map patterns snaked out along the old underground troughs, like three red-hot iron nails, slamming fiercely beneath the Beiyue rock shields. The rock shields did not crack, but they were pinned so firmly that they could not move, unable to be pushed even half an inch further.

The Beiyue youth grinned hideously: "Hard enough! Second row, push up!"

The second row of rock shields rumbled forward. Lu Jin raised his eyes to look at Qiao Ye: "Go." "I've been waiting for this!" Qiao Ye charged out with his shield on his shoulder, the Bone-Armor Furnace Guards following closely behind. The two fire troughs that the Worker Nest layer had just repaired extended along the ground; with every step he took, the fire troughs brightened by an inch. It was as if he were carrying a stretch of self-repairing fire-ground, smashing fiercely into the Beiyue rock shields.

Boom! The two shields collided, kicking up dust all around. The webbing between Qiao Ye's thumb and forefinger split, and blood stained the shield's surface, but the fire troughs beneath his feet did not break—Work Rats scurried out from under the shadow of the shields, and at a speed visible to the naked eye, they plastered over the cracked trough edges, completing the fire line.

The Beiyue youth's eyes changed drastically: "It can even autonomously repair shield lines?" "It's not autonomous; the Worker Nest layer is repairing it." Wen Zhao reminded him in a low voice, pressing another Line-Marking Nail into the ground, "Qiao Ye, loosen your right shoulder by half an inch, leave an opening for the fire trough, otherwise the supply will be cut!"

"Damn! I have to worry about the trough while fighting?" Qiao Ye cursed, but he obediently loosened his right shoulder. The fire trough snaked through that half-inch gap, locking firmly against the lower edge of the rock shields, and the left slope line was completely stabilized.

Meanwhile, the Heavy Hammer Team rammed into the outer mouth of the West Outer Ring Blood Road, six heavy shields lined up, and heavy hammers took turns smashing against the newly hardened fire-clay—once this road was smashed loose, although the Frontline Fire Hall would remain, the city-relocation line behind it would be shaken and severed, and Lu Jin's defense line would be completely disconnected!

"They dare to smash my bone rails!" Wu Fu's eyes were splitting with rage, and she was about to urge the Work Rats to counterattack. "Use the Earth-Sound Ramming Carriage." Lu Jin's tone was calm.

"It's just a prototype! It can't charge at all!" "No need to charge, just let it make a sound."

Wu Fu understood instantly—although the Empty Bone Carriage on the Nest King Platform could not enter the field, it had resonated with the Earth-Sound Ramming Carriage prototype. She gritted her teeth and pressed down hard on the grey-cavity bone axle at the bottom of the Earth-Sound Ramming Carriage prototype. The Empty Bone Carriage in the center of the Nest King Platform immediately emitted a low bone clacker sound, and the Earth-Sound Ramming Carriage prototype vibrated in response.

Dong—a dull thud spread along the ground, and the force of the Heavy Hammer Team's smash was forcibly pushed back. The six heavy shields swayed in unison, two Heavy Hammer users stumbled with weak legs, and their hammer faces shifted by half a foot. The Outer Fire Well seized the opportunity; well fire gushed out along the outer mouth of the blood road, and the fire-clay that was about to be smashed loose instantly hardened again, firmly locking the blood road.

The leader of the Heavy Hammer Team cursed out loud: "What the hell kind of carriage is this?!" Wu Fu cursed back across the battlefield: "An unfinished carriage can already shake you; once it's finished, you won't even have the qualifications to smash it!"

"Don't get distracted, the bone axle is about to crack." Grey Pupil reminded her calmly. Wu Fu huffed and hurriedly stabilized the Earth-Sound Ramming Carriage prototype—it could only vibrate one more time now; any more, and the bone axle would completely shatter.

The three-way struggle was in full swing when Pei Chengxu finally made his move. He did not clash head-on but raised his hand to signal his four sealing hands to press their dark gold short rulers into a row. The dark gold sealing patterns flew straight toward the six small dark red flags in mid-air—he was not fighting for nodes, only for the status of control assignment!

As soon as the dark gold sealing patterns latched onto the main control flag between the West Anchor and the Frontline Fire Hall, Instructor Han Tiecheng's angry shout came through the iron fire order: "Pei Chengxu!"

Pei Chengxu's expression remained unchanged: "According to regulations, the Sealing Adjudication Department can participate in the verification of control assignment. I have not crossed the line; I am merely verifying the flags."

These words were irrefutable, yet utterly disgusting—he wasn't seizing territory, only the status. Once the verification was successful, even if Lu Jin defended all the nodes, the primary control would become "joint investigation and co-management." This was the most insidious tactic of the Sealing Adjudication Department.

Grey Pupil's Sacrificial Fire was already building up, but was stopped by Lu Jin raising his hand: "Do not use fire."

He looked toward the inner side of the fire platform, where the Three-Probe Fire Scroll, the Inspector's Grade-Seven buckle, and the inner ring Grey Fire Well flake lay quietly pressed down. These items were not to be used lightly, but they were enough to settle the accounts.

"Post Station Battle Map Layer, reveal the old accounts!"

The seventeen old steles of the Grey Stele Post hummed in unison. Above the Frontline Fire Hall, the Three-Probe reporting code lit up again. It was not revealing the phrase "Do not trust the upper receipt," but rather all the verified accounts certified by the Military Court: the West Anchor entry, the Vanguard Command entry, the old Three-Probe reporting code entry, the Outer God Probe processing entry, the wartime upgrade entry for the Multi-Nest Layer Divine Domain... Streaks of black and red fire patterns rose from the fire platform, like a row of iron nails, driving firmly into the base of the main control flag.

The dark gold seal patterns tried to press down again but were firmly blocked—the Pei Family's name of assistance could be used for verification, but it could not override the Military Court's wartime accounts!

Pei Chengxu's gaze was as deep as a cold pool. Lu Jin stared directly at him, his tone icy: "If you can verify it, if you can actually verify it, I will yield."

He had said this sentence once in Chapter 92. At that time, it was only about the West Anchor; now, it was the entire outer main control of the No. 7 Rift Zone.

Pei Chengxu was silent for a moment, eventually withdrawing his short ruler: "Lu Jin, you had better always have accounts to nail down."

"Better than you always having seal strips." Lu Jin retorted, his tone devoid of any courtesy.

Qiao Ye heard this from afar and laughed so hard he was almost knocked over by a Beiyue Academy rock shield: "Lu Jin, you're too vicious! Come over and lend a hand, I can't hold on much longer!"

Wen Zhao was merciless: "Retreat your left foot half a step; the Beiyue Academy shield edge is about to graze your ankle."

Qiao Ye hurriedly retreated, barely avoiding the rock shield's edge. He was still cursing, but the strength in his hands hadn't diminished in the slightest.

High above, the pressure on Ning Yanqiu was growing. The upper-layer fast team was unwilling to give up, repeatedly striking the airspace opened by the Cold Mirror Auxiliary Seal three times. They didn't crash into the mirror lines head-on but instead circled around: one team cut in from the top left, another glided from the back of the opposing wind, and one Divine Domain user released three Light Wind Hooks, specifically to snag the edges of the auxiliary seal in an attempt to tear open a gap.

Ning Yanqiu's face grew paler, and the frost-white light around the Master Crow's feathers was blinding, but she never retreated. She pushed the cold mirror fragment disk upward again, her voice cold and clear: "Master Crow, Second-Stage Seal!"

The Master Crow let out a low hum. The Cold Mirror Auxiliary Seal expanded again from its feathers, pushing the ten-zhang cold white arc light outward by three zhang—not to expand the range, but to reinforce the defensive line. On the front and back edges of the arc light, two layers of extremely faint old military marker lines emerged; the front marker line suppressed the wind, and the back marker line locked the retreat path.

The three Light Wind Hooks had just touched the marker lines when they were firmly clamped, unable to move. Ning Yanqiu spoke softly, her tone carrying an unshakable power: "Seal segment."

That ten-zhang airspace was instantly pinned down by her, and the upper-layer fast team was completely blocked outside. The leader's face turned ghastly pale: "She's clearly only just reached Apprentice Perfection..."

No one answered him. Ning Yanqiu herself could hear the sound of that door within her body, clearer than before—the door hadn't opened, but she had already touched the door frame.

Lu Jin looked up at the sky: "How much longer can you hold on?"

Ning Yanqiu didn't look down, her gaze locked on the airspace: "Until you take the flag."

"Good."

Lu Jin withdrew his gaze. The six dark red small flags in mid-air had already begun to descend. The first fell toward the West Anchor, the second toward the Frontline Fire Hall, and the third toward the outer mouth of the West Outer Ring blood path—if any one of these three places were intercepted, the outer main control would become shared, and all previous efforts would be in vain.

Instructor Han Tiecheng's projection stood silently, not speaking again. He was waiting for Lu Jin to press down this final bit himself and truly secure the position of main control.

Lu Jin raised his hand, black fire flickering in his palm. The seven layers of the Multi-Nest Layer Divine Domain operated simultaneously, each performing its duty: the Main Nest Layer stabilized the central axis, the Priest Court layer suppressed the fire sequence, the Worker Nest layer completed the three lines, and the Sky- plunder Layer borrowed the advantage of Ning Yanqiu's seal segment, sending two intact Night Wings into the air to mark the flag positions; the Post Station Battle Map layer pinned down the Military Court's verified accounts, the Outer Fire Well layer provided full fire support, and the Frontline Sub-Nest layer pressed the Red-Eyed Rat Tide, Bone-Armor Furnace Guards, and line-repairing Work Rats toward the surroundings of the West Anchor.

He did not charge to the front line himself, but simply placed every layer in the most critical position—this was the first time the Multi-Nest Layer Divine Domain had operated completely, with layered collaboration, like a precision war machine, flawless.

The first main control flag fell toward the West Anchor. The West Anchor fire vines attempted to coil back but were instantly suppressed by the Priest Court fire sequence. The Red-Eyed Rat Tide hugged the ground to protect the edges, and the Work Rats rapidly repaired the grooves scraped open by the fire vines. The main control flag landed steadily, not moving a hair.

The second main control flag fell toward the Frontline Fire Hall. The Pei family's dark gold seal patterns pressed down again but were firmly blocked by the Military Court's battle record fire patterns. The Temple's side-verification seal pattern lit up, confirming that there was no leakage in the Outer God Probe seal sample. The Three-Probe reporting code, the Grey Fire Well flake, and the Vanguard Command all lit up together, and the main control flag settled steadily into place.

The third main control flag fell toward the outer mouth of the blood path. This place was the most dangerous; the Heavy Hammer Team was still smashing wildly, and the Beiyue Academy rock shields were also crowding this way. Qiao Ye's shoulders and back were covered in blood, and Wen Zhao's Line-Marking Nail was already too hot to touch.

Lu Jin pressed down with his palm: "Earth Resonance."

Wu Fu's eyes turned fierce: "We can only call it one more time, the bone axle will crack!"

"That's enough."

Thud—the second Earth Resonance sounded. The bone axle of the prototype Earth Resonance ram cracked on the spot. Wu Fu's face was livid, but the fire mud at the outer mouth of the blood path was shaken into a tight seal by this Earth Resonance. Qiao Ye seized the opportunity, using his shield to push the front-most shield of the Heavy Hammer Team back half a step. Wen Zhao's Line-Marking Nail landed precisely: "Flag position open!"

The third main control flag descended, firmly nailed to the outer mouth of the blood path.

The six dark red small flags in mid-air all returned to their positions. The fire ring above the Main Stele suddenly contracted. The next instant, the fire light of the six flags converged into a black and red line of fire, crashing down to Lu Jin's feet. The layered fire patterns of the Multi-Nest Layer Divine Domain were illuminated clearly, and all the nodes from the West Outer Ring to the west front field of the Main Stele were firmly linked by this fire line, forming a complete main control area.

Several teams behind them stopped one after another. It wasn't that they were unwilling, but the main control fire had already settled, and to continue fighting for it would be to violate orders. No one dared to risk their own team.

Ning Yanqiu withdrew the Cold Mirror Auxiliary Seal. When the Master Crow descended, the frost-white on its feathers had dimmed significantly. Her steps wavered slightly, and Lu Jin reached out to support her elbow. She didn't dodge, only whispering: "The door hasn't opened yet."

Lu Jin understood; she wasn't talking about the ancient gate of the Royal Court, but her own threshold of divinity: "Did you see it?"

"I saw the door frame." Ning Yanqiu raised her eyes, looking at the wind dispersing in the high sky, a light in her eyes: "Next time, I will stand steadier."

"Together." Lu Jin's tone was firm.

Ning Yanqiu looked at him without speaking, but the Master Crow behind her shoulder let out a soft low hum, as if in response.

Instructor Han Tiecheng's projection slowly stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over Lu Jin and the others, then looking at Pei Chengxu and the Temple Inspector, saying in a deep voice: "If there are any objections, state them now."

Pei Chengxu remained silent, while the Temple Inspector looked toward the sealed grey box: "The Temple reserves the right to subsequent side-verification of the purified spore shell and the Outer God Probe bone."

"Write it down." Instructor Han Tiecheng was concise.

Pei Chengxu spoke at this moment: "The Pei Family reserves the right of assistance and verification."

Instructor Han Tiecheng sneered: "You Pei family members certainly want to reserve everything."

"Those are the rules." Pei Chengxu's expression remained unchanged.

"Fine, write that down too." Instructor Han Tiecheng turned his head and ordered the Black-Armored Recorder: "Write down the main control!"

The Black-Armored Recorder bowed his head and raised his brush. Instructor Han Tiecheng's voice spread throughout the entire west front field of the Main Stele, every word like a hammer, nailing into people's hearts: "The outer periphery of the No. 7 Rift Zone, from the West Outer Ring to the west front field of the Main Stele, the Grey Stele Post, Outer Fire Well, Rift Gate Fire Bridge, West Outer Ring blood path, Main Stele West Anchor, and Frontline Fire Hall—six nodes linked and controlled. Lu Jin's Vanguard Command holds the main control! Ning Yanqiu's high-altitude marking line is incorporated into the main control merit; Qiao Ye and Wen Zhao, Vanguard Team are recorded together, temporarily assigned!"

As his voice fell, all the dark red small flags in the front field of the Main Stele sank simultaneously. A larger black and red main control flag rose slowly from above the Frontline Fire Hall. The flag surface had no fancy patterns, only a thick, heavy black and red line of fire, starting from the Grey Stele Post, passing through the Fire Well, the fire gate, and the blood path, landing on the Main Stele's West Anchor. The final stroke pressed fiercely onto the Multi-Nest Layer Divine Domain fire patterns at Lu Jin's feet, snapping in the wind, demonstrating absolute main control!

Qiao Ye sat down against his shield, panting like a broken bellows, but his face was full of wild joy: "Holy cow! This is basically being crowned, right?!"

Wen Zhao put away the scorching hot Line-Marking Nail, correcting him calmly: "It is temporarily assigned main control."

"Don't be a killjoy! At least the main control is in our hands!" Qiao Ye waved his hand, his laughter hearty.

Wu Fu stared at the main control flag, then looked at the empty bone carriage frame in the Nest King Platform, her eyes shining frighteningly: "With main control, we can apply for more nest materials, right?"

"Fix your egg tray and Earth Resonance bone axle first." Grey Pupil coldly threw a bucket of cold water on her.

"If we have materials, we can fix them!"

"You can turn anything back to eating materials."

Lu Jin did not join in the others' merriment. He looked up at the main control flag, his eyes showing no slackening—this was not the end; it was only the periphery acknowledging his main position. The real hard battle was still ahead. Deeper in the Main Stele, the inner ring Grey Fire Well flake was still heating up, the "Do not trust the upper receipt" in the Three-Probe Fire Scroll was still pressed on the inner side of the fire platform, and though the Outer God Probe bone was sealed, it had not truly perished. Pei Chengxu would not admit defeat, the Temple would not relax, and Ning Yanqiu's Cold Mirror Auxiliary Seal would inevitably attract the attention of the Ning Family.

Instructor Han Tiecheng walked to the edge of the projection, his voice lowering a few degrees, audible only to Lu Jin: "Lu Jin, main control is just the key. The next step is to touch the inner ring door."

Lu Jin looked toward the Grey Fire Well flake on the inner side of the fire platform; the well diagram on the flake seemed to sense this and lit up gently.

"I know."

The main control flag snapped in the high sky. As the wind blew through the depths of the Main Stele, a door crack, deeper than the West Lower Layer, silently revealed a line of grey-red. Inside, it hid even more dangerous conspiracies, and also the truth Lu Jin was seeking—his path had only just reached the halfway point.