33: Chapter 33 unlocks a new building: the Soul Suppressing Tower.

After wiping out the main allied forces of the Thousand Faces Cult and provoking the remaining enemies with a highly insulting "acquisition offer," Lin Chen did not dwell on the victory for long. He knew well that a biting dog doesn't bark; having slapped the face of that elusive Cult Leader so hard, the upcoming retaliation would likely be even more frenzied and desperate.

The Fortress's strength must be further improved!

On the second day after the victory banquet, while most people were still immersed in hangovers and the lingering afterglow of victory, Lin Chen had already begun his next move.

He first turned his attention to the massive amount of loot harvested from this great battle, especially the energy crystals containing pure Yin baleful energy obtained from powerful Bizarre Monsters and Thousand Faces Cult elites, as well as some rare metals and materials with special attributes.

These were all excellent "building materials" and "energy sources"!

The [nether domain asset system] interface expanded before his eyes, and Lin Chen directly selected the [Strategic Building] category. Among several icons that were previously greyed out and unselectable due to resource and nether talisman restrictions, one was currently emitting an enticing glow.

It was an icon of a pitch-black pagoda with an ancient and peculiar design. The tower body seemed to be forged from countless twisting and wailing souls, and a deep blue orb floated at the tip, constantly rotating and emitting an aura that stabilized spirits.

[Strategic Building: soul suppressing pagoda]

[Construction Requirements: nether talisman x 500,000, Pure Soul Crystal x 100, Nether Iron x 50 units, Stable Rune Base x 1]

[Effects:

1. Large-scale Area Aura: Covers the entire Fortress and a certain surrounding area, continuously purifying the mental pollution emitted by low-level Bizarre Monsters, significantly increasing the sanity and mental resistance of allied units within range.

2. Soul Deterrence: Produces a powerful deterrent and suppression effect against non-physical or soul-attack-oriented Bizarre Monsters such as undead, vengeful spirits, and mental types, greatly weakening their abilities.

3. Requiem: Passive effect, slowly nourishes the souls of allied units within range, slightly increasing the recovery speed of mental power. When actively activated, it can release a powerful soul shock, deterring or even heavily wounding enemy soul units within range (consumes a large amount of energy, requires cooldown).

4. (Hidden Effect? Can be unlocked after collecting more components)]

[Note: One of the basic buildings used by the Ancient Netherworld to stabilize its territory and appease deceased souls. With it, your Fortress can truly be called a "Safe Zone."]

Five hundred thousand nether talismans! Plus a hundred Pure Soul Crystals and other precious materials!

This cost was enough to deter any survivor faction. But for Lin Chen, who had just made a fortune from the war, it was completely within his means. The soul energy absorbed and converted from the previous battle, combined with his existing reserves, had already pushed his nether talisman balance past the million mark! And the Pure Soul Crystals needed as core materials were just enough from the loot!

"This is the one." Lin Chen didn't hesitate and chose to build it immediately, specifying the construction site—the square in the very center of the Fortress, which he had planned as the future core area.

[Consumed nether talisman - 500,000!]

[Consumed Pure Soul Crystal x 100!]

[Consumed Nether Iron x 50 units!]

[Consumed Stable Rune Base x 1!]

[soul suppressing pagoda - Construction Started!]

Just as the system prompt finished, the ground of the Fortress's central square shook violently! The area that had already been cleared surged like liquid, and a massive black base engraved with complex and profound runes slowly rose from underground!

Immediately after, a massive amount of Nether Qi was drawn from the void, mixing with the invested Pure Soul Crystals and Nether Iron materials. Like 3D printing, the tower body was rapidly constructed upon the base!

The scene was spectacular and eerie! The pitch-black tower rose section by section, with countless phantom shadows of pained, wailing, and struggling souls faintly appearing in the construction materials, only to be forcibly bound and smelted by an even more powerful force of order, finally becoming part of the tower body! The deep blue orb at the tip absorbed the surrounding light, as if it would even swallow a person's gaze!

The entire construction process lasted less than half an hour.

When the last bit of light merged into the orb at the top of the tower, the vibration stopped.

A nine-story, pitch-black soul suppressing pagoda, emanating a vast and ancient aura, now stood majestically in the center of the Fortress! A faint, soul-soothing deep blue halo naturally swirled around the tower, slowly spreading out like ripples on water, covering the entire Fortress and even slightly exceeding the perimeter walls!

At this moment, everyone inside the Fortress—whether it was Zhang Hao, who had just woken up with a slight headache from the wine, Su Qingyu, who was handling affairs, or the ordinary survivors—clearly felt that the invisible pressure and irritability from the apocalypse and external Bizarre Monsters that had been lingering in their hearts instantly lightened by more than half! Their minds became clearer than ever before, and their mental fatigue eased significantly!

"This... this is..." Zhang Hao ran to the edge of the square, looking up at the black tower that emitted an aura making him feel slightly uncomfortable (but more so at peace), clicking his tongue in wonder. "The Master has produced something good again!"

Su Qingyu felt the soul-soothing aura effect, her eyes sparkling. With this tower, the "soft environment" of the Fortress would receive a qualitative upgrade. Survivors living under long-term mental pollution would have their physical and mental health guaranteed, and their cohesion would be stronger!

Lin Chen stood under the soul suppressing pagoda, feeling the powerful soul-stabilizing aura, and nodded in satisfaction. Five hundred thousand nether talismans—well spent! This was equivalent to installing a large-scale, continuously effective "Heart Clearing Incantation" and "Evil Warding Talisman" for the Fortress!

However, just as he was carefully sensing the effects of the soul suppressing pagoda, the system prompt sounded again, carrying a trace of unusual fluctuation:

[Warning: Special soul fluctuations emitted by the soul suppressing pagoda detected, attracting the attention of certain special existences...]

[Unknown Existence (???) is gazing at the Fortress from afar...]

[Correlation analysis in progress... 78% match with "Ancient Netherworld" clues...]

Lin Chen's gaze sharpened as he looked up beyond the Fortress at the vast world shrouded in eerie mist and the unknown.

"Special existence? Netherworld connection?"

The corners of his mouth curled slightly. Instead of worrying, he showed a look of interest.

"It seems this tower is quite a good... bait."

Almost at the same time as the system prompt, hundreds of miles away, deep within a forbidden area shrouded in thick, deathly mist known as the "Nether Ancient Path."

Inside an ancient post station that had long since fallen into ruin, leaving only broken walls and debris, a "figure" leaning against a broken wall and covered in a thick layer of dust seemed to be awakened by some distant and familiar fluctuation.

The dust covering "her" fell away with a rustle, revealing a tattered yet still ancient and elegant white dress beneath.

"She" slowly and extremely stiffly... raised her head.

Beneath her disheveled long hair, a face pale to the point of bloodlessness was revealed, yet it still showed the exquisite contours of her former life. Only her opened eyes were hollow and lifeless, without any focus.

"Soul... Suppressing..."

A dry, hoarse syllable, as if not spoken for ten thousand years, escaped with difficulty from her bloodless lips.

Her hollow "gaze" seemed to penetrate the endless mist and space, "looking" far towards the direction of the Underworld Fortress.

Then, she moved.

Her dust-covered white hem dragged a long trail through the deathly ruins.

She began to move toward the direction of the fluctuation, step by step, stiffly and stubbornly... advancing.