327: Chapter 262: Deceptive Tactics, Encountering an Abyss Contractor

Wang Meng's victory was like a drop of cold water falling into a boiling pot of oil, instantly igniting the passion of the Xinghai University supporters and sweeping away the oppressive atmosphere accumulated from the first two matches. With the score at 1:1, this best-of-five Astral Conquest battle returned to an even split, and the suspense soared.

However, over at the War God Academy rest area, the atmosphere dropped to freezing point. The expression of the head, Lei Hao, could no longer be described as merely gloomy; it was a distortion mixed with rage, humiliation, and disbelief. He never expected that on a map like 'Rust Canyon,' which clearly favored Iron Golems, Iron Curtain would lose so decisively, defeated by the opponent's inexplicable 'roar.'

"Trash!" Lei Hao growled in a suppressed voice, like a wounded Vicious Beast. "You couldn't even stop a bunch of brainless animals!"

Iron Curtain's tall body trembled slightly, and his metallic-lustered skin seemed to dim a few shades. He lowered his head in silence; the failure brought not just a loss of points, but a severe blow to his confidence. The opponent's interference, which struck directly at core Laws, made the Steel Bastion he took pride in appear so fragile.

"Brother Lei, calm down." A somewhat ethereal voice, as if coming from the shadows, rang out. It was Shadow Killer, the assassin Divine Domain player who always hid in corners and whose presence was elusive. "Wang Meng's Behemoths are indeed strange, but that's as far as it goes. In the next round, no matter who is drawn, I will make them understand what true 'lethality' is. Star Sea must pay the price for their victory." His voice was cold and certain, carrying a disregard for life.

On the other side, in the Star Sea rest area, although everyone was excited, they were not blinded by victory.

Wang Meng was receiving Su Yueyao's Moonlight healing and Qin Qing's 'Exorcism Purification' (clearing residual Abyssal breath and rust effects) using Inquisitor Divine Light. At the same time, he excitedly described the battle details, especially the strange feeling when [Civilization Roar] took effect: "...Boss, at that moment I felt like the roar wasn't just my strength; it seemed to trigger something. The thought 'war is not for destruction, but to end war' inexplicably flashed through my mind... It was a bit weird, but it worked!"

Lin Zhou nodded, analyzing as he pulled up the detailed data playback of the battle. "The effect was better than expected. The concept of 'Stopping Conflict is Martial Arts' resonated with the Behemoth Warriors' latent instinct to seek glory and protect their tribe. Combined with your Divine Power guidance, it formed a specialized attack against 'soulless creations' and 'rigid commands.' However, this interference based on conceptual resonance is unstable; its effect will be diminished against units with firm wills or clear cores of faith. Iron Curtain's Golems happened to be typical examples that rely on fixed command logic."

He looked at Su Yueyao and Qin Qing. "The next round is crucial. The opponent has lost two rounds (referring to Bewitching Heart's win in the first and Iron Curtain's loss in the second, though the total score is 1:1), so in the third round, they will inevitably send their strongest attacker or most bizarre wildcard to regain the initiative. Lei Hao, Shadow Killer, or even that 'Calamity' are all possibilities."

A trace of solemnity flashed in Su Yueyao's cool eyes. "Shadow Killer's Divine Domain is the most mysterious and difficult to defend against. His followers excel at infiltration, assassination, and destroying key nodes. If we face him, we must be constantly alert for the safety of the Divine Kingdom core. Calamity's Plague Divine Domain excels at long-term attrition and environmental transformation; against him, we need a quick resolution or extremely strong purification and resistance."

Qin Qing added, "Lei Hao's Divine Domain has the strongest destructive power, but his tactics might be relatively direct. No matter who we face, we need to be prepared for extreme situations."

While they were discussing, the lottery on the light screen to determine the direction of the third match began.

The virtual vortex spun, pulling at the hearts of countless people.

A small ball popped out and enlarged.

Xinghai University: Lin Zhou (Civilization Divine Domain)

War God Academy: Shadow Killer (Shadow Assassin Divine Domain)

"The third match! Mystery vs. Guile! Civilization vs. Shadow!" the host shouted. "Map drawing in progress... Drawing complete: [Shadow Cloister]!"

On the light screen, an extremely special terrain appeared: a maze-like space composed of countless huge, winding, semi-transparent dark energy pipes and floating platforms. Dim shadow energy, which seemed capable of absorbing light, flowed within the pipes, and the platforms were like shattered mirror surfaces, refracting distorted scenes. Map characteristics: extremely poor visibility (perception effects relying on conventional light sources and Divine Thought reduced by 90%), environment filled with 'Shadow Affinity' (Shadow attribute skill effects +30%, consumption -20%), unstable spatial structure (random teleportation nodes and hidden traps exist), and energy pipes may experience 'Shadow Tides' (periodic bursts of shadow energy impact, causing damage and erosion to non-shadow units).

Another map clearly favorable to the War God Academy side! Moreover, this time it was against Shadow Killer, who was famous for concealment and assassination! It was like a fish in water!

"Hahaha! Heaven's will! Truly Heaven's will!" Shadow Killer's ethereal laughter echoed in the arena. "Lin Zhou? 'civilization warlord'? In this absolute darkness and chaos, how much of your civilization and your principles can still be exerted? I will make you and your followers perish silently amidst endless fear and the unknown!"

The supporters of War God Academy saw hope once again; this map was practically a custom-made absolute home field for Shadow Killer!

On the Star Sea side, Wang Meng and the others' faces darkened again. Qin Qing looked at Lin Zhou with concern. "This map is a nightmare for any non-shadow Divine Domain. His assassins can conceal themselves perfectly and be everywhere. Your followers..."

Su Yueyao also said softly, "Do you need me to prepare some temporary blessings of 'Moonlight Radiance' in advance? Although it can't offset the environmental bonus, it can provide basic vision and purification."

Lin Zhou's gaze swept over the map information, then looked at Shadow Killer's blurred figure across from him, which almost blended into the background shadows. His eyes remained calm, even... carrying a trace of penetrating sharpness.

"No need." He slowly shook his head, the corner of his mouth even hooking into a very faint, almost mocking curve. "Shadow... Assassin... Concealment... Slaughter... It sounds terrifying. But, what if what's hidden beneath these shadows isn't just an assassin?"

His words were somewhat nonsensical, and everyone was taken aback.

Lin Zhou didn't explain. He just nodded to Su Yueyao and Qin Qing, then patted Wang Meng's shoulder. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." After saying that, he walked with steady steps toward the teleportation light pillar.

"Boss, be careful!" Wang Meng shouted from behind.

Lin Zhou's figure disappeared into the light, leaving behind only a calm response: "Under the Law, all ghosts and monsters have nowhere to hide."

[Shadow Cloister], the match begins!

The Divine Kingdoms of both sides unfolded at the two ends of the maze.

Lin Zhou's Divine Kingdom remained in its usual style: the Hundred Schools Temple as the core, surrounded by the phantom of the river of civilization, emitting a warm and orderly glow. Within the Divine Kingdom, Wenxin Elf Scholars, Tiangong Dwarves, and Law Fishmen each performed their duties, and the buildings were in perfect Order. However, in this cloister covered by dense shadows, the glow of civilization appeared so weak, like a candle in the wind, as if it could be swallowed by the surrounding darkness at any moment. After the Divine Kingdom unfolded, its built-in lighting and perception range were suppressed to the limit, barely covering the Divine Kingdom's territory and the surrounding hundred meters; beyond that was bottomless gloom.

In contrast, Shadow Killer's Divine Kingdom almost merged with the environment. It wasn't a fixed Divine Kingdom in the traditional sense, but more like a constantly flowing and spreading [Shadow Veil]. Within the veil, the outlines of distorted assassin halls and poison-crafting workshops were vaguely visible, but more numerous were the countless ghostly shadows flitting through. His core followers, the [Shadow Assassins (LV37-LV42)], were born with skills like [Advanced Stealth], [Shadow Traverse], and [Fatal Backstab]. Under this map, their stealth level almost reached MAX, and their movement speed and attack power received huge bonuses.

After the match began, Shadow Killer was in no hurry to attack. His Divine Kingdom was like ink dropped into water, silently spreading and infiltrating along the shadows of the energy pipes and the backs of the platforms, hiding itself perfectly. The entire cloister, except for the tiny light of Lin Zhou's Divine Kingdom and the dim flow within the energy pipes, seemed empty.

But invisible killing intent had already enveloped Lin Zhou's Divine Kingdom from all directions like a spider web.

Lin Zhou did not panic. First, he ordered the Tiangong Dwarves to quickly set up [Sentry Mechanisms] (Mohist) and [Simple Lighting Runes] (Daoist modification) at the edge of his divine kingdom. Although their effects were severely weakened, they provided a minimum level of warning. At the same time, he had the Wenxin Elf Scholars recite an enhanced version of the "Song of Righteousness" in unison. This was not for attack, but to use Vast Righteous Qi to form a thin [Mental Sensing Barrier] around the divine kingdom—it could not dispel the shadows, but it could keenly sense any approach carrying malicious or chaotic auras.

The Law Fishmen surrounded the core buildings and unfolded a small-scale [Net of Law (Elementary)], focusing on defining the internal rules of the divine kingdom: "Unauthorized lurking and assassination attempts shall have their effectiveness halved and their tracks exposed."

Having completed these basic defenses, Lin Zhou's Divine Thought spread like spilled mercury, meticulously perceiving every slight change in the surroundings. He did not blindly expand or stay strictly on the defensive like one would against a conventional assassin; instead, he devoted most of his energy to analyzing the rules of the map itself, the [Shadow Cloister].

"Shadow affinity... spatial instability... energy tides..." Lin Zhou muttered to himself. "The compatibility between Shadow Killer's divine domain and this environment is too high, unnaturally so. Unless his divine domain is inherently of the 'Shadow' attribute and has reached an extremely high purity... but according to the scattered intelligence gathered before and the perception just now, his divine domain core seems to carry a hint of... 'turbidity' and 'profanity' that doesn't belong to pure shadow?"

The river of civilization flowed quietly within his godhead, granting him insight and rule perception far beyond ordinary people. He captured a trace of an aura within the pervasive shadow energy that was extremely faint but essentially more obscure and evil—the scent of the Abyss! It didn't come from the environment, but from Shadow Killer's divine domain itself!

"So that's how it is..." A flash of realization crossed Lin Zhou's eyes. "The so-called 'Shadow Assassin Divine Domain' is just a facade. What he truly relies on is a contract with a certain being from the Abyss, gaining the empowerment and summoning authority of Abyssal power! Shadow is merely one of the manifestations of Abyssal power. No wonder his concealment is so complete, carrying a sinister quality that 'devours all light'."

This discovery caused Lin Zhou to instantly adjust his tactical focus. His opponent was not a simple assassin, but a hidden Abyssal Contractor! His threat went far beyond mere assassination.

Sure enough, after a stalemate of about an hour, a sudden change occurred during a small-scale "Shadow Tides"!

Taking advantage of the tide to mask movements and rule fluctuations, Shadow Killer finally launched his true killing move!

It wasn't a large-scale assassin raid. Instead, in a region behind the side of Lin Zhou's divine kingdom where the shadows were thickest and the Net of Law was relatively weak, space was forcibly torn open, revealing an unstable crack flowing with foul sulfur and crazed whispers!

"With blood and Soul as sacrifice, I welcome the descent of the projection of the great 'Flayer' Malasa into this realm!" Shadow Killer's cold and fanatical chanting echoed in the darkness.

From the rift, an indescribable aura of terror gushed out! A giant claw covered in dark red scales with sharp, curved nails was the first to emerge, followed by a body as massive as a mountain, covered in tattoos of twisted human faces and wailing agony, and a hideous head with three pairs of curved horns and burning sulfurous flames!

[Abyssal Lord · Projection of Malasa The Flayer (LV500, Peak Faint Divinity ~ Lesser Divinity Threshold)]!

Although it was only a projection, the chaos, evil, pain, and pure destructive will it radiated instantly made the shadow energy of the entire [Shadow Cloister] boil, as if celebrating the arrival of the Dominator! The terrifying pressure caused the followers within Lin Zhou's divine kingdom to let out cries of alarm, and even the flow of the river of civilization seemed to stagnate for a moment.

This was actually an Abyssal Lord projection that had reached the Peak of Faint Divinity, and even had half a foot in the level of Lesser Divinity! It was an existence far exceeding conventional follower hero units! Shadow Killer actually hid such a terrifying trump card!

"Foolish God of Civilization!" Shadow Killer's voice carried a cruel delight. "Before true Abyssal power, your pitiful light and principles are as fragile as mud! Lord Malasa, please enjoy these fresh Souls and flesh to your heart's content!"

The Abyssal Lord projection let out a deafening roar, and sulfurous flames spewed from its mouth, burning directly towards Lin Zhou's divine kingdom barrier! Flames Wherever it passed, even the stability of space declined, carrying strong effects of "Pain Infliction" and "Soul Burn."

A chorus of gasps erupted from the audience! No one expected Shadow Killer to have such a trick up his sleeve! Summoning an Abyssal Lord projection was already beyond the scope of a regular student competition, bordering on cheating! However, the rules did not forbid it (as the risk was extremely high and prone to backlash); it only showed that the price of the contract behind Shadow Killer was enormous, and he had enough confidence in himself to control it.

In the Star Sea rest area, Su Yueyao, Wang Meng, and the others stood up abruptly, their faces full of shock, anger, and worry. Vice Dean Wang Zhenyue also frowned deeply, ready to intervene at any moment if the situation spiraled out of control (though intervention usually meant a forfeit).

Facing this sudden, terrifying existence whose strength far exceeded expectations, Lin Zhou seemed to have anticipated it. There wasn't a trace of panic on his face, only a cold solemnity, like a judge scrutinizing a criminal.

Just as the sulfurous flames were about to burn the divine kingdom barrier, Lin Zhou moved.

He did not mobilize his followers for defense, nor did he perform any earth-shattering divine arts. Instead, he raised his right hand. Divine light condensed at his fingertips. Using Divine Thought as his pen, Divine Power as his ink, and relying on his own [Law] divine office and the power of "Defining Rules" contained within the river of civilization, he wrote eight ancient and solemn Huaxia characters in the void, facing the massive Abyssal Lord projection, and declared loudly with the voice of rules:

"A cross-planar existence without the permission of this realm is—IL! LEGAL!"

As each word fell, it was like a heavy gavel striking the level of rules! The eight characters shone brightly, not with offensive energy, but with pure, highly condensed power of "Definition" and "Sentencing"! They ignored the barriers of space and were branded directly onto the core essence of the Abyssal Lord projection's existence!

This was precisely a high-level application of Legalist thought—[Holding Names Responsible for Reality · Defining Illegality]!

Under the enhancement of Lin Zhou's Law divine office and the principles of civilization, this was no longer just a skill, but a "Temporary Law Sentence" based on the recognition of the fundamental rules of this world (the competition sub-space)!

"Roar?!"

The Abyssal Lord projection's roar stopped abruptly, turning into a pained howl of shock and anger! On its massive body, countless phantom chains composed of golden characters suddenly appeared! These chains were not physical entities, but the constraints and denials of its existence by the "Illegal" definition at the rule level!

[System Prompt / Rule-level Feedback]:

Target [Abyssal Lord · Projection of Malasa The Flayer] has been subjected to a powerful rule definition: "Illegal Existence."

Effect: Because its existence has not received formal permission from the rule System of this sub-space (the basic rules of the competition grounds), and its power essence (Abyss) has a serious conflict with the local basic Order, its total attributes are subjected to a temporary rule suppression!

Suppression magnitude being calculated... based on the strength of the definer's [Law] divine office, the compatibility of the principles of civilization, the conflict level between the target and local rules...

Suppression in effect! Target's total attributes decreased by 30%! Including but not limited to: Attack Power, Defense Power, Life Energy, Rule Resistance, Skill Effects!

Additional Effect: The target's existential stability within this space is reduced, the environmental rule rejection force is enhanced, and the consumption to maintain the projection is significantly increased!

In an instant, the Abyssal Lord projection, which was originally overwhelmingly fierce and comparable to a Lesser Divinity, saw its aura wither significantly! The burning sulfurous flames dimmed, the luster of its scales turned dull, and even its size seemed to shrink by a notch! The terrifying pressure dropped directly from a suffocating level to a "powerful but manageable" level.

"No! This is impossible! How could you... define an Abyssal Lord as illegal?!" Shadow Killer's terrified scream rang out in the darkness, full of disbelief. His greatest trump card had been stripped of thirty percent of its strength by the opponent's single sentence and eight characters! This simply overturned his understanding!

Lin Zhou stood before his divine kingdom, the glow of civilization and the divine light of Law reflecting off each other around him, like a judge holding a code of Laws. His voice was calm yet carried an unquestionable authority:

"This realm has its own rules."

"The tentacles of the Abyss have stretched too far."

"Now," he looked at the unstable, shocked, and angry Abyssal Lord projection, and at Shadow Killer, whose mind might be reeling from the backlash in the darkness, "it is time to settle the price for illegal intrusion."

The river of civilization roared behind him. Amidst the sound of the waves, Legalist maxims like "Drawing a Circle as a Prison" and "Clarifying Punishments to Assist Education" could be heard echoing. The true counterattack was only just beginning.