This time I chose Paladin.

Chapter 196 If it wasn't you, why did you run away?
The message came from Han Jiangxue. It was concise and clear: the previous message had been received, and He Kang had ordered the troops to split up. A vanguard carrying heavy firepower was advancing at full speed and was expected to reach the outskirts of Xunshan by noon tomorrow at the earliest, and midnight at the latest.

This is undoubtedly good news, meaning they don't need to fight alone in this dangerous place for much longer.

With a slight thought, Nie Weiyang sent a message through the Illusionary Spirit to Liang Zhenduan, who was in the old city, to inquire about another matter.

The matter of activating the pre-civilization internet server underground in Zhongzhou must be put on the agenda. That thing is buried deep in the central region of Zhongzhou, at a depth of 1730 meters, equivalent to nearly three ultra-deep nuclear air-raid shelters stacked together.

The excavation is already a massive undertaking, not to mention the dangers that may arise during the process—the nests of mutated creatures, technological artifacts left behind by previous civilizations, and dangerous sources from beyond the stars… any of these could trigger a new disaster.

Moreover, the excavation and development of pre-civilization underground facilities must be completed before the global heatwave.

Otherwise, the sea level will rise by 25 meters within a month, submerging most of the coastal areas, and even giving Zhongzhou an outlet to the sea. In the following months, the planet's surface temperature will rise to 70°C, and in some areas it will even approach 90°C. Not only will proteins denature, but the water will be half-boiled, and even the rain will be like boiling water—things will become very difficult.

Although things could have been prevented from escalating to this point if the planetary barrier had been repaired, it is still necessary to prepare for this as soon as possible and have a backup plan.

As his thoughts raced, Nie Weiyang did not relax his awareness of Xunshan.

The battle in the outer ring area continues, with the elite advance team acting like venomous snakes in the night, efficiently clearing outposts and creating chaos.

Shouts and sporadic explosions were torn apart by the night wind, but could still be faintly heard.

at this time--

A completely different kind of vibration came from beneath my feet.

The tremor was extremely slight, yet it carried a chilling, dull feeling, as if some enormous creature had turned over deep underground.

Its source was not the aftermath of the battle in the outer ring, but the very center of Xunshan—the Bone Sacrifice Court!

Nie Weiyang gathered his scattered thoughts and stared intently at the central mountain peak.

His aura grew increasingly calm, almost merging with the rock, but the divine energy within him surged like a volcano about to erupt.

Has the Sun Lord finally been alerted? Or has some mechanism pre-set by the Void-Crossing Demon been activated prematurely due to an external attack?

The tremor continued, not violently, but carrying an ominous buzzing sound. The foul aura emanating from the direction of the Bone Sacrifice Court began to churn like boiling water, and the originally faint candlelight seemed to brighten slightly, casting eerie, flickering shadows in the darkness.

The prey... or rather, the hunter's trap, seems to be beginning to bare its fangs.

Blood splattered everywhere. The advance team was small but elite, while the cultists were numerous but lacked experience and ability. As a result, the casualty ratio between the two sides remained at a mysterious 1:24.

But a steady stream of cult members is pouring out of the mountains surrounding Xunshan, where their residences are hidden, making it extremely easy to replenish their manpower.

The shrill, gray spirits had enveloped the entire outer ring of Xunshan, carrying a malevolent aura that seemed ready to devour anyone who dared to approach. Everyone was searching for the disruptive advance team, and another tremor came from the direction of the Bone Sacrifice Court. The Sun Lord's status on the map changed several times, indicating extreme mental confusion.

Nie Weiyang waited patiently, recording the frequency of the vibrations to determine the best time to intervene.

The annoying gray spirits wandered around searching, greatly restricting the advance team's operational space. Meanwhile, the vibrations emanating from the Bone Sacrifice Court were becoming more frequent and their amplitude was gradually increasing.

In the map's field of vision, the chaotic halo representing the Sun Lord is twisting, expanding, and contracting at an unprecedented speed. Its level of mental confusion has reached its peak, like a pressure vessel that is being continuously heated and is about to explode out of control.

Nie Weiyang waited no longer. He gave the order: "Attention all, I will be leaving the ranks to fight."

"Teams one and two, feign a breakout to the northwest to draw the spirits and the main force. Team three, stealthily move southeast to clear the path and prepare to support the main force. At the same time, be wary of elite enemies among the cultists and try to eliminate them. Of course, self-preservation is the primary concern." The order was given and relayed by messengers, and the battlefield situation quickly changed.

A sudden, more intense energy surge and battle cries erupted from the northwest, successfully drawing most of the gray spirits and the pursuing cultists away. From the southeast, a small team, like a sharp blade, silently tore open an opening.

Meanwhile, Nie Weiyang himself approached the Bone Sacrifice Court at an astonishing speed and silently, following a pre-selected, steep route far from the main passage.

As he passed near some enemies, he raised his hand and unleashed a powerful strike. The moment the heavy shield left his hand, he shot off in another direction like an arrow. The golden spear in his hand transformed into a golden lightning bolt that tore through the night.

'Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!'

With each flash of the spear tip, a black-robed leader's head exploded like a watermelon. There were no superfluous movements, not a single wasted energy; his speed and skill were perfectly executed. He even managed to observe the details of his surroundings between high-speed movement and strikes, casually scattering hidden candlelight!
The only chanting was replaced by screams, some unknown ritual was forcibly interrupted, the Sun God's spirit became more restless, and the gray spirits became more violent and disorderly, even beginning to devour the black-robed believers around them!

Nie Weiyang's target was not ordinary believers, nor those messengers who were still trying to maintain the command nodes in the chaos, but the Sun God himself—although it probably can't be considered a 'person' now.

"Come on. Can you feel me?"

Outside the Bone Sacrifice Courtyard, Nie Weiyang, bathed in chaotic fluctuations of consciousness, clapped his hands at the enormous skeleton.

He avoided touching that dangerous mental bomb altogether, and refused to engage in a mental struggle with the Sun. His goal was crystal clear—

Offense is the best defense.

Nie Weiyang brandished his spear and threw it while in a bow stance!

A flash of golden light disappeared in an instant. With a loud bang, the stained glass window shattered, and the spear, gleaming with brilliant light, sent the massive red-clad figure flying, embedding it high into a pillar!
The spear could not touch the soul, but its radiance was enough to bind and burn the spirit. 'Sun Lord' slowly raised its head, the golden mask bearing a pained weeping expression. It tried to grasp the spear and pull it out, but its phantom-like hands repeatedly brushed past the shaft. A murky black mist filled the eye holes of the mask, meeting the gaze of the silver-armored, black-clad paladins far beyond the Bone Temple.

Those eyes brought a glimmer of sunset to the chaotic thoughts. And that white light… brought with it the burning, the terror, the aura of destructive death…

...a figure leaped out from the depths of its mind.

'Administrator Number Two'.

……

Fear seeped into consciousness.

The 'Sun Lord' let out a long howl that tore through the air. Under the watchful eyes of the hidden figure in the darkness, and with Nie Weiyang on high alert and the watcher's anticipation, its form suddenly vanished into countless phantoms. But instead of charging straight at them, it turned and ran!
Under the cover of night, countless phantoms burst forth from the Bone Ritual Court, converging in the distance into a massive, distorted figure.

It charged into the crowd, and the black-robed believers it passed were all drawn in by a powerful force, their souls torn from their bodies and absorbed into this monster called 'Sun Lord'. Driven by the primal fear etched into its soul, it raced towards the distance, towards the place where the moon rises.

Nie Weiyang: “……?”

Nie Weiyang was stunned.

Monitor: "...?"

The monitor was also stunned.

(End of this chapter)