The crimson light on the plains of Chengtian City lasted for three days and three nights.
When the light faded, the battlefield that had once teemed with hundreds of thousands of lives had become a desolate, gray wasteland. No corpses, no bloodstains, no tattered flags, not even the craters left by war. Everything had been decomposed, smoothed over, and turned into the planet's most primordial dust. In the sand stirred by the wind, perhaps lay the resilient bones of a dwarf warrior, perhaps the flowing hair of an elven archer, or perhaps the conflicted and tormented soul of an imperial general.
But now, they are all just dust.
The second form of "Breath of Dust" was revered by the Empire's survivors—those "new humans" clad in pure white uniforms whose genetic sequences were deemed "perfect" by Lin Feng—as "The Will of the Heavens." It ceased to be a weapon, becoming a new law of the planet, an invisible selection mechanism suspended above all things. Like the breath of a god, it enveloped every corner of the continent, scrutinizing every newborn cell, ensuring that any genetic chain that did not meet the "pure" standard was silently erased in its nascent stage.
The alliance, along with all the old-fashioned ideals it represented—such as "pluralism," "coexistence," and "hope"—were completely buried with the disappearance of those hundreds of thousands of soldiers.
The massive rift that Irelia slashed with her life became the sole remnant of that war. It stands silently before the gates of the City of Heaven, like an unhealed scar, a constant reminder to the world of how thorough and resolute that grand "purification" was.
The figure of God Emperor Lin Feng vanished from the teleportation pillar of the Heavenly Throne. Where he went, no one knew. But his will, through the perfect system of "Breath of Dust," transformed into absolute divine authority ruling this planet. He no longer needed to sit on the throne, for he had become the sky, the air, and a part of the breath of every "pure" citizen.
After a brief pause, the empire's machinery resumed operation in a colder, more efficient manner. Without Governor Zhang Huanyu, the empire's central command was taken over by a super artificial intelligence called "Gaia." It was an extension of Lin Feng's will, the embodiment of absolute rationality. Under Gaia's command, countless imperial soldiers and engineering robots, clad in pristine white uniforms and expressionless faces, departed from the capital, Chengtian, and began rebuilding this "purified" world with near-obsessive precision.
The city was replanned, with every street as straight as a cutting line; the fields were uniformly managed, with crops growing in the most optimized way, allowing no weeds to exist; even the weather was controlled by the ecological regulation system of the Celestial Throne, always in a mild, predictable, and production-optimized mode.
This is a world without chaos, without accidents, and even without "surprises." Everything is incorporated into Gaia's calculations. Order has become the sole theme of this planet.
However, beneath this seemingly perfect order lies an unpredictable variable: the survivors.
While the "Breath of Dust" is powerful, it is not omnipotent. In certain corners of this planet, there exist "Sanctuaries" that can temporarily isolate its power.
In the far west of the continent lies a vast forest known as the Whispering Forest. This is the last home of the Elven race. At the heart of the forest stands a towering ancient tree called Azshara, its canopy piercing the clouds, its roots deeply embedded in the planet's ley lines. For tens of thousands of years, the life energy emanating from the Heart of Azshara has formed a natural, immense energy shield, enveloping the entire forest.
It was this protective shield that allowed the elves to escape on the day of "purification".
However, survival does not equate to peace.
When the Elf Queen Elana Starwhisper first led her people out of the edge of the forest, what she saw was a desolate and lifeless world. The grasslands that once connected with the forest had become deserts, and the clear rivers had turned into dried-up ravines. The air was filled with the cold and suffocating aura of the "Will of the Sky," and any plant that stepped outside the protective barrier would wither instantly.
The elves were imprisoned. Their proud homeland had been transformed into a beautiful, enormous cage.
Even more terrifying, the power of the Ancient Tree of Azshara is being relentlessly eroded by the "Will of the Sky." The emerald green shield that shrouds the forest is visibly thinning, and the trees at the edges are beginning to show signs of withering and yellowing. The elven elders have exhausted all their natural magic, barely managing to slow this decline, but unable to reverse it.
They knew that it was only a matter of time before the empire discovered them.
The day has finally come.
Hundreds of the Empire's newest "Arbiter"-class airships, like black phantoms, appeared silently above the Whispering Forest. They did not fire, but hovered there quietly, their massive red single eye on their bows coldly watching the last patch of green below.
On the flagship at the head of the group, an imperial official dressed in a magnificent white robe amplified his cold voice, which resonated throughout the forest. His voice was devoid of any emotion, like a synthesized machine voice.
"To the survivors in the forest. I am the Imperial Purification Messenger, number 734. By the supreme will of the Divine Emperor Lin Feng, I proclaim the final decree of the Empire."
"Your existence is a kind of 'pollution' to this pure world. The energy shield you rely on is expected to completely fail within three hundred standard days under the illumination of the 'Will of the Heavens'. At that time, the purification will be completed automatically."
"The Divine Emperor is merciful and will give you one last chance to choose."
"One: Hold fast to this place, and in three hundred days, turn to dust along with your ancient tree."
"Second: Abandon futile resistance, step out of the barriers, and swear eternal submission to the great empire. Surrender all your knowledge, technology, and resources. Furthermore, to demonstrate your sincerity, and for the 'optimization and enrichment' of the empire's gene pool, you must..."
The Purifier paused, then stated the conditions—conditions that were enough to crush all the dignity of the elves—in a calm, factual tone.
“…From your clan, select one hundred unmarried women of the purest bloodline and most beautiful appearance to serve as ‘divine attendants’ and send them to the capital of Chengtian to serve beneath the throne of the Divine Emperor, contributing your bloodline to the continuation of the empire. Thereafter, this will be done every ten years.”
The forest was deathly silent.
All the elves clenched their fists, their eyes burning with humiliated rage. Elves were a proud race; they loved freedom and revered nature. To be forced to hand over their most beautiful daughters to become the playthings and breeding tools of a tyrant was more unbearable than death itself.
"We'd rather die in battle!" a young elven ranger roared.
However, his voice was quickly silenced by Queen Elana raising her hand.
Elana Starwhisper, the queen renowned for her wisdom and beauty, was now as pale as a sheet. She looked up at the warships circling in the sky like the Grim Reaper, feeling the increasingly weak and mournful cries emanating from the ancient tree of Azshara.
War? With what can they fight? The alliance's hundreds of thousands of troops were wiped out in an instant. What could the tens of thousands of remaining elves do? The only result of resistance would be extermination.
She closed her beautiful eyes, and two lines of tears silently slid down her cheeks. She knew that from the moment the Alliance was destroyed, the fate of the Elven race had been sealed.
When she opened her eyes again, all that remained was endless sorrow and the resolute determination of a queen.
She ascended to the highest branch of the ancient tree of Azshara, making herself visible to all the Imperial warships. She straightened her spine and, with all her might, ensured her voice carried clearly, a voice trembling uncontrollably.
“We… the Elven race… accept… the Empire’s conditions.”
Every word was like a knife, piercing deeply into her heart.
Three days later, the energy shield of the Whispering Forest slowly opened a gap in a specific location.
One hundred elven maidens, dressed in pristine white gowns, emerged, led by Queen Elana. Each of them was breathtakingly beautiful, like the purest flowers in the forest. But their faces were devoid of color, and their beautiful eyes were filled with fear, confusion, and… despair.
They were sacrifices. Individuals offered up to ensure the continuation of the entire race.
Purifier 734 watched this scene expressionlessly, as if inspecting a batch of qualified cargo. He nodded slightly, and a magnificent transport ship slowly descended.
“Your Majesty, your choice is wise,” he said in his flat tone. “The Empire will establish an ‘Elven Reserve’ on the outskirts of the forest. Your survival will be guaranteed, provided that you obey absolutely.”
Elana didn't answer. She simply stepped forward and gave the departing girls one last hug, whispering in each of their ears.
"Live on...for Azshara...and for ourselves...live on..."
The transport ship's hatch slowly closed, shielding the Queen from her grief. One hundred of the most beautiful flowers in the forest were thus uprooted and transported to that cold, all-consuming steel city.
The elves of the Whispering Forest surrendered. Their will to resist was utterly crushed before an absolute and irresistible force.
Unlike the elves, another group of survivors—humans who had not participated in the Alliance but were forced to hide under the Empire's scorched-earth policy—chose another way to continue the flame of civilization.
Deep beneath the Dragon Ridge Mountains in the central part of the continent lies a massive underground city known as "Bunker Zero." This is the ultimate refuge left behind by a superpower from an ancient era, possessing an independent ecological cycle system and energy core, sufficient to sustain tens of thousands of people underground for hundreds of years.
When the "purification" occurred, the bunker's hundreds-of-meters-thick alloy and rock layers isolated it from the erosion of the "Will of the Sky." The bunker's leader was an elderly man named Zhao Keming, a highly respected historian. He led tens of thousands of scientists, engineers, doctors, and ordinary civilians, struggling to maintain the last glimmer of the old human civilization in this underground world.
They documented Lin Feng's atrocities, studied the principles of the "Will of the Sky," and tried to find a way to resist. They regarded Irelia and others as heroes, engraved their stories on the alloy walls, and educated the next generation born in the bunker, so that they would never forget the taste of freedom.
However, the bunker's resources are ultimately finite. After operating in isolation for twenty years, the energy core began to show signs of depletion, and the ecological cycle system frequently malfunctioned. They had to return to the surface to find new energy and supplies.
An exploration team composed of the most elite soldiers opened the bunker door that had been sealed for twenty years for the first time.
But what they saw was not the wasteland they had imagined, but a "new world" so orderly it was chilling. Smooth alloy roads, autonomous transport vehicles, mechanical sentinels patrolling the sky, and "pure" humans working in the fields, their eyes vacant and their movements perfectly synchronized.
The exploration team's presence was detected by the omnipresent surveillance system the moment they set foot on the ground.
The alarm didn't even sound.
Just ten minutes later, an Imperial legion composed of "Cataclysmic Soldiers" and "Pure White Soldiers" surrounded the bunker's exit. Instead of attacking immediately, they sent a Purifier, just as they had done with the Elves.
"The remnants of the underground. I am the Purifier, number 217." The envoy's voice, transmitted clearly through the resonance device, reached the depths of the bunker. "Your energy fluctuations have been locked. The 'Gaia' system has calculated that forcibly breaching your defenses would take 7.8 standard days, and the Empire would lose 132 soldiers. This is an acceptable cost."
"But the God-Emperor's will is order, not simply destruction. Now, you have two choices."
"One: Refuse to submit. After 7 or 8 days, the bunker will be breached, and all humans who do not meet the 'pure' standard will be eliminated on the spot."
"Second: Accept the Empire's 'integration'. Open the door, hand over all your technical data, and accept the 'optimization' and modification by the Empire's genetic engineers to remove the 'defective genes' in your bodies caused by negative emotions such as fear, anger, and sadness. Become a qualified second-class citizen of the Empire."
"At the same time," the envoy paused, as if retrieving another standard procedure document, "to ensure that your descendants can perfectly integrate into the Imperial system, you must offer up all healthy women aged 16 to 25 in the bunker. They will enter the 'Breeding Center' located in the capital of Chengtian to undergo the most thorough genetic 'correction' and give birth to the next generation of 'pure' citizens for the Empire. This is your way of atonement, and also your... glory in integrating into the Empire."
Inside the bunker's command center, there was a deathly silence.
All the high-ranking members heard the messenger's chilling announcement. Humiliation and anger erupted in everyone's hearts like a volcano.
"Damn it! What do they take us for? Animals?" A young officer slammed his fist on the table in anger.
"Optimization? Breeding center? This is simply... this is..."
"We'll fight them to the death! Even if we die, we'll die with dignity!"
Voices of resistance rose and fell. However, the leader, Zhao Keming, an elderly man who had dedicated his life to studying history, slowly closed his eyes. His face was filled with pain and helplessness.
History repeats itself cruelly. When faced with a powerful civilization that they cannot defeat, weaker civilizations have no choice but to be assimilated or destroyed.
He thought of Irelia, and of the heroes who sacrificed themselves for the rebellion. Their spirit was admirable, but what was the result? Utter annihilation.
"How much energy do we... have left?" Zhao Keming asked in a hoarse voice.
“Reporting to the Leader,” the Energy Secretary replied with difficulty, “the core’s attrition rate has exceeded 80 percent, and at most… at most it can only last another five years. The ecosystem, it may not even last three years.”
Five years...
Zhao Keming smiled bitterly. Even if the empire didn't attack, they would still self-destruct due to resource depletion. Resistance would only accelerate this process and make it even more brutal.
He stood up and walked to the wall inscribed with the deeds of the League's heroes. He stretched out his aged hand and gently stroked Irelia's name.
“Child…we did our best,” he murmured to himself. “But the continuation of civilization…is more important than dignity. As long as we live, there is hope. Even if…we live like dogs.”
He turned to face all the leaders of the bunker and, in an incredibly somber tone, gave the most difficult order of his life.
"Open... the bunker door."
As the heavy gate that had isolated the world for twenty years slowly rose, blinding sunlight streamed in. For the first time, the bunker's inhabitants witnessed the new world under Lin Feng's rule. Order, absolute order.
They saw those "divine soldiers of natural disaster" that looked like sculptures and exuded an aura of death.
They also saw those "pure" humans with blank stares, like dolls.
Fear gripped everyone's heart.
Under the watchful eyes of Imperial soldiers, they lined up and walked out of the bunker. The men were sent to the "modification center," where cold mechanical arms would remove the so-called "defective genes" from their bodies.
Meanwhile, thousands of young girls were forcibly taken away amidst their parents' desperate cries and boarded transport ships bound for the capital, Chengtian. Their fate would be to be reduced to tools for the empire's continuation of its bloodline in a cold laboratory.
Even the humans underground submitted.
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