I created a safe zone in the nightmare world.

Chapter 326 Half a Month, Shattering the Cataclysmic Disaster (4K)

Tiannan City Defense Circle.

Compared to a year ago, the entire defensive perimeter is no longer scattered with individual camps and base cities; instead, it is now filled with clusters of buildings.

This place is home to the largest planting and industrial base of the Blue Star civilization.

Half of the top 20 research teams in the safe zone have built research bases here.

Many large organizations and powerful forces within the safe zone also own businesses here.

It can be said that this urban area is no longer just the defensive perimeter of Tiannan City.

However, due to the sheer size of the Tiannan City defense perimeter, its protection is far more difficult than in other areas.

While Master Yunwu was still in the Nightmare World next door, Director Dai was in charge here, leading his men on a continuous inspection tour.

"Manager, what brings you here?"

Old Dai felt a little guilty. Although their place was indeed more difficult to defend due to its larger size, the number of accidents and disasters that occurred within their defense perimeter was more than ten times that of other base cities—which was indeed embarrassing to admit.

However, logically speaking, such a small matter shouldn't have offended the store manager.

Old Dai looked at that young face, but never regarded the store manager as a young man.

He treated the store manager as if he were his superior, and he did so willingly. After all, what kind of life did they lead in Tiannan City before the store manager arrived? It was incomparable to what they had now.

Besides, the shopkeeper only looks young. Theoretically, someone in the Transformation Realm can live to be four hundred years old. You can't tell a person's real age from their appearance. Maybe the shopkeeper is an old man even older than Elder Yun.

As Dai Xin's thoughts wandered, Shi An had already placed his hand on the white wall of the lighthouse.

Six fragments of wonder emerged from his body and then merged into the lighthouse structure.

"Hint: Special building Lighthouse (Rare)" is being upgraded.

A cloud of white fog rose up and enveloped the lighthouse.

Dai Xin opened his mouth slightly.

He had a vague idea of ​​what the store manager was doing, but that seemed unlikely.

Director Dai dispersed the onlookers, leaving only a dozen elite officers to maintain order. He then ordered the police tape to be put up and the surrounding area to be sealed off.

At this time, the lighthouse was undergoing an upgrade and no longer emitted its light. However, Tiannan City's defense perimeter was, after all, the largest urban area, and its daily defense against the darkness did not rely on a small lighthouse.

The defense perimeter of Tiannan City remained unaffected.

A few hours later, "Ding!"

"Notification: The 'Lighthouse (Rare)' has been upgraded to 'Glorious Lighthouse (Excellent)'."

A taller, more magnificent platinum-gold building appeared before Dai Xin and his dozen or so companions after the white mist dissipated.

They couldn't help but gape.

"Has it really, really changed?"

"Could it be that the store manager enhanced the spectacle?!"

"No wonder our safe zone has so many wonders; it turns out the shopkeeper has mastered the means to enhance them. Wow, we must keep this secret!"

Wonders are creations of the laws of nature.

Most civilizations can only make rudimentary use of wonders; they lack the ability to truly develop and derive more from them, let alone upgrade them.

Even advanced civilizations may not have such means.

Of course, the store manager didn't understand either; he was simply using cheat codes.

This method is shocking, but given his current status and strength, he doesn't need to hide anything anymore.

The birth of this magnificent lighthouse is not the end.

"continue!"

Eighteen wonder fragments emerged and then merged into the superior lighthouse.

Several hours later, "BOOM!!"

"Ding!"

"Note: The Excellent-class building 'Radiant Lighthouse' has been upgraded to the Epic-class building 'Purifying Lighthouse'!"

"Lighthouse of Purification"

"Rarity: Epic"

Category: Defensive & Special

"Ability ① Purification Domain: Wherever the light of the Purification Beacon shines, all filth, coldness, and all forms of corruption will be eradicated."

Once purified, the surrounding area will return to a pure natural environment.

Ability 2 - Light of Purification: The Lighthouse can condense a beam of light that has a special killing effect on eerie, cold, or dark creatures.

"Ability 3: Purifying Flame: A Purifying Flame can be extracted from the Purifying Lighthouse. This flame has the ability to purify negative influences and cause damage, similar to the lighthouse, but the range of its light is relatively limited."

"Ability 4 - Lighthouse Link: When located within the same world/realm, the Purification Lighthouse can transfer a portion of its Purification Power to other Lighthouses. (Activating this ability places a significant burden on the Purification Lighthouse, requiring a large amount of Dream Crystals or special energy.)"

Shi An's eyes widened, and he leaned back slightly!

The upgraded Beacon of Purification is much more powerful than he had anticipated!

The Purifying Flame can be used in conjunction with the Undying Lantern obtained earlier. Even if only a small number of these flames can be extracted and distributed to a very small number of top-tier teams, they can still prove invaluable in crucial moments.

The lighthouse's ability to connect is even more exaggerated, directly extending the effect of the Purification Lighthouse to the entire region.

"Wonderful! Wonderful!"

"Now we can shatter the darkness with the light of the beacon!"

When the Lighthouse of Purification appeared, halos of light spread out from the top of the tower.

The light wasn't blinding, yet it spread throughout the entire defensive perimeter in the blink of an eye. Under the protection of the Beacon of Purification, darkness had nowhere to hide.

Dai Xin murmured, "—With the store manager having such methods, how can we not be confident? It's just a calamity that swallows the sun, let's do it!"

A certain initial nightmare world.

This is the main world of the Thousand Peaks Civilization, a gifted civilization that is quite well-known in the Civilization Trial Arena.

Shi An had also heard about this gifted civilization from other civilizations.

But what no one knew was that the power displayed by the Thousand Peaks Civilization in the Civilization Trial Arena was less than one-tenth of its true power.

Behind the Thousand Peaks Civilization lies the support of a more advanced civilization.

They are the gloves supported by the powerful civilization, the civilization of all spirits!

This year marks only four and a half years since the Thousand Peaks Civilization descended upon the Nightmare World, but the Thousand Peaks Civilization has already conquered twenty-four regions and has prematurely triggered the cataclysmic disaster through special means.

They didn't want to wait for the ten-year deadline; they wanted to finish this nightmare world ahead of time.

"It really is a bloodbath!"

The leaders of the Thousand Peaks Civilization thought to themselves, "This is an advanced version of the flood disaster, a catastrophe that can be considered top-tier even among world-ending disasters. We're not very lucky."

Despite this, the leaders of the Thousand Peaks Civilization remained solemn, showing no sign of despair.

With the support of the Wanling Civilization, they were already well aware of the thousands of common catastrophes.

Even if it's a world-ending catastrophe, they are confident they can handle it; the only difference is the magnitude of the losses.

They will indeed suffer some unavoidable losses after the blood flood.

but----

"Averting the cataclysmic disaster ahead of time can also bring enormous benefits, something most early civilizations are unaware of!"

"Even the most gifted civilizations are no exception!"

"But we are different—"

Their Thousand Peaks civilization was not only powerful, but also possessed a wealth of information.

For example, they already have a solution to this terrifying flood of blood, something that other civilizations do not possess.

"Under normal circumstances, even the most advanced early civilizations would need at least half a year to have a chance to resolve a blood flood disaster."

"And we—"

The leader of the Thousand Peaks Civilization confidently stated, "At most two months!"

The strategy to defeat the Sun Devourer began the moment darkness descended.

Dai Xin, Yan Xiangtian, Lion King, and others are responsible for the defense of various base cities, while another group has begun to attempt to penetrate deeper into the dark realm.

"We currently have no ideas, and this calamity of the sun devouring us cannot be overcome by brute force alone. However, the solution to this calamity must lie within this world itself."

The think tank offered this explanation.

Even before the Beacon of Purification was fully upgraded, the think tank had already compiled various intelligence reports on the Dark Region based on the exploration teams from different regions.

"Once a person falls into a dark environment, even if they are holding a torch or lantern, they will continue to experience [the dream]."

"They are being eroded. This erosion is almost a rule, one that even those at the Ascendant Realm cannot avoid."

"Depending on the light source, the intensity of the corrosion will vary. If someone in the Ascending Realm holds the Undying Lantern, they can survive in darkness for about twelve hours. In the Transcendent Realm, it's about three hours."

"The resistance to the second-tier upgrade is stronger, and it can last for sixteen hours."

But it's still very short.

How far can a Dreamer travel in sixteen hours? Not to mention that even in the dark, those in the Ascending Realm cannot see far, making exploration extremely difficult.

"Secondly, in dark environments, there exists an extremely peculiar phenomenon. They move at near-instantaneous speeds in the dark, and can only be killed by means of light, fire, or lightning."

"Third, if the light source is lost, the dreamer will lose all five senses. Even if they are at the advanced stage, they will fall into boundless fear within a few seconds and become lost and sink."

Shi An looked at the records of the Exploration Department.

At that time, if this warrior hadn't only probed the edge of the dark area, he might never have returned.

Corrosion, limited visibility, and special enemies—all these factors combined make the efficiency of each elite squad in finding clues extremely low.

Fortunately, after the Lighthouse of Purification appeared, the darkness could not spread further for a short period of time.

The people in the safe zone had long been prepared for a protracted battle.

"Furthermore, to resolve this cataclysmic disaster, under normal circumstances, we would need to pool the power of civilizations and develop targeted tools and equipment based on the various predicaments."

For example, on the fourth day, the pharmacist Yi developed a "darkness adaptation potion," which gave the dreamers stronger eyesight in the dark and greater resistance to corruption.

At this point, with the addition of a makeshift campfire, the Ascension Realm team could survive for up to two days in the dark.

Although two days is still very short.

In unfamiliar environments, even those who have ascended to the Transformation Realm will find it difficult to reach another region and find another human survival base.

However, since the various bases of the Blue Star civilization can communicate in a timely manner, there is no problem.

On the seventh day, good news arrived.

"Wang Sen's team discovered a peculiar place in a certain area of ​​the Dark Forest, which we have named the Source of Darkness."

"Experiments have shown that after the source of darkness is destroyed, the rate at which darkness spreads throughout the Dark Region will be significantly reduced. However, the source of darkness will reappear after only three hours."

On the eighth day, teams in the Whispering Forest and the Pale Wasteland regions discovered the source of darkness.

At this point, all the necessary elements are complete.

Shi An could roughly deduce that "the way to annihilate the Sun-Devouring Calamity is to destroy—simultaneously destroy—all the sources of darkness. And these sources of darkness are very likely to exist in each of the thirty-three major regions!"

My thinking is clear now.

Even so, under normal circumstances, finding the source of darkness within the thirty-three major regions would be a long and arduous undertaking.

The Dark Forest and the Pale Wasteland are easy to find because they are the core areas of humanity, and the Source of Darkness is not far from the major base cities.

But what about the deeper regions of the nightmare world?

It's a no-man's land!

Human beings who want to venture into the dark areas currently do not have the necessary conditions.

"But this problem doesn't seem to be a big problem for my safe zone."

In the Nightmare World, which has thirty-three major regions, Shi An has already established Lighthouse Bases in twenty-three of them!

These regions all have teleportation anchor points for the safe zone.

The remaining regions were previously built because there wasn't enough time.

After all, a lighthouse can only be built upon a watchtower.

The Wasteland region also has safe zone entrances and exits, because Shi An left the Cloud City Fortress there.

"So there are only nine regions left."

The strategy for dealing with the apocalyptic disaster has entered a familiar rhythm within the safe zone.

On the ninth day, thirteen exploration teams set off.

The leader held a blazing holy flame, and lanterns spread a purifying light in the darkness.

go ahead!

Keep going!

Each team continuously tore through the eerie blockade, navigating the darkness.

Behind them, one watchtower camp after another sprang up. Although these camps were teetering on the brink of collapse under the encroachment of darkness, the safe zone used all sorts of methods, leaving a dozen or so Ascendant Realm cultivators to guard each camp, and managed to hold on for the time being.

On the eleventh day, "Lighthouse bases have been established in the Great Desert Region and the White Forest Region."

On the twelfth day, "The lighthouse bases in the Azure Region, Blood Forest Region, and White Lake Region were completed."

On the thirteenth day, "the darkness intensified further, and more than a dozen watchtower camps were destroyed."

"The exploration team has undergone its third rotation, and the first batch of exploration team members have already left the rest area."

On the fourteenth day, lighthouse bases for safe zones had been established in all thirty-three districts of the entire Nightmare World.

Lighthouses shine eternally in the darkness.

When all thirty-three districts lit up, the darkness actually lessened slightly, and the area illuminated by the lanterns visibly expanded.

"I see. Perhaps there's another condition to defeat the world-ending calamity: lighting up sources of light everywhere! At the very least, this clearly weakens the disaster. As expected of me!"

The store manager nodded slightly.

On the sixteenth day, all thirty-three regions and thirty-three sources of darkness have been found.

At this time, only half a month had passed since the cataclysmic disaster struck.

Within the safe zone, Shi An issued the order.

"attack!"

More than two hundred experts at the Transformation Realm attacked simultaneously, shattering the Source of Darkness.

Click!

The curtain that had shrouded the world seemed to have been shattered, and the deep darkness receded like the tide.

No accidents.

No more big bosses appeared.

"We've already defeated the cataclysmic disaster?"

Standing on the wilderness where natural light was beginning to appear, the powerful figures from Earth were still somewhat confused, muttering to themselves.

Surprised and incredulous.

This is all the cataclysmic disaster we've got?

>