The Dawn of the "New Era"
The silver glow of teleportation had not yet fully faded from the top floor of the Collective's Administrative Center when Lin Mo's form solidified—and in that instant, commands, like invisible ripples, spread through the Demon Network to every core department.
"Maximum technical authority unlocked."
"The 'Xu' Core has been acquired."
"Chaos Purification Sequence: Initiate final integration."
No meetings, no discussions. The Collective's most elite research forces, the moment Lin Mo returned, were fully mobilized and thrown into an unprecedented ultimate project codenamed "New Era."
The Energy Institute, Material Laboratories, Information & Teleportation Center—boundaries between all institutions dissolved. Researchers were reassigned into mixed teams, and around the closely guarded, grayish "Xu" thread, they began a frantic push.
Lin Mo personally oversaw the Core Laboratory. Gone were the rough stone walls and animal-hide blueprints; this was a pure white space framed by ink-steel and Star Fluid energy circuits. At its center, an extraordinarily complex three-dimensional energy model rotated slowly—it was the complete framework of the "Chaos Purification Sequence." A tiny gap at the model's core awaited the insertion of "Xu."
Liches from the Energy Institute carefully channeled the surging energy of Star Fluid, attempting to forge a connection with "Xu." On the first try, the energy stream destabilized and dissipated the moment it neared "Xu," like a stream crashing against an invisible reef.
"Energy attribute conflict! 'Xu' rejects conventional energy drive!" The lich in charge of channeling flickered with soul-fire, its voice tinged with frustration.
Lin Mo's gaze swept over the energy model, his spiritual sense diving into deductions.
"Shift your approach. Star Fluid is not the power source—it is... the carrier." He spoke calmly, tracing new energy circuits in the air with his fingertips. "Use 'Xu's' affinity for chaos to build a two-way energy bridge. We provide the 'order' coordinates; 'Xu' will draw power from chaos to complete a self-sustaining cycle."
It was like clearing away clouds to reveal the sun. Researchers immediately adjusted to the new plan. When the modified Star Fluid energy—pulsing at a frequency that mimicked chaotic fluctuations—slowly approached the "Xu" thread, the grayish strand finally ceased its rejection. Instead, it stirred like a waking creature, coiling gently around the energy stream and beginning to actively absorb and transform it!
A faint yet remarkably stable new energy—bearing the dual traits of chaos and order—flowed from the "Xu" thread and into the energy model. The gap at the model's core lit up instantly!
Almost simultaneously, a breakthrough came from the Material Laboratory. Leveraging microscopic structural knowledge of the "Source Crystal of All Things" and the rule guidance provided by the "Xu" thread, a new matrix material—"Primordial Soil"—was synthesized. It looked like ordinary black earth, yet it could perfectly host "Xu's" energy and serve as a medium for the "Chaos Purification Sequence" to spread.
The Information & Teleportation Center focused entirely on optimizing the Demon Network, ensuring commands would blanket the Collective's entire territory the moment "New Era" activated.
Time slipped by in a race against the clock. The entire Collective functioned like an exquisitely precise machine, every part whirring toward the final moment.
Finally—
Inside the Core Laboratory, the three-dimensional energy model operated steadily. The "Xu" thread at its center, like a beating heart, pumped streams of energy fused with order and chaos into every corner of the model. Around the model's perimeter, a faint yet resilient field—glowing with a soft gray light—stabilized into being.
"Chaos Purification Sequence · New Era, integration complete. Theoretical model verification passed." Lin Mo's voice echoed through the laboratory, calm as still water, yet it sent a surge of excitement through every researcher present that they could barely contain.
There was no time for celebration.
Lin Mo stepped forward, and in an instant, his form appeared outside the Administrative Center, hovering mid-air.
In his hands, he held a palm-sized pedestal forged from "Primordial Soil." At the pedestal's core, the "Xu" thread coiled slowly, emanating mysterious ripples.
Beneath him lay the Collective's territory: energy towers stood in rows, the Demon Network's glow faintly visible—a scene of orderly wonder, nothing short of a miracle in the Demon Realm.
But Lin Mo knew this order was fragile, a castle built on sand. The true test was only just beginning.
He took a deep breath—not to draw energy, but to adjust his unique state, caught between "existence" and "exception," until he achieved perfect resonance with the "Xu" thread in his hands.
Then, he gently pressed the pedestal downward.
No earth-shattering roar, no dazzling radiance.
Only a soft, clear ding—like a drop of water falling into a lake.
Centered on the pedestal, an invisible, grayish ripple spread outward, gentle yet unstoppable, like a breath.
Where the ripple passed, the chaotic, oppressive, corrosive rule-based power inherent to the Demon Realm was gently pushed back by an invisible hand. It did not vanish, but was sealed off and overlaid by a higher, more stable "order field."
The energy towers' glow turned softer and more steady; the Demon Network's signal became clearer and smoother than ever before. On the ground, bioluminescent mushrooms and black moss—once confined to small areas where they struggled to grow—began spreading outward at a visible pace. Even tiny, fresh green shoots, never seen before and exuding a crisp aura, quietly sprouted from the earth touched by the "Primordial Soil's" influence!
The eternal dim yellow of the sky, as if wiped clean, grew a little clearer. One could even faintly make out tiny, faint points of light—like starlight!
This was not transformation. This was... definition!
It was forcing a domain of absolute "order" onto the chaotic canvas of the Demon Realm!
Every demon in the Collective, no matter where they were, felt it clearly in that instant: the invisible, heavy shackles they had carried since birth... loosened! The air grew "lighter," energy turned "tamer," even their thoughts felt sharper and clearer!
After a moment of stunned silence, soul-deep cheers erupted! Countless demons dropped to their knees, prostrating themselves in worship toward the figure in the cyan robe hovering above.
Yet Lin Mo's gaze was already fixed on the distance—on the deeper, darker unknown regions of the Demon Realm, on the empty "heights" where cold gazes might already be falling.
The "New Era" was just the start.
He could feel the pedestal in his hands, the "Xu" thread engaging in silent communication and resistance with the vaster chaos beyond. The Collective's order domain, like a beacon in the dark, was bright—but also... exceptionally conspicuous.
More eyes would be drawn to it.
Perhaps more powerful ancient beings of the Demon Realm.
Perhaps... a more resolute "purification" from the "Observers."
He hovered in the air, his cyan robe fluttering in the breeze. Behind him lay a nascent paradise of order; ahead, endless chaos and unknowns.
In his hands, he held "Xu"—stolen from the very heart of chaos.
His state was that of an "exception" even "Zeroing" could not erase.
His journey had only just begun.