The balance of the battle between the Immortals shifted in an instant. With a World Lord joining the fight, two humans were now ganging up on one Monster Race Immortal. It was only a matter of time before they took him down. The other Monster Race Immortal had also been torn apart several times by the human World Lord's fierce sword light. His defeat was near.
The World Lord battlefield was the first to react. The humans' morale soared, while the Six-Winged Bees' World Lords grew restless. They had been keeping an eye on the battle between the Immortals all along, and seeing the plight of their two old bees threw them into a panic.
Some of the stronger World Lords began communicating telepathically, discussing whether they should retreat early.
As for the Domain Lords and Universe Ranks, they were still caught up in their frenzied fighting and hadn't noticed yet. But less than a minute later, two astonishing waves of explosive force erupted one after another from the Immortal battlefield, finally jolting them awake.
They looked over and saw that both of their old bees were gone. Only the aftershocks of the explosions remained in the Immortal battlefield, while the World Lords had already begun scattering in flight.
One of the Six-Winged Bees was the first to stop fighting. Its three pairs of wings beat as it turned and fled. That was all it took to send the whole army into a rout!
"Thank you for your help!" Dongluo and Gong Nuoxiao withdrew beyond the range of the two Six-Winged Bee Immortals' self-destruction. They left the items floating in space for the World Lord to collect. They had already earned the Military Merit, and didn't feel right taking the spoils as well.
"We're all human. It was only right." The armor on the World Lord's head retracted, revealing a refined, delicate face. She smiled and said, "You two can keep those things. I don't need them..."
Dongluo and Gong Nuoxiao exchanged a glance. They knew she had no interest in the Monster Race's belongings, so they accepted without further hesitation, waving the items into their storage to divide later.
"He's Gong Nuoxiao, and I'm Dongluo." Dongluo's expression was no longer as stern as usual; she smiled. "May I ask your name?"
"My name is Luo Lan Molly. You can just call me Molly." The refined World Lord watched the fleeing Monster Race and spoke calmly.
"Miss Molly must be a scion of one of the Five Great Forces, right?" Gong Nuoxiao asked tentatively.
Luo Lan Molly smiled without answering, but her silence was answer enough.
"Thank goodness you were here to help, Miss Molly. Otherwise, our soldiers would have been buried out here..."
"You're too kind, Sister Dongluo."
"The two Monster Race Immortals caused quite a commotion when they self-destructed. Other races will probably come here soon, so we should leave," Dongluo said, asking hopefully, "Will you come with us, Miss Molly?"
"Your legions have suffered heavy losses. You'll probably be heading back to the Barracks Base, right?" When the two nodded, Luo Lan Molly smiled and declined. "I only arrived at Chaotic Star Isle recently, and I don't plan on returning to the Barracks Base just yet. I'll go my own way..."
She finished speaking and summoned her spacecraft. Before boarding, she tilted her head slightly to look into the distance, thinking, The one with the spear is only at Domain Lord Rank Six, yet he's already crossed the threshold of several laws. It looks like he's even grasped a little of the Space Law. How could the armies on the Outer Battlefield have someone like him?
That was right. In her eyes, Bai Muye was merely a promising talent. She herself was the true genius.
Watching the sword-shaped spacecraft disappear into the depths of space, Dongluo and Gong Nuoxiao summoned their own ships and began gathering their surviving soldiers.
The battle had cost them dearly. Fewer than twenty of Dongluo's World Lords remained, and nearly all were injured. The most gravely wounded had only his upper body left.
More than three hundred Domain Lords remained, along with fewer than two thousand at Universe Rank. The entire legion had been all but shattered.
A flicker of sadness crossed Dongluo's eyes as she watched. An idea slowly began to take root in her mind.
Gong Nuoxiao's legion had suffered even worse losses than Dongluo's. Even fewer of his soldiers had made it back.
The spacecraft flew at sub-light speed toward the nearest transit point. Once it had settled into a steady pace, many Domain Lords from Gong Nuoxiao's legion came to the cabin where Bai Muye was staying.
They had come to thank him. Thanks to Bai Muye's domain, they had escaped countless brushes with death and slain enemies they otherwise could never have defeated.
"I once heard one of my Universe Rank soldiers say that you earned the title '49 War God' aboard the spacecraft on your way to the Outer Battlefield. At the time, I didn't think much of it. But now I see you deserve it, Brother Muye. You can truly be called the number-one Domain Lord below World Lord Rank at the 049 Barracks Base. The title of War God is well earned!"
A Domain Lord from Gong Nuoxiao's legion said this.
The other Domain Lords recalled how many Six-Winged Bee Domain Lords and Universe Ranks had died at Bai Muye's hands during the battle. They all nodded in agreement.
Besides, his current strength really was unmatched among Domain Lords.
"Everyone, don't get me into trouble," Bai Muye said quickly, waving his hands with a wry smile. "We're about to return to the 049 Barracks Base. If this joke gets around, I'll never get any peace..."
"We've been fighting out here for over a decade," Bai Muye said sincerely. "I really don't want to return to the Barracks Base only to have to fight someone else. Wouldn't it be better to spend that time drinking together?"
The Domain Lords exchanged glances. They felt he had a point. In the end, their leader said, "We'll keep it among ourselves. We won't bring it up once we're back at the base... But, Brother Muye, you have to give us a chance to treat you to a good time."
"Of course."
A few months later, the spacecraft returned to the 049 Barracks Base.
After returning to the Dongluo Legion's camp, Dongluo summoned all the World Lords.
In a spacious hall, Dongluo stood with her back to them, looking at the two characters "Dongluo" written on the wall in the Universal Language.
"Milady."
The dozen or so remaining World Lords looked fine on the outside. Even the one who had been injured most severely had grown his lower body back.
"Find somewhere to sit," Dongluo said without turning around. "Help yourselves to a drink."
The dozen or so men exchanged glances. Dongluo had never been particularly strict with her World Lords, but she had never been this approachable before.
Zhu Ang, who led them, waved for them to find seats.
"The legion has lost too many soldiers this time. It'll take a long time to make up the numbers..."
Dongluo finally took her eyes off the two characters and turned to face the dozen or so World Lords who had followed her for years.
"To be honest, I'd grown a little tired of being a 'nanny' a long time ago," she said, pursing her lips. "But we've been together for so many years. Some of you have followed me since you were Domain Lords..."
Some of the more perceptive World Lords guessed what Dongluo had in mind and fell into thought.
"But on the way back to the Barracks Base this time, I finally made up my mind!" Her blue eyes shone.
"I'm no longer going to serve as the Army Lord of a legion. I want to form an elite team and explore the Outer Battlefield as a squad..."
Dongluo looked at the World Lords.
"I know you've earned enough Military Merit to qualify for Freedom. So—are you willing to come with me?"
"Zhu Ang will follow you to the death, Milady!"
Zhu Ang shot to his feet and spoke with conviction.
"I'm willing to follow you too, Milady..."
"I'm in!"
Of the eighteen World Lords, fifteen said they were willing to continue exploring with Dongluo.
"Milady, I... want to retire..." The World Lord who had lost his lower body before spoke hesitantly. Two other World Lords also lowered their heads in silence, clearly feeling the same way.
"Lift your heads," Dongluo said gravely.
The three World Lords raised their heads.
"To survive long enough to retire is probably the strongest wish of anyone who comes to the Outer Battlefield... So you have absolutely no reason to feel sorry!"
"You three have followed me for a long time. Our meeting was fate. If you ever run into trouble, you can still come to me!"
"Thank you, Milady..."
As the three resolute World Lords turned to leave, their eyes grew damp despite themselves.
"Milady," Zhu Ang said steadily, "what should we do with the Domain Lords and Universe Ranks under us?"
"Break them up and transfer them to other legions. I'm sure Gong Nuoxiao would be glad to take them..." Bai Muye's image drifted through her mind. She hesitated, but in the end said nothing.
Bai Muye was only a Domain Lord now. He couldn't join them in their operations.
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