The Outer-Region Battlefield

After leaving the Desolate Star Region, Qin Cang kept thinking about Demon Wing Venerable's words. Why was Demon Wing Venerable so eager for him to become a Top Universe Overlord?

Did he have some enemy? Or was there another special reason?

Even an ancient Universe Overlord like Demon Wing Venerable was still just a Universe Overlord, after all. He wouldn't have made an enemy of a Universe Master. At most, he'd have angered a Top Universe Overlord.

"So my teacher crossed a Top Universe Overlord from an Alien Race, and that's why he's so eager to train me—he wants me to help him get even?"

Thinking this over, Qin Cang was sure he'd guessed right. He felt as if he'd seen through the whole thing.

"Don't worry, Teacher. No matter which Top Universe Overlord you crossed, I'll take his Supreme Treasure someday and get even for you. Just wait for good news from your disciple. I only wonder which race that Top Universe Overlord belongs to.

"Most likely the Demon Race. They have plenty of Top Universe Overlords, and they've long been bitter enemies of the Human Race. It's not even certain whether the Bug Race or Machine Race has any Top Universe Overlords right now, but the Demon Race definitely does—and more than a few. I just don't know who you crossed." Qin Cang had even planned out how he'd torment that imaginary Top Universe Overlord. Once he was strong enough, he'd take up his divine spear and storm into the Demon Race Territory to avenge his teacher.

Unfortunately, it was all just wishful thinking on Qin Cang's part.

Still, the idea stayed with him. Many eras later, for reasons no one knew, the Demon Race's Top Universe Overlords would face their sternest father. One of them—a Top Universe Overlord from the Demon Race who would fall four times in the future—would be left in tears.

He took one last look at the protective token Demon Wing Venerable had given him, stored in his Space Ring. Made of C-class metal, it would shatter with a squeeze. It contained a strand of Demon Wing Venerable's divine power that could be used for locating him. Once Demon Wing Venerable learned of Qin Cang's situation, he could instantly use that Divine Power Coordinate to teleport through his Divine Kingdom.

Of course, both Qin Cang and Demon Wing Venerable hoped he'd never need to use the token.

The spacecraft sped through the Dark Universe at nearly eighty times the speed of light, an astonishing pace.

This time, Qin Cang was headed for the Outer-Region Battlefield. Along the way, he kept studying the Seven Kills of Burning Sky and Shattered Shadow, two claw techniques.

To his surprise, he found himself liking the claw techniques more and more. The more he used them, the more natural they felt. They couldn't compare to long weapons, but fighting at close range with claw techniques made Qin Cang feel like a beast. Spearmanship could never give him that feeling.

Even so, his main focus remained comprehending the laws of space and practicing his spear techniques. Those were his greatest advantages. Whether it was the Holy Sun Spear, his greatest trump card, or the requirements for breaking through to Immortality, he had to set aside his pursuit of the elusive Beast God path for now. Once he reached Immortality, he'd have plenty of time to seek out the Beast God's trail.

For now, he was only practicing claw techniques to better adapt to the Huangyan Battle Armor and make it easier to disguise himself.

At Qin Cang's original pace, he could have reached the Outer-Region Battlefield in just three months. But he spent nearly three years practicing claw techniques, even making a detour home along the way. Only after mastering all seven forms of the Seven Kills of Burning Sky and all nine forms of Shattered Shadow did he finally arrive, unhurriedly, at a logistics base for the Outer-Region Battlefield.

His cultivation path had long been set, but the Human Race wouldn't force him to head straight to the Outer-Region Battlefield. He only had to complete the training mission assigned by his race before reaching the World Lord Level. There was no time limit, and the Human Race's World Lord-level prodigies had plenty of freedom in their cultivation.

Giant God Planet was one of the eight logistics bases in the Human Territory, as well as a fixed transit point for the Cosmic Army. Vast numbers of troops were sent from there to the Outer-Region Battlefield without pause. Its importance was obvious.

"We've finally arrived." Inside a silver spacecraft outside Giant God Planet, Qin Cang gazed at the enormous planet.

All eight logistics bases in the Human Territory could send people to the Outer-Region Battlefield. Giant God Planet was the closest one to Qin Cang.

Giant God Planet had a diameter of 1.09 million kilometers. It was an artificial planet and a war fortress, charged with guarding the safety of the teleportation passage.

They said that every one of the eight logistics bases had a Venerable stationed there. Qin Cang didn't know if that was true.

But for a place this important, having a Venerable protect it seemed reasonable.

"We've received Giant God Planet's docking signal. Master, I'll follow its instructions," Pato said, then piloted the Streamer toward the docking port ahead.

"That's an F9-class spacecraft! I wonder which Immortal God has arrived. It'd be great if we could get acquainted. Our chances of surviving on the battlefield would surely go way up!"

"That's an Immortal God you're talking about. What makes you think you could get acquainted with one? You can't even beat me, and you think you can cozy up to an Immortal God?"

"Mind your own business. Maybe that Immortal God happens to like someone like me."

Ignoring the crowd's exclamations, Qin Cang put away the Streamer and headed toward the passage inside.

Clearly, they couldn't guess that the owner of such a high-end spacecraft was only a World Lord.

Before long, a man in standard-issue battle armor came over to him.

"I'm here to apply to join the Outer-Region Battlefield. Which way should I go?" Qin Cang asked directly, giving the man no chance to ask him questions.

"The Cosmic Army goes together. Independent warriors go this way." The man pointed toward a passage.

Following the man's gesture, Qin Cang entered a hall.

"Hahaha, great! We've finally got enough people. We can set off right away."

As soon as Qin Cang entered the passage, he heard the people around him talking. The group had clearly been waiting for some time. His arrival brought them up to the minimum number needed to open the spatial passage.

"Universe Levels, gather over here!"

"Domain Lords, gather over here!"

"World Lords, all of you over here!"

The passage gates opened, and more than ten thousand independent soldiers were quickly sorted into groups. Qin Cang joined the other World Lords.

"Looks like I'm in luck. I won't have to wait several more days." Waiting a few days wouldn't have been a big deal, but if he could leave right away, who would want to stand around in line?

"World Lord warriors, you are about to enter the most glorious and most brutal battlefield in the universe: the Outer-Region Battlefield." An Immortal God, his entire body covered in scales and seeming to be carved from ice, spoke solemnly. "But you must understand that the army has its own rules. You can't expect the same freedom you had as independent warriors!"

Qin Cang and more than a hundred other World Lords listened.

"Before you set off..."

"You must undergo the traditional ceremony for granting military authority," the Immortal God declared solemnly.

"Ceremony for granting authority?"

"What does that mean?"

"What's it for?"

Many of the World Lords quietly discussed it through voice transmission. Clearly, most of these independent warriors knew next to nothing about the details of joining the Outer-Region Battlefield.

The Immortal God evidently knew this and continued, "Granting authority means determining your precise standing in the army. The army is a place of strict hierarchy, where subordinates must obey their superiors... So your rank and authority in the army must be clearly established. And how do we determine them? By your strength."