Hunting

"Cao Benqi, this is the Ice Sand Snow Plain. It's rare for a Marquis-level Immortal to come here to hunt. Most of the fighters you'll find are World Lords and Ordinary Immortals, so it's a fairly suitable hunting ground for us," Kailun explained.

"Understood, Captain. When do we go kill some enemies?" Qin Cang's battle-hungry instincts were already getting hard to contain.

"Don't rush. In the Outer-Region Battlefield, there are things you have to learn. Today, your captain will teach you one more: how to judge an opponent's strength. If you run into a weaker opponent, hit hard. But if you face someone stronger, staying alive comes first. Remember, as long as you're alive, anything is possible. You can take revenge later, but once you're dead, it's all over." Kailun patiently explained it to Qin Cang. It was hard-won advice from a veteran who had spent tens of thousands of years fighting on the Outer-Region Battlefield.

"That's right, Cao Benqi. We know you're strong, but don't be reckless. If you meet someone you can't beat, just find a way to escape. There's no shame in it," Lan Ying said with a smile.

"In short, on the Outer-Region Battlefield, you have to learn to pick on the weak and avoid the strong. That's how you maximize your gains and stay alive longer." Even Gu Shi, who had remained silent until now, carefully passed on some survival tips for the Outer-Region Battlefield to Qin Cang.

Of course, they were communicating through the Virtual Universe. On the Outer-Region Battlefield, if they dared to talk so openly, they'd never know what killed them. Their detectors had signal-blocking functions, but they were still sensitive to sound, especially spoken communication. If they couldn't block it completely and enemy forces detected them, they might attract powerful foes.

While everyone was talking, Kailun suddenly furrowed his brow, then smiled. "Comrades, I've detected a World Lord squad three million kilometers to the northwest. There are thirty-five World Lords, and I haven't detected any Immortal energy."

"What are we waiting for, Captain? Let's go take them down. A squad of thirty-five World Lords usually isn't that strong. They might not even have many World Lord Generals. Otherwise, they wouldn't be banding together for safety. If we kill them, we'll have made our first score. We should each get a few dozen Hunyuan Units—enough to buy a few bottles of good wine." Lie Feng could barely wait. He even had his heavy blade in hand.

"Haha, no rush. My detector has been tracking their location the whole time. Take a look."

At Kailun's command, the signals picked up by the detector were converted into a video and appeared before them.

The detector's signals showed thirty-five World Lords with humanlike features, but their bodies seemed to be made entirely of transparent crystal, with energy faintly visible flowing within.

"They're from the Crystal Marrow Race, aligned with the Demon Race. They haven't joined the Demon Race Alliance, but they've fought on its behalf on the Outer-Region Battlefield for ages. Their race has a Universe Overlord, so they occupy a small territory in the universe where they can reproduce. They're considered an ordinary race." Pato identified them by their appearance at once.

Of course, Kailun's database probably didn't have information on their race. He only knew they were aliens and therefore enemies. If they belonged to the same faction, the military system would have alerted them.

"Thanks for the information, Pato. But keep the detector on at all times. Just use the large detector; there's no need to turn on the small one that blocks our signals. Otherwise, no one on the Ice Sand Snow Plain will be able to detect us, and we'll lose the thrill of battle," Qin Cang told Pato.

"Got it. I'll keep watch for nearby enemies for you, Master."

While Qin Cang and Pato were talking, Kailun and the others had already settled on a plan.

After all, it was best to be cautious on the Outer-Region Battlefield. You never knew when you might get caught off guard.

"Cao Benqi and Lie Feng, you'll lead the frontal assault and kill as many enemies as you can. Gu Shi, be ready to block any powerful mechanical weapons they might use. Lan Ying, use illusions to confuse them. Kuin, provide support whenever needed." Kailun quickly gave his orders.

"Captain, what about you?" Qin Cang asked curiously. Was the captain not going to fight?

"Haha, I'll stop them from calling for reinforcements. If they do manage to call for help, the ones who come are usually Immortals, and I'll hold them off to give you time to escape," Kailun said with a smile.

"Cao Benqi, don't bother asking. We've always done things this way. The captain is one of the best at escaping, even among Immortals, so there's no need to worry. You'd be better off thinking about our bet," Lan Ying said with a smile, clearly telling Qin Cang to just listen to the captain.

"All right, friends. We've rested long enough. It's finally time to make our first score."

"Let's go!"

The group boarded their ship, planning to use it to get within a hundred thousand kilometers of the World Lords before catching them by surprise.

For a distance of three million kilometers, traveling by ship was still the more convenient option.

Of course, the ship didn't go very fast. It traveled at just one-fifth the speed of light. Including the time spent accelerating and decelerating, they reached a point a hundred thousand kilometers from the World Lords in about a minute.

If the World Lords had learned of them in advance, one minute would have been enough to escape. But now, it was too late.

The Crystal Marrow group was still arguing among themselves.

"I told you we should leave, but you wouldn't listen. And now look—we've lost three brothers."

"Why are you yelling? Fortune favors the bold. If you want to get rich, you have to take risks. We just ran into a tough opponent this time. Next time, keep your eyes open and steer clear of people like them."

"Forget it. It's over now. We'll have to be more careful from here on. We can't lose any more brothers. I don't want to die so soon. I still want to become an Immortal."

"You? Become an Immortal? Get the laws to acknowledge you first. You've cultivated for over a million years and still haven't earned their recognition, yet you think you can become an Immortal? Every time we fight, you're the one hiding in the back."

"Who are you talking to? Come on, let's settle this one-on-one."

The tallest Crystal Marrow member stood among the World Lords, looking helpless. This clearly wasn't the first time this had happened. His poor decision-making had cost them three of their people—three who had earned the laws' recognition.

"Boom!"

A red blade crashed down on a Crystal Marrow member who already looked badly injured. He was in no condition to take another hit. He didn't even have time to cry out before he died on the spot.

"We're under attack! We're under attack! Protect yourselves!" shouted the tallest World Lord in the middle. But he understood they'd been targeted by a powerful enemy. Their detectors still hadn't picked up any signal, which meant the enemy had more advanced detectors.

In general, the more advanced a detector was, the stronger its owner.

I hope there aren't any Immortals. Then at least some of our people might escape. Though he could only hope, he immediately sent a distress signal to the allies nearby. Usually, only an Immortal's detector had the ability to block their signal detection.

At the same time, the Crystal Marrow members stopped arguing and went on alert, ready to repel Qin Cang and the others' attack.