"Besides."
Lu Ming continued.
"After I leave, I'll put you in full control of the Lu Family. You need to improve your strength as quickly as possible. There are resources in the ring specially prepared for you, enough to cultivate to the ninth level of Domain Lord Level. Protect this family. While I'm gone, you'll be its pillar."
Hearing this, Mo abruptly raised his head, his eyes filled with disbelief and overwhelming excitement.
He had never imagined that the Old Ancestor would prepare such a generous reward just for him!
The ninth level of Domain Lord Level! It was a dream that had once seemed utterly beyond his reach!
"Old Ancestor!"
Mo's voice trembled slightly. He dropped to his knees with a thud, his eyes reddening as he made a solemn vow.
"Mo will not fail the Old Ancestor's trust! I will do everything in my power to protect and develop the Lu Family, and await the Old Ancestor's return! I call upon the laws of the universe to bear witness to this oath!"
His heart brimmed with boundless gratitude.
It was the Old Ancestor who had raised him from obscurity and given him power and status. Now, he was entrusting him with the entire family and such vast resources. This kindness and trust weighed heavier than a mountain!
Lu Ming looked at Mo, who was overcome with emotion, and nodded slightly. "Get up. Remember your promise."
"Yes!"
Mo replied respectfully and rose, clutching the Space Rings tightly in his hands, his gaze utterly resolute.
With the family matters settled, the last thing weighing on Lu Ming's mind was finally put to rest.
He waved his hand. Mo understood and respectfully withdrew from the great hall.
After Mo left, the vast hall once again fell silent.
For the next ten years, Lu Ming devoted himself almost entirely to his final preparations.
He raised his strength to the peak of the ninth level of World Lord Level.
Wealth was his greatest advantage.
Over those ten years, he used the Virtual Universe and the Cosmic Galaxy Bank to procure, at any cost, all kinds of top-tier equipment needed for a trip to the Outer-Domain Battlefield.
Scanners were essential to staying alive on the Outer-Domain Battlefield. He spent two billion Hunyuan Units to buy two of the finest sets, one large and one small. Then, he used two of his sacrifice opportunities.
"System, sacrifice the large scanner I own!"
[ Ding! Sacrifice successful! Received a 3,000-fold return! Congratulations, Host. You have obtained the large scanner Sky Patrol Eye! Detection range: 3 billion kilometers! ]
"System, sacrifice the small scanner I own!"
[ Ding! Sacrifice successful! Received a 2,800-fold return! Congratulations, Host. You have obtained the small scanner Shadow Touch! Detection range: 800 million kilometers! ]
A detection range of three billion kilometers!
This range far exceeded that of the scanners used by King-Level experts on the Outer-Domain Battlefield, giving him a tremendous information advantage there.
Spaceships: a good ship was a mobile fortress and a lifeline when it came to escaping danger.
He spent a fortune on a high-performance F9-Class Spaceship. Then he used another sacrifice opportunity.
"System, sacrifice the F9-Class Spaceship I own, the Star Chaser!"
[ Ding! Sacrifice successful! Received a 4,100-fold return! Congratulations, Host. You have obtained the G3-class metal spaceship Meteor Shuttle! ]
G-class metal was a material corresponding to Venerable Level!
The entire Meteor Shuttle was forged from G3-class metal!
Its physical defenses could withstand the relentless bombardment of any Immortal Expert. Its energy shield was even more powerful, and it was far faster than an F-class spaceship.
It was likewise a vessel suited to Venerable Level experts.
Weapons and armor: he had a set of Immortal Divine Weapons tailor-made for himself. His primary weapon was a War Blade named the Yan Kong Blade, which contained profound mysteries of fire and space laws and possessed boundless power.
His armor was a top-tier defensive suit called the Dark Star Armor.
These two items had also been upgraded through the sacrifice system. Though they hadn't reached the level of supreme treasures, they were top-notch among Immortal Divine Weapons and would serve him well through both the World Lord and Immortal stages.
Trump cards: in addition to his standard equipment, Lu Ming had prepared a true weapon of mass destruction—the Fire God Source Crystal!
He had directly bought ten Fire God Source Crystals, each capable of unleashing the self-destruction power of a Pinnacle King-Level expert!
Each one was worth a fortune, and the cost of all ten together was astronomical.
Lu Ming had prudently decided not to sacrifice the Fire God Source Crystals.
The things were already terrifyingly powerful. If he sacrificed one and got back a few thousand times the power... he was afraid he wouldn't be able to control it. He might end up taking himself and Little Thunder out before he even hit the enemy.
The self-destruction power of a Pinnacle King-Level expert was already enough to handle the vast majority of dangerous situations.
Spaceship, scanners, armor, weapons, trump cards!
Everything was ready!
Ten years of preparation, finally complete.
"The Outer-Domain Battlefield..."
he murmured, his gaze sharp as a blade.
"I, Lu Ming, have arrived!"
In the next instant, he flashed into the control room of the Meteor Shuttle.
"Azure Kite, set a course for the nearest troop transport point!"
"Yes, Master!"
Whoosh!
The G-class spaceship Meteor Shuttle instantly became a blurred streak of light. It tore through space, entered Cosmic Shuttle, and vanished from the space beyond Azure Mist Planet.
After traveling through the Dark Universe for some time, the Meteor Shuttle finally reached its destination: Cangniao Planet, one of the eight major logistics bases within Human Territory and a fixed troop transport point to the Outer-Domain Battlefield.
"Master, we've received a guidance signal from Cangniao Planet."
Azure Kite's voice rang out.
"Connect to the signal and follow its instructions."
Lu Ming gave the order.
Through the external-view simulation, Lu Ming gazed at the enormous planet in the distant starry sky.
Cangniao Planet was over a million kilometers in diameter. It was a massive artificial planet and a colossal Star Fortress in its own right, radiating a cold and imposing presence.
This was a fixed transport point for the Cosmic Army. Vast numbers of soldiers were continuously transported from here to various Outer-Domain Battlefields. Its importance was obvious.
Whoosh!
The streamlined Meteor Shuttle, its G-class metal surface gleaming with a distinctive cold light, swiftly entered Cangniao Planet and, following the guidance, docked at the designated spaceship platform.
When Lu Ming emerged from the spaceship and casually stored the Meteor Shuttle in his World Ring, the silver-armored staff member assigned to guide him glanced over in surprise.
A special coating covered the outside of Lu Ming's spaceship. Unless someone attacked the Meteor Shuttle, they couldn't tell that it was made of G-class metal.
Still, even though he couldn't identify the G-class metal, the ship's subtle yet powerful energy fluctuations and its quality, far beyond that of an ordinary F-class spaceship, made it clear to the staff member that it was extremely valuable.
It was probably an F-class spaceship. Judging by its appearance, it must be worth several million Hunyuan Units.
"Hello, I'm a staff member here."
The man in the standard-issue armor hurried over, his manner respectful.
He noticed the faint Flame Mark between Lu Ming's brows and was secretly startled.
A World Lord acknowledged by an Origin Law, and he had such a luxurious ship. His background must be extraordinary.
"I've applied to enter the Outer-Domain Battlefield. Which way should I go?"
Lu Ming asked calmly.
"The Cosmic Army arrives in groups, while independent adventurers all take this passage to the assembly point."
The staff member quickly pointed toward a broad passage in the distance, made of a transparent, special material.
"This passage is over three thousand kilometers long. The assembly point is at the end."
"Thank you."
Lu Ming nodded, then moved forward. Each step carried him over a dozen kilometers, and he quickly made his way down the passage.