Silence!
A deathly silence descended over the starry sky, where moments ago a fierce battle had raged.
Whether it was the Giant Python Immortal and the Monster Race World Lords fighting the Moon Princess Squad, or Moon Princess, Beast King, and the others, everyone stopped moving and stared in horror at the space where the energy had yet to fully settle.
There stood only Lu Ming, tall and upright with his blade in hand, and the mysterious vine slowly retracting into his palm.
One slash, and an Immortal fell!
"Rock Wolf!!!"
The Giant Python Immortal fighting Moon Princess had witnessed Rock Wolf being cut down by Lu Ming's blade. His mind instantly reeled.
He and Rock Wolf had roamed the outskirts of the Lotus Star Domain for many years. Though they weren't close friends, they were partners who worked well together. How could he not be shocked? How could he not be enraged?
That momentary distraction was undoubtedly a fatal opening when facing an illusionist skilled in Soul Attacks!
"Now!"
A cold glint flashed in Moon Princess's beautiful eyes. She had been waiting for this chance for a long time!
"Heart Illusion Tribulation—Sinking!"
The snowy-white fox tail behind her suddenly burst into a hazy, seven-colored glow. An intangible, bizarre wave that pierced straight into the depths of the soul rippled outward like water, instantly enveloping the Giant Python Immortal, whose mind was still reeling!
The Giant Python Immortal saw the scene before him abruptly shift. The battlefield in the starry sky and his companions' furious roars all vanished, replaced by an abyss of endless sinking illusions. Countless twisted whispers of souls rang out in his consciousness, tugging at his will and trying to drag him into eternal slumber!
"Not good! An illusion!"
The Giant Python Immortal was an Immortal God, after all, and his soul was powerful. He realized at once that he had been caught in an illusion and frantically urged his Immortal Divine Power to break free.
But Heart Illusion Tribulation was one of Moon Princess's ultimate secret techniques, and its power was immense. It was especially effective when used at the precise moment her opponent's mind faltered!
Though it couldn't trap him for long, it was enough to plunge his consciousness into brief chaos and struggle!
"Now!!"
Moon Princess cried out. The attack she had been building up burst forth!
She formed hand seals, and her Immortal Divine Power gathered around her into a tightly condensed shuttle of white foxfire: Fox Thought Piercing!
The shuttle made no sound, yet it was as fast as lightning. It carried the combined force to tear through both soul and divine body, and while the Giant Python Immortal's consciousness was sinking, it slammed into his body!
Pfft!
The white foxfire shuttle easily tore through the energy barrier around the Giant Python Immortal and plunged deep into his massive serpentine body!
"ROAR!!!"
The intense pain jolted the Giant Python Immortal out of the illusion. He let out an agonized howl, his enormous body thrashing wildly through the starry sky. Where the foxfire shuttle had struck, his scales shattered and his flesh became a bloody mess. His Immortal Divine Power poured away like a flood through a breached dam, and his divine body suffered a devastating blow!
Moon Princess's attack had annihilated at least fifteen percent of his divine body!
His strength had already fallen sharply!
At the same time Moon Princess grievously wounded the Giant Python Immortal, Lu Ming moved on the other side of the battlefield.
After killing Rock Wolf, he didn't pause for a moment. His icy gaze instantly fixed on the remaining Monster Race World Lords, who were panicking after their leader's death, as well as the grievously wounded Giant Python Immortal.
"Kill!"
Lu Ming spat out a single icy word. His figure flickered like a phantom, and he charged straight into the group of Monster Race World Lords!
The Yan Kong Blade in his hand flashed with another deadly arc, like a tiger plunging into a flock of sheep!
"Stop him!"
One of the Monster Race World Lords mustered the courage to roar, but his voice was full of fear.
Yet faced with overwhelming strength, their resistance was utterly futile.
Lu Ming's blade flashed like the scythe of the Death God. Every time it flickered, it left behind a spray of strange-looking blood and a scream cut short.
The gap between World Lords was on full display.
These Monster Race World Lords couldn't withstand even one of Lu Ming's attacks!
"Run! Run!"
"He's a monster!!"
The remaining Monster Race World Lords completely broke. They no longer cared about military merits or revenge; all they wanted was to get away from this human World Lord, who was like a demon god. They scattered like birds and beasts, fleeing in every direction through the starry sky.
"Not one of you gets away!"
Beast King, Blood Blade, and Wind Spirit were riding high on the momentum. How could they pass up the chance to attack their fleeing enemies?
The three worked in perfect coordination, each using their own methods to intercept and hunt down the fleeing Monster Race World Lords.
The tide of battle turned in an instant!
The battle soon drew to a close.
Crushed by Lu Ming's overwhelming strength and pursued by the Moon Princess Squad's coordinated attacks, the Monster Race force—two Immortals and more than thirty World Lords—was soon wiped out.
Even the grievously wounded Giant Python Immortal was eventually annihilated in the starry sky, his divine body exhausted after Lu Ming and Moon Princess attacked him together. He died unwillingly.
Broken weapons, fragments of armor, and World Rings drifted through the starry sky.
The members of the Moon Princess Squad quickly began sweeping the battlefield and collecting all the spoils.
They carried out the task with practiced ease, clearly veterans of the Outer-Domain Battlefield.
While everyone was immersed in the joy of their spoils, Lu Ming split his attention to communicate with his Intelligent Life, Azure Kite.
"Azure Kite, have the military merits been tallied? Killing two Immortals should meet the basic requirement, right?"
Lu Ming sent his thoughts.
"Master, your total military merits are 318 million."
Azure Kite replied at once.
"Just over three hundred million?"
Lu Ming frowned slightly.
"Even if those two Immortals were ordinary, that shouldn't be so little."
"According to the army system's assessment, Rock Wolf Immortal was worth 200 million military merits, and the Giant Python Immortal was worth 100 million. The rest came from killing the Monster Race World Lords."
Azure Kite explained.
"Master, you're now free to leave the squad at any time. You're no longer bound by the army system."
Lu Ming understood.
Indeed, staying with the squad would only limit his movements.
"Flame Edge."
In the lounge, squad leader Moon Princess broke the silence and looked at Lu Ming with a complicated expression.
"I never imagined our squad would recruit someone as powerful as you. That vine... it could instantly restrain an Immortal using Burning Divine Body, and you yourself can kill an Immortal head-on... We all underestimated you. Your greatest strength probably isn't Fire Law, but that mysterious plant life, right?"
Beast King stared at Lu Ming as if he were a monster. "Flame Edge, you're way too freakish! You can send an Immortal flying with a casual swing of your blade. You haven't even used your real trump card, have you? A World Lord killing an Immortal Military Lord... That's just—"
"Not human!"
Blood Blade finished in a low voice. Even he, usually so composed, could barely conceal his shock.
Wind Spirit said softly, "I'm afraid only core members of the secret regions belonging to the five great powers, or disciples personally taught by certain great beings, could manage that."
Moon Princess nodded. "Among the World Lords in the Virtual Universe Company's Primal Secret Region and the Giant Axe Martial Arena's God Beginning Secret Realm, there are some who have cultivated for hundreds of thousands of years and achieved Law Comprehension on the level of a Marquis. But even they rarely kill an Immortal Military Lord so cleanly."
The group talked among themselves. Though they were shocked, they all tacitly refrained from asking Lu Ming about his exact background.
On the Outer-Domain Battlefield, respecting a teammate's privacy was a basic rule.