Farewell

"Everyone."

Lu Ming looked at the group and spoke slowly. The cabin fell silent instantly, and everyone turned their gaze toward him.

"Beyond fulfilling the basic military merit requirements, I have other training missions to complete here in the Outer-Domain Battlefield."

Lu Ming said calmly.

"I believe you all understand without me having to spell it out."

"Two hundred million military merits is indeed far too simple for you, Flame Edge."

Beast King nodded.

"You couldn't have come here just for that pittance of merit. The cultivation of that plant lifeform alone... I fear it would be enough to bankrupt many Immortals."

Lu Ming nodded slightly and continued.

"I fulfilled my military merit requirements during the battle just now, so I am now a free agent."

"What do you mean?"

Moon Princess was taken aback.

"Are you leaving?"

Wind Spirit asked softly. The team members looked at Lu Ming one after another, their eyes filled with complex emotions.

Lu Ming nodded gently: "Yes, I intend to venture out on my own."

Moon Princess, Beast King, Blood Blade, and Wind Spirit exchanged glances. Although they were reluctant to part, they understood... a powerhouse like Lu Ming could not keep operating in the lower-risk areas on the outskirts of the Lotus Star Domain with them forever.

"There is no need to feel sorry."

Moon Princess revealed a smile of understanding.

"With us, you are using a sledgehammer to crack a nut against ordinary enemies. If we were to encounter truly powerful opponents... we would only become a burden to you. Your decision is the right one."

"Haha, regardless of anything else, I, Beast King, can at least say I was once a teammate of yours, Flame Edge!"

Beast King grinned.

"When you become a big shot in the future, don't forget us brothers who fought alongside you!"

"I promise."

Lu Ming gave a solemn vow. Wind Spirit watched Lu Ming, a flicker of emotion passing through her cold, clear eyes.

"Take care."

Blood Blade simply patted Lu Ming's shoulder heavily: "Come back alive."

Having fought side by side, Lu Ming chatted with his teammates for a while longer, but the parting had to come eventually.

"This is a portion of the spoils obtained from killing those two Immortals earlier."

Lu Ming flipped his hand to produce a World Ring and looked at the group.

"These items are... truly of no great use to me. I believe you all need them more."

As he spoke, he manipulated his world energy to send the ring toward Moon Princess.

"How can we accept this!"

"This..."

Everyone was stunned.

This was the wealth of two Immortal gods; it was worth a fortune!

"Flame Edge's perspective is different from ours."

Moon Princess sighed softly and took the ring.

"To him, these really don't amount to much. Everyone, accept it; this is a gesture of his goodwill."

"Hehe, then I won't stand on ceremony!"

Beast King was the first to inspect the ring, his eyes widening instantly.

"Wow! So many treasures! This is worth more than what we've earned in a hundred years!"

"With these resources, our squad's strength will increase by a huge margin."

Blood Blade also revealed a rare smile.

Moon Princess was even more excited after checking the contents: "This detector is far more advanced than the one we use! In the Outer-Domain Battlefield, a good detector is a second life! Flame Edge, what about you..."

"I have a better one."

Lu Ming nodded. He possessed the Sky Patrol Eye, which had a detection range of three billion kilometers.

"Captain, how exactly are the military merits for killing Immortals divided?"

Lu Ming asked.

Moon Princess collected her thoughts and replied: "Immortal gods are divided into three levels: Immortal Military Lord, Marquis-Level, and King-Level. Among them, the 'Immortal Military Lord' who lacks an undying body is the easiest to kill."

"Kill a low-tier Immortal Military Lord, 100 million military merits."

"Kill a high-tier Immortal Military Lord, 1 billion military merits."

"Marquis-Level and King-Level are each divided into three tiers, with military merits doubling at each level."

Lu Ming nodded after hearing this, gaining a clearer understanding of the military merit system in the Outer-Domain Battlefield.

He did not place much importance on military merits, nor had he researched them much beforehand.

"Everyone."

Lu Ming stood up.

"Let us part ways here. When we leave the Outer-Domain Battlefield in the future, we shall drink and rejoice together again."

"Take care!"

Moon Princess said solemnly.

"Beware of the various devious methods of the alien races!"

Beast King shouted.

"Don't forget us!"

Wind Spirit said softly.

Lu Ming bid a final farewell to this group of teammates with whom he had spent only a short time, then turned and flew out of the spaceship hatch.

"Whoosh!"

A Meteor Shuttle, with a fully streamlined body and the unique luster of G-grade metal, appeared in the starry sky.

Lu Ming boarded the ship and flew in a different direction from Moon Princess Squad's purple spaceship, soon disappearing into the vast sea of stars.

After leaving Moon Princess Squad, Lu Ming piloted the Meteor Shuttle through the stars while instructing the intelligent life Azure Kite to pull up the detailed star map of the Ninth Battlefield.

Lu Ming had clear requirements for his next combat zone.

First, there could not be too many top-tier powerhouses; ideally, there would be no King-Level Immortals, and even Marquis-Level Immortals should be rare.

Although he possessed many trump cards, he did not want to provoke those troublesome characters too early.

What he needed now was experience; if he let Little Thunder do all the work, it would be meaningless.

Second, the danger level had to be moderate.

Those cosmic secret realms filled with unknown dangers might still hide perils capable of threatening Marquis-Level or even King-Level beings, even after long ages of warfare; Lu Ming would not consider such places for the time being.

With the Sacrifice Return System as his golden path to the heavens, he could steadily improve his strength without taking unnecessary risks.

The star map of the entire Ninth Battlefield was extremely complex, marked with countless special zones where powerhouses fought and contended.

Lu Ming examined them one by one, unhurriedly.

"Black Annihilation River? A large gathering of Marquis-Level, with traces of King-Level? Too dangerous, skip."

"Shattered Star Sea? Mainly World Lords and Domain Lords honing their skills, with few Immortals? That won't do either; my goal is to hunt Immortals for resources, and too few Immortals would be boring."

As he looked through the locations one by one, most were excluded by Lu Ming.

Places where King-Level beings appeared were too perilous, while areas dominated by World Lords and Domain Lords were too inefficient.

At the same time, he would not consider areas too far from Barracks Base 038 or those that fell within the radiation range of other bases.

Just like choosing a residence, one must find a place that is both suitable and convenient.

"Hmm? Yungu Star Belt!"

Lu Ming's gaze landed on a combat zone in the star map not too far from Barracks Base 038; it was a medium-to-high danger zone suitable for Immortal gods to fight in.

"Zoom in on the detailed data."

Lu Ming ordered.

"Yes, Master."

The light point representing the "Yungu Star Belt" on the star map rapidly expanded, revealing the details of this vast star region.

The star map displayed a vast expanse of shattered starry sky, densely packed with countless stellar remains, accompanied by a dense wall of text.

"Yungu Star Belt: A medium-to-high danger combat zone within the control range of Barracks Base 038 of the Ninth Battlefield. Elite squads of humans and alien powerhouses entering this area are usually led by World Lord generals, while armies are commanded by Immortal gods."

"Lone wolves are primarily Immortal gods, present in large numbers, with the occasional appearance of Marquis-Level Immortals."

"In this area, without Immortal-level combat power, the probability of survival is extremely low."

A large amount of information regarding the Yungu Star Belt was presented, and the more Lu Ming read, the more satisfied he became.