Receiving Territory, Luo Feng Attacks

Within the God Kingdom of the Machine Race, Machine Father God was performing calculations on a massive scale.

"For the Genius Ranking in a million years, according to the rules of the Sky Screen, those who make the list must be 'below Immortal' level. Considering talent, comprehension, temperament, willpower, and future potential, my Machine Race, though composed of intelligent life, falls within the category of below Immortal. As long as we make the list, we can receive rewards from the Sky Screen once more. Last time, we didn't get the Divine Power Burning Secret Technique... This time, we must rank in the top five."

His computational core was deducing future possibilities at a speed trillions of times faster than the speed of light.

The Machine Race was not adept at individual combat, but their advantage lay in control. A member of the Machine Race identified as a genius seed could absorb a vast amount of knowledge in a very short time and be cultivated through standardized methods.

"The problem is that no one can predict the evaluation criteria of the Sky Screen. Talent and comprehension are one thing, but temperament, willpower, and future potential are difficult to quantify."

Machine Father God finalized his strategy: over the next million years, he would cultivate three million "seeds" simultaneously, using a massive base number to gamble on the odds.

The reaction of the Starry Sky Behemoth Alliance was entirely different. Old Beast God calmly studied the Divine Power Burning Secret Technique repeatedly, while taking out rare treasures hoarded over countless epochs to feed the most talented World Lord-level beast cubs in the alliance.

"The Genius Ranking doesn't compare secret techniques or heritage, but genes, bloodlines, and willpower. My Starry Sky Behemoth race is born with powerful genes and a high level of life, so we naturally hold an absolute advantage in this regard. As long as those little ones are cultivated properly, we should be able to get one on the list in a million years."

His massive dragon eyes flashed with dominance and confidence.

However, the most miserable party in the entire Primal Universe was undoubtedly the Demon Race.

Within the Demon Ancestor Secret Realm, the massive silver snake body of Dream Demon Ancestor writhed in agitation.

"What did you say? That old thing, the Beast Ancestor, swallowed another one of our star regions?" Her voice was so sharp it nearly tore through space.

A Demon Race Venerable with a triangular head replied tremblingly: "Yes, yes, Ancestor. The Demon Beast Alliance sent a notice saying that the star region belongs to them as of today, and they also... also said..."

"Also said what!"

"They also said that if the Female Ancestor is unhappy, she is welcome to go find him for a duel."

"Scoundrel!" Dream Demon Ancestor shattered several stone pillars with a lash of her tail.

Tremor Demon Ancestor stood to the side without speaking, silently flipping through the list of geniuses compiled from the various branches of the Demon Race.

He was silently calculating the probability of making the list in a million years.

Fortunately, the Demon Race had a large enough population base, and there were still many talented seeds.

The only problem was how to allocate resources and how to cultivate them more effectively.

"Zhen Jiao." Dream Demon Ancestor suddenly turned to look at him, a flash of ruthlessness in her scarlet snake pupils. "Should we... gather all our vassal races and find a soft target to fight? Even if we can't beat the human Founder Giant Axe, fighting the Crystal Race or the Prison Race would suffice. As long as we can seize some territory, we still have a chance to turn things around."

Tremor Demon Ancestor slowly closed his eyes.

After a long while, he finally spoke: "There is no rush for war. Pass down the order: for the next hundred epochs, all Demon Race resources are to be tilted toward the juniors below Immortal level. Open up all the core heritage techniques of the race; no thresholds are to be set. Any World Lord-level Demon, as long as they show sufficient talent, shall be granted resources directly."

Dream Demon Ancestor was silent for a moment, then nodded.

This was the only way. The rules of the Sky Screen gave every being below Immortal level a chance to make the list, and for the Demon Race, this was the only point of recovery.

If the Demon Race could get one person on the list in a million years and receive a reward from the Sky Screen, even if it were tenth place, they might obtain a Supreme Treasure or a set of the Divine Power Burning Secret Technique.

By then, the Demon Race would have hope of standing tall once again.

If not a single person made the list, then the Demon Race would truly be finished.

A silent preparation for war unfolded quietly throughout the entire Primal Universe.

On an unnamed planet at the edge of the Milky Way, Yang Yu withdrew his gaze and drank the last drop of fine wine from his flask.

"In a million years, the Genius Ranking opens." He smiled slightly at the void. "It will be quite a spectacle."

A month passed in the blink of an eye.

The handover of half the Demon Race's territory went more smoothly than expected.

After Tremor Demon Ancestor designated the "Desolate Dark Shattered Star Belt" as the new boundary line, the Demon Race army withdrew completely from the vast region east of the line in just 10 days.

Those life planets, resource star belts, wormhole passages, and cosmic secret realms that once belonged to the Demon Race now had new masters.

The human race's reception fleet sailed majestically into this new territory.

A clone of City Lord of Chaos personally oversaw the scheduling, while Ice Peak Master, Peng Gong Lord, Dragon Walk Master, and other human Universe Masters each led a team, dispatching Universe Masters from over a hundred vassal races to key nodes to ensure every star region was under control.

The reception process was not entirely smooth.

West of the dividing line, the Demon Race had only withdrawn their core members and high-level combatants, but the number of low-level demons scattered across the vast star regions was in the trillions. It was impossible to withdraw them all within a month.

Or rather, Tremor Demon Ancestor had never intended to withdraw them at all.

"These demons left behind are mostly branches that reproduce quickly but have thin bloodlines," City Lord of Chaos analyzed calmly at a Virtual Universe meeting. "Tremor Demon Ancestor has a clever plan. These low-level demons are cannon fodder that can be sacrificed at any time for the Demon Race, but for us, they are hidden dangers in the new territory. Cleaning them up will require a massive amount of manpower and time; if we don't, human immigrants won't be able to settle in peace."

"Then clean them up." Founder Giant Axe waved his large hand, his rugged face showing no hesitation.

"It just so happens that the little ones in our race need training. For the Sky Screen's Genius Ranking in a million years, hiding in the secret realms to cultivate won't be enough."

"Pass down the order: organize the distribution of the remaining demons in each star system of the new territory and issue missions based on danger levels. World Lord-level targets are to be killed by core geniuses at the Domain Lord level; those above Immortal level are to be cleared by teams led by King-level immortals. Strive to clean this territory thoroughly within ten thousand years."

With Giant Axe's order, the vast mission system of the human Hong Alliance began to operate at high speed.

Reconnaissance fleets distributed in every corner of the new territory reported the number, level, and distribution area of the remaining demons, which were then aggregated and analyzed by the Virtual Universe to generate one cleaning mission after another.

Some missions were for individuals, others required team cooperation, and the point rewards ranged from a few hundred to over a million.

Countless core geniuses of major human factions were as excited as sharks that had caught the scent of blood.

"Five hundred thousand points! I've been eyeing that mission in the Blood Stone Galaxy for days; whoever dares to snatch it from me will have to deal with me!"

"You, a Domain Lord level 2, are going to the Blood Stone Galaxy? That's not how you go about seeking death; there are dozens of Sector Lord level Demon Race there."

"What's there to fear? I cultivate the Laws of Time. If I can't win, can't I at least run?"

For a time, every circle within the Virtual Universe was abuzz with discussions regarding the clearing missions in the new territories.

For human geniuses who had grown up cultivating in secret realms and lacked true life-and-death tempering, this was a rare opportunity to kill enemies with real blades and guns. There were no teachers following them, no safety protections; if they died, they were truly dead.

But precisely because of this, the mission's point rewards were exceptionally generous.

Luo Feng was deep in cultivation in his secret chamber when he received the mission email.

"Finally here." He clicked on the email, a glimmer of anticipation flashing in his eyes.

As expected, the mission came from the Virtual Universe Company mission system. His status as an Inspection Envoy was merely a nominal title; these types of missions were what truly allowed him to earn points.

"Mission Location: Sector No. 8921 of the former Demon Race territory, Blood Stone Galaxy."

"Mission Difficulty: Dangerous."

"Mission Objective: Clear all remaining Demon Race within the Blood Stone Galaxy."

"Mission Description: This galaxy was not fully cleared when the Demon Race retreated. Approximately 12 million low-level Demon Race remain. The majority are Universe level, accounting for about 60%; there are over 30,000 Domain Lord level Demon Race; and over 60 Sector Lord level Demon Race (all are ordinary Sector Lords who have not been acknowledged by the Origin Laws). No traces of Immortal level Demon Race have been detected."

"Mission Reward: 100,000 points for independently killing one Sector Lord level Demon Race; 1,000,000 bonus points for completely clearing the Blood Stone Galaxy. Both rewards can be stacked."

"Recommendation: This mission is recommended for high-level Domain Lords. Low-level Domain Lords should assess their strength before accepting. Military forces may be mobilized."

Luo Feng curled his lips slightly after reading the mission description.

Ordinary Sector Lords.

To other Domain Lord level geniuses, while ordinary Sector Lords were inferior to peak Sector Lords, they had still crossed that chasm of life hierarchy.

The gap between a Sector Lord and a Domain Lord was like that between a grown man and a toddler; even if the man were frail, he was not someone an ordinary toddler could shake.

But Luo Feng was no ordinary toddler.

He had the physical enhancement of his Golden Horned Beast clone, the spatial talent of his Mosha Race clone, and he had now cultivated the first volume of the Nine Tribulations Manual—increasing his gene level by three times.

In terms of pure physical strength alone, he was now no less than the royal bloodline of the Demon Race. Coupled with the amplification of the Xueluo Power on his right hoof-claw, as well as his comprehension of the Laws of Space...

The current Luo Feng possessed formidable actual combat power.

"Over sixty ordinary Sector Lord Demon Race; if I kill them all, the kill rewards alone would amount to over six million points." A flicker of heat flashed in Luo Feng's eyes. "Add the one million clearing bonus, and that's a total of over seven million points."

One had to realize, even if he spent a full ten thousand years in the Primal Secret Realm at the Domain Lord level, excluding cultivation missions, his base points would only amount to this much.

"I'll take it."

Luo Feng clicked to accept the mission.

He wasn't afraid of being unable to win. If he truly couldn't defeat them, at worst, he would lose a clone.

As long as his most important core remained intact, condensing a new clone would only cost some energy.

The Blood Stone Galaxy was located in the central-western part of the new human territory, about 12,000 light-years from Earth.

Luo Feng boarded the Yunmo Star Spaceship and entered the Dark Universe, arriving at his destination a few days later.

Looking out from the porthole, the Blood Stone Galaxy was a small galaxy with a diameter of about 0.6 light-years.

At its center was a yellow star in its prime, surrounded by six planets and two asteroid belts.

The third planet appeared a strange dark red, its surface covered in vast stretches of reddish-brown rocky terrain. This was the origin of the Blood Stone Galaxy's name, and it was also the largest gathering place for the Demon Race here.

"Babat, are the scan results out?" Luo Feng stood at the cabin door, the black battle armor transformed from his Mosha Race clone clinging tightly to his Earthling original body, the patterns on the armor faintly exuding a sharp killing intent.

"They are." Babat's voice rang in his mind, its tone a bit more serious than usual. "It's basically consistent with the mission intelligence. Including the six planets and two asteroid belts, a total of about 12 million Demon Race life signals were scanned. The Universe level makes up the majority, scattered throughout the galaxy. But all the Sector Lord level Demon Race are concentrated on Blood Stone Star."

"The third planet, at the four o'clock position, at the intersection of those two mountain ranges. These two are hidden 90,000 meters underground, likely in a dormant state; their life signals are extremely weak, almost fooling the detectors."

"Impressive." Luo Feng raised an eyebrow. "What species?"

"One is a Sawtooth Armored Beast, Sector Lord level 3, skilled in the Laws of Earth, about 300 meters long, with shell hardness approaching E-grade metal. The other is a Three-Eyed Flame Serpent, Sector Lord level 4, skilled in the Laws of Fire, about 200 meters long, capable of spitting high-temperature flames sufficient to melt E-grade alloys. Both are ordinary Sector Lords, and neither has been acknowledged by the Origin Laws."

"A 300-meter-long Sawtooth Armored Beast..." Luo Feng imagined the scene in his mind and nodded. "Killing both together might be a bit troublesome; let's lure them out one by one."

"How will you lure them?"

"Simple." Luo Feng smiled faintly.

He then cast his gaze toward a cluster of Demon Race nests on the surface of Blood Stone Star.

In the sky, he drew his Blood Shadow Battle Blade without haste.

The blade shimmered with dark red, and combined with the spatial law fluctuations added to the edge by his Mosha Race clone, it faintly exuded a sharp and unpredictable aura.

He took a deep breath and swung his blade down.

A ten-thousand-foot blade glow tore through the gray, gloomy sky of Blood Stone Star, landing precisely in the center of the nest cluster.

The earth shattered, magma surged, and tens of thousands of Universe level Demon Race were instantly vaporized in the aftermath of the blade glow.

"ROAR—!"

An angry roar exploded from deep within the crust, and the entire mountain range trembled violently.

Luo Feng stood with his blade sheathed, looking ahead with a calm gaze. A massive gap split open in the earth at the intersection of the mountain ranges, and a dark red, scorching demonic aura mixed with the rolling smell of sulfur erupted outward. The first to charge out of the ground was a giant snake burning with dark red flames, its body about ten meters thick and over two hundred meters long, its three vertical pupils arranged in a triangle, all locking onto Luo Feng.

It opened its massive maw, and a torrent of searing white flames streaked with crimson poured down upon Luo Feng, turning the air into plasma in its wake and melting even the hard red rock of Blood Stone Planet into a river of magma dozens of meters wide.

Compared to a volcanic eruption on Earth, the power of this strike was more than ten thousand times greater!

Luo Feng did not dodge. He stood his ground, unmoving, and allowed the flames to engulf him.

As the fire dissipated, he remained standing exactly where he was. Wisps of spatial ripples flowed across the surface of the battle armor formed by his Mosha Race clone, shunting the vast majority of the heat and kinetic impact into distorted space. The residual warmth that seeped through the armor merely made his skin feel slightly feverish.

An attack from an average level four World Lord is, at best, only at the threshold of the World Lord stage, Luo Feng assessed inwardly, the last shred of his vigilance vanishing.

With a body strengthened by the first volume of the Nine Tribulations Manual, combined with the multi-layered dampening effects of the Laws of Space, an attack of this caliber did not even qualify as a minor injury.