First Battle (Thanks to Book Friend 2021xxx9718 for the Recommendation Vote!)

"Then doesn't that make this mission easy? They've already withdrawn," Blood Fang asked hoarsely.

"Easy?" Xiong Kui sneered. "The World Lord's death is only the beginning. Most legions will withdraw to other galaxies and continue fighting, but some won't leave." His gaze swept across the group.

His voice deepened. "Some Qiu Shi Race members have their home planets in this galaxy. Their families have lived there for generations. They refuse to leave, so they'll defend them to the death. Those are our targets."

"World Lords decide the course of war. We're responsible for taking strongholds, clearing out remaining enemies, and seizing resource planets. World Lords and Sector Lords disdain doing such things, but this is our battlefield."

Everyone answered in unison, "Yes!"

Xiong Kui's tone softened somewhat. "The detailed combat manual has been sent to your terminals. Veterans don't need to read it, but recruits must study it thoroughly. It might save your lives."

Xiong Kui's gaze swept over them, lingering for several seconds on Golden Horn, Scorpio, and a few others. "No matter who you are, here, you are ordinary soldiers. Obeying orders is your only duty. Understood?"

Some faces changed slightly.

"Not convinced?" Xiong Kui sneered. "The last genius who came here thought the same way. His corpse is probably still floating in some corner of the Withered Skeleton Galaxy."

Everyone fell silent.

He turned and strode toward the hatch. "Board."

The spacecraft took off from Exterminate Qiu Star and swiftly merged into the vast starry sky.

Golden Horn noticed that the spacecraft's exterior was extremely inconspicuous. Its hull was coated in grayish-brown camouflage, its surface pitted and uneven, making it look like a drifting meteorite.

"A camouflage ship." Greedy Wolf lounged in his seat and explained lazily, "In Qiu Shi Race territory, the less noticeable your ship is, the safer you are."

The two-day journey remained within the safe regions controlled by the Demon Race, and Xiong Kui gave the team members ample time to get acquainted.

All sixteen veterans had spent decades on this battlefield and possessed extensive experience. Along the way, they patiently taught the newcomers battlefield knowledge: how to identify enemies through energy fluctuations, escape routes when caught in an ambush, coordination signals during team combat, and more. Although Golden Horn was far stronger than others at the same level, the experience these veterans had bought with blood was exactly what he lacked most.

"When you encounter the Qiu Shi Race, the first thing you do isn't rush in to kill them. Look around and see if there's an ambush," Greedy Wolf said indistinctly, an energy bar clenched between his teeth. "Those bastards are best at surrounding a point to pick off reinforcements."

Iron Hammer, a curved-horned bull demon, added in a muffled voice, "Also, if you're dealing with energy lifeforms, kill them several times and scatter them completely. Don't rush in to collect the spoils."

Golden Horn silently committed it to memory.

On the third day after departure, a piercing alarm suddenly sounded.

"All personnel, assemble in the hall!" Xiong Kui's voice exploded from the broadcast system.

Golden Horn rushed out of his cabin and reached the hall within a few breaths. The light screen was already lit. On the left was a radar scan, where a red dot flickered constantly at the edge. On the right was a live image: a dense asteroid belt, gray-white boulders drifting slowly through the void, shadows crisscrossing like a silent graveyard.

"An unidentified spacecraft has been detected ahead. Number of occupants unknown." Xiong Kui stood before the screen, his gaze sharp. "According to the plan, Greedy Wolf will lead three people with me to investigate from the front. The rest of you will approach from the side and rear. Act on my orders. If the enemy is too strong, retreat immediately. Understood?"

"Understood!" everyone answered in unison.

Xiong Kui, Greedy Wolf, and the others flashed out through the hatch. After several flickers through the void, they vanished into the shadows of the asteroid belt.

After waiting a moment, Golden Horn and the others set out along their designated route. Everyone concealed their auras and flew silently, gliding along the edges of the asteroids like ghosts.

Deep within the asteroid belt, a small spacecraft sat quietly docked in the shadow of a massive asteroid.

Inside the cabin, seven Stellar level Qiu Shi Race members sat in a circle, the atmosphere grim.

"Boss, what do we do? We've been running into more and more Demon Race forces lately. Lord Muka has already ordered a retreat to the Bone-Eating Galaxy." A young Qiu Shi Race member spoke tensely, his fingers tapping anxiously against his knee.

The leader was powerfully built, and his dark-red scales were covered in cracks left by battle. He fell silent for a moment before slowly speaking. "Retreat? Behind us is our home planet, Saku Star. If we leave, what happens to our people there?"

"You all know the Demon Race's rules. Every prisoner of war will be turned into a slave and worked to death." He raised his head, dark-red light burning in his eyes. "I'm not leaving. Even if I die, I'll die here."

The other Qiu Shi Race members exchanged glances. No one spoke again.

"Then die here!"

A deep voice came from outside the cabin.

Xiong Kui's great saber descended like lightning, carrying the sharp edge of the Metal Domain!

Boom—!

The spacecraft exploded down the middle, fragments scattering in every direction. The seven Qiu Shi Race warriors charged out of the blast, covered in blood. The instant they looked up and saw Xiong Kui floating in the void, their eyes immediately turned bloodshot.

"Demon Race! Kill!"

The leading Qiu Shi Race member threw back his head and roared, charging at Xiong Kui first. The other six followed close behind, dark-red energy gathering around their fists and claws as they attacked from all directions.

Rather than retreat, Xiong Kui advanced. His great saber swept out, and the Metal Domain expanded at full force, blocking the attacks of all seven head-on. The sound of metal clashing echoed soundlessly through the void, while the energy shockwaves shattered the surrounding asteroids into dust.

"Attack!"

Greedy Wolf lunged out from the flank, his claws ripping open the back of a Qiu Shi Race member. At the same time, Golden Horn and the others rushed out from behind the asteroids, instantly forming an encirclement.

Golden Horn took a deep breath, and his figure vanished. In the next instant, he appeared behind a Qiu Shi Race member, his dagger precisely piercing the back of its neck—the location of its energy core. The Qiu Shi Race member stiffened and dissolved into specks of light.

Scorpio flicked his tail, pinning down a Qiu Shi Race member. Frost Blade followed with a slash, cutting it directly into two.

Blood Fang's iron claws tore apart one Qiu Shi Race member's chest; Shadow Stinger darted out from the darkness and slit another's throat with a single sword strike; Iron Hammer's heavy fist smashed the last Qiu Shi Race member into pieces.

The battle ended within ten breaths.

Not one of the seven Qiu Shi Race members escaped.

Golden Horn put away his dagger and glanced across the battlefield.

Xiong Kui picked up several spatial rings and scattered energy crystals from the wreckage of the destroyed ship, casually stowing them away.

"Withdraw."

Everyone returned silently to the spacecraft, as quiet as they had been when they arrived.

Inside the spacecraft, the atmosphere was much more relaxed than before.

Xiong Kui sorted the spoils into categories. After deducting combat supplies, the remainder was distributed according to contribution. Golden Horn received a small piece of energy crystal and two spatial rings containing some ores and miscellaneous items.

"Not bad, rookie." As Greedy Wolf passed Golden Horn, he patted him on the shoulder.

Golden Horn nodded slightly. "I still have much to learn from my seniors."

Xiong Kui rose from the main control console, looking at the star map with the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.

"This is only the first stop." He turned, his gaze sweeping over everyone. "There are still more than a dozen planets ahead. Stay sharp. Don't let me down."

"Yes!"

The spacecraft continued onward, flying deeper into the Withered Skeleton Galaxy.