"It has been recorded, Warrior Ender. You can apply to lead an army at any time. Now sending the latest star map of the Extraterritorial Battlefield's 'First Battlefield'. Please receive it."
The army control System, through the Virtual Universe, directly sent the star map, then immediately cut off contact.
"Star map…"
Ender received the new email, projected the star map in front of him, and saw the seven major regions of the Universe territory battlefield, the marked locations of the four major Secret Realm battlefields, and detailed maps within those four Secret Realm battlefields.
Just a glance, he put away the projection and then flew towards the Original Universe Space.
Although the 'Divine Kingdom Layer' was relatively stable, large space fragments occasionally moved and shuttled through it, posing a certain danger, making it unsuitable for long-term stay.
"The army System's 1 billion military merit quota has been completed. Now it's time to complete the 30 trillion military merit quota set by the Virtual Universe System."
While flying towards the Original Universe Space, Ender thought distractedly, "Leading an army can grant an additional 50% military merit. If it weren't for my many secrets and the sheer amount of military merit I need to achieve, I might have considered commanding an army."
Compared to adventuring alone in the Extraterritorial Battlefield, leading an army comes with greater restrictions, but the additional 50% military merit is very attractive. Many Immortal leading armies probably do so for this reason.
"30 trillion military merit quota. To complete such a high quota, if I only kill Military Lord Immortal, even Pinnacle Military Lord Immortal, I'd have to kill 30,000 of them."
Ender thought to himself, "Killing 30,000 Pinnacle Military Lord Immortal is not difficult for me, but I came to the Extraterritorial Battlefield to temper myself, not to bully ordinary Immortal."
"Jiu Mengluo, who is suspected to be the future Venerable Fire Erosion from the Huge Axe Dojo, has successfully killed a Marquis-level Immortal in the Extraterritorial Battlefield. Kedi will also be able to kill a Marquis-level Immortal in the future."
"As a Genius of the same level, I naturally shouldn't fall behind!"
Thinking of this, Ender's eyes also held the intent to contend with the two. "Therefore, killing Marquis-level Immortal is what I should do. And with my talent and Opportunity, killing Marquis-level Immortal is not difficult, plus the military merit gained from killing Marquis-level Immortal is also high."
The amount of military merit obtained is determined by the strength of the target killed. Killing an alien World Master alone yields a minimum of 100,000 military merit and a maximum of 10 million military merit.
Killing an Immortal alone yields a minimum of 100 million and a maximum of 1 Quadrillion (for killing a Pinnacle Stage King-Level).
Among them, Military Lord Immortal are divided into only two military merit tiers: ordinary Military Lord Immortal at 100 million military merit, and Pinnacle Military Lord Immortal at 1 billion military merit.
Following that, Low Stage Marquis-level Immortal at 10 billion military merit.
High Stage Marquis-level at 100 billion military merit.
Pinnacle Marquis-level at 1 trillion military merit.
Low Stage King-level Immortal at 10 trillion military merit.
High Stage King-Level at 100 trillion military merit.
Pinnacle Stage King-Level at 1 Quadrillion military merit.
"If possible, I'd rather surpass both Jiu Mengluo and Kedi."
Flying at tens of thousands of kilometers per second, Ender surpassed fragments of space around him, his gaze exceptionally sharp. "They only killed Marquis-level Immortal at the World Master Level, but if I can successfully kill a King-level Immortal at the World Master Level, it means I am stronger than both of them during the World Master period!"
"In Human Race history, there have been many World Master whose strength rivaled King-level Immortal, but very, very few could kill Marquis-level Immortal."
Ender knew deeply that it was easy for a World Master to kill an Military Lord Immortal, but it was extremely difficult to kill a Marquis-level Immortal!
Just in the Virtual Universe Company's Primal Secret Realm, there might be twenty to thirty World Master who have been cultivating for tens to hundreds of thousands of years, whose strength approaches or even rivals King-level Immortal. Yet, they find it very difficult to kill Marquis-level Immortal, simply because Marquis-level Immortal are too hard to kill!
Marquis-level Immortal possess the iconic Immortal Body; even if their Divine Body is shattered, it can instantly recover. Their survival ability is far beyond what Military Lord Immortal can compare to. For instance, the two Military Lord Immortal Ender killed this time both perished after their Divine Body was shattered by him.
But if it were a Marquis-level Immortal, with their Immortal Body, even if their Divine Body is shattered, it can instantly reassemble, minimizing the loss of Immortal Energy.
An ordinary Immortal would perish immediately if their Divine Body is shattered. A Marquis-level Immortal, upon having their Divine Body shattered, would instantly reassemble, perhaps losing only 1% of their Immortal Energy. This shows how immense the gap between the two is!
"It's very difficult to kill a Marquis-level Immortal. You either use Soul attacks to extinguish their Soul, or you can only rely on energy annihilation, constantly consuming the opponent's Immortal Energy to achieve the kill."
Ender thought, "The effect of World Energy annihilating Immortal Energy is low, so it's very, very difficult to kill a Marquis-level Immortal, unless the difference in Law comprehension and basic strength between the two is ridiculously large."
Under normal circumstances, a King-level Immortal would also need to pay a price by burning Immortal Energy to kill a Marquis-level Immortal, unless there is a huge difference in Law comprehension and basic strength, where normal attacks can damage the opponent's essence.
For example, a High Stage King-Level killing a High stage Marquis-level, normal attacks can damage the essence of the High stage Marquis-level, and a slight burning of Immortal Energy can easily kill them, with the Immortal Energy loss recovering in a few years.
"According to the information I obtained, the Marquis-level Immortal of the Demon race that Jiu Mengluo killed, although only a Low stage Marquis-level Immortal, had a Divine Body over 1 kilometer long, making it one of the harder types to kill."
Ender speculated, "Given Jiu Mengluo's status as a Genius who appears once every millions of epochs, the Opportunity he obtained must be significant. His Law comprehension is estimated to have reached the twentieth level of the Tongtian Bridge, and his strength should rival a Pinnacle Stage King-Level Immortal. Only then could he kill a Low stage Marquis-level Immortal of the Demon race."
"My current basic strength is close to High Stage King-Level. If I Cultivate the Yuan Heavy Ru Yi Body to the fifth level, then my basic strength will reach over 60,000 times the power of a Peak World Master, which is twice that of an ordinary High Stage King-Level."
Ender calculated to himself, "If I create the 'Lightning Flash' and 'Sudden Rain' from the concept of 'Eternal Sky', or thoroughly perfect 'Wind Arises', then this combat secret technique, 'Eternal Sky', might reach the Pinnacle Immortal Secret Technique level."
"Generally speaking, only a Pinnacle Stage King-Level Immortal can create an Pinnacle Immortal Secret Technique. By then, the power of my secret technique will approach Pinnacle Stage King-Level, and killing a Pinnacle Marquis-level Immortal will be relatively easy."
Thinking of this, his brows furrowed slightly. "By this calculation, I'm afraid it's impossible for me to kill a King-level Immortal, unless I use 'Fei Mo Poison' like Luo Feng."
Fei Mo Poison, 1 gram valued at 300 million Mixed unit, is a terrifying potion concocted by "Fei Mo," a powerful apothecary among the Human Race.
Thus named after Fei Mo, this Fei Mo Poison possesses strong corrosive power. This potion was specifically formulated to corrode "Immortal Body." Generally, 10 grams can corrode and kill a Limit stage King-Level, and 100 grams of Fei Mo Poison (one vial) can kill a "Invincible King"!
Its power is chilling, but its weaknesses are also obvious.
First, it is a single-use item; every bit of poison used means less remains.
Second, this poison must come into contact with the Immortal Body to work. However, Universe powerhouses almost always wear a layer of battle armor, and the poison has little to no effect on the metal of the battle armor. Therefore, one must tear open the battle armor to allow the poison to touch the enemy's Immortal Body, or attack unprotected areas like the face…
Third, Fei Mo Poison needs a carrier. The poison can be smeared onto a weapon, solidified, and then used to attack. But after the weapon cuts open the opponent's Divine Body… perhaps only a tiny fraction of the poison smeared on the weapon enters the enemy's body. The damage to the enemy each time is too, too small.
Fourth, assuming 100 grams of poison enters an Invincible King powerhouse's body at once, with the strength of an Invincible King powerhouse, upon discovering the poison furiously corroding and annihilating his Immortal Body, he would, in the first instant, abandon part of his Immortal Energy, enveloping the poison and expelling it from his body. Perhaps only one or two grams of poison would have time to corrode, with the rest being expelled and wasted. Therefore, when the amount is small each time, the enemy doesn't have time to expel the poison, and all of it takes effect.
Four major weaknesses.
This makes Fei Mo Poison… unable to compare in value with some Heaven-Defying weapons.
Like the "Ka Suo Blade," which can be used continuously and permanently. When it pierces the body of a Limit stage King-Level, it can instantly kill them.
Both its "permanent use" and efficiency far surpass Fei Mo Poison, but its price is also chillingly high.
"Fei Mo Poison is expensive, and its effect is indeed overwhelmingly potent. Although it has various drawbacks, it can still give me the possibility of killing a King-level Immortal."
Thinking of this, Ender stopped shortly after entering the space fragment layer, not immediately returning to the Original Universe Space.
He pondered, "As a World Master, using Fei Mo Poison in a 'cheating' manner to kill a King-level Immortal would indeed earn me a higher evaluation than Kedi and Jiu Mengluo, but it would also put me in an extremely dangerous situation!"
"Although I am a Genius now, I am far from worth the risk of an alien Universe Venerable assassinating me. But if I demonstrate the ability to kill a King-level Immortal, then the Demon race, Zerg Race, and Mechanical Race will see me as a thorn in their side and will definitely spend a huge price to kill me, even to the point of permanent demise from which I cannot be resurrected."
Ender narrowed his eyes, musing, "It's not that I can't use Fei Mo Poison and display the strength to kill a King-level Immortal. I must wait until I complete the 30 trillion military merit quota and receive the reward from my teacher."
When he previously informed his teacher, Ice Summit Master, that he had fused ten Blood River Crystal to become a Blood Warrior, his teacher, in addition to the Legacy crystal 'Molten Crystal,' also rewarded him with a Heavy Treasure.
And that Heavy Treasure was a high-grade battle armor-type Heavy Treasure that could conceal one's aura and disguise one as an Immortal — the 'Frost Armor'!
"If I obtain the 'Frost Armor' and disguise myself as an Immortal, then killing a King-level Immortal as an Immortal would be a normal occurrence and would not provoke a strong backlash from the alien races."
"Hmm… Before obtaining the 'Frost Armor,' I will only display the strength to barely kill a Pinnacle Marquis-level Immortal."
Thinking of this, Ender nodded slightly. "After bidding farewell to Fortress and the others, I will go to the Endless Island Secret Realm Battlefield. There are countless islands of varying sizes there, with a large number of Marquis-level, while King-level powerhouses are relatively scarce. It's perfect for matching the strength I want to display."
He was about to open a space rift to return to the Original Universe Space when he thought of something and stopped. "Wait…"
"According to the flow of time in the Original Universe, I am now 4,783 years old, yet I was only a hundred years old when I participated in the Pinnacle Genius Battle organized by the Virtual Universe Company."
"Having entered the Virtual Universe Company for over 4,600 years, I already possess combat power comparable to a King-level Immortal. My progress speed should also be among the top ranks in Human Race history."
Ender first felt a bit emotional, then thought carefully, "In just over 300 years, it will be the Pinnacle Genius Battle hosted by the Huge Axe Dojo. This time, Second Uncle, Eldest Brother, Thirteen, and Nineteen, as well as some younger Family members, will all participate."
"But only Second Uncle and the three of them truly have a chance to enter the top 1,000 of the Ganwu Universe Country. The talent and strength of the other Family juniors are far inferior to theirs."
From what he understood, under the guidance of World Master Molten Rock, Second Uncle and the others had at least reached Ninefold Domain, very close to comprehending Law, and Ninefold Domain gave them a chance to break into the top 1,000 of the Ganwu Universe Country.
"I wonder how competitive their generation will be…"
Ender recalled the previous Pinnacle Genius Battle he participated in. The Ganwu Universe Country preliminaries alone were ridiculously competitive. After the world preliminaries, there were over 1,000 participants, at least comprehending a trace of Law.
This led to over a hundred participants who had comprehended a trace of Law being eliminated in the subsequent arena battle phase, failing to enter the top 1,000 of the Ganwu Universe Country and missing out on the Pinnacle Genius Battle finals.
"I hope the competition is a bit less intense for their generation, so even if they haven't comprehended Law, they still have a chance to enter the top 1,000 of the Ganwu Universe Country."
Thinking of this, Ender reached out and drew a space rift, entering it to return to the Original Universe Space.
…
Original Universe Space, Extraterritorial Battlefield.
As soon as Ender emerged from the space rift, he saw the Cloud Vine's golden vines had already wrapped up Mechanical Puppet and were sending them towards him.
Reaching out to caress a golden vine, Ender praised softly, "Well done, Cloud."
And the Cloud Vine, having received its master's praise, like a child who had been praised, its golden vines swayed gently with joy.
Collecting the Mechanical Puppet sent by the Cloud Vine, Ender roughly counted. There were nearly a thousand intact High Stage Marquis-level Mechanical Puppet alone.
"Mechanical Puppet crafted from top F9-class alloy. Unfortunately, the internal cores are a bit ordinary. Each one is only worth tens of Mixed unit, for a total value of tens of thousands of Mixed unit."
He calculated softly, "If you add the damaged Mechanical Puppet comparable to Low Stage Marquis-level Immortal and Pinnacle Military Lord Immortal, the total value of just the Mechanical Puppet alone can reach nearly 100,000 Mixed unit."
"This doesn't even include the Mechanical Puppet comparable to Pinnacle Marquis-level Immortal, and the wealth left behind after the demise of the three alien Immortal."
Ender couldn't help but smile slightly. "This is my most fruitful harvest in over a year since I came to the Extraterritorial Battlefield."
"Hmm… The spoils of war have also been tallied. I can release Captain and the others now."
As he spoke, he communicated with his world ring. With the manifestation of world fluctuations, Fortress, Lightning Flash, and the other ten team members appeared in the Extraterritorial Battlefield…
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