Chapter 93: The Cruel Outland Battlefield

The teleportation channels from Origin Star to the Outland Battlefield all use immortal divine realms as intermediate transit stations.

After Lu Qingshan and his group entered the water curtain channel within Origin Star, they quickly arrived at the divine realm serving as the transit station.

Within this immortal’s divine realm, there were over a hundred fixed divine realm teleportation channels, clearly corresponding to the hundred military outposts of the Seventh Outland Battlefield.

After entering one of these divine realm teleportation channels, Lu Qingshan and the others were swiftly transported to Outpost 026 on the Seventh Outland Battlefield, beyond human territory.

“Haha, more recruits have arrived.”

“New recruits!”

“Huh? That’s odd—didn’t we just get a batch of new recruits not long ago? How are there more so soon?”

“I just checked the military system—it’s because an immortal deity chose to come to our side, so this new batch was teleported over!”

“Immortal deity? Quick, quick, quick, everyone wake up and get to work!”

Shouts rang out one after another.

As soon as Lu Qingshan arrived at this outpost, he saw over a dozen warriors clad in white standard armor; their leader was an immortal wearing a white robe, his eyes flickering with threads of lightning.

Upon seeing Lu Qingshan and his group appear, the white-robed immortal first smiled in greeting toward Lu Qingshan, then turned to the others and shouted loudly: “New recruits, welcome to Outpost 026 on the Seventh Outland Battlefield! You all must now follow the base’s regulations: World Lords, follow him; Domain Lords, follow this tall one; Cosmic Lords, follow this little guy!”

The white-robed immortal quickly pointed out three guides.

Cosmic Lords, Domain Lords, and World Lords were instantly divided into three groups.

Lu Qingshan looked at the excited newcomers and couldn’t help but sigh.

He knew the over ninety percent mortality rate on the Outland Battlefield included immortal deities—so the death rate among those below immortals was unimaginable.

Fewer than one percent of these people would ever survive to retire!

On the other side, after arranging everyone’s assignments, the white-robed immortal quickly walked up to Lu Qingshan with a smile.

“Hello, I’m Costa, assigned specifically to guide new recruits at Outpost 026!” The white-robed immortal smiled at Lu Qingshan.

Lu Qingshan smiled back and said: “Hello, I’m ‘Thunderstorm’!”

“Hahaha!” Costa laughed. “Outpost 026 warmly welcomes your arrival, Thunderstorm!”

Costa had already received word from the military system before Lu Qingshan’s arrival—he knew this immortal deity possessed the power of a Low-Rank Marquis.

Low-Rank Marquis might not be strong by the standards of the entire Outland Battlefield, but within Outpost 026, it was already quite impressive.

After all, the high-tier combat zones within Outpost 026’s jurisdiction were scarce and utterly insignificant on the scale of the entire Seventh Outland Battlefield.

Thus, the outpost had few strong warriors, and only tens of thousands of immortals above Marquis rank.

“Thank you,” Lu Qingshan smiled.

“Haha, let’s get to the main matter first!”

The immortal deity Costa continued smiling: “Thunderstorm, when you came to Outpost 026, did you have any familiar faces here?”

“No,” Lu Qingshan shook his head.

He had indeed known some friends here during his World Lord days, but they were all World Lords too.

After hundreds of millions of years, most had perished on the Outland Battlefield; the few survivors had long since retired.

Even the World Lord staff who originally greeted Lu Qingshan was likely gone or dead by now.

So while there may still be some strong individuals Lu Qingshan recognizes here, none of them would know him.

“Alright then!”

The immortal deity Costa continued smiling: “Let me first introduce you to Outpost 026.”

“Good,” Lu Qingshan nodded slightly.

“As a Marquis-rank immortal, after joining the military, you may freely choose among three combat styles!”

Costa explained seriously to Lu Qingshan: “First, operate alone. This offers more freedom, but venturing alone on the Outland Battlefield makes you extremely vulnerable. Usually, only those with extreme confidence in their strength choose this method.”

“Second, join or form an elite squad and operate with your teammates. If you choose to form a squad, you must wait for other immortals willing to join you; if you join an existing elite squad, your options are broader—just need their squad’s approval, and you can enter combat quickly.”

“Third, you may lead an army: typically composed of one hundred World Lords, one thousand Domain Lords, and ten thousand Cosmic Lords. Of course, as a Marquis-rank immortal, the military system will assign several Army Commanders to assist you. Your task is to lead this army in designated zones—when encountering alien forces, you only need to hold off their immortal warriors while letting your troops fight the rest.”

“Choosing the first or second method grants normal merit accumulation; if you choose the third, you gain a fifty percent bonus to merit gains, and countless warriors will serve under you.”

After explaining these three combat styles, Costa asked Lu Qingshan: “Thunderstorm, which combat style will you choose?”

Watching Costa paint the third option as dazzling, Lu Qingshan silently shook his head, then smiled: “I choose the second method.”

He came to the Outland Battlefield to hone himself, not to accumulate merit—definitely not to act as a babysitter for an army.

“Alright,” Costa said, slightly disappointed Lu Qingshan didn’t choose the third option.

As a base guide, he earned extra merit if he could steer a Marquis-rank immortal toward leading an army.

Still, Costa didn’t let his disappointment affect his duty—he continued: “Thunderstorm, I’ve already logged your choice into the military system. You may now apply to join elite squads.”

“Here are all the combat zones within Outpost 026’s jurisdiction…”

Costa waved his hand, and a 3D projection screen instantly appeared before them.

The screen displayed a dense star map, marking combat zones within Outpost 026’s jurisdiction.

Costa smiled: “Thunderstorm, this star map is provided to every immortal entering our base—the military system will send it directly to you via the Virtual Universe. It lists numerous combat zones and their general conditions. Countless warriors, led by the four peak races, lie in wait across these zones, killing each other—everywhere is blood and chaos, pure madness.”

“I understand,” Lu Qingshan nodded slightly.

He had once roamed the Outland Battlefield—he knew how terrifying it was.

In the Thunderlight Sea region, there were only a hundred or so World Lords, and even over eons, few perished.

Yet on the Seventh Outland Battlefield—smaller than Thunderlight Sea—immortal deities died daily, and World Lord deaths were countless.

At that moment, Costa suddenly pointed to a region on the star map.

The area rapidly zoomed in, fully revealing itself before Lu Qingshan.

It was a meteor belt roughly 1.2 light-years in diameter, filled with countless interstellar meteorites.

“This combat zone is called the ‘Meteor Sea’!”

Costa smiled: “The Meteor Sea is a famous killing ground. It hosts many World Lord squads and numerous elite squads led by immortals, but only dozens of Marquis-rank warriors. Thunderstorm, since you’re new to the Outland Battlefield, I suggest you make the ‘Meteor Sea’ your first destination.”

“There are currently two human Marquis-led squads in the Meteor Sea—if you’re interested, I can connect you.”

Hearing this, Lu Qingshan shook his head.

The Meteor Sea was safe enough, but he came to the Outland Battlefield to hone himself through combat with alien strongholds—this belt spanned 1.2 light-years, yet held only dozens of Marquis immortals. How long would it take him to find even one?

Thinking this, Lu Qingshan quickly scanned the star map and directly pointed to one region.

The area instantly zoomed in.

The screen now showed an irregularly shaped continent, surrounded by fragments of other landmasses, along with brief descriptions.

“Yanji Continent: Main continent diameter reaches 1.8 light-years, with thousands of fragments drifting around it. Smaller fragments are about a million kilometers in diameter; larger ones exceed ten trillion kilometers.”

“This is one of the highest-tier combat zones under Outpost 026’s jurisdiction. Any strongholds entering Yanji Continent must be led by an immortal—whether an elite squad or an army. Without an immortal leader, no one survives more than a month.”

“Every squad has an immortal leader—even many Marquis-rank immortals.”

“Among the immortals roaming Yanji Continent, two-thirds are Immortal Army Commanders; one-third are Marquis-rank immortals; and a tiny number of terrifying King-rank immortals also exist.”

“Even Marquis immortals with immortality here face high risk of death!”

Seeing Lu Qingshan immediately choose the highest-tier combat zone within Outpost 026’s jurisdiction, Costa blinked in surprise, then urged: “Thunderstorm, you’re a Marquis immortal, but heading straight to Yanji Continent is too reckless!”

“Yanji Continent teems with Marquis immortals—and even many King-rank ones! You have immortality, but it’s not absolute safety. Why not gain experience in lower-risk zones first before coming here?”

“If the Meteor Sea doesn’t suit you, try ‘Tianchi Domain’—it has over a thousand Marquis immortals, a fine training ground.”

Costa didn’t say all this out of concern—he was obligated as a guide to inform newcomers.

If too many of his recruits died quickly, his own merit could be deducted.

Lu Qingshan offered no further explanation: “I came to the Outland Battlefield to hone myself. Yanji Continent suits me—I’m going there.”

Seeing Lu Qingshan’s firm resolve, Costa stopped urging.

Anyone who reached the immortal realm, let alone attained immortality and entered Marquis rank, wasn’t foolish. If he insisted on Yanji Continent, Costa wouldn’t oppose.

Costa continued: “Thunderstorm, Yanji Continent is packed with strongholds and alien races. While many human-aligned squads operate there, pure human-formed squads are few.”

“But as a Marquis immortal, I’ll send your details to those squads—your strength should make joining them easy.”

“Thank you,” Lu Qingshan nodded slightly.

“It’s my duty,” Costa smiled. “Now let me show you your quarters.”

Normally, choosing quarters didn’t require an immortal’s escort—but a Marquis-rank newcomer was rare at Outpost 026, so Costa was happy to build rapport.

“Alright,” Lu Qingshan nodded and followed Costa as both turned into streaks of light, flying down a corridor.

Soon, they arrived at a bustling area.

As he led the way, Costa explained: “This is where immortals gather in Outpost 026. Left is the entertainment zone—restaurants, gatherings, etc. Ahead-right are the immortals’ residences.”

“Thunderstorm, as a Marquis immortal, you’re entitled to a standalone villa. The military system has already assigned you one based on your clearance—just check the number and move in.”

“If you plan to go out on missions, follow this path. But as a new recruit, always accompany veteran squads when leaving the base.”

“I understand,” Lu Qingshan nodded repeatedly.

Soon, Costa brought Lu Qingshan to his assigned residence.

Around him stretched tens of thousands of kilometers of mountains, rivers, and trees; amid this scenic area stood numerous standalone villas, each representing one Marquis immortal.

Such quarters were already excellent within Outpost 026—higher status required reaching King rank.

It was said any King-rank warrior could claim a luxury island in this land-valued base, turning the entire island into their private domain.

After arriving at his residence, Lu Qingshan invited Costa inside for a meal; Costa shared many secrets unknown to ordinary warriors.

After Costa departed, Lu Qingshan rested, waiting for elite squads to contact him.

…

On the main continent of Yanji Continent, a Class-F starship drifted slowly through space.

Inside the ship’s lounge.

Six powerful immortals, diverse in appearance but clearly human, sat together chatting casually.

Suddenly…

A burly man clad in pitch-black battle armor suddenly exclaimed, “Captain, a new recruit has appeared in the military system—his authority rating is ‘Marquis Rank: Entry Level,’ and he wishes to join an elite squad operating on Yanji Continent!”

At these words, everyone around turned to look.

Immediately, a lean man in crimson battle armor, with two segmented spears strapped to his back, spoke up: “Hei Shi, once you see it, contact him right away—don’t let another squad snatch him first!”

“Exactly! Hurry and reach out—maybe we can get him to join our team!” Others quickly urged.

The black-armored burly man replied at once: “Relax—I already gathered his data the moment I spoke to you. But inviting him should still be done personally by the Captain.”

“A Marquis-level Immortal with no squad? That’s incredibly rare!”

“Yes! To arrive on the Outer Battlefield with Marquis Entry Level power—even compared to the core geniuses of our human race’s five major factions, he’s likely no less formidable!”

“Other squads are probably already trying to recruit him. Let’s hurry back to base—we’ve been out long enough anyway!”

“Right! If another squad gets him first, we’ll regret it!”

In an instant, voices filled the rest room.

…

Meanwhile, this same scene unfolded in many elite squads across Yanji Continent.

“Hah! We’re short on members—now a Marquis-tier recruit appears! We must get him into our squad!”

“Exactly! A Marquis-tier warrior, with just a bit of training, will surely be capable of standing alone!”

“Though new recruits usually lack combat experience, Marquis-level Immortals possess immortality—they’ll adapt to the Outer Battlefield’s battles quickly!”

(End of Chapter)