Chapter 523: First Battle In Outer Space (1)

The immortal continent’s essence stretched across tens of thousands of light years, yet the battlefield itself spanned a mere hundred light years in diameter.

And so, in no time, Wu Yuan, Pei He, Yu Zhuo, and tens of thousands of Amethyst Cradle cultivators arrived at the war base's teleportation array.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh~

Spacetime rippled slightly, and the white light faded.

“There are a lot of newcomers today,” someone remarked.

“Quite a few indeed,” another voice agreed.

“By my estimates, around twenty thousand.”

“That’s quite a crowd,” voices chimed in, the murmur of conversation swelling around them.

Wu Yuan and his group stepped out of the teleportation array, finding themselves in a grandiose hall that sprawled beyond their field of vision and stretched for tens of thousands of li!

The hall was filled with immortal cultivators scattered about, a scene similar to the plaza they had departed from.

The decor was opulent and the crowd much larger, probably numbering around one hundred thousand. Their attire was diverse, clearly all participants in the war.

Every now and then, cultivators could be seen leaving the hall via a massive passage.

“A Void Refiner Eminence?”

“And a Dharma Body powerhouse,” Soldiers of the Huo Cang Army noticed this

immediately, their expressions filled with shock.

“What’s so surprising?” Pei He cut in, his voice cool. “To become a combatant, one must be an Amethyst Cradle or Shambhala cultivator. But after some time on the battlefield, those with enough strength naturally break through.”

“If it’s time for you to break through, there’s no issue with doing so here,” he continued, his tone serious. “But once you return to the Eldritch Blood Temple from the war base, you won't be allowed back onto the entry-level battlefield. And even if you do break through, due to the battlefield's environmental suppression, you’ll only reach the third-stage Void Refiner or Elysian Field phase at most.”

The group nodded in understanding. Wu Yuan listened, already familiar with these rules, which is why he had mentioned Void Refiner Eminences during his earlier negotiations with An Shu.

Apart from the top-tier geniuses from major factions, those who truly dominated the entry-level Eldritch-Immortal Battlefields were the Void Refiner/Elysian Field powerhouses.

The top-tier geniuses from all major factions had a tacit understanding—only when one could slaughter Void Refiner/Elysian Field powerhouses while still in the Amethyst Cradle/Shambhala phase could they be considered a true super genius.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Several black-armored figures flew over, their overwhelming aura revealing them as ninth-stage Elysian Field cultivators. They were from the Blood Eldritch Temple’s defense army, tasked with maintaining order, not participating directly in battle.

“Welcome to Outer Space War Base 1294,” the leading armored soldier announced, his voice booming. “You should already know the war base's tactical situation, so I won’t repeat it. If you wish to join the battle directly, you may leave the war base through the passage on the right. Remember, within one day, you must not remain within thirty million li of the war base, otherwise you’ll face a deduction in ethercrystal laurels.”

“If you wish to rest, you can proceed to the main hall or meditation chambers. You are given ten free rest days each year. After which, usage of the main hall will cost ten ethercrystal laurels per day, and a hundred catties per day for usage of the meditation chamber,” the soldier continued, his tone low. “The choice is yours. I hope you all return alive.”

With that, the armored soldiers departed, leaving the participants to decide their next move. These rules had already been transmitted to all participants’ personal halls through the Cang Feng Eldritch Voidrealm—this was merely a reminder.

Among the tens of thousands of immortal cultivators, the majority chose to temporarily enter the plaza, which soon grew lively.

“We’re recruiting.”

“Our team is skilled in array formations, a surefire way to stay alive.”

“Our captain is a super powerhouse with Dao comprehension at the seventh-level True Intent stage. He can hold his own against a Void Refiner Eminence.” The voices of Amethyst Cradle and Shambhala cultivators echoed through the hall.

Some of these recruiters approached the stronger-looking participants, inviting them to join their teams. It was clear that many in the massive main hall were not here to rest, but to seek allies.

“An array typically requires the cooperation of dozens of cultivators to unleash its might,” Lie Shier, standing nearby, commented softly. “Unless someone is extremely confident in their abilities, they usually wouldn’t dare go solo.”

Wu Yuan nodded slightly.

On the battlefield, there were no limits on the size of a single group—it was entirely possible to gather thousands, even tens of thousands, of immortal cultivators for a grand assault.

However, in outer space, such a large-scale operation would scare off distant enemies, lowering the kill rate. Moreover, for most combatants, their purpose for coming to the Eldritch-Immortal Battlefield was tempering.

Yes, there was safety in numbers, but the effectiveness of the training would be almost zero.

As far as Wu Yuan’s body refiner self knew, teams usually consisted of a few to dozens of immortal cultivators, rarely exceeding a hundred. Teams with over a hundred participants were typically formed only for major operations.

“Let’s go,” Wu Yuan commanded, and his team immediately entered the passage.

From beginning to end, no one invited Wu Yuan’s team to join them. The look they gave off suggested they were formidable, a well-trained military battalion. It was clear that this team was already complete, so no one wasted their time trying to recruit them.

...

The passage to the war zone was hundreds of li wide and stretched over ten thousand li long, protected by powerful arrays at regular intervals. Wu Yuan and his team proceeded along this passage, joining a few thousand others entering the space war zone in the first wave.

At the end of the passage, a gigantic holographic light screen shimmered, guarded by several black-armored soldiers who scrutinized each war participant passing through.

“Good luck, make it back alive,” one of the black-armored soldiers repeated as he sent each soldier off.

“Stay close,” Pei He commanded as they approached the screen.

Leading hundreds of soldiers, Wu Yuan stepped directly through the light screen.

Hum~

An invisible force propelled them forward, their speed escalating to a hundred li per second as they swiftly departed the war base.

...

In the boundless outer space, giant rogue planets, varying in size from a few dozen li to hundreds of li, hung suspended, visible to the naked eye. The largest among them was a star with a diameter of several thousand li.

However, in this vast expanse, the most eye-catching object was a dark red planet with a diameter exceeding a hundred thousand li. The planet’s surface was etched with dense metallic cryptic patterns, exuding a ferocious and terrifying aura.

Wu Yuan and his troops were stationed in this stretch of space, approximately three hundred thousand li from the dark red planet, close enough to see the entire planet clearly.

“This is a war base? This is clearly a war fortress,” Zhang Shan commented, his voice tinged with awe. “Is it even possible to breach such a fortress?”

The hundreds of soldiers turned their heads to look, immediately feeling somewhat stunned. Everyone knew outer space was vast and boundless, but for this group, including Wu Yuan, it was their first venture into such an expanse.

“Typically, a single battle star like this cannot possibly be breached by those in the Amethyst Cradle or Void Refiner phases,” Wu Yuan explained slowly. “However, during a major battle, the battle stars of both camps would only activate their arrays. One side is empowered by the array, the other is suppressed by it.”

“In such a scenario, if the defending side is too weak or the attacking side has legendary-rank fighters or even king-rank fighters, there is hope of breaching the battle star,” Wu Yuan continued, his voice lowering. “Legendary-rankers and king-rankers are the powerhouses who can fight thousands of enemies single-handedly.”

Everyone was left in awe.

“Of course, that’s just what the legends say,” Wu Yuan added with a wry smile. “This is why the Blood Eldritch Temple dispatches a large number of participants to various war bases—to ensure no war base is too vulnerable to breaches.”

Pei He, Zhang Shan, Lie Shier, and the others exchanged glances. The more time they spent with Wu Yuan, the more they appreciated his broad perspectives and vast knowledge.

“Let’s move! Unless a major battle breaks out, there will be no enemies within a radius of thirty million li of the war base. We’re not allowed to linger here,” Wu Yuan said, waving his hand. Instantly, an enormous battleship over a hundred zhangs long materialized before them.

“A first-grade spirit battleship?”

“This...”

“This battleship must be worth nearly a hundred million catties of ethercrystal. The commander must truly have a formidable background,” one of the soldiers remarked, astonished.

Even Pei He didn’t possess such a treasure. Battleships of this standard were usually only owned by Void Refiner cultivators.

“Get in,” Wu Yuan instructed, glancing over at the hundreds of soldiers. “An Shu has sent us the spatial coordinates. He obviously has other means to enter the war zone in advance.”

“Move out.”

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Hundreds of soldiers, led by six captains, swiftly boarded the battleship, standing in formation as per their usual military drills. Wu Yuan took his place in the main hall of the battleship.

In no time, the hatches were closed, ethercrystal was infused, and the battleship quickly took off, reaching speeds of a thousand li per second.

Whoosh!

The thousands of warriors who had just left the war base disappeared into outer space like a drop of water vanishing into the sea.

The battleship's color began to shift, swiftly camouflaging with the surrounding darkness of space. It was now extremely inconspicuous.

“What speed,” a soldier commented, watching the battleship’s monitoring array.

“Approximately six thousand li per breath,” Bing Roushui replied indifferently. “At full speed, a first-grade spirit battleship can reach thirty thousand li per breath, but the ethercrystal consumption will be equally astronomical. Six thousand li per breath is the regular cruising speed.”

“Usually, one wouldn’t see so many meteorites or celestial bodies in outer space. What you’re seeing is an artificial battlefield created by the two major camps,” Bing Roushui added, her voice low.

“Rest well, everyone. Our commander is powerful and knows what he’s doing. With such a first-grade spirit battleship, even a Void Refiner cultivator will find it impossible to breach the ship in a single attack,” Bing Roushui stated.

“At the same time, adjust your mindset as soon as possible and read up on the relevant information to educate yourselves. We are no longer in the Huo Cang Region now, but the perilous Eldritch-Immortal Battlefield.” Her gaze swept over the soldiers, many of whom shivered at her words.

Indeed, their strength might be decent, but they were newcomers to this war, and that lack of experience put them at a disadvantage.

Wu Yuan, however, remained calm. This was his first time participating in the Eldritch-Immortal Battlefield, but through his body refiner self, he had accessed classified information, preparing him for what lay ahead.