Saya stood amidst the ravages of space, one hand raised, constantly collecting the limbs and severed bodies of alien beasts before him. Sometimes he would encounter the corpses of Star Humans. At these times, he would take out another storage bracelet and solemnly store the remains inside.
These were the remains of his comrades who had tragically died fighting in the Battle of the Dao Protection, in the Hundred Great battlefield. Their names were renowned throughout their respective star systems, but on this alien battlefield, they were reduced to ordinary, cold numbers.
Those who went to the alien battlefield were not truly alive anymore.
Saya knew that many noble star families treated their members who went to the alien battlefield as deceased members. He had once thought this was an exaggeration. Now, having personally experienced so much, he realized that the cruelty of the alien battlefield was ten times greater than he had imagined.
"I wonder if I'll make it back alive..." he thought silently to himself.
From the moment he stepped onto the recruitment ship of the interdimensional battlefield, it felt like the beginning of a dream, both real and surreal. Even now, standing in this cold void, he would occasionally ask himself this question.
Is all of this real? Has he truly entered the interdimensional battlefield? Yes, he has.
He once had the good fortune to meet a guy who could easily kill a level 13 opponent and dared to throw a punch at a level 14 opponent. A companion?
Saya was cleaning up the battlefield. With only level 11 martial arts strength, placing him at the very bottom of the entire Hundred Great battlefield's base, this was the only work he was currently qualified for.
He was lost in thought. Suddenly, a corpse floated past his eyes. The corpse of a fellow Star Human, relatively well-preserved. At a glance, only the combat armor showed slight damage; the limbs and head were intact, and there were no obvious wounds on the body.
Saya immediately moved... Previously, he had intended to store the corpse in his storage bracelet.
But somehow, perhaps propelled by an invisible energy current in the void, the corpse drifted rapidly in one direction. Saya hurriedly gave chase. After pursuing it for a while, the corpse finally stopped. He was about to activate the storage bracelet when, unexpectedly, the corpse lying horizontally in the starry sky suddenly stood upright.
Saya was startled and stared fixedly at the bizarre corpse before him. This suddenly upright corpse was... An ordinary-looking, middle-aged man with a crew cut, medium build, and sallow complexion.
His eyes moved beneath his tightly closed eyelids. Saya heard the thumping of a heartbeat and the gurgling of blood flowing through his cold body. In just a few seconds, the corpse came to life and opened his eyes with delight. The instant this suddenly "resurrected" corpse opened them, Saya finally remembered the name of the person before him.
"Huang Ji! You are Huang Ji!" Saya blurted out.
Huang Ji was one of the "new recruits" who came with Saya to the interdimensional battlefield. He had displayed strength comparable to Sarl—before Sarl was bewitched—stunning everyone. Later, when they were targeted by a level 13 general-level alien beast, he had already left the group, escaping the subsequent calamity.
Saya had thought that Huang Ji had long been lost on the battlefield. Unexpectedly, he had already returned to the base and even participated in the Battle of the Dao. He even "died" in this battle. But now, how could he suddenly "come back to life"?
While Saya was puzzled, Huang Ji smiled slightly.
"I didn't expect that the young master of the Lylesas family would still remember a mere nobody like me."
Hearing Huang Ji utter the name "Lylesas", Saya's face immediately turned ugly.
"You were sent by them?"
Saya gritted his teeth and spoke in a hoarse voice.
Huang Ji smiled without saying a word, but the meaning was obvious.
Saya glanced around and realized that they were quite far from the battlefield base. There was no one else around. It seemed that Huang Ji had deliberately disguised himself as a corpse to lure him here. He was a level 12 powerhouse who had harnessed the power of three rules; even among level twelve powerhouses, he could be considered a master.
Saya was only level eleven. It seemed that he was doomed today.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel a sense of desolation and smile bitterly: "Even when I willingly enter the interdimensional battlefield, they are still not at ease?"
Huang Ji replied calmly: "In this world, only the dead can put people at ease. Don't you understand this simple truth?"
Saya gritted his teeth and said: "How much would they offer you to make you willingly risk chasing me all the way to the interdimensional battlefield to kill me?"
"One hundred thousand level two resource planets." Huang Ji replied with a smile.
Saya was stunned for a moment, his face showing an expression that made it hard to tell whether he was laughing or crying.
"They're really willing to spend that amount of money. I never realized before that my life was worth so much."
"Young Master Saya underestimates his own value, and also underestimates the wealth and resources of the Lylesas family."
Saya's eyes flashed, and suddenly asked, "What if I said I was willing to offer a million level-two resource stars? Just please let me go!"
Huang Ji smiled, but his smile full of sarcasm and mockery.
"My dear young master, if there is a next life, I suggest you read less of those boring novels on the StarNet."
Saya's last glimmer of hope was completely shattered by Huang Ji's teasing words. His handsome face turned bright red.
"Alright, my young master, the question-and-answer session is over."
Huang Ji twisted his neck, emanating the powerful aura and chilling killing intent befitting a level 12 expert.
"You should prepare to go."
Saya, overwhelmed by terror, instinctively retreated. His survival instinct made him cry out, "Wait, wait! I still have questions to ask!"
"I said, the question-and-answer time is over."
Huang Ji slammed his palm down on Saya's head. This palm strike contained the immense power of a level 12 martial artist, the power of a mastered rule. Under this palm strike, Saya, only level 11, was like an egg caught in the path of a rolling boulder. In the next breath, he would be reduced to a mangled mess.
"Die, my dear young master of the Lylesas family."
A fierce glint flashed in Huang Ji's eyes as he prepared to smash Saya to pieces with this single palm strike. But just then, a long, powerful hand suddenly reached out from the side and gently grasped Huang Ji's wrist. The level 12 power contained within his palm instantly crumbled and vanished. Not a trace remained.
Huang Ji was horrified to discover that his hand seemed to be attached to the other person's body; he tried desperately to pull it back, but he couldn't even control the muscles in his arm.
A cold voice rang in Huang Ji's ears.
"He said wait. Didn't you hear him?"
A young, handsome figure slowly appeared in Huang Ji's eyes.