From the Abyss Invasion to the Blasting Star.

Bang!
A bullet pierced through the void and struck Prince Kedar of the Bloodline.

The terrifying kinetic energy carried by the bullet poured into his body, tearing it into dozens of pieces that tumbled and scattered in all directions.

The plasma flames carried by the bullet engulfed the splattered blood, giving him no chance to recombine.

Killing Prince Khedral means the fall of the entire upper echelon of the Valendar bloodline demons.

The bloodline demon who managed to escape hid deep within the cave.

For the next two days, the recruiting teams cleared out the surviving bloodline demons in the crypt.

However, the underground environment is too complex and unsuitable for human activity.

In addition, there are too many bloodline demons in the cave, making it impossible to eliminate them all.

The summoners concentrated their bombs, destroying several key rock pillars in the crypts, causing large areas of the crypts to collapse and destroying most of the Blood Demons' territory.

……

The time has come to the last day before the return.

Lu Heng's team of four took stock of their gains from the final battle and awaited their final return.

The most valuable haul from this Abyss Battlefield was the two crimson crystals that were extracted after killing Moznis and Lawrence Phoenix.

These two blood-red crystals are divine essence, the essence extracted from the blood of a demon god after it has been burned, and their value is immeasurable.

In addition, Lin Zeyu ultimately assassinated the Bloodline Prince, extracting a fifth-tier job-level source material, [Corona Wizard].

After the source material was extracted, it was picked up by the Azure Phoenix.

Lu Heng took the Source Essence in his hand, glanced at it, and handed it to Xie Shi'en, saying, "This is suitable for you. Consider whether you want to use it. If you want to pursue this rank, you can use it directly. If you have other plans, we can try to exchange it."

【Corona Wizard】is a class path for psychic ability users, focusing on maximizing destructive power.

Xie Shi'en's original job title was Spiritualist, so he could indeed pursue that job path.

Xie Shi'en took the source material and nodded in agreement: "Okay, I'll go back and study it."

The other two had no objection to the distribution and continued to count the other spoils.

Lu Heng's leadership philosophy is to maximize the team's overall combat effectiveness, rather than distributing it evenly.

Of course, if a teammate falls to the bottom of the team due to insufficient resources, everyone will work together to help them improve their class and skills.

Currently, the amount of source essence for fifth-tier job advancement is very small, making it difficult to exchange for other source essences.

Since there's someone in the team who's suitable for this class, the best option is naturally to use them directly.

Xie Shi'en did not blindly use the source material after obtaining it; he had his own plan for his career path.

Of course, you can't just choose any job path you want; you have to see what kind of source material you can get.

After returning, Xie Shi'en plans to reconsider his class path and plan his future development direction to see if the [Corona Wizard] class is suitable for him.

Lu Heng added, "I have two more pieces of divine essence here. If you are sure you want this class, come back to me to get more divine essence to upgrade your class abilities."

"The [Corona Wizard] class is pretty good; it just depends on whether it aligns with the path you want to take."

"Okay, I'll think it over and then I'll tell you." Xie Shi'en nodded in agreement.

There are still some crystal nuclei left, mostly grade C and grade B.

These level of crystal cores are no longer of much use to the four members of the team, so they are all handed over to Lin Zeyu to take back and allocate.

Before returning, several recruiting teams came to say hello, expressing friendliness and hoping for future opportunities to cooperate.

Lu Heng displayed astonishing combat prowess when facing Moznis.

Those recruits who witnessed the battle knew that Lu Heng was the strongest person in the human world, without exception.

It can be said that in this final battle, Lu Heng single-handedly defeated two monsters, Moznis and Lawrence Phoenix.

Other recruits wouldn't have been able to win, let alone last a single round.

After returning, everyone will be teleported back to their respective countries, and it's hard to say whether they will be enemies or friends when they meet again.

Before they return, they can build closer relationships in the Abyss Battlefield so that they can avoid conflict when they meet in the future.

……

The countdown to the return has reached its final moments.

Lu Heng's team of four put their hands together and teleported away together.

[The Abyss Battle has ended; return to the main world...]

[Completed Main Quest 1: Investigate the ritual path by which Blood Prince Moz'nis ascended to demigod status. Gained 400 points of Divine Energy.]

[Completed Main Quest 2: Evade the pursuit of an unknown force. Gained 400 points of Divine Energy.]

[Complete Main Quest 3: Survive 30 days in the Bloodline Demon Territory. Gain 400 Divine Energy.]

[Completed Challenge 1: Slay 10 high-ranking Bloodline Demons. Gained 1200 Divine Energy.]

[Complete Challenge Mission 2: Find and eliminate the fallen traitor. Gain 1200 Divine Energy.]

[Complete Challenge Mission 3: Destroy the altar used in the ascension ceremony of the new Bloodline King, preventing the Bloodline Demon from reaching its peak. Gain 1200 Divine Energy.]

……

Complete the world quest: Destroy the Pillar of Earthfire.

[World Quest Reward: Choose one of the following three rewards.]

[1. Consume 600 points of divine energy to establish a spatial anchor point. You can then consume divine energy to return to the Valendar Caverns.]

[2. Consume 600 points of Divine Energy to delete one skill, retaining the skill slot.]

[3. Consume divine energy to upgrade a skill to full proficiency. The amount of divine energy consumed varies depending on the skill level.]

After looking at the three world mission reward options, Lu Heng considered for three seconds and chose the second one, deleting the A-level skill [Subconscious Intrusion].

Because of the ability of [Astral Travel], there is no need to establish a spatial anchor point to teleport here, and it does not require the consumption of divine energy.

The third option also didn't work.

Because this time I obtained the S-rank [Soul Imprint], this skill is much stronger than the A-rank [Subconscious Intrusion].

The effects of the two skills are basically overlapping, so keeping one is enough.

Choosing to delete [Subconscious Intrusion] will free up a skill slot, which can be used to obtain a stronger skill once a suitable skill core is available.

……

The teleportation was complete, and the view in front of me slowly returned.

Lu Heng opened his eyes, just as he was about to check on his three companions, when a blinding white light suddenly burst forth before his eyes, and the surrounding space was instantly enveloped by a powerful energy, as if it had frozen in time.

This is not the first time we've encountered this situation; it's a manifestation of the white light appearing in the Zero Civilization.

Lu Heng closed his eyes, covered them with his palm, and then said, "It seems you're in a hurry."

Bai Guang: "You did not summon me in the Bloodline Clan's territory."

Before entering the Abyss Battlefield, Lu Heng obtained a crystal core from the Zero Civilization, which could be used to summon white light.

Bai Guang had also made it clear that he would not provide any assistance; his past efforts were solely for the purpose of finding the Reincarnation Source Essence. Lu Heng replied calmly, "I have investigated all the bloodline races that have visited the Zero Civilization, and I have not found the Reincarnation Source Essence."

Bai Guang: "My question is, why didn't you summon me?"

Lu Heng responded coldly: "You won't help me fight the bloodline demons, so what's the use of summoning you?"

Bai Guang fell silent.

Lu Heng continued, "I can teleport to the Bloodline Clan's territory at any time. I can take you there whenever you want, but there is no Reincarnation Essence there."

Bai Guang: "No need. My goal is to find the source of reincarnation. I don't want to waste time."

After a brief pause, the white light spoke again: "There is one last suspicious abyssal race, the Shadow Demon. I will arrange for you to go there in a while to continue investigating the whereabouts of the Reincarnation Essence."

Lu Heng refused, saying, "Did I say I was going to the world of the Shadow Demon?"

Bai Guang: "Do you want to refuse to cooperate?"

Lu Heng twitched the corner of his mouth and said, "Cooperation is about mutual benefit. I helped you investigate the Bloodline Clan's territory. Although I didn't find the Reincarnation Source Essence, it definitely helped you. So, where does the mutual benefit lie?"

Bai Guang: "What do you want?"

Lu Heng changed the subject and asked, "Do you know about Star Realm Merchants?"

Bai Guang: "I know, but I'm not familiar with it."

Lu Heng continued, "Tell me about the Star Realm Merchant."

Bai Guang: "That was a wandering advanced civilization. Their world has been destroyed, probably swallowed by the abyss, but there is no direct evidence to prove this."

"Astral merchants have the ability to wander through astral rifts. They are of a high level of civilization. They will come into contact with lower civilizations and take actions that affect them, but they will also keep their distance from them."

Lu Heng had never heard of this civilization before, which made him even more curious: "What is the purpose of the astral merchants contacting a lower civilization?"

Bai Guang: "The Astral Merchants came into contact with lower civilizations by following the trail of the Abyss invasion. Based on our speculation, the Astral Merchants are likely looking for a world where they can settle."

"However, their level of civilization is relatively high, and most lower-level civilizations cannot meet their requirements, so they will come into contact with lower-level civilizations, but they will keep their distance."

Lu Heng changed the subject and asked, "Have any astral merchants ever entered your world?"

Bai Guang: "No comment."

Bai Guang would not answer any questions concerning the secrets of the Zero Civilization, and this time was no exception.

Lu Heng smiled and then asked, "Compared to the Star Realm Merchants, whose civilization is of a higher level?"

This is a very interesting question.

The Zero Civilization has long been rumored to be a demigod civilization, but to this day, even the identity of its main race is unknown, let alone whether its civilization level is actually demigod.

Or rather, the term "demigod civilization" itself does not have a strict classification standard; it simply expresses that this civilization is at a very high level.

Bai Guang: "That's not a question you should be asking."

Lu Heng: "If I were to ask the Star Realm Merchants this question, what do you think their answer would be?"

Bai Guang fell silent.

Lu Heng continued, "I'd venture a guess: if astral merchants have the ability to wander through astral rifts, their civilization level must be very high."

Even if I'm not as good as you, the difference shouldn't be that big.

"Have you ever considered that if the Astral Merchants have the ability to enter the Zero World, it's possible that they took away the Reincarnation Essence?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Guang fell into a prolonged silence.

This long silence, though seemingly unanswered, is in fact an answer in itself.

The prolonged silence indicated that Bai Guang had no answer to the question, and was even surprised by it.

If Bai Guang cannot deny this conjecture, then this conjecture may exist.

Lu Heng had no clues to prove this guess; he was just saying it casually, hoping to obtain more information from the Zero Civilization in this way.

As it turned out, a random guess seemed to have yielded some information.

Lu Heng reminded him, "So, the astral merchants do indeed have the ability to enter your civilization, right?"

Bai Guang: "That's not something you need to worry about."

Lu Heng did not pursue the topic further, but instead said, "Give me detailed information on the Star Realm Merchants. Isn't that a reasonable request?"

This time, Bai Guang did not refuse: "Okay."

The communication ended, and the white light disappeared.

The field of vision returned to normal.

Lin Zeyu let out a heavy sigh and asked, "Has the Zero Civilization reappeared? Every time I call out to it, it ignores me."

Lu Heng looked at the three of them and said, "I did communicate with the Zero Civilization just now and we talked about the Reincarnation Source Essence and the Star Realm Merchants."

At this moment.

The phone rang.

Lu Heng answered the phone and heard Jian Qing's voice: "Is everything safe? I called after calculating your return time, but I couldn't get through for three minutes. I was worried something had happened."

The three minutes just now were the three minutes when the white light appeared.

Each time the white light appears, it freezes the surrounding space, preventing any electromagnetic signals from entering, thus making it impossible to make a phone call.

Lu Heng casually replied, "It's nothing, we're all back safely. Nothing major has happened during this time, right?"

Jian Qing laughed and replied, "What big thing can happen in just three days?"

Because of the different flow rates of time, the two worlds experience different amounts of time, which creates this sense of temporal dislocation.

Just then, another phone call came in.

Lu Heng glanced at his phone screen and said, "Chief of Staff Qi called. That's all for now, let's get together another day."

Jian Qing: "Okay, you go ahead and get busy."

After the call ended, Lu Heng answered Qi Jinghui's call and said directly, "Important information to report. Arrange a time to meet at headquarters."

Without uttering a single unnecessary word, Qi Jinghui was already used to this situation.

Every time Lu Heng returned from the Abyss Battlefield, he would bring back an astonishing amount of information.

This conscription is still arranged by the Zero Civilization, and the amount of information will only be greater.

……

the next morning.

Lu Heng sat in the confidential conference room of the Southern Theater Command headquarters, giving a battlefield report to Qi Jinghui's staff.

"There's a lot to report this time, so let me start with a brief introduction."

"First, Lawrence Phoenix is ​​dead; he has fled to the territory of the Blood Demons."

"Secondly, Lawrence Phoenix revealed a crucial piece of information before his death: a new advanced civilization called 'Astral Merchants,' and the Creator Organization's No. 1 and No. 2 are Astral Merchants."

"Third, the Astral Merchants are a very high level of civilization, possibly comparable to the Zero Civilization. They are a very unique civilization that wanders in the astral rifts." (End of Chapter)