After all preparations were complete, thousands of warriors, led by the Ape-Man Undying God and Caspian, arrived at an immense hall. This hall spanned over a thousand miles in diameter and housed eleven colossal, space-water-screen-like passages.
"These are the space passages leading to the Ninth Battlefield," the Ape-Man Undying God announced, approaching one of the water screens. "The Ninth Battlefield is a cosmic secret realm with a maximum diameter of about one million light-years. Of course, after billions of years of slaughter, the inherent dangers of this realm have been significantly diminished. The primary threat now comes from alien enemies. There are ninety-eight military camp bases in the Ninth Battlefield, and you're being teleported to Base 076."
The water screen measured a full kilometer in both width and height.
Without hesitation, Caspian stepped into the water screen.
The selection of which extraterritorial battlefield to teleport to is determined by a set order. For instance, this time it's the Ninth Battlefield; next, it will be the Tenth, followed by the Eleventh, and so on, in a continuous cycle. Even someone of Caspian's noble status as a Marquis-level Undying couldn't arbitrarily choose his battlefield.
Following Caspian, the World Lords, Domain Lords, and Universe-level warriors entered the passage one by one until all had passed through.
Utilizing the Divine Kingdom as a transit station, Caspian and the thousands of soldiers arrived at the station and then entered the space passage again, directly teleporting to Camp Base 076 in the Ninth Battlefield, located beyond human territory.
As Caspian stepped out of the Divine Kingdom transit station, he immediately sensed a shift in space-time, arriving at a new location.
"New recruits have arrived again!"
"Quickly, get to work!"
Shouts echoed around them.
The first sight that greeted Caspian was a team of a dozen soldiers, led by an Undying God, welcoming him and the others.
This Undying God, donned in a fiery-red battle robe, had small horns protruding from his forehead and flame-like wrinkles between his eyebrows. Smiling, he said, "New recruits, welcome to the Ninth Battlefield's Camp Base 076. Next, the World Lords, Domain Lords, and Universe-levels will follow these three leaders to their respective assignments."
He promptly designated three leaders.
The roles and treatment that Universe-level, Domain Lord, and World Lord soldiers receive on the extraterritorial battlefield differ significantly.
Universe-level and Domain Lord soldiers are typically assigned to large armies under the leadership of Undying Gods, engaging in battles against vast groups of alien races. In contrast, World Lords are eligible to form small elite squads, granting them greater autonomy and opportunities to earn military merits.
This structure isn't due to a reluctance to allow lower-tier soldiers to earn merits. Instead, it's a strategy to enhance their survival rates. Without the protection of Undying Gods, individual Universe-level and Domain Lord-level soldiers would struggle to survive even a single day on this brutal battlefield.
Soon, all the soldiers had departed, leaving only the horned Undying God and Caspian behind.
The Undying God turned to Caspian with a smile: "Mr. Caspian, the military merit system indicates that this isn't your first participation in the extraterritorial war. Therefore, you're granted autonomy and aren't required to undertake mandatory military merit missions."
Caspian nodded. Military merit missions are a fundamental aspect of the extraterritorial battlefield. Every soldier must accumulate a certain amount of military merit to gain freedom, retire, or continue fighting independently. Until then, they must adhere to the military system's directives and cannot act alone.
"However, you have two options. First, you can operate independently."
"Second, you can choose to lead an army. This army comprises 10 Undying Gods, 1,000 World Lords, 10,000 Domain Lords, and 100,000 Universe-level warriors. Your responsibility would be to lead this army in battles on the extraterritorial battlefield. When facing alien powerhouses, you'd confront the alien Marquis-level Undyings, while your army engages the alien forces."
"If you opt for the first choice, your military merits will accumulate as usual."
"If you select the second option and decide to lead an army, you'll receive an additional 50% military merit bonus. For instance, if you eliminate an ordinary Undying God and earn 100 million military merits, leading an army would grant you 150 million for the same feat. Moreover, while leading, you're not obligated to protect every soldier; your primary duty is to prevent alien Marquis-level Undying Gods from causing mass casualties."
"Act as a babysitter?" Caspian mused, shaking his head. He hadn't come to the extraterritorial battlefield merely to accumulate military merits.
With that in mind, he declared, "I choose to act alone."
"Very well, Mr. Caspian," the Undying God responded. "I'll record your decision. Additionally, the military merit system will send you the latest star map of the Ninth Battlefield. Please ensure you review it."
"Understood," Caspian replied, then followed a guide to the resting area designated for Marquis-level and above Undying Gods within the military camp base.
...
Shortly thereafter.
"Lord Caspian, this is your resting area. Are you satisfied? If not, you're welcome to select another unoccupied area," a soldier clad in white armor said respectfully.
Caspian surveyed the area. It was an estate spanning several thousand acres, illuminated by soft artificial lights from the dome above, simulating day and night cycles.
At the center stood an elegant two-story villa designated for his residence.
These standardized estates extended densely throughout the space, their total number unknown.
However, this was unsurprising. The war base's size rivaled that of a star, and its internal space was vast. Those who achieved King-level strength could access separate spaces and own islands as their resting quarters.
On the extraterritorial battlefield, everything hinged on strength. The privileges one enjoyed were directly proportional to their power.
"This is satisfactory," Caspian affirmed.
"Very well, Lord Caspian," the white-armored soldier said, assisting in setting up the necessary permissions. "If you encounter any issues, you can contact the estate's housekeeper through the military merit system at any time."
Caspian nodded and proceeded into the estate.
"The environment is quite accommodating. Marquis-level Undyings can return here to rest after exhausting battles," he noted. "The base has been thoughtfully designed."
Ascending to the villa's second floor, Caspian sat cross-legged and opened the three-dimensional star map sent by the military merit system.
Before him, a vast projection materialized. His previous deployment had been to the Fourth Battlefield, making him unfamiliar with the Ninth Battlefield's terrain.
Now, he needed to study the map diligently to identify suitable locations for combat.