High Martial Arts: Slay enemies to become stronger, forge invincibility from billions of corpses.

The small, silvery-white spaceship glided slowly down from the pale golden sunset of Canglan Star without making a sound.

It landed on the helipad outside the training courtyard, and after the engine shut off, only a very faint aftershock of psionic energy remained in the air.

The hatch opened upwards, and a person stepped out.

The man was not tall, about two meters, and rather thin. He wore a light gray Alliance-style robe with an investment department field agent badge pinned to his collar.

His skin was a very light silver-blue, and his eyes were like two cut purple crystals, without pupils.

Song Chen had seen this appearance a few times before on Liuguang Star. It belonged to a subordinate race within the alliance called the Blue Spirit Clan, known for their meticulousness and reliable work.

This person was clearly not young. He walked with light and slow steps. He first bowed slightly to Song Chen and gave a standard Alliance salute, then said a phrase in a universal language with a local accent.

"Lord Song Chen, I was sent by Lord Ral. He asked me to inquire about your next plans."

Song Chen looked at the distant sea. The setting sun had dyed the entire sea surface into a strange color between gold and purple. Several distant sailboats floated on the band of light like silhouettes, motionless.

The sea breeze blew up from below the cliffs, carrying a salty taste and a touch of cold.

"How is Lord Ral's health?"

"The recovery is going well." The man took a few steps forward, maintaining a suitable distance from Song Chen.

"Although the main battlefield is fiercely fought, Lord Ral is no longer taking action as frequently as before. Some forces have been transferred from headquarters, and the Nine Luminaries Civilization has also taken the lead."

"He's been in charge of deployments in the rear recently, and he only occasionally goes up to the city wall to take a look. His injuries have subsided."

Song Chen nodded. That wasn't what he actually wanted to ask, but he breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that Lars wasn't personally taking the lead anymore.

He turned around and looked at the Blue Spirit Clan guest: "You just asked me what the next steps are, but I haven't made up my mind yet. Now that you're here, tell me which paths I can take."

"Okay." Lan Lingren nodded, seemingly having been prepared.

"You are now at the eighth-tier Star Crown Realm, which is considered a core force in our alliance's galaxy. It's quite different from when you were at the seventh tier."

"The seventh rank is the lowest level of executors, while the eighth rank is the person who is truly qualified to handle important matters independently."

"The Alliance is more lenient in its arrangements for personnel at the eighth rank and above. In your current situation, you have three options."

"First, you will continue to serve in the Department of Punishment. You are a Punisher by origin, and you are an independent unit. This identity is equivalent to a sword dispatched by the Alliance."

"After you return, your battlefield merits and mission points will continue to accumulate, and with Lord Ral's connections in the Disciplinary Department, you won't suffer in terms of promotion or resources."

Song Chen didn't respond, but listened quietly.

"Second, transfer to the investment department."

"You already hold the title of Punisher in the Alliance, so a transfer to another position shouldn't be too difficult."

"The investment department has greater authority in the Galaxy branch, doesn't usually have to be on the front lines, and has more stable resources."

"With your abilities and your relationship with Lord Ral, you will likely be assigned to the Investment Department as a Regional Investment Officer, responsible for the development and management of a portion of the early civilizations or several resource zones."

"Less risk, higher income, and you get to meet people from higher social strata."

"Most importantly, if there are any issues on your home planet that require maneuvering in the future, the investment department's identity will be much more useful."

To be honest, these arrangements were very touching. After thinking about it carefully, Song Chen asked, "Anything else?"

Lan Lingren smiled and said, "The third option is to go to other departments within the alliance."

"However, as you know, there are many departments within the alliance, but we don't have acquaintances in every department."

"For departments like the legal department, logistics department, and intelligence department, background checks are required to get in, and some also require internal assessments."

"You can give it a try, but it won't be as smooth as the first two paths. Also, the Research Department and the Internal Affairs Department basically don't accept people who transfer from the Disciplinary Department halfway through, unless you have special qualifications."

He fell silent after he finished speaking, standing there patiently, as if waiting for Song Chen to slowly process what he had said.

Song Chen looked at the sea for a while before speaking: "How has the year on the front lines been going?"

Lan Lingren's smile faded, he sighed, and his voice lowered.

"My lord, the situation on the battlefield is completely different from what it was a year ago."

"In the first few months, the Blood Erosion Civilization tried to break through the main defense line of Tian Shu in one fell swoop. They launched a fierce attack for half a year, but failed to take it down."

"Tian Shu's foundation is too strong. Several tenth-level experts from the Nine Luminaries Civilization managed to withstand the direct confrontation."

"Later, the Blood-Eroded Civilization learned its lesson and stopped arbitrarily adding troops to the defense line. Instead, they brought their most valuable assets to the front lines."

Song Chen asked curiously, "What is it?"

"A Blood-Eroded Mother Nest at the peak of the tenth rank." When the Blue Spirit said these words, a clear hint of fear flashed in his purple eyes.

"You may not have heard of it yet, but it is the super war fortress of the strongest of the Blood Erosion Civilization, a living mother nest, with a diameter of three million kilometers."

Song Chen thought she had misheard: "Three million kilometers?"

"Yes." Lan Lingren nodded emphatically.

"It's bigger than many stars. If you'd like, sir, I can show you the latest battlefield footage from the front lines. That thing... can no longer be called a fortress; it's an artificial, dark red star."

Song Chen became interested: "Let's put it down."

The Blue Spirit took out a fingertip-sized psionic storage device from his robe and tapped it in the air.

A soft light emanated from the memory, spreading out a holographic star map before them.

Once the star map is unfolded, it marks the main defensive line of Tian Shu, the Black Dimension Nebula, the Blood Erosion Civilization assembly area, and various battle lines.

Lan Lingren extended a finger and pointed to a spot on the star map: "This is the front of Tian Shu."

He swiped his finger, zooming in on the image. The dark expanse of space outside the Black Dimensional Nebula was brought before the two of them. "Look here."

What Song Chen first saw was a very faint red mist. At first, the mist was just a few wisps, but as the image was magnified further, the red became more and more intense, eventually filling the entire field of vision.

In the center of the red mist, a colossal, chilling silhouette was slowly floating.

It resembles a giant egg with its shell removed, or a slowly pulsating mass of flesh, with countless fleshy tendrils of varying thickness extending outwards, like roots growing from a rotting heart.

The length of those tentacles was immeasurable, and some had already reached near the front lines.

"My lord, look, this is the Blood Erosion Mother Nest at the peak of the tenth rank." The Blue Spirit Man's voice rang out from the side.

"It has a diameter of three million kilometers, and look at all those tiny dots on its surface..."