Five days later, the expansion of the Human and Divine races reached a plateau, with the Divine City firmly rooted on the planet Fener.

The area within a ten-kilometer radius surrounding the ten cities had been cleared by the troops. All dangerous lifeforms—beasts, venomous insects, man-eating trees, and the like—were eliminated and sent through the Stargate to the Zerg for waste utilization. Even flocks of flying creatures like the Aerodactyls recognized the cities as places not to be trifled with, migrating away and ceasing to appear overhead.

Yet, the wilderness beyond the ten-kilometer mark remained as fierce as ever, teeming with aggressive, savage creatures. Small exploration teams venturing farther out faced the constant threat of attack. Only the most skilled Divine warriors, those versed in combat techniques, were dispatched to those distant regions, always led by at least one ordinary member of the High Council. Even so, they often returned covered head-to-toe in blood, looking like walking crimson figures.

There were three hundred and sixty ordinary members in the High Council. All of them could draw upon the collective spiritual enhancement of the Divine populace via the psychic network. Currently, this collective boost was just over one hundred thousand. This translated to every ordinary member possessing a third-level psionic intensity, given that the Divine beings themselves possessed a third-level soul essence, allowing for a direct leap from the second to the third level without needing to overcome a bottleneck—only sufficient psychic power was required for instantaneous advancement.

As for the thirty-six core members of the High Council, each received a spiritual enhancement of one million. They had already achieved the realm of the Third Level Peak, and although they were just entering this new door, the Divine Sanctuary's inherited psychic cultivation and combat techniques enabled them to fully unleash the power of the Third Level Peak.

Whenever Yang Ying considered the pace of the High Council’s development, he couldn't help but express his admiration. This surge of power didn't just come from population growth among the Divine beings; it increased through the relentless cultivation of every Divine warrior. Every increment in a Divine being’s personal strength resulted in a corresponding increase in the collective enhancement.

In the evening, Yang Ying strolled with Catherina to watch the sunset. In the western sky, the entire expanse of red clouds framed a deep crimson sphere slowly descending behind the mountains. As they admired the view and whispered sweet nothings, they gradually wandered toward the outskirts of the city. There, they encountered the Zealot Tyrrot returning with a contingent of troops. Bathed in the blood-red sunlight, the group of Divine warriors was indeed drenched in gore, coated in viscous blood, to the point where no color other than red was discernible.

Tyrrot was the first Zealot of the Divine race, the very first warrior Yang Ying had created. Among the entire Divine race, only Odin held seniority over him. Now, Tyrrot was a core member of the High Council, his mastery of psychic combat techniques considered unsurpassed. With twin swords in hand, dispatching a beast horde numbering over a thousand was a matter of mere minutes.

Catherina instantly turned away. Although as a medical corpsman she wasn't afraid of blood, seeing the Divine warriors completely enveloped in thick gore—some of it already congealed into purple clumps—always made her uneasy as a young woman.

Yang Ying patted her hand, his expression unchanged, and greeted Tyrrot: "Good haul, I see."

Tyrrot answered with a psychic ripple that vibrated the air: "Indeed, Speaker Yang. We took down over three thousand, including dozens exceeding a thousand tons."

The Speaker of the High Council was the Brilliant Administrator Cass, but since Yang Ying was Cass’s original form, the Divine beings also addressed Yang Ying as Speaker, granting him equal standing.

Only after Tyrrot and his team disappeared around the street corner did Catherina turn back, still shaken. "That’s terrifying. They are covered in so much blood. Don't they feel uncomfortable? The Divine race has plasma shields; stopping the blood should be easy. Tyrrot is a Peak Master; even without the shields, he should be able to keep blood off himself."

Yang Ying chuckled. "It's not a question of whether they can stop it, but that the Divine race has a different concept than humans. The Divine warriors see the enemy's blood as a mark of their prowess and won't intentionally ward it off."

Catherina pondered this. "If people on Earth knew this, wouldn't most of them consider it barbaric?"

"Not at all," Yang Ying shook his head. "Consider this: hunting has always been a noble sport. Displaying the flesh and blood of your quarry—whether smearing the blood on your body or mounting the animal’s head in your room—is a testament to your courage and strength. This stems from the primal instinct of the strong preying on the weak, aligning with the laws of nature."

He paused, seemingly feeling his explanation was insufficient, and continued: "In ancient times, when all races lacked technology, survival was a desperate struggle. If you didn't carve out a path by the strength of your hands, you wouldn't live. Barbarism didn't exist then. Now that technology has advanced and resources are abundant, the need to stain one's hands with blood for survival has passed, leading to complacency. They call staining oneself with blood 'barbaric' and replace simple instincts with material excess and complex scheming. Little do they realize they are drifting further from their natural spirit. The Divine race is merely preserving that natural spirit..."

"Is that natural too? But they've killed millions of various beasts these past few days. Aren't they destroying nature?" Catherina asked, confused.

To Catherina's surprise, Yang Ying directly admitted: "We have indeed been disrupting nature these few days."

Catherina looked puzzled. Yang Ying took her hand and led her to a nearby tree stump to sit. This stump had a diameter of over two meters, its dense growth rings indicating it was at least three hundred years old. Yet, it had been unceremoniously felled during the city's expansion. Fener planet was replete with trees of similar age, many far older.

After they sat, Yang Ying resumed: "There is an unavoidable fact: to this planet, we are external invaders. There is no place for us in this planet's natural order. Didn't you notice how the surrounding beasts fled in a panicked rush when we first landed, only to return shortly after with larger packs? In a way, this is nature’s rejection of us. The Divine race still has much to do to survive on Fener. This is only the beginning."

"Does nature have a mind?" Catherina asked.

"It does," Yang Ying replied seriously. "Of course, it's not the same as human thought. Nature is not an intelligent life form, but as a Peak Master, I can sense its ill will toward us. It’s because our existence is fundamentally incompatible with this nature, much like foreign bacteria invading a human body, which is then rejected by the body’s immune system that spontaneously seeks to eliminate the invaders."

"I understand." Catherina nodded in comprehension. As a medical corpsman, the analogy of bacteria made it easier for her to grasp.

"Fortunately, we are stronger bacteria. This planet’s immune system cannot defeat us," Yang Ying joked, eliciting a soft laugh from Catherina. "The destruction of the environment around the cities over these few days is to carve out a base area least affected by nature for our future development. Only from this foothold can the Divine race gain the time needed to integrate into nature, or even reshape this nature to accept us."

After a moment of silence, Catherina sighed softly. "I hope the Divine race can integrate into nature quickly, preserving this planet's ecological structure as completely as possible." She rested her head against Yang Ying’s chest, feeling the warmth, a profound peace settling in her heart.

Yang Ying nodded. "Naturally. The Divine race integrates with nature far more readily than humans; it just takes a little time. If you return to Fener later, perhaps you will see lush jungles and Divine architecture perfectly merged."

Catherina looked up. "Are we going back to the Solar System?"

"Yes, tomorrow," Yang Ying smiled. "Look, establishing cities, collecting flora and fauna samples, surveying minerals, gathering every piece of information possible—all these tasks are already on track. We’ve also had time to fully take in Fener’s scenery: we've visited the highest peaks, the deepest canyons, the most beautiful lakes, seen sunrises and sunsets, watched the ocean surge. That should be enough. While there are other sights, trying to see everything at once makes the latter parts tedious. We’ll save those for next time."

"As you wish," Catherina smiled gently. "I’ve been away for over a month; I’m starting to miss the Solar System, and I miss Baibai. I wonder how dire her situation as an exiled princess has become. I really want to see her."

"It’s time to check in. She’s changed a great deal after three weeks of etiquette lessons from Sissily Landon; she’s very different from when we left."

Yang Ying had been monitoring Baibai’s situation constantly through the Blade. Sissily Landon was still under observation, and whether she could be trusted required continued vigilance. During this period, the Blade never let Landon leave its sight. Fortunately, Landon, being a Peak Master, required no sustenance and spent her days meditating in quietude after teaching Baibai, avoiding many potentially awkward situations.

The next morning, Yang Ying and Catherina boarded the Behemoth. Not many people were there to see them off on the landing pad—only a few core members of the High Council. Yang Ying preferred no fanfare.

Upon arriving on the bridge, Catherina suddenly recalled something. "Commander, what about the three explorers, Worengas and the others?"

"They were sent to the Solar System through the portal several days ago," Yang Ying replied. "The General Staff needed their knowledge up close, so they were called to act as consultants."

"I see," Catherina nodded.

"We're taking off!" Howard announced.

The Behemoth lifted off the ground, ascended to an altitude of about a thousand meters, flashed with light, and plunged into hyperspace, racing toward the Solar System.

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