"I wonder just how difficult this 'Disaster Level' mission will be," Luo Feng mused internally. "It seems dangerous, but in reality, it’s a huge opportunity to earn immense military merit."

In the military encampment, everything depended on military merit. To merely eat and wait for death? That path was certain to lead only to death.

Usually, before heading out on a mission, soldiers would use their accumulated merit to exchange for treasures—things like items to quickly restore their divine bodies, crucial life-saving artifacts, or treasures related to mechanical life. But Luo Feng possessed no merit whatsoever, so he had nothing to exchange, naturally freeing him from such worries.

At that same moment.

At one of the supply depots for the Eastern Army—the very depot where Luo Feng and Wu He had obtained the 'Python River Battle Armor'—a heated discussion was taking place.

"Captain, of the remaining military merit we have, the eighteen of us combined barely exceed two hundred and sixty thousand. What should we exchange for?"

"This is a Disaster Level mission happening only once every ten thousand epochs, Captain! We must prioritize exchanging for things that ensure survival."

Outside the main hall of the supply depot, a large contingent—eighteen soldiers led by their Captain—were deliberating their exchanges.

"A bunch of idiots."

Six figures cast a scornful glance toward them as they strode directly into the depot. The Captain and the other eighteen soldiers were instantly infuriated.

"It’s Yu Luo and his group."

"Let them be smug now. I don't believe they'll be lucky again this time."

"Right, Captain. When the crucial moment comes, we’ll give them a taste of our power."

Among the eighteen soldiers led by the Captain, many seethed with indignation.

In a flash.

"Assemble!" As a clear voice echoed across the islands inhabited by every soldier of the First Detachment, Sixth Squad.

Luo Feng, who had been seated atop the stone house, opened his eyes.

"Time to start, is it?" Luo Feng smiled faintly.

Whoosh!

He immediately shot forward, and the moment he left his island's perimeter, he engaged in instantaneous movement, heading directly toward the 'Basic Inheritance Island.'

The entire Python River Army camp was vast, and the central gathering point for mission deployment was invariably the Basic Inheritance Island.

"Galaxy."

"Wu He." As soon as Luo Feng appeared outside the Basic Inheritance Island, he spotted a distinctive monstrous figure flying toward him from nearby, Wu He, whose neck wings were beating rapidly.

Luo Feng glanced toward the island and saw that several soldiers had already arrived.

"Galaxy, I've already looked into the situation," Wu He transmitted upon arrival. "Including us, there are eight of us in our small squad. The original three soldiers weren't unified; they split into three small factions. One is led by the Captain, consisting of seven veteran soldiers. Another is led by Ku Fa, comprising five soldiers. And the third is led by Yu Luo, consisting of six soldiers."

"Oh?" Luo Feng looked at the three-eyed Wu He with surprise.

This Wu He truly was the child of the North True Sea Master; it seemed he had come prepared before even joining the army, having figured out the internal politics shortly after arriving in the Python River Army. Compared to him, Luo Feng felt he was far behind.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

As they spoke, the two of them swiftly flew toward the island.

Landing on the island, they saw over thirty figures already gathered. Luo Feng could easily discern the three distinct cliques just by observing how the soldiers were grouped. The Captain he had seen earlier was in one circle; the relatively benevolent Ku Fa led another; and the third circle appeared cold, sinister, and rather mad.

When Luo Feng and Wu He descended, the gazes from the soldiers in those three circles were far from friendly, clearly signaling them not to approach.

"The Captain is relatively fair," Wu He quietly transmitted. "Ku Fa has the best temper. As for Yu Luo… Yu Luo is that creature entirely green with eighteen hooves. He is bloodthirsty and insane. Most of the monstrous forces in our little squad rally under him. Normally, the three factions might try to recruit us, but with a Disaster Level mission impending, and since we've never trained combined combat secret arts with them, all three factions will reject us for the sake of their own survival."

Luo Feng nodded.

It was normal. These three small groups had endured countless life-or-death battles and had excellent synergy, knowing each other’s capabilities inside out. Suddenly accepting newcomers would only disrupt their established coordination. Even the kindest among them wouldn't take them in.

"Galaxy, Wu He," the Captain stated coldly. "For this Disaster Level mission, you two must rely entirely on yourselves, understood?"

Wu He grinned, his voice hoarse, "We certainly understand."

"Good," the Captain nodded, wasting no further words. In his view, the two newcomers hadn't had enough time to cultivate their inheritances for a Disaster Level mission, nor did they have the merit to exchange for powerful treasures or advanced inheritances. Unless they were incredibly lucky, their doom was sealed.

Whoosh! Screech! Screech!

Figures descended one after another, slotting themselves into the three major groups until all three factions were fully assembled.

"Let's go receive our mission," the Captain commanded.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Roar!

The four distinct groups—led by the Captain, led by Ku Fa, led by Yu Luo, and the pitiful two-man contingent of Luo Feng and Wu He—shot out, followed by a collective instantaneous movement toward their destination.

A gigantic, malevolent hall, entirely black, covered in countless carvings depicting powerful figures.

It took nearly a full day for the entire thirty-member Sixth Squad to reach this location as streaks of light. Upon arrival within the area radiating from the evil hall.

Rumble!

A pillar of light shot down, enveloping every soldier in the Sixth Squad.

Instantly, a voice entered their minds, as if whispered directly, detailing the mission assigned by the army.

The mission location: Nine Smoke Marsh!

The objective: Earn 10,000 military merit. Killing a True God yields 10,000 merit points. Killing a Law Master yields 1 merit point. Proof of killing a True God requires the "True God corpse." Proof of killing a Law Master requires their remnant weaponry.

The mission must be completed before the next scheduled mission; failure results in court-martial.

The mission description was simple. But it caused Luo Feng and Wu He's expressions to shift drastically.

Go to Nine Smoke Marsh to kill True Gods or Law Masters?

"This time we’re in deep trouble. Nine Smoke Marsh—while not as dominant as my father’s North True Sea—is still an incredibly powerful force. There are countless True Gods there, and the number of Law Masters is immeasurable. Are we just walking there to die?" Wu He genuinely panicked. Before accepting the mission, he had been quite confident, believing his strength was substantial enough that even if it were difficult, he could complete it with enough time and effort. But knowing the objective shattered that confidence.

Luo Feng also grew anxious.

What to do?

Accumulate ten thousand military merit!

Luo Feng had glimpsed the Nine Smoke Marsh on his way to join the army—a vast marsh shrouded in perpetual mist. Glancing down from above when he passed, he had faintly seen numerous True God figures. If it were a one-on-one fight, given nearly an entire epoch (until the next mission), by unleashing the full power cultivated over the 8 million epochs, he might have a chance to grind down one True God.

That was, provided the target didn't hide inside a Palace-level Ultimate Treasure!

But...

He had to go to the Nine Smoke Marsh to kill. If he were to kill one True God, the other True Gods in the Marsh wouldn't be fools; they wouldn't simply watch Luo Feng’s group act without intervening. Once they interfered, Luo Feng’s group of eight Law Masters would be effortlessly swept away by just a few True Gods dispatched by the Nine Smoke Marsh.

"This is insane, accumulating ten thousand merit points," Luo Feng thought grimly. "Even killing Law Masters, they'd have to kill a full ten thousand of them..."

"Law Masters in the Nine Smoke Marsh will certainly be heavily guarded. Killing ten might be achievable, but killing more will definitely attract the attention of True Gods. Once surrounded, especially by a large contingent of True Gods, even with the Tomb Ship, I might not escape."

Luo Feng was deeply worried.

In the Sea of Chaos, he had indeed been besieged by numerous Universe Masters, but firstly, there were only so many Universe Masters at that time, and secondly, their power was suppressed.

But here in the Jin World, the Nine Smoke Marsh could easily summon hundreds of True Gods, and their power would be unrestrained. His Tomb Ship might not guarantee escape.

"It's too reckless."

"Fortunately, fortunately, army missions... Void True Gods won't participate," Luo Feng inwardly sighed. "Otherwise, there would be zero hope."

Army missions...

The military, the monstrous forces, and the tribal forces all operated under certain unspoken rules. For instance, when the army dispatched a small squad to attack a territory, it was framed as 'training.' Luo Feng’s squad posed no threat to the entire Nine Smoke Marsh, so the three Void True Gods of the Marsh would absolutely not intervene.

However, True Gods could participate!

"Success will be incredibly difficult, but failure..." Luo Feng was concerned.

Failure meant immediate execution by military law!

Given the army’s authority across the entire Jin World, one decree would make every tribal and monstrous faction their enemy; escaping would be impossible.

Of course, possessing 100,000 military merit could buy them their lives—the principle of 'merit offsetting transgression.' But 100,000 merit points? Not just for Luo Feng and Wu He, but even the veteran soldiers didn't possess that much; if they did, they would have already used it to enhance their own strength.

The entire squad remained silent outside the evil hall for a moment.

Everyone felt the pressure.

"Everyone understands," the Captain scanned the group. "The mission specifies the location. This means the True Gods and Law Masters we must kill must belong to the Nine Smoke Marsh. After the battle, when we return, the army will contact the Nine Smoke Marsh to verify our achievements."

"If the target wasn't specified as the Nine Smoke Marsh, we could cooperate and easily kill one True God."

"Killing them one by one would take time, but success would be guaranteed. But since it must be the Nine Smoke Marsh, we risk being besieged by their vast numbers of True Gods. Once trapped in a siege, escape would be impossible, and death certain," the Captain surveyed the group. "Therefore, I believe this time, we must cooperate."