After delivering the final blow, the space station hidden beyond the planet also exploded into fragments. The enemy's concealment method was extremely unique; not only did it evade the attacks from the Red Sea projection, but they also managed to acquire the Planet-Destroying Weapon from that fleet. Even Lin Ye had failed to detect their covert actions.

Primarily, the explosion of that fleet earlier had interfered with the Parasitism Network's perception ability. Moreover, that location was at a certain distance from the Parasitism Network, which ultimately led to this sneak attack successfully striking Lin Ye's true body.

However, Lin Ye had long considered the scenario of his true body being hit by a High-Energy Ray, which was precisely why he had remained inside the World of Ashes the entire time.

A revealed trump card is no longer a trump card. The enemy had placed a bit too much trust in the power of that high-energy weapon.

After dealing with the army overhead, Lin Ye did not immediately return to the Shelter. There were still some matters here that needed to be wrapped up.

"Thank you so very much. It is you who saved this planet."

Martha walked up to Lin Ye's side. She grasped Lin Ye's right hand with both of her own and pressed her forehead against it.

This was a gesture of respect from the Ancient Country, used only for those held in the highest esteem.

"This was agreed upon beforehand. However, the problem isn't completely resolved yet. I will leave after I've dealt with it."

Lin Ye looked up at the sky. The entire Parasitism Network was experiencing fluctuations. All parasitic organisms raised their heads to gaze at the heavens. At an astronomical distance far, far away, a cataclysm was sweeping through the very center of this Plane.

It was the aftermath of a ritual. Even from such a vast distance, in a matter of seconds, this planet would also be affected.

"...I feel very uneasy."

Xiao Mei, who was standing nearby, suddenly spoke up.

She wasn't someone who liked to voice her inner feelings, but if she didn't express this sensation now, she might be crushed by it.

"If you feel uneasy, then close your eyes. When you open them again, everything will be over."

Sensing the approaching shockwave of some kind of attack, Lin Ye once again took out the Red Sea Tome and the Cross Scripture. This time, he directly used the rule power of the Cross Scripture to open the Red Sea Tome. That crimson sea appeared once more in the sky. The Phantom of that Architecture manifested in the depths of the Red Sea, blocking the aftermath that could have completely altered this planet's ecological structure.

'This is really...'

As the shockwave made contact with the architectural phantom, Lin Ye faintly perceived another world—a completely unknown world.

That structure seemed to be a gateway to that other world. As long as one entered the interior of the structure, they could pass through it and arrive there.

'Who would want to go to such a dangerous place...'

After the shockwave passed, Lin Ye put away both books. He had no desire to remain in close proximity to the Red Sea Tome for long.

"It's all resolved. The Empire likely won't come to trouble you anymore in the future. However, you should have also sensed the shockwave that swept through earlier. That aftermath might affect other planets in this region and could possibly impact your area as well. But dealing with that will be up to you."

After handling the Parasitism Network and bidding farewell to the others, Lin Ye chose to return to the Shelter.

………………………………………

[War Front activity concluded. Obtained Special War Gift Box *1 based on number of enemies eliminated.]

[Please draw today's card.]

"My turn! Draw a card!"

The card drawn this time depicted a brain stored within red liquid. The card dissipated, and a cylindrical vessel containing the brain appeared in the center of the Shelter.

"...So we're finally starting to get things like this?"

Lin Ye picked up the cylindrical vessel, examining the plump, freely swimming brain inside.

"Can you speak?"

The brain did not answer Lin Ye's question.

"Alright, then keep on swimming."

Lin Ye placed the container on the windowsill and then began to examine the loot obtained from this activity.

First was the War Gift Box. Like before, it contained a red-and-black card.

[War Sacrificial Rite]

[Before a war begins, the War Sacrificial Rite can be initiated. The victorious side of the war will receive the blessing of a corresponding deity.]

[Note: The type of deity and blessing is determined by the quality of the sacrificial offering.]

'A blessing... it couldn't be some kind of curse, could it?'

Lin Ye wasn't particularly inclined to use this card. If he were to use it, he would find a war truly worthy of employing such a card.

Putting away the War Sacrificial Rite card, Lin Ye took out that colorful Rule Fragment given to him by Su Yue.

[Anomaly Rule Fragment]

[A very dangerous Rule Fragment.]

[Note: This is not something humans should come into contact with.]

"Just knew she wouldn't give me anything proper."

Lin Ye stored the Rule Fragment. Out of respect for the system's note, he wasn't too keen on using this fragment. Later, he would consult others about the effects of this particular Rule Fragment.

Finally, there was that red Rule Fragment Lin Ye obtained after the war ritual concluded.

[Red Sea—Abyss Rule Fragment]

[This is an artificial Rule Fragment. It has integrated portions of the rule power from both the Red Sea and the Abyss.]

[Note: Can this really still be considered an artificial Rule Fragment?]

'...Huh? Rule Fragments can be named after Planes?'

Lin Ye placed this Rule Fragment into the gift box that once stored the Abyssal Eye. Then, he put the gift box into the basement. He had no desire to integrate this strangely named Rule Fragment.

After dealing with the Rule Fragments, Lin Ye sorted through the other loot. This time, he had also managed to acquire several corpses of tenth-order spiritual energy users. These corpses all had spatial items on them.

After organizing the spatial items, Lin Ye settled the Inheritance Task through the system. During the previous war, he had completed the task of eliminating all enemies.

A white card appeared in the center of the Shelter. Lin Ye picked up the card and checked the system information.

[Efficient Processing]

[Records various efficient methods for handling problems.]

[Note: Contains a large number of unverified ideas. Perhaps you could try some of them.]

Unlike previous skill cards, this was a card that recorded information.

Lin Ye used the card directly. A massive amount of chaotic information flooded into his mind.

"...What the hell is all this stuff?"

Lin Ye stored these chaotic, headache-inducing pieces of information inside a duplicate of his mental parasite. This wasn't a knowledge system, but rather a vast collection of knowledge related to 'efficient processing.' This knowledge touched upon various fields, with the majority being unverified conjectures.

However, this jumbled knowledge did offer Lin Ye some help. He could learn the parts he needed from it.

A white door appeared on the wall of the Shelter. He could now accept the next Inheritance Task.

Lin Ye pushed the door open and entered the Inheritance Space. The Inheritance Space hadn't changed at all; it was still the boundless space of Display Cases. Lin Ye moved through the Display Cases and soon found a rather decent task.