821 Aesop“s Fully Automated Enemy Radar

The blue colored planet, Planet Aquamarine, slowly rotated with spaceships constantly
flying out from within the planet, leaving behind light trails as they departed.

The sun shone down on the tall buildings of the capital, and the windows reflected the
blue sky and white clouds. Trains roared along the tracks, and anti-gravity suspension
vehicles weaved within the city. There was a sense of liveliness within the city, a
beautiful and prosperous sight.

At the terminal of Black Star City, Bennett stood there with a group of people in wait.

He stood by the window, observing the scenery of the vibrant capital outside. A sense of
relief was seen on Bennett’s face.

With Han Xiao helping Planet Aquamarine break into the Shattered Star Ring
Civilization Conference, many of the financial groups and organizations began to pay
more attention to the development prospects of Planet Aquamarine. This brought about
a new round of development opportunities, with the frequent trade circulation resulting
in the increasing prosperity of the planet.

As for the citizens, after experiencing so many hardships, they finally began to smile at
the thought of better days. The more the people enjoyed the happiness and fortune
brought to Planet Aquamarine, the more they worshipped their guardian Black Star,
who had brought all this to them.

A spaceship flew into the dock, and its hatch opened. Nero walked out, accompanied by
a few soldiers, and the moment he saw Bennett, his expression softened. He ran as fast
as his short legs could to Bennett.

“Dad!”

Bennett turned around, looking down toward him with a hint of suspicion on his face.
“Why did you come back so soon? What did Black Star bring you into the universe
for?”
Nero scratched his head, his tone downcast. “We only studied Mechanic theories most
of the time. Godfather only took me out to play a few days before throwing me aside…”

Han Xiao had taken the majority of troops over to the Flickering World, and it was
unknown when he could return, so he naturally left Nero behind, instructing Sylvia to
send some people to accompany him back to Planet Aquamarine.

As he spoke, Nero seemed frustrated.

“Mr. Reynold said that this time was a vacation for me, and he even gave me homework
to do during this time. He said that I can only come back for two months. Following
that, he’ll send someone over to pick me up so that I can continue studying under him.”

Having received Han Xiao’s command, Reynold taught Nero whenever Han Xiao was
not around. He seriously performed this duty, and he had already planned out the
curriculum of the year in advance.

“It’s a rare chance that Black Star is willing to groom and nurture you. Don’t let him
down.” Bennett laughed and squatted so that his eyes were level with Nero’s. Looking
at his child kindly, he said, “Tell me what you experienced in the universe outside.”

Twisting his fingers, Nero recounted his experiences. He sounded excited because while
the homework he got from Han Xiao was boring, it was still his first time outside
exploring the universe. He had seen many strange and interesting things, and he was
still quite satisfied overall with the trip.

Bennett listened and nodded, sighing secretly to himself.

He could feel that Han Xiao had taken an interest in Nero. It was not just because this
kid was his child, but rather, he seemed to have a talent that Han Xiao appreciated, so
Bennett was quite proud of this.

His child could actually display such talents. It seemed that he had some superior genes.
Bennett began to seriously consider if he should go for a second child.
He was not willing to see this in a utilitarian manner, but if he put the future of Planet
Aquamarine into consideration, if he had a few more talented children, with all of them
studying under Han Xiao, Planet Aquamarine would have even stronger ties with Black
Star himself.

While he might be old, his body that was forged with Pugilist skills was still lively, full
of ‘ammunition’.

Among the list of most charming men, the Planet Aquamarine leader Bennett ranked
second overall, which showed the love and support he received from the people. The
hearts of the citizens were one thing; in addition, his status, age, and fit body formed the
vibe of a stable and mature man, which was attractive to the women.

As for the number one on the list… it was without doubt Han Xiao. This position was
something that no one could move or shake no matter what. With so many
achievements, it did not matter what angle they looked at him from—they still found
him handsome.

Before long, Nero spoke till his throat was parched, and he finally heaved a sigh. He
was still excited over the happenings in the universe.

Bennett stopped him, rubbing his hair as he stood up. “Ok, that’s enough. When we
have more time, I’ll talk in detail with you. You should return home to rest. I’m still
waiting for someone here.”

A look of surprise crossed Nero’s face. “Aren’t you here to pick me up?”

Bennett shook his head in response, looking at the universe far above from the window.

“I’m waiting for someone even more important.”

At the same time, in the extreme end of Planet Aquamarine’s area of influence, a deep
blue spaceship was shuttling through the universe in hyperdrive, quickly approaching
Planet Aquamarine.
“So, this is Planet Aquamarine, Black Star’s mother planet…”

Within the cabin, a lifeform with deep blue skin stared at the screen, his tone pleasant.
He was the captain of this spaceship, and he possessed four arms and three eyes, similar
to the rest of the crew.

This entire spaceship consisted of members from the Star Pupil Holy Race.

The captain turned around to survey the crew before coldly remarking, “Black Star had
stolen our national treasure, and this is a humiliation to our entire race. Our leaders are
weak, not daring to do this nor that. But we, the Avitan Souls, dare!”

The captain’s voice was sonorous, and all the crew showed excited expressions, holding
their weapons tightly.

“Because of the Evolution Cube, our Planet Avitan suffered an attack, and countless
compatriots died. Our loved ones and friends are still trapped within this disaster. So
many of them died, just so the Evolution Cube would not fall into the hands of others!
Thus, this war crime is not just pinned on EsGod but also on Black Star!”

The captain pointed toward the direction of Planet Aquamarine before growling. “Only
by spilling the fresh blood for revenge can we allow Black Star to regret his shameless
behavior, allowing him to understand the humiliation he has submitted the Star Pupil
Holy Race to. The despair he has left for us, we’ll take it from him!”

Many of the crew members roared with hatred.

Initially, in order to lure the tiger away from the mountains, they literally washed the
entire Planet Avitan in blood. This disaster was the most painful memory of the Star
Pupil Holy Race, and a few of the survivors had lost their minds because of hatred and
turned into extremists. Thus, an extremist group was born, and they called themselves
‘Avitan Souls’. These extremists were basically almost made up of the survivors of the
Avitan, especially those who had closed ones and friends who died within the disaster.
Because they had lost their national treasure, the Evolution Cube, Psyker’s prestige
among the Star Pupil Holy Race had plummeted. The extremists who bore huge pain
blamed Psyker for his incompetence and deeply hated the culprit, EsGod. Because the
root of the disaster was due to the Evolution Cube, many of their comrades had
sacrificed their lives. Thus, the Avitan Souls had developed a morbid obsession with the
Evolution Cube, turning their hate toward Black Star, who had taken it.

The Evolution Cube was the treasure of their country in the eyes of the Star Pupil Holy
Race. This impression had persisted for a long time, and now that the Evolution Cube
had switched owners, the Star Pupil Holy Race treated Han Xiao with enmity. As for
the Avitan Souls, they were even more extreme. Since Psyker was unable to retrieve the
Evolution Cube, as though he was afraid of the dynasty retaliating, the Avitan Souls lost
all faith in Psyker and decided to take matters into their own hands.

Upon hearing that Han Xiao would be taking his officers out for a trip for a long time,
the Avitan Souls felt that their opportunity had arrived. Thus, they took the chance to
plan an attack on Black Star’s mother planet, to execute their revenge, allowing Black
Star to only be able to watch as his homeland was being destroyed.

Since Planet Aquamarine was part of the Shattered Star Ring Civilization Conference,
even Psyker could not move rashly against them. Of course, these sorts of rules that
bound the upper echelons were not considered at all by the extremists since they were
outliers. They disregarded rules, as well as consequences, and only inflicted destruction
as everything of theirs had been destroyed.

While Psyker was regarded as the best leader of the Star Pupil Holy Race thus far, he
was not a god and could not control the thoughts of every one of his clansmen. Every
race would always have a few people who were more inclined toward extreme
measures, drowned by hatred. This was something that even the advanced civilization of
the Star Pupil Holy Race could not avoid.

The captain turned to his first mate. “How are the weapons?”

The first mate nodded. “The five high-class psionic energy bombs are enough to
annihilate the entire planet. They’re ready to be deployed at any time.”

“Very good. It is said that this sort of ammunition can destroy a continent with just one
bomb. Three is enough to destroy the planet’s surface, and our objective is to ensure all
five land on Planet Aquamarine, allowing this planet to accompany us in our demise.
Let them feel our pain!” The captain’s tone was sinister; they did not plan to leave alive.

While those high-class Psionic Energy bombs could not compare to the Primordial
Psionic Energy Bombs, they were still restricted weapons prohibited by the three major
Universe Civilizations because they left terrible psionic pollution. Only Star Cluster
Civilizations would possess such a thing generally.

The Avitan Souls were an organization that had only recently been established and did
not possess any technological or scientific strength. The bomb was actually quietly
funded by someone belonging to a civilization within the area where the Star Pupil Holy
Race was located.

This civilization had always been wary of the rising Star Pupil Holy Race, and because
they had the backing of the Arcane Church, no one could act against them. However,
the Avitan Souls were an opportunity for them to frame the Star Pupil Holy Race. Thus,
they used this borrowed knife to try and cause trouble in the Star Pupil Holy Race.

Just as the captain was about to strike, a blip appeared on their radar, and the artificial
intelligence of the ship sent out a notification.

“Warning! A large, unidentified object is approaching!”

Everyone turned their heads toward the porthole to look, seeing a huge floating island
swimming in the universe toward them.

“Floating Dragon Island?” The captain recognized this homeless floating island and was
confused over why it had appeared there, as though it was proceeding toward Planet
Aquamarine.

Floating Dragon Island slowly moved toward the deep blue spaceship. Comparing the
two was just like comparing an elephant to a sesame seed.

“Let’s move away. Don’t obstruct Floating Dragon.”

The captain quickly gave the command. Floating Dragon was a neutral force and would
not actively attack any passing spaceship. He planned to pause his operation for the time
being, waiting for Floating Dragon to leave before continuing.

The spaceship was positioned below the entire island, and from the window, they could
only see the rocks that made up the foundation of the island but not its entirety.

The pilot raised the spaceship and flew above the foundations of the island, level with
the city line.

Everyone within the cabin got a rude shock at this time. They found out that in the most
conspicuous position of the island, Ames stood there in a black dress, staring straight at
them!

“She’s looking at us?”

Just as this thought passed by their minds, an unparalleled force field descended on
them.

Hong!

Blood flowers blossomed!

The bodies of all the Star Pupil Holy Race members were squashed and turned into piles
of meat. They died without warning on the spot.

On the harbor of Floating Dragon Island, Ames casually waved her hand, dispelling the
field before speaking to Vilna by her side. “Search the spaceship. See if there are any
dangerous weapons within.”

“Yes.” Vilna immediately deployed her people.

Ames then turned to look at Aesop by her side, her brows slightly furrowed.
“Are you sure that the people within this spaceship planned to harm Planet
Aquamarine? I didn’t kill wrongly, right?”

Aesop only stroked his beard as he laughed. “When you spoke about moving Floating
Dragon over, I did a divination a few days ago. These people are the natives of Psyker’s
race, and it seems that because of the issue with the Evolution Cube, they wish to
eradicate Planet Aquamarine as revenge against Black Star. They did not succeed in the
end as they were destroyed by the anti-space defense of Black Star, but since we’re
here, let’s just do him a favor.”

Ames shook her head helplessly. “I didn’t expect to have become a guard for his
house.”

Aesop stared at her in surprise. “Didn’t you move Floating Dragon here to help him
defend Planet Aquamarine?”

“Oh, this is to obtain the greatest benefits for Floating Dragon. Furthermore, I’m
strengthening our alliance. How is this of his concern? Even if it’s for someone else, it
would have to be for my two students.” Ames turned around to leave, her dress spiraling
like a blooming black flower.

Aesop sent Ames off with his eyes before turning to Jenny.

“We’re almost here. Notify them.”

Jenny nodded without any change in her expression.

Bennett continued standing by the dock, his head raised as he observed the endless
universe.

A huge shadow suddenly blotted out the sun. It spread quickly, covering the entire dock
in an instant.
One only saw a humongous floating island appear in their vision, leisurely cruising
toward Planet Aquamarine.

Bennett smiled.

“The VIP is finally here.”

822 Handle

Floating Dragon floated beside Planet Aquamarine like a gigantic satellite, and the
citizens on the ground could see a gigantic floating island in the sky if they looked up.
Numerous individuals could not help but stop what they were doing and look up at the
sky with shock on their faces.

“What’s that? Why does it seem so familiar?”

“Mummy! I have seen it in the encyclopedia before. That’s the legendary Floating
Dragon Island. It drifts around in space! The palace of Dragon Emperor!” A young
excited voice exclaimed while pointing at the sky.

“Oh! So, it’s Ames.”

After Planet Aquamarine broke free from Godora’s information lockdown, the
knowledge of the citizens rose rapidly in the ten subsequent years. They all had basic
understanding toward the famous characters in the Shattered Star Ring and were
extremely familiar with Ames because of Han Xiao.

The citizens all knew that she was once Black Star’s superior and knew that they could
only connect to the galaxy because of Floating Dragon’s protection. Thus, Ames and
Floating Dragon had a special position in the hearts of the citizens.
Upon witnessing Floating Dragon Island approach Planet Aquamarine, many of the
citizens could not help be both surprised and curious. They immediately called their
friends to inform them of the news, and a huge commotion was created.

The various financial groups stationed on Planet Aquamarine had also noticed Floating
Dragon’s presence and were extremely surprised. They approached the Planet
Aquamarine government to find out what was going on.

At the same time, Ames and the others arrived at the dock in a small spaceship to meet
Bennett.

“Your Excellency Dragon Emperor, Planet Aquamarine welcomes your arrival.”

Bennett bowed and spoke with reverence in his voice.

He was extremely familiar with Han Xiao, and they had known each other for over
twenty years. Thus, he could naturally behave more casually around Han Xiao.
However, he was not familiar with Ames, and even though Bennett knew that Han Xiao
had a good relationship with Ames, he would not dare overstep his bounds.

Ames waved her arm to indicate that Bennett did not need to be so polite. She then said
with a smile, “Black Star should have informed you of my request, and you should have
contacted Jenny as well.”

Bennett nodded. He had received news from Han Xiao a while ago and knew that
Floating Dragon was about to be stationed near Planet Aquamarine. He had been truly
shocked when he heard the news and was overjoyed shortly after. He knew that this was
a rare opportunity and hurriedly mobilized manpower to work together with Floating
Dragon.

He kept the matter a secret according to Ames’ wishes and only planned to announce
the matter to the public after Floating Dragon’s arrival. The abruptness of the news
would be beneficial to breaking everyone’s impression of Floating Dragon and also
establishing a new image.

As such, Bennett did not announce the matter to the citizens of Planet Aquamarine
beforehand.
“I will hold a press conference in the name of Planet Aquamarine and announce that
Floating Dragon will be setting up their base here.”

“How long do you need to get it done?”

“I only need a couple of hours. Some of the galactic media groups have their reporters
stationed here, and it won’t take too long for me to invite them. What do you think?”

Ames then nodded to indicate her approval. Floating Dragon would remain there for a
long period of time, and the reason for her arrival today was to attend the press
conference.

“Right, I met with some extremists from the Star Pupil Holy Race just now. They were
roaming around the vicinity of Planet Aquamarine and had dangerous explosives loaded
up on their spaceship. It seems as though they intended to ambush Planet Aquamarine,
so I killed them out of convenience. A recording is present on their spaceship, and I
shall hand them over to you.”

Bennett was taken aback.

The Star Pupil Holy Race… This should be because of Black Star right? They have
transferred their hatred for Black Star to Planet Aquamarine.

“I will inform His Excellency Black Star,” Bennett said with a grave tone. This matter
involved the race of another Beyond Grade A Super, so it was not appropriate for the
leader of a civilization that had not even reached the Star System level to handle it.
Thus, he was prepared to ask for Han Xiao’s opinion.

Although this matter was stopped in time, it could be said that the innocent Planet
Aquamarine had been implicated because of Black Star. Planet Aquamarine had once
suffered from a similar catastrophe before when Stephanie, who was under Thousand
Shadows, had tried to cause chaos on the planet to deal with Black Star.
However, Bennett did not have any complaints. He was extremely clear that since they
wanted to enjoy the benefits that Black Star brought to them, they would also be
targeted by Black Star’s enemies. There was no such thing as a free lunch.

The battle between those high up above was like a raging storm, and the current Planet
Aquamarine was just like a little boat in the ocean. They would be easily capsized if
they were not careful, with all of them ending up dead. However, it would be extremely
cowardly for them to throw away the opportunity for their civilization to rise and cut off
all ties with their own protector. Perhaps the leaders of the Six Nations would have
considered such a choice, but Bennett definitely would not waver.

With Floating Dragon’s arrival and a Beyond Grade A Super being stationed there, the
safety of Planet Aquamarine would be increased by a few different levels, and no one
would treat Planet Aquamarine as Black Star’s weakness anymore.

Bennett naturally did not know Ames’ intentions for coming to Planet Aquamarine.
Thus, he felt that Han Xiao was definitely behind this matter. If not, Ames would not
have shown Planet Aquamarine such a great deal of face. As such, he could not help but
admire Han Xiao for his foresight.

Three hours later, many different galactic reporters were gathered in a hall, awaiting the
start of the press conference.

“The Planet Aquamarine government called for a press conference shortly after Floating
Dragon’s appearance. Their agenda today is probably related to Floating Dragon.”

“It is probably going to be big news.”

“It can’t be right? Floating Dragon is always drifting around in space and will never
stay in a single place for long. It shouldn’t be anything special for them to arrive at
Planet Aquamarine, right?”

The reporters then saw a couple of workers carry some equipment in and set up a live
broadcast station in the room.
Everyone could not help but be startled when they saw that.

They wanted to have a live broadcast to the entire planet. Only a large matter would
require a live broadcast.

Just when everyone was guessing what the announcement would be about, the doors to
the hall opened wide. Upon turning around to take a look, everyone’s expression froze
in place with a look of shock on their faces.

The individual walking in was not the usual media department of the Planet
Aquamarine government but the leader of the government making a personal
appearance. Beside him was a famous character whose name shook the entire Star Field
—Dragon Emperor Ames.

All the reporters were truly shocked. Why would Ames appear in the Planet
Aquamarine government’s press conference?

They then watched as Bennett and Ames walked onto the stage.

“There is something that I must announce to the entire Star Field.” Bennett cleared his
throat and said with a solemn tone, “From today on, Floating Dragon will remain
outside of Planet Aquamarine’s atmosphere for the long run, and I represent the Planet
Aquamarine government in welcoming our new neighbor.”

Before everyone could even react, Ames said, “Floating Dragon has been drifting for
too long, and I have decided to stop it from drifting. From today on, this place shall be
Floating Dragon’s main camp.”

Pin drop silence filled the place, and everyone was truly dumbfounded.

Boom!

The entire hall burst into an uproar!

All the reporters were trembling from excitement!

This was a huge scoop!

News of Floating Dragon setting up a base spread throughout the entire Shattered Star
Ring like wildfire, and all the organizations were in shock.

For the Floating Dragon to stop drifting, it could only mean that Ames was going to set
up a proper organization. However, this was not the piece of news that puzzled people
the most. The most shocking piece of news was the fact that the address for her new
base was on Black Star’s mother planet!

All the large organizations knew that the most eye-catching base of the Black Star Army
was their headquarters, which was usually located at Planet Golden Gate. After Han
Xiao obtained a seat in the Civilization Conference through the name of Planet
Aquamarine, many individuals all felt that Planet Aquamarine would become Black
Star’s second base.

Just what was Floating Dragon thinking, setting up their main camp in Black Star’s
main camp?

Did this mean that both Beyond Grade A organizations were going to have an even
closer relationship?

No, there was definitely something more to this!

Back when Heber challenged Black Star, Black Star had joined hands with the Dragon
Emperor. Furthermore, the alliance between the Black Star Army and Floating Dragon
was something that everyone in the Shattered Star Ring was aware about. But even if
both parties were allies, their scope of operations were still clearly defined and did not
clash with each other. Black Star Army had many branches while Floating Dragon
drifted around without a fixed location.
But now, Floating Dragon had chosen to stay on Planet Aquamarine. They were not
setting up a casual branch but their main base!

For an organization at the level of the Black Star Army and Floating Dragon, they
would not set up their main base at the same location if there was not a special reason.
They would only set up a branch in the territory of their ally at the very most. However,
Dragon Emperor had shifted her base over to Black Star’s mother planet, and her
intention obviously was not to fight over territory with Black Star.

This signified their absolute trust in each other!

They both believed that the other party would not betray them. If not, they would never
expose their backs to each other. Such a level of trust was extremely rare among
galactic organizations.

The relationship that both parties had displayed had already exceeded the realm of
ordinary allies. They were close to the point that all the organizations could not help but
think of another possibility. Could it be that there was a chance for both organizations to
merge?

No Beyond Grade A Super would be willing to be a subordinate to another Beyond

Grade A Super usually. Apart from submitting and working together, there was another
relationship that was extremely common among normal beings but extremely rare
among Beyond Grade A Supers…

The various organizations were not just letting their imaginations run wild but were
making deductions based on the history between Black Star and the Dragon Emperor.
Furthermore, Black Star had even taken Ames along with him to the Dynasty Ruler a
while back!

This was a dangerous signal.

If both parties really merged together, an organization with unprecedented power would
be born in the Shattered Star Ring, and the balance of the Shattered Star Ring would
change greatly.
Back then, many organizations wished to drive a wedge between the Black Star Army
and Floating Dragon, but they had failed. Now, many organizations still were not
willing to see Floating Dragon and the Black Star Army become even closer.

Since this matter involved their interests, many organizations could not help but be
alarmed.

On the contrary, many financial groups were extremely excited by this piece of news.

The development potential of Planet Aquamarine was pretty good before this, and with
the addition of Floating Dragon’s presence, Planet Aquamarine’s potential had
exploded.

All the financial groups that had cooperated with Planet Aquamarine early on injected
another round of funds, and many other financial groups began to approach Planet
Aquamarine to seek cooperation.

The citizens of Planet Aquamarine naturally would not reject it and were all filled with
surprise.

In the Flickering World, rays of hyperdrive light sliced through the universe and
stopped outside the atmosphere of a purple planet. This was the fleet that Han Xiao was
in.

The majority of their manpower had already been sent out to explore other undiscovered
planets, resulting in the small size of the fleet.

This purple planet was one of the transit stations in Han Xiao’s memories and was the
target that he was prepared to explore. It was called Planet Pangurus in his previous life.
Because the unexplored regions did not have a stargate, the fleet took quite some time to
arrive.

“We have arrived at our destination. Army Commander, please give us your next
orders.”

Aurora stood up straight and pretended to mimic the voice of a soldier making a report,
but before she could finish her sentence, she could not hold back her laughter.

“The engineering team should set up a stargate here, and the detection fleet should
revolve around the planet to create a map. Make use of the detection devices to sense
the presence of life and the resources on the planet. We will allow our exploratory squad
to set off after the map is completed…”

Before Han Xiao could finish what he had to say, Phillip’s voice sounded in his head
and interrupted him.

“Master, there is an emergency message from Planet Aquamarine, hum…”

The message then appeared in his quantum network. It was news that was sent by
Bennett. Bennett had reported about successfully receiving Floating Dragon and also
mentioned about the Avitan Souls incident together with a recording of what happened
in the spaceship, asking him how the matter should be handled.

Han Xiao immediately frowned.

“Psyker didn’t provoke me, but there are people within his race who want to deal with
me. Avitan Souls? There seems to be a small organization by that name. Don’t they hate
EsGod? Why have I been dragged into this? They even want to commit suicide and
destroy an entire planet? Is there really a need for such hatred? They are truly a
ferocious bunch. Also, where did their psionic explosives come from?”

Han Xiao was a little helpless. This was one of the side effects of him obtaining the
Evolution Cube. He was not too bothered by such an extremist organization. Everyone’s
mental capacity was limited, and both war and calamities were the best way to cause the
formation of an extremist group. Logic was not the only way for a living being to judge
the things around them, and their emotions were usually more powerful than logic.
However, the vengeful actions of these extremists did Psyker a favor.

Han Xiao shook his head. He was not planning to pretend that nothing had happened.

Since Planet Aquamarine had a seat in the Civilization Conference, it was akin to them
gaining the privileges of a Star System Civilization, and they would also be protected by
the Peace Treaty. This was a good opportunity for him to exploit.

He then gave a reply to Bennett.

“Preserve the evidence and contact Purple Crystal on my behalf. Bring this matter to the
Shattered Star Ring Civilization Conference and expose it to all the civilizations. I will
take care of the rest.”

Although this matter would not do anything to Psyker, it would still disgust him for
sure.

A small extremist group of his race personally delivering an excuse and the evidence to
his hands. In the end, the entire Star Pupil Holy Race would have to take the blame for
the matter. Who knew how Psyker would feel about this matter?

823 Natives
After giving instructions to Bennett, Han Xiao left the quantum network and returned to
reality to monitor the work on Planet Pangurus.
The engineering fleet began constructing stargates outside the atmosphere, and the small
detection squad revolved around the planet to scan the planet’s situation.
Very quickly, a holographic figure of Planet Pangurus was created with the details being
perfected rapidly. Han Xiao and the other officers watched as the holographic planet
became more and more detailed.

Not too long later, the detection fleet returned; they had completed their first round of
exploration.

Detailed figures of the planet were shown on the maps including the gravity pull,
atmosphere breakdowns, climate, size, and ocean ratio.

Apart from this, the 3D map was also demarcated into various regions by color to
indicate the different resources located on the planet and the locations where lifeforms
had gathered.

Aurora read the report.

“This planet is extremely rich in common resources, and apart from that, there are
plenty of rare resources underground such as Dark Gold Mines, Purple Silver Mines,
Origin Crystal Mines, and a dozen of different rare materials. These are the important
materials for magical Star Systems, and its market price is 60 Enas for 10,000 tons. This
planet has billions of tons in the mines…

“At the extreme north of the planet, we also detected about 800,000 tons of the rare
mountain essence. Every ton is priced around 6,000 Enas. We also discovered some
ingots that had spiritual energy stored within them. There isn’t much, and they should
be worth about 1,200,000,000 Enas…”

Han Xiao listened for a moment before nodding. “Give me an estimate of the planet’s
value.”

“According to our initial scans, the value of this planet should be about 18,000,000,000
Enas. If we can find more valuable resources when digging deeper, its value will go
up.”

“It’s pretty valuable.” Han Xiao smiled.

This planet could be considered rather resource rich when compared to other mining
planets.

However, despite the initial valuation of the planet being high, it would take more than
a hundred years to fully reap all the benefits.

In the universe, resource rich planets would be tightly grasped in the hands of the
various civilizations, and they would not sell them off like uninhabited planets.

The civilization would slowly excavate the resources of the planet and ensure that the
excavation could be sustained for a long period.

Even an advanced civilization would not destroy the golden goose if they did not meet
an emergency.

Resource rich planets were an important source of revenue for civilizations.

A civilian miner could only mine on the edges of a desolate planet to feed their family.
Civilizations did not think much of a desolate planet and would usually sell these
planets to civilian organizations. The Black Star Army obtaining the rights to mine on a
resource rich planet was already the limits of a private organization.

Exploring the Flickering World was definitely a good opportunity for development.
After the allies of the dynasty discovered a resource rich planet, although they needed to
inform the dynasty and let the dynasty take the majority of the share, they would be able
to gain the rights to mine for a short while and share a portion of the benefits.

Since the Black Star Army had discovered Planet Pangurus, they would have the rights
to leave their forces behind to mine on the planet.

The sheer size of a Star Field represented countless planets and a huge benefit. To the
organizations that did not belong to any civilizations, this was akin to obtaining the
rights to mine on many resource rich planets.
Furthermore, they would be able to obtain a bonus reward from the dynasty if they
reported a certain number of resource rich planets.

However, the advantage of Planet Pangurus did not lie only in its resources. It would
become one of the doors to enter the Garu Star Cluster and thus became a trading station
in the future. With this point alone, Planet Pangurus was not merely an ordinary
resource rich planet but had huge potential.

Seeing Han Xiao remain silent, Aurora continued. “We detected a large number of
living beings on the planet, with the majority of them being wild beasts. We aren’t clear
how many different species there are, but only one of the species had traces of
intelligence and the signs of a civilization.”

As Aurora explained, a projection appeared in front of everyone. It was the projection of

the living being that Aurora was describing.

This living being was three to four meters tall and looked like a human. It looked like
the elf clan in the universe, but there were many subtle differences between the two. It
was clad in beast skin for clothes like a caveman.

“According to our observations, this sentient being is a native of the planet and they
have reached the level of a tribal civilization,” Aurora said. “Their tribes are scattered
all around the planet, and they rely on hunting to survive. Our detection fleet has not
made contact with them yet.”

Han Xiao nodded.

He had long known that Planet Pangurus had a native civilization that called themselves
‘Children of the Forest’. In truth, such a title was extremely common in the galaxy, and
there were at least a few thousand various native civilizations who call themselves
‘Children of the Forest’. Some other complementary names included Children of the
Magma, Children of the Mountain, and Children of the Ocean.

In his previous life, the others were used to using the name of the planet as a prefix of
the civilizations name. This race was called Pangurus Giant Elves.

“Send out our scouts to make contact with them,” Han Xiao said.
When pioneering in a new Star Field, there was a sensitive topic that was publicly
acknowledged in the universe—how should they manage their relationship with the
natives? There were far too many negative examples in history. Since the advanced
civilizations wanted to mine for resources, it was extremely common for them to be
treated as invaders and face the retaliation of the natives.

Maintaining biodiversity had always been the rule of the advanced civilizations, and a
Universal Civilization like the Crimson Dynasty would not begin a needless massacre
just to mine for resources. Thus, Tarrokov had explicitly stated that their priority should
be to communicate with the natives, and they should not use violence senselessly.

Under such circumstances, it would be far easier to handle the weaker natives, and the
discovery of natives could also earn them reward.

On Planet Pangurus, the Green Stream was a dense jungle with large trees that were
over fifty meters tall. The leaves of the trees formed an ocean, and it swayed in the
wind. The sunlight that managed to shine through the thick sea of leaves became spots
of light that swayed together with the leaves.

A clear stream went through the jungle and cut the jungle in two. More than a hundred
six- to seven-meter-tall beast skin tents were set up on both sides of the stream. Outside
the tents, bunches of golden-red dried fruits were hanging as though they were
decorations.

This was one of the tribes of the Pangurus Giant Elf race. There were some climbing up
trees to pick fruits, others waving their sticks to chase their reared animals, and some
who were holding onto spears and shields in preparation of a hunt.

At the entrance of the tribe, the chief said to the hunters who were about to leave,
“Hunters, our tribe doesn’t have enough food. You guys must hunt for a little more food
this time.”

“Haha, just wait for our bountiful return,” the captain of the hunter squad said with a
loud laugh.
The chief then let out a sigh. “We were attacked by the other tribes half a year ago, and
our youths have been severely wounded. We can only rely on you old hunters to hunt
for some food. However, all of you are growing older by the day, and I really don’t
know what we should do in the future.”

The hunting captain then patted the shoulders of a youth beside him. “Don’t worry, we
are training a new batch of youths. Duki is the fastest learner, and he is already able to
go hunting together with us. He may be the one to succeed us in the future.”

Duki puffed up his chest and had a look of pride on his face.

“What a good lad.”

“We shall rely on you in the future.”

All the villagers by the side praised him with a respectful tone.

Upon hearing the praise of the villagers, Duki had a face full of confidence.

All of a sudden, his gaze looked through the crowd and arrived at a small campfire. A
youth was sitting beside the campfire and looking at him with a face full of envy. It was
his good friend, Roseau.

Duki raised his arms and flexed his muscles to Roseau, who was sitting afar, and both
of them broke out into laughter.

“Let’s go,” the hunter captain said before setting off with the other hunters.

Upon seeing that, Duki waved to Roseau and hurriedly followed behind the hunters.
The groups of hunters then entered the forest and disappeared before the sights of the
crowd.

Roseau looked at his good friend leaving and suddenly let out a sigh.
“Hunter… sigh.”

The hunters had the responsibility to hunt and fight, and they were the most highly
respected within the tribe. Almost every youth aimed to become a hunter, but Roseau
was an exception.

He did not have any interest in hunting and fighting, and he did not have any talent in
that regard.

Roseau preferred to do other things that seemed meaningless to others, such as writing
or thinking. However, this made plenty of people in the tribe dissatisfied with him and
felt as though he was a sloth who did not want to do anything but get protected by
others.

However, he also wanted to receive the respect of others like his good friend. Thus, he
worked harder to pick fruits, sew clothes, and anything else within his abilities.
However, these jobs were usually done by the old, young, and weak, and it was not
enough to change the others’ impression of him.

Although Roseau cared about how others looked at him, he did not wish to go against
his own heart and do something that he was not good at just to change the impression
that others had of him. He wished to use another method to contribute to the tribe.
However, it seemed as though every youth in the tribe should only have become a
hunter as their sole goal.

Right at this moment, a huge gust of wind suddenly blew over.

Whoosh!

Ripples could be seen on the clear stream, and a huge cloud of sand was blown up by
the winds.

“What is going on?” Roseau raised his head and looked up with his eyes wide open in
shock.
He had never seen something like this before!

A black, squarish box floated down from the skies and hovered right above their tents,
covering their entire tribe with a huge shadow.

The Pangurus Giant Elves in the tribe were all shocked.

“Our god of the forest! What is this thing?”

“Is it a monster that can fly?”

“Run!”

Upon witnessing a scene that none of them could understand, many of them became
anxious.

All of a sudden, a small hole could be seen on the belly of this black ‘beast’, and a
bunch of strange looking beings covered in metal descended from the sky.

The ten or so warriors who had remained in the tribe charged forward, and their wooden
spears struck these beings who descended from the skies.

Kacha kacha!

Their wooden spears snapped upon coming into contact with the surface of the armor.

Taking off their helmets, half of them were the warriors of the army while the other half
were players with their IDs above their heads. The majority of the players present were
the core members of clubs, such as Hao Tian and Frenzied Sword.

These players had accepted the mission to meet the natives without killing them.

Frenzied Sword pressed onto the galactic translator and tried to speak with sincerity.
“u0026$#@!u0026$@…”

Just what are you saying? The Pangurus Giant Elves were completely puzzled.

It could not be helped. This was the first time that the Pangurus Giant Elf race had come
into contact with the galaxy, and their language was not in the database yet.

“Monsters! Monsters!” Many ladies let out a shriek, and they began picking up stones to
hurl at the ‘monsters’.

The stones landed on the armor of the warriors and were naturally useless.

All the players looked at each other with helpless looks on their faces. How were they
supposed to console the agitated natives if they could not even communicate?

On the other side, the NPC captain raised his rifle up and fired at the forest by the side.

Xiu!

A blue laser shot out and penetrated a few dozen trees, leaving behind a hole.

Following which, a loud explosion could be heard from the forest, and a huge crater was
blown up.

This scene frightened all the natives, and a look of disbelief and fear could be seen on
their faces after witnessing the carnage of the attack. They all stopped attacking and
began trembling with fear.

“Hu…” The captain then looked toward the players. “Brother, did you see that? The
best way to deal with natives that you can’t communicate with is to scare them.”
Just when the atmosphere was tense and the Pangurus Giant Elf race was in fear,
Roseau tried his best to maintain his cool and analyze the intentions of the strange
creatures before them.

These living beings don’t seem to be hostile.

Although I can’t understand what they’re saying, they seem to be talking just now?
Could it be that they have intelligence as well?

This shouldn’t be wrong. They also want to communicate with us!

Roseau hesitated for a moment before taking in a deep breath and walking forward.

His actions immediately attracted the attention of both parties, and everyone’s attention
was focused on him.

After swallowing a mouthful of saliva, Roseau looked at his tribe mates and said,
“Everyone don’t be afraid. They do not wish to kill us. Please do not provoke them.”

He then walked forward to Frenzied Sword and looked down at this ‘dwarf’ who was
only up until his waist. Suppressing his fear, he half knelt so both of their heights were
the same before pointing at his mouth and ears, hoping that the other party would
understand what he was trying to say.

Frenzied Sword understood what the other party meant and threw a galactic translator
over, gesturing to show the other party how to put it on.

Roseau understood what the other party meant and hurriedly put on the translator. The
translator immediately read his mind and understood his thoughts.

“Can you understand me now?”

Roseau’s eyes lit up and he nodded.

The captain then chuckled. “He knows how to communicate with us. This fellow is
pretty smart. He shall be the representative of this tribe.”

Chapter 824 Homeland

The sudden descent of the battleship from the sky and the loud explosion that came
from the tribe resulted in all the hunters who left not too long ago rushing back. Their
eyes were glued on the mountain like flying beasts before them.

All the hunters hurriedly returned to the tribe, and although the members of the tribe
were still trembling in fear, there were no casualties. Only then did the anxious hearts of
the hunters ease up as they asked around to find out what had happened.

Duki looked around, and his heart immediately sank. He could not find the figure of his
good friend Roseau among the crowd. He anxiously went around to ask the different
members of his tribe.

“Those individuals said a few words to Roseau before taking him away. Before leaving,
he asked us not to be afraid and said that they did not come with ill intentions…”

“In which direction did they go?” Duki was enraged. He could not be bothered with
what Roseau had said and only knew that his good friend had been taken away by a
bunch of aliens. He could not sit around and do nothing.

The villager pointed in a direction. The members of the army did not return to the
spaceship but walked into the forest instead.

Duki raised his weapon and charged in that direction without saying another word. The
hunters beside him shouted for him to stop, but he ignored them completely and only
thought about saving his friend from the hands of those beasts.
Upon witnessing such a scene, the hunting captain immediately followed behind Duki,
afraid that Duki would meet with some danger.

The gigantic elves weaved through the jungle nimbly, and Duki could recognize the
footprints on the ground. After running for a while, he finally caught up to the members
of the army.

All the players were currently swinging their weapons to clear out a piece of land. They
were preparing to form a mini stronghold.

According to their mission requirements and the orders of the army, they were to come
meet the natives and set up a stronghold near the tribe for future communication.

“Hmm? A life form is approaching.” Frenzied Sword waved his blade to slice down a
tree, and his radar detected the presence of Duki.

Duki was currently squatting in the bushes, completely unaware that his whereabouts
had already been exposed. He looked around and observed the ‘beasts’ who were clad
in metal. He immediately spotted Roseau, who was currently surrounded, and his face
broke out with a smile.

“Ha!” The next moment, Duki pounced into the air and landed not too far away from
Roseau.

He then charged forward and aimed his spear at the lower body of the metal beast to
launch a one hit ko attack.

Pa!

His wooden spear snapped into two instantly.

The member of the army gently sent out a kick, afraid that he may kill the native and
fail the mission.
However, in Duki’s eyes, this kick was fast to the point he could not react. He raised his
shield to block the kick, and an irresistible force smashed down on his shield.

Boom!

The wooden shield exploded and was shattered into wooden splinters.

Duki’s body was sent flying a few meters away, and a sharp pain could be felt in his
arms. His chest had a dull aching pain, and he could not help but vomit out a stomach
full of gastric juices. He lay flat on the ground and could not get up, staring at the
attacker with a look of fear and disbelief.

“Don’t kill him! He’s my friend!” Roseau cried out and looked toward Duki. “What are
you here for?”

“Cough cough… I am here to save you,” Duki said with a weak voice. He was only an
ordinary being but had been kicked by a Grade C warrior. The only reason he was alive
was because the other party had only used one percent of his strength.

“Sigh… I don’t need you to save me. They didn’t come with ill intentions and are my
friends. Hurry up and leave.”

Roseau then helplessly pleaded toward the warriors of the army. In that short period of
time, he had already found out about the general situation. Although there were many
words that he did not understand, it did not stop him from understanding that the other
party did not have any ill intentions.

Upon hearing Roseau persuade him to return, Duki, who was on the ground, raised his
head and saw Roseau talking to the unknown beings in some strange language. Roseau
was not in any danger at all and did not need any saving.

Roseau received a reply and said with joy, “I have pleaded on your behalf, and they
have agreed to let you go. Hurry up and return to the tribe. I am doing fine, and you just
need to wait for news from me. Please do not make any rash moves again.”
“Let me go…” Duki repeated those words again, and he looked at Roseau with a
complicated expression. It was as though he had a new understanding of this good
friend of his who had never been welcomed since a young age.

A sense of defeat rose in his heart, and Duki clenched his fists tightly.

At this moment, the hunting captain finally arrived, and he looked at the members of the
army warily. Upon seeing Duki lying on the ground, he was extremely surprised.
Roseau then hurriedly called out to him and explained the situation. The hunting captain
then supported Duki, who had temporarily lost the ability to move, and left.

Roseau looked at their departures and heaved a sigh of relief.

Many different troops landed from the sky and came into contact with the tribes
scattered all around the planet. The gigantic battleship that descended from the sky was
like the descent of a celestial being to the Pangurus Giant Elves.

The silence in their lives had been disturbed, and all the natives looked at the
descending aliens with fear and wariness.

The members of the army set up a stronghold beside the tribes and chose one or a few
representatives from each tribe. These representatives were taught how to use the
translating device so that the army could communicate with them.

At the same time, Han Xiao did not let the others remain idle and sent out the mining
squad to the various resource rich locations. They began to construct a new base and
started their mining operations.

Large patches of forests were uprooted and replaced with cold metal.

With a large amount of manpower under his charge, Han Xiao did not need to take
action personally. He only needed to command the operation from the flagship and was
extremely idle.
“Your Excellency Black Star, you discovered a resource rich planet that has rare
materials?”

Senico from the dynasty was overjoyed when he received the piece of news.

At this moment, the majority of the forces were still exploring the first Star Zone, and
the majority of the resource rich planets that they had found only contained ordinary
resources. There were extremely few planets that had a value of over six billion Enas.

Planet Pangurus was the most valuable planet that they had discovered in the first Star
Zone to date.

“Yes, I have already updated the information of the planet in the database. There are
natives living on the planet, and my men are keeping in contact with them,” Han Xiao
said.

Senico thought for a moment before saying, “I see. The mining operation for the planet
shall be handed over to you then. I will send a team over to help you.”

According to the rules, Han Xiao would be able to temporarily enjoy mining rights to a
planet that the Black Star Army discovered.

But if the planet was discovered by the dynasty’s forces, the allies of the dynasty would
have limited rights over the planet. Thus, the only way to maximize their benefits would
be to mine a planet that they discovered. Senico’s troops were both his comrades and
competition.

After chatting for a while, Han Xiao hung up and opened the interface. A few
notifications popped up from the Flickering World Main Storyline Mission. His
discovery of a resource rich planet and native civilization awarded him with quite a few
Exploration Points.

The players who followed him to Planet Pangurus were the ones who got the greatest
rewards among the players.
On the forums, the players who explored the different planets began to show off their
own Exploration Points. However, they were extremely envious of the Exploration
Points that the players on Planet Pangurus got.

“We can earn the most from following our Army Commander.”

“Sigh… what a pity. Most of the slots to follow Black Star have been given to the large
guilds. I didn’t manage to snatch the remaining slots because I was too ugly.”

Although the players went to explore the various planets, they could still communicate
with each other through the forums and share information with each other.

Of the players that Han Xiao had taken along with him, a large number of them were
players from the various clubs, and many professional players were included.

Closing the interface, Han Xiao looked at the dots of light on the map that indicated the
presence of his troops and asked, “How is their contact with the natives going? Did
anyone fight back?”

Aurora shook her head and said, “There are more than ten thousand tribes on the planet,
and the population of the Pangurus Giant Elf race is about ten million. Our warriors
used scare tactics to instill fear in them, and thus, we don’t have any injuries
temporarily. Er… there seem to be some accidental deaths, but the numbers wouldn’t
exceed a hundred.”

Han Xiao replied with a nod. The natives of this planet were still at the elementary
stage, and their population was small. Under a hundred deaths on their first contact was
still within an acceptable range.

“Let the ground troops console those tribes and slowly educate them. This is only the
first day, and it will be a long process. Tell our men not to be eager for success. Even if
the natives fight back, they won’t cause much harm to us. Try not to deal with them
using violence.”

Even if no one fought back currently, it did not mean that no one would in the future.
The natives had not understood just what they were facing. One day, some of them
would fight back because of their love for the land.
Thankfully, the natives were far too weak, and their retaliation would be meaningless.
This was also their saving grace.

Han Xiao knew that there were a few native civilizations who could barely reach the
level of a Star System in the Renault Star Cluster, and it was far more difficult to deal
with them. If the Bloodshed Land met those civilizations, they would have to suffer for
a period.

It would take far too long to educate a bunch of natives. This was a job that would take
a few decades or even centuries. Han Xiao naturally would not remain on a single planet
for such a long time. He was only setting the foundation and would hand over the job of
educating the natives to the dynasty when they arrived. He only needed to leave behind
some forces for his mining operation, and he could go and explore another planet.

The representatives of the tribes returned to their tribes with the goodwill of the Black
Star Army and conveyed the message that the Black Star Army had no intention of
harming them. At the same time, they brought back with them the seeds of a few
different crops suitable for the climate of the planet.

With the assurance of the representatives, the Pangurus Giant Elf race was no longer
that fearful toward their guests from the sky. After overcoming their fear, they could not
help but be curious toward these guests.

Every stronghold beside the tribe had the function of being a school. The school was
opened to the natives, and because the translator had gathered enough information about
the natives’ language, it was possible for them to communicate normally. There were a
few bolder natives who had even attempted to study in the strongholds.

The stronghold taught them various different life skills, including farming and
craftsmanship. They also gave out seeds and food for free, and some of the natives
returned to set up their own plantation after learning from the stronghold.
Through this process, the various tribes understood the identities of these guests who
had descended from the sky. They found out about the existence of the Black Star Army
and the Crimson Dynasty.

The members of the army passed on some basic knowledge to the natives and the
history of the army. The natives were not able to believe that there were such powerful
organizations living in the sky, capable of easily traversing through the universe.

Everything had exceeded their knowledge, and the existence of the Black Star Army
was like a miracle in their eyes.

In the Clear Stream Tribe, Roseau’s life was getting better.

After becoming the representative of the tribe to communicate with the guests from the
sky, Roseau continued to learn new knowledge and brought all his knowledge back to
the tribe. He was extremely talented in this regard, and the tribe began to learn new
things from the Black Star Army, changing their lifestyle.

Roseau suddenly realized that the members of his tribe who had disdained him were
finally treating him with respect. In his tribe, his status had exceeded the chief’s, and he
became the most respected person within the tribe.

The culture of these natives had not been completely formed and did not have any
concept of abandoning their own traditions. They were all immediately entranced by the
new inflow of knowledge.

The most respected people in the past were the hunters who brought food back to feed
the tribe. Now, the most respected ones were those who brought back knowledge from
the stronghold. The seeds and food that they brought back allowed the tribe to feed
themselves much more easily. The craftsmanship that they had obtained allowed clothes
to be more comfortable and the tents to be warmer. Some of them even brought back a
free weapon to the tribe called a crossbow. With this weapon, hunting became even
easier.

The hunters were the warriors of the tribe, and they had the responsibility of protecting
the tribe. However, these hunters were completely helpless before the members of the
army, and the tribe gradually lost their reliance on the hunters. Although the hunters still
received some form of respect, they were gradually being pushed to the periphery.
Duki looked at Roseau, who was being surrounded by the tribe, and had a complicated
feeling in his heart.

This had once been his honor, and although he treated Roseau as his good friend, a
sense of superiority had budded in his heart. He had felt that he was protecting Roseau
at that time. But now, their statuses had been swapped. Roseau, who had not been
popular in the tribe, was now a respected individual, and the young hunter who had
been the hope of the tribe was now ignored.

Duki felt more and more depressed.

After talking to the members of his tribe, Roseau saw Duki and said with concern,
“How are your injuries?”

Upon hearing Roseau’s words of concern, Duki found it to be extremely piercing for
some reason.

“… I am fine,” he replied coldly and walked away.

Upon seeing Duki’s cold response, Roseau was completely puzzled. Duki had been
extremely cheerful in the past and became depressed after being beaten up previously.
Roseau could not understand why Duki seemed to be avoiding him.

On the other side, Duki walked out of the tribe and sprinted at top speed in the forest to
vent his frustrations.

Feeling the wind blowing on his face, his mood immediately became better.

After running for a long while, Duki wanted to go to his own secret base. He had once
happened upon a clear lake in the forest, and he liked going there to take a bath
occasionally.
However, the scene stunned him upon his arrival.

The lake had disappeared, and in its place was a deep crater. A few metallic towers were
beside the crater, and the members of the army were using some strange apparatus to
dig up the soil.

“What are you guys doing?”

Duki flew into a rage. He disliked these guests from the sky and was about to charge
forward with his weapon in his hands. All of a sudden, a member of the army blocked
him.

“The mining site is up ahead, and it isn’t open to outsiders. Please leave immediately.”

“Where is the lake over here? Where is the lake? What did you guys do?” Duki roared
angrily and wanted to barge his way into the mine.

Bang!

Duki was pushed down by a powerful force and clutched his stomach in pain.

“I am sorry. Please do not obstruct our mining operations. If you have any requests, you
can go to the stronghold near your tribe. This place is not open to outsiders.”

“What right do you have to stop me? This is obviously a place that I discovered…”

Duki clenched his fists, and his face turned red from anger. At this moment, he saw the
guests from the sky digging out a large pile of shiny crystal from the original position of
the lake.

Upon witnessing that, he understood that this was their true intention.
Raising his head, he looked around at the trees that were chopped down and replaced
with metal. Thinking back to his experiences over the past few days, he could not help
but feel a sense of desolation but did not understand where it came from.

However, Duki slowly had a feeling in his heart.

All of those things should have belonged to them…

For the first time, he felt that this forest, land, and planet was their home.

In the flagship, Aurora hesitated for a moment before saying, “Uncle, is it alright for us
to do this?”

Han Xiao raised his brows and asked, “What do you want to say?”

Hila, who was by the side, also looked over.

“We are actually invading the homes of the natives…” Aurora said softly.

“I know what you mean.” Han Xiao waved his hands. “However, we are educating the
natives and bringing knowledge to them. This is different from just invading their
homes.”

“However…” Aurora plucked up her courage. “This planet is their home, and the
natives do not have the ability to protect themselves. They can only watch as their
homes are being invaded by us and all their resources taken away. Aren’t we being too
much of a bully?”

“They should be glad that they do not have the ability to fight back. If not, the fatalities
would only increase.”

“But…”
“Sigh, you don’t need to continue.” Han Xiao interrupted Aurora and said helplessly,
“Do you think that they have a choice?”

Aurora blinked and said, “Actually, we can avoid the planets with natives and explore
other uninhabited planets.”

Han Xiao shook his head and looked out of the window at the universe.

“You are far too idealistic. This planet… no, when this Star Field was discovered by the
three great civilizations, the destiny of all the living beings changed. They no longer
have the right to develop with freedom.

“We can avoid the planets where there are natives, but when the Crimson Dynasty
opens up the Flickering World to the outside world, do you think that other wolf-like
civilizations will let go of them? They are destined to lose many things and let outsiders
share their homeland. This is already a very good ending. The weak will never be able
to achieve perfection.”

Aurora fell silent, and her heart was in turmoil. Because of her life Esper Ability, she
was extremely sensitive toward the lives of others.

She empathized with the natives. Even if the Pangurus Giant Elf race still did not
understand the meaning behind what was going on, she could not help but dislike the
world where the strong preyed on the weak.

Hila had a calm look on her face. She was different from her sister, and she had always
believed that it was a crime to be weak.

Han Xiao paused for a while before continuing. “You don’t have to think too much
about this. Digging up their resources isn’t a classy action, but you have to know that
nobody has the obligation to aid another race in their development. The dynasty will
only educate the natives because of the rich resources on the planet, and this is a kind of
exchange, an exchange that the natives are unable to reject.”
In his previous life, after many years of development, Planet Pangurus had become a
transit station, and the natives were split into two factions. One faction was educated by
the dynasty and turned into galactic residents. They learned various technological skills
and began building their own skill trees. Their civilization rapidly skipped past the
primal stage. As a result, Planet Pangurus had their own cities, and the inhabitants of the
planet could even travel to other planets.

The other faction rejected the education and chose to maintain their original lifestyle.
They tried to put up a resistance, but it was completely useless. Thus, they decided not
to come into contact with the outside world and lived deep in the mountains. They
continued to live with beasts as their companions, and no one bothered them.

The Pangurus Giant Elf race was split in two because of this reason. However, there
would always be some from the primal faction leaving the forests and joining the
bustling cities.

“Compared to the exploration era, this is pretty good,” Feidin said from the side.

Upon hearing that, Han Xiao nodded in agreement.

The exploration of the Flickering World was similar to the exploration era. The only
difference being that the three Universal Civilizations had enough strength in the
universe to suppress anyone who was dissatisfied. Thus, they had the confidence to
employ some warmer means.

In the exploration era, the first thought after discovering another civilization would be to
exterminate the other party. War broke out all around; it was a dark time.
825 Unexpected Hidden Mission

In front of absolute power, regardless of what the Pangurus Giant Elf race felt or wanted
to do, they would not be able to stop the fleet from mining resources.

The efficiency of the galactic mining equipment was extremely high, and resources
were rapidly unearthed from all around the planet, filling up the warehouses with
batches of raw materials.

During the mining process, some of the exploratory troops discovered even more
resources hidden underground, raising the value of the planet even further.

Han Xiao was extremely satisfied as he looked at the report in his hands.

Although the benefits of mining the various resource rich planets in the Shattered Star
Ring were not small, he was still in the territory of others, and there was not enough
freedom. However, he could do whatever he liked on a resource rich planet that he
discovered in the Flickering World. As long as he did not engage in unsustainable
mining practices, the dynasty would not interfere.

These materials could be sold back to the dynasty or brought back to the Shattered Star
Ring to sell. Han Xiao temporarily stored all of them and got an experienced individual
to oversee sales.

After the construction of the stargate, a small troop from the dynasty appeared. After
greeting Han Xiao, they also joined in the mining operation and took over the job of
educating the natives.

After a simple handing over, Han Xiao called back a portion of his forces.

They had completed the elementary phase of exploring Planet Pangurus, and the only
thing left for him to do would be to begin mining. He decided to remain on the planet
for another two days and allow the players to enjoy themselves for a bit before setting
off to discover another planet.
All the players from the army had discovered their first planet and had a certain
understanding of the Flickering World mission. Furthermore, all the players who
discovered a resource rich planet could choose to stay behind and mine for resources.

The ordinary players would naturally reject such a proposal. Why would they give up
the entire forest for a single tree? However, many of the first-rate guilds actually did the
opposite. Because the majority of their core members followed Han Xiao’s main fleet,
they could not bear to give up the precious resources on Planet Pangurus.

To the guilds, ten birds in the forest could not beat one in their hands. They needed a
long-term supply of resources to provide benefits for the guild. As such, many of the
guilds left behind a portion of their manpower to mine for resources.

Because the large mining equipment all belonged to the army, these guilds could only
purchase a batch of Worker Bee Armor to issue to their members and allow them to
mine freely. The resources that they obtained would be the long-term harvest of the
guild.

The players had their own methods to harvest rewards, and Han Xiao would not stop
them. After all, it was peanuts to him, and it would not be efficient for him to stop the
players from freely doing as they wished. As long as he could satisfy the hunger of
these guilds, their sense of belonging to the army would only be strengthened.

The various guilds that came from the Constellation Corridor had also managed to
groom a batch of players and left some players behind to mine for resources. As the four
large guilds saw that, they decided to work together with the other first-rate guilds and
make trouble for these outsiders after the main fleet left. As long as the main fleet left,
the outsiders would definitely be at their mercy.

In Version 4.0 of Han Xiao’s previous life, the various guilds were busy destroying
each other’s mining locations when they were in the Flickering World. Now that players
from the other countries were in the territory of the Chinese guilds, the Chinese guilds
definitely would not let them develop in peace.

Because Han Xiao had allowed the players to cross Star Fields ahead of time, the
competition between guilds appeared earlier.
…

A large storm was raging over some ocean on Planet Pangurus, and the waves were
turbulent.

One of the mining bases was located on the ocean, and it remained steady despite the
raging waves. A spherical shield covered the base from the waves, and droplets could be
seen on the shield as the waves crashed into it.

At the edge of the base, many warriors could be seen diving down into the ocean with
exploratory equipment on their backs. Underneath the base was a Fusion Crystal Vein,
and these individuals were diving underwater to investigate the situation of the ocean.

Maple Moon had also accepted this mission. She put on her armor and very quickly
dove down a few thousand meters.

Her field of vision was a deep dark blue, and the waters became black as she looked far
ahead. The sense of the unknown filled her with fear, and she could only hear her radar
beeping, her own breathing, and her heart beating.

This silent frightening atmosphere made Maple Moon shudder, and she wanted to curl
up in a ball.

“I should probably return… I won’t do this mission at the very most.” Maple Moon was
terrified in her heart. Although she had already reached Grade B, the attributes of her
character would not help prevent her from feeling fear. She had a feeling that she had a
slight phobia toward the deep ocean.

Just when she was prepared to swim upward, an alarm rang on her radar.

“Detecting a large living being! The target is currently approaching!”

The waters around her began to surge, and Maple Moon felt as though she could not
control her body. She hurriedly activated her stabilizing device, and white light could be
seen shooting out from her armor before her body was stabilized.
Before she could even observe her surroundings, her radar displayed a dot of light
shooting toward her like a missile.

Maple Moon turned around in a fluster, and a gigantic beast suddenly appeared in her
sights. It had countless claws, and its head seemed like a combination of a snake and a
dragon. The mouth of the beast was wide open and approaching her rapidly.

Her sights then blacked out, and she was swallowed by the beast.

The beast slowed down after completing its hunt and was about to enjoy its meal.
However, its body suddenly began contorting as though it was in immense pain.

The next moment, a brilliant blue light exploded forth from the body of the beast, and
the beast exploded into pieces.

Boom!

Fresh, purple blood and meat fragments exploded in the ocean, and Maple Moon’s
armor was covered in a sticky liquid. It was the mixture of the beast’s blood and
digestive juices.

Upon witnessing this bloody scene, Maple Moon hurriedly turned off the mature
content, and the scene became less gory.

She had previously been shocked by the sudden appearance of the beast and forgotten to
fight back. She only managed to snap back to her senses after being swallowed by the
beast and used her Grade B strength to easily eliminate it.

Maple Moon put her weapon away and was prepared to swim upward. All of a sudden,
her radar detected an abnormal metal object that was inside the body of the beast.

“What did I discover?” Maple Moon’s eyes shone. As a player who enjoyed storylines,
she was an extremely curious individual, and her instinct told her that she had found
something important.
After hesitating for half a second, she stopped swimming upward and flipped through
the corpse of the beast while bearing with her disgust.

Dang!

A one-meter metal object was sucked into her palms by the magnetic force given out by
her palms.

It looked like some form of a detection device and was extremely tattered. It had signs
of being corroded all around it, with many craters on the surface of the device as though
it was bitten by living beings.

_____________________

You have discovered an unknown detection device

Unknown Detection Device: This seems to be the wreckage of some galactic detection
device. It is badly damaged, but the technology of the device has far exceeded the range
of the planet’s natives. It seems to be from another civilization and may have some
hidden message within it. You can attempt to appraise it or give it to a special NPC in
exchange for a reward. Or, you can attempt to repair it and activate the device. This will
result in a special outcome. Please consider your choice carefully (Requires the ability
of a Mechanic).

You have received 6 Exploration Points.

_____________________

“It really is a hidden mission!”

Maple Moon’s eyes lit up, and the fear that she had felt was thrown to the back of her
mind. She then toyed around with the unknown detection device with curiosity. She
loved digging up such unknown storylines the most.
Without any hesitation, she immediately took the item back to the base. Without
removing her armor, she hurriedly appraised the detection device. Her Mechanic ability
had reached the prerequisite requirements, and the outcome of her appraisal popped up
on the interface.

_____________________

Appraisal complete!

You have obtained [Broken Coordinate Marker]. This item is used to mark a coordinate
in space.

Current status: Severe damage, system malfunction and all functions disabled.

_____________________

“This is some high-level tech.” Maple Moon was surprised. This item had already
reached the level of a Star System. Could this mean that Planet Pangurus had been
discovered by some civilization before?

There was also the possibility that this marker had been destroyed in the universe and
eventually drawn Planet Pangurus because of gravity. It then landed in the ocean and
was swallowed by the oceanic beasts. If not, Planet Pangurus would have been visited
by guests a long time ago.

Maple Moon fell into a dilemma. This marker was indeed valuable intelligence, and she
would receive a reward if she handed it over to the army.

However, she could not reign in her curiosity, and she wanted to fix this marker to see
what the ‘special effect’ was and what kind of people she would attract.

After hesitating for a moment, Maple Moon gritted her teeth, and her curiosity emerged
victorious.

_____________________
You have used [Intermediate Repair] on the [Broken Coordinate Marker]!

Judging… Judgement success.

Your level, INT, Class knowledge, and skills have reached the prerequisite requirements

Repair progress 2%… 14%… 35%…

Repair complete. You have obtained [Barely Fixed Coordinate Marker]!

_____________________

Maple Moon was overjoyed and immediately activated the marker without any
hesitation.

Di di…

The marker lit up and began sending out coordinates toward an unknown organization.

_____________________

You have triggered [Coordinate Marker of Unknown Origin]!

Mission Introduction: You have discovered a pretty high-tech coordinate marker on a

native planet. You do not know who sent out this marker but chose to activate it. After
the coordinates are sent out, it may attract an unknown organization.

Mission Requirements: Come into contact with the unknown organization.

Reward: 3,000,000 Experience, 70 Exploration Point, x1 [Bold Explorer] skill fragment

(Requires 2 fragments to be combined)
[Bold Explorer]: Special skill. When exploring an unknown location and appraising an
unknown object, you can use this skill to obtain some information. It can be used
repeatedly on the same target. Cooldown: 7 days. Every time the skill is used, you will
fall into a [Rash] state. -60% LUK, lasts for 14 days.

Remark: As long as you are bold, the universe is your home.

This mission is connected to the Flickering World Main Storyline Mission. You can
report the situation to your faction and obtain the aid of an NPC faction (Strongly
Recommended).

_____________________

“The reward is a skill fragment? Such a reward is pretty rare. I can seek help from the
faction as well. Does this mean that the outcome of activating the marker is extremely
severe?” Maple Moon was shocked.

Upon thinking about handing the marker over, the figure of her Army Commander
floated up in her head.

“You discovered a coordinate marker of an advanced civilization on this planet?”

Looking at the coordinate marker in Maple Moon’s hands, Han Xiao could not help but
be surprised.

He had thought that Maple Moon was there to learn skills from him, not expecting her
to bring him a hidden tool.

Only the dynasty was exploring this region, and this marker could only belong to one of
the unknown native civilizations in the Flickering World. According to the
technological skills within the marker, the origin of the marker should be a Star System
level civilization.
Furthermore, this marker made use of an ordinary thruster technology to travel. Even if
it traveled for a few hundred years, its speed would still be limited. This meant that the
civilization that sent out this marker should be within the Star System.

However, Han Xiao could not remember any Star System civilizations around the
southern region of the Garu Star Cluster in his previous life. The exploratory data of the
Crimson Dynasty did not indicate any Star System civilization in the region. He also
had not heard of such an incident from the NPCs in his previous life.

Could it be that the civilization that sent out this marker had already been destroyed and
only their remains were left? That was a possibility as well.

However, the hidden mission also popped up on Han Xiao’s interface when he received
the marker, and the mission requirement suggests that the unknown civilization was still
around.

In his previous life, the initial exploratory phase of the Flickering World was during the
version update period, and the players only managed to piece together information of
the initial exploratory phase by finding various records and stories. Could it be that this
hidden storyline had not been found by the dynasty in his previous life?

Maple Moon did not know that Han Xiao could also accept the mission and was
thinking about how she should explain to Han Xiao that this marker was still useful.

“Let me study this thing for a while,” Han Xiao said at this moment. “I may be able to
find something.”

Upon hearing that, Maple Moon thought that she was handing over the mission object
and did not object.

Upon witnessing Maple Moon leave, Han Xiao began to study the marker in his hands
with his eyes glowing.

“I never expected to make such a discovery on Planet Pangurus. The ability of the
players to find hidden missions is truly reliable.” Han Xiao chuckled to himself.
The reward of the hidden mission had truly tempted him. [Bold Explorer] was an
appraisal skill and reached the level of appraising the unknown. There were very few
players who had such a skill in his previous life. Although it was not useful to combat, it
was very useful to dig out hidden storylines.

However, he did not know how to obtain any additional skill fragments.

Although the skill was extremely limited, it was still useful to him. Not to mention
anything else, he still did not have any progress on the strange data that EsGod had left
behind. Aesop was not able to predict anything either. If he could obtain this skill, he
may be able to find some clues.

“It is a pity that it isn’t a complete skill but only a skill fragment,” Han Xiao said with
pity.

Shaking his head, Han Xiao entered the quantum network and began studying the
marker. Since the marker also made use of quantum network technology, Han Xiao
could use his Virtual Mechanic skill to trace the origin of the item.

The mission required him to come into contact with the unknown organization, and it
seemed as though he had to wait for their appearance. However, there was a hidden
trick within it.

The Flickering World was not like the explored universe, and there were no laws in
place. The native civilizations were still in an era of darkness and did not know of each
other’s existence. Thus, the moment they discovered that the marker was activated, this
would mean war for the civilization who sent it out.

Coming into contact with the marker was akin to being attacked by the other party.

As such, rather than waiting for the other party to find him, Han Xiao would prefer to
take the initiative by sending his forces over. Since the mission only required him to
come into contact with the other party, it would not matter who took the initiative.
After backtracking the roots of the marker through the quantum network for a while,
Han Xiao opened his eyes abruptly. He then opened a star map and pointed at a location
a couple of Star Zones away from Planet Pangurus.

“I found you.”

Han Xiao’s eyes narrowed. He remembered that there was no native civilization at this
location in his previous life.

After thinking for a moment, Han Xiao snapped his fingers and Psionic Prime appeared
before him.

“Master.”

“I have a mission for you.” Han Xiao said slowly, “Bring a few Mechanical lives and a
mechanical army to find the fellows who sent out this coordinate marker. Subdue them
if they attack you.”

“Yes master.”

Psionic Prime nodded and immediately left the room to organize his troops.

Because it was a few Star Zones away and would be a waste of time for him to go, Han
Xiao did not plan to make a personal trip.

His Mechanical lives could now hold their own, and he could transmit his Mechanical
Force to the mechanical soldiers not beside him through the [Quantum Infinite Distance
Transmission Channel]. Thus, his mechanical army had the ability to set off on a long-
distance expedition, and he would still have the combat strength of a Beyond Grade A
Super even if it was a few light years away.

This was one of the reasons Beyond Grade A Mechanics were feared in the galaxy! The
range of their ability was the most frightening among all the Classes!
826 Great Cosmos Corps

At the same time, the location data sent out by the marker had reached a certain desolate
planet a few Star Zones away through its quantum link.

A mountainous disc-shaped battleship was parked in a crater. It was completely metal

gray colored, and its diameter was more than thirty miles. The material used was an
ordinary alloy considered to be the most basic spaceship battleship material in the
known universe. This disc-shaped battleship had anti-gravity suspension and highly
condensed nuclear thrusters. Its hyperdrive technology was very elementary. If there
were galactic residents there, they would know that the technology level of this
battleship was somewhere between the level of a Star System civilization and a planet
surface civilization.

The only technology worth mentioning was that it had quantum communication
technology.

There were a large number of frozen sleeping capsules at the bottom of the cabin where
countless ship members were sleeping in. Only a very few were awake and maintaining
the functions of the spaceship from the bridge.
Dozens of creatures wearing simple battle suits were busy in front of the control desks.
These creatures were rather short, with gray skin and six arms.

This time, an alert suddenly popped up on one of the control desks.

“Beep! Marker 0278 is activated. Location data received.”

All the people in the room suddenly turned around and swarmed toward this control
desk, speaking among themselves. Then, a tall creature that was clearly of a different
species pushed the crowd aside and squeezed to the front of this control desk.

“Out of my way, let me take a look… Hehehe… Have we discovered another new
planet?”

This tall creature was clearly their leader. He was close to three meters tall; the others
around him were only as tall as his knees. He was wearing full metal armor that made
clanking sounds as he walked. He looked absolutely barbaric, even more ferocious than
the Beastmen, and did not match the aesthetic of most human shaped beings.

“Great Chieftain Kikiga, we lost contact with this marker a long time ago. Now that it is
activated, it means that our marker has been discovered by an unknown intelligent
species! They have repaired the marker!” One of the operators was rather nervous.

“Isn’t that even better? We can even make them slaves and give them to the Great
Emperor. The Great Emperor loves new species!” Kikiga laughed out loud.

“Gre—Great Chieftain, it’s not that simple. The target this time is different from the
races we have invaded in the past. The fact that they can repair the marker means that
their technological level is close to ours. There are only a few in the entire universe who
have this kind of technology! The target this time isn’t going to be easy to deal with!
The reason they repaired the marker might be to look for us.”

“What, they dare look for us?”

Kikiga’s expression became fearsome. He said furiously, “What an ignorant bunch.
Have they not heard of us, the Great Cosmos Corps? They want to track us? They must
have a death wish!”

If Han Xiao was there, he would not be a stranger to the name ‘Great Cosmos Corps’.
This was a native organization of the Flickering World. It was once a wandering
civilization that had lost its mother ship to a disaster. It was originally wandering in the
center of the Garu Star Cluster looking for resources to sustain life.

When they started wandering, they searched for planets around them through markers
and gradually discovered some undeveloped civilizations. Due to the complete lack of
trust and means of communication, they eliminated all the civilizations they had met
and robbed a ton of resources and technology. Gradually, they got used to this method
of development and turned from a wandering civilization into a galactic pirate
organization.

As most of the native civilizations in the Garu Star Cluster were very weak and had no
contact with each other, this organization became unstoppable in the central area of the
Star Cluster. Through robbing others, they had accumulated a ton of resources and
manpower, and there were no longer any civilizations nearby that could match them.
Hence, these people thought that they were the kings of this universe and called
themselves the Great Cosmos Corps.

It was obvious how arrogant these people were just from this name they gave
themselves.

Afterward, the Great Cosmos Corps started to explore toward further areas. Of course,
with their technology, they had no way of figuring out the overall structure of the Star
Cluster, so they were completely ignorant of what was in the unknown areas and could
only slowly explore.

Although they had taken over many planets as their territory, they did not do a complete
exploration of this Star System and lacked all kinds of fundamental facilities. They
thought that they ruled over this area just because they had some of the planets under
their control. Compared to the control the civilizations in the known universe had over
their territory, these people were a complete mess.

This was a lawless Star Field that had yet to be explored, which was why special
organizations like this had appeared. They had control over an area much larger than
Star System civilizations, but they were weaker than the weakest Star System
civilizations. Due to the lack of opponents, they felt very good about themselves.

Being ‘strong’ in their mind was only based on the standard of the natives.

In the previous life, the dynasty left very little information of this organization
throughout the exploration of the Garu Star Cluster, and Han Xiao had quite a good
laugh from reading it.

However, the ‘hidden mission’ status was quite misleading when Han Xiao discovered
the marker. It made Han Xiao form a preconceived idea that this was from some
mysterious civilization. Furthermore, in the dynasty’s records in the previous life, it did
not mention the Great Cosmos Corps appearing in the south border Star System of the
Garu Star Cluster.

The dynasty only had very brief records of the Great Cosmos Corps, as this native
organization was way too weak and made the most common and frequent mistake
which natives made—being arrogant. There was nothing about this that was worth
recording in the eyes of the dynasty. In his previous life, the dynasty carried out their
exploration during the version update, and the players did not experience it. By the time
they officially entered the Flickering World, the Great Cosmos Corps was long gone,
and Han Xiao had only found out about them through the very brief record the dynasty
had on them. It did not feel important, so Han Xiao did not have a deep impression of
them.

Therefore, he did not think about it for the time being and did not know that this
organization was the mission target. Nonetheless, even if he did know, it would not
make a difference.

“I—I think it would still be better to report this to the Great Emperor,” the operator said
while shivering. “We might not be able to win with the forces here…”

“What did you say?” Kikiga slammed the table with rage. He was testy and prone to
anger.

“Don’t be angry, Great Chieftain. The Great Emperor has made you responsible for this
area. If we make our own move on something this significant, the Great Emperor will
not be happy about it!”
Realizing that the Great Emperor might be angered by this, Kikiga shivered, and his
rage disappeared. He then said with hesitation, “Then… let’s report this to the Great
Emperor.”

The others hastily contacted the Great Emperor and held their breath. Very soon, the
projection of a person appeared on the screen.

The person on the screen was a humanoid in dark purple armor and a bright-red half-
shoulder cape, only showing his head. He had messy black long hair and pale skin, and
the metal mask on the bottom half of his face covered his appearance. His eyes were
filled with coldness. Thick, muscular, and enormous tentacles extended from behind
him, covered in some armor as well, like multiple mechanical tails surrounding this
person.

He sat on a metal throne of a battleship. Behind him was a metal wall with the logo of
the Great Cosmos Corps and the skulls of many different beasts. This person was the
leader of the Great Cosmos Corps, Atimo, who also called himself the Great Emperor of
the Universe.

Kikiga immediately stood straight as he saw this person.

Atimo raised his eyelids and said with a cold tone, “You’d better have a reason for
disturbing me.”

Kikiga shivered. He had become one of the chieftains because of his exceptional combat
capability. Despite being bad-tempered, he was afraid of Atimo from the bottom of his
heart. Under the constant reminder of the operators, he finally completed reporting what
had just happened and cautiously waited for a response.

“So, you were discovered by an unknown force with advanced technology?”

“Yes, what should we do?”

“Invade their planet, rob their technology, snatch their resources, and eliminate and
enslave them,” Atimo said with the same cold tone. “Do I still need to teach you these
things?”

“Un—Understood.” Kikiga hastily nodded.

After the communication ended, Kikiga breathed a sigh of relief. He then stared at the
operators around him with rage and loudly yelled, “You heard it! The Great Emperor
has told us to eliminate the enemies. Wake up all those who are asleep; we have a war
to fight!”

Two days passed in a flash. Han Xiao’s main fleet officially departed and left Planet
Pangurus, only leaving some behind to mine the resources.

The next planet that Han Xiao was planning to personally explore was an average
resource planet in the first Star Zone of the border Star System.

The famous planets in his memories were spread out in many areas. Compared to the
entire Star Cluster, the first Star Zone was tiny. Other than Planet Pangurus, he had a
rough image of about ten or so planets in the Star Zone, all of which he had personally
visited before. Some of them were resource planets that he had visited to rob resources
from other guilds, while others were functional planets such as stargate stations and
supply stations of sorts.

The Black Star Army exploration team and the Senico exploration team’s millions of
spaceships split up. According to the current progress, it would take about seventeen to
eighteen days to finish exploring all the planets in the first Star Zone. This meant that it
would take about half a year to finish exploring this Star System, and most of that time
would be spent on travelling.

After all, not every planet had natives, and it was easy to explore normal planets.

As for the Special Task Force, as they would be travelling nonstop in high-speed
spaceships, they would be able to build a long distance stargate route in just four
months. In this time, Han Xiao felt that he should be able to visit all the planets that he
had a memory of in this Star System.

On the other side, a few battleships deviated from the others, carrying the mechanical
troops that Han Xiao dispatched, and headed to the location of Kikiga and the others.

Inside the spaceship, rows of mechanical soldiers were on standby under Sparta’s
control. They were completely still.

Inside the cabin, however, there was a group that was completely different from the
lifeless mechanical soldiers—they were the mechanical lives that Han Xiao had created.

“Guys, this is the first time the master has sent us out to a battle. We must not
disappoint our master.”

In the wide room, dozens of mechanical lives were either seated or standing, looking at
Psionic Prime, who was speaking with a formal tone.

As soon as his sentence ended, a silver mechanical life who was leaning back on the
sofa spoke with a simulated impatient tone.

“Humph, we’re all first-generation children of the master. You were just born the
earliest, yet you think of yourself as our leader?”

There were thousands of first-generation mechanical lives that Han Xiao created
personally. Psionic Prime was their leader, but some mechanical lives were not satisfied
with that.

Mechanical Lives had emotion modules. Due to different original models, they would
shapeshift into a body shape of their own preference through nanotechnology.

“According to the bloodline relationship of flesh beings, I’m your older brother, Silver
Flash,” Psionic Prime said.
The mechanical life who spoke was called Silver Flash. He had always been envious of
how Psionic Prime would always be on Han Xiao’s side. Psionic Prime was just a
Hovering Fissionist; the master’s favorite should be him—a thick, long, and manly
Planetary Obliteration Cannon!

“Fight! Fight! The winner gets to be the older brother!” A black-red mechanical life
who was clearly shorter than everyone else jumped left and right and cheered. Its
original model was a dark energy hovering artillery. Its name was Scarlet Flame.

“Stop messing around.” Psionic Prime waved.

“No!” Silver Flash suddenly pounced at Psionic Prime, shattering the sofa below him.

Psionic Prime instantly split up from his human shape into multiple hovering guards,
causing Silver Flash to go right through him and miss.

Pa!

With one hand pressed on the ground, Silver Flash’s body spun as he launched a kick
toward Psionic Prime. He was a Planetary Obliteration Cannon, so he did not dare fire
inside the ship and could only use close-range combat techniques.

Two hovering guards suddenly assembled and turned into a palm, grabbing Silver
Flash’s leg. Then, Psionic Prime returned to his human form and threw Silver Flash
right over his shoulder.

Bang!

The bulky mechanical body crashed onto the metal ground and made a dent.

“Still want to play?” Psionic Prime held tight onto Silver Flash’s hand and emitted a
restraining force field from his palm, preventing Silver Flash from escaping by nano-
shapeshifting.
Silver Flash fell onto the ground. One of his legs was caught, and the other kept kicking
at Psionic Prime like a child fighting, but his attacks were all dodged by Psionic Prime.

As the two mechanical lives fought, the room became a mess. The mechanical lives
around quickly backed off and gave them space.

Mechanical lives had been sparring all the time inside Han Xiao’s secondary dimension
army base, so the others were all used to it.

“Are you guys not properly oiled? Come on!” Scarlet Flame cheered from the side.

“Don’t destroy the spaceship! Go to the combat room if you want to fight!” a ranger
mechanical life yelled.

At this time, all the mechanical lives’ movement suddenly stopped. Sparta’s cold voice
appeared out of nowhere.

“The master has finally given you guys missions, and you’re making such a mess? All
of you, reflect on yourselves!”

Mechanical lives had free will, but Han Xiao’s artificial intelligence had a higher
control priority in their fundamental logic that was only lower than Han Xiao.

Usually, Han Xiao would let the mechanical lives move freely to maximize their
growth. However, Sparta did not want to let these mechanical lives keep making a mess,
so he took away the control these mechanical lives had of their body and made them
walk back to the cabin and stand still.

However, although these mechanical lives could not control their bodies, their minds
were still active, and they were still arguing through their network link.

“If this was an open area, you’d already have become a pile of trash!” Silver Flash
yelled.

Psionic Prime just chuckled. “Hehe.”

“It’s all your fault,” the ranger said. “None of us can move now!”

“Silver Flash… when we’re done with the mission, I’m going to dismantle you and send
you back to the master to be rebuilt!” Oathkeeper growled.

“You think I’m afraid of you? Let me fire at you if you have the guts! Let’s see if you
can even be rebuilt!”
827 Black Star Army? Never Heard of I

After Han Xiao’s fleet left Planet Pangurus, the guild players who stayed behind could
not wait to make their moves.

The four largest Chinese guilds pretended not to be involved while secretly gathering
the members of the other guilds who had stayed behind, including the guilds of the
Thunderstorm club, Fanatics club, Rivervale club, and many more.

The number of members in these guilds who had stayed behind was around sixty to
seventy each; they were mostly studio players who took on manual labor jobs from
guilds and charged them a fee. They were more organized compared to normal guild
players, who were much larger in terms of numbers.

Hundreds of players gathered and discussed the plan.

“The Russians and Australians have insufficient manpower. They left fewer than twenty
people per club. There’re a total of about a hundred people on each side.”

“However, they’re not splitting up, and the hundreds of them are mining together.”

Although the Russians and Australians had established an agreement with the four
largest Chinese clubs, the guild players who had stayed behind all stayed together to do
mining. The Russians were led by the Power and Glory guild, and the Australians were
led by the Kangaroo Boxing guild. They each gathered in one place of their own and
had close to about a hundred people on each side, which was close to the number of
people the top tier Chinese guilds had. It seemed that this was safer and would prevent
them from being attacked.

However, never would they have thought that the Chinese top tier guilds would work
together against them.

The Chinese guilds discussed for a while and decided with a plan. They had the absolute
upper hand in terms of number, so they decided to split into two groups and attack the
Russians and the Australians’ resource points. The grouping was decided very soon, and
they started the operation.

At the Kangaroo Boxing Guild’s resource point, dozens of Australian players were hard
at work in the mines, wearing the Worker Bee Armor, placing the resources into their
armor, and transporting them back to the mini guild warehouse on the ground time after
time.

There were many warehouses that belonged to the various Australian guilds, and there
were patrolling studio players around. Although they moved as a group for safety, this
did not mean that they were sharing resources. These warehouses were bought by the
various guilds from the army using their own funds, and they were quite expensive.
They were equivalent to their stronghold at the resource point.

At this time, groups of well-equipped first-tier guild players appeared in the patrolling
players’ sights and were charging right toward them from afar.

“Gather immediately! Our resource point is being attacked!”

These Australian club guilds hastily summoned those who were mining for resources,
but it was too late. The close to three hundred first-tier guild players rushed right into
this resource point.

The Australian players who rushed back from the mines clashed with those players
instantly.
A scrimmage erupted in the blink of an eye!

Boom boom boom!

Pugilists blasted the backlines with energy flames, Espers threw out all sorts of colorful
energy of different abilities, Mages constantly channeled spells, and Psychics nonstop
used AOE psychic attacks…

The Mechanics made the greatest impact.

Version 3.0 was the version where Mechanics shone very brightly. This was because the
Mechanic players would finally be able to learn the ability that would completely
evolve their combat method in this version—Compression Technology.

Compressed orbs expanded on the battlefield one after another, turning into artilleries,
mini mechanical soldiers, mechanical traps, and all kinds of equipment.

Be it financial power, combat capability, or manpower, the first-tier Chinese guilds had
the complete upper hand and very quickly thrashed the Australian players. While they
sent some people to the revive point to keep attacking, they started to attack the guild
warehouses of the Australians and very soon destroyed all of them. The resources that
the Australians had been collecting all this time were now robbed as loot.

The resource point became a mess. After they completely depleted the Australian
players of their daily maximum revive count, the first-tier Chinese guild players
retreated with the loot.

About a hundred souls hovered above the revive point and watched them leave with
rage in their eyes.

Meanwhile, the Russians’ resource point was treated equally.

“Our resource points were destroyed?”

Inside a certain transport ship of the main fleet, Vodka was shocked to receive this news
from the member who had stayed behind.

After hearing that the first-tier Chinese guilds were the ones who did this, he was
furious. He immediately sent messages to the guild presidents of Long Sky and Dynasty
and questioned them, “Why did you attack our resource point?”

Jade Green Sky pretended to be confused. “What are you talking about? When did we
do such a thing? You’d better have proof, or I’m suing you for slander.”

“Just moments ago, the resource point we left on the planet was destroyed by your
Chinese guilds members. The players were spawn-camped and finished their revive
counts. They won’t be able to revive in the next six in-game days. Why did those
Chinese guild members attack us?”

“Well, ask them, not like we’re the ones who did it.” Jade Green Sky held back his
laughter.

“We buy equipment from you guys, and in exchange, you promised to provide
protection to us,” Vodka said furiously. “You’ve violated our agreement!”

Jade Green Sky knew exactly what tricks these foreign guilds had been pulling—these
guilds bought equipment from them on the surface but secretly worked together with
other Chinese players to secretly enjoy the full ten-percent discount.

Morning Snow Twilight Frost smiled faintly. “We did not know about this in advance.
After all, those first-tier guilds have their own thoughts too. They’re not working under
us. We’ll ask them about it. Don’t worry, I’ll try to convince these guilds.”

“That’d be for the best.” Vodka nodded.

As Vodka ended the communication, he was extremely displeased. These first-tier

guilds working together against them was connected to the four largest Chinese clubs no
matter how he looked at it. This might happen again in the future.
He contacted the captain of the people who stayed behind and said, “After you revive,
I’ll send some funds to you guys for you to buy some alarm devices in the army, such as
automatic artilleries, traps, and laser formations. Deploy these around the new resource
point, buy as many as possible, don’t be afraid to spend… By the way, give up on your
current location and look for a harsher location to mine resources.”

On the other side, Morning Snow Twilight Frost and Jade Green Sky were discussing
the matter as well.

“This attack will make them cautious and cause them to spend more money on
unnecessary defense measures. These first-tier guilds never planned to attack them
frequently, so we can just say that this is because we convinced these guilds and kept
our promise. When these people build a new resource point and have recovered for
some time, we shall organize an attack again. By then, there will be a new batch of
resources stored in their warehouses, and it will all be robbed. As this goes on, the profit
they gain from their resource points will be extremely limited. All we have to do is
force them to turn this into a large guild war so that we can completely obliterate their
guilds’ core members with our numerical advantage.”

“Cunning as always.” Jade Green Sky gave him a thumbs up.

Morning Snow Twilight Frost shook his head. “Sadly, they did not send their
professional players here, or we would have been able to help the club eliminate some
opponents.”

Pro players were the pillars of clubs, so clubs took the safety of the pro players very
seriously. Of course, they did not dare send the character of their pro players to
someone else’s territory. One of the reasons the Chinese clubs were targeting the
foreign guilds was also to protect their own pro players—if the foreign guilds built a
stable foundation in their own territory, the chance of them causing the Chinese pro
players trouble would not be negligible at all.

The others could come here from another Star Field, but they could not go to another
Star Field, so the Chinese guilds were actually on the more passive side. This was why
they had decided to work together to compete with the foreign guilds and guard their
profit.

…
A few days later in another Star Zone, the Great Cosmos Corps fleet led by Kikiga was
slowly heading toward the location of the marker. Other than the main ship, which was
dozens of miles long, there were thirty or so guard battleships. All the warriors who
were awoken were training. There were around a million people.

Inside the main ship, Kikiga rubbed his hands with anticipation—he loved plundering
and was looking forward to the war.

“How long till we arrive at the marker’s location?” Kikiga asked this question many
times every single day.

“Chieftain, the location of the marker has been moving for the past few days. I think
that this is the enemy’s trick to confuse us, so we’re now heading toward the location
where the marker was activated first. It’s not very far away,” the team leader of the
operators said with resignation. He had to repeat this many times every day.

“The faster the better. I can’t wait,” Kikiga said with a wild tone.

This time, one of the operators yelled, “Chieftain, three unknown targets are
approaching us!”

“It’s not meteoroids, right?” Kikiga was shocked.

In his mind, very few could travel in the universe like them, so his first thought was to
assume that they were meteoroids.

“It doesn’t look like it. They’re flying toward us! Chieftain, I request to enter alert
status!”

“Overreacting,” Kikiga murmured and waved. “Alert then.”

The fleet activated its various weapons very quickly and waited with focus.

Not long after, the three spaceships with Psionic Prime and the others on them slowly
stopped before Kikiga and their fleet.
“Real spaceships?” Kikiga was shocked.

The operator quickly said, “Like I suspected, they can indeed track our marker and have
very advanced technology. They can travel in the universe, too.”

Kikiga sized the three spaceships up for a while before suddenly laughing.

“What are you afraid of? Look at those three spaceships. How strong can they be when
they’re so small?”

Indeed, the spaceships that Psionic Prime and the others were in looked tiny compared
to the main ship of Kikiga’s fleet.

To Kikiga, the size of spaceships was directly proportionate to the spaceships’ power.

“Also, look, they only have three spaceships. We have more than ten times that number.
We will be able to beat them with ease. What are you guys panicking for?
Embarrassing.” Kikiga shook his head.

The rest thought that what Kikiga said made sense and felt relieved.

“Chieftain, what should we do now?”

“Looking at their spaceship, it’s clear they’re from a small civilization that has just
started to travel the universe and don’t know what fear is,” Kikiga replied, “which is
why they dared track our signal. Humph, as seniors, we have to teach them a lesson and
make them understand the taste of fear.”

This time, an operator smiled and said, “Chieftain, they’ve sent us a message and said
that they want to communicate with us.”

Hearing this, everyone laughed and agreed with Kikiga—only a civilization that had
just started exploring the universe would be this naive.
“What did they say?”

“Let me see… They said that they belong to the Black Star Army and told us to
immediately deactivate our weapons and not resist…” This person burst into laughter
before he finished the sentence.

As if the others were infected by him, almost everyone on the bridge burst into laughter.
The room’s atmosphere was filled with joy.

“Hahaha…” Kikiga could not stop laughing. “Quick, reply to them.”

“What do we say?”

“Ask them if they have heard of us, the Great Cosmos Corps. Hahaha…” Kikiga was
almost tearing up from laughing.

The Black Star Army? What sh*t is that? Never even heard of it, yet they think they’re
famous?

Don’t they know that the Great Cosmos Corps is the ruler of the universe? Wanting us
to stop resisting and give up… I’ve never heard such a funny joke.

Kikiga gasped for air and suppressed his laughter. “These arrogant natives really are the
fountain of joy, always makes me laugh…”

Before he could finish, he almost burst out laughing again.

“Chieftain, should we attack?”

“Hmm, eliminate them… no, don’t kill them. Capture them and give them to the Great
Emperor. The Great Emperor will definitely think these guys are funny, too.” Kikiga
guffawed.
As everyone was laughing nonstop, the team captain of the operators felt his heart skip a
beat as he noticed something that they had previously overlooked.

When they came into contact with natives in the past, there was no way to communicate
with them as they had different languages.

These natives, despite meeting us for the first time… why do they know our language?
Why are they able to communicate with us?

He trembled. As he was about to report this abnormality, those three spaceships

changed.

The cabin of those three spaceships opened, and black machinery gushed out. Suddenly,
blue-gold lightning appeared out of nowhere and landed on every machine, causing a
blinding surge of light.

“What are those?”

The smile on the faces of Kikiga and the others disappeared as they watched this with
confusion.

The next moment, a silver beam of light instantly penetrated the shield of their main
ship and its body, leaving a huge hole!

The ‘tough’ spaceship armor could not have been more fragile in the face of this energy
beam!

Everyone was stunned. Before they could react, the violent trembling shook them onto
the ground.

The deafening alarm rang instantly, and the lights inside the spaceship all turned red.

Woo!
“Alert! Alert! Shield broken, hull damage increasing, 7.8%… 8.6%… 10.3%… Please
take measures as soon as possible! Please take measures as soon as possible!”

With one attack, the main ship’s defense had been completely obliterated.

Kikiga did not even climb up. He sat on the ground, his eyes filled with disbelief, his
face covered in despair.

What… just happened?

828 Player Military Operation

The battle between more than thirty battleships built with Star System grade technology
and the mechanical lives that were receiving Han Xiao’s Mechanical Force bonuses
through [Quantum Infinite Distance Transmission Channel] ended with zero suspense.

The battle ended instantly—this Great Cosmos Corps fleet was wiped out without being
able to fight back at all. The main ship became a firework in the universe.

Before the main ship exploded, having realized he was facing doom, Kikiga wanted to
escape in an escape pod. However, the escape pod was blasted midway by Scarlet
Flame. He initially wanted to flee from the enemies with his extraordinary combat
capability but was completely destroyed by Psionic Prime in one kick and was captured.

Psionic Prime and the others obeyed the order with full loyalty, capturing more than a
dozen upper echelons. As for the rest of the Great Cosmos Corps warriors, they became
ash together with their spaceships.

Inside the spaceship, Kikiga and the group of operators were tied up by electromagnetic
chains and lying on the ground. The shadow of the mechanical lives shrouded them and
made them so nervous that they could hardly breath.
They looked at the tall and large mechanical lives around them and shivered.
Mechanical Lives had no expressions, so they could not tell what these metal beings
were thinking. They had no idea what would happen to them next.

Kikiga’s face was stiff; he was still in disbelief.

His powerful fleet had been eliminated by these strange creatures so easily!

Plus, he was no match for these monsters at all.

The Great Cosmos Corps respected the strong. Some of its members were Supers.
However, these people did not have any properly classified Super knowledge, so every
Super was extremely rare in the Great Cosmos Corps and took on important positions.
Kikiga, being one of them, had become the Chieftain of a division because of his
combat capability.

He initially had a lot of confidence in his own strength, but Psionic Prime had
completely evaporated that confidence and made him start doubting the meaning of life.

What monsters were those metal beings? He had never seen such lives throughout the
years he had been robbing.

“W-what the hell are you?” Kikiga was shivering.

“I’m Psionic Prime, the leader of the Black Star Army’s machinery troops.” Psionic
Prime spoke with his completely emotionless electronic voice.

“Black Star Army…” This was the second time that Kikiga had heard this name today.

He thought they were just a bunch of natives when he heard it for the first time. Now,
however, that belittlement disappeared together with his fleet, leaving him only panic
and fear.
Kikiga swallowed his saliva. What was this ‘Black Star Army’? How could they
possibly be this strong? He had never heard of the name of this organization and felt
that it was extremely mysterious.

Seeing that Kikiga was stunned and filled with terror, Psionic Prime tilted his head,
raised his finger, and emitted a beam, forming a hologram in front of everyone.

On the screen, images and text descriptions displayed the history of the Black Star
Army.

Phillip had invaded the enemy’s spaceship long before the battle even started. The
language of the Great Cosmos Corps had been recorded into the database beforehand,
which was what allowed them to communicate in the first place. Other than language,
the information stored in this fleet had also been duplicated. Their virtual technology
was basically as good as non-existent in front of Phillip; he could do whatever he
wanted.

“This is…” As the curtain began to unfold on the Black Star Army, Kikiga and the
others’ eyes and mouths were opened wide. The origin of the Black Star Army had
shattered their world view.

Godora, DarkStar, Bloodshed Land, Purple Crystal Civilization, the Crimson Dynasty…
There’re so many organizations in the universe? Why have we never heard of them?

Beyond Grade A? In Kikiga’s impression, Atimo was the strongest person in this entire
universe. He could not even imagine how anyone could possess strength far greater than
Atimo.

Kikiga had initially fantasized that Atimo would lead his army and avenge them.
However, having just seen the tip of the iceberg of the Black Star Army, he only had
one thought toward Atimo.

Please don’t come!

…
“They’ve captured them?”

Han Xiao received Psionic Prime’s message while commanding his fleet in exploring
another resource planet; he immediately browsed through the data copied by Phillip in
the database.

After looking through, Han Xiao was surprised.

That’s what I thought. There is indeed no hidden Star System civilization in this area.
So, it turns out that it’s those idiots from the Great Cosmos Corps. Apparently, they
have a division here…

Han Xiao giggled in his mind.

So, the goal of this hidden mission is them. They did not meet the dynasty this time and
met me instead… They’re still quite unlucky.

The Great Cosmos Corps’ territory was mainly located at the center of the Garu Star
Cluster. According to the normal exploration progress, it would take a few years before
anyone would arrive at that location. However, Han Xiao had now met them in advance.

After eliminating one of their fleets, they would definitely not let this end easily.
Although these people would not be able to cause any problems for him or the dynasty,
it was not his style to leave them be.

Han Xiao walked back and forth pondering with hands behind his back. Suddenly, his
eyes sparkled.

That’s right, these people have robbed many planets. They definitely have the data of
those planets. Even if they’ve destroyed some of those planets, there will still be ruins
that give Exploration Points. This intel is very valuable to the dynasty and can be
considered an achievement.

If he obtained this information, the total Exploration Points of his main storyline
mission would grow quite a lot, most likely an entire grade. Plus, this would be
considered quite an achievement, and the dynasty would reward him for it, making his
exploration progress look more successful than the Bloodshed Land’s.

“This is quite a good opportunity.” Although the Great Cosmos Corps was weak, the
intelligence they had was useful.

He turned his communicator on and contacted the chief commander, Tarrokov, through
Senico.

“Black Star, what’s this about?” Tarrokov was a little shocked. Normal matters could all
be discussed with Senico, yet Han Xiao had gone straight to him. Could he have met
some kind of special situation?

“Chief commander, I have made a discovery,” Han Xiao said slowly. “A few days ago,
my army warriors discovered a damaged marker on Planet Pangurus…”

He roughly explained the situation and then emphasized, “According to the data, this
organization robs others for a living and has been active in the center area of the Garu
Star Cluster. They seem to have quite a large territory. The way I see it, the planetary
information in their hands will be very useful to our exploration.”

“I see…” Tarrokov contemplated a while before nodding. “If you’re not mistaken, this
will indeed give us a lot of information on multiple planets at once. This is quite a
significant achievement. Did you skip Senico and came to me because you wanted to
ask me to allow you to start a war?”

Han Xiao did not deny it.

In the laws stated by the dynasty, they had to take the peaceful approach when
contacting the natives. In order to start a war with a Star System level native force, the
dynasty had to permit it. If anyone eliminated natives for no reason, the dynasty would
be displeased. After all, the Star Field belonged to the dynasty; its allies were just
people helping in the mining process.

Therefore, the chief commander’s approval was needed to eliminate the Great Cosmos
Corps; only then would there be no negative effects.
Han Xiao did not feel any guilt over eliminating the Great Cosmos Corps. These people
robbed others for a living and had enslaved dozens of native races. They were basically
galactic pirates.

Tarrokov considered it for a while before speaking in a deep voice. “I will write an
order and give it to the Black Star Army, representing that what you guys are doing is
on my orders. I shall leave the task of gathering information to you. There’s no need to
spare these people.”

“Okay.” Han Xiao nodded.

“I will report the fact that the Black Star Army was the one that discovered this piece of
intelligence. This is your achievement, so the merit naturally belongs to you.” Tarrokov
smiled and spoke in a friendly way.

After a pause, Tarrokov suddenly changed the topic and said with a meaningful tone,
“Renault is in the middle of the three Star Clusters that will be explored in the first
stage. Its geographical location is superior and looks like the richest. Therefore, the
upper echelons of the dynasty are paying the most attention to the development of the
Renault Star Cluster.”

Why mention another Star Cluster suddenly? Isn’t Renault the Bloodshed Land’s
exploration area? Han Xiao was stunned for a moment.

“As for the Garu Star Cluster,” Tarrokov continued, “due to it having rather a large
number of desolate universe belts, the upper echelons of the dynasty have the lowest
expectations for it. This is also why fewer people chose to explore the Garu Star
Cluster. However, if the exploration of Garu goes very well, it will be a pleasant
surprise to the dynasty.”

Han Xiao figured out what Tarrokov was trying to convey. Tarrokov was leaking a tiny
bit of internal information of the dynasty and giving him a reminder.

The dynasty paid the most attention to Renault and had the highest expectations for it,
which meant that the Bloodshed Land had to achieve more to meet their expectations.
However, it would be a pleasant surprise as long as his exploration of Garu was not too
horrible, so earning merit for him would be comparatively easier. There were both pros
and cons.

Seeing that Han Xiao was pondering, Tarrokov smiled and moved away from this topic.
Other than wanting to build a good relationship with Han Xiao, he reminded Han Xiao
also to encourage the Black Star Army—this was one of his jobs as the chief
commander.

After chatting casually for a while, they ended the communication. This time, a
notification popped up on Han Xiao’s interface.

_____________________

[Coordinate Marker of Unknown Origin] complete!

You have received 3,000,000 EXP and 70 Individual Exploration Points.

You have received 1 [Bold Explorer] Ability Shard. 2 Shards are needed to fuse.

_____________________

“With one shard, there’s at least a start. I’ll have to try to obtain the second shard.”

Han Xiao was joyous. This was a very pleasant surprise. Maple Moon was really quite
lucky.

This time, more notifications popped up on the interface.

_____________________

You have triggered Faction Mission [Wipe Out the Great Cosmos Corps]!
Mission Introduction: The Great Cosmos Corps is a pillaging organization in the Garu
Star Cluster, evil and lawless. I hereby request the Black Star Army to eliminate this
organization—Dynasty Exploration Army Chief Commander Tarrokov.

Tip: This is a sub-mission of the [Flickering World]. Exploration Points will be

rewarded.

Tip: This is a faction series mission. You can complete the following requirements
during this mission.

Eliminate Enemies I: Kill 10 normal Great Cosmos Corps warriors. Rewards: 750,000
EXP and 3 Exploration Points.

Eliminate Enemies II: Kill 10 elite Great Cosmos Corps warriors. Rewards: 1,500,000
EXP and 6 Exploration Points.

Eliminate Enemies III: Kill 10 spaceship operators. Rewards: 2,000,000 EXP and 9
Exploration Points.

Destroy Ships I: Destroy 1 enemy guard battleship. Rewards: 3,600,000 EXP and 12
Exploration Points.

King Before Men I: Kill 1 high level combatant. Reward: 5,500,000 EXP and 25
Exploration Points.

King Before Men II: Kill 1 chieftain. Reward: 7,000,000 EXP and 30 Exploration
Points.

King Before Men III: Kill ‘Great Emperor’ Atimo. Reward: 22,000,000 EXP and 60
Exploration Points.

When the mission ends, based on the number of targets completed, the rating and bonus
rewards will be given.
_____________________

Han Xiao figured that this Faction Mission was given to the entire Black Star Army,
which meant that the other army players would be able to accept it as well.

Han Xiao was initially planning to send out his machinery troops to eliminate the Great
Cosmos Corps, but he changed his mind.

Since the players were able to accept this mission, he would leave it to the players.
Spending a little bit more time was not an issue. This Great Cosmos Corps was not
especially powerful, so it was suitable for the players to deal with.

The average strength of the players had been gradually growing, so he planned to let
just the players eliminate the Great Cosmos Corps. Other than providing spaceships, he
was not planning to let any NPC take part in this operation.

This would be the first military operation with only players!

This way, the players would have a better experience in exploring the Flickering World.
After all, compared to purely exploring, most players preferred fighting.

The Great Cosmos Corps people were all walking experience, so Han Xiao basically
considered letting the players eliminate them as watering his leeks. It was still the early
stage of Version 3.0, so there were no max level players yet.

Furthermore, after a war, the players would have to replenish their ammunition and
repair their equipment, which would all cost money.

Han Xiao never ignored the ammunition business of the army, and he was going to
make a fortune from this war.

I’ll have to make the enemies gather and attack first so that it’ll take less time…
Han Xiao contacted Phillip and spoke a few words to Psionic Prime.

Central area of the Garu Star Cluster, Great Cosmos Corps headquarters.

A deputy hastily came before Atimo’s throne and said with a shivering voice, “Gr—
Great Emperor, we’ve lost contact with Chieftain Kikiga’s team!”

A glow of coldness flashed past Atimo’s eyes. He said with a low voice, “What
happened?”

“They were planning to invade the location of the marker but met the enemy’s team
midway and were eliminated…” this deputy said cautiously. “Those enemies call
themselves the Black Star Army, and they’ve sent a message.”

“Black Star Army…” Atimo frowned. “What did they say?”

The deputy played this message on the screen while shivering.

Psionic Prime appeared on the screen, and Kikiga was trembling on the ground beside
his feet.

“I’m the leader of the mechanical army of the Black Star Army, Psionic Prime. Listen
carefully, people of the Great Cosmos Corps. The Black Star Army will seize all your
territory, kill all your warriors, and take away your everything. Tell your leader, Atimo,
our army commander will drink wine from his skull.”

The moment the sentence ended, Psionic Prime’s arm turned into a blade flickering with
psionic energy and slashed through Kikiga’s neck.

Puchi!
Blood gushed out, Kikiga’s head rolled on the floor, and his headless body fell on to the
ground, still shivering.

Psionic Prime said with an emotionless tone, “Get ready for war!”

Then, the screen turned black, and the message came to an end.

Atimo was initially watching this recording with an indifferent face, but when Kikiga’s
head was chopped off right before his eyes, his eyes flickered a little.

“Great Emperor, this is a provocation… What should we do?”

Atimo stood up slowly.

“Gather all the fleets, combatants, and chieftains…” Atimo’s tone was cold. “I will lead
the charge this time!

“If they want war, I shall give them war!”

_____________________

[Coordinate Marker of Unknown Origin] complete!

_____________________

Maple Moon was farming dungeons with Bun-Hit-Dog and others and was fighting a
boss when the mission completion notification suddenly popped up on her interface.
She was shocked, and her movements stiffened for a moment.

“It’s only been a few days, and the mission is already completed. I’ve not even done
anything yet!”
Maple Moon was shocked.

She had turned over the marker to the army as suggested by the mission. It was clear
that this was thanks to the faction.

Giving things to the army was indeed the right choice.

“Don’t just stand there. Control the field!” Bun-Hit-Dog was being thrown around by
the boss as he yelled.

Maple Moon completely ignored him, deep in thought.

She had been thinking for the past few days. The requirement of this mission was just to
make contact with the unknown force, which meant that there would definitely be more
to it. She immediately opened the faction mission list.

As she expected, there were indeed more missions and even large side missions
distributed by the dynasty!

“Great Cosmos Corps, such a lame name… it’s a pillaging organization. The mission
requirement is to eliminate this organization. It seems like it’s going to be a group
mission. There will definitely be a lot of people participating.”

Maple Moon pondered.

“He… lp… me…” The boss pressed Bun-Hit-Dog onto the ground and punched his
face again and again. Bun-Hit-Dog could only yell out one syllable at a time during the
gap of the punches. His call for help had a constant rhythm.

Finally, as his last bit of health disappeared, Bun-Hit-Dog turned into a white light and
died.
Maple Moon finally regained her focus and looked up. She threw out a ton of
compressed orbs, and machinery filled up the field.

The large number of machines drowned this boss. Not long after, the boss who had half
health was defeated by Maple Moon alone.

After playing for three versions, she had realized that she was quite talented in this
aspect, and her PVP skills had been becoming stronger and stronger. Furthermore, this
version was the powerful period for the Mechanic class, so farming dungeons was much
easier. Mechanics above level 100 were welcomed by most dungeon teams.

The group came out of the dungeon and returned to the army’s battleship.

“Why were you distracted?” Bun-Hit-Dog complained. “I didn’t actually have to use
one revive count.”

“Look at the faction mission.”

Bun-Hit-Dog opened the faction interface and saw the [Wipe Out the Great Cosmos
Corps] mission.

Surprised, he opened the forums and realized that the army’s players were already
overjoyed.

Although the exploration of the main storyline mission was filled with uncertainties and
was quite interesting, the players spent most of their time in spaceships and hardly had
any opportunities to fight.

Most players were itching for a brawl and could only enter dungeons. Now that there
was an opportunity to fight in the main storyline mission, all the army players were
excited.

Wiping out an entire organization sounded like quite a large mission

Chapter 829 Black Star Army, Not Bad
In the Jeraton Star System of the Renault Star Cluster, the alliance exploration team of
the Bloodshed Land and the Klent Kingdom was executing their plan step by step,
slowly painting the gray areas on the star map green. The internal stargate network of
the first Star Zone was gradually being built. The exploration of planets was completed
one after another. Detailed data was added to the database. Tons of space buoys were
left wherever they passed.

The exploration of the Bloodshed Land was smooth and peaceful. There were quite
many resource planets in the Jeraton Star System, but they had yet to meet any native
civilizations.

Heber had been very free in the past ten days or so. The large fleet was operating
according to plan and did not need his command. Therefore, he found a Fixed Star to
train his energy.

At a hot red Fixed Star in this Star Zone, Heber walked on the Fixed Star’s surface. The
energy of the Fixed Star within tens of miles from him formed a moving vortex,
spinning around him. Under the stimulation of energy, his cells devoured the powerful
radiation around him and turned it into his energy. White bright energy patches
appeared on his skin.

“Hu…” Heber exhaled deeply.

He stomped the ground. The enormous strength turned into a rippling impact wave, and
the energy vortex around him shattered instantly. Covered in thick energy flames, Heber
broke away from the powerful gravitational pull of the Fixed Star and rocket up like a
beam of light shooting into space. Very soon, he left the Fixed Star and returned to the
waiting fleet.

Heber walked into the spaceship and casually wore his cape. He then took the
communicator from his subordinate. It was a message from Klent.
“Your Excellency Tyrant, we have just received news that the chief commander has
given an order to the Black Star Army to eliminate a native organization.”

“Attacking a native organization?” Heber’s footsteps paused. “The dynasty’s

exploration laws forbid casual use of violence.”

“Our people on Planet Lighthouse have heard that the situation Black Star has met is
special. That native organization is a pillager at the center of the Star Cluster. The Black
Star Army’s men discovered them coincidentally. The dynasty wants the planetary
information this native organization has, so the chief commander allowed the Black Star
Army to eliminate them.”

Heber frowned slightly.

While they were progressing stably, the Black Star Army had already gone into the
jungle?

If the Black Star Army obtained the information the native organization had
accumulated, it would be quite a significant achievement.

Initially, he had thought that the Star System they were exploring was richer and the
results of their exploration would definitely exceed the Black Star Army’s. Sadly, Black
Star was a very lucky person.

Heber shook his head.

He did not want to see the Black Star Army achieve that, yet there was nothing he could
do but watch. He could not help but sigh.

This time, the person from Klent said, “Your Excellency Tyrant, our commander has a
daring idea…”

“Attack Black Star again?”

“That’s right. We plan to…”

“Enough.” Heber interrupted before he could finish. “I have made a ceasefire agreement
with the Black Star Army. I don’t want to mess with them now, and neither should you.
This is meaningless.”

He then hung up the communication.

The Klent Kingdom had yet to give up; they did not want to see their enemy, the Black
Star Army, successfully make such an achievement. Heber did not want to be dragged
down by Klent.

The commander sent by Klent this time had once been a radical supporter of the secret
war, so he harbored a lot of hatred for Han Xiao. What he wanted to do was basically
snatch away the Black Star Army’s contributions and disrupt Black Star, which not only
had a negligible chance of success in Heber’s eyes but would also bring the
dissatisfaction of Black Star and the dynasty. Furthermore, it would not impact the
Black Star Army much, if at all. It was not worth the risk.

In the Flickering World, Heber really was not willing to fight with Black Star. With
such a huge cake, it would be best to just explore his own area. If he and the Black Star
Army caused trouble for each other, it would only benefit the other dynasty allies who
came to explore in the future.

In Han Xiao’s previous life, when the players entered the Flickering World in Version
4.0, the exploration was already complete for many Star Clusters. Tons of exterior
forces entered and fought each other, so the players had plenty of opportunities to fight.
The situation was different now.

It was now only Version 3.0. Because of Han Xiao, the players were able to get
involved in the Flickering World storyline one version earlier, which also meant that the
environment would be different. At the early stage of the exploration, there were only
the dynasty and its allies, who were all on the same side. Therefore, the players lacked
the fighting storyline and had few chances to battle.
Therefore, when the [Wipe Out the Great Cosmos Corps] appeared, all the players who
were exploring the Flickering World with the Black Star Army took part in this group
operation. This mission did not have a maximum participant limit, so most players
decided to accept the mission.

Han Xiao was happy with this. As the players were currently in different exploration
teams and were quite divided, he casually arranged thousands of spaceships to gather
these players into an expedition fleet.

As it would take quite some time to reach the center area of the Garu Star Cluster, Han
Xiao was not planning to have the players wait in the spaceships—that would be a
waste of quality labor. He planned to let this expedition group explore the planets on the
way to maximize efficiency.

To make the return of the players easier, they also had to build stargates on the way.

This way, the exploration plan of the Black Star Army shifted as well. The large team
slowly explored the border Star System, the first Special Task Force led by Hadavy
were building a route from the south of the Star Cluster to the east, and the expedition
team were building the route from the south of the Star Cluster to the center.

As the army’s men were split into three groups, Han Xiao told Sylvia, who was in the
Shattered Star Ring headquarters, to quickly dispatch the second fleet to make up for the
manpower.

After growing for two versions, the players now had Grade B strength. Millions of army
players were considered quite powerful. Han Xiao was not worried.

As versions updated, the players became stronger. They would gradually be noticed by
the entire universe.

After sending out the player expedition team, Han Xiao left them alone. He explored
resource planets one after another according to the plan while expanding his machinery
while he had the time.

As two more Star Zones were completely explored, one month passed peacefully.
On this day, Han Xiao finally received Phillip’s report that the player expedition team
had finally met with the Great Cosmos Corps’ reconnaissance troops.

The team that met the reconnaissance troops was a player team that was deploying
space buoys. It was just a small recon ship with around three hundred players, while the
opponent had three battleships.

The battle erupted instantly. The moment this reconnaissance team discovered these
players, they rushed forward without a word, planning to capture the enemies and
interrogate them for intel about the Black Star Army.

Shots landed on the shield of this mini recon ship, causing chain exploration, while the
flickering shield was unaffected.

“Alert! The spaceship is being attacked. Remaining shield energy 97.1%… 99.7%…
charge complete. Estimating threat level… estimation complete. the enemy’s firepower
is unable to penetrate the shield. Threat level extremely low.”

The hundreds of players inside the spaceship exchanged looks.

The Black Star Army’s spaceships used the complete Star System technology, and some
even had Star Cluster standards, such as the energy core, weapon, and shield.
Comparatively, the Great Cosmos Corps’ spaceships were too behind. Without an
enormous quantity difference, there was no way they would be of any threat to the
Black Star Army’s spaceships.

Close range combat was exactly what the players wanted. As the three enemy recon
ships approached and were about to connect their cabins, more than ten charge cabins
shot out from the side of this mini recon ship, ‘biting’ into the three enemy spaceships.

The players inside the charge cabin swarmed out and started a slaughter inside the
enemy ships. These players were mostly above level 100, while the people on the
enemy ships were ordinary people.
Not long after, the hundreds of players wiped out the enemies inside these ships and
seized the three spaceships.

On the other side, Atimo received this news as well.

However, he did not receive the video information that the recon group was supposed to
send. The strength of the Black Star Army was still unknown to him.

“Before losing contact, the reconnaissance group only sent back the fact that they had
met enemies, and the link was broken right after. We don’t know the process of them
fighting their enemies,” the deputy said with confusion.

“Like with Kikiga…” Atimo narrowed his eyes, and a rare tint of concern flashed past
his eyes. “The enemy’s quantum technology might far exceed ours.”

Before the battle erupted, Phillip had invaded the enemy’s artificial intelligence and
forcefully blocked the opponent’s communication, like when Kikiga met Psionic Prime.
Therefore, Atimo still did not know how many spaceships and men the Black Star Army
had.

On the other hand, Phillip knew where the Atimo’s troops were and was ordering the
expedition team to head directly toward that direction.

No matter the war, the importance of intelligence could never be ignored. The virtual
technology of the army was far superior, and the Great Cosmos Corps was basically
blind in comparison.

Ever since he began ruling the ‘universe’, Atimo had never met an enemy that had made
him feel any sense of pressure. However, this Black Star Army that appeared out of
nowhere had shaken his confidence.

This might be the strongest opponent he had ever met.

“Black Star Army, not bad,” Atimo said with a firm tone. “I can call you the strongest
opponent. However, facing my fleet, your end will be no different from the others!”

Atimo was extremely confident. He had brought all his spaceships, a total of a hundred
thousand battleships!

This was the fleet he had accumulated throughout the years, and this was what gave him
confidence to rule over the ‘universe’.

From his perspective, such an enormous fleet could wipe out any enemy.

Chapter 830 Surrounding Calamity Grade

After meeting the reconnaissance troops, the expedition force reorganized their troops
and adjusted their direction toward Atimo’s fleet. At the same time, Atimo’s fleet also
headed toward the reconnaissance troops, and both parties were approaching each other
with the gap between them decreasing rapidly.

After spending two days in hyperdrive, both troops finally met in one of the regions of
the universe.

“We finally found our enemy.” The players in the expedition troops looked out at the
large fleet of battleships outside the window and all grew excited.

The players split up into parties, and the various large guilds were no exception. The
various professional teams formed their own parties, and the core members of the guilds
formed a protective layer around the professional players. This was not to protect them
but to help their own team snatch for the boss.

[Wipe Out the Great Cosmos Corps] was a faction mission, and there were many
mission requirements. The requirements that gave the best rewards included killing the
combat troops of the enemy and their leaders. However, there was a limited number to
go around to kill.
That was especially so for the ‘Great Emperor’ Atimo, of whom there was only one. It
was not a single player mission but only allowed a single party to share the reward.
Every club wanted to help their own professional players obtain the highest reward.

The players of Dynasty, Temple of God, Long Sky, and Fried Eggplants with Fish were
in their respective teams, and the three pillars of Long Sky were currently discussing
their strategy.

Sleepy Winter stroked his chin and said, “According to the levels of the rewards, the
enemy leader Atimo should have the combat capability of a Grade A Super. We can
only use numbers to crush him.”

“If this is the case,” Twinkle Fried Rice said, “the party that makes the first move will
be in the greatest danger. If we want to snatch the kill, it would be better for us to deal
damage silently by the side and let others attract the aggro of the boss. Only the party
with the highest damage output will obtain the reward. If we end up getting killed by the
boss, it would take far too much time to run back after reviving. We can only output
damage if we are still alive.”

Hao Tian nodded and said, “That’s right.”

On another spaceship, Frenzied Sword also formed a party with his team and even
brought Maple Moon along. They had a pretty good relationship.

Frenzied Sword looked outside the window at the rows of battleships lined up nicely. It
was obvious that the guilds were all gathering together, and there was a stark difference
between them and the ordinary players. Upon seeing that, Frenzied Sword shook his
head and said, “With so many guilds trying to snatch the boss, I think that we don’t
have much hope of succeeding.”

“As long as we don’t die,” said Rivervale’s vice captain, Evil Sword, “we may not lose
out in terms of damage output. Such a boss will not only stand there for us to kill. The
party that outputs the most damage will also face the largest threat and attract the most
aggro from the boss. We may have a chance to survive until the very end if that is the
case.”
All the players had some experience and knew that it was extremely difficult to deal
with the bosses in ‘Galaxy’. To an ordinary player, the situation of the battle was
changing every second, and it was rare for a single person to control the aggro of the
boss. Instead, the person with the highest damage output would be the target of the boss,
and the battle scene was extremely realistic.

Thus, it was extremely easy for the aggro to go out of control when fighting the boss,
and they needed to react quickly whatever happened.

Maple Moon sat by the side with a smile on her face, and she felt a sense of satisfaction
in her heart.

It could be said that this large-scale war had been started by her single handedly. She
was the one who had triggered the storyline and caused this expedition mission. Thus,
she had a strong sense of achievement and was feeling extremely satisfied in her heart.

Because she was the one who triggered this mission, she had an additional mission
compared to the other players. She would be able to gain a bonus reward after the Great
Cosmos Corps was wiped out, which included a large amount of experience,
Exploration Points, 300 Crimson Dynasty Contribution Points, and 1,000 Black Star
Army Contribution Points.

This was probably the reward for handing the mission tool over to the dynasty.

The reward from this mission was extremely plentiful, and after some calculations,
Maple Moon felt that it was possible for her to become the highest leveled player after
the mission.

Among the Russian and Australian groups, Vodka and Captain Old Henry were also
thinking of snatching the boss.

Although the professional players of their own club did not follow them over, if they
could prevent the Chinese professional players from snatching the boss’ reward, it
would be akin to helping their own professional players. Although the Russian and
Australian players had suffered some losses on Planet Pangurus, their responsibility was
still present, and they were not willing to let the Chinese players enjoy all the benefits
before their eyes.
At the same time, Atimo was also observing the Black Star Army fleet.

“The enemy only has ten thousand battleships, and we have the absolute advantage in
numbers,” the vice commander said.

Atimo nodded slowly. He had a hundred thousand battleships, a full ten times more than
the enemy.

However, Atimo was still shocked that the Black Star Army could have a full ten
thousand battleships. In his memory, every battleship required a large amount of
resources and time to construct. The most powerful race that he had met only had a few
hundred battleships.

He had originally thought that the quantum technology of the Black Star Army was the
only advantage that they had, but never had he expected that the fleet of the Black Star
Army would not be weak either.

“No wonder they locked down the news. They didn’t want me to find out that they had
such a large fleet and wanted to catch me off guard.” Atimo felt a sense of lingering
fear.

To gather a full ten thousand battleships, the other party must have sent out all their
forces. Thankfully, he had also brought out his entire fleet. If he had only sent out a few
divisions as usual, he would definitely have been in trouble.

Indeed, it was the right choice for him to take action personally.

Atimo’s eyes glowed, and he said slowly, “I want to talk to the other party’s leader.”

In his eyes, this was an all-out war between both parties. The commander of the Black
Star Army was an extremely mysterious figure and had never shown himself. Atimo
wanted to see what kind of a figure the leader of the Black Star Army was. He actually
had ten thousand battleships under his command, and Atimo felt that such an individual
had the right to talk to him.
After a moment, the vice commander stammered, “The other party rejected our
request… they sa… said…”

“What did they say?” Atimo’s eyes narrowed.

“They said that you do not have the right to speak to their Army Commander.”

Atimo burst into laughter and was not angered at all.

I do not have the rights? Who else would have more rights than me?

Forget it, since they are going to die in a short while, there isn’t a need to be so
calculative.

Atimo shook his head and lost all interest in contacting the other party. He then said
slowly, “Attack, wipe them all out!”

With the order being given, the hundred thousand battleships opened fire in unison.

Atimo thought that he would witness the scene of the enemy being severely crippled by
the firepower of his fleet. However, the scene that unfolded had truly shocked him.

As the flames of the cannon fire receded, not a single one of the enemy’s ten thousand
battleships was destroyed. Although the enemy was lower in numbers, they wanted to
surround his fleet instead!

The next moment, the ten thousand enemy battleships sped up, and because their speed
was far superior to his Great Cosmos Corps’ battleships, Atimo’s troops were unable to
react in time. The ten thousand enemy battleships had broken through their formation
and engaged in closed range battle with them. This was the battle method that players
enjoyed the most, and they were not willing to use their battleships to wipe out the
enemy since they would not be able to gain experience this way.

The players boarded the enemy battleships with the charge cabin and massacred the
members of the enemy battleships.
The enemy’s fire was unable to break through the shields of the army, and the players
charged into the encirclement of the enemy excitedly with a single thought in their
mind.

My peerless blade shall dance within the enemy ranks!

The majority of the players had not enjoyed such a pleasure of their faction having
absolute technological superiority and being able to freely slaughter the enemy.

Ten thousand battleships charged right into the core of the enemy fleet and were
completely unstoppable as they ripped through the enemy’s formation.

In the flagship, Atimo stood up abruptly and ripped off the mask on his face. His
expression had changed greatly, and a look of disbelief could be seen.

Their weapons were completely useless against the enemy!

One report after another was sent over, and he lost twenty thousand battleships in just a
short moment. However, not even a single enemy battleship had been destroyed!

“This is impossible! How can there be such a large technological gap! How can they all
be Supers?”

Atimo no longer had his previous cool and confidence, having realized that he had
struck a metal plate. The enemy was a civilization that was even more advanced than his
and could easily wipe them out!

He had roamed unhindered in this region of the universe for far too long and had not
met an opponent capable of posing him a threat for far too long. He had already
forgotten what it meant to feel fear and respect. However, the scene of his battleships
being destroyed one by one had once again triggered the sense of fear in his heart as he
began to tremble uncontrollably.

He could see the future of his fleet being completely wiped out.
Atimo suddenly thought about the matters from a long time ago. At that time, the Great
Cosmos Corps was only an ordinary drifting civilization with a few spaceships. They
were extremely weak and could only explore the universe carefully. They overcame
obstacles one after another and gradually became stronger and stronger. However, he
had actually lost this sense of wariness that allowed him to survive in the universe for
such a long time.

If he had not been so rash and made proper plans before the start of the battle…

If he had not been so arrogant and sent out scouts to find more information…

If he had not been so quick to anger and easily provoked by the Black Star Army…

Perhaps the outcome would have been different.

However, he didn’t know that this was his own wishful thinking. In front of absolute
strength and intelligence advantage, it would be impossible for him to have the initiative
in his hands. His fate was already sealed a long time ago.

Currently, it was useless for Atimo to regret. The excited players were killing to their
heart’s content and destroying Atimo’s fleet.

The overwhelming strength of the enemy destroyed the morale of Atimo’s forces, and
no one wanted to remain behind to be massacred. They all began to escape, and the
huge fleet scattered in all directions.

“Retreat! Quickly retreat!” Atimo snapped back to reality and issued an order.

Very quickly, the flagship and surrounding frigates turned around and joined in the
escaping army.

The Great Cosmos Corps came with valor but escaped with their tails between their
legs. It had only been twenty minutes since their arrival on the battlefield.
The various large guilds abandoned the escaping battleships and chased after the
enemy’s flagship. They all wanted to snatch the head of the boss, and the ordinary
players went to chase after the escaping battleships.

Phillip had already locked onto the location of all the troops through the quantum
network, and even if the enemies escaped, the players would still chase after them in the
future.

Before the start of the battle, Phillip had infiltrated the database of the main flagship and
made a copy of all the information within the Great Cosmos Corps’ database. This
included information about all the planets that they had robbed over the past years. The
information that the dynasty wanted was already in their hands, and the only thing left
to do was to uproot the enemy. Phillip could only provide some help from the side, and
the rest would be left to the players.

Very quickly, the players caught up to Atimo’s flagship, and he only had a few hundred
frigates around him.

Phillip controlled Atimo’s flagship from afar and forced it to land on a desolate planet
nearby. The players chased after Atimo and surrounded him.

In the center of a circular mountain range, the gigantic flagship stuck out of the ground
with black smoke billowing from it.

This was Atimo’s spaceship, and Phillip had very considerately turned off the engine of
the spaceship so that they could save some energy when landing.

Ka ka ka!

Many human figures then walked out from the wreckage of the battleships, and the
armor that they were wearing helped them withstand the impact of the crash. However,
the crash had still killed the majority of the ordinary crew, and less than ten percent of
them were still alive.
Atimo also walked out from the wreckage, holding onto his head. Even with his
strength, he was dazed after the crash, and his entire body was aching. Upon looking at
the pathetic scene for his eyes, Atimo could not help but fall into a daze.

Right at this moment, the sound of gushing wind could be heard, and the battleships of
the Black Star Army landed around the circular mountain range.

Atimo raised his head, and there were numerous human figures standing all around the
mountain range. These were the players who were trying to kill him, and a greedy look
could be seen in their eyes.

There were more than three hundred thousand players present, including the various
large guilds.

“It’s impossible to escape…”

Atimo was a proud person, and he could not help but feel a sense of anger upon
witnessing the scene before his eyes.

“Want to kill me? Come on!” The next moment, Atimo let out a crazed roar, and the ten
or so mechanical arms behind him opened like a peacock’s plume. At the same time,
yellow laser beams were shot out from the arms in all directions with a stunning firing
rate. This was his personal equipment, which was used to aid his Esper Ability.

His Esper Ability was to shoot out laser beams from his body, and the attack would
change depending on which part of his body the laser was shot out from. For example,
the attack would be an energy blast if he used his palms and an accurate laser beam if he
used his fingers.

When fighting in close combat, his fists could also be covered with energy blasts, and
he could form a shield if he released energy from his entire body. This was truly a jack
of all trades ability.

Atimo was the most powerful individual in the Great Cosmos Corps, and his Calamity
Grade Esper Ability allowed his laser attacks to be more powerful than normal energy
weapons. It could be said that he was a human artillery tower.
His arrogance also stemmed from the confidence that he had in his strength. Among the
natives of the Flickering World, it was extremely rare to reach the Calamity Grade, and
he had never met an opponent. He had once wiped out the race of an entire planet
singlehandedly.

Although he was surrounded, Atimo did not fall into despair. He had a great deal of
confidence in his own strength, and despite all the enemies before him being Supers, he
did not treat them as his opponents at all.

He might be able to find a path to survival if he was able to kill all of them!

Thinking about that, Atimo burst forth with murderous intent and attacked crazily.

Pew pew pew!

The laser beams came flying toward the players, and the players all began avoiding the
attacks. As the laser beams struck the ground, craters that were over ten meters in
diameter exploded all around. If a level 100 paper player was struck by the laser beam,
although it would not be able to one-shot the player, the player would only be left with a
silver of health.

He was a Calamity Grade Super indeed! Many of the players felt nervous.

This was the first time that they had surrounded a Calamity Grade character without the
aid of an NPC.

Everyone did not have much confidence in their hearts. They had met many elite
Calamity Grade Supers in the secret war that were all capable of killing them in a single
hit. The players did not know if their level was enough to kill a Calamity Grade Super
with a human wave tactic.

“The battle has started!”

However, the players did not hesitate and jumped off from the cliffs to begin their
attacks.

They would soon find out whether or not they could win.

Since they could not die anyway, they might as well just charge forward!

831 First Kill

When Atimo’s fleet was wiped out, Han Xiao, who was currently slacking off in the
Garu Star Cluster, received a report from Phillip. The information collated by the Great
Cosmos Corps had been sent over to him.

“Let me see my reward…” Han Xiao began to look through the information excitedly.

The Great Cosmos Corps had discovered many different planets over the past few years
and a few Star Systems scattered all around the Garu Star Cluster.

A portion of these planets had natives living on them, but these natives were all
enslaved by the Great Cosmos Corps. The information in the Great Cosmos Corps’
database was not just words but also included some videos of the entire process of
capturing a new planet.

Shaking his head, Han Xiao contacted the chief commander, Tarrokov.

“The information from the Great Cosmos Corps is in my hands. I will send a copy to
you.”
“Good job.” Tarrokov briefly looked through the document and said with a smile, “The
dynasty will take note of your contribution.”

Before Han Xiao could say anything, a notification popped up on his interface.

_____________________

You have submitted [Great Cosmos Corps Exploratory Information]!

+1,500 the Crimson Dynasty Contribution Points.

+550 Exploration Points.

[Flickering World—The First Phase] rating increased

_____________________

The Flickering World mission was a faction mission, and the exploration of Garu was
the first phase. All the players would share the mission rating, and the mission rating
would be dependent on the Exploration Points.

After a month of exploration, everyone’s mission rating was originally D-, but
everyone’s rating had increased to grade D.

Although it did not seem like much, this was a S+ grade mission, and every small
increase in the rating would take a very long time. The increase would also become
more difficult toward the end.

However, the 1,500 the Crimson Dynasty Contribution Point was the reward that he was
the most excited about. He had spent 6,000 Contribution Points on the Ultimate
Knowledge [Mechanical Life Tinder], and he still had just over 2,000 Contribution
Points left.
Having obtained 1,500 Contribution Points in one go, he only needed slightly more than
2,000 points to exchange for a new Ultimate Knowledge. Because of his status, the
price of an Ultimate Knowledge was discounted. In his previous life, players needed
12,000 Contribution Points to purchase one.

However, ordinary players could obtain a rank when they joined the Crimson Dynasty
and do missions to increase their rank. The higher their rank, the greater the discount
that they could enjoy. However, even the maximum discount that they could obtain did
not reach his fifty percent discount.

The hidden mission that Maple Moon had discovered gave him great reward, and Han
Xiao was truly overjoyed.

He definitely had to reward such a capable player greatly so that the other players would
be encouraged to dig out other hidden missions.

As he was checking the interface, Tarrokov did not stop talking. “This report will save
us a great deal of manpower. I will get people to enter the information into a star map.
Since you have already sent people to wipe out the Great Cosmos Corps, you can
temporarily take over their territory. You can also leave some manpower to mine for
resources in the center of Garu.”

“Alright.” Han Xiao smiled. This was also his motive.

Compared to the Star Systems in the periphery, the center of a Star Cluster was the most
prosperous region. In order to wipe out the Great Cosmos Corps, his expedition forces
had the perfect excuse to set up a long-distance travel route, and he would be able to
enter the center of the Star Cluster in the future directly. This way, he would be able to
discover all the famous planets and fill up his warehouse secretly.

As long as he discovered a territory first, the other allies of the dynasty who joined in
later would not be able to snatch it from him. If he could take the most prosperous
region of the Star Cluster, he would be able to earn the most from this mission.

Furthermore, now that he had already made a long-distance trip once, the others would
not be suspicious of him if he ran to the east secretly to find the Universal Treasure.
Tarrokov then said that he would report the matter to the dynasty and let the dynasty
reward him with resources and manpower.

After chatting for a while more, they hung up.

Han Xiao then connected to Phillip’s view, and he could see the battle between the
players and Atimo, which was a few Star Systems away.

Boom!

Explosions were never-ending!

The flood of players charged toward Atimo, who was in the center.

Atimo fought valiantly and weaved around the crowd to avoid all the attacks while
launching laser beams from every part of his body. He was like a walking artillery
tower, shooting at the crowd in all directions.

Beams of light shot through the crowded battlefield, and explosions could be seen all
around, sending many human figures covered in shield lights flying.

The battle had already been going on for a long while, and the battlefield was covered in
a myriad of colors from the various abilities of the players. Atimo had no less than thirty
negative statuses on him. Although these statuses did not last long, the sheer number of
players he faced meant that the statuses kept refreshing.

With the huge gap in their levels, Atimo had the advantage in speed, and the players
were not able to lock onto him or stabilize the aggro. It was akin to the players of the
different regions facing Atimo’s attacks at random. As long as they met Atimo, the
players who had only just reached Grade B were not able to tank the damage.

Players were usually in parties that only consisted of a few dozen players at the very
most in the dungeons, and this was the first time that they had fought a boss with so
many players together. Every party wanted to output as much damage as they could, and
they were not afraid of friendly fire. As such, the battlefield was extremely chaotic.

The difficulty of this battle was much higher than what the players had expected, and all
the tactics that they had thought of beforehand were completely useless. They could
only react to the situation on the spot.

However, the players did not know that the pressure that Atimo was enduring was many
times greater than theirs.

Atimo weaved through the crowd and wanted to use the crowd as his human shield and
make the players cautious about friendly fire, thus reducing the intensity of the attacks.
However, he was shocked to realize that this bunch of people could not have cared less
about the deaths of their comrades and would go all out even if it meant the death of
their comrades.

Even the cold Atimo could not help but be startled by the players. Even though he did
not have any way to escape and the other party already had the upper hand, they still
engaged in such a cruel method, disregarding the number of casualties!

This was far too cold blooded. The Black Star Army was actually so unscrupulous in
their means!

Since the players were not afraid of their deaths, his strategy was completely useless.
Atimo could only endure the firepower coming from all directions and had to exhaust
energy to maintain his shield.

The attacks of the players were only at the Grade B level, but Atimo did not dare use his
body to tank the collective damage of all the players. After all, he did not have a
powerful physique.

His shield was unable to block out all the damage, especially the Psychic attacks that
came from time to time, which gave him a huge headache. Most of the negative statuses
inflicted on him were from the Psychic attacks.
Atimo also had plenty of injuries all over his body, and his health was slowly
decreasing. He did not have a powerful recovery capability, so his recovery speed could
not keep up even if he used his energy to stimulate the recovery of his cells.

Furthermore, with his energy being depleted so quickly, Atimo felt that it was becoming
more and more impossible for him to kill all the enemies.

Although Atimo felt this way, he would not surrender as long as he had the slightest bit
of hope.

Even if I can’t escape, I have to deal the greatest amount of damage that I can! Atimo
thought to himself.

Even if he died, he wanted to bite off a huge piece of flesh from the Black Star Army.
Since these enemies were so crazy in their attacks, he would be able to cause the
maximum amount of damage to his enemies.

Atimo’s body flashed, and he appeared in another region. All of a sudden, a cracking
sound could be heard under his feet as he stepped into a series of mechanical traps. The
powerful magnetic force tied his body down and slowed his movements greatly.

“Everyone, come over! I caught him!” one of the players cried out.

The players in the surroundings immediately unleashed all their firepower on Atimo.

Atimo let out a low growl, and his energy shield glowed brightly. The bullets rained
down on his shield, and sparks could be seen bursting all around.

Boom!

Energy beams shot out in all directions, and the artillery towers that were near him
exploded.

Following which, he stomped on the ground and destroyed the mechanical traps under
his feet, obtaining freedom. Just when Atimo wanted to retreat, he suddenly felt a wave
of dizziness, and more than ten Psychics around him each greeted him with a mental
attack.

In the momentary delay, a large group of Pugilists took the opportunity to charge
forward, and their flaming fists crashed down on Atimo’s shield.

Boom boom boom!

The shield began flickering, and Atimo gritted his teeth. He then waved his arm, and an
energy whip shot out and swept all the incoming Pugilists away.

Fighting on the ground was extremely disadvantageous to him, so Atimo tried to take
flight again. However, he had only flown a few meters into the air before feeling a
powerful sense of obstruction, which slowed his movements down greatly.

Raising his head to look up, there were countless magical formations floating in the sky
to prevent him from flying.

It was impossible for Grade B Mages to stop him even if they stacked their formations,
but it would take a long time for Atimo to weave through the anti-flying region. He did
not dare do that as it would turn him into a live target.

Furthermore, even if he was able to fly, the enemy could still chase after him if he did
not wipe them out. He did not think that his own flying speed was faster than a
spaceship, and he would not be able to escape since he was stuck on the planet.

Both parties were locked in a long battle, and Atimo could feel a sense of fatigue.

He could not remember how many he had killed already. It could be tens of thousands,
and the friendly fire among the enemy had probably killed even more people than him.

“A bunch of maniacs!” Atimo spat out a mouthful of spittle and dragged his heavy body
to continue fighting.
His energy was already running out, and his body felt heavier and heavier by the
second.

“It seems I don’t stand a chance…” Atimo’s heart sank, and he became even more
ferocious.

At least the enemy suffered more casualties! He had to drag as many people to die with
him as possible!

At this moment, Atimo avoided another wave of fire and looked around to observe the
densely packed enemy around him. All of a sudden, he felt something extremely strange
about the battle.

After fighting for such a long time, he should have killed many enemies, and the
enemies obviously did not have any reinforcements. Why did it seem that the number of
enemies had not changed at all?

Atimo was stunned.

In his world view, death was certain, and there was no such thing as revival. Thus, he
did not pay close attention to the number of enemies that he had to face. Furthermore,
the battlefield was extremely chaotic, and there were thousands and thousands of
enemies. He did not have the time to recognize the faces of every individual. Together
with the fact that he was trapped in a dangerous situation, he only managed to notice
that something was wrong.

After realizing this, Atimo began to observe the people around him carefully, and his
expression changed greatly.

“This bunch of people… are actually undying?”

Atimo’s expression changed drastically, and he had a look of disbelief on his face. A
deep sense of despair filled his heart and spread out to his entire body.

No wonder… No wonder they don’t care about the fatalities. It turns out that this group
of people don’t even know the concept of death…
He had thought that he was causing severe damage to the enemy, but it turned out that it
was only a naïve thought. His own retaliation was a pointless struggle.

If it was only because he had to face a large number of enemies, Atimo would still have
had the desire to fight them to the death. But after discovering that the enemy could still
revive, Atimo’s mental state completely collapsed. He fell into complete despair, and
his will to fight completely disappeared.

“Argh!” Atimo’s final trace of hope was destroyed, and he let out a roar to the heavens.
He then burst forth with all his remaining strength without reserving the slightest bit of
energy.

Boom!

More than ten thick pillars of lights swept throughout the battlefield, and all those who
came into contact with one were instantly killed. Just this attack alone had wiped out
more than ten thousand players.

“Take note! Everyone drop! This should be the final phase of the boss. We are going to
enter the final struggle!”

All the parties hurriedly dropped to the ground, and the pillar of light floated past their
heads. However, the burning energy source still caused some damage to them.

The light pillars disappeared quickly, and Atimo’s body shook unsteadily from side to
side as though he would fall over at any moment.

Bang!

A cannonball sent Atimo crashing to the ground. As all the players witnessed this scene,
they hurriedly got up and began spamming all their attacks at Atimo.
Atimo, who had lost his will to fight back, was like a doll for everyone to snatch. His
limbs were quickly torn apart, and his body was tortured by the players. His eyes
gradually became unfocused, and the players around him were like demons in his eyes.

Before his death, Atimo suddenly imagined the faces of all the players becoming his
face.

He suddenly thought about his many years of robbing and pillaging.

Could this be his retribution?

Puchi!

The next moment, his head was ripped off by someone, and his sight turned gray.

“Hahaha! The reward for killing him is ours!” a player from Dynasty cheered.

Second Prince then waved Atimo’s head excitedly, and King Admiral shook his head by
the side.

“Tsk, it actually belongs to Dynasty.”

“I died three times but didn’t even manage to touch a single hair on his body. What a
loss.”

“Why don’t we get rid of some over here?”

The professional players of the other teams looked at Dynasty greedily.

Vodka and Captain Old Henry were disappointed that the reward of the boss had been
snatched by the large clubs. Dynasty would probably be a powerful enemy again during
the upcoming Pro League.
During the battle previously, they had aimed their attacks at the Chinese players and
wanted to pretend that it was accidental friendly fire. However, they also realized that
they had suffered from an unusually large amount of friendly fire, and each of them had
died an average of three times. They were probably the targets of the Chinese players as
well.

Although the ordinary players did not receive the reward, they were still extremely
excited.

Atimo was the first Calamity Grade Super that had died by their hands!

This was the first Calamity Grade kill for the players!

On the other side, Han Xiao had also received a report from Phillip and heaved a sigh of
relief.

“They finally killed a Calamity Grade…”

If it was a Calamity Grade like Ember, it would have been impossible for the players to
kill him regardless of how many times they revived.

However, Atimo did not have such a perverse ability and was only an ordinary Calamity
Grade Super. Phillip had caused the spaceship to crash, but the players had their
spaceships to chase after him. Thus, Atimo did not have any route of retreat and had no
choice but to face the players. Since the players had the strength of a Grade B Super,
their strength had achieved a qualitative change, and Atimo could only die with regrets.

In Han Xiao’s eyes, this event would be a milestone that belonged to the players, and it
was also the turning point for the players’ thoughts.

In his previous life, the players had only managed to get rid of a Calamity Grade Super
during Version 4.0. After that, the players knew that they could have the strength of an
ordinary Calamity Grade Super, and their mental state had a subtle change. They
became even more confident in themselves… and more death seeking.
This was something that could not be avoided as the players were extremely
opinionated. However, this influence was limited at the moment. Han Xiao’s personal
combat strength and organization were sufficient to suppress the little demons in all the
players.

He had intentionally allowed the players to deal with Atimo so that they could get rid of
a Calamity Grade Super as members of the Black Star Army. If they did not have
Phillip’s help, they would not have been able to stop Atimo from escaping, and it would
have been impossible for them to kill the first Calamity Grade boss.

As such, this first kill was the fruit of the players’ effort and also the strength of the
faction. As long as the players understood this, their sense of belonging to the faction
would only increase.

Furthermore, this first kill was a milestone event and a combined activity of the army.
Through this incident, this would tie even more players to the army.

832 Merit Seeker

After getting rid of Atimo, the [Wipe Out the Great Cosmos Corps] mission did not end
immediately, and there were still other players chasing after the other members of the
Great Cosmos Corps who had escaped.

With the battle ending, the hundreds of thousands of players checked their interface and
saw a notification.

_____________________

The Black Star Army has submitted [Great Cosmos Corps Exploratory Information]!

[Flickering World—The First Phase] rating increased.

_____________________

Through the Flickering World Main Storyline Mission, Han Xiao was not the only one
who received this notification, and the players also received it.

This was the army helping them to increase their benefits.

The players were all overjoyed, and the accumulated Exploration Points should be
enough to let their Mission Rating increase from D to C after this mission.

Apart from the players, no living beings were left behind on the battlefield. The players
then entered the wreckage of the different battleships in search of their spoils of war.
Although the technological standard of the Great Cosmos Corps was far from that of the
Black Star Army, the players would never leave empty handed and swept across the
battlefield like a swarm of locusts, taking everything that was valuable away.

The circular mountain range was left with craters all around and the wreckages of the
different battleships sticking out from the ground. The players boarded the spaceships
and left the planet, leaving behind the mess of their battle and a ground full of corpses
that none of them could be bothered to deal with.

On the forums, the players who participated in the battle to kill Atimo began to show off
their achievement. As the first Calamity Grade Super that they had killed, it was an
extremely memorable event. There were some who had immediately recorded the event
in the Galaxy Chronicles.

‘In year 705 of the Galaxy Calendar, we completed the first kill of Atimo.’

All of them were naturally proud of their achievement. It has already been three
versions, and they had first seen a Calamity Grade Super in Version 2.0. During Version
3.0, they had personally participated in battles with Calamity Grade Supers, and the
strength of the Calamity Grade had already been imprinted into their hearts. At this
moment, they had finally gotten rid of one by themselves.
Even though they had surrounded their enemy with well over a hundred thousand
people, their enemy was a native, and they had only succeeded because the army
blocked their enemy’s escape route—the players were still extremely excited.

Since a long time ago, many had analyzed that as long as there were no major changes
to the various grades, the players would become more and more important in the galaxy
as their levels increased. This first kill was evidence that supported this theory.

As such, many players looked forward to the next version.

Perhaps we can also have a fist fight with Heber and kick Psyker around some day.

It was a pity Han Xiao did not know of the dreams of these players. If he did, he would
definitely not allow them to continue enjoying their dreams and show them that their
dreams were completely empty.

The one who took the reward for the kill was Dynasty. As a famous Chinese guild, the
players were not too surprised that they were able to get the kill. In fact, the Chinese
players would not be surprised if it was anyone of the four great guilds that got the kill.
However, if it was any other guild or an ordinary player who got the kill, the players
would then think that it was dog-sh*t luck.

Looking at Dynasty showing off their reward for the kill, all the players could only
watch with envy with the other guilds being the ones who were the most envious.

This was the first kill for a Calamity Grade Super. The reward aside, the fame brought
about by this first kill was what the guilds sought the most. This would be the glory of
the guild that they could use to attract other members. Even if the other guilds could kill
a few Calamity Grade Supers after this, the meaning would be completely different
from a first kill.

Second Prince was the one who completed the final attack, and he posted the pictures of
the kill happily on the forums. He could not help but boast about his achievement.
Although he was a professional player, he had never bothered about his own personal
image. As the number two player in Dynasty, he had always wanted to overthrow King
Admiral and gave off the impression of someone both mischievous and arrogant.

However, after Maple Moon revealed her own mission under the urging of Frenzied
Sword, all the players’ attention was immediately drawn over to her.

Maple Moon revealed how she had discovered the coordinate marker and her own
personal mission.

All the players had assumed that attacking the Great Cosmos Corps was an order from
the dynasty; they only realized that this entire mission was a storyline created by a
single player after seeing her thread!

To them, this was the largest influence that the players had on the army!

“Oh my goodness, this was actually a player-triggered hidden mission?”

“Maple Moon? This name sounds pretty familiar… Eh? Isn’t she the one who followed
our Army Commander since very early on in the first version?”

“To think that she was actually able to discover such a hidden mission. What good luck
she has.”

Many players became extremely envious of Maple Moon. She had remained extremely
quiet throughout the past two versions, and she had stunned the entire world with her
actions in one fell swoop.

In Han Xiao’s previous life, Maple Moon had been extremely famous for digging out
hidden storylines. She had gradually become famous in Version 3.0 and emerged as a
black horse in the third Pro League. This was not too strange as there were black horses
every year, with the third Pro League having the most. Version 3.0 was the time for the
Mechanics to rise and, almost 80% of the black horses were the Mechanics who had an
extremely awkward position in the first two seasons.
The rewards of her solo mission were extremely plentiful, and it was even more than the
reward to kill Atimo. Thus, the players on the forums all had their eyes turn green with
envy. She did not even need to kill the boss and could get a reward even greater than
killing the boss just by slacking off by the side! This was too good a deal!

Second Prince also stopped boasting and joined the envious army. Compared to the
other aloof professional players, he was extremely active and enjoyed playing together
with the ordinary players.

However, Maple Moon’s thread also contained the reward that Black Star gave to her
through the faction interface.

_____________________

You have triggered Faction Mission [Black Star’s Generosity]

Mission complete!

Due to your contribution, your faction [Black Star Army] has rewarded you for your
exploration.

+10 Favorability with Black Star

You have received 25,000,000 Experience, 200,000 Enas, and 2,000 Black Star Army
Contribution Points.

Your army rank increased by one grade.

You have received a new title: [Merit Seeker]

Merit Seeker: A glorious title in the Black Star Army. You can receive materials,
resources, or equipment of no more than 500 Enas daily for free and 1,000 army
Contribution Points every month. Any member of the army who provides special
information can receive this title (Only limited to the Flickering World mission).
_____________________

Looking at the reward that the army gave to Maple Moon, the players could not help but
drool.

My goodness, the army’s reward is even more fantastic.

Two hundred thousand Enas was no small sum, and there was the unique army title. The
effect of this title was just too tempting. Five hundred Enas of resources for free every
day. This was 10,500 in a month and 180,000 in a year! The long-term benefits of such
a title were truly amazing, and it was akin to earning money just by sitting at home!

It had always been them spending money in the army, and this was the first time that
they had seen someone taking money from the army.

Han Xiao’s objective of issuing such a mission was very obvious.

Do you see that? That is the treatment of a meritorious subject!

Even though both were army titles, [Secret Warrior] and [Merit Seeker] were extremely
different. The former was given to everyone who participated in the secret war whereas
Maple Moon was the only one who had the latter.

This also verified one of the players’ guesses. As long as the method was right, they
could directly affect the actions of the entire faction. Many people could not help but be
excited at this revelation.

Through Maple Moon’s thread, many players understood how they could replicate this
incident. The only way for them to do so would be to search for hidden missions and
hand them over to the army!

“Since the army is exploring the Flickering World, we should be able to gain the [Merit
Seeker] title as long as we find some hidden information similar to the Great Cosmos
Corps, right?”
“This is definitely the case! The army has such a title to encourage us to dig out hidden
missions for sure!”

With Maple Moon as an example, all the players became excited, and their passion to
search for hidden missions was ignited.

Looking at the drooling players on the forums, Han Xiao could not help but chuckle to
himself.

He had given Maple Moon a title that had both glory and benefits so that the other
players would be encouraged to find more hidden missions and hand them over to him.

After all, it was the player’s specialty to find hidden missions, and they might be able to
find the second fragment of the [Bold Explorer] skill.

Apart from this, he also intended to groom Maple Moon. This lady was a character who
had risen to prominence in Version 3.0 in his previous life. As the trainer of the
Mechanic class, if the Mechanics were able to obtain a good result during the upcoming
Pro League, it would give him more opportunities to bluff… ahem… attract new
players to choose the Mechanic Class. This way, he would have more crops to harvest.

Maple Moon was the black horse in this Pro League, and Han Xiao did not mind letting
this black horse become blacker. With so many rewards, Maple Moon would probably
be the first player to reach the maximum level.

The other players were still chasing the remnants of the Great Cosmos Corps and taking
over the territories of the Great Cosmos Corps according to the data. Since nothing else
would go wrong, Han Xiao left the rest to the players, and he no longer paid attention to
it.

Looking around, apart from the various operators, the only two Officers in the room
were Feidin and Aurora.
Aurora was currently seated in front of a control panel with her head crooked as though
she was about to fall asleep. She did not need to manage the autopilot, and she was
already drifting off to dreamland. On the other side, Feidin sat on the sofa and had his
eyes shut in meditation. Who knew if he was training his mental force or bickering with
Chen Xing in his head?

The other Black Star Guards spent most of their time in the combat room under the lead
of Hila. The exploration had already been going on for more than a month, and after the
initial excitement during the starting phase, the others could not be bothered to monitor
the progress carefully every day. Hila truly could not stand slacking off beside Han
Xiao every day and thus dragged the other Black Star Guards to train bitterly with her.

“A woman with the motivation to improve is still pretty attractive.” Han Xiao shook his
head and entered the quantum network to contact Planet Aquamarine.

The Black Star Army had already set up a quantum network in the Dawn Star Cluster,
and he was able to communicate with the Shattered Star Ring through his army’s
channel. He did not have to go through the Crimson Dynasty as a middleman anymore.

Floating Dragon had remained at Planet Aquamarine for more than a month, and Han
Xiao’s main purpose of contacting Planet Aquamarine was to ask them about Floating
Dragon’s situation.

Not too long later, Bennett came online. After a period of not contacting Bennett, his
voice suddenly seemed full of energy.

Bennett reported the recent situation. Floating Dragon had begun their expansion over
the past month, and a large number of people and financial groups had flooded over
because of Floating Dragon’s name. Because of this, Planet Aquamarine had received
new opportunities for growth.

With Planet Aquamarine’s current development speed, Bennett felt that he would be
able to move his plan of having colonial planets forward by a few decades. While this
was not an easy task to a native civilization like theirs, it would be much easier for them
to do so with the aid of so many galactic organizations.

With Floating Dragon’s protection, the immigrants of the colonial planets would be
protected, and Bennett planned to use five years to digest the benefits brought about by
Floating Dragon before officially starting his plan to expand outward. He called it the
five-year plan, and Han Xiao was truly shocked when he heard it.

After reporting the development of Planet Aquamarine, Bennett suddenly mentioned

something else.

“With regards to the extremist group of the Star Pupil Holy Race attacking Planet
Aquamarine, I have already gathered the necessary evidence and am planning to
mention it during the upcoming Civilization Conference…”

“Not bad. We must make good use of our status.” Han Xiao nodded. Since Psyker’s
race had made a mistake, there was nothing wrong with making the leader take the
blame for it.

“I will join in the meeting through a holographic projection. Black Star, would it be
convenient for you to join in the meeting as well?”

Psyker was a Beyond Grade A figure after all, and Bennett felt that his status was not
sufficient to deal with Psyker. Since Black Star was the representative of Planet
Aquamarine, it was normal for him to participate in the meeting too.

“Me? Haha, of course it’s convenient. I have been extremely free recently.” Han Xiao
chuckled.

Joining the meeting personally did not sound too bad. He would be able to personally
witness Psyker’s expression.

Chapter 833 Shattered Star Ring Civilization Conference

Shattered Star Ring Civilization Conference was the Civilization Conference that was
set up by the seven large Star Cluster civilizations in the Shattered Star Ring. The
motive of the conference was to make it easier to manage the Star Field. The three
Universal Civilizations usually would not interfere with the everyday affairs of the Star
Field, and the Star Cluster civilizations were usually the ones to deal with the day to day
issues.

The managers of the Shattered Star Ring were the seven Star Cluster civilizations and
they were in charge of mediating the conflicts of the various Star System civilizations.
Although their motive was to help everyone resolve their conflicts, the Civilization
Conference was usually just a debate session where all the civilizations would make use
of this opportunity to argue about almost everything and anything. However, they had
rarely solved any problems.

During the secret war that had occurred not too long ago, even Purple Crystal and Klent,
who were supposed to be the judges, had personally fought each other, and the
usefulness of the Civilization Conference could easily be seen.

After all, the Shattered Star Ring was the border of the discovered universe, and chaos
lingered in the region. A very long time ago, the various civilizations would send their
envoys to participate in the conference personally, but after the seven Star Cluster
civilizations could not stand the brawls that were happening during the conference, they
changed the meeting method to using holographic projections.

Since everyone was only a projection, it was impossible for them to break out into a
fight.

In any case, the Civilization Conference was a few days away, and this would be the
first time that Planet Aquamarine had joined the conference.

Usually, only Star System level civilizations would have the right to enter the
conference, but Han Xiao had made a deal with the various Star Cluster civilizations to
let Planet Aquamarine have the rights to enter the conference. Planet Aquamarine was
also the only civilization to enter the conference at the level of a surface civilization.

A few days later, the meeting was held as per usual, and Han Xiao received a notice
from Purple Crystal. He then logged in to his own holographic projection account and
joined the meeting.
Buzz…

An electrical buzzing sound could be heard, and Han Xiao felt a blinding light flash in
his face. The next moment, he could share the view of his holographic projection, and
the scene of the conference was in his eyes.

A circular meeting venue appeared before his eyes, and it looked a little like the
structure of a colosseum. The black colored chairs were arranged neatly in a circular
formation with the chairs in the middle being the lowest. The chairs gradually increased
in height as it got to the outside like a staircase.

Surrounding the meeting venue was the starry sky of the universe, and the shrunken
down star map of the Shattered Star Ring formed the backdrop of the room.

Han Xiao lowered his head and realized that his projection was already seated down on
his own seat with Bennett being seated next to him. A golden ‘Planet Aquamarine’ sign
was placed on the table in front of them, and both of their seats were located at quite a
high point. They could see the entire venue, and the various representatives from the
other civilizations were slowly coming online. The representatives from the different
civilizations were seated a distance away from each other, and they were not squeezed
together.

“This is the venue for the Shattered Star Ring Civilization Conference…” Bennett let
out a sigh of admiration, and he turned around to greet Han Xiao. “Black Star, you are
finally online.”

“The meeting hadn’t started yet. I came too early.”

Han Xiao then looked down, and his gaze swept past the center of the venue. The
representatives of the seven Star Cluster civilizations were already online, and they
were waiting for the representatives of the other civilizations to appear.

Han Xiao then turned around and asked, “How long have you been here?”
“I was the earliest batch to be here,” Bennett said. “This is my first time joining a
meeting of such a level, and I am a little nervous, so I came earlier to take a look.”

He naturally would not be nervous because of the majestic setting but only felt the
pressure of having the responsibilities of Planet Aquamarine on his shoulders.

Han Xiao smiled. This is my first time witnessing the Civilization Conference as well.

All the famous civilizations in the Star Field were gathered in a single hall, and most of
the players did not have the opportunity to join such a meeting in his previous life,
including him.

“Black Star, thank you,” Bennett suddenly said with a solemn tone. “If not for you, it’d
probably take a few centuries or millenniums for Planet Aquamarine to have a seat in
this place.”

“You don’t need to stand on ceremony. We are only each taking our own needs.” Han
Xiao blatantly pointed out that he was only doing so for benefits. He then patted
Bennett on the shoulder instinctively, but his palm passed through Bennett’s shoulders.
He had forgotten that both of them were only holographic projections at this moment.

Bennett nodded and did not say anything else. He would not reduce his gratitude toward
Han Xiao just because of Han Xiao’s words. He had been through many things in life
and understood this simple logic—an individual’s motive was not as important as their
actions.

While both of them were chatting, many representatives from the other civilizations also
noticed Han Xiao’s presence and looked over with complicated gazes.

In the venue, Planet Aquamarine was an oddball, and Han Xiao had a cooperative
relationship with many of the civilizations present. All the civilizations were aware of
how Han Xiao had helped Planet Aquamarine join the Civilization Conference, and they
could not help but be envious of Planet Aquamarine’s natural advantage.

They had the protection of the Beyond Grade A Black Star and were now the main
camp of Floating Dragon. Just why did such a small planet have such good luck?
But despite their envy and jealousy, it was undeniable that Planet Aquamarine only
managed to gain a seat there because of their own abilities. The civilizations present
would not look down on Planet Aquamarine at all.

Not too long later, everyone finally arrived, and the chattering subsided.

At this moment, the representative from one of the Star Clusters stood up, and his voice
was projected through the amplifiers.

“I am very happy to meet so many familiar friends today. Hmm, compared to the
previous meeting, the number of people present hasn’t decreased. It seems like the
security of the Shattered Star Ring has improved…”

Everyone had a cold expression on their face. This joke was truly too cold and not
funny at all.

“Perhaps everyone has noticed that we have a new member in our midst.” The
representative then looked toward Han Xiao and briefly introduced him. “Planet
Aquamarine civilization, Aquamarine Federation, representative of his civilization…
His Excellency Black Star.”

Everyone then looked over and nodded respectfully.

Han Xiao waved his hands and looked around. As he saw Psyker who was seated in the
seat for the Star Pupil Holy Race, he raised his hand to wave.

Psyker pretended not to see a thing and remained expressionless.

“His Excellency Black Star is someone that we are all familiar with, so there’s no need
for me to give an introduction. Since everyone is present, let’s start the meeting and
discuss the first matter…”
Following which, the various delegates began to raise the issues that they had already
prepared. The majority of these issues were trade conflicts, border conflicts, foreign
affairs conflicts, and other problems that were nothing new.

The representatives chosen by the civilizations were all extremely eloquent, and every
single proposal could be argued for over half a day before coming to a conclusion that
the matter had to be delayed to a later date.

The process was long and cumbersome, but Bennett sat up straight to study every detail
of the meeting to gain experience.

Han Xiao had already begun daydreaming a long time ago.

After waiting for a long time, the ones queuing in front of them had finally said their
piece, and it was now their turn.

“Proposal number CL7984D66 from the Planet Aquamarine. Please give a brief
description of the proposal,” the Purple Crystal representative said with a smile.

Bennett stood up slowly and began reading the material that he had prepared
beforehand. He briefly explained the actions of the Avitan Souls extremists, and his
voice reverberated in the meeting venue.

Following which, he looked at Psyker and said with a deep voice, “We discovered
psionic explosives in the spaceship of these extremists, and the strength of these
explosives was sufficient to destroy Planet Aquamarine. For such high-grade military
weapons to appear in the hands of the extremists, we have reason to believe that these
weapons came from the hands of the Star Pupil Holy Race, and the actions of these
extremists were instructed by the Star Pupil Holy Race. Planet Aquamarine feels that
the Star Pupil Holy Race wishes to go against the [Treaty of Cosmic Civilizations
(Seventh Revision)] and wipe out a civilization protected by the treaty…”

The sponsor of Avitan Souls was actually an opponent of the Star Pupil Holy Race, a
Star Cluster civilization called Talos. However, Bennett had insisted that the sponsor
was the Star Pupil Holy Race so that Psyker would take the blame for the matter.
An odd look could be seen on the faces of everyone present. They were all experienced
individuals and knew that it was impossible for Psyker to have done something like this.

A surface civilization that was accepted into the conference by exception actually
pouring dirty water on a Beyond Grade A during their first meeting? They were far too
bold. If only they could also have a Beyond Grade A Super as their backer. That way,
they would be able to do whatever they wished.

The seven Star Cluster civilizations then exchanged glances, and six of them looked at
the one of the representatives. He was the representative of the Talos Civilization.

The representative of Talos then looked at Psyker and asked with a smile that did not
seem like a smile, “Representative of the Star Pupil Holy Race, what do you have to
say?”

“They are maligning me.” Psyker had a calm look on his face and replied slowly. “I
would never go against the treaty and have no reason to attack Planet Aquamarine.
Those extremists weren’t following my orders.”

“How do you explain this incident?”

“If I were to make a conjecture, this should be the actual reason. Planet Avitan suffered
from an ambush recently, and the Evolution Cube was lost during the process. Black
Star then managed to snatch the Evolution Cube in the end…”

As he said that, Psyker glared at Han Xiao coldly before continuing. “Because of the
ambush, a portion of the survivors of Planet Avitan became extremists who wanted to
take revenge. In the eyes of the Star Pupil Holy Race, the Evolution Cube is our
national treasure, and Black Star snatched our national treasure away. Thus, the
extremist group blamed the matter on him, and this matter is their personal action. It has
nothing to do with the officials of the Star Pupil Holy Race. If Planet Aquamarine
insists that I am the culprit behind this matter, please provide proper evidence.”

Han Xiao chuckled and said, “Dead men tell no tales. Do you wish to absolve yourself
from guilt with just a few words?”
“Ah, likewise to you. Since dead men tell no tales, you are also trying to frame me with
a few illogical arguments,” Psyker said coldly.

The Talos representative then said, “Let us place this matter aside for now. Regardless
of whether the Star Pupil Holy Race ordered the assault, the attackers were indeed from
your race. Am I right?”

Psyker took a deep breath and nodded. “Although they are from our race, we…”

The Talos representative interrupted Psyker. “You don’t need to say anything else. The
Star Pupil Holy Race is extremely different from other races. Your race should be a
highly united one, and the presence of an extremist group is a result of your
mismanagement.”

“… This is my internal affair, and I will personally disband the extremist group called
Avitan Souls. None of you have the right to intervene in anything else,” Psyker said
with a frosty tone.

“If you need, we can send some forces to help you wipe out the extremist force as a
friendly neighbor.”

“… That’s not necessary.” Psyker was shocked. Who would not know what your
intention is? You dare mention such a matter in front of so many people? Don’t you feel
any shame?

The Talos representative then chuckled and got back to the main topic. “Let’s talk about
your measures to rectify your mistake in the future. We are now discussing your
responsibility. This extremist group is from your race, and they were using their
identities as citizens of the Star Pupil Holy Race when carrying out the attack. I believe
that the Star Pupil Holy Race should take responsibility for this incident.”

In truth, regardless of whether they were from the same race or citizens of the race,
these were not important factors at all. However, the Talos representative wanted to
target the Star Pupil Holy Race by harping on about this matter.

He was not the only one who did so in fact.

“I think so too,” the Purple Crystal representative said.

“I agree.” The representatives from a few other Star Clusters also nodded.

Purple Crystal was speaking on behalf of Planet Aquamarine because of Han Xiao, and
the other Star Cluster civilizations only wanted to deal a blow to the Star Pupil Holy
Race.

Because the Star Pupil Holy Race had the support of the Arcane Church, their
development was extremely rapid, and they had a chance to become the eighth Star
Cluster civilization. The others were not willing to allow someone else to share benefits
with them.

As such, all of them stood on the same side and made use of this opportunity to create
trouble for the Star Pupil Holy Race.

The other representatives remained silent at this moment as they understood what was
going on.

Who asked the members of your race to try and destroy another planet and even leave
evidence behind?

If someone wanted to blow up their mother planet, they would also blame the masters
for not reining in the crazy dogs properly.

All of a sudden, Psyker became the target of everyone’s criticism, and even Bennett was
shocked by the scene. He had originally thought that he would just engage in a small
squabble with Psyker but never expected so many people to speak on his behalf. He
could not help but look at Han Xiao.

Han Xiao smiled, having expected such a scene. He knew that exposing this matter
would give the other Star Cluster Civilizations an opportunity to exploit. The Shattered
Star Ring had already been split up by the seven Star Cluster Civilizations, and they
were not willing to allow a new member to share the pie with them. As such, even if he
did not have any evidence, they would side with him.
Psyker’s face was extremely ugly. Psyker naturally understood the logic of ‘giving a
dog a bad name then hanging him’, but he truly did not have sufficient grounds to fight
back. The other party was the victim, and he was indeed in the wrong.

He could not help but curse the Avitan Souls. Those brats did not think about the
trouble that their actions would cause to the civilization and had dragged him down to
take the rap for them. It was truly a waste to allow them to evolve back then.

“How do you guys want to deal with this matter?” Psyker said with frustration.

The Talos representative then said, “I think that you need to make a public apology to
Planet Aquamarine and provide them with some compensation.”

“Compensation and an apology? Impossible,” Psyker said with a deep voice. “I can
make a donation at most.”

A donation and compensation had completely different meanings.

As the leader of a civilization, he was the image of the Star Pupil Holy Race, and he had
to consider many different things. It was impossible for him to make a public apology
just because of the actions of an extremist group. It was just like how Godora would
never apologize because of DarkStar’s actions. Furthermore, Psyker was a Beyond
Grade A Super, and doing so would harm his prestige. Thus, he could not lower his
head so easily.

Bennett then snapped back to his senses and said under Han Xiao’s instructions, “Planet
Aquamarine strongly condemns the Star Pupil Holy Race for their actions and does not
accept such an insincere conclusion.”

“Then there isn’t a need to continue talking about this.”

Psyker looked at Han Xiao coldly and suddenly went offline.

The Star Pupil Holy Race had the backing of the Arcane Church, and the Civilization
Conference had a limited restriction on them. It was impossible for the Civilization
Conference to force him to lower his head. At the same time, Psyker could not do as he
wished and would also suffer some losses.

After this incident, it would be far more difficult for the Star Pupil Holy Race to seek
cooperation. He had lost the Evolution Cube, and the support of the Arcane Church
would also decrease. As such, this storm was extremely disadvantageous to their
development.

Furthermore, Talos would make use of this opportunity to publicize this matter and
sway public opinion against the Star Pupil Holy Race.

In Psyker’s eyes, the culprit of all this was Han Xiao. If not for Han Xiao being insistent
on making him take the blame, the situation would not have progressed like that.

Psyker’s enmity toward Han Xiao increased to the next level.

On Han Xiao’s side, his interface gave him a notification. His favorability with the Star
Pupil Holy Race had fallen by 800 points and was now -1,250 points. Their relationship
went from [Hostile] to [Enemies].

Psyker was indeed infuriated. Han Xiao shook his head. Planet Aquamarine was his
‘mother planet’, and it was impossible for him to swallow such a grievance without
doing anything. Since Psyker and the Arcane Church would not let go of the Evolution
Cube, they were destined to be enemies, and he would not mind their enmity being
deeper.

If Planet Aquamarine was really destroyed, Psyker still would not apologize or pay any
compensation. He might even gloat at his demise. However, there was no right or wrong
to him, and Han Xiao did not think that Psyker’s actions were wrong.

“I wonder how he will retaliate…” Han Xiao pondered to himself.

Planet Aquamarine was protected by the Peace Treaty, and Psyker would not take action
against anyone else. If Psyker wanted to fight back, Psyker would definitely have his
sights set on Han Xiao.
Aesop said that the Arcane Church would send people after him, and Psyker would
definitely be a member of the party since he was able to lock onto his position.

Han Xiao decided to let the main camp keep a look out for Psyker’s movements as it
was akin to monitoring the Arcane Church’s actions.

At the same time, on the mother planet of the Star Pupil Holy Race. Psyker
disconnected from the meeting venue, and his expression was extremely ugly.

After thinking for a while, Psyker sent a message to the Arcane Church.

“I will agree to that matter.”

The Arcane Church had given him a mission recently, and Psyker had been thinking
about it. He had only made a decision at that moment.

Psyker’s cold expression could be seen on the screen of the communicator.

“Black Star, you should stay in the Flickering World and never return.”

Chapter 834 Arcane Church“s Trace

Leaving the conference halfway was obviously extremely disrespectful to the other
members present, but the seven Star Cluster civilizations and the other members weren’t
too bothered. The Star Pupil Holy Race had become the public enemy, and Psyker was
only using his actions to show his dissatisfaction. He would still come online obediently
during the next meeting.

Since their target was gone, this proposal could only be postponed to a later date, and
Bennett sat back down.
The meeting continued, and the next proposal was raised. The atmosphere of the
meeting had become more peaceful.

All the other proposals after this did not have anything to do with him anymore, so Han
Xiao temporarily cut off from the viewpoint of the projection and began browsing the
forums.

After another long wait, the meeting on the first day was finally over. Every time a
Civilization Conference was held, they would have to meet for a few days before being
able to discuss all the accumulated proposals. Han Xiao only intended to show his face
for the first day, and he would not need to be present for all the other meetings. Bennett
alone would be enough.

Disconnecting from the long-range holographic projection, Han Xiao closed the forums
and thought to himself, The Star Pupil Holy Race was criticized by Planet Aquamarine,
but the future matters will have nothing to do with Planet Aquamarine.

Since nothing had actually happened, it would be impossible for them to actually do
anything to Psyker. Han Xiao was not counting on the Star Pupil Holy Race providing
compensation or a donation. The influence of Planet Aquamarine was still too weak,
and even after criticizing them, Psyker would not be too affected by it.

After this matter was mentioned, the ones who would cause trouble for Psyker would
not be Planet Aquamarine but the Talos Civilization.

The Talos Civilization secretly sponsored Avitan Souls so that those extremists would
create trouble for the Star Pupil Holy Race. Although they did not instruct Avitan Souls
to attack Planet Aquamarine, this unexpected situation was to their advantage, and they
could make use of this matter to create trouble.

Han Xiao got Bennett to criticize Psyker to give the Talos Civilization an excuse, and
the Talos Civilization understood his intentions. They had wanted to deal with the Star
Pupil Holy Race a long time ago, and standing up for Planet Aquamarine could also win
them Han Xiao’s favor.
Thus, Planet Aquamarine did not have to do anything after the first day and only had to
watch from the side.

Han Xiao then contacted Ames and asked her about Floating Dragon’s situation.

Both of them talked for half an hour before hanging up.

Walking to the 3D star map, Han Xiao looked at the map of the Garu Star Cluster. The
explored green region was still extremely small, and it looked like two toothpicks
sticking out from a green blob. These two ‘toothpicks’ were the two long distance
routes that were currently under construction.

“Hadavy’s Special Task Force needs another three months before they can complete the
long distance stargate…” Han Xiao stroked his chin and pondered to himself.

According to his plan, the Special Task Force arriving at the east of the Garu Star
Cluster would be the first phase.

According to his understanding of the Garu Star Cluster, there should not be another
huge storm like the Great Cosmos Corps again, and they would have a calm exploration
until they had explored about eighty percent of the Star Systems.

Time flew by.

Three months later, in the Crimson Dynasty Ruler’s office, Urranrell currently had a
report in her hands, and she was reprimanding one of the upper echelons with a stern
voice.

“The Federation of Light is moving sneakily and has entered our territory. How are you
going to take care of this matter? Just watch from the side and let them do as they
please? I asked you to keep guard, not retreat all the way! Come up with a plan
immediately!”
“Let me think, let me think…”

Urranrell’s eyes were extremely stern. The exploration of the Flickering World had only
been going on for a few months, and the Federation of Light could no longer sit still.
They had begun applying pressure on the dynasty from the economic, political, and
military side. They were prepared to snatch benefits from the dynasty while the
dynasty’s attention was fixed on exploring the new Star Field.

This was only the beginning. The dynasty would definitely invest even more manpower
and resources in the exploration, and the Federation of Light would increase the
intensity of their operations to make things difficult for the dynasty.

Although this situation was within Urranrell’s expectations, it was something avoidable.
Both the Federation of Light and the Crimson Dynasty were at the same level, and their
strength was equal. It was extremely difficult for everything to go smoothly and
perfectly. If the dynasty wanted to have some reward, they needed to pay the
appropriate price. Urranrell had already prepared herself mentally for this.

Beep beep.

The internal comms line rang.

“Your Excellency, the Chief Commander of the exploration army Tarrokov is on the
line.”

Urranrell then waved her hand and got the official in front of her to leave. The official
felt as though he was pardoned of his crime and hurriedly left the office. Only Urranrell
remained in the room.

“Patch it through.” Urranrell nodded.

The next moment, Tarrokov’s figure appeared inside the room, and he gave a military
salute to Urranrell.

“Tarrokov, how is the progress for the exploration of the Flickering World?”
The exploration of the Flickering World was of strategic importance to the Crimson
Dynasty, and Urranrell was extremely concerned about the situation.

“The information has already been sent to you, and I am here to give you a brief
report…”

Tarrokov then began explaining.

Urranrell glanced at the report while looking at the information and nodded.

“In summary, Renault and Crown are being explored by the forces of the dynasty and
Klent. Our progress is only average. On the contrary, the Black Star Army, which chose
the Garu Star Cluster, has discovered a large number of resource rich planets over the
past four months and even took over the territory of a local organization, saving us a
great deal of effort. Furthermore, the Black Star Army didn’t bother about their own
losses and are constructing a long distance stargate for the convenience of future
exploration squads,” Tarrokov said.

Urranrell placed down the information in her hands and said with a satisfied look, “Not
bad. He is a reliable ally.”

With a basis of comparison, she was extremely satisfied with Han Xiao’s efficiency.

“The Black Star Army is an ally worthy of grooming. We should increase our support
for them in all aspects.”

Although Tarrokov seemed to have received some benefits from the Black Star Army
and always spoke highly of them, Urranrell was not bothered about the details as long as
the Black Star Army produced results.

“Apart from this, I have something else to report,” Tarrokov suddenly said with a deep
voice. “We’ve noticed traces of stowaways.”
The stowaways that he referred to were those who secretly entered the Flickering World
without approval from the dynasty.

Urranrell’s eyes narrowed. “Are you sure they aren’t natives?”

Tarrokov shook his head and said, “Although I do not have much evidence, our troops
stationed in the universe belt between the Shattered Star Ring and Flickering World
discovered traces of warp speed hyperdrive by an unknown force. Their technological
capabilities have obviously reached the level of a Star Cluster, and they should be
arriving in the Flickering World very soon. Some others may have already arrived at the
Flickering World before this but weren’t discovered by us.”

“The Federation of Light and Arcane Church have indeed taken action,” Urranrell said.

“I think that they will avoid the first three Star Clusters that we have chosen and explore
the Star Clusters located deep within the Star Field,” Tarrokov said. “They want to
swallow our Star Field on the sly and avoid coming into contact with us.”

“You’re right,” Urranrell said slowly. “Send out our forces to patrol the universe belt
between the Shattered Star Ring and Flickering World. Destroy any stargates built by
the enemy that you can find.”

Those stowaways were probably planning to create their own secret stargate to connect
the Flickering World to the outside so that they could send a large troop quickly in the
future. The hidden stargates would usually be hidden within the universe belt between
the two Star Fields.

The Crimson Dynasty had publicly forbidden other organizations from privately setting
up their own stargate because of such a consideration. The most effective way to deal
with stowaways would be to destroy their stargates and ensure that the control of the
stargates remained firmly in the dynasty’s hands.

The only way to maximize the dynasty’s benefits was to ensure a monopoly on
transportation.

Tarrokov shook his head in response. “We will need more manpower.”
“I know.” Urranrell nodded. “I will deploy more troops to head to the Flickering World.
It is also time for our second batch of allies to move out.”

At the same time, an Arcane Church fleet had secretly arrived at the border of the
Flickering World.

“We’ve finally arrived! Contact the branch division. Have they chosen a location in the
desolate universe belt?”

“Reporting to the captain, the location has been decided, and they are only waiting for
us.”

They required two stargates to form a new path, and stowaway troops would usually
split up into two groups. One group would choose a location for their secret stargate,
and this would be the ‘entrance’.

The troops that arrived at the Flickering World would then build the ‘exit’.

“Very good. Make sure that we avoid all the detectors of the Crimson Dynasty. Go
around the Dawn Star Cluster and head to the desolate universe belt near the Garu Star
Cluster to construct a stargate. We will also build a temporary base.”

The Arcane Church also wanted to set their sights on the Flickering World, but this was
a long-term job. At the same time, the Arcane Church was even more interested in the
Evolution Cube.

They had chosen to set up a stargate near the Garu Star Cluster so that it would be easy
for them to store their army.

It would only be convenient for them to send out Beyond Grade A Supers after
constructing their stargates. After all, an expert of such a level would not be willing to
spend a few months slowly crossing the desolate universe belt.
Black Star had already proven himself to be someone extremely difficult to deal with. In
order to guarantee their success, the Arcane Church had sent out more than one or two
Beyond Grade A Supers.

Of course, the three Universal Civilizations kept an eye on each other’s Beyond Grade
A combatants, and the moment any one of them displayed any strange movements, the
other two parties would be alerted.

If they wanted to allow their Beyond Grade A Supers to move sneakily, they needed to
find a reason to fool others.

Chapter 835 Four Months

Ever since the players took over the remaining territories of the Great Cosmos Corps
and set up a long distance stargate, Han Xiao had led his forces to the middle region of
the star map. The famous planets within the center region of the Star Cluster were much
greater, and their quality was higher.

One of these planets was called Planet Shining Gold, which had been extremely
prosperous in Han Xiao’s previous life. It was one of the first-rate planets that the
dynasty had in the Garu Star Cluster and was an iconic planet of the Flickering World.
There was also Planet Auspicious Forest, which was a transit station within the Garu
Star Cluster. During its most prosperous time, it had over five hundred stargate
entrances and was the heart of the Star Cluster.

Apart from this, Han Xiao had also occupied many resource rich planets that were
famous for producing various valuable resources.

In his previous life, these famous planets had an important status in the Garu Star
Cluster, and the dynasty might take back these planets after opening up the Flickering
World to the public. But during the exploration period, these planets were all the
territory of the Black Star Army, and the Black Star Army had the right to enjoy the
special produce of these planets.
The exploration had already been going on for four months, and the progress of the
various exploration squads was similar. The Bloodshed Land had taken a steady
approach in their exploration and had almost completed the exploration of the Jeraton
Star System. Although they had pretty decent rewards, the outcome was within the
dynasty’s expectations, and it would not cause too big a storm. In comparison, even
though Han Xiao’s exploration squad had taken the approach of spreading out their
forces, which resulted in taking a longer time to explore a single Star System, Han Xiao
had managed to provide the dynasty with quite a number of surprises because he had
managed to find a large number of famous planets from his previous life.

Because of this, the dynasty increased their support for him as well.

Han Xiao had heard rumors about the Klent exploration team mimicking his method
and sending out troops to the planets of the other regions. However, it was a pity that
they were not familiar with the situation on the other planets and did not have good
results.

Over the past four months, the benefits of the Flickering World had begun to show. The
rewards that the Black Star Army received from the Flickering World almost rivaled the
combined total of the other armies.

As more and more planets were explored, their rewards continued to snowball.

Countless uninhabited planets were waiting to be excavated. If not, why would they say
that the Flickering World was a huge opportunity?

The gains of the army soared rapidly, and after the exploration team sent these earnings
back to the main camp in the Shattered Star Ring, Sylvia began to expand the army even
further under Han Xiao’s instructions. They attracted more new members and increased
the scale of their training camp.

On the players’ side, as the resource rich planets increased in numbers, the guilds also
ran out of manpower and could only selectively choose the planets to mine on. The best
resource rich planets were naturally taken by the four great guilds and the others by the
first-rate guilds. The Australian and Russian guilds were bullied badly and no longer
wished to play on the same planet as any of the powerful Chinese guilds. Thus, they
chose a few lousier resource rich planets and competed with the second-rate Chinese
guilds instead.
Over the past four months, the average level of the players had gone up a great deal, and
Maple Moon, who had received bountiful rewards from the hidden mission, was the
highest leveled player. She was already at level 113 and only needed seven more levels
to reach the max level.

With Maple Moon as an example, all the players searched for hidden missions like
crazy, and there were a few who had indeed managed to find some. However, it was a
pity that there was no reward for the second [Bold Explorer] skill fragment.

Han Xiao had not remained idle over the past four months either. The experience
punishment of the Evolution Cube would end in eight months, so he was not in a rush to
level up.

Apart from monitoring the progress of the exploration and scrolling through the forums,
Han Xiao spent most of his time in his workshop, expanding his mechanical army.

Currently, his mechanical army had already exceeded ten million soldiers in number,
and their attributes were extremely powerful. Under the boost of his mechanical force,
this army of his had the strength to wipe out a weaker Star System Civilization.

Among the five main classes, the destructiveness of a Mechanic was the greatest toward
a civilization. The other four classes were more suitable to fight a single target, and only
a powerful Beyond Grade A Mechanic had the ability to fight a large-scale galactic war.

Han Xiao was currently standing in front of the 3D star map, waiting for a special piece
of news.

Today was a special day as the Special Task Force that Hadavy was leading would
complete the construction of the long distance stargate. He was waiting for Hadavy’s
word.

But before news from Hadavy could arrive, Tarrokov contacted him.

Beep beep!
Han Xiao looked at his communicator and could only pick up the call with resignation.

“Chief commander, what’s the matter?”

“I need to inform you about something. We found traces of stowaways.”

“Stowaways? They should be from the organizations who ignored the dynasty’s
warning and want to have a share of the Flickering World, right?”

This was something that the players found out from the background description in his
previous life. This matter happened during the version update period, and the players
did not participate in the event. When the players joined in, the Flickering World had
already opened to the outside world, and the other organizations were allowed to enter
the Flickering World.

In the dynasty’s records, they had fought a long battle with the stowaways. The Star
Field was far too big, and there were too many regions to explore. As such, the dynasty
was not able to completely uproot the stowaways. Even if they could get rid of one
batch, another batch would arrive very quickly.

Tarrokov nodded and said, “It should be the forces of some super Star Cluster
civilizations. You should keep an eye out for them and report to me if you find any
stowaways. We must find their secret stargates, and we will request aid from your
troops if necessary.”

“Okay.”

A new mission immediately popped up on Han Xiao’s interface.

_____________________

You have triggered [Stowaways’ Clue] (Repeatable)!

Mission Introduction: A new Star Field is a treasure trove, and every organization wants
a share of it. No one is willing to see the Crimson Dynasty swallow all the benefits
alone, and even if the Flickering World is the Crimson Dynasty’s territory in name, it is
impossible to stop their greed. As one of the dynasty’s allies, the stowaways’ infiltration
is also an opportunity for you. The dynasty needs your help.

Mission Requirements: Hand in all information related to stowaways, kill a batch of

stowaways, or destroy the secret stargates.

Reward: 2,000,000 – 50,000,000 Experience and 50 – 700 the Crimson Dynasty

Contribution Points

Remark: This is a branch mission of the [Flickering World].

_____________________

This was a repeatable mission, and he would receive a reward every time he dealt with
stowaways. The rewards were only so-so, but Han Xiao was the most interested in the
dynasty Contribution Points.

However, stowaways were stealthy in their actions and extremely difficult to find. Han
Xiao can only try his luck. Furthermore, the stowaways were not natives, and if they set
up a secret stargate, it would only be possible to destroy the stargate with a battle.

Han Xiao only intended to provide the clues and was not planning to pick a fight with
the super Star Cluster civilizations. However, the dynasty were not afraid of offending
them and would be the most suitable party to do so.

“The Arcane Church should also be included among the stowaways…”

Aesop had prophesied that the Arcane Church would bring him danger in the Flickering
World, and Han Xiao was concerned about it.

If the Arcane Church wanted to deal with me, they would definitely have to send a large
force. Because they’ll need to build up their forces, they won’t take action soon.
However, I’d better remain vigilant during this period, Han Xiao thought to himself.
Psyker was able to locate him, and the Arcane Church would definitely get Psyker to
join them. Thus, observing Psyker’s whereabouts would be the most direct way to find
out when the Arcane Church was planning to attack.

It was a pity that the [Observer’s Mark] that he had placed on Psyker’s body had already
been removed. If not, things would have been much easier for him. Although Psyker
was not able to remove it on his own, he could feel that he was being spied on. Psyker
had already found out that he was the culprit, and it was impossible for Psyker to ignore
the matter after a good half a year. Psyker must have gotten someone from the Arcane
Church to get rid of the [Observer’s Mark] for him. After all, Austin was not the only
Beyond Grade A Mage.

Han Xiao conveyed his worries to Tarrokov, and Tarrokov replied with a smile as
though he had already expected it.

“The dynasty has also considered the possibility that the Arcane Church will try to
snatch the Evolution Cube when you are in the Flickering World. Thus, the dynasty will
keep a close eye on the movements of the Beyond Grade A Supers of the Arcane
Church. Furthermore, Her Excellency has already sent out a second wave of troops to
the Flickering World, which includes many of the dynasty’s allies. We will also send
out a Beyond Grade A Super that is a direct subordinate of the dynasty to follow you
and protect you temporarily.”

The second batch of allies… it seems like the competition is here.

On account of the Evolution Cube, the dynasty sent manpower to protect him. However,
Han Xiao knew that the dynasty would prefer him to not run around with the Evolution
Cube.

After retrieving that ownerless Universal Treasure, I shall return to Planet Lighthouse
for a period of time…

Since he knew that the enemy wanted to deal with him, Han Xiao decided to be on the
safer side. After all, the Arcane Church was not that easy to deal with.
Thus, it would be best for him to remain on the dynasty’s outpost, Planet Lighthouse,
rather than running all around. Furthermore, he would still be present in the Flickering
World and could continue to monitor the progress of the exploration.

“Please thank Ruler Urranrell for me.” Han Xiao was caught up in his thoughts but did
not forget to be polite.

“Haha, the Ruler recently checked on our progress, and she is extremely satisfied with
you,” Tarrokov said with a smile.

After having a casual chat for a while, Han Xiao hung up.

Right at this moment, Hadavy finally sent news.

After waiting for four months, the stargate was finally complete!

“Good job!”

Han Xiao was overjoyed. With this passageway, Han Xiao could finally obtain the
ownerless Universal Treasure.

Hadavy had also displayed his dissatisfaction in his message. He had not sparred with
Han Xiao for four months and was extremely dissatisfied. He wanted to immediately
return to Han Xiao’s side so that he could be beaten up by Han Xiao. Being in a good
mood, Han Xiao immediately promised to beat Hadavy up three times a day and fulfil
his wishes.

Han Xiao immediately ordered the fleet to change direction and head toward the
stargate.

This news was quickly spread to Senico. However, he was already used to Black Star
moving around without any set pattern and did not have any suspicions.
Chapter 836 Spacetime Amber
Some of the universal social studies scholars believed that there were three factors of
building a lawful galactic society from nothing. First, communication in the form of a
galactic war where part of the civilizations survived and obtained knowledge of each
other. Second, one or more powerful rulers that had the strength to forcefully decide
rules for other civilizations, forming laws. Third, the reduction of distance achieved
through hyperdrive, stargate, and quantum communication technology.

In the eyes of some scholars, these three technologies were the greatest inventions of the
universe era. They allowed civilizations to communicate with each other while being
countless light years apart. These were what formed the stable galactic societal structure
of the entire known universe.

After pioneering in the Flickering World for four months, including Han Xiao, the
Black Star Army started to agree more and more with this statement.

The Special Task Force led by Hadavy took four whole months to arrive at the east of
the Garu Star Cluster from the south, while Han Xiao’s main ship fleet crossed that
distance through the stargates built by the Special Task Force in less than two days.

At the eastern border Star System, two fleets rendezvoused in space. The Special Task
Force spaceships returned to the main ship.

Han Xiao waited for a while in the command room, and very soon, Hadavy and his
subordinates came from the dock.

“Army Commander!” Hadavy opened his arms wide and pounced over with excitement
on his face.

Han Xiao’s mouth twitched. He hesitated for a moment but decided not to back away
and gave Hadavy a hug.

“It’s been four whole months,” Hadavy said with an overjoyed tone.
“Do you have to be so excited?” Feeling Hadavy’s arms tightly wrapped around his
waist, Han Xiao casually patted his shoulder and dragged him off with one hand.

What he did not know was that these four months had been extremely tough for
Hadavy. His Harden Esper Ability could only be improved through powerful external
stimulation. As a Beyond Grade A seed, he had become Han Xiao’s subordinate for the
opportunity to spar with a Beyond Grade A. After he came under Han Xiao’s command,
he had felt his Esper Ability grow again after being stagnant for an exceptionally long
time. This made him overjoyed.

However, the sign of becoming stronger disappeared once again in these four months
away. Furthermore, there was not even a Calamity Grade officer in the Special Task
Force, so he could not even find a sparring opponent. To a battle maniac like him, this
was unbearable.

When he saw Han Xiao again, in Hadavy’s eyes, it was as if a halo was hovering above
Han Xiao’s head. He realized just how much he missed Han Xiao… ‘s fists.

Hadavy was in a particularly good mood. He looked at Hila, who was beside them,
grinned, and opened his arms, attempting to give her a hug too.

“Try touching me.” Death energy appeared in Hila’s eyes as she glared at Hadavy.

Hadavy’s expression became stiff, and he awkwardly lowered his arms, thinking,
There’s no way I, a Beyond Grade A seed, would treat you this kindly if not for the
army commander.

“Come on, Hadavy is at least a Beyond Grade A seed. Don’t be so harsh with your
words.” Han Xiao, however, was the one who felt that Hila’s attitude toward a member
of the Black Star Guards needed improvement. He patted her shoulder and pressed her
shoulder bone.

Hmm, quite nice.

Hila’s expression tensed up. She glanced at Han Xiao’s palm, and the overflowing red
energy in her eyes vanished.

“Okay,” she said reluctantly.

Hadavy greeted Feidin and the other Black Star Guards. He then looked at Han Xiao
and asked, “Following your orders, the Special Task Force has already set up the long
distance stargates—what do we do next?”

Han Xiao did not reply directly but snapped his fingers and summoned the 3D star map
in front of everyone. He carefully searched through the star map and finally confirmed
the planet with the ownerless Universal Treasure that was in the desolate universe belt
outside the Garu Star Cluster.

In his previous life, this planet was called Planet Amber. Now, it was still a planet with
just a serial number and no name.

“Are we going to this planet?” Aurora asked curiously. “Is there anything special about
it?”

Han Xiao nodded and randomly made up some reasons. “Some time ago, when a group
of army members were exploring desolate planets, they discovered some information
left by aliens. It seemed to be the travelling records of a certain explorer, and it had
information about this planet, which stated that there was a civilization on it. Since
we’re here, we shall go and take a look.”

This reason was completely logical. Since Han Xiao was the one who said it, despite the
others being somewhat puzzled, they had no doubts. After all, given what had happened
with the Great Cosmos Corps, the existence of natives in the Flickering World was no
longer shocking to them.

Han Xiao did not exactly lie—Planet Amber was indeed the ruins of an extinct native
civilization, and that Universal Treasure was in those ruins.

[Spacetime Amber] was the name of this Universal Treasure. It was not built by this
native civilization but an extraterrestrial object that landed on the planet accidentally.
This civilization had once viewed it as their holy relic.
In his previous life, as the dynasty’s allies steadily developed forward, the Spacetime
Amber ended up in the hands of one of the dynasty’s allies who took part in the
exploration. That person was Ravenlaude, one of the Beyond Grade As whom Han Xiao
had met on the Crimson Dynasty’s mother planet, the member of the Ancient Ones who
had a bad relationship with Aesop.

After that, Ravenlaude was defeated by another Beyond Grade A in the Calamity of the
Supers version, and the Spacetime Amber was taken away. After many incidents, the
owner of the Spacetime Amber changed many times, one of them even being someone
from the World Tree Civilization. In the end, it landed in the hands of the Federation of
Light.

The origin of the Spacetime Amber was very mysterious. The players in his previous
life only found out about its origin at the late stages through special intelligence
channels. It was not some shocking secret but involved the Primordial Ones and had a
story to it.

As for the effects of the Spacetime Amber, only one word could describe it—’unique’.

It basically would not increase one’s strength at all, but its effects… were terrifying
even for Beyond Grade As!

According to Han Xiao’s memories of the storyline in his previous life, after the
Spacetime Amber was discovered, more than five Beyond Grade As were ‘defeated’ by
it!

Since this thing had no owner, other than him, no one else even knew about the
existence of the Spacetime Amber. He would be able to obtain it easily.

A few days later, the fleet arrived at Planet Amber and entered its atmosphere.
The Fixed Star was relatively close to this planet, and the burning sun shone from the
sky. The surface of Planet Amber was mainly desert with everlasting dull gray
sandstorms roaming across the land. No signs of any civilizations could be seen.

Han Xiao was just about to send out detection ships when Aurora closed her eyes for a
moment and shook her head.

“There are no vital signs on this planet.”

“Your vital sign detection range can now cover an entire planet?” Shock flashed across
Hila’s face.

Seeing that everyone was looking, Aurora gave a shy smile but said with somewhat a
proud tone, “I’ve grown too.”

“Not bad, not bad.” Han Xiao smiled with satisfaction.

Every time Aurora became stronger, he would always be quite happy.

After all, this meant that Aurora’s healing power had become stronger.

The Aurora Character Summon Card’s effect was full recovery, but that came from the
interface, and Aurora’s healing power was limited. The cost of her ability was her own
life force. With the astronomical amount of energy in his cells as a Beyond Grade A,
Aurora would most likely be drained just from fully healing him one or two times.

“Since there are no vital signs, the civilization you mentioned might have gone extinct,
only leaving ruins,” Feidin said.

Han Xiao nodded. He looked at the yellow desert and sent out detection ships to collect
information of the planet’s underground environment.

In the dynasty’s records, the civilization ruins that the Spacetime Amber was in were
buried under the sand. As for the details of discovering the Spacetime Amber, there
were no records. Therefore, he did not know its exact location. However, with the
galactic grade detection devices he had, finding the civilization’s ruins was just a matter
of time.

As expected, before Han Xiao finished spectating a match of Wayne Card between
Hadavy and another Black Star Guard, he received a message from the detection ships
—many city-like ruins had been discovered under the desert.

However, no special energy source was detected.

No abnormal energy signal detected? Hmm, the Spacetime Amber should be on this
planet. Maybe it’s because it hasn’t been charged for a very long time.

Han Xiao looked at the ruins marked on the planet map and shook his head with
resignation.

Looks like I have to search all of them… Tsk, why didn’t the dynasty record the details
of discovering the Spacetime Amber? Now I have to spend time searching for it slowly.

Han Xiao told the fleet to standby outside the atmosphere.

Looking down at the ground under his feet, Han Xiao waved his hand. An enormous
mass of Mechanical Force gushed out, stirring up energy ripples. A gigantic light gate
opened behind him, and inside were countless mechanical soldiers. This was the
secondary dimensional army base that he had with him at all times.

Clank!

Countless mechanical soldiers swarmed out, with Psionic Prime and the thousands of
mechanical lives at the front. They all looked at Han Xiao.

After releasing millions of machines, Han Xiao then closed the secondary dimensional
army base. The mechanical army aligned neatly in front of him, covering the sky.
“You guys, search through the ruins, report any special discovery to me, and also look
for this thing.” Han Xiao drew out the appearance of the Spacetime Amber in the
quantum network and sent out this order to all the machines through Phillip.

Hu!

The next moment, the mechanical army before him split up and dug into the desert to
explore the ruins.

With so many helpful machinery assistants, Han Xiao did not want to waste time
personally searching through so many ruins.

“Master, we’ve discovered something special.”

Not long after, Psionic Prime sent back some good news together with images.

Han Xiao glanced at it. On the image was a huge room like some sort of a hall. The
walls and the pillars were covered in drawings. In the middle of the room was a gigantic
black disc with circuit-like patterns on it. It might be a product of mixing magic and
technology.

On the ground around the disc, there were many translucent spherical crystals, each
about 1.5 meters tall with creatures of a certain species in them. Their bodies had no
signs of rotting, but their expressions and movements were all completely still. They
had no vital signs, like beings solidified by amber.

This phenomenon is the effect of the Spacetime Amber…

Han Xiao was surprised. He had visited Planet Amber in his previous life, but there
were only ruins at that time, and these amber creatures were not there. These creatures
must be the race that had once lived there.

Maybe when Ravenlaude discovered the Spacetime Amber, he took away those
specimens.
However, this was good news. It meant that he was near the Spacetime Amber.

Han Xiao called the fleet down. The spaceships used their traction beams and sucked
this area of the desert dry, exposing the ruins where Psionic Prime was.

The group of them quickly descended and landed in the ruins, following Psionic
Prime’s signal deep into the heart of the ruins while observing the city on the way.

Although the ruins seemed to be ancient, the original look of this civilization could still
somewhat be seen.

The patterns could still display their sense of beauty. This civilization seemed to be
quite good at art.

“They must’ve been quite a beautiful civilization,” Feidin said.

“Maybe.”

Han Xiao did not deny it. Very soon, they came to the center of the ruins. This was an
enormous fortress, like it was a gigantic safehouse or sanctuary assembled from tons of
tough materials.

Psionic Prime’s team was in this fortress. Han Xiao and the others entered the hall in the
image very soon. With a rough look, they realized that there were at least twenty
thousand ambers.

“What are these? It looks like amber.” Hadavy touched a piece of amber beside him
with curiosity. The texture was very strange. He could not feel any temperature on the
amber, but his hand could not move an inch further.

Han Xiao causally came before a piece of amber and looked at the creature inside it.
These creatures should be carbon-based mammals. They looked hairy and somewhat
similar to sloths. It was about one meter tall, its eyes were wide open, and it had this
constant anxious and uneasy expression on its face.
Han Xiao turned around and glanced at Hila. He then signaled with his lips and said,
“Try attacking it.”

Swoosh!

Without hesitation, a wave of energy gushed out from Hila’s eyes and landed on one
piece of amber.

The next moment, something strange happened. Although the amber was blown away, it
was completely undamaged. The energy Hila released dissipated on the smooth surface
of the amber completely.

“Hmm?” Hila frowned. Unconvinced, energy concentrated once again as she planned to
launch a much more powerful attack.

Seeing this, Han Xiao hastily stopped her. “Enough, you don’t have to try again, or
you’re going to destroy this entire room.”

Hila had no choice but to stop then wondered, “This thing is immune to my attacks.
Even my spiritual attack could not penetrate it.”

“Not just that.”

Han Xiao pressed on one piece of amber, and Mechanical Force gushed out from his
palm. However, the lightning only swam on the surface of the amber; the amber itself
was not damaged at all.

“More accurately, this thing should be immune to all kinds of energy. It can’t be
destroyed or damaged.”

Han Xiao raised one piece of amber up and weighed it; it was not heavy. He put it
down, shook his head, and said, “Beyond Grade As, or even the strongest Planetary
Obliteration weapons of universal civilizations, can’t damage this amber.”

Everyone was shocked.

“How can there be such powerful material in the world?”

“Even Beyond Grade As can’t destroy it? Impossible!”

“Could it be…” Hila had a flash of insight. “Is this another Space Wonder?”

Han Xiao caressed his chin and pretended to be thinking. “Hmm, possibly. It feels like
the Evolution Cube, like a manmade product.”

He was not very clear on how this kind of amber formed, but Space Wonders were
always difficult to explain. According to the data in his previous life, this amber seemed
to have solidified the time and space of a small area.

Objects inside the amber would be isolated from reality, as if existing in another
dimension that had no factor of time.

According to that logic, the bodies of beings covered in this amber should not change;
they should have a long or even infinite life span, like sleeping in a capsule, and their
mind should be frozen as well…

However, according to the NPCs who fought against it in his previous life, when they
were trapped by the Spacetime Amber, they were indeed unable to control their bodies,
and their energy could not escape it as well, but their mind was active. They could even
see and hear what was happening outside the amber. They could even feel the passage
of time in the outside world. It was like their minds were trapped in their bodies. This
was what contradicted the logic and one of the important reasons this was one of the
Space Wonders.

Only the minds of individuals trapped too long by the Spacetime Amber would enter
stagnation and vanish in the end, giving up on maintaining thoughts. Stronger
individuals would be able to last longer.

Therefore, this thing could create a cell that could trap any beings and not worry about
the prisoner running away, while at the same time being a terrible torture.
Even if the target was a Beyond Grade A!

The only problem was that the process of activating the Spacetime Amber was quite
long. It would be extremely difficult to trap a Beyond Grade A with it.

If this falls into the hands of an enemy, it’s very threatening to me. I will have one less
thing to worry about if it’s in my hands.

All kinds of thoughts flashed past Han Xiao’s mind. He turned around and looked at the
roughly ten-meter-wide black disc in the middle of the room. He observed the patterns
on the disc for a while and roughly confirmed that this was some kind of pattern to
transmit energy.

“Looks like this thing needs energy to be activated.”

Han Xiao waved. Psionic Prime obediently turned into many hovering guards and shot
out beams at the disc, transferring energy.

Hum!

The disc suddenly shivered. As if some kind of device had been activated, the patterns
lit up, and the dust on it fell off.

The next moment, this disc lit up entirely and displayed its real function… it was a
screen.

A video started playing on the screen. A creature of this civilization appeared and
slowly spoke.

At the time, their translators had yet to record this language, so they had no idea what it
was saying. However, this did not prevent them from understanding the images. The
images of this civilization before it went extinct appeared on the screen, as if it was
displaying its entire history from the beginning. They started as primal beings, gradually
learned to use tools. They invented airplanes and hovering cars, and they were trying to
build galactic spaceships. The cities were beautiful, and the people were living
peacefully.
However, due to the abnormal activity of their Fixed Star, the environment of this
planet changed drastically. A disaster that was more than enough to wipe out all lives on
the planet occurred. In order to preserve their civilization, they used their ‘holy relic’ to
seal their people and saved all the information of their civilization in the database. There
were databases in every ruin to make sure whoever discovered this would receive this
information.

The appearance of that ‘holy relic’ was indeed the Spacetime Amber in Han Xiao’s
memories. Realizing that he had come to the right place, Han Xiao was secretly relieved
and continued watching.

A large amount of energy was needed in order to use the Spacetime Amber. This
civilization had almost depleted all their energy sources just to charge it so that they
could use it multiple times. There were ambers not just in this city’s ruins but in every
ruin. While they were watching this recording, the teams that were exploring the other
ruins discovered more and more amber as well.

At the end of the recording, the whereabouts of the Spacetime Amber was finally
mentioned. It seemed to be placed in a huge city, but that was before the civilization
went extinct, so they did not know which ruin it was.

I’ll have Phillip copy their database first. If their language is deciphered, I will be able
to understand what this recording was talking about and find the ruins the Spacetime
Amber is at.

Han Xiao was just about to act when a notification popped up on the interface.

_____________________

You have triggered the hidden mission [Traces of Existence]!

Mission Introduction: Due to the abnormal activity of the Fixed Star, a world ending
disaster engulfed the Yasre Civilization. Before their doom, the Yasreans selected two
paths at the same time. They wanted to preserve a small part of their race with their holy
relic so that they could survive this disaster and rebuild their civilization in the future.
So, they were waiting for someone to use the holy relic to release them in the future.
However, if no one came, the Yasreans were willing to become eternal specimens and
preserve all the information about their civilization, leaving the traces of their existence
in the wide and endless universe. You are the visitor they have waited many years for.
Sadly, time has already decided their final fate.

Mission Requirements: Using the Yasre Civilization’s ‘holy relic’, released all the
Yasreans from the effect of their ‘holy relic’.

Rewards: 1,500,000,000 EXP, 1 Legendary Point, 1 Random Reward, 780 Exploration

Points, and 1 [Bold Explorer] Ability Shard.

837 The Last Witness

Hidden mission… Han Xiao was stunned for a moment. When he then saw the mission
reward, surprise appeared on his face. The second [Bold Explorer] Ability Shard?
Han Xiao immediately turned to look at Feidin, who had all his attention on the Yasre
Civilization recording. He gripped his shoulders and shook him vigorously.

“Wha… what are you doing?” Feidin stared at the overjoyed Han Xiao with a puzzled
look on his face.

“You, amazing!”

Han Xiao was ecstatic. In his eyes, it was as if Feidin was emitting holy light from all
over his body.

There was a slim chance that hidden missions would reward [Bold Explorer] Ability
Shards. Over the past few months, the players had discovered quite a number of hidden
missions and shared them with him. However, he had never triggered this reward—the
goddess of luck loathed him as usual.

With Feidin along with him, the goddess of luck basically deliberately lifted her dress to
show Feidin the holy light.
Han Xiao could not help but sigh in his mind. Overflowing charm, exceptional luck, a
wife who he could sleep with in his mind, and the goddess of luck willing to be his
mistress. Feidin was probably the biggest winner in life throughout the Black Star
Army.

Although Nero also had the Advanced Luck Glow…

He was not handsome enough!

“You’re still the most reliable.” Han Xiao patted Feidin’s shoulder heavily with
satisfaction on his face.

Feidin’s face was filled with question marks.

Seeing that everyone was looking at him with confusion, Han Xiao calmed himself
down, coughed, and explained, “This civilization used its holy relic to build this kind of
special amber. No one else other than us has visited this planet ever since. This means
that this holy relic will be ours. I’m guessing that this is going to be another Universal
Treasure.”

The others did not know that Han Xiao had come to this planet with a clear goal. They
nodded and suspected nothing.

Han Xiao told the machines to search and found the database. Phillip copied all the data
inside and finally deciphered the language of the Yasre Civilization.

Having updated the language packs of the translator, they returned to the black disc
again and rewatched the recording. This time, they understood what it was about.

“I’m the leader of the Yasreans. Lucky visitors, when you see this recording, we might
have already gone extinct. No matter who you are, please watch this recording till the
end…”
The mission introduction on the interface had already explained the rough situation, so
Han Xiao just filled in the details by watching it again.

The recording talked about the situation of the Yasre Civilization, which was within
their expectations. At the end of the recording, the Yasrean hoped that the visitor could
complete two things. One was to undo the effects of the Spacetime Amber, and the
Yasreans shared their knowledge of the Spacetime Amber to make things easier.
However, they had very limited knowledge about this extraterrestrial object that
exceeded their understanding.

The second thing was for the visitor to preserve the information about the Yasre
Civilization if the Yasreans were extinct so that the traces of their existence would
remain.

The group of them had been traveling the universe for many years and were used to the
end of civilizations long ago. This was what the universe was; new species were born,
and old species went extinct every second. If they would easily be affected every time,
they would have no time to do anything else.

However, every civilization was a miracle of life, so they would still respect the final
wishes of a civilization when necessary.

Before that, Han Xiao had to first do what he had gone there to do.

With the translation, he knew the location of the Spacetime Amber. Han Xiao told the
machines to bring out all of the ambers from every ruins and gather at the location of
the Spacetime Amber.

Not long after, they landed at the ruins where the Spacetime Amber was.

Following the images, Han Xiao came to an empty room in the middle of this ruins’
central sanctuary. A mural entered his sights. It was about eight meters tall and thirty
meters wide. The drawings were about the history of the Yasreans.
One of the images was a meteor-like black stone falling down from the clouds, with a
group of tiny people below looking up. Han Xiao hovered up and came before this
painting. He extended his hand and touched the meteor on this drawing.

His palm pressed onto the wall, and energy blew away the thick accumulated layer of
dust.

Hu!

The dust was blown away.

Han Xiao pressed down heavily and cracked the meteor drawing open. Stones fell onto
the ground.

Ka!

He dug out a dim white crystal from behind the wall, which had the same shape as the
meteor in the painting.

Looking at the white crystal in his hands, Han Xiao’s eyes sparkled.

This ordinary looking crystal was the core of the Spacetime Amber. The Yasreans had
hidden it in this mural.

_____________________

You have received [Spacetime Amber].

Spacetime Amber: A Space Wonder object with an unknown origin. It can freeze
spacetime and form a solid layer with the appearance of amber around all kinds of
things. Energy cost depends on the size of the amber formed. Current Energy Value: 0

_____________________
“I got it.” Han Xiao was thrilled.

This was the easiest to obtain Universal Treasure for him. After all, no one else knew
about this thing’s existence other than him.

As he landed on the ground, the others surrounded him and sized the Spacetime Amber
up with curiosity.

“This is the holy relic that can create amber that can block all kinds of attacks?” Hila
sized the Spacetime Amber up. “Why does it not have any energy reaction at all?”

“This thing needs to be charged to be used,” Han Xiao explained. He then shot out a
powerful flow of energy into the Spacetime Amber in his hands.

Boom!

An invisible impact wave exploded from Han Xiao’s body like a tornado. This was the
aura that Han Xiao emitted when he released his energy at the maximum capacity.

The Mechanical Force flew into the Spacetime Amber as the dim Spacetime Amber
started to gradually light up.

In the past four months, Han Xiao had completed the [Heber Stellar Furnace
Cultivation] training. Having spent 3.9 billion EXP, his maximum energy had increased
by more than 17,000, which was quite worth it for him.

The Spacetime Amber was like a bottomless pit that could devour an infinite amount of
energy. Its energy value slowly grew.

Using the Spacetime Amber required a large amount of energy, but to a Mechanic who
had mastered the psionic energy, there was more than enough energy.
Han Xiao thought about it and stopped using his own energy. He took out a few psionic
reactors as batteries and linked them with the Spacetime Amber to keep charging it. It
seemed like there was no limit to the amount of energy the Spacetime Amber could
contain, so he did not worry about overcharging it.

After charging it, the Spacetime Amber finally showed an energy reaction.

With the Spacetime Amber in his hands, Han Xiao could feel the energy inside it. The
method to use the Spacetime Amber was very simple; he just had to guide energy within
it.

The way the Yasre Civilization used it was quite rough and did not have much to learn
from, but Han Xiao recalled the better ways to use it, which the owners of the
Spacetime Amber in his previous life had used. He could build a device that had the
same frequency as the Spacetime Amber and put the Spacetime Amber in it. He could
then connect to the device with Nerves Connection, so he would be able to control the
Spacetime Amber with his mind and with greater accuracy.

Han Xiao would be able to easily build such a device, but now was not the time. He was
not in a hurry to test the Spacetime Amber’s powers, so he decided to complete the
hidden mission first.

The group of them walked out of the central sanctuary of the ruins. All of the Yasreans’
ambers were moved into those ruins. There were so many of them that they could not
see the end of it.

Han Xiao came before a Yasrean and slashed the amber’s surface with the Spacetime
Amber. The Spacetime Amber cut the translucent amber open with ease.

The Spacetime Amber could freely penetrate the amber created from itself and would
not be affected by the frozen spacetime.

Pa!

Like a bubble, this piece of amber dissipated in the air. The Yasrean inside collapsed
onto the ground.
Aurora hastily helped him up and said with joy, “There are vital signs. He’s still alive.”

“His soul has died. Although his body is still alive, he’s a living dead man.” Hila shook
her head.

Unlike Aurora, she could sense the soul of lives, and she knew that the body of this
Yasrean was just an empty shell despite it being still alive.

Han Xiao scanned through it. Due to the Spacetime Amber, the body of this Yasrean
was maintained at the state it was in before being frozen. Although its brain had stopped
working, it did not show any signs of deterioration and was still very much alive like his
body. This meant that this person’s brain was frozen as well. However, if one’s brain
was frozen too, there should not be any brain activity at all.

He made a speculation. Since one’s body energy would not be used in the amber, maybe
it was their soul energy that supported their brain activity. This meant that soul energy
being depleted was what caused their mind to die off. The stronger the individual, the
more soul energy they had, so they could last longer.

That’s not impossible.

Having thought of the origin of the Spacetime Amber, Han Xiao did not think that this
was a strange phenomenon.

The effect of the Spacetime Amber came from the Esper Ability of one of the
Primordial Ones, whose Esper Ability was ‘Spacetime Freeze’, which was on the Super
High Risk Esper Ability List.

Most of the abilities on the Super High Risk Esper Ability List had existed before, and
this Primordial One was the first Esper who was discovered to be able to freeze space
and time.

Such abilities were exceedingly rare. It was also a high-level forbidden technique in the
Mage class.
Back then, this Primordial One was under the command of an advanced civilization and
was killed in action. He had a Primordial One friend whose ability was to modify the
properties of objects. That person turned his body into a crystal that would never rot and
let it wander the universe as a form of burial. However, somehow, while wandering the
universe, this crystal underwent a change that no one knew the cause of. It not only
preserved the Primordial One’s ability to freeze spacetime, but its ability mutated too
and became a Space Wonder. This was the origin of the Spacetime Amber, which the
players only found out about in the later versions.

Pulling his thoughts back, Han Xiao used the Spacetime Amber to release all the
Yasreans.

After checking through, none of their souls were still alive.

“Sigh, they’re all dead.” Feidin shook his head.

Han Xiao initially had a little bit of hope, thinking that maybe there would be a
protagonist type character among the Yasreans who would make it. Sadly, there were
none. In the face of time, it seemed like no one could escape death.

Seeing this, although they were used to seeing the ends of civilizations, they all had no
mood to chat and kept silent.

_____________________

You have released all the Yasreans from the effects of the Spacetime Amber!

[Traces of Existence] Completed!

You have received 1,500,000,000 EXP and 780 Exploration Points.

You have received 1 Random Reward.

You have received 1 Legendary Point.

[Planet Legendary Point (Yasreans)—The Last Witness]: You witnessed the last
moment of Yasreans with your own eyes. A civilization’s last sign of life vanished right
before your eyes. Maybe, in the end, everything vanishes with time, but at least they
existed.

_____________________

Han Xiao sighed. “Phillip, move these bodies onto the ship. Cremate them and release
them in the universe.”

Feidin looked over. “Are you not preserving specimens using the Spacetime Amber?”

“Their souls dissipated with their civilization. Their bodies should be released too.”

Han Xiao had already scanned the bodies of the Yasreans, and there was nothing
special. Furthermore, the Spacetime Amber had yet to be shown to the world, so he
wanted to keep it as a trump card and not leave any clues behind.

He still remembered that he was a member of the Spacetime Research Council, which
preserved the data of all the civilizations that had disappeared throughout history and
shared this knowledge with others, so more people would know about these civilizations
that had once existed in the universe.

Giving the data to the Spacetime Research Council was probably the best ending for this
civilization.

“Master, hum… Do you want me to upload the data of the Yasre Civilization to the
Spacetime Research Council database?”

“Upload it.”

Han Xiao nodded. He temporarily hid away the data regarding the Spacetime Amber.
With the Spacetime Amber in his hands, they returned to the fleet and headed back.

Inside different spaceships, the bodies of the Yasreans were cremated one after another
and then poured into the universe. The fleet dragged along a tail of ash as it departed.

As the fleet entered hyperdrive, Han Xiao rejected Hadavy’s request to spar for the time
being and locked himself up in the machinery modification room. He planned to first
build the portable device of the Spacetime Amber.

As the devices were connected to the Spacetime Amber and detecting its perimeters,
Han Xiao stood aside and looked at it.

“This is the second Universal Treasure I have obtained, which means it’s a new trump
card. The Evolution Cube can make genes evolve, and the Spacetime Amber can freeze
spacetime…”

The Evolution Cube could be used for networking, and the Spacetime Amber… could
perhaps be used as a tool of intimidation.

This time, Han Xiao suddenly had a flash of insight.

Since the Spacetime Amber could block the transmit of energy, if he covered the
Evolution Cube with amber… did that mean Psyker would not be able to sense it?

“Makes sense. Anyway, I don’t use the Evolution Cube all the time, and I can unseal it
when I need to. But I’m not sure if this will stop Psyker from wanting to take it back… I
know the Arcane Church most likely won’t give up.”

He planned to first give the Spacetime Amber a portable device and then test if this idea
would work. After all, building a small device would only take him a few minutes.

Han Xiao temporarily placed this matter aside. He opened the interface and looked at
his ability list.
With the two Ability Shards of the [Bold Explorer], this ability was activated. He could
activate it when exploring the unknown or studying objects, which would give him
partial information of these things.

Cooldown is seven days, and the side effect is decreased Luck for fourteen days. Hehe,
not like that makes a difference.

Any side effects that were related to Luck were meaningless to him!

Han Xiao smiled with pride.

Wait a minute, this isn’t something to be proud of!

Han Xiao looked at the side.

He decided to use the effect of this ability on the Spacetime Amber.

He knew the origin of the Spacetime Amber, so he could use it to see the accuracy of
this ability.

Chapter 838 Inheritance of a Primordial One and Tes

_____________________

You have used ability [Bold Explorer] on [Spacetime Amber]!

You have received the following information…

_____________________

Everything in his sights suddenly shattered into pieces. His vision was pulled away, and
he flew out of the Star System and the Star Field. As if he rode the river of time on an
amber boat, he started seeing images of the past.

The next moment, his vision suddenly pulled in like he was falling from the sky. The
pieces reformed into an image in front of him—it was a person.

A video started playing before his eyes. This person was on a planet. Beside him were
countless enemies, and above him were fleets that shrouded the entire sky. With every
movement this person made, an impact wave of energy emitted from his body and froze
spacetime, freezing countless spaceships and Supers.

The images were as if Han Xiao was there when it happened. He knew that the person
in the image was the Primordial One who became the Spacetime Amber, and these
images were the past of the Spacetime Amber.

“I see. So, this ability’s method of relaying information is to let me see some images
directly. That’s quite similar to the Destiny’s Child Character Summon Card I once
had.”

Very soon, this Primordial One met a strong opponent. This time, the image of the
battle fast forwarded and skipped the details of the battle, arriving at the results—the
consciousness of this Primordial One was heavily damaged, his soul was shattering, and
he was at the doorstep of death.

Another Beyond Grade A friend of his arrived and guarded him while retreating.

This time, this Primordial One whose consciousness was already blurry suddenly
grabbed onto the shoulder of his friend.
“I’m done for. Don’t let my body fall into the hands of the enemies.”

“Okay.”

The expression of his friend was hidden behind his armor as he pressed onto the body of
this Primordial One without hesitation and activated his ability.

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This Primordial One lowered all his defenses and did not resist at all. His body
crystalized at a visible rate, gradually shrinking into a palm-sized crystal, and was
thrown into the cosmic space by his friend.

At this time, the images stopped, and Han Xiao regained his focus.

“Hmm, although I knew about this long ago, if I didn’t know, this would basically have
uncovered the origin of the Spacetime Amber. That’s quite an important piece of
information. The ability’s effect is quite good.”

Han Xiao nodded. This effect was suitable for finding out hidden factors and could even
be used multiple times on the same target, each time supposedly getting different pieces
of information. If used enough times, there would be a high chance of finding out all the
information about an unknown object or matter.

As for the sixty-percent Luck decrease for fourteen days, Han Xiao ignored it
completely. His Luck was only one to start with, and it would never become negative,
so it made absolutely no difference.

Since the test results were accurate, Han Xiao planned to use this on that set of
wormhole data EsGod wanted after the cooldown ended. If he was not able to figure it
out the first time, he would use it multiple times until he did.

At this time, a notification popped up on the interface and broke Han Xiao’s train of
thought.
_____________________

You have triggered the Hidden Chain Mission [Inheritance of a Primordial One—
Spacetime Freezer].

Mission Introduction: Through some means, you came to know that it turns out the
Spacetime Amber is the remnant of a Beyond Grade A. He is one of the Primordial
Ones—Spacetime Freezer. You have received his inheritance. If you can fulfil his
wishes, you will have a deeper understanding of the Spacetime Amber.

Round One Mission Requirements: Find out the wishes of the Spacetime Freezer.

Reward: +1 Soul Connection with the Spacetime Amber

_____________________

Han Xiao was puzzled.

What the hell is this mission? I have never even heard of it before!

How was this hidden mission triggered? Oh, I get it.

Han Xiao figured out very soon after being surprised for a while.

Although he had known about the origin of the Spacetime Amber since long ago,
personal memories had zero influence on the interface. Only when he obtained
information through his actions would the interface recognize that as him fulfilling the
prerequisite of the hidden mission.

By using [Bold Explorer] and seeing the images about the origin of the Spacetime
Amber, he had triggered the mission.

In his previous life, no player had ever obtained the Spacetime Amber, so of course, no
one knew that this mission existed. He was the first person to ever trigger this mission.
As for the Soul Connection, Han Xiao knew what it was. It was more common among
Mages and Psychics, and it could be understood as the affinity with a certain object. For
example, the higher the Soul Connection one had with a certain item, the more powerful
that item would be when that person used it, and the easier it would be for that person to
control that item.

There was an example right under his nose—Psyker and the Evolution Cube. Having
controlled the Evolution Cube for such a long time, Psyker had planted a deep psychic
mark on the Evolution Cube long ago and could receive benefits from the Evolution
Cube that strengthened his psychic power. This was because Psyker’s Soul Connection
with the Evolution Cube was very high.

In Han Xiao’s previous life, this function only became available in the later versions,
and only some special equipment or items had Soul Connections. However, this was not
absolute. If a player had a normal object on them all the time, they might still be able to
create a Soul Connection with that item.

“I’m not a Psychic nor Mage, so god knows when I would have formed a Soul
Connection with this thing. This mission skipped the hardest part for me. From a certain
perspective, the Spacetime Amber is basically the body of that Primordial One. The fact
that completing his wishes increases my Soul Connection with the Spacetime Amber
might mean that I’m more accepted by his body. Hahaha.”

Han Xiao grinned and opened the interface. There was now also a new field under the
item description of the Spacetime Amber.

_____________________

Spacetime Amber Soul Connection: 0/5

_____________________

With such a reward, Han Xiao was more willing to complete this mission.
Although the Primordial Ones were from a very long time ago, as the first batch of
Beyond Grade As, information about them was quite rich. Many institutions were
passionate about studying them. Spacetime Freezer was not someone unknown, so it
was easy to obtain information about him.

As for the wishes of Spacetime Freezer, Han Xiao was not worried about not being able
to find out. According to the way the interface worked, he did not really have to study
the life of Spacetime Freezer. As long as he had actions of browsing through data about
Spacetime Freezer, the interface should treat it as him completing the requirement and
give him the next round’s mission requirements.

While he told Phillip to research online, Han Xiao also started to build a simple control
device for the Spacetime Amber.

As long as he could establish a Soul Connection with the Spacetime Amber, not only
would he be able to receive benefits from this Universal Treasure, but he would also
most likely be able to control the Spacetime Amber with his mind. However, he had yet
to receive the reward, so he needed a mechanical device to use the Spacetime Amber.

Han Xiao finished building it very quickly.

The Spacetime Amber was covered in a black, spherical device. This device could
activate the energy of the Spacetime Amber and allow Han Xiao to control it with his
mind. At the same time, it also had functions of a hovering guard such as flight, shield,
and others.

With a thought in Han Xiao’s mind, he controlled the Spacetime Amber to hover and
activated the device.

Clank!

A small hole cracked open on the spherical device. The next moment, invisible energy
shot out from the hole and started to change the properties of an area of space. The area
of influence slowly expanded. When Han Xiao stopped the energy output of the
Spacetime Amber, only then was this area solidified into amber.
“The output of the Spacetime Amber seems to be fixed, and the speed of creating amber
is quite slow. At this speed, it would take many minutes to create the amount of amber
needed to cover a two-meter-tall creature. Plus, the area only turns into amber when the
energy output is cut off.”

After some thought, Han Xiao called Psionic Prime out to do tests and very soon
received multiple test results.

When Psionic Prime was completely covered, he was unable to move, his signals were
cut off, he could not communicate with the outside world, and Phillip could not send
him orders.

Han Xiao also tried to only cover a part of Psionic Prime’s body to see if he could cut
off Psionic Prime’s control of those parts. However, this failed. Apparently, during the
process of solidifying spacetime, the edge had to be unobstructed. If it was obstructed
by a physical object, the amber would not form. This was really similar to blowing
bubbles.

“Therefore, in order to freeze a target, the only way is to completely cover it…”

Han Xiao caressed his chin and had an idea. Since the Spacetime Amber could block all
kinds of energy and redirect them away, it could be used as a special kind of external
armor.

The only problem was that he could not shape the amber to his will for the time being.
The amber he created would only be spherical.

Furthermore, the Spacetime Amber would only cause the energy to slip away but not
block it. In order to make it useful on his armor, he had to use it over large areas. Since
he could not manipulate its shape, he could not achieve something like that yet. Maybe
he would only be able to after establishing a Soul Connection with the Spacetime
Amber.

Nonetheless, Han Xiao still had a way. He planned to create some amber spheres larger
than himself. Then he would use devices with nano-shapeshifting functions to cover
these amber spheres. When attacked, he could use those amber spheres as a barrier,
which might be even stronger than his tank talents.
“That can be considered a special means of defense.”

No wonder so many people had fought for this Universal Treasure in his previous life.

Although the Spacetime Amber was not originally a combat tool, as long as he used it
properly, it could still have astonishing effects. Its impact on battles was even larger
than the Evolution Cube.

After he finished testing the Spacetime Amber’s effects, he then used it to seal the
Evolution Cube.

At the same time, on the Star Pupil Holy Race Mother Planet…

“Black Star!”

Outside the room, two guards were startled by the sudden furious yell of their leader
and exchanged looks.

Inside the room, Psyker’s face was filled with rage and shock.

All along, despite having lost the Evolution Cube, Psyker did not look anxious. This
was because of his deep connection with the Evolution Cube. Even though the
Evolution Cube was not in his hands, the marker that he had on the Evolution Cube still
strengthened his psychic power all the time.

It was like Black Star had only stolen the Evolution Cube’s body but not its heart, and
Psyker knew the Evolution Cube still loved him.

As he could always locate the Evolution Cube, Psyker felt like the situation was still in
his control.
However, moments earlier, Psyker had shockingly discovered that his senses for the
Evolution Cube had vanished without a trace!

To him, this was as if his wife who had only been enduring the enemy in order to
survive had suddenly developed feelings for the enemy and lost feelings for him.

All Psyker could feel was rage in all five of his hearts and a greener than ever emotion.

Chapter 839 Change and Superstition

“How did Black Star block my psychic senses of the Evolution Cube?”

Beep beep!

While Psyker was shocked and bewildered, his communicator suddenly rang. As he
took it out and looked at it. His pupils constricted, and he clenched his teeth.

It was a call from Black Star!

“Hello, hello, is this Psyker?” Han Xiao appeared on the screen.

“Black Star! What did you do?” Psyker yelled.

Seeing this, Han Xiao pretended to be shocked and replied, “Yo, I haven’t seen you in
some time. When did your skin become so green?”

After some mocking, seeing that Psyker’s face was filled with rage, Han Xiao chuckled
and immediately hung up the communication without waiting for Psyker’s reply.
In order to test out the effect, Han Xiao had made a call to Psyker. Having heard
Psyker’s tone, he knew that it had worked. Therefore, he had nothing more to say to Old
Psy and hung up immediately.

Originally, Psyker’s link to the Evolution Cube had been a hidden threat. Now, he had
finally gotten rid of this advantage Psyker had on him. Han Xiao felt much more
secured.

The Arcane Church had no intelligence network in the Flickering World, so they would
have to rely on Psyker’s link to the Evolution Cube to track him if they wanted to attack
him. And now, the Arcane Church no longer had that.

Part of the Arcane Church’s strong desire for the Evolution Cube came from how
Psyker was able to locate the Evolution Cube, as they thought they had a good chance to
snatch it back. Once they lost that, they would have to carefully reconsider if they
wanted to take the Evolution Cube back.

Although he had decided to stay in Planet Lighthouse and lie low for some time, there
was no way for him to keep hiding. Furthermore, the Arcane Church definitely would
not think that the dynasty did not speculate their intentions. If there were really no
chances of sneak attacking, it was not impossible for them to directly attack Planet
Lighthouse.

Due to the exploration of a new Star Field, the dynasty was currently in a weaker state
among the three civilizations, and the other two had always been looking for
opportunities. It was totally possible for the Arcane Church to start a direct conflict with
the dynasty. Although the chances of the Arcane Church using such an aggressive plan
were not high given their style, Han Xiao did not completely exclude this possibility.

After all, he had changed the storyline. Compared to the same time period in his
previous life, the relationship between organizations had changed subtly. Even he did
not know how far the Arcane Church would go to obtain the Evolution Cube.

If he could make the Arcane Church give up this time, he would not have to be on the
passive side in the future.

As for whether Psyker would still follow the Arcane Church to make a move on him,
Han Xiao was not worried. Even just to find out why his senses were blocked, Psyker
would certainly come. Evolution Cube had belonged to Psyker, so the Arcane Church
would not leave its formal owner out of it. Therefore, he could still indirectly find out
about the Arcane Church’s movements through paying attention to Psyker’s
whereabouts.

“You…” Psyker was just about to question when he realized the call had ended. The
anger was stuck in his throat and made his blood boil.

Psyker paused. He then contacted the upper echelons of the Arcane Church with a long
face.

“There’s been a change. I can no longer locate Black Star.”

“What?” The upper echelons of the Arcane Church were shocked. “The operation plan
has already been decided. For such an accident to happen now… Since we no longer
know Black Star’s accurate location, we will have to change our operation plan.”

The Arcane Church’s original plan was to discreetly gather an overwhelming Beyond
Grade A force and have them secretly go to the Flickering World, sneak up on Black
Star when he was out exploring, and kill him at once. The crux for this plan to work was
the fact that Psyker could locate Han Xiao.

Psyker had never had a problem locating Black Star, but Black Star had managed to
suddenly cut Psyker’s senses off at such a crucial moment, and this disrupted the
Arcane Church’s plan.

Originally, they planned to have a group of Beyond Grade As attack Black Star when he
was alone, so they could eliminate Black Star in a short time and immediately return to
the Shattered Star Ring afterward through their secret stargate.

Since they could not directly locate Black Star, they might have to give up on killing
Black Star and capture Black Star instead so that they could interrogate him about the
location of the Evolution Cube. This meant that their Beyond Grade As would need to
spend a very long time in the Flickering World.

In that new Star Field, the Arcane Church basically had no backup at all. Every second
those Beyond Grade As remained there, their risks would increase. If their secret
stargate was discovered and destroyed by the dynasty during their operation, those
Beyond Grade As would have no way to leave the Flickering World and would be
trapped there till their doom.

“I need to report this to the Pope and the Bishops to let them decide,” this upper echelon
said.

Due to this change, the risk of this operation had increased tremendously, so it was no
longer a decision he could make.

Nonetheless, he was secretly glad that this had happened before the operation started.
For the time being, their team was still secretly on the way to the Garu Star Cluster and
had yet to build the exit of the stargate, and the Beyond Grade As of the Arcane Church
were still standing by. There was still room to make changes to the plan.

“Okay,” Psyker replied with resignation. Despite being more impatient than ever, he
knew that there was no way he would be able to order the Arcane Church around.

Through the stargates, it only took Han Xiao a few days of beating up Hadavy for his
fleet to return to Planet Lighthouse in the Dawn Star Cluster.

Tarrokov had already spoken to Han Xiao and knew that Han Xiao would be lying low
on Planet Lighthouse for a while. He welcomed Han Xiao personally with his people at
the dock.

The fleet landed, and Han Xiao disembarked from his spaceship with his officers,
meeting Tarrokov.

“Chief commander.”

“Your Excellency Black Star.”

After a handshake and a greeting, the two of them headed toward the base of the Planet
Lighthouse in a vehicle and started chatting.

“Who’s in the second batch that will be taking part in the exploration?” Han Xiao asked
casually.

Tarrokov gave him a knowing expression before pressing on his bracelet, which
projected the information of eleven organizations.

Han Xiao glanced through and nodded in his mind. He knew these organizations. They
were all renowned organizations of the different Star Fields. There were Beyond Grade
A allied organizations. There were also Star Cluster civilizations like Klent, and they all
were on the dynasty’s side.

“Constellation Corridor’s Arcane Institute, Primeval Star River’s Pyre Demon Tribe,
Blackhole Edge’s Dragonblood Nation, Sea of Star Spirits’ City of the Giant Fleet… A
total of four Beyond Grade A organizations. Yo, three of them are familiar faces.”

During his trip to the dynasty’s mother planet a few months ago, Han Xiao had come to
know seven Beyond Grade A Dynasty allies—three of whom had joined this
exploration.

The leader of the Arcane Institute was a member of the universe-renowned elderly
celebrity group—a member of the Ancient Ones, Ravenlaude.

The leader of the Pyre Demon Tribe was an old friend, Beyoni, who had fought EsGod
alongside him. The leader of the City of the Giant Fleet was also someone he had met
before. He was a Beyond Grade A Mechanic.

The only person he had never met before was the leader of the Dragonblood Nation,
Milizaus. This guy was one of the three strongest National Pillars, someone on the same
level as ‘Dark Lord’ Clotti, and the strongest individual in this exploration team.

Among the four of them, Han Xiao paid more attention to Ravenlaude—the area this
guy would be exploring was the same as him, the Garu Star Cluster. He was a direct
competitor. Also, Ravenlaude was the first owner of the Spacetime Amber in his
previous life.
Of course, this time, Han Xiao had gotten it first, and Ravenlaude had missed the
opportunity.

Han Xiao thought for a while and asked, “The dynasty said they will send one Beyond
Grade A directly under them to protect me from the Arcane Church’s possible sudden
attack. Who will that be?”

Tarrokov waved and said, “The plan has changed. Milizaus and Beyoni have personally
requested to protect you. This is a better option.”

Han Xiao was stunned for a moment. Then it occurred to him, and he smiled.

“They must have said their terms.”

“Yes.” Tarrokov smiled too. “They want to exchange this for a chance at using the
Evolution Cube.”

Han Xiao had expressed his stand long ago—he would not let the other dynasty allies
use the Evolution Cube for free. If they wanted to use it, they had to give something in
exchange. Therefore, Milizaus and Beyoni both wanted to make a deal with Han Xiao.

“What do you think? Do you agree with their terms?”

Han Xiao considered for a while before nodding. “Sure.”

This meant that he would have one more person to help him than previously planned
and a much stronger one. Therefore, he had no objections. He could even use this
opportunity to network a little.

He recalled that the Dragonblood Nation’s faction specialty was all kinds of
dragonblood potions that would increase one’s attributes permanently. He was thinking
that he might be able to obtain some of it this time. Han Xiao’s goal was not high at all;
a mere few hundred tons would be enough.
The second batch of the exploration team took different routes. The quicker ones would
only take around ten days to arrive, and the slower ones might need a month. However,
they had already gathered their teams, so that would not cause any unnecessary delays.

Having travelled all the way to the base, Han Xiao and his officers settled down in their
residence that had been arranged for them long ago.

For the time he would be staying there, he would temporarily stop going out and only
remotely command the Black Star Army to do their exploration. There was no need for
him to be there personally for the usual exploration.

In a desolate universe belt of the Central Galaxy, the enormous Fallen Ark fleet was
slowly moving in the cosmic space like a sea made of battleships.

“The Arcane Church said the operation is going to be delayed?”

Having been awoken, EsGod narrowed his eyes as he heard Fakisen’s report.

“Reason?”

“The Arcane Church said there was a problem with the building of the secret stargate,
and the Crimson Dynasty has sent out a second batch of the exploration team.
Therefore, the risk of the operation has increased, and they need to adjust the plan. They
told us to be patient and continue waiting,” Fakisen reported.

EsGod slowly nodded.

“Then let’s do as they asked.”

“One more thing,” Fakisen said. “The Arcane Church said that there might be a
possibility of directly attacking, so they hope that we can send out more fleets if that
happens.”
“So, they want us to send out more men to reduce their losses due to higher risks…
Their style is becoming more and more similar to that of the Federation of Light.”
EsGod’s tone was cold and indifferent. “Agree to it.”

As long as he could obtain the Evolution Cube, the casualties of his subordinates did not
matter to him at all.

As he had been tricked by Black Star using a fake Evolution Cube the last time, EsGod
wanted to work with the Arcane Church by using the Arcane Church as the middleman
to borrow Psyker’s psychic locating ability, so he would not make the same mistake
again.

This was an important factor in their cooperation.

However, Psyker could no longer use his psychic power to locate the Evolution Cube,
and if EsGod came to know about this, he would most likely reconsider their
partnership.

Although the Arcane Church had yet to make a new plan, they did not want EsGod to
back away from this operation. Therefore, they purposely kept the information about
Psyker no longer being able to locate the Evolution Cube a secret from EsGod and
found another logical reason to explain the delay of the operation.

Due to the deep hatred Psyker had for EsGod for what happened to Planet Avitan, of
course, the Arcane Church did not tell Psyker that EsGod was part of this operation too.

Therefore, EsGod did not know about what had happened with Psyker and waited for
the operation to start.

After staying for two days on Planet Lighthouse, Han Xiao had already finished looking
through all the information about Spacetime Freezer that had been collected by Phillip.
As expected, when he was done, a notification popped up on the interface. The first
round of the mission was an easy one.

Having received the reward, his Soul Connection with the Spacetime Amber increased
by one. Han Xiao could immediately feel the difference.

Somehow, he could feel that his soul had established a link with the Spacetime Amber.
He no longer needed any supportive device and could now directly control the
Spacetime Amber with his mind.

At the same time, a special energy flowed into his body through the Soul Connection
that made him feel warm all over. Han Xiao exhaled with comfort.

This energy only disappeared after a while. Han Xiao instantly felt that this energy had
enhanced his body to a certain extent. He opened the interface to look at the
notification.

_____________________

You have established a Soul Connection with [Spacetime Amber].

Current Soul Connection Level: 1/5

[Spacetime Amber]

Grade: Gold

Item Type: Universal Treasure

You have received the buff [Blessing of the Spacetime Amber].

[Blessing of the Spacetime Amber (Lv.1)]: +10% Maximum Energy, +50 STR, +50
DEX, +50 END, +100 INT, +25 MYS, +25 CHA, +50% Basic Space Resistance, +20%
Basic Psychological Resistance. The effect of all your spacetime related abilities are
increased by 12% – 24%.

Buff Duration: Fixed

_____________________

“It’s just level one, and the effect is already this good.” Han Xiao’s eyes lit up.

Just like how the Evolution Cube strengthened Psyker’s psychic power, when he made a
Soul Connection with the Spacetime Amber, he became stronger.

Han Xiao took out the Spacetime Amber and tried to use it. He realized that the energy
output was higher, and the speed of creating amber increased significantly for about
twenty to thirty percent.

“Looks like the stronger the Soul Connection, the faster I’m able to create amber with
this thing.”

Han Xiao looked at the second round of the mission, which also increased the Soul
Connection. The mission requirement was to find the whereabouts of Spacetime
Freezer’s race and make contact with his descendants who had carried on his legacy.

“Er… this requirement…”

Han Xiao had a strange expression on his face.

It was not that he could not find the descendants of Spacetime Freezer, but they were
too easy to find.

He had already finished reading all the data regarding Spacetime Freezer. He knew that
this guy’s race still existed and had always been under the civilization that Spacetime
Freezer had once belonged to.
The only problem was… basically every descendant race of a Beyond Grade A had
extraordinary talents and a very high percentage of Supers. They were always seen as an
important resource by the civilizations and were protected heavily to produce warriors.

Spacetime Freezer’s descendant race was also protected by the civilization that they
belonged to and were practically not allowed to make any contact with outsiders.

This civilization had survived in the exploration era and had become an astronomical
force.

It was one of the three universal civilizations—the Federation of Light!

If I, a Beyond Grade A on the Dynasty’s side suddenly, run to the Federation of Light’s
territory…

Do I have to sneak in again? If I get found out this time, I’m probably going to be
surrounded and beaten to death in the Federation of Light’s territory…

Han Xiao’s lips twitched. He was in the Flickering World and did not have time to
leave, so it was clear that he would not be able to complete the second round of the
mission any time soon. Therefore, he put it aside for the time being.

Anyway, he had the treasure in his hands, so he was in no hurry. He had something else
to do.

Seven days had already passed since the last time he used [Bold Explorer]. The
cooldown had ended.

This ability was like some sort of crystal ball magic, superstitious in every way.
However, after testing it out, its effect was exceptional.

Han Xiao brought up the set of wormhole data that EsGod wanted and grinned slightly.

“I can finally uncover the secret in this set of data!”

Although he had already shared this set of data with the dynasty, and the dynasty’s
Science Institute would most likely decipher it in the future to obtain accurate clues…

Today, he decided to believe in superstition.

840 The Biggest Butterfly Effect!

With the notification of [Bold Explorer] being activated popping up on the interface,
Han Xiao’s sights were filled with another illusion. Knowing how this ability worked,
he focused on what he was seeing.

Two people appeared in the illusions, surrounded by messy black and blue space
energy, like they were inside a wormhole path.

These two people were familiar. One was his past self, and the other was the EsGod
doppelganger.

This set of wormhole data came from the wormhole that EsGod doppelganger had
entered back when the two of them first fought. These were the images from that time.

As the scene played on, his past self fled from the wormhole following the original
event, while Han Xiao’s vision was locked onto the EsGod doppelganger, watching it
flow between the streams of space energy.

“Come on.” Han Xiao was excited.

When he banished the EsGod doppelganger, he had no idea what happened to it. Now, it
seemed like he would finally learn about what happened to the EsGod doppelganger on
the other side of the wormhole that made EsGod care so much about this set of data.
The next moment, EsGod finally passed through the tunnel and was spat out by the
wormhole, appearing in a pitch black cosmic space.

Having realized that Han Xiao was not going there either, the EsGod doppelganger in
the images looked a little angry, knowing that it had been tricked. It stopped for a while
but then suddenly continuously teleported in one direction. Han Xiao’s vision followed
it throughout.

Not long after, the EsGod suddenly stopped. A strange planet appeared in front of it.
Above the atmosphere of this planet, there were multiple wormholes. Roots of
enormous plants extended from within and connected to the planet surface. Waves of
energy were flowing up the roots from the surface, like it was absorbing the nutrients of
this planet.

“This is…” Han Xiao’s pupils instantly constricted as he was astounded.

He had never expected to see this thing here!

Before he had time to think, a sudden change happened!

Out of nowhere, multiple black space cracks opened beside the EsGod doppelganger.
More than ten thin, long roots launched out from within like vines and wrapped around
the EsGod doppelganger completely.

At this time, the illusions disappeared, and the images stopped. Han Xiao’s vision
returned to normal.

“Sh*t, why did it stop there?”

Han Xiao almost cussed. He was just paying full attention to what would happen to the
EsGod doppelganger next, and it ended there?

So upsetting!
Han Xiao took a deep breath and recalled what he had just seen. His expression was
grave.

If this piece of information was shown to anyone other than him, people would only feel
it was weird and had no value. In fact, in this entire universe, he was probably the only
one that knew what this information signified.

He might very well be the only person that knew what these roots were. They came
from the universal civilization that carried out a large-scale invasion in the later versions
in his previous life—the World Tree Civilization!

“There are still many versions till the World Tree Civilization version. Why is it
appearing at this stage?” Han Xiao subconsciously bit his fingernails. His expression
was extremely grave.

He finally understood. It turned out that this set of wormhole data connected to the
World Tree Civilization’s territory, and the EsGod doppelganger went there out of pure
coincidence!

The World Tree Civilization was located in the unexplored universe that was extremely
far from the known universe. The three civilizations and the World Tree Civilization
were both unaware of each other’s existence. To a powerful civilization, exploring
unknown areas was a must, so their meeting would happen sooner or later. In the later
versions in his previous life, the World Tree Civilization discovered the existence of the
three civilizations and decided to invade in the end. Just like that, an astronomically
huge universal war erupted.

However, at this stage, the two sides should not have had any contact at all!

“Without me, the DarkStar leader would not have brought along an EsGod
doppelganger to attack me, and EsGod would not have met the World Tree Civilization.
Sh*t, this might be the biggest butterfly effect I have ever caused…”

Han Xiao’s expression was grave.

The footage he had just watched contained a lot of information.

He knew that the World Tree Civilization was a civilization with a very special
structure. The World Tree was equivalent to their Universal Treasure, and a Universal
Treasure of the highest grade at that. It was worshipped and nourished by the entire
civilization, at the same time bringing incomparable benefits to the civilization.

The World Tree’s roots were in another dimension and had very sharp senses for
energy, which was what led to it discovering the EsGod doppelganger. Although he did
not know what happened to the EsGod doppelganger next, it was clear that he did
something, given how persistent he was about this set of wormhole data. The two of
them must have made contact!

“EsGod probably wants this set of data so he can find out the exact location of the
World Tree Civilization. He said that’s the hope for his evolution. Was this *sshole
deluded by the World Tree Civilization and now wants to be their guide?”

Having thought of this possibility, Han Xiao’s expression changed.

If the World Tree Civilization discovered the location of the three civilizations because
of the EsGod doppelganger’s visit, the World Tree Civilization’s invasion might erupt
in advance. That would be a disaster to the entire known universe!

If the war with the World Tree Civilization happened before it should, the storyline he
was familiar with would be completely gone. The advantage he had of knowing things
before others would be almost useless, and at the same time, he would lose the precious
time to increase his strength.

Although he was already Beyond Grade A, in such a gigantic galactical war that
matched the exploration era war, even Beyond Grade As would not be able to ensure
their own survival.

After all, there were way too many Beyond Grade As who died in this war in his
previous life.

“Luckily, that’s just one of EsGod’s doppelgangers. With his personality, he might not
have told anyone about it at all…”
This guy wanted to find the location of the World Tree Civilization and not wait for
their arrival, which meant that EsGod might not have exposed any information of the
known universe.

With the current situation, the only thing Han Xiao could do was pray that EsGod did
not tell the World Tree Civilization about the existence of the three civilizations.

However, if EsGod was allowed to keep studying this set of data, he would have results
sooner or later and drag everyone into the flames of war. No one would be able to
exclude themselves.

This was a ticking time bomb that could not be ignored!

“I can’t let him keep studying it…” Han Xiao clenched his teeth.

To this moment, he had only fought EsGod twice. Although they were enemies, he
knew that he would not be able to do anything to EsGod for the time being.

Today, however, for the first time, a clear and straightforward murderous intent for
EsGod was born in Han Xiao’s mind. He wanted to kill him as soon as possible!

“Given the fact that EsGod can survive between the gaps of the three civilizations,
looking for the dynasty’s help would most likely be useless. I also don’t have any way
to prove the existence of the World Tree Civilization, so the dynasty will not insist on
getting rid of EsGod…”

The information obtained through [Bold Explorer] could not be displayed to anyone
else but him. Even if he told the dynasty what he had seen, there was no way the
dynasty would believe the existence of the World Tree Civilization. The only way to
make the dynasty believe it was to interrogate EsGod, the witness.

However, in order to interrogate, they had to at least capture him; he would not
deliberately share this information otherwise.

Han Xiao frowned. He realized that there was not much exterior help he could obtain on
this matter.
Unless… the dynasty had also completed studying this set of data and somehow
discovered the World Tree Civilization without being discovered themselves. In that
case, in order to keep the existence of their known universe a secret, the dynasty would
have a strong reason to eliminate EsGod.

“Tough, the requirements are too difficult. Although the dynasty have the experience of
the exploration era and know to hide themselves from unfamiliar entities, with the
currently existing laws, the dynasty might actively make contact.” Han Xiao shook his
head in resignation. If he had known that this set of wormhole data led to the World
Tree Civilization, he would have never given it to the dynasty to study. There were too
many uncontrollable factors. If anything went wrong, the universal war that should only
happen in the later versions would have a very high chance of erupting in advance.

“I’m the only one that knows about this now, and it’s too difficult to solve this problem
properly just by myself…”

Han Xiao was feeling low.

“Dealing with EsGod has to be done much sooner than I planned to. I’m not strong
enough yet to fight EsGod alone… Sigh, the EXP penalty period is so long…”

After staying for more than half a month on Planet Lighthouse, the new exploration
teams finally arrived at the Flickering World from afar.

Tarrokov met with the leaders of those new exploration teams in the base. Han Xiao
came to meet with the members of this second batch of the exploration teams, planning
to show his face and make new friends.

Inside the meeting room, the people swarmed in and instantly saw Tarrokov, who was
waiting there. They then looked to the side and saw Han Xiao.

“Greetings, Chief Commander Tarrokov, Your Excellency Black Star.”

The commanders of these Star Cluster civilization exploration teams there were all
familiar with this new dynasty ally who possessed the Evolution Cube. They looked at
Han Xiao with curiosity, and Han Xiao nodded back at them.

“Haha, we meet again.” Beyoni laughed. “I heard the Arcane Church is planning to
attack you. Looks like you need my help.”

Suddenly, someone beside cut in and said, “Our help.”

Han Xiao turned and sized this person up. The voice came from an illuminating energy
body with a human shape. Bright red energy flowed through this person like liquid
flames. He had no mouth or nose, only a pair of bright golden dragon eyes.

“You are…” Han Xiao was stunned about the fact that he did not recognize this person.

“Milizaus,” this energy body said with a calm tone. “Don’t be surprised. This is just an
energy apparition. My main body did not land here.”

Having his confusion resolved, Han Xiao shook hands with this energy apparition. “It’s
an honor to meet you, king of the Dragonblood Nation, leader of the Starry Spiritual
Dragon Race.”

At the same time, he secretly entered the quantum network vision and looked at the
exterior atmosphere of Planet Lighthouse through the surveillance devices of the base.

A gigantic dragon with the size of almost a main ship was floating in the upper
atmosphere. A long beard hung from its head, and diamond shaped dragon scales
covered its body. Even the smallest scale was a few meters long. The body of the
dragon had a mixed color of silver, purple, and green, as if bright star light was flowing
between the gaps of the dragon scales. Although it was huge, it still looked agile with its
streamlined body.

This was a Starry Spiritual Dragon. Even within the same race, this size was still
impressive. This was indeed Milizaus’ main body—he was a non-humanoid intelligent
species.
The Starry Spiritual Dragon Race was a descendant race of a Beyond Grade A Magic
Azure Dragon. They were born with a talent for magic. Although their reproduction
capabilities were not high, an adult Starry Spiritual Dragon would have the power of a
Grade B at least. The percentage of Calamity Grades in their race was exceptionally
high.

Milizaus was the second Beyond Grade A in this descendant race. He was a unique
giant dragon Mage. He had both the specialties of a normal Mage and a circuit mage
and could learn all kinds of spells. However, when using the legacy spells of the dragon
race, its power would be greatly enhanced. Currently, Milizaus was the leader of this
entire descendant race; his position was somewhat similar to Manison, who led the
Mechanical Race.

Furthermore, as dragons were long-lived, Milizaus was also a member of the Ancient
Ones. He indeed was the Ancient One Dynasty ally other than Ravenlaude.

The Ancient Ones were a very loose group, so his standpoint with Ravenlaude was
different. To some extent, one could even say their relationship was not exactly good.
Ravenlaude was a Mage too, but their beliefs in magic conflicted.

Obviously, Milizaus had already become a new species and was no longer a pure Starry
Spiritual Dragon. Due to how large his main body was, he usually used an energy
apparition to communicate with others.

“I’ve heard a lot about you, the undying Black Star.” Milizaus’ voice was ancient and
husky, but his personality was quite cheerful and not as cold as Clotti’s. This was
mainly because they were both Beyond Grade As, so they could communicate on equal
grounds.

“With me here, you don’t have to worry about the Arcane Church. They might not dare
to act anymore seeing that I’m here.”

“Haha, then I will have to prepare the Evolution Cube for you.” Han Xiao chuckled.
“By the way, are you interested in making another deal with me? It’s also related to the
Evolution Cube.”

“Oh?” Milizaus was interested. “You know me well. Sure, when we’re done with the
meeting, let’s have a proper chat.”
Ravenlaude glanced at Han Xiao with a faint sneer. He then nodded at him as a form of
greeting and sat down with the others without saying anything.

Due to Aesop, Ravenlaude did not want to be too close to Black Star. As a Mage, he
was not too interested in the Evolution Cube. Furthermore, both of them were exploring
the Garu Star Cluster, so they were competitors. Factoring all that in, Ravenlaude did
not want the relationship between the two of them to go any further—he was not
someone who liked to do networking.

Chapter 841 The Approaching Storm

Once everyone was seated, the meeting started. Tarrokov explained the current
exploration situation.

After listening for a while, Ravenlaude was overjoyed. He was going to explore the
Garu Star Cluster, and the long distance stargates built by the Black Star Army gave
him many more choices, which was beneficial for him.

Who knows what Black Star was thinking? Ravenlaude gloated in his mind.

For someone like Heber who explored the Renault Star Cluster step by step, the
exploration teams that came after would have no choice but to slowly hyperdrive over
the already explored areas. The Black Star Army, however, did not seem to care about
their own gains at all. They were basically setting themselves aflame to warm the ones
who came after. How selfless of them!

The mockery in Ravenlaude’s eyes increased even more as he glanced at Han Xiao.

Having noticed Ravenlaude’s gaze, Han Xiao turned and smiled at him, also with
mockery in his eyes.

Although the long distance stargates would undoubtedly make Ravenlaude’s

exploration easier, the biggest reward, the Spacetime Amber, was already in his hands.
Furthermore, Han Xiao had already occupied all the known rich planets from his
previous life, and there were very few quality planets left for Ravenlaude. Of course,
Ravenlaude had no idea.

As their eyes clashed, it was as if they made a silent exchange, both having deep
meaning in their eyes.

Hehe, you’ve made such a loss, Ravenlaude seemed to say.

Tsk tsk, you have no idea what you’ve lost, Han Xiao mocked back.

The meeting ended very quickly, and the people left one after another. As the first batch
of the exploration teams including Han Xiao and Heber had already built the stargates,
the second batch of the exploration could reach their respective Star Clusters
immediately and had no reason to waste time on Planet Lighthouse. They departed very
soon.

Milizaus and Beyoni’s teams left as well, while they themselves stayed and
accompanied Han Xiao as temporary guards of the Evolution Cube.

As Beyond Grade As of the dynasty, neither of them minded bonding with their
colleague, Black Star.

Inside a wide room, the three of them sat opposite each other. Three glasses of hot and
red liquid were on the table. This was a specialty that Beyoni had brought from his
home. It was said to be a special drink that the Pyre Demon Tribe loved.

Han Xiao took a large sip. It had a thick and dense texture, extremely hot and spicy, and
rolled down his throat like flames. His stomach felt warm, and a bunch of ‘-0’s popped
up on his head.

“Not bad, what is this?” Han Xiao asked.

“Hehe, this is lava from the Land of the Fire Core, mixed with condensed alcohol. It
tastes quite good, right?”

Damn it, you actually gave me lava to drink… Han Xiao’s mouth twitched.

Land of the Fire Core was the only Universal Treasure the Pyre Demon Tribe had. It
seemed to be something that could speed up the growth of young Pyre Demons. Han
Xiao recalled that the Extinguish Army always wanted to destroy it.

After some hesitation, Han Xiao did not put the glass down in the end and took another
sip.

“… Another round.”

It really tasted quite good.

He had already stayed in a Fixed Star before, so drinking some lava was nothing.

Milizaus looked at the cup in front of him and wondered if he should drink it since this
was just his energy apparition. He shook his head and asked, “Black Star, what was the
deal you spoke of earlier?”

Han Xiao put the glass down and said with a smile, “The Dragonblood Nation’s many
kinds of Dragonblood Potions are renowned across the universe. I want to exchange the
allocation of the Evolution Cube for Dragonblood Potions. You’re the leader of the
Starry Spiritual Dragon Race, so I suppose you want some of your exceptional people to
evolve, right?”

Milizaus pondered for a while and nodded. “Sure, how are we exchanging specifically?”

The Dragonblood Potions were a specialty meant for selling to start with, so of course,
Milizaus was not going to reject it. The Dragonblood Nation consisted of hybrid
dragons that he created with Dragonblood. It was merely an armed force under his race.
The Starry Spiritual Dragon Race was what was important to him.
“Two tons of common Dragonblood Potions plus a hundred kilograms of Condensed
Dragonblood Potions in exchange for a hundred Evolution Cube allocations.”

Milizaus was stunned in place.

Tons?

The Dragonblood Potions are usually sold in bottles you *sshole!

“It takes more than ten tons of Dragonblood from Grade C individuals to produce one
ton of Dragonblood Potions, and the Condensed Dragonblood Potion requires much
more,” Milizaus said with a displeased tone. “Why don’t I just give you a few dragons
and you can drain blood from them yourself, huh?”

Han Xiao pondered with a serious face. “That’s not unacceptable…”

“You’re way too greedy!” Milizaus said angrily.

“I’m not asking you to purchase all the allocations at once. You can do it slowly.” Han
Xiao chuckled. Friendship was one thing, and greed in business was another.

Of course, he would not be able to finish such a large amount of Dragonblood Potions.
They were mainly going to be used to strengthen capable officers and sold to players at
high prices.

Selling specialties from other factions to expand the Black Star Army’s range of
products and indirectly increase the faction’s appeal had already become Han Xiao’s
habit.

Milizaus was speechless. Although we have large sizes and a lot of blood, you can’t just
drain the hell out of our blood!
“If you have worries, I can let your people experience the actual effect of the Evolution
Cube once for free,” said Han Xiao.

“Sure, let’s find an empty space. I’ll call a dragon here.” Milizaus nodded.

Han Xiao looked at Beyoni, and Beyoni said that he had no objections—he wanted to
see its effects as well.

The three of them left the room and came to a wide metal field.

Han Xiao looked up and saw an enormous dragon descending.

Whoosh!

With its wings stirring up howling winds, this Starry Spiritual Dragon landed on the
field with a loud bang, and the ground slightly trembled.

Han Xiao sized it up. This enormous dragon’s body was long and streamlined. It was
about a thousand meters long. It had two pairs of broad wings on its back and a pair of
dragon claws below its body at the front, middle, and back, three pairs in total. It stared
at the three of them with its cold golden dragon eyes.

This was a normal Starry Spiritual Dragon. Compared to Milizaus, its size was not as
big. This Starry Spiritual Dragon did not have a habit of running around naked. Most of
its body was covered in specially made black heavy metal armor.

Its armor was even equipped with mechanical weapons, such as artilleries and battleship
shields. It was basically fully armed. Such a heavily-armed enormous dragon could
basically be seen as a battleship. The machinery and its body formed a bulky sense of
beauty.

Its armor and its body also had a lot of magic circuits on them that were illuminated.
They were clearly Enchants.
“This is one of my Armed Dragon Guards. Let him try the effects of the Evolution Cube
first,” Milizaus said. As a Beyond Grade A, he also had his own elite team. The Armed
Dragon Guards were just like Austin’s Forbidden Sorcerers.

Wow, this guy looks really cool… Han Xiao’s eyes were flashing. This style of large
creature armed completely with machinery was perfect for his taste.

Temporarily unsealing the Evolution Cube, Han Xiao activated it. Black Evolution
Energy poured out and covered this Armed Dragon Guard, forming a black cocoon.

Ka ka…

Not long after, the black cocoon shattered like a newborn coming out of its shell. Under
the sharp senses of three Beyond Grade As, the aura of this Armed Dragon Guard
became considerably stronger. Its size was visibly larger, and its heavy armor became a
little tight on its body.

Roar!

This Armed Dragon Guard looked up and roared, emitting bright silvery-purple dragon
breath that expanded like a sea of light and shattered like fireworks in the sky.

“Looks quite effective.” Beyoni was a little jealous. If he could let the females of the
Pyre Demon Tribe receive such enhancements, they would be able to endure more of
his hot essence, which would definitely be beneficial in the reproduction of his
descendant race.

Milizaus was also satisfied.

“Alright then, I accept this price. I shall first buy… two thousand allocations.”

“How is two thousand enough? The population of the Starry Spiritual Dragon is not
high, sure, but there should at least be a million dragons. Come on, buy more.” Han
Xiao tried tempting him.
Milizaus snorted. “I’ll think about it in the future.”

If he bought tens of thousands of allocations at once, his Starry Spiritual Dragon Race
would have to change their name to the Anemic Dragon Race.

“I have another request.” Han Xiao chuckled. He sized the Armed Dragon Guard up and
said, “I think that you Starry Spiritual Dragons are quite magnificent…”

“What do you want now?” Milizaus was alarmed.

“Do you mind if I recruit a few Starry Spiritual Dragons as my allies…”

“Don’t even think about it!” Milizaus was so angry that he could barely maintain his
energy apparition.

Allies? You think I did not see the overflowing desire in your eyes? You want my
people to be your mount, don’t you? Outrageous, you might as well mount me!

Milizaus had read about Han Xiao before coming and knew about how thick skinned he
was. However, after actual contact, the thickness of Han Xiao’s skin still exceeded his
expectations. Never mind him raising the price so directly, he even wanted to mount his
dragon offspring right in front of him. How could there be such a shameless Beyond
Grade A!

However, Milizaus did not dislike it and somewhat liked Black Star’s style. Most of the
Beyond Grade As in the universe took their image very seriously and always maintained
a cold attitude as if they were afraid others did not know how important they were. He
was quite happy to meet someone with a different demeanor.

Having lived for so long, one would either become careless about everything or develop
more interests in new and fresh things. In this respect, Milizaus shared quite a lot of
common traits with Aesop.

…
On the Arcane Church’s mother planet, inside a large temple, the Bishops sat around the
round table, discussing the Evolution Cube.

Dispatching so many Beyond Grade As at once was no small matter. It required

decisions from the highest members of the Arcane Church. However, due to what had
happened with Psyker, the opinions of the Main Church were divided.

“We should give up this plan!” a bishop said calmly. “We have lost the ability to locate
the Evolution Cube and now are stuck. According to the latest intel, the dynasty has
noticed our intentions. Black Star has returned to Planet Lighthouse and is hiding
behind multiple layers of protection. The dynasty even gave him two bodyguards,
‘Incineration’ Beyoni and ‘Dragon King’ Milizaus. If we continue with the plan, we
will be facing three of the Crimson Dynasty high level combatants, and that’s
considered direct conflict, which goes against our original intentions.

“The security around Planet Lighthouse is tight. As soon as our secret fleet appears near
it, it will be discovered by the dynasty. By then, we will have to face the garrison of
Planet Lighthouse, who are fully war-prepared. The risk is too high.”

The others looked at him silently.

“More importantly, without the ability to locate the Evolution Cube, if Black Star hides
it, we will have no way of finding it. Capturing Black Star is an extremely difficult task.
The reward is not worth the risk. We…” After a pause, this bishop sighed and said, “We
should give up the Evolution Cube.”

The others could not object. They subconsciously looked at the main seat. That was
supposed to be the seat of the pope. It was not occupied now, but they knew that the
pope had been listening to the discussions.

The discussion had come to a stalemate. It was all up to the pope’s decision.

After waiting for a while, a 3D projection suddenly appeared above the round table.
There were a few sentences. It was the pope’s reply.

“First, God has said that the Evolution Cube is still with Black Star.
“Second, change the plan and directly attack Planet Lighthouse.

“Third, new mission target, Milizaus. The [Ten Thousand Deity Scepter] can be used to
kill him.

“Fourth, the Federation of Light has agreed to provide assistance.”

842 Enemy Whereabouts

Within a certain desolate universe belt in the Flickering World, a secret stargate station
was hidden behind a desolate planet. It was the stronghold of the stowaways from the
Arcane Church. This stargate station was equipped with all sorts of stealth devices to
conceal its own energy reaction and prevent it from being detected by any kind of radar.

The Arcane Church’s technology was on par with the dynasty’s, only they had different
focuses. The dynasty had been searching for the whereabouts of some Super Star
Cluster civilizations lately but never found the secret stargate of the Arcane Church and
the Federation of Light.

In order to remain stealthy, the Arcane Church would not frequently use the secret
stargate, so this stargate station was silent most of the time.

That day, however, this stargate station was activated. The blue space energy inside the
stargate suddenly accelerated its spinning, and battleships appeared from within.

These battleships were not the standard disc-shaped spaceships of the Arcane Church
but quadrangular cone-shaped ships with red light swirling at the edges and black
exterior armor.

This type of quadrangular cone battleship was one of the dozens of common high-level
battleships in the galaxy. It circulated in the market on a large scale, so the owner’s
identity could not be identified from its model. The surface of the ships did not have any
symbols that represented any identity.

Battleships came out of the stargate continuously. It was an enormous fleet of up to

more than a million battleships.

The Arcane Church officer at the stronghold watched this silently. He did not know who
this fleet was. All he knew was that his superiors had given him a direct order not to do
anything and to let this fleet leave.

This mysterious fleet had no intention of communicating either. The stronghold officer
watched as this fleet turned into streams of light and disappeared.

“What are the people above planning? A million battleships… Are we going to war with
the dynasty?” the stronghold officer murmured.

As the stargate station disappeared from the sights of this mysterious fleet, inside the
command room of its main ship, a hooded man looked up—it was an EsGod
doppelganger.

“Humph, Arcane Church.” The EsGod doppelganger snorted. EsGod’s consciousness

was on this doppelganger.

This fleet was a division of the Fallen Ark.

EsGod’s forces were between the gaps of the Central Galaxy. In order to quickly come
to the Flickering World through multiple Star Fields, they could only use stargates. The
Arcane Church had secretly built stargates in the desolate universe belt of the Central
Galaxy long ago to provide services to EsGod’s troops so that EsGod could travel this
long distance. Of course, this was only temporary.
Using the stargate of the Arcane Church, this division secretly arrived at the Flickering
World. However, despite them temporarily working together, EsGod did not trust the
Arcane Church.

To prevent the Arcane Church from ambushing him, he only sent a doppelganger and a
division fleet. The mission of this division was to build his own secret stargate in the
Flickering World so that his means of retreating would be in his own hands if things
went wrong.

Stargates were a Star Cluster civilization technology, but the black market allowed
people to buy things that they would never be able to buy through ordinary means.
EsGod’s stargate device had been bought from the black market at an extremely high
price. In the entire universe, there were more than a few Star Cluster civilizations, so the
stargate devices could not be kept completely exclusive.

EsGod’s main body would only go to the Flickering World personally once he had a
certain way of retreating.

“Open the star map.”

His subordinate opened the 3D star map of the Flickering World that they had received
from the Arcane Church.

Although this was the dynasty’s star map, the Arcane Church had a way to obtain it
since the universal civilizations all had a certain degree of infiltration of each other.
However, this star map did not display the dynasty’s lines of defense in the Flickering
World. This was a top secret that even the Arcane Church could not easily obtain.

Nonetheless, the defensive force of Planet Lighthouse was highlighted. The planet’s
garrison consisted of about three million battleships, with more than one million
battleships patrolling nearby.

The dynasty had dispatched hundreds of millions of battleships to the Flickering World,
but most of them were exploring. With four million battleships defending it at all times,
Planet Lighthouse was already the most heavily guarded planet in the entire Flickering
World.
“Four million… looks like I need to bring some more people here.” The EsGod
doppelganger’s tone was calm. The Fallen Ark was said to have sixty million
battleships, and the actual number might exceed that. There was a reason he was feared
by the three civilizations. He could easily dispatch this amount of manpower.

After a pause, the EsGod doppelganger took out the communicator and contacted the
Arcane Church’s special agent liaison officer. The upper echelons of the Arcane Church
would not contact a criminal like him personally, so the Arcane Church’s secret agent
was the middleman between them. The Arcane Church could thus claim that there was
no such person in their organization if things went south.

“Our troops are in position. When will you guys act?”

“In twenty days. I will notify you of the exact time in advance. We need you to work
together with our troops.”

The EsGod doppelganger replied with a mocking tone, “Work together how exactly?”

“According to the upper echelons, we will not appear at the same time. Therefore, we
will have to split up. You shall be responsible for the direct attack to attract the garrison
of Planet Lighthouse, and we will surprise attack.”

The EsGod doppelganger nodded. He understood the Arcane Church’s intentions. He

knew that the Arcane Church would not send their Beyond Grade As to act together
with him, so their strategy was within his expectations.

However, Planet Lighthouse’s security forces filled up the entire sector. His troops
would not be able to avoid the dynasty’s eyes, nor could the Arcane Church’s troops.
There was no such thing as an actual surprise attack. EsGod felt that this was just so that
he could attract more firepower so that the Arcane Church could enter the battlefield
from another direction.

EsGod was not worried about the Arcane Church making him take on the brunt of the
defense, as the dynasty would send reinforcements his way as soon as his troops
triggered the alarm of Planet Lighthouse, and he felt that the Arcane Church would not
miss this opportunity.
However, EsGod had no idea that the Arcane Church’s plan was very different to what
he expected.

In a dark room, a round table was surrounded by more than ten seats. At this moment,
six were occupied by someone.

The term ‘someone’ would not be too accurate. All of them were remote projections,
and one of them was Psyker.

Every seat there belonged to a Beyond Grade A combatant in the Arcane Church.

For this operation, the Arcane Church had sent out a total of six Beyond Grade As!

These six people were more than half of what the Arcane Church could gather in such a
short period. The other Beyond Grade As all had their own tasks and would not be able
to secretly move without being noticed.

The Arcane Church had six Beyond Grade As as well as external reinforcements. The
opponents were only Black Star, Milizaus, and Beyoni. The difference in strength was
extremely one-sided—the Arcane Church was planning to launch a thunderous strike!

Currently, the six of them were casually chatting.

“It’s been a very long time since I’ve seen such a large operation like this.”

“Hmm, Milizaus… that dragon is not easy to deal with. I’ve fought him before. We
could not kill each other, and it ended in a draw. However, this time, even the Ten
Thousand Deity Scepter will be used, so his chances of surviving are very slim.”

“The Arcane Church is out of their minds. Are they planning to start a war? After
killing three Beyond Grade As of the Crimson Dynasty at once, things might escalate
into a full out war.”
“Isn’t that exactly what the Federation of Light wants? That’s why they agreed to help
and even allowed us to borrow their Universal Treasure.”

The Beyond Grade As shook their heads—the Arcane Church was clearly going to
make the headlines.

They had no worries for the result of this operation at all. With such a wide strength
difference, there was basically zero possibility they would fail. What they were worried
about was what impact this operation would have after they succeed.

They could see that after killing three Beyond Grade As of the dynasty, if the conflict
between the Arcane Church and the Crimson Dynasty turned into an all-out war, as the
participants of this event, they would be targeted by the dynasty.

Although they were not afraid of the Crimson Dynasty, some of their territories were in
other Star Fields. If they were targeted by the dynasty, they would be caught in a whole
lot of trouble. Therefore, some of them were not keen on taking part in this operation.

However, as allies who had received so many benefits over time, they could only
answer to the Arcane Church’s summons with resignation even if they were reluctant.

“If not because Psyker lost the Evolution Cube, there would be no need for this
operation.” Someone grunted and blamed Psyker.

Psyker glanced at him, confirmed that it was someone he could not beat, and chose not
to say anything.

“Since the Arcane Church has made such a large-scale operation, even if we retrieve the
Evolution Cube, there’s no way it will be returned to you,” someone else said with a
deep voice.

“I know.” Psyker’s expression remained the same. “It’s acceptable to me as long as it’s
not in someone else’s hands.”
“Tsk, if Black Star returned the Evolution Cube back to you back then, he would not
have gotten himself into this mess. Apparently, Black Star took the shortest time to
reach Beyond Grade A in all of history. Sadly, he’s too greedy,” someone else said with
a pitiful tone.

“He took something he shouldn’t have. He deserves it,” Psyker said coldly.

He knew that the Evolution Cube would not go back to him after the Arcane Church
succeeded. However, as the Evolution Cube was sealed by Han Xiao, his Soul
Connection with the Evolution Cube was severed. Hence, he lost the enhancement of
his psychic power. Therefore, his requirement lowered.

Even if the Arcane Church took the Evolution Cube, as long as his Soul Connection was
maintained, Psyker could accept it. Han Xiao was the cause of all of this, and Psyker
had immense hatred for him. He would not let this opportunity to eliminate Han Xiao
slip through his fingers.

Personal hatred was one thing, but Black Star’s organization was in the Shattered Star
Ring just like his. Due to the fact that they were enemies, Black Star had become an
obstacle of the Star Pupil Holy Race’s growth, and the previous Civilization Conference
was an example of that. For the growth and development of his civilization, Psyker also
wanted to eliminate Black Star.

A Beyond Grade A beside Psyker seemed to know what Psyker was thinking. He patted
Psyker’s shoulder and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll eliminate Black Star for you.”

“Thanks, Dylan.” Although Psyker was not in a good mood, he still forced a smile for
this person. “Let’s fight him together then.”

Dylan nodded. His long, dark-green hair swayed like seaweed.

His skin was blue, and his face was covered in tiny scales and had similarities to fish.
He had a pair of large, bright eyes that occasionally blinked and another conspicuous
third eye on his forehead. There was webbing on his hands and feet and one eyeball in
both of his palms. It was quite strange. His back was crouched as if he had a hunchback,
and there were fins on it. He looked like a marine creature. Who knew what his
ancestors did to fish… or what the fish did to his ancestors?
With such a look, his ability was clearly related to water. Dylan was an Esper,
nicknamed ‘Sea Spirit’ and ‘Ruler of the Sea’. His Esper Ability was controlling water.
It sounded ordinary and seemed weak in space, but no Beyond Grade A Super was
weak.

Dylan could compress water to an extreme extent that could easily slash through
battleships. Not only that, he could even turn water into a powerful energy beam that
had the destructive power on par with battleship weapons. At the same time, his body
could store a huge amount of water that was more than enough to flood the surface of an
entire planet.

This type of Esper Ability was not suitable for duels, but it was quite good in group
battles.

Having been part of the Arcane Church for many years, Psyker had friends, and Dylan
was one of them. He was the closest friend Psyker had among the Beyond Grade A
allies. It might be because both of them had many eyes, so they shared common
interests.

On the Federation of Light’s mother planet, the Federation of Light president, Bader,
was also paying attention to the Arcane Church’s movements. It was his decision to
provide help to the Arcane Church.

“With our help, as long as the Arcane Church doesn’t underestimate them, the chance of
this operation succeeding is higher than ninety-five percent. At least one Beyond Grade
A will die on the Crimson Dynasty’s side.” Bader’s tone was confident.

The Chief Elder nodded with approval. “Hmm, the death of a Beyond Grade A is more
than enough to trigger conflict between the Arcane Church and the Crimson Dynasty,
which is very beneficial to us.

The Federation of Light aided the Arcane Church in order to watch them fight. If the
Arcane Church and the Crimson Dynasty battled with each other, they would be the
ones who benefitted from it.
The Arcane Church knew this but still decided to continue the plan as they had their
own goals. Furthermore, working with EsGod was never something justifiable, so they
did not tell the Federation of Light. Since the Federation of Light had provided help,
they would be dragged down as well and would not be able to use this against the
Arcane Church.

Although both sides had their own goals, they also shared a goal—to apply pressure to
the Crimson Dynasty and test the dynasty’s attitude to see if they could eat them up.

As for whether Milizaus or Black Star would be killed, it made no difference to Bader,
and he did not care at all.

843 Showing themselves!

In Base No. 4 of Planet Lighthouse, within the real-life war training room, a spar was
being carried out.

Bang!

A mechanical fist slammed against a hardened fist, and a shock wave burst out from the
point of contact.

Hadavy braced himself, catching Psionic Prime’s fist, before viciously swinging
forward with a right hook, knocking him backward onto the defense line formed by the
mechanical soldiers.

Behind his line of defense, Han Xiao slightly shifted, waving his hand and shooting a
beam of Mechanical Force to stabilize the body of Psionic Prime.

His eyes immediately flashed with an electrical glow, and the next instant, along the
route Hadavy was taking toward him, a psionic barrier appeared.
Because the barrier appeared too suddenly and was too close, Hadavy rammed straight
into it.

Boom!

“Good sound. You have a good head.”

The corners of Han Xiao’s mouth curled up, and he suddenly clenched his fist. The
wall-like barrier shrank instantly into a minute dot before imploding directly on
Hadavy’s face. With a thunderous noise, it shot out a blue beam, knocking Hadavy into
the wall of the training room.

Boom!

The metal plates of the room were bent and broken, and a human-shaped hole appeared
in the wall.

The mechanical soldiers forming the line of defense began to concentrate their fire, their
ammunition blanketing the entire area, shooting straight into the human shaped pit.

Boom!

A dazzling explosion of light turned the entire room a pure white for a moment.

During this time, a red-colored light suddenly rushed toward Han Xiao’s back, piercing
through ten or so mechanical soldiers, before aiming toward the back of his head.

Psionic Prime immediately disassembled and reassembled as a floating cannon model,

activating a psionic shield to cover Han Xiao’s back. The red light hit the blue shield,
shattering into fine shards.
As Han Xiao leisurely turned his head back, Hila shot backward, creating distance
between them while firing her death rays. Against him, she did not dare go close range
and could only resort to this long distance style of attacking.

This spar was a challenge for all the Black Star Guards to fight against Han Xiao. In
order to achieve the effect of training them, Han Xiao naturally would not activate all
his troops and only utilized a thousand mechanical soldiers. Without his Human Wave
Tactic, he made up for it with a variety of mechanical equipment.

The training room was reduced to a mess. Most of the Black Star Guards had collapsed
at this time, and only Hadavy and Hila were still going, looking extremely bedraggled.

“Come over here, darling.” Han Xiao stretched out his hands toward Hila, and the
mechanical components assembled around his arm. Mechanical Force flashed, and a
strong gravitational force was released from the arm of his mechanical suit, producing
the sound of wind being sucked into it.

The mechanical soldiers instantly dodged, and the gaps appeared in the line of defense
wherever Hila moved.

She immediately felt a strong pulling force dragging her toward Han Xiao’s side. Her
pupils flared red, and the energy in her body burst out, resisting the pull of the
gravitation, but her speed was inevitably slower.

Seeing that the gravitational machine had limited success, Han Xiao frowned before his
body moved. He started up five strong suction traction beams behind him before
activating them all at once.

Hum!

A huge attraction force suddenly superimposed on the original gravitational force, and
Hila could no longer resist, being yanked over. She simply gave up resistance, and her
flight speed soared. Approaching Han Xiao, she concentrated her energy within her
legs, and a strong force was whipped about, powerful enough to destroy a mountain.

Han Xiao remained unmoved, and his latest generation of the Battle Tiger mechanical
suit simply unfolded.
Clank clank!

The black mechanical suit covered his entire body, only revealing his head. Han Xiao
bent his arms and used his forearm to meet Hila’s leg whip.

Boom!

Her legs, wrapped in energy, collided with his forearms covered in mechanical parts.
The nanoparticles within the suit surface undulated and transferred the force to the legs
and body.

Peng!

The next moment, a shock wave was emitted from Han Xiao’s sole, and the metal
flooring all warped and broke apart. The excess strength was converted into a
shockwave that blew away the surrounding smoke.

Han Xiao was still in his previous position. While Hila’s melee skills were not bad, she
was not a Pugilist, and thus, her attributes were far lower than Han Xiao’s, unable to
cause any threat.

Han Xiao did not pause in his motions. He immediately stretched out his hand used to
block and latched on to Hila’s neck before applying strength to slam her against the
ground with a sickening crunch.

“Ugh!” Being heavily slammed, Hila groaned and gritted her teeth in resistance. Her
explosive figure twisted under Han Xiao like a slippery snake, yet she was unable to
escape his grasp.

Suddenly, Hila’s vision darkened, and she looked to see Han Xiao leaning over, his face
almost sticking toward hers with a smug expression.

“Stop twisting, the battle has already ended since you were caught by me. Based on
your physique, you cannot possibly escape.”
Only upon hearing this did Hila finally stop her resistance. She bit her lips, locking eyes
with Han Xiao.

The distance between their eyes was not even ten centimeters, and they could feel the
warmth of each other’s breath on their faces.

Han Xiao’s nose twitched as a fragrance entered his nose. His face suddenly turned
strange.

“Strange, why is there a fragrance? Did you put on perfume, or is that your natural
fragrance?”

“… Let go.”

“Sure, of course.”

Han Xiao released his hands and straightened his waist, ready to help Hila up, but she
ignored his offered hand, climbing back up by herself and dusting her clothes.

Seeing her impassive expression, Han Xiao helplessly shook his head. Having sparred
so many times, he understood Hila’s attitude too well. Even with the gap in strength,
Hila would not feel good every time she lost in a spar.

The mechanical troops also ceased firing, revealing many pits in the walls. There was a
sound of stirring metal debris coming from within. The debris clanked, and Hadavy,
covered in soot, crawled out from the hole. As he walked toward Han Xiao, he started to
peel off the burnt skin over his body.

The mechanical devices imprisoning the various Black Star Guards were also put away,
and they got up, rubbing their bruises. Among them, the one with the most decent
appearance was probably Feidin. This was because Han Xiao was mainly reluctant to hit
him, afraid to ruin his handsome face.

Since they were both handsome people, giving some privileges was only natural.
“This is great!” Hadavy grinned, his blackened face showing an expression of comfort.

Han Xiao ignored him, instead looking at the time. “You guys lasted thirty-seven
seconds longer than the previous spar. Good improvement.”

Since the worst of these guards were also elite Calamity Grades, it was difficult for
them to even take another step forward. Only Hila and Feidin showed the most
improvements. After all, they had heaven defying gifts in the first place. In another
twenty years, they would probably achieve the level of a Beyond Grade A seed.

As for breaking through to the Beyond Grade A realm, only Hila who had proven her
strength in his previous life had a chance, but since she did not slaughter an entire planet
like in the past, her rate of improvement would not be so perverted.

“The training room is too small and limits my range of movement. It will place me in
the range of the traction beam sooner or later. If we had unlimited space for movement,
I could have lasted longer. Next time, we need to take this into consideration…” Hila
frowned as she summarized her experience.

Just as Han Xiao was about to say something, his communicator beeped as it received a
message.

Glancing at it, Han Xiao laughed before saying, “You guys continue training. Tarrokov
and the others are looking for me for a chat.”

After staying on Planet Lighthouse for more than half a month, Han Xiao was already
familiar with Milizaus. Since he also had nothing to do, the chief commander holding
the fort, Tarrokov, would typically invite the Beyond Grade As to his room for tea and
some conversion to pass the time.

Hearing this, Hila stopped talking. She seemed to want Han Xiao to continue teaching,
but she nodded in the end, calling the rest of the Black Star Guards to gather and
continue practicing whilst she looked at the exiting Han Xiao from the corner of her
eyes.
…

While he was walking over, Han Xiao entered his quantum network.

“Phillip, any news from the long-range patrol today?”

“Reporting to master, there is nothing, hum…”

Seems like the Arcane Church still hasn’t taken action yet… Han Xiao nodded.

Even under the protection of the dynasty, Han Xiao did not lower his vigilance. This
period when he stayed at Planet Lighthouse was not spent idly. Other than building
more machinery and training his Black Star Guards, he had also sent out remotely
controlled troops to form a security perimeter around Planet Lighthouse. Under their
surveillance, he would receive intelligence reports every day. The moment they
discovered traces of the Arcane Church, he would get the news immediately.

Staying on Planet Lighthouse was not just for Han Xiao to receive protection from the
strong security but also because it was the dynasty outpost and had many stargates. If
the enemy was too strong, he had enough time to use the stargates to escape. Han Xiao
would not send himself off to die for no reason, and staying on Planet Lighthouse left
him enough time to escape.

While the past half a month had been peaceful, Han Xiao had a feeling that it was the
calm before the storm. He did not think that the Arcane Church would give up on the
Evolution Cube just like that.

Occasionally, he would also use the Evolution Cube on Milizaus’ Armed Dragon
Guards. During the usage, he would naturally unseal the Spacetime Amber, and thus,
Psyker would be able to detect where the Evolution Cube was, like an intermittent
signal.

“The enemy is in the shadows while I’m in the open. If the Arcane Church wants to
make a move, they can only do so through sending troops.”

Han Xiao shook his head before opening the forums to take a look.
During this period, the exploration had been very smooth. Although Ravenlaude had
obtained some profits by using the stargate that he built, the majority of resource rich
planets along the way had been seized by the members of the Black Star Army.
Ravenlaude could not forcibly snatch the territory of others under the dynasty’s eye.
Thus, he could only search for other territories.

The players had been working hard at the exploration and had accumulated a great
number of mission points. Those from China, Russia, and even Australia had all put
their hands together to perform missions, building more harmonious relationships.
However, the friction between the three parties was also becoming more intense.

One reason was because of the competition for resources. During this time, the Black
Star Army had sent out another batch of troops to supplement the exploration. It was the
second batch of players that had migrated from the Constellation Corridor. The guilds
of Russia and Australia had decided to ally together temporarily and sent a group of
new guild players to support their branches, attempting to break away from China’s
suppression.

With an increase in numbers, they also gained more strength and were no longer willing
to reside on third-rate resource planets. Thus, they began to try and fight for better
quality resource areas, increasing friction with the Chinese.

“If this carries on, I’m afraid it will devolve into a full-scale guild war. If these clubs
even instigate players from their country, it will be on a national scale,” Han Xiao
speculated.

However, this was an internal affair of the player group. He could not nor did he wish to
obstruct them. Previously, they made friends with each other to prevent any hostile
behavior directed toward them.

There was still a certain measure of success in this plan. The relationships between the
ordinary players were harmonious, and even if they were dragged to fight in a national
war, they would still be good friends after the fight, with no obvious separation into
factions. After all, this was something unique to the players—they could be on opposing
sides and still be friends.
Upon reaching the chief commander’s office, Han Xiao saw Beyoni, Tarrokov, and
Milizaus all seated on the sofa. The reception table in front of them was filled with
special drinks from the dynasty, as well as… the evil Wayne Cards.

Because of the popularity of the Wayne Cards, even Beyond Grade As would also turn
to it for entertainment.

Hearing the door open, the trio immediately looked over. Beyoni even waved.

“Black Star, you’re here at last. Come, sit.”

Nodding, Han Xiao sat down next to Milizaus, picking up his glass and taking a sip.

“Why did you drink mine?” Milizaus had an unsatisfied tone.

“As a mana incarnation, you don’t have taste buds. Don’t waste such a good thing.” Han
Xiao remained unfazed.

After more than half a month of getting along, their relationship had improved, and he
was more aware of Milizaus’ personality. Although he was very strong, he did not put
on any airs, much better than the cold faced ‘Dark Lord’ Clotti. Compared to the first
time they met, Han Xiao was more casual toward him now… almost bordering on
disrespect.

“Sigh, you guys have been at Planet Lighthouse for almost a month. If not for you guys,
I wouldn’t be so lazy.”

Tarrokov sighed. He originally did not have people of similar status to converse with,
and now that Han Xiao and company had camped there for so long, this chief
commander began to show his lazy side.

“Actually, there’s something that I’m curious about. What sort of relationship do Clotti
and Urranrell share? I don’t think it’s so simple as just a guard.” Milizaus was curious.
“As an Imperial Ruler, one must have a family, but Urranrell is a widow, and Clotti is
that sort of cold-blooded head of state. Could it be…”
While the dynasty’s marriage laws emphasized monogamy, Beyoni seemed to think that
it had nothing to do with him.

“Tsk tsk, while I’m a very mild person, I’m still one of the top officers of the Dynasty.
To say such things in front of me, is that really good?” Tarrokov was helpless. “I don’t
know anything about this, and even if I knew, I wouldn’t say.”

Milizaus snorted and threw out a Wayne Card, saying, “Then you lose.”

Tarrokov froze, looking at his cards, before narrowing his eyes in suspicion. “Did you
use magic to change my cards again?”

“Don’t try to wiggle your way out. Would I do such a meaningless thing?” Milizaus got
angry.

In actual fact, you would… because I didn’t see that darned card in your hand just
now…

Han Xiao could not help but think of Lagi. Whenever he played cards, he had a
signature catchphrase, ‘Only trash utilizes magic when playing cards!’

From then on, he knew that if one wished to stop a mage from cheating, one had to
counter with an even stronger magic…

And among the three of them, one was lazy, one played with fire, and one touched
machines all day. There was simply no one who could stop the mage.

Looking at these big shots grumbling and boasting without dignity, Han Xiao could not
help but relax.

This is the life…

But before he could even finish his internal monologue, an abrupt change happened.
Woo!

Piercing alarms sounded, and the four of them jumped up as one.

Tarrokov’s expression turned solemn, and he opened the real-time monitoring star map,
checking the situation.

At the same time, Han Xiao also received an intelligence report from Phillip.

“Master, master, squad 025 has spotted the trail of a large fleet that is moving toward
Planet Lighthouse, hum…”

The image was sent over and showed a mysterious fleet entering the warning sector of
Planet Lighthouse, triggering the alarm.

This fleet consisted of quadrangular pyramid spaceships, and at a glance, there were
over a million of them!

The mysterious fleet engaged the dynasty patrol fleet in that direction, breaking through
the defense line, showcasing their intention to attack Planet Lighthouse.

Han Xiao knew that something was wrong.

“The Arcane Church? They really came!”

844 Shocking Change!

The instant that the alarms went off in Planet Lighthouse, more than three million Fallen
Ark battleships appeared near the security perimeter in a long, stretched-out formation.
In the flagship, EsGod’s subordinate Fakisen was looking at the star map, and the
distance between them and Planet Lighthouse was rapidly shrinking.

“Boss, we have already entered the security perimeter of Planet Lighthouse. The radar
shows that the nearby dynasty fleet is heading our way and will exchange fire with us
soon.”

Fakisen used his long tongue to scratch the back of his neck as he spoke.

“Try to speed up. Do not get tied down by them,” EsGod said calmly. This time, his
main body had made an appearance.

Fakisen swung his tongue around and said, “Even though we are working together, the
Arcane Church still has their guard up against us. Not only did they not reveal their
exact plans, they even changed the location of their secret stargate. They are obviously
guarding against us, and who knows when they will take action and from which
direction?”

EsGod was not too bothered; it was perfectly normal for them to guard against each
other. It was just like how he would not inform the Arcane Church of where his secret
stargate was located.

With Planet Lighthouse at the center, the security perimeter around the planet was
extremely large, and the dynasty had sufficient time to mobilize their troops the moment
an enemy was spotted. Thus, EsGod could guess what the Arcane Church’s intention
was even if they kept it confidential.

They obviously wanted him to be the vanguard, and the size of his troops was not
sufficient to get the dynasty to abandon their Planet Lighthouse outpost. By the time he
fought his way to Planet Lighthouse and tied down Black Star and the two other Beyond
Grade A Supers, the Arcane Church would take action.

EsGod felt that his guess was definitely not too far from the truth, and the only thing
that he was not sure about was how many high level combatants the Arcane Church had
sent out this time.
The dynasty had three Beyond Grade A, and Milizaus’ strength could almost equal his
own. If that was the case, the Arcane Church only needed to send out manpower to deal
with Black Star and Beyoni.

Black Star and Beyoni were still a distance away from a top notch Beyond Grade A
Super, and it should be sufficient for the Arcane Church to send out four Beyond Grade
A Supers.

I wonder who the Arcane Church will send out this time…

EsGod narrowed his eyes. If the Arcane Church sent out too powerful a line up, he
would have to be careful as well.

Right at this moment, the dynasty’s fleet arrived and appeared on their radar.

Fakisen looked at EsGod, and upon seeing that his boss did not have any intentions of
saying anything, he ordered on behalf of EsGod, “All weapons free! Destroy all the
battleships in our way!”

Planet Lighthouse had already entered high alert, and the three Beyond Grade A Supers
entered the command room together with Tarrokov.

A large number of military personnel were gathered in the room with plenty of
messages being sent back from the battlefield. Tarrokov stood in front of the 3D
battlefield model with a solemn expression.

The scene being shown on the battlefield was the battle between the Fallen Ark fleet
and the dynasty’s fleet. The battleships of both parties had been shrunk down many
times to completely simulate the battlefield environment. It was as though two mini
fleets were battling it out in front of everyone’s eyes.

“The enemy fleet has about 3,200,000 battleships. An organization capable of sending a
fleet of such a size to the Flickering World is definitely a powerful one. We cannot see
the origins of the fleet from the models of the spaceships,” a staff sergeant said. “The
highest possibility is the Arcane Church.”

As he said that, Tarrokov turned around to look at Han Xiao and said, “However, they
may also belong to other organizations.”

Han Xiao noticed his gaze and said without any hesitation, “They are from the Arcane
Church.”

Tarrokov nodded slowly and said, “I understand.”

Although Han Xiao’s expression seemed calm, his mood was low.

His words were not completely baseless as a notification popped up after the appearance
of the fleet.

_____________________

You have triggered an Urgent Mission [Cause and Effect]

Mission Introduction: You have snatched the Evolution Cube and attracted the enmity
of the Arcane Church. They have finally taken today and decided to deal a lightning fast
blow to you to snatch the Evolution Cube back!

Mission Requirements: Defeat the enemy or escape successfully.

Failure Condition(s): Death or lose the Evolution Cube

Reward: 24,000,000,000 – 45,000,000,000 Experience, 1 Legendary Point, 3 Random

Rewards, 3 Unknown Character Summon Cards

_____________________
Han Xiao was shocked upon seeing the reward.

Twenty-four billion experience at the very least? The highest reward when he was
fighting Heber was only 8.5 billion experience!

Even he felt that this was a huge sum of experience!

However, Han Xiao just could not find it in himself to be happy. The reward would
correspond to the difficulty of the mission. With such a large reward, this meant that the
strength of the Arcane Church would be extremely frightening! The reward of over
forty-five billion meant that he had to face at least five Beyond Grade A Supers!

Just who would be able to survive?

Although Han Xiao had already secretly hired help just to be safe, he could not help but
have thoughts of retreating. At the same time, however, he was also extremely wary.

If he escaped through the stargate right now, he should be extremely safe. However,
would it be so simple to complete a mission with a reward of twenty-four billion
experience?

Perhaps the Arcane Church had some other means that would make it easier for them to
catch him if he escaped alone.

He was currently being surrounded by many layers of defense and was still considered
safe. Furthermore, the dynasty would not think too highly of him if he escaped the
moment he met an enemy. After pondering for a moment, Han Xiao did not make any
rash moves but arrived at the command room together with Tarrokov.

Since they had a sufficiently large buffer zone, it would not be too late for him to decide
to run after observing the battle.

The name of the mission is [Cause and Effect]. Heh, a Universal Treasure truly isn’t
that easy to take.
However, all those present did not know what he was thinking about.

Tarrokov observed the changes in the battlefield and issued a command.

“Inform all our Beyond Grade A allies to return immediately.”

Upon hearing that, Han Xiao’s eyes sparkled, and he nodded.

Tarrokov had obviously noticed something, and this chief commander truly had
foresight.

There were still another three Beyond Grade A Supers in the Flickering World: Heber,
Ravenlaude and another Mechanic who was called Maximiler. If they all returned, there
would be six Beyond Grade A present, and they would not have to be afraid of the
enemy.

Without knowing how many high-level combatants the Arcane Church had, Tarrokov
did not mind being on the safe side. Even if his actions were deemed unnecessary after
this battle, it would be better than regretting his inaction.

“Our fleet has sent a message for reinforcements. They won’t be able to hold the enemy
back. Chief commander, are we going to send the security fleet from the other regions
to support them?”

Tarrokov observed the battle for a moment before saying, “Only mobilize the security
fleet in that direction. Do not move the other fleets in the other directions. The
remaining reinforcement troops shall be sent from Planet Lighthouse.”

Beyoni could not help but be surprised by the order. “It will take quite some time to
send out troops from our base. The enemy fleet will then be able to close the gap
quickly. Why don’t you mobilize the troops on the outside instead?”

“The enemy doesn’t have any insignia and chose to attack our security perimeter alone,”
Tarrokov replied with a deep voice. “I think that this isn’t the Arcane Church’s main
force but a vanguard force. Their objective is to tie down our defense force on the
security perimeter and create a gap in our formation. Their main force will then break
through our defenses, and we will have to face a pincer attack. This should be the
Arcane Church’s tactic.”

Upon hearing the explanation of the chief commander and looking at the battlefield,
everyone had to admit that it was likely for the enemy to employ such a strategy. Since
Tarrokov had seen through their plans, his method of dealing with it was not too bad.

“However, this is only a temporary measure. We need intelligence on how many

Beyond Grade A combatants this fleet has.”

Tarrokov then looked at the three people with his intentions obvious. Only someone at
the same level would be able to force the enemy out.

“Hand it over to my long-distance troops.”

Han Xiao nodded. Since he was the enemy’s target and a key character of this battle, it
would not be good for the three of them to split up at such a time.

The long-distance troops that he had sent out would also show their use.

“What? Planet Lighthouse was attacked?”

The Bloodshed Land troops that were currently in Renault received news from Jorde
and could not help but be surprised.

“The enemy is the Arcane Church, and their target is Black Star. Chief commander
Tarrokov asked us to return to reinforce them… Your Excellency Tyrant, what should
we do?” Jorde asked carefully.

Heber began to frown. He did not wish to help Black Star. However, he suddenly
thought about something, and his brows relaxed.
“Since it is the dynasty’s orders, we shall return to reinforce them. Inform my troops to
head to the nearest stargate at full speed!”

Heber’s fleet then turned around and headed to Planet Lighthouse at full speed.

Although Han Xiao and he had some conflicts, this matter concerned the pride of the
dynasty. As a member of the dynasty, defending the dynasty was compatible with his
own benefits.

In the Garu Star Cluster, Ravenlaude also received Tarrokov’s request for
reinforcements.

Black Star’s death had nothing to do with him, and he would rather have one less
competitor.

However, it was a pity that his organization was located in the Central Galaxy, and he
needed to rely on the dynasty.

Such a small matter was not worth disobeying the dynasty’s orders, so he could only
lead his troops over.

Very quickly, he realized a very frustrating matter. Black Star had constructed a stargate
in the Garu Star Cluster, which meant that he could arrive at Planet Lighthouse rapidly
and did not have any excuse to delay.

Right at this moment, Ravenlaude suddenly realized something.

Could it be that Black Star had constructed the long distance stargate because he knew
that something like this would happen?

That’s right. This must definitely be the case. If not, I can’t think of another reason why
Black Star would sacrifice his own benefits to construct a long distance stargate.
Ravenlaude finally understood Black Star’s ‘true goal’. To think that he was still
laughing at the other party’s thoughts before this. Even if his skin was not too thick, he
could not help but feel a little embarrassed at this moment.

EsGod’s fleet gradually entered the core of the security perimeter and battled the
dynasty’s fleet along the way with the battle line being dragged out.

The dynasty’s fleet stabilized the space along the way, and neither party could enter
hyperdrive. EsGod’s fleet was slowed down inevitably and continued to be harassed
along the way.

Millions of battleships exchanged fire, and a large intergalactic war exploded.

Laser beams of different colors flew in all directions and lit up the pitch-black space.
The explosions of the battleships became fireworks in the universe.

There was a special fleet in the battlefield that was the long-distance force that Han
Xiao had sent out. The fleet weaved around the formation of the Fallen Ark fleet like a
flock of crows.

This mechanical fleet had more than a hundred thousand mechanical soldiers, and they
were all boosted by his Mechanical Force. Their attributes were boosted and could
achieve the strength of a Beyond Grade A Super.

Energy explosion!

Another three enemy spaceships were destroyed, and the mechanical army was about to
find their next target. Right at this moment, a dark red energy pillar swept past the
explosion and smashed right into the mechanical army, swallowing almost half of the
troops.

After the pillar of light disappeared, the mechanical soldiers that were hit by it had been
reduced to scrap.
Han Xiao’s eyes narrowed upon witnessing such a scene.

“An enemy Beyond Grade A Super has taken action! This isn’t an ordinary
individual…”

Han Xiao looked in the direction of the attack through the viewpoint of his army. He
wanted to see who the enemy was, and EsGod’s figure appeared in his sights.

The next moment, Tarrokov, Milizaus, and Beyoni saw Han Xiao’s expression change
greatly.

“Did you see who the enemy is?” Tarrokov asked.

Han Xiao let out a deep breath and said with a solemn expression, “It’s actually…
EsGod! It’s his main body!”

Everyone was stunned for a moment.

“Isn’t the enemy the Arcane Church? Why would EsGod be here?”

Beyoni was truly shaken. Because he had personally fought EsGod before, he was
extremely clear about his strength.

Tarrokov’s expression grew solemn. “The Arcane Church must have provided aid to
EsGod and gotten him to leave the Central Galaxy. Dammit! To think that they would
work together with such a character for the Evolution Cube!”

EsGod’s combat strength was famous throughout the universe, but this time, they also
had a top-notch Beyond Grade A Super on their side.

Milizaus shook his head and said, “I’ve fought EsGod many times before, and holding
him back won’t be a problem. However, I won’t be able to be distracted when fighting
him, and I won’t be able to do anything else.
“Apart from EsGod, the Arcane Church will definitely send out other high-level
combatants, and the situation is not to our advantage. Chief commander, what are your
thoughts?”

Upon hearing that, Tarrokov fell into deep thought.

The enemy had a single EsGod and a few million battleships on the surface, and they
would definitely have three Beyond Grade A Supers and even more battleships being
hidden for sure.

On his side, they had three Beyond Grade A Supers and around four million battleships
guarding Planet Lighthouse. Their strength was definitely on the losing side, but they
would be able to stall for time with the huge buffer zone for their security perimeter.
Furthermore, the dynasty had more troops in this Star Field, and they were currently
rushing over from various regions.

Tarrokov was currently considering whether he should retreat immediately or wait for
reinforcements to arrive.

The enemy’s target was Black Star, and if they chose to retreat, they should be able to
protect Black Star. However, the dynasty’s outpost would definitely be destroyed by the
enemy if it was not guarded. Losing the resources was secondary, but they would
definitely have to close up their stargate if they did not want to let it fall into enemy
hands. If that was the case, the dynasty would temporarily lose the core of their
transportation network, and their mobility would be greatly affected.

Upon thinking about that, he then took a look at the battlefield again. Apart from the
dynasty’s troops that were facing EsGod, the other troops were currently awaiting their
orders and keeping their guard up in their respective regions.

He had even sent out a portion of the fleet stationed on Planet Lighthouse as a quick
response force to prevent another enemy force from launching an ambush.

After thinking for a moment, Tarrokov let out a long sigh and said with a deep voice,
“Although the situation isn’t good, we have the ability to hold on. Let’s try to stall for
time. When the reinforcements arrive, we will be…”
Woo!

Before he could even finish, an ear-piercing alarm went off in the command room.

“Alert! Alert! Detecting an odd spacetime disturbance outside the planet! Spacetime is
being shifted to form a wormhole!”

“Wormhole? Transportation gate?”

Tarrokov had a face full of shock; the appearance of a wormhole was truly out of his
expectations. It was not because he did not have any preparations. With the Crimson
Dynasty’s technological skills, they would definitely install appropriate equipment to
cut off any long-distance transportation, and it was impossible for the Arcane Church
not to know about this.

He did not understand why the Arcane Church would make such a pointless attempt!

Right outside the atmosphere of Planet Lighthouse, space seemed to have been folded.
This was the sign of a wormhole appearing. The forces stationed on Planet Lighthouse
also made an appropriate response. They immediately triggered the space stabilizing
equipment to disrupt the formation of the wormhole. This would work regardless of
whether the other party was using magic or technology.

However, the scene that followed truly shocked everyone. Their infallible anti-
wormhole equipment was useless. Space continued to fold, but the wormhole did not
appear immediately, and a strange scene occurred.

A hazy appearance of battleships appeared outside the atmosphere like an illusion.

Just when everyone was still in a daze, the next moment, the folds in space suddenly
flattened out, and these hazy figures became solid. In the blink of an eye, the illusion
became reality!
This fleet contained a few million Arcane Church spaceships with the famous Butterfly
Flagship!

In that instant, a few million spaceships descended upon Planet Lighthouse!

They had ignored the security perimeter of Planet Lighthouse, and the defenses of
Planet Lighthouse had weakened because they had sent out a portion of their fleet. This
was the Arcane Church’s true strategy.

Tarrokov suddenly seemed to have thought about something, and his expression
changed abruptly.

“This isn’t wormhole transportation. Only the strategic Universal Treasure of the
Federation of Light, [Multi-Dimensional Sky Opening Transportation Device], has such
an effect!”

“The Arcane Church actually joined hands with the Federation of Light?”

Chapter 845 The Battle Begins!

[Multi-Dimensional Sky Opening Transportation Device].

Han Xiao felt his heart shake. He was no stranger to this Universal Treasure. This was
the Universal Treasure that the Federation of Light had spent a vast amount of resources
to forge. It was technology that belonged solely to them. Just like how the Evolutionary
Civilization created the Evolution Cube, all civilizations that had reached the level of a
Universal Civilization had more or less crafted their own Universal Treasure.

The principles of this item were related to the principles of multi-dimensional

projections and appearance. It upgraded an entire fleet to a higher dimension and
transported them to their destination before restoring the original dimension of the
troops.

In essence, it was like transforming the universe into a flat 2D plane and transforming
the troops to be transported into a 3D object. Because the obstructions within a 2D plane
were not able to affect a 3D object, the transported object could move about freely on
the surface of the 2D plane.

It was extremely difficult for a normal wormhole to emulate the effect of the [Multi-
Dimensional Sky Opening Transportation Device], and this technological skill had
always been a strategic trump card of the Federation of Light during the exploration era.
All their troops had extremely high mobility, and it was frightening in times of war.

By relying on this technology, the Federation of Light fleet had been able to defeat
numerous enemies during the exploration era and survive until the new generation.

It naturally had a flaw as well. First, the amount of resources consumed every time it
was activated was extremely frightening and increased with the distance of the
transportation. Second, it required a long time to charge up. Third, it required extremely
precise coordinates for a long-distance transfer. Fourth, [Multi-Dimensional Sky
Opening Transportation Device] was large equipment similar to a stargate and would
not be transported together with the fleet. Thus, the fleet being sent out would not be
able to return via the same method unless they brought another [Multi-Dimensional Sky
Opening Transportation Device].

The Federation of Light naturally would not lend their specialty Universal Treasure to
the Arcane Church, and they did not have any obligation to help the Arcane Church
retreat.

“My goodness, even the Federation of Light had intervened…”

Looking at the descending Arcane Church fleet, everyone in the command room was
shocked, and their mood sunk.

Han Xiao had never expected the enemy to work together with the Federation of Light
and appear on Planet Lighthouse with special equipment.

The cooperation between the Federation of Light and the Arcane Church was something
that was impossible for him to predict, and both parties kept their plans confidential. As
such, the dynasty’s intelligence net had not been able to gather any news about it.
Tarrokov forecast that the enemy would attack from the outside and thus sent out a large
number of battleships, which resulted in the defenses of Planet Lighthouse being empty.
Currently, they only had little more than a million battleships. However, the enemy had
a few million battleships, and they were right outside the atmosphere.

The situation had immediately swung against their favor, and Planet Lighthouse was
now in danger.

The entire control room became silent, and everyone was shocked by the sudden change
in the situation.

Tarrokov broke the silence and maintained his cool. “Apart from the fleet blocking
EsGod’s troops, all other troops are to return immediately. There’s no need to keep
guard anymore. Inform the forces stationed at the stargates to destroy all stargates. We
mustn’t let them fall into enemy hands.”

“Destroy all the stargates? Are you crazy? That is our only route to retreat!” Beyoni
burst out with rage.

“The stargates are too close to Planet Lighthouse, and the Arcane Church will definitely
send their troops to capture them,” Tarrokov replied expressionlessly. “Our troops are
on the losing side, and our defenses will be weakened if we try to defend them. The
combined forces of EsGod and the Arcane Church are more than twice ours, and it will
be impossible for us to fight on two separate lines. We cannot separate our troops any
further at such a moment.”

“But without the stargates, our route of retreat…”

“We are already in a desperate situation without any routes of retreat,” Tarrokov said
with a solemn voice. “Our only hope is to gather all our forces and defend Planet
Lighthouse while waiting for our reinforcements to arrive. Even though we don’t have
the stargates, our warehouse still has plenty of stargate equipment, and we can create
another stargate channel on the spot when our reinforcements arrive at the entrance on
the other side. However, our reinforcements haven’t arrived yet, and we will only hasten
our demise if we spread out our army.”
Tarrokov tried to sound extremely confident, but everyone there knew that actually
carrying out such a plan would definitely be difficult. Setting up a new stargate required
some time, and the enemy would not watch by the side quietly!

When their reinforcements reach the entrance, they would have to set up a stargate in
front of their enemy, and a bitter battle will break out. The problem was, they might not
even be able to survive until the reinforcements arrived.

Six figures suddenly appeared in front of the Arcane Church fleet.

After seeing their appearance, Tarrokov could not help reeling in shock.

‘Child of Light’ Sagman, ‘Desolate Beast’ Mercer, ‘Divine Spell’ Ninjia, ‘World Gate’
Taylor, ‘Star Pupil’ Psyker, and ‘Sea Spirit’ Dylan.

Six Beyond Grade As?

That was twice the number that they had!

Together with EsGod, who was on the outside reinforcing them…

Tarrokov, Milizaus, and Beyoni felt their hearts sink. The Arcane Church was truly
resolute and was not afraid of starting a war with the dynasty.

Milizaus and Beyoni already felt some regret. They had volunteered to be Black Star’s
bodyguards because of the Evolution Cube, and their lives might be sacrificed this time.

We really shouldn’t have interfered this time…

They could not help but look toward Han Xiao, but they realized that Han Xiao already
had his eyes shut.

“What are you…”

Before they could finish their question, a powerful surge of Mechanical Force burst
forth from Han Xiao’s body, and the energy level in Han Xiao’s body increased rapidly.

Upon witnessing the descending Arcane Church troops, Han Xiao could not be bothered
with the others in the room and immediately put all his experience into leveling up.

During such an urgent situation, he could no longer be bothered about the waste because
of the penalty! Every little bit of strength would count!

It has been seven to eight months since he entered the Beyond Grade A level, and Han
Xiao had accumulated a huge reserve of experience during this period.

Even with the forty percent penalty, the experience that he had was enough to increase
his level from 240 to 260!

His cells oozed out with energy, and his entire body erupted with power!

A series of notifications popped up on the interface.

_____________________

[Emperor Mechanic] leveled up to Lv.35 (Max).

+1000 Energy, +5 STR, +5 DEX, +8 END, +12 INT.

You have received 10 Free Attribute Points.

You have received 1 Potential Point.

Main Class level limit achieved.

You have triggered Class Advancement Mission: [All Rivers Run into the Sea]

[All Rivers Run into the Sea]: Pay a visit to 100 Grade A and above Mechanics and
have a Mechanic skill exchange with them. A powerful Mechanic will never close the
doors of his workshop but knows how to increase his strength through learning.

You have reached Lv.260.

You have triggered the Promotion Mission [Never-ending Challenger].

[Never-ending Challenger]: Personally challenge a Beyond Grade A Super and survive

(Summoning Creatures and Long Distance troops are disallowed). The battle cannot be
less than thirty seconds, and you cannot leave the battle during the period. After
completing the requirement, leaving the battle will complete the mission.

_____________________

Upon reaching the level 260 bottleneck, his Class Advancement and Promotion mission
arrived at the same time.

All the Random Rewards that he had accumulated during this period did not give him a
Mission Completion Card. Instead, he drew two blank Character Summon Cards and a
skill level up card. He only had a single Mission Completion Card left, which was the
one left from his previous missions. Thus, he can only choose to skip a single mission.

Upon seeing these two missions, Han Xiao was overjoyed. The heavens had left him a
way out!

[All Rivers Run into the Sea] was a Class Advancement Mission that required a lot of
time. In the entire universe, finding a hundred Calamity Grade Mechanics was definitely
possible, but they would be spread out in all the different regions. This mission would
definitely require him to spend a long time travelling and farming favorability points for
the other party to be interested in having an exchange with him.
Despite it being extremely troublesome, the advantage was that it was not difficult at all.

In comparison, his Promotion Mission was much harder for ordinary players. Facing a
Beyond Grade A Super head on for thirty seconds was a Promotion Mission that would
only appear in the later stages. Not losing thirty seconds was not a problem, but the
‘surviving’ requirement was the difficult one.

There were two common ways for players to complete such a mission. First, go all out
and try their luck to see if they died.

The second method was much safer. Join a Beyond Grade A Super faction and farm for
favorability points to exchange for a chance to spar. Since it was a spar, the Beyond
Grade A Super would not kill them even if they lost. Although it required a lot of time,
the second method had a higher chance of success, and the interface would not allow all
the players to get stuck on such a Promotion Mission.

However, this mission had no difficulty for Han Xiao. Not to mention a single Beyond
Grade A, there were six in front of him, and together with EsGod, the number of
Beyond Grade A Supers were as many as Psyker’s eyes!

Without any hesitation, Han Xiao used the Mission Completion Card on [All Rivers
Run into the Sea].

In comparison, he would be able to complete the Promotion Mission without a short

amount of time.

The only problem was that the mission would only be complete after he exited the
battle. However, it would not be so easy for him to exit the battle if the enemy wanted to
tangle with him. Perhaps he could try to fight his teammates.

Han Xiao turned around abruptly and said, “Beyoni, fight me right now!”

“Huh?”
Everyone was confused.

With the enemy in front of you, has your brain short circuited?

Are you going to betray us for the Arcane Church in order to survive?

Boom!

Right at that moment, the room suddenly shook, and a series of explosions came from
the sky above.

The Arcane Church fleet outside the atmosphere began their attack and shot out psionic
cannons while fighting the defensive troops. The huge protective shield around the
planet began to flicker under the continuous explosions, and the ground shook.

Just as Tarrokov had predicted, the enemy had indeed sent out another fleet toward the
stargate located not too far away and tried to snatch it.

The enemy’s fleet began their assault, and the various fleets located on Planet
Lighthouse fought back.

With cannon fire being exchanged between both parties, the sky above Planet
Lighthouse was colored with a myriad of different colors, and the radioactive
explosions were both deadly and beautiful.

On the other side, the most powerful Beyond Grade As ‘Child of Light’ Sagman and
‘Divine Spell’ Ninjia began tangling with Milizaus’ main body, which was outside the
atmosphere.

Milizaus tried to use a transportation spell, but it was disrupted by Ninjia, who was also
a Beyond Grade A mage.

Meanwhile, Psyker and the other Beyond Grade A Supers began to charge at the
defensive line of the dynasty and rapidly approached the ground. Their target was
obviously to destroy Planet Lighthouse’s base and force Han Xiao and Beyoni out!
“All ground troops are to block the enemy’s attack!” Tarrokov ordered. “Black Star and
Beyoni, the four Beyond Grade A shall be left to the both of you. We don’t have any
other choice.”

Although he knew that Black Star was the other party’s target, he could not allow a
Beyond Grade A Super to avoid battle at such a moment. They would only have a
chance to survive if they fought back.

“I understand,” Han Xiao said with a solemn expression.

Han Xiao knew that he did not have the time to waste on a spar with Beyoni. He could
only complete the Promotion Mission on the enemy.

Swoo!

The next moment, two figures flew out from the base and entered the sky like a black
and red ray of light.

Han Xiao opened his secondary dimensional army box and let out his mechanical army.
A black current followed behind him as he charged into the sky.

Very quickly, both parties clashed in midair, and the battle began.

Hu!

The six experts froze in midair and glared at each other, their gazes filled with killing
intent.

The energy wave of the four enemies was like a large ocean, and Beyoni felt immense
pressure.

He knew that he did not have a physique like Han Xiao, and the chances of him dying
were even higher than Black Star.
After both parties glared at each other for a few seconds, Psyker said, “I warned you
before. Did you not think that this day would arrive when you stole the Evolution
Cube?”

Han Xiao completely ignored those words. This was not the time to trash talk Psyker,
and he observed the enemies carefully. There was a Pugilist, a Psychic, a Mage, and an
Esper.

Four Beyond Grade A Supers… I won’t be able to tank their attacks even with my
recovery speed. It seems like I will have to use Aurora’s Character Summon Card and
medicine. I hope that those fellows will be able to arrive quickly to share the burden.

Han Xiao gritted his teeth and threw all his Free Attribute Points into Endurance. His
Health then increased by about 200,000.

Since the disparity in their strength was too large, he could only choose to be as tanky as
possible.

The six of them then moved at the same instant.

The battle had erupted!

On the other side, EsGod was still leading his troops to fight the troops on the security
perimeter.

EsGod got Fakisen to ask the Arcane Church when they were going to take action, and
the response shocked him.

“The Arcane Church received help from the Federation of Light and killed their way to
Planet Lighthouse directly? They even sent out six Beyond Grade A Supers?”
EsGod’s expression changed, and he immediately issued an order.

“All forces, speed up immediately!”

Since the Arcane Church had sent out six Beyond Grade A Supers, EsGod did not know
how long Planet Lighthouse could last under such a frightening attack.

If the Arcane Church snatched the Evolution Cube back before he arrived at the
battlefield, EsGod did not think that they would fulfil their promise and lend him the
Evolution Cube. Furthermore, he would not be able to snatch it from the six Beyond
Grade A Supers.

Thus, EsGod was a little anxious and planned to enter the battlefield to take a share of
the loot.

846 External Reinforcements!

Outside the atmosphere of Planet Lighthouse, a gigantic dragon that looked like a
flagship flew around the battlefield with the colorful formation covering its body
deflecting all the cannon fire and leaving a series of explosions in its trail.
Milizaus flapped his wings, and his gigantic body shot forward. The magical force in
his body surged, and he threw out an endless wave of magical spells to create a huge
magical storm on the battlefield.

Two small figures were following beside Milizaus; they were Sagman and Ninjia.
‘Child of Light’ Sagman’s body shone with a golden light, and he tried his best to
shatter Milizaus’ protective formations. Meanwhile, ‘Divine Spell’ Ninjia shot out his
own spells, and the both of them tied Milizaus down.

Because of his huge size, Milizaus’ dodging capability was extremely poor, and he was
almost like a living target. However, the strength of his flesh could almost ignore all
Mages. His energy was also extremely robust as a result and could strengthen his own
spells. Although Sagman and Ninjia could tie him down, the battle between both parties
would be a stalemate in the short run.

As the three Beyond Grade A Supers roamed the battlefield, all the battleships in the
surroundings were caught up in their battle with plenty of battleships being destroyed.

“Two troublesome fellows…” Milizaus had a grave look in his eyes. Sagman was the
strongest among the six, and together with another Beyond Grade A Mage, it was
extremely difficult to deal with them.

Although he could face them alone, he would not be able to aid Black Star.

“The objective of these two fellows is to tie me down, but it can also be said that I have
tied two of their combatants down. However, Black Star must deal with four people,
and even if I attempt to help him, these two will also follow along, so it would be
equally dangerous for Black Star… Sigh, it can’t be helped. I can only hope that Beyoni
and Black Star will be able to hang in there. I won’t be able to help them…”

Milizaus was helpless. Even though he was extremely powerful and one of the three
pillars of the dynasty, the two Beyond Grade A Supers that he was facing should not be
underestimated. He had no choice but to focus all his attention on them.

If he did not choose to step into this mess from the beginning, he would not be facing
such danger.

His frustration at his own choice, anger toward the enemy, and worry for his current
situation filled his head. Milizaus got more enraged the more he thought about it and let
out destructive golden dragon breath toward the sky. It collided with the light pulse that
Sagman sent out, and a huge fiery explosion occurred.

Ninjia used a spell to transmit his voice to Milizaus. “Ah, our four comrades are dealing
with two of your comrades, and Black Star won’t be able to last long. The battle over
there will end very quickly, so there’s no point in you fighting back. Why not give up
now and join our Arcane Church? This is the only way for you to leave alive. You
aren’t a direct subordinate of the dynasty, so there’s no need for you to die for them.”
The only reply he received was a shot of dragon’s breath.

“Humph, I knew that you wouldn’t give in.” Ninjia snorted and conjured a magical
shield to block the attack.

“Then, let’s continue according to our plan,” Sagman calmly said. “He thinks that we
are only trying to tie him down, and we can create an opportunity to use the Ten
Thousand Deity Scepter.”

“Sure!”

At this moment, Milizaus was unaware that he was also one of the Arcane Church’s
targets!

Han Xiao and Beyoni had also begun fighting the four opposing enemies.

The instant the battle erupted, Han Xiao activated the Reynold Character Summon Card
without any hesitation, and his Mechanical Force expanded rapidly.

Perfect Mechanical Sense!

This Character Summon Card could only be used three times, and this was the last time!

The 1.4 times Machinery Affinity immediately increased the strength of his mechanical
army to the next level. The densely packed mechanical army around him opened, fire
and their firepower engulfed the entire sky.

The four instantly moved. A blue light flashed in Dylan’s eyes, and sea water shot out
from his body to form a gigantic water dragon. The water dragon curled around his
comrades and formed a barrier. Under his control, the water barrier was greatly
pressurized and transformed into a solid shield.
Psyker did not remain idle either and released his psychic force to cover the water
barrier and increase its defenses.

Boom!

One wave of fire after another crashed down on the water barrier and psychic shield.
The shield was broken many times, but it was quickly repaired by Dylan and Psyker
each time. Under their combined strength, Han Xiao’s mechanical army needed to break
through the defenses of two Beyond Grade As.

The four enemies would not stand still and receive the attacks, so they began to move at
high speed as well.

‘Desolate Beast’ Mercer was a gray beastman over seven meters tall, and his appearance
looked like a beast that was standing up straight. He was covered in a thick layer of fur
from head to toe and was extremely muscular. He had simple custom-made armor on
and was currently covered in green Pugilist flames.

Han Xiao was already covered with his mechanical suit, and he was extremely
experienced in dealing with Pugilists after fighting Heber. He kept changing his location
and operated his mechanical troops to block the other party while maintaining a gap
with Mercer.

Facing four powerful enemies, Beyoni, who was by the side, did not dare remain idle
and activated his Esper Ability. His main target was Dylan, and he lit up Dylan’s sea
water to form a blazing ocean. The water barrier instantly transformed into a large ball
of mist after coming into contact with the sea of flames.

Right at this moment, Han Xiao and Beyoni felt a strange fluctuation in space and
turned around to look up. They then saw ‘World Gate’ Taylor holding on to a staff and
chanting an incantation. A gigantic magical formation then appeared behind him.

Boom!

Palace doors being pushed open sounded in Han Xiao’s ears, and the formation behind
Taylor revealed a crack in the middle and transformed into a gigantic door of light.
Inside the door of light was a pitch-black world with red light dots like fireflies as
though they were the eyes of a living creature.

“This is… a summoning formation!” Han Xiao’s eyes narrowed.

Ra!

The next moment, countless blood red creatures let out a roar and charged out from the
door of light like a flood of blood!

These creatures looked like mutated bats. They had sharp claws, bone spikes, a long
horn on their head, and blood red eyes that glowed in the dark. Their appearance looked
no different from the relatives of demons.

The moment these summoned creatures appeared, they immediately charged at the
mechanical army, and both parties began fighting in midair.

Flesh collided with metal, with blood and oil being spilled. Chunks of flesh and
destroyed spare parts rained down from the sky.

Taylor was also a Mage but specialized in summoning spells. This was how he got the
nickname ‘World Gate’.

“A Summoner is extremely disadvantageous to me…” Han Xiao gritted his teeth.

Army Style Mechanics and Summoner Mages were the two gangster classes who made
use of a Human Wave Tactic. The difference between the two was that a Mechanic
burned money and could construct an army before the battle to appear instantly, but a
Summoner could only slowly summon their babies during battle by burning mana.

Currently, Han Xiao’s mechanical army had over ten million soldiers, and it would take
a very long time for Taylor to summon the same number of creatures. As such, the first
batch of summoned creatures would not be able to deal too much damage to the
mechanical army. But if he allowed Taylor to continue casting his spell and summon
more creatures, Han Xiao’s Human Wave Tactic would be greatly weakened.

If they were fighting a one-on-one battle, Han Xiao had a dozen different ways to
disrupt the other party’s summoning. However, they were currently in a group battle,
and he had a numerical disadvantage. Thus, it was many times more difficult to stop
Taylor from summoning creatures.

“The Pugilist is taking up a forward position to apply pressure to me while the Psychic
and Esper control the battlefield from the side. Thus, the Summoner won’t have to face
any pressure at all. This is truly a good combination.”

Han Xiao felt his head ache. The enemy had obviously come prepared.

Beyoni understood this point, and he immediately included the summoned creatures as
part of his target.

Whoosh!

His area of effect ability was equally powerful, and waves of summoned creatures were
burnt up without any ability to fight back.

“I will deal with him,” Dylan said and controlled the sea water to rush toward Beyoni.

He then stepped on top of the wave and shot toward Beyoni like a cannonball.

Beyoni’s body was covered in flames, and his Pyre Demon Tribe blood began surging.
He spat out a mouthful of flames and evaporated a large wave of sea water in an instant,
clashing head on with Dylan in midair.

Fire and water. Red and blue. Both parties refused to back down, and a large amount of
steam was created by the clash.

A thick fog gushed out, and both their fields of vision were blocked. However, this was
not a big deal to a Beyond Grade A Super.
Han Xiao could not afford to be distracted. The other party only needed to use a single
person to tie Beyoni down, and Psyker, Mercer, and Taylor surrounded him together.

The casualties of his mechanical army increased rapidly, and if not for the boost from
Perfect Mechanical Sense, the damage would only have been greater.

Han Xiao was in an extremely bad state as well and was continuously avoiding magic,
psychic, and pugilist attacks, without even a second to catch his breath.

With his current strength, it was a stretch for him to deal with three Beyond Grade A
Supers at the same time. Beyond Grade A Supers all had vast combat experience and
worked together extremely well. Their combined strength was not simply an additive
one. Thus, Han Xiao could only spend ninety percent of his time dodging and was in an
extremely passive position.

As the three of them chased after Han Xiao, they also destroyed all his mechanical
soldiers. They had read through Han Xiao’s file before and knew of his ‘Undying’ title.

Although they believed that Black Star would definitely lose the title of ‘Undying’
under their joint assault, they would only be able to output damage safely after getting
rid of Black Star’s mechanical army. After all, the mechanical army did pose a threat to
them. The boost from the Perfect Mechanical Sense and [Legendary Battle Technique]
True Damage could severely injure them if they were not careful.

As such, Psyker and the other two gave Han Xiao’s mechanical army special attention.

As his mechanical soldiers were destroyed by the enemy, Han Xiao brought them back
with [Waste Modification], and it seemed to be like a back and forth tussle.

“Things will be bad if it continues this way…” Han Xiao muttered to himself bitterly as
he avoided the attacks.

Although he was able to repair the mechanical army, there was a limit. In the face of
four Beyond Grade A Supers, his mechanical army definitely would not be the one
surviving to the end.
If all of his mechanical troops were destroyed, he would be like a toothless tiger and
would not be able to fight back regardless of how tanky he was.

The defensive troops of Planet Lighthouse had also begun their battle with the Arcane
Church’s forces.

Milizaus’ Armed Dragon Guards had long joined the battle, and the gigantic dragons
clad in heavy armor clashed together with the battleships of the Arcane Church.

Hila, Hadavy, Feidin, and all the Black Star Guards had joined the battle outside the
atmosphere to help the dynasty fight against the Arcane Church fleet.

All the Calamity Grade officers weaved through the battleships and used their various
abilities to destroy one battleship after another.

Although they wished to help Han Xiao, they knew that the battle between the six
Beyond Grade A was not one that they could intervene in. They would only drag Han
Xiao down if they attempted to do so, and the only thing they could do was battle
together with the dynasty’s forces.

The Black Star Guards were made up of Calamity Grade elites, and they could display
their strength in the battlefield.

Apart from sending out Beyond Grade A experts, the Arcane Church had also sent out a
group of Calamity Grade combatants, but the numbers could not be compared to the
dynasty.

The Calamity Grades from both parties very quickly found each other, and the killing
began.

Hadavy endured the pressure of attacks coming in all directions as he chased after the
enemy.
Feidin controlled his psychic force, and his psychic attacks accurately found its mark
every time.

In such a large-scale battlefield, an endless supply of souls were present to allow her
strength to grow rapidly.

Without holding anything back, the dark red energy of death flooded out like a tsunami.

She then looked up at the battle up in the sky. The six Beyond Grade As were fighting,
and the energy waves being sent out were too frightening.

“You’d better not die…”

Hila gritted her teeth and went to search for her next enemy.

The battlefield between the six shifted continuously, and the summoned creatures grew
larger and larger. On the contrary, the mechanical army dwindled.

Han Xiao and Beyoni became more and more passive.

Han Xiao had also suffered from many attacks, but his recovery rate was powerful, and
it would not affect him much.

However, Beyoni was different. He did not have a powerful physique and also did not
have any defensive means to deal with Psyker’s psychic attacks. As such, his situation
got worse and worse.

“This fellow is not going to make it…” Looking at the injured Beyoni, Han Xiao felt his
heart sink.
This teammate was his only aid at this moment, and if his only teammate ended up
dying, Han Xiao would have to face four Beyond Grade As alone. If that happened, he
would be as good as dead.

Right at that moment, Psyker’s group of four exchanged glances and suddenly
intensified their attacks.

Xiu!

A white jade beast statue that was over a hundred meters tall suddenly spat out gray
light toward Han Xiao. This was Taylor’s elite summoned creature.

Han Xiao immediately tried to avoid the attack. Information about his void bloodline
had already been recorded, and his Void Hyperdrive was being restricted by the enemy.

As a Beyond Grade A Mage, Taylor naturally had many means to control dimensional
energy. This was the basic skill of a Summoner. As long as Han Xiao entered the Void
Dimension, he would be forced out by the other party not too long later. It would be
impossible for him to maintain a Void Dimension Jump for long and thus impossible for
him to escape.

In truth, from the moment the Arcane Church’s fleet appeared, it was impossible for
Han Xiao to escape with the Void Dimension Jump. Even if he abandoned everyone
else to escape alone, the Arcane Church’s hyperdrive speed would not be slower than
him. They would catch up to him very quickly, and he would have to face them alone.

Avoiding the gray light, psychic energy and a water dragon immediately assaulted him.
Han Xiao had no choice but to activate his psionic energy and block the attack while
trying to evade them.

Right at this moment, a figure appeared in front of him almost instantaneously. This
figure was Mercer, and a flaming fist crashed down on him.

“Isn’t this the instantaneous movement skill that Heber used before?” Han Xiao was
shocked and immediately tried to block the attack.
However, the fist seemed to have passed through Han Xiao’s body like an illusion,
which proved that the figure in front of him was an illusion.

“Sh*t!” Han Xiao immediately realized what was going on and turned around to look at
Beyoni.

Taylor waved his staff, and Mercer appeared beside Beyoni and unleashed a flurry of
punches.

Dong! Dong!

Seeing Beyoni being hit, the three others immediately changed their target and
unleashed all their firepower on Beyoni!

If he was hit by this wave of attacks in his current state, Beyoni would probably be
dead.

Whoosh!

Han Xiao did not consider anything else and made use of his Void Hyperdrive, which
was restricted, appearing in front of Beyoni. This short distance was something that he
could still manage.

Han Xiao then pushed Beyoni behind him, and he personally endured the combined
attacks of the four Beyond Grade As.

Boom!

His mechanical suit was shattered, and his health fell greatly.

Han Xiao felt his entire body ache, and he was sent flying like a ball.

His mechanical army blocked Psyker’s group of four without any consideration for their
losses, which gave him some time to stabilize his body.
Bearing with the intense pain, Han Xiao took a look at his health.

“This wave of damage is too frightening. If not for me enduring the attack, Beyoni
would probably be dead…”

Han Xiao laughed bitterly in his heart. He was truly a meat shield this time.

Beyoni then supported Han Xiao from the side and asked, “Are you alright?”

“I am still fine. I won’t die so easily. Don’t forget what my nickname is.”

Han Xiao then took a deep breath and activated the recovery ability of his cells to let his
frightening injuries recover.

“Thank you. If not for you, I would have died…” Beyoni said with gratitude, but his
voice suddenly turned depressed. “No, we are still dead for sure, and it is only a matter
of time.”

“Aren’t you stating the obvious? Everyone will die eventually.” Han Xiao could not
help but roll his eyes.

“…” Beyoni was truly speechless. You still have the time to joke at this moment…

After which, Han Xiao shook his head and said resolutely, “However, today is not the
day!”

Just when Psyker’s group of four were about to give chase, Taylor said with shock,
“Wait a moment. I detect a powerful surge of magical energy approaching us through
the secondary dimension. It is extremely powerful!”

Space suddenly began to contort, and a gigantic transportation door appeared.

The dynasty’s anti-wormhole apparatus had already been shut down, and Taylor
attempted to use his own spacetime magic to restrict the transportation door but realized
that the magical fluctuations had exceeded all the Mages that he had ever seen before!

Taylor was shocked. He actually was not able to stop a transportation door with his
strength!

The next moment, a gigantic castle appeared from within the transportation door.

“What is he doing here?” Psyker’s eyes widened with shock. As a Beyond Grade A of
the Shattered Star Ring, he was too familiar with this castle.

It was the Palace of Hidden Spells!

Austin floated at the top of the Palace of Hidden Spells with his Forbidden Sorcerers
behind him.

“Ah, I’m not late, right?”

847 Ten Thousand Deity Scepter

The four Beyond Grade As looked at the magical aura being emanated from the Palace
of Hidden Spells. Austin’s sudden arrival had truly shocked them.

Psyker had a belly full of doubts.

Isn’t this darn old man always neutral?

Why would he appear here! Furthermore, it seems like he was here to help Black Star!

Psyker was enraged. “Austin, did you join the Crimson Dynasty?”
“Nope.” Austin smiled.

“Then what are you doing here? This matter has nothing to do with you. Go and
continue maintaining your neutrality and not causing trouble here,” Psyker said with a
deep voice.

“My apologies, I had a deal with Black Star. This matter has nothing to do with the
Crimson Dynasty and is a personal matter.” Austin chuckled.

In order to borrow the Evolution Cube, he had promised Han Xiao a few conditions
during the Tyrant Party. One of them was to help Han Xiao with a single matter that did
not go against his principles. This was why he was there.

As soon as Han Xiao noticed the strange actions of the Arcane Church, he had requested
Austin’s aid in order to be safe. To fulfil his promise, Austin had piloted his Palace of
Hidden Spells and secretly arrived at the Flickering World through long distance
teleportations.

He did not make use of the Crimson Dynasty’s stargate and declared that he was finding
other secondary dimensional magical materials to the public.

Because it was extremely common for a Beyond Grade A Mage to find secondary
dimensional materials together with the fact that Austin had always maintained
neutrality, the outside world did not pay close attention to the movements of the Palace
of Hidden Spells. None of them had expected a neutral party like Austin to secretly
arrive in the Flickering World without seeking approval from the dynasty.

As gold grade equipment and a Universal Treasure, the value of the Palace of Hidden
Spells was definitely astronomical. It was capable of long-distance teleportation and
only required little over ten days to arrive at the Flickering World from the Shattered
Star Ring. It was far faster than the spaceships of the stowaways. He then found a place
to wait and activated the concealment formation of the Palace of Hidden Spells. It
would not be easy for ordinary detection equipment to see through the concealment
ability of a Universal Treasure.
However, Austin did not know that there were so many enemies at the start. He
originally thought that the Arcane Church would not take action, and he would only
have to stay there for a period of time to easily complete his promise. Even if he was
discovered by the dynasty, the dynasty would not do anything to him with Black Star’s
testimony.

However, he never imagined the Arcane Church to create such a huge scene!

After being caught in a dilemma for a while, he decided not to watch by the side and led
his Palace of Hidden Spells to reinforce Black Star!

As someone who maintained neutrality, he naturally understood that doing so was not to
his advantage. But since he had made a promise with Black Star already, Austin would
not go back on his word.

Although Austin looked as though he was chuckling and relaxed on the surface, he was
cursing in his heart.

He had truly been scammed!

Han Xiao heaved a sigh of relief, and his lips curled up slightly. “Darn old man, you’ve
finally arrived. With you around, you can help us share the pressure.”

Austin rolled his eyes at Han Xiao and snorted, “I must really be crazy to enter such a
battle. I suffered a huge loss from using your Evolution Cube!”

Upon hearing that, Beyoni agreed with those sentiments whole heartedly.

Looking at Han Xiao, who was currently recovering, Beyoni could not help but grumble
in his heart.

I shall just keep all my grievances in my heart.

Upon noticing Beyoni’s expression, Han Xiao took out a syringe and indicated to
Beyoni to lower his defenses.
“What do you want to do?”

“Treat you.”

“Sigh, the life force of a Beyond Grade A is incredibly large. What can that little
syringe of yours do. I… oh? What did you inject me with?”

Before he could even finish, Han Xiao injected Beyoni with Aurora’s life potion.

Beyoni’s face then changed abruptly, and a look of shock could be seen on his face.

He could feel a powerful surge of life filling his entire body. The cells of his body all
cheered with joy and became extremely active. The recovery of his wounds had also
sped up many times over.

Although he was not fully recovered, he was no longer severely injured.

“Just what is this medicine? To think that the effect would be so great on a Beyond
Grade A!” Beyoni was shocked.

“You still have time to be curious? First deal with the situation before us.”

Although Psyker’s group of four had stopped their attacks, the mechanical army was
still fighting the summoned creatures. Since the mechanical soldiers that had received
Han Xiao’s Mechanical Force boost were still in combat, it was akin to Han Xiao being
in combat. Furthermore, he would need to leave the battle for five minutes, and it was
far from enough.

Despite the enemy being shocked, they would not remain idle for such a long time.
Upon seeing Austin determined to interfere, they all accepted the reality and also treated
Austin as their target.
Austin activated the Palace of Hidden Spells and triggered all the formations to absorb
dark energy. With a humming sound, the Palace of Hidden Spells began glowing with
magical radiance, and rays of magical energy were shot out.

On the other side, Mercer who was extremely close to Han Xiao appeared right in front
of Han Xiao, and his fists smashed down on Han Xiao’s head.

With such a short distance together with the fact that he had just used the Void
Hyperdrive and had the paper Beyoni behind him, Han Xiao activated the Heber
Character Summon Card, and his Strength increased by four thousand points!

A powerful force exploded from his muscles, and Han Xiao also threw a punch in
response.

Bang!

The fists collided with each other, and a shockwave was sent in all directions, clearing
out the fog in the area.

Mercer could feel a strength no weaker than his own colliding with his fist, and his body
was sent flying uncontrollably. Upon stabilizing his body, he realized that Han Xiao had
also been sent flying.

Both parties were sent flying, and their strengths were equal!

“Why do you have such strength?” Mercer had a face full of shock.

His most powerful attribute was his strength, but a Mechanic was actually able to
compete with his strength?

Are you kidding me? Do you deserve to be called a Mechanic?

Waving his arm, Han Xiao gritted his teeth. Heber’s Character Summon Card could
allow his attributes to match up to the enemy, but the Pugilist’s flames had an extremely
destructive capability that destroyed plenty of his cells.
By borrowing the force of the collision, Han Xiao retreated together with Beyoni and
hid within the defensive line of his mechanical army. At the same time, he began to
analyze the situation.

“Milizaus is able to tie two people down, and the battle on my side is now three against
four. Although the opponents have one more person, Austin has the Palace of Hidden
Spells and can endure more pressure. We will no longer be on the losing end and can
barely hang in there…

“However, the enemy still has powerful reinforcements. If EsGod arrives on the
battlefield, the balance would be broken.

“Austin’s Palace of Hidden Spells can bring me along to escape, and a single Mage
shouldn’t be able to stop him. However, the enemy has two Mages, and they will
definitely be able to restrict the transportation of the Palace of Hidden Spells if they
work together. If I want to run, I can only bring Beyoni along. If I want to bring
Milizaus along as well, the enemy Mages will end up working together, and we won’t
be able to escape…

“There is still another problem. The Palace of Hidden Spells needs some time to charge
up, and the other Mage definitely won’t let their target escape so easily. He would
abandon Milizaus and attempt to stop us. If Milizaus sees us abandoning him to escape,
he won’t remain behind to risk his life and tie Ninjia down. When Ninjia turns around to
deal with us, Milizaus will probably use his teleportation spell to run away. At that time,
the Palace of Hidden Spells will still be left behind, but we will lose a powerful ally like
Milizaus.”

Han Xiao’s expression was solemn. If they wanted to rely on the Palace of Hidden
Spells to escape, they would only be able to abandon Milizaus. However, the chances of
success were too low, and it was likely that Milizaus would choose to seize the
opportunity to escape. If that happened, they would lose a combatant, and their situation
would be even more dire.

If he really chose to escape, the dynasty’s troops would definitely be wiped out.
Regardless of whether it was the Armed Dragon Guards or his Black Star Guards, none
of them would be able to survive.
It would also be difficult to get the Palace of Hidden Spells to send reinforcements.
Even the [Multi-Dimensional Sky Opening Transportation Device] had an upper limit to
the transportation distance, and the Palace of Hidden Spells was the same. Furthermore,
Heber and the two other reinforcements were in different Star Clusters, trying to rush
toward Planet Lighthouse through stargates. Thus, the Palace of Hidden Spells would
not be able to bring their reinforcements to them either.

“Tarrokov was right. We don’t have much of a choice. We can only choose to hold on
until our reinforcements arrive at the entrance of the stargate.” Han Xiao gritted his
teeth.

The more powerful he was, the greater his hope. He only needed to leave the battle for
his mission to be completed, and he had to find an opportunity…

It would not be too realistic to wait for the enemy to stop, so he had to try another
method.

After Austin joined the battle, the intensity of the battle went up a notch, and it was
impossible for anyone under Beyond Grade A to intervene.

The Palace of Hidden Spells was Austin’s combat equipment, and it boosted his
magical force to a large extent. It was like a magical artillery tower firing without
stopping.

Despite the battle being a three-on-four situation, the battle was no longer one-sided,
and neither party could do anything to the other in the short run.

Han Xiao had someone to share the pressure with him, and his mechanical army now
posed a greater threat to Psyker’s group of four. The enemy had no choice but to be
more wary and decrease the intensity of their attacks.

Taylor also could not summon creatures without any pressure anymore, and his
summoning was interrupted time and time again.
The four Beyond Grade As had intentionally separated the Palace of Hidden Spells from
Han Xiao, and they discussed their battle strategy while fighting.

Psyker used his Psychic force to connect his comrades and said with a grave voice,
“Austin has the aid of the Palace of Hidden Spells, and his combat capability has been
increased to the next level. It is extremely difficult to deal with him.”

“Tsk, I wouldn’t be afraid of him if I could bring my own Mage Pagoda along.” Taylor
was a little frustrated with his summoning spells being disrupted.

All Beyond Grade A Mages had their own Mage Pagoda, but not all of them were able
to craft a Universal Treasure like the Palace of Hidden Spells.

Taylor and Ninjia did not bring their own Mage Pagodas because they were extremely
bulky. After being sent over by the Federation of Light, they would have to leave on
their own, and they would definitely be chased by the Crimson Dynasty fleet. As such,
bringing such a bulky Mage Pagoda would only hinder their mobility. Furthermore,
they had felt that they would have the absolute advantage, and there should have been
no mishaps during the battle. Finally, it was to maintain the secrecy of their operation.

“Take note, Black Star may make use of the Palace of Hidden Spells to escape,” Dylan
reminded.

“If he has such intentions, I will immediately inform Ninjia to work together with me. I
won’t be able to stop the Palace of Hidden Spells alone, but both of us should be able to
do so if we work together,” Taylor said.

“Then Milizaus may make use of the opportunity to escape…”

“Then tell Sagman and Ninjia to hurry up and use the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter. If
not, force Milizaus over as well. If we really must choose between both of them, we can
ignore Milizaus. Black Star is our main target,” Psyker said.

Mercer could not be bothered to join the conversation, and he continued to give chase to
Han Xiao. He wanted to test Han Xiao’s strength again.
…

When the Palace of Hidden Spells appeared, the three battling outside the atmosphere
also noticed the situation.

Milizaus was overjoyed at the powerful support that Han Xiao had, but both Sagman
and Ninjia’s expression became grave.

“Psyker said that the other party is Austin from the Shattered Star Ring. He is here to
help Black Star. With one more Beyond Grade A joining in, our advantage has
decreased,” Sagman said with a frown.

“Four versus six. It will be difficult for us to settle the battle before EsGod arrives.”
Ninjia shook his head.

The Arcane Church instructed them to finish the mission as quickly as possible and try
not to let EsGod join in the battle. It seemed like this objective would not be so easily
fulfilled. Han Xiao’s trump card was something that they had not expected.

“Don’t be in a rush to come to a conclusion.”

Sagman suddenly unleashed a light screen that was like the surging waves.

The wave like light energy shattered Milizaus’ dragon breath, and the blinding light lit
up the dark space.

Milizaus’ vision and senses were also affected by the blinding light, and he suddenly
felt a sense of fear in his heart that came from his intuition as a Beyond Grade A.

He unleashed his defensive spells without any hesitation and covered himself in layers
of colorful magical shields like a tortoise.

Following which, Milizaus flapped his dragon wings and attempted to charge out from
the light. Turning around to take a look, he saw Ninjia holding onto a strange looking
black staff. With Milizaus’ sense of sight, he could clearly see the thousands of small
figures engraved on the black staff.

“This is… the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter?”

The alarm bells went off in Milizaus’ head. He was extremely knowledgeable, and it
was impossible for him not to recognize this Arcane Church Universal Treasure.

The Arcane Church specialized in the soul, the mind, illusions, and beliefs. They had an
unbelievable skill that turned fake ‘deities’ into a real existence and created artificial
‘deities’.

The Ten Thousand Deity Scepter was a Universal Treasure that the Arcane Church
created by ‘coincidence’ using such a skill, and it was impossible to replicate. It was a
medium that borrowed the strength of these artificial deities.

Describing it simply, the Arcane Church’s ‘deities’ were like gunpowder and bullets
while the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter was like a rifle.

If the Federation of Light’s Multi-Dimensional Sky Opening Transportation Device was

a strategic weapon, then the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter was a singular killing weapon!

The might of the attack was not stunning, but it had an unbelievably lethal force toward
living beings that had a soul. Furthermore, the more powerful the user, the more
frightening the damage. During the exploration era, there were at least three powerful
Primordial Ones who had died to this weapon!

The Ten Thousand Deity Scepter needed to use ‘deities’ as weapons, and the user would
experience a backlash. The same person would not be able to use it continuously in a
short time, and the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter would receive some damage every time
it was used. This was the reason that the Arcane Church rarely used this Universal
Treasure and kept it as a deterrent.

Milizaus had not imagined that he would be able to personally witness this infamous
weapon in his life!
Just what kind of darn luck do I have? Did Black Star spread his bad luck to me?

Did I steal your Arcane Church’s rice? Is there a need to go so far?

Just when he was still in a state of shock, Ninjia snapped his fingers, and the Ten
Thousand Deity Scepter floated in front of him, aimed straight at Milizaus.

Ninjia’s energy was then sucked into the black scepter, and the engravings on it lit up.

The engravings of the deities lit up and seemed to have become alive. Ten thousand
partially transparent projections suddenly appeared and combined into an illusory
energy pillar that shot toward Milizaus.

If it was anyone else, they might have been able to avoid this attack. However, Milizaus
was not able to do so with his gigantic body. He could only madly release various
forbidden defensive spells.

However, the energy pillar went through the shields, which were sufficient to defend
against a psionic cannon, as though they did not exist.

Milizaus could only watch as the energy pillar shot through his numerous shields
without the slightest restriction and smashed right into his chest.

“Black Star, you @$*%u0026!#*…”

Before he could even complete his string of curses, his gigantic dragon body trembled,
and he lost control of his body as though he was a bird being shot down by an arrow.

His gigantic body was caught up by the gravitational pull of Planet Lighthouse and
rapidly crashed down to the planet like a meteor.

Kacha!
The instant the attack landed, a few cracks could be seen on the Ten Thousand Deity
Scepter.

“Urgh!” Ninjia let out a mellow grunt.

Sagman, who was by the side, shot out a light hand and grabbed the Ten Thousand
Deity Scepter. He knew that this attack was not enough to kill the thick skinned
Milizaus. Ninjia would not be able to use the weapon again, so it was now his turn.

848 Appearance of the Spacetime Amber!

A few minutes earlier…

In the skies of Planet Lighthouse, the seven Beyond Grade As were tangled up in an
intense battle. Fire and water collided, magic and psychic energy tangled with each
other, and machines collided with flesh.

With a three-on-four situation, the enemy had no choice but to slow their attacks. With
the pressure on Han Xiao easing significantly, Han Xiao gradually gained his footing
with his powerful recovery ability.

Han Xiao’s mechanical army, Austin’s Palace of Hidden Spells, Taylor’s summoned
creatures, Psyker’s psychic energy, Dylan’s control of water, Beyoni’s flames…
Various attacks filled the entire battlefield.

The most powerful area of effect abilities still came from the mechanical army. With
over ten million soldiers, the psionic cannon fire covered almost every inch of sky. The
boost from [Perfect Mechanical Sense] and True Damage from [Legendary Battle
Technique] made it such that Psyker’s group of four did not dare lower their guard.

Even a Beyond Grade A would not be able to emerge unscathed from such a battle. The
summoned creatures and mechanical army that adopted Human Wave Tactics suffered
huge casualties.
The mechanical army could be repaired, and the summoned creatures could be
summoned without end. Both parties had their own advantages.

If they were fighting a one-on-one battle, Han Xiao would probably have been able to
defeat Taylor without using [Perfect Mechanical Sense]. With the boost from the
Perfect Mechanical Sense, he would be able to stably defeat the enemy.

However, Taylor had his teammates to tie down Han Xiao’s mechanical army and to
allow him to summon his summoned creatures more easily to call upon a never-ending
supply of helpers.

There were many different summoned creatures of various shapes and forms. There
were demonic bats, turquoise statues, plasma snakes, spirit hunters, ghost scepters, and
so on. Their combat abilities varied, and they were the beasts that had been groomed by
Taylor after signing a contract with him. A powerful Summoner would definitely have a
large variety of summoned creatures.

Han Xiao split up three million mechanical soldiers for his AI to control just to deal
with these summoned creatures.

The battle between the mechanical army and summoned creatures was like a war
between two armies. The mechanical army had extremely good teamwork and could
accurately snipe wave after wave of summoned creatures. Thus, their casualties were
lower than the summoned creatures.

In the chaotic battlefield, a Mechanical Life squad under Psionic Prime’s lead weaved
throughout the heavy fire.

The combat artificial intelligence, Sparta, did not take over the body of the Mechanical
Lives but was only in charge of issuing strategic commands.

A powerful data processing speed together with the battlefield module displayed the
gaps in the rain of bullets and showed the best way to avoid all the bullets. Psionic
Prime then followed the predetermined path with his entire team behind him and
avoided all the incoming energy beams, blocking all those that could not be dodged
with a psionic shield.
The destination of the squad was a group of elite summoned creatures.

Their target was a team of powerful leader-grade demonic bats that were guarding a
group of turquoise statues that were firing laser beams. They were all being boosted by
the Summoner and had their attributes increased greatly. Plenty of ordinary mechanical
soldiers had already been destroyed by them.

“All forces, take note. Our mission is to wipe out the enemy’s elites.”

Psionic Prime’s emotionless voice sounded in the communication channel.

These demonic bats discovered the rapidly approaching Mechanical Life squad and
immediately went forward to intercept them.

“The distance between the target is shrinking. Get ready for battle!”

“Target locked on. Open fire!”

The Mechanical Life that belonged to the long-distance attacking squad reverted to their
original forms. There were dark energy artillery towers, psionic jet cannons, firepower
forts, high energy short range guided missiles, and many other models. They let out a
series of long-range attacks.

Boom boom boom!

The leader grade demonic bats opened their demonic shields and charged forward while
enduring fire. From time to time, some of their shields would be broken, and they would
succumb to the firepower of the mechanical soldiers.

Facing a wave of attacks, the gigantic turquoise statues also turned around with their
eyes charging up with white energy. The next moment, a thick magical beam shot out of
their eyes and destroyed all the mechanical soldiers and summoned creatures in the way
of their target.
“Giant King Kong, attack!”

Behind Psionic Prime, a gigantic shadow descended, and a Giant Soldier that was a few
hundred meters tall appeared. It was called Giant King Kong.

Giant King Kong held up a huge psionic shield to protect the members of the team and
block all the magical beams.

Bang!

A huge explosion erupted by Giant King Kong only suffered from some external
damage.

The thrusters behind Giant King Kong then blasted out at full power, and the gigantic
figure crashed into the incoming summoned creatures before landing beside the
turquoise statues. Both gigantic figures clashed with each other!

Boom!

It was as though the mountains were shaking!

The turquoise statues suffered from a flurry of punches and turquoise fragments flew in
all directions. With both the gigantic creatures engaging in battle, the smaller troops had
also begun an intense battle.

These Mechanical Lives were all elites and had grown for a long period of time. There
were some of them who were like mini bosses, and their combat capabilities were
exceptional. This was Han Xiao’s most powerful elite troop.

The armed cavalry, Oathkeeper, beastman warriors, and various other different models
of Mechanical Life charged forward in unison. It was a complete one-sided massacre of
the summoned creatures.

The spirit hunters that joined the battle were also easily taken care of by the Mechanical
Life squad.
Psionic Prime’s body was reconstructed many times, and he had easily reduced the
demonic bats into piles of meat. He then looked around and realized that his teammates
had all finished their battles.

“Humph, easy.” Silver Flash released the corpse of a demonic bat. “It’s a pity that we
are fighting a defensive war. If I could attack, I would be able to unleash all my
firepower, and the battle would have been over already.”

“Stop bragging!” Scarlet Flame said.

Silver Flash ignored him and looked toward the battlefield of the seven Beyond Grade
As. “It’s a pity we aren’t strong enough. I really wish to help father.”

“Father is protecting us,” Giant King Kong replied.

“We are the weapons that father created, but he is protecting us. Is this the fatherly love
that those living creatures possess?” Silver Flash asked curiously.

Psionic Prime was about to reply, but a large whooshing sound could suddenly be heard
from the sky.

Swoosh!

All the Mechanical Lives looked up.

A gigantic dragon was descending rapidly from outside the atmosphere with dragon
blood raining down like a thunderstorm. The dragon’s body was burning like a meteor,
and it crashed through a wave of mechanical soldiers and summoned creatures.

Boom!

The gigantic dragon crash landed on the planet like an atomic bomb with a loud
mushroom-shaped dust cloud being formed in the sky!
…

“Was that Milizaus who fell from the sky? He is severely wounded?”

Han Xiao, Beyoni, and Austin were shocked upon witnessing such a scene.

This shouldn’t be the case! Milizaus’ strength is sufficient to deal with Sagman and
Ninjia, and he shouldn’t have been defeated so quickly and with such severe injuries!

The three of them were full of shock and edged toward Milizaus’ position, dragging the
battle to the ground. Psyker’s group of four followed closely behind.

The next moment, Han Xiao and Beyoni landed beside the gigantic crater, and Austin
controlled the Palace of Hidden Spells to float in midair. Upon looking at Milizaus’
present state, the three of them were shocked.

Milizaus’ gigantic dragon body was in an extremely pathetic state. A huge hole had
opened up in his chest, and his fractured bones and innards could be seen.

This frightening injury seemed to have been inflicted in a single attack, and Beyoni was
truly shocked. He could not imagine just what kind of a frightening attack would be
able to cause such damage to Milizaus’ robust body.

These were not his only injuries. New cracks can be seen on Milizaus’ body as though
there was a sort of energy continuing to cause damage to his body and destroying his
cells.

Upon seeing that, Han Xiao took out a syringe from his mechanical suit and injected
Milizaus with Aurora’s life potion. However, it only slowed down the worsening of
Milizaus’ injuries; he still showed no signs of recovery.

Because Han Xiao injected the wound, a notification popped up on his interface.
The interface showed Milizaus’ present situation. His health was currently at sixty-
three, and it was still falling. There were a few negative statuses on Milizaus, with two
of them being the most frightening.

_____________________

[Cell Activity Inhibition – High]: All recovery methods will have their effects reduced
by 70% (From Ninjia).

[Double Corrosion]: Suffer 12,582 physical damage and 15,733 mental damage every
second (From Ninjia).

_____________________

“Ooh…” Milizaus let out a groan and said to Han Xiao’s group of three weakly, “Be
careful. They brought the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter.”

Before he could finish, Sagman and Ninjia descended, and the six enemies Beyond
Grade As were gathered!

Han Xiao raised his head and immediately saw the weapon that had injured Milizaus. It
was the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter that was floating beside Sagman.

To think that it would be this infamous Universal Treasure… Han Xiao’s expression
sank.

The Arcane Church had truly gone all out this time!

“They’ve even brought this item out?” Austin’s expression changed greatly and
immediately thought of escaping.

He had already fulfilled his promise and felt that he had done all he could. He did not
want to die there because of a promise. It was because of his Palace of Hidden Spells’
defense and mobility that he dared participate in such an imbalanced battle. However,
the attack of the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter was extremely queer, and it was capable
of ignoring most physical defenses and shields. The attack could only be avoided but
not blocked, which meant that the Palace of Hidden Spells would not be able to help
him block the attack.

Austin’s thoughts were extremely clear. The Arcane Church’s targets were Black Star
and the dynasty. Since he was not the enemy’s target, the enemy definitely would not
waste their Beyond Grade A combatants to chase him if he wanted to escape.

He did not want to experience the feeling of a weapon that could threaten a Beyond
Grade A.

This darn old man is thinking of escaping…

Although he did not know how to read minds, Han Xiao knew what Austin was
thinking upon seeing his look of hesitation.

The appearance of the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter was out of his expectations. If he
had known that the enemy had such a trump card, he would not have allowed Milizaus
to separate from them.

Han Xiao had a solemn expression and injected Milizaus a few more times. Only then
did his injuries stop worsening with signs of recovery.

[Cell Activity Inhibition – High] only weakened the effect of Aurora’s life potion, but
with a large stock in his possession, Han Xiao only needed to give a few more injections
for the same effect. It was just that the recovery time needed would be longer.

However, the six Beyond Grade A enemies definitely would not give them so much
time.

Whoosh!

The six of them floated in midair and looked down at Milizaus, Beyoni, and Han Xiao.
A shocking pressure descended from the sky, but Austin was actually blocked out by
their pressure.
Psyker looked at Austin and said, “Stop interfering with us. This is the final warning.”

“…” Austin looked at Han Xiao and twitched his lips, not daring to make another move.

The Ten Thousand Deity Scepter then floated in front of Sagman and aimed at the
immobilized Milizaus.

A look of despair could be seen in Milizaus’ eyes. He was extremely clear about his
current situation. Although Han Xiao had managed to help him recover with some
magical potion, he would definitely be driven to the brink of death if he took another
attack.

Just as Sagman was about to activate the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter, Han Xiao took a
deep breath and said loudly, “Do you guys want the Evolution Cube?”

Sagman stopped moving and narrowed his eyes.

“You want to hand it over in exchange for a chance to survive?”

“That’s right.” Han Xiao let out a deep breath and deactivated the Spacetime Amber
sealing effect.

The six of them then looked at the silver cube in Han Xiao’s hands.

Right then, Psyker’s psychic connection to the Evolution Cube was restored, and he said
with confirmation, “It’s the real deal.”

Sagman nodded upon hearing that and said to Han Xiao.

“Do you even have the right to negotiate? We can still get the Evolution Cube if we kill
you. Why do we have to agree to your demands? The choice to kill or capture you is in
our hands. Do you even have the right to choose?”
“No, you are wrong.” Han Xiao tightened his grip on the Evolution Cube. “If I destroy
the outer covering of the Evolution Cube and release its gigantic main body… Haha, do
you think that you can take it away before the dynasty’s reinforcements arrive?”

Sagman’s eyes narrowed, but he was not too surprised by those words.

Before they took action, the Arcane Church had already guessed that Black Star may
choose to destroy the outer covering of the Evolution Cube and had already made
preparations.

EsGod’s chips for negotiating with the Arcane Church were information on the
Evolutionary Civilization and the apparatus to allow the Evolution Cube to be carried
around. However, EsGod would only provide information on the apparatus after their
deal was completed.

Thus, it would save them a great deal of trouble if Black Star was willing to hand over
the portable Evolution Cube.

With the authority to determine Han Xiao’s life and death, Sagman said with an aloof
attitude, “Alright, I won’t kill all of you if you hand over the Evolution Cube and
surrender. The upper echelons will definitely be interested in seeing the dynasty pay a
hefty price in exchange for all of you.”

He was the representative among the six and had the authority to make decisions on the
ground. Capturing them was better than killing them. Although it would still anger the
dynasty, they would have more chips to bargain with the dynasty.

Although Milizaus was frustrated about the crisis that Han Xiao had brought to him, he
could not help but feel a sense of desolation in his heart upon seeing Han Xiao take out
the Evolution Cube to save their lives.

At this moment, he suddenly felt Han Xiao stepping on him secretly and knew that Han
Xiao had a plan. Thus, he connected the three of their minds with magic.

Han Xiao then heaved a sigh of relief and said, “As proof of my sincerity, I shall tell
you the secret password to activate the portable Evolution Cube.”
As he said those words, he didn’t wait for Sagman’s response and quickly activated the
sequence.

There was indeed a special method required to activate the Evolution Cube, and Han
Xiao’s words were not wrong. Showing it to them on the spot would prevent them from
being fooled by EsGod’s information.

“Hmm? You’ll have more than enough time to show us after you become a captive…”
Sagman did not realize anything at the start and only frowned. However, he
immediately noticed something and roared, “No! Stop!”

Han Xiao ignored those words and completed the sequence.

Hu!

The next moment, he activated the evolution energy within the cube and sent it toward
the six in the sky.

The six of them immediately raised their shields. If they were struck by the evolution
energy, they would become a black cocoon and start the evolution process. Although
they could forcefully stop the process and recover their movement, they would still be
restricted for some time.

Sagman’s murderous intent toward Han Xiao immediately exploded.

You don’t know how to treasure the opportunity that I have given you and tried to
ambush us!

Without any hesitation, Sagman activated the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter and aimed it
at Milizaus. After killing Milizaus, they would have more than enough time to slowly
torture Black Star!

Ohm!
The Ten Thousand Deity Scepter shot out an energy pillar.

Milizaus thought about Han Xiao’s words and could only choose to trust Han Xiao. He
then ignored the attack from the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter and unleashed his magical
attacks at Sagman’s group of six.

Beyoni also did the same thing and unleashed his attacks to restrain them.

The mechanical army also received the order to open fire!

On the other side, Han Xiao released a few machinery balls, which floated in the path of
the energy pillar. The machinery balls formed two layers of barriers in front of him.

Following which, these machinery balls underwent nano transformation and revealed a
half transparent amber ball within them.

After spending half a month on Planet Lighthouse, Han Xiao had already made use of
the Spacetime Amber to craft plenty of amber balls!

The six from the Arcane Church retreated to avoid the evolution energy while dealing
with the attacks from Han Xiao’s group of three.

Looking at this scene, a mocking look could be seen on Sagman’s face.

“A shield? A shield is completely useless… what?”

Before he could finish his sentence, the scene before their eyes shocked the six of them.

The energy pillar of the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter did not go through the half
transparent spherical shaped shield but shot in all other directions like a pillar of water
landing on a lotus leaf. Not a single bit went through!

Milizaus and Beyoni also had looks of disbelief on their faces. Han Xiao had previously
said that he would be able to block the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter, and they could
only choose to believe him. Upon seeing Han Xiao’s success, they could not help but be
stunned.

The reason Han Xiao was so certain was not because of blind confidence in the
Spacetime Amber. In his previous life, during the World Tree Civilization war, the
Arcane Church had used the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter, which failed because of the
Spacetime Amber!

Boom!

Just when the enemy was in shock, Han Xiao, who already knew that the Spacetime
Amber would be able to stop the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter, scattered the amber ball
shields and shot them toward the enemy.

Sagman’s group of six had already snapped out of their shock and wanted to retrieve the
Ten Thousand Deity Scepter.

However, the scattered amber balls disrupted all the enemy’s psychic, magic, and light
attacks!

The six of them could not imagine that these half transparent shields were capable of
blocking all their attacks without being damaged in the slightest.

“Just what is this strange item? It is actually able to stop all attacks?”

Just when they discovered that, despite physical attacks being useless against these
amber balls, they were still able to send the amber balls flying through the force of their
attacks, it was far too late!

Han Xiao activated his Void Hyperdrive and held onto the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter
before charging into the air!

With the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter being snatched, Sagman’s group of six
abandoned the others without any hesitation and gave chase to Han Xiao.
With one running and six chasing, the six of them caught up in less than a minute.

The combined attacks of six Beyond Grade A was not something that he could block,
and he was sent flying helplessly.

His health fell rapidly, and Han Xiao threw the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter away.

Sagman immediately stretched his hands out to catch the scepter and snatch it back.

But before he could even heave a sigh of relief, he realized that the Ten Thousand Deity
Scepter was sealed into a half transparent spherical ball.

Energy was not capable of passing through the ball, and the shape of the ball was the
same as those shields that blocked the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter!

Sagman’s expression changed greatly!

“Just what did you do?”

Chapter 849 The Scheme Deepens as EsGod Appears!

Light energy impact, magic energy rays, pugilist fluctuations, psychic bombs, and more
Beyond Grade A attacks were concentrated. Han Xiao’s psionic shield collapsed, his
mechanical suit shattered, and he flew backward uncontrollably.

His gaze spun, and the stars in the universe seemed to all turn into shooting stars. It took
him a lot of effort to finally stabilize, hovering in outer space. His entire body was
wracked in pain, and his cells were constantly annihilating yet regenerating.

Not far behind him was the huge interstellar battlefield where the fleets were fighting.
Beneath him was the outline of a gray planet. Sagman retrieved the Ten Thousand Deity
Scepter, and upon noticing Han Xiao’s tweaking to it, his expression contorted.
Upon seeing his opponents’ expressions, Han Xiao smiled even though his body was
convulsing in pain.

This was worth it!

Due to the threat the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter posed, even if one could only fire off
a single shot in a short period of time, having six of them meant that the scepter would
be fired six times. If he had left them alone, his side would not even have had the
opportunity for a comeback. The only method was to freeze the enemy’s Ten Thousand
Deity Scepter.

And the core of this plan lay in the Spacetime Amber, which could lock up the Ten
Thousand Deity Scepter!

What occurred previously was truly a desperate situation for him. He had first pretended
to surrender, taking out the Evolution Cube under their supervision, before causing
trouble. Then, his teammates as well as his mechanical army added on to the chaos.
From his experience in his previous life, by allowing his barrier formed from amber to
ward off the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter, the opponents would reveal flaws due to their
surprise and shock. Then he used the Spacetime Amber to prevent the Arcane Church
from retrieving the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter.

For the first time, the Spacetime Amber showed its prowess in the universe. The enemy
was unaware of its effects and was rendered speechless. Only then did he get the
opportunity to brief grab the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter.

Because of the soul link, the production efficiency of Spacetime Amber was
accelerated. The scepter was not a large object, so the delay was enough to seal it!

Now that the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter has been sealed in amber, it has been cut
from their energy. They are not able to open the amber, and thus, for this battle, they
will not have such an overpowered killing weapon!

Han Xiao clenched his fists in excitement. Having disabled the enemies’ ultimate, they
could still make a comeback!
Sagman grabbed hold of the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter sealed in amber. His hands
shone with a bright light as he pressed it on the amber, but it was useless as the amber
would not budge. The light particles flowed around the surface of the amber, turning it
into a golden egg.

The other five by the side could not sit still and joined hands, but even then, the amber
remained intact. They could only stare at the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter encased
within.

“What sort of nonsense is this thing? How could it not break?” Sagman stared at Han
Xiao, and relying on Psyker’s mental waves, he bellowed, “B*stard, what have you
done?”

There was no mention of such a skill on Black Star’s intelligence. They had been caught
unprepared. To think that Black Star still had such a trick up his sleeves!

Han Xiao chuckled in his heart.

Having only obtained the Spacetime Amber in the Flickering World, he had yet to
reveal it, and thus, the intelligence from the universe was naturally behind.

Han Xiao chuckled to himself before speaking in a jovial manner. “What have I done?
This Ten Thousand Deity Scepter of yours is such a precious thing. I even added
another layer of locks so that it will be completely safe. No need to thank me. It’s free!
Are you satisfied with the service provided?”

His sarcastic tone infuriated Sagman, causing the flames in his heart to soar.

He had originally thought that Black Star and the rest had no way to resist, that their
victory was set in stone. But to think that they got fooled!

Even after using all their methods, they were unable to unlock the amber. Sagman
gritted his teeth, passing the scepter to Ninjia.
“Keep it. We can’t break through Black Star’s methods now. But at least the Ten
Thousand Deity Scepter is still in our hands. When we return, we’ll let the Arcane
Church research how to get it out.”

Ninjia could only helplessly follow.

The Arcane Church had passed this Universal Treasure to them in order to allow them
to handle Milizaus quickly, but right now, not only were he and Sagman sapped of the
majority of their strength, the situation had gone downhill. They did not even manage to
get rid of one of the three pillars of the dynasty. What a loss!

Not only that, the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter was sealed through some unknown
means by Black Star, and their hidden ace had been rendered temporarily unavailable. It
was impossible to quickly resolve this battle now, and their best form of deterrence
against EsGod was also gone. This was like going to steal a chicken but not even getting
rice!

Seeing Ninjia stow away the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter, a mocking expression
appeared on Han Xiao’s face. He knew that this bunch would definitely think that the
Ten Thousand Deity Scepter was only temporarily rendered unusable. They thought that
by returning, the Arcane Church would be able to find out a method to remove the
Spacetime Amber.

Heh, they still do not understand the severity of this matter…

The corners of his mouth rose up. The Spacetime Amber was the remnant of Spacetime
Freezer, and its ability was derived from that Esper’s own ability to freeze spacetime.
However, because of it drifting through the universe, it had absorbed all sorts of strange
cosmic radiation, which had allowed it to evolve into a Space Wonder.

To be classified as a Space Wonder, they had to be unidentifiable by current theories.

Thus, if the Spacetime Amber could be broken apart so easily, there would not have
been so many Beyond Grade As fighting over this thing in his previous life.

These thoughts flitted through his mind, and Han Xiao kept his smile as he focused on
the six opponents.
While he had sealed the trump card of his opponents, six Beyond Grade As were still a
force to be reckoned with.

He had only completed a staged counterattack, and the battle had far from ended.

The several people confronted each other for more than a minute in outer space. Beyoni,
Austin, and Milizaus quickly caught up.

Seeing that this plan had succeeded and Han Xiao had restricted the opponents’ scepter,
a praising glow could be seen in Milizaus’ eyes.

You’re really reliable, brother!

While you might be the source of this dangerous situation, causing me great injury,
seeing that you saved my life, I shall no longer be angry with you!

The gathering of Beyond Grade As had already broken past single digits. The energy
fluctuations given off by them clashed with each other, displaying their zone as a region
with the highest energy. Just like the scene of countless supernovas, the energy response
kept soaring.

“Do it!”

Sagman and others did not wish to procrastinate and attacked. Han Xiao originally
wished to trash talk and waste more time, but seeing this situation, he could only
retaliate as well.

The ten Beyond Grade As clashed together, moving through the interstellar battlefield
and crushing all warships in their way, leaving behind a wake of explosions.

At the same time, in the Constellation Corridor, Ruler Urranrell suddenly received the
urgent report from Tarrokov and burst into anger when she discovered that the Arcane
Church was attacking Planet Lighthouse.
“Arcane Church, Federation of Light…” Urranrell’s expression was grim.

It was not that she did not know that these two old enemies of hers would make things
difficult when they explored the Flickering World, but she had thought that it would
stop at the level of tricks. To think that they really tried to invade the outpost of the
dynasty, attempting to kill off three of their Beyond Grade As!

Did they think the Crimson Dynasty was so easy to bully?

If it was a conspiracy, there was nothing to say, but in a frontal battle, the dynasty
would never be afraid!

Urranrell immediately issued dozens of orders to mobilize the dynasty’s army. She did
not think that there was a chance of survival on the side of Planet Lighthouse, and thus,
she began to prepare for the counterattack instead.

The style of the dynasty was always to repay a tooth with a tooth and blood with blood.
This was their tradition. If they were not vicious enough, their position would not be
stable.

Now that they had been taken advantage of, if they did not produce a reaction similar to
that of a rabid dog retaliating, others would think that the dynasty was strong on the
outside but weak within.

Originally, the players were all exploring outside, but because Han Xiao was situated on
Planet Lighthouse, a portion of the players would occasionally head over to check it out.
When the battle broke out, there were a few players present on the planet, and one of
them was Bun-Hit-Dog. He immediately issued a post on the forums.

“Big event! Planet Lighthouse has been assaulted by an unknown force! There are ten
Beyond Grade A NPCs fighting!”
The moment he posted, the players exploring outside were all stunned.

Ten Beyond Grade As, my god, what sort of grand event was this?

It’s only been a while. Why would there be such a big event!

On the battlefield, the ten Beyond Grade As exchanged blows. Because of the arrival of
Austin as well as the sealing of the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter, the Arcane Church’s
strength had been reduced quite a bit. While Han Xiao and the rest were having a bad
time, they would not be defeated in such a short period.

“Do you have any other plans?”

Milizaus was thoroughly convinced by Han Xiao’s strategies, and while battling, they
were conversing on their mental network.

“There are six of them, and we are still at a disadvantage. Our objective has not
changed. We can only wait for reinforcements.”

Dodging an energy ray, Han Xiao controlled his army to return fire to repel Sagman.

“The enemies also know of this point… so they want to end this battle quickly. Milizaus
might be injured, but he can put up a strong fight. Austin has the shelter of the Palace of
Hidden Spells and will not fall easily. As for me, there’s no need to talk. The term
‘Indestructible Body’ is not just empty words. Thus, the enemies are likely to focus on
Beyoni. With him being so brittle, he’ll probably be the first to die.”

“…” Beyoni.

How vicious, to actually leave him with no way to retaliate!

I’m not like you guys, you perverted meat shields. I’m a true Beyond Grade A!
Milizaus was helpless. “Then let him stay behind me. I’ll help him to divert the majority
of the blows. Do you have any other plans?”

“How about you guys all stay and I escape?”

The three of them had nasty expressions. Brother, the f*ck are you talking about?

“Cough cough, slip of the tongue.” Han Xiao dryly coughed before sighing. “There’s
nothing much I can come out with. We can only fight it out. EsGod is still en route, and
if he arrives, the situation will get even more unfavorable…”

Everyone went silent. Upon thinking that there was still EsGod to come, everyone felt
their mood darken.

At this moment, Han Xiao made up his mind and solemnly spoke. “Everyone, I have a
request. Please protect me for five minutes. I will withdraw from this battle for the next
five minutes.”

“What are you going to do?” Milizaus stared at him.

“I have an ability to draw out and improve my combat power, but during this period of
preparation, I cannot be disturbed. I need you to hold them off for five minutes.” Han
Xiao naturally would not reveal the presence of his promotion missions and had to
come up with an excuse.

Milizaus was helpless. You just said that the situation was grim, but you suddenly chose
to withdraw? Also, what kind of ability requires a Beyond Grade A to prepare for five
minutes?

“How much combat power can you raise?” Austin suddenly asked.

“It should be quite a bit.” Han Xiao did not know exactly.
“Are you sure?” Milizaus spoke in a deep voice. “Even if you do this, you can’t become
overpowered. Your strength will definitely still be below mine, and this will not affect
the current scenario. Without your strength for the next five minutes, we’ll be in grave
danger. You also know that EsGod has not arrived, and we cannot be inflicted with
heavy injuries at this point…”

“It’s because the EsGod is not here. That’s why I chose to give it a shot! If we wait for
EsGod to arrive, the five minutes will be even more dangerous. Before he arrives, I’ll
increase my combat strength and see if it can give us a chance.” Han Xiao gritted his
teeth.

This was one of the reasons. The other unspoken reason was that this advancement was
no small matter!

Not only was it a Class Advancement, he also had a chance to undergo another Race
Evolution, which could bring him new abilities! Furthermore, as long as he broke past
this barrier, he would be able to continue levelling up.

His improvement was definitely not small!

At this time, Austin suddenly nodded. “Good, then you enter my Palace of Hidden
Spells. I’ll protect you for five minutes.”

“Can you?”

Han Xiao had an unsure tone. Not too long ago, Austin had still thought of retreating.
Now that the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter had been sealed by Han Xiao and there was
no immediate danger to him, why did he choose not to escape? To think that someone
like him would volunteer to take on such a difficult mission. This was totally different
from his impression of the old man that avoided danger.

Could it be that, over time, their relationship had become so good? Or did this old man
value credibility?

As though reading Han Xiao’s thoughts, Austin revealed a smile.

“The moment that you sealed the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter, I suddenly thought that
keeping you alive might be a good thing.”

Han Xiao paused, thought for a bit, and said, “If I survive this, then I’ll give you a bit of
Spacetime Amber… I used that previously to trap the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter.”

“I was waiting for that!”

Austin burst into laughter. While he wanted to appear magnificent, his soft laugh made
him appear more like a newborn than a man.

He was indeed moved by the Spacetime Amber and wished to research what sort of
thing it was. But that was not the whole reason.

The Ten Thousand Deity Scepter was defeated against his expectations. The situation
now was clear. If he stayed, they could still fight, but if he chose to run, the strength of
the dynasty’s side would flag, and the rest would be defeated.

Since he had already stepped into this dump, if he ran halfway, he would offend both
the Arcane Church and the Crimson Dynasty. However, if he chose to stay and assist
Black Star, he would only offend one side. The most important factor was that Austin
wished for Han Xiao to continue living. He found this fellow more and more likeable,
with all sorts of surprises.

“Isn’t it just five minutes?” Austin’s eyes glowed. “I’m not so weak that I can’t even
hold on for that amount of time!”

Han Xiao opened his secondary dimensional army box and collected all his troops.
After that, he flew over to the Palace of Hidden Spells, where an opening appeared in its
barriers, granting him entry.

No further words were needed. Han Xiao rushed into the palace, summoning a
mechanical troop before sealing himself in Spacetime Amber. Since obtaining the
amber, he had done a few experiments, which included sealing himself to discover the
effect of freezing the Spacetime Amber gave.
His status would appear as [Frozen], and while he could think and sense the outside
world, he was unable to communicate or even connect to the Quantum network.

Phillip followed the commands Han Xiao gave and controlled the troops to surround
Han Xiao, ready to utilize the Spacetime Amber to unseal him.

Sealing himself was insurance to prevent any disturbances from affecting him.

With only three people left in the battle against the Arcane Church, the pressure
increased.

Seeing that Han Xiao had stopped attacking, Sagman and the others did not know what
he was planning, but with the example of the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter, they were
not about to let Han Xiao’s actions continue. They concentrated fire on the Palace of
Hidden Spells.

Under the intense assault, the shields on the Palace of Hidden Spells were broken one
after another in just three minutes, bursting in a splendid display of fireworks.

The entire palace was shaking nonstop, with all sorts of cracks, and many functions
were destroyed.

While Austin continuously utilized his Forbidden Sorcerer arts to repair the arrays, the
rate of repair was far below that of its destruction. After all, the enemies outnumbered
them two to one, and on their side, Milizaus’ injuries were steadily accumulating.

The situation was getting more dangerous, but the trio continued to give it their all,
dragging out as much time as possible.

Austin’s Palace of Hidden Spells was worth its weight in gold and was extremely
sturdy. Although its durability kept plummeting, it had indeed blocked out all the enemy
attacks.

…
On the other side, the dynasty and Arcane Church’s fleets were still fighting fiercely.
High energy beams were exchanged rapidly and exploded on the shields of the
spaceships in dazzling arcs one after the other.

Tarrokov had long taken control of commanding the battlefield and was strongly
resisting the crazed invasion of the Arcane Church.

The Arcane Church’s troops outnumbered the dynasty’s by a few times, and their dark
energy furnace expanded and contracted as though it were breathing, consistently
releasing red beams of dark energy rays to batter at the dynasty’s barriers.

Their butterfly-model main flagship had already finished combining into a single entity,
and its hundreds of pairs of highly ductile ‘butterfly wings’ opened up, giving the
flagship the appearance of a rising sun. On the edge of each pair of wings, faint red light
was shining, and a series of light blades were continuously fired, akin to slashing
attacks. If one looked closely, the edges of the wings were filled with dense cannons,
and they all fired together, like a light blade being activated.

The Crimson Dynasty’s reloaded main flagship instead sported a neat formation and
orderly artillery fire. It seemed to be able to tear into the universe with an energy beam.
All three Universal Civilizations had many different types of warships, and the Crimson
Dynasty’s were famous for their strong firepower and tough armor.

“How much longer before the troops outside return?” Tarrokov asked while still staring
at the star map.

“The first batch should be back via hyperdrive in around four minutes,” the Vice
commander immediately replied.

Tarrokov nodded. With Planet Lighthouse besieged, he had decided to recall all troops
outside, which amounted to another three million warships. With their support, their
numbers would be even with the Arcane Church, and their pressure would lessen.

If not for him leading the fleet to withstand the Arcane Church’s offensive, they would
not even have had the opportunity to wait for reinforcements. He had no extra energy to
pay attention to the Beyond Grade A battles and only prayed that Black Star would not
fall too quickly.
“Where’s the army of the Fallen Ark?”

“Commander, the fleet we sent out is still tangling with the Fallen Ark fleet. I estimate
another twenty minutes before they enter.”

As Tarrokov nodded, a piercing alarm blared from the radar.

“Warning! Unknown high-energy response source detected! Comparing with

database… Comparison completed, target identity: EsGod!”

Tarrokov jumped up and cast his eyes over. On the outskirts of the battlefield, a
humanoid silhouette appeared, floating in the vast universe.

EsGod!

“Didn’t you say twenty minutes? Why is he…” Tarrokov was about to shout, but he
abruptly realized that EsGod had shown up alone, and he immediately understood.

This guy had abandoned his troops and arrived at the battlefield ahead of them!

The EsGod turned around, his gaze fixed on the battlefield of the Beyond Grade As.

He was totally unsatisfied with the speed of his fleet and decided to just ditch them,
utilizing his Esper Ability to warp large distances, teleporting straight to Planet
Lighthouse.

Surveying the entire battlefield, EsGod suddenly narrowed his eyes.

Where did Black Star go?

Chapter 850 The Key to Victory!
The next moment, EsGod teleported right into the battlefield of the ten Beyond Grade
As. As soon as he appeared, everyone’s expression changed drastically.

Milizaus’ side felt much more pressure. EsGod had arrived so quickly; it had not even
been five minutes yet.

The Beyond Grade As of the Arcane Church were also alarmed except one—Psyker
who was bombarding the Palace of Hidden Spells with his psychic energy. All seven of
his eyes opened wide; he was stunned.

“Why are you here?”

Due to the hatred born from what happened on Planet Avitan, the Arcane Church had
hidden EsGod’s involvement in this from him. Seeing that his mortal enemy had
appeared, Psyker was furious.

EsGod turned to look at him and smiled faintly, which equated to provocation in
Psyker’s eyes.

“Calm down,” Sagman said with a deep voice in their psychic communication channel.
“EsGod is our temporary ally.”

Psyker was shocked. His tone became cold. “So, you guys all knew about this?”

The other five kept silent. This was an order from the Arcane Church, but it was indeed
not honorable to hide this information together from their ally.

“Dylan, you knew about this too?” Psyker snorted.

“Sorry, I only knew moments before departure…”

Dylan did not want to face the questioning from his good friend, so he vented his
unhappiness in his attacks. He closed his palms and aimed at the Palace of Hidden
Spells. Water streams flowed around his arm, turning into high energy beams under the
effect of his Esper Ability and shot out at the Palace of Hidden Spells.

“Psyker,” Sagman said, “the mission is more important.”

With gloomy eyes, Psyker decided not to even look at EsGod and focused on attacking.

The middle of a battle was no time to look for revenge. He had to think of his race, so
he could not mess up the Arcane Church’s plan at such a crucial moment. Therefore, he
had no choice but to endure it.

Seeing this, EsGod took his eyes off Psyker, too. Truth to be told, although Psyker was
someone significant in the entire universe, he was nothing worth noting to him—those
Beyond Grade As he had killed in the past were no weaker than Psyker.

Among all the Beyond Grade As here, only Milizaus and Sagman were worth paying
attention to in his eyes. As for Austin, he had only heard of his name but never had any
contact with him.

Milizaus was the only one who had killed a Beyond Grade A before like him. EsGod
had fought with this old dragon many times and knew how strong he was. Therefore,
when he saw Milizaus’ wounds, shock flashed through his eyes.

“That wound came from just one attack. The Arcane Church definitely used some kind
of special weapon, or he would not have been wounded this heavily so quickly.” EsGod
narrowed his eyes and increased his caution of the Arcane Church.

However, at the moment, he was still on the same side as the Arcane Church. He
observed the battlefield and could not find Black Star and his army. Confused, he
connected with Sagman’s mind and asked, “Black Star isn’t here. Have you guys let
him escape?”

Sagman shot out a pale gold impact wave that penetrated Milizaus’ magic defenses and
exploded on his back, tearing off a huge portion of his flesh and scales. He then replied
with a deep voice, “Black Star has exited the battle and hidden in the Palace of Hidden
Spells. No idea what he’s trying to pull.”

“He’s hiding?” EsGod paused and asked, “Has the Evolution Cube been confirmed to
be on him?”

“Yes, he took it out and used it earlier.”

“Okay.” EsGod nodded. The next moment, he teleported right above the Palace of
Hidden Spells and stepped on the surface of the defense spell. The flow of magic from
the spell did not affect him at all.

Austin, who was sitting atop the Palace of Hidden Spells, looked up and saw EsGod.
The two of them were separated by thick layers of defense magic arrays.

Austin’s eyes became focused. He opened his arms, and the dozens of magic books
around him started flipping their own pages.

Swoosh!

As the pages of those books turned, colorful magic runes appeared from within and
quickly landed on the Palace of Hidden Spells. They then teleported into the control
core of the Palace of Hidden Spells—this was how the Palace of Hidden Spells was
operated.

The next moment, the arrays within a thousand meters under EsGod’s feet suddenly
changed color. Magic energy turned violent, and a magic impact wave shot up from
below EsGod like a fountain and devoured him.

As Austin looked up to observe the result of this attack, a stranger’s voice appeared
behind his ears. The voice was like a thunder in his mind.
“The Magus, Austin. I see, you’re not too bad.”

Out of nowhere, EsGod suddenly stood behind him. Using Energy Reflection, Plasma
Body, Dimension Crack, and Teleportation simultaneously, he directly passed through
the defense array of the Palace of Hidden Spells, which the six of the Arcane Church
Beyond Grade As had failed to penetrate for a long time! EsGod’s strength did not just
come from his raw power. What was more horrifying was the variety of Esper abilities
he had.

“Sh*t!” Austin was shocked. Although there were also tons of defense measures inside
the Palace of Hidden Spells, they were not as strong as the exterior defense array. Now
that EsGod had slipped in, he would not be able to stop him from destroying the Palace
of Hidden Spells from the inside!

Boom!

Austin’s defense spell was shattered by EsGod with just one kick enhanced by [Strength
Esper Ability—Star Toss], and his tiny body was blasted away like a cannon.

The red robe Mages around Austin hastily cast spells, trying to stop EsGod. However,
the next moment, their bodies started crumbling and turned to dust one after another.

Seeing the strange way their comrades had died, the Mages further away were all
stunned. They backed away in a panic having seen their own body started showing signs
of turning into dust too and did not dare get close to EsGod.

EsGod lowered his hand and looked satisfied. The Esper Ability he used indeed came
from Ember. It was a god-tier area-of-effect Esper Ability when used on targets weaker
than himself.

Then, EsGod activated a sensing Esper Ability and scanned the entire Palace of Hidden
Spells in an instant.

To his shock, he did not sense the energy presence of Han Xiao. His senses were
blocked by the Spacetime Amber.
This made him frown.

“Where did he go… hmm?”

Austin regained his balance far away. He would not be so easily wounded by EsGod.
Remembering his mission of stalling for the time, he instantly struck back and disrupted
EsGod.

Bang bang bang!

The two of them fought within the Palace of Hidden Spells, and the aftershock shattered
the buildings around them.

Although Austin was no match for EsGod, he could go all out to stall him for some time
at the very least. However, the wounds on his body grew rapidly, and he had no time to
even control the Palace of Hidden Spells.

Without Austin’s control, the Palace of Hidden Spells’ responses became slow and
faced even more intense focus fire. Although the surviving red robe Mages were doing
their very best to control it, they had no chance of hanging on against the attacks of so
many Beyond Grade As.

Kaching!

The defense array was broken one layer after another and finally reached its limits,
shattering into pieces. A huge hole appeared on the defense barrier of the Palace of
Hidden Spells and emitted a strong suction force. The space inside the Palace of Hidden
Spells was a sealed space, and the air inside was all sucked out.

“Finally!”

Sagman rushed in hastily, worrying that EsGod might snatch the Evolution Cube before
him.
At this time, before everyone could observe the situation, a familiar energy impact
gushed out from within the Palace of Hidden Spells!

A tower inside the Palace of Hidden Spells suddenly exploded. A man dashed out, and a
fist expanded rapidly in EsGod’s sights!

Bang!

The fist crashed into EsGod’s arm. The enormous impact penetrated his body and
formed an air cannon behind him, which exploded on the inside of the defense array,
stirring up a violent tornado.

This man was indeed Han Xiao. As his fist pressed against EsGod’s arm, their energy
clashed time after time.

Feeling the astonishing amount of power from his arms, EsGod’s brows raised slightly.

“Compared to the last time we fought, you’ve become much stronger.”

The last time he fought with Black Star in the Central Galaxy, he had an overwhelming
upper hand. However, the energy level that Black Star was now showing made him
uncontrollably shocked—Black Star’s improvement was too obvious.

What he did not know was, the last time they fought, Han Xiao had only been level 240
and was just on the doorstep of Beyond Grade A. Now, Han Xiao was level 260 and
much stronger. Han Xiao had yet to go through Promotion at this moment.

However, he had completed the Promotion Mission, and he could claim the reward
anytime!

“That was close.”

As Han Xiao clashed with EsGod, he felt relieved in his heart. EsGod’s early arrival had
caused the situation to worsen tremendously, but luckily, this guy had spent some time
observing the situation and then was stalled by Austin with everything he had. Because
of all that, he was able to stay out of battle for enough time.

At a close distance with EsGod, Han Xiao had hesitated for a moment and suppressed
his impulse to use [EsGod Character Summon Card—Esper Silence].

Although he could carry out his Promotion at any time, the level difference between
him and EsGod was still there. The effect of Esper Silence relied on the two sides’
levels, energy, and Luck. If the duration was too short, the damage he could deal to
EsGod would be limited.

The six Beyond Grade As of the Arcane Church were not scarecrows. Although EsGod
and the Arcane Church were both cautious of each other, Sagman and the others would
not be so shortsighted as to watch their external helper get heavily wounded. They
would protect EsGod even if they were reluctant. In this situation, using this Character
Summon Card would only waste it.

Knowing that, Han Xiao once again opened his secondary dimensional army box and
released his mechanical army once more.

As Mechanical Force gushed out like lightning to enhance his mechanical army, Han
Xiao directly opened the interface while still battling with EsGod.

Promotion!

_____________________

Lv260 Promotion Mission completed!

+45 END Bonus!

1 END = 355 Health = 365 Stamina

_____________________
In an instant, his cells underwent a drastic change. Immense agony exploded in his body
and shocked every single one of his nerves.

Every Promotion required time to complete; they were not instant. Luckily, Han Xiao
had gotten used to such pain by now. Furthermore, as a Mechanic, most of the time, he
relied on his machinery to battle, so he could endure it.

EsGod’s sharp senses noticed Han Xiao’s change, and his pupils constricted.

This guy’s energy is increasing during battle?

The other Beyond Grade As noticed the strange situation and were equally shocked—
they were not strangers to this situation. This was the ascension in life hierarchy!

“This is what this guy meant?”

Austin was stunned. He did not expect Han Xiao to mean the ascension in life hierarchy
when he said that he could increase his strength.

Every Beyond Grade As had experienced this type of ascension in life hierarchy
multiple times in their lives, but the process was slow and ongoing for them. Some even
required decades to complete. However, ascending amid battle and compressing the
evolution process of many years into such a short period was something that they had
never ever seen in their lives!

“Could this be the reason Black Star broke the record of becoming a Beyond Grade A in
the shortest time? Is this his special talent?”

They were bewildered and made their guesses.

As a notification popped up, Han Xiao quickly selected the options of Race Evolution
and added some talents into the Black Star Race traits.
He was only able to hastily scan through the new talents and abilities during battle. He
was already distracted by the pain and had no room to be distracted even more. He
barely maintained his focus and continued to fight.

As the strength of Han Xiao’s mechanical army increased visibly, the pressure he felt
was reduced. He felt a little less worried.

Han Xiao was not hoping to turn the situation entirely around with just this Promotion,
as they were fighting four against seven, including EsGod, who made the situation
much worse.

He wanted to do the Promotion to increase the combined strength on their side so that
they could stall for as long as possible. With such a wide strength difference, if the
enemy did not show any flaws, there was absolutely no way to kill any one of the
enemies head-on.

Han Xiao knew this very well and would not lose his cool due to his sudden surge of
strength. Arrogance did not exist in his books.

In such a dangerous situation, there was no room to mess around.

Austin’s Palace of Hidden Spells was heavily damaged, and Milizaus was not in a good
state either. When Han Xiao returned to the battlefield, he had no choice but to take on
the task of being the tank and guard against attacks for his teammates.

The Promotion made him visibly stronger. Together with the Aurora Character
Summon Card that he had saved for many years, Han Xiao was able to take on about
half of all the enemy attacks.

Although the situation was passive, they could hang on for the time being.

Compared to the main battlefield, the battlefield between the Beyond Grade As was
tiny. While they were fighting, the situation on the main battlefield changed as well.
Planet Lighthouse’s exterior fleets returned one after another, and the situation became
stable.

However, with the entrance of the Fallen Ark fleet, Tarrokov’s fleet was surrounded,
and they were in a passive situation again.

The garrison of Planet Lighthouse were being slowly chipped away bit by bit. With a
grave expression, Tarrokov never took off his eyes from the 3D mini-map of the
battlefield. He quickly gave out orders one after another, doing everything he could to
slow down the rate of his troops’ death.

He took a moment and glanced at the situation of the Beyond Grade A battle. That made
him somewhat relieved. Luckily, Black Star and the others were holding their own
against the enemy Beyond Grade As, otherwise things would have been tremendously
worse.

Despite the fact that the battle between the Beyond Grade As were the enemies’ focus
and had the highest possibility of suffering an overwhelming loss, they somehow barely
held on. Although Tarrokov was not a Beyond Grade A, he could imagine how much
pressure Black Star and the others were under.

Tarrokov clenched his teeth and yelled, “Where are the reinforcements? When will they
arrive at the stargate entrance?”

The deputy hastily looked at the messages, covered in sweat. He suddenly yelled,
“Chief commander, the reinforcements sent by the two closest strongholds have already
arrived at the stargate entrance. The border stronghold reinforcements of the Garu,
Renault, and Crown Star Clusters have already gathered a total force of more than three
million battleships. Also, Their Excellencies Maximiler, Heber, and Ravenlaude are
almost in position!”

The reinforcements were finally arriving!

Tarrokov’s eyes became bright. “Engineering team, assemble the stargate immediately!
Reactivate the tunnel and let the reinforcements in!”
The dynasty’s fleet changed formation immediately, using the fleet as the line of
defense to assemble the portable stargate in the middle of the formation.

The commander of the Arcane Church saw this and was not happy. The resistance the
dynasty’s fleet had shown was much stronger than expected. Under the command of
Tarrokov, an experienced commander, the defense army of Planet Lighthouse had
fought extremely hard and rebounded time after time. Many times, the Arcane Church
thought the dynasty’s fleet was about to collapse, yet they still hung on.

The situation was the same on the Beyond Grade A battlefield; the four Dynasty
Beyond Grade As were too tenacious.

He immediately contacted Sagman. “We can’t let the dynasty’s fleet assemble the
stargate. You guys restrain the enemy Beyond Grade As and send one or two of you to
cut into the dynasty’s formation and destroy their stargate!”

Sagman looked at Black Star, who was very much alive even after receiving a ton of
attacks. Unwilling, he clenched his teeth and made the decision.

“Mercer, you and Dylan go to destroy the dynasty’s stargate. The rest of us will stay
here to restrain the four of them!”

The two Mages had to deal with the Palace of Hidden Spells and could not be separated.
Psyker had to sense the Evolution Cube and had to be here. Sagman had to stay there to
restrain Milizaus and EsGod. Therefore, he could only send Mercer and Dylan.

Sagman had originally wanted to quickly eliminate the three of them, but Austin had
suddenly appeared, and even the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter had been sealed. At this
moment, he no longer had the confidence to quickly defeat the opponents.

Since the battle would not be ending soon, destroying the dynasty’s stargate became a
more important mission.

Mercer and Dylan nodded and immediately left the battlefield to head to the dynasty’s
fleet.
With two opponents leaving, Han Xiao and the others faced much less pressure.
However, they were not relieved at all. Only the reinforcements would be able to turn
the situation around. They could not let the enemies destroy the stargate no matter what.

“This is the key to winning…”

This thought appeared on everyone’s mind.

Han Xiao’s energy clashed with EsGod another time. His mechanical suit shattered, and
he instantly donned his seventh backup mechanical suit. He then turned to look at
Mercer and Dylan, who were getting further away. A sharp glint flashed through his
eyes.

“Someone finally split off!”

Chapter 851 New Talent!

The fleets were the absolute main forces of the civilizations. The efficiency of a Beyond
Grade A could not compare with millions of official military battleships. However,
individual power and collective power were different concepts. The individuals with
great power possessed irreplaceable special effects on the battlefield.

Compared to whole fleets, Beyond Grade As were smaller and more mobile. They could
both fight fleets head-on and easily penetrate the defenses of the fleets to achieve their
goal, such as eliminating the enemy’s leader.

During battle, Han Xiao had already analyzed how the situation would play out. As long
as the dynasty could hang on to the stage where they had to build stargates, the Arcane
Church would undoubtedly attack the stargate.
At that time, the six enemy Beyond Grade As would very likely change their strategy
from aggressively attacking to holding the four of them back while sending a few to
attack the stargate.

This was the exact opportunity he was waiting for!

After fighting for so long, the agony of Promotion had gradually diminished, and Han
Xiao had gotten used to the changes in his body.

He was given five Race Evolution options to choose two from and then one Racial
Talent each from these two races from all their talents to add into the talents of the
Black Star Race.

Compared to the previous Race Evolutions, the Race Evolution at the Beyond Grade A
level was less random and gave more choices.

The two races Han Xiao chose this time were [Void Saint] and [Void Juggler].

Other than giving him the forty-five Endurance bonus, these also gave him bonus
attributes of 266 Strength, 310 Dexterity, 454 Endurance, 537 Intelligence, 372
Mystery, 177 Charm, and 1,600 Energy!

With the Grade S Bonus, [Advanced Strengthened Life], [Eternal Body], and
[Extraordinary Physique], Han Xiao’s health was now more than three million!

Other than the help of his teammates, the ten-percent bonus to all attributes given by
[Advanced Strengthened Life] was an important factor that allowed him to hold on
under the violent attacks of the enemies.

Things were the most dangerous at the start, and he had to use the Aurora Character
Summon Card two times to get through it. When his attributes stacked higher, only then
was he able to hang on.
His main class turned from [Emperor Mechanic] to [Lord Mechanic], and his
Machinery Affinity increased once again. With the bonus of the [Perfect Mechanical
Sense] Character Summon Card, the strength of his mechanical army increased visibly.

From the various talents of the two new races, Han Xiao chose two talents that would
provide the most help to the current situation. From the way he looked at it, if he could
snatch the opportunity, these two abilities were more than enough to turn the tables…
And that opportunity was the moment when the enemy Beyond Grade As split up.

Dylan and Mercer penetrated the dynasty fleet’s formation like a drill and headed right
to the stargates that were being built, while Sagman and the other three stayed to
restrain Han Xiao and the others.

Milizaus could only watch the enemies split up. He tried to back up the dynasty fleet but
was stopped by Sagman and the others.

Only Han Xiao was able to send a part of his mechanical army to chase after Dylan and
Mercer.

The quantity of the mechanical army was too high; even Sagman and the others were
not able to stop all of them. However, they were not too worried as two Beyond Grade
As would definitely be able to deal with that.

Seeing Dylan and Mercer heading his way, Tarrokov immediately adjusted the fleet’s
formation to continuously block the path of the two of them.

Although this was able to slow the two of them down, it was not able to prevent the fact
that the distance between the two of them and the stargates was slowly decreasing.

“Black Star, this won’t last. Austin and my magic energy is still decreasing. We won’t
be able to last forever. We can’t let the Arcane Church stop our reinforcements.”
Milizaus was anxious.
“The enemies have the numerical advantage and are forcing us to be on the defensive
side,” Han Xiao said with a deep voice. “The only way to reduce the pressure we’re
facing to the largest extent is to make them lose one Beyond Grade A.”

“They have been maintaining their cooperation; we have no chance.”

“No, I have a way to deal with those two who have split up from the rest. Maybe it’s
worth the risk.” Han Xiao’s tone was serious. “However, EsGod is only chasing after
me alone. His ability can stop my plan.”

“What’s the success rate?”

“If EsGod interferes, maybe there’s only a twenty-percent chance of succeeding.

However, if I’m willing to give it all, there’s more than seventy-percent chance to
succeed!”

“What do you mean?”

“EsGod’s goal is evolution, and his alliance with the Arcane Church is definitely based
on that. I know what he wants, and if I give that to him…”

“Got it. Do that then. This isn’t the time to hesitate. It’s better than dying a slow death.”
Milizaus expressed his approval.

“Okay!”

Han Xiao clenched his teeth and made up his mind. He glanced at EsGod and suddenly
opened his arms, using one of his new talents.

“Void Prison!”

All four Mages present noticed the large amount of Void Energy released from Han
Xiao’s body that quickly filled the battlefield everyone was in.
The next moment, everyone felt that this part of cosmic space became viscous, and their
movements became slower.

After sensing around, the four Mages all discovered that this was not just an ability that
reduced their speed. The Void Dimension had descended on this part of the cosmic
space and temporarily changed the space attribute of this area, forming a strange
territory that slowed everyone down.

“He changed this space with the power of the Void Dimension?” Ninjia frowned and
tried to get rid of Void Prison, only to realize that his magic energy flowed slower, too.

This type of ability was not rare, but the difficulty of getting rid of it differed based on
the ability’s properties. The [Void Prison] talent from [Void Saint] formed a special
territory using the power of the Void Dimension, which could last quite some time.

Beyond Grade A Mages could break this territory, but it was very troublesome. Even if
Ninjia and Taylor worked together, they would need some time.

This ability even affected Milizaus and the others, as well as the mechanical army.
There were only two people that could move freely—Han Xiao, who was very
comfortable in this territory due to his Void talents, and EsGod, who had the Dimension
Crack Esper Ability.

With another teleportation, EsGod appeared right behind Han Xiao with a mocking
smile. His strength Esper Ability enhanced fist headed for Han Xiao’s back.

“This isn’t our first fight. You didn’t think that this kind of ability would work on me,
did you?”

“Is that so? Then what about this?” Han Xiao narrowed his eyes.

EsGod’s fist was closing in on his back, but Han Xiao did not even look behind.
Instead, he looked at the fleet battlefield faraway and focused on Mercer.

EsGod noticed a subtle space ripple on Han Xiao’s body. The next moment, with a
flash, Han Xiao switched places with Mercer.
Before Mercer could react to how he suddenly appeared there, he was blown away by
EsGod’s punch.

After being stunned for a second, EsGod immediately realized what had happened. He
quickly looked at the fleet battlefield faraway. Mercer, who had previously been there,
had been switched for Han Xiao—the location of the two of them had swapped
instantly.

[Void Swap], a talent from [Void Juggler], used fifteen percent of his health and energy.
It would forcefully swap his location with the target and had a 320-second cooldown.

[Void Prison] and [Void Swap] were two abilities Han Xiao deliberately selected to
create this situation.

“Space swapping type ability…” EsGod was a little surprised. It was not that he had
never seen an ability like this. In fact, he even had one. However, his Esper Ability
could only swap him with objects and not someone who had the same Grade as him. It
was not even as good as his teleportation.

Sagman and the others were shocked too—when did Black Star obtain this ability?
There was no information about this anywhere!

They looked far away, and their expression changed slightly. The fact that Mercer had
been swapped over meant that Dylan was now alone against Han Xiao!

The two of them were deep into the dynasty fleet’s formation and were very far from
the others. With the restriction of the Void Prison, they could not assist Dylan
immediately.

“Black Star has been hiding this ability all along.” Ninjia was shocked.

“We have to quickly break this ability and send people to assist Dylan,” Sagman said
with a deep voice.
If Dylan was held back, the dynasty would be able to successfully assemble the
stargates—in their eyes, this was Han Xiao’s goal.

However, none of them had guessed that Han Xiao’s true shocking goal was to reduce
the Arcane Church’s numbers.

In their eyes, Black Star did not have the ability to defeat Dylan in a short time.
Therefore, not a single one of them thought that Han Xiao had done this to defeat
Dylan. Even if they did know Han Xiao’s goal, they would not think that Han Xiao
would be able to do it. After all, Dylan was a Beyond Grade A who excelled at defense
and control; he would not be defeated so easily.

Han Xiao’s vision flashed as he swapped with Mercer and appeared not far from Dylan.

Although Dylan was surprised by Han Xiao’s sudden appearance, he did not panic. In
his eyes, Black Star would not be able to do much to him alone.

However, Dylan had no idea how terrifying Han Xiao was if he did not hold back.

“This is the only opportunity!” Han Xiao’s eyes focused. Without the interference of
other enemies, only now did he have an opportunity to go all out.

The next moment, Han Xiao aimed his hand at Dylan, who was covered in his water
barrier, and activated his Ames Character Summon Card.

A powerful force field appeared and shattered the water barrier. To Dylan’s shock, he
realized that he was restrained by the force field.

Ames Character Summon Card—Gaze of the Dragon!

Han Xiao had used Ames’ Character Summon Card once when he was at the Calamity
Grade. He had obtained a new Blank Character Summon Card later and used it on Ames
again. He had never met a situation where he needed to use it, until now.
This powerful control ability could not restrain someone at the same Grade as him for
too long; Dylan could escape anytime.

Han Xiao was just about to continue his plan when EsGod arrived using teleportation
again.

His Dimension Crack and Teleportation ignored the Void Prison. He was the only one
who could break Han Xiao’s plan. However, he did not come to protect Dylan; Han
Xiao’s Evolution Cube was the only thing that mattered.

“This guy…” Han Xiao expected this from EsGod. Having made up his mind, he
activated the Evolution Cube and instantly shot out a beam of Evolution Energy at
EsGod.

“Hmm?” EsGod’s expression changed as he stopped midair.

However, his response was completely different from Sagman’s and the others.

Not only did EsGod not dodge it, he instead deliberately headed right toward the beam
of Evolution Energy. The black Evolution Energy flowed into his body, and a black
cocoon started growing on his skin.

The terms of him working with the Arcane Church were to help the Arcane Church
obtain the Evolution Cube in exchange for one chance to use the Evolution Cube. Now,
however, Han Xiao had directly sent him the Evolution Energy that he had been
dreaming of. He immediately stopped bothering about everything else and directly took
it in.

This was Han Xiao’s plan.

Isn’t this Evolution Energy the reason you’re targeting me? I’ll give it to you then. Will
you continue to fight me or achieve your goal first?
EsGod was controlled by Han Xiao with this immediately and did not continue to stop
Han Xiao.

While Dylan was still controlled by the Ames Character Summon Card, Han Xiao
instantly arrived right in front of him using Void Hyperdrive. He threw a Luck Curse,
grabbed onto Dylan’s shoulder, and activated the EsGod Character Summon Card!

Esper Silence!

This time, the force field had just disappeared. Dylan was just about to push Han Xiao
away using his Esper Ability, but to his absolute shock, he realized that he could not
sense the existence of his Esper Ability anymore. His expression changed drastically.

“You…”

Han Xiao activated all his explosive abilities including [Gene Liberation] immediately
and yelled in the quantum network, “Fire!”

The next moment, the mechanical army around them fired right at the two of them, and
beams of psionic attacks landed on their bodies.

Dylan was an Esper. Without his Esper Ability, he was nothing but a target that could
not resist.

Furthermore, he was not immune to True Damage!

The blue cluster of light expanded and exploded!

As the light dissipated, Dylan became covered in blood and on his last breath.
Nanoparticle tentacles extended from the mechanical soldiers around, forming a few
enormous chains that locked onto Dylan’s arms and legs, controlling his body tightly.

All kinds of mechanical traps circled around Dylan and restricted his movements, while
the barrels of all the mechanical soldiers aimed at him and were ready to fire anytime.
Han Xiao was right behind Dylan. His arms locked around Dylan’s neck tightly, and his
eyes were coldly staring in the direction of Sagman. It was clear that he was threatening
them with Dylan’s life!

Sagman and the others’ expressions changed dramatically!

This was beyond all their expectations!

Dylan had been captured by Black Star so quickly!

How could Black Star possibly have such combat capability?

“Im—Impossible!” Psyker’s eyes widened with disbelief.

Sagman was shocked. Only now did he understand that Black Star’s goal was not to
stall Dylan but to eliminate him to reduce their numbers!

This time, the two Mages of the Arcane Church finally broke the Void Prison. Be it
friend or foe, everyone looked at Han Xiao with shock.

How did he capture a Beyond Grade A in such a short time?

Sagman and the others did not dare continue attacking Milizaus and the others; they
were afraid that Han Xiao would kill Dylan instantly.

Milizaus and the other two were also shocked and did not move.

“Sh*t…” Sagman was troubled. Dylan was clearly heavily injured, and his life was in
Black Star’s hands. If they continued fighting, not mentioning whether they would still
be able to complete the mission after losing one Beyond Grade A, Dylan would
definitely die.
Dylan was a Beyond Grade A, not someone they could just give up.

Afraid of the repercussions of their actions, both sides stopped fighting, and the
situation seemed to have come to a stalemate.

Sagman clenched his teeth. He secretly gave Ninjia a look. Ninjia understood his
meaning and sent a psychic message to EsGod.

“EsGod, continue moving and destroy the dynasty’s stargate!”

It was not that Sagman did not want to save Dylan, but Dylan had already been
captured, and if they wanted to break this stalemate and have a chance at completing the
mission, the only way was to let go of Dylan.

However, he did not want to express his decision of giving up his teammate, so it was
best to let EsGod do the work. EsGod did not belong to the Arcane Church. If Black
Star killed Dylan because of that, they would have nothing to do with it. This was the
only solution.

However, EsGod ignored him completely and left the battlefield via teleportation,
returning to the main ship of the Fallen Ark fleet where Fakisen was waiting.

Hearing movement, Fakisen turned around but was shocked by EsGod’s appearance.
Black lines were swimming on EsGod’s body like snakes under his skin. It was
somewhat horrifying.

“Your Excellency EsGod, are you injured?”

“Injured? No, no… I feel amazing!”

EsGod forced out a smile. He had temporarily suppressed the Evolution Energy in his
body, which was why he did not turn into a cocoon on the spot.

“Send my order, retreat immediately!”

“Ah? Are we not continuing the battle?” Fakisen wondered.

“The goal is achieved. Let the Arcane Church restrain the dynasty’s fleet. We’ll
retreat!”

Having received the Evolution Energy, EsGod had already achieved his goal. There was
no longer a need for him to continue working together with the Arcane Church.

Right now, he could not wait to find a peaceful place to complete his evolution and did
not care about helping the Arcane Church at all.

EsGod knew that this was Han Xiao’s plot, but he did not mind falling for it if he could
achieve his goal.

His combat capability would be affected while suppressing the Evolution Energy. To
him, completing the evolution was much more important than dealing with Black Star.

As for trustworthiness… when did he have that?

The Fallen Ark fleet stopped firing immediately. Now matter how much the Arcane
Church commander roared, their retreat out of the battlefield could not be prevented.

Seeing this, Han Xiao’s mouth twitched.

EsGod’s reputation did not disappoint him.

Han Xiao had no choice but to satisfy EsGod’s need. EsGod was the strongest of
everyone present. As long as he was there, Han Xiao would always be at a
disadvantage. EsGod’s teleportation was too great a threat to the stargates; he had to
find a way to make him retreat from the battlefield.
“Get through this danger first, find a way to deal with EsGod later… He participated in
this attack and worked with the Arcane Church. The dynasty won’t let him get away
with it easily.” Han Xiao did not dwell on it.

On the other side, EsGod’s retreat shocked the people of the Arcane Church.

“EsGod!” Sagman was furious.

In such a short period, the upper hand that they had firmly held disappeared completely.
One of them was captured, and another fled. The seven Beyond Grade As that they
originally had become five in the blink of an eye!

And the root of all of this was Han Xiao!

Sagman gritted his teeth so hard to the point his teeth almost cracked.

Chapter 852 Forced Retrea

As the Fallen Ark fleet stopped firing, their millions of spaceships turned into streams
of light and left Planet Lighthouse, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye. It
was clear that they were familiar with betraying their teammates and were experts at it.

As the EsGod’s fleet departed, the situation of the battle changed instantly.

Without the powerful exterior help, the number of battleships on the Arcane Church’s
side reduced by almost half. By this point, the Planet Lighthouse army had already
recalled all its fleet. The number of battleships on both sides was even; the Arcane
Church could no longer obtain the upper hand.
“Damn it…” Sagman looked at this with clenched teeth, but his heart was filled with
helplessness. He was not in the mood to even blame EsGod for breaking their alliance.

He knew that although they were working together, the Arcane Church upper echelons
did not have much hope in EsGod. It was indeed because these upper echelons were
confident about EsGod’s negative reputation that they gathered six Beyond Grade As to
attack with the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter. They planned to be done with the battle
before EsGod arrived all along.

In fact, according to the Arcane Church’s calculations, the success rate of this operation
was indeed exceptionally high. It was a battle of six versus three to begin with, and if
they had rendered Milizaus incapable of fighting with the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter,
the plan would have already been eighty percent complete. It was not impossible to
capture three Beyond Grade As of the dynasty at that point.

However, what they did not expect was Austin’s appearance, which turned the six
against three situation into six versus four.

Although it was just one more person, it greatly reduced the strength advantage of the
six Arcane Church Beyond Grade As.

More importantly, the powerful destructive weapon, the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter,
was countered by Black Star using a strange method and was even sealed!

If not for that, we would have already captured Black Star, obtained the Evolution
Cube, and retreated with the fleet by now… This thought flashed through the minds of
Sagman and the four others, making them frustrated.

Observing the disadvantageous situation, Sagman could only feel a strong headache.

If it was just EsGod retreating, the six of them would actually still have had a chance at
completing the mission.
After fighting for so long, Milizaus was heavily injured, Austin’s Palace of Hidden
Spells was damaged, and Beyoni was not in a good state. Black Star was the only one
still hanging on strong… but his mechanical army had also suffered enormous damage.

Comparatively, the six of them were in good states. If they continued to fight, they
would still have a high chance at winning.

However, now that Dylan had been captured by Black Star, Sagman’s plan completely
went to waste.

In this battle, Black Star had once again showcased new abilities that no one knew of.
Sagman had no choice but to admit that he did indeed fear Black Star for the fact that he
did not know what other trump cards this guy was hiding.

Ninjia frowned and asked in the psychic communication network, “What now?”

Sagman looked at the enormous battlefield and saw that the Arcane Church’s fleet was
now at a stalemate with the enemies, not able to prevent the dynasty fleet from
assembling their stargates.

“Inform the commander, we’re retreating!” He squeezed out the words from between
his tightly clenched teeth.

“You’re giving up Dylan?” Psyker’s eyes looked hostile.

“Sagman is right.” Ninjia nodded. “Dylan has been captured, and EsGod has retreated.
It’s now five against four, and they have a hostage. The plan of quick attack has failed.
There are only two paths ahead of us—continue fighting or retreat.

“They’re not in a good state. We will no doubt win if we continue to fight. However,
time is a problem. Having lost two combatants, we won’t be able to settle the battle
quickly. Don’t forget, the Flickering World is the dynasty’s territory. We have no base
here, and the secret stargate is our only way of retreating. The longer we fight, the
higher the risk.”
“Also, EsGod wants to use us to secure his retreat,” Taylor added. “We can’t let him
have his way.”

“Dylan…”

“The risk of saving him is too high and will very likely make Black Star kill him. We
have no choice but to leave him behind. That way, at least he can stay alive. The only
way is to have the Arcane Church negotiate with the Crimson Dynasty afterward.”
Ninjia shook his head. Even if the dynasty was willing to exchange the hostage, the
Arcane Church would definitely bleed for it. Furthermore, the dynasty might not even
be willing to.

Psyker was in an extremely bad mood. His good friend was in Black Star’s hands. God
only knew what the dynasty would do to him, but there was nothing he could do.

“While the dynasty is still building the stargate, we’re retreating.” Sagman paused
before saying with resignation, “Inform the upper echelons that this plan… has failed.”

Everyone’s mood was down after hearing this.

Six versus four, yet one of them was captured. This was beyond embarrassing!

They had failed an almost infallible mission, and the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter was
sealed. How would the Arcane Church upper echelons see them?

Almost every step that led to the tables turning had been caused by Han Xiao.

Although they did not want to admit it, they knew that they were forced to retreat by
Black Star!

Psyker exchanged looks with the heavily injured Dylan faraway. His eyes were filled
with apology.
Seeing Psyker’s eyes, Dylan knew that he had been abandoned. He felt a sting in his
heart; it did not feel good to be abandoned. Thinking of how he would be treated as a
captive, his heart kept sinking.

The effect of Esper Silence had already worn off, and Dylan’s Esper Ability had
recovered. However, a round of attacks including True Damage had all landed on him
earlier. Without the defense barrier from his Esper Ability, he had been critically
injured. If not because Han Xiao wanted to capture him alive, he felt that he would have
been killed directly. Fear still lingered in his heart.

At this time, Han Xiao was right behind him. Han Xiao’s arms that were wrapped
around his neck had explosive power. Dylan was no Pugilist. Although his body was
much stronger than Calamity Grades, it was nothing worth noting at the Beyond Grade
A level. With all kinds of mechanical traps, Dylan could not escape at all. Resisting was
playing with his own life.

Sagman and the other four retreated to the Arcane Church’s fleet and entered the
spaceships. The Arcane Church fleet then started to retreat orderly.

Relying on superior mobility, the Arcane Church’s fleet gradually distanced themselves
from the dynasty’s fleet.

Milizaus and the other two came to Black Star. Beyoni had a feeling that he had just
evaded death.

“Luckily, you captured one of the enemy Beyond Grade As, or they would not have
retreated this easily… This guy is the Arcane Church’s ‘Sea Spirit’ Dylan. He’s not
weak. What did you do to capture him so quickly?”

Han Xiao gave Beyoni a strange look. “Trust me. You’re no stranger to this ability.”

Back when they fought EsGod alongside each other, Beyoni had been hit with the
authentic ‘Esper Silence’ and still remembered that feeling vividly. Only, he did not
know that Han Xiao was talking about that.
Esper Silence was the nemesis of Espers. There were probably not many Espers in the
entire universe who could beat EsGod one on one. Han Xiao’s EsGod Character
Summon Card had two usages.

He had used one on Dylan, and he planned to use the next one on EsGod.

Before the start of the battle, he obtained two Blank Character Summon Cards from the
Random Reward. However, he did not use them on EsGod. After all, EsGod had way
too many Esper Abilities; the chance of getting Esper Silence again was too slim, and
the other random abilities were not too useful to him. He needed to use them to obtain
Reynold’s Perfect Mechanical Sense.

On the other side, Milizaus watched as Sagman and the others retreated. He then asked
with a deep voice, “They’re fleeing—should we chase?”

“Don’t count me in on the chase,” Austin said calmly. “Black Star, I’ve returned the
favor. You now owe me a big favor.”

“Got it.” Honestly, if not because Austin maintained his moral principles and kept his
promise, someone on the dynasty’s side would definitely have died.

Austin nodded with satisfaction. He then turned to look at his Forbidden Sorcerers, who
had suffered heavy casualties, and felt a heartache. These were all his elites and were
very tiring to train.

As for the heavily damaged Palace of Hidden Spells, Austin did not care at all. He just
had to spend some time to repair it, and the material fees for that were nothing to him.
To a Mage at his level, earning money was as easy as breathing.

Austin was not a dynasty ally, so Milizaus could not ask him to do anything. He then
looked at Beyoni and asked, “What about you?”

“Don’t come to me again for something this risky.” Beyoni rejected him on the spot.

After finally surviving this lethal threat, he was not planning to throw himself into
danger again. He much preferred to stay there and wait for reinforcements.
“You really are a wimp.” Milizaus despised him.

“I’m the most vulnerable, and I’m afraid of dying, okay?” Beyoni snorted before
turning to look at Han Xiao. “Are you chasing?”

“What do you think?” Han Xiao’s mouth twitched. Neither you nor Austin are not
going, so why the hell would I go? Do you think I’m tired of living?

“Since you’re all not going…” Milizaus’ tone suddenly changed as if he was relieved.
“I feel much better.”

The other three looked at him simultaneously.

“What, see this hole in my chest? I’m the most heavily injured. Are you guys going to
force me to chase them and take more beatings? Show some care for an elderly dragon,
will you?”

Han Xiao was speechless.

You’re not going yourself, so why the hell did you even ask the others?

However, it was true that other than him, the other three were not in good states. The
risk of chasing was too high; no one could blame them for not wanting to.

This time, Tarrokov contacted them, and his tone was surprised.

“Black Star, you’ve captured an Arcane Church Beyond Grade A?”

“As you can see.” Han Xiao turned to look in the direction of the main fleet and
casually grabbed Dylan’s head. It was wet, slippery, and quite smooth.
“Great! You’ve made the Arcane Church pay the price! This way, we will have chips to
negotiate with!” Tarrokov’s tone was excited for a moment. He then paused and became
serious again. “The Arcane Church is retreating. I’ll send out troops to track them. You
guys stay here on standby. Do not chase after the enemies on your own accord.”

“Don’t worry, we won’t even if you beg us to.” Han Xiao sighed.

“That’s for the best.” Tarrokov nodded.

The Arcane Church’s surprise attack was resolved. Not only did they not lose any high-
level combatants on their side, but Black Star even captured an enemy Beyond Grade A.

Tarrokov did not want them to chase. The stargates were being built near Planet
Lighthouse and could not be built while moving. If the Arcane Church suddenly
attacked back after they left Planet Lighthouse, the upper hand that Black Star had
fought so hard to obtain might be lost.

Tarrokov was not in a hurry to chase the Arcane Church and maximize the results. As
an experienced commander, he preferred to take one step at a time.

Therefore, he only sent out troops to track the Arcane Church and lock down their
escape route. Black Star and the others would wait at Planet Lighthouse for the
reinforcements. This was the safest strategy and would not give the enemies any
chances.

The Arcane Church’s fleet left the battlefield and turned into streams of light,
disappearing from their sights.

Tarrokov sent out a small team to track them, leaving the rest to guard the engineering
team as they assembled the stargates.

The enemies had retreated, and the battle had finally ended. Han Xiao and the others
were all relieved. They flew toward their own battleships and counted their losses.

At the same time, Tarrokov contacted the dynasty’s upper echelons to report the
situation there.
…

After the news of Planet Lighthouse being attacked by the Arcane Church reached the
dynasty’s mother planet, it caused a storm among the military’s upper echelons.

Urranrell immediately summoned all the military heads in the conference room; those
not present attended the meeting via remote projections.

The first battlefield status Tarrokov sent back showed that they were facing the attacks
of seven Beyond Grade As, the Arcane Church, and the Fallen Ark. The difference in
strength was too large, and the situation was dire.

The military upper echelons in the room had already analyzed the situation. Most
people, including Urranrell, were sure that Planet Lighthouse had no hope and would
most likely be wiped out by the Arcane Church. The three dynasty Beyond Grade As
would end up either dead or captured alive by the enemies.

Currently, they were discussing how the dynasty would respond to this matter.

“Her Excellency is right. The Arcane Church and the Federation of Light attacked our
troops together and killed three of our Beyond Grade As and Marshal Tarrokov. We
have to take revenge.”

Many military upper echelons expressed their approval. Tarrokov was very reputable
among the military and would likely be killed this time. Flames of revenge lit up in the
hearts of many of his old comrades.

Urranrell nodded expressionlessly as well.

The moment Urranrell received this news, she had already decided to enact revenge on
the Arcane Church.
The dignity of the dynasty had been challenged, and they had suffered a heavy loss.
They absolutely could not let this go, or the dynasty’s dignity would be shattered, and
their allies would lose all trust.

Most of the dynasty’s military personnel were direct; the majority of them agreed with
taking revenge.

However, even in such a powerful civilization like the dynasty, there were still different
opinions. A small part of the people present objected to overly violent revenge. They
were not against taking revenge, but they felt that the dynasty’s military power was
restrained by the Flickering World, and their counterattack should not be too violent. If
they really triggered a universal war, the dynasty’s situation would only worsen.

Just when they were discussing intensely, a new remote projection appeared in the
conference room. It was Tarrokov.

The military upper echelons present all shut up immediately and looked at him.

“Your Excellency, we have successfully guarded Planet Lighthouse. We have forced the
Arcane Church and the Fallen Ark to retreat. The battle has ended. The casualties and
damages are still being calculated. Milizaus, Beyoni, and Black Star are safe.” Tarrokov
nodded at the people present.

All the upper echelons present were shocked.

“You forced all the enemies to retreat?” Urranrell raised her brows, and a slight tint of
surprise flashed passed her eyes. “Tell me the details.”

Tarrokov nodded and simply explained the battle without exaggerating anything.

While listening, everyone’s expression changed multiple times. They all noticed how
much Black Star had contributed in this battle—secretly calling for Austin’s help,
stopping the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter, capturing Dylan… Almost every step of the
Arcane Church’s plan was countered by Black Star.
It could be said that if Black Star did not do the things he did, the three Beyond Grade
As of the dynasty would probably not have survived, and the enemies would have
succeeded.

The dynasty’s upper echelons exchanged glances.

Han Xiao could even turn the tables in such a hopeless situation. This new ally…
seemed a little too strong.

Urranrell narrowed her eyes. This battle had been caused by Black Star, which she had
not originally been happy about. It was clearly not worth losing two Beyond Grade As
for Black Star.

However, Black Star’s results left her with nothing to say. He had even captured one of
the enemy Beyond Grade As and given chips to the dynasty.

This battle result was flawless and wiped away the unhappiness she had. She could not
help but praise Han Xiao in her mind.

However, Urranrell would not express that on her face. She slowly nodded without
changing her expression.

“Send my orders. Have all the fleets in the Flickering World chase after the enemies.
Also, move the troops in the Shattered Star Ring to attack the stargate stronghold of the
Arcane Church in the Shattered Star Ring when needed. Try to eliminate them before
they return to the Central Galaxy.”

Urranrell paused. “Also, tell Black Star to talk with me directly later.”

At the same time, the Arcane Church upper echelons also received a report from their
fleet…
Chapter 853 Repor
A few minutes earlier, on Silver Arm, the Arcane Church’s mother planet…

The Bishops once again gathered in the hall, sitting in their respective seats and resting
with their eyes closed.

The Arcane Church’s religion and authority were united; their faith and politics were
inseparable. The Bishops controlled enormous power. The robe of every Bishop was
luxurious, and their styles differed drastically in color and pattern, which represented
the faction each of these Bishops oversaw.

The influence of this operation was enormous, so the Bishops were directly in charge.

Quite some time had passed since they sent the fleet over with the Multi-Dimensional
Sky Opening Transportation Device. The Arcane Church did not have a quantum
communication network in the Flickering World, so messages could only be sent back
through special methods. Therefore, the Bishops were still waiting for the good news
from Sagman and the others.

One Bishop looked at the time and nodded. “They should have already succeeded.”

“The time fits, but why haven’t we received any messages?” another Bishop wondered.

“Maybe they’re counting the gains.”

With someone starting the topic, they discussed softly. They were patient and did not
think any accident would happen to this operation.

In their perspective, the forces on their side had an overwhelming upper hand. There
was really no reason to fail.
The door of the room suddenly opened.

The ceiling of the round table conference hall was very high, and the door was also ten
meters tall. It was pure white and did not look like it was made of metal but of white
jade. There was no groove marking the door; it was perfectly smooth like a wall when
closed. At this time, this white gate started to turn into a bubble from the middle and
shrunk to the sides, like boiling liquid, but did not open completely and only showed a
two-meter-wide gap. A person walked into the room, and the gap closed behind him.

The Bishops stopped talking and all stood up and greeted with their heads lowered with
respect.

“Your Excellency, Pope.”

This was the highest leader of the Arcane Church, the Pope.

The Pope grunted a greeting and walked up to the main seat. The seat was a hovering
white sphere. As he sat down, part of this sphere was pushed down like it was soft and
adjusted to his body shape, forming the most suitable seat according to his body
structure.

Only then did the Bishops sit down. Seeing that the Pope had only come to wait for the
news and did not plan on speaking, they did not continue discussing.

After waiting for a while, the remote projection of the fleet’s commander suddenly
appeared in the middle of the round table—he had finally come to report.

The fleet commander did a military greeting and said with a stiff face, “Your
Excellency, respected Bishops… the battle has ended. We’re now retreating.”

“Hmm, bring the Evolution Cube back quickly. We will send out troops to assist you,” a
rather impatient Bishop said directly.

The fleet commander opened his mouth and had an awkward expression like he did not
know what to say.
Seeing this, everyone was puzzled. The commander whom they had sent this time was
an elite. Why was he acting this way?

“Is there an issue?” someone asked.

“…Yes. We could not complete the mission. This operation has failed,” the fleet
commander replied with a stiff tone.

The upper echelons used so many resources and gave them so many advantages.
However, even with all that, they could not complete a single mission they were given.
Not only that, they even lost a Beyond Grade A. The commander felt truly ashamed,
and he knew that his future would likely end there.

“Failed?” The Bishops were stunned and furious. Having used so many resources, how
could he fail with such a large advantage?

“Go through the details. How exactly did you fail? We gave you two missions—obtain
the Evolution Cube and kill Milizaus and the dynasty’s Beyond Grade As. Don’t tell me
you did not complete any of them.”

“…Yes. We could not defeat Black Star and the others, did not snatch the Evolution
Cube, and did not kill or capture any of the Dynasty Beyond Grade As…”

The Bishops’ faces were twitched.

Did not snatch the Evolution Cube? Fine, after all, Black Star stopped Psyker’s psychic
senses, so it was not impossible to fail. But you must’ve killed at least one Beyond
Grade A, right? How could you not even achieve this basic goal? Do you think that we
worked with the Federation of Light and paid a huge price to borrow the Multi-
Dimensional Sky Opening Transportation Device just to send you lot there for a tour?

A Bishop could not help but asked, “You guys even took the Ten Thousand Deity
Scepter this time, so how could you have not even killed a Beyond Grade A? Did
Sagman and the others not use it?”
“No, they did…”

“Then what happened?”

“It’s Black Star. Sagman and the others used the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter to heavily
injure Milizaus, but Black Star used an unknown method to block the Ten Thousand
Deity Scepter’s attack directly!”

The Bishops frowned. The Ten Thousand Deity Scepter was not impossible to block; it
was just that most of the methods would be useless. They had read about Black Star
before and knew Black Star’s abilities. He did not seem to possess means to block the
Ten Thousand Deity Scepter’s attacks. Furthermore, this was the first time that they had
used the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter on him, so Black Star did not know what the Ten
Thousand Deity Scepter’s attacks were like before this, nor did he know that they would
use this weapon. Therefore, it was very unlikely for Black Star to have made
preparations for it.

“One more thing… the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter was sealed by Black Star using an
unknown method. Sagman and the others said they can’t break it. This is what it’s
like…” Then, the fleet commander showed the current state of the Ten Thousand Deity
Scepter to them.

The Bishops’ expressions changed. The Ten Thousand Deity Scepter was their
destructive weapon against Beyond Grade As, but it had been sealed by some kind of
material. Even Beyond Grade A Mages could not get rid of it. What kind of strange
material was that?

A Bishop endured his rage and said with a deep voice, “Useless… Bring the Ten
Thousand Deity Scepter back to be studied.”

This time, another person knocked the table. “Even if you couldn’t use the Ten
Thousand Deity Scepter, there were still seven Beyond Grade As, and that’s plenty to
eliminate the enemies. Why retreat before the mission is complete?”

The fleet commander clenched his teeth and said, “There were more than three Beyond
Grade As on the enemies’ side. We did not know that Black Star partnered up with
Austin, and Austin was waiting near Planet Lighthouse. He interfered in this battle, and
then EsGod was bribed by Black Star and fled, leading his troops away. Dylan was
captured by Black Star too. If we continued to fight, the dynasty’s reinforcements would
have arrived. We were forced to retreat…”

After hearing the brief description of the battle and results, the Bishops were enraged.

It was infuriating enough that the operation had failed, but not only did you not
complete the mission, you did not kill a single enemy with the numbers advantage and
even lost a Beyond Grade A?

A bunch of incompetent fools!

If not because they had to give face to the Beyond Grade As, a few Bishops might have
lashed out.

This time, the Pope, who had been quietly listening, spoke with an expressionless face.

“Dispatch troops to assist the Shattered Star Ring to prevent the dynasty from
destroying our local stargate stations. You must bring Sagman and the others back to the
Central Galaxy. Send reinforcements to prevent the dynasty from intercepting them. At
the same time, strengthen Silver Arm’s defenses to prepare for the dynasty’s possible
revenge. Inform the garrisons of the various Star Fields to enter full alert state.”

Then, the Pope stood up and left. Although he did not show any emotion, the Bishops
knew the Pope’s personality and were certain that he was furious to the extreme.

At the same time, the Federation of Light received the message as well.

“The Arcane Church failed?”

President Bader was shocked. He browsed through the information and narrowed his
eyes.
“How unexpected…” the Chief Elder said with a weird tone. “The Arcane Church was
defeated by Planet Lighthouse even in this situation. Aren’t they too useless?”

Bader did not immediately reply. His fingers swiped a few times on the virtual screen,
bringing up Black Star’s information. “Instead of saying that the Arcane Church was
forced to retreat by Planet Lighthouse, the Arcane Church basically lost to Black Star.
Tarrokov is famous as a Crimson Dynasty commander who excels at defenses. It’s not
weird for him to last a period of time with a fleet less than half of the size of the enemy.
The real breakthrough is at the Beyond Grade A battlefield. Black Star turned the
situation around on the Beyond Grade A battlefield, which was what caused the entire
situation to change.”

“The Arcane Church lost a Beyond Grade A, tsk tsk…” The Chief Elder grinned. “They
really suffered a huge loss this time.”

Bader smiled faintly too. Although they had worked together with the Arcane Church,
he was more than happy to see both sides suffering losses. No matter how much the
Crimson Dynasty and the Arcane Church fought, the Federation of Light would
definitely gain from it.

After all, they did not send out any troops and only lent their Multi-Dimensional Sky
Opening Transportation Device once. Even if the dynasty wanted revenge, they would
mainly focus on the Arcane Church and would not do too much to the Federation of
Light.

“Your Excellency, what are you planning to do next?”

Bader pondered for a moment before saying, “The Crimson Dynasty will not easily let
go of this Arcane Church team… Dispatch our troops and allies in the Shattered Star
Ring to interfere.”

“Are you planning to help the Arcane Church to escape?”

“No, the partnership between us and the Arcane Church is only limited to lending them
the transportation device. That was just a deal, and now the deal has ended, so there’s
no need to continue the partnership… Help the dynasty intercept the Arcane Church’s
fleet!”
The Chief Elder shook his head with resignation.

How horrible, selling their partner right afterward… However, they were never allies to
begin with; they only targeted the dynasty together while the dynasty was exploring the
Flickering World. The three universal civilizations were all competitors to each other.
They would work together if there was something to profit from and fight each other the
rest of the time. They were all used to it.

The Chief Elder suddenly thought of something and chuckled. “By the way, the biggest
winner this time seems to be EsGod.”

“I don’t really think so. It’s just one chance to use the Evolution Cube.” Bader looked at
Han Xiao’s data again. “The Arcane Church have the moral low ground, so the dynasty
will definitely make announcements regarding this matter. This means that Black Star’s
achievements in this battle will be spread across the entire universe. A Beyond Grade A
who has killed or captured another Beyond Grade A is very different from one who has
not.

“Furthermore, he was the main target of the Arcane Church this time, but he forced
them to retreat. He basically made the Arcane Church his steppingstone. His influence
will see explosive growth. Not only that, having achieved so much in this battle, his
position in the dynasty will increase tremendously.

“Black Star is the biggest winner this time.”

The battle had just ended. When the three civilizations’ upper echelons were receiving
the news, Han Xiao flew into a Black Star Army battleship and told Phillip to count the
losses as well as gather the officers.

The Black Star Army did not leave many ships on Planet Lighthouse. During the battle,
the dynasty’s fleet was the main force, so the battleship damage incurred was not much.
However, the Calamity Grade Black Star Guards all took part, and he wanted to know if
there were any casualties.
Aurora waiting in the cabin. The moment she saw Han Xiao, she immediately dashed to
him.

Aurora hugged him on her tiptoes around his waist.

“It’s great you’re okay. I was so worried!” Aurora buried her head in Han Xiao’s arms.

Smelling the refreshing aroma from Aurora, Han Xiao’s tensed nerves finally relaxed.

Facing seven Beyond Grade As was extremely dangerous. Not only was he getting
beaten up, but he had also been enduring the pain from his Promotion. Now that he was
relaxed, only then did he feel tired and pain all over his body. The pain from the
Promotion had yet to fully disappear.

Han Xiao looked down at Aurora. Sensing the softness in his arms, he felt much better.
He patted Aurora’s head and asked, “Where’s your sister? Is she okay?”

“Hmm, I sent her life force a few times; she’s still alive.”

At this time, the hatch opened again. Hila and the other Black Star Guards all walked in.
Everyone was wounded, but no one had died. This was all thanks to the potions that
Aurora had made. Every Black Star Guard had some of Aurora’s potion with them.
They were extremely effective and more than enough to guarantee the lives of these
Calamity Grades.

Aurora turned around and looked through the gap between Han Xiao’s arms. Having
realized that Hila was wounded and bleeding, she quickly left Han Xiao’s embrace and
ran over.

“Sis, you’re wounded. Let me heal you.”

Hila waved her hands and rejected her. “The battle has ended. Such a small wound will
recover in no time. Don’t waste your life force.”
Then, she turned around and looked at the Black Star Guards behind her. “You guys
aren’t allowed to do that either… Hmm, except Feidin.”

Hadavy and the others were originally hoping for Aurora to heal them, but hearing what
Hila said, they had no choice but to let go of that thought.

“Why except me?” Feidin pointed at his head with resignation. “Don’t misunderstand,
Chen Xing told me to ask.”

“Black Star said that you’re lucky and told us to benefit from your luck from time to
time.” Hila told the truth.

Then, Hila turned and looked at Han Xiao. She sized him up and saw that he had not
lost an arm or a leg; she was relieved. Her lips moved slightly like she wanted to say
something, but in the end, she only nodded.

This time, Hadavy suddenly said, “I just heard you captured a Beyond Grade A. Where
is he?”

With that brought up, everyone was curious. This was the first time their Army
Commander had defeated a Beyond Grade A head-on, so they all wanted to see the
Beyond Grade A captive.

Han Xiao smiled and told his mechanical army to bring Dylan in. Dylan was restrained
by machinery all over his body like a metal mummy, only showing his face.

Such restraints could not limit the movements of a Beyond Grade A, but Dylan knew
that he had been abandoned and that it was meaningless to resist deep behind enemy
lines. He had no choice but to accept the fact that he was now a captive.

The Black Star Guards all approached and sized him up, talking about him right under
his nose.

“Defeated in just one blow? You’re so weak.”

“What are you talking about? The Army Commander is just too strong!” Hadavy said
with anger.

“Right, right, right!”

Dylan was furious. As a powerful Beyond Grade A, he was now being observed like a
zoo animal. He almost wanted to use his Esper Ability to teach these Calamity Grades a
lesson.

Even in this state, he could not endure being shamed by these people!

Having noticed energy flowing, Han Xiao said with a hostile tone, “You want to resist?”

“Tell your subordinates to piss off!” Dylan roared. “Don’t think that you can humiliate
me just because you captured me. Even in this state, I can still kill them easily.”

“Oh, you reminded me. Tying you up like this doesn’t seem safe enough.”

Han Xiao smiled faintly. He took out the Spacetime Amber and made Dylan hover in
midair.

The Black Star Guards knew the effect of this thing. They all backed away, sneering.

Seeing their expressions, Dylan suddenly had a bad feeling and asked, “What are you
doing?”

“Don’t worry, you’re already a captive. Not only will I not hurt you, but I will also
guarantee your safety.” Han Xiao chuckled. “Trust me, I will absolutely not let you get
hurt.”

Han Xiao activated the Spacetime Amber. After some time, it finally surrounded Dylan
entirely, and Han Xiao immediately cut off the energy supply. Dylan was a captive, so
he had more than enough time to create plenty of amber.
The next moment, the spacetime solidified and formed an amber ball, freezing Dylan
within. His puzzled expression was fixed on his face.

“This way, there’s no need to waste manpower watching him.” Han Xiao chuckled.

Hadavy knocked on the amber ball and giggled. “Can you kill me easily now?”

Dylan was frozen but could still sense the outside world. Realizing that he could not
move his body at all, he was stupefied.

So, this is the ability that sealed the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter. This isn’t Black Star’s
ability!

Other than the Evolution Cube, Black Star has another Universal Treasure?

After teasing the immobile Dylan for a while, the Black Star Guards left one after
another. After a huge battle, they were all tired and went to rest.

Having watched everyone leave, Han Xiao opened the interface.

He finally had some time to check the losses and gains of this battle.

Chapter 854 Lord Mechanic

“The Arcane Church forced quite a number of trump cards out of me this time…”

The most dangerous stage had passed, but Han Xiao knew that the battle had yet to end.
The Arcane Church had appeared out of nowhere using the Federation of Light’s Multi-
Dimensional Sky Opening Transportation Device, but they would have to cross the
universe in their spaceships when returning. With the dynasty’s way of doing things,
there was no way they would let the six Beyond Grade As of the Arcane Church leave
just like that…

Oh, it’s five Beyond Grade As now.

Therefore, when Ty-Ty and the others arrive, it will be their turn to chase after Sagman
and the others. There are billions of dynasty troops in the Flickering World, so this
group of Arcane Church people will not be able to easily retreat.

Even if they were able to flee the Flickering World, the Shattered Star Ring was still
waiting for them. The Shattered Star Ring was the base of the Klent Kingdom, the
Bloodshed Land, and the Black Star Army. Having received such a huge gift, Han Xiao
had to return a gift; he was not a petty person. He had already decided to use all of the
Black Star Army’s forces and his complex network in the Shattered Star Ring to do so.

While planning in his mind, Han Xiao looked at the interface at the same time to
calculate the losses the Arcane Church had given him.

Rushing levels during the EXP penalty period cost him a ton of EXP. Even for Han
Xiao, he felt a heartache thinking about this number. He did not like wasting. If the
extra EXP had been used to level up blueprints, he would have gotten so many Potential
Points.

In terms of Character Summon Cards, the usages of Reynold, Aurora, and Ames’
Character Summon Cards had all been depleted. The EsGod and Heber Character
Summon Cards each had one use left. They were both powerful trump cards. That was
especially so for EsGod’s [Esper Silence] Character Summon Card. It would be
extremely powerful against EsGod. With one remaining use, this meant that he had
fewer ways to fight EsGod.

Furthermore, EsGod was the winner of this attack. He had no choice but to satisfy
EsGod’s needs due to the Arcane Church’s attack to force EsGod off the battlefield.
With the Evolution Energy, EsGod would be more difficult to deal with and might even
touch the doorstep of the ‘higher level’ that he sought. All things considered, his plan to
deal with EsGod had been disrupted, and he was quite unhappy.
“Nonetheless, the mission rewarded three unknown Character Summon Cards. Together
with the two Blank Character Summon Cards from the Random Reward and an Ability
Upgrade Card, at least it somewhat made up for the losses.” Han Xiao shook his head.

The damage incurred to his machinery was also quite large. A lot of mechanical soldiers
had been destroyed. The mechanical lives were still alright, as Han Xiao purposely did
not let them take part in the direct battle against the Beyond Grade As, so they did not
suffer many casualties.

Compared to other machinery, the mechanical lives with the capability to grow had
higher potential. It would be a pity for them to be destroyed in such a one-sided battle.
The other machines were more than enough as pawns.

In some respects, Han Xiao was the cause of this battle. If any Beyond Grade As had
died because of it, the dynasty would definitely not have been happy about it. However,
luckily, with the help of Austin, they had just been wounded, which made things easier
for Han Xiao.

This way, he owed Austin a huge favor, which was not a completely bad thing.
Sometimes, owing someone a favor would lead to a better relationship.

Austin was originally neutral, but after he messed with the Arcane Church after this
battle, it would be very difficult for him to continue to exclude himself from everything.
Although he would not go so far as to immediately join the dynasty, all the forces in the
universe would mark him as being on the side of the dynasty. He would no longer be
able to keep a low profile like before.

Han Xiao then thought of Psyker, and his expression became weird.

“If that’s the case… Austin is now close to the dynasty; Ames is my ally, so she’s
considered an indirect ally of the dynasty; Heber also belongs to the dynasty. Including
me, four of the five Beyond Grade As in the Shattered Star Ring are related to the
dynasty. Psyker will probably have to keep quiet in the Shattered Star Ring in the
future.”

With this thought, Han Xiao opened the mission list and claimed the [Completed]
missions. He was only confident about claiming the reward after touching Feidin earlier.
_____________________

[Cause and Effect] completed!

According to your performance, you have received 45,000,000,000 EXP, 3 Random

Reward, [Character Summon Card—’Child of Light’ Sagman], [Character Summon
Card—’Star Pupil’ Psyker], and [Character Summon Card—EsGod].

[Character Summon Card—’Child of Light’ Sagman]: [Light Particle Stream—

Infiltration]—Releases a powerful light energy particle beam that has high Penetrating,
Explosive, and Burning Damage. The light energy will continue to deal damage and
give the target [Energy Disruption] and [Energy Suppression] statuses. When the enemy
uses energy attacks, the power would decrease, the cost will increase, and their accuracy
will decrease. Uses: 0/5.

[Character Summon Card—’Star Pupil’ Psyker]: [Psychic Energy—Heart Wall]—In 4.7

seconds, the actual damage taken from psychic attacks will be reduced by 85% after
Psychological Resistance reductions. It grants immunity to all kinds of psychic control
abilities. If the attacker is a Psychic, the INT and MYS of both sides will be calculated.
If one of your attributes is higher than the attacker, 45% of theoretical damage will be
reflected. If both of your attributes are higher than the attacker, 90% of theoretical
damage will be reflected. If both of your attributes are lower than the attacker, damage
will not be reflected. Uses: 0/3.

[Character Summon Card—EsGod]: [Esper Ability—Copy]—Through close contact,

copy the target’s Esper Gene and receive a one-time Character Summon Card of the
target. Only effective on Espers. Uses: 0/3.

_____________________

Receiving the maximum EXP reward was within Han Xiao’s expectations. The effects
of all three Character Summon Cards were decent, but he was not lucky enough to get
EsGod’s [Esper Silence] again. However, [Esper Ability—Copy] was not bad; it was
basically three Blank Character Summon Cards for Espers. EsGod had a ton of random
abilities, so being able to obtain this was already thanks to Feidin’s blessing.
_____________________

You have received 1 Legendary Point.

Universe Legendary Point: Enemy of the Arcane Church—Facing a despairing

situation, you fought back and turned the situation around, forcing the Arcane Church to
retreat and even capturing an enemy Beyond Grade A. Your name will spread through
the entire universe with this battle and become a legend!

_____________________

Enemy of the Arcane Church, the highest-grade Legendary Point, a Universe Legendary
Point… Looks like this will become a new nickname.

Every Beyond Grade A had many nicknames that represented the legendary things that
they had done. Han Xiao now had ‘Indestructible Body’, ‘Indestructible Black Star’,
‘the Black Star Army Commander’, and other nicknames. When word about this battle
spread, he would probably also gain the nickname ‘Enemy of the Arcane Church’.

The Arcane Church wanted to kill him, and he sealed their Universal Treasure as well as
captured their Beyond Grade A. At this moment, the beef between the two sides was
irresolvable.

Capturing a Beyond Grade A alive had extraordinary meanings. Back then, this was the
reason Heber wanted to duel with him, but he sadly failed to do so, and now Han Xiao
achieved this before Heber. This way, his reputation in the universe would become
completely different, and his position would be much higher… He felt that Ty-Ty
would be quite jealous.

Speaking of which, Heber was right on his way back to back him up. Having thought of
the possible expression Heber might have, Han Xiao could not help but chuckle a bit.

The interface also showed that he could now create the Dungeon [Flickering World—
Planet Lighthouse Battle]. A total of eleven Beyond Grade As had taken part in this
conflict, which rarely happened other than in full blown wars. This would shock the
entire universe. Although it happened in the Flickering World and had yet to be
publicized, it was clear that news of this would stir up a violent storm.
With so much influence, being able to create the Dungeon was no surprise. Sadly, given
the standard of this battle, the effect of this Dungeon would only be to widen the
players’ horizon and make them suffer.

Han Xiao opened the attributes interface and carefully read through his attributes after
the level 260 Promotion.

_____________________

Level: 260

Main Class: Mechanic

Race: Black Star Race

Attributes: 3,247 STR, 3,980 DEX, 5,889 END, 8,489 INT, 2,950 MYS, 1,163 CHA, 1
LUK

Free Attribute Points: 0

Potential Point: 33

Health: 3,854,550

Stamina: 3,521,025

Energy: 82,120 [Lv.17]

Lv.17 Energy bonus stats: +1,206 STR, +1,488 DEX, +1,890 END, +2,345 INT, +1,123
MYS, +311,520 Stamina Limit, +1,632% Machinery Affinity
Energy Rank: 49,975

Grade: S (Beyond A)

Grade S Bonuses: +50 END, +25 All Resistances. +25% Highest Attribute, +15% Other
Attributes, +750 Free Attribute Points, +50 Potential Points

Remark: This seems to be a Beyond Grade A Mechanic who persists on the path of a
tank.

_____________________

“Almost 50,000 Energy Rank…” Han Xiao touched his chin. He could still remember
that when he first reached Beyond Grade A, his Energy Rank had been about 43,000.
Afterward, he had completed [Heber Stellar Furnace Cultivation] and [Mechanical Life
Tinder], which gave him quite a lot of Energy Rank.

Heber’s cultivation technique had given him more than 16,000 maximum energy. His
maximum energy was only a little more than 50,000 when he first reached Beyond
Grade A, but it was now more than 80,000. His Energy Level had increased from 15 to
17, which had given him two new layers of bonus attributes.

He did not forget about [Radiation Absorption], which gave him some attributes here
and there.

“The next Race Evolution Promotion is at level 300, and the level limit of Lord
Mechanic is also level 40, so the Class Advancement is at level 300 too. Therefore,
there’s only the level 280 Promotion in between.”

Han Xiao pondered.

[Emperor Mechanic]’s limit was level 35, and the new [Lord Mechanic] was five more
than that.
At the [Lord Mechanic] stage, the pros of Apostle and Emperor Mechanic were
enhanced.

Same as the two previous Class Advancements, the abilities and talents of Virtual
Technology were enhanced too, this time by sixty percent

There were four new abilities.

Talent [Mechanic Lord] gave +300% Machinery Affinity, +200% Virtual Intrusion and
virtual defense efficiency, and some changes to the properties of Mechanical Force,
which granted the so-called ‘Lord Power’. The introduction was brief and blurry, only
saying that this was the prerequisite of some new Lord Mechanic abilities.

Ability [Lord Machinery Affinity] gave +190% Machinery Affinity at max level.

Ability [Apostle Life Creation] was similar to [Emperor’s Gift], also giving special
enhancement to an individual machine. However, the effect was quite different.
[Emperor’s Gift] could only be used three times on the same target and did not limit the
number of targets. While [Apostle Life Creation]’s effect was to use the so-called
‘Power of the Lord’s Dominance’ Mechanical Force to turn a mechanical soldier into an
‘Apostle Weapon’.

The enhancement was much stronger. It could basically turn a normal unit into a mini
boss unit and a unit with better fundamentals into a big boss unit.

With such powerful enhancement effects, [Apostle Life Creation] restricted the number
of Apostle Weapons. At max level, he could have twelve Apostle Weapons at the same
time. The Power of Lord’s Dominance in their body could be retrieved anytime and
given to another machine. This ability also enjoyed enhancement from the various other
enhancement abilities. Every level increased the maximum Apostle Weapon number by
one.

The last ability, [Lord’s Descent], was an ability to fight with a remote army. Through
the special Mechanical Force of a Lord Mechanic, he could project his consciousness,
mind, and power onto a mechanical soldier and turn this mechanical soldier into some
sort of avatar. It would share a large portion of the main body’s attributes, abilities, and
talents and have Beyond Grade A strength.
This meant that, not only could Han Xiao provide Mechanical Force bonuses to the
remote troops using Quantum Infinite Distance Transmission Channel when he was at
home, he could also use this on one of them and fight personally. The restriction was
that this could only be used on one target at a time.

The ability introduction also said that if [Lord’s Descent] was used frequently on the
same target, there was a chance to form a Soul Connection.

“These four abilities are all quite good, especially [Lord’s Descent]…

“After this battle today, there should be very few who come to make trouble for me in
the future. My combat method shall start to be focused on remote combat. This ability
will be very useful to me.”

After concluding the losses and gains, Han Xiao received a call from Tarrokov saying
that Urranrell wanted to speak with him personally.

Even for Beyond Grade As, Urranrell was not someone they could see whenever they
wanted to. It was clear that his achievements in the battle had surprised Urranrell, which
was why she wanted to talk to him.

Furthermore, there were still some problems that needed to be discussed and solved
regarding this matter, as well as the mission to chase after Sagman and the others.

“Got it, I’ll wait for her online.”

Han Xiao took out the communicator and made a lot of speculations while quietly
waiting for the call to connect.

After achieving so much this time, if he requested new Ultimate Knowledges, Urranrell
would not reject him, would she?
855 Time to Counterattack!

Very soon, a cone-shaped projection beam shot out from the communicator and quickly
scanned through the room. The environment of the room quickly changed into the
conference room where Urranrell and the group of upper echelons were in as if Han
Xiao was there.

Han Xiao looked around and realized that everyone was staring at him with different
emotions such as curiosity, respect, and surprise. One thing those military upper
echelons shared in common was they all looked very interested in him.

Urranrell looked at Han Xiao and said, “Black Star, you’ve made a huge achievement in
this incident. The dynasty will reward you generously.”

“I was just saving myself.” Han Xiao could not help but be humble on such an occasion,
and it sure felt good.

“You deserve the credit nonetheless.” Urranrell then returned to the topic. “Tarrokov
has already described this battle earlier, but I want to hear your version. Some questions
need you to answer.”

Han Xiao knew that explaining the battle from the perspective of a Beyond Grade A
would bring new information to the table, so he described it from the start to the end.

Urranrell nodded and asked, “I want to know, was what you used to stop and seal the
Ten Thousand Deity Scepter a new Universal Treasure?”

“Hmm, it’s what I happened to discover while exploring the Flickering World. It’s a
Space Wonder.”
“I see.” Urranrell did not continue to ask about the name and uses of the Spacetime
Amber. If Black Star wanted to tell her, he would, and if he was not willing to, she was
not going to force someone who had just made such a huge contribution. Beyond Grade
As had the right to keep their abilities a secret; all she had to know was that Black Star
was on her side.

“I’ve sealed the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter, and it will be very difficult for the Arcane
Church to break that seal. Only, they don’t know that yet… The Ten Thousand Deity
Scepter is a Universal Treasure that’s very important to them; they might look to
negotiate with the dynasty privately.”

Urranrell’s eyes moved slightly, and she asked, “Are you sure it’ll be very difficult for
them to break the seal?”

“There are no absolutes. The Arcane Church might come up with something. However,
in all likelihood, their odds of success are extremely low. It’s very likely that I’m the
only one that can help them break the seal of the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter.”

“Understood. If what you said is true, we might have underestimated your contributions.
Without the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter, the deterrence they have on Beyond Grade As
will be much lower. I’ve already decided to counterattack the Arcane Church, so what
you’ve done has lowered the chances of the Beyond Grade As of the dynasty suffering
from accidental casualties. Good.” Urranrell paused. “However, what happened at
Planet Lighthouse has made things tense between them and us. The Arcane Church will
probably not negotiate with us privately but act as if they have already broken the seal.”

“Hmm, you’re right.” Han Xiao thought about it. Indeed, since the dynasty was going to
counterattack, the Arcane Church would definitely not easily take a step back. It was
very likely for them to act confident on the surface while being extremely troubled by
not being able to break the seal in private.

“Also, about EsGod. It’s unexpected for the Arcane Church to actually work with the
notorious Fallen Ark. The dynasty will make an announcement to the entire universe
condemning the Arcane Church’s actions…” Urranrell then changed the topic. “Don’t
worry, the dynasty has no problems with how you used the Evolution Cube on EsGod
this time.”

Han Xiao was stunned for a moment then understood—his plan against EsGod had
worked, but technically, he had still made a deal with EsGod. However, the dynasty was
very sensible about this. They understood that he had no choice in that situation.
Therefore, Urranrell expressed that they would not hold him responsible, which
represented what the dynasty’s stand was on this matter. They were not going to allow
anyone to use this matter to besmirch Black Star’s name.

From this sentence, Han Xiao noticed that Urranrell was trying to woo him into
becoming a member of the Ruler’s faction. Complimenting and rewarding him were not
the only reasons he was called to this meeting. It was more to express her intention on
wooing him. Given how enormous the dynasty was, internal conflicts between the many
factions were inevitable. Han Xiao had just earned a huge achievement, so there would
not be any problems in the near future. However, after some time passed, some factions
might bring this matter back up as leverage.

If one of the dynasty’s Grade As was killed in action this time or I did not capture
Dylan, someone might have used this to try and force me to give up the Evolution
Cube… Han Xiao was secretly shocked. The battle had just ended for him, and he did
not think too much about it. Since Urranrell had given him a subtle hint, he understood
her kind intentions.

“Thank you, Your Excellency.” Han Xiao bowed.

Urranrell then asked, “What do you plan to do with Dylan?”

“I’ve decided to hand him over to the dynasty,” Han Xiao said slowly. “Now that the
Arcane Church have failed once, they won’t easily try to obtain the Evolution Cube
again. However, If I keep Dylan as my captive, the Arcane Church, having to consider
the opinions of their allies, will not sit by idly. They will definitely carry out rescuing
measures. I don’t want this incident to happen again, and if it does, I might not be as
lucky as I was today. Therefore, I might as well give him to the dynasty to be used as
leverage to negotiate with the Arcane Church.”

Although he had forced the Arcane Church to retreat this time, it would be much more
than just a slap on their faces if he imprisoned Dylan personally. They were a universal
civilization no matter what, and making them completely furious was not a wise
decision. Dylan was a hot potato; there were far more cons than pros if he kept him
himself. Instead, if he gave Dylan to the dynasty in exchange for more merits and a ton
of Faction Contribution Points, he could obtain Ultimate Knowledges.
“You’ve made the right choice; that’s what I had in mind. I wanted to convince you to
do it, but since you’re already willing to, that’s even better.”

A very rare slight smile appeared on Urranrell’s cold face, knowing that Han Xiao had
accepted her kind intentions. “You’ve done well this time. Other than the support and
generous reward the dynasty will give to you and your Black Star Army, if you have
any other needs, do tell.”

The dynasty would provide even more resources to the Black Star Army after this,
which was a given. Therefore, Han Xiao requested what he wanted the most.

“I hope to obtain more Ultimate Knowledges.”

“Hmm, no problem.” Urranrell approved. “I will tell the officer of the dynasty’s
logistics department to contact you directly. Just request it from him.”

There was no way the Ruler would be personally in charge of trivial matters such as
exchanging knowledge.

Han Xiao nodded with a smile and pondered in his mind. His contributions this time
would definitely give him more than one Ultimate Knowledges, and every single
knowledge at this level would bring a huge boost to the combat capabilities of a
Mechanic.

However, it was impossible to obtain all the Ultimate Knowledges at once. He did
indeed make a huge contribution, but there were rules to follow when giving out
rewards. Ultimate Knowledges were one of the important methods to attract Beyond
Grade As to begin with. Even the Beyond Grade As directly under the dynasty had to
slowly earn them with merits and contributions.

“The impact of this incident will affect the situation of the entire universe.” Urranrell
was back to her formal and serious tone. “The dynasty must retaliate against the Arcane
Church’s provocation. However, the Federation of Light has always liked to put bets on
both sides, so the effort we put in exploring the Flickering World will definitely be
restrained. While the three civilizations try to mess with each other, those Super Star
Cluster civilizations will definitely make use of this opportunity to further infiltrate the
Federation of Light. The dynasty will be forced to deal with multiple problems at once,
which is exactly what the Arcane Church and the Federation of Light want to see.”
Han Xiao knew that Urranrell had a motive for saying something like this, so he
followed it up and asked, “So, what do you think we should do?”

“We need to intimidate the Super Star Cluster Civilizations, so we will call back some
of the Beyond Grade As and troops stationed in the Flickering World. Of course, their
forces will still be exploring in the Flickering World.”

Han Xiao did not speak; he knew what Urranrell meant. There was no way the dynasty
would let so many Beyond Grade As stay in the Flickering World for the long term, and
this thought would have occurred long ago. However, he did not mind. Heber and his
territory were both in the Shattered Star Ring, which was nearby, so he was not likely to
be called back.

Urranrell changed the topic and asked, “Black Star, what do you think of the situation
the dynasty is currently in?”

“As you know, the conflicts are mainly around the Flickering World, and not just
anyone can take part in it. The aftershock of the Crimson Tide is slowly cooling down,
so those Star Cluster and Star System civilizations will stay low for some time.” Han
Xiao shrugged.

“Maybe.” Urranrell nodded slowly then suddenly asked, “Do you have any suggestions
about the dynasty’s counterattack plan?”

Han Xiao knew that although the Ruler was discussing the dynasty’s plan with him, she
might not take his suggestions. However, this was a gesture that represented the fact that
his position within the dynasty had risen.

After some thinking, Han Xiao coughed and said, “Counterattacking is a must, but the
focus can be readjusted. The Arcane Church is also a Universal Civilization, so
retaliating against them is just a necessary reaction. I’m sure that you know this will not
achieve great results, Your Excellency.”

“Go on.”
“In my opinion, we should focus on taking action against EsGod. EsGod took part in the
Planet Lighthouse battle as well, and he is much easier to deal with compared to the
Arcane Church. It just so happens that the desolate universe belt in the middle of the
Central Galaxy is known to be the default battlefield to settle friction between the three
civilizations, so dealing with EsGod will not require us to make any detours. If the
Fallen Ark is eliminated, the dynasty will successfully showcase its thunderous
retaliation and achieve even greater intimidation levels.”

This incident was a great opportunity to convince the dynasty to deal with EsGod. If he
could obtain help from the dynasty, the chances of eliminating EsGod would be much
higher.

Urranrell, however, did not express if she accepted or rejected the suggestion. “I will
have someone analyze your suggestion. The urgent matter at hand is to chase after the
Arcane Church and EsGod’s fleets. When the reinforcements arrive, you guys shall
follow Tarrokov’s orders and act with the dynasty’s fleet… We’re not going to let them
escape this easily!”

Urranrell then nodded at Han Xiao and said, “Go rest. You’ll need to continue fighting
during the pursuit.”

“Okay.”

As the call ended, the projection in the room disappeared.

Han Xiao breathed a sigh of relief and was delighted. The contributions he had made
during this battle brought him some sense of presence among the upper echelons of the
dynasty. His position in those people’s mind turned from a new ally to a dependable
Beyond Grade A of the dynasty. He was even wooed by the Ruler, which also increased
his position and influence.

After putting away the communicator, Han Xiao noticed a new notification on the
interface.

_____________________

You have received 1 Political Asset.

Political Asset (1): the Crimson Dynasty

You have made huge contributions to the Crimson Dynasty and received a certain
amount of political influence. You can make suggestions to the Crimson Dynasty
directly, according to the rationality of the suggestion, there’s a slight chance the
Crimson Dynasty will listen to it.

Your position in the Crimson Dynasty is higher. When interacting with certain
organizations or characters, +30% Favorability gained.

You have valuable experience. +30% Experience gained from all sources.

Remarks: The above effects will only take place when the Faction Relationship with the
Crimson Dynasty is maintained at [Reverence].

_____________________

“Yo, I thought there would only be Legendary Point but no Political Asset.” Han Xiao
was surprised but then understood why—this was probably a bonus reward given
because of the fact that Urranrell valued him.

However, maintaining the effect of this Political Asset was not easy, as he had to spend
Faction Contribution Points in exchange for Ultimate Knowledges. He had to maintain
the Contribution Points he had above 6,000, which was the cost of one Ultimate
Knowledge.

Han Xiao looked at the following notification, which raised his brows.

_____________________

You have received 10,000 Crimson Dynasty Contribution Points.

You have received a bonus 5,000 Crimson Dynasty Contribution Points.

_____________________

“I only received the Contribution Points after I finished talking to Urranrell…” Han
Xiao rubbed his chin. He had the NPC interface, so he could reward the Black Star
Army members Contribution Points any way he wanted to. As a Faction leader, the way
this worked for her was the same, just that Urranrell rewarded Contribution Points
unconsciously.

Ten thousand Contribution Points was the reward for this battle, and the bonus five
thousand Contribution Points was probably from him handing Dylan in. Including the
more than three thousand Contribution Points he had saved up previously, he now had
more than eighteen thousand Contribution Points.

“Three Ultimate Knowledges, just nice.” Han Xiao’s eyes sparkled.

Unlike Cutting-Edge Knowledges, the dynasty would not give Ultimate Knowledges for
free. The kind intentions Urranrell had for him seemed to have been displayed in the
way of receiving more Contribution Points.

“This way, I can buy two knowledges and keep the remaining six thousand to maintain
the effect of the Political Asset. I’m not in a hurry to spend them all anyway.”

Han Xiao closed the interface with satisfaction.

At this time, a blue light illuminated from outside the porthole, shining on his young
and edgy face.

He turned to look outside the porthole and saw that not far from Planet Lighthouse, the
stargate was finally assembled and activated. A dark blue space energy vortex formed
inside the stargate and quickly started spinning.

“They’re finally here.”

…
As time passed, reinforcement fleets flew out from the stargate one after another from
the various Beyond Grade A organizations.

These were mostly troops stationed around the strongholds at the edge of the three Star
Clusters. If the Arcane Church wanted to attack Planet Lighthouse now, them being
completely obliterated would be the only outcome.

“The battle has already ended?”

Inside Tarrokov’s main ship, Heber, who had left his main fleet behind and returned as
soon as possible; Ravenlaude, who had rushed there through teleportation; and the
remote projection of Maximiler had gathered and sat across from Han Xiao and the
others.

Upon knowing the fact that Planet Lighthouse’s troops had forced the enemies away
without any reinforcements, Heber and the other two were all shocked.

They actually managed to defend Planet Lighthouse?

Not only did Black Star turn the tables on the Beyond Grade A battlefield, he even
captured one of the enemies alive.

Heber and Ravenlaude felt conflicted. They had initially thought that they were saviors,
but to their surprise, before they even arrived, Han Xiao had already forced the enemies
to retreat. It was almost as if they were not even needed at all…

However, this thought did not linger too long in their minds. Although they came late,
they knew that the Arcane Church had only retreated because of the pressure from their
arrival. Thinking this way made them feel much better—at least they had contributed in
some way.

Ravenlaude was getting a little fidgety and said, “Black Star, I heard you got a new
Universal Treasure in the Flickering World and used it to stop the Ten Thousand Deity
Scepter.”
“That’s right.” Han Xiao chuckled.

Hearing Han Xiao confirming the matter, Ravenlaude was filled with regret. He was
exploring the same Star Cluster as Black Star, which meant that this unknown Universal
Treasure had been found in the Garu Star Cluster. If there was no Black Star, maybe this
Universal Treasure would have become his.

Heber turned to Austin, frowned, and said, “Why are you here? Have you joined the
dynasty too?”

“I came to help Black Star.” Austin smiled faintly.

Heber’s eyes circled around Han Xiao and Austin; he was not feeling great. When did
the two of them form such a good relationship?

Both Ames and Austin had become Black Star’s friends; now Heber felt like he was
alone in the Shattered Star Ring.

However, when he remembered what situation Psyker was in, he felt much better.

Nonetheless, Heber could not be glad. The achievement of capturing a Beyond Grade A
alive was something he had been chasing after for many years, but it had now been
obtained by Black Star, who had only stepped into the Beyond Grade A level around a
year earlier.

This time, Tarrokov spoke. “I have already dispatched the troops in various locations to
lock down the escape route of Sagman and EsGod’s fleets. His Excellency Maximiler
has yet to arrive, but we won’t wait any longer. We have already gathered six Beyond
Grade As here, which is enough to start the pursuit.”

What he meant by ‘pursuit’ was not simply chasing after them but dispatching all the
troops the dynasty had in the Flickering World to stop the enemies from escaping.

On the star map, the fleets of the Arcane Church and EsGod were shown to be masses
of red quickly getting further away, fleeing in different directions, while blue dots
representing the dynasty’s troops blocked their paths.
With the arrival of the reinforcements, Milizaus and Beyoni no longer had any issues
with chasing after them.

Austin expressed his intention to go home to repair his Palace of Hidden Spells and not
take part in the dynasty’s operation, and Tarrokov did not force an outsider invited by
Han Xiao.

Heber sorted out his feelings and suddenly realized that this was an opportunity—he
might be able to fulfil his wish of eliminating one Beyond Grade A.

Having that thought in his mind, Heber was very motivated. He clenched his fists so
powerfully that it broke the sound barrier with a loud bang. “Humph, Mercer, is it? I’ve
heard of this guy before. Leave him to me.”

“The dynasty’s dignity is not to be challenged. Milizaus’ wounds have yet to heal; leave
Ninjia to me.” Magical light appeared in Ravenlaude’s eyes.

Exterior enemies were always great solutions to internal conflicts. As members of the
dynasty, after temporarily putting aside their competitive relationship with each other,
they now shared a common enemy.

“I shall use my remote mechanical army to support you guys.” The only Beyond Grade
A who was not there, Mechanic Maximiler, looked at Han Xiao and said, “Black Star,
your mechanical army has suffered heavy losses. If you need, I can lend my army to you
for the time being.”

“Okay, thanks.”

Han Xiao nodded, stood up, and looked around at all the Beyond Grade As present. A
cold tint flashed in his eyes as he said with a sharp and penetrative tone, “Let’s get
moving. See if they can make it back to the Central Galaxy!”

The tables had turned.

The hunters had become the hunted.

The time to counterattack had arrived!

Chapter 856 Fakisen“s Plan

As hyperdrive streams of light dashed across the dark cosmic space, the traces left by
the Arcane Church fleet in retreat awoke the dynasty’s surveillance buoys one after
another, not hiding their movements even a little bit.

Inside the Glorious Sun Grade main ship, the five Beyond Grade As including Sagman
and Psyker gathered and looked at the fleet commander, Rogue, whose eyes never
shifted away from the star map.

“Planet Lighthouse is at the edge of the Dawn Star Cluster and very close to the desolate
universe belt. If we continue to retreat at full speed, we will get out of this security
perimeter very soon,” Rogue said with a deep voice.

The transmission of energy and light took time; given the sheer size of the universe,
plenty of remote detection methods had delays. Transmitting real-time information
through quantum communication technology was one of the more common methods
used. However, the universe was way too large. There was no way the dynasty would be
able to deploy surveillance buoys in every corner of the cosmic space. The security
perimeter usually spread out from the stronghold planet as its center with diminishing
density of surveillance buoys as the distance increased.

At this time, the Arcane Church had already escaped to the exterior security perimeter
of Planet Lighthouse and was entering deep into the desolate universe belt. With
absolutely no time to spare, clearing out the buoys was meaningless; they would be
located in the end anyway. Therefore, Rogue did not mind the fact that their route was
exposed to the dynasty. After all, he was not going to go straight to the secret stargate.

The plan was to enter stealth mode in an area with little to no buoys in the desolate
universe belt so that they could get rid of the dynasty’s direct surveillance. They would
then split into hundreds of groups to make detours before heading to the secret stargate.
This way, a large number of the groups would be considered as abandoned. The
moment their fleet departed, the location of the secret stargate had shifted. The original
secret stargate location was abandoned, but this information was not updated on the star
map. The only people who knew about this were the core members such as Rogue and
the Beyond Grade As. This was to prevent the other groups from leaking the location of
the secret stargate if they were captured by the dynasty.

Of course, these other groups were not completely abandoned; they were smoke
screens. When Rogue, the Beyond Grade As, and the core groups successfully escaped,
only then would these other groups be told the real location. That way, even if the
location of the secret stargate was exposed, the impact would be much smaller. After
all, they could destroy the stargate anytime to prevent further damage or even make
those groups return from the desolate universe belt—their time was not precious at all.

“Quickly, the risks we’re taking increase every minute we spend in the Flickering
World,” Sagman said.

“If all you can say are useless and meaningless things that everyone knows, you’d better
stop speaking. Thanks to you, the risks we’re taking now are completely meaningless!”
Rogue did not hold back at all. His tone had traces of rage.

He had just reported the battle results to the Bishops, which had earned him a massive
scolding. With the thought of his future not being the brightest in mind, he could not
help but feel a rage boiling inside him. Hence, he was not in the mood to hold his
emotions back toward these Beyond Grade As who had caused this operation to fail.

Getting so bluntly yelled at, Sagman’s skin tightened. He thought about it for a second
but did not say anything. It was true that the Beyond Grade A battlefield was what had
decided the outcome and led to this failure, so he was indeed somewhat to blame.

The other four did not say anything either. They were now all on the same boat fleeing
in the dynasty’s territory, so no one had time to mind Rogue’s disrespect.

Psyker’s face looked the worst. Thinking of the fact that his friend, Dylan, was now in
the dynasty’s hands made his mood extremely horrible. He could not be bothered with
anything else.
Seeing that no one spoke, Rogue snorted and said, “The dynasty is definitely
dispatching troops to block our escape route. However, you need not worry too much;
this is just a fake route. Also, most of the dynasty’s fleet nearby went to support Planet
Lighthouse, and it will take some time for the more distant strongholds to send out
fleets. Therefore, even if we happen to be blocked, we can easily eliminate whoever’s
on the way. The only thing we need to worry about is the dynasty’s Beyond Grade As
chasing after us. According to the current situation, Tarrokov will wait for the
reinforcements to arrive before making moves. Pity, I almost thought we could lure
them in and set up a trap…”

While Rogue analyzed the situation, Sagman and the others were discussing the
situation privately through psychic communication.

“Given the size of the fleet, we’ll still be just as conspicuous even if we split up. Maybe
we should leave the fleet and take mini spaceships. That’s stealthier,” Taylor said.

“We can consider that, but let’s talk about this after the main fleet splits up.”

When fleeing, the survivability and stealth of a Beyond Grade A acting alone far
exceeded moving together with the fleet. As individuals with great powers who were
not affected by the harsh environment of space, if they randomly hid on a desolate
planet, no one would be able to find them.

This was especially true for Ninjia and Taylor, who had mastered forbidden spells.
Without the enemies’ interference, their teleportation spells were among the best
abilities for escaping.

Rogue was worried that they might be chased by the dynasty’s Beyond Grade As, so he
wanted to keep Sagman and the others around. What he did not know was, Sagman and
the others were also thinking about using the main fleet as bait to draw the dynasty’s
attention.

In another direction, the Fallen Ark’s fleet was also retreating at full speed.
Due to the sudden rupture, EsGod’s fleet had cut off contact with the Arcane Church.
Without any communication channel, the two of them did not know each other’s
whereabouts at all and only focused on escaping on their own.

However, EsGod had one advantage. They had forced their way in from the exterior
security perimeter, so they had deliberately destroyed quite a number of surveillance
buoys on the way. This had caused some areas to be blind spots, which assisted in their
escape.

Inside the main ship’s command room, Fakisen looked away from the star map and
turned to the EsGod doppelganger beside him.

EsGod’s main body had already found an enclosed room to undergo evolution, and no
one knew how long that would take. Before EsGod started his evolution, he had created
some doppelgangers to protect himself and monitor the movement of the fleet.

EsGod was wary of everyone. Even his helpful assistant who had accompanied him for
a hundred years, Fakisen was no exception. In times when his main body was the
weakest, the only person he really trusted was himself.

“He still doesn’t trust me…”

Fakisen’s spike-filled tongue licked the blood-red metal mask that covered the upper
half of his face, making an annoying scratching noise. Air pumped out from his nose
like he was sneering.

Right in front of EsGod’s doppelganger, Fakisen lifted his dry brunch-looking four
arms. Purple fog flew out from his dark purple skin, forming a sphere in midair.

Then, he summoned a subordinate and gave the orb to him. “Empty an ordinary
battleship, remove its energy core and AI system, and leave it as an empty shell. Put this
orb inside that spaceship, then abandon it and let it drift around on the path we passed
by. The dynasty troops chasing us will discover this spaceship.”

The EsGod doppelganger turned to him and said coldly, “What are you trying to do?”
“Hehe…” Fakisen’s laughter was eerie. “I’m planning to contact the dynasty…”

Bang!

The moment he said that, the EsGod doppelganger immediately grabbed him by his
neck and lifted him up, pressing him against the wall.

“Are you selling me out?”

Although his throat was grabbed by EsGod, Fakisen was not afraid at all. Instead, he
laughed even louder. “Hahaha, I’m planning to work together with the dynasty. If they
can give us information about the Arcane Church, we can send some of our people to
intercept them. They’re pawns anyway. We’re the closest to the Arcane Church. With
our help, the dynasty will be able to drag the Arcane Church back more efficiently.”

“There’s no need for that,” the EsGod doppelganger said coldly.

“No, there definitely is a need. The dynasty surely wants to fight the Arcane Church
more than us. There are many Beyond Grade As over there, which makes them much
more valuable. If the dynasty can capture them, the Arcane Church will lose close to
half of their Beyond Grade As. The dynasty will not give up such an amazing
opportunity to cause damage to the Arcane Church. And when the dynasty puts their
focus on the Arcane Church, Your Excellency EsGod, the pressure you face will be
much smaller. Hehehe.”

Fakisen’s tone was filled with mockery as he continued, “After fleeing at such a crucial
moment, the Arcane Church is definitely going to hold a grudge against us for it. When
we return to the Central Galaxy, we’re going to face both the Crimson dynasty and the
Arcane Church. If we do this, not only will the dynasty be less furious at us, the Arcane
Church will be weakened too. This means that the Beyond Grade As you’ll have to face
will be much fewer. Furthermore, if the Arcane Church do suffer such an enormous
loss, they probably won’t have chance to come make trouble for us any time soon.”

The EsGod doppelganger asked, “How do I know you’re not going to sell out my
location?”
“Hee, if Your Excellency is not assured, please leave an EsGod doppelganger in that
empty spaceship all you like, to monitor the communication between me and the
dynasty. If you think I sold out your location… Hehe, I’m right here. You can kill me
anytime.”

The EsGod doppelganger stayed silent for a while before suddenly saying, “I’ll leave a
doppelganger behind to negotiate with the dynasty. You don’t have to participate in it.”

Although this idea Fakisen had was strange and sudden to him, he thought it did indeed
make sense. After all, even if the negotiation went south, it would just be a
doppelganger getting eliminated.

“Hehe, that’ll do too.”

As the EsGod doppelganger let Fakisen go, he landed on the ground, rubbed his neck,
and called a subordinate over. He broke the fog orb that he had just made apart and
absorbed the fog back into his body. Then, he acted as if nothing had happened and
continued to observe the star map.

No one could see Fakisen’s eyes under the blood-red mask that covered the upper half
of his face, and no one knew what he was thinking… Speaking of which, no one
actually knew how he saw with his eyes covered.

The intense battle at Planet Lighthouse had ended, but this whole thing was far from
over. Under Tarrokov’s command, the dynasty’s fleets started their pursuit of the
Arcane Church and the Fallen Ark’s fleets.

Before the shock, confusion, and curiosity of the army players who flocked to Bun-Hit-
Dog’s posts broadcasting about the battlefield’s turn of events dissipated, a new mission
popped up on everyone’s interface.

Before this, the Black Star Army players only knew that Planet Lighthouse was
attacked, there were around ten Beyond Grade As fighting, and their army commander
Black Star was one of them. As for the identity of the attackers, the cause of this
incident, or anything else, they had no idea at all.
This mission, however, explained all this and brought even more shock to the players.

_____________________

The Crimson dynasty Order: All Out Pursuit

Mission Introduction: In order to obtain the Evolution Cube and cause conflicts, the
Arcane Church worked together with the Fallen Ark and attacked the dynasty’s outpost
in the Flickering World. There were seven enemy Beyond Grade As. However, with the
help of the dynasty’s ally Black Star, Milizaus, Beyoni, and the friend invited by Black
Star, Austin, we successfully defeated the enemies! Currently, these two fleets are now
fleeing in the Flickering World. All forces are hereby dispatched to pursue the enemies
and uphold the dynasty’s dignity—Crimson Dynasty Exploration Army Chief
Commander, Tarrokov.

Mission Requirements: Chase after the Arcane Church and the Fallen Ark’s fleets, find
out their whereabouts, and eliminate their men to the best of your ability.

Rewards will be given after the mission ends depending on your performance.

_____________________

Knowing what had happened, the Shattered Star Ring page on the forums exploded.

“The Arcane Church attacked the Crimson Dynasty? Are the Universal Civilizations
going to start a war with each other?”

“No wonder as many as eleven Beyond Grade As appeared in one huge fight. That’s the
reason behind it. Is the Army Commander okay? Is he still alive?”

“Their target is the army commander’s Evolution Cube, so this was actually caused by
the army commander, huh?”
“Damn, targeted by a Universal Civilization yet managed to force them away,
awesome!”

“The Black Star Army is the Crimson dynasty’s ally. Does that mean that the army is
now also the Arcane Church’s enemy?”

“I’ve got a feeling that something huge is going to happen!”

This time, Bun-Hit-Dog snatched up the first-hand information. Under his post,
countless players came to comment. Dozens of new comments were appearing every
second, which made him extremely excited…

Following Black Star was indeed the right choice. There was explosive news every now
and then!

After the initial shock, many players were thrilled. After experiencing three versions,
they had discovered some patterns—the things happening in Galaxy were connected,
and they influenced each other. This was an extremely orderly system. One could
actually use logic to predict some of the possible incidents that might happen in the
future through the intelligence and news of the various areas.

This incident involved the three largest civilizations, so it was not a small matter by any
means. If the two sides went at each other, the storyline would definitely be huge.

Some people speculated that this attack might have been an early sign of a future main
storyline.

Or it might even be the main storyline of the next version.

It was not impossible.

As this kind of speculation spread on the forums, some people made different
speculations saying that this might be connected to what would happen during the
version update period and would only appear in the next version in the form of a
background introduction. Many also agreed with this.
Due to Han Xiao’s past actions, the Chinese players in the Shattered Star Ring had
developed a habit of guessing the large-scale storyline of the versions. The Australians
and Russians from the Constellation Corridor joined in on the discussion, too, mixing
into this atmosphere filled with excitement.

While all kinds of speculations circulated the forums, the Black Star Army were not just
occupied with arguing on the forums but also took part in the pursuit.

Although most people were too far away and could not make any contributions, the
army players were used to participating in large-scale Faction Missions together as a
whole. Furthermore, this mission did not have a failure condition, so they would
probably receive the minimum reward as long as they made an effort to chase after the
enemies.

The Flickering World was still in a state of information lockdown; its network was not
fully connected with the known universe yet. Other than the ones involved in the matter,
the other forces in the outside world still did not know what had happened in the
Flickering World.

The players were the first group of outsiders that knew about these secret pieces of
information. This time, the forums displayed its unique information advantage—while
the outside world did not have a clue about this matter, almost all the players knew
about what had happened on Planet Lighthouse!

The forces of the three civilizations were spread across the entire explored universe.
Their influence was incomparable. No matter which Star Field the players were in, they
could all feel the intense and uptight atmosphere. They all looked forward to seeing
what kind of tremendous impact this incident would cause after the outside world knew
about it!

On the other side, Tarrokov’s main fleet took off from Planet Lighthouse to chase after
the Arcane Church. The five Beyond Grade As—Han Xiao, Milizaus, Beyoni, Heber,
and Ravenlaude—were working together on this very rare occasion.
Not long after departure, the high-level official who was responsible for the dynasty’s
logistics contacted Han Xiao upon Urranrell’s request, giving him more than enough
face by asking him personally about what Ultimate Knowledges he wanted.

Chapter 857 Apostle Weapon and Ultimate Knowledge

“Alright, we will send these two knowledges to you as soon as possible. Remember to
receive it.” The Logistics officer then hung up.

Han Xiao left the quantum network and played with the black handgun in his hands
while waiting for the arrival of the knowledge.

The handgun in his hands looked like a backward firearm, but it actually made use of
dark energy with a mini energy furnace within it. It was mainly sold to the players as a
long-ranged weapon but was no more than a toy gun to Han Xiao. It was pretty useless
and was mainly made into such an appearance for old times’ sake.

As his strength grew greater, Han Xiao’s memories of the time when he was weak grew
deeper. The many scenes of him fighting back on Planet Aquamarine flashed through
his head. He was already a powerful character in the universe and had come a long way
from the time when he found it difficult to kill even an ordinary warrior. He now had
the ability to even destroy planets, and the number of things capable of killing him was
decreasing.

“It has already been more than twenty years…” Han Xiao had a complicated expression
on his face.

Psionic Prime stood beside Han Xiao and asked, “Master, what are you thinking
about?”
“I only taught about the past.” Han Xiao then turned around to look at Psionic Prime.

“I realized that you are becoming more and more curious.”

Psionic Prime nodded his metal head. “Although I can obtain knowledge from the web,
the emotions of a living being are boundless, and I am only able to understand some
things after experiencing it personally. Thus, I enjoy communicating.”

“This is a good thing. I’ll need you to help me manage a Mechanical Life civilization in
the future. You are the first Mechanical Life that I created, and if nothing goes wrong,
you will be the leader in the future. As the leader of a civilization, you must learn to
understand others and understand the thoughts of other Mechanical Lives.”

Han Xiao then paused for a moment, and a helpless look could be seen on his face.
“Enjoying communication is a good thing, but you should change your habits when
talking on the web…”

Han Xiao used his Virtual Technology skills to keep a record of the Mechanical Life’s
web data. He realized that many Mechanical Lives including Psionic Prime enjoyed
having side accounts to chat with the citizens of the various civilizations.

It would not matter if it was just a normal conversation, but most of the Mechanical
Lives would have a few hundred or thousand accounts to chat with others at the same
time with the contents of the conversation being extremely explosive. The most
common one would be having dirty talk by mimicking the opposite gender.

In his eyes, the majority of the Mechanical Lives were like problematic children. They
were like sponges absorbing the evil and kindness of numerous living beings, forming
various different personalities.

Sizing Psionic Prime up, Han Xiao thought for a moment before saying, “Stand in front
of me.”

Psionic Prime obeyed obediently.

Han Xiao sat on the sofa, and a bluish gold Mechanical Force appeared on his palm.

“You are my first child, and after a long period of observation, I am satisfied in your
potential. Are you willing to become my Apostle Weapon and obtain even greater
strength?”

“I am willing to accept everything of yours, master.” Psionic Prime knelt before him.

“Then accept this bestowment. Also, do not call me master in the future…”

Han Xiao’s lips curled up slightly.

“Call me Lord.”

The next moment, the special Mechanical Force in his palms, which contained the
‘Power of Lord’s Dominance’, entered Psionic Prime’s body. This was the skill of the
Lord Mechanic, [Apostle Life Creation].

Hum!

Psionic Prime’s energy furnace began surging and bolts of bluish-gold Mechanical
Force extended out from within the mechanical body as though the bolts of electricity
were alive.

The magnetic field that contained a strange aura enveloped Psionic Prime’s body, and
the mechanical structures and parts within Psionic Prime’s body began to change. The
surrounding alloy began to shake as though they were about to be sucked into Psionic
Prime’s body.

Han Xiao then stretched out his arms and sent a large number of nanoparticles toward
Psionic Prime. These nanoparticles revolved around Psionic Prime like a star ring. The
revolution gradually picked up speed, and the nanoparticles transformed into a metal sea
that entered Psionic Prime’s body to provide raw materials for the upgrade.
Han Xiao then sat down on the couch by the side and played with the dark energy
handgun while admiring the scene before him. The special effects of [Apostle Life
Creation] were much more dazzling than [Emperor’s Gift].

There was a limited number of slots for his Apostle Weapons, a mere ten or so.

After a while, Psionic Prime’s transformation had finally ended, and his appearance had
transformed greatly.

Psionic Prime was even taller than before, about four meters tall. He had many new
components, and his armor had many complicated but beautiful engravings on it.

With a round crown like metal on his head, Psionic Prime held onto a long, staff-like
mechanical spear in his hands.

“How do you feel?” Han Xiao asked with a smile.

“I thank the Lord for your bestowment. I can feel my new strength,” Psionic Prime said
with a deep voice and held up the spear in his hands. Psionic energy then gushed out
from his energy furnace, and he burst forth with energy.

Han Xiao narrowed his eyes and suddenly lifted his handgun, opening fire at Psionic
Prime.

Boom boom boom!

A couple of dark energy laser beams struck Psionic Prime but were blocked by a layer
of psionic energy. At the same time, the battle notification was triggered.

Han Xiao then looked at Psionic Prime’s attributes, which were displayed on the
interface, and nodded with satisfaction.

Psionic Prime was currently at level 215, and his various attributes were strengthened.
He was now at a boss level, and his strength had exceeded all his other Mechanical
Lives.
Without Han Xiao’s Mechanical Force boost, Psionic Prime still had the strength of a
Calamity Grade, and with the boost from his Mechanical Force, Psionic Prime would be
able to exchange blows with a Beyond Grade A and would no longer be cannon fodder.
His strength was similar to EsGod’s doppelganger.

The spear in Psionic Prime’s hand was a special Apostle Weapon from [Apostle Life
Creation] and was called ‘Psionic Prime Spear’. It could also split into a floating state
and even enlarge or shrink. It had many different forms and could even be transformed
into a psionic energy form. It could be used for both long- and close-range battle, and
both a Mechanical Pugilist and Cannon Master was able to use it. The level of the
weapon was above 200, and it was of the silver orange grade. The strength of the
weapon would be increased when being used by Psionic Prime.

Apart from this, Psionic Prime also obtained a special ‘Apostle Characteristic’ and
‘Apostle Authority’. His Apostle Characteristics were ‘Stable’ and ‘Leader’, which
could strengthen the Mechanical Life around him during battle. His Apostle Authorities
were ‘Psionic Control’ and ‘Battle Boost’, which gave him better control over psionic
energy and higher combat power.

A satisfied smile could be seen on Han Xiao’s face.

The strength of an Apostle Weapon was extremely impressive, but it was a pity that
[Apostle Life Creation] had a long cooldown of a month. It meant that he would only be
able to create twelve Apostle Weapons in a year. Of course, because of his talents like
[Machinery Emperor] and [Elementary Grade Mechanical Sense], he could create more
than twelve Apostle Weapons.

“Familiarize yourself with your new energy, my new Apostle,” Han Xiao said with joy.

“I will not let the Lord down.” Psionic Prime said.

Beep beep.

Han Xiao’s communicator rang at this moment; the Crimson Dynasty had finally sent
the two Ultimate Knowledges over.
Han Xiao spent twelve thousand Contribution Points to choose two Ultimate
Knowledge.

Armed Branch: [Endless Material Science]

Control Branch: [Virtual Creator]

One of them belonged to his Virtual Mechanic branch, and he only needed eight
Potential Points. The other was an important knowledge to Mechanics, and the
Mechanic from any branch would try to learn it.

Resources and energy had always been the two largest bottlenecks to a Mechanic’s
technological skills, and the Armed Branch had a material-related knowledge at all
levels. This allowed a Mechanic to combine more powerful materials and increase the
basic attributes of a Mechanic. This was a core knowledge of the Mechanic Class.

Learning these two knowledges required thirty-two Potential Points and Han Xiao had
thirty-three Potential Points on him.

Han Xiao smiled and immediately learned the two knowledge.

_____________________

Learning…

Successfully learned! You have learned [Endless Material Science]!

Learning…

Successfully learned! You have learned [Virtual Creator]!

You have received the talent [Material Pioneer]!

[Material Pioneer]: The probability of success for merging new materials is increased,
and the abilities obtained from special materials have been increased. For example, the
self-recovery ability of machines when using memory alloy will be increased.

You have received talent [Virtual Lord]!

[Virtual Lord]: Your various Virtual Technology skills have been strengthened greatly.
The total bonus is 2.5. When you enter the quantum network vision, your consciousness
can jump to different quantum network nodes and increase your range greatly. You can
let Virtual Life Forms submit to you. You have mastered all the various Virtual
Technology skills, and the quantum network is your fortress.

You have acquired [Ultimate Material Refinement]!

You have acquired [Endless Material Combination]!

[Endless Material Combination]: You can combine the specialties of any materials and
attempt to create new material recipes. The higher the grade of the material and the
more complicated the recipe, the lower the success rate. The basic success rate is
determined by INT and Machinery Affinity. When you craft a new recipe, the strength
of the new material will be increased.

You have acquired [Virtual Life Evolution]!

[Virtual Life Evolution]: You can transform an AI into a Virtual Life Form. A Virtual
Life Form has more powerful infiltrative and defensive abilities.

You have acquired [Virtual Soul]!

[Virtual Soul]: You soul can transform into a Virtual Life Form and live within the
quantum network. Total level, INT, and Virtual Technology skills will determine the
strength after transformation in the quantum network. This effect can be cancelled.

When you use your Mechanical Force to connect to a target, you can temporarily
virtualize your target’s soul and pull it into the quantum network. Success rate is
determined by total level, INT, MYS, and LUK. If successful, the target won’t be able
to control their body temporarily, and attacking the target in the quantum network will
cause mental damage.

Cooldown: 15 min.

_____________________

Han Xiao looked through the notifications and nodded with satisfaction.

“The effects of these talents are extremely powerful. Endless Material Science allowed
me to improve the quality of my machines and create new materials. Virtual knowledge
allowed me to have new battle tactics.”

With the two Ultimate Knowledge in his hands, Han Xiao was extremely satisfied. He
did not make use of his remaining six thousand Contribution Points to exchange for new
knowledge but kept them for the Political Asset effect.

Just when he was about to go to the battle room to test Psionic Prime’s new strength, his
communicator rang. Tarrokov was calling him, revealing some information which truly
baffled him.

Han Xiao replied with an odd expression.

“You’re saying that EsGod wants to work with the dynasty temporarily and send some
manpower to help us stop the Arcane Church?”

“That’s right. Our forces that chased after the Fallen Ark troops captured an empty
battleship with EsGod’s doppelganger inside. He didn’t fight back and allowed himself
to be captured, saying that he wanted to talk to us.”

Tarrokov was truly surprised.

Han Xiao frowned and felt that this matter was truly suspicious. There was no need for
EsGod to do this. EsGod was extremely mobile, and he was not one to bother about his
subordinates. Thus, he would be able to escape even without the help of the dynasty.
Furthermore, the dynasty’s main target was not him. Why would EsGod bother making
such an unnecessary move to anger the Arcane Church? Could it be that he thought that
he would be able to make the dynasty happy by doing so?

After thinking for a moment, Han Xiao asked, “Chief commander, what are you
planning to do?”

“Er… EsGod wants information about the Arcane Church’s coordinates, and it won’t
really matter if we give it to him. The Arcane Church’s fleet will leave our security
perimeter very soon, and we will lose track of them very quickly. This piece of news
isn’t secret, and it won’t matter who we tell.

“Even if EsGod isn’t truly sincere, we wouldn’t suffer any losses. But if he really wants
to let Sagman and the others be his scapegoat, we will definitely earn big. As for him
working together with the Arcane Church to ambush us, we can always settle the score
in the future.”

“Then let us go according to your plan.”

Although Han Xiao felt that EsGod’s decision was extremely strange, Tarrokov was the
commander. Since Han Xiao could not think of a problem, he would not interfere in
Tarrokov’s decision.

Right at this moment, Tarrokov said, “There is something else. EsGod’s doppelganger
would like to meet you.”

“Meet me? Alright. Since the dynasty fleet that is giving chase to EsGod doesn’t have
any Beyond Grade As, I will split out a portion of my mechanical army to meet him and
also monitor his doppelganger in the process.”

Han Xiao was certain that EsGod probably wanted to ‘thank’ him for the evolution
energy.

After pausing for a while, he continued.

“As for the Arcane Church fleet… even if they leave the security perimeter, I have some
means to locate them…”

As a Virtual Mechanic, how can he not leave something behind for the Arcane Church
fleet during the battle. Although the firewall of the Arcane Church fleet was strong, he
still had the ability to leave a little something behind.

Han Xiao’s eyes gleamed.

Choosing to learn the [Virtual Creator] knowledge at this moment was to chase after
them!

Chapter 858 Ames“ Actions

After giving chase for a while, the star map showed that the Arcane Church fleet had
left the security perimeter and begun to split up. Tarrokov had temporarily lost contact
with the Arcane Church fleet. Because of his previous conversation with Han Xiao, he
invited Han Xiao to the main flagship so that Han Xiao could lock onto the locations of
the enemy vessels through his Virtual Technology.

Han Xiao walked through the corridors of the main flagship, straight to the command
room, with Hila and the others following behind him.

All of the dynasty’s commanders who he met along the way gave him a respectful
salute. Han Xiao’s achievements in this battle had earned him the respect of all the
participants in the battle. It could be said that their lives had been saved by Black Star,
and they were naturally grateful to him.

Han Xiao responded with a smile and turned around to see Hila frowning. He then
looked down at her neck only to see a bandage on her neck, which extended down her
collarbone. He then asked with concern, “Are your injuries alright?”
Hila shook her head. “Such light injuries will recover in no time at all. You do not need
to worry.”

After the battle, she did not allow Aurora to waste her life force to treat them and chose
to recover naturally.

“Does it still hurt?”

“A little bit. The painkillers aren’t too effective.” Hila frowned. Although she had a
stubborn personality, there was no need to act tough for such a small matter.

“Then I need to congratulate you for being alive.” Han Xiao chuckled.

Their group then arrived at the command room, where Tarrokov was waiting for them.
Upon seeing Han Xiao’s arrival, he immediately came forward to welcome him. He
then pointed at a location on the star map and said, “This is the last position where the
Arcane Church was seen. We have currently lost track of them. Black Star, we shall rely
on you.”

Han Xiao nodded and closed his eyes to enter the quantum network viewpoint.

In the darkness, nodes began to light up in the quantum network with some near and
others far. An endless stream of information was being transmitted by the nodes, and an
illusory wave of information floated toward him.

The star map appeared in the quantum network in the form of nodes, and Han Xiao
could easily zoom in or out. In the quantum network, distance was completely
negligible since he could jump from node to node easily. The improvement from
[Virtual Creator] strengthened him in all aspects and greatly increased the range of his
abilities.

The quantum network viewpoint seems more detailed than before.

Han Xiao immersed himself in this new feeling for a while before getting to work. He
then slowly connected to the nodes to feel the subtle traces that the Arcane Church had
left behind in the quantum network.

His brain rapidly processed a large amount of information, and Han Xiao opened his
eyes abruptly.

Pa!

A few hundred red dots suddenly lit up on the star map before them. These were the
Arcane Church battleships that had concealed themselves.

The locations of all the divisions were marked, and nothing could hide from him!

Tarrokov was overjoyed. “Good job!”

“Haha, I didn’t do much.” Han Xiao backed out from the quantum network viewpoint
and chuckled.

If it was before he learned [Virtual Creator], the traces of his infiltration would probably
have alerted the Arcane Church’s artificial intelligence, and they would have cleared it
up.

But after learning the Ultimate Knowledge of the Virtual Mechanic class, he had
received a huge upgrade and could easily create a backdoor into the Arcane Church’s
system without being detected. This was why he had chosen to learn [Virtual Creator].

Tarrokov stroked his chin and said, “Now that we have their coordinates, the enemy’s
movements will be transparent to us, and we don’t need to worry about losing them.
Hmm, the enemy has split up their forces, and a portion of them are probably going to
be sacrificed. If this is the case, it is very likely that these pawns being sacrificed have
fake information about the location of the stargates and wish to distract us. The true
location of the stargate should be in the fleet that contains those Beyond Grade As.
Black Star, are you able to lock onto the enemy commander and Beyond Grade As’
positions? I suspect that they are not on the main flagship.”
“I can, but I need to infiltrate the enemy’s surveillance equipment. The risk of being
exposed will be increased, and we may lose their locations. Are you sure you want to
take the risk?” Han Xiao replied. The security of a Universal Civilization naturally
should not be underestimated.

After thinking for a while, Tarrokov shook his head. “We should continue to maintain
our current state. As long as we have their coordinates, we can try to capture their entire
fleet in one fell swoop. Give EsGod a portion of the intelligence first.”

Han Xiao nodded and did not say another word. His consciousness then entered his
mechanical army. The mechanical army that he had sent out was almost going to come
into contact with EsGod’s doppelganger.

A small fleet was currently approaching the meeting point together with an empty
spaceship. They had been waiting for a long while, and beams of light suddenly
appeared from the darkness of space and stopped before them.

Both fleets came into contact with each other and verified their identities. The Black
Star Army then approached the empty spaceship.

A large number of dynasty soldiers were currently pointing their weapons at the exit of
the spaceship, waiting for the Beyond Grade A envoy to take over from them.

For a bunch of ordinary soldiers to monitor EsGod’s doppelganger, even if EsGod did
not fight back, they would still have an immense sense of pressure. It was as though
they were facing a beast that could kill them at any moment. Thankfully, their helpers
had finally arrived.

Whoosh!

The hatch to the spaceship opened, and Psionic Prime walked in with his spear. Behind
him was a group of Mechanical Lives and a large number of mechanical soldiers.
Psionic Prime then looked down at the dynasty’s soldiers and said, “I am the first
Apostle of Lord Black Star, Psionic Prime. I am here to take over the mission from all
of you and shall watch over EsGod’s doppelganger.”

“We shall hand him over to you.” The group of soldiers heaved a sigh of relief and
hurriedly handed over the mission before leaving the empty spaceship hastily.

Psionic Prime then brought his troops along to the empty spaceship. EsGod’s
doppelganger was currently present.

Behind him, Silver Flash looked at the gigantic Psionic Prime and said angrily, “The
Lord is too biased. Why does he get to be the first Apostle Weapon?”

“Stop complaining. Psionic Prime is the first child, so this can’t be helped,” a
Mechanical Life Protector called ‘Gold Sovereign’ said. He belonged to the first batch
of Mechanical Life and had a cold personality.

In front of them was a beastman-type mechanical soldier called ‘Mad Sky Hunter’. He
turned around and said, “The Lord has his own considerations, and we only have to give
our absolute loyalty. Since the Lord bestowed Psionic Prime with such strength, it
means that there is a limited number of Apostle Weapon slots. Perhaps only a small
portion of us will be able to transform into Apostle Weapons.”

Psionic Prime listened to the discussion behind him without saying a word and arrived
at their destination in the spaceship.

The energy core in this empty spaceship had already been removed, and the spaceship
was currently short on power. EsGod’s doppelganger was leaning on the couch, and he
faced Psionic Prime’s mechanical army.

“Black Star, you’re here,” EsGod’s doppelganger said with a smile.

“I am Psionic Prime. The Lord does not want to meet you now. You can just let me
know what you want to tell him.”
EsGod’s doppelganger sized Psionic Prime up and said with a teasing tone, “Apostle
Weapon? Black Star didn’t have such an ability the last time we fought. It seems like he
received a great reward from the current battle. Alright, I do not have any interest in
talking to you. Get Black Star out to see me.”

Psionic Prime then held his spear up and pretended that he did not hear anything.

Upon seeing that, EsGod raised his arm out, and his arm stretched out like rubber,
sending out a punch that was too fast to follow with the naked eye!

Clank!

His fists were imbued with Esper energy and crashed onto Psionic Prime’s spear,
generating a small shockwave.

Without saying anything, Psionic Prime channeled his energy into his spear, and the
spear entered its released mode.

A psionic energy wave then shot out from the spear!

Swoosh!

EsGod’s doppelganger had a stunning speed, and he avoided the attack nimbly.
However, the couch that he was sitting on was sliced in two, and the entire wall of the
spaceship was also sliced cleanly in two.

The mechanical troops and EsGod’s doppelganger thus drifted into space and faced
each other in a standoff. The dynasty’s spaceships by the side immediately aimed their
cannons at EsGod’s doppelganger.

Psionic Prime stood at the very front, and a surge of Mechanical Force descended on his
body from afar. Psionic Prime’s body exploded forth with a blinding light. The other
mechanical troops did not receive the boost from the Mechanical Force and retreated
under Psionic Prime’s orders.
EsGod’s doppelganger looked at the surge of Mechanical Force and knew that Han
Xiao was definitely paying attention to the situation. He knew what Han Xiao’s
intention was and could not help but sneer.

Han Xiao wanted him to fight the Apostle Weapon to test the strength of the weapon.

“Humph, on account of the fact that you allowed me to evolve, I shall play with your
Apostle Weapon for a while.”

The next moment, EsGod’s doppelganger made his move, and his arms stretched out
toward Psionic Prime like a cannonball. He launched ferocious attacks, leaving behind a
series of afterimages.

This doppelganger did not have any powerful Esper Abilities and only had a few
abilities to strengthen and modify the physique. However, this EsGod doppelganger still
had the strength of a Beyond Grade A and the ability to suppress all Calamity Grades.

Psionic Prime then brandished his spear to fight EsGod, and both their figures weaved
around in space.

Psionic Prime and EsGod’s doppelganger were evenly matched with each other in the
head-on confrontation!

Psionic Prime’s spear was imbued with blue psionic energy, and EsGod was like a lump
of clay, capable of changing his form to avoid various different attacks. At the same
time, EsGod’s attacks were also avoided by Psionic Prime by splitting his body up and
transforming into various mobile floating guards.

The mechanical troops watching by the side could not help but be surprised.

They were originally no more than cannon fodder in the face of a Beyond Grade A, but
Psionic Prime had the strength to fight a Beyond Grade A head on.

“Is this the strength of an Apostle Weapon?”

Silver Flash and all the other Mechanical Life earnestly yearned for such strength.

Both parties clashed time and time again, and both of their figures retreated together.

At this moment, the Mechanical Force on Psionic Prime dissipated, indicating that it
was the end of their spar.

EsGod’s doppelganger then stopped fighting after noticing that since he was there to
talk.

All of them returned to a Black Star Army spaceship that was by the side. EsGod sat
down, and Han Xiao’s long distance projection appeared before him.

Upon seeing that, EsGod’s doppelganger said with a smile, “Black Star, it is all thanks
to you that I’ve been able to evolve this time.”

Han Xiao then snorted. “You wanted to see me just to say something like this?”

“Of course not.” EsGod’s doppelganger waved his hands and chuckled. “I wanted to ask
you if you managed to come up with any results after researching that set of wormhole
data.”

This fellow indeed chose to expose the data on purpose so that he could borrow my
connections to help him research the data… Han Xiao’s eyes narrowed.

However, EsGod still thought that he was the only one who knew about the existence of
the World Tree Civilization and felt that he had an upper hand in intelligence.

Up until now, EsGod still thought that Han Xiao only researched the wormhole data to
be careful but did not know that Han Xiao was also aware of the World Tree
Civilization’s existence.

Han Xiao naturally would not destroy EsGod’s illusion as this was the only way to
prevent EsGod from being wary.
“Long story short. These are the coordinates that the dynasty wants me to pass to you.”
Han Xiao then got Phillip to show a portion of the data. “If you really want to help the
dynasty stop the Arcane Church, the dynasty may reconsider how they should deal with
you.”

EsGod’s doppelganger did not bother responding and started to view the intelligence
report.

Upon seeing that, Han Xiao said, “However, I cannot understand why you suddenly
chose to work with the dynasty. Angering the Arcane Church has no benefits to you.”

“You don’t need to worry about this.” EsGod did not even bother raising his head.

Han Xiao stroked his chin and fell into thought.

He had always felt that this was not EsGod’s intention but he was fooled by someone
else.

Although EsGod would be able to curry favor with the dynasty by doing so, Han Xiao
felt that his intention was to make use of this opportunity to increase the Arcane
Church’s losses. It was as though his targets were Sagman and the other Beyond Grade
As.

“If they manage to succeed, who will benefit the most? The Crimson Dynasty? The
Federation of Light? Or maybe those Super Star Cluster Civilizations?”

Han Xiao let out a deep sigh.

After the Arcane Church fleet split up to escape, Rogue, Sagman, and the others
changed their spaceships and abandoned the main flagship. They then disguised
themselves as a small fleet and were currently making their way to the true position of
the secret stargate.
Rogue felt that such a method would be able to confuse the dynasty’s forces, but the
following event had shocked him.

A portion of their escaping fleet suffered from an ambush. However, the ones
ambushing them were not just the dynasty’s fleet but also the Fallen Ark fleet!

“Is EsGod mad? Why is he attacking us?”

Rogue panted heavily with an ashen expression and bloodshot eyes.

“That darn EsGod actually arrived at an agreement with the dynasty. This fellow really
wants us to help restrain the dynasty for him!”

Sagman was also extremely frustrated. It was one thing for EsGod to go back on his
word, but he had even gone a step further to attack them. Although he did not have any
expectations in EsGod, he could not help but be enraged by EsGod’s actions.

Psyker then looked at the star map and suddenly said, “The situation is strange. They
are accurately ambushing our divisions. Is it because that division was unlucky to run
into the dynasty’s defensive line, or has the dynasty grasped our coordinates?”

Everyone’s expression changed greatly the moment these words were said.

Psyker gritted his teeth. “Black Star is a Virtual Mechanic, so he may have done
something.”

Mercer also gritted his teeth and thought to himself, What kind of bullsh*t Mechanic is
he?

Upon hearing that, Rogue immediately activated the automatic artificial intelligence
scan on the spaceship, but there were no traces of Han Xiao’s infiltration.
“Black Star’s infiltration can’t be detected…” Sagman felt his head ache. He was
extremely knowledgeable, and he knew that a Virtual Mechanic capable of bypassing a
Universal Civilization’s firewall was not easy to deal with.

Although none of them were certain that Han Xiao had managed to lock onto their
positions, they decided to prepare for the worst-case scenario.

“The dynasty’s encirclement isn’t complete yet, so this is our only chance to escape,”
Rogue said. “Inform our forces to split up again. I want to see a million divisions. Also,
cut off half of the fleet’s quantum network connection!”

He wanted to seize the opportunity before the encirclement was formed to use even
more divisions to confuse the dynasty. Forming a million divisions meant that each
division would only have a few battleships, and it would be impossible for them to fight
back. This was akin to sacrificing even more people.

Cutting off half of the fleet’s quantum network connection meant that these divisions
would become deaf and blind. It would be impossible for them to communicate with the
other fleets, so they could only escape according to the star map. The only advantage of
doing so was that they would be able to prevent their locations from being spotted.
Rogue was prepared to cut off his own quantum network connection, and it was akin to
giving up command.

Because of Han Xiao’s methods, Rogue had no choice but to make such a decision. It
was akin to abandoning everyone in exchange for their survival.

Ninjia looked at him coldly and said, “Sir, you will definitely have to face court martial
if you do so.”

“Hahaha…” Rogue laughed. “After the failure of this mission, what kind of a future will
I have?

“If not for Black Star turning the tables on all of you, would I have failed?

“Do I hate all of you? Of course I do!

“But all of you are still the high-level combatants of the Arcane Church.

“These soldiers and troops can be easily drafted and hired again, but all of you are
different. It is impossible to easily replicate the existence of a Beyond Grade A, and you
still have the Universal Treasure Ten Thousand Deity Scepter in your hands…

“My top priority is to cover your escape. Your lives are more important than any of
ours!

“When I was in command school, my lecturer told me that I shouldn’t be a commander

if I can’t be merciless. Having perfection in all aspects is an impossible dream, so we
have to make sacrifices in order to complete our objective. Everything that isn’t
important can be abandoned…

“I have already thought things through! Who cares about the court martial? My only
mission is to protect the strength of the Arcane Church!”

Rogue panted heavily after saying such a ‘moving’ speech.

Sagman and the others all narrowed their eyes.

As Beyond Grade As, they would not be easily taken in by the words of others, and
Rogue’s intention was not able to escape their eyes.

The five of them looked at each other before looking at Rogue.

“Then let’s go according to your plan,” Sagman said slowly.

Above Planet Aquamarine, Floating Dragon Island had a lot more facilities a few
months ago. There were plenty of spaceships flying in and out, and it was extremely
prosperous.
In order to set up their main camp, Floating Dragon no longer allowed scavengers and
galactic pirates to land on the island and chased away all the gray organizations on the
island. Of course, there was a portion who did not dare approach the stronghold of the
Black Star Army and took the initiative to escape.

The organizations entering Floating Dragon were mainly proper financial groups, and
under Floating Dragon’s influence, Planet Aquamarine also gained support from quite a
few financial groups.

In Floating Dragon Palace, Ames was currently seated on her throne.

Ames looked down at the representatives who had come to visit, and her face remained
completely expressionless; no one was able to tell what she was thinking. In truth,
however, she was just daydreaming.

Sigh, all these troublesome matters will be taken care of by Jenny anyway.

Ames’ mind had already drifted elsewhere.

I wonder how Hila and Aurora are doing. Tsk, Black Star is truly annoying. You took
both my students away and don’t even send some news back.

Beep beep.

At that moment, her communicator, which was floating nearby, rang. Ames then
grabbed it with her force field and was a little surprised upon seeing who the caller was.

Curious, Ames picked up the call and Austin’s figure appeared. “Austin? Didn’t this
fellow go and search for materials? Why have you called me?”

Austin smiled and said, “Ames, I have a piece of information that may be of use to
you.”

Ames raised her brows. “Interesting. When did you start selling information? Isn’t that
Black Star’s hobby?”
Austin smiled profoundly and informed Ames about the battle at Planet Lighthouse.

Ames was seated lazily at the start, but she began to gradually sit up straight with
unstable force field energy floating around beside her, bringing about a huge pressure to
the financial group representatives below.

“… that’s about everything.” Austin finished his description and added, “I am only
informing you about this because you are Black Star’s ally. Just as I expected, you
aren’t aware of this matter, and Black Star hid it from you. Haha, I think he doesn’t
want you to be dragged into this storm.”

“Stop nagging. I know what you mean. Humph, in any case, thanks for the
information.”

Ames hung up and shut her eyes as though she was in deep thought.

Aesop, who was by the side, had heard the conversation and shook his head. “The
prophecy was real. Thankfully, I reminded Black Star. If not, he might not have been
able to escape this time. Black Star hid this matter from you because he doesn’t want
you to be involved in the matters of the Universal Civilizations. However, Austin
intentionally informed you about this because he wants to muddy the waters. Ah, he is
truly a little brat who wants the world to fall into chaos.”

Upon hearing that, Ames opened her eyes and said, “I am his ally, not his subordinate.
What rights does he have to stop me from participating?”

Aesop had a knowing look on his face. He then shook his head and asked, “What do
you plan to do?”

“Contact the Crimson Dynasty envoy Zoel. The Crimson Dynasty is probably going to
mobilize their forces in the Shattered Star Ring to attack the Arcane Church’s forces and
stargate…”

Ames then stood up.

“Black Star, Psyker, Heber, and Austin, everyone is in the Flickering World…

“Thus, I am the only Beyond Grade A in the Shattered Star Ring now!

“I can go wherever I like!”

859 Return Gift!

More and more dynasty fleets were being gathered, and the desolate universe belt
outside of the Dawn Star Cluster was starting to be locked down. The encirclement was
forming, and the gaps for the Arcane Church fleet were slowly closing.

With the aid of Han Xiao’s coordinates, the dynasty managed to capture even more
battleships. After Rogue ordered for a million divisions to be formed, these divisions no
longer had the ability to break through after being discovered by the dynasty and could
only be wiped out or captured.

Not too long later, tens of thousands of battleships fell into the hands of the dynasty,
and the Arcane Church members on board the battleships could only become captives.

However, Rogue’s method had indeed slowed down the dynasty’s speed greatly.

If they wanted to hide something, the best method was not to lock it up in a safe but to
hide it within a sea of bait. This was the situation that the dynasty was facing.

In the main flagship, Tarrokov was having a virtual meeting with Han Xiao and the
others to analyze the situation.

“According to the statements of the captives, the enemy commander Rogue adopted the
method of abandoning their forces to confuse us. Furthermore, half of their battleships
have disconnected from the network and escaped from our surveillance. They are now
lone armies trying to escape in the dark. We have managed to capture the Glorious Sun
Grade flagship but were unable to find Rogue and the others. They should be hiding
within the fleet that’s cut off from the network.”

Han Xiao stroked his chin and said, “It seems like they noticed my infiltration and chose
to cut off their tails to escape. Heh, this commander is somewhat capable.”

“Black Star, do you have any ideas?”

“As long as those troops connect to the quantum network for even an instant, their
locations will be exposed.” Han Xiao shrugged his shoulders.

When he left behind the infiltration software, he had not learned [Virtual Creator] yet
and was restricted by the firewall. If he had his current standard back then, it would not
be as simple as infiltrating their system. He would have been able to bypass their
defenses and use a virus to control the artificial intelligence of the enemy’s battleship.
Even if the enemy cut off connection from the network, he would have been able to
force the enemy’s artificial intelligence to reactivate it.

“I can try to tell their fortunes,” Ravenlaude said. “However, the Arcane Church has
two Mages, and they have definitely set up a force field to block their destiny lines and
prevent others from spying on them.”

“Just give it a try since it doesn’t require money.” Han Xiao raised his brows.

Ravenlaude snorted, and a purple light appeared within his palms. A light blue crystal
appeared in his palm with a gray cloud within it.

The crystal then floated in front of him, and Ravenlaude tapped his forehead. Indigo
light then flashed in the crystal, and an image gradually appeared in the gray cloud.

Everyone then stretched their necks to take a look, and Ninjia’s face appeared within the
crystal. He then looked at Ravenlaude as though he had noticed something.

Ka-cha!
The next moment, the crystal, which was not cheap, split in two.

“It was blocked indeed,” Ravenlaude said with resignation.

Everyone then looked at him as if him being a disappointment was expected.

Ravenlaude had thick skin and even asked if he could claim his losses.

Tarrokov decided to ignore him temporarily.

“The enemy has chosen to split up their forces with every division being much smaller
than before,” Heber said with a deep voice. “Rogue’s fleet is probably the only one
capable of breaking through our obstruction. The moment a Beyond Grade A takes
action, they will be discovered by our people. However, we have not had any such
reports, which means that they have not met our troops.”

“They are truly lucky.” Beyoni snorted.

Eh? Luck… Han Xiao then blinked, and an idea came to his head. He then turned
around to look at Feidin with a burning gaze.

“Feidin, if I asked you to choose, which direction do you think Rogue would escape in?
You are pretty lucky, and your guess may be right.”

Feidin did not know whether to laugh or cry.

“Black Star, it is one thing for you to tease me usually, but how can you do so in front
of outsiders? You shouldn’t joke about this, right?”

“What are you talking about? I am not joking at all,” Han Xiao said seriously. “You can
also see that we are facing a huge problem that cannot be solved. Why don’t you give it
a try? Who knows what will happen?”
Seeing Han Xiao’s insistence, Feidin could only helplessly point at a few spots on the
star map casually.

“Hey, don’t blame me if I am wrong.”

Han Xiao chuckled and said, “Chief commander, why don’t you search the few
directions that he pointed out? We may really be able to find Rogue.”

“This is too childish!” Aurora could not help commenting.

However, she looked up and realized that Tarrokov and the other Beyond Grade As had
calm expressions on their faces as though they did not find it strange.

“I see,” Tarrokov said. “Relying on instincts isn’t a bad choice right now.”

Milizaus and the others nodded in agreement.

They were all experts with a great deal of experience and believed in intuition as well.

Luck was a part of strength!

Rogue’s fleet only had ten or so small spaceships, and after cutting themselves off from
the network, they had lost contact with the other divisions. They did not know how
many of their divisions had been captured and could only choose to escape.

“We aren’t too far from the secret stargate, and we haven’t met with any dynasty
fleets,” Rogue said, looking at the star map. “As long as we go past the barricade set up
by the dynasty, we will be able to arrive at the stargate.”

“Looks like our luck isn’t bad,” Taylor said.

“It isn’t entirely luck,” Rogue replied. “We intentionally misled the dynasty’s fleet
about our direction, and thus, the lockdown in this direction is thinner.”

Sagman nodded slowly and replied, “According to our current speed, we will be able
to…”

Whoo!

Before he could finish, the alarm suddenly went off.

“Alert! Radar scan detected. Our disguise has been seen through. Please prepare for
battle!”

Everyone nodded and saw a dynasty fleet approaching them from the radar.

“Dammit!” Rogue slammed the control panel.

Their concealment mode could hide their location, but the enemy radar would still be
able to pick them up at close proximity. A dynasty fleet that was in detection mode had
just gone past them and thus detected their presence.

Rogue then turned around and shouted at Sagman and the others, “The enemy has fifty
battleships. Please get rid of them quickly!”

Although the battleships of the Arcane Church were slightly faster, the Crimson
Dynasty’s technological skills also belonged to the Universal Civilization grade and
would not be thrown off so easily.

If they tried to continue their escape, the surrounding dynasty fleets would also detect
their location. Therefore, they had no choice but to wipe out this fleet that had spotted
them.

Sagman and the others nodded solemnly.

Aided by the five Beyond Grade As, Rogue’s fleet easily wiped out their enemy but also
revealed the existence of Sagman and the others.

“The dynasty already knows that we are in this direction and will definitely attempt to
prevent us from escaping. We must escape before the enemy Beyond Grade As
arrive…” Rogue clenched his fists tightly.

Because their location had been exposed, Rogue’s fleet had to endure many layers of
restrictions and could no longer attempt to escape stealthily. They could only forge a
bloody path out and were extremely pathetic.

They originally wanted to speed up but ended up being slowed down by the layers of
battleships.

Tarrokov, Han Xiao, and the others received news and immediately changed direction
to give chase.

The distance between both parties was decreasing as they approached the stargate.

This time, Rogue and the others were charging straight toward the location of the secret
stargate, and the dynasty’s fleet had finally discovered the secret stargate. Thus, an
intense battle broke out with the Arcane Church fleet that was stationed at the stargate.

Rogue and the others eventually managed to arrive at the stargate by relying on the
strength of the five Beyond Grade As.

The Arcane Church fleet was currently engaged in an intense battle with the dynasty
fleet, and reinforcements were coming from the other side of the stargate endlessly.

From afar, Rogue and the others witnessed the battle. Hope of their escape was right
before their eyes, and they could not help but grow excited.
Rogue connected to the quantum network again and contacted the fleet stationed by the
stargate. Following which, they then charged straight into the rear of the dynasty’s fleet
and joined the battle to kill their way to the stargate.

However, Tarrokov led the main fleet and arrived at this moment. Han Xiao and the
others immediately spotted Sagman’s group of five, who were trying to use their
strength to break through the dynasty’s formation.

“Do it!”

Without any hesitation, Han Xiao’s group of five left the spaceship and charged straight
toward Sagman.

Rogue was the first to notice this, and his face turned ashen.

The Beyond Grade As still had a chance to escape into the stargate with their strength,
but he had no way of escaping!

He had even abandoned his fleet mercilessly, but he still was not able to escape?

The powerful energy reaction attracted the attention of Sagman and the others, and their
expressions changed greatly.

“They caught up!”

“We cannot be tied down by them!”

Sagman’s group of five did not even dare turn around to fight back and sped up toward
the stargate. They only wanted to arrive at the stargate before Han Xiao and the others
could catch up to them.

They knew that it would be impossible for them to escape from the Flickering World
once they were tied down by experts of the same level.
Five brilliant rays of lights were escaping with five chasing behind them.

“Attack the stargate!”

All those who had long-range attacks in Han Xiao’s party began opening fire at the
stargate.

Various Beyond Grade A attacks bombarded the stargate, and cracks appeared on the
protective shield covering the planet. It would not last for long.

Sagman and the others gritted their teeth and took the initiative to block the long-range
attacks. They would rather get injured to reduce the damage of the stargate and borrow
the strength of the attack to speed up their escape.

It was now the Arcane Church group’s turn to protect the stargate, and they were in an
extremely pathetic state.

The mechanical army caused the greatest damage, and Mercer was the most pathetic.
He was not like the others and did not have any long-range energy shields. He could
only use his own body to endure the attacks, and his speed was gradually slowing down.

Sagman and the two Mages were the fastest and charged straight into the stargate first.
Psyker followed close behind them, and he used his psychic energy to receive a wave of
attacks from the mechanical army, spitting out blood as he entered the stargate.

Four of them escaped through the stargate, and only Mercer was left on the battlefield.
Han Xiao and the others finally caught up when he was not too far away from the
stargate.

Heber charged forward and held onto Mercer. They then tangled with each other, and
Mercer’s flying trajectory was thrown off course by Heber’s intervention. He smashed
into the weakened protective shield and crashed into a corner of the stargate.

Han Xiao then waved his hands, and a portion of his mechanical army charged into the
stargate as scouts.
The next moment, he lost contact with the mechanical army, and it was destroyed.

The whirlpool in the stargate then disappeared, and it was shut from the other side.

Upon seeing that, Milizaus snorted. “The four who escaped destroyed the other end of
the stargate. Humph, it seems like they have abandoned Mercer.”

“At least we caught one,” Ravenlaude said with a smirk.

Everyone then turned around to look at Mercer. He was currently surrounded in all
directions and had no way to escape.

Heber was currently locked in a fierce battle with the crazed Mercer.

Upon noticing their gazes, Heber said with a deep voice, “This is my prey. Don’t
intervene.”

Since it was impossible for Mercer to escape, they did not mind watching a one-on-one
fight to observe both of their strengths.

Han Xiao then cheered, “How energetic, Little Ty-Ty.”

“Stop calling me that!”

Heber decided to just ignore Han Xiao and focus his attention on dealing with Mercer.

After finally getting a chance to capture a Beyond Grade A, he would not give it up.

The stargate had already been destroyed, and the enemy did not have any way out. This
battle was already as good as over.
At this moment, Tarrokov joined in the conversation and announced with a satisfied
look, “Four escaped with one left behind. Rogue has also been captured, and our results
aren’t too bad. Even if Sagman’s group of four can escape from the Flickering World,
they will still have to face another wave of attacks.”

Escaping from the Flickering World did not mean that they would be safe.

The Crimson Dynasty arranged for troops to block them in the Shattered Star Ring. The
Black Star Army, Bloodshed Land, Klent, and all the other allies of the dynasty had also
made their move, not to mention the restless Federation of Light.

Their life of escaping had not come to an end, and they would still have to go through
the vast Shattered Star Ring.

Upon hearing that, Han Xiao said, “I just infiltrated the database of the stargate and
obtained coordinates of the stargate on the other side.”

Tarrokov’s eyes lit up.

“This way, we will be able to uproot this secret stargate for good, and it will be much
easier for us to lock onto their location. Black Star, good job!”

Han Xiao smiled and turned around to look at the battle between Heber and Mercer.

Capturing Mercer was only a matter of time.

Heaving a sigh of relief, a cold light flashed past Han Xiao’s eyes.

This was the second Beyond Grade A captive that they had caught!

Would the Arcane Church be satisfied with his return gift?

…
At the same time, in some part of the desolate universe belt was the exit of the Arcane
Church’s secret stargate.

Sagman’s group of four looked at the stargate that had been destroyed by them and fell
silent.

“Mercer… wasn’t able to escape…”

Sagman gritted his teeth so hard to the point his teeth almost cracked.

If they had succeeded with their mission and gotten rid of Milizaus, Beyoni, and Black
Star, the dynasty would only have had three Beyond Grade As left, and they would have
been able to escape easily.

But now…

They had lost the entire battle because of a moment of carelessness!

“We can’t stop here,” Ninjia said. “Black Star will definitely be able to find this
location. Hurry up and leave.”

Sagman then snapped back to his senses and said with a dark expression, “Let’s go. We
must take the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter back.”

It had been a long time since they were reduced to such a pathetic state!

Chapter 860 Invitation and Announcemen

The remaining soldiers of the Arcane Church were all captured by the dynasty.
The stubborn Mercer and Heber were locked in an intense battle with their fists raining
down on each other and Pugilist flames shooting out in all directions like the sparks
from the clash of weapons.

A Beyond Grade A Pugilist had grasped the true essence of speed and strength, and
their movements were like lightning, which came with numerous afterimages behind
them. Milizaus and the others rarely fought in close range, and they admired the battle
from the side.

Both of them fought until they were tired and riddled with injuries all over. Heber’s
situation was slightly better, and he held onto Mercer tightly, bringing him onto the
spaceship.

Bang!

Mercer’s dense body was thrown onto the ground, and the half unconscious Mercer
could not get up again.

Heber then took a deep breath to stabilize his surging blood. He then pointed at Mercer,
who was by his feet, and said, “I took care of him.”

Clapping could then be heard in the room, and Tarrokov gave him a round of applause
with a polite smile on his face.

With Black Star one-shotting Dylan during their most desperate moment right before
this, none of them thought highly of Heber defeating an opponent who was already
defeated before this in a carefully engineered one-on-one fight. In fact, they all felt that
it was truly too slow. However, none of them dared say it, afraid that they would offend
Heber.

Han Xiao was different, and he was not afraid of Heber. With his drink in his hand, he
said while sucking on the straw, “How slow, Little Ty-Ty. Why did you take so long?”
The Pugilists had spent quite some time fighting each other, and the battlefield had
already been cleared up. The spectators had already gone to find some drinks and
snacks while watching the battle between the two Pugilists.

“Humph.” Heber could not be bothered with him.

No matter what, the achievement of defeating Mercer belonged to him, and no one
would remember the details of how it happened. They would only know that he
defeated another Beyond Grade A, and having the title was sufficient.

Tarrokov then got everyone to come over and said, “Now that Heber is here, let me
repeat myself again. I have already informed Her Excellency Urranrell about the battle
results, and Her Excellency is extremely satisfied with our results. The Arcane Church
fleet has been wiped out, and the dynasty has two Beyond Grade As in their hands.

“With such chips in our hands, the dynasty will have the upper hand, and Her
Excellency will announce this matter to the universe and inform all the large and small
organizations about the Arcane Church’s actions and also the price that they had to
pay.”

The battle in the Flickering World did not last too long, and the dynasty was still
locking down news about it. The outside world was clueless about it, but announcing it
to the entire world was only a matter of time.

If the Arcane Church managed to escape safely after the ambush, the dynasty’s prestige
would be heavily hit. However, things were different now, and not only was the Arcane
Church’s fleet completely wiped out, two of the six Beyond Grade As of the Arcane
Church had been captured. The dynasty’s prestige had gone up another level, and the
upper echelons were extremely satisfied with the actions of Han Xiao and the others.

The dynasty would not miss such an opportunity to promote their own Beyond Grade
As. Han Xiao would be the main focus of the promotion, and the dynasty was prepared
to spread news about how he single-handedly turned the situation around.

Increasing the prestige of their allies was akin to increasing the dynasty’s prestige. This
was a win-win situation.
When they were watching Mercer and the Tyrant have a wrestling match, Tarrokov had
already informed Han Xiao about the matter. As such, Han Xiao only nodded slightly to
indicate that he acknowledged those words.

The chief commander then said, “On the other side, there are still four Beyond Grade
As who escaped into the Shattered Star Ring, and the dynasty will chase after them.
However, the situation in the Shattered Star Ring is different from the Flickering World.
The dynasty hopes that all of you will temporarily head to the Shattered Star Ring to
hold the fort so that you will be able to respond quickly.”

The Flickering World was currently the dynasty’s territory, and the other organizations
did not have any foundation in this place. Thus, the dynasty was able to cast a large net
to chase the enemy down without any interference.

However, the situation in the Shattered Star Ring was different, and the various
organizations had complicated relationships. The Arcane Church also had various spies
in the Shattered Star Ring, and the four Beyond Grade As no longer only had a single
escape route. They could easily choose to split up and disguise themselves as ordinary
galactic residents.

Furthermore, with the sheer size of a Star Field, searching for the enemy was akin to
finding a needle in a haystack.

Of course, as the ones being hunted, Sagman and the others would face danger at every
turn, and they would be experiencing much more pressure.

Because the enemy opened the gap with the stargate, the dynasty’s Beyond Grade As
were unable to continue giving chase and could only choose to hold down the fort in the
Shattered Star Ring. After all, the enemy would definitely try to hide themselves, and
they would only be able to fight back after discovering the enemy’s tracks. If not, they
would just be wasting their time.

Han Xiao then smiled and said, “The Shattered Star Ring is the Black Star Army’s main
camp, so I sincerely welcome all of you to be guests in the Black Star Army. All of your
food and accommodation shall be taken care of by me during this period.”
Heber immediately said after hearing that, “The Shattered Star Ring is also my territory.
The Black Star Army has only been around for a few years, and there is nothing
fantastic about them. All of you can come to my Bloodshed Land instead.”

Everyone present was a Beyond Grade A Super and had incredible influence. As locals,
both Han Xiao and Heber wanted to pull them into their own territory as guests and
increase their prestige.

Milizaus then chuckled. “Since Black Star has invited me, I shall go over to his place.”

Beyoni also nodded, “Alright, you promised to host me back when we were in the
Central Galaxy. Let’s make use of this opportunity.”

They had spent one month with Han Xiao on Planet Lighthouse and also fought
together in a desperate battle a while ago. They were naturally much closer to each
other.

“Black Star, I shall also go over to your place,” Maximiler, who only had his projection
around, said. “We can make use of this opportunity to have an exchange in Mechanic
skills.”

“Sounds good.” Han Xiao agreed.

Maximiler was a Mechanic and would naturally be more interested in someone of his
own Class rather than a muscular man.

Everyone ignored Heber’s invitation, and Heber felt a little embarrassed. He then turned
around to look at the remaining Ravenlaude.

Ravenlaude’s mouth cramped up, and he said helplessly, “Then… I shall go to

Bloodshed Land.”

Since everyone was going to the Black Star Army, he also wanted to join in the fun and
see if he could find an opportunity to borrow the Evolution Cube. However, he felt his
head ache upon seeing Heber stare at him and could only go against his own wishes.
Heber’s expression became slightly better. At least not everyone had ignored him.

He then looked at the three people beside Han Xiao and felt a little defeated.

He had held the Tyrant Party in the Shattered Star Ring for many years and felt that his
network was pretty large. However, the experts of the same level in the other Star Fields
did not think too highly of him, and he felt that he lost out to Han Xiao in this respect.

Tarrokov then coughed and interrupted the conversation.

“Because of the increased difficulty in searching for the enemy, the dynasty has decided
to cut off the enemy’s path of retreat and ambush the Arcane Church’s stargate stationed
in the Shattered Star Ring.

“The Shattered Star Ring envoy Zoel is already mobilizing our forces, and he will
launch an attack after the dynasty makes an announcement regarding this matter.”

“It seems like we won’t be able to arrive in time for this.” Han Xiao nodded. “Neither
party has any Beyond Grade As to help. Can the dynasty deal with the Arcane Church’s
forces?”

“You’re wrong. We have a Beyond Grade A combatant.” Han Xiao was stunned for a
moment. “Could it be that the dynasty invited Beyond Grade A allies from the other
Star Fields? Wouldn’t it take too much time? The Arcane Church will also be able to
send out Beyond Grade A combatants if this is the case.”

“No, our Beyond Grade A combatant is a local in the Shattered Star Ring.”

“Local? Heber and I are in the Flickering World. Austin is still rushing back and won’t
be able to make it in time. There’s no need to talk about Psyker…”

As he said that, Han Xiao suddenly realized something, and his face darkened.
“Did you guys seek help from Ames by using my name?”

“Black Star, don’t misunderstand us. We didn’t do that. The Dragon Emperor took the
initiative to approach Zoel and requested to participate in the operation,” Tarrokov said.
“I only found out recently, and Zoel has already agreed to it. With all of you absent, she
is the only Beyond Grade A in the Shattered Star Ring and will be able to aid us
greatly.”

“How did she find out about the matters over here?”

“This… I don’t know about that.” Tarrokov shook his head.

Han Xiao frowned and walked to the side to contact Ames.

Ames’ figure floated up on his communicator, and she sized Han Xiao up upon seeing
him before saying with a smile, “Eh, the busy man is finally willing to call me.”

Han Xiao did not bother beating about the bush and asked, “Let me ask you, did you
contact the dynasty to enter this storm?”

“Why? Do you have an issue?” Ames smirked.

Han Xiao nodded and said, “You shouldn’t have. This isn’t a good thing for you.”

“How long have you known me?” Ames asked with a calm voice. “To me, there are
only things that I wish to do and those that I don’t wish to do. You are my ally, and
since you were ambushed, what kind of ally would I be if I don’t help? Humph, you still
tried to hide the matter from me. If not for Austin informing me about the matter, I
wouldn’t have known that you encountered such danger in the Flickering World.”

So, it was that darn old man Austin… Han Xiao then said helplessly, “It isn’t that I am
hiding the matter from you. I just haven’t told you yet. I don’t need to inform you at the
very first moment, right?”
Ames snorted. “… I really wish to beat you up sometimes. It is a pity that you are much
stronger than before, and I’m not confident that I can beat the current you.”

Han Xiao stroked his chin and said helplessly, “Don’t change the topic. The dynasty
will be able to attack the stargate even if you don’t participate. There’s no need for you
to do so. You are not a member of the dynasty and do not have the dynasty’s
protections. Your situation will be tough if you anger the Arcane Church.”

“Really? What about Austin? You don’t seem to think about him,” Ames said with a
mocking tone.

“Is that even the same?” Han Xiao shook his head. “Austin owed me a favor, but you
don’t. Instead, I am the one who owes you a favor. Besides, both of us are allies, and I
have to think on your behalf.”

“Tsk, it turns out that you still know how to speak like a human.” Ames teased him a
little before getting serious. “Alright, you don’t need to continue. You should know that
even Aesop wouldn’t be able to convince me otherwise if I make a decision.”

“Alright then…”

Han Xiao was a little helpless but also touched. When he was weak, Ames had also
stood up for him like this. Now that they were already on the same level, she still chose
to do so, and those memories surfaced in his head.

“Then take care of yourself.”

After hanging up, Han Xiao contacted Zoel.

Zoel’s face appeared, and he said with a friendly expression, “Haha, Your Excellency
Black Star. It has been quite some time. I have heard about your merits in the Flickering
World. Good job!”

Zoel was the one who had introduced Han Xiao to join the dynasty. Now that Han Xiao
had rendered merits to the dynasty, he would also receive some reward and was in a
good mood.
“Zoel, I have something to ask of you…” Han Xiao then said his request.

“It’s nothing much. Don’t worry, I will inform the garrison commander to prevent the
Dragon Emperor from fighting at the most dangerous location.”

“Alright, I will return to the Shattered Star Ring soon, and we can have a gathering at
the headquarters of the Black Star Army. Milizaus, Beyoni, and Maximiler will also be
around.”

“They are all bigshots.” Zoel’s eyes lit up. With his current position, he would only be
able to meet the Beyond Grade As in the Shattered Star Ring, and there was no chance
for him to meet the Beyond Grade As of the other Star Fields. This was a good
opportunity for him to get to know them.

After ending the call, Han Xiao returned to Tarrokov’s side and used the Spacetime
Amber to seal the struggling Mercer with the aid of the others.

Following that, the fleet changed directions and headed toward the stargate located in
the Dawn Star Cluster. It would take them a few days to return to the Shattered Star
Ring.

Han Xiao had originally thought that he would have to remain in the Flickering World,
but never had he thought that he would be able to return to his main camp because of
this interlude.

In truth, his physical location did not matter as the Black Star Army would continue
their exploration of the Flickering World.

Opening the forums to take a look, the player’s [The Crimson Dynasty Order: All Out
Pursuit] had not ended yet. There were still many Arcane Church troops scattered all
around and also plenty of Fallen Ark troops that had not escaped.

Compared to Sagman’s group of four, Han Xiao would rather deal with EsGod.
However, the dynasty’s attention was currently on the Arcane Church.
Without aid from his teammates, Han Xiao was not confident about killing EsGod.

I can only wait for the Crimson Dynasty to announce this matter to the universe and
carry out a large scale counterattack before trying to persuade them about my previous
suggestion, Han Xiao thought to himself. The Political Asset should have some
influence on this, right?

The day after catching Mercer, the dynasty called for a press conference, and Ruler
Urranrell personally revealed the entire incident to the universe.

Countless galactic media groups broadcast the press conference, and the scene of the
press conference spread throughout every Star Field.

Regardless of whether it was a variety channel or family channel, every channel showed
the press conference of the dynasty.

The captains of various spaceships, customers of bars, travelers in transit stations, and
many others all had their eyes glued to the press conference.

Many galactic residents were listening to the Crimson Dynasty’s announcement at the
same time.

The galactic residents only knew that the Flickering World was a new Star Field that
was currently being explored and did not know anything else. However, a battle
between eleven Beyond Grade As had actually broken out in this unexplored Star Field
with the Arcane Church and the Crimson Dynasty fighting each other head on! Both
Universal Civilizations also simultaneously announced that they were entering war time
alert!

This announcement was like the explosion of a psionic bomb!

Chapter 861 Changes and Spies
A Universal Civilization that wanted to make use of public opinion as their weapon had
sufficient rights to borrow the galactic media groups to spread their voice. The influence
of a Universal Civilization covered the various Star Fields, and their influence could not
be matched by the Star Cluster civilizations, which were restricted to their own region.

Ruler Urranrell then described the entire process in detail before releasing an official
document that recorded the entire event in detail to the public.

The document emphasized how the Arcane Church was blinded by their greed for the
Evolution Cube and ignored the fact that the Flickering World was under the control of
the dynasty. They had even worked together with the infamous Fallen Ark and
ambushed the dynasty’s troops, which caused massive losses to the dynasty. The
dynasty strongly criticized such an action and reserved the right to pursue the matter.
They announced that they were going to stop all activities with the Arcane Church and
enter war-time alert.

The dynasty’s announcement was extremely solemn and strict, making the galactic
residents feel that the dynasty had suffered astronomical loss. But after viewing the
document and understanding the exact process of the matter, they were shocked to
realize that the dynasty did not suffer too much of a loss but managed to repel the
enemy instead. They had even captured two of the enemy’s Beyond Grade As in the
Flickering World.

Black Star’s contributions were greatly emphasized within the document, and his battle
results were being promoted. The dynasty wanted to help Han Xiao raise his prestige
and deal a heavy blow to the Arcane Church. The Arcane Church was the background
for Black Star’s contributions, and Black Star was obtaining his prestige by standing on
top of the Arcane Church. The greater the spread of this incident, the heavier the blow
dealt to the Arcane Church.

News of Black Star capturing Dylan created a huge commotion after spreading out. Han
Xiao was a new Beyond Grade A who had created a sensation just a while back, and
most of the galactic residents were somewhat familiar with him.
Who would have thought that in less than a year, the newly ascended Black Star would
be able to capture an expert of the same level as him?

Killing or capturing a Beyond Grade A alive had significant meaning in the universe.
The Beyond Grade A level was already the peak, and if an individual was capable of
subduing this peak, their fame would be propelled up to the next level.

Han Xiao had previously fought Psyker and Heber, and the result of the battle was only
a draw. Although it could be considered a Beyond Grade A incident, it was not too
shocking.

But this time, he had personally defeated a combatant at his level, and it could be said
that Han Xiao’s status in the universe had stabilized after this battle.

The document also pointed out that Heber had captured a Beyond Grade A Super, but
before Black Star’s merits, it seemed extremely ordinary. After all, the galactic residents
were able to understand the difference. One managed to capture the enemy while being
at the absolute disadvantage while the other fought the enemy in a one-on-one battle
when the enemy was surrounded. The two events could not be compared.

Apart from the shock of the event, many were worried about the influence of this
matter. If the Crimson Dynasty and Arcane Church broke out into open war, the
situation in the galaxy would become tense again.

For the past ten years, the Crimson Dynasty and the Federation of Light had been at a
standoff. Now that the Federation of Light had become low profile, the Arcane Church
decided to walk up the stage.

Ever since the Flickering World was discovered, the galaxy had been unstable.

Regardless of how slow witted the galactic residents were, they were able to see that the
three Universal Civilizations were having conflicts around this new Star Field.

…
After the dynasty made their announcement, the various Super Star Cluster and Star
Cluster Civilizations immediately activated their intelligence net to gather information.

Black Star had become the focus of all these organizations, and many organizations
became wary of him.

The Beyond Grade A allies of the three Universal Civilizations had always been the
target for research of the various organizations. However, Han Xiao was different from
the other Beyond Grade As that had joined for a few decades. He had joined the dynasty
less than a year prior, and information was limited. However, many organizations had
no choice but to adjust his threat to the level of the three pillars of the dynasty and label
him as a target to pay close attention to.

The Arcane Church then revealed the various methods that Han Xiao had displayed in
the battle through their various hidden intelligence agencies, and all the organizations
now knew that Black Star had two Universal Treasures in his hands. There was no need
to talk about the Evolution Cube since it was the reason for the battle.

However, the other Universal Treasure was actually able to block the Ten Thousand
Deity Scepter and seal a Beyond Grade A. With such methods up his sleeves, Black Star
had a special strategic position and could not be considered an ordinary Beyond Grade
A combatant.

There were naturally those with greed as well. The Arcane Church intentionally
revealed such information so that many organizations would eye the Universal Treasure
in Han Xiao’s hands. They had indeed succeeded, but the other organizations did not
dare to take any reckless actions since even the Arcane Church had failed.

Black Star’s battle merits were a true deterrent to many organizations.

A few days later, the dynasty began their counterattack, and Arcane Church’s stargate
located in the Shattered Star Ring suffered from an ambush. An intense battle broke out,
and it was said that the energy reactions of the battle could be felt from a Star Zone
away.
After Sagman’s ambush failed, the Arcane Church had guessed that the Crimson
Dynasty would attempt to destroy their stargate located in the Shattered Star Ring.
Thus, they had already begun mobilizing their reinforcements and had even mobilized
other Beyond Grade A combatants.

However, in order to secretly send out six Beyond Grade As, the Arcane Church had
gotten their other Beyond Grade As to attract the attention of the public in various
locations. As such, it would require some time to mobilize them, and the dynasty
managed to seize that window.

Ames was the only Beyond Grade A present in the Shattered Star Ring, and she
participated in the attack before the Arcane Church’s reinforcements could arrive. Her
Force Field was a sharp weapon in galactic warfare and could easily disrupt and
penetrate the formation of the army stationed at the stargate. Furthermore, she was also
able to use her Force Field to destroy the stargate and cut off the enemy’s route of
retreat.

Following which, the dynasty began monitoring all the public stargates and sent out
their spies to monitor the Arcane Church’s movements.

However, as a Universal Civilization, the Arcane Church had many other ways to deal
with that.

Old Medal Bar was located in the seventh junkyard of some galactic transit station in
the Shattered Star Ring. Although it seemed like a public bar that was a little tattered on
the surface, it was actually the gathering point of a black-market merchant with the
nickname of ‘Night Bat’.

There was no absolute order in the universe, and there would always be shadows when
light existed. The galactic black market was the biggest shadow in the galactic society.

There would always be needs when there were people, and there would always be
smugglers when there were needs. Every region in the universe had their own black
markets. Some were businesses that the government chose to look away from, and
others were gray regions that were not controlled by any civilizations.

In the black markets of the Shattered Star Ring, Night Bat was not a bigshot. On the
contrary, he was an unknown character who mainly collected scrap. He made use of
such a disguise to smuggle some military machines.

There was no need for him to behave sneakily. Almost all the locals knew that Old
Medal Bar was his black market gathering point, but because of its small size and the
items being sold being relatively safe, no organization paid close attention to him. In
this galactic transit station, there were hundreds of such black merchants.

Today, a freight captain arrived at the Old Medal Bar, and this captain had been
working together with Night Bat for a long time. He would sell some scraps to Night
Bat with some smuggled goods hidden within the scraps. Night Bat personally invited
him to the underground chamber under his bar to be a guest today.

Only Night Bat and this freight captain were left in the office.

The freight captain then lit a cigarette and blew out a mouthful of smoke. He took out a
sheet of paper and pushed it toward Night Bat.

“This is the list of scraps.”

“Thanks.”

Night Bat was a skinny man with a fawning smile on his face. Everyone would think
that he was a crafty merchant upon seeing his face.

“The goods have been delivered. I’ll make a move now.” The freight captain stood up.

“Aren’t you going to have some fun? I heard that Red Widow on Gray Shed Street has
some new mixed-blood elves…”
“Mixed blood elves… forget it. Have you heard? The Crimson Dynasty and Arcane
Church have begun fighting in the Shattered Star Ring. The situation in the outside
world is far too unstable. I will return home after this trip and wait for them to finish
their battle before coming out to do business.”

The freight captain seemed a little tempted but decided otherwise and left the room.

Night Bat followed behind him and called for his subordinates to shift the scraps on the
cargo ship.

With everyone being busy, no one would notice subtle changes. No one noticed that
Night Bat had suddenly grown a few centimeters taller with his body shape changing
slightly. One of the workers of the freight captain had also experienced such a subtle
change.

After half a day, the goods were finally unloaded, and the cargo ship left the planet.

The cargo ship was set to autopilot, and the captain received news of iron eating bugs
being spotted in the warehouse.

This was an extremely common bug that would destroy the internal structure of a
spaceship. It had to be cleaned up immediately the moment it was spotted.

The captain went to the warehouse, and more than thirty workers had flamethrowers in
their hands to burn the ten or so centimeters bugs into ashes.

“Captain, we have already stabilized the situation and are checking the damage. Some
goods show signs of being bitten,” a worker reported.

Upon hearing that, the freight captain became anxious. All the goods in the warehouse
were his customers’ orders, and he would have to pay for them if they were damaged.

He was only an ordinary individual in the universe and was not able to afford such
goods.
“Bring me to take a look!”

They entered the depths of the warehouse.

Right at that moment, the worker suddenly took out a silenced handgun and aimed it at
the captain’s head.

“You…” The captain was shocked.

The worker then opened fire decisively

Pap pap pap!

Three bullets shot through the skull of the freight captain. This was definitely a fatal
injury to an ordinary individual.

The freight captain landed on the ground with blood flowing out from his body.

This worker wiped his face and took off a mask-like item to reveal Night Bat’s
appearance.

Night Bat had a cold expression on his face without any trace of his ‘cunning merchant’
aura.

He took out the access card and communicator from the captain’s body and carried the
captain’s body back to the region where they had been burning bugs.

When Night Bat walked out from the darkness, the situation was already completely
different. Only five of the thirty plus workers were left, and they all had silenced
handguns in their hands. There were more than twenty corpses on the ground, and they
had all been shot dead.

They looked toward Night Bat and greeted him. “Captain.”

They were all spies trained by the Arcane Church. Night Bat had disguised himself as a
black market merchant for many years to manage an insignificant smuggling business.
A portion of his team had been disguised as workers and worked for this freight captain.

After smuggling for so many years, they had secretly gathered sufficient parts to build a
new stargate. These workers had secretly loaded up the stargate equipment onto these
spaceships when they were unloading the goods previously.

After remaining hidden for such a long time, they had always been waiting for their
organization to summon them. The Arcane Church activated these spies at such a
moment, and their mission was to obtain an insignificant looking spaceship and meet up
with the Beyond Grade As to help them escape with the stargate equipment.

Night Bat’s team was not the only one with such a mission; similar scenes were playing
out all around the Shattered Star Ring.

These usually insignificant characters had begun to take action.

Beyond Grade A was the peak of individual strength, but no one would be able to call
themselves the protagonist of the universe. The universe was far too big, and every
character had their own role to play. Even an insignificant individual could influence the
bigger picture.

Chapter 862 A Devastating Number

The dynasty’s Beyond Grade As returned to the Shattered Star Ring from the Flickering
World through the stargate located in the Dawn Star Cluster. After another period of
flying, Han Xiao returned to the Colton Star Cluster together with Milizaus and the
others.

During the period that they were travelling, the Crimson Dynasty and Arcane Church
were in a confrontation in the Central Galaxy, and the situation was extremely tense.
On the Shattered Star Ring’s side, the dynasty’s forces located at the borders of the
Flickering World had thoroughly investigated the secret stargate exit coordinates
provided by Han Xiao, but it was already empty.

When they heard this news along the way, everyone knew that the following job
belonged mainly to the intelligence personnel, and they would not be able to do much.

In the spaceship, Han Xiao, Milizaus’ avatar, Beyoni, and Maximiler were gathered
together, looking out at the Black Star Army headquarters outside the window.

Gigantic battleships were taking off and landing on the gigantic planetary grade fortress,
and metal buildings loomed everywhere.

The officers present at headquarters had also received news of their arrival and came
forward to receive them.

As the hatch opened, Han Xiao and the others disembarked from the spaceship and were
greeted with a sea of people. The warriors of the army were lined up neatly and gave a
salute in unison.

“Army Commander!”

Upon seeing that, Han Xiao was stunned for a moment and slightly confused.

Why did they arrange for such a grand ceremony? While it was a spectacular scene, he
did not remember giving such an order.

In front of the soldiers, Sylvia pushed Lagi forward.

As the vice commander, Lagi had no choice but to step forward. He then cleared his
throat and said with a less monotonous voice, “Cough cough, we welcome the Army
Commander’s return.”
Han Xiao’s face contorted slightly, and he asked, “What are you guys doing? It has only
been a few months since we last met each other. Why bother with such a solemn
ceremony?”

“Sylvia said that the entire universe now knows that you have defeated a Beyond Grade
A head on, and we can make use of this opportunity to foster the cohesiveness within
the army,” Herlous said softly.

There was another reason that he did not mention. Sylvia knew that Han Xiao was
inviting the allies of the dynasty over as guests and thus created such a scene to build up
Han Xiao’s image.

Of course, Lagi felt that this was completely pointless but couldn’t convince Sylvia
otherwise.

Han Xiao did not really like such a display and did not feel that it was necessary for the
army to boost his image. However, he would not nitpick something so small. Since he
had given his subordinates authority, he would allow them to have their own thoughts.
He then instructed, “Arrange a room for these three Excellencies.”

“It has already been arranged,” Sylvia said.

Right at this moment, Lagi sighed. “I heard that Austin joined in the battle, and this
resulted in huge losses for the Forbidden Sorcerers. Is this true?”

“Yes.” Han Xiao nodded.

“Sigh, another few familiar faces have disappeared. Thankfully, I switched sides…”
Lagi shook his head weakly. “However, it is meaningless to talk about this. In a few
more years, all our bodies will rot, and we will become…”

“Alright, I know that we will all become dust. You can keep quiet now,” Han Xiao
interrupted.

After stopping Lagi from embarrassing himself, Han Xiao turned around to look at
Milizaus and the others.
“I have some matters to handle. You guys can go and rest. You can inform my men if
you have any needs. I will go and find you guys later.”

“Okay.”

Milizaus’ group of three had no issues with that. Since they were in the territory of
another, they would listen to Black Star’s arrangements.

Watching the three enter the headquarters, Han Xiao walked toward his office to meet
all his officers and asked them about the recent situation.

The army was already on track, and together with him having sufficient prestige, no one
in the Shattered Star Ring would dare provoke them.

Furthermore, the galactic pirates and scavengers had begun avoiding the territories of
the Black Star Army, which improved the security of many regions.

It was time for the logistics report, and Reynold gave his report calmly. After listening
to his report, Han Xiao did not ask about the matters of the army but about Nero’s
studies.

“He is extremely talented, and his learning speed is extremely fast. He finished reading
all the theory books that I gave him.”

He was probably forced to read them by you, right?

Han Xiao’s mouth contorted slightly, and he asked, “Where is he?”

“Right outside.” Reynold then brought Nero in.

After not meeting him for a while, Nero had already grown up. He now had thick
eyebags around his eyes and looked extremely sleepy.
Nero was no longer as energetic as before, and he greeted Han Xiao weakly.

“Hello godfather.”

“You…”

Seeing his pathetic appearance, Han Xiao felt a tinge of pity.

Reynold, you are truly a demon! Look at how you tortured this kid.

It seemed like he must hide Nero well from the players. If not, those darn players might
end up triggering an ‘assassinate Reynold’ type mission.

Shaking his head, Han Xiao got Nero to stand in front of him. He then pricked Nero
slightly to activate the battle notification and viewed Nero’s attributes.

Wait a moment, this…

Looking at the interface, a look of surprise could be seen on Han Xiao’s face.

In Nero’s talent section, a new talent that had not been there before appeared. It was
[Middle Grade Mechanical Sense]!

My guess was correct! Nero has an Advanced Luck Glow and has the right to obtain a
Molding Talent. He can even learn a talent like Mechanical Sense!

Although it was only [Middle Grade Mechanical Sense] at the moment, he had a chance
of learning Reynold’s [Perfect Mechanical Sense] if he continued!

There was finally a new point to break through to Reynold, and Han Xiao was truly
excited!
Thinking about that, Han Xiao stroked Nero’s head and said with concern, “Your
appearance looks extremely poor. Are you too tired from studying?”

Nero then glanced at Reynold, and his body trembled slightly. “No… not tired at all…”

“Don’t need to be afraid. You can just tell the truth with me around.”

Looking at Han Xiao’s compassionate eyes, Nero felt a sense of courage welling up in
his heart. He then began to openly complain about Reynold’s crimes.

“Godfather, he doesn’t even treat me as a human. The sheer amount of homework that
he gives isn’t even meant for a human! I have less than three hours of sleep every day,
and it is interfering with my development. I… I am still a kid!”

Han Xiao then looked at Reynold and snorted. “Is this the truth?”

“Since the Army Commander handed Nero over to me, I will not let you down,”
Reynold said with a strict appearance. “I will definitely groom him to become a great
Mechanic!”

“Sigh, I know that your intentions are good, but you must pay attention to your
method.” Han Xiao shook his head.

Upon hearing that, a glimmer could be seen in Nero’s eyes, and he felt a trace of hope in
his heart.

Godfather is speaking on my behalf!

Does this mean that my hellish life will end today?

His body trembled with excitement, and he was like a man dying from thirst in the
desert who saw an oasis.
At this moment, Nero suddenly felt as though a sacred halo could be seen on Han
Xiao’s body.

Han Xiao took out a bottle filled with dragon’s blood. This was Milizaus’ blood that he
had gathered from the battlefield. He then said to Reynold, “Give this dragon blood to
Emerald Grass and get her to research a body strengthening medicine.”

The next moment, Han Xiao turned around and looked at Nero with a smile.

“Reynold didn’t think things through. How can you learn properly without a strong
body? Medicine developed from dragon’s blood will be able to replenish your energy,
and your development won’t be affected no matter how late you sleep. Don’t worry and
follow Reynold. You must learn properly.”

Nero’s smile froze in place, and his eyes widened.

In his eyes, the sacred glow on Han Xiao’s body seemed to have become a demonic
aura, and his godfather’s smile was like a demon’s grin.

Tears welled up in his eyes and were about to burst forth.

Nero cried his heart and lungs out.

Godfather is also a demon!

Wuwuwu… father, mother, I don’t want to live in space anymore. I want to return
home!

As Reynold heard that, his eyes lit up, and he nodded with praise.

You are indeed the Army Commander that I respect. You are also a demon.
Han Xiao then got Sylvia to comfort Nero. It was a pity that Rossellin had gone to
become a revolutionary. If not, she would have been able to easily fix this mental
damage.

Following which, he then used a blank Character Summon Card on Reynold to

replenish the number of times he can use Perfect Mechanical Sense. The blank
Character Summon Card was slightly different to the previous reward, and he only had
a single chance to use it.

Who knew how long it would take for Nero to learn the [Perfect Mechanical Sense]?
Han Xiao had always kept his guard up ever since the Planet Lighthouse battle and was
worried that the Arcane Church might become desperate. As such, he had to keep a
trump card prepared.

After settling his internal affairs, Han Xiao went to find Milizaus and the others and led
them on a tour of his headquarters. He also contacted Tarrokov to discuss the dynasty’s
pursuit mission.

The dynasty’s forces present in the desolate universe belt near the Shattered Star Ring
were smaller than their forces in the Flickering World. Together with the fact that the
enemy had made use of a secret stargate, the dynasty was not able to set up a defensive
line in time. By making use of that small opening, Sagman’s group had successfully
avoided the dynasty’s surveillance and escaped into the Shattered Star Ring.

“According to the spatial fluctuations left behind, we believe that Sagman’s group of
four have decided to split up. This has increased the difficulty of our search.”
Tarrokov’s projection floated beside them and walked together.

“It will be akin to a drop of water entering the ocean when they enter the Shattered Star
Ring. It will be incredibly difficult to find them,” Beyoni said.

“That’s right. Her Excellency also thinks so.” Tarrokov nodded. “According to reliable
intelligence, the Arcane Church has activated many of their spies in the Shattered Star
Ring to save these four Beyond Grade As. Every Universal Civilization has many spies
located in the various Star Fields disguised as workers from various occupations, and it
is incredibly difficult to see through them. It is an important source of information, and
it will be much easier for Sagman and the others to escape with their help.”

“Hidden spies… If we can get a list of the spies, we will be able to track them.” Han
Xiao stroked his chin.

“That’s impossible.” Tarrokov shook his head. “Such a list will be stored in the main
database of the Universal Civilization and protected by a Beyond Grade A Virtual
Mechanic. The firewall will be extremely powerful, and it will be impossible to
infiltrate them.”

“Will those spies contact the higher ups?”

“The spies of a Universal Civilization will report directly to the intelligence agency, and
a single encrypted command can allow them to willingly remain hidden for ten years.
They do not have any higher ups.”

“I see. Then forget it.” Han Xiao shook his head and decided to forget about this matter.

Tarrokov then said, “Although it is incredibly difficult to capture them, we cannot give
up halfway. We may have some unexpected rewards as well and uproot some of the
Arcane Church’s spies. We can attempt to completely wipe out all the hidden pieces
that the Arcane Church has in the Shattered Star Ring! If they want to plant new spies, it
will take them a few decades for sure.”

“Hmm, this is fine as well. Rather than attempt to chase after four extremely nimble
Beyond Grade As, we might as well uproot the Arcane Church’s spies,” Maximiler said.

Capturing two Beyond Grade A captives was already a satisfactory battle result.

They were worried that the Arcane Church might truly become desperate after losing
even more Beyond Grade As and end up in a large-scale assassination attempt toward
each other’s Beyond Grade As.

There was an example of such an incident. During the exploration era a thousand years
earlier, there was a historical incident called the Saint Menason Incident.
At that time, the leaders from the three Universal Civilizations were not the present
ones, and an important Beyond Grade A called ‘Saint Menason’ from the Federation of
Light was ambushed by two Beyond Grade As from the dynasty. Their target was to
snatch the Universal Treasure in Saint Menason’s hands. However, the Federation of
Light called even more Beyond Grade A combatants to counter-ambush the two Beyond
Grade As and snatch the Universal Treasure back.

The two dead Beyond Grade As had many friends, and a huge chain reaction was
created.

Because of this, the Federation of Light and the Crimson Dynasty began to push the
blame onto each other politically.

Nine months later, the dynasty’s Beyond Grade As worked together and washed the
organizations that belonged to three Beyond Grade As from the Federation of Light
with blood. They also got rid of two of the Federation of Light’s Beyond Grade As, and
only one managed to escape. During this period, the biological brother of an Arcane
Church Beyond Grade A also died in the battle because he was a guest at the ambush
site.

Because of this, the Arcane Church was dragged into the matter, and another series of
assassinations unfolded. The three Universal Civilizations began to assassinate each
other’s Beyond Grade As, and more and more people died. In the eyes of a civilization,
a Beyond Grade A combatant was a strategic weapon, and they would not allow other
Beyond Grade As to live if their own had died. As such, the conflict between the
civilizations grew deeper and deeper.

During this incident, the three Universal Civilizations sacrificed many Beyond Grade A
Supers, and the turning point of the incident was what the civilizations called the Saint
Menason Incident. There was actually a mastermind behind the scene, and it was a
Super Star Cluster civilization at that time. The three Universal Civilizations then
claimed that they found solid evidence to believe that these Super Star Cluster
civilizations were fanning the flames from behind the scenes and wanted to make them
lose some Beyond Grade As.

Following which, the three Universal Cis then wiped out all the Beyond Grade As of
that Super Star Cluster civilization and their allies before the entire incident came to an
end.
At that time, around half of the Beyond Grade As in the known universe were killed. A
few neutral Beyond Grade As were unable to avoid the matter and were forced to join
the three Universal Civilizations.

As for whether the mastermind behind the matter was truly the Super Star Cluster
civilization, only the three Universal Civilizations knew. In any case, that was how it
was written in history.

Although their Beyond Grade As were dead, the civilization was still around. While the
three Universal Civilizations were much more peaceful in the Galaxy Calendar era, the
majority did not wish to see history repeat itself. After that incident, the number of
Beyond Grade As being sacrificed was reduced greatly.

“Don’t worry, even if we can’t catch Sagman and the others, there is a target that won’t
be able to escape,” Tarrokov said with a smile.

“Psyker right?” Han Xiao also smiled.

The Star Pupil Holy Race was in the Shattered Star Ring, and it was impossible for
Psyker to escape. Even if the dynasty adhered to the Peace Treaty and did not attack the
Star Pupil Holy Race, it would be impossible for Psyker not to return forever.

If he had killed Han Xiao successfully and snatched the Evolution Cube back, Psyker
would have had the protection of the Arcane Church and would not have been in such a
passive state.

For now, however, Psyker was truly in a pathetic state.

Han Xiao only had a single thought toward Psyker’s current situation.

There’s no hope. Let’s move house.

Chapter 863 Red-Named Monster, Please Stop!
The dynasty’s search mission in the Shattered Star Ring lasted longer than anyone
expected. Three months went by in a flash, and the Beyond Grade As of the dynasty
were still waiting there.

However, the dynasty’s pursuit mission did not yield many results as a Beyond Grade A
in disguise was far too nimble. Over the past three months, the dynasty had only caught
many of the Arcane Church’s spies and a few suspected traces of Sagman and the
others. The Beyond Grade As were unable to find any of the Arcane Church’s Beyond
Grade As when they took action.

These Arcane Church’s spies were naturally interrogated and were unable to keep any
secrets under the various methods of the Universal Civilizations. However, the Arcane
Church had various preventive measures up their sleeves, and these spies did not know
the exact locations of Sagman and the others. They only headed to a certain location at a
certain time, and some of these messages were there as a smokescreen for the dynasty.
The amount of useful information was extremely little.

When the Arcane Church decided to make use of their spies in the Shattered Star Ring,
they were prepared to lose them.

Apart from the Shattered Star Ring, the Crimson Dynasty and Arcane Church were not
idle in the other Star Fields. Plenty of skirmishes had broken out between the two over
the past three months, and the relationship between the two was extremely tense.

In summary, the Crimson Dynasty ferociously sought an explanation, but the Arcane
Church refused to give in. The way the outside world saw it, war was about to break
out.

But as upper echelons of the dynasty, Han Xiao and the others received inside news
from Tarrokov. The Arcane Church had privately contacted the Crimson Dynasty, and
both parties were already discussing how to settle this matter. The two parties were only
putting on a show for the outside world and would not actually end up fighting.

The Arcane Church also had no choice but to give in. Two of their Beyond Grade As
had been captured by the dynasty, and they had to find a way to get them back. If not,
none of their allies would be willing to fight for them in the future. The party that the
Arcane Church hated the most was not the Crimson Dynasty but the Federation of
Light.

The actions of the Federation of Light in the Shattered Star Ring couldn’t be hidden
from the Arcane Church. The Federation of Light tried to hit them when they were
down and even aided the dynasty in searching for Sagman and the others. Although the
cooperation between both parties was only limited to the Multi-Dimensional Sky
Opening Transportation Device, the Arcane Church was still furious.

The Shattered Star Ring was the Federation of Light’s territory, and they had deep
foundations. Their intervention had resulted in many of the Arcane Church’s spies being
exposed.

The conflicts between the civilizations were mainly for benefits, and supporting Beyond
Grade As was also for this reason. The Arcane Church hoped to use diplomacy to
resolve this problem and pay a ransom for Dylan and Mercer.

The army and various weapons were the basic strength of a civilization, and a Beyond
Grade A was like a special weapon that served as a powerful deterrent. In the
exploration era, the Beyond Grade As that were captured would either be converted to
their own use or executed.

However, the Galaxy Calendar era was more peaceful than before, and the galactic
civilizations were currently in a state of peace. No one was capable of shaking the
position of the three Universal Civilizations, and the military activities of the past
gradually became diplomacy.

Thus, it was not impossible to pay a ransom. As long as one was willing to pay a
sufficient price, everything could be discussed. The three Universal Civilizations would
see their Beyond Grade As fall into enemy hands from time to time, and there was thus
a tacit agreement between the three civilizations and also an unspoken rule. However,
this unspoken rule was only restricted to the three Universal Civilizations. The Super
Star Cluster Civilizations did not have such a privilege.

Han Xiao could not be bothered with that. He had already received his Contribution
Points, and since he handed the captive over, the dynasty could choose to do whatever
they wanted.
He had remained within the headquarters of the Black Star Army during the past three
months, and even if he was summoned by the dynasty, he would only send Psionic
Prime and his mechanical army out.

Maximiler was the same as him and also sent out his long-distance troops. The best
advantage of this was that he could slack at home.

Maximiler was a Mechanic that belonged to the Energy Branch, and he chose to stay at
the Black Star Army so that he can have an exchange with Han Xiao. Both parties had a
good conversation with each other over the past three months and became much closer.

Han Xiao originally thought that Ames would come and look for him, but Ames
returned to Floating Dragon Island after destroying the stargate and did not mention the
matter again. She had a carefree attitude.

What a reliable ally.

Over the past few months, Han Xiao had spent most of his time crafting new machines.
With his new [Endless Material Combination] knowledge, he was able to create many
baffling materials to increase the attributes of his machines. The strength of his
mechanical army would be increased this way, and he would also pose a greater threat
to Beyond Grade A Supers.

Manison was able to deal with Beyond Grade As even with his long-distance troops,
and he could fight many different Beyond Grade As at different locations. That was the
true battle tactic of a Mechanic, and Han Xiao was still lacking in this respect. However,
he still had a long time to accumulate his strength. After all, he had only been a Beyond
Grade A Super for around a year.

After the Planet Lighthouse battle, the damage to his mechanical army was not small. If
not for his mechanical army restraining the enemy, they would all have been in danger
for sure. Thus, Han Xiao made use of this opportunity to create a new batch of
machines.

The endless stream of Enas from exploring the Flickering World came into Han Xiao’s
pockets, so Han Xiao was extremely wealthy. One of the reasons he had created such a
large organization was so that he would not need to worry about the cost of constructing
machines.
The three new Apostle Weapon slots were given to Silver Flash, Giant King Kong, and
Mad Sky Hunter, who each had their own weapons and special attributes.

Silver Flash’s long-distance attack was improved, and his weapon was a transformable
Planetary Obliteration Cannon called [Spreader of Destruction].

Giant King Kong was like a main tank meat shield with his weapon being strengthened
armor. It could be taken off like ordinary armor and could even be transformed into a
gigantic shield. It also had the ability to repair itself and was called [Divine Giant
Armor].

Mad Sky Hunter was a beast-shaped Mechanical Life, and his body structure was
different compared to the others. He had a pair of wings stuck on his back, which had a
length of ten meters when fully opened, and he looked like the combination of a
leopard, wolf, eagle, and dragon. His weapon was a strengthened hyperdrive module
which gave him the ability to flicker and was called [Hunting Module].

Han Xiao gave the slots of the Apostle Weapon to the Mechanical Lives that were
created earlier on. They had grown for a period of time already and were more reliable.
Furthermore, he tried to give the slots to the different models of Mechanical Lives so
that his Apostle Weapons would have a greater variety.

Over the past three months, Han Xiao had released a faction mission that got many of
the players to look around the Shattered Star Ring.

An unexplored Star Field would not have as much activity as the discovered universe.
After staying in the Flickering World for such a long time, the players could truly feel
the silence of the vast universe. They would usually travel for a few Star Zones without
seeing anybody, and it was easy for them to feel just how small they were in the
universe. They could have a change of pace after returning to the Shattered Star Ring,
and many of the players gradually became energetic again.

Exploring a new Star Field naturally had its own benefits, and the players knew that the
Flickering World was definitely a huge event. However, after exploring the Flickering
World for some time, the sense of novelty was gone, and a portion of them preferred to
remain in the Shattered Star Ring. There were numerous NPCs in the Shattered Star
Ring with plenty of different things to do.
Han Xiao would not force the players to do anything. Although he always joked that the
players were laborers, he was extremely clear about the players’ personality.
Sometimes, their benefits would have to give way to their interests, and this was what
the majority of players chased after.

He would not restrict the players’ freedom and would only issue a mission and the
relevant reward. As for whether or not the players wanted to complete the mission, it
did not have anything to do with him. After all, they players still did not know that the
Flickering World would become the most exciting place in the universe during the next
version.

On the forums, Bun-Hit-Dog transformed the battle on Planet Lighthouse into a video to
let all the players who were not present watch it to their heart’s content.

All the players were extremely curious and shocked after watching the video. This was
the battle between eleven Beyond Grade As, and it was the first time the players had
witnessed such a scene.

Something worth mentioning was that Han Xiao began selling the Dungeon Crystal in
the faction store after the battle. Although the dungeon was not one that the players
could complete at their current level, he was certain that the players’ curiosity would
overcome them, and this was a good business opportunity.

Indeed, the sales of the Dungeon Crystal were extremely high, and the average survival
time of the players was about forty-seven seconds.

The players were all curious about the strength of a Beyond Grade A and wanted to
know the true strength of their captain. The players now had a deep understanding of
this.

The ordinary cannon fodder mechanical soldiers that had the boost of the Mechanical
Force was like a boss-level monster to the players. They could easily dice the players up
like vegetables, and the players did not even have the ability to fight back.

Looking at the battlefield, there were millions of such mechanical soldiers…

After going through this bitter journey, the players were clear about Han Xiao’s
strength.

Ever since Version 1.0, Black Star’s danger level had always been ‘Fatally Dangerous’
because the highest danger level had been limited to ‘Fatally Dangerous’.

Knock! Knock!

Someone knocked on the door of the machinery modification room, and Han Xiao, who
was currently adjusting his assembly line, stopped working.

Phillip opened the door, and Lagi and a Forbidden Sorcerer clad in red robes walked in.

“Paying my respects to Your Excellency Black Star.” The Forbidden Sorcerer bowed.
“Master Austin sent me to collect the materials.”

“Alright, I have already prepared them. Wait a moment. I will get some men to help you
carry it onto your spaceship.”

Han Xiao then waved his hands and got Phillip to contact the logistics department to
prepare a few cartons of amber balls for the other party.

This was one of the conditions that he and Austin had agreed upon. Since the darn old
man had kept his promise, he would not go back on his word.

The Forbidden Sorcerer then bowed and took his leave.

Han Xiao was about to get back to work but realized that Lagi was still standing by the
side without the intention to leave.

“Why are you still here?” Han Xiao raised his brows.
“You despise me?” Upon hearing that, Lagi spoke with a bitter expression. “Indeed,
someone like me will never be liked no matter where I go. Even my boss doesn’t like
me. I’d better jump ship…”

“Nonsense. Since when did I despise you?”

Han Xiao felt his head ache and said with exasperation, “Just what do you have to tell
me? Go back to slacking off if you don’t have anything and stop disturbing me.”

“Sigh, you didn’t use to have such an attitude. You were so respectful back when you
asked me for an enchantment,” Lagi said with sorrow. “Indeed, you no longer think
highly of me…”

Just what is with this insecure attitude of his today?

Han Xiao restrained the urge to punch Lagi and said, “Say whatever’s on your mind.
Don’t disturb me if there’s nothing!”

Lagi then shook his head and said, “I am actually here to make a suggestion.”

Han Xiao’s eyes immediately widened in shock the moment these words were said.

Just what is going on? Wasn’t my vice commander just for show?

Since when did he learn how to give suggestions?

Did the sun rise from the wrong side today? Wait, an artificial sun can rise from any
direction.

“What suggestions do you have?” Han Xiao asked carefully. He was like a hunter that
had met a deer in the forest, afraid that he may scare his prey away.
“I heard from His Excellency Milizaus that all of you failed to find anything over the
last few months.”

“And then?” Han Xiao nodded. Milizaus was a Mage and seemed to like Lagi for some
reason.

As the vice commander of the army, Lagi was also an individual with status. He had
encountered Milizaus frequently in recent times and sought advice from Milizaus. Even
if it was for Han Xiao’s sake, Milizaus would not reject Lagi.

“With the Shattered Star Ring being so large, it will be impossible for us to find a
Beyond Grade A if he wants to hide. I think that we should give up the search and let
the Crimson Dynasty find them on their own. There’s no need to waste our manpower
and resources,” Lagi said.

“How strange. Why do you suddenly care about such a matter? Did you eat Emerald
Grass’ medicine by accident?” Han Xiao asked with doubt.

“As the vice commander of the army, it is only normal for me to bother about the
development of the army,” Lagi said with a bitter expression. “In your heart, it seems
like…”

“Stop!”

Han Xiao felt his head ache upon hearing Lagi’s words.

In fact, most people would have such a reaction after spending enough time with Lagi,
and Han Xiao decided to call this symptom ‘Lagi Syndrome’.

Han Xiao smiled and tried to say with patience, “Alright, I heard your advice and will
make a decision based on the circumstances. Can you leave now?”

“… You indeed despise me.”

“Scram!”
…

In some large, neutral space harbor, Taylor and Sagman were hiding within the crowd
on the street. Both of them had currently disguised themselves with magic into two
ordinary looking civilians of the Aso Clan. This was a type of human-shaped living
being with blue skin, purple eyes, and three fingers on their hands.

They walked into the harbor and had their identities checked. Their status as galactic
residents was verified with a card, and they successfully passed through the checks.

Their current disguise came from the Arcane Church’s spies that they had met not too
long ago, and their identities had truly existed. They had also obtained tens of other
identities that they could easily switch into.

Entering the harbor, they looked around and noticed a few suspicious individuals at the
corners. They were sizing up the passersby and had an extraordinary aura.

Upon seeing that, they communicated with their consciousness.

“Spies who are here to search for us.”

“There are even spies over here. The dynasty has truly exhausted a great deal of
resources in order to find us.”

“Who knows how Ninjia is doing…”

After escaping from the Flickering World, the four of them split up into three groups.
Ninjia escaped alone with the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter, Sagman and Taylor
travelled together, and Psyker travelled alone by borrowing the strength of the Star
Pupil Holy Race.

During this period, the Crimson Dynasty and Federation of Light spies were scattered
all around the Shattered Star Ring. Sagman and Taylor felt every step of the way to be
extremely precarious, but thankfully, they received aid from the Arcane Church’s spies.
They were both extremely frustrated in their hearts. As Beyond Grade A Supers, they
would be respected wherever they went. Despite having such strength, they had to avoid
these weak spies and hide like mice. It was truly too frustrating!

They had switched between plenty of spaceships. They had arrived at this harbor not too
long ago, and a new spaceship was waiting for them in the harbor.

As they walked, some commotion could be heard from the pier, and this little
commotion did not escape their senses.

Turning around to take a look, they saw a group of galactic warriors walking in their
direction with the Black Star Army insignia on their chest.

The crowd immediately let out a path for them and stared at the Black Star Army
warriors with awe.

As a new Beyond Grade A organization, the members of the Black Star Army had such
special privileges.

Sagman frowned. “They are from the Black Star Army.”

“The subordinates of Black Star are all extremely queer. Avoid them.”

They changed directions.

At the same time, the group of Black Star Army warriors casually looked around.

Right at that moment, a member of the group looked in the direction of Sagman and
Taylor and nudged his teammate.

“Strange, I saw two red names just now, and they disappeared in a flash. I wonder if I
saw wrongly.”
“This is a neutral harbor, so could they be galactic pirates?”

“Shall we go over to take a look?”

“Er, alright. Since we are here to hand in the mission, we can fight some pirates and
earn a quick buck.”

Chapter 864 Whereabouts Exposed

Amid the bustle of the neutral space harbor, the duo headed toward the storehouse while
planning their route of escape.

“We have a few plans. Two of the most stable plans are to borrow the aid of the spies
and escape through the stargate or continue hiding out identity and slowly travel
through the Shattered Star Ring.”

“Both plans have their risks. If we want to travel through the Star Field, the Seoul Star
Cluster and Colton Star Cluster are regions that we must avoid.”

“There is another method that would be to try our luck. There is a wormhole cluster in
the middle of the Shattered Star Ring, and we can make use of the unstable wormholes
to escape into another Star Field.”

Just when they were discussing the matter, they suddenly felt people following them
from behind. Their footsteps paused, and they turned around to take a look, only to see
the few Black Star Army members that they had spotted earlier following behind them.

Taylor was stunned for a moment. “Why are the members of the Black Star Army
eyeing us?”
“Don’t make a commotion and see what they want to do. It may just be a
misunderstanding…” Sagman frowned and pretended that he did not spot anything.

After going down a few split paths, the number of people in the surroundings decreased,
but the Black Star Army members were still following them. Only then did they confirm
that these Black Star Army members had their eyes on them. It seemed as though they
wanted to find where their spaceship was docked.

The duo looked at each other.

“What should we do? Did they recognize us?”

“Doesn’t seem that way… but we should get rid of them just to be safe. We can then
change into another disguise.”

“This is a neutral harbor. Don’t make too big a commotion or let others notice that we
are the culprits.”

“Alright. I will make them disappear without a trace.”

On the other side, the players were following behind and chatting in their party chat.

“Both of the red names are Fatally Dangerous. Will we be able to win?”

“It’s alright. The army will give us the bounty for catching the pirates, but we can also
request aid from the nearby members of the army.”

These players had already used their detection skill on Sagman and Taylor, but their
names were not revealed. Instead, their disguised names appeared. However, the other
party were red names from a hostile faction.

It was not too strange for them to meet a red-named monster out in the galaxy. The
majority of them were galactic pirates or scavengers. Thus, these players only thought
that they were galactic pirates. It was not that they could not talk to the red-named
characters, but it would be extremely easy for them to be attacked since the other party
was hostile toward them.

The Black Star Army was in the same camp as the Crimson Dynasty. With the Crimson
Dynasty being in open confrontation with the Arcane Church, all members of the
Arcane Church became red names for the players in the Black Star Army.

Just when the players wanted to continue tailing the two, their bodies disappeared, and
they were suddenly waiting to be revived.

“Eh? Why did I die?”

“Me too. Why didn’t we even see the attack?”

The players were all taken aback and hurriedly opened the interface to see the battle
notification. Although they were not able to see how the enemy attacked, the interface
would show the damage that they took and the attacker’s name. It was one of the two
red named characters, and he seemed to have used a mental attack to one-shot all the
players.

It would not be much if this was the case. However, what truly shocked the players was
that they suffered 84,000 damage points!

They almost thought that they had read an additional zero!

Just what kind of strength was this?

Just what was the level of the red-named character who attacked them? Was he a
Calamity Grade?

The players were all extremely curious.

“We seem to have met a fantastic character.”

“This is a large fish. Coming into contact with them will definitely trigger a hidden
storyline, right?”

Just as they were discussing, one of the players suddenly asked, “For them to easily deal
84,000 damage… do you remember the Planet Lighthouse dungeon we fought
yesterday?”

“Wait… I think I understand something!”

The players came to a realization. This party did not join in the Flickering World
exploration mission and had been performing missions for the Mercenary League in the
Shattered Star Ring. Thus, they had immediately seized the chance to experience the
battle the moment the dungeon was released. They still had a vivid memory of how they
died an unknown death at the hands of a Beyond Grade A.

Furthermore, damage of such a level seemed to be at the Beyond Grade A level in the
dungeon!

This meant that the two Fatally Dangerous red-named characters might not be just
Calamity Grade Supers but Beyond Grade A!

Thinking about the mission recently issued by the army to find the Arcane Church’s
Beyond Grade As…

The players suddenly realized that they might have met the targets.

After using a spell to get rid of the Black Star Army members, Sagman and Taylor
found the warehouse and flew out from one of the docks.

They purchased an extremely common model that could be found anywhere.

Following that, they looked toward the neutral harbor and heaved a sigh of relief when
they saw that there were no Black Star Army fleets pursuing them.
Taylor began to relax.

With the large difference in strength between both parties, they had been able to get rid
of the few Black Star Army warriors without anyone noticing. It seemed like their
identities would not be exposed.

In order to be safe, they decided to change into their next set of identity and purchased a
new spaceship again.

However, they just could not understand why the Black Star Army members would
suddenly follow them.

Indeed, all the subordinates of Black Star were extremely strange.

Ka ka ka!

In Han Xiao’s workshop, a few mechanical arms were currently assembling a human-
shaped machine, and it was gradually being formed.

The robot that left the furnace was burning hot, and it was quickly cooled down by the
coolants being sprayed on it from the sides.

This step was completed extremely quickly, and the next step would be to apply a coat
of paint.

Han Xiao waved his hands and said, “Phillip, conduct a test.”

“Understood, hum… RX001 generation mechanical body. Nickname ‘mammoth’.

Conducting the first test…”

The nanoparticles then flowed around the body of the robot.

The test was very quickly concluded, and the data from the test was presented to Han
Xiao.

Han Xiao looked through the numbers of the test and nodded with satisfaction.

He was not creating a mechanical soldier this time but a host for his [Lord’s Descent]
skill.

Han Xiao had already tested the effect of the [Lord’s Descent] skill. During his tests, he
realized that there was a difference when he used the different mechanical soldiers as a
host. The difference was largely due to the attributes of the mechanical soldier and the
materials used to craft it.

He realized that mechanical soldiers were not the best hosts, and using [Lord’s Descent]
on Mechanical Life was not ideal. A Mechanical Life had its own consciousness, and it
would be counterproductive to have two consciousnesses in a single body. Furthermore,
the consciousness of the body might be damaged if he sent out too much energy.

Thus, after a series of calculations, Han Xiao decided to create a special mechanical
container to serve as the host of the [Lord’s Descent] skill to fully maximize the effect
of this skill.

At the same time, if he used [Lord’s Descent] on the same target multiple times, there
was a chance to have a soul connection, which would probably strengthen the effect of
the skill. He was not prepared to treat this container as a disposable product but a long-
term host.

This host was created from many precious materials, including a new material that he
had forged with [Endless Material Combination] called ‘First Generation Black Star
Alloy’. It was able to endure high energy, temperature, and pressure and also had the
ability to repair itself. It was able to absorb various types of materials and could take a
heavy load. These were the conditions required to endure [Lord’s Descent].

Han Xiao then knocked on the outer armor of the ‘Mammoth’ host, but not a single
sound was given out as though all the vibrations had been absorbed by the alloy.
“Not bad. It has the ability to absorb energy and repair itself. Only then will it be able to
enjoy my energy conversion and cell regrowth talents during Lord’s Descent.”

Just as he was about to test the actual effect, Phillip’s voice rang in his head.

“Master, hum… a member of the army would like to report to you their whereabouts of
the Arcane Church Beyond Grade As. According to the priority system that you set, I
skipped past Sylvia and reported the matter directly to you.”

Han Xiao’s eyes sparkled and said, “Oh? Someone actually managed to find a clue?
Quickly let me take a look.”

The next moment, a report from the players could be seen in front of his eyes.

Although they were not able to reveal information like ‘red-named characters’ and were
only able to give a vague description about them being killed, Han Xiao was extremely
clear about the players’ characters and did not doubt the player’s advantage when it
came to information.

“There is a large chance that they are the Arcane Church’s Beyond Grade As. Since
there are only two of them, it means that they must have split up. Hmm, these two
fellows have changed their identities, and this will not be their only identity. Now that
the players have alerted them, they will probably switch to another identity. However,
this information can also help us achieve a breakthrough.”

Han Xiao was extremely excited. The biggest difficulty of the dynasty was that they
were unable to lock onto the whereabouts of the four and could only search blindly.

Although the players had alerted the two and were unable to tail them, it had at least
narrowed their location down to a specific region and would be extremely helpful to the
dynasty. They dynasty would not have to search blindly and could narrow their search.

“In this respect, the players seem to have an advantage. Hmm, I know…”

After thinking for a while, Han Xiao opened the interface and issued a mission to the
players.
_____________________

The Crimson Dynasty Search Operation: Region Investigation

Mission Introduction: The Black Star Army has received clues that the Arcane Church’s
Beyond Grade As have appeared in the Fleur Star Cluster, Three Wood Star System,
Star Zone 9, Furnace Neutral Harbor. The members of the army should head over to the
region and report any new clues to the Army Commander, Black Star.

Mission Requirements: Search the region and find the target.

Tip: The target is in disguise, so you should pay close attention to Red Named
characters that are Fatally Dangerous. If they are moving as a pair, it is very likely for
them to be the targets.

This will be a Prize-Pool Mission. Accepting the mission will require 200 Experience,
and those who discover clues can split the Prize Pool.

Prize Pool: 10,000,000 Experience, 3,000,000 Enas.

Accumulated Reward: 0

_____________________

After checking that there was nothing wrong with the mission, Han Xiao issued it to the
players.

He was currently a wealthy tycoon. In the past, he needed to risk his life for a few
hundred thousand Enas, but he could now give out a few million Enas without even
batting an eye.
The Black Star Army had extremely deep pockets. There were many financial groups
who wanted to help the Black Star Army become listed on the market, but he had
rejected them all temporarily.

As for the players who provided the intelligence, Han Xiao was not stingy and gave
them rich rewards through the interface.

“Right, duplicate a copy of this intelligence and send it to Tarrokov.”

“Roger, hum…”

Following which, Han Xiao asked, “Is the battleship of those members still present in
that neutral harbor?”

“Yes, hum…”

Han Xiao raised his brows and entered the quantum network.

“Alright. Phillip, infiltrate the database of the harbor.”

Phillip was able to easily access the database of many different locations.

Asking the players to help him was only one approach. Han Xiao was also prepared to
use his Virtual Intrusion to check the records of the harbor and find information about
the disguises that the two had on. He would then dig through the history of those two
individuals, and he might be able to find more useful information.

The galaxy was in the quantum network era, and every galactic resident would leave
some traces on the net—where they were born, where they worked, where they went,
and so on. Everything was recorded, and there was no such thing as privacy before a
Virtual Mechanic.

Although the four from the Arcane Church were Beyond Grade As, there was no
Mechanic among them, and it would be impossible for them to use Virtual Technology
skills to clean up their traces in the quantum network.
This gave Han Xiao a chance.

“Perhaps they will change their identities, but I doubt they will switch spaceships
halfway during the flight. I should be able to locate them based on the records of the
spaceship.”

Han Xiao nodded in his head.

As long as the targets exposed themselves, it would not be so simple to escape from the
hands of a Virtual Mechanic like him.

Thinking about the advice that Lagi had given not too long ago, Han Xiao had a strange
look on his face.

That was truly some sh*tty advice…

Chapter 865 Falling into the Trap

Following the data link channel that was built by Phillip, Han Xiao’s consciousness
warped through the quantum network, and the nodes appeared in front of him.

Sweeping through, Han Xiao confirmed his target and entered one of the databases.

The defenses of the artificial intelligence within such interstellar nodes were practically
nonexistent before one who had grasped the Beyond Grade A Mechanic knowledge
[Virtual Creator].

Under his control, Phillip easily entered the back door of the harbor’s database, copied
the relevant data, and quickly found the disguised identities of Sagman and Taylor. He
found the two in the wide area quantum network, as well as the record of all activities of
the identity so far.

“The two of them are unassuming galactic residents, and the last time they appeared on
the log was…”

Browsing through the information, he saw that their record was seamless and estimated
that they should indeed be real people. The actual owners should have died in outer
space, and their identity was then collected by the Arcane Church’s spies.

Since there were countless interstellar travelers who died within the universe each year,
it provided the gray forces with a large number of fake identities. Han Xiao remembered
that there were large-scale sales of this identity by intelligence organizations on the
black market.

“If not for the fact that the players had noticed it, no one would notice two ordinary
people with such innocuous resumes in the vast universe.” Han Xiao shook his head as
he smiled.

Upon checking the ID of the spaceship that the two people used, he discovered that it
was still docked within one of the lots, which meant that the spaceship should have been
abandoned. The two of them had probably gotten on a new one after reaching this
central port, and Han Xiao had to trace the new ID of the spaceship they used.

“Since they bought a new spaceship, then there has to be transaction records of them
within the port… but the accounts of the people they impersonated did not show any
movement of funds, so it is likely that they used a different account… Phillip, check
which supplier the spaceship originated from. They could have made a transaction there.
From there, we can trace it to their secret account.”

“Master, hum… there’s no information about the origin of the spacecraft in the port
database. This information is generally stored separately in the shipyard’s independent
database.”

“Oh… then mark all the network nodes of the shipyard, ship market, and black market
in this port.”
“Marking complete. There are 1,374 nodes, hum…”

“Hack into all of them.” Han Xiao waved carelessly.

The moment the command was given, Phillip immediately mobilized huge computing
power, and the more than a thousand quantum network nodes were invaded one by one.
The colors changed from a peaceful white to green with control authority, akin to a
virus infection. Han Xiao’s control range within the port expanded rapidly.

Before long, Han Xiao had gained control of the more than a thousand databases. and
all the backdoors were opened by him while the other party knew nothing about it.

With his current Virtual Technology expertise, so long as he could establish a link, he
could easily spread his control over a whole planet’s network, taking over the entire
planet remotely.

Phillip’s processing system had been strengthened countless times by Han Xiao, and his
computing power was now extremely strong. In a few moments, he had completed the
data search and discovered the origin of the spaceship as well as Sagman’s purchase
history, together with his spending accounts.

In this way, they gained an additional tracking clue. If this secret account was utilized
elsewhere, even if they changed their disguise, they would be exposed.

However, Han Xiao was still unsatisfied. He wanted to trace the early transfer records
of this anonymous account, as he was sure that the money had been sent through the
Arcane Church. From this, he would be able to latch onto their other spies and secret
accounts. As long as he continued to follow the trail, there would be more clues.

From this small breakthrough, he might be able to lock onto a portion of the Arcane
Church’s identities.

…
The moment the mission [The Crimson Dynasty Search Operation: Region
Investigation] was released, it received the attention of the enthusiastic players. Millions
of them accepted this prize pool task and gathered from all directions to move toward
this area.

Initially, they were akin to headless flies and could only blindly search due to the lack
of knowledge. Thus, some people went off to perform other missions.

But the situation had changed. With a mission area demarcated, the chance of
completion would be greatly increased, so countless players flocked over.

The prize pool of ten million experience was no small sum, but what drove the players
was the prize money of three million Enas. When they took one normal mission, the
amount received would not be more than a hundred thousand Enas.

To have such a big sum of money in front of them, three million, they could not resist
the temptation!

There were even players fantasizing. If they completed the objective alone, would they
not gain the whole reward?

The requirement to enter this mission was only two hundred experience. With such low
investments and high potential returns, the players did not think too much, and the crazy
accumulation of experience in the prize-pool became the factor that pulled in even more
players.

For a period of time, the players poured into the area, and the probability of interstellar
citizens meeting members of the Black Star Army increased significantly.

Within the interrogation room of a dynasty battleship, a group of captured Arcane

Church spies were firmly tied to a chair, and the dynasty soldiers guarded the entrance
to the room with guns.
This group had been captured based on the intelligence of Black Star. He had dug out
some information from the secret accounts of Sagman, and the dynasty had been able to
select new targets.

Shua!

The door to the interrogation room opened, and a man with a smile on his face strolled
in. He wore the trench coat of a dynasty officer and black gloves.

Standing in front of the captives, he softly laughed.

“Let me introduce myself. I’m a psychic, one of the Senior Officers of the Crimson
Dynasty’s Intelligence Department. My name is… heh heh, there’s no need to tell you
guys. Anyways, we’d better hurry up. I’ll be digging some information from your brains
today. Please cooperate, else you will burn out your brains, and I won’t be responsible
for that.”

As he spoke, he walked up to one of the captives, placing his palm on the head of said
captive.

Boom!

The captive began to struggle violently, as though suffering from epilepsy.

A few seconds passed, and trails of blood leaked out from all seven orifices on his head.
The captive’s mouth was slack, and tears, snot, and saliva mixed with the fresh blood
dripped onto the ground. He looked miserable as he continued to convulse.

“Thank you for your cooperation.” The smile of the Intelligence officer got even wider,
and he walked toward the next person.

Looking at him approach, the rest had expressions of horror, as though saying, Don’t
come over!

Screams of misery sounded out. “Argh!”

Looking at this scene, the guards at the door subconsciously tightened their grips on
their weapons.

Very quickly, the intelligence officer’s job was completed. He took off his gloves,
placing them in his pocket before leaving.

As he was walking out, he tapped one of the soldiers’ shoulders and jerked his head
toward one of the captive spies who was foaming at the mouth.

“Don’t clean up the scene. There’s still some use for them. I require their genetic code
to verify their identities as spies.”

“Un… understood.” The guard swallowed with difficulty.

The officer then took out his communicator, reporting to Tarrokov.

“There’re a few of them who have come into contact with Beyond Grade As, and we
have confirmed that they were Taylor and Sagman. I’ve confirmed that all of them
match with the identities of spies from the Arcane Church, as well as the tasks entrusted
to them.

Tarrokov shook his head. “Are there any you suspect to be true personnel that
personally received the instructions?”

“Yes.”

The espionage was based off the command from the Arcane Church, and the missions
they received were all different. A large portion of them were giving misleading or false
information, and only a small portion were really in contact with Sagman.

Because Han Xiao had locked onto the area where the two of them were, the dynasty
could rule out many of the misleading locations, and the spy with a mission location
around where the two of them were located was thus the suspected actual personnel, so
they could also narrow down their scope of operations even further.
Only when they discovered the actual personnel involved could Tarrokov then
implement a plan, which was to impersonate the espionage agent of the Arcane Church.
Because Sagman was in contact with the Arcane Church, they would not trust anyone
other than the person who was actually in charge of this mission.

Impersonating was difficult but not impossible, as long as they caught the person in
charge. Even if the Arcane Church were to discover it later, it would be too late.

Following the search of the Black Star Army, Sagman and Taylor found many
irregularities, as though they had been grasped in the palm of someone.

They immediately took all sorts of measures, but it was as though a large net had been
spread toward them, trapping them before being slowly tightened.

Their every move seemed to be monitored, as if an assassin was hiding behind them.

While they did not know where the problem lay, but when they thought about it
carefully, they realised it was most likely the fact that Black Star was following them
through the quantum network, and their spaceship and purchases had likely been
tracked.

Thus, the two of them decided to abandon their spaceship, float around in the universe
with their fleshly bodies for a period of time. When they had left their spaceship at a
distance, they then transferred to another spaceship operated by their spies, and donned
on a new disguise.

The situation improved for a period of time, and Sagman as well as Taylor both thought
that they had shaken Black Star off.

But they were unaware that the dynasty had already completely locked their position
and quietly started to tighten the circle, following them. When the Beyond Grade As of
the dynasty arrived, that would be the time to reel in the net.
…

Within the wormholes of the Shattered Star Ring, the Fallen Ark fleet led by EsGod was
roaming about.

On the flagship, Fakisen spoke to the main body of EsGod. “Your Excellency EsGod,
are you sure we are leaving the Shattered Star Ring through this method?”

“And if we don’t?” EsGod laughed. “Who will lend us their stargate?”

At this moment, EsGod had already completed his evolution and was full of vitality.
Fakisen could feel a deeper level of pressure from him, coming from a higher life form.

EsGod, who possessed information from the Evolutionary Civilization, had gained a lot
from the evolutionary energy, and no one could tell how much he had improved.

Fallen Ark had only established a temporary stargate between the desolate universe belt
and the Flickering World, and there were also no stargates present in the Shattered Star
Ring. Furthermore, they had borrowed the Arcane Church’s stargate to travel from the
Central Galaxy to the Flickering World, and they naturally could not use the same gate
when returning.

From the beginning, EsGod had been prepared to leave the star field through the
wormhole group of the Shattered Star Ring, one of the reasons being that it was where
he had first discovered a certain fortuitous encounter.

“The transmission locations of these unstable wormholes are completely randomized,

and we don’t know where we’ll be thrown. The risk is too great. We can just slowly
proceed along the desolate universe belt, avoiding the crowd for a period of them.”
Fakisen tried to dissuade him.

EsGod turned a deaf ear, looking at the unstable wormholes constantly emerging and
disappearing outside the porthole. “Just look at how disorderly and chaotic this scene is.
This is the true meaning of the universe, and only in this disorderly state can it contain
endless possibilities.”
EsGod then turned to Fakisen, casually asking, “Any intelligence on the remaining
Beyond Grade As from the Arcane Church?”

Fakisen nodded. “The dynasty is pursuing the remaining four with all their might and
did not put much energy into chasing us. The Black Star Army, Bloodshed Land, and
Klent Kingdom are also the heads of the Shattered Star Ring, so the dynasty will
probably catch one of two of them.”

“It seems like the Arcane Church will suffer great losses this time.” EsGod blandly eyed
Fakisen. “Are you happy?”

“Of course.” Fakisen laughed. “The moment they contacted me, I was already picturing
this scene.”

“Ah, I’m afraid it is not just this reason…” EsGod laughed but did not pursue the exact
reason. He then turned back to face the wormhole, leisurely commanding, “Let’s enter.”

The Fallen Ark fleet slowly traversed into the wormhole and vanished.

A stream of light shot through the universe. It was Sagman and Taylor’s spaceship.

“There are only seven more hours before we reach the next public stargate. We’re
nearing the border of Shattered Star Ring. The dynasty has little control over the next
star cluster. The spies are also already in place and are waiting to assemble the stargate.
The moment we move to a different area, the dynasty will not be able to find us so
easily anymore,” Sagman said.

Taylor nodded, his expression finally easing a little.

They had hidden high and low for almost three months, and this sort of life was stifling
for them. Finally, they had hope of escaping unscathed.
Sagman sighed. “It’s a pity that Mercer and Dylan were captured. Out of six of us, only
four of us can return… no, maybe only three. Psyker’s base is within the Shattered Star
Ring, and sooner or later, he will have to come back and face the pressure from Black
Star and Heber.”

At this point, neither was in the mood to talk further. Their mission that they were so
confident in had actually put them in such a sorry situation.

At this point, the artificial intelligence of the spaceship suddenly sounded, and it was a
familiar voice.

“If you have the time to be concerned about others, you’d be better off using that time to
worry about yourselves.”

The duo jumped, their expressions changing.

This voice… Black Star?

The next moment, the spaceship suddenly shuddered, and the artificial intelligence of
the spaceship killed the hyperdrive function, causing the spaceship to come out from
hyperdrive.

Even the ordinary engine was turned off, so the spaceship simply floated in the
universe.

The magic interference traps that Milizaus and Ravenlaude had placed in the void in
advance completely enveloped this area. All spacetime abilities were blocked.

Streams of light shot out from eight directions, wrapping around Sagman and Taylor’s
spaceship.

Milizaus as well as the Beyond Grade As from the dynasty were all on the scene, and
each occupied a position, staring at them like tigers toward prey.

“We’re surrounded!” Taylor’s face drained of color.

Sagman’s face twitched violently, his expression mixed with incredulity and fury. He
suddenly noticed a mechanical army blocking their path ahead.

Standing at the front were the four Apostle Weapons lined up in a row—Psionic Prime
with a crown and a spear, Giant King Kong with its hulking body, Silver Flash with its
gleaming hand-cannons, and Mad Sky Hunter with its arrogant bearing.

Standing in front of them was a figure, but it was not Han Xiao. It was the mechanical
host, codenamed ‘Mammoth’. At this moment, Han Xiao was utilizing [Lord’s Descent]
to project his consciousness and will into this mechanical host. Its tough mechanical
body looked dazzling with the blue-gold Mechanical Force arcing around it.

This mechanical host had seemingly transformed into Han Xiao’s avatar, sharing his
attributes, skills, and expertise. It practically possessed a Beyond Grade A combat
power at this moment.

“Surrender.” Two dark streams of energy flowed from Milizaus’ nostrils, who was in
his dragon form.

While he was unwilling to chase and fight so hard, the dynasty had already locked onto
the enemy, and he and the rest of the Beyond Grade As could not openly defy the
dynasty’s orders.

Sagman’s eyeballs darted around before finally landing on Han Xiao’s machinery.

After being played by Han Xiao a few times, he had already gone beyond the point of
anger.

Seeing this, Han Xiao leisurely replied, “In this situation, your odds of escape are close
to none. We just want to capture you guys alive. How about surrendering?”

Sagman breathed out loudly before suddenly smiling. However, his smile was full of
viciousness.
“When did you hear that a Beyond Grade A does not fight and just surrenders?”

“Maybe today?” Han Xiao’s brows rose.

While he said that, his posture slightly lowered, preparing for battle. Several other
Beyond Grade As were also prepared to move, ready to follow Han Xiao’s lead at any
time.

With his gaze fixed to the front, Sagman suddenly spoke to Taylor. “I’ll try to hold all
of them back; you look for an opportunity to escape. They only want to capture one of
us. If one more of us can escape, that will be a bonus.”

“Don’t be stupid. They came prepared. I can’t run.” Taylor let out a bitter laugh before
taking out his staff. “I’m better off staying and fighting with you. Even if we can’t
change the result, I can’t let myself be caught without dignity.”

Sagman nodded before murmuring, “After this battle, I don’t know when we’ll next be
free.”

They then looked at each other.

Boom!

The next instant, the spaceship shattered, and the duo rushed out toward the Supers of
the dynasty.

_____________________

Galaxy Chronicles (Official Revised Edition)

In the Year 705, on the 27th Day of the 9th Month on the Galaxy Calendar, the Arcane
Church and Fallen Ark teamed up to launch a surprise attack on Planet Lighthouse
within the Flickering World. Their goal was to snatch the Evolution Cube and kill the
Beyond Grade A allies of the Crimson Dynasty—Beyoni, Black Star, and Milizaus.

‘Magus’ Austin intervened in this battle, and the Arcane Church used the Ten Thousand
Deity Scepter to hit Milizaus, but it was later countered with some special sealing
means by Black Star.

Black Star later captured the Beyond Grade A Super of the Arcane Church, Dylan,
netting great achievements. The Arcane Church was forced to retreat and entered an
escape phase, where the dynasty began hunting them down.

In the same year, on the 3rd Day of the 10th Month, just as the Arcane Church’s fleet
left the Flickering World, fleet commander Rogue and Mercer were captured.

In the Year 706, on the 21st Day of the 1st Month, with the assistance of the Federation
of Light, the Bloodshed Land, Black Star Army, Klent Kingdom, Purple Crystal, and
more, the Crimson Dynasty finally successfully intercepted the Beyond Grade As
Sagman and Taylor in the Shattered Star Ring. After a bloody battle, they were both
captured by the Crimson Dynasty.

At this point, the pursuit from the dynasty came to an end, and the fleet of Arcane
Church was completely annihilated. Four Beyond Grade As were captured, and only
two escaped. This became known in history as ‘The Battle of Planet Lighthouse’ and
‘The Attack of the Arcane Church’.

_____________________

Chapter 866 The Curtains Close

The Arcane Church had a foreign embassy on the mother planet of the Crimson
Dynasty, and its ambassador paid a visit to the political core of the dynasty, Tarunamir
Palace, to discuss the remuneration regarding Mercer and Dylan.
The negotiations had already been going for several months. Before this, the officials of
the dynasty were initially adamant on not releasing them, but now they were becoming
more open to certain conditions.

“With regard to Article 53 of the remuneration, my side still has something to add…”

As the ambassador continued to talk, the officials of the dynasty nodded, occasionally
interrupting. Regarding this matter, they did not have any veto power, and they were
actually just the spokespersons for the upper echelons. Their attitudes were the attitudes
of the upper echelons themselves.

After a while, the communicator of one of the dynasty officials rang, indicating that
there was a message. The ambassador paused and waved to the official to read the
message before he continued.

The official in question opened the communicator, but after glancing at the news, they
immediately put the communicator down.

Seeing this, the ambassador was about to continue but was suddenly halted by a hand
from that official.

“Let’s stop here for today. As for the previous terms and conditions, please return and
make a new set.”

The ambassador jumped up. “Didn’t we already discuss the terms? Why the sudden…”

He was cut by the official’s wave. The official stood up, looking down at the
ambassador with a smile that revealed some complacency and superiority to the
ambassador.

“Go back and wait for the news from your upper echelons, or you can take a look at
today’s news. You’ll naturally understand.”

…
After three months, the Crimson Dynasty and the Arcane Church had some new
developments.

On this day, the dynasty issued a new piece of news to the entire universe, announcing
that they had succeeded in capturing the two Beyond Grade As of the Arcane Church,
which meant that they now had four captives.

The counterattack of the dynasty was as fast as lightning, causing many of the
organizations in the universe to feel awed. Seeing the heavy bleeding of the Arcane
Church this time, some people felt schadenfreude, some rejoiced, and some felt the
bitter hatred against common enemies.

This news caused a sensation in over a dozen star fields. In the eyes of countless
interstellar citizens, the Beyond Grade A Supers were akin to deities that were only
spoken of in legends. However, there were actually four of them who were knocked
down to the earth and turned into prisoners.

This sort of capturing of Beyond Grade A had not happened for a long time. Countless
citizens felt that they were observing a piece of history that would be passed down in
time.

But on the forums, the players were focused on another matter.

Now that the search and capture mission had ended, the players received their reward.
Within the army communications system, Phillip issued a general message, praising
their contribution, which proved that their contribution was not small in allowing the
dynasty to capture the Beyond Grade As.

The few players that first discovered Sagman and Taylor publicized their reward on the
forums, and this allowed the other players to understand that the trend of this big event
plot was inadvertently changed by them participating.

From Version 1.0 to Version 3.0, the players gradually found that they were having
more and more influence on events, and they were becoming more involved in Galaxy.
Generally, the players only felt their existence when challenging the storyline during the
time when they were on the beginner planets.
However, this time, what they had re-written was a galactic war between two Universal
Civilizations, of which the scale was much larger and grander.

The feeling of involvement was more memorable and rewarding compared to just
purely receiving the mission reward.

This event was also recorded by the players into the Shattered Star Ring chronicles.

Every player was given the right to edit the chronicle, which caused no small headache
for the officials. Thus, the officials would filter the events and organize them, and the
trivial matters would be placed within the appendix. Only events that were worth
mentioning would be placed within the main post. The players who wrote entries could
sign their names on it and receive rewards in return, which was a glorious
accomplishment.

Within another star cluster in the Shattered Star Ring, spaceships that snaked like a
serpent were lined up in front of a stargate. Among them was an ordinary, unassuming
spaceship.

Within that spaceship, the virtual screen was showing the news—the dynasty
announcing the results of the pursuit operation, in which two Beyond Grade As were
captured alive.

Beep!

The virtual screen was switched off.

Ninjia put down the remote, holding his forehead with one hand. His expression was
complicated.

“Sagman and the rest have all been captured by the dynasty…”
Among the four that escaped from the Flickering World, two of them had already been
caught. Psyker’s situation was also terrible, so he was technically the only one who
could safely make it out of the Shattered Star Ring. A sense of sorrow permeated Ninjia.

When he thought back to their departure, the six of them had been full of confidence. To
think that in the blink of an eye, their entire force had collapsed, and the majority had
even been captured. What a tragic end.

He had heard that the upper echelons of the Arcane Church were originally discussing
the ransom payment with the Crimson Dynasty, but now that the latter had two more
chips in hand, the price offered by the church would have to be increased. Furthermore,
the Crimson Dynasty would definitely not allow the Arcane Church to redeem all of
them, so there would be someone who experienced a long period of time within the
prison.

“At least… I managed to bring the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter back…”

Ninjia slightly shook his head. Now that things had come to such a point, he could only
use this to comfort himself and the church.

“Thank goodness it was Ninjia who held onto the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter. He did
not let the dynasty take that away as well…”

In the Arcane Church’s meeting of Bishops, many of them sat there with bitter
expressions. One of them tried to comfort the rest, but he only received looks of
helplessness.

One of the bishops spoke up. “We activated our espionage network in the Shattered Star
Ring, yet they failed to bring all of them back. The price we paid this time far outweighs
the benefits obtained. Even Sagman and Taylor have fallen into the dynasty’s hands,
adding to their chips. We need to offer a large ransom payment now because the
dynasty will definitely not be polite to us.”

The ransom payments demanded between universal civilizations would not just simply
be money but included political, military, and economic conditions.
The bishops were enveloped in sorrows during this meeting. None of them had any time
to feel anger.

Dylan, Mercer, Sagman, and Taylor did not just represent themselves, for they had their
own Beyond Grade A organizations with immense influence. The strong were plenty
there, and with their leaders being captured, these Beyond Grade A organizations would
definitely go into turmoil and panic. In order to stabilize their allies, the church had to
withstand no small pressure.

In addition, because of the attention paid by the other Beyond Grade As, the Arcane
Church not only had to redeem them but had to redeem them quickly, before their
Beyond Grade A allies lost faith in them. If their allies lost faith, it would cause their
recruitment of Beyond Grade As in the future to be much more difficult.

After all, the older Beyond Grade As would die, and new Beyond Grade As would
always be born. Because of the long period of time that a civilization could exist, the
Beyond Grade As under them would constantly undergo a shuffle. From a long-term
perspective, the reputation and credibility of a civilization was important.

As for the newer generation of Beyond Grade As, the Crimson Dynasty had an
overwhelming advantage…

As the record holder for the fastest time taken to reach the Beyond Grade A stage, Black
Star undoubtedly had potential to go further. Furthermore, in the last battle, he had
shown off his edge, much sooner than the observing forces had expected.

One could see that the strength shown by Black Star would definitely become one of the
strengths relied on by the dynasty in the near future. The most frightening part was his
age. Among all the Beyond Grade As, he was the youngest, which was enough for him
to serve the dynasty for hundreds or even thousands of years.

In other words, for a few hundred years, they probably would have to constantly see this
wretched guy’s face.
The moment they thought of how the Crimson Dynasty had gotten their hands on such
valuable stocks, the envy of the Arcane Church rose so high they seemed to have
reached the heavens.

They also wanted to kill Black Star, but their attempt this time had left them with tragic
losses, and thus, the Arcane Church had decided to temporarily give up on the
Evolution Cube.

Before eliminating the impact that this storm caused, the Arcane Church did not intend
to make trouble for Black Star. In fact, they did not even wish to see him.

The Arcane Church admitted that they had flopped this time.

This debt would be written down and remembered by them to be collected later.

There was still time!

“Sagman and the rest were caught.”

In a dimly lit room, the Beyond Grade As of the Arcane Church were gathered through
remote projection. Around the table were six empty spots.

Because of the matter this time, the Beyond Grade As of the Arcane Church had
gathered to discuss the resultant waves caused by the news.

“Initially, when the Arcane Church came to me to take on this task, they only saw the
disparity of combat power and thought that it was impossible to fail. However, I felt that
there was some danger, so I rejected it, and they had Mercer take my place. Now that I
look at it, it was good I did not accept the mission.” One of them could not help but
attempt to be wise after the incident.
“It’s a pity that I’m being watched by too many organizations and am unable to even
move in secret. If I had taken part in this mission, the results would not have been the
same,” another said blandly.

The Arcane Church also had Beyond Grade As on the level of the three pillars of the
Crimson Dynasty, but their strongest Supers did not participate in the operation this
time. Because they were too strong, the surveillance on them was naturally higher, and
any movement from them would have attracted the attention of many eyes.
Furthermore, the Arcane Church had thought that the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter
would be enough to handle them and only approached Sagman and rest, whose strength
was lower compared to the strongest few.

“However, no matter how we put it, Sagman had the numerical advantage, yet they
were still unable to snatch the Evolution Cube. Black Star’s ability could be considered
an unexpected factor this time, and it seems like we have yet another strong opponent.”

“Hmm… in another decade or so, the three pillars of the dynasty might just turn into the
four pillars…”

With his allies in the same camp having suffered at Black Star’s hands, the impressions
of the Beyond Grade As present toward Black Star had become even stronger than
before.

“How about it? What ideas do we have? Are we going to wait for the Arcane Church to
redeem them, or do we try to save them?”

“Let’s maintain silence and wait. If the Arcane Church can solve the problem, there’s no
need for us to complicate matters. Furthermore, from the intelligence provided by the
Arcane Church, Black Star seems to be able to seal up Beyond Grade As. Although I
don’t know what sort of Universal Treasure that is, it is something that cannot be
broken so easily.”

Everyone nodded. They were still feeling trepidation toward Han Xiao’s second
mysterious Universal Treasure.

Based on normal procedures, the dynasty would bring the four captives back, and to
save them, the most important thing would be coordination.
However, intelligence from Arcane Church said that Black Star was able to seal up
Beyond Grade As. With the intelligence capabilities of the church, this would not be an
unfounded rumor.

Without coordination to break out the prisoners from both inside and outside, the
operation would become a lot more difficult.

While the Beyond Grade As were friends with Sagman and the rest, they were not so
close that they would willingly brave hell and high seas for them.

A pale blue vortex appeared, and a huge fleet of spaceships slowly appeared from
within the vortex, emblazoned with the logo of the dynasty. They slowly left the
stargate, leaving behind traces of flames from their tail as they flew, and within them,
there was a battleship shaped like a huge dragon.

The light from the stargate illuminated the bodies of the battleships, leaving mottled
spots of light and shadow on their angular hulls. They revealed a series of armor cracks
and depressions, as well as varying degrees of damage to the outer armor.

Several spaceships from the Black Star Army were suspended near the stargate and
slowly faced the heavily armed main flagship of the fleet. The damage suffered by the
main flagship was particularly terrible, with a large portion of its armored plates torn
out. The holes filled with nano-repair materials showcased the intensity of the battle.

The spaceships docked with the main flagship, and the mechanical structures around
their doors locked with each other to complete the link.

Whoosh!

The cabin door slid open, and Han Xiao walked into the flagship. Escorted by the
dynasty soldiers, he arrived at the heavily guarded imprisonment zone, where two
restraint cabins were placed.
The inner wall of the restraint cabin was made up of an extremely tough alloy, which
made it difficult to escape from the inside. The internal structure also automatically
adjusted to the prisoner’s body shape before fixing in that position. In the middle layer
were devices to provide high voltage and electromagnetic fields to restrain the captive
and weaken transmission of energy. Right now, they were holding Sagman and Taylor.

While the restraint cabin could not totally restrict the Beyond Grade As, the duo were
suffering from heavy injuries and had no strength to struggle free. Furthermore, Heber
and Beyoni were on watch.

Han Xiao went there in person because he wanted to utilize the Spacetime Amber,
sealing both parties up.

“Lord.” The Apostle Weapons walked over.

“You did well.” Han Xiao nodded before recalling the mechanical host.

Because he had utilized [Lord’s Descent] on the mechanical host to engage Sagman and
Taylor, it had suffered quite a bit of damage and would require some degree of repair.

The duo had nowhere to run and gave it their all. This was especially so for Sagman, as
the destruction he wrought while going all out dealt some degree of damage to almost
everyone there. He was eventually pinned down by the Beyond Grade A Supers of the
dynasty.

Tarrokov’s long distance projection came up and greeted him. “You’ve come. We were
waiting.”

“Let them out.” Han Xiao commanded the dynasty soldiers to unlock the restraint cabin,
and taking out the Spacetime Amber, he sealed Sagman and Taylor.

“This is a lot safer, with no risk of getting into trouble.” Tarrokov tapped the amber ball
in satisfaction.

Ravenlaude could not help but look at Han Xiao. He realized that the Spacetime Amber
was effective, and his expression sank in envy.
Tarrokov then commanded the two soldiers to take the amber balls away while he led
Han Xiao and the rest to the conference room.

After they had taken their seats, he looked toward Han Xiao. “Her Excellency is
extremely pleased with our progress. Upon learning of Black Star’s accomplishments
this time round, she arranged a special award.”

Han Xiao nodded. He had spent quite the bit of effort during this pursuit operation and
provided a lot of intelligence. After capturing the two, he had received a notification
saying that he had obtained 4,500 Dynasty Contribution Points.

It did not end there. Tarrokov had told him in private that his accomplishments would
allow the dynasty to be biased toward him when dividing the territory of the Flickering
World, allowing him to claim bigger swathes of land.

This emergency was not only neutralized but turned from danger into an opportunity, so
the upper echelons had an extremely good impression of Han Xiao.

“The operation has ended, and the spies of the Arcane Church will also be hunted down,
but this job will be taken over by the Intelligence Bureau as the dynasty has another task
for you,” Tarrokov said. “Next, the dynasty requires all of you to escort the four
captives back to the Constellation Corridor, to prevent the Arcane Church from
intercepting them along the way.”

Everyone nodded. They had to be cautious and not lose these chips because of their
carelessness.

“However, that does not include Black Star and the Tyrant.”

Everyone turned over, and even Han Xiao and Heber looked surprised.

“What do you need us for?” Heber asked in a deep voice.

Tarrokov opened the star map, magnifying it, before stopping at the territory of the Star
Pupil Holy Race.

“I need you two to take a portion of the dynasty fleet and head toward the Star Pupil
Holy Race.”

“Capture Psyker?” Heber frowned.

“No, you guys are going there to demonstrate dominance and pressure them.” Tarrokov
shook his head in response. “Psyker’s situation is different because he is the leader of a
civilization, and his camp is based in the Shattered Star Ring. Initially, the dynasty
planned to deal with him, but now that we’ve caught Sagman and Taylor, the Ruler
cancelled this plan. Just treat it as leaving some face for them.”

“Oh, that’s not too bad,” Maximiler said. “We already have four captives, and Psyker
has nowhere to run. If we continue to hammer at them, this might backfire on the
dynasty.”

The rest of the Beyond Grade As captured did not have any roots in the Shattered Star
Ring, so they could only blame their bad luck. But Psyker could run but not hide since
his base was in that area. If the dynasty forcefully tried to drag away a civilization’s
leader, this would result in a backfire, and the Arcane Church would also not watch
blindly as that happened, or else they would lose the trust of their allies.

The dynasty was originally not afraid of such a consequence, but now that they had new
captives, there was no need to poke the hornet’s nest. Thus, they decided to wrap up
while the going was good.

Of course, not capturing Psyker did not mean that they would condone his actions.
There was still a need to suppress the development of the Star Pupil Holy Race, and if
they could even chase this Arcane Church allied force out of the Star Field, that would
be best.

The Crimson Dynasty had mobilized millions of battleships to pioneer the Flickering
World, and now they were transferring part of its fleet to the Shattered Star Ring. The
armed forces available in this Shattered Star Ring long exceed that of the other two
universal civilizations, and even if the Federation of Light was the nominal ruling
power here, all was useless before strength.
A pity. Han Xiao’s brows furrowed. He felt it a regret not to be able to capture the other
party, as he was interested in Psyker’s body structure. However, every time he saw
Psyker, he just wanted to poke the guy’s eyes.

However, since he had taken away the national treasure of the Star Pupil Holy Race,
both parties were like fire and water. Now that he still had to go over to the other party’s
territory and swagger, this attitude seemed to be bordering on arrogance.

Seems like I’d better bring more people, in case I get beaten up…

Chapter 867 Demonstration

The action plan was finalized. The dynasty troops would split into three sections;
Milizaus and his group would take the captives back, Tarrokov would remain to
command the fleet, and Han Xiao and Heber would clean up any loose ends by going to
the Star Pupil Holy Race together.

Watching the dynasty’s fleet leave, Han Xiao turned to look at Heber on the virtual
screen of his spaceship and smiled.

“We’re going to be partners again this time. When we arrive at the Star Pupil Holy
Race, I hope you can live up to your namesake and be more tyrannical.”

“Humph.”

The virtual screen turned dark as Heber cut the connection, not deigning to speak with
him. From the porthole, one could see the Bloodshed Land’s troops turn and leave,
morphing into rays of light.
Han Xiao clicked his tongue before calling Sylvia.

“Get Herlous to send a fleet to this meeting point. I’ve gotten Phillip to transfer the
coordinates over to you.”

“Roger that.”

With this simple conversation over, Han Xiao cut the call. He realized that Sylvia was
getting more and more capable, with him practically not needing to worry any longer.

“It feels as though I’m becoming more and more like Ames, turning into a arm-flinging
shopkeeper[1]…”

As he played with his communicator, he could not resist bursting into laughter. He
realized that if he were to turn into Ames, then Sylvia would become his Jenny.

To think that the heroic Mechanical Lady Knight of his past life had turned into an army
affairs officer and head secretary. He did not know which the players would find more
attractive, though he knew that Sylvia’s favorability within the players was currently
quite high.

This moment, Mad Sky Hunter took the initiative to lean over to Han Xiao, nudging
him with its head. Han Xiao’s mouth curled, and he proceeded to stroke the brain
portion of Mad Sky Hunter, causing it to let out happy noises as it lowered its head, just
like an actual pet getting petted.

Mad Sky Hunter would only behave like this in front of Han Xiao, its creator. As a
beast-type Mechanical Life, its mannerisms had deviated a little from the norm. Upon
accessing its web records, Han Xiao discovered that other than the combat resources, it
had also downloaded dozens of pet videos from the internet. Most likely, it was
attempting to learn how to behave like a pet, but its actions coupled with its sleek,
glossy demeanor only served to give Han Xiao goosebumps.
If he really did pet it, the feeling he would get from his hands would be just plain weird.
However, if he did not pet it, it would seem like he was not showing respect to its hard
work.

Silver Flash stood coldly by the side, secretly showing disdain.

Humph, boot-licker!

Thinking about it, Han Xiao dialed Ames, and her elegant face soon appeared in front of
his eyes.

“What do you want?”

“I have a mission here, which is to go to the Star Pupil Holy Race to bully Psyker. Are
you interested?”

Ames supported her chin with her right hand, and her sleeves dropped down, revealing
dazzling white skin. She blinked.

“I’ve realized that you seldom chat with me these days unless you have some business.”

“Are you coming or not?”

“Let me check my schedule.” Ames lifted her eyes, gazing past the screen toward
someone by the side. She slowly asked, “Jenny, is there anything on Floating Dragon
that I need to do?”

It took a long while before a brittle voice coupled with grinding teeth sounded.

“There is… but have you ever done it?”

Hearing this, Ames directly waved her hand. Han Xiao could not see what happened,
but Jenny’s voice seemed to have disappeared. Maybe… she got attacked by Ames’
force field.
“Looks like I’m free. I’ll head over.” Ames looked like she was smiling yet not smiling,
as though nothing had happened on her side.

“Sure.” Han Xiao nodded his hand, choosing to ignore whatever had just happened.

“This is the mission assigned by the dynasty, so I believe it won’t be just you.”

“Yeah, Heber is involved this time, together with a few dynasty fleets.”

“Heber is going too?” Ames narrowed her eyes. “Humph, I don’t want to even see him.
I’m not going. You can have fun with him.”

Ames immediately cut the call off.

Han Xiao blinked in surprise, staring at the black screen in confusion.

Does she have that great a misgiving toward Heber, to just go back on her word like
that?

It seemed like he had underestimated how badly Heber failed in his attempt to use an
iron-blooded man’s method of courtship.

While the Crimson Dynasty was ferrying the four captives back, and their prestige was
sweeping across the universe, the Star Pupil Holy Race within the Eternal Night Star
System greeted an unexpected visitor.

Psyker held the highest authority here, and the Cabinet of ministers assisted him in
managing government affairs. Some of the key personnel were high-levelled officials
who held real power. This system obviously had drawbacks, but this was not a problem
for Psyker. His strength and prestige granted him the right to speak, and because of his
psychic ability, he was able to differentiate between thoughts and emotions, so no one
could override him.

During this time, Psyker was not within the government, so the cabinet was in charge of
daily matters. However, the two parties did not completely cut off their connection.
While Psyker was on the run, he kept monitoring the affairs of his race. It was just that
he was not at home, nor was he able to reveal his face openly. However, the public
opinion surrounding him recently let many of the citizens in the Star Pupil Holy Race
feel trepidation.

In particular, the dynasty catching Sagman and Taylor had attracted the worry of the
Star Pupil Holy Race. They were afraid that their leader would also be snatched away
and frightened that the Crimson Dynasty would turn toward the Star Pupil Holy Race
for revenge.

Filled with all kinds of worries, a minority of people were secretly cursing Psyker.

Were you so free that you had to go and muddy the waters, making it so messy now!

This public opinion had been widely circulated among the Star Pupil Holy Race. A
small group of people faced threats to their own security, so they were dissatisfied with
their leader, Psyker. As for Psyker’s past credits, it did not make a difference in their
judgement because people tended to take things that were given to them for granted. It
was a pity that Psyker did not succeed, or else the direction of public opinion would
have been the opposite, praising him.

However, the extreme views of the minority would not be able to affect the stability of
the civilization. Psyker’s control over his race was not just made up of glue, and even if
the future was unknown, the government was still operating.

The cabinet set down instructions to let people preach online that Psyker was in this
situation in order to recapture their clan treasure, in order to shape Psyker’s image of
taking risks personally for the dignity of their race. This severely suppressed a batch of
dissatisfied remarks.

At this moment, in the main hall of the cabinet, many key officials were discussing
whether to enter a higher level of wartime emergency, inviting Psyker back and using
troops to protect him.
A great number of senior military officials were participating in this meeting, each
holding their own opinions and arguing fiercely.

At this moment, one of the officials received an intelligence report and suddenly had a
change in expression, slamming the table as he read out the report.

“Border Post 17 has detected a large dynasty fleet with tens of millions of battleships,
including Black Star Army and Bloodshed Land troops.

“What?”

All the members present were shocked and horrified.

Did the worst situation happen, and the dynasty troops had really chosen to kill their
way over?

Before they could react, the second report arrived.

“The other party has stopped at the border and did not forcibly intrude. They are now
negotiating with the border officer. Black Star and Tyrant are commanding this fleet,
and their intentions are unknown.”

The hearts that were in the cabinet members’ throats slowly fell back down. They stared
at the officer with grudging eyes.

Could you not speak in such an emotional tone? You nearly scared us to death!

After their shock subsided, everyone’s senses came back online.

“That’s right. With such tens of millions of battleships, it doesn’t seem like they came
here to declare war.”
“What’s their intentions? Could it be that they’re going to force us to hand over our
leader?”

“This… What do we do then? Won’t we still clash with them that way?”

All the people present had on difficult expressions.

Very quickly, the third report was sent over.

“Black Star and the Tyrant have said that they came over to visit the Star Pupil Holy
Race, and they wish to talk to Psyker.”

The cabinet members looked at each other.

With such a mighty army, they’re saying that they’ve come here for a visit. Do they
think we’re fools?

The fleet clearly did not come with good intentions.

“If we reject their request, do you think they will wait outside the border, or will they
resort to violence?” one of the cabinet members asked.

Everyone simply stared at the person wordlessly.

Do you think that the troops and Beyond Grade As sent out by the dynasty are here for
sightseeing? Giving them the cold shoulder is akin to refusing a toast and choosing the
forfeit instead. How could they possibly take it lying down?

Brother, how did you get into the cabinet? Did you pull strings?

“This matter is already out of our scope of authority. Report to Leader Psyker and let
him decide.”
The cabinet then contacted the escaping Psyker.

Not long after, the communication was linked.

Surveying the scene, Psyker noticed their heavy expressions and asked, “What’s
happened?”

“Leader, the Crimson Dynasty has come to pressure us…” One of the officers explained
the matter once more.

After he finished, the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Everyone was
waiting for his response.

Psyker took a deep breath, closing his eyes. After a while, he slowly opened them.

“Receive them. I’ll rush back right now.”

“But they are targeting you!”

A few of the people had panicked expressions, but they secretly heaved sighs of relief.

If Psyker had chosen to run and not come out to take responsibility for this matter, there
would have been no way for them to clear up this mess.

“Their method of doing so is just to force me to return. Black Star and Heber understand
me. They know that I would not leave my race and escape.” Psyker’s expression turned
calm. “There’s no point in running, and I have to face them sooner or later. This is the
price of failure.”

Those present all revealed faces of indignation.

“Don’t worry, the dynasty already has four captives. Them visiting the Star Pupil Holy
Race might not be to capture me.” Psyker shook his head.
He did not dare return, other than to observe the situation, because he expected the
dynasty not to take the risk to violate the Peace Treaty. While his base was situated
there, the dynasty would definitely not go head to head against him just to capture him.
He just did not wish to put his race in danger, so he was not willing to accept the
protection of his civilization’s troops. However, to prevent any problems, he did not
move too far away and had always been hovering near his territory.

“Understood. We’ll open the border and escort them to one of the planets,” one of the
commanders solemnly replied.

The security of one’s territory was important, but they also had to take the initiative to
open the border and meet with more aggressive guests. The dynasty’s faction was
undoubtedly exerting pressure, and everyone was placed in a state of unease.

Before long, the Star Pupil Holy Race sent troops over to the border to welcome them,
and other than a large portion of the Crimson Dynasty troops remaining at the border,
Han Xiao and Heber brought some troops and followed the Star Pupil Holy Race troops
to a colonial planet.

The Star Pupil Holy Race evidently did not want to let too many people discover this
matter, so the spaceships stopped directly within the inner administrative area of the
planet. Before the emissary that was qualified to receive the two arrived, the local lord
of the colonial planet performed the reception work himself.

After disembarking from the spaceship, Han Xiao and Heber were led to the reception
room. Following from behind, Han Xiao could see that they were on edge, and beads of
sweat could be seen trickling down his neck.

The surrounding soldiers were also nervous and alert, staring at Han Xiao and Heber
with a death gaze while gripping their weapons tightly.

Heber was used to such fear coming from people and took large steps with his
Vanguard Officials following close behind. This group often gave off a strange
impression, as though they were going to shout out “Fitness is key!” at any given
moment.

On Han Xiao’s side, he was observing the architectural style of the Star Pupil Holy
Race casually, with Hila, his Black Star Guards, and the four Apostle Weapons behind
him.

They both had brought their own Calamity Grade elites, as well as many officers from
the Crimson Dynasty.

Upon arriving, everyone took their seats, and the local lord wiped his sweat, carefully
saying, “The Emissary is on his way. Please hold on for a moment.”

Heber was akin to a tiny mountain as he sat on the sofa. He had a pressuring aura, his
arms folded as he asked, “When will Psyker return?”

“This… this… I do not know…”

The local lord was pressured by his momentum to the point his throat was locked in
place. He barely managed to speak, his sweat beginning to flow again like a waterfall.

Han Xiao casually picked up one of the fruits on the table, which looked like a melon
that was dyed blue. He bit into it and chewed a few times, before wiping his mouth and
flicking it toward Heber.

“I’ve tried it. There’s no poison, so you can eat in peace.”

Heber’s face twitched.

I’m over here trying to posture, yet you threw me the fruit. You’re totally spoiling this
atmosphere!

Furthermore, I’m a pugilist. Why would I need a mechanic like you to test for poison?
The fruit was already thrown over, and it would not be good to let it drop on the ground.
Thus, Heber could only catch it and then fling it to one of his Vanguard Officials behind
him.

This time, Heber could not be bothered to speak and only closed his eyes. Han Xiao did
not press the issue either, half closing his eyes as he enjoyed the feeling of Aurora
massaging his temples.

The atmosphere thus quieted down.

While the surrounding guards were at the ready, after seeing the nonchalant attitudes of
the duo, they had to suppress their rage.

Atrocious, these people are not showing the Star Pupil Holy Race the slightest respect!

Especially Black Star, this evildoer. Not only did he steal our clan treasure, he actually
dared run over to our territory. How arrogant!

The guards held onto the weapons tight, almost wanting to shoot at Han Xiao. However,
their reasoning stopped them.

The situation was more important than the people. The dynasty was going whatever
they wanted in the Shattered Star Ring, and their backer, the Arcane Church, had also
suffered losses, so they naturally would not dare make any rash moves.

Very soon, the surrounding guards swapped shifts, and Calamity Grades took over as
the guards. They stared unceasingly at Han Xiao and Heber as though meeting their
mortal enemies.

After a period of time, hurried footsteps could be heard from the door, and an emissary
soon walked in with a few of his subordinates.

“Your Excellency Black Star, Your Excellency Heber, Crimson Dynasty emissaries,
I’m the person in charge of welcoming you. You may refer to me as Jed.”
Jed slightly bowered, but his tone was neither arrogant nor humble.

Heber opened his eyes again and again asked, “When will Psyker arrive?”

“We’re not too sure ourselves. The leader has his own schedule and may take as little as
several days to half a month. Please wait for a while. We’ll provide accommodation if
both of you wish to stay,” Jed blandly replied.

Boom!

The pressure around Heber’s body intensified, and the room seemed as though a
formless hurricane had been born within it.

He coldly stared at Jed as he spoke,

“Don’t try to play dumb. Psyker has always been hovering around the Star Pupil Holy
Race and will not be too far away. I’ll give you three days. If I do not see him in person,
you can handle the consequences yourself.”

Jed only felt his breathing become labored. He was pressured to the point he could
hardly breathe and could only nod with difficulty. “I’ll convey your intentions to the
upper echelons…”

At this time, Han Xiao opened his eyes, gesturing for Aurora to stop, before looking
interestedly at Jed.

“I just took a gander around your network and realized that your side seems to be very
keen to block off the news. Not many of them know that we came over for a visit.”

Upon thinking of Han Xiao’s ability, Jed’s expression changed. “What do you intend to
do?”

“It’s no good to withhold information like that. Let me help you guys.”
Han Xiao smiled, and with a thought, the data packet that Phillip had prepared was
immediately sent to the major media channels of the Star Pupil Holy Race and forcibly
promoted.

It could be roughly summarized as…

‘The dynasty fleet comes to settle accounts, Star Pupil Holy Race trembles in fear!’

‘Black Star and the Tyrant show up, but Psyker dares not meet them!’

‘Psyker flees due to his crimes, leaving behind his race!’

All of the articles showed the Star Pupil Holy Race in a cowardly light and how Psyker
did not dare take responsibility, which made the citizens of the race feel suffocated,
cracking the prestige of Psyker.

With his current Virtual Technology skills, this news instantly broke the barriers of
public opinion that were silenced and swept through the entire network of the Star Pupil
Holy Race.

Psyker had brought him a huge crisis this time, and now that he had come over on
behalf of the dynasty to apply pressure, Han Xiao would naturally not be polite. Only
when Psyker showed himself would he then command Phillip to stop.

Jed walked to the side, and after exchanging a few sentences with the upper echelons,
he approached Han Xiao with a strict expression.

“Your Excellency Black Star, please stop such behavior, or else…”

Bang!

Before he could finish, Jed’s head was captured by a large hand and ruthlessly slammed
on the table.
The entire table cracked!

The person holding onto his head was a Vanguard Official of Bloodshed Land, Fosters.
He coldly commented, “Watch your attitude when you speak to us. If there’s a next
time, I’ll break your head apart.”

The moment the grip was released, Jed stumbled and retreated, a furious expression on
his face.

However, he had no choice but to swallow this injustice. He took out his handkerchief
to wipe off the blue blood flowing down his head.

When the Calamity Grades saw them being so arrogant, their faces got uglier, and the
rage smoldered within their hearts. However, because this impacted the entire race, they
chose not to move, instead keeping the resentment within their hearts.

Han Xiao raised his eyebrows as he gestured at Heber. He seemed to be saying, If you
compare viciousness, you’re still more vicious.

Look at how much bullsh*t you have to say, Heber seemed to reply with a look.

Meanwhile, the news caused a sensation on the internet. Countless citizens burst into
anger, some scolding the dynasty for taking advantage and others smearing the name of
their leader. Some of them were also worried that Psyker would never return. There
were innumerable emotions.

Countless people wished to recapture their national treasure, so the hatred the Star Pupil
Holy Race had toward Han Xiao was not light. Han Xiao did not care about the
hostility, though, as the more hostile they were, the more it meant that Psyker’s prestige
was affected.

Jed did not speak, but one of the guards could not take it any longer and suddenly
lashed out at Han Xiao.

“Don’t you have a conscience! After stealing our clan treasure, you dare come here and
flaunt it!”
After this sentence was spoken, everyone turned over.

A chilling gaze passed through Hila’s eyes, and she was just about to move. However,
Han Xiao gestured for her to hold back and turned to look at the guard.

“What’s your name?”

“Lalem!” The guard was obviously out of control and extremely emotional.

“Hmm, ok, then what would you have me do?”

“Of course, you should return our national treasure!”

“Okay.” Han Xiao nodded, taking out the Evolution Cube and throwing it into the
guard’s hands. “Catch.”

Everyone from the Star Pupil Holy Race was stunned, staring incredulously at the
Evolution Cube.

“You, you…”

“Didn’t you say you wanted it? Now it’s in your hands.” Han Xiao smiled. “However, I
have to warn you. If you walk out of this room, it means that you have snatched the
Evolution Cube, and that would mean that the dynasty would send their expeditionary
fleet over. Are you ready to handle that?”

The guard’s face turned purple in anger and humiliation.

“You’re just relying on your backer! Do you have any morality in your heart?”

Lifting his hand, Han Xiao retrieved the Evolutionary Cube, shaking his head as he
spoke. “You all claim that it’s your national treasure, but this thing was not created by
you. Just by using it for a long period of time, it becomes yours, huh? This is the
inheritance of the Evolutionary Civilization, and you guys are the same in that you
picked it up, holding on through strength. It never belonged to you, yet you call it your
‘national treasure’… There’s also another point. I did not snatch your Evolutionary
Cube. It was you guys who lost it, and I picked it up. I merely refused to hand it over to
others, just like you guys so many years ago. This question of stance should not be used
as an excuse for morality. That would be so meaningless.”

“Bullsh*t. We’ve used the Evolution Cube for so long and can be considered its owner.
Leader Psyker has always been connected to the Evolution Cube, so of course it’s
ours!” the guard raged.

“This does make sense, but since you guys failed to guard your belongings, it was stolen
by EsGod. I didn’t steal it; I merely chose not to return it. Furthermore, because this
item was not the creation of your civilization, I have no mental burden toward
withholding it for myself… If you guys can snatch it back from me, I can’t do anything
about it, but your strength is insufficient, so anything else you say is meaningless. I
gave you a chance, but you didn’t dare take it away. Let’s just forget about it.”

Han Xiao shook his head. He had never been a kind person, and he had another motive
here, which was to resolve the hidden danger of the Evolution Cube once and for all. He
planned to use pressure to force the citizens and Psyker to lift their psychic link with it!

As for right or wrong… Psyker had endangered his life many times. Now that things
had gotten to this point, there was no need to worry about this issue.

“You, leave.” Jed waved toward the guard. While he was also furious about losing the
‘national treasure’, he was more realistic and knew that the dynasty had come to
pressure them. It would be a pipe dream to make them hand over the Evolution Cube.

Having witnessed this little spat, Heber threw a glance over to Han Xiao.

“You’re not too bad at being evil yourself.”

“As to you.”

Han Xiao rolled his eyes in response.

One needed to be more arrogant when posturing to apply pressure. For someone like
him, who was used to being low-key, this was difficult to do.

Chapter 868 Lock On Removed

The Star Pupil Holy Race fleet in the surroundings immediately gathered toward the
planet and awaited their orders. At the same time, the defensive fleet at the border was
also strengthened.

After waiting for two days, Psyker finally reached the border.

“Your Excellencies, Leader Psyker has already reached the border and will be here
soon.”

Jed heaved a sigh of relief.

His appearance was much frailer than before. Over the past two days, he had stayed in
the room together with Han Xiao and Heber. He had suggested that the two go to a
guest room, but Heber and Han Xiao did not even reply to him. Furthermore, they did
not allow him to leave either, so Jed could only accompany the two in the room over the
past two days. He did not even dare sleep, and his mental state was already on the brink
of collapse.

To a Beyond Grade A Super, two days was no big deal at all. They could easily close
their eyes, and two days would be over in a flash. Furthermore, the guards of the Star
Pupil Holy Race present were all in the Calamity Grade and would not be affected too
greatly. Only someone like Jed who was an envoy from the government would feel
fatigue.
If they went to the guest room, the pressure that both of them had accumulated would be
gone. As such, they chose to sit here for two days to increase the pressure on the Star
Pupil Holy Race.

After waiting a while longer, a commotion could be heard on the outside, and both of
them could feel a powerful energy source approaching them.

Heber opened his eyes and nodded. “He’s here.”

The door opened, and Psyker walked into the room slowly. Everyone’s gaze was then
focused on him.

The guards present all heaved sighs of relief and stood up straight as though they had
found their backbone.

“Eh, isn’t this Little Psy-Psy? The hero has finally appeared,” Han Xiao teased.

Psyker walked over to the two. Jed, who was originally seated, immediately gave up his
seat for Psyker.

“Didn’t both of you want to meet me? I’m back. Get straight to the point,” Psyker said
with a deep voice.

The next second, Han Xiao’s arm suddenly transformed into a mechanical arm, and he
swung it out toward Psyker.

The table and sofa in front of him was pushed away, and his palm sent Psyker flying
into the wall.

Bang!

The entire room erupted!

“What did you do?”

The faces of the guards all changed, and they wanted to take action to help their leader.

Right at this moment, Hila and the other Black Star Guards also sent their auras toward
the guards in the surrounding with the intention to warn them. The Bloodshed Land’s
Vanguard Officials did the same.

Just when the situation was about to erupt, Psyker’s voice sounded from under the
mechanical arm.

“Don’t move.”

The mechanical arm was retracted, and Psyker dislodged himself from the alloy wall
with his Psychic energy. He then looked at Han Xiao without any intention of fighting
back.

“I almost took your life. Do you have any issues?” Han Xiao narrowed his eyes.

“… No.”

Psyker took a deep breath and knew that Han Xiao wanted to take him down a notch.
He then told his subordinates not to act recklessly and got them to bring a new table in.

The members of the Star Pupil Holy Race in the surroundings clenched their fists with
aggrieved expressions.

They were able to understand why Psyker chose to give in but could not help but feel
disappointed. On one hand, they were enraged at their own weakness, and on the other
hand, they felt humiliated on behalf of their race.

Although all of them knew that the dynasty was there to seek an answer from them, they
were all hoping that Psyker would be able to deal with such a situation and turn the
tides. However, the unacceptable truth was that their leader was there to suffer
humiliation.
The Crimson Dynasty emissary, who had not said a word so far, then said calmly, “You
participated in the attack on Planet Lighthouse, and four of the six Beyond Grade As
who participated have already been caught. The dynasty needs you and the Star Pupil
Holy Race to give us an explanation.”

“What kind of explanation?” Psyker asked.

The dynasty’s emissary then tapped his bracelet, and a holographic screen appeared. A
contract appeared on the holographic screen.

“You have to give a public apology and sign this compensation contract to prove your
sincerity. The details of the contract are all within it. If you don’t agree, please follow us
to accept your judgement in the dynasty or wait for the Arcane Church to pay a
ransom.”

“Compensation and apology?” Psyker murmured under his breath. He had not been idle
over the past two days and had been thinking of what the dynasty’s intention would be.
This was not out of his expectations at all.

The dynasty emissary did not bother keeping the matter a secret and read the entire
contract out. There were many outrageous demands, and the members of the Star Pupil
Holy Race watching by the side became more and more enraged.

There were only two options placed before Psyker at the moment. First, apologize and
pay compensation. Second, become a captive. Of course, there was a third option, which
was to fight back. However, the dynasty would not show him any face if he chooses the
third option.

The dynasty did not necessarily need that little compensation but needed the enemy to
give in.

After listening to all the terms, Psyker nodded and said, “I accept the contract. I will
make a public apology for my actions.”
He was not too bothered about the astronomical compensation. He was working for the
Arcane Church, and although he had failed, the Arcane Church would not let him suffer
the cost of the compensation. If they did not do that much, nobody would want to help
them in the future. Thus, the compensation would be paid by the Arcane Church, so
there was no need for the Star Pupil Holy Race to spend money.

As for a public apology, this was also something that the Arcane Church would want to
see. The Arcane Church would never apologize to the dynasty, but since they wanted to
redeem their people, they would have to give in somehow. Thus, the Star Pupil Holy
Race giving in would be a representation of the Arcane Church’s attitude.

Even if the Arcane Church was the backer of the Star Pupil Holy Race, the Crimson
Dynasty was also a Universal Civilization. With both parties in conflict with each other,
the Star Pupil Holy Race definitely had to give an explanation.

Psyker understood this clearly, but most members of his race did not.

In the eyes of the others, their leader had accepted such humiliating conditions without
any hesitation. This made the faces of all those present turn ugly, and the look in their
eyes became complicated.

The way they saw it, Psyker seemed to be protecting himself and betraying the benefits
of the race without any hesitation. Of course, they knew that this was far from the truth,
but they could not help but think that way.

Although they knew that Psyker did not make a mistake in his decision, many of them
could not help but feel anger and humiliation.

Right at this moment, Heber said, “Psyker, leave the Shattered Star Ring together with
your people. You know that we and the dynasty will not allow you to develop. Your
best option is to leave.”

Having one less Beyond Grade A in the Shattered Star Ring would benefit everyone
else. Heber and the dynasty had the same thought.

Psyker shook his head and said, “Regardless of how tough the situation is, we will not
leave our homeland as long as we can overcome it.”
“Humph.” Heber did not say anything else upon hearing that.

At this moment, Han Xiao piped up. “The following matter will be between us. You
have given an explanation to the dynasty, but you also need to give an explanation to
the victim.”

Psyker turned around and asked, “What do you want?”

Han Xiao smiled.

“I want the Evolution Cube.”

Everyone was stunned.

“Haven’t you snatched it already?” Psyker asked doubtfully.

“No, you misunderstood me,” Han Xiao said calmly. “I want you to get rid of the
psychic connection that you have with the Evolution Cube and announce to the universe
that you have given it to me.”

Psyker’s expression changed abruptly.

He finally understood what Black Star’s intention was!

The members of the Star Pupil Holy Race originally thought that Black Star had stolen
their national treasure, so if he publicly announced that he had given the item to Black
Star, he would no longer have any right to criticize the other party. At that time, the
members of his race would divert their humiliation to their leader and vent all their
anger on him. His status as a leader would also fall greatly.

“You b*stard…” Psyker gritted his teeth.

“Because of the Evolution Cube, you tried to deal with me time and time again,” Han
Xiao said. “The ambush this time was also because of the Evolution Cube. If I do not
make you give up on the Evolution Cube, something like this will happen again. I
haven’t settled the score regarding the Avitan Souls trying to blow up Planet
Aquamarine yet. Take a look at this video first.”

Han Xiao then summoned a holographic screen, and the scene of the guard called Lalem
criticizing him was played. Phillip had recorded the entire scene.

Psyker’s face became extremely ugly after the video was completed.

Han Xiao raised his brows and said, “She provoked a Beyond Grade A, but I wasn’t too
calculative with her. I don’t wish to hear bullsh*t like that again, so I decided to make
use of a solution to settle this matter once and for all. What do you think?”

Psyker suppressed his anger. “What if I disagree?”

“You can also choose to disagree.” Han Xiao narrowed his eyes and released his aura.
“However, are you still my opponent? Have you ever thought about what would happen
to your Star Pupil Holy Race without you as their leader?”

At this instant, Psyker realized that the Black Star in front of him was no longer the one
who had fought him to a draw. He then thought about the scene of Han Xiao capturing
Dylan and felt a trace of fear.

However, he was still reluctant to give up the Evolution Cube. He had formed a Soul
Connection with the Evolution Cube, and his psychic energy was strengthened as a
result. Without the Universal Treasure, his own combat strength would fall, and his
status would also be lowered in the Arcane Church.

The dynasty emissary then said calmly, “Black Star’s intention is the dynasty’s
intention. If you don’t agree, we can add it into the contract.”

Han Xiao had not discussed this matter with the dynasty yet, but this matter was not
disadvantageous to the dynasty at all. Thus, the emissary’s support was extremely
normal.
Upon hearing that, Psyker’s clenched fists loosened, and he said softly, “… I agree.”

Bang!

A Calamity Grade Star Pupil Holy Race guard finally could not restrain his anger any
further and hammered down on the wall.

The other guards were angered to the point their bodies were trembling. Han Xiao and
the others had completely ignored them.

Han Xiao nodded and took out the Evolution Cube. The silver cube floated in midair
and attracted everyone’s attention.

Heber’s throat also twitched slightly, but his subordinates did not notice.

“Then, please show your sincerity and undo your psychic connection.”

Psyker shut his eyes and released his psychic energy to come into contact with the
Evolution Cube. Gritting his teeth, he cut off the connection with the Evolution Cube.

The next moment, his body trembled, and his mind could clearly feel that the bridge
between him and the Evolution Cube had been broken.

The ability to locate the cube had also disappeared.

“It’s done,” Psyker said with a soft tone and tried to conceal his sadness.

Han Xiao retrieved the Evolution Cube. The senses of a Beyond Grade A were
extremely sharp, and he could clearly feel the aura latched onto the Evolution Cube
disappearing.
I finally got rid of this hidden threat… Han Xiao heaved a sigh of relief. Although the
Spacetime Amber had a similar effect, he would still have to use the Evolution Cube
from time to time, and this would get rid of all troubles for good.

However, he still passed the cube over to Feidin to take a look. Although Feidin was
only a Calamity Grade, his luck was unrivaled.

“Don’t worry, your dynasty also has Beyond Grade A Psychics, so it will be extremely
easy to tell. You don’t have to worry that I will leave anything behind,” Psyker said
with a depressed tone. “I have fulfilled your conditions already. Do you have anything
else? Please leave the territory of the Star Pupil Holy Race if there’s nothing else.”

The dynasty emissary then stood up and said, “Alright, we shall not disturb you any
further. The dynasty will be watching you and waiting for your announcement.”

Psyker gnashed his teeth but did not say anything.

“Don’t blame me.” Han Xiao also stood up. “You have to pay the price for failing. At
least you are still alive.”

“I will not always fail,” Psyker said.

“You also won’t be alive all the time.” Heber then walked out of the room with the
dynasty emissary behind him.

Walking out of the door, Han Xiao turned around to look at Psyker. “Rather than being
angry at us, you should take care of all your troubles.”

Psyker ignored those words and asked, “How is Dylan?”

“You still have the time to care about others? It seems like you have a pretty good
relationship with him.” Han Xiao smirked. “Don’t worry, he is safe… very safe.”

Han Xiao then waved his hands and left.

A while later, Psyker received a report that Han Xiao and the others had left the planet.

After a long while, Psyker raised his head and sighed.

“Get the government to hold a press conference. I will make a personal appearance.”

Jed hesitated for a while before reminding him, “Black Star used his Virtual Technology
skills and infiltrated many of our media websites, posting many rumors about you.
Should we deal with that first?”

“That isn’t necessary. Black Star will stop after he leaves. Although he is a vicious
individual, he won’t always play such petty tricks,” Psyker replied. “After I make an
announcement, all of you will know that these rumors aren’t considered anything.”

Upon thinking about the effect of his announcement, Psyker could not help but feel
depressed.

However, he did not have a choice. Even if he approached his backer, they would not
come into conflict with the dynasty because of Psyker’s reputation.

His personal reputation was not at the top of the Arcane Church’s priority list.

Chapter 869 Federation of Light, Do You Think I“m Invisible?

Their spaceships left the Star Pupil Holy Race territory and met up together with the
dynasty’s fleet before disappearing into space.

The dynasty emissary turned around to look at the two beside him and smiled.
“Psyker has been extremely cooperative, and the mission has been a success.”

Heber waved his hands with an expressionless face to indicate that this was a small
matter.

He was also able to increase his prestige by flaunting his might before another Beyond
Grade A. Furthermore, since the Star Pupil Holy Race had agreed to apologize and pay
compensation, this matter would definitely be recorded in history, and his name would
be included. This was a pretty good reward for him.

“Psyker lost big this time. He will probably remain stagnant for a long time.” Han Xiao
smiled.

With the hidden trouble of the Evolution Cube gone, he was in a good mood.

“That’s right. Psyker will have to deal with the aftermath of this event and the other
competing Star Cluster Civilizations. He will have to remain low profile for the next
few decades for sure,” the dynasty emissary added. “I have to report my success to Zoel.
Your Excellencies, let’s say goodbye here.”

Heber and Han Xiao nodded. After recording the number of this emissary, they both
returned to their spaceships and left.

“I will also be leaving.” Heber sent Han Xiao a message before leaving with his
Bloodshed Land troops. He was prepared to return to the Flickering World and overlook
the exploration mission.

The wedge between them had not been resolved, and it would be difficult for them to
have a good relationship. But after experiencing this incident together, the relationship
between the allies of the dynasty had improved.

Han Xiao put his communicator away and ordered Phillip, “Return to the Black Star
Army headquarters.”
“Roger, hum…”

The Black Star Army battleship then sped up and entered warp-speed hyperdrive.

It was time to handle the Evolution Cube slots that he had promised the civilizations in
the Shattered Star Ring. The dynasty would also send a batch of new elites for the
Evolution Cube. Han Xiao was planning to take care of these matters before continuing
the exploration of the Flickering World.

The influence of this event was truly large, and he had a battle record of capturing
another Beyond Grade A. His personal prestige was increased to the next level, and for
a long period of time, there should not be anyone making trouble for him. This should
continue until the end of Version 3.0.

The only hidden trouble that worried him was EsGod.

The space coordinates of the World Tree Civilization were like a time bomb. An
advanced civilization who grasped the coordinates would know how to test waters and
protect themselves. However, it was impossible to predict what someone like EsGod
would do.

It was a pity that EsGod managed to receive the evolution energy this round and
become stronger. Without finding some companions, it would be truly difficult to deal
with EsGod.

To the Crimson Dynasty, the Arcane Church was their true competitor that they needed
to pay close attention to. They would only deal with EsGod after reaching an agreement
with each other.

It was not easy to deal with EsGod. If they sent too few experts, they would not be able
to win. If they sent too many experts, the other party would just escape. The dynasty
had tried to deal with EsGod many times before but were not able to kill him. This time,
they probably only intended to get rid of EsGod’s comrades.

Furthermore, the intelligence of the dynasty showed that EsGod had left the Star Field
through a wormhole, and his whereabouts were currently unknown. Thus, it was
pointless to think about dealing with EsGod at this moment.
Han Xiao decided to wait for the experience penalty period to be over before increasing
his level. He would only have a greater chance of success if he could increase his
strength.

“There is less than half a year until the penalty is over…”

Han Xiao greatly anticipated that moment.

A few days later, Psyker finally appeared publicly within his race and called for a press
conference.

With the recent rumors, the citizens of the Star Pupil Holy Race were extremely
anxious, and they all stayed in front of the television to watch the news.

Time seemed to pass extremely slowly.

It was finally the time for the life broadcast, and everyone felt their heart tighten up.

Psyker’s figure appeared on the screen, and he said with a solemn voice, “Citizens of
the Star Pupil Holy Race, my colleagues of the government, I am Psyker. I shall give an
official explanation regarding the recent storm…

“In the past few months, news about me has been spreading throughout the universe.

“First, I have to express my deepest apology to everyone. It was because of a mistake

that resulted in me being trapped in a dilemma and dragging the race down. I am guilty
and embarrassed by this, but a mistake is a mistake, and I shall not defend myself.

“A few days ago, the Crimson Dynasty paid a visit and sought an explanation from me.
I did not escape like the rumors on the net but rushed back immediately to negotiate
with the Crimson Dynasty’s emissary. Both parties have already arrived at an initial
agreement.

“On behalf of the Star Pupil Holy Race and myself, I will apologize to the Crimson
Dynasty for the recent event and adhere to the compensation terms as follows…”

Psyker then read out a list of compensation terms before continuing.

“I also apologize sincerely to the victim Black Star and am willing to give compensation
because of this event.

“There is a fact that cannot be avoided. The Evolution Cube is the item of another
civilization and not one that belongs solely to the Star Pupil Holy Race. Because of
some unexpected reasons, we lost the Evolution Cube, and the one who should be
blamed is EsGod, not Black Star. We have already enjoyed the benefits of the Evolution
Cube. I will let go of all rights to the Evolution Cube here and transfer it to Black Star
as compensation.

“My citizens, our Star Pupil Holy Race has experienced phenomenal economic, cultural,
and other forms of achievements. We have fallen into a valley, but there will always be
new opportunities to greet us after every calamity. I hope that everyone will continue
working together and maintain your optimism to go through this tough period together.

“I hope that everyone can understand our choice and not forget our humiliation today.

“Finally, I wish everyone a happy life.”

As his speech was finished, the screen darkened.

An intense eruption exploded from every corner of the Star Pupil Holy Race.

Many individuals were thoroughly shocked by the press conference!

A civilization had to give in publicly and even pay compensation. They could not help
but feel a sense of humiliation.
Furthermore, this disaster was a result of Psyker’s mistake, and the entire race had been
dragged down by him.

Furthermore, Psyker had even openly abandoned their national treasure and given it to
the demon Black Star?

The way they saw it, this was akin to them giving away the Evolution Cube because
they were not able to snatch it back!

Such humiliation!

The press conference immediately created a huge sensation, and every corner of the Star
Pupil Holy Race was filled with curses toward Psyker. The prestige that he had built up
over the many years had gone down the drain, with some even calling him a disgrace to
their race.

All the close aides of Psyker stood before him with ugly expressions.

“Your Excellency Psyker, should we really not control the negative public opinion on
the web?”

Psyker shook his head and said, “That isn’t necessary. The citizens need an avenue to
vent the humiliation and anger in their hearts. When they are done venting it, they will
remember the contributions that I have made, and we can guide the public opinion back
in the right direction subtly when the time comes.”

“This isn’t beneficial to your prestige,” someone said with concern.

“There will definitely be a rebound effect when it reaches the peak.” Psyker sighed.
“Regardless of worship or hatred, it will definitely slide in the other direction when it
reaches the peak. When public opinion reaches the peak, there will be more and more
people speaking up for me. That will be far more effective than trying to manage the
situation now.”
“Is this really good?”

“There isn’t anything bad about it.” Psyker let out a long sigh. “My previous
contributions cannot be an excuse for my mistake. The greater my radiance, the greater
the shadow. My mistakes have naturally been highlighted. I do not want everyone to
praise my good deeds. This humiliation will be motivation for our citizens.”

“We are only afraid that you will be disappointed in us,” one of his aides said.

Psyker was the leader of the Star Pupil Holy Race, but after becoming a Beyond Grade
A, Psyker himself was no longer part of the Star Pupil Holy Race. This was a shadow in
the hearts of many.

“Don’t worry. I will never forget my mother clan.”

Psyker shook his head. As a Beyond Grade A, his ideals would not be so easily shaken.

“The world is complicated, and I will never judge the world by looking at a small corner
of it. The words of a small group cannot represent the entire race. At the very end, all
these people will realize that regardless of how they curse, I will still be their leader, and
this is something that they are unable to change.

“As for the current storm now…”

As Psyker spoke with a smile, a trace of fatigue could be seen in his eyes.

“Fire will burn out, and the storm will end eventually. We just need to do our job and
wait for it to cease naturally.”

“The Star Pupil Holy Race has given in.”

On the mother planet of the Arcane Church, Psyker’s press conference was displayed in
the conference room. The Bishops then fell into a moment of silence.

After a long while, one of the bishops said with a hoarse tone, “This way, the dynasty’s
attitude should ease up slightly, right?”

Psyker had cut off his connection to the Evolution Cube and lost the ability to locate it.
The Arcane Church had also decided to give up on the Evolution Cube for good.

“How is the discussion with the dynasty coming along?”

“The dynasty only agreed to allow us to ransom Mercer and Dylan. Their price is
extremely high.”

“Hmm, pay the ransom for both of them first. This will satisfy the allies who are
watching. As for Taylor and Sagman, the dynasty will not allow us to ransom them back
too quickly, but our allies will understand.”

“Where is Ninjia?”

“He has already escaped through a secret stargate set up by our spies. He will be back
soon.”

“Thankfully, the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter is with him.”

The Bishops then heaved a sigh of relief.

Of the six Beyond Grade As that they had sent out, four had been caught, one did not
have anywhere to run, and only one managed to return to the Central Galaxy.
Thankfully, the only one who returned was the one with the Ten Thousand Deity
Scepter.

The Ten Thousand Deity Scepter was even more important than a Beyond Grade A in
the eyes of the upper echelons. New Beyond Grade As would be born over time, but
every Universal Treasure was unique.
Not losing the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter was their biggest consolation.

Because the Crimson Dynasty was searching the entire Shattered Star Ring, the spy
could only construct the secret stargate in a desolate universe belt near the Shattered
Star Ring.

A spaceship was currently rushing toward the stargate with Ninjia inside.

The stargate appeared within his sights, and Ninjia heaved a sigh of relief.

After entering this stargate, he would be able to skip past a few Star Fields and return to
the Central Galaxy. After running for his life for such a long time, he could no longer
endure such a life.

Hum!

Right at this moment, the spaceship trembled, and the engine of his spaceship was
suddenly turned off.

“What’s going on?”

Ninjia was startled, and he tried to control the spaceship. However, all his orders were
completely useless, and the spaceship did not react at all.

The body of the spaceship suddenly shook.

Rumble!

A gigantic pressure crushed down from all directions, and the spaceship was reduced to
a pile of scrap metal.
Bang!

A spherical protective shield then appeared from within the wreckage of the spaceship.
Ninjia covered himself with a magical shield and held onto the Ten Thousand Deity
Scepter while observing his surroundings carefully.

Could it be that the dynasty had discovered the stargate and set up an ambush?

Right at this moment, a voice rang in his head.

“It truly wasn’t easy to find you, ‘Divine Spell’ Ninjia. Hand over the Ten Thousand
Deity Scepter, and I can let you go.”

As the voice sounded, the universe around him lit up with the light of hyperdrive, and
many silhouettes appeared before him, filling the entire region.

Many pairs of expressionless eyes were fixed on Ninjia.

At the very front was a tall figure with his entire body shining with electrical bolts. The
engravings on his body showed that this was a mechanical host.

Ninjia’s expression changed abruptly upon seeing the person before him.

“Manison?”
Chapter 870 Manison“s Interes
Blood trickled down in rivulets, flowing on the metallic surface like crimson snakes and
converging into a pool of blood.

Ninjia was sprawled on the ground, covered with bruises and bloodstains. Underneath
him was a huge mechanical suction cup in the shape of a triangle, lit with a faint blue
light. It was this huge gravitational force that fixed him to the ground.
His hands, feet, and torso were also bound by heavy-looking black alloy rings. This was
a special mechanical shackle. With a strong interference field attached and through the
use of spatial conversion technology, it could disperse the energy released by the target.

At the same time, four pipes protruded from the ground on both sides, inserting into his
spine and injecting nano worms that interfered with his pneumatic operations, causing
his nervous system to go haywire, affecting his control.

Ninjia could only barely lift his neck. His vision was blurred but was fixed toward an
area full of mechanical limbs, where a dense number of mechanical soldiers were
surrounding him.

Both parties were currently on the surface of a steel fortress, a mobile base brought by
Manison, and there were marks of battle and broken mechanical parts scattered
everywhere.

Because space was locked by Manison’s spatial stabilizer equipment, along with magic
jamming to render teleportation invalid, Ninjia could only fight.

However, with the numerous equipment and machinery he had with him other than the
host he utilized for [Lord’s Descent], there were still four other Apostle Weapons,
which made it such that Ninjia was not his opponent.

“I was waiting for you to utilize the scepter, but you did not. Now I can see why…”

Manison caressed the amber sealing the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter, feeling the energy
insulation properties and letting out sounds of praise.

“To dare snatch even our Ten Thousand Deity Scepter, Manison, are you not afraid of
angering my Arcane Church?” Ninjia gritted his teeth.

“Don’t be mistaken. I’m not interested in the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter; I’m just
doing the Federation of Light a favor.”
Manison eyed Ninjia before waving his hand.

A silver Apostle Weapon walked over, its body as smooth as a mirror without any sort
of mechanical seams.

The Apostle Weapon squatted down, turned its fingers into spikes, and inserted them
into Ninjia’s body. After which, its entire body turned liquid and flowed into his body
through the wounds.

Next, Manison released the shackles. However, the Apostle Weapon within Ninjia’s
body suppressed his ability to control his body, and he could only glare at Manison.

“What do you want to do to me?”

“The Federation of Light allowed me to kill you and destroy the evidence. However,
your body is still useful to me.”

Manison threw out a compressed orb, which transformed into a restraint cabin, locking
Ninjia within.

After confirming that he could not escape, Manison turned his head, gazing at the
amber-sealed Ten Thousand Deity Scepter. An interested look appeared in his eyes.

“Oh, what a special new material, and it seems like Black Star has mastered the
manufacturing method… I’ll find an opportunity to contact him.”

“Lost contact? Explain to me, what does it mean by lost contact?”

The upper echelons of Arcane Church quickly received the news that Ninjia, who was
supposed to pass through the stargate a while ago, had lost contact with them!
This gave the Bishops a big scare. They had thought that Ninjia had gotten away from
danger and could successfully bring the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter back. To think that
an accident had occurred.

Since they could not contact Ninjia, the worst possibility was that he had been
ambushed and killed.

But even if he was attacked, he should have been able to send news back, or the Arcane
Church should have discovered some abnormalities.

There was only one explanation for this… The attacking party had a Virtual Mechanic
who was able to tamper with the data and prevent any communication.

The first suspect that the Arcane Church thought of was Black Star.

However, Han Xiao had been at the Star Pupil Holy Race not too long ago and was still
en route to his headquarters. There was an alibi… but they did not forget that Han Xiao
could command troops from a distance to complete the attack.

“If Black Star is the murderer, is he being supported by the dynasty? They have already
captured four of our people and forced Psyker to apologize. Is this not enough?”
someone wondered out loud.

“The possibility is not high. Both sides are in negotiations, and we have reached a
preliminary conclusion. The dynasty knows that it is not beneficial to continue chasing
and fighting them. If they take away our Ten Thousand Deity Scepter, it will force us to
flip the table. I’m afraid it is not worth it for them.”

“Could it be that Black Star wants the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter and decided to move
on his own?”

“But… if we think about it closely, this will give Black Star more problems than
benefits. He has already obtained a huge benefit from this matter, and there is no need
for him to also steal the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter. He will not be able to use it either,
and just having it with him will cause numerous problems. The only way would be to
give it to the dynasty. However, what we’ve checked about Black Star shows that he is
not someone who enjoys taking risks, and he is still in his honeymoon period with the
Dynasty. He would not do such a thing behind the back of the dynasty.”

The Bishops frowned. Everything pointed to the fact that Black Star was not involved.

Could it be that there were people who wanted to fish in muddy waters?

To be able to attack Ninjia, one had to fulfil two criteria. One was a strong enough
intelligence network to be able to track Ninjia, and the second was to possess the ability
of a Beyond Grade A Mechanic to be able to silently kill him off.

Thinking about this, a plausible answer floated up.

The Bishops present all lurched.

“Could it be… the Federation of Light?”

The Shattered Star Ring was still their territory, and while it looked like they did not
care, it would be careless for them to ignore their intelligence system. After operating
for so many years, their network would naturally be seamless, and their intelligence
gathering would trump the dynasty’s, who were newcomers in the region.

While the Crimson Dynasty did not spot Ninjia’s traces, the Federation of Light did.
This explained everything.

The faces of the Bishops were green. The more they thought about it, the more it felt as
though the Federation of Light was the culprit.

From the start, when they loaned out the Multi-Dimensional Sky Opening
Transportation Device, that bunch of robbers had intended to fish in muddy waters.

This time, not only did the Arcane Church lose a lot of their Beyond Grade A combat
power, they had also strained their relationship with the Crimson Dynasty. To the
Federation of Light, this was their best chance.
The Bishops realized that this meant that their entire expedition had been captured and
annihilated, and they almost spat blood.

Federation of Light, f*ck your mom!

At this time, the virtual screen on the conference table appeared, showing the command
of the pope.

“Stabilize the situation with the Crimson Dynasty and redeem our allies… We’ll settle
the scores with the Federation of Light at a later point.”

The Bishops exchanged glances, and within each gaze, they could see depression and
helplessness.

Yesterday, they thought that at least the scepter was returning. Today, they once again
received bad news. This feeling of falling from heaven to hell made them extremely
uncomfortable.

It was a total loss.

Without evidence, the Federation of Light would never admit it. After all, both sides
were of the same strength, so they would not be threatened.

They could only take things one step at a time.

On the mother planet of the Federation of Light, President Bader put down the
communicator, smiling at the elders present.

“Manison has achieved the objective. The Ten Thousand Deity Scepter is ours.”
At his words, everyone revealed smiles of success.

The Chief Elder fiddled with his cane, praising, “Indeed worthy of being one of the
strongest Ancient Ones. The Mechanic Empire is still as reliable as ever.”

Bader nodded with a smile. Manison was an ally whom he deeply valued, not because
of his frightening power but because of their ability to appear at long distances and wipe
out all evidence, perfectly completing secret operations.

“The Arcane Church will suspect the Crimson Dynasty and may even suspect us, but
they have no evidence. Besides, they will not tell the world about theft of the Ten
Thousand Deity Scepter.”

“According to our intelligence, the usage of the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter is simple.
It’s just that we do not have the necessary skills to repair it. However, we can use it as a
trump card with limited uses, as it can greatly damage a Beyond Grade A… Cough
cough, just don’t use it in front of Black Star.”

“While it may infuriate the Arcane Church, we’ve earned big by obtaining the Ten
Thousand Deity Scepter. This is also a chip to deal with the Arcane Church in the
future.”

Many of the elders revealed smiles as they discussed their success.

“Manison said that the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter is sealed by the special material.
When he returns, I’ll have the research team crack it.”

Bader’s tone was confident; he did not doubt that the seal could be removed at all.

Chapter 871 Business Snatching Mid-Version

The little secret between the Arcane Church and Federation of Light was not made
known to Han Xiao.
After leaving the star system of the Star Pupil Holy Race, Han Xiao’s fleet did not stop,
returning to the headquarters of the Black Star Army.

In the previous gathering that the Tyrant hosted, Han Xiao had signed a few agreements
with a large number of civilizations in the Shattered Star Ring and had also publicly
sold access to the Evolution Cube in exchange for cooperation with the major
civilizations.

This year was the first year of cooperation, and because Han Xiao would remain in the
Shattered Star Ring for this period, he prepared to handle the slots purchased by the
various civilizations this year and complete them.

In the past years, the civilizations had conducted numerous internal selections,
confirming the list of elites who would undergo evolution, and had been waiting for this
day. Upon receiving the notice, the teams were dispatched, and many elites from each
civilization gathered at the Black Star Army headquarters.

Using the Evolution Cube as a bridge to reach better relationships with multiple star
cluster and star system level civilizations was a key step in the expansion plan for the
Black Star Army.

In Han Xiao’s blueprint, maintaining this sort of cooperation network for a long period
would form a large network using the Black Star Army as a transit point. By that time,
the power and influence of the Black Star Army would truly cover the entire star field,
so Han Xiao paid a lot of attention to the cooperation in the first year.

Furthermore, there was an additional benefit. The people picked by the civilizations
would all be elites, and there would definitely be well-known characters or protagonists
within.

Letting them take the initiative to gather was better than him looking for all of them
himself.

This is probably the alternate reality version of keeping the talents in the world for my
own usage… Han Xiao mused to himself.
…

Spaceships of different styles landed at the Black Star Army headquarters, and elites of
all races poured out as the hatches opened. They were led to the accommodation area
under the guidance of the reception robots, causing the dock to be extremely lively.

These elites were all leaders back in their respective civilizations, and the majority were
either Calamity Grades, military officers, potential Calamity Grades, or scientific
researchers. All of them sized up the other elites as they disembarked, their expressions
wary.

“This is the Black Star Army talked of in legends.”

Pamela opened her three large, watery eyes as she curiously took in her surroundings.
She hailed from a star system level plant-based civilization, with her race called the
Flower Sprite Tribe. Her body was covered with a layer of green leaf-like epidermal
tissue, and she exuded a strange fragrance. It was said that every individual had a
unique fragrance, just like how humans were differentiated by fingerprints. Body
fragrance, appearance, and physique were the aesthetic standards for this race.

According to their aesthetics, Pamela would be a rare beauty, and at the same time, she
was an elite researcher who was chosen to undergo evolution.

As Pamela and her party observed the dock, a small hovering robot flew in front of
them, speaking in Phillip’s voice.

“Welcome, everyone, to the Black Star Army, hum… Our Commander is still en route.
I’ll be responsible for escorting you and arranging your accommodation. In the
meantime, if you have any needs, please contact me directly, hum…”

The leader of the Flower Sprite Tribe was a Calamity Grade, and he calmly nodded.
“Understood.”

“Please follow me.”

The reception robot flew through the huge crowd, leading the way.
The group followed close behind, looking around on the way and discussing in a low
voice.

“People of all civilizations have come. I even saw a few Star Cluster level
Civilizations.”

“All of them are elites of their races. This is a grand event. Let’s go pay a visit to some
others. After all, it’s a rare chance to socialize.”

Hearing the discussions coming from behind, the reception robot turned around and
addressed them. “During this waiting period, I’ll take you to visit the headquarters, hold
banquets, and provide a platform for everyone to communicate with each other, so
please don’t worry about not having a chance.”

“This looks a little like the Tyrant’s Party… but the people here are not representatives
of a few civilizations but rather a large number of elites…” The eyes of the Calamity
Grade leading the team moved around, and they seemed to understand something.

Pamela hesitated before asking, “So, so… will we have a chance to converse with His
Excellency Black Star?”

“There will be a banquet for everyone to celebrate after the evolution process is
completed. If you’re willing to stay, then you’ll be able to converse with our Army
Commander,” the robot replied.

“That’s… that’s great.” Pamela’s skin color turned green, which was the same as
humans blushing. She looked expectant.

“Yo, shy because you’re about to see your idol?” One of her colleagues teased.

Pamela did not reply, her face so green that it was turning indigo.

Every Beyond Grade A would have a few fans in the universe, even those infamous
thugs such as EsGod.
The deeds of Black Star were widely circulated in the universe. As a native of a
planetary civilization, he had established the Black Star Army from scratch and
rewritten the fate of his homeland by himself. Such a legendary existence had attracted
a large number of admirers within the Shattered Star Ring, and Pamela was one of those
who were impressed with his deeds.

“I don’t know what sort of spouse Black Star likes…” Pamela appeared a bit dazed.

“Hello, are you being serious? Do you not know about reproductive isolation?” Her
colleague was surprised.

“I’m a biological genetic engineer. Do I need your reminder?” Pamela snapped back in
resignation.

The Calamity Grade leader frowned and turned back to say, “Don’t forget our purpose
here, and don’t provoke His Excellency.”

“Can’t I have expectations?” Pamela grumpily replied.

She did not know, however, that the reception robot was recording every word they
spoke and passing it on to Sylvia.

In her office, Sylvia received the report, and after sweeping over it, she coldly snorted.

“Number 237…”

After which, she put a mark on the file before throwing it into a folder labelled ‘Banquet
Seating Arrangement (Corner List)’.

Way before the date that Han Xiao set, all the civilizations that were supposed to
undergo evolution had arrived. Except for Klent, the other Shattered Star Ring
civilizations were there. Not only were civilizations belonging to the Shattered Star
Ring there—even a new batch of elites from the Crimson Dynasty had arrived.

While waiting, these organizations did not just idle but took this rare chance to network
and exchange contacts. The atmosphere quickly became friendly.

All the elites present could see that Han Xiao was taking advantage of the situation to
gather all the influential people in Shattered Star Ring and start his own banquet. In
other words, he was trying to snatch the Tyrant Heber’s businesses, using the Evolution
Cube as a cover to form his own ‘party’, in order to expand his influence!

Although everyone understood this, no one had any issues with it. They were also
willing to communicate with other races for their needs.

As for Black Star and the Tyrant’s competition, no one dared breathe a word. Both sides
were not good to provoke, and it was better to just go with the flow.

A few days passed, and Han Xiao finally arrived back at the headquarters. After resting
for a few hours, he informed everyone to gather to proceed with the ceremony.

Following batch after batch of people, the clean and gleaming main hall quickly became
packed. Reynold received the news and took the mechanics of the logistics department
to widen the hall on the spot so that it would not be overcrowded.

The space fluctuated slightly, and Han Xiao stepped out of the void dimension,
suspending himself above everyone’s head. The Evolution Cube slowly rotated around
him.

Everyone looked up at the floating Han Xiao, and there was a small commotion as
everyone broke out in whispers.

“Black Star is here.”

“This is the first time I’ve seen a Beyond Grade A from up close. The energy contained
within his body is just terrifying. I started sweating when I felt it.”
“The thing beside him is probably the Evolution Cube. Not too long ago, I heard that
Psyker relinquished his control over this Universal Treasure… Such a small thing was
actually the source of so much trouble, and even a few Beyond Grade As from the
Arcane Church were captured.”

“Black Star does have the ability to keep this Universal Treasure. A year ago, I thought
that his Evolution Cube would be snatched away quickly, but it turns out that I was
wrong.”

The elites of the various races all had awe in their eyes. No matter how proud they were
normally, in front of Han Xiao, they did not have the ability to be confident.

Before Han Xiao rose up, other than the Purple Crystal Civilization, the other Star
Cluster civilizations had tried to suppress Han Xiao, but at the Tyrant’s Party, all of
them could not help but lower their heads to seek cooperation.

Just because Han Xiao had recently reached Beyond Grade A, everyone had entertained
a brief thought of suppressing him.

However, the recent matters had proven Black Star’s ability, consolidating his position
in the universe. This dispelled the last bit of hostility the star cluster civilizations had.
They completely gave up on their fantasy. Now that Black Star had completely taken
off, playing small tricks were useless.

Looking at the gazes below of respect and admiration, Han Xiao secretly nodded to
himself.

The recent storm had brought him benefits in that he was able to successfully launch
this program to create a consortium of interests. This had saved him a lot of time.

On his way back, Han Xiao had briefly scanned through the name list of the elites as
well. Not out of his expectations, there were a few well-known personalities of various
civilizations from his previous life.
However, this was not the time to come into contact. After completing their evolution,
Han Xiao then intended to befriend these ‘old acquaintances’ during the specially
organized banquet.

Most likely, these people all had some kind of storyline. While he might not need them,
the players needed them…

In short, these elites were walking bags of fertilizer.

Various thoughts flashed by as Han Xiao surveyed the scene. He smiled before speaking
in an interested voice.

“Before we begin, there’s something I need to do… Heber, there’s no need to hide. I
know you’re in there.”

The moment this sentence was spoken, everybody jumped. They stared left and right
but did not discover him.

The Tyrant’s here too?

Everyone fidgeted, but no one stepped forward. Seeing this, Han Xiao’s brows
furrowed. “Stop lying to yourself. I’ve already discovered you. Since you won’t come
out, do you want me to drag you out? You will only lose face.”

The commotion got louder, but still, no one stepped up.

Han Xiao looked over everyone with narrowed eyes before suddenly bursting into
laughter. “Hehe, it seems like Heber really didn’t sneak in. Then we can begin.”

Hearing this, everyone’s expression stiffened.

“He was actually joking…” Countless people’s mouths twitched.

Is it really good to ridicule the Tyrant like this, even guarding against him coming over?
That guy is after all a Beyond Grade A! He wouldn’t do something so low class…
right?

Perhaps Black Star and Tyrant have a good relationship now, so they can ridicule each
other…

Everyone could only think this way.

Han Xiao then activated the Evolution Cube, and with a thought, the black evolutionary
energy spewed out, enveloping the entire room. The elites present all turned into black
cocoons.

“It’s done.” Han Xiao clapped his hands and instructed Phillip, “Monitor their
evolutions. Remember to invite them to stay for the banquet later.”

“Roger, hum…”

Han Xiao did not wish to wait there for nothing. He stored the Evolution Cube and left
the hall full of black cocoons, returning to his room.

He was going to change his clothes. He awaited the banquet that was to come next.

On the way, Han Xiao casually read through the forums.

Now that the matters of the Arcane Church had drawn to a close, the long-term gains
from this event would gradually manifest over time, such as Urranrell’s appreciation of
him and his importance to the dynasty.

The situation was already settled. What happened next would be between the Crimson
Dynasty and Arcane Church, which was not his concern.

In the short term, no trouble would come looking for him, so Han Xiao had the capacity
to focus on the players.
From the perspective of the players, Version 3.0 had been going for about a year and a
half, which was the mid-version phase.

In this year and a half, the players had experienced the secret war, the Crimson Tide, the
rise of Black Star, the Flickering World, and the Battle of Planet Lighthouse, which
were all major events. More and more players at the level cap of 120 had appeared, and
more and more players would continue to reach this goal as time passed.

During the mid-version phase, the new Pro League would be released. There was still
some time before the opening, so players had time to upgrade, learn new skills, and
change equipment. However, on the forums, the league officials had already begun the
preparations, advertising widely and attracting the players’ attention.

From his memory, Version 3.0 was particularly spectacular.

Players would possess the strength of Grade Bs in this version, and the Mechanic
profession would also slowly start to rise. A large number of newcomers would emerge,
including Maple Moon, as professional players, causing a new injection into the pro
scene.

The ratio of Mechanics in the Shattered Star Ring was the highest among all the other
star fields, and the Black Star Army also sold the highest number of machines as well as
blueprints. With the bonuses offered throughout the version, Han Xiao believed that the
Shattered Star Ring’s Mechanics would bring great glory in the Pro League this time.

To him, the best benefit would be that it would attract more people to take the Mechanic
profession or allow the older players to create Mechanic smurfs.

If that was the case, he would generate more income as the ‘mentor’ of the Mechanic
profession.

“What a pity. With three versions out, the good days are almost over.” Han Xiao shook
his head with some emotion.
Based on his experience from his previous life, Version 3.0 was a watershed. It
symbolized that players had formally entered the mid-stage of the universe, and it was
where their influence truly began to manifest and expand.

The nicknames ‘Cancer of the Universe’ as well as ‘The Fourth Calamity’ were tagged
toward the players after Version 3.0!

It was also the source of Han Xiao’s psychological shadow.

For now, the players were in a period of imminent transformation. After this version,
the players’ strength would exceed a certain point, and the more things they could do,
the more they would be inclined to cause chaos. This was inevitable!

Version 3.0 was the last stage where players could be easily controlled.

Thus, Han Xiao placed his bets on the Flickering World. He might be able to use it to
gain some advantage during the faction wars in the next version.

Just as Han Xiao was about to proceed with the banquet, on the other side of the star
cluster, Heber also received some news.

As a competitor, he was always paying attention to the moves of the Black Star Army.

Heber thus discovered Han Xiao’s sinister intentions.

“Relying on the Evolution Cube, Black Star is building a platform for the elites to
converse. He’s trying to take away the influence of the Tyrant’s Party and gain even
greater influence in the Shattered Star Ring…”

As he read the intelligence, Heber grew visibly annoyed.

The Tyrant’s Party was the byproduct of his many years of effort. Now that Han Xiao
had come out to compete with him, he was furious yet unable to stop it.

Furthermore, upon realizing that Han Xiao had mocked him in front of all the various
civilization elites, Heber’s mind finally blew.

Dammit, why!

Are we even on good terms?

To ridicule me like that in public, smearing my brave warrior image, this is pure evil!

You’re taking advantage of me!

One of these days, I’m going to make sure you can’t even defend yourself!

Chapter 872 Banquet and Reques

The duration of everyone’s evolution process differed. As the cocoons slowly broke one
after another, people groggily woke up, sensing the changes within themselves.

The Evolution Cube raised one’s life level, and the normal people were unlike players
in that they could not get used to their new changes immediately. Their way to
improvement was through long hours of extended practice, where many streams flowed
to form a river. It was usually only when they broke through to a new realm that such a
drastic change occurred.

Thus, most of the people present were satisfied with the effect of the Evolution Cube,
especially the Calamity Grade Supers. The stronger their body, the better the effect of
using the Evolution Cube.

“What a novel experience.” Pamela curiously observed the changes in her body. As a
biological genetic engineer, she could feel the process more acutely, and her
professionalism surfaced. “This is a pure evolution at the genetic level, not
environmentally induced mutation but rather optimization. One’s original racial
characteristics amplify the advantages of the genes, and their strengths are strengthened.
If there are no sequelae, it is practically perfect.

“The source of this power is unknown. It’s like a divine blessing… The cells seemed to
have received some sort of radiation. Is the essence of evolutionary energy a special
kind of radiation?”

While she was muttering, the reception robot came up to her and said, “Congratulations.
In order to celebrate your evolution, the Black Star Army will be holding a banquet
tomorrow. The Army Commander and the officers will attend, and you’re welcome to
participate, hum…”

Every race that had completed their evolution would receive an invite from the
reception robots. The Flower Sprite Tribe leader suppressed his excitement and nodded.
“We will be there.”

“The invite has been sent. On it is the time and place. I’ll remind you again closer to the
time. Also, please remember to dress formally.”

“Understood.” Everyone else nodded in agreement.

The purpose of their trip was completed, and everyone in the room was in a good mood.
Practically all the elites accepted the invitation, opting to stay and attend the banquet.

It was to be held the next day, so everyone proceeded back to their accommodation.

After resting for a day, the elites took off their battle suits and armor, donning the
formal attire of their respective civilizations, and proceeded to the banquet venue.

In the commander’s room, Han Xiao also donned a suit, looking at himself in the
mirror.
The man in the mirror was tall and well-built, wearing a compressed orb necklace and a
thick black cloak with white borders on his shoulders. The emblem of the Black Star
Army was embroidered on his back, lined with the dark-red fur of a rare beast. The
neckline of the cloak had three silver magnetic clasps that could be joined to wrap
around the body. It matched with the black top and pants provided.

Han Xiao could not help but comment, “I would like to know who designed this suit. Is
the person treating me like a crow?”

“I designed it based on your usual attire, hum…”

“It seems like I will need to modify the data collection algorithm,” Han Xiao muttered
to himself.

After washing his face, Han Xiao opened his door to find all his officers outside in their
formal attire waiting for him.

Sweeping his eyes over them, he looked at everyone’s designs.

Han Xiao interestedly sized up everyone. “All of you look pretty good.”

“It’s been a while since I wore my robes. It’s a little awkward.” Feidin adjusted his
neckline, looking a little helpless.

Because Han Xiao normally did not host such events, few of them had seen each other
in formal attire.

Hila frowned. “You know I have no interest in these activities. If I have time to attend a
banquet, I’d rather be training.”

“Just training itself wouldn’t help. You need to rest and relax at times.” Han Xiao
waved his hands. “Recently, because of the problem with the Arcane Church, my nerves
have been stretched out, and now that this problem has finally been solved, I can relax
for today. Don’t think about training anymore.”
“I don’t like conversing with strangers.” Hila shook her head.

“Uh… these people are all the elites of their civilizations. They’re probably formidable
characters, and if you get to know them, you could organize a spar.”

“That sounds good.” Hila’s eyes flickered.

Han Xiao chatted with his entourage while he walked, all the way until they arrived at
the banquet. There were already a lot of people within, and it was boisterous.

The banquet hall was a special hall designed for this purpose, and its decorations were
opulent. Tables were filled with full, and innumerable delicacies were delivered like
flowing water. The foods were complex and catered toward the tastes of different races.

The elites of all races were present, and various styles and designs of clothing were on
full display, dazzling the eyes. It fully demonstrated the diversity of the interstellar
society.

Han Xiao led his people to the front, where he attracted all gazes.

“Ahem, on behalf of the Black Star Army, welcome to the evening banquet…”

Clearing his throat, Han Xiao smiled as he spoke. As the host, he had to give some
pleasantries before the banquet could formally begin.

After giving a brief speech, the atmosphere at the banquet grew much warmer. Many
people took the initiative to approach Han Xiao and chat with him enthusiastically.

The majority of people had stayed behind in order to converse with Han Xiao. It was
not every day that one had the means to come into contact with a Beyond Grade A.

Very quickly, a crowd was surrounding Han Xiao. With a smile on his face, and
seemingly not bored of the small talk, he continued to access everyone present.
In just this short period, he had seen many of the ‘acquaintances’ he knew in his past
life. All of these people were famed personalities that the players from Shattered Star
Ring had met in various regions while adventuring.

Some of them were very cheerful and sociable, while some wore hooded cloaks as
though they were trying to hide themselves. One of them was even mumbling to
himself, as though he was neurotic.

While, in front of Han Xiao, these characters’ fame was not worth mentioning, in front
of the players, they were all big-shot characters.

As for all the elites that came to talk, Han Xiao collected all their contact details. This
gave them a pleasant surprise because they did not expect a Beyond Grade A to be so
easy to approach.

Collecting their contact information was akin to collecting their potential storyline
missions for Han Xiao. In addition, these elites all had considerable power in the
respective civilizations, which could be regarded as networking.

While conversing, Han Xiao heard someone calling him from behind in a shy tone.

“Your… Your Excellency Black Star, I’m Pamela from the Flower Sprite Tribe, a
biological genetic engineer.”

Han Xiao turned back and smiled. “Is there anything you need?”

“I… I’m one of your admirers. I would like to know you. Could you accept my
communicator number?” Pamela looked excited. She had watched him from the side for
a while and realized that Han Xiao did not reject such requests. Thus, she had gathered
up her courage to talk to him and exchange contact information.

Feeling her impure gaze on him, Han Xiao laughed dumbly.

Am I being picked up now?

What a rare occasion.

“Ok. Send it to me.” Han Xiao did not reject her. A biological genetic engineer was
worth him befriending.

Although it was impossible for these elites to jump ship, he could still recruit them if he
ran into some special situations in the future or request their aid.

“Thank you!” After exchanging contact details, Pamela behaved as though she had just
obtained his autograph, her face full of joy as she hugged her communicator close to her
chest.

Not far away, Sylvia saw this entire scene and lightly snorted. “Humph, airhead.”

As the banquet progressed, the guests became more absorbed in the atmosphere and
relaxed more.

Batch after batch of guests exchanged their contact information with Han Xiao before
being content enough to retreat. Han Xiao finally managed to get a breather and sighed
in relief as he grabbed one of the alcoholic beverages from a floating tray. He drained
half the cocktail, which held a blue gradient, to moisten his throat.

The cooling yet spicy alcohol flowed into his throat, and there was an aftertaste of
sweetness. Han Xiao felt rejuvenated and smiled.

Walking to a corner, he slowly drank whilst surveying the scene.

After working for so many years, the Black Star Army had finally reached its current
scale, which gave Han Xiao mixed feelings.

“What are you reminiscing about?” Hila carried a deep red cocktail as she walked over.

“How did you know?” Han Xiao raised a brow.

“I’ve known you for so long. How could I not understand? Seeing your eyes, I know
that you’re recalling something,” Hila blandly replied.

“Speaking of, I just recalled something. Twenty years ago, back on Planet Aquamarine,
when I just… cough, just lost my memories, you were the first friend I met, and the
earliest.”

“That’s right. In the blink of an eye, it’s been so many years.” Hila followed Han Xiao’s
gaze and looked around the entire venue. “Those years, I struggled in despair and never
thought that I would step into the universe one day and have such a future. Now,
looking back, it seems like those days on Planet Aquamarine belonged to a past life.”

“Thinking back, I endured for a good half a year in the Germinal Organization base. It
was lucky that you left the base once in a while, or else I would never have escaped.”

“It’s good that you know this.” The corners of Hila’s mouth curled up.

Han Xiao laughed as he reminisced, but suddenly, his laughter stopped, and he shook
his head. “There are so many things that happened after. You felt that you owed me, so
you always chose to fight for me. However, your ability is not only at this level, and
you have the potential to reach Beyond Grade A. One day, you will obtain this power,
and at that time, will you still fight shoulder to shoulder with me?”

Hila hesitated for a while before shaking her head. “I don’t know.”

“An honest answer. Promises are the most unreliable thing. Who can predict the future
properly?” Han Xiao shrugged and raised his glass. “At least, you’re still by my side
now. To our friendship, cheers.”

“You sound so old fashioned.”

“Please, we’re already in our forties… although if we look from the perspective of our
life spans, we’re just little brats.”

“You’re the little brat.”

Hila’s expression was disdainful, but a smile still hung on her lips as she raised her
glass to clink Han Xiao’s.

“Cheers.”

They both took a sip of their drinks.

Han Xiao wiped his mouth. He was about to say something else, but a guest suddenly
walked over, as though he wished to talk, yet there was a hesitant look.

Seeing someone approached, they both stopped talking, and Han Xiao took the initiative
to ask, “Is there something?”

“Your Excellency Black Star, I’m Ceselin from the Gulal Civilization. I have a matter
that I would like to discuss privately.”

Gulal Civilization? Han Xiao quickly searched on his quantum network.

This was a Star Cluster Civilization that seemed to have been embroiled in civil strife
for a long time. Their internal issues were serious and had evolved to the point of
military division.

This Ceselin was a Calamity Grade elite belonging to the current ruling party of the
civilization. Not only was he one of the strongest guardians but also an army
commander with high power.

“What do you want to talk in private for?” Han Xiao raised his brow. “Can’t we talk
here?”

Ceselin shook his head. “It’s not suitable in a public venue.”

“You must at least tell me your intentions.”

Ceselin paused for a moment before solemnly saying, “This is a request. Please believe
me. I come with sincerity.”

Han Xiao stroked his chin, smelling the possibility of a mission.

To have a mission bring itself to me, it’s quite worthwhile to listen to it…

As he thought of this, Han Xiao passed his glass to Hila before turning to walk toward a
side entrance. There were private conference rooms located along the corridor there.

“Follow me.”

Chapter 873 S Grade War Hire

Both of them left through the side entrance, walking along the hallway to a conference
room. Phillip locked the door as they entered. The soundproofing system here was
good, completely isolating the noises from the banquet.

They sat down facing each other, and Han Xiao snapped his fingers. The simulated
mechanical waiter stepped forward to pour two glasses of amber mead for them, adding
a few cubes of ice before placing the glasses on the table in front of them.

“We can speak now.” Han Xiao swirled his glass, and the fragrance of the liquor wafted
out from the mouth of the glass.

Now that he was a great character within the Shattered Star Ring, no longer did he need
to actively search for missions. People would naturally come knocking to request his
aid.

This phenomenon was not only limited to himself. Players could also achieve this if
they managed to carve out a name for themselves within a certain star system. NPCs
would then also seek help from them from time to time.
“It’s like this. My request is about the future of the Gulal Civilization…” Ceselin sat on
the edge.

I guessed it. If it wasn’t something of that magnitude, who would come and disturb a
Beyond Grade A? Han Xiao’s expression, however, remained unchanged, and he lifted
his hand, gesturing for him to continue.

“Before this, please allow me to briefly explain the current situation of my civilization.”
Ceselin solemnly spoke. “The Gulal Civilization has always been in a state of military
division, and the three main parties have formed their own military regions and are
opposed to each other. They are the Ancient Emperor Party, the Pioneer Party, and the
Descendant Party. The current ruling party representing the Gulal Civilization
government is the Ancient Emperor Party, and my teammates and I are members of this
party.”

As one of the edges of the explored universe, the Shattered Star Ring had a complicated
situation due to the lack of control. Some civilizations were stable and peaceful, whilst
some faced external and internal problems. The situation of internal military division
such as the Gulal Civilization would be considered quite serious.

“Okay, I understand. So, what is your request?” Han Xiao asked.

“I beg the Black Star Army to lend the war efforts and end the split of the Gulal
Civilization, letting us find peace.”

“I understand. You wish to apply for war employment and have my people assist the
current ruling party to suppress the other two, right?” Han Xiao raised a brow.

However, Ceselin shook his head and gave an unexpected answer.

“No, I hope for Black Star Army to assist the Pioneer Party in overthrowing the Ancient
Emperor Party and suppressing the Descendant Party.”
This was getting more interesting. Han Xiao sized Ceselin up. “You’re someone of the
Ancient Emperor Party, yet you are helping the Pioneer Party to speak. Are you a spy?”

Ceselin shook his head. “That’s not the case. I was born on a colonial planet of the
Ancient Emperor Party and even joined their army. I’ve never joined another party.”

“Then, why? For benefits? Did the Pioneer Party give you any advantages?”

“That’s not true either. My position in the Ancient Emperor Party is high, and I’m even
a War Hero. The Pioneer Party would not try to pull hardcore members like me over,
and whatever they can give me, the Ancient Emperor Party can do so as well.”

“Then why?”

“Ideals,” Ceselin gravely replied. “I’m more inclined toward the ideology and beliefs of
the Pioneer Party. The Ancient Emperor Party is decaying, and only the Pioneer Party
will be able to lead the civilization to greater hope.”

“I get it.” Han Xiao narrowed his eyes. “You’re a traitor. The Ancient Emperor Party
has given you both authority and standing, even allowing you to obtain the power of the
Evolution Cube, yet you decide to stab them in the back and overthrow them?”

“From their viewpoint, I’m indeed a traitor, but from the viewpoint of the Pioneer Party,
I’m someone who has thrown away the darkness and embraced the light. One’s
perception is based on their viewpoint, so I’m only looking at this objectively and not
caring about one’s judgement,” Ceselin replied in a low voice. “Back when I was
young, I was also passionate and wanted to serve the nation. However, my thoughts
were not mature, and like many others, I was just keen to maintain the orthodox Ancient
Emperor Party. Since I was born on the colonial planet, my position was largely
determined from birth… but after so many years, I’ve become skeptical of their ideals
and behavior, and my beliefs have become more and more shaken.”

Han Xiao looked at him silently. Before Phillip presented him with the complete
information on Gulal Civilization, he would not just take anyone’s words at face value.

This time, Ceselin’s tone became more animated, and it even hid some anger.
“Due to its position, the Ancient Emperor Party wanted a totalitarian rule and has done
many bloody things under wraps to our people. I’ve participated in many of them and
have seen the darkness of politics, the bloodshed of domination, and the confinement of
thought. My house is filled with medals awarded by the party, and I used to like to look
at the past glories. However, when I stare at them now, my nose fills with the sickening
smell of blood.”

Han Xiao stroked his chin. “So, you decided to betray the party that groomed you?”

“To be specific, it was only after I began to doubt myself that I finally freed myself
from the shackles.” Ceselin took a sip of his drink and sighed. “I’ve always been bound
by my identity, and when I woke up, I realized that the three parties were only the
standpoints of internal division of our civilization. The so-called opposition is
meaningless, and what we should be concerned with is the future of our entire
civilization. Whoever can bring prosperity should be supported. I chose to follow the
idea of freedom and the judgement of my heart, so I chose the Pioneer Party, which the
majority of citizens support. They will be able to bring Gulal Civilization further.”

“So, in this way, you believe yourself to be noble?” Han Xiao raised his brow.

“I never thought of myself that way.” Ceselin shook his head.

“… Regarding your choice, I cannot give any comment because I’m an outsider,” Han
Xiao slowly said. “I just want to know. You mentioned that you have never joined the
other parties. So, on what basis can the Pioneer Party talk to me about cooperation?”

“I’m not representing the Pioneer Party. I’m just making a request to you personally.”

Han Xiao laughed at this. “What makes you think you can persuade me to intervene in a
civil strife that I do not care about? You haven’t even reached a consensus with the
Pioneer Party, and let’s not talk about whether the other party wishes for me to
intervene. Just how are you even going to afford the war employment wages? Why
should I kick aside the Ancient Emperor Party that I’m working with now to help you?
What can you bring me?”
“I know that it’s very abrupt to bring this up as an individual, but I have no choice,”
Ceselin replied. “The Ancient Emperor Party has assigned me the mission of applying
to you for war employment. They are ready to use force to eradicate the other two
parties and take back all the divided land.”

“So, it’s like that.” Han Xiao understood it.

The Ancient Emperor Party wanted to resolve the strife once and for all, but they did
not wish to be controlled by an advanced civilization. Thus, instead of asking for help
from the Star Cluster civilizations, they planned to hire foreign aid in the form of
interstellar mercenaries. In the Shattered Star Ring, the most representative of the
mercenaries were the Mercenary League, Bloodshed Land, and Black Star Army.

Since the Black Star Army was also the head of the Mercenary League and an ally of
the dynasty together with Bloodshed Land, as long as the Black Star Army was hired,
the mercenaries of Shattered Star Ring would not be employed by people wishing to
oppose the Black Star Army. After all, with the current might of the army, no one
wished to send themselves to die, and mercenaries that are cooperating with each other
would not send their people to opposing sides.

In the mercenary world within the Shattered Star Ring, the Black Star Army had already
reached the highest level of influence and reputation.

As the ruling party, the Ancient Emperor Party had already attached themselves to the
Black Star Army. As long as aid was received, the Pioneer Party that Ceselin looked
upon fondly would be destroyed, so he could only brave this risk and boldly make this
request of Han Xiao.

Man, of all the people you chose to be the emissary, you chose an emissary that is a
backstabber… Han Xiao’s mouth twitched. Could this be the legendary plot of ‘I didn’t
choose this, but now I wish to be on the good side?’

Han Xiao shook his head. “Let’s be practical. Which party is in power has no impact on
me. Since the Ancient Emperor Party is cooperating with the Black Star Army, they will
definitely offer a good price. And since you came here in a rush to find me, that means
nothing is set in stone on your side… Forget it. I don’t wish to say any more unpleasant
words. Let’s consider this conversation over.”
Han Xiao put down his glass and stood up, walking toward the door with a dissatisfied
mood.

While the words from Ceselin were nice to hear, it was true that he could not bring out
any substantial remuneration. Han Xiao did not care about the struggle of a party in an
unfamiliar civilization. The Black Star Army had retained its mercenary business after
the transformation and did not change into a charity overnight.

Violation of professional standards was a behavior without any professional ethics.

Without practical benefits, he wished to use only his mouth to influence a Beyond
Grade A?

If he had such a fantasy, he should just die in that fantasy!

“Please wait.” Ceselin immediately stood up. “Just as you mentioned, whichever party it
is has no influence toward you. The Pioneer Party can also maintain a cooperative
relationship with you. I hope that you will help the Pioneer Party. The Gulal
Civilization can also become stronger, which will be more rewarding for you. The
Ancient Emperor Party has decayed, and the Pioneer Party is the only righteous one
now.”

“What does your righteousness have to do with me?” Han Xiao did not bother turning
back. Waving this so-called banner of justice was useless in front of others.

His kindness only existed to people he knew. Toward strangers, this was greatly limited.
His coldness was created with the times, and with all the matters experienced, he would
not easily allow people to sway him.

“Please help the Gulal Civilization!”

Dong!

A weird sound was heard, and when Han Xiao turned back, he saw Ceselin prostrating
on the ground. A Calamity Grade actually begged him for help.
However, glancing at him, Han Xiao remained indifferent and prepared to push open
the door.

At this moment, a mission notification appeared on his interface.

_____________________

You have triggered an S-ranked Mission (Gulal Civilization: The Flames of Pioneer!).

Mission Introduction: The Gulal Civilization is a galactic civilization that has been
plagued with internal strife. The civilization has not progressed for many years and has
even deteriorated. In order to break this deadlock, Ceselin, who is an upper echelon of
the Ancient Emperor Party, has decided to support the Pioneer Party and has made a
request to you.

Mission Requirements: Overthrow the rule of the Ancient Emperor Party, eradicate the
Descendant Party, and support the Pioneer Party to become the new rulers of the Gulal
Civilization

Failure Condition: The destruction of the Pioneer Party

Reward: After completion of the task, the reward will be determined by the Mission
Rating.

_____________________

S-ranked mission? Han Xiao’s footsteps paused. A coup d’état of a galactic civilization
was as good as engaging in total war. It was indeed deserving of its S-rank difficulty, as
players would find it difficult to control the direction of an internal war.

Of course, it was different for him. The influence of the Black Star Army was huge, so
he was naturally qualified to intervene in this war. This mission was not difficult for
him.
But while thinking about it, Han Xiao did not stop there and walked out of the room,
leaving Ceselin in the room looking lost.

The S-ranked mission was indeed attractive, but it was unreasonable to aid the Pioneer
Party just because of the mission. It was unreasonable to assume that the Ancient
Emperor Party would not have a mission, as Han Xiao immediately saw with his
experience that this would be a series of missions.

Han Xiao was prepared to speak with all the upper echelons of the Gulal Civilization
and activate the missions of each party before deciding.

He was never the kind that had an obsessive compulsion to complete every mission that
he saw.

An S-ranked mission’s war employment was no trivial matter. While the Black Star
Army had a certain level of strength, it did not mean that they could just ignore the
resources of a galactic civilization.

Han Xiao was clear that although their status was high, it was mainly because of him.
After all, the development time of the army was limited, and its military force, while
able to participate in a star system level war, was still far from being able to control a
star cluster level war.

Han Xiao did not really require the mission reward and did not care for the
remuneration of a star system civilization. Toward this, his main concern was the
players.

Such a war employment task naturally was not his to interfere—a Beyond Grade A
joining a star system level war was being too much of a bully and was also incongruent
to his name and reputation. Furthermore, he planned to quietly stay at the headquarters
and construct more machinery while biding his time for the experience penalty to pass.
Thus, this mission would definitely be given to the players.

Players were the most suited for such missions since they would reduce the casualties of
his mercenaries.
Since the battle in Planet Lighthouse had just ended, there would not be any big events
for a period of time. The players could only do side missions, and while the Flickering
World had its benefits, it was too boring for the players. Thus, he planned to create an
event for the players to fill up their spare time, catering to the players in the army.

In addition, this would give the players more rewards before the Pro League, as the
rewards from an S-ranked mission would be richer than the norm.

By helping the players grow faster, it would attract more people to his faction. Han Xiao
had always done it this way.

At this moment, Phillip started bubbling in the quantum network.

“Master, hum… I’ve found the information on the Ancient Emperor Party you
requested.”

Han Xiao’s consciousness entered the quantum network to read the intelligence.

In this regard, Ceselin did not lie. The Ancient Emperor Party was indeed unpopular,
and its government was rotten. The people were suppressed by them and did not dare
speak.

The Descendant Party was also not any better; in fact, they were worse. However, the
Pioneer Party was not as good as Ceselin made out. Still, compared to the other two, it
was the most acceptable.

After reading, Han Xiao nodded to himself.

Now that he had seen the truth, with actual information, he had an idea in his heart.

Chapter 874 Isolation

Han Xiao did not contact the Gulal Civilization immediately. The banquet was still
ongoing, and it would be rude to ignore the guests.

Returning to the banquet, Han Xiao collected more communication numbers. The
relaxing time passed in a flash, and the banquet quickly approached the end. The guests
all bade their farewells and left the venue.

Han Xiao saw Ceselin among the throng of people leaving, his footsteps hurried but
nothing strange from his expression. His display toward Han Xiao this time had brought
nothing but ruin.

However, Han Xiao did not intend to snitch someone to such a small star system
civilization. He was a Beyond Grade A and had no obligation to report to such people.

As the guests left, the mechanical waiters appeared to clear up the messy venue.

This was the first year of holding the evolutionary banquet, and both the scale and
influence were limited. It would need a few more years before its reputation would
sound in the Shattered Star Ring and become a practice.

After leaving the venue, Han Xiao did not idle but met up with the elites of the Crimson
Dynasty separately. These people were more important, so they received special
treatment. They did not talk about business but rather just chatted idly to improve their
relationship.

All these people in the Crimson Dynasty had varying levels of influence, and making
more contacts would allow him to help expand his network in the dynasty, as well as his
speaking rights.

Because of the battle at Planet Lighthouse, Han Xiao’s fame and status in the Crimson
Dynasty had increased, and he found that the elites’ attitude was now even more awed
than the previous batch; they no longer treated him as a normal Beyond Grade A ally.

Everyone had a great chat, and only after Han Xiao sent them off did he return to his
room and got Phillip to contact the upper echelons of the Gulal Civilization.
He did not disclose Ceselin’s backstabbing but indicated that Ceselin had offered him
war employment and completed his mission, leading him to call to discuss this matter.

The Ancient Emperor Party did not suspect anything and offered a price for his war
employment efforts, including remuneration, military supplies, machinery materials,
and long-term mining rights for their resource rich planets.

Normal mercenary groups would only obtain remuneration, military factory borrowing
rights, procurement channels, and other rewards, but due to the nature of the Black Star
Army being vastly different, they were able to obtain resources such as mining rights.

Unsurprisingly, the Gulal Civilization civil strife turned out to be a mission series. After
he contacted the Ancient Emperor Party, a similar S-ranked mission appeared, the only
difference being the name of the mission titled ‘Protect the Orthodoxy’. The mission
objective was to aid the Ancient Emperor Party in suppressing the other two parties and
reclaim their territories.

Without giving the Ancient Emperor Party confirmation, Han Xiao cut the call, stroking
his chin as he contemplated.

“Both are S-ranked missions, so the reward should be the same… Oh, there should be
some minute differences. Because the Ancient Emperor Party is the strongest,
suppressing the other two will be the easier option. If I help a weaker party ascend, the
reward should also be higher.”

After thinking about it, Han Xiao had Phillip search for the leader of the Pioneer Party’s
number. Ceselin was just an unexpected factor, and Han Xiao was prepared to just
leapfrog ranks and talk straight to the leader.

With the military division within the Gulal Civilization, the Pioneer Party had a clear
territory, so it was easy to find the required number.

The call was quickly connected.

“Hello, may I know who you…” The leader’s secretary appeared on the screen, but in
mid speech, the person exclaimed upon seeing Han Xiao’s face. “Black Star?”

With Han Xiao’s current fame, only bumpkins would not recognize him. As someone
who was an official of a star system civilization, they would not fail to recognize this
face.

“Connect me to your leader.” Han Xiao calmly spoke.

“Oh oh, I’ll divert the call now, you… no, sir, please hold on,” the secretary stammered.
While they were not the ruling party, the leader of the Pioneer Party was not someone
that any Tom, Dick, and Harry could meet as and when they liked. However, Black Star
was obviously an exception.

Not long later, the leader came online. He found it difficult to hide the surprise in his
eyes. He was waiting for an important call, but he suddenly received news that Black
Star was on the line, which gave him quite the shock.

How come Black Star, who had never had any dealings with them, suddenly called and
asked to speak with him?

“Your Excellency Black Star, may I ask… what business do you have with me?”

“I’ve heard about the situation in your Gulal Civilization, and not too long ago, the
Ancient Emperor Party requested me for a war employment, wishing to borrow my
strength to annihilate the other two parties. Are you aware of this?”

“Is this true?” The leader’s expression changed. While he did not know this, he had
been waiting for a report from his spy, who had reported some movements from the side
of the Ancient Emperor Party. He had guessed that they would seek aid, but this report
was now directly confirmed by Black Star.

The Pioneer Party leader also knew the importance of such a matter and immediately
panicked. He quickly recovered though. If Black Star had accepted the employment,
then there would have been no need to inform them. Black Star must have a reason for
calling them.
In a flash, the leader understood Black Star’s thinking. “Your Excellency Black Star, no
matter what price the Ancient Emperor Party offers, we’ll double it and will not go back
on our word.”

Since the other party had already made his intentions clear, there was no need for
pleasantries. The Pioneer Party immediately gave his offer. In fact, he also wished to
receive the aid from the Black Star Army, but it was nigh impossible since the Ancient
Emperor Party had long forged a connection with the Black Star Army through their
business dealings.

What a good fellow, he actually treated me like a warmonger… Han Xiao’s brows
twitched, but from the perspective of the Pioneer Party, this was natural since he did not
know about Ceselin.

After thinking about it, Han Xiao did not choose to reveal the existence of Ceselin.
After all, he had provided him with this mission. Before he took the initiative to jump
over, his merits and fame would be hidden.

After pondering for a while, he nodded to the nervous expression of the Pioneer Party
leader.

“Good, then it’s settled. When the time comes, I’ll look for someone to allow you to
sign the employment contract.”

He ended the call.

Staring at the darkened screen, the leader of the Pioneer Party slumped in his chair,
looking out of sorts, as though he had just woken up from a dream.

Without any warning, he suddenly obtained the help of the Black Star Army, such a
behemoth?

“Could it be that Black Star is really trying to be a warmonger? He doesn’t have to do

this.” A seed of suspicion bloomed in the leader’s mind.
But Black Star clearly had no dealings with his Pioneer Party, so why did he choose
them?

“There must be some underlying factor…”

The expression of the Pioneer Party leader flickered.

It was just that Black Star did not reveal anything, and it was not a good time for him to
ask. However, the Pioneer Party leader did not wish to be kept in the dark. He decided
to slowly dig out the reason. There had to be someone involved that had made Black
Star seek employment from him.

On the other side, Han Xiao put his communicator away. His part had come to an end;
he only needed to send someone to get the contract finalized before sending out the
mission to his faction. The rest would be completed by the players and his members,
which did not require his concern.

He had chosen to help the Pioneer Party, not because it had any relation with Ceselin,
but because it was indeed the best among the three. Only when he could protect his own
interests would he think about sowing good karma. This had always been his work
ethic.

On the other hand, the Pioneer Party looked more righteous. Many players loved such a
scenario, so it would satisfy their emotional and ethical needs.

Thus, after considering all these factors, he had chosen to give up on the Ancient
Emperor Party and Descendant Party, and help the ‘righteous’ Pioneer Party. This
would be conducive to enhancing the players’ sense of identification with the army.

A few days later, the elites left the Black Star Army headquarters.

The Gulal Civilization’s spaceship also left the port, heading into the universe. Ceselin
looked back at the Black Star Army headquarters disappearing, his crestfallen
expression hard to hide.
Two days prior, the Ancient Emperor Party’s leader had contacted him, praising him for
his effort and explaining that Black Star had contacted them. They were expecting the
Black Star Army’s aid soon.

“I didn’t manage to convince Black Star… The Pioneer Party…” Ceselin was
depressed, and he did not think that he alone could reverse the current plight of the
Pioneer Party.

At this moment, his teammate suddenly held out the communicator and exclaimed,
“Guys, come look! The Pioneer Party just announced that they’ve employed the Black
Star Army and are formally launching an offensive!”

“What?”

Everyone was stunned and took out their communicators as well, Ceselin included. The
more he read, the more emotional he got.

This… this… what happened? Did my words… really have an impact?

Ceselin was so moved that he found it difficult to restrain himself. His actions had
really ushered in a turning point, causing Black Star to make a different choice. If he did
not take the risk this time, Black Star would most likely have agreed after the Ancient
Emperor Party made their request.

No matter what conditions the Pioneer Party had offered Black Star or how he thought,
there was still the fact that he had played a part in this.

Just like the split in train tracks, he was the one who pulled the wrench and steered fate
away from its original track.

Ceselin turned back to look in the direction of the Black Star Army, and while he knew
that Black Star did not need his gratitude, he still revealed a thankful expression.
He was not aware if Black Star had revealed his identity or chosen to bury this issue. He
only thought that he was doing the right thing and did not think to claim credit from the
Pioneer Party.

Within the machinery factory, Han Xiao released the faction mission that he had on
hand before opening the forums to have a look.

The players were already used to such war employments, and since it was such a large-
scale collective action each time, they had always welcomed such big events.

While this time was a star system level war, helping a party to destroy its competitors,
being able to have their own teammates, and not facing against the entire star system
civilization made the difficulty more manageable for the players. The players in the
army were excitedly signing up and calling for more support through the forums.

After a few glances, he confirmed that the players’ reactions would not have problems
and closed the forums. The matters afterward would be settled by the players, so he did
not need to worry.

This war employment would likely last until the late to end stages of the version, which
gave the players a lot of stuff to do.

This way, I’ll have more time to construct my mechanical army.

Han Xiao let out a deep breath.

He had to tide past the experience penalty period, as well as face off against EsGod,
sealing his mouth for good. This was the important matter. Because of that, Han Xiao
decided to isolate himself in the factory and no longer paid attention to the matters
outside.

EsGod was already strong enough. Since he had even obtained an evolution, his combat
ability would be off the charts.
Thinking of this, Han Xiao could not help but feel pressure.

To kill this fellow, he had to put in a lot of effort.

Chapter 875 Unable to crack The

Half a month later, within the President’s Office of the Federation of Light, Bader
alone. In front of him was a projection of a normal galaxy human, of moderate height
and wearing a large white robe. He had lots of wrinkles on his face. Despite his apparent
age, however, he looked spry. His eyes especially were glowing like two luminous
stellar bodies. His beard stretched down to his chest, and his hair was also kept very
long, tied up with silvery magnetic bands.

This projection was the true appearance of the Mechanic Empire’s Manison. His
expression was calm, and he was conversing with Bader.

“My troops have sent the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter to the designated scientific
research station and completed the handover.” Manison’s voice was old but full of
‘magnetism’.

“Many thanks.” Bader was smiling and nodded. “The promised reward will be sent to
your Mechanical Race.”

As long-term allies, Manison’s strength and his achievements had granted him a high
position in the Federation of Light. Bader was full of respect toward Manison and had
always been serious in ensuring that both parties had a good relationship.

After all, Manison had already assisted several Presidents of the Federation of Light
before Bader. Of course, there were also reasons for that; compared to the Arcane
Church and the Crimson Dynasty, their rate of change for leaders was much higher.
Manison nodded and changed the topic. “There’s another matter.”

“Please speak.”

“When you decide to come into contact with Black Star, remember to call me.”

Bader lurched.

What’s this curveball? Why do you think that we’ll contact Black Star?

After this incident, Bader did not dare look down on Han Xiao. However, he was also
not prepared to send emissaries over to contact Black Star. The latter was allied to the
Crimson Dynasty, and unless there was a special reason, a Beyond Grade A would not
jump ship. Thus, Bader had no intention of contacting him.

After thinking about it, Bader just thought that Manison was interested in Black Star
and agreed. Being Beyond Grade A Mechanics, they would naturally have topics to
discuss. It was nothing strange.

“If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up.” Manison nodded and cut the connection.

Seeing this, Bader waited for another ten seconds or so before contacting the Beyond
Grade A Virtual Mechanic under their employment.

“Any abnormalities in the data quantum network?”

“No.”

Hearing this, Bader relaxed. While he trusted Manison, he still had to take precautions.
After all, Manison was not directly under the Federation of Light but rather an ally from
the Ancient Ones. He might be the strongest mechanic alive in this era, so every time he
connected remotely, Bader would have Virtual Mechanics monitor the network so that
Manison would not open some backdoor.
At the same time, in the distant Primeval Star River, Manison opened his eyes as his
consciousness retreated from the quantum network. He smiled.

“The material sealing the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter has reached the level of a Space
Wonder. The Federation of Light… is going to have a headache.”

When Manison took up the task, he knew that he would come into contact with the Ten
Thousand Deity Scepter, so he had taken along some research equipment to study the
material while en route.

However, this Spacetime Amber isolated all forms of energy, and even detecting its
parameters was impossible to achieve. It appeared as ‘non-existent’ on a lot of his
research equipment, and only when utilizing his space research equipment did he then
discover that the spatial and temporal coordinates of the Spacetime Amber were weirdly
distorted, fixed at a constant value.

He had tried to break apart the amber by disturbing the spacetime coordinates, but the
Spacetime Amber also isolated any influence toward its surrounding spacetime
coordinates.

Manison had not managed to discover the material structure of this amber. It appeared
to be a physical object, yet when observed under a microscope, it appeared as a universe
of its own, an area without any movement.

Since there was no particle movement, and time seemed to not exist, which was the
theory behind freezing.

Manison thought of the past, during the time of the exploration era where the three
Universal Civilizations had changed the physical constraints of the universe near their
mother stars, forming a closed and safe area. The Spacetime Amber seemed to be of a
similar principle, only stranger. It was as though this material was a condensed
secondary space independent of the universe.

Due to his knowledge, he concluded that this was a material on the level of a space
wonder.
After his research, he had ruled out the possibility that the Spacetime Amber was a
technological advancement. He did not think that Han Xiao would have such an ability
at the moment, so he became interested in the treasure that could create such a material.

Other than Black Star, it was unlikely that anyone could break this.

Thus, Manison was sure that the Federation of Light would try to contact Black Star,
and it would also not be long from now.

“At that time, I can take the opportunity to know him. Oh, he seems to have bullied my
people some time ago.”

Manison narrowed his eyes, and it was unknown what he was thinking.

Not too long ago, Manison had sent the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter to one of the
Federation of Light’s research bases, and it was currently being fixed in a huge
machinery cabin. Outside was a pile of research instruments, and many researchers were
fully concentrated on the task.

This was an all-in-one material analyzer, which was able to analyze the various
parameters of the object without destroying it. This was a standard product used by
researchers from advanced civilizations, and the Federation of Light’s would naturally
be even more advanced. So long as it was an object, its components could be easily
analyzed.

The research head stood by the side, his eyes never leaving the Ten Thousand Deity
Scepter.

Bader had set down an order that they had to crack the seal for the Ten Thousand Deity
Scepter. The research team head knew the seriousness of this job and thus had
personally gone to supervise it.

Being in charge of a research base, the head would not be any ordinary person. He was
one of the bigwigs in the Federation of Light’s top research institute and had made
many various major scientific research contributions. He had even been awarded the
Medal of Honor by the President.

“Reporting! The equipment has been calibrated, and the substance analyzer is ready.
Permission to begin?”

“Let’s begin.” The head nodded.

The researcher pressed a button, and the substance analyzer started to operate, letting
out a droning noise. Everyone watched the screen carefully, where the data was
changing rapidly.

After a few moments, the artificial intelligence came to a startling conclusion.

“Data error. Substance is unable to be analyzed. The target has energy insulating
properties, and the detection rays cannot penetrate it.”

The substance analyzer was rendered useless? The head was a little surprised, but such
incidents were not unseen. This meant that what they had on hand was a problematic
object.

The research facility would naturally not only have one type of analyzer. The head
ordered the amber to be run through all the tests, and the number of analyzers that could
pick up the Spacetime Amber was pitifully low, which left them still clueless about it.

Since Manison was able to discover the anomaly within the spacetime coordinates, they
naturally could deduce the same. Both sides came to the same conclusion—there was no
method to crack it.

If even a normal analysis did not work, why talk about cracking it?

The research head got more and more mystified, and his head began to hurt. All
conventional methods were ineffective, and he did not know where to start.

Just what sort of toy was this?

As a researcher, he was full of curiosity and had a mentality of challenging the
unknown. However, interest was one thing; his mission was another.

Thinking about Bader’s request, the head groaned.

He had a premonition… the president’s hopes would soon be dashed.

This object had completely exceeded all their imaginations.

Chapter 876 Great Mechanic Han in Seclusion, Do Not Disturb
“Can’t be broken?”

In the president’s office, Bader received a detailed report from the research department,
and a look of disbelief could be seen on his face.

He had never doubted the technological skills of the Federation of Light and felt that
breaking the seal of the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter would be a piece of cake. He could
not have imagined the research department giving him such a ‘surprise’.

“Space Wonder grade material that seems to have the ability to solidify space…” Bader
read the report again in detail.

He suddenly thought about something, and he immediately entered the intranet of the
federation to pull out a secret document. This file was ‘Grade 16’, and it belonged to the
secret category in the Federation of Light. In the Federation of Light, there were a total
of twenty different grades.

Grades 1 to 5 contained information that could be revealed to the public such as annual
reports. Grades 6 to 10 were restricted documents that most government officials could
view. Grades 11 to 15 were confidential documents where a log of who viewed them
would be recorded with some details being removed if the viewer did not have enough
security clearance. Grades 16 to 19 were secret documents that only the upper echelons
could view. Finally, Grade 20 contained top secret documents that would almost never
be revealed to the public.
“Confirming your identity… Welcome, President. You have Grade 19.5 authority and
have the right to view the entire document.”

Bader then began to read the document.

Spacetime Freezer!

This Primordial One had worked for the Federation of Light during the exploration era,
and the Federation of Light had kept a file on him, which included a lot of detailed
information about him and a breakdown of his Esper Ability. After Bader read the
report of the Spacetime Amber, he immediately thought about this Primordial One as
their abilities were similar.

The leader of a Universal Civilization had received special training and would be
extremely familiar with their own civilization’s history, confidential documents, and
technological skills. Thus, Bader was able to easily remember the existence of the
Spacetime Freezer.

“[Spacetime Freezer] Frogo has the ability to freeze spacetime, and his ability can be
ranked as a [Super High Risk Esper Ability]. He can freeze time and space at a set
location or target and create a huge influence for Beyond Grade As. The effects of his
ability far exceed a Mage’s spacetime spells, and there was once an incident of an entire
planet being frozen [See Appendix B-004]. There were many records of him freezing
the enemy battleship fleet, resulting in the enemy being unable to fight back, and he
turned the tides of a few hundred battles [See Appendix B-027]…

“According to our investigations, Frogo needs to exhaust his energy to maintain the
spacetime freeze on a region [See Appendix A-001 for the exact breakdown of
numbers]. If the supply of energy is broken, the spacetime seal will disappear. The
usage of the Esper Ability can be adjusted, and Frogo can freeze the space around him
for defense. It can provide defense against most energy and physical attacks, but it is
unable to block mental or soul attacks. After further testing, although his Esper Ability
can seal a soul, it cannot prevent a soul from moving, and this proves that Frogo’s Esper
Ability isn’t perfect.

“Frogo sacrificed himself in the battle of Planet Millennium [See Appendix B-1940],
and his body disappeared.”
Bader frowned and thought to himself, Their abilities are extremely similar indeed.
Could there be a link between the two? However, even Frogo himself didn’t have the
ability to manifest the frozen spacetime into a physical object. Just what is going on?

He naturally did not know that the Spacetime Amber had been floating around in the
universe for many years and had absorbed the radiation from the universe to mutate into
a different object. Mutation happened because of the change in gene structure of an
individual. Frogo’s Esper Ability was not perfect, and although it was able to freeze
spacetime, he could not defend against mental attacks. However, the mutated Spacetime
Amber did not have this weakness, and even a mental attack would not be able to pierce
the amber that it created.

After thinking for a while, Bader decided to send a copy of this information to the
research head and hope that it would be helpful.

Breaking the seal of the Spacetime Amber was far more difficult than he had imagined.
Bader had chosen to snatch the Arcane Church’s trump card, but they were not able to
use it despite snatching it for themselves. It was no more than an ornament for them.

Thinking back, it seemed as though the Arcane Church would not have been able to
break the seal even if they retrieved it.

This should have been a problem for the Arcane Church to have a headache over, but it
is now our turn to suffer. I thought that we would offend the Arcane Church greatly, but
we only snatched something that the other party wouldn’t even be able to use…

Just what was the point of us snatching this item ?

It seems as though we’ve suffered a loss!

Bader was truly in a terrible mood.

No wonder, Manison thought that I would send someone to meet Black Star. He also
noticed that this item is extremely weird. It seems like I must find an opportunity to
contact Black Star.
Bader shook his head. He was not willing to treat the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter as
just an ornament.

At the same time, he could also allow the descendants of the Spacetime Freezer to be
the emissary. As members from the same race, they might be able to detect some clues
and find out if the Universal Treasure in Black Star’s hands was related to their
ancestor.

The Arcane Church was also feeling frustrated.

After a series of negotiations, the Crimson Dynasty had already agreed to allow the
Arcane Church ransom back one of their Beyond Grade A. After paying a huge price,
the Arcane Church finally got back Dylan. They actually wanted Sagman, but the
dynasty did not agree. The first one to be returned would be the weakest one for sure.

However, Dylan’s Spacetime Amber seal was not released, and the dynasty wanted to
get the Arcane Church to deal with it on their own. The main reason for doing so was so
they could verify if the Spacetime Amber seal was truly as troublesome as Han Xiao
made it out to be.

Naturally, the Crimson Dynasty still did not know that the Federation of Light had
stolen the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter, and Urranrell wanted to use Dylan as an
indicator to see whether the seal on the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter was broken.

The dynasty made use of an excuse that Black Star was currently in seclusion and did
not wish to be disturbed. Helpless, the Arcane Church could only get their own research
personnel to attempt to break the seal.

The result was naturally the same as the Federation of Light, and they were unable to do
a thing to the Spacetime Amber.

The Arcane Church was also extremely frustrated but also a little thankful.
They were frustrated that the dynasty had scammed them once more, and they would
have to pay the price to invite the dynasty to unseal Dylan. However, they were thankful
because the Federation of Light would probably be helpless toward the Ten Thousand
Deity Scepter as well.

Although their own Universal Treasure had been stolen by the Federation of Light, the
other party was only able to look at it through the seal but unable to use it.

If not for the grudge between them, the Arcane Church might have praised Black Star.

The Federation of Light and Arcane Church began paying close attention to the other
party’s research as a result. They wanted to see if the other party had any progress while
also trying to spy on each other to ‘copy the answer’.

With the Arcane Church taking a step back, the conflict between both parties was no
longer as heated, and their soldiers were also recalled from the borders. The galactic
organizations paying attention to this event heaved a sigh of relief.

The explored universe gradually calmed down.

The Federation of Light and Arcane Church temporarily took a step back, and the Super
Star Cluster Civilizations that wanted to exploit the opportunity also became low
profile. No one wanted to provoke the Crimson Dynasty at such a moment and wanted
to wait until the storm passed.

The Black Star Army arrived at the Star System where the Gulal Civilization was
located.

The outpost planet of the Pioneer Party was already within their sights, and the Black
Star Army landed according to the instructions of the base. The warriors of the Black
Star Army disembarked from the thousand-meter-long battleships and gathered at the
port.
Apart from the army’s warriors, there were a few million players participating in this
mission. A War Employment Mission was a huge event, and it was much more
interesting than exploring the Flickering World. Thus, most players accepted the
mission and joined the civil war in this Star System Civilization with the identity of
mercenaries.

Half a month ago, the Pioneer Party announced that they were working together with
the Black Star Army, and news of the Black Star Army’s interference stirred up a huge
storm in the Gulal Civilization. The Ancient Emperor Party and Descendant Party were
immediately thrown into internal chaos with a small portion of their upper echelons
escaping or defecting to the Pioneer Party. The remaining members of the party decided
to seize the initiative, and both parties joined hands to attack the Pioneer Party’s
territory.

There was no need for the three parties to make any preparations before the war as all
three parties had always maintained war readiness. The three parties had split up the
Gulal Civilization’s land into three regions and lined up troops to guard their own
territories. The commander only needed to give the order for war to begin.

Thus, the entrance of the Black Star Army also signaled the beginning of the war
between the three parties.

The officers of the Pioneer Party first had a discussion with the commander of the Black
Star Army’s fleet, and the players were given a new list of missions to choose from.

The Pioneer Party provided a military star map with the nine Star Zones of the other
two parties being marked out.

The majority of the Black Star Army manpower was sent back to the Flickering World,
and the remaining manpower was left to guard their bases. Thus, not many mercenaries
were sent to complete the mission, and they did not have an overwhelming advantage in
strength. As such, it would be difficult to complete this mission in a short period. With
their objectives of exterminating the enemy army and capturing the enemy’s planets, the
Black Star Army needed to push the battle line forward slowly to capture the enemy
territories.

The colonial planets, resource rich planets, and military bases were the missions that the
players could choose. As such, there were many opportunities for ground battles. This
was a civil war after all, and they would not choose to bomb the enemy’s planet to
capture it. As such, the players were immediately put to good use. The greatest place to
utilize a few million Grade B players was a ground battle!

After looking through the mission introduction, the players all grew excited. They had
experienced many different events already and instantly knew that this mission would
be the most exciting one. Fighting together with a battleship was extremely
troublesome, and the players preferred fighting monsters on the ground instead.
Furthermore, they were the main characters of this employment mission, and they only
needed to enjoy the battle to their heart’s content.

The size and levels of the enemy had been indicated, and the players could make their
decision carefully. The levels of the enemies were also extremely clear. The enemy
could be roughly broken down into a few different groups: cannon fodder soldiers,
Grade C high grade monsters, Grade B elite monsters, Grade B mini-bosses, and a few
Calamity Grade bosses that had their own names.

All the players were extremely satisfied with the mission. This was the main reason they
joined the mission—to fight as they wished!

They finally did not have to just watch from the side!

Chapter 877 The Mysterious Individual Watching the Players

For one month later, the Pioneer Party defended against the attacks of the Ancient
Emperor Party and Descendant Party while counterattacking with the Black Star Army.
The three parties tried to break through the holes of the enemy’s defenses, which
resulted in a jagged territorial line on the star map.

At this moment, a colonial planet that was near the border of the Ancient Emperor Party
was being invaded. The Pioneer Party and Black Star Army fleet were engaged in an
intense battle with the defense fleet of the planet. At the same time, the cities on the
planet were being attacked from the sky with their protective shields being bombarded
and drop pods being launched at the holes created.
A hemispherical light screen covered the capital city of this colonial planet and endured
the never-ending attacks from the sky. Multicolored explosions could be seen on the
surface of the light screen, and the protective shield began to flicker unsteadily.

Upon considering the many reasons for a civil war, the local army closed off all the
underground sanctuaries and prohibited their civilians from entering. The many
inhabitants of the city could only tremble in their own homes, and the ground troops of
the city gathered together and looked up at the sky.

Ka-cha!

The protective shield of the city finally could not endure the waves of attacks and began
to crack before everyone’s eyes.

The next moment, densely packed black dots could be seen appearing from the sky,
descending from above like meteors.

The anti-air cannons of the city immediately opened fire toward the drop pods, and balls
of explosions could be seen in the air.

A portion of the drop pods were destroyed in the sky, but many managed to land in the
city.

The army of players emerged from the drop pods and sprang into action.

Every one of them had a detection device on them to scan and indicate all hostile targets
who had a weapon. The descending army was already extremely used to such missions
and began clearing up the enemies in the city.

Battles erupted in every corner of the city, and the players began exchanging fire with
the ground troops. Although they had a disadvantage in terms of numbers, the players
were almost all Grade B Supers, and a large majority of the enemies were ordinary
soldiers.
Grade B Supers were mid-ranked combatants in the galaxy with all of them having the
combat strength of an entire army. Destroying a building was a piece of cake, and the
players were not ordinary Grade B Supers. They were not afraid of coming under fire
and could fight without any worry.

The ground troops were extremely shocked to realize that these galactic mercenaries
could charge forward while enduring heavy fire without any fear of death. They were
able to easily cut through their formations and massacre their troops.

From the map, the black dots that represented the player army rapidly weaved through
the city, and the red dots that represented the enemies disappeared quickly.

At the center of the city, the government building had already been attacked by seven
parties of players.

In some room of the government building, an Ancient Emperor Party Grade B Super
knelt on the ground with his eyes wide open in shock. The individual in front of him
pulled out a blade from his throat, and blood splattered everywhere.

Life was drained from his body, and he collapsed into a pool of his own blood.

“This fellow’s level is pretty high. I’ve only got thirty-seven percent of my health left.”
Frenzied Sword shook off the blood on his blade.

The silver black armor that he was wearing now was Mechanical Pugilist equipment
with various hidden mechanical weapons hidden all around.

The entire room was littered with corpses, and the members of Rivervale and his
teammates were beside him. They had just worked together to get rid of everyone in the
room and were now repairing the durability of their equipment while searching for their
spoils of war.

Outside the door, the sound of intense fire could be heard. This Grade B officer that
they had killed seemed to be pretty important, and a large number of enemy troops were
drawn to their location. Maple Moon was keeping guard outside the door, and she used
her mechanic traps and electromagnetic artillery tower to return fire. The defenses of a
Grade B Mechanic were not something that ordinary soldiers would be able to
overcome. They were all suppressed in a corner of the corridor, and their few attempts
to charge forward ended with a ground full of corpses.

Maple Moon usually enjoyed playing with Rivervale, and Frenzied Sword was also
willing to bring along a reliable Mechanic. The two of them had a pretty good
relationship.

When the Mechanics came into contact with compression technology in Version 3.0,
they became the most popular choice to form a party with. Mechanics no longer had to
slowly build their machines, and their preparation speed increased greatly. Regardless
of whether it was to fight a dungeon or complete a mission, every party would generally
have a Mechanic. Of course, every Mechanic had a different set of equipment and was
able to deal with different circumstances.

Evil Sword injected himself with a serum to recover his health and casually said, “I
wonder how many Grade B enemies there are in this city.”

“We should have taken care of most of them.” Frenzied Sword looked at the battle map.
“The soldiers in the city have been mostly wiped out. Hao Tian and the others have
already killed four Grade Bs downstairs.”

“How lucky. We only managed to kill two along the way,” Evil Sword said with envy.

Grade B Supers were elites that could provide them with plenty of experience.
Furthermore, every Grade B elite had a name and would give them additional rewards
for the mission. Apart from experience, they were able to collect an additional bounty
from the Pioneer Party, and all the players were extremely passionate about killing
Grade B enemies.

To a first-rate party, perhaps it would be impossible to solo a Grade B elite, but a party
of five was able to easily win against an ordinary Grade B Super. Even if a mini-boss
Grade B enemy was difficult to deal with, it was still within the capabilities of the
players.
A Star System Civilization would only have ten or twenty Calamity Grade Supers, and
they would only appear in key battles. Thus, the millions of Grade B players were
basically invincible in the other colonial planets.

Not too long later, the army in this city was completely wiped out, and the players
returned to the spaceship before being sent to a new battlefield.

“Another three colonial planets were taken down by the Black Star Army’s immortals.”

The upper echelons of the Ancient Emperor Party looked at the star map, and worry
could be seen on their frail faces.

“The immortals of the Black Star Army are far too scary, and it is impossible to restrain
them,” one of the officers said. “Up until now, a total of twenty-one colonial planets
have been seized by them.”

If the enemy only had a fleet of battleships, they would not feel such a headache. The
Ancient Emperor Party was completely helpless against the immortals.

The total number of immortals was probably more than all the Grade Bs in their
civilization, and these immortals could not even be killed.

The upper echelons of the Ancient Emperor Party could only watch as the players
capable of reviving captured their colonial planets one after another.

The immortals of the Black Star Army had always been famous in the Shattered Star
Ring, and it was their chance to experience it personally this time. Everyone present
could not help but feel despair.

Such an enemy was truly far too frightening. Anyone capable of having such a trump
card would definitely have a place in the universe!
With the participation of the Black Star Army, the Ancient Emperor Party could no
longer see much hope. It would be impossible for them to win if they continued
fighting, and the Pioneer Party would probably emerge victorious in another year or so.

However, it was equally impossible for them to surrender. No one would be willing to
give up a Star System Civilization. They had already held on for a year, and holding on
further might give them a chance to turn the tables around. As they fought back, the
upper echelons of the Ancient Emperor Party had been trying to find reinforcements and
plan their retreat.

“That b*stard Ceselin actually defected to the Pioneer Party and even took all his
subordinates away. I never imagined that he would be a traitor!” The Ancient Emperor
Party leader gritted his teeth. “He must have done something to get the Black Star Army
to help the Pioneer Party. If not, there isn’t an explanation for their sudden
intervention!”

Upon mentioning Ceselin, a look of hatred could be seen on everyone’s face. If not for
his betrayal, they would not have been reduced to such a pathetic state!

“This traitorous b*stard! We have never treated him badly before. We have given him
both authority and wealth. Just what is he dissatisfied about, and what right does he
have to betray us!”

The Ancient Emperor Party leader slammed the table and said with heartache, “He
actually told me that our ideals were different. What a joke! Look at what he did. Just
for his so-called ideals, he actually sacrificed so many of his fellow brothers. Does he
really think that his actions are extremely noble? We have been ruling the civilization
extremely well, and this civilization will lose their rightful rulers just because of him!
Dammit!”

Upon hearing that, the upper echelons by the side listened with helpless expressions.

Others might have had the rights to say such words, but they knew that they did not. All
of them were extremely clear about what their Ancient Emperor Party had done over the
past few years.

The way they saw it, their leader must have been angered silly and was just venting his
anger.
Right at this moment, the Ancient Emperor Party suddenly stopped cursing, and his
entire body froze in place. He then suddenly regained his cool and stood up slowly, with
his tone being completely transformed into a different persona.

“It seems like everyone is extremely frustrated. Maybe I can be of some help.”

All the upper echelons were stunned for a moment, and they stood up abruptly.

Was their leader’s mind being controlled?

The leader of a Star System Civilization would usually be protected by a Calamity

Grade spell and psychic energy. This was to prevent him from being controlled by
another. At the very least, it would be impossible for a Calamity Grade Super to control
the leader of a Star System Civilization without any traces in front of a crowd.

Just who did this?

Could it be a Beyond Grade A?

“Who are you?” a military officer said with caution and sent a message to get all the
Calamity Grades to rush over.

“You don’t need to worry. I did not come with ill intentions. I do not have any intention
to tell you my identity,” the Ancient Emperor Party leader said emotionlessly. “All of
you only need to know that I will provide you with resources and manpower to fight the
Black Star Army.”

The upper echelons were still doubtful as they looked at each other. However,
regardless of whether this was true or false, they decided to play along. At the same
time, they were also worried that their comrades might have been controlled. After all,
this mysterious individual indeed had the ability to do so.

“What do you want?”

“Don’t worry. I do not want anything.”

“Then, why are you helping us?”

“I am not bothered about your Gulal Civilization, but I am interested in the immortals of
the Black Star Army. Furthermore, the longer all of you can survive, the more I can
observe them,” the ‘Ancient Emperor Party leader’ said. “My suggestion will only
provide all of you with benefits. Do you accept?”

Everyone looked at each other before nodding hesitantly.

“Very good, I will get my people to contact all of you soon. Right, I can give you a
suggestion. All of you can try employing the immortals of the Black Star Army.”

Everyone was stunned.

“The Black Star Army is our enemy. You are asking us to seek aid from our enemies?
Just what is the meaning of this?”

“Ordinary logic doesn’t seem to be applicable to the immortals. How will you know
without trying?” the ‘Ancient Emperor Party leader’ said with a teasing voice.

The Ancient Emperor Party leader then suddenly trembled, and his eyes fell into a daze.
He then suddenly snapped out of his daze.

“Has the person controlling me left?”

Everyone heaved a sigh of relief and immediately went forward to support their leader.

“Do you still remember what you said when you were controlled?”

“I remember everything. My body was controlled, but my senses were still present.”
Right at this moment, the Calamity Grade Supers arrived, and after hearing what had
happened, they began to check the leader’s condition.

“How is it?” the Ancient Emperor Party leader asked.

“The enchantments used to guard your mind were destroyed in an instant. These
enchantments are capable of defending against a Calamity Grade Psychic for ten
minutes. The one who controlled you is definitely a Beyond Grade A.”

The expression of the Ancient Emperor Party leader changed slightly. A Beyond Grade
A had a huge significance to a Star System Civilization.

There were only five Beyond Grade As in the Shattered Star Ring, and only Psyker and
Austin had the ability to infiltrate the mind.

Though, it might not be these two but a Beyond Grade A from another Star Field.

Thinking about the words of the mysterious individual, everyone could not help but
have a strange look on their face.

To think that they would gain support through such a strange method. This was
something that they had never imagined, but at least they now had some hope.

Although they did not know who the other party was, since he was also a Beyond Grade
A, he should not be afraid of the Black Star Army.

“Right, he even asked us to seek aid from our enemy. Isn’t this a joke? Does he think
that the Black Star Army will turn around to help us?”

Everyone was the most puzzled by this suggestion. It was obviously a meaningless
action, and they truly did not understand the point of doing so.

The Ancient Emperor Party leader nodded. “Since we do not have any way of
retreating, why not we give it a try?”
Chapter 878 Suspicion
The governing planet of the Pioneer Party was located in Star Zone 3, and the upper
echelons within the party were observing the situation of the battle.

In the conference room, the upper echelons of the party were gathered, and the
atmosphere was completely different from the meeting in the Ancient Emperor Party.
Everyone had a bright smile on their face, with the Pioneer Party’s leader glowing with
radiance.

Their army had the upper hand, and it was impossible for them not to be happy.

“The Ancient Emperor Party and Descendant Party are being forced back, and the
citizens are also crying out for us to overthrow the rulers. The situation is to our
advantage at the moment,” the staff sergeant in charge of analyzing the battle situation
said.

The Pioneer Party leader had a bright smile on his face but said, “We need to be even
more careful during such a moment and prevent the enemy from fighting back in
desperation.”

Although the situation was looking good, he knew that it was impossible for the Ancient
Emperor Party to surrender. The result of losing would be extermination.

Just as everyone was discovering the situation, the internal comms rang, and it was an
emergency message from the intelligence personnel.

The appearance of the intelligence personnel appeared, and he had a strange look on his
face.

“Your Excellency, the Ancient Emperor Party made an announcement.”

“Send it over immediately.” The Pioneer Party leader raised his brows.

Very quickly, the announcement of the Ancient Emperor Party appeared on the screen,
and everyone present began reading it.

In this first half of the announcement, the Ancient Emperor Party claimed that they were
the rightful rulers of the Gulal Civilization and criticized the Pioneer Party for using
armed forces to seize authority. They then claimed that the Pioneer Party were traitors
and called for the citizens to reject the Pioneer Party. They also began hiring help from
the galaxy.

The details of the public announcement were extremely ordinary. They were trying to
preserve their status as rightful rulers and suppress their opponents. They had made use
of such a tactic for many years already, and the upper echelons of the Pioneer Party
were extremely used to it. After they won, history would be written by them, and it
would be useless to call them traitors now.

The way they saw it, it was completely useless for the Ancient Emperor Party to seek
aid from the galaxy. This was only a civil war, which did not go against the Peace
Treaty. With the Black Star Army on their side, no one in the Shattered Star Ring would
go against the Black Star Army just for a Star System Civilization.

The mercenary groups that had some size would not help them, and the other
civilizations would only watch by the side. Even the Bloodshed Land would not go
against their titular ally for such a small matter. Thus, it was impossible for the Ancient
Emperor Party to find any aid. This was the powerful effect of seeking aid from the
Black Star Army. They were able to prevent the enemy from finding any support.

The Pioneer Party’s leader then read until the end and was stunned.

“Wait a moment… the Ancient Emperor Party is trying to seek aid from the Black Star
Army?”

The Pioneer Party’s leader rubbed his eyes and thought that he had misread something.

To think that the Ancient Emperor Party actually wanted to employ the Black Star
Army and attempted to convince the Black Star Army to help them.
The upper echelons of the Pioneer Party all looked at each other with confused looks on
their faces.

Just what was the meaning of seeking aid from their enemy?

Even if the Black Star Army was external aid, they had already signed an employment
contract. Why would they publicly break the contract? Would this not be destroying
their own reputation? Furthermore, the Black Star Army was a Beyond Grade A
organization, and since they had already decided to help the Pioneer Party, why would
they suddenly go back on their word?

Even if you want to try and rope the Black Star Army over to your side, you should do
it privately, right? With the current status of Black Star, would he openly go back on his
word? Do you think he will go back on his word because of money? That’s impossible!

But if the objective of this is to drive a wedge between us, isn’t it far too coarse a
method?

“It seems like the Ancient Emperor Party has truly gone crazy,” the Pioneer Party leader
said with his mouth cramping up. “This should be the funniest joke that I have ever
heard.”

“Hahaha…”

Everyone could not help but burst into laughter.

Not too long later, the announcement of the Ancient Emperor Party was spread all
throughout the Gulal Civilization.

It was not just the Pioneer Party who were puzzled. Even the Descendant Party were
completely bewildered.
Are my teammates fools?

The members of the Ancient Emperor Party felt extremely embarrassed. They were
currently fighting with the enemy, but their higher ups actually tried to seek help from
the enemy. Just what was this stupidity?

There were many who interpreted this as the upper echelons being pessimistic about the
outcome of the battle, and morale took a large hit.

On the Black Star Army’s side, the members of the army could not help but laugh.

We are currently fighting a war. Can you please be more serious and not tease us like
that?

Just when everyone was laughing at the actions of the Ancient Emperor Party, the
players received a different message.

The plea of the Ancient Emperor Party had actually become a mission on their interface.
A Grade S mission for them to help the Ancient Emperor Party.

All the players gasped in shock upon discovering that.

“So, it turns out that this is a faction series mission. It should be a Grade S mission that
can be triggered regardless of which party we aid.”

“However, the army has chosen to support the Pioneer Party, so we have no choice but
to choose them as well.”

“Hmm, if we support a faction up into power, we will be able to successfully change the
entire fate of a civilization. I think we found a way to strike it rich.”

“What if we persuade the NPCs to start another party and support the party. Would it be
even more fun?”
This mission attracted the attention of many players, and they began to show off their
creativity as they discussed the matter.

However, the influence of this new mission stopped there. Not a single player would
choose to accept it.

The players were not fools, and accepting this mission would mean that they had to
oppose the army. It would probably be no different from leaving the faction. They had
fought in the army for three versions already and accumulated plenty of faction
Contribution Points. Furthermore, the potential for growth in the Black Star Army was
also extremely high. A mere Star System Civilization was not worth them betraying the
faction.

Furthermore, the chances of the Ancient Emperor Party winning were far too low. Thus,
it would be much better for them to keep to the Pioneer Party mission, especially since
both were Grade S missions anyway.

After a month into the employment mission, the players had an understanding of the
three parties. The Ancient Emperor Party was not anything good, and there was no
meaning to help them.

With Summer Night Flower as an example, the number of players in the Shattered Star
Ring willing to take risks had decreased. Thus, the players were only interested in the
opportunity presented to them by the Ancient Emperor Party but uninterested in actually
completing the mission.

In the Black Star Army headquarters, a large assembly line ran through Han Xiao’s
workshop without stopping to produce various types of mechanical soldiers and
equipment. Bolts of Mechanical Force could be seen running through the assembly lines
to increase the quality and efficiency of the production.

In another region, all the freshly manufactured mechanical soldiers and equipment were
sent over with many mechanical arms modifying the equipment.
Han Xiao would naturally modify all his mechanical soldiers as much as possible, and
all the modified equipment would have their grades increased. Even the cannon fodder
mechanical soldiers had been raised to the orange grade.

At Han Xiao’s level, an ordinary mechanical soldier was no more than cannon fodder,
but these mechanical soldiers were all elite equipment that could not even be purchased
with money.

Han Xiao stood in front of a machine and personally assembled a new mechanical host
while humming a tune merrily.

The sound of metal ringing could be heard all around him, and Han Xiao had already
gotten used to the environment in the workshop. Creating machines was a form of
enjoyment to him. As his own strength increased, Great Mechanic Han also grew to
enjoy the process of crafting new equipment.

Phillip’s mini projection could be seen in front of Han Xiao, and he said to Han Xiao
with a babyish voice, “Master, hum… I saw an interesting piece of news. Shall I read it
out to you?”

“Alright.” Han Xiao wasn’t distracted and remained focused on hammering the alloy
before him.

“It’s news from the Gulal Civilization. The Ancient Emperor Party actually made a
public announcement and hoped that we will go back on our word and help them
instead. Master, hum… what do you think they are thinking about?”

“To think that they will make such an announcement. Do they think I am like EsGod,
without any morals?” Han Xiao laughed.

“Eh?” Phillip was stunned, and his eyes widened. “Isn’t that the case?”

“… You have also learned how to joke, huh?” Han Xiao immediately changed the topic
and said, “Although it is difficult to understand why the Ancient Emperor Party would
do so, I guess it is still understandable. If not for Ceselin, I would have never come into
contact with the Pioneer Party. They… eh?”
Right at this moment, Han Xiao suddenly froze in place and thought about the Ancient
Emperor Party missions. He then opened the forums to take a look.

The players were indeed discussing this matter on the forums, and many of the players
took a screenshot of the Ancient Emperor Party Grade S mission. His guess was not
wrong, and the Ancient Emperor Party’s plea for help allowed the players to trigger a
mission.

Han Xiao stroked his chin and fell into thought.

Although it only seemed like a desperate move by the Ancient Emperor Party, Han Xiao
could not help but think that the matter was extremely odd.

“This is an illogical plea for aid. It feels as though…” Han Xiao’s eyes narrowed. “This
plea for help is targeted at the players.”

It was not that he was being suspicious, but there were far too many coincidences.
Although the actions of the Ancient Emperor Party seemed like a joke to everyone, it
was not a joke to the players but a way for them to trigger a mission.

Was this by luck or an intentional action?

Han Xiao hesitated for a moment. He had too few clues and was not certain about his
own guess. However, he would always plan for the worst-case scenario to be safe.

There was a reason for this. In his previous life, there was a similar phase. As the
players began to grow and move around in the universe, many galactic organizations
began to pay attention to the players and analyzed their characteristics, specialties, and
habits.

Even during the current version, there were many organizations that paid close attention
to the players.
He had operated in the Shattered Star Ring for many years, and no one would dare steal
his trump card force with his status. However, the situation of the players in the other
Star Fields was different, and it was not strange for the players to attract the attention of
the organizations.

He was not the only one who wanted to recruit the players.

Han Xiao was not too worried about this. The players had already invested three
versions of their time and effort into the army, and they would not be so easily stolen by
another. Furthermore, ordinary NPCs would only treat the players as a special force.
Other NPCs did not have an interface and would not be able to obtain a massive amount
of experience from the players.

However, it would also be extremely frustrating if someone really wanted to steal his
vegetables.

I originally planned to ignore the Gulal Civilization mission, but it seems like I must
pay close attention to it now. Someone has set their eyes on the players of the army.

A cold glint flashed past Han Xiao’s eyes.

A mysterious fleet then entered the border of the Gulal Civilization. This was the
Ancient Emperor Party territory, and the Ancient Emperor Party fleet was already
present.

In the main flagship, the Ancient Emperor Party leader looked at the star map and
heaved a sigh of relief. “They’re finally here.”

That mysterious Beyond Grade A had promised to provide them with reinforcements,
and this fleet was the first batch of reinforcements. The Ancient Emperor Party leader
wanted to guess the identity of the Beyond Grade A through the fleet but could not help
but be surprised upon seeing the insignia of the reinforcements.
This was a local armed organization in the Shattered Star Ring that was managed by
four Calamity Grade Supers. One of them was even a Beyond Grade A seed. As a
result, the fame and size of the organization was not too small, but many people
believed that they did not have any backers.

However, it seemed like this low-profile organization actually had an unknown Beyond
Grade A behind them.

Just who was this mysterious Beyond Grade A. Could it be that he had more than one
organization under him in the Shattered Star Ring?

The Ancient Emperor Party leader suppressed the doubts in his heart and contacted the
other party.

With the aid of this armed organization, their situation will be much better.

The flagships of both parties met each other, and the Ancient Emperor Party leader’s
projection met the four Calamity Grade leaders.

“I am the leader of the Gulal Civilization. I thank…”

“We will help you suppress the traitors. There isn’t any need to thank us as we are only
fulfilling our orders.” That Beyond Grade A seed interrupted the words of the Ancient
Emperor Party leader.

The Ancient Emperor Party leader thought for a while before probing, “I wonder, who
is the one giving the orders?”

Right at this moment, a member by the side suddenly trembled, and he was possessed
by the mysterious Beyond Grade A. “Don’t try to find out who I am, otherwise our
agreement will come to an end.”

The Ancient Emperor Party leader was shocked and immediately nodded in agreement.

“We have followed your suggestion, but the Black Star Army has shown no reaction.”
“Is that so?” The mysterious individual was not surprised. “Failure cannot be avoided,
and the habits that I have grasped won’t always work. That’s why I need to observe and
experiment more.”

The mysterious individual fell into deep thought. “However, it seems like Black Star
doesn’t only have good luck but has also grasped some of their habits like me.”

Chapter 879 End of the Penalty

With the Ancient Emperor Party receiving fresh reinforcements, the advancement of the
Pioneer Party was restricted.

An armed organization being led by a Beyond Grade A seed entering the battle to help
the Ancient Emperor Party? All the organizations watching the civil war were naturally
shocked.

There were still those who dared fight the Black Star Army in the Shattered Star Ring?
Although the Black Star Army was not the sole tyrant of the Shattered Star Ring, such
an action still baffled many. After all, this was fighting the Black Star Army head on.

The Black Star Army had plenty of experts in its ranks. Where did the four Calamity
Grade Supers get their courage to intervene in the Black Star Army’s employment
mission? Even if one of them was a Beyond Grade A seed, it still was not enough.

Han Xiao, who received news from Phillip, had his thoughts verified at that moment.

Furthermore, Han Xiao knew who the mastermind was upon seeing the armed
organization.

“It turns out to be them…” Han Xiao came to a realization.

The Beyond Grade A seed of this organization was called Luthor, and he was a famous
Super who was active in the Shattered Star Ring. In truth, Luthor was actually an elite
member of a financial group that spanned across various Star Fields called [Limitless].

Peaceful times brought about plenty of business opportunities and many large financial
groups. Limitless was a unique financial group because its leader was a Beyond Grade
A Super.

Not every Beyond Grade A wanted to form an armed organization, and different
Beyond Grade As had various interests and strengths. The Limitless leader was a
Beyond Grade A who enjoyed making money by the name of Sorokin. He had a special
position in the universe.

After Sorokin took over as leader of the financial group, he developed the Limitless
Financial Group to its current scale.

This super financial group was an elite business organization that was involved in many
sectors, including management, military, technological, trade, intelligence, service, and
manufacturing. It had many different brands under its name, and its operations spanned
across many different Star Fields. It was a conglomerate that was extremely famous and
even had business dealings with the three Universal Civilizations.

The Limitless Financial Group belonged to the neutral faction and was already a listed
company in the universe. Their assets were frightening, and their logo was a Mobius
strip.

The armed branch of the Limitless Financial Group was not to be underestimated. With
a frightening amount of wealth, the Limitless Financial Group developed many
subsidiary organizations in the various Star Fields, which were akin to the military
might of the financial group. Luthor’s organization was such an existence.

Furthermore, Sorokin was not the only Beyond Grade A combatant in the Limitless
Financial Group. Sorokin had roped in a few other Beyond Grade A allies through their
stocks with a few Ancient Ones being included.
With money to open the path for them, the Limitless Financial Group’s network was
unfathomable.

In comparison, although the Black Star Army was also a Beyond Grade A organization,
its history was far too short, and the scale was incomparable to the other party.

Luthor had only exposed his own identity in the later versions, and no one knew that
Luthor belonged to the Limitless Financial Group at this moment. However, Han Xiao
was different; he understood Luthor’s background. As such, he immediately knew the
mastermind interfering in the Gulal Civilization’s affairs.

This was his unique advantage. Many ‘secrets’ were not secrets before his eyes.

The Limitless Financial Group seems to be extremely interested in the players, but this
isn’t too strange, Han Xiao thought to himself.

In his previous life, the Limitless Financial Group was a faction that players could join
with their headquarters being in the Sea of Star Spirits. Many players in the Sea of Star
Spirits joined the financial group during the middle phase of the game.

Even now, there was a large group of players in the Sea of Star Spirits being recruited
by the Limitless Financial Group, and the Limitless Financial Group was pretty popular
on the forums.

Han Xiao could guess the other party’s intentions, and they probably wanted to spy on
his vegetable garden.

Hmm, they should have noticed that the immortal troop is extremely similar to the
players that they have recruited and sent someone to probe the players. Perhaps the
Limitless Financial Group will discover some of the player’s habits. For example, they
only have to issue a request to the players, and even if it isn’t logical, some of the
players will still carry out the request. Thus, they got the Ancient Emperor Party to issue
a plea for help toward the army to test the reaction of the players.

Han Xiao’s guess was not too far from the truth.
If I’m remembering it right, the Limitless Financial Group was also very active in the
Flickering World…

Han Xiao’s eyes sparkled.

The various Star Fields had their own organizations, and they would all enter the
Flickering World in Version 4.0 to become competitors. The Limitless Financial Group
was one such organization.

It seems like I cannot avoid coming into contact with them in the future.

Han Xiao pondered for a moment before calling for his Black Star Guards.

Very quickly, Hila brought the members of the Black Star Guards into the workshop.

“I have a mission for all of you.”

With a wave of his hands, a holographic screen appeared with Luthor’s information
being displayed.

“This armed organization entered the Gulal Civilization civil war and provided
reinforcements to the Ancient Emperor Party. I want all of you to reinforce the front
lines and get rid of the four of them. Right, the one called Luthor is a Beyond Grade A
seed. Hila and Hadavy, be careful.”

“Alright.” Hila nodded.

“I know Luthor.” Hadavy crossed his arms. “I approached him for a spar a long time
ago. He is an extremely powerful Pugilist. Strange, I remember him as someone who
kept an extremely low profile. Why would he suddenly go against the army?”

“Who knows?”
Han Xiao was not prepared to tell anyone else that he was aware of the other party’s
background.

The Limitless Financial Group probably thought that they were still operating from the
shadows, and Han Xiao planned to keep things as such.

“Alright then.” Hadavy did not say anything else. Although he knew Luthor, he would
not go easy on Luthor since he was going against the army.

The Black Star Guards then left the room. Han Xiao opened the doors to the secondary
dimension and summoned his Apostle Weapons.

“Lord.”

Psionic Prime knelt so that his head was at the same level as Han Xiao.

“Take a batch of mechanical soldiers to the Gulal Civilization,” Han Xiao said. “If Hila
and the others do not succeed, find a chance to get rid of Luthor’s group of four. Phillip
will send you information about the enemy.”

He could not do anything to the Limitless Financial Group as both parties were not
enemies. However, exterminating Luthor’s group was not an issue since it was in line
with the Black Star Army’s stance. Since they had accepted an employment mission to
go against the Black Star Army, the other party would definitely kill members of the
army.

Since the Limitless Financial Group was eyeing on his immortal troop and wanted to
probe them, Han Xiao would use this opportunity to pull out the claws sent by the
Limitless Financial Group. He would still be able to warn the other party even if he
pretended that he was not aware of their objective. This would prevent the Limitless
Financial Group from becoming bolder and sending more people to probe him.

Boom!
A spaceship crashed onto the surface of an uninhabited planet, leaving a huge crater
behind.

When the spaceship stopped rolling, Luthor crawled out from the wreckage.

Hila and the other Black Star Guards descended from the sky with light injuries.

Luthor’s injuries were far more severe, and he held onto his bleeding chest. His beating
heart could be seen through his ribs, and his wounds were slowly healing.

“Black Star truly thinks highly of me. He sent out his entire Black Star Guards. Cough
cough, it will be an honor even if I end up dying today.” Luthor’s face was pale, but
despair could not be seen on his face. Instead, he looked extremely carefree as though
he had seen through life and death.

Both parties had met on the battlefield, and the Black Star Guards had already taken out
his three comrades. He was the only one left, and his time had come.

Hadavy shook his head and said, “I don’t understand why you had to accept the
employment mission of the Ancient Emperor Party. If it was to earn money, why did
you have to go against the Black Star Army? You killed the members of the army, and
His Excellency Black Star was always going to send experts after you. You definitely
knew this fact.”

“I do not have a habit of giving explanations to others.” Luthor took a deep breath and
prepared to fight to the death.

Hadavy hesitated for a moment and tried to persuade him. “Surrender. His Excellency
Black Star is very easy going and treasures talents. You are a Beyond Grade A seed, and
His Excellency won’t make things difficult for you if you are willing to join the army.”

“Ha! I am not interested in that. Either kill me or be killed by me. I am not prepared for
a third choice.”
“Is there really such a need?” Hadavy frowned. “There isn’t any hatred between us, and
it wasn’t easy for you to become a Beyond Grade A seed. Why do you have to rush to
your death?”

Bang!

Luthor replied with a fist to Hadavy’s face.

The many Black Star Guards took action together and filled the entire planet with
craters.

Even if Luthor was a Beyond Grade A seed, he could not endure such a ferocious
attack. His mind, which was riddled with holes by Hila’s attack, finally collapsed, and
his soulless body fell to the ground.

Luthor became nutrition for Hila’s Esper Ability.

Hadavy let out a sigh by the side. It was a pity that such a good man had been killed just
like that.

The Black Star Guards then cleaned up the battlefield before leaving the planet. Not too
long after they left the planet, Psionic Prime appeared outside the atmosphere with his
mechanical troops.

“The Black Star Guards have killed the target, so we don’t need to take action.”

Psionic Prime had been watching the battle from the side.

“Luthor is dead?”

In the conference room, the upper echelons of the Ancient Emperor Party were stunned.
Although they knew that the reinforcements would not be a match for the Black Star
Army, Luthor was a Beyond Grade A seed. They had never imagined that he would be
killed so easily.

At this moment, one member of the upper echelons trembled, and his body was
possessed.

In truth, this mysterious individual was the leader of the Limitless Financial Group,
Sorokin. Despite being extremely busy, he had the ability to do a hundred things at
once.

“It seems like our cooperation has to come to an end,” Sorokin said slowly.

The Ancient Emperor Party leader was shocked. “You…”

“The reaction of the Black Star Army is far more intense than I expected. My original
plan was only to probe and observe them, but the loss is out of my expectations. If we
continue to work together, the cost required will be too great; this investment isn’t
worth it,” Sorokin said calmly.

A Beyond Grade A seed was extremely rare, and Luthor’s death truly made Sorokin feel
a sense of heartache.

Sorokin did not know that Black Star already knew his identity. According to his plans,
the Black Star Army was always going to react in some way, but he had never expected
Black Star to send out the entire Black Star Guards.

As such, Sorokin’s plan had failed. Although he was powerful, he could not possibly
find Black Star personally for such a small matter, and he was not willing to sacrifice
even more subsidiary organizations for a small experiment. Han Xiao’s reaction had
forced him to give up on the thought of probing the immortal troops.

His plan to test the immortal troops could only be delayed.

However, he was not someone who liked suffering a loss. Even though Black Star was
not aware that Luthor was his subordinate, he was not planning to let the matter rest so
easily.

Of course, Sorokin would not take revenge with force. The Arcane Church had already
tried to do so and suffered a huge loss. He did not think that he would be able to match
the Arcane Church in terms of high-level combatants.

However, history had proven that Black Star was an ambitious character, and Sorokin
believed that Black Star would eventually have to face his Limitless Financial Group.
This day might not be too long later as he was currently attempting to gain entry to the
Flickering World.

Without waiting for a reply, Sorokin left the body.

The Ancient Emperor Party leader’s face turned ashen.

A few months went by in a flash, and Han Xiao remained in the headquarters the entire
time while observing the changes in the Gulal Civilization.

After the death of Luthor, the Limitless Financial Group retreated without any signs of
fighting back.

The Limitless Financial Group wanted to hide their identity so that they would not be
spotted by him. The Limitless Financial Group was a business organization and not an
armed organization after all. As long as Han Xiao could make the other party pay a
sufficient price, the other party would definitely give up.

Without any future reinforcements, the Ancient Emperor Party was dragged back into
hell, and the civil war was controlled by the Black Star Army again.

Upon seeing that the Limitless Financial Group had given up on their attempt to probe
the players, Han Xiao also stopped paying attention to the battle. As the players grew
stronger, it would be inevitable for others to set their eyes on them.
The experience provided by the players was something that he needed to grow quickly,
and this was a non-negotiable for him. If he did not take a hard stance, the other party
would climb over his head.

After dealing with this little problem, Han Xiao turned his attention to something more
important.

After a few months of seclusion, the sixteen-month experience penalty had finally
ended!

Chapter 880 Thanks, Arcane Church

Han Xiao made a trip to the combat practice room and shut the door.

Taking in a deep breath, Han Xiao opened the interface.

The ‘40% Experience Penalty’ status only had a few minutes left, and Han Xiao could
not help but become excited as he watched the timer go down.

It hasn’t been easy. Sixteen months…

Sixteen months ago, he had finally stepped into the realm of a Beyond Grade A Super.

In just a year and a half, he had fought Psyker to protect the Evolution Cube before
having a duel with Heber. Following which, he had headed to the Crimson Dynasty’s
mother planet, where he was provoked by the allies of the dynasty again. Along the
way, he fought EsGod once and met with his biggest crisis not too long ago.

He had only been a Beyond Grade A for a year and a half but had met with plenty of
dangers. Han Xiao could not help but feel a sense of lingering fear as he looked back.
Thankfully, my quick-witted brain and handsome appearance resolved these dangers.
Han Xiao praised himself shamelessly.

Dangers also brought him opportunities, and his status had now been cemented in place.
Furthermore, his experience penalty was over.

Everything was getting better!

Han Xiao rubbed his palms with a look of joy on his face.

“I am now at level 260. I increased my level hastily to deal with the Arcane Church,
which resulted in me spending forty percent more experience. With the experience that I
accumulated over this period…” Han Xiao looked at his stash of experience, and his
eyes sparkled. “I should be able to reach level 280.”

At his current level, the experience required for every level was a sky-high figure.

Without the experience penalty and ignoring all Class Advancement missions, the
experience required for him to level up once should be enough for a player to go from
level 1 to 160. Furthermore, the amount of experience that he needed would only
increase as his level went up.

If he did not have the players to harvest experience and only relied on missions for
experience, he would probably take donkey’s years to reach level 280.

The only reason he was able to accumulate enough experience to reach level 280 was
because of the Political Asset. The combined effects of the Political Assets was like a
double experience card.

It was truly frightening!

After lamenting for a while, the experience penalty status reached the last second and
disappeared from his interface.
“The side effect of the Evolution Cube is finally gone.”

Han Xiao rubbed the muscles on his body and felt the activity within the cells of his
body. The way this side effect showed itself was the slow adaptation to the evolution of
his genes. The more powerful an individual, the more energy contained within their
cells and the longer the process needed for the conversion. At this moment, the slight
tinge of discomfort within his cells had finally disappeared, and their evolution was
complete.

The effect of the Evolution Cube is truly amazing, Han Xiao thought to himself. He had
been in a rush to use the Evolution Cube so that he could reach Beyond Grade A
quickly. The side effects of using the Evolution Cube did not come at the right time.
Han Xiao naturally did not plan to only use the Evolution Cube once but would choose
a better time to make use of it next time. The best time for him to use the Evolution
Cube would be after he spent all his accumulated experience during the version update
period.

However, that was still a long way away.

Han Xiao focused on his attribute interface and began to level up.

_____________________

[Lord Mechanic] leveled up to Lv.2.

+360 Energy, +5 STR, +5DEX, +12 END, +15 INT.

You have received 12 Free Attribute Points and 1 Potential Point.

[Lord Mechanic] leveled up to Lv.20.

+360 Energy, +5 STR, +5DEX, +12 END, +15 INT.

You have received 12 Free Attribute Points and 1 Potential Point.

_____________________

A warm surge of energy flowed through his body, and his energy level was upgraded.

As his experience stash went down, his level shot up and stopped at level twenty.

Every twenty levels, there was a Promotion Mission, and a notification popped up on
his interface.

_____________________

You have reached Lv.280. You have triggered the Promotion Mission [A Legend Takes
Flight].

[A Legend Takes Flight]: Obtain 1 Universe Grade Legendary Point. Only the strong
will write his own legends.

_____________________

The moment this Promotion Mission popped up, it was already in a ‘completable’ state.

Upon looking at the mission, Han Xiao was overjoyed.

The Universe Grade Legendary Point was the highest grade, and his actions needed to
shake the entire universe. A player had to complete a mission of extremely high
difficulty or do something extremely ridiculous to obtain the Legendary Point. This
Promotion Mission was already at the level of the later versions during the World Tree
Civilization arc.
Even with Han Xiao’s current status, it was not easy for him to obtain a Universe Grade
Legendary Point.

However, Han Xiao did have a Universe Grade Legendary Point right now: Enemy of
the Arcane!

Han Xiao’s mouth contorted. Was it truly a blessing in disguise?

After roaming through the universe for so many years, he only had a single Universe
Grade Legendary Point. It could be seen just how rare it was.

He did not have any Mission Completion Cards on hand, and he originally thought that
he would be stuck at the Lv.280 Promotion Mission. Who would have thought that he
would be lucky this time?

Han Xiao then burst into laughter.

Hehe, I really need to thank the Arcane Church for giving me a Legendary Point.

Right, I also need to thank Feidin…

Upon thinking about Feidin, Han Xiao’s hands grew a little itchy.

This was a surprise that dropped from the sky, and Han Xiao chose to complete the
mission without hesitation.

_____________________

You have completed the Mission Requirements.

Lv.280 Promotion Mission completed.

+55 END, 1 END = 410 Health = 420 Stamina

Your Energy Rank has exceeded 52,000 Ona.

You have received the talent [Strengthened Elemental Resistance]!

You have received the talent [Optimized Energy Usage]!

You have received the talent [High Grade Life Vitality]!

You have acquired the skill [Mighty Prestige]!

The effects of all your Virtual Technology skills have been increased by 40%.

_____________________

Han Xiao’s eyes glowed with a blue bolt of lightning, and he spat out a cloud of bluish
gas.

Since there was no race evolution this time, there was not much pain throughout the
whole process.

He looked down to see if there were any changes to his body. From the outside, there
were not many changes. He had grown slightly taller, and his muscles looked more
toned.

He then felt his head itch slightly and grabbed a bunch of hair off from his head while
scratching it.

“I’m shedding hair?”

Han Xiao was shocked and immediately summoned his mirror to take a look, but after
getting a clear look, he heaved a sigh of relief.
His Promotion stimulated his metabolism and improved the cell structure of his entire
body. As such, his original hair fell out, and new hair grew out. However, the hair that
had dropped was still stuck in his head, which explained why he felt the itch.

“Thankfully, my thick black hair is still around.”

Han Xiao heaved a sigh of relief. For a moment, he thought that he had walked the evil
path of exchanging his hair for power. The balder he got, the more powerful he would
become.

The upper limit of the Lord Mechanic class was level 40, and he would complete his
Class Advancement when he reached level 200. The next race evolution was also at
level 300, and level 280 was just an ordinary Promotion in the middle.

However, 52,000 Ona seemed to be a stable boundary. Not all Beyond Grade As were
able to reach 52,000 Ona, and the few talents that he had obtained felt like the basic
abilities of a new realm.

After learning [Endless Material Science] and [Virtual Creator], his Energy Rank
rapidly approached 52,000 Ona, and he finally broke through the boundary after
increasing his level.

Han Xiao then looked at his new abilities and verified his guess.

Although he did not experience a race evolution, every Promotion was also an increase
to his realm. Going past 52,000 Ona meant entering a new realm, and every life form
that reached this realm would receive the same talents.

[Strengthened Elemental Resistance] boosted his attributes like [Perfect Mechanical

Sense], and its multiplier was 1.25.

[Optimized Energy Usage] reduced the energy and stamina consumption of all his skills
to 27%.

[High Grade Life Vitality] increased the upper limit of his health and recovery rate. His
health increased by 17%, and his recovery rate increased by 120%.
These three talents strengthened his basic ability to take damage, which was something
that all classes required.

The only skill, [Mighty Prestige], was a halo type ability that could be turned on and
off. A life form at a higher realm was capable of emanating pressure, and this had
turned into a skill.

The suppression would cover a certain region, and the individuals within the region
would be affected by it, inflicting a negative status to reduce their attributes. However,
it was only useful to life forms with intelligence, and certain life forms that were
immune to mental skills were immune toward it, such as Mechanical Lives. It was
useless against individuals of the same level.

After thinking for a while, Han Xiao concluded that the skill was completely useless
apart from bullying noobs. But if he wanted to bully noobs, a Mechanic like him would
not need a halo like this. He could just have a team fight.

The three talents that he had obtained were still much better.

Although this was only an ordinary Promotion, the increase to his strength was still
pretty good.

His base Endurance boost was one Endurance point to 410 Health. The increase from
his other abilities included an additional 60 from [Advanced Strengthened Life], 140
from [Eternal Body], 50 from Grade S boost, 10% health from [Extraordinary
Physique], 17% health from [High Grade Life Vitality], and 100 health from [Well
Trained].

For his Mechanical Force, he also had various different talents and skills to convert
Intelligence to Machinery Affinity.

He then threw all his Free Attribute Points into Intelligence and looked at his attributes
with satisfaction.

_____________________
Level: 280

Main Class: Mechanic

Race: Black Star Race

Attributes: 3,347 STR, 4,080 DEX, 6,129 END, 9,029 INT, 2,950 MYS, 1,163 CHA, 1
LUK

Free Attribute Points: 0

Potential Point: 21

Health: 5,137,427

Stamina: 4,417,950

Energy: 89,320 [Lv.17]

Lv.17 Energy bonus stats: +1,206 STR, +1,488 DEX, +1,890 END, +2,345 INT, +1,123
MYS, +311,520 Stamina Limit, +1,632% Machinery Affinity

Energy Rank: 53,750

Grade: S+ (Beyond A)

Grade S Bonuses: +50 END, +25 All Resistances. +25% Highest Attribute, +15% Other
Attributes, +750 Free Attribute Points, +50 Potential Points
The future of a Beyond Grade A is like a cloud of mist. Everyone is searching for their
path and will meet many bottlenecks during their evolution process. Congratulations for
going past the first bottleneck.

_____________________

The remark is so solemn this time.

Han Xiao rubbed his muscles and tried to get used to the changes.

Now that he was at Grade S+, he was still considered Beyond Grade A despite the
growth in his strength. His strength did not achieve such a huge change like when he
went from the Calamity Grade to Beyond Grade A. Because there was no clear
distinction between the combat strength of the Beyond Grade As and the grades within
the Beyond Grade A realm being slowly figured out, the realm was segmented into mini
realms.

Just like how everyone thought that the Calamity Grade was the upper limit of strength
during the early days of the exploration era, the people now felt that Beyond Grade A
was the limit of an individual’s strength. EsGod wanted to break through the current
limits just like the Primordial Ones did and raise his strength to a whole new realm.

After his promotion, the amount of experience required to level up increased yet again.
Han Xiao knew that it would be impossible for him to save up enough experience to
reach level 300 quickly. After all, he used the faction store to earn the players’
experience, and even if he could earn experience quickly, he needed the time to
accumulate it. Currently, the players had already learned plenty of knowledge, and the
experience that they provided had begun to stagnate.

Han Xiao was not prepared to continue waiting. He had already been in seclusion for a
few months, and it was better for him to get rid of EsGod as quickly as possible.

He had crafted many pieces of equipment that were made specially to deal with EsGod,
and as long as the dynasty was willing to help him, he would have some confidence to
kill EsGod.
“I haven’t contacted the dynasty at all during this period. I wonder how matters are still
unsettled between them and the Arcane Church. If they have come to an agreement
already, they should have the capacity to deal with EsGod.”

Han Xiao then took out his communicator and was about to ask about the dynasty’s
situation.

Right at this moment, Phillip suddenly appeared.

“Master, hum… Someone sent me an encrypted message just now.”

“Sending an encrypted message to me? Decrypt it and see who sent it.”

“I can’t decrypt it alone; that’s why I came to you.”

Han Xiao’s eyes narrowed. Phillip was a capable assistant, and since Phillip was unable
to decrypt the information, it meant that the other party was not a simple individual.
They had to be at the Star Cluster level at the very least.

“What is said in the encrypted message?”

“They said that they are the descendants of Spacetime Freezer and want to talk to you
face to face.”

Han Xiao was stunned, and his expression changed slightly.

When he was searching for information regarding the Spacetime Amber, he

remembered the current state of the Spacetime Freezer race.

So… the Federation of Light is looking for me?

Since they have chosen to send the Spacetime Freezer race over, are they trying to hint
to me that they are aware of the Spacetime Amber’s origins?
Han Xiao then pondered for a moment before instructing, “Reply to them. I agree to
meet them.”

Chapter 881 Whereabouts

Phillip sent out a message and received a reply a few seconds later.

“Master, hum… They would like to meet you privately. You can decide the time and
place.”

“If that’s the case…” Han Xiao contemplated.

This matter was a little sensitive since the Federation of Light had come to find him.
However, Beyond Grade A allies were not subordinates of a Universal Civilization, and
he had a certain degree of freedom and rights. Even if the dynasty knew about the
meeting between them, it was not a big deal.

Han Xiao thought for a few seconds before saying, “Tell them that I don’t accept a
private meeting. I temporarily do not wish to have a ‘shared secret’ with them. Invite
them over to the Black Star Army as guests. They can come if they are willing, but there
isn’t a need to meet them if they aren’t.”

The other party was the one who took the initiative to find him, and he did not do
anything wrong. It would not be good for him to behave sneakily. Thus, he might as
well invite them over to his territory openly. If not, it would seem as though he was
concocting some secret plan with the Federation of Light, which would attract more
misunderstandings.

The second mission of the Spacetime Amber was for him to come into contact with the
descendants of Spacetime Freezer. Because the Federation of Light was protecting that
race, Han Xiao had not completed the mission yet. But since the other party was taking
the initiative to request a meeting, Han Xiao treated it as a small surprise, and it would
save him quite a bit of energy.
However, he could not seem too anxious. Since the other party had taken the initiative
to meet him, the rules would be set by him.

After sending out an invitation, the Federation of Light did not give a reply as though
they were considering it.

Han Xiao was not too anxious. He then took out his communicator and called Tarrokov.

Tarrokov appeared, and he said with a smile, “Black Star, you have the time to contact
me already?”

“Haha, chief commander, how are things recently?”

“Sigh, it’s still the same as always. We are still eating dirt in the Flickering World.
When will you come back to continue your exploration?”

“In a while.”

“Hurry up then. The first exploration phase will end in a few years, and we will enter
the construction phase. We will only start off our second exploration after digesting the
territories of the three Star Clusters.”

Han Xiao then chatted casually with the other party for a while before saying with a
serious expression, “I haven’t contacted the outside world during this period, and the
negotiations should have been going on for a few months already. Has the dynasty
reached an agreement with the Arcane Church?”

“There shouldn’t be any problem.” Tarrokov nodded. “Although both parties look like
they are in conflict on the surface, they have already come to an agreement in private.
The only thing that is left are the details of the agreement. The Arcane Church paid a
heavy price in order to ransom their experts, but the exact figure is confidential. I can
only say that the other party made huge concessions in military, economic, and political
affairs. They also released some of their technological skills. In any case, the dynasty
promised the Arcane Church to release three Beyond Grade As—Dylan, Taylor, and
Mercer. Only Sagman is still in our hands as a bargaining chip.”

Han Xiao nodded.

The foundation of a civilization was their people, and the conflicts between the
civilizations were usually because of status and resources. Compared to the long history
of a civilization, every Beyond Grade A was no more than a shooting star in a part of
their history. Returning three Beyond Grade A captives in exchange for resources was a
trade that the dynasty was extremely willing to do. At the same time, it could be said
that the three Universal Civilizations were on the same tide. Despite having their own
conflicts, it was impossible for any party to wipe out the others. Apart from their
conflicts, it was also important for them to suppress the civilizations beneath them and
maintain order.

“Right, how did they deal with the Spacetime Amber?” Han Xiao asked.

As the Arcane Church researched the Spacetime Amber, the name of the Spacetime
Amber had spread throughout the universe, and every large organization was now aware
of it. The two Universal Treasures in Black Star’s hands were the Evolution Cube and
Spacetime Amber. As such, Black Star had a special status in the universe.

“The Arcane Church isn’t able to break the seal and wants to invite the dynasty to help
them. The dynasty dragged the matter on and didn’t contact you, so you are still
unaware about it.”

“Does the dynasty plan to agree to it?”

“Hmm, the Arcane Church is willing to pay the price, and the dynasty is going to ask
you to unseal one of the captives. They also want you to make a trip to the Central
Galaxy.”

“Alright.” Han Xiao nodded. The players now had the Gulal Civilization and Flickering
World, so they were having the time of their lives. He would not need to interfere with
the players until the end of Version 3.0, so he would be free.
Furthermore, he was also prepared to head to the Central Galaxy and find some helpers
to deal with EsGod.

“I would like to ask, has the dynasty found EsGod yet?”

“We have found some clues. Some eyewitnesses claim to have seen the Fallen Ark at
the Primeval Star River. The wormhole cluster in the Shattered Star Ring should have
sent them there.”

“As long as their whereabouts are known,” Han Xiao said. “The Arcane Church has
already given in, and the dynasty can only channel some manpower to deal with the
accomplice EsGod.”

Tarrokov observed Han Xiao’s appearance and said with a smile, “I feel as though you
are extremely determined to kill EsGod.”

“That’s right. He had been eyeing up the Evolution Cube for such a long time and
almost took my life. Can I not hate him?” Han Xiao shrugged.

“This isn’t the same.” Tarrokov shook his head but did not continue.

It was not only because of the Evolution Cube. He felt that Han Xiao’s enmity toward
EsGod had a sense of urgency within it, as though EsGod posed a huge threat to him.

“In any case, the upper echelons have already sent out their forces to attack the Fallen
Ark. EsGod isn’t in his main camp. The dynasty plans to send manpower to kill him,
and you are also on the list. Even if you don’t ask, the upper echelons will find you
regarding this matter.”

“Alright, I will be there. I can participate in this mission during my trip to the Central
Galaxy.”

Han Xiao then chatted casually for a while more before hanging up.

As the final boss of the evil faction, EsGod had been able to avoid death.
The three Universal Civilizations had tried to deal with him many times before but were
unable to kill him. It might be possible that the dynasty only treated killing EsGod as
putting up a show.

He was probably the only one who resolutely wanted to kill EsGod.

I hope that history doesn’t repeat itself, Han Xiao thought to himself.

If he could wipe out EsGod this time, he would be able to resolve the threat of the
World Tree entering early.

It was not that Han Xiao did not have any confidence in the three Universal
Civilizations. In his previous life, the three Universal Civilizations won a pyrrhic
victory, so they might not be able to emerge victorious at the moment.

A few ferocious characters from the later versions had not grown up fully yet.

Especially the players.

Ding!

Right at this moment, Phillip received the reply from the Federation of Light indicating
that they would accept his invitation.

On the other side, in the Federation of Light’s Shattered Star Ring stronghold, Mona
placed down his communicator. He was the emissary in charge of contacting Han Xiao
this time and also a descendant of Spacetime Freezer. His skin was light blue with
diamond-like crystals growing on it.

“Black Star has agreed to meet us,” Mona reported to the upper echelons.
“Alright, remember your mission. First, you must probe Black Star’s attitude. Second,
you need to investigate the origins of the Spacetime Amber. If the probing isn’t ideal,
do not mention the trade. Also, do not make any unnecessary moves.”

Mona nodded solemnly.

The Federation of Light wanted the seal on the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter to be
undone, but Black Star was an ally of the dynasty. Thus, it was unlikely for him to help
them. Without sufficient benefits, Black Star would not risk offending the dynasty to
help them undo the seal.

Black Star was able to get most resources from the dynasty, and there was no need to
make a deal with them. Thus, the Federation of Light can only probe to see if Black Star
had any special requirements.

Even if the hope was slim, the Federation of Light would have to give it a try. Bader
truly could not bear to just stare at a useless Ten Thousand Deity Scepter.

Since they had already offended the Arcane Church, they could not walk out without
any benefits.

“I will not make any rash moves, but His Excellency Manison…” Mona then turned to
look at a mechanical host beside him.

This was Manison’s Lord’s Descent host that was not activated yet. Manison’s
consciousness had not descended on it, and it was being controlled by AI from afar.

Upon hearing those words, Manison appeared through a long-distance projection.

“You don’t need to bother about me. I will be paying Black Star a visit in a personal
capacity and not interfere with your affairs.”

Mona could only nod as he heard that. At his level, he did not have the right to control
Manison.
Manison shook his head with a strange look on his face.

In truth, Manison had been looking forward to meeting Han Xiao for a long time. He
paid close attention to all the Beyond Grade A Mechanics.

Black Star’s name had resounded throughout the Beyond Grade A ranks in the universe,
and he had long wanted to test Black Star’s strength.

Only then would he know the price he had to pay for the Spacetime Amber.

Chapter 882 Meeting, Second Chain Mission Completed

After straightening his clothes and arranging his hairstyle, Han Xiao pushed open the
door of the training room and walked out.

Outside the door was a silvery white corridor, with built-in lamps along the ceiling
lighting the place with a white light. The corridor was ring-shaped, and on both sides
were training rooms, with numbers engraved on the doors in black lettering. The
suspended virtual screen on the side showed the user who was inside. This was a
dedicated training place for the officers.

The satellite base in the headquarters was humongous, and it was divided into multiple
bases. Where Han Xiao was located was the core area.

Han Xiao touched his stomach. Because he had just advanced, he was still full of
energy, but he felt that he had consumed a lot of energy mentally. After thinking about
it, he decided to head to the dining area to get himself a good meal. He was afraid that if
he stuck to just eating nutrition packs every day, his taste buds would rot away sooner
or later.

The dining area was a basic need of life. Furthermore, due to the diverse tastes of the
various races, there were also chefs of various races.
Because of the size of the base, various anti-gravity suspension vehicles were used as
modes of transport. They were all products of the logistics department. Within his
‘home’, Han Xiao would naturally not be so idle and choose to walk over. Thus, he
searched for one of the vehicles and set a course for the dining area.

From afar, one could see the sea of people within the dining area. As one got closer, the
din grew ever louder. No matter what time it was, the human traffic in the dining area
would always be the highest.

Landing on the docking platform, Han Xiao stepped off the suspension vehicle and
walked in. The army members who were idly chatting at the door after having their fill
noticed Han Xiao’s figure, and those leaning on the wall immediately stood upright.

“Army Commander, good day!”

“Oh, good day. Have you all eaten already?” Han Xiao nodded and greeted back
casually.

Whenever he met his subordinates at the headquarters, he would definitely reply. His
airs were projected only for the outsiders, and he was more casual and friendly toward
his people.

Upon entering the wide hall of the dining area, many pairs of eyes immediately glanced
over. The atmosphere quietened for a moment, and many of them showed a face of
emotion as they hurriedly got up and saluted. Some remained sitting as they ate, only
raising their head to curiously size up Han Xiao.

Following the expansion of the Black Star Army, many of the new members had never
even seen their leader once. Han Xiao also did not typically appear in public areas,
choosing to stay within the core areas, thus his image in the members’ minds grew more
and more mysterious.

Furthermore, the event of Enemy of the Arcane had given an additional halo around
Han Xiao, causing his reputation to constantly rise. His image only grew bigger in the
eyes of his members.
Every large organization would have internal faction disagreements, and it was the same
with the Black Star Army. With its current size, the factions had also become more
obvious, where different races and tribes all formed their own small pockets. Only Han
Xiao was able to completely suppress all of them. As long as he was present, the army
was truly unified.

“Don’t mind me, just continue eating.” Han Xiao helplessly waved his hands. This was
the reason why he did not like to show himself.

Every time he strolled around within the base, he would seem like an inspector going
about his rounds. What a lonely life.

“Teacher, here, here!” This time, Han Xiao heard a familiar voice. Turning his head, he
saw Sylvia waving toward him. She was having her meal with Aroshia.

Han Xiao walked to the seat facing hers and sat down. He then picked up a drumstick
from his tray and took a bite. The meat was tender and juicy, full of substance and
stimulating to his taste buds. After chewing a few times, an even stronger fragrance was
emitted.

“The taste is pretty good. We should raise the salary of the chefs here.” Han Xiao
finished his drumstick in two or three bites. He licked the corners of his mouth, savoring
the last bit of taste, and he started to pick at the other dishes. “Remember to grant funds
to the canteen department as well to research a new flavor of the nutrition fluid.”

“I get it. You really love the nutrition fluids.” Sylvia grunted as she cut into her
vegetables.

“Eating a meal requires ten minutes, but drinking a tube of nutrition fluid only needs
three seconds. I like the more efficient method. Learn from me, sister,” Han Xiao joked.

I’m the one in charge of miscellaneous tasks, and you have more time than me. What
sort of time are you trying to save? Sylvia rolled her eyes, going back to her meal
feeling depressed.
Han Xiao then turned toward Aroshia. “How have you been?”

“Ah owh…” Aroshia did not raise her head, fully focused on the mountain of food in
front her. Her face was expressionless, her cheeks moving like a chipmunk as she
quickly chewed. The amount of food in front of her was almost ten times Sylvia’s.

She had known Sylvia for a long time, and their relationship was pretty good. However,
because Aroshia’s combat abilities could no longer match Han Xiao’s tempo, she was
unable to move out on operations together with him. However, she still had a special
position within the army due to her experience and popularity due to her looks. She was
the crush of countless army members and had even attracted a group of fans from the
players.

Because of the [Reboot] mission, Han Xiao did not wish to come into contact with
Aroshia and Risda too often. At this level, ruining any chance of a relationship with the
Mechanic Empire over this small issue was not worthwhile. Risda had always been
pestering him, but Han Xiao currently did not have any idea how to approach this issue.
His current level did not allow him to have that sort of ability.

“That’s right. Since you’re already here, I don’t need to send out the news.” Han Xiao
spoke to Sylvia. “In the next few days, someone from the Federation of Light will pay
me a visit. Please arrange for it.”

Sylvia was startled, raising her head. “Teacher, you’re allied to the dynasty. Seeing
someone from the Federation of Light isn’t too good.”

“They asked to meet me first. At least I have to listen to what they have to say.”

As Han Xiao was explaining, he suddenly got interrupted by a voice behind him.

“Black Star, I… I have something for you!”

Han Xiao turned around, only to see a male player with his ID above his head standing
behind him, holding something black in his hands.

Yet another guy who thinks giving gifts will brush up my favorability…
Because the players treated him as an NPC, they thought that their favorability with him
would increase when he was given gifts. Han Xiao was resigned to this.

Every time he showed himself, someone would try this method. He had long gotten
used to it.

After receiving the gift, it turned out to be a slightly rare mineral.

Honestly, Han Xiao did not understand why people would send him minerals. Did they
think he could not afford it?

Gazing at the face full of expectation, the corners of Han Xiao’s mouth twitched, and he
endured the impulse to lower that guy’s favorability, merely forcing out a smile. “Thank
you.”

The player waited for a while but did not see any notification about an increase in
favorability. He scratched his head, looking at the rare mineral in Han Xiao’s hands, his
expression regretful.

“Um, can I take back my gift?”

Han Xiao’s expression turned black.

Brother, you’re being too stingy.

“No.”

“Sigh, I lost out.” The player still did not give up, however. “Is there anything you
would like me to do?”

No, scram!
Of course, this was only said within his heart. He would not be so rude to the players.

“… I currently have nothing for you to deal with. If you are free, how about you
proceed to the Gulal Civilization and join the war there or help with the exploration in
the Flickering World? There should be something for you to do.”

Han Xiao smiled innocently but with the hidden meaning of asking the player to go f*ck
himself.

“Alright then…” The player left with an expression of pity and regret.

To prevent himself from being mobbed by the players, he quickly finished his meal and
left the dining area as though he was flying. He went to the logistics department next to
check up on Nero’s studies.

[Perfect Mechanical Sense] was a Molding Talent that he had desired for a long time, so
he paid a lot of attention to Nero’s progress.

Reaching the logistics department, Han Xiao walked into Reynold’s office and saw
Nero sprawled over a table full of books.

After drinking the dragonblood potion, not only did it energize the mind, it also
rejuvenated the body. Thus, Nero’s little face appeared healthy. However, his
expression was bitter as though he had swallowed a pile of herbs. His face was so
scrunched up that it looked as though it was about to be compressed into a single point,
and he wrote as though he wished to pierce his entire pen into the textbook.

“Little Nero, your godfather is here to see you.” Han Xiao smiled as he walked over.

Nero did not even look at Han Xiao. He turned his head, his expression one of
grumpiness.

Han Xiao turned to Reynold. “How’s his progress?”

“The dragonblood potion is very useful and has saved him the time needed to sleep. His
progress is also extremely fast, and he will be able to start learning the introductory
theory soon. I plan to add in some practical machinery classes in the next stage of his
study plan.” Reynold’s tone was serious.

Hearing that, Nero’s hand trembled, and the pen dropped onto the table with a ‘clack’
sound. His entire bearing appeared to have been frozen stiff.

Han Xiao smirked.

You’re truly a devil…

This time, the door opened again, and Feidin, clad in loose blue robes, walked in.
Seeing Han Xiao, he was surprised but revealed a warm smile. “Black Star, you’re here
as well.”

“What are you here for?” Han Xiao’s brows rose.

“I’m here to see Nero.” Feidin laughed. “And to play some cards with him.”

Nero immediately threw himself into Feidin’s bosom, as though he had met his savior.
He conveniently turned back and stuck his tongue out toward Han Xiao.

“Cough cough, Feidin comes to play cards with Nero every now and then. That’s his
free time,” Reynold explained.

Han Xiao had an amazed expression on his face, as though asking, You actually will
give him time to play?

“Er… once every half a month.”

Oh, I was wrong.

Since it was rare to have any playtime, Nero excitedly took out the Wayne Cards and
pulled on Feidin’s sleeves to begin. Feidin smiled and took out his cards leisurely,
beginning to battle with Nero.

Seeing this situation, Han Xiao’s brows twitched. He felt that Feidin was very fond of
Nero. Could it be that Feidin and Chen Xing were unable to produce children?

While Han Xiao did not enjoy playing cards, he knew the rules well. Standing by the
side, he could not help but suck in a deep breath.

Was this the so-called battle between two lucky stars?

He seemed to see the Goddess of Fortune playing against herself, fighting on both sides!

Seeing Nero’s practiced hand movements, Han Xiao felt a little heartache.

My little cub… in the end, you have still been infected by Hadavy and Herlous.

Seems like I need to correct this.

Han Xiao endured his laughter as he threw a [Luck Curse] toward Nero. He shook his
head and stealthily left the scene.

Over the next few days, Han Xiao took the time to adapt to his newly increased strength
and also cleared a few miscellaneous tasks, preparing for the meeting with the
Federation of Light.

The spaceship landed at the headquarters of the Black Star Army, and Mona led a group
of people off the spaceship. They were led to a reception room under the guidance of
the reception robot.
Seated at the reception room, Han Xiao waited for a moment before the doors opened,
and the emissary team from the Federation of Light appeared. They greeted each other
before taking their seats.

“The Federation of Light’s Advanced Combatant Team Sergeant, Mona.” Mona gave a
simple introduction.

Sensing that the other party was a Calamity Grade, Han Xiao opened the interface panel
to take a look. Indeed, after being in contact with someone belonging to the tribe of
Spacetime Freezer, the mission of the Spacetime Amber showed a change.

_____________________

The Second Chain Mission of [The Primordial Ones’ Inheritance – Spacetime Freezer]
has been completed!

+1 Soul Connection with the Spacetime Amber.

Spacetime Amber: Current Soul Connection 2/5

The Spacetime Amber has gotten closer to you.

The buff ‘Blessing of the Spacetime Amber’ has been refreshed.

[Blessing of the Spacetime Amber (Lv.2)]: +15% Maximum Energy, +120 STR, +120
DEX, +120 END, +240 INT, +50 MYS, +50 CHA. In addition, +70% Basic Space
Resistance, +30% Basic Psychological Resistance. The effect of all your spacetime
related abilities are increased by 18% – 32%.

Buff Duration: Permanent

_____________________
Han Xiao was overjoyed but did not show it on his face. With an increased connection
to the Spacetime Amber, he had also developed a closer feeling to the amber, and from
his senses, the Spacetime Amber seemed to have transformed into something that he
had used for a long time.

This meant that his efficiency in creating the amber balls would also increase. However,
he was now in a meeting with people and was unable to test it out.

Han Xiao glanced at the third series of the chain mission.

_____________________

Third Chain Mission Requirements: Proceed to the ancestral land of the Spacetime
Freezer, and take his body to visit his homeland.

_____________________

Okay, so this is not a coincidence any longer… Han Xiao murmured to himself
internally.

The ancestral land of the Spacetime Freezer was located within the territory of the
Federation of Light. If he wished to complete the third mission, he had to personally
make a visit. After all, it was impossible for the other party to bring the entire planet to
him.

Closing his interface, Han Xiao cut to the chase. “The Federation of Light has few
dealings with me. May I ask for your purpose in visiting me?”

“It’s like this. The Federation of Light is curious about your Spacetime Amber,” Mona
said with a straight face. “After checking our records, we found out that the Spacetime
Amber seems to have some relation with one of the Beyond Grade As in our history.”

“Oh, there was such a thing?” Han Xiao feigned surprise, but he was actually shocked.
To think that the Federation of Light even held secret records relating to the Spacetime
Freezer and even made such an informed guess.
As for the Federation of Light expressing their interest in the Spacetime Amber, he did
not find that surprising. Basically every single organization in Galaxy was curious about
his two Universal Treasures and were probably researching them.

“Do you know about the Spacetime Freezer?” Mona asked.

Han Xiao had to put on a show, and thus, after a while, he nodded, his expression
unchanging as he replied, “Let me check.”

“Oh, now I know. What you mean is that the Spacetime Freezer and the Spacetime
Amber are related, right?”

Mona had been observing Han Xiao’s expression but could not deduce anything, so he
could only continue the conversation.

“We cannot confirm this either, so it is only a hypothesis. I am one of the descendants
related to the Spacetime Freezer, so I requested for the Federation of Light to help me
get into contact with you to understand the origin of the Spacetime Amber.”

“Why should I care about the history of the Spacetime Amber? How does that benefit
me?”

Han Xiao raised his brows, but he was clear of the answer himself.

The reason the Federation of Light did this was because he could be considered to have
picked up this Universal Treasure by luck and did not understand its history. Thus, the
Federation of Light sent Mona as a descendant of the Spacetime Freezer to contact him
and search for his ancestor’s traces. However, the Federation of Light knew that Han
Xiao would not buy this reason and thus only used it to get closer to him.

“Rest assured. Because this involves the ancestor of our entire race, the Federation of
Light is only helping us to investigate it and add information of this new Universal
Treasure into the public database. We have no other plans regarding your Spacetime
Amber,” Mona explained.
“I believe you.” Han Xiao had on a straight expression. “Really.”

Chapter 883 Breaking the Ice and Setting Conditions

Mona could hear Han Xiao’s sarcasm in his tone, and his face turned red, but he
persevered. “In short, we hope that you will allow us to investigate the Spacetime
Amber. The Federation of Light will definitely give you satisfactory compensation.”

“I refuse.” Han Xiao waved his hand. “I’m not obliged to cooperate.”

“Then… could you allow us to take a look at the Spacetime Amber? This is a personal
request of mine.”

“Nope.”

The atmosphere grew a little stiff. However, Mona had expected it. Black Star would
naturally not allow any outsiders to come into contact with his Universal Treasures.

He pretended to take a sip from his drink, glancing left and right, before suddenly
lowering his voice and changing the topic.

“Your Excellency Black Star, I’m not sure… but what do you think of the Federation of
Light?”
They are finally further probing my attitude… Han Xiao thought.

“My thoughts… I should be asking you this question instead. You helped the Arcane
Church during the Battle of Planet Lighthouse, and then you turned around to aid the
dynasty. I’m not sure whether I should consider you guys as enemies or friends. What
do you think?”

Mona thought about it before solemnly replying, “While we belong to different factions,
we are very willing to befriend you, Your Excellency Black Star.”

Han Xiao raised his brows. “In that case, let me be more direct. We’ll always be
opponents from different factions, but we can be business partners. You won’t object to
that, right?”

“Of course.” This was one of the conditions given by the upper echelons before he set
off, so Mona did not hesitate.

The three Universal Civilizations had always warred against each other; however, they
also traded with each other frequently, cooperating in many industries. In this
interstellar era, so long as the civilizations did not tear off all pretenses and go to war
with each other, their cooperative relationship would still be maintained. The three
universal civilizations were already used to this method, and in fact, interstellar
integration was one of the points that bound all galactic civilizations together as this
magnified the cost of them being isolated.

Thus, in terms of business and trade, a Universal Civilization would not prohibit their
Beyond Grade A allies from expanding their business to profit off other civilizations.
However, if they were to use the name of commerce to sell secret information to other
parties, then the universal civilization would hunt them down.

However, the Beyond Grade A allies in each civilization would not easily allow
outsiders to obtain a share of their pie. If one wished to develop a business in other
factions, they would be pressured by the organizations of that faction. Without an
official relationship, it would be hard to conduct business.

“I’m sure that you’re clear about our working style. Within the three Universal
Civilizations, we are the most inclusive. We welcome financial groups and
organizations from all over the universe to develop, and since the Shattered Star Ring is
under the jurisdiction of the Federation of Light, you could say that we’ve always been
working together,” Mona said.

Han Xiao nodded. This part was true. The Crimson Dynasty was iron-blooded, while
the Arcane Church leaned toward the spiritual side. The Federation of Light was
undoubtedly the richest, with lots of territory and blooming with prosperity.

“Since you wish to be friends, then at least show some sincerity. Building a relationship
requires funds.” Han Xiao smiled.

“If you’re willing, we can help the Black Star Army to develop their business in the
Federation of Light at any time,” Mona replied.

Han Xiao’s eyes shifted quickly.

He roughly understood what the Federation of Light was trying to do. They first
mentioned the Spacetime Amber before offering a trade cooperation. The situation was
very clear. They wished to borrow the Spacetime Amber in the long run. After the
previous incident, their relationship was strained, so one could imagine their success
rate if they came knocking to request something.

Thus, the Federation of Light made a few proposals, of which one of them would be to
use a business proposal to first break the ice, warming up their relationship before
proposing a future follow-up relationship. In this way, they would not attempt to
achieve their goals overnight but utilize a long-term relationship to obtain what they
wanted.

As the requested party, Han Xiao had the advantage, and of course, he did not need to
reply immediately.

“Ok, we’ll talk about this again. I don’t currently have that intention.”

“Understood. If you still have any other requests, we’ll do our best to consider it. No
matter what, the Federation of Light looks forward to working with you.”
Mona retained his sincere tone; the Federation of Light was not in a hurry to unseal the
Ten Thousand Deity Scepter. They could afford to wait.

“Other requests…” Han Xiao’s eyes moved as he thought. He suddenly smiled. “I

personally am not adverse to befriending the Federation of Light. It’s just that because
you helped the Arcane Church go against me last time, in addition to your sincerity, I
feel you should display an apology.”

He was referring to the Multi-Dimensional Sky Opening Transportation Device. That

time, the Federation of Light did not expect that they would need to request something
from Black Star and could be said to have dug a hole for themselves. However, if they
did not do so, then they probably would not have been able to obtain the Ten Thousand
Deity Scepter. There were both advantages and disadvantages.

Mona’s eyes lit up. He was not afraid of Han Xiao making a request but more afraid of
him not having any.

“What are you thinking about?”

“It’s like this. If you could do me a favor, I’ll forgive you, and only through resolving
this then can our relationship truly begin.”

“What do you need?” Mona sat up straight.

“EsGod also took part in the battle of Planet Lighthouse, and the dynasty has been busy
with capturing those from the Arcane Church. However, they have now turned their
attention toward this accomplice. I have quite a huge grudge with EsGod, and if you
could help the dynasty and I with encircling the EsGod and killing him, we can wipe off
all other issues and start on a clean slate. What do you think?” Han Xiao’s tone grew
solemn.

Mona was a little surprised. He was expecting Han Xiao to raise up some benefits for
himself, but to think that he actually invited them to hunt down EsGod. It seemed like
their enmity was quite serious.

“In this regard, I have no way to make a decision. I will report this upward.” Mona
spoke truthfully. “But from my experience, there is a high chance that they will agree.”
If it was something else, the Federation of Light would still hesitate, but dealing with
the EsGod had always been one of the priorities and would also benefit them.

At this moment, one of the mechanical guards from behind stepped forward and took
off its helmet. It revealed the head of a mechanical host, and an electronic voice
sounded from its mouth.

“Regarding this matter, I can do it for you instead.”

Hearing this, Han Xiao turned around. Seeing the material of the mechanical host, his
eyes lit up. He could tell that the host had high technological content, seemingly a high
levelled machine made by a Beyond Grade A, much like the mechanical host that he
utilized for [Lord’s Descent].

“You are…”

“‘Mechanic Emperor’ Manison, the Ancient One, Palpatine[1].”

Han Xiao’s eyes changed, revealing a wary look.

Because the [Lord’s Descent] was not yet used on the mechanical host, there were no
fluctuations of a Beyond Grade A coming from it. Before Manison spoke, he had still
thought it was just a normal mechanical soldier. In terms of stealth, Manison truly had
the advantage.

The fact that Manison had chosen to approach him was out of Han Xiao’s expectations.

A person’s reputation was akin to the shadow a tree cast. The reputation of the
Mechanic Empire in the universe was profound, almost universally regarded as the peak
of mechanics. Furthermore, he had indirectly interacted with the other party before, so
Han Xiao was vigilant of the name Mechanic Empire.

Mona coughed before explaining, “When His Excellency Manison heard that we were
coming to pay you a visit, he requested to move together with us.”
“Black Star, in actual fact, I’ve always been wanting to pay you a visit. This time was
just a good opportunity.” Noticing Han Xiao’s furrowed brows, Manison spoke without
any emotions. “What, am I not welcome?”

Han Xiao’s thoughts revolved quickly, and he immediately smoothed his brows over,
putting on another smile as he calmly replied.

“Of course not. I just felt it to be a coincidence. I also heard of your name a long time
ago and have always wished to pay you a visit. It’s just that I’ve never been able to find
the chance to.”

Mona stood up at this time. “This is my communicator number. Your Excellency Black
Star, I’ll report your intentions to the upper echelons, and you’ll receive a reply soon. I
won’t disrupt your conversation any longer. Your Excellency Manison, we’ll wait for
you aboard the spaceship.”

Manison’s mechanical host nodded, and Mona left the room, following Phillip’s
directions back to the dock.

Only Manison and Han Xiao were left in the room.

“Hehe, Your Excellency Black Star, this should be our first time meeting.” Manison
sounded as though he was laughing, but the electronic voice did not display a single bit
of emotion, making it a little frightening.

With the skills of the other party, it was possible for his host to completely mimic a
person’s emotions and tone, so this voice should be done on purpose.

“To be accurate, we’re not considered ‘meeting’ yet. You’ve seen my face, but I still
have not seen yours.” Han Xiao raised a brow and spoke some mischievous words while
he thought of Manison’s intentions in coming here today.

It was normal for people of the same profession to converse, but he felt that Manison
had a reason for visiting.
“There will definitely be a chance in the future.” The mechanical host pointed toward its
chest. “Do you mind if I send my consciousness over?”

Han Xiao shook his head to indicate his answer.

Boom!

The next instant, a surge of energy surged through the quantum infinite distance
transmission channel, and the host’s body jolted. Golden electricity spilled out from it,
sizzling as Manison utilized [Lord’s Descent].

The movements of the carrier instantly became a lot smoother. Manison twisted his
neck, commenting, “That’s much better.”

Remote communication could be compared to doing a video chat. [Lord’s Descent] was
bringing one’s consciousness into the scene, a lot more immersive.

Han Xiao smiled and did not speak, but he was full of awe in his heart.

When Manison’s consciousness arrived, the mechanical force released by the host was
so huge that it gave Han Xiao some pressure. To be able to allow another Beyond Grade
A to feel pressure, the Mechanic Emperor was indeed unfathomable.

In all the Beyond Grade As he had seen, only EsGod’s aura could be compared with
Manison’s… and this was only the host utilizing [Lord’s Descent], not Manison’s true
body.

Just what level had this guy actually reached?

Thinking about it, Han Xiao tilted his mouth toward the door.

“Your Excellency Manison, how about we change locations?”

“Sure. Could you show me around your Black Star Army?” Manison nodded.
“Alright.”

The two stood up and left the room while chatting.

They had only just met, so they did not talk about any sensitive topics but rather
revolved around different topics such as about the headquarters, materials and
technology used, and so on.

Han Xiao kept vision of the quantum network constantly active, letting Phillip maintain
constant surveillance on the system.

While the possibility was low, it was better to guard against any secret Virtual Intrusion
from Manison. After all, having Manison there was just like having the neighbor next
door come to visit one’s house. One could never know when one might be ‘cucked’, so
it was better to deter than to resolve.

But Manison did not have such intentions. He was only focused on conversing about
mechanical knowledge, as though they were really sharing technology between peers.

Just based on his technical exchanges, the Mechanic Emperor was indeed powerful. He
had accumulated experience for many years and had collected all the mechanic
profession knowledge. He was even at the forefront of technological innovation, having
developed an unknown number of blueprints.

Just based on the main profession level, his was far off from Manison’s. The other party
had not lived so many years in vain.

Because this was the first time he was dealing with the Mechanic Emperor, Han Xiao
constantly wore a smile on his face. However, he never lowered his guard. In addition to
the preconceived notions, he also had to take into account the identity of the other party.

“Oh right, you mentioned just now that you would help me to deal with EsGod.”
“EsGod is currently in the Primeval Star River. That is my base camp, and if the
Federation of Light agrees to your request, it will be me who acts.” Manison turned to
look at Han Xiao. “Naturally, I also have my own reasons.”

“What are they?” Han Xiao was curious.

“The first, I warned EsGod before that he was not allowed to wander into my territory.
As for the second… hehe, I hope to obtain something from you.” Manison did not
bother hiding his intentions.

Obtain something from me? Han Xiao’s eyes flashed. It would naturally not be his
machinery, so it would most likely be the Universal Treasures. Was it the Evolution
Cube or the Spacetime Amber?

However, Manison did not continue talking and only turned his head to another
direction. At this moment, both of them had walked into a passageway, and surrounding
them were combat training rooms.

“Since we’re here, why not have a spar?” It was hard to tell what Manison was trying to
do.

“Here?” Han Xiao shook his head. With our strength, we’ll flip my headquarters upside
down.

“Relax, I didn’t bring any other mechanical units, only this host.” Manison waved his
hands. “You can control another host as well, and we’ll stop when hit. This way, the
movements are more controlled, and we will not harm our relations.”

This method works… Han Xiao breathed in deeply and nodded. “… Alright then.”

Since there was no need to fight with one’s true body, it would be simple to repair the
mechanical host afterward. It would also be safer this way. Han Xiao suspected that
Manison wished to test out his combat strength based on his Mechanical Force.

Having broken through the 52,000 Energy limit, this level of Mechanical Force would
not allow him to be easily abused by others. Han Xiao had the confidence to spar.
Moreover, [Lord’s Descent] would also allow him to share the majority of his strength.
He wished to also sneak a peek at Manison’s attributes through the combat information.

Chapter 884 Probing and Surprise

The two of them chose a combat training room at random. Swiping his identification,
the doors automatically opened for them.

There were also differences in the configurations of the combat training rooms. Only the
high-configuration combat training rooms would be able to handle a stronger aftermath.

The ordinary training rooms were free for most army members and players to utilize.
They could withstand the impact of a Grade B Super at most. If one wished to use a
higher configuration combat room, then they had to pay the rent. According to a
member’s status within the army, there would be different discounts attached, and the
players would use the training room to brush up their skills and experience.

The core area was equipped with the highest-level training rooms, but even then, they
could only withstand most Calamity Grade attacks, and a Beyond Grade A attack would
be pushing it. However, if they only were using a single host for a spar, so long as they
controlled the attack power, there should not be a problem.

This top training room had a lot of space, and the ground and walls were all pure white,
displaying a grid-like appearance. The material was a synthetic form of a tough alloy
with polymer and plastic nanomaterials, which had a self-repair function. With a virtual
reality coating applied to it, it was able to simulate different environments.
At the same time, the walls and floor were movable to change the shape of the room to
match the virtual environment. This could create a battlefield environment for further
immersiveness, else it would be difficult to deceive one’s senses.

Of course, the battlefield simulation was not child’s play, and Han Xiao had specifically
forbidden the players in the guidelines of usage for training rooms from occupying the
training room to be spectators.

Han Xiao allowed Phillip to randomize the environment, and the appearance of the
ground and walls rapidly changed, turning into a lush forest. In the distance was an
endless forest and a mountain shrouded in mist. The training room even simulated the
realism of a light breeze, with the coolness of early morning rain. One could even smell
the fresh air and mud, as though they were truly present.

Surveying the scene, Manison murmured emotionally, “Being with machinery every
day, all I see are dull colors. Sometimes, I forget what the great outdoors look like.”

Han Xiao opened his secondary dimension and withdrew a mechanical host. The
streamlined human body shape was painted with the three colors of silver, black, and
yellow. This was a ‘Mammoth’ mechanical host, updated to the RX002 Generation.
Compared to the RX001 Generation, the performance was slightly different.

The Mammoth RX001 Generation was designed as a standard model with

comprehensive capabilities and balanced in every respect, while the RX002 focused on
reducing the volume of the skeletal structure and nano tendons. It sacrificed a portion of
strength in exchange for amplified flexibility and more mechanical weapons, making it
more suitable to combat.

The effect of [Lord’s Descent] would vary based on the basic configuration of the host.
Different hosts thus possessed different abilities and attributes when using [Lord’s
Descent], so it was necessary to build various types of mechanical hosts.

Han Xiao activated [Lord’s Descent], and blue-gold Mechanical Force shot out,
colliding with the mechanical host, bursting into an eye piercing gleam!

Buzz!
His consciousness was divided into two. One stayed within the main body, whereas the
other controlled the mechanical host.

Han Xiao’s true body flew up high, not participating in this battle. He controlled the
host to stand opposite Manison. While they were separated by a few hundred meters,
this distance was as good as non-existent at their current level.

Han Xiao eyed the host’s interface. Because of the First Gen Black Star Alloy, the host
had several meat shield talents, coupled with high resistance. It possessed a power
amplification of 64%, flexibility of 81%, and stamina amplification of 73%.

Han Xiao twisted his neck around within the Mammoth, adapting to it. Afterward, its
back armor split open, releasing micro disks to form a suspended defense array. Various
psionic cannon muzzles extended out from the shoulder, chest, and abdomen areas, and
it lifted the left arm in a shield holding gesture as a psionic shield formed. A metal
wrist-guard was fitted on the right forearm, and it held on to a mechanical blade
wrapped with energy on the right hand.

Seeing this, Manison’s host also entered battle mode. It turned on the floating array,
activating the psionic shield, and took out a mechanical weapon that looked like a staff,
shifting to a lowered position.

Utilizing [Lord’s Descent] to spar was equivalent to remote controlled combat. Even if
the hosts fought brutally, there would be no losses to their bodies.

Without further words, both sides exchanged glances for two seconds before their
figures blurred and viciously slammed into each other!

Bang!

The huge impact created a shock wave, felling the trees around them under the effect of
realistic destruction. Even Han Xiao, who was in the sky above, had his hair completely
blown askew.
The next instant, both hosts turned into a single blurry image as they flashed through the
woods. The mechanical blade and staff collided thousands of times in a short period,
causing sparks, electricity arcs, and lights to flash.

Dang dang dang!

The sound of wind, rain, and metal striking all entered one’s ear.

Mechanical Force collided with each other face to face, exploding into arcs in front of
both hosts. Wherever it landed, grooves were created, holes were bored, and trees were
set ablaze.

Both of them engaged in melee combat tacitly and controlled their strength, not utilizing
their strongest weapons such as the long-range cannons, or else the training room would
definitely be blasted to pieces.

They were only sparring, so they did not use their trump cards. There was no need to
determine a winner because a mechanic’s true prowess lay in their mechanical army.

Both of them only had intentions to probe the other, seeking to understand the other
party through battle. Whoever obtained more intelligence about the other would be the
one benefitting.

As they battled, Manison was sensing Han Xiao’s Mechanical Force intensity.

At his level, as long as he opened his senses, he could roughly pinpoint Han Xiao’s
current standards. While the intensity could not compare to his, he still got a surprise
when faced with Han Xiao’s battle strength.

He had heard of how Han Xiao had captured Dylan, and based on his hypothesis, Black
Star should be similar to him, possessing the top-level Mechanical talent.

However, in reality when they crossed arms, Manison discovered that Black Star’s
Mechanical Force was not as strong as expected, and he did not have the top-level
abilities of a mechanic.
However, Han Xiao’s life level was much higher than he expected. Manison naturally
knew of the first limit one would face at the 52,000 Energy Rank. Just crossing this
limit was nothing to him, but the problem was how long Black Star had been a Beyond
Grade A.

Black Star had only reached the Beyond Grade A level a year and half ago. In just this
short of a time, he had crossed the first limit.

The time taken for a Beyond Grade A to undergo a life level transformation was
typically measured in decades!

Such unbelievable growth was a first for Manison, despite his age!

Such potential and talent…

Such an astounding growth rate made referencing Black Star’s current combat prowess
useless.

Since he knew that Black Star had already broken through the first limit, Manison felt
that he had already achieved his objective. He thought that he had profited from this
exchange, since Black Star would only know that he was strong but not to what extent.

Thinking about this, he clashed once more, taking advantage of the shockwave to pull
apart. Manison then put his weapon away as he said, “Let’s stop here, or else the room
will be destroyed.”

Han Xiao also stopped. Eyeing the various gorges and grooves within the training room,
he too sheathed his weapon.

His true body descended and cancelled the [Lord’s Descent]. After storing his
mechanical host, he let out a smile.

“Indeed, Mechanic Emperor. You’re really strong.”

“I must say, your abilities exceeded my expectations.” Manison nodded as well.

Han Xiao smiled but did not reply, instead changing the topic. “We’ve already toured
the headquarters. Let’s go to my office. We can continue talking about the problem of
EsGod there.”

“Okay.”

The two of them left the training area, and on the way, Han Xiao snuck a peak at the
interface whilst chatting.

Manison’s level was displayed as ???, which meant that the disparity between them was
not small. The majority of his attributes and skills were also displayed as ???, as there
were many skills that he had not used during the spar.

A mechanic’s skills were infamously numerous, with many of them overlapping with
each other and could be ignored. As for those that Manison had displayed in the spar,
Han Xiao noticed two Molding Talents.

The first was [Perfect Mechanical Sense], which was within Han Xiao’s expectations.
To be able to reach the peak of the mechanic profession, Manison had to have such a
talent.

The second was [Virtual Technology Innovation—Manison]. His name at the back
meant that this was a Molding Talent that he himself had developed. The effect was to
strengthen his Virtual Technology with an enhancement coefficient of 1.75.

While it looked lackluster compared to the strengthening coefficient of 2.5 provided by

[Virtual Lord], the meaning for both skills was completely different. As long as any
mechanic learned the Ultimate Knowledge [Virtual Creator], they would gain this
expertise, but [Virtual Technology Innovation—Manison] was an exclusive ability,
which provided an extra bonus to him. This meant that Manison had a huge advantage
in virtual technology, and it was thus classified as a Molding Talent.

Furthermore, the introduction of this talent said, “After utilizing Virtual Technology
Innovation, there will be special effects.” This was probably referring to the core
specialty of Manison’s strongest mechanic troops, the Indestructible Mechanic Empire.
Manison would naturally not only possess two Molding Talents, but only these two
were displayed so far.

However, based on the combat information, as well as the performance of Manison in

his previous life, Han Xiao had come out with a rough estimation of Manison’s battle
strength.

His main profession should out-level me by at least one stage, and he should have at
least four Molding Talents. In addition, his Mechanical army should outnumber mine by
several thousand times… How scary. I’d better not provoke him.

Overall, Han Xiao was quite satisfied with the spar. In the intelligence area, he had
definitely benefited.

The combat information had displayed some of the abilities that Manison did not
display, but Manison had no interface, so whatever ability he did not display, Manison
would naturally be unaware. Displaying his life level was in fact a ploy of Han Xiao’s
to show off his potential so that Manison would not slight him.

Because of the presence of Character Summon Cards, there was misinformation on Han
Xiao’s combat strength. For example, he did not display [Perfect Mechanical Sense],
which caused discrepancies to appear in Manison’s intelligence gathering.

The Mechanic Emperor had chosen the wrong opponent to probe this time.

The corners of Han Xiao’s mouth rose slightly.

Both parties had their own inner monologue as they returned to the office.

After sitting down, Manison began to talk about his purpose.

“My reason for meeting you this time is also to see if you’re welcome to the idea of
making a transaction.”

“Please speak.”

“I’m actually very interested in your Spacetime Amber. From what I know, this
Universal Treasure can create copies of itself. I hope to buy a few pieces from you as
research material.”

Turns out, he wanted to buy the amber balls…

Han Xiao was silent as he thought for a while before shaking his head.

“Apologies, but I don’t intend to sell them outside at all.”

The Spacetime Amber was one of his trump cards, and the reason he had given Austin
one was to repay his debt. He did not wish to use this to gain the support of others. This
item was different from the Evolution Cube; he did not wish to allow the amber balls to
circulate around the universe and be utilized by others.

He was not even willing to provide them to the Crimson Dynasty, let alone to the
Mechanic Empire.

While Manison’s status was otherworldly, giving him face was one thing, but in matters
such as these, no matter how impressive he was, it meant nothing.

“A pity, but I can understand.”

Manison shook his head. His host did not reveal any expression, nor could anyone
discern his emotions from his voice.

“If you change your mind one day, you may look for me.”

“Then about the problem with EsGod…” Han Xiao probed.

“Hehe, no need to worry, I’ll listen to the Federation of Light on this.”

Manison lightly went around this topic. However, he did not mind Han Xiao rejecting
him, and he did not seem to have the intention of getting up yet.

His words suddenly took on a change.

“I have a subordinate in the Shattered Star Ring called Sardeem, and he once reported
something interesting to me. He mentioned that you stole his Mechanical army and even
captured him alive for a period of time.”

“… There was indeed such a matter. At that time, the circumstances forced me to.”

Warning bells rose once again in Han Xiao’s mind.

“Relax, since you did not kill him, there are no problems. I just felt that we seem to be
quite connected by fate, to think that we had been linked so early on…”

Manison did not seem interested in seeking recompense.

But this next sentence caused Han Xiao’s scalp to tingle!

“But talking about this, we were linked even earlier on… This reminds me, hehe, could
I trouble you to return those two lost sheep to me?”

Manison’s synthesized electronic tone had no fluctuations. While he laughed, one could
not tell that he had a jovial intention.

The Mechanic Emperor actually knows about Aroshia?

Han Xiao immediately forced his expression to remain straight, suppressing the turmoil
within his emotions, and deepened his tone.
“… What do you mean?”

“A long time ago, there were two lucky AI life forms that infiltrated my base. One of
them made off with one of my spare spaceships, while the other utilized my equipment
to transform herself into an indestructible Mechanical Life. They tried to set their
comrades free, but they were spotted by the firewalls within my base and chased by my
automaton troops. Luckily for them, they entered a wormhole and eventually found
their way to your organization…”

At this point, Manison paused.

“Surely you don’t think that the two AI lifeforms were able to make it into my base on
their own, right?”

Chapter 885 Brewing Influence, Rising Waves

Han Xiao only narrowed his eyes, not speaking. In actual fact, he had also shared the
same suspicions, but Risda had replied in the same manner each time he asked, making
him unable to verify it.

Manison crossed his hands and calmly spoke.

“Just based on their ability, they would never be able to break through my firewall.
Behind them was another Beyond Grade A Mechanic that was coveting my
Indestructible Mechanic Empire and wished to wreck my trump card troops while I was
not within my base. They secretly guided these two little guys that knew nothing and
quietly opened the virtual data channels for them.”
“A pity that his cheap trick was spotted by me, and his scheme thus failed. I actually
knew that the little fellow who had turned itself into an indestructible mechanic soldier
had always been residing in Floating Dragon Island. She borrowed my energy
transmission channel and stole my recombination material, so I could naturally track
her.

“But I didn’t go and recollect it. That’s mainly because I don’t care about these two
fellows who were wandering outside, but I also decided not to make contact with Ames
due to my past relationship with Aesop. However, since I’m here today, it’s just as well.
You can hand both of them back over to me.”

Han Xiao rubbed his temples, feeling a little helpless. Twenty years ago when he first
recruited Aroshia, he had been but a Grade B Super. He was just a nobody in the
universe, so naturally, Manison would not place him in his eyes.

When he discovered the origins of Aroshia later on, he had once worried about whether
Manison would pursue them, but Aroshia had never met any danger, so he had thought
that Manison did not know of Aroshia’s position.

When he reached the Beyond Grade A level, his Virtual Technology knowledge grew
deeper, and he also started to doubt the given description of their escape, but because of
his preconceived notions and added to the fact that twenty years had gone by peacefully,
he took it for granted.

To think that Manison had always known…

Han Xiao’s brain quickly moved.

Obviously, with Manison’s status, he did not care about Aroshia and Risda escaping.
After all, he had an entire AI civilization as his army; just two escapees did not mean
anything.

But the reason he had mentioned this was not to take Aroshia and Risda back but rather
because Han Xiao had rejected his request to obtain the amber, so he decided to attack
him!
This old thing… God only knows just how many cards he still has on hand.

Han Xiao frowned, pausing for a moment, before replying solemnly.

“Aroshia is a comrade of mine who has followed me for over twenty years. She has free
will and is not a slave of mine. I can’t just pass someone who is respected and was
involved in the establishment of Black Star Army together with me. How would I
answer to my officers in this manner?”

Manison wished to reclaim its escaped soldiers, but Han Xiao tweaked the situation,
emphasizing Aroshia’s position within the Black Star Army. Thus, he could firmly
reject.

“Your Excellency Black Star, you’re a really tough nut.” Manison still remained calm,
and he only sighed.

From the time they had met up till now, Han Xiao had always been courteous, but
regarding any crucial issues, he had never given way and always had hidden needles to
retaliate.

Want the amber? Not selling!

Want my people? Not giving!

Han Xiao was apprehensive of Manison’s strength, but he was not afraid of the other
party. It would have been one thing if he did not have any support, but the dynasty was
backing the Black Star Army, while the Federation backed Manison. Both of them had
prestigious backers, and there was no need to be afraid.

Since he was the one to obtain the Spacetime Amber, the dynasty did not force him to
hand it over because as long as it was in his hands, it was equivalent to the dynasty’s
strength.

However, if he chose to deal with the Mechanic Empire, this would mean that the
method of production of the Spacetime Amber would be passed onto the Federation of
Light’s hands. This would cross the bottom line of the dynasty, and he would suffer the
consequences. Thus, not even a guarantee from Manison that he would only research it
privately could persuade him.

The reason Han Xiao did not make the transaction was not just to maintain the
deterrence of the Spacetime Amber but also because of the problem of their opposing
factions. Even if he would end up offending the other, he could only reject. This even
applied to the worst case where they turned hostile.

The atmosphere was a little heavy for a moment. Han Xiao only stared at Manison, not
speaking, while Manison did the same, his mechanical host not showing any emotions.

After silence reigned for a period, Manison finally opened his mouth again. “Alright
then, it seems that my request was a little overboard.”

He did not insist on reclaiming the duo, maybe because he did not wish to turn hostile
with Han Xiao over such a small matter. However, Han Xiao could not know if that was
what he thought.

“Many thanks for understanding, Your Excellency Mechanic Emperor.” Han Xiao’s
tone also softened. Since the other party had given him face, there was a need to
respond appropriately.

“However…” Manison’s words took a curve. “While I don’t care if they have their own
lives, there’s something I need to remind you of.”

“Please speak.”

“Those two fellows have always wanted to free their clansmen. I hope you will not be
fooled by them. The Beyond Grade A Mechanic who helped them the other time ended
up as my trophy, and I don’t wish to be enemies with you… or else the result won’t be
nice to see.” Manison’s tone remained calm.

Han Xiao’s pupils needled. This was a pure warning!

At this moment, Manison stood up, and he expressed his intention to leave.
“No matter what, being able to come into contact with you, Your Excellency Black Star,
has made this a worthwhile trip. It was pleasant getting to know you.”

Han Xiao remained expressionless and stood up, shaking hands with the other.

After exchanging communicator numbers, they walked out of the room. Han Xiao
personally escorted Manison back to the Federation of Light’s spaceship.

Before the hatch closed, Manison turned back to look at Han Xiao.

“Since you are coming over to the Primeval Star River to deal with EsGod, if time
permits, come over to my place for a visit.”

“Sure, I’ll try to do so.” Han Xiao nodded.

Ka!

The hatch sealed itself, and the spaceship’s thrusters ignited, taking off into the vast
universe.

Sending them off with his eyes, Han Xiao secretly heaved a sigh of relief and
murmured, “Old fox.”

Dealing with Manison was really not a pleasant thing.

Han Xiao could not determine Manison’s true thoughts. His attitude was also
ambiguous, his every move seemingly carrying probing intentions.

This guy is not just a person who purely pursues benefits. His thinking was hard to
predict, and even with Manison’s deeds from his previous life as a gauge, Han Xiao still
found it hard to figure out the character of this old fox.
When encircling EsGod, the battlefield will be in the Primeval Star River. There’s a
need to go to the territory of the Mechanic Empire to battle… From the current
situation, since I rejected him, Manison will definitely be dissatisfied with me, but
considering all factors, he probably won’t make me an enemy for now.

Han Xiao shook his head.

Because of a conflict of interest, this meeting ended on a heavy note.

Beep beep!

This time, the communicator rang, and Mona passed on the news that the Federation of
Light had approved Han Xiao’s request to hunt down EsGod.

No matter what, at least I have more assurance in dealing with EsGod now.

Han Xiao regained his spirit. Regarding the Mechanic Empire, he could handle it at a
later date. The pressing task at hand was to first get rid of EsGod.

He was only an ally and thus could not privately engage in a cooperation with the
Federation of Light without the dynasty’s knowledge, or it would be considered as
overstepping his bounds. Thus, he had to inform the dynasty, which was also
convenient to show the dynasty his firm killing intent toward EsGod.

Regardless of whether the dynasty was willing to cooperate, the Federation of Light
would be dispatched, and the only difference would be whether they encircled EsGod
together or separately.

At the same time, on the Federation of Light’s spaceship, Mona approached Manison
and respectfully said, “The upper echelons have accepted Black Star’s request to
encircle EsGod, and they hope that Your Excellency Mechanic Emperor will be able to
help since the battlefield will be situated in the Primeval Star River.”
“Got it.”

Manison waved his hands before controlling his host to move toward the porthole,
gazing at the shrinking Black Star Army headquarters in the distance.

“No wonder Sorokin suffered a loss here. This guy is one tough nut.” Manison nodded.

He was one of the shareholders of the Limitless Financial Group, and he supplied the
financial group with a large amount of mechanical materials yearly. Thus, he had
known Sorokin for quite a long time.

The armed force that Sorokin was developing on the Shattered Star Ring was not a
secret to Manison. His intelligence web was huge, to the point where even though the
Calamity Grade partner of the Beyond Grade A seed Roseau seemed to be working for
Sorokin on the surface, he was actually a spy loyal to Manison.

Thus, Manison was aware that Sorokin tried to probe the Black Star Army and ended up
suffering in the Gulal Civilization.

Sorokin was interested in the undying troops of the Black Star Army, which were also
of interest to Manison. From his point of view, Black Star’s immortal troops were akin
to his Indestructible Mechanic Empire, just that Manison’s army was larger. Thus, he
was not as eager as Sorokin was.

What he was most concerned about now was the Spacetime Amber.

As for the Evolution Cube, he was not too interested in it.

The theory behind the Evolution Cube was unknown, and it was impossible for the
genetic optimization to be adjusted. He was different from EsGod in this regard;
Manison did not like things that could not be controlled.

…
On the mother planet of the Crimson Dynasty, Urranrell put down the report in her
hand. Facing the long distance projection of Tarrokov, she expressionlessly asked,
“You’re saying, Black Star took the initiative to contact you, saying that the Federation
of Light had contacted him, wishing to reconcile with him, and he persuaded them to
prepare to encircle EsGod together?”

“Yes.” Tarrokov nodded.

Not too long ago, Han Xiao had contacted him once more and roughly summarized the
events for him. After ending the call, he had immediately reported upward to Urranrell,
conveying Han Xiao’s intentions.

“Hmm…” Urranrell leaned back in her chair, her hand rapping on the table as she
turned to look at her confidant, Clotti. “What do you think?”

“Black Star did not ask the dynasty in advance and privately found a collaborator
without permission. He has crossed the line, forgetting his identity now that he has
made some achievements.” Clotti’s tone was indifferent, and he did not like or dislike
Han Xiao, merely speaking his mind.

“It’s not that serious. In fact, it’s a good thing. Plus, he reported it immediately. This
minor issue is not worth pursuing.” Urranrell waved her hands. “I know that he wishes
to kill EsGod more than anyone else. He’s probably worried that EsGod will still eye
the Evolution Cube and will make a comeback.”

She pondered for a while before making a decision.

“Since the Federation of Light wishes to participate, pull aboard the Arcane Church.
Let’s have a three-pronged operation.”

Because EsGod had turned traitor, it resulted in huge losses for the Arcane Church.
Thus, the Arcane Church would definitely remember this grudge. Furthermore, because
they had worked together with EsGod during the battle of Planet Lighthouse, it had
caused some negative public opinion within the interstellar society. There was an urgent
need for them to express their position against EsGod.
In this regard, EsGod was just like a chamber pot. When there was a need, they would
take it out to use, but once they had utilized it, they would find it smelly and kick it back
into the corner once more.

Urranrell’s idea was to drag the Arcane Church down as well, to relieve the pressure on
the dynasty. If they were going to fight, all of them should do so. No one should sit by
the side and watch.

Furthermore, eliminating the EsGod would also help to fulfil Black Star’s wishes.

In a certain desolate universe belt of the Primeval Star River, EsGod’s fleet was
currently cruising along, moving toward the edge of the star field.

In the main hall of the spaceship, Fakisen came up to the throne of the EsGod,
awakening the snoozing EsGod.

The dark mist swirled, forming ugly facial features. EsGod opened his eyes, gazing at
his assistant before asking indifferently, “What’s the matter?”

“There’s a problem with our main camp. The troops we have in the Central Galaxy have
been encircled by the Crimson Dynasty and the Arcane Church, and our losses are
disastrous.”

“Oh, is there anything else?” EsGod nodded as though he did not care.

Fakisen paused for a while before forcing a smile. “We’ve also angered the Arcane
Church this time, and they may join hands with the dynasty to send Beyond Grade As
after you. Are you not worried?”

“They’re the ones that should be worried, not me.” EsGod closed his eyes again, his
tone akin to one dreaming. “I can also test out my strength after my evolution.”
Seeing EsGod once again sink into slumber, Fakisen left the hall. As he closed the door,
it covered the ferocious arc of his mouth.

Anger, glee, complacency, resignation… all sorts of complex feelings flashed across.

Chapter 886 Borrowing Strength

Two days later, Han Xiao called all his officers to his office and informed them that he
was going to the Central Galaxy.

Sylvia nodded upon hearing that and asked, “How long will your trip be?”

“I have to see the dynasty’s arrangement. We will only be able to take action after they
gather enough manpower.”

“Alright. The affairs of the army will be managed by me, so you don’t have to worry,”
Sylvia said.

By the side, Hila said, “I have some things that I need to pack. When will we be
leaving?”

Han Xiao shook his head.

“You don’t need to go. I won’t be bringing the Black Star Guards this time.”

Hila froze in place and asked, “Why?”

“Because I will be fighting with EsGod, and you guys won’t be of help. It would be
better for all of you to remain in the Shattered Star Ring,” Han Xiao said.

The members of the Black Star Guards were all Calamity Grade elites, and their main
responsibility was to deal with the enemies that did not require him to make a personal
appearance. There was no need to bring them along to deal with EsGod; they would
only be a burden to him. Thus, Han Xiao decided to go alone this time.

“… Alright.” Hila grunted with dissatisfaction and left the room.

She seemed to be agitated again.

Han Xiao laughed in his heart. This was a good thing. Hila was not the crazy individual
that she was in her previous life, and it would be good to provide her with timely
motivation.

“My sister will be going through a devilish training regime again.” Aurora then looked
at Han Xiao and said with worry, “Will there be any danger if you go alone?”

“I’m not taking the Black Star Guards, but I didn’t say that I will be going alone.”

As he said that, Han Xiao turned around to look at Reynold.

“Hmm? Me?” Reynold pointed to himself with a puzzled look on his face.

“That’s right. It’s you.”

“But I still have to manage the logistics…” Reynold did not understand why Han Xiao
wanted to bring him along.

“Won’t you get bored if you spend all your time dealing with logistics? Follow me on a
walk. Right, who is the vice director of the logistics department?”
“A Calamity Grade Mechanic that joined a few years ago. This is his resume.” Sylvia
immediately took out some information.

The army had developed rapidly over the past few years, and Han Xiao had plenty of
experts under his charge. There were more and more Calamity Grades working for him,
and the number of Calamity Grades he had was more than a Star System civilization.
Apart from the Black Star Guards in the Shattered Star Ring, the other Calamity Grades
were scattered in other departments and had a respected position.

There were more Calamity Grade Supers who came from the outside, such as Hadavy,
Lagi, and so on. There were fewer Calamity Grade Supers that were trained by the army
like Herlous, Sylvia, and Reynold.

Han Xiao then flipped through the records and asked, “Does he have any record of
accepting bribes, reselling the army’s blueprints, or corruption?”

“No. I would have reported it to you if he did so…” Sylvia burst out in cold sweat.

You are a Beyond Grade A Virtual Mechanic and probably even know about the size of
my undergarments. Is there anything in the base that is hidden from your eyes?

“Then the matters of the logistics department shall be handed over to him temporarily.”
Han Xiao then turned around and looked at Reynold. “Nero is still a child, and he will
be traumatized if he spends every day studying. I plan to bring him along to tour Planet
Crimson Ring. Of course, having a holiday is one thing, but his studies cannot stop.”

Reynold then came to a realization. I see, His Excellency Black Star wants to bring
Nero out on a holiday but doesn’t want to let his godson relax completely. Thus, he is
also bringing the teacher along.

Sylvia immediately felt her heart turn sour.

I am also His Excellency Black Star’s student! Why is our teacher so biased toward
Reynold? I can also be Nero’s teacher!

I also want a holiday!

“Don’t worry, all of you will stay on Planet Crimson Ring when I fight EsGod, and
there’s no need to follow me. There won’t be any danger.” Han Xiao then looked at
Feidin. “Follow along as well. You can accompany Nero.”

“Alright.” Feidin smiled. “Nero should be very happy.”

I don’t know if he will be happy, but I definitely am…

Han Xiao chuckled to himself.

Han Xiao mainly brought Feidin and Nero along because he believed in luck. After all,
it would be difficult for him to deal with EsGod, and bringing two high grade
protagonist level characters with him along might increase his chances of success.

The boost from two Advanced Luck Glows was better than an unlucky him working
alone.

Han Xiao then set the departure time to two hours later.

Everyone left the room, and Hadavy dragged the napping Lagi out of the room as
though he was dragging a bag of rubbish.

After the end of the meeting, Reynold immediately returned to the Logistics Department
to give out his instructions before returning to his office and opening a side door.

Nero was currently doing his homework in this side room.

After drinking the dragonblood potion, he did not feel like sleeping at all. Thus, he got
into the same napping posture that he had in Planet Aquamarine to try and fall asleep.

After checking Nero’s homework, a bright smile of satisfaction emerged on Reynold’s

face. At the very start, he had only taught Nero because it was Han Xiao’s instruction,
but throughout the teaching process, he had truly grown to like this student of his as he
saw himself in Nero.

Although Nero did not like machines as crazily as him, he was also capable of enduring
hardship. Nero had a strength in that he would never skive. Even if the amount of
homework that he had drove him to despair, Nero would still complete it earnestly.
Reynold truly liked such a student.

After all, the Mechanic Class was different from the other classes; knowledge was
power. The better the foundation, the smoother his future would be. Thus, Reynold felt
that Nero would definitely be able to go a long way.

Despite having such thoughts in his heart, Reynold naturally would not say that with his
personality. He then coughed dryly and said, “Stop doing your work and pack up your
things. The Army Commander wants to take you to the Central Galaxy.”

Nero’s eyes immediately sparkled with excitement.

“Godfather is going to bring me out to play! Hahaha… I finally don’t have to do

homework!”

Nero then threw his pen down and was agitated to the point he almost teared up.

Godfather still dotes on me!

The tiny bit of resentment in his heart disappeared, and he almost wanted to jump for
joy to praise his godfather.

“Pack your things quickly. We will be setting off very soon.”

Nero’s actions froze in place, and he turned around slowly. “Wait… we?”

“The Army Commander wants me to follow along to guide your learning,” Reynold
said expressionlessly.
Nero’s face froze in place.

Han Xiao and the others then gathered at his private dock. Feidin was the first to arrive,
and they chatted for a while before Reynold and Nero arrived.

Nero carried a small bag with a dispirited look.

“Everyone’s here. Let’s set off.”

Han Xiao led everyone onto the spaceship and got Phillip to activate the autopilot mode.

The spaceship then flew into space and entered hyperdrive.

He had gone to the Central Galaxy the previous year and was already familiar with the
journey.

After flying for a period of time, they arrived at the army stargate and skipped past
many Star Fields to arrive at the Crimson Ring Star System. Under the guidance of the
army, they then weaved through the Psionic Seal Ring and arrived at Planet Crimson
Ring.

“This is the capital of the Crimson Dynasty…” Reynold looked at the various
mechanical structures around him and murmured in awe.

“How magnificent.” Nero looked out of the window. This was far more spectacular than
his home planet, Planet Aquamarine.

As their spaceship landed, there was already a dynasty’s emissary waiting for them at
the dock. Bowing to Han Xiao respectfully, the emissary led the group into Tarunamir
Palace.
This was the legendary capital of a Universal Civilization. Nero was extremely curious
about everything, and if not for his godfather, he would never have been able to visit
this place in his lifetime.

The emissary then said with a smile, “Your Excellency Black Star, we will be in charge
of all of your daily needs. Please find me if you need anything.”

“Hmm, then why not take them to explore this place? The mother planet of the dynasty
is very big, and you can show them all the fun places,” Han Xiao said.

“Godfather, aren’t you going to come along with us?”

“I still have something else to do and have to meet the Dynasty Ruler.”

Han Xiao waved his hands and headed toward the core political building where
Urranrell was. He had already reported his arrival, and Urranrell was waiting to see him.

Han Xiao arrived outside the office of the Ruler quickly.

The secretary knocked on the door, and Urranrell’s voice could be heard from the
inside.

“Please enter.”

The door opened, and Han Xiao walked in.

This was the second time that he had seen the Ruler, and just like the first time, only the
two of them were in the room.

“Black Star, you’re here. Please take a seat,” Urranrell said.

Han Xiao nodded, and just as he sat down, Urranrell continued speaking.
“You rendered huge merits during the battle at Planet Lighthouse. Good job.”

Urranrell had only praised him through long-distance communication previously and
would naturally have to give a personal praise to Han Xiao now that they had met each
other.

“I only did something small,” Han Xiao replied.

“You’re too humble. The dynasty will always reward those with merit, and you should
already know that we will increase our support to you in terms of resources and give
you some benefits when assigning the territories for the Flickering World.”

Urranrell then paused for a while before slowly saying, “I can give you a heads up.
After the end of the first developmental phase, we will set up various basic facilities in
the different Star Clusters and assign some territories to our allied organizations. You
can give some suggestions on the topic of territory assignment, and we will consider
your suggestions seriously.”

Han Xiao raised his brows. This was akin to letting him pick the first territory. It
probably was not only for his merits but also to rope him in.

The development of a new Star Field was a long-term plan, and the dynasty was not
anxious. After the exploration would be development. They would have to first develop
the various regions that they had explored before expanding out into the other Star
Clusters. At that time, the various allies would surely receive more than one piece of
territory.

This was good for Han Xiao. He would be able to gain a territory after the first phase
was over and could officially develop his Mechanical Life civilization and shift the
Black Spirit Race over.

He would have a lot more freedom in his own territory compared to in the Shattered
Star Ring and would not have to share a region with the other Star System Civilizations.

“I’m looking forward to it.” Han Xiao smiled.

“Hmm, let’s talk about some proper matters. The dynasty has summoned you this time
for two matters. First, the dynasty promised the Arcane Church to help them unseal one
of the Beyond Grade As, and we need your help.”

Han Xiao nodded to indicate his agreement.

“The second matter is to surround EsGod. It is also related to the first matter. The
Arcane Church will only agree to join in the battle if you unseal one seal.”

Han Xiao was slightly shocked upon hearing that.

The Arcane Church was also dragged into it?

He did not receive news of this beforehand and was a little surprised.

“Isn’t it only the Federation of Light? The Arcane Church is…”

“This is my intention. Since you pulled the Federation of Light into this, I called the
Arcane Church along, and they are willing to help us.”

This was an unexpected surprise. With the Arcane Church joining, the three Universal
Civilizations were working together, so they would have a greater chance of getting rid
of EsGod!

Han Xiao pretended to ponder for a moment before saying with a smile, “We were the
only ones involved originally, but with the three Universal Civilizations working
together, we can save a lot of effort.”

“This isn’t the only reason. It is also because of you.”

“Me?”

“Yes, the dynasty can feel your murderous intent toward EsGod, and we chose to do so
to fulfill your wish.”
Han Xiao was truly overwhelmed with grace.

This meant that his suggestion had influenced the decision of the dynasty!

“You are an important ally of the dynasty, and we will naturally respect your thoughts.”
Urranrell paused for a moment before continuing. “We shall end the conversation here
today. I still have some things to take care of, and the Arcane Church fleet has not
arrived yet. Remain on Planet Crimson Ring for a while, and we will inform you of the
exact time of the operation.”

“Okay.”

Han Xiao could tell that the other party was inviting him to leave.

It seems like the Dynasty Ruler is truly busy.

Han Xiao then stood up and took his leave.

Hearing the door behind him close, Han Xiao heaved a sigh of relief and was truly
excited.

The Crimson Dynasty originally only planned to put up a show to deal with EsGod, but
he caused the three Universal Civilizations to work together!

This situation was because of his suggestion, and the outcome was better than he had
imagined!

His resolution to get rid of EsGod was recognized by the dynasty, and there was also the
effect of the Political Asset.

The influence that he had accumulated over the years was finally effective!
“It’s payback time.” Han Xiao narrowed his eyes, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

Chapter 887 Troops Established

Leaving the government building, Han Xiao’s communicator rang. It was Milizaus who
called him.

“Black Star, are you on Planet Crimson Ring already?” Milizaus chuckled.

“Yes, are you here too? I didn’t see you around.”

“I haven’t arrived yet. We are having a long-distance gathering. Come online for a
while.”

“Alright.” Han Xiao entered the quantum network and found an encrypted channel.

The next moment, his projection appeared in a huge room with a round table in front of
him and plenty of seats around. His own projection was currently in one of the seats.
Most of the seats were filled with only four empty ones at the moment.

Han Xiao then looked around and realized that everyone present was an ally of the
dynasty. It was like a Beyond Grade A group chat for the Crimson Dynasty.

Without anybody organizing a meeting, the ‘group chat’ would usually be silent with no
one online. Currently, most of the Beyond Grade As were online, and many familiar
faces were present. That included ‘Dragon King’ Milizaus, ‘Incineration’ Beyoni,
‘Warship Emperor’ Maximiler, ‘Fox Arts’ Ravenlaude, ‘Star Slasher’ Viru, and Little
Ty-Ty. ‘Dark Lord’ Clotti and another of the three pillars were not online.
“Haha, Black Star is here.” Beyoni was the most welcoming, and he looked very happy.

Everyone then looked at Han Xiao and greeted him. The two who fought with him on
Planet Lighthouse were the friendliest. Maximiler was also pretty friendly. Ravenlaude
and Heber greeted him calmly, and the others had a trace of respect in their voices.

After the battle on Planet Lighthouse, Han Xiao had gained the battle record of
capturing a Beyond Grade A alive, which cemented his status in the Beyond Grade A
group.

Although Han Xiao had only entered the Beyond Grade A realm not too long ago, he
had already gained the respect of his comrades and was officially accepted into the
group. He was now at the middle rungs of the group and had an even greater status than
some ordinary Beyond Grade As. At the very least, there would not be anyone who
intentionally provoked him anymore.

Fists reigned supreme after all, and the Beyond Grade As only respected strength.

Facing the friendly looks on the faces of his comrades, Han Xiao replied to all of them
warmly.

After which, the organizer of this meeting, Milizaus, started the meeting.

“The other four aren’t coming, and there isn’t a need to consider them. Let’s begin our
discussion. Everyone knows that the dynasty plans to send out at least three Beyond
Grade As to kill EsGod and has prepared a name list. However, they would like to ask
us if we are willing first. There isn’t a need to talk about Black Star since he is resolute
about killing EsGod. I also plan to help him. Is anyone else interested?”

A Universal Civilization could not easily order a Beyond Grade A around and would
generally consider if the Beyond Grade A Super was willing to participate in the
operation.

Everyone then fell into deep thought while glancing at Han Xiao once in a while.
Han Xiao looked around and felt Milizaus looking at him. He immediately understood
Milizaus’ intentions.

Milizaus had heard from the dynasty about Han Xiao’s intention to kill EsGod and thus
summoned most of the dynasty’s Beyond Grade As. In fact, he was trying to find
partners for Han Xiao and give Han Xiao a chance to choose his teammates.

Right at this moment, Beyoni shrugged his shoulders and said, “Black Star, you were
around when we last fought EsGod. It isn’t that I don’t wish to help you, but I am also
an Esper, and EsGod’s ability is my nemesis. I shall not take up a slot in this battle.”

Han Xiao nodded in agreement. Indeed, EsGod had the ability to silence Espers and was
the nemesis of most Espers. Beyoni was not wrong to say that he would be useless if he
went.

However, understanding was one thing, but he still had to show disdain.

Ah, little brother.

I only have a single word for you—noob!

Upon seeing the rest remain silent, Han Xiao said, “The Dynasty Ruler revealed some
information to me just now. The dynasty isn’t the only one taking action this time; the
Federation of Light and Arcane Church will also be participating. With all three parties
working together, they won’t be putting up a show. There is a good chance to get rid of
EsGod. I definitely won’t let go of this opportunity, and I will definitely be thankful to
anyone who is willing to help me.”

Upon hearing that, the eyes of many lit up. This meant that they would be able to use
the Evolution Cube if they helped Black Star get rid of EsGod.

“I will participate.” Ravenlaude was the first to speak.

“Alright, who else?” Milizaus asked calmly.

As an Ancient One, both him and Ravenlaude were not easy to deal with. Although
their relationship was not good, he also recognized Ravenlaude’s strength. An ordinary
Beyond Grade A was not capable of becoming an Ancient One. Milizaus would
naturally be willing to select a few more powerful allies for Black Star.

There was no need to consider the other two pillars. Clotti would keep guard beside
Urranrell, and the other one was guarding a Star Field.

Heber was also tempted but could not bring himself to offer help.

Some rejected and others were not too interested. Finally, more than half of the Beyond
Grade As present decided to participate in the operation. Together with Han Xiao, there
were seven individuals in total.

Milizaus, Maximiler, Ravenlaude, Viru, Kohler, and Lotus Swordsman—these six were
his comrades participating in the operation to get rid of EsGod. Kohler was a Pugilist,
and Lotus Swordsman was a female Psychic. There was not a single Esper among the
group.

“Will seven of us be too many? Will the dynasty agree?” Ravenlaude asked.

“We can help him in our personal capacity if the dynasty doesn’t agree. Can the dynasty
object?” Lotus Swordsman said.

The Crimson Dynasty originally planned to send out three to five people, but because
Han Xiao had promised to use the Evolution Cube as a reward, the troop had seven
individuals, which was out of the dynasty’s expectations.

However, the dynasty did not have any issue with it. After all, it would not be good for
them to stop their allies from seeking help personally. Furthermore, it was not a bad
thing either.

Han Xiao then sized up this female Psychic. She had long white hair and violet skin.
Her appearance looked similar to that of a human, and she was considered beautiful by
the standards of the galaxy. She gave out a dreamlike aura and had a unique sense of
charisma.
Lotus Swordsman was her name, not a title. Swordsman was her surname, and Lotus
was her forename.

She came from a special race called the Rainis Race. The members of this race did not
have any gender before the age of fifteen, and their bodies would undergo a special
transformation at the age of fifteen. They could become a female or male, and this
ceremony would be called the ‘Gender Determination Ceremony’. Once their gender
was decided, they would not be able to change it in the future.

As such, the race put heavy emphasis on splitting up the workload evenly. However,
because the Gender Determination Ceremony affected one’s life, there were far too
many people who chose to become males every year. Even if society increased the
benefits and status of females, the birth rate was still falling.

As such, the Rainis Race had a quota of females to fulfill every year to ensure that their
race could continue to reproduce. Lotus Swordsman was one of the unlucky candidates
to be picked when she was young and forced to become a female.

Despite the Rainis Race producing a Beyond Grade A Super, they did not receive any
protection. Lotus Swordsman had long announced that the Rainis Race had nothing to
do with her and managed her own organization.

Their other comrade, Kohler, was a Beyond Grade A who had completely submitted to
the dynasty. He did not have an organization, and although his strength could not be
compared to Heber, he was still a Beyond Grade A.

“I will have to rely on all of you for help,” Han Xiao said sincerely.

After chatting a while longer, Milizaus announced the end of the meeting and informed
the dynasty of the outcome.

Han Xiao then left the quantum network and heaved a sigh of relief.
His teammates had already been set. With the dynasty sending out seven people, there
would definitely be more than ten Beyond Grade As together with the other two parties.
The scale of the battle might reach the same level as the battle on Planet Lighthouse.

But this time, all of them were going to deal with EsGod alone, and EsGod’s situation
was far worse than the dynasty’s during the battle on Planet Lighthouse.

Han Xiao clenched his fists in excitement and prepared for battle!

Chapter 888 Future Dynasty Ruler

The dynasty’s team had been decided. A group of seven Beyond Grade As was an
extremely powerful force, and the number had exceeded Han Xiao and the dynasty’s
expectations. The dynasty agreed to the list of members of the team and gathered their
fleet to prepare for the battle.

Before dealing with EsGod, they had to first complete the trade with the Arcane Church.

The Arcane Church escort fleet was still on the way, and Han Xiao was awaiting his
orders on Planet Crimson Ring. He could take the time out to accompany Nero and the
others to explore Planet Crimson Ring.

Planet Crimson Ring was extremely large with plenty of floating cities in the sky. There
were many sights that were famous in the universe. Furthermore, Planet Crimson Ring
was the origin of the Crimson Dynasty Civilization, and many historical locations from
a long time ago were retained.

Under the lead of the tour guide, Han Xiao and the others spent this time exploring
many different tourist locations.
Han Xiao belonged to the dynasty faction in his previous life and had naturally explored
the mother planet of the dynasty before. Because he was familiar with the situation on
the planet, he was not too curious and was mainly there to accompany Nero and the
others.

Planet Crimson Ring had plenty of rich mission resources, but to the present Han Xiao,
the value of these missions was not great. Furthermore, his current status was different,
and his every action would be watched by others. As such, it was impossible for him to
become an errand boy for someone else.

Most importantly, there were many familiar missions and characters that had not
appeared at this time yet.

Today, their group arrived at the Saint Palace Museum of the dynasty.

This museum was the largest one in the Crimson Dynasty and had objects from every
historical period during the development of the Crimson Dynasty.

The Saint Palace Museum was a large garden with dozens of different palaces. The
palaces all had different styles to represent the different time period of the dynasty.

The advantage of having the dynasty’s tour guide beside them was that they did not
need to queue up or buy an entrance ticket. Han Xiao led Feidin, Reynold, and Reynold
to skip the long queue and entered the museum through a special entrance.

Their special privilege drew the attention of those queuing up, and everyone began
whispering to each other.

“That seems to be Black Star from the Shattered Star Ring. I saw him on the news
before.”

“To think that we’d be able to meet such a bigshot. How lucky.”

“Quick, take a picture!”

These tourists were all extremely excited and took out their cameras to take pictures. A
Beyond Grade A Super was an individual who truly held great authority and was
completely different from these ordinary galactic residents. Now that they had met Han
Xiao, it was like meeting a famous celebrity on the streets.

These tourists came from many different races and civilizations. The Psionic Seal Ring
was there to protect the mother planet but not to seal off the mother planet. At the very
least, they would not do so during this generation. It was just that every visitor had to go
through stringent checks and could only spend a limited time on the planet.

Every year, Planet Crimson Ring would welcome a huge number of tourists to support
the local tourist industry. The dynasty was not interested in that little bit of money but in
increasing the influence of the dynasty’s culture through tourism.

Han Xiao and the others walked into the museum and entered the main palace under the
tour guide’s lead.

Compared to the bustle on the outside, the palace was extremely silent and had a solemn
atmosphere.

The main palace described the development direction of the Crimson Dynasty, and
everyone listened to the explanation of the tour guide as they looked through the various
objects being displayed.

Nero was filled with curiosity toward the dynasty’s history and looked through the
introduction of every item. Feidin followed behind Nero and was also pretty interested
in the items being displayed. Reynold’s attention was mainly focused on the various
ancient machines being displayed. Although these machines were considered outdated
compared to the current technology, Reynold was still more interested in these items
than the others.

Han Xiao walked the fastest and arrived in front of ten gigantic black stone slabs. The
height of the ten stone slabs almost reached the ceiling of the palace, and the history of
the Crimson Dynasty was written down from the beginning to now. The development of
the Crimson Dynasty had not always been smooth.
The Crimson Dynasty was also once weak and had been through many struggles such as
civil war and revolutionary attempts.

The advancement of their genes brought about risk of mutation. The advancement of the
machines and artificial intelligence risked the betrayal of the intelligent machines. The
use of heavy machines brought about changes to the environment… As their
technological skills advanced, the civilization also met many different forks in the road.

There were plenty of other dangers such as the various wormholes, pandemics,
exploration wars, and so on. Through the many tribulations that the Crimson Dynasty
had experienced, they finally developed their iron-blooded character.

They grew from a weak civilization into one of the rulers in the universe. They had been
through plenty of tribulations throughout this period, and the ten stone slabs recorded
the price that they had to pay to get there.

In front of the history of an entire civilization, everyone seemed extremely small.

Just when Han Xiao fell into a daze while looking at the stone slabs, an old voice
sounded beside him.

“I’m always in awe whenever I see these stone slabs.”

Han Xiao turned around and saw an old man wearing the uniform of the museum. He
had a compassionate look in his eyes with his back straight as though he was a soldier.

“That’s right. Every civilization capable of reaching the universe level deserves to be
respected,” Han Xiao replied.

The old man then nodded and turned around to look at Han Xiao. With a smile, he said,
“Let me introduce myself. I am the vice manager of the Saint Palace museum, Karl
Fleur Wishandi. Hello, Your Excellency Black Star.”

“Hello.” Han Xiao also nodded, but his heart began thumping.
Karl Fleur Wishandi? This name sounds so familiar…

Usually, the names that he found familiar would be the famous characters from his
previous life. Han Xiao immediately began searching through his database while talking
to the vice manager.

Karl was a healthy old man who did not seem too concerned about Han Xiao’s status
and talked to Han Xiao on equal grounds.

“I have always been interested in the history of the dynasty and have guarded the
museum for many years. I enjoy protecting the items in this place.” Karl stroked the
stone slab in front of him and lamented.

Han Xiao glanced at the ‘Do Not Touch’ sign by the side and decided to ignore the vice
manager breaking the rules.

“Vice Manager Karl, did you use to be a soldier?”

“That’s right. I served in the Seventh Reconnaissance Corps of the dynasty when I was
young and joined in twenty-three battles. I was then transferred to become a long-
distance commander before landing an admin job. I served in the army for more than
half my life and applied to retire. Then, I became the vice manager of the museum.”

Rather than saying that he was explaining his origins to Han Xiao, it was more like he
was talking to himself and reminiscing about the past.

Upon hearing that, Han Xiao’s eyes lit up, and he finally remembered who the person
beside him was!

More accurately, the retired soldier beside him was not a famous NPC, but his
descendant was famous throughout the universe.

Karl’s surname was ‘Fleur Wishandi’, and one of the future Rulers of the Crimson
Dynasty had such a surname!
It was very likely that the future Ruler of the dynasty was the descendant of this old
man before him!

It could be said that he had met a large fish this time!

Han Xiao then turned around to look at Nero and Feidin slowly.

They are truly terrifying…

Of course, according to the time, that Dynasty Ruler might not have been born yet.
However, there was still value in befriending him, and it could be said that the value
was even higher.

Han Xiao then said with a smile, “I joined the dynasty recently, and I am also very
curious about the dynasty’s history. I wonder if you will be interested in giving me an
introduction?”

“It would be my honor to introduce the dynasty’s history to a Beyond Grade A ally.”
Karl laughed heartily.

As a retired soldier of the older generation, he was very willing to narrate the dynasty’s
history to others.

For the entire day, Karl snatched the job of the tour guide and accompanied Han Xiao
and the others to view the other palaces.

Since Han Xiao intended to befriend the other party, both of them chatted merrily for
the entire day and agreed to continue the next day.

For the next two days, Han Xiao followed Karl to explore the Saint Palace Museum and
finally finished viewing all the palaces at night.

Han Xiao then invited Karl to go out for a meal, but Karl did not accept the invitation.
Instead, he invited Han Xiao to be a guest at his place and said that he would personally
cook.
At the appointed date, Han Xiao and the others headed toward Karl’s residence.

As a retired, high-ranking officer, Karl received special treatment from the government
and had a small villa on the mother planet of the dynasty. It was not too far from
Tarunamir Palace and was pretty convenient to reach.

Han Xiao and the others arrived in front of the villa, and Nero knocked on the door.

Everyone waited for a while, and a middle-aged man pushed open the door.

“Hello, Your Excellency Black Star, please come in,” the middle-aged man said with a
face of excitement and respect.

This middle-aged man was Karl’s eldest son and was working for the Crimson Dynasty.
With his father’s connections, he had climbed to the middle rungs but was still nothing
much before Han Xiao.

Knowing that his father had befriended a Beyond Grade A Super, he was extremely
excited and made plenty of preparations for the gathering that night.

Walking into the hall, Karl’s head appeared from the kitchen, and he said, “Your
Excellency Black Star, please sit for a while. The dishes will be served in a while.”

“Don’t worry, take your time. We have plenty of time.” Han Xiao waved his hands.

They then sat down on the couch in the living room. Karl had another two children,
with the middle child being a daughter and the youngest child being a son. The former
was an entrepreneur who managed a galactic travel agency, and the latter was a
sculptor. Both of them were extremely respectful and looked extremely nervous.

Looking around at the decorations of the room, Han Xiao saw the picture of a lady
being hung on the wall. She should be Karl’s late wife.
Karl had three children, and Han Xiao did not know which branch the future Dynasty
Ruler came from. It was not that he could not remember but that he did not study the
matter in such great detail in his previous life. However, according to the occupations of
the three children, it should probably be the descendant of the eldest son.

Karl’s eldest son intended to befriend him with a fawning tone in his voice. As for
Karl’s other two children, they did not dare speak up much.

Han Xiao chatted casually with Karl’s eldest son for a while before Karl walked out of
the kitchen with the dishes and called for everyone to come and eat.

The dishes were all common household dishes from the Crimson Dynasty and were all
very tasty. Nero ate to his heart’s content, and Karl’s eldest son snatched Feidin’s job to
help serve Nero food.

After the meal, Karl’s daughter and youngest son took the initiative to clear up, and the
others returned to the living room. It could be seen just how happy Karl was today, and
he was truly full of smiles.

“Your Excellency Black Star still has the greatest face. These three little b*stards,
always complaining that they are busy every day and do not have the time to meet me.
But the moment you arrived, they all ran over obediently. Especially this little brat, he is
even more passionate than this old man.”

Karl chuckled.

“Cough cough.” Karl’s eldest son coughed awkwardly.

Han Xiao then chuckled and asked Karl’s eldest son, “What is your position in the
Crimson Dynasty?”

Karl’s eldest son immediately lit up and described his post.

“Oh, it isn’t too bad for you to be able to sit on such a post.” Han Xiao stroked his chin
and added, “You can always find me if you need any help in the future. Give me your
number.”
“That’s great! Thank you, Your Excellency Black Star!” Karl’s eldest son was
overjoyed.

He was so passionate about hosting Han Xiao so that he could receive Black Star’s
protection. His political sense was not too poor, and Black Star’s status was extremely
high. Together with the fact that the Dynasty Ruler paid close attention to Black Star,
Black Star’s protection would result in a positive impact for his career.

Furthermore, with Black Star’s age, he would be able to protect the Crimson Dynasty
for a long time and would definitely have a higher status in the future.

Karl did not like his eldest son’s style and felt as though his eldest son made his
friendship with Black Star become complicated. However, he would not stop his eldest
son’s opportunity and could only pretend that he did not see anything.

“Right, I also brought a gift for you.” Han Xiao smiled.

“Sigh, a gift isn’t necessary.” Karl waved his arms.

“How could that do? I can’t possibly come empty handed.”

Han Xiao then snapped his fingers, and ten compressed orbs landed on the table.

“I personally made these mechanical guards. They are equipped with a transmitter to
send a signal to me. You can press this button when you meet danger, and I will know
that you guys are in danger. I will then be able to send my Mechanical Force through
the void dimension to activate these mechanical guards and protect all of you. The
mechanical guards that are boosted by my Mechanical Force should be able to deal with
Calamity Grade dangers.”

“Wouldn’t this be too precious?” Karl hesitated.

Han Xiao laughed upon hearing that and said, “Hahaha, I am a Mechanic.”
“Alright then, I shall thank you for your gift.” Karl then accepted the ten compressed
orbs.

He was already old, and even if he did not care about his own safety, he had to consider
his future generations.

The mechanical guards of a Beyond Grade A had enormous value. Black Star’s life
span was very long, and as long as Black Star remained alive, these ten compressed orbs
would be like a family heirloom!

After giving out the gift, both parties were much closer than before. After chatting a
while longer, Han Xiao took his leave.

Upon leaving Karl’s villa, Han Xiao’s mouth curled up slightly in a smile.

He had befriended the ancestors of a future Dynasty Ruler. If he really became the
senior of a future Dynasty Ruler, things would be interesting.

This small investment had a chance of bringing him huge returns, and there was no
reason for him not to make such an investment.

Thinking about it, Han Xiao stroked Nero’s head.

Nero enjoyed the feeling of Han Xiao patting him on the head, and he looked at Han
Xiao.

“You are really my little star of fortune.” Han Xiao chuckled.

Nero blinked, and although he did not understand what Han Xiao meant, he could tell
that Han Xiao was in a good mood. Thus, he made use of this opportunity to ask, “Then,
can my homework be reduced?”

“Sure. In your dreams.”

Nero then shook his head to shake Han Xiao’s hand off and placed his bag above his
head to prevent Han Xiao from patting him.

Han Xiao spent the following days casually in this manner, taking Nero and the others
out to tourist hotspots while farming favorability with Karl’s family. After some time,
the dynasty finally sent him some news.

The Arcane Church’s troops had arrived at the transaction location, and he could set off.

Han Xiao left Nero and the others on the dynasty’s mother planet and followed the
dynasty’s fleet on his own.

Chapter 889 EsGod“s Preparation

Region 1749-C was the border between the Constellation Corridor and Silver Arm, and
the Crimson Dynasty and Arcane Church had a large number of troops stationed there.

It only took Han Xiao a few days to arrive at the borders with the various stargates of
the dynasty. This was the transaction location for the dynasty and Arcane Church.

Their battleship stopped beside the outpost, and Han Xiao’s spaceship received a
message from the outpost commander.

“Your Excellency Black Star, the Arcane Church escort fleet has arrived. They are
waiting to complete the transaction with us. The location of the transaction is on an
uninhabited planet between the two borders. His Excellency Milizaus and the outpost
fleet will escort you to the destination.”
“Milizaus is also here?” Han Xiao raised his brows.

Just when he asked that question, the old dragon’s voice sounded in the channel.

“I arrived a long time ago and have waited here for a long time already. The dynasty
only wanted me to come as a precautionary measure. Although the odds of anything
going wrong are slim, we cannot ignore the possibility that the other party may want to
snatch the Spacetime Amber.”

“Hmm, alright.” Han Xiao nodded. “Commander, we can set off now.”

A fleet of heavy-armored battleships flew out from the outpost, and Milizaus’ gigantic
body followed beside them.

The fleet did not enter hyperdrive but relied on their thrusters only. After flying for a
short while, an uninhabited planet appeared in their sights.

The Arcane Church and the Crimson Dynasty’s fleet had already arrived on the planet,
and both parties were currently in a standoff outside the atmosphere. In the middle of
the standoff was an Arcane Church escort fleet with the sealed Dylan being placed on
the ground.

The dynasty had agreed to unseal Dylan. The weakest individual would usually receive
special treatment from the enemy.

Han Xiao first scanned the situation on the planet and confirmed that there was no trap.

However, he had been caught off guard by the Multi-Dimensional Sky Opening
Transportation Device in the battle on Planet Lighthouse. Thus, he did not lower his
guard.

“We have arrived. Your Excellency Black Star, let’s go.” In the bridge of the flagship,
the dynasty emissary invited Han Xiao to set off with him.
Han Xiao nodded and left the spaceship.

The surface of the red planet got closer and closer to him.

Han Xiao landed on the ground and stepped on the sandy surface.

Walking in front of the Arcane Church squad, he looked at Dylan, who was trapped in
the amber.

The dynasty emissary then talked to the Arcane Church emissary for a while before
nodding to Han Xiao.

“Your Excellency Black Star, please release the seal.”

Upon hearing that, Han Xiao stepped forward and stood in front of Dylan. He then
turned around to look at the Arcane Church escort squad.

Great Mechanic Han then raised his brows and stomped on the ground lightly.

The next moment, the ground transformed into nano alloys, and a large metal wall was
erected from the ground to ensure that no one would be able to see what was going on in
the region.

Black Star obviously did not want to show others his method to unseal the seal.
Everyone could only wait silently with disappointment.

After a full ten minutes, the alloy wall collapsed and returned to Han Xiao’s palms.
Dylan’s seal had already disappeared, and he collapsed onto the ground with a look of
fear in his eyes.

“Your Excellency Dylan, are you alright?” The Arcane Church escort squad
immediately went to support him.
“I’m alright.”

Dylan snapped back into his senses and stood up on his own while glaring at Han Xiao
with enmity, anger, and fear.

“How have you been over the past few months?” Han Xiao squinted and chucked.

Dylan trembled and subconsciously took a step back.

His body had been sealed by the Spacetime Amber, but his thoughts had not been. He
could clearly feel his body but was unable to control it. Such a feeling was unbearable
as though he was possessed by a ghost. During the period when he was sealed, Dylan
felt like every day was a year and had almost gone mad.

If not for the mental strength and will of a Beyond Grade A being extremely powerful,
he felt that he might have truly been driven insane.

Although a few months of captivity was not enough to wipe out his consciousness,
Dylan could feel his soul becoming weaker. If he continued to remain trapped, it was
very likely that his soul would have been wiped out!

Such a possibility made Dylan tremble in fear.

It was not only capable of trapping his body but also capable of wiping out his
consciousness. Even a Beyond Grade A was unable to resist it. The terrifying might of
the Spacetime Amber truly made him tremble, and he never wanted to experience it
again.

Han Xiao then looked around and suddenly said, “The seal has been undone. Where is
your ambush? It’s time for them to come out.”

He had always felt that the Arcane Church would arrange for their troops in the nearby
region, and these troops would appear right after the transaction was completed.

“We don’t have an ambush,” the Arcane Church emissary replied.

“Really? I thought that you guys would try and deal with me. This time, not only will
you be able to snatch the Evolution Cube, you guys will also be able to get the
Spacetime Amber. I never thought that there really wouldn’t be an ambush around…”
Han Xiao shook his head and chuckled. “It seems like you guys are really scared of
me.”

The face of the Arcane Church emissary turned frosty.

Black Star had already used his strength to prove himself. In consideration for the other
allies that were still sealed, they did not intend to take any risks. Furthermore, they were
located at the border between both the civilizations, and the dynasty still had their guard
up. It would be impossible for them to prepare an ambush.

Of course, aside from all these excuses, the truth was that they were truly afraid.

It was because Han Xiao said the truth that his words stabbed right into their hearts.

The Arcane Church emissary gritted his teeth and replied, “Since our transaction is
complete, we shall take our leave. I hope that we will be able to complete similar
transactions in the future.”

Han Xiao then stroked his chin and said, “Are you just going to leave like that, Dylan?
Do you want to stay behind and catch up with me?”

The Arcane Church emissary immediately became wary and asked, “Your Excellency
Black Star, what do you want to do?”

The transaction location was located at the border because both parties were wary of
each other. The dynasty was afraid that the Arcane Church might launch another
ambush, and the Arcane Church was afraid that the dynasty would go back on their
word and capture Dylan again. With both parties wary of each other, it was extremely
easy for the Arcane Church to misunderstand Han Xiao’s words.

“Why are you so nervous? Are you afraid that I will snatch him back?” Han Xiao
smirked.
The Arcane Church emissary remained silent and did not respond.

Dylan then gritted his teeth and replied, “I will pay a visit to the Black Star Army in the
future if there is a chance!”

“Then I hope that you will come with good will.” Han Xiao raised his brows. “If not,
history will probably repeat itself.”

Upon hearing that, Dylan shrunk back and did not say another word.

A few rays of light then landed on Dylan and the others, sucking them back into the
battleship.

Han Xiao looked at Dylan ascending into the sky and the Arcane Church fleet leaving
the planet.

“The transaction is complete. Let’s return.”

Han Xiao patted the emissary on the shoulders with a teasing look on his face.

The Arcane Church would definitely ask Dylan about how he felt when he was sealed.
Dylan would cooperate, and the Arcane Church would know that the seal could cause
the death of one’s consciousness.

The Arcane Church originally was not clear that being sealed by the Spacetime Amber
had a risk of death, and after receiving the report from Dylan, they would be anxious to
release the seals on the others.

This way, they would be at a disadvantage in their negotiations with the dynasty. In
order to save time, they would have to accept some more ridiculous terms from the
dynasty.

Their outcome could only be described with a single word—pitiful.

“Heh, I extorted a great deal out of them again.” Han Xiao chuckled.

The happiness of an individual was usually built upon the suffering of others.

The transaction went smoothly, and Han Xiao followed the fleet back to the border
outpost. He then received news from the upper echelons that the Arcane Church would
send their Beyond Grade A combatants to participate in the operation to kill EsGod.

The allies who agreed to participate in the operation were already headed to the
gathering point before heading over to Primeval Star River together.

Milizaus then came over to Han Xiao. “Black Star, I am preparing to head over to the
gathering point. Do you have anything else to do?”

“I also planned to go now.”

“Alright, then let’s go together. My injuries from the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter
haven’t healed yet. Do you still have that medicine?”

“Oh, I still have the medicine, but… you should understand the meaning of equal
exchange, right?”

“Speak, how much dragon’s blood do you want? Do you want mine?”

“Cough cough. Let’s talk along the way.” Han Xiao’s mouth cramped up.

Indeed, as long as an individual broke their bottom line once, there would be a second
time.

Milizaus originally refused to give Han Xiao his own blood, but after seeing Han Xiao
gather quite a bit of his blood, he decided to just give up entirely. Since the other party
already had his blood, a little more would not make a difference.
They did not remain at the border any longer and set off together.

The security in the dynasty was pretty good, and apart from Milizaus being a little
anemic, they did not face any problems along the way. They were the first to reach the
gathering point and waited for their allies to join them.

At the same time, in a desolate universe belt of the Primeval Star River, the Fallen Ark
floated above a Fixed Star with its energy shield blocking out the powerful radiation.

In the command room of the flagship, Fakisen looked out of the window at a spot on the
surface of the Fixed Star, which was where EsGod had landed. A whirlpool-like energy
spiral could be seen with EsGod at the center.

The energy of a Fixed Star was far too blinding, and even with his Calamity Grade
senses, he was unable to see EsGod’s figure clearly. The large energy whirlpool
disrupted all the radars on board the spaceship, and the target region was covered with
EsGod’s Esper Ability. No one was able to see what EsGod was doing on the Fixed
Star.

“His Excellency EsGod has made us wait here for two days already. Just what is he
doing?” a member of the spaceship asked impatiently.

“I don’t know,” Fakisen replied.

Two days ago, EsGod got them to await orders outside of this Fixed Star while he
landed on the Fixed Star and absorbed energy like a bottomless pit.

At this moment, EsGod had his arms stretched out wide as he absorbed the endless
energy of the Fixed Star.

He had an Esper Ability that could absorb the energy of the outside world called ‘Black
Hole’. He had once displayed this ability when fighting Han Xiao.
As the energy was absorbed into his body, a black fog-like figure separated from
EsGod’s body and transformed into a black crystal-like item that floated beside EsGod.

This black sphere was a doppelganger created by EsGod from absorbing the crazy
amount of energy.

The more powerful an individual, the greater the effects of the Evolution Cube. EsGod’s
strength received a huge boost, but he could clearly feel that his own body had not been
completely transformed. It was as though the evolution energy had sunk into his cells
and was like a treasure being sealed in a box.

EsGod did not have an interface and did not know that this was the additional Race
Evolution opportunity that he had obtained by using the Evolution Cube. He would only
be able to trigger it with a Promotion.

But if he was able to complete this promotion, he would experience a qualitative

transformation!

However, the Evolution Cube did not have the ability to increase an individual’s level,
and thus, EsGod did not receive this energy at the moment.

Although the evolution ability did not allow EsGod to promote, it released some of the
restrictions on EsGod’s body.

For example, gene load!

Because of the conflict between genes, EsGod’s body was not able to contain too many
different abilities at the same time. His doppelganger was able to make up for this
shortcoming and store certain Esper Abilities, but his main body could not make use of
these abilities.

However, there was an obvious disadvantage to this method. The doppelganger created
by EsGod was not without any burdens because maintaining the doppelganger required
the activation of an Esper Ability.
If EsGod was like a computer, every Esper Ability would be like a program. The upper
limit of his main body would be like his RAM, and maintaining a doppelganger was
like running a program in the background. It would constantly take up his RAM.

The more powerful his doppelganger and the more doppelgangers he had at the same
time, the more RAM it would require.

He needed his RAM to have extra space for him to use other Esper Abilities.

Thus, EsGod would not use his doppelgangers during a head on battle mainly because
of this reason. The presence of his doppelgangers would reduce the combat capabilities
of his main body.

However, the Evolution Cube had changed this.

Simply put, it increased his RAM and simplified his programs.

The upper limit of his main body was increased, and the load of every Esper Ability was
reduced. This meant that he would be able to use more Esper Abilities at the same time.

This strengthened EsGod’s abilities to a large extent!

As such, EsGod was now capable of supporting more Beyond Grade A doppelgangers.

The change in quantity resulted in a change in quality!

It could be said that the improvement from the Evolution Cube changed EsGod’s
combat strategy!

EsGod was currently sucking up energy from the Fixed Star so that he could create a
large number of doppelgangers and prepare for the enemy’s revenge!
Since he had frustrated the Arcane Church and the Crimson Dynasty, it would only be a
matter of time before both of them attempted to surround him. Since both parties
seemed like they were about to take action, he naturally made his own preparations.

EsGod treasured his life a lot as he would only be able to fulfil his wishes if he
remained alive. However, he was not afraid of danger either as he would only be able to
become stronger by fighting.

The attack of a Universal Civilization would definitely be a good opportunity for him to
test his strength. He would only be able to understand his own strength after fighting
with other Beyond Grade As.

The attack this time was also an opportunity to him even though the meaning was
slightly different.

This was his first battle after his evolution!

EsGod was truly excited in his heart.

He would only know just how strong he had become after testing his strength out.

Chapter 890 Mission Triggered

The gathering point for the dynasty’s troops was in a military region. This was a key
Inter-Star Field Stargate relay point, and the stargate being guarded by the military
would lead them directly to the Primeval Star River.

The military stargates of the three Universal Civilizations led to many different regions.
With the Central Galaxy as the middle, they had stargates that could reach all the
various Star Fields. This was the foundation of protecting their status as the ruler of the
universe.

After waiting for a few days, the other few dynasty allies participating in the mission
also arrived. After the seven of them were gathered, they boarded the main flagship for
their expedition.

In the command room, the seven of them gathered together and greeted each other.

Since they were going to work together, it was important for them to know each other.

During his first trip to the dynasty’s mother planet, Kohler was also present, so they had
met before. Lotus Swordsman was the only dynasty ally that he was meeting for the
first time.

“Your Excellency Black Star,” Lotus Swordsman said with a calm expression.

“Hello. This is the first time we are meeting, right?” Han Xiao replied politely and
stretched out his hand.

Lotus Swordsman then looked at Han Xiao’s palms and hesitated for a moment. She
then shook her head and said, “I don’t like others touching my body. I’m sorry.”

“I understand.” Han Xiao was not too bothered and retracted his arm. There were many
Beyond Grade As with their own habits, and he would respect the other party.

Right at this moment, Milizaus’ magical doppelganger walked over and patted Han
Xiao on the shoulder. “Her Excellency Lotus will be our sharpest sword. Her Psychic
abilities are very unique and have a strong penetrative ability.”

“It isn’t that exaggerated,” Lotus Swordsman said. “EsGod also has abilities to protect
his soul.”
“Compared to his other abilities, his soul can be considered a weakness.”

Han Xiao nodded upon hearing that. He had fought EsGod three times in total, and
together with the information from his previous life, he had a pretty good understanding
of EsGod’s abilities.

EsGod’s most frightening advantage was his ability to collect various Esper Abilities,
which allowed him to have almost no weaknesses.

He had high mobility abilities such as ‘Dimension Crack’ and ‘Instantaneous

Movement’. He also had abilities like ‘Strengthened Self Recovery’ and ‘Black Hole’ to
increase his safety. On top of that, he had various powerful attacks, control techniques,
defense techniques, and mental attacks. Compared to his physical defense, EsGod’s soul
was not as powerful. As such, it would be the most effective to launch a soul attack.

Everyone chatted for a while, and the commander of the flagship walked in. He gave a
military salute to the seven Beyond Grade As and said with a deep voice, “The fleet has
completed its preparations, and we shall head to the Primeval Star River if there isn’t a
problem.”

As one of the three pillars in the dynasty, Milizaus had the highest status in the team. He
looked around, and upon seeing that no one had any objections, he nodded.

“Let’s go.”

“Okay.”

The commander then walked forward to the control panel and gave a strict order. “The
EsGod encirclement mission shall officially commence. All forces set off!”

The dynasty fleet began moving toward the stargate.

Right at this moment, Han Xiao’s expression changed slightly.

The instant the commander announced the commencement of the mission, two
notifications popped up on his interface!

The first mission that he triggered was [The Battle of the Empire: The Fallen Ark
(Repeatable)]. This was a faction mission that Han Xiao had completed before.

The mission objectives required him to kill different numbers and types of Fallen Ark
members with the highest reward being for him to deal with EsGod.

He would be able to obtain a certain amount of experience and Crimson Dynasty

Contribution Points if he reduced EsGod’s health by a certain amount. Furthermore, he
would obtain an EsGod Character Summon Card if he was able to kill EsGod’s
doppelganger.

The second mission was called [Archenemy of the Three Universal Civilizations].

_____________________

Archenemy of the Three Universal Civilizations

Mission Introduction: Chaos breeds order, and order gives rise to chaos. Chaos and
order were extreme opposites while also different sides to the same coin. The three
Universal Civilizations have explored the universe and are the manifestation of order.
EsGod, on the other hand, is the representative of chaos and violence. In his
unscrupulous pursuit for strength, he was bestowed with the titles ‘Butcher of Life’,
‘Guide of the Crazy Believer’, and so on. All the ferocious individuals in the universe
have gathered under him, and he spreads fear everywhere. The three Universal
Civilizations are extremely eager to get rid of this tumor and have chosen to work
together to achieve this objective. You have been chosen to participate in this glorious
mission.

Mission Requirements: Follow the three Universal Civilizations to deal with EsGod.

Reward: Rewards will be given according to the damage dealt to EsGod—both his main
body and doppelgangers will be included—as a percentage. You will be entitled to a
Random Reward if you reach 20%, [Character Summon Card: EsGod] if you reach
75%, and if your damage exceeds 100% of EsGod’s health, it will be counted as 100%.
Additional Mission Requirements: Work together with the three Universal Civilizations
and capture or kill EsGod.

Additional Reward: Randomly select three of EsGod’s abilities. You will be able to
select his skill or talent every time, and you can choose to split it into three draws or
draw them in one go.

_____________________

“The mission has been assigned.” Han Xiao’s eyes sparkled.

Indeed, for a large event such as the three Universal Civilizations encircling EsGod,
there would definitely be a mission.

He had already done the first mission before and did not pay much attention to it. The
second mission was the main point, which seemed to have been triggered by the three
Universal Civilizations working together.

It could be said that their cooperation was a result of his actions, and thus, he was the
one who created this mission.

EsGod had a body full of treasures, and drawing his abilities would definitely give Han
Xiao great rewards. Furthermore, the Random Reward this time was slightly different.

In the past, he would not be able to select the type of reward being drawn and would
draw both skills and talents. This time, he was able to designate the type of ability being
drawn, and the number of abilities had also increased. On top of that, he was also able to
split it up into three different draws, which meant that he could increase the options
from five to fifteen, thus increasing his possibilities.

However, the more plentiful the reward, the harder the mission.
EsGod’s strength after evolution was still an unknown factor. Apart from being excited
about the reward of the mission, Han Xiao also worried about the success rate of the
mission.

Han Xiao then looked around, and the faces of the other allies were all calm. Although
they knew that they were about to deal with EsGod, none of them seemed anxious. Only
he knew the outcome of their actions.

This would determine the direction of the entire universe!

It also affected whether he would be able to develop safely in the future.

In order to get rid of the hidden danger of the World Tree Civilization, he had to get rid
of EsGod even if there was no reward.

Thinking about this, Han Xiao calmed himself down.

The dynasty had already created an advantageous situation, so we will have to see the
situation of the actual battle…

The Primeval Star River was a vast Star Field that was even larger than the Shattered
Star Ring. It was split into thirty-one Star Clusters and controlled by four Super Star
Cluster Civilizations. The level of prosperity in the region was comparable to the Sea of
Star Spirits and belonged to the second rung in the universe. The first rung would
naturally be the Central Galaxy.

Because the three Universal Civilizations controlled the Central Galaxy strictly, the
second rung Star Fields such as the Primeval Star River had plenty of different
civilizations and became extremely active. For example, the headquarters of the Ancient
Ones were located in the Primeval Star River.

Historically, the Primeval Star River had once been glorious, and during the exploration
era, the Primeval Star River was the main camp of a quasi-Universal Civilization. This
civilization was a powerful competitor to the three Universal Civilizations of today but
was not able to survive past the cruel exploration era.

Back then, many local Star Cluster and Star System Civilizations also perished in the
war and left behind a large number of ruins. According to the number of ruins, the
Primeval Star River was only second to the Ancient Star Desert. At the same time, the
Primeval Star River had many desolate universe belts that were natural hiding spots.

Because they had a mission to complete, the dynasty fleet did not delay and headed
straight to the gathering point.

A few days later, the Federation of Light and Arcane Church’s fleets arrived and met up
with the dynasty’s fleet.

Han Xiao saw the manpower being sent by the other two parties.

The Arcane Church sent three.

The Federation of Light sent one.

Together with the dynasty, there were a total of eleven Beyond Grade As!

Even the scale of the battle on Planet Lighthouse was about the same.

Chapter 891 Plan and Meeting

In some locations of the Primeval Star River, the fleets of the Arcane Church, the
Crimson Dynasty, and the Federation of Light gathered together with the eleven
participating Beyond Grade As gathered together in the dynasty’s conference room to
discuss their strategy.

“According to our intelligence, EsGod is currently at this location.”

A holographic projection displayed the star map of the Primeval Star River, and a red
dot could be seen in a desolate universe belt. This red dot represented EsGod’s location,
and the commander of the dynasty fleet described the situation to everyone present
solemnly.

The objective of the three fleets was to deal with EsGod’s fleet, and the commander’s
mission was to work together with the Beyond Grade A allies.

“Hmm, that is an ancient battlefield with many planets destroyed in the exploration era.
There’s a large number of meteoroids in that region.” Manison nodded in agreement. He
was a local of the Primeval Star River and was familiar with the situation here.

The single Beyond Grade A that the Federation of Light had sent out was Manison, but
he did not go personally. He only sent a mechanical host with three mechanical
fortresses, which had a large number of mechanical soldiers stored within.

Although he was alone, the troops that he had brought with him made him no weaker
than the other two factions present.

An Arcane Church Beyond Grade A then knocked on the table and said, “We only
received a report on EsGod’s troops. Where did this report come from? Is it reliable?”

“This is the intelligence provided by a Super Star Cluster Civilization in the Primeval
Star River. They have a complete surveillance system in the Primeval Star River,” the
dynasty commander replied solemnly. “After receiving intelligence on EsGod’s fleet,
they began tracking his fleet. According to the coordinates that he provided, we made
use of a long-distance tracking tool to verify it, and I guarantee the accuracy of the
intelligence.”

The four Super Star Cluster Civilizations controlled the entire Primeval Star River and
had plenty of eyes everywhere. At the request of the dynasty, they provided information
on EsGod’s location and worked together. However, they were not aware that the three
Universal Civilizations were going to work together.

With EsGod’s location locked on to, they would rush over with the stargate network to
ambush EsGod.
The three Arcane Church Beyond Grade As that the Arcane Church sent out had not
participated in the battle on Planet Lighthouse. Their classes were Psychic, Mage, and
Cannon Master. Thus, not a single one of the eleven Beyond Grade As present were
Espers.

The individual worth paying attention to was the Cannon Master who had the nickname
‘Sun Hunter’. He was a member of the Ancient Ones and also the strongest of the three
sent by the Arcane Church. He was old friends with Manison, Milizaus, and
Ravenlaude.

His body was lean, only the thickness of a palm. However, his body was extremely tall,
and he was a universal species that was endangered. He had the characteristics of a bug
and was currently clad in armor.

His body was skinny, but his weapons were tens of thousands of times larger than him.

Han Xiao remembered Aesop mentioning him before and said that there were a few
Ancient Ones trying to find out information about him. Sun Hunter was one of them.

He originally thought that this Cannon Master wanted to get him to craft weapons, but
after considering it for a while, Han Xiao eliminated such a possibility. An Ancient One
did not need to invite a new Beyond Grade A Mechanic to help him craft weapons.

At the start of the meeting, Han Xiao had his attention on the teammates from the other
two factions. There was no need to talk about Manison; his mechanical body was
completely expressionless. On the side of the Arcane Church, they seemed to be
unfriendly toward the dynasty’s allies and Manison.

Han Xiao still did not know that the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter had been snatched by
the Federation of Light, and the Arcane Church was currently the most infuriated at the
Federation of Light for taking advantage of their situation and hitting them when they
were down. The Beyond Grade A allies of the Arcane Church naturally would not be
too friendly toward Manison.

If not for the fact that they had to deal with a common enemy, both parties would
probably have ended up in a fight.
“Since we have already grasped EsGod’s location, the initiative of the battle will be in
our hands. We need a plan,” Milizaus said.

“You’re right,” Sun Hunter replied. Although his body was small, his voice was not
soft. “Although EsGod is a battle maniac who likes fighting, he isn’t a rash individual.
The moment he sees the eleven of us together, he will escape for sure. As long as he
abandons his fleet and escapes, we won’t be able to catch up. The outcome will then be
the same as before.”

“With so many Beyond Grade As working together, we definitely aren’t putting up a

show and plan to get rid of EsGod,” Han Xiao said with a solemn expression. “If we
want to succeed, there are two problems we need to take care of. First, we cannot let
EsGod escape the moment he sees us. Second, we must restrict EsGod’s mobility so
that he cannot escape whenever he wishes.”

Everyone else nodded.

Although the three Universal Civilizations had failed in all their attempts to kill EsGod,
an operation of such a scale was extremely rare. A portion of the Beyond Grade A allies
present there were only interested in the reward, not EsGod’s life or death. However,
with so many of them taking action against EsGod alone, it would be pretty
embarrassing if they failed.

Thus, all of them present wanted to complete this mission and get rid of this true
archenemy of the three Universal Civilizations.

The will of a Beyond Grade A was extremely firm, and they would not be affected by
the many past failures in history.

“It is easy to solve the first problem,” Manison said. “EsGod wouldn’t foolishly clash
head on with eleven Beyond Grade As. We just need to split up into two groups. The
first group will fight him head on and try to hold him back while the other group lies in
wait.”

Han Xiao nodded to express his agreement.

EsGod was not a foolish individual and would not attempt to fight eleven Beyond Grade
As. Thus, despite having many combatants on their side, they could not appear all at
once. If they did, EsGod would run immediately upon seeing them.

“You are right. The first batch of combatants surrounding him must be a reasonable
force for an encirclement mission but not be too large that it scares him away,”
Ravenlaude said. “I think that it would be safer to have four or five Beyond Grade As.”

“Five would be the best. EsGod received a round of evolution, and his strength has
grown. He will definitely want to test his strength, and five people should be within his
expectations,” Han Xiao said.

The encirclement missions only had three ordinary Beyond Grade As usually, and
EsGod’s original combat capability was sufficient for him to take on three ordinary
Beyond Grade As without an issue. He would be able to escape even when facing four
or five Beyond Grade As. Things would be slightly different if the Beyond Grade As
were more powerful, but as long as he wanted to run, no one would be able to keep him
behind.

If there were five of them, they would be able to give EsGod pressure and incite his
desire to battle but not let EsGod feel that it was too risky and make him run away
immediately.

“The first batch of combatants shall be set at five. Three from the dynasty and two from
the church. Let’s not let EsGod know that the Federation of Light is participating in this
mission.”

Everyone quickly agreed with that.

Right at this moment, Milizaus suddenly said, “But if we do not restrict EsGod’s
instantaneous movements, the ambush of the others will be meaningless. Even if we
launch a surprise attack, EsGod will be able to escape any time. Thus, it is more
important to restrict his mobility, or our operation will fail for sure.”

Upon hearing that, the Arcane Church’s mage said, “That’s right. The five people
fighting EsGod head on will be in charge of tying him down and restricting his mobility
shall be the job of those ambushing him. This would require spacetime magic to be cast
in the battlefield to separate the region from the multi-dimensions and secondary
dimension channel. We still need to stabilize the spacetime to prevent him from using
any instantaneous movement or hyperdrive. Transforming the battlefield to become a
locked region will require a great deal of effort.”

Everyone nodded in agreement. This was the best way to trap EsGod, and it was proven
by history. However, it was getting more and more difficult to accomplish such a feat.

First, this required a lot of time, and the larger the battlefield, the greater the effort
required. Even a Beyond Grade A Mage would not be able to complete it in time.
Second, EsGod would keep his guard up and escape before the spacetime could be
locked down.

Even if EsGod fell into such a trap, it would still be possible for him to escape. He
could use ordinary methods to break through the battlefield or use his Esper Abilities to
create a small crack in the spacetime and escape from the locked down region.

During this limited time, it would be impossible for them to defeat or capture EsGod.
He was not a fragile target, and his powerful recovery and defenses would drag the
battle on for a long time.

“I have the equipment to quickly stabilize space and can reduce EsGod’s Dimension
Crack and instantaneous movement abilities,” Manison said slowly. “I should be able to
lock EsGod down temporarily and engineer the chance for an ambush.”

He would be able to defeat EsGod alone, but EsGod was far too crafty, and it was
difficult for him to catch EsGod. His various space-locking machines required time to
activate. By the time he set them up, EsGod would have escaped already.

Furthermore, Han Xiao had rejected his offer, so Manison was not willing to give it his
all. The Federation of Light’s request did not have too much of a binding power to him,
and he only planned to work together with his teammates.

Describing it simply, Manison treated himself as a support and not the carry of the team.

“If we want to create a locked down region, the five people fighting at the start must pin
EsGod down in a certain region and not allow him to do as he wishes,” Milizaus said
slowly. “We have three Mages on our side and can all remain in hiding. Two of us can
use our spacetime magic to modify the battlefield while the last can hide the flow of
magic and reduce the chances of EsGod discovering us. The ones fighting EsGod head
on will also have to work together to distract EsGod. We also need a Psychic to attack
his mind to dull his senses.”

“We have sufficient manpower, and this isn’t difficult to accomplish. However, it won’t
be enough to succeed…” Ravenlaude hesitated for a moment before speaking the truth.
“If EsGod falls into the trap, we will have to get rid of him using the shortest amount of
time. If not, all our efforts will go to waste. However, it is extremely difficult to do so
with EsGod’s abilities.”

The entire room then fell silent.

Everyone began to frown.

Although they had plenty of manpower this time, history would only repeat itself if they
were not able to take care of this problem.

They all felt a huge headache just by discussing their strategy.

It was extremely difficult to deal with EsGod, and everyone knew that they needed
some changes.

Just when everyone was thinking about how they should solve this problem, Han Xiao
took a deep breath.

He had two changes in his hands.

The Spacetime Amber and Esper Silence!

These two abilities were definitely enough to turn the situation around and would also
make this battle different from before.

Han Xiao then stood up, and everyone looked at him.

Looking at the others, he said slowly, “I have a plan…”

Over ten days later, in a certain desolate universe belt, EsGod’s fleet continued to travel
according to their designated route after spending a few days by a Fixed Star.

After travelling peacefully for a few days, the fleet’s radar detected something.

A dynasty fleet had appeared right in front of them, and both parties were already
extremely near each other by the time Fallen Ark detected the other party. The dynasty
fleet had made use of their stealth mode to approach the enemy before revealing
themselves.

The Fallen Ark fleet did not escape immediately. Instead, both parties stopped at the
same time and entered a standoff.

Woo!

The alarms rang inside the Fallen Ark battleship.

In the main hall of the flagship, EsGod opened his eyes.

An expectant look could be seen on his face as he got up from his throne slowly.

“They’re finally here. I hope that they can let me fight to my heart’s content.”
892 Upgraded EsGod
Both fleets faced each other in a standoff in the dark universe.
EsGod’s figure then disappeared from his throne and appeared beside Fakisen in the
control room.

“The other party is the dynasty’s armed fleet with almost five million battleships. The
strength of their battleships is superior to our fleet. Since they appeared suddenly before
us, it means that they can accurately grasp our coordinates. My suggestion is not to fight
them but retreat immediately…” Fakisen began analyzing the situation upon seeing
EsGod.

However, EsGod ignored him completely and expanded his senses. He could clearly
feel three sun-like energy sources from within the dynasty’s fleet.

Counting the number of opponents, EsGod revealed a look of disappointment.

“Only three of them?”

Right at this moment, the radar rang out again and an Arcane Church fleet appeared
behind them.

After feeling the two Beyond Grade As in the Arcane Church fleet, EsGod’s brows
began to relax.

“Five people… only then will there be a meaning to fight.”

“The Crimson Dynasty has indeed chosen to work together with the Arcane Church. It
seems like they have already laid an ambush here and plan to wipe us out with a fleet
three times our size. I recommend that we break through their encirclement and retreat
immediately,” Fakisen said.
EsGod did not even bother looking at him and calmly said, “Inform the fleet to prepare
for battle. Hold them back, and don’t let the enemy battleships disrupt my battle.”

“I understand,” Fakisen said with a disappointed tone as if he expected that. He knew

that EsGod did not care about their lives and only treated them as tools.

Fakisen then issued an order in front of EsGod and formed a defensive formation.

EsGod nodded, and the next moment, his body appeared outside the battleship.

Following which, a wave of spiritual energy exploded with EsGod as the center. The
dynasty and church’s fleets had the equipment to block out a certain degree of spiritual
energy, but the five Beyond Grade As received EsGod’s spiritual fluctuations at the
same time to build a communication channel.

Han Xiao was also part of the group, and he heard EsGod’s calm voice.

“I have been waiting for a long time.”

Upon hearing that, Han Xiao looked at his teammates, and they nodded to each other.

If EsGod decided to run away from the very start, it would be impossible for them to
block him. Since EsGod said those words, it meant that he was prepared to stay behind
and fight them. If that was the case, the first step of their plan was successful.

Looking at each other, Han Xiao’s group of three left the dynasty battleship and entered
the universe. The two from the church also flew out of their battleship and surrounded
EsGod.

Milizaus and the other two mages hid in the darkness and began locking down the
spacetime of the region. Manison also hid the fact that the Federation of Light had
participated in this ambush and hid himself. He only passed his spacetime stabilizer to
someone else. After some discussion, the five who were assigned to face EsGod head on
were Han Xiao, Viru, Lotus Swordsman, Sun Hunter, and another Psychic from the
Arcane Church.
The job of the two Psychics was to use their mental attacks. Viru served as the tank, and
Sun Hunter was the main damage dealer. As for Han Xiao, his main body was present
this time, and he was in charge of control, main tank, physical damage, and many other
positions.

EsGod’s gaze swept over everybody before landing on Han Xiao. “Black Star, it’s you
again.”

“Since you ambushed me, this day had to come. You knew that, right?” Han Xiao raised
his brows.

“Sigh, destiny is truly strange. I didn’t plan on dealing with you, but you still want to
pester me. You are truly taking the initiative to seek death… or perhaps it can be said
that all of you are seeking death.”

EsGod shook his head.

Upon hearing that, Sun Hunter could help but interrupt coldly. “I wonder if that brain of
yours still remembers how many times you have been forced back by three Beyond
Grade As. When facing the five of us, do you think you will still be able to emerge
victorious?”

“Ah, that was the past me. In fact, I still have to thank Black Star for the Evolution
Cube. The dynasty and church will regret sending all of you to deal with me.”

Even before EsGod could finish what he had to say, Sun Hunter took the initiative to
launch an attack, and a modified psionic Particle Cannon appeared beside him. A
brilliant bolt of Mechanical Force shot out from his body and filled up the Particle
Cannon, with a brilliant beam being shot out from the cannon the very next moment.

EsGod dodged the attack with his instantaneous movement, and a Fallen Ark battleship
that was behind him was easily torn apart. The high-density alloy was ripped apart like a
piece of paper, and the entire battleship was swallowed by the light and reduced to dust
as though it had melted into nothingness.
With the first attack being launched, the dynasty and church fleet opened fire and the
Fallen Ark fleet fought back. Both parties exchanged fire, and the dark universe was lit
up by the exploding cannons.

The battle had erupted!

Han Xiao’s group of five had also launched their attacks.

The Apostle Weapons under the lead of Psionic Prime began to encircle EsGod, Viru
charged toward EsGod with his weapon, Lotus Swordsman and the other Psychic began
launching their Psychic attacks, and Sun Hunter rapidly opened fire like an artillery
tower.

The battlefield instantly became chaotic.

EsGod’s combat method was to use various different abilities depending on the
surroundings. He would not fight five Beyond Grade As head on. With his
instantaneous movement ability, the encirclement of the five did not put that much
pressure on him. At the same time, he was able to easily weave through the mechanical
army and approach his enemies.

His powerful mobility meant that he had the initiative of the battle in his hands. At the
same time, it also guaranteed him his safety as he could just leave whenever he wanted.

As such, EsGod did not intend to leave at the moment but treated the five as useful
opponents to test his strength.

However, it was impossible to win against five Beyond Grade As single-handedly. This
was a feat that no individual in the universe was capable of accomplishing. It was not
just a simple comparison of battle prowess. The dense attacks of five Beyond Grade As
would result in an individual being only capable of defending but not attacking. At this
moment, EsGod had the initiative and could appear and disappear like a ghost.
However, Han Xiao’s group of five could support each other, and he was not able to
defeat each of them individually.

The battle immediately fell into a stalemate.

Han Xiao had his guard up against EsGod, afraid that EsGod’s strength might have
improved greatly. But after exchanging a few blows with EsGod, Han Xiao was no
longer that worried.

During the battle on Planet Lighthouse, Han Xiao had fought EsGod before and was
familiar with EsGod’s strength. Although EsGod did have some improvement in
strength, it had not reached a qualitative change.

It seems like the Evolution Cube was not sufficient to cause an earth-shattering change
in him, and he still belongs to the Beyond Grade A rank.

Han Xiao heaved a sigh of relief.

If EsGod really broke through the Beyond Grade A rank and entered the so called ‘new
realm’, his combat capability would definitely soar greatly, and there would be a huge
gulf between them.

Thankfully, although the Evolution Cube was powerful, it was not sufficient to allow an
individual to break through into the next realm.

As he planned for this operation, he had tried his best to overestimate EsGod’s strength,
but the current strength that EsGod displayed did not reach his expectations. This way,
Han Xiao had greater confidence in succeeding.

The other four also had similar thoughts. If EsGod’s strength did not exceed their
expectations, they would not have too much trouble holding him back.

However, an abrupt change happened!

EsGod used his instantaneous movement to avoid a wave of fire and suddenly sent out a
message to Han Xiao and the others.

“Warm up is over.”
The moment he said those words, he shot out black spheres from his body. These black
spheres were the doppelgangers that he had prepared, and they all transformed into fog-
like bodies emanating with energy.

Every doppelganger had a different Esper Ability that EsGod obtained and had a quasi
Beyond Grade A strength. Furthermore, there were dozens of these doppelgangers
around!

“Why does he have so many doppelgangers?” Sun Hunter cried out with shock.

Information about EsGod was no secret. Everyone knew that his doppelganger ability
had an obvious upper limit, and he was not capable of creating too many doppelgangers.
This was already in their records!

Upon witnessing such a scene, Han Xiao’s heart shuddered, and he immediately
understood what was going on.

The Evolution Cube did not allow EsGod to break through into the next level but
expanded his strength at the same realm. It did not increase his ‘depth’ but increased his
‘breadth’. Compared to the other classes, a Mechanic understood just how frightening
numbers were. A Mechanic relied on a large mechanical army to increase their strength
and achieve a qualitative change.

The upgraded EsGod was also similar in this regard.

EsGod’s main body did not achieve a breakthrough in strength, but his ability to
produce doppelgangers was improved. There were tens of Beyond Grade A
doppelgangers present, and every doppelganger was like half a Beyond Grade A. Even
if his doppelgangers were fragile, they had many different Esper Abilities and were still
a powerful army.

This meant that the number of Beyond Grade As that Han Xiao’s group had to face had
increased by dozens of times!

The threat that they faced had also increased greatly!

The three Universal Civilizations had tried to surround EsGod many times before. It
was not that they had not sent out more than five Beyond Grade As before, but even if
EsGod could not win, he could still retreat.

This time, EsGod already had the strength to deal with five or more Beyond Grade As
head on, and he was not satisfied with escaping. If he could fight back or even kill the
five Beyond Grade As that the Universal Civilizations sent, his own record would be
broken, and he would be able to shock the entire universe.

However, EsGod did not know that he did not only have five opponents but another six
hiding in the dark, waiting to ambush him.

The majority of the doppelgangers began to split up and surround Han Xiao’s group of
five. Instead of the five surrounding EsGod, it was now EsGod surrounding the five.

The remaining doppelgangers entered the battlefield of the battleships and used their
Beyond Grade A strength to rapidly wipe out the dynasty and church’s fleets. The
Fallen Ark fleet that was originally at a disadvantage was gradually regaining ground.

Han Xiao and the other four felt a huge increase in pressure. It was akin to fighting tens
of Beyond Grade As with different Esper Abilities at the same time. If not for the aid of
the mechanical army, it would have been impossible for the other four to hang in there.

Through his doppelgangers, EsGod could unleash all his Esper Abilities without any
restraint. His main body reserved the use of ‘Strengthened Self Recovery’ and ‘Black
Hole’, and his other doppelgangers had many different Esper Abilities.

In the chaotic battle, Han Xiao looked at EsGod’s main body, which did not participate
in the encirclement, with a grave look.

EsGod’s current appearance truly lived up to his nickname.

The god of all Espers!

Of the five of them, Han Xiao was still alright as he was sufficiently tanky. However,
his mechanical army was rapidly being wiped out under the attacks of the many Beyond
Grade As, and even his Apostle Weapons were trapped in a bitter battle.

Han Xiao originally wanted to save his ‘Perfect Mechanical Sense’ Character Summon
Card, but he knew that it was impossible for him to do so right now. He immediately
activated the Perfect Mechanical Sense Character Summon Card, and his Mechanical
Force became thicker.

Han Xiao then endured the crazed attacks of EsGod’s doppelgangers and got his
mechanical army to open fire at EsGod’s doppelgangers.

Every Esper Ability could only be used by a single doppelganger, and most of his
doppelgangers did not have tanky abilities and were all very fragile. As such, the rapid
attacks of the mechanical army were effective.

Rays of blue light struck the black fog like figures, and a quarter of EsGod’s
doppelgangers were wiped out.

However, the next scene immediately caused all of them to become nervous again.

EsGod then made use of his Black Hole ability and sucked in all the attacks to create
more doppelgangers and replenish the fallen troops.

Everyone’s heart sank as they witnessed this scene.

“We’re in trouble now…”

“They’re in trouble…”

On the other side, the six Beyond Grade As waiting in ambush had also formed a mental
network through the Psychic. Their hearts all sank upon finding out about the ability
that EsGod had displayed.
“EsGod’s doppelganger ability has been strengthened, and even if we are able to
successfully lock down spacetime, he would be able to make use of his doppelgangers
to drag for time. This plan will not work,” Ravenlaude said with a grave tone.

Their plan was to lock down spacetime to trap EsGod and control him according to Han
Xiao’s plan before he could escape.

However, the strength that EsGod had displayed was out of their expectations. Even if
they were able to temporarily trap him, they could not control him before he escaped.

“We still have to give it a try. Don’t stop.” Milizaus was not confident but could only
continue according to plan. They did not have any other choice.

“I wonder how much longer they will be able to hang in there,” Manison said calmly.

They could not enter the battle before the trap was complete, and holding EsGod back
could only be left to the group of five.

The six of them in ambush were not sure if they could hold on until the trap was
completed.

Chapter 893 Appearance

Sharp pugilist flames cleaved EsGod’s doppelgangers one after another and reduced
them into black mist.

Viru’s body was ignited with flames, and he weaved through the battlefield like a
meteor. He accurately killed plenty of EsGod’s doppelgangers under the cover of the
mechanical army and was currently riddled with injuries.

“This fellow has too many doppelgangers, and it is impossible for us to kill them all.
Furthermore, he is even able to make new doppelgangers. It will be pointless regardless
of how many doppelgangers we kill. At the same time, we will be severely wounded if
we are careless, and we are currently too passive,” Viru said with a deep voice as he
raised up his blade to block an attack from one of EsGod’s doppelgangers.

On the other side, Sun Hunter was controlling his fortress-like artillery equipment to
rain down fire on EsGod’s doppelgangers. His face was extremely ugly, and he replied,
“I am exhausting energy too rapidly in such an intense battle. I am not like Black Star
and don’t have the ability to recover energy so quickly.”

The combat capability of EsGod’s doppelgangers was not that powerful and was largely
decided by the Esper Ability of each doppelganger. EsGod’s doppelgangers definitely
were not an opponent for a Beyond Grade A, and Psyker had once killed two of
EsGod’s doppelgangers single-handedly.

However, the situation was now different. The dozens of EsGod doppelgangers brought
about immense pressure, and it was akin to facing dozens of Beyond Grade As at the
same time. Furthermore, it was impossible to completely wipe out the enemy. It was
truly troublesome.

Facing the encirclement of the doppelgangers, everyone was riddled with injuries, and
apart from Han Xiao, the other four had limited recovery ability. Furthermore, such an
intense battle also drained them of their attention and energy greatly. Apart from Han
Xiao, the other four were gradually slipping up.

Han Xiao’s brows were locked tightly as he controlled the mechanical army to block
EsGod’s doppelgangers. His mechanical army had been reduced to scrap many times
over, and he used [Waste Modification] to send them back into the battle over and over
again.

Mechanical soldiers were not afraid of death, and with their dense psionic cannon
attacks, the mechanical soldiers killed far more doppelgangers than the others.

Thankfully, his mechanical army, which had been strengthened many times, had
powerful attributes, which reduced the loss of the army. With the aid of his four
teammates, they were still barely able to achieve a stalemate.
However, the upgraded EsGod was far more frightening in terms of sustained combat.
As long as he was given enough time, the entire mechanical army would definitely be
wiped out. Han Xiao had no choice but to admit that it would be extremely difficult for
him to win against EsGod if he fought EsGod alone.

However, this was not a one-on-one battle, and he did not need to defeat EsGod alone.
His current mission was to hold EsGod back and restrict him to this battlefield. They
only needed to hold on until their teammates were done setting up the trap.

Han Xiao was extremely clear that if the five of them could not hold EsGod back,
forcing the six in ambush to come out and save them, it was very likely that EsGod
would escape immediately. The trap was not set at the moment, and if they could not
hold EsGod back, the operation would fail for sure.

Han Xiao then turned around to look at EsGod’s main body, which was seated crossed
legged in space. New doppelgangers were formed every second.

After using his doppelganger technique, EsGod’s main body retreated to the side and
did not participate in the battle personally. As his doppelgangers engaged in a bitter
battle with the enemy, he watched with interest.

He did not need to take action personally; just his doppelgangers were enough to reduce
the five Beyond Grade As to such a pathetic state. EsGod enjoyed such a feeling of
strength.

Sun Hunter and Viru had tried to break out of the encirclement and approach EsGod,
but EsGod’s instantaneous movement made it impossible for them to approach him.
Even Han Xiao could not attack EsGod’s main body, so he had plenty of abilities that
could not be used.

He could only wait for EsGod’s instantaneous movement to be restricted before he had
the chance to make use of his trump cards.

With his current strength, even if he did not use any Character Summon Cards, Han
Xiao’s personal strength was sufficient to last a long time. His new talents brought his
health up to about 5,000,000 HP, so he was extremely tanky.
Only Lotus Swordsman and the other Psychic could restrict EsGod slightly. They
continuously unleashed their mental attacks on EsGod with their attacks being like
swords stabbing at EsGod’s mental defenses.

Regardless of how many doppelgangers EsGod had, he only had a single soul, and the
two’s Psychic attacks were effective against his main body.

However, EsGod also had Esper Abilities to guard his mind and repair any soul
damage. Although he would suffer from mental damage, he would not be so easily
restricted by the two.

Because the two Psychics possessed a certain degree of threat toward him, EsGod’s
main target was not Han Xiao, Sun Hunter, or Viru. Instead, it was the two Psychics.
Thus, Han Xiao got his Apostle Weapons to lead a special team of mechanical soldiers
to guard the two.

Psionic Prime’s spear stabbed the core of EsGod’s doppelganger, Mad Sky Hunter
chewed on the head of a doppelganger, Silver Flash opened fire at a doppelganger, and
Giant King Kong used his Divine Giant Armor and large body to protect the two
Psychics and other Apostle Weapons.

The Apostle Weapons also had quasi Beyond Grade A battle strength, and they engaged
EsGod’s doppelgangers in a bitter battle.

A portion of EsGod’s doppelgangers entered the dynasty and church’s fleets to destroy
their battleships.

One EsGod doppelganger shot through the shield of the battleship and pierced through
the battleship.

Right at this moment, countless dark energy cannons shot over from all directions and
reduced this EsGod doppelganger to dust.
In the flagship, the dynasty commander said with a solemn expression, “The damage of
the fleet is increasing, and we aren’t able to destroy the Fallen Ark fleet with these
doppelgangers distracting us. Things will be bad if they continue to drag on.”

Since the five Beyond Grade As could not hold EsGod back, the fleet would suffer from
the attacks of the Beyond Grade A doppelgangers. The EsGod doppelgangers then
weaved around the fleet and caused a great deal of chaos while disrupting the
battleships in battle. As such, the fleet led by Fakisen was barely able to hold on and not
get wiped out.

The Fallen Ark fleet formed a defensive formation in the center and endured the attacks
which came from all directions. Fakisen directed the fleet while paying attention to
EsGod’s battle.

“His Excellency EsGod’s strength is becoming more and more frightening,” Fakisen
said with hesitation.

“That’s right. He is able to deal with five Beyond Grade As so easily. He is EsGod
indeed,” a vice commander said with reverence in his eyes.

Fakisen then said with a strange tone, “Even five Beyond Grade As aren’t able to win
against EsGod, and this isn’t even His Excellency EsGod’s limit. The three large
civilizations sent too few people and have truly underestimated him. Tsk tsk.”

Fakisen then summoned an officer.

“You shall take command of the fleet now.”

“What do you want to do?”

“Ah ah, I still have something else to do. This is a secret mission that His Excellency
EsGod handed over to me.”

Fakisen then turned around, left the command room, and headed to a spaceship hangar.
He knew that EsGod was already beginning to become suspicious of him. After EsGod
took care of the present danger, he would probably be next. EsGod would never need
evidence when getting rid of his subordinates.

Besides, regardless of whether EsGod was able to survive this encirclement, Fakisen
was not planning on remaining by EsGod’s side.

The intense battle lasted a long time, and apart from Han Xiao, the other four were
riddled with injuries. The mechanical army had also suffered great losses and was
gradually becoming weaker.

EsGod looked at the few who were extremely pathetic and sent out a mental message
with satisfaction.

“Black Star, do you see this? This is the strength that you have given me. What do you
think about it?”

Han Xiao then used the amber ball formation to block an incoming attack and snorted in
response. “It isn’t much.”

EsGod was not bothered by the reply and continued, “Ah, although I haven’t broken
through the Beyond Grade A limits, my strength should already be the peak of the entire
explored universe. The five of you do not even have any chance of fighting back before
me.”

As Sun Hunter heard that, he immediately aimed his cannon at EsGod and fired.

This time, EsGod did not avoid the attack but used his body to receive the attack. He
then activated his Black Hole ability and absorbed the attack to create a few more
doppelgangers.

The remaining force from the attack charred his skin and disfigured him completely.
But the next moment, his injuries recovered rapidly, and his appearance went back to
normal. His recovery speed was no slower than Han Xiao.

“A useless attack.” EsGod glanced at Sun Hunter before looking at Han Xiao. “Black
Star, you are not the only one with an indestructible body.”

Han Xiao replied with an expressionless face, “Every time you repair your body, your
cell’s activeness will be exhausted. When your cells reach their upper limit, your life
span will also come to an end. This is the disadvantage of a self-healing ability.”

“That’s right. I am already old. Every time I fight, my lifespan would be burnt up,”
EsGod said calmly. “However, your Evolution Cube increased my life span by a great
deal, and it is enough for me to use. At the very least, you won’t have a chance in this
battle.”

EsGod’s current strength came from the evolution energy, and thus, he treated Han Xiao
differently.

“Do you really think that you have won?” Sun Hunter interrupted coldly.

“Oh? Please give me a good surprise if you guys still have any unused trump cards. In a
while, you guys won’t even have the strength to escape,” EsGod said with confidence in
his voice. “After getting rid of the few of you here, the Arcane Church and the Crimson
Dynasty will definitely be infuriated. I also do not have any interest in facing the next
wave of enemies, so letting all of you go will be the best option. However, if all of you
do not wish to escape, I don’t mind killing you.”

Through this battle, EsGod had already tested his own combat strength, and defeating
this wave of enemies was sufficient to prove his strength. As long as he did not kill
them, the three great civilizations would not bother him for a period of time. He wanted
to remain low profile for some time to familiarize himself with his strength after the
evolution. Thus, he truly did not wish to kill Han Xiao’s group.

If not, a Universal Civilization would not let the matter rest after suffering such a huge
loss, and that did not suit his current objectives. Thus, he hoped that Han Xiao’s group
would willingly retreat.
Han Xiao then looked around at his comrades. They had injuries all over their bodies
and were not in good states.

Just as EsGod had said, it was impossible for the five of them to do anything against
EsGod. If the battle continued, their lives would possibly be in danger.

Right at this moment, Han Xiao suddenly laughed and said, “EsGod, do you know that I
am extremely clear about the threat you pose?”

“My threat?” EsGod raised his brows. “My deeds are spread all across the universe. Is
there a need for you to emphasize on them?”

“No, I am not talking about that.” Han Xiao narrowed his eyes.

“I don’t get what you are talking about,” EsGod said.

Han Xiao chuckled and was not planning to explain himself.

EsGod purposely revealed information about the wormhole because he wanted the other
organizations to investigate the matter together with him. However, he hid information
about the World Tree Civilization, and EsGod thought that he was the only one who
knew the existence of the World Tree Civilization.

In truth, EsGod was not wrong in thinking so. No one else apart from Han Xiao knew
about this secret and would fall for EsGod’s trap to help EsGod research this wormhole.
EsGod’s wish was to open this channel and fish for benefits from the side.

However, EsGod could not have known that Han Xiao also knew about the existence of
the World Tree Civilization. He was the second person in the explored universe to know
about this, and EsGod was still in the dark regarding this.

It was because of the lack of information that EsGod was not clear about how resolute
Han Xiao was about killing him. According to his past experience, there should be four
to six Beyond Grade As coming to encircle him, so five was within his expectations.
As such, he never imagined that there would be far more than five Beyond Grade As
coming to encircle him!

Right when Han Xiao finished what he had to say, an abrupt change happened.

EsGod’s expression changed greatly as he could clearly feel a spacetime magic

spreading out to cover the entire region. The secondary dimension was cut off, and
spacetime was locked down. The space in this region became extremely sturdy without
any cracks.

At the same time, Han Xiao also activated the space stabilizing equipment that Manison
had given him and covered EsGod within it to prevent EsGod from escaping before the
trap was formed.

Losing the ability of instantaneous movement, EsGod no longer had the initiative.
EsGod then detected another six energy sources appearing from afar, rapidly
approaching him.

Milizaus’ group of six appeared on the battlefield and surrounded him.

Upon seeing that, EsGod’s expression darkened, and a look of shock could be seen in
his eyes.

“Why are there another six more?”

Chapter 894 Key Variable in the Operation

Everyone was treated equally under the spacetime lock. Mechanics were unable to open
their secondary dimension channel, and the Dimension Crack and teleportation of
EsGod also lost its effect.

With the universe continuously being explored, the three Universal Civilizations had
recorded all sorts of Esper Abilities and had developed counters or restraints toward
most of them. Except for some Super High Risk Esper Abilities, there was no
unsolvable ability.

“Turns out, this was a trap. You guys are really willing to pay.”

EsGod was surprised but quickly regained his calm.

This was also not the first time he faced such danger, so he did not panic. While the
number of the enemies was more than what he expected, with not only the Crimson
Dynasty and the Arcane Church, even the Federation of Light was also involved.

There were eleven Beyond Grade As surrounding him, which outstripped his
expectations.

If it were not for the fact that the Universal Civilizations had sent out enough manpower
this time, it would have been difficult to make him fall into the trap. Just to fight him
head on and not make him think it was a trap would already require at least four to five
people, and there was still a need to ensure three mages could set up the spacetime lock
secretly. That meant at least seven to eight Beyond Grade As were needed to complete
the entire ambush. This was a completely different concept from having seven to eight
ordinary people.

Upon realizing that he had fallen for the trap, EsGod did not talk further and
immediately reacted.

He would not sit there and await death. While his teleportation was blocked in this area,
he could still fly. As long as he flew in the opposite direction of Han Xiao and the
others, the moment he escaped the range of the spacetime lock, he would be able to
teleport again.
He was not an iron-headed person. When facing eleven other Beyond Grade As, he had
no plans to fight them head on.

The six people involved in directly fighting him at the start were still chasing him, and
they had yet to completely surround him. Because of the spacetime lock, they were
unable to activate the hyperdrive to arrive immediately, so there were only five people
who were able to suppress EsGod at the moment.

Han Xiao did not speak further, ditching Sun Hunter and the others, and pouring all of
his energy into the mechanical suit propulsion module.

A blue flame burst out from the thrusters from his back, elbows, and feet, and his entire
figure shot forward in pursuit of EsGod, leaving a dark blue arc in the universe like a
comet.

The spacetime lock did not differentiate between allies or enemies, so his hyperdrive
and Void abilities could not be used.

Many of EsGod’s doppelgangers turned to hold Han Xiao back, stopping him from
pursuing the true body.

While he had fallen into the trap, EsGod did not mind it too much.

He might have been in danger before his evolution, but things were different now. A
large number of his doppelgangers were enough to contain his pursuers and give him
enough time to escape the spacetime lock.

“Don’t let him get away!” Sun Hunter shook a doppelganger off before unfolding a
gigantic sniper rifle. He aimed it toward EsGod and fired.

A golden energy beam blasted out, with a tracking function toward EsGod. The speed
of the beam was obviously faster than his flight speed, and the distance was quickly
shortened.

EsGod frowned, only having the time to deploy a shield before the beam hit.
He originally wished to utilize the repulsion force to retreat even further, but the firearm
used by Sun Hunter was not offensive in nature. The moment the beam hit EsGod, it
swelled violently, turning into a ball of energy with a powerful suction force, dragging
EsGod toward it. EsGod’s speed dropped sharply, and the latter had no choice but to
continue struggling to get out of the gravitational range.

Ranged attacks were the strength of a Cannon Master, and among the team, Sun
Hunter’s skills had the best effect against restraining escaping enemies. Furthermore, a
Cannon Master did not only have one weapon. They were good at using a variety of
firearms, not only offensive ones but also crowd control ones, such as the beam used
against EsGod previously.

EsGod could not teleport, so his evasiveness was lowered. Being harassed by Sun
Hunter, and with Han Xiao’s mechanical suit speed originally being quicker than
EsGod, their distance gradually closed.

Luckily, Milizaus and the mages did not underestimate EsGod, and thus, they purposely
enlarged the area of spacetime lock, ensuring that there was enough leeway to chase
him down.

As EsGod’s back slowly grew bigger in his field of vision, Han Xiao estimated the
distance before taking out a compressed orb with a flip of his palm. It transformed into a
hexagonal alloy board, tens of meters in length with a slight curve to it. It was powered
by a core of sub-psionic energy.

This was a Unidirectional Adsorption Gravity Device that Han Xiao had spent a few
months creating. It could adjust the direction and strength of gravity, and it was mainly
used for attraction.

Based on his tests, at full power, the gravitational force generated could reach the level
of a planet’s gravity. This gravity was enough to peel off the crust from a planet and
achieve the power to tear apart the surface of a planet.

Even for a Beyond Grade A, this was an extremely strong means of crowd control,
many levels higher than the spaceship traction beam.
Han Xiao activated the equipment, and a strong attraction force covered the entire area
in front of him. EsGod only felt a huge pulling force acting on him, as though an entire
star wished to devour him.

EsGod frowned, and with a thought, he split out another new doppelganger, which
threw itself toward the attracting force, rushing up to Han Xiao to obstruct him.

This doppelganger only had the goal of destroying the gravitational attraction
equipment, so it flew along with the attraction, its flight speed not affected.

Han Xiao activated his psionic shield, blocking the advance of the doppelganger.
However, the doppelganger also possessed a battle strength at Beyond Grade A, so it
was not so easy to deal with. Han Xiao’s speed also took a hit. EsGod shot out a timely
black and red energy beam to hit Han Xiao, conveniently using the repulsion to move
further away.

“EsGod can continuously produce doppelgangers. The moment I come too close, I’ll be
obstructed by the doppelgangers. If I cannot hold him, I can only watch as he escapes,”
Han Xiao murmured, and having made his choice, the Mechanical Force around his
body immediately flickered and condensed into a large arc of electricity that bound up
EsGod’s doppelganger.

The next moment, Han Xiao’s consciousness stretched into the quantum network.

Soul attacks, I can do that too!

_____________________

You have utilized Virtual Soul against EsGod!

Attribute Judgment in progress…

Character level judgment failure, -30% success rate.

LUK Attribute judgment failure, -20% success rate.

MYS Attribute judgment failure, -30% success rate.

INT Attribute judgement Success, +40% success rate.

One of the above four judgments is effective. Skill is successfully launched!

Based on your Virtual Technology level, the basic success rate is 424%. After taking
into account various judgements, final theoretical success rate: 384%

Calculation of the opponent’s abnormal status resistance in progress… Calculations

complete, final success rate: 76%

Final Judgment in progress… Judgement successful

Skill (Virtual Soul) is effective.

_____________________

In front, EsGod’s body suddenly lurched to a stop. His soul was virtualized by Han
Xiao, thrown into the quantum network and hence lost control of his body. The
attracting force pulled him backward once again.

EsGod’s weakness lay in his spiritual level. Because his doppelgangers and true body
all shared the same soul, the [Virtual Soul] skill that Han Xiao utilized on the
doppelganger could also be effective on his true body.

Because of the large difference in attributes, the duration of [Virtual Soul] was only for
a short while and even had a cooldown of fifteen minutes. But this was enough for Han
Xiao to close the remaining distance.

The quantum network was Han Xiao’s home field, and his consciousness transformed
into a luminous giant that covered the sky and the sun. He grabbed onto EsGod and
pummeled him, all attacks converting into spiritual damage to EsGod.
The duration of [Virtual Soul] ended quickly, and clarity shone again in EsGod’s eyes,
but the soul damage he received made him look weary.

Upon surveying his surroundings, EsGod discovered that his true body was now in front
of Han Xiao. Without any additional words, Han Xiao pounced on him.

Seeing this, EsGod knew that he could not escape anymore. The reason he escaped was
not because he could not fight them off but because remaining within the trap would
leave him the passive one.

As they fought, EsGod continuously released doppelgangers to strengthen his damage

output. However, Han Xiao was akin to a sticky plaster. His HP and resistance was too
high in addition to having the amber ball as a shield. EsGod got more frustrated the
more they battled, as he was fully held back by Han Xiao.

“You irritating fool!” EsGod thundered.

“Thank you for the praise.” Han Xiao smiled, his hands suddenly jetting out a Psionic
Impact, directly shattering a doppelganger.

At the same time, the six involved in the ambush had started to surround them, and Sun
Hunter’s side had also eliminated several doppelgangers.

Because all the new doppelgangers created by EsGod were trapped by Han Xiao, there
were no new reinforcements on that side, so they could catch up with EsGod after being
relieved of the pressure.

Before long, all the Beyond Grade As arrived, each one taking a position and
surrounding EsGod. Han Xiao’s mechanical army and Manison’s Mechanic Empire
stood at each path of escape.

Seeing this, Han Xiao also stopped attacking for the time being, retreating into his
mechanical army formation.
EsGod was completely surrounded, and from his position, he could only see densely
packed mechanical soldiers. The energy signatures of the eleven Beyond Grade As
burned his olfactory sense organs. His doppelgangers were recalled back, stationed
around him for protection.

In the distance, the fleet of the Federation of Light also appeared. Without EsGod’s
help, the Fallen Ark fleet was quickly eliminated by the Universal Civilizations. The
battleships burst into flames one after another, the light from the explosions illuminating
the faces of everyone present.

Glancing at his destroyed fleet, EsGod turned toward Manison, speaking through the
spiritual network. “Manison, I didn’t expect you to also have come to deal with me.”

Among the eleven, EsGod only respected four of them—Manison, Milizaus, Sun
Hunter, and Han Xiao. All of them had fought with him at some point, with Manison
being the person he most respected.

“It was a transaction. Besides, I’ve warned you before about not stepping into the
Primeval Star River.” Manison’s tone was calm.

EsGod nodded before surveying the rest.

While he was surrounded, he did not display any panic, instead calmly saying, “Even if
you have the numbers, it won’t be so easy to defeat me.”

He had two escape plans. One was to escape from the area that was locked by
spacetime. Since that had already failed, he had to choose the second method, which
was to use his own spatial Esper ability to penetrate the spacetime lock, drilling a gap to
teleport away.

For this plan to work, he needed to stall them for long enough.

The assurance of EsGod in surviving mainly lay in his doppelgangers. Even if he was
surrounded, he could still use them to fight against everyone. Coupled with his own
regeneration and energy absorption abilities, he could survive for quite a period of time,
so he was not worried.
Everyone present however knew this and knew that every second was precious. Thus,
they exchanged a glance and nodded.

“Begin the operation.”

“We’re relying on you, Black Star.”

The next instant, everyone attacked at the same time!

Faced with ten other Beyond Grade As, the doppelgangers died extremely quickly, but
EsGod continued to produce more doppelgangers using his energy absorption,
succeeding in holding off all the Beyond Grade As! While it was taxing on him, this
was already shocking enough.

Even the Beyond Grade As encircling him could not help but sigh at his battle strength.

The evolved form of EsGod was really a freak!

If it was not for Black Star’s suggestion for them to join hands and deal with him, who
would still threaten this fellow in the future?

Han Xiao weaved through the battlefield, shuttling through the heavy blockade of the
doppelgangers to get closer to EsGod.

Because EsGod had already fought with Han Xiao before, it did not suspect him and
immediately rushed forward to challenge him.

However, when the two of them made contact, EsGod felt a strange power surge out
from Han Xiao’s body and into his own.

The next instant, it was as though a tranquilizer had been injected into EsGod, and his
abilities all went silent.
“This is… Esper Silence?”

EsGod’s expression changed, and it finally turned into suspicion. He did not understand
why Han Xiao had his ability.

“It’s effective!” Seeing the notification on the interface, Han Xiao breathed a sigh of
relief.

During the pre-war conference, Han Xiao had discussed this strategy with the rest, and
the moment they surrounded him would be the time he unleashed the Esper Silence
Character Summon Card.

Han Xiao had always hidden this move, just waiting for the opportunity.

The moment Esper Silence came into effect, all the doppelgangers froze, and without
the ability to maintain it, the doppelgangers exploded and dissipated into black mist.

Because of their disparity, the duration of Esper Silence was at the lowest, but this
instant was enough to disintegrate his doppelgangers!

Everyone was long prepared and took the advantage when EsGod lost his abilities. The
three mages threw the restraint magic they had prepared, the psychics interfered with his
mental state, the pugilists used force to suppress him, and Han Xiao also gave EsGod an
injection, implanting him with nano-level cytostatic fluid to reduce his vitality.

This single instant was enough for EsGod to fall under heavy restrictions. With so many
Beyond Grade As acting in concert, there was no way he could struggle free in a short
while.

When his strength recovered, he tried to free himself, but the control skills were like
shackles, binding each of its limbs and nailing him in place.

Under so many effects, the energy within his body stagnated, and he was unable to
utilize it to activate his abilities any longer.
EsGod stared at Han Xiao, his eyes displaying puzzlement.

“How are you able to use my ability?”

“You’ll have a lot of time to slowly think about that in the future.” Han Xiao did not
hesitate, immediately taking out the Spacetime Amber and pointing it toward EsGod.
After entering its second layer of Soul Connection, the production of amber balls had
sped up.

The Spacetime Amber was the key to this plan!

The people present might have been able to restrict EsGod, but they could not keep
gathering forever. EsGod had too many Esper abilities, and there was no guarantee that
he could not run after being locked up.

The only guaranteed way was the Spacetime Amber, which could restrict EsGod.

They had already decided that Han Xiao would be the core behind the operation this
time, and everyone’s responsibility was simply restricting EsGod.

Without Esper Silence and the Spacetime Amber, EsGod would likely manage to
escape. They were the key variables in this operation.

EsGod was sensitive toward space and felt the space around him start to warp. A look of
astonishment was seen in his eyes.

“So, this is the effect of the Spacetime Amber from the legends. What a miraculous
Universal Treasure.” EsGod paused for a while, reluctantly twisting his facial muscles.
“I never thought that I would end up in your hands.”

Han Xiao was deeply aware of the possibility of receiving a counterattack if one talked
too much and did not answer, focused on creating the Spacetime Amber.

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, EsGod stopped struggling, staring indifferently
at Han Xiao.
“Black Star, we will meet again.”

“That will be left to when the three Universal Civilizations see fit to ask me to release
you.”

Han Xiao’s eyes flashed, and he suddenly cut the energy supply.

EsGod’s entire body was sealed within the Spacetime Amber!

Chapter 895 Success, Return

The moment the Spacetime Amber was formed, all energy was isolated, and everyone
let go, surrounding it and gazing at EsGod, who was trapped within the amber
curiously.

“Is it done?” Sun Hunter tapped the casing of the amber ball, gazing at the motionless
EsGod. His eyes carried some surprise.

Before the operation, they had estimated that the success rate would not be low, but now
that it had been completed, the Beyond Grade As found it unbelievable.
EsGod was famed in the universe and had escaped the grasp of the three Universal
Civilizations time and again. Now, it had truly been caught!

Furthermore, the operation had gone quite smoothly.

“Once trapped within the Spacetime Amber, time and space will be frozen. EsGod still
retains his consciousness but can no longer move his body. We’ve succeeded,” Han
Xiao summarized.

“Humph, to think this day would come.” Milizaus shook his head.

“With eleven of us, it would be an embarrassment if we failed.” Manison’s expression

was calm, but he felt emotional at the loss of someone he knew.

But just as this feeling surfaced, it was immediately suppressed down when his gaze
shifted to the Spacetime Amber that Han Xiao was holding. Everyone also looked at the
Universal Treasure.

The capture of EsGod filled everyone with surprise, but this did not last long as they
were all Beyond Grade As. What they were more interested in was the Spacetime
Amber.

Due to the rumors of the battle of Planet Lighthouse, the Spacetime Amber had entered
the sights of the various Beyond Grade As, and they were interested in something that
could easily imprison another Universal Treasure. Now that they saw it in person,
feeling envious was only natural.

Black Star had the means to restrict a Beyond Grade A’s abilities, which posed a threat
to most of them present. Everyone had to reconsider their evaluation of Black Star’s
strength. His position was unique.

Sensing their gazes, Han Xiao’s brows furrowed, and he put the Spacetime Amber away
once again with a flip of his hand.
“What a good thing.” Sun Hunter sighed. “Black Star, your luck is good to actually
possess two Universal Treasures.”

Han Xiao raised his brows in response. He was the happiest whenever someone praised
his luck.

=
After all, something intangible had to be emphasized by others, just like how ordinary
people liked to be called ‘handsome’ or ‘beautiful’…

After pausing for a moment, he did not respond but rather changed topics. “Now that
EsGod has been caught, the operation is complete. I’ll take EsGod back to the dynasty.
Any objections?”

Manison shook his head. He was interested in EsGod’s body, but it was a pity that he
could not open the Spacetime Amber.

The trio from the Arcane Church, including Sun Hunter, thought about it before finally
agreeing to Han Xiao’s request as well. The Arcane Church wished to take EsGod
captive, but the situation always trumped one’s desires. With seven Beyond Grade As
from the dynasty present, there was no guarantee they could snatch it, and there was
also no need to.

“Since everyone is agreeable, then leave it to us.” Milizaus nodded. “Black Star, your
contribution was the biggest in the operation this time. The dynasty will cooperate and
announce your deeds.”

“Alright.” Han Xiao smiled.

EsGod and the Fallen Ark fleet were quite well known in the universe as notorious
villains, frightening countless interstellar citizens. Now that this guy had been caught by
the dynasty, it would definitely be big news. The dynasty would not let go of this
opportunity to announce in public their ‘contribution to maintain peace in the universe’
by eliminating a scourge that threatened the citizens’ safety.
As the promoter and biggest contributor to the operation, Han Xiao would naturally be
the key figure of this propaganda. When the news was spread, his reputation would also
rise, and it would most likely become one of his defining battle records. The influence
of this event would not necessarily be lower than the battle of Planet Lighthouse.

For someone such as EsGod, he might not be able to obtain any political assets, but he
should definitely get Legendary Points.

Of course, when compared with the hidden dangers of the World Tree Civilization,
these were trivial things. It was more important to eliminate the hidden dangers. At least
the citizens would not receive a sudden alert that a World Tree was invading when they
were on the toilet one day. That would probably scare the sh*t out of them.

Without the threat of EsGod, the spatial research of the three civilizations would also be
lowered somewhat, and the Fallen Ark would also not continue launching attacks
without a leader. Thus, the time when the World Tree Civilization would be linked with
them would be delayed.

Since he had captured EsGod at this stage, the storyline of EsGod would disappear, but
compared to the disaster brought about by the early invasion of the World Tree, this
consequence was worth it, and it would win him more time for a stable development.

In the future, the three Universal Civilizations and the World Tree Civilization would
definitely notice each other, and there would be a cosmic disaster. Han Xiao was
accumulating strength for this, so to him, the later it happened, the better.

That’s right, EsGod said that he would meet me again.

Han Xiao’s eyes flashed. Just now, he was busy trying to seal EsGod and did not pay
attention to his words. Now that he had relaxed, all sorts of hypotheses began to float
up.

EsGod also knew of the existence of the World Tree Civilization and was definitely
certain that there would be a war between the two. His meaning was—would they let
him out when they realized that they would require his strength?
Han Xiao shook his head. It was unknown when that would happen, and by then, it was
hard to say that EsGod’s consciousness would still be sane after the long period of
captivity.

This time, the Lotus Swordsman opened her mouth, coldly remarking, “There’s
something I must remind you of. When I was interfering with EsGod’s soul, at that
instant when he was sealed, I felt an extremely strong mental fluctuation.

Han Xiao’s expression stiffened. “What sort of fluctuation?”

“The mental state of EsGod exploded out at that time, and his resistance increased
manifolds, as though he wished to use his mental energy to incite his body and remove
his restrictions. However, he did not succeed, and the Spacetime Amber enveloped him
shortly after, bouncing my psychic powers out.”

“Ok, I got it.” Han Xiao was silent for a while before he nodded.

It sounded like EsGod’s last gamble, but he had seemingly failed. It should be very
normal.

No one argued over the rights to hold EsGod, and they quickly reached a consensus.

Everyone then turned back to look at the battlefield. The three Universal Civilization’s
fleets were still clearing up the remnants of Fallen Ark, but no one intended to help.

They only had EsGod in their eyes. Now that the main evil had been cleared, these
small fries were not worth moving.

Han Xiao remembered that the Contribution Points awarded by [Dynasty Battle
Operation: Fallen Ark (Repeatable)] and thus split apart some of his mechanical army to
hunt down the fleet.

The moment EsGod was caught, the rest of the Fallen Ark members also gave up
resisting. No one surrendered since they were wanted criminals but fled in all directions.
There was almost no one left on scene.
While waiting for the battle to end, Han Xiao opened the interface and viewed the large
number of prompts that had popped up just now.

[Dynasty Battle Operation: Fallen Ark (Repeatable)] would soon end, and the few
missions regarding facing EsGod directly had been completed. Just the reward for the
experience measured up to thirty billion and was enough to level up a few times even at
his level of 280. Of course, the premise was destroying his doppelgangers. Be it in the
early or late versions, the number of players who could achieve that were few, but to
him, it was not much effort.

The Contribution Points of the dynasty also surged up, crossing the ten thousand mark,
almost nearing the amount where he could purchase two Ultimate Knowledges.

Very rewarding!

At the same time, a brand new [Character Summon Card—EsGod] also fell into Han
Xiao’s hands.

However, EsGod had too many abilities, and the chances of drawing Esper Silence were
low. This time, his draw was ordinary, and he only got teleportation. He could use it
about ten times, and its effect was pretty good, but it was chicken feed for him, given
that he already had Void Hyperdrive.

However, Void Hyperdrive was a little less flashy, and having more methods would
also be good.

This time, Han Xiao had spent a lot to deal with EsGod. He had completely used up his
Esper Silence skill, so this sure-kill ability against Espers was gone. Furthermore, the
number of [Perfect Mechanical Sense] uses had dropped by one.

He still had one final blank Character Summon Card, which he could use to produce
another [Perfect Mechanical Sense], but he did not plan to do so currently.
The battle at Planet Lighthouse and with EsGod was enough to give him a strong
reputation, and it was estimated that no one would come and provoke him for a period
of time. There was no need to think about using the blank Character Summon Card.

The other mission, [Archenemy of the Three Universal Civilizations], also showed a
‘completed’ status.

By capturing EsGod alive, he had fulfilled the additional requirements of the mission,
and thus, he could draw three abilities from EsGod, which was much better compared to
the Character Summon Card.

His Molding Talents were all practically drawn in this manner.

Han Xiao did not accept the reward immediately. Such precious reward, if he did not go
back and touch Feidin and his godson first, would he not waste his chances?

Just based on his own face, he would probably draw something nasty out!

Other than the reward, Han Xiao also obtained a great amount of experience in killing
enemies. Killing a doppelganger would net him a lot of experience, and since the
doppelgangers came unceasingly, it allowed him to obtain a ton of experience.

While gazing at his interface, the battle finally ended.

Han Xiao looked toward the other two universal civilizations.

“Our cooperation ends here. I thank you all for your help.”

“There’s no need to be polite. If there’s time, you can come over to my territory for a
visit.” Manison sent another invitation to Han Xiao.

“Not today. I still have to escort EsGod back,” Han Xiao said. “Let’s do it another
time.”
“Next time then.”

Manison shook his head regretfully before turning to leave.

Sun Hunter exchanged communicator numbers with Han Xiao before leading the rest of
the Arcane Church members back to the main flagship. Han Xiao took the captured
EsGod and followed Milizaus and the rest back to the dynasty’s flagship.

The eleven of them returned to their respective factions, and the three civilizations left.

At the same time, the operation’s report was also sent to the upper echelons of the three
Universally Civilizations.

896 Talent Upgrade

“EsGod was really captured?”
Urranrell received a report from the fleet commander within the Ruler’s office and was
a little surprised.

The Ruler was busy with official business, so after a simple meeting to form a
cooperation between the three civilizations, Urranrell did not continue to pay attention
to this operation.

Urranrell had attached importance to Han Xiao’s determination to get rid of EsGod, but
she did not care about the operation that took place. This mentality was just like a
billionaire taking out a hundred thousand to make an investment. It was purely to test
the waters, and whether it succeeded or failed was relatively unimportant. Having
received the report of success, however, she was pleasantly surprised.

EsGod, who had constantly given them a headache, was finally removed.

The existence of EsGod had always been the bane of the three Universal Civilizations, it
represented chaos and lawlessness, and it was a firm enemy of order. Both sides had
clearly demarcated their boundaries, but in some cases, the three civilizations would
rely on its strength.

The notoriety of EsGod came from its atrocities, and although it was tyrannical, it
would definitely not come to rile the three civilizations up without a valid reason. The
targets of its crimes were mainly some star cluster or super star cluster level
civilizations, and rampaging about in these territories was actually a benefit to the three
civilizations.

On the other hand, the Fallen Ark fleet attracted thugs and wanted criminals from all
over the universe. The disadvantage was that the power of EsGod was repeatedly
increasing, which made him harder and harder to deal with. The benefit in this was that
because all the wanted criminals were gathered in one place, it became easier to control
them and keep tabs on them, increasing their security.

Of course, this was under the premise that EsGod was sufficiently strong. If he was not
so difficult to deal, the three civilizations would not have left him alone.

Now that Black Star had really captured EsGod, getting rid of this tricky enemy, they
were obviously pleased.

This was equivalent to capturing the head of the terrorists, and it showed that the anti-
terrorism measures of the three civilizations had an effect. The greater the shadow
EsGod had left on the galactic residents, the more reputation they would gain.

Urranrell nodded in satisfaction. “Excellent, Black Star did not waste my efforts. He did
well.”
“EsGod was likely careless, or else, with his strength, there’s no one in the Universe
that would be able to capture him,” Clotti said calmly.

He had also faced EsGod a few times, and his judgment was accurate. If EsGod ran the
moment he faced a blockade, no one would be able to capture him.

A pity that all of this was only hypothetical. EsGod’s behavior would never allow him
to perform in this manner; he would definitely engage in battle first. If he only knew
how to run, there was no way that he would have been able to reach his current strength
and infamy. He would have long been removed by the three civilizations.

“No matter what, Black Star did not let down my expectations.”

Urranrell was getting more and more satisfied with Han Xiao. From viciously beating
up the Arcane Church in the battle of Planet Lighthouse to getting rid of the Archenemy
of the three Universal Civilizations, he had brought much fame and benefits to the
dynasty.

While the dynasty fleet was on the journey back, they received a reply from the upper
echelons of the dynasty.

In the center of the command room, a remote projection appeared. It was Urranrell.
Seeing this, everyone got up to salute, and Han Xiao as well as the other Beyond Grade
As also symbolically bowed their heads.

“All of you did well this time. You have made a tremendous contribution to the dynasty.
The dynasty will not be stringy with the corresponding reward.”

Urranrell stood with her hands behind her, her tone full of praises.

Facing the leader of the dynasty, everyone maintained the aloofness of a Beyond Grade
A and only nodded, accepting her praise.
“If not for Black Star managing to convince the Federation of Light to participate, I
would not have been able to contribute much to this joint operation. I’ve seen the report,
and Black Star had the biggest part to play in the capture of EsGod. The dynasty plans
to announce Black Star as the core of our publicity stunts. I believe no one will object to
it,” Urranrell said.

Capturing EsGod was a frightening battle record, and Urranrell was ready to put the
credit on Han Xiao’s head, helping him to spread his reputation.

“Of course not, this is the truth.” Milizaus laughed.

He had been heavily injured in the battle of Planet Lighthouse, and he had always
remembered this grudge. Seeing that EsGod had fallen into their hands, he felt so
pleased, as though he was offered a cold refreshing drink on a hot summer day. His
goodwill toward Han Xiao increased even further.

The rest did not have any objections. They were still waiting for the use of the evolution
cube, so no one was willing to fight with Han Xiao for credit.

“Then, I’ll thank the dynasty in advance.” Han Xiao laughed.

“Good, you guys quickly bring EsGod back. The dynasty will lock him in the most
secretive location.” Urranrell paused for a moment. “That’s right. Black Star, you
mentioned that those that are sealed by the Spacetime Amber will have their souls
slowly die off due to the long captivity, right?”

“That’s right.” Han Xiao nodded and understood her intentions. “Does the dynasty wish
to study EsGod?”

“Yes, it has high research value. After so many combinations of gene chains, it has
mastered all kinds of abilities. If this can be cracked, the genetic technology of the
dynasty will have progress, and the number of Supers will also increase.” Urranrell did
not conceal it. “Of course, only when his soul dies can we begin the research. How long
do you think we need?”

Han Xiao stroked his chin. “I recommend at least five hundred years to start with.”
Urranrell stood in deep thought for a moment before nodding. “That works. Although
the period is a little long, let’s play safe.”

Five hundred years was nothing to the Crimson Dynasty. Their period of existence far
surpassed that number, and some war preparations even took units of a hundred years as
a gauge.

After a few more side conversations, Urranrell hung up, and the dynasty soldiers present
returned to work.

Ravenlaude now turned to Han Xiao. “Since EsGod has already been caught, it’s time
for you to uphold your end of the deal.”

Han Xiao’s mouth widened in a smile. Raising his hand, nanoparticles surged, and the
Evolution Cube was brought to his palm.

“Relax, I value credibility, and since everyone here has helped me in solving my issue, I
won’t cheat you guys.”

The three Universal Civilizations reached a consensus, and only after their fleets
returned did they announce the arrest of EsGod. Because the fighting took place in the
desolate universe belt where there were limited human traces, most major organizations
did not know anything about their encounter.

A little over half a month later, the dynasty’s fleet smoothly returned, and there were no
unexpected incidents.

Han Xiao passed EsGod to another dynasty fleet, who locked EsGod up in a secretive
location.

The other Beyond Grade As had also obtained their evolution and left satisfied, leaving
Han Xiao as the only one who returned to Planet Crimson Ring.
He immediately contacted Feidin and the rest. After a month apart, they were finally
reunited.

His goals for going to the Central Galaxy this time had been achieved. Han Xiao
announced the end of the vacation before taking them back on his own spaceship,
departing back for the Shattered Star Ring.

In the spaceship, Han Xiao took the excuse of not meeting them for a long time to have
a meal and thoroughly ‘molested’ Feidin and Nero.

Feidin was used to it and just had a face of helplessness, but Nero squirmed left and
right, not used to Han Xiao’s ‘passionate’ self. He was dizzy from all the ‘love’ given
by Han Xiao’s big hands.

Reynold thought that he would undergo such a treatment as well and took a deep breath,
psychologically preparing himself, but Han Xiao only turned and left, as though not
interested in him. This made Reynold feel a little depressed.

After recharging his luck, Han Xiao locked himself in the room and opened the
interface to complete the mission [Archenemy of the Three Universal Civilizations].

_____________________

The mission [Archenemy of the Three Universal Civilizations] has been completed.

Your cumulative damage to EsGod is calculated as 100% (up to the maximum limit).
You will obtain the corresponding reward.

You have been awarded 20,000,000,000 experience, x1 Random Reward, x1 [Character

Summon Card—EsGod].

[Character Summon Card—EsGod] Esper Ability—Ability Enhancement. This can only

be used on Espers that are lower than your current level. It allows the potential of the
ability to receive a permanent upgrade. Each target can only be promoted once. Uses:
0/3

_____________________

Han Xiao’s eyes sparkled.

This skill… is a little overpowered.

If a civilization’s Beyond Grade A has this ability, it would be equivalent to an

unlimited number of Esper Ability Potential Enhancing Fluid shots. Even if this could
only be used on Espers, it was enough to raise the prowess of the Espers in the entire
civilization by one whole level.

This was a strategic level ability!

A pity, the one who obtained this was EsGod. With his stingy character, chances were
low that he would help his subordinates raise their strength.

EsGod had collected all these abilities, which was equivalent to killing off a lot of
potential geniuses. If the original owners of this ability did not fall to EsGod, it was
likely that they would have become distinguished guests of the Universal Civilizations.

_____________________

Additional mission requirements have been completed.

You have received an additional reward: Random draw of three skills of EsGod
(Talent/Ability)

Alert: EsGod is an Esper. Part of the possible abilities have been automatically adjusted
to your class.
You have three chances to draw, and at least one ability will be randomly selected each
time. Please select your type of draw (Talent / Ability / Both).

_____________________

Han Xiao rubbed his hands, choosing the Talent option.

Since the Esper class was incompatible with his due to the different sources of strength,
he knew that many Esper Abilities could not be extracted.

Since he could obtain abilities this time, he should by right utilize it. However, it would
likely be more beneficial for him to obtain a good talent first.

_____________________

Randomizing… complete.

Please select one to three options from the five below as the reward:

1. Talent: Particle Structure Reinforcement – Immunity to True Damage.

2. Talent: Crazed Devotee – +20% Resistance to abnormal mental status.

3. Talent: Cell Division Control – Consumes energy to stimulate cell division and
achieve powerful self-healing properties. Converts energy into HP at a 1:3 ratio, capped
at 15% HP per second.

4. Talent: Endurance Enhancement – +40% Physical and Energy resistance.

5. Talent: Combat Instincts – Upon entering a combat state, +1% to all attributes,
capped at 12%.

_____________________
Han Xiao’s eyes sparkled. He drew two Molding Talents this time, which were the first
and third options.

His gaze was firmly locked on the [Cell Division Control]. This talent should have been
converted from the ‘strengthened self-recovery’ of EsGod, which was similar to his
[Middle Grade Cell Proliferation Control]. It was just that the efficiency was not as high
as his.

His own HP had now broken through 500,000, and even if he converted all of his
energy, it would not even reach ten percent of his total HP. It was far from achieving the
cap of twenty-eight percent per second. Thus, he would benefit by increasing the
efficiency of the conversion.

As for the ability to be immune to true damage, he already had it, and there was no need
to reselect it.

_____________________

You have chosen [Cell Division Control].

Your [Middle Grade Cell Proliferation Control] is similar to [Cell Division Control],
and the two talents will be combined.

Talents can be upgraded! Han Xiao was excited.

Certain similar talents could be merged together to form a stronger talent, which was
equivalent to an upgrade.

_____________________

Combination complete.

You have lost [Cell Division Control].

Your talent [Middle Grade Cell Proliferation Control] has been upgraded to [High
Grade Cell Proliferation Control].

High Grade Cell Proliferation Control: Make use of energy to proliferate cells, heal
wounds, and convert energy into HP at a ratio of 1:9. Recovery rate capped at 35% of
total HP per second.

_____________________

His conversation rate had now increased from 1:5 to 1:9, almost doubling the recovery
speed. The cap had also increased from twenty-eight percent to thirty-five percent.

Han Xiao exhaled before continuing with the second draw. He still stuck to the Talent
option.

Another five random talents were drawn, and after a glance, Han Xiao chose the Talent
[Spiritual Onsen], which gave him an added twenty percent psychological resistance, as
well as accelerated the removal of any abnormal mental statuses and soul damage.

Mental attacks were his shortcoming, so there was a need to stack his psychological
resistance.

For his third draw, he still chose Talent. Sweeping the randomized reward, his eyes lit
up.

Among the five, one of them seemed to be the adjusted version of EsGod’s Esper ability
[Black Hole], which could convert a portion of the incoming damage into energy
values.

After choosing this talent, the [Intermediate Energy Absorption] combined with this to
form a new talent.

_____________________
Your [Intermediate Energy Absorption] has been promoted to [Expert Energy
Absorption].

Expert Energy Absorption: When subject to any physical, energy, magical, or other
attacks, incoming damage is reduced by 25% and converted to energy. The absorbed
damage value is not counted as offset by resistance, and the remaining 75% of damage
received will be used to calculate the resistance instead. 60% of the damage offset by
resistance will be converted into energy.

_____________________

Han Xiao roughly did a calculation.

“If I count it like this, my efficiency in converting damage to energy will have increased
by more than 1.5 times, and the upgraded talent now offers twenty-five percent more
absolute resistance.”

With the addition of the [Black Hole] specialty, it directly converted part of the damage
into energy, which was equivalent to saving the energy required to restore this amount
of HP.

If his resistance was fifty percent and he received ten thousand damage in theory, then
the initial talent effect would mean he received five thousand damage and absorbed
three thousand energy.

After the upgrade, the effect now was receiving 3,750 damage and absorbing 4,750
energy.

The energy obtained was more than the HP lost!

897 The Fall of EsGod Even

After the three rewards had been drawn, miniscule Mechanical Force arcs swam on the
surface of his body, and he felt numb. The cells started to subtly change, and from Han
Xiao’s senses, he could feel that they had become even easier to control.
Because there was a base version, the upgrades to the talents were not uncomfortable
and were actually quite pleasant.

Han Xiao heaved a sigh of relief, clenching his fists and feeling the endless strength
surging in his body, as well as the vibrant vitality.

Following the evolution of the talents, Han Xiao’s self-healing abilities had also risen to
a new level. For the current him, having such strong vitality was not disadvantageous
since he was holding onto two coveted Universal Treasures, or else he might end up
being captured like EsGod one day.

“With my current self-healing level, so long as I’m not like EsGod being beaten up by
so many Beyond Grade As, there should not be any problems.”

Now that his HP and energy conversion rates were high, Han Xiao had plans for his
subsequent advancements. Since the upper limit of his HP would increase with every
level up, there was no need to pay attention to it. What he needed was to continue
improving the energy attribute, as this affected his total energy as well as the speed of
conversion.

In terms of his Mechanic class, he had to acquire advanced mechanic-related talents,

learn more Ultimate Knowledges, research more blueprints, improve his machinery,
expand the size of his mechanical army, and nurture a mechanical civilization… While
he was resistant to attacks, this only ensured his tankiness. The main method of combat
still had to rely on his Pay-to-Win… cough cough… his mechanical army.

The siege this time was considerably less risky than the battle at Planet Lighthouse. At
Planet Lighthouse, they were the passive party under attack and were outnumbered. But
this time, they were on the active side and outnumbered the enemy. His situation was
not so dangerous because even if the operation failed, it would not have been life
threatening. Thus, the pressure was lower.

As the interface for ability extraction disappeared, Han Xiao glanced and noticed
another reward notification for this mission.
[Dungeon Copy: Fall of EsGod]

Han Xiao’s eyelids jumped.

“D*mn, the difficulty of this dungeon will be through the roof!”

EsGod was considered one of the end game bosses of the evil faction, but receiving the
dungeon copy was something Han Xiao expected. However, those players who dared
enter such a dungeon would be masochists.

Ignoring the players, even if it was Han Xiao himself, if he attempted to solo this, he
would end up being pummeled by EsGod. Luckily, he only distributed the dungeon
crystals and did not use them himself.

“Oh, this copy can actually be used to display my heroism…” Han Xiao could not help
but think about the professional boot-licker Bun-Hit-Dog.

Putting his thoughts away, Han Xiao then glanced at his notifications to make sure he
had not missed any rewards.

“Such a notorious guy like EsGod should give me some Legendary Points. I believe
when the three Universal Civilizations announce this, the points will be delivered.”

There were two ways to obtain Legendary Points. One was the reward upon completing
a mission, while the other was not part of the reward but more of the news being
circulated around the universe, which would still award them with Legendary Points.
Since Han Xiao had obtained Legendary Points in both ways before, he was not
surprised.

Han Xiao could not help but think about the future developments, sighing internally.

“Now that EsGod is trapped, the unstable variable that is the World Tree Civilization
has been resolved. Even if the Crimson Dynasty manages to crack the wormhole
coordinates, as long as I’m operating, the Crimson Dynasty will then pay attention to
hiding itself and will not lead them here. Rather, they will explore the World Tree
Civilization in advance and obtain the initiative.’

Because of the coordinates from the wormhole, the storyline of the World Tree
Civilization would inevitably change. The timeline being brought forward was a
definite, but in his previous life, the World Tree Civilization had first discovered the
three Universal Civilizations and seized the initiative. This time, however, Han Xiao
estimated that it would be the three Universal Civilizations that would first discover the
World Tree Civilization.

In this manner, the situation would change. The three Universal Civilizations had
progressed all the way from the dark ages and definitely understood the importance of
concealment. They would make a plan first before taking action. Han Xiao himself was
also clear of the style of the World Tree Civilization, and there was no way both sides
could co-exist. War was inevitable.

But who the invading party would be this time was difficult to say.

Han Xiao remembered that there was still another set of the wormhole data in the hands
of the Tyla Civilization, and this would require the Crimson Dynasty to recollect it
themselves. This was not a huge problem. With the ability of a Universal Civilization, it
was likely that they would crack it before the Tyla Civilization, and then, the dynasty
would take the initiative.

Furthermore, EsGod was now out of the picture, so it was likely that this set of data
would hold less of an attraction toward the researchers since there were so many other
research topics to work on. They would not spend so many resources on an unknown
wormhole. Therefore, based on Han Xiao’s expectations, even if the storyline of the
World Tree Civilization was brought forward, it would not be so soon.

“Without their leader, the Fallen Ark should disband quickly, no longer being a paradise
for thugs. Those players who like to pillage and kill will also have one fewer place to
go,” Han Xiao mused.

The storyline of EsGod could be said to have been completely subverted, and the
destinies of many people would be rewritten. Most of them would lead better lives.
With fewer planets being destroyed, they also would not meet with grisly ends due to
EsGod. The number of lives saved would probably number in the billions.
This could be considered as doing a good deed, saving a wave of characters. Han Xiao
stroked his chin, and the corners of his mouth curled up.

“After getting rid of EsGod, I can now lie low. There’s nothing much for me to do. I can
safely tide through Version 3.0.”

Han Xiao heaved a sigh of relief. Thinking back, ever since Version 3.0 started, he had
always been into dire straits and had faced many big issues. It seemed like he would
finally welcome a long period of stability, where he could relax and slowly develop.

Just as Han Xiao was preparing his blueprint for the Black Star Army, Reynold took
Nero to another machinery modification room.

Reynold came to a modification table, and his fingers marked several golden operation
marks on the panel. The table was switched to a manual assembly mode, and on the
clear surface of the table, several gaps appeared in which metal plates opened into arms
for support.

“Since this vacation is over, I hope you can return to your studying mode as soon as
possible. Theoretical knowledge is only the basis of a mechanic. The mechanics who
are unable to turn this knowledge into actual manufacturing capabilities are considered
failures. You have learned enough theory, and thus, starting today, you’ll need to add
the operation training of primary machinery into your curriculum.”

Nero’s spirit was refreshed. Studying theoretical knowledge was dry and boring, and
having actual practical lessons would at least be more interesting. He had been
interested in building machinery from the start, which was why he had chosen to
become a mechanic.

Pressing a few buttons of the modification station, a virtual screen popped up, in which
there were many low-level machinery assembly methods recorded.

This machinery modification table belonged to Reynold, and within it were a lot of low-
level blueprints.

“Let’s start from the simpler ones,” Reynold said. “Okay, take this. The classic
exoskeleton mechanical suit, with a technical difficulty of D1, at the weak planetary
level. This is the technology of Planet Aquamarine, and the parts have already been
produced. You just need to assemble them.”

Nero settled down, recalling theoretical knowledge that he learned and applying it. He
would watch the operation video whenever he was confused.

“Right now, we’re training you on your familiarity with assembly. This is the basis of a
mechanic, and even His Excellency Black Star started off the same way.” Reynold
stood by the side to provide guidance. “Don’t just simply follow the steps to assemble.
Use all your sensory organs to detect the machinery’s structure. Use your mechanical
force to penetrate it, touch it, and perceive it.”

“Understood.”

Nero focused, and the clearer a picture he got of the machinery, under the effect of the
Advanced Luck Glow, his Middle Grade Mechanical Sense was slowly moving toward
the advanced level.

In a certain restricted area of Constellation Corridor, a dynasty battleship landed on a

huge mechanical space fortress. This fortress was in the shape of a cube, with a
structured layer and covered with heavy armor. A large number of defensive weapons
were arranged on the outside, arming it to the teeth.

This sort of armed space fortress was specially designed by the dynasty to hold
prisoners who were powerful supers. It possessed powerful defense capabilities, enough
to blow up an entire fleet, and a huge prison space. Only one Beyond Grade A was
detained there, and all those facilities inside were to prevent the person from escaping.

“Please confirm the code and key of the imprisonment project… Procedure complete.”

“The prison is being activated. The core is currently being opened, and smart docking is
underway.”
“Docking complete. The imprisoned cabin is ready to launch. Counting down… three,
two, one, launch.”

From within the dynasty battleship shot out a small egg-shaped cabin. Its body was
silver and black. It was ten meters long, and EsGod, wrapped in amber, was locked
inside.

This egg-shaped cabin possessed independent power propulsion, jetting out flames as it
smoothly flew into the gap exposed by the prison fortress. The body fit perfectly, and
the mechanical structures on both sides locked to complete the fitting.

The prison then closed and folded upon itself, turning back into its original cuboid
shape.

This was where EsGod would be locked for the next five hundred years.

Some days later, a piece of news shook the entire Galaxy.

The three Universal Civilizations jointly released a news report that the criminal EsGod
had been captured!

They had hunted EsGod multiple times, all of which had ended in failure, and the
infamy of EsGod had long pierced deep into the citizens’ hearts. For them to have
suddenly captured EsGod shocked all the citizens.

Countless galactic residents thought that EsGod would remain unpunished, and many
conspiracy theorists even believed that the three civilizations were secretly backing
EsGod, but they were all equally shocked by this news.

After the initial shock came the cheers.

EsGod had been captured; everyone cheered!

After years of poisoning the universe, EsGod had caused a lot of tragedies. He had
always remained the most dangerous criminal in the eyes of the galactic residents, and
now the three Universal Civilizations had fought against this terrorism and captured the
criminal.

The three civilizations’ joint operation, in the eyes of many people, sent a signal to the
outside world that the conflicts arising from the Battle of Planet Lighthouse had been
resolved, and they were trying to promote their relationship now. The interstellar
environment had returned to stability.

As for the joint operation, the three civilizations also announced the details. The eleven
Beyond Grade As involved were introduced, and they emphasized on Han Xiao’s
merits, even calling him the core of the operation as well as its initiator. This further
highlighted his contributions.

With the number of people being aware of EsGod, it was equivalent to Han Xiao
stepping on the infamy of EsGod to boost his own renown.

Even before the topic of the ‘Enemy of the Arcane’ had disappeared, another matter that
represented Han Xiao had appeared.

The universe termed this as the ‘Fall of EsGod’, and as the leader of the event, Han
Xiao left an even deeper impression in the hearts of the galactic residents.

Various star fields and countless victims who bore hatred toward EsGod gave rise to
emotions of gratitude toward Han Xiao.

The Shazik Planetary Transit station was a neutral planet that offered various services,
located in the dangerous Central Galaxy desolate universe belt. It was a rare occurrence,
and it provided people with venues for smuggling, repairs, and entertainment. The target
of their service was the wanted criminals, including Fallen Ark.
Only people who were not afraid of death would establish a planetary transit station in
this area. Those with no backer would be long looted by the mobs, so Shazik had linked
up with the Fallen Ark, providing them with a large amount of protection fees in order
to prevent being plundered.

The owner of this planetary station was also called Shazik. He was a Calamity Grade
Super and had established cooperative relationships with a number of armed forces,
including Fallen Ark. He was considered a middle level character in the desolate
universe belt.

As for his origins, they were a secret, and the criminals there did not and would not
care.

However, Shazik was no criminal but rather had his hometown ravaged by EsGod. He
had developed a strong hatred, and thus, he had chosen to become an avenger, building
a transit station there to look for opportunities to deal with Fallen Ark.

Upon receiving the news of EsGod being captured, he immediately called for a secret
meeting.

“The moment EsGod falls, there will be no one keeping the insane Fallen Ark members
together. They’re sure to disband. We’ll also be embroiled since our backer has fallen.
There are too many fellows that want to plunder us,” one of his close aides said.

“That’s right. We cannot stay here any longer. We need to leave.”

“Boss, what are you going to do?”

Shattered Star Ring solemnly said, “Bring all of our things. We’ll go to Shattered Star
Ring and look for the Black Star Army.”

“Why him?”

“I made a promise to the gods before. Whoever could get rid of EsGod, I would serve
under him.” Shazik’s expression was set.
Ever since his hometown was annihilated, he had only had revenge left in his life.
However, EsGod was too strong, and revenge was out of the question. Now that Black
Star had finished his life’s work, even if it was not for revenge, Shazik also felt
gratitude toward him and decided to use his strength as a form of repayment.

“With someone at Black Star’s level, will he even want us?”

“That’s why we have to bring a gift.” Shazik lowered his voice. “Over the years, we’ve
bribed several of the Fallen Ark members and have also sent in a lot of undercover
spies. Now is the best chance. When the Fallen Ark is in chaos, they’ll steal a portion of
the riches, and this will be our basis to enter the Black Star Army.”

Everyone’s eyes lit up. They had spent so many years here and also gotten to know the
Fallen Ark well. While they were a chaotic and loose organization, they also had a lot of
valuable items, such as the trophies EsGod had stored over the years—secret
intelligence reports, failed experiments, and even special prisoners that were locked up.

Now that EsGod was gone, they were definitely not the only ones looking to plunder the
Fallen Ark. This was the best time to fish in muddied waters!

898 Impac
The members of Fallen Ark were originally criminals that came from different star
fields. Some of them were the crazed worshippers of EsGod, while others did it to
obtain the protection of EsGod.
Now that EsGod was gone, without their strong leader, no one had the qualifications to
step up, so the lawless criminals also lost their reason for banding together.

The criminals knew that without their leader, the next move of the three Universal
Civilizations would be to bring the knife to them, completely cleansing the desolate
universe belt.
After EsGod fell, the powerful Fallen Ark also began to split apart into countless
smaller groups, and one by one, they started to raid all the Fallen Ark’s treasuries.

The desolate universe belt in the Central Galaxy was actually the territory of the Fallen
Ark and had maintained a very thin line of balance between all the forces, but now, it
had become even more chaotic and dangerous, with the criminals killing and plundering
each other.

At this moment, there were more than a thousand battleships surrounding a desolate
planet and undergoing a battle.

This planet was one of the secret research facilities established by EsGod, and it stored
various valuable materials, technology, and special products. The thousands of
battleships belonged to the divided criminal groups, and their purpose was to snatch the
results of this Ru0026D base. One of the teams belonged to Shazik.

The surface of the planet had turned into an intense battlefield. Most of the battlefields
were not equipped with annihilation weapons but rather only used their battleship
cannons to attack. The plasma beams interlaced with each other, coloring the dark
universe with bright stripes, as though paint on a canvas. Hulls melted wherever it
passed, turning into red hot slag that became obstacles in the battlefield.

The battle continued for a period of time, and finally, the victors were decided. Shazik’s
team was one of them, and they raided this facility before leaving in satisfaction.

The inky black blade sliced across the throat, and fresh red blood seeped out, splattering
on the bloodied cabin wall.

Plop!

A gray-skinned creature with dense compound eyes fell over, clutching his bloodied
neck, revealing the killer behind.
It was a humanoid creature with a long blade wearing a hood and a black mechanical
mask that only revealed a pair of scarlet eyes.

This was a tattered ship cabin, the walls of which were covered with slash marks and
electrical arcs. Lying on the ground were hundreds of dead bodies of different species,
and the ground was solidified with colorful blood scabs. Only the killer was left
standing.

“Number 11,570…”

His voice was hoarse, sounding like a pair of worn bellows. With a flick of his wrist, the
blood on the blade disappeared, and he sheathed the blade before pressing on his
mechanical mask, sending a message to a number labelled ’employer’.

“Objective complete.”

Very quickly, the employer replied, their tone filled with gratitude.

“Thank you very much, Mister Lothaire. Thank you for taking revenge for us. Without
you, we would forever be…”

“This is a transaction. Remember to pay up.”

Lothaire indifferently cut the other party off.

He was a lone bounty hunter, but his hunting targets were limited to members of the
Fallen Ark.

Lothaire was born in one of the colonial planets of an advanced civilization and had
grown up in a peaceful environment. However, the Fallen Ark fleet descended upon
them one day, bringing death and destruction.
He had thought that he would die, but somehow, a hidden Esper Ability within his body
burst out at the juncture of life and death, allowing him to escape from his fate… but
resistance was futile, as they captured him and offered him to EsGod.

Thus, Lothaire met EsGod and had his newly awakened Esper Ability torn away from
him, becoming a dying person, his life force flickering like a candle in the wind.

Normally, those whom EsGod had stolen abilities from would either be made into food
or thrown out into the universe. Maybe Lady Luck was smiling at him, but Lothaire was
thrown out into the universe. While ordinary people could not survive in the universe,
he found out that the Esper Ability had changed his body structure, allowing him to
survive even in the vacuum of the universe.

After the Fallen Ark fleet had left, the civilization’s rescue force managed to arrive
before Lothaire died, making him the only survivor. He held an extreme hatred toward
EsGod and Fallen Ark, and under this drive, Lothaire, who had lost his Esper ability,
experienced mortal hardships, embarking on the path of a pugilist and becoming a
Super.

After his training was completed, he became a bounty hunter.

The members of the Fallen Ark were all criminals, and they fled under EsGod’s
umbrella to avoid being hunted by various civilizations. Lothaire was specialized in
hunting down such criminals, and he made these self-confident fugitives pay their blood
debt. Thus, his employers were usually victims of Fallen Ark.

As of today, the number of Fallen Ark members who had fallen under Lothaire’s blade
was in six digits, but Lothaire was still unsatisfied. He was just like an ascetic monk that
continued to grind his strength in order to complete his hidden goal—assassinating
EsGod!

His experience of meeting EsGod had always been his nightmare, bringing him endless
fear and causing him to wake up from his sleep. But even though he knew it was
impossible, he refused to give up on his ultimate goal.

Without caring about the ground strewn with corpses, Lothaire walked toward the
control room of the spaceship. Suddenly, his communicator notified him of a news
flash, which was the joint report by the three civilizations.
“EsGod has been captured?”

Lothaire’s expression changed, and he stopped walking, concentrating on the news

report.

After a while, he let out a long, relieved sigh. Suddenly, he felt a bit lost, as the goal in
his heart had suddenly disappeared.

But very quickly, Lothaire regained the light in his eyes and muttered to himself, “The
guy who caught EsGod is called Black Star…”

On one planet where the people were living like nomads, less than a tenth of the
population remained after being attacked by EsGod.

When news of EsGod’s capture reached this tribe, the people shed tears of joy.

“EsGod has been captured!”

“Wu wu wu… we’ve waited so long for this day!”

“All praise Black Star!”

“Long live Black Star!”

The same scene was being repeated on many different planets.

The news of EsGod’s arrest incited joy but also alarmed a few secret organizations.
“EsGod was too violent in his bearings. I knew this day would come for him.”

“Now that EsGod is gone, the Fallen Ark also won’t exist. There’s no one else to take
away the attention of the three civilizations. This is disadvantageous to us.”

“Continue maintaining a low profile and accumulate strength. We’re not as unbridled as
EsGod, so it’s hard for them to focus on us.”

“This is also a chance. We can accept those under EsGod as well as his inheritance and
use it to bolster our forces.”

“Yes, send someone to the Central Galaxy. There will be a lot of people who think the
same way, so don’t fall behind.”

In the orbit of Planet Aquamarine, the Floating Dragon Island drifted.

Ames stood at the edge of Floating Dragon Island, overlooking the panoramic view of
Planet Aquamarine.

Footsteps sounded behind her, and Ames turned to see Aesop walking to her.

“There’s big news.” Aesop shook his head. “EsGod has been captured by the three
Universal Civilizations.”

“What happened?” Ames’ brows raised up.

“See for yourself.”

Aesop put the communicator on her hand.

After glancing through, Ames returned the communicator, a smile on her face.

“He really can’t sit still.”

“Black Star went and did something big again. He’s becoming stronger and stronger.”
Aesop felt a little emotional.

Throughout his long life, he had experienced the age where EsGod was the craziest. He
feared EsGod somewhat, but to think that this fellow actually was captured by a newbie
Beyond Grade A.

Although this was a siege, he also saw the extent of Han Xiao’s current connections and
influence from the lineup of the three civilizations in this operation. Even when he was
part of the Ancient Ones, he probably did not have a reputation like Han Xiao’s.

“Yes, he is becoming stronger.”

Ames smiled but went a little silent. She still remembered the time she fought EsGod
together with Han Xiao. At that time, his strength left her with a deep impression, but
now EsGod had actually fallen to Han Xiao. This meant that Han Xiao’s overall
strength should have surpassed hers.

While she had always been pursuing strength, watching her subordinate catch up to her
left her with complicated feelings.

She was originally high up above, but later on, Black Star reached Beyond Grade A and
sat on the same level as her. However, whether it was in position, strength, or influence,
Black Star had completely surpassed her, completing a counterattack under her watch.

While she was also improving, the majority of it was because of the evolution that
Black Star had given her.

Their roles had swapped.

Ames stretched before lightly blowing out.

“It seems that I’ve been too lazy these years and not exercising properly. I should look
for a time to have a good fight with Black Star.”

Following the news, Han Xiao who was on the journey back also received a long-
awaited notification.

_____________________

You have received 1 Legendary Point.

Universe Legendary Point: The Fall of EsGod—The notorious leader of the Fallen Ark,
the ‘Butcherer of Life’ EsGod, has finally been captured by the three Universal
Civilizations. As one of the participants, and even the leader, countless races are
grateful for your contribution and will remember your name.

_____________________

Universe Legendary Point? Han Xiao whistled. The infamy of EsGod was really carved
into everyone’s heart.

As one of the end bosses of the evil faction, EsGod had quite the reputation. The
sensation caused by capturing him was no less than the Battle of Planet Lighthouse.
Since EsGod’s influence covered the entire universe, he was given the highest
legendary point rating.

Closing his notification, Han Xiao opened the forums. Everyone was discussing the fall
of EsGod.

He had obtained reputation from this event, and this also seemed to have affected the
players’ gaming experience.
899 Popularity and Recognition
The social media transmission within the galaxy was quick, and this explosive news
quickly went around to various star fields. As for the players who also carried a
communicator, they naturally did not miss out on such news.
Within the forums for the Shattered Star Ring, there were many players fervently
discussing this incident.

After going through three versions, the players were already familiar with the erratic
whereabouts of NPCs. Except for functional NPCs such as merchants, most of the
characters would not stay within the same place all the time. A player could talk to a
character and come back later to see that they had left for another place.

While this was a little inconvenient, the majority preferred such a characteristic, as it
gave off a high sense of realism.

Following the expansion of the Black Star Army, the contact that Han Xiao had with the
players had also begun to decrease. Ever since Version 2.0, he had adopted an image of
a faction commander, and thus, the players were now used to not seeing a trace of their
army commander and suddenly finding out news about him.

Discussing the deeds of the army commander became one of the pastimes for the
players.

Many players were creating posts to discuss the fall of EsGod. At this stage, their level
was too far from EsGod’s; he was a character toward the mid-late versions. As such,
there was little interaction between the character and the player. The players only knew
that he had a badass introduction, and he was from the evil faction, nothing else.

Only the players from the three star fields in the Central Galaxy knew more, especially
those chaotic players who had taken part in looting and pillaging without taking up any
storyline missions. They had gone to the desolate universe belt to join the Fallen Ark,
but they did not have the qualification to see EsGod, only seeing the tip of the iceberg.
Because they were limited in their understanding of EsGod, the impact of EsGod falling
was not as great, and its significance could not be compared to the battle at Planet
Lighthouse. After all, Planet Lighthouse involved two Universal Civilizations, and to
the players, that was end game content.

As for the fall of EsGod, the majority of players did not experience it and did not know
the significance of this matter. They just thought that a big shot character had been
caught.

The reply that Han Xiao saw was thus a routine spit on their army commander.

“The Army Commander ran off to do something again. He seems very free.”

“Sigh, I also want to go to the Central Galaxy to take a look. This abominable
contractor, throwing us at the Shattered Star Ring to slave away while he goes to
explore places leisurely.”

“Will this lead to a new storyline?”

“I doubt it. I think this was supplementary to the battle of Planet Lighthouse. EsGod
took part and thus got caught. Since there’s nothing that us players can do, it’s most
likely a backstory.”

“What a trash game. It’s all just CG.”

“Ah, there are no cutscenes to see. I’m going to die.”

“I’m EsGod. I got captured yesterday by the three Universal Civilizations and require
5,000 Enas to bail me. Someone, please bail me. When I’m out, I’ll bring you to explore
the world. My account number is 480xxxxxx…”

“D*mmit, I’m part of the Fallen Ark faction. You guys captured my leader. All you
Black Star Army dogs, eat sh*t!”
“Central Galaxy dog, scram!”

“The Constellation Corridor is shivering.”

Seeing all sort of cr*p on the forums, Han Xiao’s mouth curved into a smile.

Just as he was scrolling through all the posts of these moronic players, he discovered
that one of them was actually pushed to the top, with the topic of ‘The meaning behind
the Fall of EsGod’. The post’s popularity was flying up quickly.

As he clicked on the post, he saw the player’s ID, ‘Army Commander’s JJ’ [1. For those
of you who need a reminder, JJ basically means the third leg.].

“… Crazy!”

Han Xiao’s face began contorting.

Being perverts was certainly a strong point of the players. He was ashamed that he
could not be like them.

Taking a deep breath to calm down, Han Xiao began to read the content.

“Brothers in the army, it seems as though many of you do not view the fall of EsGod
with importance. I started off like this, but today, I met with a miraculous incident that
changed my mind.

“It goes like this. I actually accepted a small employment mission some time ago and
acted as a temporary escort for a long-distance travel spaceship, responsible for
escorting them through the Giberian Star System. You guys know, all the Galactic
Travelling Agencies now like to employ us Black Star Army people. As long as we are
onboard, the pirates will not attack.

“Anyway, there was nothing to say about the journey. It was relaxing. But after we
disembarked, a few of the other visitors from another star field stopped me, giving me
some stuff and asking me to pass them to our Army Commander.
“[Picture Attached]

“[Picture Attached]

“As you can see from the pictures, they weren’t anything valuable, just some handmade
stuff, and the flavor text read ‘This is a gift that is full of gratitude’. It triggered a
corresponding mission.

“[Picture Attached]

“I had never interacted with them before, but they took the initiative to find me. These
passengers said that their civilization had once been attacked by EsGod, and many
people died. They were extremely grateful to Black Star for eradicating him, so they
made the gifts to express their gratitude. They saw me as a member of the Black Star
Army and wanted to ask me to deliver them to the commander.

“This is the rough idea. During the conversation, this group was enthusiastic, holding
my hands as they laughed and cried, continuously murmuring thanks toward the Black
Star Army. I’ve recorded the video here, and the emotions are very contagious…

“[Video]

“While this is just a small task, I feel that the meaning hidden within is not simple.

“Within the entire universe, how many people would have been harmed by EsGod, and
how many wish to thank our commander! This number must be frightening! From this,
you can tell that the true meaning behind the Fall of EsGod is not just a simple
backstory but rather the dawn of justice shining upon many destroyed races and
families!

“The Army Commander did a great noble deed, and honestly, seeing the gratitude on
the NPC’s faces gave me a feeling of satisfaction.
“Brothers, I’ve said too much. Let me be the first to conclude: the Army Commander is
awesome!

“PS: To reflect my admiration to the commander, I’ve decided to go to the cash shop to
buy a ‘Name Change Card’. I’m going to add an additional ‘Big’ word to my name!”

Han Xiao scrolled down. This post had attracted a lot of players, and there were a lot of
replies to it.

“It’s ok to add a ‘big’ word. But it seems that the OP[1] is a troll.”

“I suspect that you are guiding us somewhere, but I have no proof.”

“I just saw the video. It’s full of emotions. I give 100 points.”

Some players ridiculed the poster, and some agreed with him.

“This made me remember the Mutation Disaster. In order to save his mother planet, the
Army Commander actively went into the galaxy to gather reinforcements. He has
always had a sense of responsibility.”

“That’s right. While Army Commander is a profiteer, he can still be relied on. I
remember his speech. My goodness, so inspiring!”

When players chose a camp, other than just benefits, they also paid attention to the
values it displayed. The players would often seek psychological satisfaction.

Han Xiao had always given the players a good impression, so many of them stayed in
the Black Star Army not just because of the high welfare but also because they
recognized Han Xiao as a leader.

Now that Black Star had received the gratitude of countless races, the players also felt
honored being related to him. Many of them had a sense of honor and achievement.
After reading this point, Han Xiao scratched his head, and he found out that even he
himself had underestimated the influence of this incident.

Just as the post had said, there were countless races that EsGod had trampled on, and
now they saw him as their savior.

This popularity was different from the normal reputation. The ones before stopped at
the level of acknowledging his strength and status, but everyone only knew him as a
powerful person, having high influence. What the EsGod incident gave him were the
hearts of the commoners and the recognition of the galactic residents.

One of these functions would attract more talents to take the initiative to join his faction.
After all, some people would never be persuaded by benefits, and they were likely often
talents.

A Universe Legendary Point was indeed not simple, and this EsGod could be said to be
a treasure to Han Xiao. He was now in a good mood.

“EsGod has made countless enemies, and there are so many that want revenge on him. I
wonder if those NPCs that would have attacked EsGod in the future versions will lean
toward my faction.”

Han Xiao stroked his chin.

After travelling for a few days, the spaceship finally returned to the headquarters of the
Black Star Army, entering through the dedicated personal dock.

The moment Han Xiao exited, he saw Hila waiting for him.

“Hey, you personally waited for me?” Han Xiao smiled as he waved.
“Humph.” Hila did not deny it, brushing aside the red stray hairs that covered her eyes,
and slowly scanned Han Xiao. “Seems like EsGod didn’t give you much trouble. None
of your limbs are missing.”

Han Xiao raised his brows before sniggering. “Were you worried about me?”

“This is my duty as the Black Star Guards captain.” Hila remained expressionless.

Han Xiao smiled, turning back to bid goodbye to Feidin and the others, before leaving.
He gestured for Hila to follow.

“By the way, I’ve brought you a present.”

“Not interested.” While Hila said that, her body was more honest, immediately
following behind Han Xiao.

The two of them came to a combat room, and Han Xiao locked the door before turning
to Hila, who was hugging her waist.

“I got something interesting from EsGod. It seems like it can strengthen Esper Abilities.
With your Beyond Grade A potential, this gift could make your road to Beyond Grade
A even smoother, increasing your upper limit.”

Hila fiercely pursued strength, so she immediately felt emotional. “But such a good
thing, won’t you give it to my teacher to use?”

“Oh, she probably can’t utilize it.” Han Xiao shook his head. “Furthermore, you’re my
first choice. The first person I thought of was you.”

[Esper Ability Strengthening] from EsGod Character Summon Card only had a total of
three uses. Han Xiao had already thought about it. Hila’s potential was exceedingly
high, and coupled with the fact that she was his close aide, he would also obtain the
benefits.
“Humph.” The corners of Hila’s mouth curled up in an arc of joy, and she put her hands
behind. “Ok. What I need to do?”

“Don’t move. Let me handle it.”

Han Xiao activated the Character Summon Card [Esper Ability Strengthening]. The
shadow of EsGod appeared behind him, and dazzling white energy particles floated
around his palm.

He came up to Hila’s side and tapped on her forehead. The energy particles streamed
into Hila’s seven orifices and circled around in her brain.

Hila groaned and shivered, immediately fainting. Han Xiao moved fast and caught her.

After checking her condition, he estimated that she would not wake up for a period of
time.

“To actually faint, I thought it would be the same as the Esper Ability Potential
Enhancing Fluid.”

Gazing at Hila who was leaning on him, Han Xiao shook his head and carried Hila off
like a sack of potatoes on his shoulder.

After leaving the combat room, he approached Hila’s room, and hacking into the
system, he unlocked her door and went in.

Hila’s room was as sparse as Han Xiao’s, and after he placed her on the bed and tucked
her in, he caught sight of three photo frames on her desk.

He took a closer look. The three were respectively Hila and Aurora, her with Ames, and
a picture with him. Other than that, there were no other decorations.

Standing silently for a while, Han Xiao stretched out his hand, taking the photo frame
and lying it on the desk. He then switched off the lights and exited the room.
…

After a while, Hila finally opened her eyes and discovered that she was in her room.

“Did he bring me back?”

As her hazy brain cleared, Hila stood up and rubbed her eyes.

She revolved her Esper Ability, feeling the changes, and her eyes widened.

“This is as amazing as the Evolution Cube. The pathways are much smoother, and my
upper limit has also increased… Oh, not sure how long I’ve slept. Better go find him.”

As Hila prepared to leave, she noticed an incongruity in her room. Gazing at the three
photo frames, she noticed that one of them had fallen.

She realized that it was the photo of herself and Han Xiao upon closer look.

Hila’s eyes twitched, and the good mood she had gotten from strengthening herself
dissipated in a flash.

“…Humph!”

900 Eternal Power Source

In the following month, Han Xiao remained within the headquarters to sort out his
gains.
His Contribution Points in the dynasty had increased by another ten thousand or so, and
with his original eleven thousand, he had more than twenty-two thousand. He used that
to purchase one new Ultimate Knowledge from the dynasty.

Right now, the tumor that was EsGod had already been removed, and the external
environment had also settled down and entered a stable development period. The
pressure on him was greatly decreased, so he did not have to rush and gather more
knowledge.

Han Xiao had currently grasped three Ultimate Knowledges: [Endless Material
Science], [Mechanical Life Tinder], and [Virtual Creator]. There was one from each of
the branches.

The Materials, Information, and Energy Branches had always been the Three Chariots
of the Mechanic Class. He had obtained both material and information branches, so he
chose to fill up the final branch with [Eternal Power Source].

This Ultimate Knowledge’s title was just a sham. Its effect was not so exaggerated as to
provide an ‘eternal’ source. It was not literally inexhaustible energy. The name came
from the significance it held toward a Mechanic’s combat strength.

The Cutting-Edge Knowledge [Abnormal State Energy] allowed a Mechanic to master

the technology for safely extracting Psionic, dark matter, antimatter energy, and more.
[Eternal Power Source] allowed these new energy sources to be utilized to elevate a
Mechanic’s abilities. At this point, one would see that technology and magic had started
to blend into one, and like a mage, a mechanic would also begin to wield multi-
dimensional energy.

However, this did not mean a difference in energy levels. Multi-dimensional energy did
not mean that it was stronger than Psionic energy. It was just an increase in the variety
of energy that a mechanic could wield.

The real focus of [Eternal Power Source] was not mastering new energy but improving
the technology of the mechanic such that it was able to welcome the energies.
Just like the progress from nuclear fission to fusion, learning a more advanced energy
extraction method would create a new generation of Psionic and dark matter energy
reactors, which would increase the power output and stability.

The result would be a comprehensive increase in weapon power, shield durability, and
machinery performance, which was the improvement brought about by energy
technology innovation.

The new Ultimate Knowledge also gave Han Xiao a new talent and ability.

_____________________

[Advanced Energy Control]: When utilizing advanced energy, x1.15 Attack Power
Bonus, x1.2 Shield Durability Factor, +30% Machinery Core Efficiency, +20% Output
Efficiency.

[Energy Innovation]: Passive Ability. This Ability will only be upgraded with each
increase in level for [Eternal Power Source]. Every level up will unlock additional
advanced energy technology as well as reactor blueprints.

_____________________

Energy was just too important, so no matter which Mechanic branch one belonged to,
they had to max out the level of [Eternal Power Source]. This was also one of the
culprits behind the players’ Enas hemorrhaging.

If one did not choose to specialize in the Energy Branch, the tripled cost of Potential
Points needed would make people feel like dying!

Even Han Xiao himself felt the difficulty. Even at Level 280, he only had twenty-one
spare Potential Points. Learning this knowledge would require twenty-four points, and
even if he maxed out a few of his abilities to make up for the lack of points, maxing out
[Eternal Power Source] from Lv.1 to Lv.5 would require another ninety-six Potential
Points, which was equivalent to raising the level of ninety-six blueprints to the
maximum.
The experience needed for this was even more frightening than what was needed to
level up!

The strength of a mechanic was derived from knowledge, and blindly levelling up was
insufficient. Only by stacking up the various knowledges would they then have a
stronger combat capability among their peers. This was the foundation of a mechanic.

Han Xiao’s four Ultimate Knowledges were all at Lv.1. After raising his level, he had to
consider raising his Ultimate Knowledge level. Because of his unique advantage of
having leeks, he had decided to raise all the levels of his Ultimate Knowledges as much
as possible. This was destined to be a long project, but upon completion, his combat
capability would be off the charts.

In addition to his own growth plan, Han Xiao also took care of the officers. The [Ability
Enhancement] Character Summon Card was utilized on both Hila and Aurora, as the
former had a Beyond Grade A potential, whereas the latter had a strategic level ability.

The last usage was left behind. Because both Ames and him were in the S grade, it was
impossible for him to use it on her. He prepared to save this chance for another time.

In the next month, Han Xiao settled a few more official matters. The most important
was the business cooperation with the Federation of Light. This was the deal that they
had agreed upon.

Their method of cooperation was to help Black Star by opening a branch in the Abyss
of Stars. Han Xiao coordinated with a deployment team and arranged for several
satellite bases to be sent over.

Those who went over as the deployment team did not include the players, however. The
Great Mechanic Han did not have the habit of transplanting his own leeks into another
person’s farm.

Currently, there were two major events for the players to participate in—the Gulal
Civilization war and the exploration of the Flickering World.

Moreover, the promotion for the Pro League had already begun, and because Version
3.0 was the time where the volume of players shot up rapidly, there were far more
newcomers. The volume for this Version’s Pro League was much greater than in the
past, and every player that intended to participate was actively preparing.

Based on Han Xiao’s estimates, the enthusiasm of players had risen by 47.5%.

Thus, the players could be left alone. Han Xiao had recently been more concerned with
the follow-up events of EsGod’s fall. The impact of the event had already begun to
ferment, spreading to the whole universe.

The three Universal Civilizations had begun a new wave of cleaning up the evildoers,
and the Fallen Ark that had threatened the entire Central Galaxy had now completely
disbanded and scattered. Many of the criminals had left the Central Galaxy, choosing to
roam through the universe. Some of the other organizations were actively recruiting
such criminals, dividing up EsGod’s manpower.

The Fallen Ark was one of the most famous criminal organizations of this era, but it was
not the only one. With the vastness of the universe, there were other large criminal
organizations active in the major star fields, and it was these people that were taking in
EsGod’s manpower and legacies.

The Black Star Army had also received the same treatment. From Sylvia’s report, there
was a spike in newcomers registering, and this should be because of his reputation in the
universe.

While the majority of them were victims of EsGod, there were two people who attracted
Han Xiao’s attention.

In the reception room within the Black Star Army Headquarters, Shazik and Lothaire sat
in front of Han Xiao. The three of them sized up each other.

Han Xiao’s gaze swept across the two of them. His expression was unreadable as he
spoke. “Both of you are Calamity Grade Supers. Are you serious about joining the
Black Star Army?”
Shazik nodded and solemnly said, “EsGod destroyed my entire hometown, and my
reason for living was to take revenge on him. I once swore that if someone could help
me take revenge, then I would follow him.”

Lothaire had half of his face covered, and he only coldly nodded in response. He did not
talk much.

“If that’s the case, then on behalf of the Black Star Army, I formally welcome you two
aboard.”

Han Xiao smiled. A Calamity Grade was a high-level combatant and could live a life of
luxury in any organization. Thus, he definitely would not reject them.

The reason these two caught his notice was not just because they were Calamity Grade
but because they were famous NPCs.

In the past, EsGod had rampaged in the universe for many versions and made many
enemies. Both Shazik and Lothaire were people who appeared in the storyline of
EsGod, and they were both enemies of EsGod.

Shazik ran a gray transit station in the Central Galaxy’s desolate universe belt, and
while it looked like it provided services to the criminals, it was actually a venomous
snake in hiding.

During the time he was in business, he secretly bribed the people in Fallen Ark,
collecting intelligence to disclose to EsGod’s enemies while also quietly sheltering the
various organizations that sought to take revenge against EsGod. He provided them with
weapons and spaceships, and players who had joined the universal civilizations could
accept missions from him.

Shazik used all sorts of methods to nibble away at the influence of the Fallen Ark, but
what the universe did not lack was crime, and thus, his speed of destruction could not
overcome the speed at which they recruited.

In the end, because players who accepted asylum from him posted about it on the
forums, his behavior alerted a player of the Fallen Ark faction, who then revealed his
identity. He died at the hands of a bunch of criminals.
As for Lothaire, he was even better. This was a madman that dared to try assassinating
EsGod. He had a mid-level Luck Glow around him and was a revenge-type template of
a main character.

Lothaire was a bounty hunter who specialized in assassinating members of Fallen Ark.
In the middle versions, he had established a secret organization named ‘Assassin’s
Society’. It was not a large organization, but all its members were elites, possessing
some reputation in the universe.

This was a hidden faction, and only players who had passed the test would be able to
enter. Within, they would be able to obtain the subclass [Galactic Assassin] and could
learn all sorts of assassination related skills from the members present. There was also
an S ranked mission, [Assassinate EsGod].

In the past, the Assassin’s Society had high popularity because a large portion of lone
wolf players liked the feeling of being assassins. This was especially so if one was an
assassin in the universe, as they could assassinate all sorts of great characters, then
watch the chaos it brought.

Lothaire had the strength of a Beyond Grade A seed at his peak, and he appeared and
disappeared like a specter. As an assassin known for his lethality, his deterrence force
was even stronger than a normal Beyond Grade A seed. He far outstripped Hadavy in
terms of strength and was ranked at the forefront for assassination in the universe.

A pity that, because he could no longer withstand the fear he got from his nightmares of
EsGod, he finally attempted to assassinate EsGod alone. With that, the strongest
assassin never returned, dying at the hands of EsGod.

Based on their past records, Han Xiao looked more favorably on Lothaire’s strength. If
he could obtain his loyalty, there was a lot of value in grooming him.

Upon recalling Lothaire’s past, Han Xiao had an idea.

I can create a small squad within the Black Star Guards, which need not stay near me,
but move out on black ops. They will only answer to me, and I can call them the
Shadow Guards or Shadowers…
This would allow Lothaire to once again create an assassin group similar to his past life.
This might allow him to attract lone wolf players and use them to complete some shady
objectives.

Just as Han Xiao was absorbed in his thoughts, Shazik took out a data storage device
and placed it on the desk.

“Your Excellency Black Star, this is my greeting gift for you.”

Hearing his, Han Xiao tilted his head, asking curiously, “What’s inside?”

“A portion of EsGod’s legacies,” Shazik said in hushed tones. “Before we left the
Central Galaxy, I mobilized all my undercover agents and seized a few of EsGod’s
research bases. From there, we took their inheritance. This is my offering for joining the
Black Star Army.”

Han Xiao’s eyes sparkled, and he looked at Shazik with praise.

This leek truly knew how to do things and even brought fertilizer for him.

He was reliable in doing things, a talent!

The various organizations are now trying to divvy up EsGod’s inheritance. I didn’t
expect that by sitting at home, I would also receive a copy.

Pointing with a finger, he shot out a ray of nanoparticles, which entered the port of the
data storage, directly linking to the stored data within.

“Phillip, read the data inside.”

“Roger, hum…”
Han Xiao closed his eyes, reaching into the quantum network. His brain, under the
guidance of Phillip, quickly downloaded all the various information within.

There were quite a few goodies within, such as intelligence on certain civilizations,
blueprints from lost civilizations, and special technology research reports.

After browsing for a while, Han Xiao found traces of the Evolutionary Civilization and
was overjoyed.

With the instructions from the Evolutionary Civilization, he could now manufacture the
containment block by himself, which solved one problem. Now, he need not be afraid of
destroying the containment block to release its actual shape, and there were more
methods to utilize it.

This information was priceless to him!

“What good stuff.” Han Xiao suppressed his excitement, quickly flipping through other
reports.

Suddenly, his eyes narrowed. A certain report had captured his attention.

Oh, this is… a Super High Risk Esper Ability?