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Chapter 1023 The Burning Soul of a Whistle-blower

In the Dawn Star Cluster, one spaceship after another sailed out of the stargate, stepping into the territory of the Flickering World.

The major organizations had long been freely exploring the Flickering World, and those that had just arrived were only tourists, small obscure organizations, and reinforcements.

This fleet consisted mostly of reinforcements from the Blackhole Edge. Its composition was complicated, with armies from Star Cluster and Star System Civilizations, armed forces, financial groups, and even players present.

In the entire universe, the Shattered Star Ring appeared to be an exception in having a player-formed faction. They were all from the Black Star Army. As for the others, their makeup was extremely scattered.

Within the Blackhole Edge, the most powerful player to join in this trip was inside a neutral organization named Nineteen Towers Psionics Association. The organization could be understood as a regional organization of mages and psychics, and one would obtain contribution points within the organization through the provision of magic services. The contribution points would then be exchanged for resources and knowledge, just like a platform for professional exchanges.

In the spaceship, the professional players of the Blackhole Edge gathered together. They were composed of players from different clubs across several countries.

In the International League, the players from Southeast Asia did not have much of a presence, as their results for each season placed them at the bottom. The only impression the audience had of them was that they were not very good in tactical operations. They tended to be reckless, and their fighting style was fierce.

The teams in Southeast Asia that were more popular were the Red Bay Club with Old Yue, the Titan Club with Old Qin, as well as the Archipelago Club in Indonesia. These three were the regulars participating in the International League.

At this moment, the common topic was related to the Pro League.

"There has been no news about the Pro League yet, but the opening of the World Server is likely to cause a change in the competition format, and the mode of qualifying through sub-areas might be cancelled," Venomous Snake, the Captain of the Red Bay Battle Team said.

"If there is no longer a division-based system, it will be difficult for us to qualify." The Captain of the Archipelago Team, Gravel Castle shook his head as he replied with a tragic expression.

The reason they appeared every year was purely based on the division system. In the Blackhole Edge, the weak fought the weak, so without this system, they would not make it into the International League.

"Thus, those of us who come from the same Star Field must now unite and seize the opportunity given to us through the World Server, developing ourselves well," Venomous Snake said.

"This is difficult. The advantage of the Chinese players in the World Server is too huge. We cannot compete against them alone. We can only see if the clubs of the other countries are willing to ally with us."

"Unfortunately, we've already invested too much in our current faction, so we cannot jump ships. Even if we enter the Black Star Army now, we will not be able to win against the local Chinese players. We have to come up with a plan to give us an advantage."

At this time, Venomous Snake narrowed his eyes and muttered, "While we cannot jump ship, we still can utilize the benefits offered by the Black Star Army. The best method would be to allow some guild members to join the Black Star Army and increase their contributions within. They could then purchase a large amount of resources at discounted rates. At the same time, we can get them to monitor the movement of the players in the army, which will be beneficial for us."

"Espionage?" Everyone present shared a look. "This is indeed a good idea, but will this cause us to be targeted by the Black Star Army?"

"What does the business of us players have to do with them?" Venomous Snake was nonchalant. "What we should take notice of is the Chinese players. We need to be careful of them stealing the supplies that we purchase."

"Good, then we shall do it that way!"

Everyone confirmed the battle strategy and buried their heads to discuss the details.

The Lesykes Army was a large private mercenary group active around the Blackhole Edge. However, it had an official secret backer—it was the secret military force of the Ursa Civilization. This organization was named after the leader, and right now, the Captain Lesykes had just brought his reinforcements to enter the Flickering World.

In the command room, Lesykes shouted in an excited tone.

"Increase speed. Rush over to the free competition zone as soon as possible."

The Ursa Civilization had many secret mercenary groups under them, so the civilization rarely gave him any missions. Normally, he was only disguised as a normal mercenary, so he attached great importance to this opportunity to acquire some merits.

Initially, he only sent in the advance troops, and he remained in the base camp to monitor the operations of the mercenary group. However, when the Flickering World was officially opened, the players, who had disappeared from the Blackhole Edge for twenty years, came back online.

In every Star Field, the traits of the players were different, so the impressions they left on the local organizations were also different. Due to the scattered population of the players within the Blackhole Edge, their exposure was far from comparable to the players in the Black Star Army. Thus, their threat level was also lower.

However, there were also a large number of local organizations that had noticed the special existence of the players, thinking that they might be the same species as the Black Star Army's Immortal troops. But the problem was that because the players were too scattered, the local organizations were unable to figure out their actual population. Before the players showed their ability to resurrect, they would behave like any other person, making it difficult to distinguish them.

Lesykes was one of the few to notice that the players had reappeared, and he was extremely impressed with these guys who did not seem to fear death. Therefore, he made a personal decision to recruit them en masse.

As it happened, many of the players in the Blackhole Edge were also looking to enter the Flickering World. They hit it off, and he was able to recruit over ten thousand of the players to transport over to the Blackhole Edge as a support force. This would allow him to claim extra credit.

Not long ago, he had received some good news; the Ursa Civilization had fallen into trouble on the front line. One of their collection units was overturned by the Immortals of the Black Star Army, and they desperately required reinforcements. Lesykes felt that he had suddenly become the person who supplied coal during a snowstorm, and he could not help being overjoyed.

This batch of reinforcements is just in time to help the civilization fight against the Black Star Army. Not only that, in the fight with other organizations, they can also use these Immortals to take the advantage. I've made a big contribution this time! Lesykes thought to himself secretly.

At the same time, among his fleet, a group of players from the Blackhole Edge stood in front of the porthole, whispering among themselves while enjoying the view of the Flickering World.

"We're almost here. Hurry to the free competition zone. I'm almost dying of anxiety!"

"Look at what missions this mercenary group can do in the Flickering World."

"Stupid, why would you even still follow this mercenary group? There are so many strong organizations in the Flickering World. What's the point of remaining with this tiny organization?"

"Makes sense. When we arrive in the free competition zone, we can kick this mercenary group aside."

Now that the many top-tier organizations were beginning to gather in the Flickering World, why would the players stick with the smaller groups? Only by switching to a stronger advanced faction could they then meet their increasing needs, especially their need for Class Knowledge.

Lesykes, who was full of hope, did not realize that he was being treated as a tool by the players.

The consequences of betraying a strong organization were serious, but for such a small organization like Lesykes', the players did not give a hoot.

The top choice for the average player in the Blackhole Edge would be the three Universal Civilizations or any Beyond Grade A or advanced civilization in the Blackhole Edge, followed by the Black Star Army.

Players in other Star Fields naturally had no sense of belonging to the Black Star Army. Only the benefits and development prospects would move them. In this respect, the Black Star Army was just like a firefly in the night, extremely evident.

Throughout the many versions, the various benefits players of the army received had long been eye-catching for all the other countries. Now that they could finally cross Star Fields, the reputation and appeal of the army from several versions had accumulated to achieve the effect of allowing a large number of ordinary players to be inclined toward Han Xiao.

Among them, the ones that wanted to join the Black Star Army the most were the Mechanic players from the Blackhole Edge!

Due to the difference in planets in Version 1.0, the composition of Supers in each Star Field was also very vast. The most common Class in the Blackhole Edge was the Mage class, followed by Psychics. The overall focus there was more toward the arcane, and the mechanic department only accounted for about twelve percent of the total players in the Blackhole Edge.

In comparison, the Black Star Army was simply like a paradise for Mechanics, and with Han Xiao as the top mentor of the Mechanic Class, there was no need to worry about the lack of Class Knowledge.

In the eyes of these people, one sentence could summarize the meaning of Black Star to the mechanic players.

If the Heavens did not give birth to me, Black Star, then the Mechanics would essentially be fumbling in the dark!

As for the Mechanic Emperor… while it was rumored that he was extremely strong, the players were not too familiar with him. They instead gravitated toward Han Xiao. After all, the Chinese players had forged the route for them, so they knew that Han Xiao was a reliable person.

The group chatted around, and at the edge of this crowd, a player with the ID of Muay Thai as Warning appeared to be alone, looking out the window.

This hidden mission told me that the Lesykes mercenary group is actually an affiliated organization belonging to the Ursa Civilization. I heard from my friend that their Long Sky happened to grab some resources from the civilization and had a conflict, so our group is probably here to serve as reinforcements…

The friend he mentioned was actually a peripheral member of the Long Sky Guild. They had once gotten into a spate on the forums, but they had suddenly realized that the other party also made sense, so they apologized to each other and finally became friends.

With this in mind, a bold idea surfaced in the mind of Muay Thai as Warning, and the soul of the whistleblower started to burn brightly.

If one wishes to jump ship, then they definitely have to present a gift!

At the same time, somewhere in the Emerald Star Cluster, a small financial group's exploration fleet docked at a temporary transit station that was constructed by an advanced civilization for a rest. The crew went for some leisure time, only leaving the logistics personnel behind to clean and repair the equipment.

Buzz!

Within the maintenance channel inside the spaceship, two ground crew members wearing protective gear were holding onto maintenance tools, working in front of a complex piece of machinery. Sparks constantly splashed around.

It took a while before they completed their job. Evans took off his hood and wiped his sweat.

He then opened the logistics task list on his wrist, glancing at it, before opening the communication channel to report to his superior.

"Ground Handling Group No. 005 has completed the task. The issue with engine group component T1018 has been eliminated. We will now proceed to sector C0080 for cleaning."

"Received, continue your work. You still have three more tasks to complete."

"Understood."

After finishing his report, he left the communication channel before patting his companion's shoulder. "Let's go to the next area."

His companion, however, waved his hands in frustration. "We just finished our task. What's the hurry? Let's rest for a while."

Evans tried to persuade him. "We're pressed for time today, so we should try to get them done before work ends. It's best not to take a break during working hours, or else we will not be able to finish."

"Then we'll just postpone it till tomorrow. It's not just a one-day stop here." The companion sat down in dissatisfaction. "If you want, you can go on ahead. I'll rest here."

Evans frowned but shook his head and no longer tried to persuade him. He could not control anyone; he just needed to do a good job himself.

He went along the maintenance tunnel by himself, and the figure of his companion soon disappeared, leaving him alone.

The lighting in the maintenance tunnel was dim, with only one light source situated at a large distance away. After walking for a while, Evans suddenly found a red light flashing in front of him. He stopped walking.

"The lights have gone out? Did I see it wrongly?"

Evans found it a little weird. He observed the environment detector, but there was no change. He initially thought it was his eyes playing tricks and walked forward a few more steps.

Buzz!

At this moment, a burst of red lit up his vision. The light source appeared on his side, less than a meter away!

Evans quickly reacted in shock, jumping to the side and tumbling on the ground, holding the welding torch in his hands as he stood up to face the light source.

What greeted him was a bizarre scene of an unknown red light zipping around in the air, constantly moving and leaving a trail of red light behind it. There was a lot of beauty to this scene.

"What is this thing?" Evans showed a wary expression as he secretly took out his communicator, wanting to report this anomaly.

However, the next moment, his eyes blurred as the red light dashed over at an inhumane speed, piercing through his body.

Evans hurriedly looked down but found himself unscathed. Instead, he felt full of energy. His fatigue from working was swept away, and his physical strength was restored.

At this moment, the red light paused before frantically hovering around him.

Evans seemed to have felt an emotion of happiness from this bundle of light, causing him to freeze in shock.

Before he could recover, the light seemed to stop suddenly, and as if pulled by some invisible presence, it suddenly disappeared, leaving Evans standing there with a blank expression.

After a long pause, Evans slapped himself hard.

"Ouch it hurts, I'm not dreaming… It seems like I've finally gone crazy."

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Chapter 1024 Jumping Ship

As the fleet passed by the Black Star Army's territory, the aspiring Lesykes was quickly dealt a harsh blow.

When he arrived at Planet Black Gate, the Immortals that he had painstakingly recruited from the Blackhole Edge suddenly broke out in a massive rebellion!

Not only did these players leave the faction, they even took over the spaceships carrying them!

Players in any area were accustomed to maximizing their benefits. Since they had already decided to leave, they would take advantage of the other party. Plus, it would be troublesome to travel without a spaceship. Many players seized control of the spaceships carrying them, leaving the designated fleet route and turning toward the Black Star Army.

Even those few players who were not planning to jump ship immediately were also forced to join in. After all, they were on the same ship, and if they fought and blew up the spaceship, there was no good end for either side.

With so many players in each spaceship, it was impossible to determine the ownership. Most people would only follow the spaceship to the transit station, where they would then scatter and act independently. This was the disadvantage of a lack of a huge faction to rally everyone.

Due to the large number of players rebelling, the total size of Lesykes' army shrank by half, and the loss of the spaceships and supplies within were significant to Lesykes, making him feel as though he was bleeding out.

"Crazy, those guys are crazy! They have no morals at all!"

Within the command room, Lesykes was jumping around in anger.

This sudden incident was completely out of his expectations. He was immersed in his dream of achieving his meritorious service and did not expect this group of players to suddenly stab him in the back.

When they were still in the Blackhole Edge, these Immortals were still pretty law abiding, so why was it that they went all crazy the moment they arrived at the Flickering World?

He found it difficult to understand, and subconsciously, he felt as though this whole thing was a conspiracy, that some organizations had secretly meddled with them. He did not even consider their personal motivations.

After all, Lesykes did not understand the players. In his view, some foul play had to be going on, otherwise there would be no reason for all these players to riot together.

The stolen spaceships quickly dispersed and disappeared off their radar. Thus, Lesykes gave up on the symbolic chase. The strength of the Immortals also gave him some reservations, and with the spaceships having a similar speed, it would be hard to catch up to them. With this area being the territory of the Black Star Army, he dared not draw too much attention.

"*ssholes!"

Lesykes was hurt and angry, and he left a black mark on the files of this group of rebellious players, reducing their credit rating on their resumes.

After completing this matter, he managed to quell his anger somewhat. Upon seeing that half of the Immortals had stayed, he felt a little thankful.

"At least half of them are here. Even if I get less credit, there's still some merit. I didn't make the trip for nothing."

Lesykes, however, no longer dared relax around the players, commanding, "Separate the rest of the Immortals and increase the defenses of each spaceship…"

After this experience, he had his guard up against the players.

However, even with his vigilance, another round of betrayals took place once again when he arrived at the free competition zone. The majority of Lesykes' armed force consisted of the players. Thus, no matter how guarded the rest of the crew were, they were useless in the face of overwhelming numbers. The players had remained up till now just to obtain a free ride to the free competition zone.

The players that he brought from the Blackhole Edge had almost completely gone, and Lesykes almost went mad with anger.

Well done, this daddy here personally ran all the way to escort you guys to the Flickering World, thinking of achieving some merit, but ended up gaining nothing. It's like fetching water using a rattan basket[1]!

The bad news poured in one after another. Lesykes quickly discovered from his intelligence that even with the black marks he left on the players' resumes, there were still top-tier factions that took in these Immortals, the most prestigious being the Black Star Army.

Lesykes found this whole thing a little hard to accept, as though he had been bullied, and his heart was full of grievances!

Dammit, why!

This life is too hard!

What he did not know was that, in a tiny batch of players left behind, there existed people like Muay Thai as Warning, serving as spies and tracking the movements of the fleet, constantly reporting back to the army.

In terms of the attractive force of the factions, the gap between him and the Black Star Army was too large. Even if he could temporarily obtain the players' bodies, he could never obtain their hearts.

There was naturally more than one organization that suffered from this massive wave of dissention. After entering the Flickering World, these Blackhole Edge organizations mostly experienced the phenomenon of a large number of players leaving, and the Black Star Army was the main place to go for these players.

The attractiveness of his faction had accumulated and matured over several versions, resulting in this surge in players wanting to join the army. There was no need for Han Xiao to do anything; the manual leek collection job had evolved into a fully automated process.

Within Black Star Palace, Han Xiao glanced at the EXP gauge of his attributes panel, his eyes gleaming.

"This wave of experience has shot up real quick."

His plan to expand the leek plantation had finally begun to take effect, with this first batch of 'foreign leeks' pulling themselves out from the roots to transplant themselves in his plantation.

The players from foreign countries all had their own choices, and only a portion of them would choose to join the army, but even this number was also considerable. Based on his estimation, around 17 – 24% of the total population of players from the Blackhole Edge would join his army, which amounted to millions. Most of them would be ordinary players.

"This is only the first batch. When the players from the other Star Fields come, the size of the army will swell to double or triple of what it is today." Han Xiao was secretly pleased.

There were many newcomers from the newly recruited Southeast Asian players, and they had a high demand for Class Knowledge. It was this new wave of consumption that made Han Xiao's efficiency in harvesting experience soar.

Every time a new batch of newcomers arrived, it was followed by a huge wave of experience.

"I estimate that the Southeast Asian clubs will also infiltrate the army."

Han Xiao secretly smiled. He did not intend to stop them.

He could sell more equipment and supplies, so why not? He could gain quite a bit of income from there, and re-equipping the different countries to allow them to fight against each other was akin to him being a weapons dealer, capitalizing on this business opportunity.

Furthermore, if they wished to enjoy the discount, they would need to have the corresponding rank, which meant that they had to contribute to the army. This could not be achieved in a short amount of time.

"Judging by this speed, I only need a few more waves of players to obtain enough experience to rise straight to level 320." Han Xiao was secretly excited. This was much quicker than his expectations.

As for the large number of players jumping ship from the Blackhole Edge, he had long expected this. The continuous decline in the players' credibility was one of the important factors in establishing their title as the Cancer of the Universe. They never had a good reputation, and this also included the fear and vigilance the outside world felt toward them.

One of the important signs for players to enter the stage of the universe was for the World Server to be launched. Their sense of existence had now greatly increased, which would attract the attention of many organizations, regarding them as a whole entity.

In his previous life, as the players spread chaos, leading to a decline in their overall reputation, it got to the point where some small organizations did not even dare recruit players. The consequence was that the players instead gathered toward the top organizations, switching factions to continue upgrading themselves.

These were all things that Han Xiao had witnessed, and he understood that there was no way he could force the players to remain obedient merely through means of faction welfare. As the players got stronger, they would have more thoughts, and they would become harder to control.

The players would only have attachments toward characters that they were familiar with, and for their own personal development and national war advantages, they would need to plunder for benefits and resources, starting wars.

With the growth of their strength, chaos was inevitable. Thus, Han Xiao had always been committed to developing his own organization. One of those objectives was to deal with this situation.

He also understood that, since the army was now an important target for the players to jump ship to, this situation would soon be discovered by the organizations that were monitoring him, and they would eventually form some speculations of their own.

For the time being, this had little impact on him. Firstly, his position was high enough, as was his strength. Secondly, there were also many players joining the other organizations, so the situation was not too exaggerated as of now. The various organizations would at most feel surprise. However, as more foreign players joined, the special features of the army would become more noticeable, and then the trouble would begin.

As Han Xiao shook his head to clear his thoughts, he inadvertently thought of something else.

"I didn't expect Evans to already come into contact with the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy…"

Not long ago, Phillip, who had been constantly monitoring Evans, had sent back a report, and Han Xiao was able to see the process and confirm for himself that the cluster of red light was likely related to the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy. However, this appeared much earlier than the time stated by EsGod's inheritance.

He hypothesized that this was likely just one of the sub-bodies that separated from the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy, returning to the universe ahead of time. It could be sent earlier as well as a coordinate marker. Whichever was the case, it was soon dragged back to the Secondary Dimension by the main body, and the Primal Esper Ability Entity had yet to descend.

This also solved one of Han Xiao's doubts. There was no wonder that the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy finally chose Evans as a host, as it turned out that he had come into contact with it well in advance.

The moment the red light passes through a person, a mismatch would cause the person to explode and die. Not only was Evans unscathed, he even got rejuvenated. Thus, the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy could confirm that he had the qualification to become a host. He was prepared as backup.

"The date of the birth of the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy is getting closer as well. Judging from my current rate of acquiring experience, I should be able to achieve the Promotion to level 320 before it is born."

[1] Rattan baskets are usually woven with strips of wood, meaning there are a lot of gaps for water to flow out from.

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1025 Milkmaid"s Promotion—Life Replenishmen

A couple of days later, in the outer square of Black Star Palace, the newly arrived batches of players from the Blackhole Edge were looking left and right in curiosity and wonder. Their mixed uniforms and equipment made them look like a group of incompetent soldiers, a stark contrast to the uniform look for the Black Star Army members.

A large number of Southeast Asian players had jumped ship to join the army, and some of them could not wait to enjoy the benefits of being part of the Black Star Army, buying supplies in bulk and accepting the Main Storyline mission of [Flickering World] from the army. The other group were more casual players, and after joining the army, they arrived together at Black Star Palace with the idea of recognizing the future Players' Main City of their faction.

Among them, most of the players were Mechanics. They came to the Black Star Palace with the mentality of performing a pilgrimage.

Because most of the Chinese players were out on missions, with the addition of this new batch of players, the originally silent palace turned lively once more.

"This is the base of the Black Star Army in the Flickering World? It's quite spectacular."

"The space is huge, and the facilities are abundant. Really good stuff."

"Will I be able to meet Black Star?"

The group of players from the Blackhole Edge chattered on, excitedly looking around Black Star Palace, their eyes sparkling.

They had roamed about the universe in the last three versions, but the factions they served could not even be compared to the Black Star Army. Just based on the size, they were not on the same level. Even the mother planets of some Star Cluster level civilizations were not as well built as Black Star Palace. For many of these players, it was their first time setting eyes on such a magnificent location.

"There are a lot of high-levelled NPCs here, a whole bunch of characters with the 'Fatally Dangerous' note."

"If we cause trouble here, we'll definitely be killed, right?"

The majority of the players suppressed their arrogance, not daring to mess around in Black Star's territory.

They were not afraid of the smaller organizations such as the Lesykes Mercenary Group and could behave fearlessly. But in the face of a behemoth like the Black Star Army, they did not dare cause trouble as these organizations had the ability to restrain them.

Among the group were also spies sent in by the Southeast Asian clubs. Because the Black Star Army did not show any bias toward the players, they had smoothly mixed in.

Disregarding the countless screaming players around them, these spies with their own special missions opened the dazzling array of faction stores and mission lists, looking through them.

Having successfully joined, as long as they worked hard to contribute and increase their ranks within the army, they could enjoy more benefits and do more purchasing for their guilds.

Their plan was a success!

At this moment, Hadavy, Feidin, and the rest of the Black Star Guards hurried over, attracting the attention of this group of players.

"Hey, look over there, the famous Black Star Guards!"

"The senior figures of the Black Star Army! I have all their decks, and now I can finally meet them in the flesh."

"Feidin! I love you!"

In the distance, Feidin heard the screams, and he came to a stop. Glancing over, he saw the motley group of Immortals and could only helplessly wave back.

Feidin had a high reputation among the players, and this reputation was not just limited to the Shattered Star Ring.

Since these Blackhole Edge players wanted to join the army, they had done their research beforehand. Furthermore, due to the promotion via Wayne Cards, Feidin was a popular idol in the Black Star Army.

"Why is it that you're so popular? Even those newcomers like you so much." Hadavy was a little salty.

"You will find the answer when you look into the mirror," one of the Black Star Guards murmured.

"…" Hadavy could not come up with a response.

Looking at Hadavy's struggling expression, Feidin could not take it and could only ruefully smile as he patted his shoulder. "Don't worry too much. You're not that ugly."

"… I can't cheer myself up with this."

The entourage of Black Star Guards did not stop to chat with the new players. They quickened their footsteps, disappearing from the players' sights.

At the same time, the eyes of those spies hiding in the crowd flashed.

Some of them not only shouldered the mission of purchasing supplies for their guild, they also had another mission, which was to infiltrate the army and monitor their movements.

While the Southeast Asian clubs did not change factions, the Flickering World contained a multitude of opportunities for them to reach out to top tier organizations. They had also secretly contacted some organizations, of which the most commonly contacted one was the Limitless Financial Group.

Sorokin had a strong interest in the player community. He tried to test out the players from the Black Star Army in the past but had suffered a loss instead. Right now, given that the players from the other Star Fields were grouping in the Flickering World, it was an opportunity for him, and he had arranged some people to contact the Blackhole Edge players.

While he did not have an interface, after a long period of research, Sorokin had also figured out some rules regarding the players. Thus, he specifically looked for those players who did not immediately switch over to join the army to issue employment tasks. The contents were to request for the players to provide information on the movements of the Black Star Army. In particular, he wanted to know Black Star's own movements, and the rewards were generous. While he did not know of the underlying principle, the fact of the matter was, as long as he offered enough money, the players would turn into the best spies.

Using gold to pave the way resulted in many of the Southeast Asian clubs accepting Sorokin's mission, which was equivalent to him having a pair of eyes inside the army.

Sorokin's focus on Han Xiao's movements was intentional. Not long ago, Gorutan had gotten into a conflict with Hila. The federation and the church each had their own thoughts about Hila. As their collaborator, Sorokin had to monitor Han Xiao's movements, providing intelligence for both parties to plan their operations.

Many of the spies glanced at each other, softly exchanging words.

"The Black Star Guards are all present, which means Black Star should also be inside."

"Without seeing him directly, can this still be considered as completing the mission?"

"Should be. The Black Star Guards' responsibility is to protect, so wherever they are, there is a high chance that Black Star will also be there."

On the other side, Hadavy and the rest of the Black Star Guards arrived at the core of the palace. They orderly proceeded toward an advanced training room, where a mechanical host bearing Han Xiao's Lord's Avatar took guard at the door. Aurora sat in the middle of the room, spewing out life energy that spread out in a white-gold halo around her. This halo followed her breathing as it fluctuated.

"Army Commander." The group greeted the avatar at the door before turning to look at Aurora.

Hadavy breathed in deeply, feeling his spirits rejuvenate, and exclaimed, "What an intense life energy fluctuation. Her quality seems to have sublimated once again?"

Feidin nodded. "Black Star, is this Aurora's advancement?"

Han Xiao's avatar nodded. "Her accumulated life energy has finally broken through the critical point and brought her a qualitative change in her life level."

Before Version 4.0, Aurora had been close to the threshold of the Calamity Grade. With the extra half year of accumulation, she had finally hit the required amount and broken through.

Watched by the group, Aurora closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly as the light emitted by the life energy became brighter, gradually filling the entire room.

After a long time, the light was slowly reabsorbed into Aurora, and her body displayed some obvious changes. Her platinum blonde hair swayed slightly even without any breeze present, and every strand seemed to be filled with endless vitality.

Her skin had become smoother and more supple without flaws. The milky white skin revealed a sacred aura, as though she was some exquisite artwork.

Aurora opened her eyes, slowly breathing out. Her breath, filled with the energy of life, seemed to change even the air of the room itself, giving the hard, cold steel of the room a feeling as though one had stepped into the wilderness of nature.

Her advancement was vastly different from most Calamity Grades'. There was no destructive movement; all she required was sufficient life energy, without any bottlenecks along the way.

Standing up, Aurora's eyes revealed some happiness, and she walked up to Han Xiao's avatar before excitedly chattering. "Uncle, I've reached the Calamity Grade. Are there any changes?"

Han Xiao sized Aurora up. Her originally petite and cute looks had transformed into something taller, with a better figure. Her facial features had also changed to be more refined, and the holiness seeping out from within her made others involuntarily feel warm toward her. This was a completely different style compared to the cold, glamorous blade that was Hila.

"You've become prettier," Han Xiao joked. "Other Grade As are called Calamity Grades, but for you, no matter how I see it, there's nothing Calamitous about you. Excellent, I'm proud of you."

Aurora blinked a few times, her heart blooming with joy from the praise. However, as though she recalled something, she suddenly pouted. "Humph, so many flowery words, but you still ran over to my sister and did not personally witness me step into the Calamity Grade."

Han Xiao was helpless about it. He had left Black Star Palace a few days ago, quietly going over to the Emerald Star Cluster to meet Hila.

He was clear that with a sudden influx of players, there would be many more eyes. Thus, it was inevitable that there would be spies monitoring his movements. He had left the Black Star Guards there as a simple misdirection while he went off to the Emerald Star Cluster. He had two reasons for going there; one was to compete for the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy in the near future, and the other was to reduce the risk Hila would face. While his Lord's Avatar could display some strength, it was nowhere near the abilities he displayed with his true body.

However, this caused him to miss the promotion of Aurora.

Han Xiao dryly coughed before exchanging a glance with Feidin.

With Feidin's 'emotional intelligence', even if he could not read anything from the eyes of the machine, he understood what Han Xiao was trying to say. He immediately changed the topic as he asked, "After reaching the Calamity Grade, how much have your abilities changed?"

Hearing that, Aurora rolled her eyes toward Han Xiao before turning to Feidin. She carefully looked within her body before raising her hand to emit a ball of life energy. The intensity was a lot stronger compared to when she was at Grade B.

"My life energy accumulation has increased many times from when I was a Grade B, and my healing powers have further increased. Right now, the same amount of life energy should be three or four times more potent than in the past."

Hearing this, Han Xiao felt a little regret that he was not present, or else he could have tried to find out how much Aurora's 'milk' had improved.

Hadavy could not wait, however. "Let me try it out."

Aurora shot him a side-eye but emitted a beam of life energy that sank into his body.

The next moment, Hadavy's eyes opened wide, and he experienced such great comfort that he moaned uncontrollably.

"Uhhh…"

Han Xiao shivered, almost activating the mute mode out of reflex.

D*mn you, what's with that moan‽

When I first knew you, you were a stubborn battle maniac, so why is it you've fallen to such a depraved state‽

Was your brain beaten to mush by me the past few years‽

Distressing indeed!

"What are you moaning for?" Everyone felt the same chill run up their spine.

Hadavy hastily covered his mouth and only recovered after quite a few seconds. He exclaimed in joy, "So good! I felt as though I relaxed a lot, like a weight had been taken off me somehow!"

Seeing his exaggerated expression, everyone half believed and half doubted him. However, all their doubts vanished once they experienced it for themselves. They stared at Aurora with their mouths agape, as though they were looking at some priceless heirloom.

Aurora turned shy at the stares, whispering, "After I advanced, my abilities seemed to have more functions, such as being able to stimulate the potential of the target and improve their status while accelerating recovery."

"This is indeed true." Feidin nodded. "I feel that my spirit is now more sensitive, and my energy is more lively. Not only that, but her life energy seems to have some soothing ability to placate one's emotions."

Han Xiao was quite surprised, but because his true body was not present, he could only go around and tap on his guards to get their combat information.

In addition to treatment, there were also selective gains for targets of her life energy. The additional ability gave a twenty-percent increase toward the upper limit of one's HP, Energy, and Stamina. There was an overall twelve-percent increase in resistance, a seven to eleven percent range increase for all attributes, and a ten to fifteen percent increase in ability strength. This bonus range should gradually increase as she continued to develop her abilities.

Not only was she a milkmaid, she was also a super strong support character!

At the same time, her life energy was able to appease the mental state, expelling any violent tendencies and calming the target down. It would even eliminate any hostility that the target held toward her and produce a desire to protect her. While her power was extremely lacking in attack power, she had a special protection ability.

In addition, the shelf life of her life energy could now be extended by tens of times. The blood connection between Hila and Aurora also increased, resembling that of quantum connection where they could feel each other's vital signs regardless of distance.

Aurora also had a vague feeling that if she further developed her ability gene chain, she would be able to share her life energy with Hila regardless of the distance. At present, she needed to familiarize herself with the changes in the Calamity Grade.

"Worthy of an S ranked Esper Ability. The higher the state of life, the more features it unlocks." Han Xiao was happy for her.

In the past, Aurora turned into jam too early, so no one knew what would happen if she advanced. Right now, she was giving him a lot of surprises.

At this moment, Han Xiao suddenly had a hypothesis and immediately dragged Feidin and Aurora to the biological laboratory, using them for an experiment.

He got Aurora to repeatedly wash Feidin with life energy, and he withdrew some of Feidin's cells each time, comparing the difference in the cells' basic activity.

Before long, the results of the experiment returned. Comparing the data between each baptism of life energy, Han Xiao could not help but sigh.

"I should have thought of this a long time ago. The abilities of the two sisters are diametrically opposed, so if Hila can rob the life of people, Aurora… can increase one's lifespan!"

The experimental data clearly showed that the later samples all showed some form of weak increase in basic cell activity.

In other words, the more 'milk' one got from Aurora, the longer their life span!

At Grade B, this feature had yet to awaken, and right now, she was only a Calamity Grade. Thus, the effect of life extension was weak, far less than Hila's ability to reap life.

But if she continued to grow, then would she not become an enhanced version of Tripiṭaka's flesh[1]‽

It seemed like he had just gotten his hands on another support treasure…

[1] In the mythology 'Journey to the West' featuring Sun Wukong, demons always tried to obtain his flesh as it would give them immortality.

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"Phillip, destroy all calculation evidence and the experiment report.""Roger, hum…"

The screen disappeared as Han Xiao waved his hand before he turned to Aurora and Feidin behind him, speaking in a solemn tone.

"This matter is only known to the two of you at the moment. Don't tell anybody else for now, or else there will be trouble. Do you understand?"

"… You're saying that there'll be people like the Germinal Organization's Leader?"

Aurora pursed her lips. The painful memories of her past flashed through her head, and a trace of fear flitted across her face. This, however, was quickly replaced by determination.

She was different from the self in the past. She had Han Xiao and her sister by her side, and she believed that she would not repeat her past mistakes.

"Yes, if word gets out, this will arouse the interest of many of the hegemons of the universe. You'll be dragged into the storm." Han Xiao nodded.

If Hila's ability to reap one's longevity made others fear her, then Aurora's ability would drive all Beyond Grade As crazy. She had the ability to control the entire universe. Most Beyond Grade As wished to extend their life span. Even those species with naturally long life spans were no exception. For example, if EsGod was still roaming around, he would not have spared no quarter to seize Aurora's power. This priority would have been even higher than the Evolutionary Totem.

Not only the Beyond Grade As, even the advanced civilizations would be tempted. With Aurora entering the Calamity Grade, she had a high efficiency in the generation of life energy. Most likely, they would not treat her like the Germinal Organization had treated her, but they would put her under house arrest, with her only job being to produce more life potions.

In this way, he would also stand at the cusp of the storm, facing the covetous gazes of many Beyond Grade As. Thus, he had to have strength that far outstripped his current self in order to suppress the greed in the hearts of others. Aurora's ability was a double-edged sword, so Han Xiao did not intend to disclose Aurora's information before he reached a higher level.

Feidin nodded and agreed. "Relax, I've always regarded Aurora as my sister, and I will not leak the news."

Han Xiao left them with some more instructions before sending the two off. He remained in the room alone, sighing to himself.

After Aurora entered the Calamity Grade, her connection to Hila had improved, becoming akin to a symbiotic relationship.

Now that Aurora had just advanced, she still needed time to familiarize with her abilities. When she awakened her new ability to treat Hila remotely, it would be very scary to face Hila.

In his previous life, because Hila lost Aurora early, without the other end of the symbiosis, she could only rampage in the cold universe alone. Right now, while Hila had not yet embarked on an endless killing spree and her growth rate was slower than in her past life, with this milkmaid Aurora that ignored distance, Hila's combat power would far exceed that of her past life.

"I'm afraid Hila will catch up to me in terms of tank-ability…" Han Xiao was helpless. Hila had unlimited uses of the Aurora Character Summon Card.

The Super High Risk Esper Abilities were all overpowered, and the two sisters could even form perfect coordination and soul resonance, which was terrifying. Only mental and spatial abilities could possibly restrain the sharing of life between the two.

Thinking about it, Han Xiao opened the communicator, sending a message to Ames, telling her about the news of Aurora entering the Calamity Grade.

In the outer space above Planet Aquamarine, Floating Dragon Island remained. Ames did not participate in the competition in the Flickering World, choosing to stay in the Shattered Star Ring. She wished for Floating Dragon to develop in a low-key manner, not chasing after fame and fortune. Such was the nature of a salted fish, stiff and unmoving.

While she did not participate in the lively trend, Ames was still updated about the Flickering World. Han Xiao knew that Ames enjoyed having fun, so he shared first-hand information with her every day, telling her what was happening in the Flickering World daily to satisfy her curiosity. Since then, regularly checking Han Xiao's news had become a daily necessity for Ames.

In her bedroom within the palace, Ames leaned against the headboard of her bed, condensing a small sphere using her force field to nudge at the giant white bear lying on the floor beside her, as though teasing a cat with a stick. It was obviously a fierce creature, yet in front of her, it appeared extremely obedient, rolling livelily around the floor.

When Ames moved into Planet Aquamarine, Aurora had placed all the pets she raised on the planet in Floating Dragon, asking her teacher to help care for them as her pastime.

There was another person in the room. Jenny stood to the side, reporting on the business situation of Floating Dragon. Even if Ames was not paying attention, she continued to seriously read the details out.

"… the recent polls show that thirty-nine percent of the Floating Dragon soldiers are dissatisfied with the status quo. Compared with the previous survey, the proportion has now increased by seven percent. Many of the subordinates came here after hearing the reputation of the Beyond Grade A, hoping that they would achieve some fame under your name and advance their careers, but with the lack of battle opportunities, their hearts have moved. This is especially so given that we have not participated in the Flickering World exploration. We have thus lost quite a few warriors…"

Ames seemed to let the words flow in and out of her ears, as she continued to use her force field to nudge the bear.

Jenny dryly coughed before continuing. "Ignoring the trend of the times is not wise. We should change our decision and set foot in the Flickering World…"

Ames suddenly raised her head to glance at her, slightly smiling as she said, "I thought you didn't like writing reports? This is your twenty-second time asking me to send troops into the Flickering World. Why are you so active now?"

"… Didn't you mention wanting to develop?" Jenny stroked her receding hairline. Toward this fickle shopkeeper, she was full of resignation toward her behavior.

While she detested work, she was unwilling to let go of the development Floating Dragon had been going through these few years. She could not allow herself to see Floating Dragon go to waste just because of her laziness.

"As my subordinates, they should adapt to me, not me to them." Ames seemed not to mind it, only sighing. "If only Black Star was still under me, I wouldn't need to worry about such things."

"…" Jenny's expression became pained. My heart, it hurts!

Ames ignored Jenny's expression, waving her hand as she spoke. "In any case, there's no need to persuade me further. I will not go to the Flickering World. I have no interest in that area."

Before Jenny could squeeze in another word, Ames' communicator rang. The moment she took it out, her eyes lit up.

"Black Star has sent me another message. Jenny, please wait outside."

Seeing this, Jenny could only force her words back down and walk out of the room, feeling sour in her heart.

I have not even finished talking about the official matters, but because of the daily news that Black Star sends, you do not even want to hear the important business reports anymore…

I'm obviously the first in line here…

Without caring about Jenny, Ames read the news that Han Xiao sent over in detail. Other than the news shared and the warm greetings, there was also a piece that refreshed her spirits.

"Aurora has finally reached the Calamity Grade. My students are really great." Ames was in a good mood.

At the end of the letter, Han Xiao also sent her an invitation to visit Black Star Palace and meet up with Aurora.

"To go over to the Flickering World…"

Ames hesitated.

If it was sent over by Black Star, she could not possibly reject…

What good timing.

Thinking thusly, Ames called Jenny back in.

"Prepare the spaceship. I'm going over to the Flickering World."

"You've thought it through? I'll assemble the team immediately!" Jenny exclaimed in joy.

"What team? I'm going solo." Ames waved the communicator. "Black Star invited me over to play."

Jenny's smile vanished in a flash.

Sigh, I've wasted half a day of saliva, but you immediately respond when Black Star asks you to go.

So, this is the feeling of someone who has been swayed by the other party…

At this moment, there was a song that could perfectly depict Jenny's feelings.

In this world, who is still not living a life that's akin to purgatory[1]…

In the Flickering World's free competition zone, more than a dozen general purpose spaceships were slowly cruising through the universe, carrying the guild members from several well-known Southeast Asian clubs such as Red Bay, Titan, and Archipelago.

"Everyone, our next move is critical and is related to whether we can quickly gain a foothold in the Flickering World."

In the meeting room, the Red Bay Captain, Venomous Snake, rapped on the table as he spoke in a serious tone.

"Snake is right," a Red Bay veteran, Forest Python, echoed. He used to be the captain of Red Bay and actively gave up his position when he was older, opting to train the newcomers instead. Venomous Snake had taken over as the new captain from the previous season.

"The current advantage of the Chinese players is huge, so we have to huddle together. Before the players from the other countries arrive, we must not provoke them first and develop in a low-key manner," Titan's Captain, Bangkok Buddha, analyzed. "However, the approach of the Chinese players is full of foresight. Maybe we can imitate their gameplay and communicate with the NPC forces in the same manner."

The Chinese clubs had an unparalleled advantage in the free competition zone, having already obtained a lot of help from the NPC organizations. This group of Southeast Asian guilds that were new to scene were naturally afraid to touch them. They first had to stand firm and develop themselves.

Due to the intervention from the army, the Chinese guilds had learned about the high-efficiency gameplay of Version 4.0 in advance, and the guilds of the various countries would naturally discover this point when conducting research. Thus, the Southeast Asian guilds wanted to copy their gameplay methods.

"But it's not as easy as it seems." Some of the people hesitated. "The Chinese players are able to succeed simply because they're affiliated with the army, but our faction has no such system, no independent qualifications, and no way for us to become a regular organization."

The guilds in the bigger clubs had not jumped ships at all and still belonged to factions from the Blackhole Edge.

The other factions did not have multiple regiments like the army, and for them, becoming a regular organization and turning independent right now was impossible.

Moreover, they were not free but rather recruited and bound by their factions. Before going to the faction base, they only had a limited time to move freely, which was incomparable to the time that the army players had.

"The Main Storyline Missions for our factions have been announced, and the free time we have in the free competition zone is limited. Let's quickly look for opportunities," Venomous Snake concluded.

Everyone discussed various countermeasures and decided to adopt the method of casting out their nets wide.

Very quickly, they hit countless nails. Because they were not an independent organization, they could only borrow the name of their faction and act as a special team. The vast majority of the organizations that they contacted directly rejected them. They were also foreign organizations, and not local tyrants such as the Black Star Army, so all of them were competing against each other. There was no need to invite wolves into their camp.

As for the remaining organizations, they were willing to listen to their requests based on the strength that they showed. While the scale of the Southeast Asian guilds was not as large as the Chinese guilds, it was still possible to form a group of more than ten thousand by uniting together.

But for Red Bay, Archipelago, and the other Southeast Asian clubs, they were not independent organizations, so they could only propose cooperation agreements. Only this way could they then develop a stronghold.

After hearing their requests, even those organizations that were interested immediately hung up on them.

Venomous Snake and the rest felt surprised. This was turning out far from expected. The Chinese players had achieved great success through this method, so why was it that they had such a difficult time communicating with the NPC organizations?

After researching, they figured out the crux of this matter. The organizations rejected them as they were unqualified as partners.

The players belonging to guilds such as Red Bay and Archipelago were mostly from Star Cluster level civilizations, which did not carry much weight in the Flickering World.

The reason behind the success of the Chinese players was because they belonged to the Black Star Army. Many organizations were willing to cooperate with them in order to embrace the thigh of the Black Star Army, which was their backer, to stabilize their strongholds and deter other organizations.

But the Star Cluster Civilizations, which were also foreign forces, did not possess such a privilege.

These people were helpless. Their faction was unwilling to lend them strength, and they also could not replicate the practice of the army players. It was no wonder they snagged only so many nails in their strategy.

The deeper they understood what the Black Star Army was capable of, the more they envied the Chinese players.

After exerting a Herculean effort, the Southeast Asian guilds finally managed to find a few small breakthrough points, completely incomparable to the scale of what the players in the Black Star Army were getting. After which, they had to respond to the call of their factions and follow them to work, temporarily unable to move freely.

Even Red Bay, Archipelago, and the other first tier guilds in Southeast Asia found it difficult to start, let alone the other Blackhole Edge players who did not join the Black Star Army. Without the capital to imitate the gameplay of the army players, they could only brute force their way through as they had done in the previous versions before Version 4.0.

As more and more players arrived, the situation quickly got complicated, and the World Server gradually took shape.

At the same time, Han Xiao had already arrived and hidden himself within the Emerald Star Cluster.

Han Xiao had carried out many plans for the army, and his leek field had successfully grown and expanded. It was time to mercilessly reap the harvest.

As more 'fresh leeks' moved their bases to the Black Star Army, his efficiency in gaining experience in the short term multiplied.

When the Black Star Army expanded to nearly eight million members, the amount of experience he needed to upgrade to level 320 was finally accumulated!

[1] It's like the Chinese version of What Are Words by Chris Medina—王建房"在人间"

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Chapter 1027 God"s Trait Transformation

In an unexplored area within the Emerald Star Cluster, a high-speed spaceship was proceeding at warp speed.Only Han Xiao and a portion of the Apostle Weapons were sitting in the command room of the spaceship, watching the star map. His target marked in red flashed on the screen. The coordinates were located somewhere in the central area of the Emerald Star Cluster.

This was the place where the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy revealed in EsGod's inheritance would be born. Most of the organizations had not explored to this point. He travelled in the high-end spaceship that he had built, so he did not need to stop like the other forces and could penetrate deeper.

The time for the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy to appear was not far off. He went earlier to camp and do a stake out.

Because of Evans, only Han Xiao could be sure that the coordinates given were correct. The other forces that obtained information on the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy also had to try their luck in the several coordinates shown in the data, which could potentially reduce his competitors.

Han Xiao chose to come out with his true body for insurance. If the competitor was not strong, his avatar could do the job, and there was no need to reveal his position.

However, right now, Han Xiao was preparing to find a place to stay as his experience had finally reached the requirement to level up to level 320. His Promotion was still the priority.

During this period, he had been rushing along the journey. With the Black Star Army's foundation, he did not need to worry about it. He just had to wait for the foreign players to arrive in the Flickering World, and they would naturally join the Black Star Army.

Right now, the population of players in the army had reached about eight million, which was far from the limit. Once the remaining players in the other Star Fields came over to the World Server, the size of the army should break through the ten million mark. It would serve as a replenishment of newcomers, and he would even have a big wave of experience flowing in.

"Once all the players gather in the World Server, the players in the army should measure up to 11.5 million. This should be the biggest player faction at the moment. The number should only be second to the three Universal Civilizations in my past life."

Not all the players had arrived in the Flickering World, but they had already attracted the attention of the various major organizations, and the situation was moving toward the familiar early stage of Version 4.0 in his previous life.

Because of his own existence, the millions of players that should have been scattered around were instead situated within the Black Star Army, which would cause some deviation in the timeline. However, Han Xiao was mentally prepared for this, and the stage of making a lot of money through the players was about to pass. The major organizations would soon come to value the abilities of the players as much as he did.

"Let's not think about this for now. Anyway, my situation is quite good. The advantage is on my side, and I'm firmly seated on my benefits." Han Xiao pushed aside the thought, slowed down the spaceship, and parked in the middle of the universe.

He then exited the cabin and flew using his physical body away from the spaceship. He commanded the Apostle Weapons to guard his surroundings before opening the instrument that would isolate energy fluctuations, hiding the anomalies that would occur during his advancement.

Opening the interface, he looked at the astronomical experience numbers. Han Xiao could no longer wait.

"I've finally saved enough to advance and complete my promotion. It's been so long since I experienced this sort of rapid levelling up."

Even as he murmured to himself, he did not hesitate, immediately pumping all the experience into upgrading. His total level, which had remained stagnant for a long time, suddenly rocketed!

[Divine Throne Mechanic] leveled up to Lv.8.

450 Energy, 5 STR, 5 DEX, 15 END, 20 INT.

You have received 15 Free Attribute Points and 1 Potential Point.

[Divine Throne Mechanic] leveled up to Lv.20.

450 Energy, 5 STR, 5 DEX, 15 END, 20 INT.

You have received 15 Free Attribute Points and 1 Potential Point.

You have reached Lv.320, triggering the Promotion Mission for Lv.320!

Han Xiao had accumulated a lot of Mission Completion Cards over the decades, and the moment he saw that the mission was a troublesome one, he immediately pulled out his mission completion card.

Lv.320 Promotion Mission completed!

Promotion succeeded!

90 END Bonus! 1 END = 570 Health = 580 Stamina.

The LV 320 special blueprints for the Tyracles Mechanical Legacy have been unlocked!

Your Energy Level has reached Lv.21. Energy has passed 78,000.

You have gained the talent [God's Trait Transformation—Machinery] (0/?)

You have gained the talent [God's Trait Transformation—Void] (0/?)

You have obtained 2 God's Trait Transformation points.

You have received a [The First Sanctum] Ability Fragment.

The effects of all your Virtual Technology skills have been increased by 50%.

Han Xiao's body jolted once, and every cell in his body seemed to have become a black hole, ravenously swallowing the cosmic dark matter around it, using it to improve itself.

The upper limit of the [Divine Throne Mechanic] was Lv.60, and he could only perform his Class Advancement at level 360. His next racial species sublimation would be at level 340.

In Han Xiao's mind, level 320 should have been a normal promotion, but the notification that appeared gave his spirit a boost.

"God's Trait Transformation?" Han Xiao's eyes sparkled.

He was not completely unfamiliar with this term. In the later versions of his past life, this term constantly appeared within the Beyond Grade A circles, which was then overheard by the players. Although there was little intelligence on it, based on the hypotheses that were written on the forums, this should be an important factor to upgrade one's life level above the Beyond Grade A realm.

Furthermore, his own Machinery Deity had the term 'Deity' within, and if one had to talk about a Godhood, then it might have something to do with the Machinery Faith and the [Key of Adeptus Mechanicus]… However, he had not experienced anything to do with divinity whatsoever at this moment.

Why is it that as one's life level increases, it becomes more and more ideological? This is making me, a mechanic that only believes in materialism very awkward…

"In any case, it seems like the threshold of Lv.21 Energy Rank and 78,000 Onas of Energy are needed to trigger the God's Trait Transformation?" Han Xiao murmured to himself whilst enduring the pain that came with the advancement.

The calculation method for energy rank was quite complicated, not just a simple addition and subtraction. The larger the value, the larger the gap between every one point. For example, the energy levels of 100 to 200 and 9,900 to 10,000 were both similarly separated by a hundred points, but the difference in their actual energy values was huge. The higher one's energy was, the harder it was to increase.

When he had broken through the level 300 watershed to become a Mechanical Deity, his total energy was around 71,000.

In the next decade, he had constantly practiced new Energy Training Techniques, raising the upper limit of his energy, and he had also spent a lot of experience and potential points to improve his skills and knowledge. At the same time, he had also extracted abilities from Heber, Manison, Silver Shadow, and many others, gaining powerful talents and skills. With the [Perfect Mechanical Sense] from Nero, along with his various bonuses, his total energy finally broke through 78,000.

"The two God's Trait Transformations are split into Machinery and Void respectively… Oh, this corresponds to one's class and race. So, are these the two possible evolutionary routes, or do I need to add them both at once?"

Han Xiao glanced at the interface, where he saw a small '' sign beside each of the God's Trait Transformation talents, and the effect was labelled with a '?'.

"It seems like I will only know the effect when I add points. Since the system gave me two God's Trait Transformation points when I was promoted, let's try one in each… The suffix of the skills should represent the final form of this talent, which should occur when the talent is maxed out. But the total number of points is labelled as a '?', so how many points should I add?"

Han Xiao tried adding a point to the [God's Trait Transformation—Machinery] talent, and the effect of it was displayed.

God's Trait Transformation—Machinery (1/?)

Stage One: 1,000 Machinery Affinity, 20% Ability power. Base effects of all Mechanic class abilities are slightly enhanced.

Han Xiao glanced at his skill list. With the slight enhancement to his class abilities, it meant that every skill had undergone a slight improvement for every level. The effect of strengthening all his Mechanic-related skills was not high, but it provided a comprehensive improvement.

"The bonus is acceptable, but I don't find it too powerful. Maybe it's because it's only at the first stage? I guess, the more points I add, the more powerful the effects unlocked." Han Xiao raised his eyebrows.

He hesitated but finally decided against adding another point to it. He added it to the [God's Trait Transformation—Void] talent instead.

God's Trait Transformation—Void (1/?)

Stage One: Exclusive Racial Talents are enhanced, and all Racial Talents of the Void Race Evolution route will be strengthened. You have been awarded 1,750 Attribute Points.

The total affinity bonus from [Mechanical Genius] increased from x1.25 to x1.28, and Machinery Creation Performance increased from forty percent to forty-four percent. The racial talents of his other Void abilities also showed some increase, with the cooldown times of most of them being reduced.

Han Xiao nodded. "This one is not bad."

With his God's Trait Transformation points spent, he did not know how to obtain more. Were they only given when he promoted, or was there another way to obtain them?

If this was only given during advancement, that would mean that the sooner one reached the 78,000 benchmark the better. After all, if one's level was low, advancing would definitely be more convenient, and one could obtain more points this way. In this manner… could that also refer to potential?

Han Xiao decided not to think further, opting to look at the other notifications.

What was this [The First Sanctum] fragment? He had not heard of this in his past life.

The introduction was also labelled with question marks. Han Xiao could not understand what this was, but from the name of [The First Sanctum, it seemed as though it had nothing to do with the Mechanic class. Furthermore, he only had a fragment, so he could not utilize it and could only stare at it.

"I keep having the feeling that this should be a key factor for something… I should find an opportunity to ask the dynasty if there's any information in this area. Most likely, I'll have to exchange contribution points for it, just like the time when I obtained the information on the Machinery Faith."

After removing everything unrelated, Han Xiao then turned toward the [Tyracles Mechanical Legacy]. There would be new blueprints unlocked at level 320 and 360.

He glanced through it quickly, and his pupils suddenly narrowed to a point. A hint of surprise leaked out.

F*ck me, I've hit the jackpot!

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1028 The King and the Emperor"s Cape

Among the [Tyracles Mechanical Legacy] blueprints unlocked at level 320, there were blueprints that were shining gold in color!

Not one but two!

The Gold Grade represented equipment that was on the level of a Universal Treasure!

Han Xiao had a joyful surprise.

He originally thought that he would only get the opportunity to unlock the Universal Treasure blueprints when he reached level 360, but it unexpectedly came out in level 320. The Gold blueprints of this race might be higher than he initially imagined.

He hurriedly opened the item introduction, and the two blueprints' information appeared in his eyes.

[Blueprint: King: This blueprint records the highest crystallization of wisdom from the Saint Tyracles Race for Superpower soldiers—The 'King'. Made exclusively for Beyond Grade A Mechanics, the blueprint's cost is high, with a set of armor comparable to the price of a large fleet, and it is extremely difficult to produce. Since its birth, the total number of finished products created by the Saint Tyracles Race numbered no more than ten. Only a Mechanic with enough strength will be able to control this mechanical suit.

[Blueprint: Emperor's Cape: After the Saint Tyracles Race witnessed the imposingness of the Mechanical Deity, they began to zealously research, producing this extraordinary mechanical creation. This is a piece of equipment that can only be utilized by a Mechanical Deity.

Han Xiao carefully looked through the blueprints, as well as the effects of the two pieces of equipment.

The Saint Tyracles Race had advanced extremely far in the Mechanic class. The [King] mechanical suit displayed it, reaching the level that could be considered a Universal Treasure, which blended many of the advanced skills of the Saint Tyracles.

This Mechanical suit was armor designed for a Beyond Grade A Mechanic, and the reference parameters of the blueprint showed that just the basic performance of the King outstripped his current mechanical suit by at least thirty percent! His own mechanical suit was high-end Orange equipment, considered one of the best within its grade quality!

In addition to conventional combat weapons, the King also had unique features that made it extremely suitable for Mechanics.

As a dedicated equipment for Mechanics, the King provided an extra bonus toward mechanics, which provided users with an additional x1.075 coefficient to their total Machinery Affinity, only slightly less compared to the increase from the Divine Mechanical Throne. Furthermore, it increased the range of effect for the Mechanical Force bonus by thirty-five percent while reducing the energy consumption. This would strengthen normal mechanics to provide their army with a longer period of blessing.

Moreover, the King was equipped with a special energy converter that could absorb Mechanical Force and enter an enhanced state. There were multiple modes, such as improving the performance of the Mechanical suit, strengthening melee capabilities, and providing instant acceleration and defense, so as to get rid of any ambushes that the Mechanic most feared.

While this man-made combat equipment was at the level of a Universal Treasure, it did not belong to the scope of a Space Wonder, so the quality of its stats were more reflected in its performance. It would not be equipped with an unsolvable power like the Spacetime Amber. It was closer to the Universal Treasure level equipment made by the Divine Craftsman Thorne.

However… the King belonged to another type of equipment.

It was the core function of the King that made Han Xiao truly satisfied!

When the Federation of Light manufactured their Multi-Dimensional Sky Opening Transportation Device, they had borrowed the knowledge of the Saint Tyracles Race, and the core function of the King was related to this.

The reason why the Multi-Dimensional Sky Opening Transportation Device was the strategic weapon of the Federation of Light was because it had the capability of unlimited transmissions. Not only was the distance long, it was also immune to interference from all spatial related devices, which was the most important thing. The King had a similar immunity as well.

'The King' possessed a unique accessory called the Throne, and both sides would resonate with each other. No matter where the King was, the user could instantly return to the location of the Throne together with the suit. This transmission ignored all external interference, and it would still take effect even when trapped within wormholes or space stabilization anchors.

The introduction for this function was simply a statement—'The King cannot be restrained.'

It was not just restricted to that. When the King returned to the Throne, the follow up effect of this function could be activated in the next three minutes. This allowed the user to blink back to the original position of the King. To be able to shuttle back and forth between two points… simply put, this was horizontal warping.

"There is the shadow of the Multi-Dimensional Sky Opening ability within. So long as I'm wearing the King, I will not need to be afraid of sudden ambushes like EsGod. I can immediately choose to warp back to my Throne, leaving the danger zone." Han Xiao's eyes gleamed.

In view of his true body's physical susceptibility toward ambushes… this toy was akin to a divine artifact for him!

While it was a fixed position warp and not as effective as the Multi-Dimensional Sky Opening Transportation Device, it still had an irreplaceable role. For the mechanic with a weak body, this was a magical escape technique. As the saying went, where there was life there was hope, and this was very apt for the mechanic.

Han Xiao looked at the manufacturing requirements, thinking to himself, The cost is high, but it is still in an acceptable range for me. Some of the core materials will be hard to get, but that was during the exploration era. Right now, we're in the Galaxy Calendar. As long as you have enough money, you can get your hands on any materials you want.

Han Xiao was not worried about the cost nor the rarity of the materials.

As the top Beyond Grade A in the Shattered Star Ring, the strongest in the Flickering World, and the 'Sugar Daddy' of hundreds of financial groups, finances were not an issue.

His main concern was the difficulty of manufacturing. It was no easy task to build Gold Grade equipment. It did not mean that he was guaranteed to produce Gold Equipment as long as he followed the blueprints.

There was a high probability that the finished product would not reach the quality of Gold Grade Equipment. There would be all sorts of reasons that led to the finished product not reaching the ideal state as stated on the blueprint.

"I'm now at level 320 and am considered a pinnacle Beyond Grade A Mechanic. The basic manufacturing abilities will definitely meet the mark, and coupled with the talents provided by the my Divine Throne Mechanic class, the success rate should not be too low."

During a prior class advancement, he had received a talent named [Spirit Instrument, which improved his success rate of manufacturing from gold blueprints. He finally had a chance to put it to use.

As for the other unlocked blueprint, the [Emperor's Cape] was special equipment that was to be used by the Mechanical Deity. In short, the King was the mechanical suit for the Mechanic, while the Emperor's Cape was used when the Mechanical Deity descended.

In appearance, it looked like an oversized war cloak. It was able to reduce the consumption of energy needed for the Divine Throne Mechanic to maintain the Mechanical Deity, indirectly extending the combat time.

Not everyone could be as perverted as Han Xiao. Most ordinary mechanics did not have as many energy conversion abilities, so the Emperor's Cape served to allow the Mechanic to use the Mechanical Deity for longer periods of time.

Other than reducing consumption, it would also provide additional protection and stabilize the interior of the Mechanical Deity. Because it was made up of countless machines, the stronger the bonds between each machine, the higher the mechanical defensiveness of the Mechanical Deity.

In his battle against Heber, that little Ty-Ty had rushed into the hand of his Mechanical Deity, trying to wreck it from the inside. Although he had failed, he had managed to temporarily destroy the right arm of the Mechanical Deity. If not for the fact that Han Xiao's energy recovery speed was frighteningly high, just the consumption needed to reform the arm would have required the Mechanic to give up a kidney.

If he had the Emperor's Cape, the internals of his Mechanical Deity would become extremely durable, such that it would still last a length of time even when invaded by a pinnacle Beyond Grade A pugilist.

In addition to its protective ability, the Emperor's Cape also brought about movement speed bonuses. Because of its huge size, the speed of the Mechanical Deity was greatly affected, so the Emperor's Cape could improve the agility and attack speed of the Mechanical Deity.

"These two are both Gold equipment that are tailor-made for Mechanics. Indeed, the famed Mechanic haven, this Saint Tyracles race."

Han Xiao was drooling at the sight of the two. After rejecting the dynasty's proposal to give up the Evolution Cube, he had thought that there would be no more chances for him to obtain Universal Treasure combat equipment in the short term. The effect of these two blueprints gave him a surprise, as they could immediately improve his combat capability, which was what he was currently lacking.

"I've got to find a way to quickly manufacture them. Right now, there are many Beyond Grade As flocking to the Flickering World, and the major organizations also roughly understand my current strength. If something happens, it will be a crisis for me…"

Han Xiao calmed himself down as he gazed at his attributes panel.

Total Level: 320

Main Class: Mechanic

Race: Black Star Race

Attributes: 8,016 STR, 7,945 DEX, 11,714 END, 20,933 INT, 6,430 MYS, 1,368 CHA, 1 LUK

Free Attribute Points: 2050

Potential Points: 28

Health: 13,984,273

Stamina: 11,806,980

Energy: 182,075 (Lv.21)

Lv.21 Energy Level bonus stat: 3,206 STR, 3,928 DEX, 4,870 END, 6,505 INT, 3,123 MYS, 1,381,520 Stamina Limit, 4,282% Machinery Affinity

Energy Rank: 82,600

Grade: SS

Grade S Bonuses: 150 END, 45% All Resistances, 40% to Highest Attribute, 25% Other Attributes, 750 Free Attribute Points, and 50 Potential Points

Remark: Standing at the peak allows you to see more of the scenery. However, this is not the end goal in the route of evolution. You must pierce through the fog to slowly touch upon the secrets to an even higher realm of life.

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Chapter 1029 The Dynasty"s Plans

Compared to when he was at level 300, the attribute growth was obvious, but this mainly came from the bonus given by his Lv.21 Energy Level and was due to Han Xiao's accumulation during the version update.

As his energy level continuously increased, he would also gain ever-increasing strength. This was an important part behind the power of the Supers.

The Endurance bonus for his promotion this time was '90', which was twenty points more than his previous promotion. Because it was more difficult to upgrade in the later stage, the enhancement to one's attributes brought about by each advancement would also increase, and the increase in Energy Rank would also cause one's S-level rank bonus to upgrade even higher. There was a close connection between all the attributes, causing Han Xiao to be comprehensively strengthened.

Just an ordinary promotion already gave him such a sharp increase in stats, causing Han Xiao to be extremely satisfied.

"As for the more than 2,000 Free Attribute Points…"

Han Xiao thought about it but left them untouched for the time being. His Intelligence and Endurance were all quite high, so he decided to provide himself with some flexibility depending on the situation.

As for his potential points, they would be used to upgrade his Class knowledge, with the Ultimate Knowledge having priority.

At present, there were only three of his Ultimate Knowledges that were maxed out, namely [Virtual Creator, [Eternal Power Source, and [Relativity Theory]. The other three belonged to the other branches of the Mechanic class, and there was a three-times penalty imposed. Levelling them from Lv.1 to Lv.5 would require a total of 288 potential points.

Han Xiao had gained quite a few potential points since the update of the version. He had raised the three Ultimate Knowledges a little each, and the twenty-eight free potential points he had on the interface right now were just right to max out his [Mechanical Life Tinder] skill.

However, Han Xiao did not do so after some thought. He turned and added a level to [Ultimate Mechanical Engineering, raising it to Lv.3.

This class knowledge was related to one's manufacturing and production, and Han Xiao wanted to increase the success rate of the Emperor's Cape and the King, so he first prioritized this knowledge.

"A plan cannot always keep up with the changes. I wanted to go there and camp, but now I need to work while I wait." Han Xiao shook his head.

Now that he was alone and unable to use the workshop in his base, he could only use the army workshop in his secondary dimension, and he even had to go out of his way to obtain the raw materials.

He counted the days, and he probably could not even create it before the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy was born. The time needed to manufacture a Universal Treasure-level equipment was quite hefty. That was especially so for the Emperor's Cape, which was physically huge.

"Right now, I've reached level 320, and my battle strength has experienced yet another leap, drawing closer to the Mechanic Emperor and Void Overlord. I can gauge their strength even better now…" Han Xiao sighed.

Seeing the gap in strength narrowing bit by bit, his mood was definitely good.

However, after this promotion, his upgrade costs once again skyrocketed. Because the effects of each promotion in the later stages were extraordinary, the upgrade fee naturally corresponded to this.

"I'm afraid it will take a long time to accumulate enough experience to upgrade to level 340. Also, I have to find an opportunity to ask about the God's Trait Transformation as well as The First Sanctum."

In Tarunamir Palace, the top leader of the hawk faction, Bekorodi, sat in a conference room with his eyes closed for a rest. After a while, a remote projection appeared. It was Gaud.

"You're here." Bekorodi opened his eyes.

"I hope you called me over to inform me about some good news." Gaud's expression was calm.

"It's indeed good news," Bekorodi said in a deep voice. "The request you submitted has been approved, and the dynasty's top management has decided to give the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy to you… provided that your Esper ability is truly as what you've said and that you can control the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy."

The dynasty had bet on Black Star, thinking that he would be an important National Pillar in the future, but the dynasty did not mind having another person as strong as him. After all, someone with Gaud's Esper Ability was too rare, so the dynasty was willing to spend the resources to cultivate this high potential Esper. Furthermore, this person still belonged to the dynasty, and he was not an ally who did not have to listen to all their orders.

"I'm very clear what my ability can and cannot do, so as long as the dynasty is willing to put their trust in me, I will not disappoint them." Gaud thinly smiled.

"As long as you can prove yourself, the dynasty will not be stingy with the resources to cultivate you, just like Black Star." The moment Bekorodi mentioned Han Xiao, his tone got a little deeper.

Black Star rejecting his one to three exchange had left Bekorodi extremely dissatisfied.

However, Gaud only replied with a smile that was not a real smile, skirting past this topic. He instead asked, "Now that the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy is about to be born, what does the dynasty intend to do?"

Bekorodi nodded. "The dynasty has already sent troops to the various locations shown by the intelligence, and we have spotted abnormal movements from many of the organizations, which confirms that they likely also got their hands on EsGod's legacy. They will be our competitors in obtaining the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy…"

"What sort of organizations are they?"

"The number is small, but their composition is complex. There are all kinds of organizations, but the church and the federation's side do not seem to have moved, so we cannot know if they are aware of this matter…"

"It sounds like there are many uncertainties. Can we ensure that the dynasty will get the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy?"

"The current situation is unclear. The Oracle of the dynasty has tried to scry for information, and it feels like the Emerald Star Cluster is the most likely place in which the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy will appear. It just so happens that the Flickering World is our territory, so the dynasty has decided to engage a few Beyond Grade A allies for help." Bekorodi narrowed his eyes as he spoke.

"Black Star?"

"He's not on the list." Bekorodi shook his head.

The Black Star Army had the greatest amount of influence in the Flickering World, so it stood to reason that Black Star should be the most reliable. However, the dynasty did not request help from him, and Bekorodi did not disclose the reason.

Gaud smiled to himself as he realized the implications.

Tsk, it seemed like the problem with the Evolution Cube caused quite a rift between Black Star and the dynasty…

His eyes flickered, and Gaud calmly said, "Since that's the case, I have a suggestion. We should tell Black Star to turn away so as to prevent side issues from arising."

"I don't have the authority to command Black Star." Bekorodi waved his hands. "In addition, the latest news states that his Black Star Guards are all within his palace, and even Ames has gone over to visit him from Shattered Star Ring. Thus, it is likely that his true body is still within his base. He probably knows his limits and will not interfere in this matter…"

Bekorodi paused for a moment before his expression sank. "However, even if Black Star decides to interfere, the dynasty can still strike a deal with him. With his current situation, the chances of him rejecting us again are miniscule. He should know what to do in order to mend his relationship with us."

"That's good. I hope that there will not be any accidents during the operation." Gaud narrowed his eyes.

The dynasty did not wish to see a special talent like him encounter any unnecessary risks before growing up, so he could not join the operation.

What Gaud needed to do was obediently stay put and wait for the dynasty to hand him the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy.

Getting the dynasty to work for me is so convenient… Gaud secretly smiled and shook his head.

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Chapter 1030 Movements of the Competitors

"They want me to snatch that famous Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy on the dynasty's behalf?"

In a certain dynasty's ally stronghold in the Flickering World's free competition zone, Ravenlaude was surprised to receive this message from the upper echelons of the dynasty.

As a member of the senior celebrity group, Ravenlaude was quite highly regarded among the Beyond Grade A allies of the dynasty. His position was far above people like Kohler or Beyoni. Although he did not exactly have a good relationship with Black Star, the two of them held no grudges against each other.

Of course, Ravenlaude had no idea that the Spacetime Amber was supposed to belong to him but was taken away by Han Xiao in advance, or he would have joined the 'dynasty anti-Black Star alliance', which had Heber as its one and only member.

It was common for the dynasty to ask him for help. What Ravenlaude was surprised about was the information about the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy appearing. This was the first time he had heard of this.

"The Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy…" Ravenlaude's eyes sparkled.

To be honest, he was quite tempted.

Primal Esper Abilities in the Super High Risk Esper Ability List such as this one were extremely rare. If he could make it his, it would be more than enough to raise a powerful subordinate, or he could use sealing type spells to seal the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy onto special magic puppets to use its powers, which might make the puppet as strong as a Universal Treasure.

However, these greedy thoughts only existed for a few seconds in Ravenlaude's mind before he completely extinguished them.

His organization was right in the Constellation Corridor, which was heavily affected by the dynasty. There was no need to go against the dynasty's will for just a Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy.

The dynasty told him about this information to let him help, but if he was tempted by it, it would definitely upset the dynasty. To him, there was more to lose than gain.

"But a Universal Treasure…"

Ravenlaude still found it tough to let go. It was not really because he did not even have the courage to let go of the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy, but after seeing Han Xiao's Spacetime Amber, he had felt a sense of emptiness in his heart, like he had missed something very important. Universal Treasures had become almost an impulse for him.

It was like a kid seeing the other kids with fun toys and also wanting one.

One word, jealous!

"Since the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy is as valuable as a Universal Treasure, it's the right time to negotiate terms with the dynasty."

Ravenlaude then gave his request to the dynasty—if they wanted his help, the dynasty had to grant him a Universal Treasure from their inventory.

Not long after his request, the dynasty's reply came, expressing their approval of Ravenlaude's request but with additional terms.

If the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy appeared in other areas, Ravenlaude would only receive some resources as a reward for his trouble.

But if the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy appeared in the Emerald Star Cluster and Ravenlaude obtained it, he would be allowed to pick one Universal Treasure from the dynasty's inventory.

A list was also attached with the reply with the Universal Treasures the dynasty allowed Ravenlaude to claim. Most of them were combat equipment; it was the same list given to Han Xiao in exchange for the Evolution Cube.

Ravenlaude browsed through carefully and nodded with satisfaction.

Han Xiao had no interest in these things, but they were very valuable to Ravenlaude. After all, Han Xiao already had the Evolution Cube and the Spacetime Amber, so ordinary Universal Treasures could not meet his standards.

With the reward promised, Ravenlaude became motivated about this mission. After carefully looking at the list of competitors that the dynasty had provided, he smiled with confidence.

How hard would it be to snatch something from a bunch of weaklings?

In an unexplored area of the Emerald Star Cluster, a fleet was moving in hyperdrive. Its exterior armor had no symbols.

Inside the main ship, a tall man wearing a purple rope stood before the command console, giving off a cold aura and silently looking at the star map. The red dots on it marked the coordinates where the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy might appear.

Beside him, a fishman-like creature who was restrained by magical ropes said with a shivering and nervous tone, "Your Excellency Secret Master, I swear this piece of intelligence is real. It's really EsGod's heritage, not fake news I made up!"

"It had better be, or you know the consequences," a cold and indifferent voice replied. The man turned around and glanced at him. All of the skin he was showing was covered in magnificent and complicated magical runes flickering with dim light, like he was a tattoo addicted.

Just like 'Beast Ancestor' Gorutan, this man was also a protector of the Galactic Black Market. He was the famous Secret Master renowned in the magic society. He was an authority in Rune Studies, Alchemy Studies, and Secret Studies, especially in Secret Studies. The reason he had this nickname was because there was a rumor going around that he had mastered a type of spell that could control someone's 'luck', also that he was a master in fortune telling and foresight.

All the tattoos on his body were Forbidden Spell grade rune enchantments that provided powerful enhancements to his body. The organization that Secret Master was in specialized in extremely advanced rune technology, which could be seen from looking at his subordinates. All of them were wearing exquisite rune armor, and the skin they were showing was also covered in complex magical patterns.

Secret Master turned to the star map, and the cold look in his eyes rippled ever so slightly.

"The Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy…"

Not long ago, he had suddenly foreseen that a huge event would happen in the Emerald Star Cluster that might be beneficial to him, so he had used his power in the black market and investigated it. With his outstanding luck, he discovered a small organization that had fought for EsGod's heritage previously. They happened to have the coordinates of the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy. After they were captured and interrogated, Secret Master developed an interest for the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy.

He was someone who did not mind using all kinds of external agents to increase his strength, and all these runes over his body were proof of that. At the same time, he had plenty of high-quality magic items; his desire to collect rare items was almost at an OCD level. Therefore, he naturally wanted this extremely rare Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy as well.

Due to the distance, he had sent officers to the other coordinates while he headed personally to the Emerald Star Cluster as it had the highest possibility.

"I wonder what organizations will be part of this…"

This question appeared in his mind but was very soon forgotten. He had a lot of confidence.

No matter what organization comes, I'll just have to beat them up. How many of them will be able to stand up to a Beyond Grade A like me?

The stronghold of the Modo Civilization was situated in another area of the Emerald Star Cluster.

An elite team formed by Calamity Grade Supers gathered at a secret dock, and the commander of the Modo Civilization's Expedition Fleet Roddick and the inspector Lagos stood before them, examining the team.

"I'll leave the mission of the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy to you guys." Roddick nodded at everyone solemnly.

Some advanced civilizations had also received information from EsGod's heritage, among which the Modo Civilization was one of those who knew about the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy. The Modo Civilization had no reason to let go of something this valuable.

The other locations were given to others to take care of, while the Expedition Fleet led by Roddick was responsible for the coordinates in the Emerald Star Cluster.

Ever since the Expedition Fleet was last attacked by the 'mysterious force', pressured by the upper echelons, Roddick had become much more vigilant. He was very careful in resupplying the resources.

However, it did not turn out to be very useful. The reinforcements redeployed from the Shattered Star Ring were often attacked by 'unknown forces' on the way, which cost them a lot of time.

Luckily, after they arrived in the free competition zone, the Super Star Cluster allies had helped them slightly, which made the situation better for the Modo Civilization. Therefore, Roddick's team were not attacked again in the Emerald Star Cluster.

Hence, he had the time to gather an elite team, ready to complete the mission given by the upper echelons—capture the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy.

Super Star Cluster civilizations had vast territories and rich resources, as well as plenty of high level combatants. They had thousands of Calamity Grades, far more than those Star System civilizations that only had a few dozens.

The Modo Civilization had high hopes for the Expedition Fleet, so they had deployed around a hundred Calamity Grades. This elite team that would be heading to capture the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy included forty percent of the Expedition Fleet's Calamity Grade officers, which was about forty to fifty of them. This was a powerful armed force.

For this operation, the Modo Civilization did not notify the other allies of the Super Star Cluster alliance. After all, there was only one Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy; it could not be shared.

Maybe the other civilizations had this intelligence too, but the Modo Civilization clearly was not going to tell others about it.

Watching the fleet enter stealth mode and leave, Lagos came to Roddick and asked in a worried tone, "Isn't it too risky to send this many people? If something happens, we'll lose a large number of elites. Calamity Grades are difficult to raise…"

"I've told them to be careful. If any Beyond Grade As participate, they'll act cautiously. If not, they can crush any and all competing organizations," Roddick said with a deep voice.

"But now that we've sent them out, the defenses of our stronghold will be weak. Aren't you worried that Blac… the mysterious force will attack us again?" Lagos asked.

Roddick snorted and said in a firm tone, "Humph, the strongholds of the Super Star Cluster alliance look over each other's shoulders. We even hired some Beyond Grade As, who are all more reliable than Garoze. So what if Black Star's forces are strong? He won't dare come and touch us."

They did not have to advance anymore. Back then, they had no help, so there was nothing they could do when they were attacked. Now, however, all their teammates had gathered, and the lines of defenses were stronger than ever. If Black Star caused trouble, he would have to face the entire Super Star Cluster alliance. He did not think Black Star would dare do that.

After the Flickering World opened, Psyker did not give up on the opportunity and also followed the Arcane Church in to develop his forces and built a stronghold in the free competition zone.

As the three Universal Civilizations were coexisting there, Psyker did not get targeted, so his days were quite peaceful. Looking at the exploration fleet doing better work every day, he was rather content.

"I shall see how things go first. If I can stabilize my territory in the Flickering World, I can migrate a portion of my people here and have them live here as a branch of the race."

At the top of the base, Psyker looked up at the sky and thought about his migration plan.

At this time, an officer hastily walked over.

"Leader, the base's radar has discovered two fleets closing in. They seem to be in combat. One side only has three battleships left, and they cannot hang on much longer. According to the direction they're heading, their battle will very soon reach our stronghold. What should we do?"

Psyker used his seven eyes to look at the radar images and ordered, "Chase them away. Tell them to not fight around my territory."

As the order was given, the subordinates quickly executed it. However, after some time, this officer ran back hastily again.

"Leader, they have already been chased away, but that group of people we saved aren't willing to leave. One of them is a Calamity Grade Super. He thinks that you saved them, so he wants to join us with his team."

"Join us?" Psyker was a little stunned. He felt a complicated emotion in his heart.

He suddenly remembered that ever since he was targeted by Black Star, it had been a very long time since anyone came to join his forces. He had almost forgotten what it was like to be a Beyond Grade A.

This long-lost feeling… was so comforting.

"Invite him here. I want to see him." Psyker was glad, and his attitude became much friendlier. Psyker decided to see him personally to show him that he took him seriously.

After some time, this Calamity Grade was brought before Psyker. He had many wounds on his body, and it was clear he had just come from a tough battle.

"Your Excellency Star Pupil." This person's face was filled with appreciation. He ignored the pain in his body and bowed with admiration. "You saved my life. I'm willing to join your forces and work for you."

"Hmm, it's a small matter." Psyker looked calmed on the surface, but he actually liked this a lot. The respectful attitude from this person made him remember what it was like to be a Beyond Grade A again.

"To repay you, I would like to give you a gift. It's a piece of valuable intelligence."

"What intelligence?" Psyker asked.

"A clue about that legendary Super High Risk Esper Ability, the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy!"

Psyker paused for a second, and interest flashed through his seven eyes at the same time.

In Black Star Palace…

"What, he invited me over, but he went out‽"

Ames narrowed her eyes. The temperature in the room seemed to decrease by a hundred degrees in an instant. A powerful force field roared like tides. The floor and the walls made of high strength alloys vibrated nonstop while making squeaking noises, and cracks appeared very quickly.

Aurora's legs were going soft. She lowered her head with a sense of guilt.

My teacher is… so scary when she's angry.

She could feel Ames' anger just from this powerful force field.

She had accepted the invitation with excitement, travelled all that way, only to discover that Han Xiao was not even there. Anyone would be angry because of that…

No, it was even worse. Han Xiao was not home, yet he had called her over. It was almost like a deliberate prank.

Even someone as carefree as Ames felt that she had been toyed with.

"Teacher, why not stay here for some time? Uncle will come back," Aurora said cautiously.

Ames glanced at her and rebutted subconsciously, "You think I'm that free?"

Then, both of them fell silent.

Aurora wanted to say something but did not.

Don't you know exactly whether you're very free or not?

The two of them looked into each other's eyes, and the atmosphere gradually turned awkward.

After looking at each other for a few moments, Ames suddenly retracted the roaring force field. Without changing her expression, she purposely used a tone that sounded like she did not care and said, "I'll stay for some time then. I'm mainly here for you anyway. Whether Black Star is here or not, I don't care. In fact, it bothers me to see his face. It's best that he's not here.

Aurora remained silent. Sure, I believe you.

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Chapter 1031 Tough Path of Evolution and Appearance

Han Xiao looked at Aurora's bloated cheeks on the communicator and said with a smile, "I see, Ames has already arrived. Tell her to stay at my place for some time… Oh? You've already dealt with her? Great job, I'll give you a red flower when I'm back."

After settling Ames down, Aurora had notified Han Xiao at the first instance to explain the situation, which was mostly her blaming him. He purposely stood her teacher up and left her to deal with it. What a horrible man.

"You'd best speak with her, or Her Excellency Dragon Emperor will definitely get angrier."

"I have my plans. Settle her down properly and use your cuteness to make her less angry. I'll explain everything to her when I get back."

Han Xiao chatted for a while and ended the call. He then shook his head and smiled.

He had deliberately invited Ames to Black Star Palace to make others believe that his main body was in his base. Also, it would increase the defenses of his base while he was away, but it was mainly to protect Aurora and the others.

After all, the Secret Studies was a path to many abilities. Many were paying attention to Hila, and there would definitely be people who had used foresight abilities on her. Someone might discover Aurora's strengthened life link with Hila. Being more cautious about others attacking his base could never be wrong.

After handling this matter, Han Xiao opened up the data that the dynasty had sent him a few days ago and continued reading.

After his Promotion, he had asked the dynasty about [God's Trait Transformation] and [The First Sanctum]. He had received some confidential information regarding that.

According to the data, after entering the peak of the Beyond Grade A realm, one had to dig deeper into the Super system and the nature of one's own genes. When one evolved to this stage, a new extra evolution path would appear, which was named [God's Trait Transformation].

Every transformation was a special evolution that granted new powers, as if one had surpassed a certain limit of evolution and had gained new 'superpowers'. Most peak Beyond Grade As felt that this was an important factor of entering that unknown higher power. However, the God's Trait Transformation seemed to have no end. No one had ever been known for completing all of the God's Trait Transformations. It was still a mystery.

The dynasty was not surprised about Han Xiao asking about God's Trait Transformation. It was not strange for Black Star to come in touch with this territory given his current position. Plus, Han Xiao had just hosted the Meeting of the Gods not long ago, so he had most likely heard this name from the other peak Beyond Grade As and approached them to research it.

This data cost some Faction Contribution Points, and it not only included the introduction but also the dynasty's research on it, as well as the experience and understanding of the peak Beyond Grade As of the past. Thanks to this, Han Xiao had a deeper understanding of God's Trait Transformation.

However, he did not find any other way to obtain God's Trait Transformation Points in this data. It seemed that he could only obtain them through Promotion.

Nonetheless, the data was still useful. After arranging the information, Han Xiao found a pattern—every Promotion seemed to have brought a different number of God's Trait Transformation Points. It seemed to be reliant on multiple factors.

Although the others did not have an interface and could not quantify their attributes, Han Xiao still used the data to do calculations and speculate. According to that, the following could be the factors that affected the God's Trait Transformation Points gained through every Promotion: Highest attribute u003e 20,000, second highest attribute u003e15,000, u003e85,000 Energy Rank, maximum level Knowledge, and having a soul connection with a Universal Treasure.

Once one of the above requirements was met, the God's Trait Transformation Points gained through every Promotion would increase by one. He had received two points at once because he satisfied two of these requirements.

If I want more points, I'll have to prioritize these requirements before Promotion.

He had obtained two God's Trait Transformation Points through the first Promotion, which was neither the best nor the worst, just mediocre.

This meant that at the peak of the Beyond Grade A realm, keeping one's level low would be the mainstream play style, and going through Promotions after more requirements were met would be the most beneficial.

If I'm guessing correctly, the Promotion mission in the future might require my God's Trait Transformation to be at a certain level, Han Xiao speculated and instantly understood the difficulty of it.

If normal peak Beyond Grade As did not prioritize these requirements, they would not obtain enough God's Trait Transformation Points through Promotions and would not reach the required transformation level for the next Promotion. Their path to greater power would be completely blocked off, and they would never be able to continue evolving!

Their strength would never increase!

No wonder. This is way too difficult. No mistakes are allowed. Maybe this is one of the main reasons all the peak Beyond Grade As can't step into the higher realm.

As long as one step went wrong, they would fall into an inescapable abyss. Terrifying…

However, after he thought about it, he gave up on planning not to level up for the sake of God's Trait Transformation Points.

With the existence of Mission Completion Cards, he could ignore all kinds of difficult Promotion Requirements.

Not enough points obtained through one Promotion?

Just go through Promotions more often!

Leveling up quickly was his biggest advantage. Although God's Trait Transformation was great, it was far from being as beneficial as the increase in strength he would obtain from Promotions.

Han Xiao's thoughts were clear.

It doesn't matter whether my God's Trait Transformation levels are high or not, as long as I'm stronger than everyone!

With the God's Trait Transformation information successfully obtained, the information about The First Sanctum shocked Han Xiao.

Even the dynasty did not know what it was!

I only knew that I got the Ability Fragment of [The First Sanctum] after Promotion because of the interface, but no other peak Beyond Grade As has that, so no one has discovered it, huh?

Han Xiao was stunned. As even the three Universal Civilizations did not have any related information, this might be a major new discovery.

What does Sanctum mean? It sounds like a place… If there's a first, is there a second or a third sanctum?

If only [Bold Explorer] could be used on this. Han Xiao sighed. This ability could only be used on unknown items and locations, not on the Ability Fragments in his interface.

Han Xiao put the communicator away and looked out the porthole. It was not the dark cosmic space but a bright sea of light.

This was a certain location in the center area of the Emerald Star Cluster, which had a large mass of bright, cloud-shaped nebulas mixed with both gas and dust. The gas released light due to the radiation of the Fixed Stars, while the nebulas reflected and refracted the light from relatively close Fixed Stars. The color of this entire area had a theme of mainly green and red. It looked beautiful and dreamlike.

In the universe, most areas were pitch black, so this beautiful scenery was considered rare.

The location where the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy will appear is in this mass of nebulas. I can start preparing now.

Han Xiao found a place and hid with the stealth mode of his spaceship activated, planning to only act at the right moment.

As the date of its appearance closed in, more and more fleets arrived at this nebula. They were all there for the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy.

Most of these organizations were ordinary organizations. Some planned to obtain it at all costs; some just wanted to try their luck. They guarded themselves against each other like they were deep behind enemy lines. However, when they saw the fleets of two Universal Civilizations arrive, their hearts sank.

Ravenlaude came with the dynasty's fleet, and although Psyker had only brought his own fleet, he had the church as his backer. The organizations present believed that he had been instructed to head there by the church.

With the interference of two Universal Civilizations, the chance of obtaining the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy became negligible, but no one wanted to back away in the final moment.

After all, they had traveled so far. Even if they might not get it, they had to try at the very least.

The Modo Civilization and some fleets from advanced civilizations, however, did not give up yet. Only two Beyond Grade As seemed to have interfered. If the two of them restrained each other, they felt like they would still have a chance.

"You guys improvise on the spot when to act later."

Inside the communication channel, Roddick reminded the elite force formed by many Calamity Grades.

On the other side, in the eyes of Ravenlaude and Psyker, all the other competitors were weaklings. They only saw each other as their biggest competitors.

Inside the main ship of the dynasty's fleet, Ravenlaude looked at Psyker's fleet from afar and narrowed his eyes.

"Psyker did not bring the church's fleet along, which means he did not report this to the church and wants to take it himself. Hehe, he's braver than me."

He had thought that this would be a piece of cake, but with another Beyond Grade A interfering, it became quite a bit more difficult.

However, Ravenlaude was not really nervous. His expression was rather relaxed.

Ravenlaude was confident in dealing with this seven-eyed freak. It would not be difficult for him to deal with Psyker.

For the sake of the Universal Treasure promised by the dynasty, Ravenlaude had to get the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy.

According to the current situation, he felt that he already had victory in his hands.

Comparatively, Psyker, who was in the opposing fleet, felt this would be rather difficult.

"Ravenlaude is here, too…"

Psyker's expression was not looking good.

The Calamity Grade who had provided the intelligence about the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy as a sign of loyalty said, "Your Excellency Star Pupil, the situation doesn't look very good for us…"

Psyker pulled out a smile and said, "Don't worry. It doesn't matter if we can't obtain it. I will still remember your contribution in providing me with this information."

He did not care about his own strength. His race's power was more important in comparison. He had always been looking for ways to create more talents in his race. He did not come to fight for the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy for himself to use but to find a suitable owner in his people and create a new strong individual for his race.

"I believe in you."

This Calamity Grade's face was filled with trust, but he was secretly plotting.

He did not really join under Psyker's command because of appreciation, nor was it because he had planned to. It was more like a coincidence.

With the information about the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy in his hands, he was not blinded by desire. He knew very well that he would never have a chance to get the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy with his own power, so he might as well use this information to find a backer and use their power to take part in this fight.

However, he did not completely give up either. If the person he joined obtained the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy and the opportunity presented itself, he would steal it. If there was no chance, he would just slowly work his way up, using the contribution he obtained by providing this information as a head start. This way, he would be able to fully utilize the value of this piece of intelligence, much better than being a gambler and putting all his chips on trying to get the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy.

Originally, his target candidate was not Psyker, but he met him coincidentally. After thinking about it, he realized that Psyker's forces were not weak, and Psyker was a Beyond Grade A, despite not being in the top tier, which actually increased the chance of him successfully stealing it if things went well. Therefore, he had changed his target and used Psyker as his backer.

Ravenlaude and Psyker both had their own goals, but they had yet to notice that in the remaining organizations, there was still another Beyond Grade A in a fleet without any organization symbols. It was Secret Master.

Both the dynasty and the church's people came…

Secret Master's eyes flickered.

He was stronger than both of them.

Since he was hidden, he decided to keep it that way. When the two of them had fought and wounded each other badly, he would then appear to grab the prize.

This plan is feasible, and the chances are high!

Secret Master stacked more stealth spells on himself and restrained the energy ripples around him, hiding himself to even a greater extent. He smiled coldly.

The Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy must be mine!

Ravenlaude and Psyker's fleet were opposite each other. The rest of the organizations were not chased away, so without saying anything to each other, they all started to deploy inactive space stabilizing traps.

The Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy was a Primal Esper Ability Entity with independent thought. It had the ability to cross between secondary dimensions. The traps would prevent it from escaping once it discovered this ambush.

After this was completed, the various organizations waited in this area peacefully for the time being.

The date was near to begin with. After a few days, the day marked by the intelligence arrived.

The various organizations all focused their attention and stared at the area of the coordinates closely.

Other than a few individuals, most people there were not sure if the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy would even appear. They were waiting with anticipation and nervousness.

Buzz!

Before all those spectators, a ball of bright red energy suddenly overflowed from the void. Its size expanded extremely quickly and formed a red, fog-shaped cloud with a unique energy wave.

Seeing this, everyone there became thrilled!

"This is the right location. The Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy has finally appeared!"

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1032 The Oriole

In the dreamlike nebula, the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy returned from the secondary dimension and appeared in front of everyone's eyes.

This was an enormous cluster of bright red energy in the form of fog, like a boiling cloud. Gray lights flickered within like lightning. The energy at its center was the densest, and the further away from the center, the less dense the energy was. At its edge, red energy swayed and danced like silk. When looking closer, this energy seemed to be formed by countless tiny particles.

A large number of tiny red light clusters danced around the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy. These were the sub-bodies the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy produced, something like its offspring or underlings. What Evans had once met was one of these.

The Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy was a Primal Esper Ability Entity. It had its independent consciousness. Most of its consciousness and energy had been hibernating, only leaving a small portion of its instincts to maintain daily activities. It gave up thinking to let itself wander the universe randomly.

This large cluster of bright red reflected in the pupils of the crew of every organization through the porthole, lighting up the surprise and excitement in their eyes.

"It appeared! Move, quickly!"

This time, all the organizations present activated the spacetime stabilization traps they had set earlier.

Buzz!

All the devices around were activated, as well as all kinds of magical runes and items.

The erupting spacetime energy expanded from different points like ripples, quickly flattening the 'folds' in this area. The spacetime became extremely stable. Be it hyperdrive or wormhole, they could no longer be used!

The Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy was very sensitive to the changes of the space. It instantly sensed the drastic change in the environment around it. Its hibernating consciousness awakened with shock. The enormous energy cloud suddenly retracted. It shrank, and its density increased at an extremely high rate, attempting to turn into a black hole to break the stable spacetime of this area and tear open a crack in space.

The space in the area was like a piece of paper, and the traps were like forces that stretched outward to make the paper straight and tight. The Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy making itself extremely dense was an attempt to poke this piece of paper, concentrating its energy in one point to create a fold in space. These two forces were fighting each other. Under normal circumstances, this 'piece of paper' would have been penetrated immediately, but it would not be as easy in this highly stable space.

Seeing this, a voice appeared in the public area channel.

"Quickly contain the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy. The spacetime coefficient is falling from the peak. If it keeps resisting, it will escape our trap sooner or later!"

The next moment, the closest small fleet immediately charged toward the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy, which had already turned into an extremely bright cluster of light. The exterior armor of these spaceships slid open, showing a special mechanical device that released an astonishing absorption force toward the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy. The Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy started to vibrate slightly. Waves of energy were pulled away from the cluster of light and sucked into the devices, like streams of light.

These organizations that had gone to fight for the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy had made thorough preparations. This was a device used to contain and restrain energy life forms. Even though the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy could condense itself, its energy would still be sucked out. It would be like a tug of war.

However, this time, without any warning, the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy shot out a flurry of dense light beams, which bombarded this fleet.

The next second, their shields were penetrated, and their ships exploded into fireworks immediately. This fleet was annihilated by one round of attacks!

With the explosion of its energy, the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy's psychic attribute was activated. Waves of impactful Psychic Currents appeared and expanded outward. The people who surrounded the Psychic Current all felt headaches, like they were affected by infrasound, as if they were heavily drunk.

Inside the dynasty's fleet, Ravenlaude saw this, and his lips curled up.

"Hehe, the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy isn't something you can get without risks."

Primal Esper Ability Entities were extremely ancient. They were clusters of energy without owners. Therefore, they used their own methods to use their powers, such as shooting their energy out in beams continuously.

At this time, the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy turned around and fled at an extremely high speed like a meteor. The fleets around immediately chased after, trying to block its path.

"Let me!"

Ravenlaude's eyes sparkled. He left his ship and chased after it with magic at high speed, simultaneously casting spells.

Runes and spells surrounded his body, shining with magical lights. Dense magic energy dragged down the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy and increased its speed drastically. At the same time, arcane impact waves were sent flying into the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy, turning into magical runes controlled by Ravenlaude to mix foreign energy into the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy, reducing its control over its own body.

The effect was clear. The Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy could no longer maintain its condensed form, and the cluster of light exploded quickly, expanding back into an energy cloud cluster. Its hitbox multiplied countless times over.

Beyond Grade A Mages often travelled in secondary dimensions. Ravenlaude's experience in dealing with energy entities was way too rich, so it was no difficult task. The energy beam the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy shot out with all its might was easily blocked by him with magical shields.

As the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy was gradually falling into Ravenlaude's hands, a powerful wave of psychic energy suddenly approached him from behind.

Ravenlaude narrowed his eyes, diverted his attention to use defensive spells, and blocked the psychic attack. Not far away, the silhouette quickly surpassed him and charged right toward the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy. In its hands was a highly advanced enhanced version of the portable energy entity container.

"Humph, Psyker."

Without any more words, Ravenlaude launched attacks toward Psyker as well. The two of them fought while chasing after the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy, dragging each other down.

The organizations around saw this and wanted to use it as an opportunity. However, any spaceship that even came close to the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy was shattered by the 'fallout' of the battle between Beyond Grade As.

Ravenlaude had the upper hand and suppressed Psyker's attacks. However, despite the battle being rather intense, neither of them went all out. They did not forget about saving some energy to contain the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy.

With two Beyond Grade As present, the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy would not be able to cause any trouble. Sealing runes were punched onto its body one after another. Its resistance grew weaker and weaker, gradually showing signs that it was about to be completely contained.

At the same time, the Modo Civilization's team was also wandering around the edge of the battlefield. The dozens of Calamity Grades in the ship stared closely at the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy and softly discussed possible tactics.

"Guys, the two of them are holding each other down. Should we act now?"

"The odds of success are too low. We will only be able to guard their attacks for a very short moment even with all of us working together. There won't be enough time for us to retreat. We will certainly have to sacrifice many lives. It's not worth it, is it?"

They exchanged looks and shook their heads in their minds.

Their boss had told them to improvise, but there was no opportunity at all. Although these Calamity Grades were usually quite proud, they had absolutely no confidence in facing Beyond Grade As. Even though they were truly loyal to the Modo Civilization, no one wanted to waste their life for nothing.

Roddick stayed silent in the communication channel for a while before saying, "If there's not a chance, forget it. Don't interfere."

Hearing this, the dozens of Calamity Grade relaxed their uptight bodies with relief.

Roddick was a little bit disappointed but was not too persistent about it. His original goal by sending so many Calamity Grades was to have the absolute upper hand in terms of power if there were no Beyond Grade As.

However, with the interference of Beyond Grade As, the mission had basically failed. Since there was no chance, the best choice was to retreat. There was no need to let the Calamity Grade elites of the civilization die in vain.

"This is just a side mission, no need to force it. The upper echelons will understand in cases like this. If I sacrifice many elites because of this, the upper echelons will even blame me for it."

Having this thought, Roddick loudly said, "Guys, retreat!"

"Roger!" Everyone responded with joy.

However, the next moment, a drastic change occurred!

The Modo Civilization's fleet suddenly turned around and charged right toward the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy. Not only that, they suddenly fired all their weapons at Ravenlaude and Psyker!

Everyone present was completely stunned.

Even the battle between Ravenlaude and Psyker stopped as they had to block this sudden attack. Both of them looked a little confused.

T-they dared fire at us?

Who are these brave soldiers‽

Inside the command center at the base, Roddick's expression changed drastically. He yelled with rage, "What the hell are you doing? Are you out of your mind‽"

"We have lost control of our spaceships!" The many Calamity Grades were stupefied.

Roddick suddenly thought of something, and his face turned pale.

This familiar feeling…

It's Virtual Intrusion‽

*sshole!

With wrath and shock, Roddick was just about to yell at everyone to flee.

However, before he could, the remote communication link was cut off. The screen turned black, reflecting his furiously twisted expression.

"Black Star!"

Bang!

Roddick roared and smashed the communicator into pieces. The room was filled with his rage and helplessness.

The interference of a third party attracted enough attention. Both Ravenlaude and Psyker stopped fighting each other for a moment. Magic tides and psychic storms slammed directly into the Modo Civilization's fleet, swiftly eliminating the small fleet.

The dozens of Calamity Grades were panicking. They immediately fled their spaceships and scattered. However, Ravenlaude and Psyker did not enjoy letting people who suddenly attacked them go, so they chased after them.

The Calamity Grade elites, whom the Modo Civilization had spent tons of efforts to raise, lasted barely a moment before they fell one after another.

These people had no chance in fighting back; they could only run with their lives.

After more than eighty percent of Calamity Grades were eliminated. Only then did Ravenlaude and Psyker stop and return to fighting each other.

This intimidated the other organizations present. They all moved further away with their fleets and did not dare fight against the two of them for the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy.

The dynasty's fleet was not just watching. It was battling the Star Pupil Holy Race's fleet. In terms of both spaceship technology and size, the dynasty was superior. The Star Pupil Holy Race's fleet was slowly getting beaten.

"Still want to fight me?" Ravenlaude raised his brows and sent a voice message through a spell. "We can fight for days and nights, but your fleet will be wiped out. I've heard your people are very important to you. So, is the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy worth you sacrificing that many lives?"

Psyker sent out a tsunami-like wave of psychic energy to shatter the flying arcane bomb, clenched his teeth, and said, "Do you think you can make me give up with just a few words? Your dynasty's fleet will suffer quite a lot of losses too!"

"That's right, but those are the dynasty's soldiers. I don't care about their casualties," Ravenlaude said. "You won't be able to win against me, so don't make unnecessary sacrifices. As soon as I contain the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy and let my people disarm the space stabilization trap, I can leave this battlefield via a teleportation gate in an instant. Will you be able to chase me as a Psychic?"

Psyker looked to be conflicted. Then, he stopped fighting and turned around to help his fleet force the dynasty's fleet away.

Seeing this, Ravenlaude knew that Psyker had given up on competing and smiled with satisfaction. Without anyone standing in the way, he focused on casting sealing spells, sending countless arcane lights into the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy.

Very soon, a magical shield shrouded the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy and quickly shrank. The Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy was then sealed into the crystal magic ball in Ravenlaude's hands.

"It's done!"

Ravenlaude's eyes sparkled. He could almost see the Universal Treasure that the dynasty had promised waving at him.

Before he had time to feel the joy, the moment the sealing was complete, a mind spell that had been prepared for a very long time suddenly crashed into him and slammed into his mental barrier. With his mind shaken, Ravenlaude entered the state of being stunned for a short moment.

At the same time, a figure flew out from an ordinary fleet and approached at a very high speed, casting spells on the way. Magic arrays formed around Ravenlaude one after another, but countless blue magic tentacles appeared from these arrays and tightly tied Ravenlaude's body.

This was not just simply tying him up. The official name of this spell was [Descent of Atomte—Devil's Tentacles]. It was a top tier spell that had a short silence effect on Mages, as well as the ability to restrain their soul. Once tied up, the target would enter an even longer period of immobility, unable to control their body.

"There's another Beyond Grade A‽" Psyker, who was not far away, sensed the energy wave that had suddenly erupted and turned around in shock.

Ravenlaude finally regained consciousness. Absolutely shocked, he hastily tried to escape the restraints.

However, this silhouette had already come right beside him, taken away the magic ball sealing the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy, and pressed his palm onto Ravenlaude's chest.

Powerful and rich magic energy gushed out and turned into a violet beam of light, immediately blowing Ravenlaude far away.

This attack did not cause much damage. Ravenlaude flew a short distance back and quickly regained his balance. He looked up with shock. Seeing this person covered in tattoos, his expression stiffened for a second.

"It's you, Secret Master!"

Given how small the Beyond Grade A circle was, famous Beyond Grade As all knew each other. Secret Master's position in the circle was a little higher than his.

Secret Master's expression was cold. He did not care about Ravenlaude, who was conflicted with rage and fear. He sized up the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy in his hands, nodded, and said with the same indifferent face, "Thanks for helping me to contain the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy. I let you safekeep it for me for a few seconds. Now, it's returned to its original owner."

Ravenlaude was so furious he laughed. "I thought Black Star is the most shameless among Beyond Grade As. I didn't expect you to be not much worse. What return to its original owner? Since when were you the owner of the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy?"

"I'm here, so it's mine," Secret Master said coldly.

Angered, Ravenlaude said, "Cut the cr*p. You think you can just leave?"

With the opportunity to gain a Universal Treasure right before his eyes, even if Secret Master was stronger, Ravenlaude would not give up easily.

Secret Master glanced at him and said with a poker face, "I can leave whenever I want."

The moment his sentence ended, a huge crack suddenly appeared on the space stabilization traps in the area, and some of the devices even exploded. While they were setting up the traps, Secret Master had secretly planted invisible, remote-controlled explosion runes so that he could use a teleportation spell after he succeeded.

The spacetime coefficient and the effect of the traps plummeted, no longer able to stop Beyond Grade A space magic. Ravenlaude's expression changed drastically as he immediately understood what Secret Master's plan was. He quickly started to channel spells to restrict Secret Master's teleportation.

However, Secret Master was even quicker. He had prepared the fundamentals of the teleportation gate well in advance, so it activated instantly. A blue vortex appeared right beside him.

Seeing Ravenlaude fast approaching, Secret Master was completely calm.

"Till next time, Ra… hmm‽"

Suddenly, he felt his hand become heavier. The sealing container of the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy in his hands disappeared, replaced by a mechanical arm that was connected to a human-shaped machine with flickering blue-gold eyes, which had appeared beside him out of nowhere.

"You…" Shock finally appeared on Secret Master's face.

This machine tilted its head and suddenly vibrated. A strange Void Energy expanded instantly and shrouded a large area, including even Ravenlaude.

The next second, Secret Master and Ravenlaude realized that the space in this area had become thick and dense. Their movements were forcefully slowed.

Void Prison!

With a flash of insight, Ravenlaude immediately recalled the owner of this ability. "Black Star‽"

Han Xiao's Lord's Avatar turned to look at him and smiled. "Yo, you recognized me?"

"You've come at the right time!" Ravenlaude was overjoyed. He thought that Han Xiao was secret backup sent by the dynasty.

Han Xiao saw through what he was thinking immediately and shook his head. "I'm not here for the dynasty."

Ravenlaude's smile stiffened.

He immediately understood. Unlike him, Black Star was not fighting for the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy for the dynasty but had uncovered this information himself and wanted to obtain it.

This way, although Black Star was also a dynasty ally, he was his competitor in this matter.

Having realized that, Ravenlaude's heart sank a little.

At the same time, Secret Master narrowed his eyes. Having all his effort go to waste made him embarrassed and enraged. He coldly said, "Black Star, you took my Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy?"

Han Xiao turned to look at him and smiled.

"To borrow your words… thank you for safekeeping it for me for a few seconds."

He had been there for a long time. His Lord's Avatar and mechanical army had hidden nearby, watching the whole thing while messing with the Modo Civilization.

Only when Secret Master broke the space stabilization trap and was about to leave did the Lord's Avatar finally find the right opportunity to strike. It immediately used [Void Swap] to exchange itself with the sealed container holding the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy. Thus, the container was in the hands of his mechanical army.

However, this way, the energy ripple would cause the mechanical army to be exposed as well. To avoid the two of them from chasing after the mechanical army, he had used his Lord's Avatar to activate Void Prison immediately to restrain Secret Master and Ravenlaude, while the mechanical army could leave with the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy.

Once they returned to the safe area, it would be a complete success.

As the mantis stalked the cicada, it was unaware of the oriole behind it. Secret Master thought that he was the oriole, but he did not know that Han Xiao had hidden even deeper than him.

"The only problem is…"

Han Xiao turned to look at Psyker, who was far away. This guy was not in the range of the Void Prison, so he could chase if he wanted to.

Noticing Han Xiao's stare, Psyker's expression looked as if he had just fallen into a pile of feces.

This time, the voice of a Star Pupil Holy Race officer sounded in the communication network.

"Leader, we have detected a mechanical army that has suddenly appeared. It is escorting the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy and fleeing at high speed. Shall we chase after it?"

"No, retreat!"

Having seen Han Xiao, Psyker backed away without hesitation.

He did not want to have a direct conflict with Black Star at this time.

Most importantly, even if Black Star's mechanical army had no Lord's Avatar in it, he felt that he still might not be able to win.

Han Xiao could not help but scratch his head and laugh in his mind.

He's this smart‽

He then looked at Secret Master, who had a troubled look and was full of hostility, and stretched his neck.

"I shall take the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy with a smile. If you're not happy about that… how about I give your bones a good stretch?"

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1033 Secret Master, I Have Never Seen Someone This Unlucky

Faced with Han Xiao's tease, Secret Master's face sank, and he was too lazy to respond. His eyes looked past Han Xiao at the streams of light heading away from the edge of the battlefield.

Very soon, the exposed mechanical army separated some of its units to escort the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy and disappeared from sight.

His mood slipped from the top of the mountain to the bottom.

He wanted to chase after it, but Black Star's Lord's Avatar stood in his way and gave off a vibe that made him subconsciously uptight. He knew that as soon as he did anything, he would inevitably face a storm of attacks.

Secret Master's eyes refocused on Han Xiao, who was before him, carefully sizing him up. He then said with a somewhat interested but mostly unsatisfied tone, "Black Star, this should be the second time we've met, right?"

"Including the Meeting of the Gods, it is indeed the second time." Han Xiao nodded.

"Humph, then we're… quite… fated!" Secret Master said word by word.

He was irritated and angry about the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy getting stolen, but everyone was there to fight for it, so it all depended on their strength. It belonged to anyone who could obtain it; he could accuse Han Xiao of nothing.

He really wanted the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy. Although it had been taken away by Black Star, there was no need to make too much of a fuss. They were both famous people in the universe. If he could not get the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy, so be it. If he made it a bigger deal than it was, it would not look good for anyone, nor was it necessary.

However, there was no way he would just retreat like that; he had to fight back in some way. Secret Master did not want to watch Han Xiao easily get away; it would look like he was afraid of Han Xiao. He had shame, unlike that seven eyes beside him who was already used to it.

He secretly tried a teleportation spell and realized that it was restricted by the Void Prison.

When this area is no longer locked, there's still a chance to catch up to the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy through teleportation and snatch it back, Secret Master thought as he adjusted his mood, putting his focus on the current situation and suppressing his anger. His expression returned to being cold, and he started chatting.

"By the way, I've always been curious about you. Although we did not have much contact in the past, I've always had a strong impression of you."

"Strong in what way?" Han Xiao did not mind wasting time. It was what he wanted too.

"Your deeds are spread all across the universe. In my eyes, you're a careerist with a grand plan, as well as an opportunist. Luck is a very big reason you were able to build what you've built today. It helped you choose the right opportunities and brought you the chance to develop this quickly. You're a lucky man."

Hearing his words, Han Xiao could not help but glance at Secret Master a few more times.

This is the first time anyone has ever said I'm lucky. You've probably got the wrong person…

Nonetheless, he could understand why Secret Master had this kind of impression of him. To the outside world, his rise was extremely quick and fierce, as well as smooth. There were so many opportunities that seemed to have just fallen onto his laps, which all looked like it was because of his luck.

However, these opportunities were created by him instead of this 'luck', all because he was familiar with the direction the world would take and had information about the future that no one else had.

But no one would ever know that.

"I guess you can say that I'm lucky," Han Xiao agreed as a joke.

"Hehe, but from today onward, your luck ends." Magic runes appeared in the depths of Secret Master's pupils. "You should've heard my nickname. I can control someone's luck."

Seeing his confidence, Han Xiao felt strange but continued to cooperate with his performance.

"Are you trying to reduce my luck permanently?"

Secret Master snorted. "You took what's mine; you'll have to pay for it."

Actually, he was not very willing to mess with Han Xiao. After all, after the Meeting of the Gods, Han Xiao's position was rather special within the Beyond Grade A circle. As a neutral Beyond Grade A, it was best not to mess with him if there was no need.

However, he could not put up with this, even just for the sake of saving his own face. Therefore, he decided to use his best trick to slightly punish Han Xiao.

So, it still came to speaking with fists… Han Xiao had expected this. He did not think that Secret Master would let this go easily.

The next moment, blinding magical blue light shone from Secret Master's body.

"They all say you're good at fighting. Let me see how strong you are personally."

The magic energy in his body gushed out like a roaring tide, erupting in an instant.

Boom!

Han Xiao's Lord's Avatar was washed away by the exploding magical energy and was pushed back some distance.

Secret Master took the opportunity to back away, trying to increase the distance between Han Xiao and himself. However, after the enhancement of God's Trait Transformation, the effect of Void Prison was stronger and slowed down the people in it even more. This ability could not differentiate friend or foe, but Han Xiao, who had Void Race talents, could move freely within.

He realized very soon that he was not able to get away from Han Xiao no matter how much he backed off, so he decided to just not move at all. He started to cast spells continuously like a spell cannon.

In order to snatch the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy, the Lord's Avatar had used Void Swap to swap places with the sealing container, which led to it being isolated and only being able to fight with Secret Master alone. The mechanical army was on the way.

Bang!

Beams of blue magical energy dragged along lightning trails and rocketed toward Han Xiao continuously, shattering into sparks on the Lord's Avatar's shield.

Without the mechanical army, Han Xiao clearly had a firepower problem. Therefore, he decided to charge forward against the sea of spells and close the distance while Secret Master could not back away.

After this Promotion, his Strength and Dexterity attributes could be considered high even among Beyond Grade As. When facing a Mage with his Lord's Avatar, close-range combat instead became the better option for him.

While one side stood in place, the other approached extremely quickly. The distance between them shortened in no time.

In Han Xiao's eyes, Secret Master's huge face was getting closer.

"Eat my rocket headbutt!"

Activating critical strike abilities, Han Xiao smashed his head directly forward.

Clank!

His metal forehead landed right on Secret Master's head through his magic shield.

Secret Master felt a buzzing in his head immediately, like someone was ringing a bell in his head. He hastily regained focus. The rune enchantments on his body suddenly all lit up, and hundreds of hands appeared beside him, creating afterimages of punches everywhere.

As a Mage, it was only logical to have some close-range combat abilities.

Having been suppressed in close-range combat, Secret Master was secretly shocked. Such powerful blows.

He had sparred with quite a number of Pugilists before, and he realized that Han Xiao's Lord's Avatar's close combat strength was even stronger than some Beyond Grade A Pugilists. The storm-like attacks were very difficult for him to hold on. He was stunned by Han Xiao's strength.

Black Star feels stronger than rumors say…

This thought only flashed for an instant before disappearing. Secret Master focused on the matter at hand and diverted his attention to do two things at once. He dealt with Han Xiao's fierce close-range attacks while controlling his magic energy to build up to his best Secret Studies spell that was aimed at one's luck.

Luck was originally formless and almost superficial, but at this moment, in Secret Master's vision, blurry fog suddenly appeared around every life form. Some fog clouds were thick, and some were thin.

This was Secret Master's unique spell. It combined the study of the soul, mind, foresight, fortune telling, and many more magic fields. He was successfully able to quantify the target's luck. The thickness of the fog represented the luck of a being.

The luckier one was, the thicker the fog would be. Those protagonist-type charters who had Luck Glows usually had the thickest fog.

"Let me see how strong your luck is!"

Secret Master had made up his mind to reduce Han Xiao's luck.

When he looked closely, he was completely stupefied.

Usually, Beyond Grade As were very lucky people. For them to reach this territory at the top of the universe, there was at least a minimum to how unlucky they could be. Black Star's luck should have been exceptionally strong; he should have been covered in thick fog.

However, the real situation was the complete opposite. The fog around Black Star was so thin that it was almost non-existent!

Secret Master had observed countless people before, but this was the first time he had ever seen someone this unlucky! He could hardly believe his own eyes!

It doesn't make sense! How can a Beyond Grade A's luck be this weak‽

How can someone this unlucky become a Beyond Grade A‽

Secret Master was completely stunned.

Initially, he wanted to damage Black Star's luck, but now that he looked at it…

Can this guy's luck even be decreased‽

Secret Master's many unique spells revolved around indirectly dealing large amounts of spiritual damage through decreasing the target's luck, but facing Han Xiao… he realized that his trump card seemed useless.

For an instant, he lost concentration and immediately showed flaws mid-combat. Han Xiao did not care about his internal thoughts at all and seized the opportunity.

Bang bang bang!

Lightning-fast punches landed on Secret Master's body quickly, sending in waves of impact.

Being badly beaten up, many defensive runes on Secret Master's body shattered. Feeling the pain, Secret Master did not dare let himself get distracted again. He took a defensive stance and held on under Han Xiao's attacks.

While the two of them fought intensely, Ravenlaude, who was also included in the range of the Void Prison, felt conflicted.

Normally, Ravenlaude would help the dynasty's ally, but now, Black Star was also a competitor who was fighting for the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy.

"I can only complete the mission and gain a Universal Treasure if I take the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy back from Han Xiao's hands."

After some thought, Ravenlaude made his decision and started to cast spells to cancel out the effects of the Void Prison.

"Hmm?" Sensing the disturbance, Han Xiao turned around and gave Ravenlaude a death stare.

"Don't look at me. I'm just executing the dynasty's mission."

Ravenlaude noticed Han Xiao's stare and nervously replied. Then, he silently tried to break away from the Void Prison together with Secret Master.

The next second, the Void Prison was broken. The space around returned to normal. While the two of them fought, Ravenlaude opened a teleportation gate immediately and disappeared, heading toward the mechanical army, which was escorting the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy away.

Seeing this, Secret Master wanted to do the same. However, the Lord's Avatar prevented him from doing so.

The rest of Han Xiao's machinery had now arrived. They activated space stabilizing devices and magic disruption devices that covered this area, stopping the use of teleportation spells once again, causing Secret Master to be unable to chase after the Prime Chaos Mysterious Energy.

"Sh*t!" Secret Master's face sank even further. This situation basically meant that he was already eliminated from this competition.

Furthermore, Secret Master could see that Black Star actually had a way to stop Ravenlaude too. Only, he purposely let Ravenlaude go but kept him there.

He's targeting me specifically‽

That's too much!

Seeing Secret Master's expression, Han Xiao chuckled. "You noticed I've let Ravenlaude on purpose? I'm not targeting you but him."

He had purposely let Ravenlaude go and given him a chance to chase after his mechanical army because he wanted to make Ravenlaude a target to showcase his fists.

Due to the unhappiness last time, Han Xiao wanted to showcase more of his strength to the dynasty, but he did not want the outside world to know he had grown once again, in case the Mechanic Emperor sought him out again. Therefore, he wanted to shift the battlefield and not have witnesses.

A dynasty ally was the best target for that.

Compared to beating up enemies, beating up teammates seems better when creating a reputation? After all, after getting beaten up, his teammate still had to hide the information of the battle.

Although the Lord's Avatar stayed to hold Secret Master back, all the Apostle Weapons were in the escort team.

With all that and the mechanical army, it would be strong enough even without him present.

Diverting forces and fighting in multiple battles at the same time was the Beyond Grade A Mechanic fighting method.

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1034 Duel

Psyker was scared away by Black Star, Secret Master was held back by the Lord's Avatar, and Ravenlaude teleported to chase after the mechanical army. The situation of the battle changed multiple times in a short period. The fleets of the other organizations present became mere onlookers.

At this point, these organizations knew full well that the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy would have nothing more to do with them.

They were somewhat disappointed but not surprised. A few days back, when they realized that the dynasty and church had interfered in this, they knew that their chances were negligible.

However, being able to confirm that the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy had appeared in the Emerald Star Cluster, as well as having the opportunity to watch a battle between many Beyond Grade As, most of them felt it was worth the trip.

Although the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy was taken away by Black Star, they did not disperse immediately but took out their snacks to watch the wrestling between Black Star and Secret Master.

Only a few organizations who had yet to give up wanted to chase after the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy, but they were stopped by the mechanical army. Looking at the dense psionic barrels, these people could only remain there with resignation.

While the Lord's Avatar led the mechanical army to fight Secret Master, the dynasty's fleet responded as well and immediately reported Black Star's interference in this battle. This got to the man in charge of this operation, an upper echelon of the dynasty's hawk faction, Bekorodi.

"Black Star is there too? And he got it‽"

Far away in the remote command center inside the dynasty's territory, Bekorodi's eyes opened so wide that they almost popped out. He was shocked and enraged.

"His Excellency Ravenlaude is already chasing after it. He will probably have a direct conflict with Black Star. What should we do?" the fleet's commander asked cautiously.

Hearing this, Bekorodi frowned heavily. He was filled with hesitation.

He felt that this matter was very difficult to deal with. Black Star was an important ally to the dynasty. Usually, the two sides should avoid conflict as much as possible.

However, before this, the dynasty did not know that Black Star would interfere with this, which made Bekorodi rather worried.

With the dynasty's control of the Flickering World, somehow, they did not notice that Black Star had sent a team out to that place. This showed that the Black Star Army had secretly built quite a number of things in the Flickering World by making use of the dynasty's support.

Bekorodi felt that in situations like this, Black Star should be the one to take a step back first. However, Black Star clearly saw that the dynasty was involved, yet he still took part in the battle. To Bekorodi, this was Black Star not giving the dynasty's face, which made a hawk faction upper echelon like him rather unhappy.

Undoubtedly, he felt that the situation was all Black Star's fault, so he was in a dilemma.

Should he continue the operation while taking the risk of offending Black Star or back off and give up the plan?

"Sir, should we contact the Ruler?"

While pondering, his subordinate's voice pulled Bekorodi out of his train of thought. He paused then said with a deep voice, "Don't notify the Ruler yet. Contact Black Star first. I'll talk to him."

He knew that Urranrell liked Black Star, so he did not want to notify her. He could only control the mission if he dealt with it himself.

The command center called up Black Star's number. It rang three times before it was picked up. Han Xiao's face appeared on the screen with a meaningful smile.

"Not bad, not bad, you contacted me earlier than I expected."

Bekorodi's eyes twitched. He suppressed his anger, forced out a smile, and said, "Black Star, remember me? I'm Bekorodi."

"Hello, we meet again. Have you eaten?"

"Just had dinner."

"You look quite well. Have you been sleeping well recently? You're not young anymore, so don't work so hard. Rest more."

"I'm used to working hard, just can't seem to be too free. After so many years, I've gotten used to working every day long ago, but I have indeed been getting rather good sleep recently. I…"

Halfway through speaking, Bekorodi suddenly stopped.

He only just noticed that without knowing, he had followed Han Xiao's lead and actually subconsciously started chattering, almost forgetting what he wanted to say in this call.

Plus, we're not even close! Black Star, are you trying to play for time?

Bekorodi coughed heavily, trying to cover up the awkwardness. He then quickly gained back control and questioned, "You know why I've called you, don't you? It's a surprise you've had your eyes on the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy too. This information came from EsGod's heritage. You should have notified the dynasty or at least reported your actions. If you'd done that, the accidents today would have been totally avoided. Why didn't you?"

Han Xiao's expression looked strange, as if he was saying, What kind of question is that?

"Doesn't not notifying you guys mean that I want it for myself? Plus, I don't seem to recall that I'm obligated to give all the intelligence I have to the dynasty or report my personal activities. We're allies, not employer and employee."

Bekorodi made a serious expression and said, "Anyway, there's no need for discussion on this matter. Listen to me. The dynasty doesn't want the outside world to see us fight with our allies. This needs a solution."

"It's simple then—give up. Give the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy to me, and it's done." Han Xiao smiled.

"Impossible," Bekorodi said subconsciously, but he then realized that his tone was not very appropriate, so he calmed down. "The dynasty needs the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy too. We won't let it go so easily."

"What do you need the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy for?" Han Xiao was curious.

Bekorodi shut up immediately.

It was not like he could tell Black Star the truth and say that it was to replicate the Evolution Cube's abilities.

They wanted the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy to make Gaud grow quicker and step into the Beyond Grade A territory sooner. The goal of that was to analyze the Evolution Cube. Gaud would only be able to analyze the Evolution Energy with his Esper Ability if he was Beyond Grade A.

After quite some time, Bekorodi finally forced the words "It's confidential…" out of his mouth.

"Never mind then." Han Xiao shook his head. "Anyway, I won't just back off like this. It's true that we're allies, but I can't possibly give everything to you once you just tell me to do so. Even those Ultimate Knowledges required me to make contributions to gain access to them. You can't just ask me to give selflessly, can you?"

Bekorodi nodded. "Okay, then let's make a deal. We're willing to exchange for the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy. What do you want? Intelligence? Knowledge? Resources? A Universal Treasure? I'm guessing you want the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy probably because you want to turn it into a Universal Treasure, so you might as well exchange it with us. You can choose from the list we gave you last time. I can approve this deal personally."

The dynasty had to give Ravenlaude a Universal Treasure to hire him to start with, so since the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy was now in Black Star's hands, Bekorodi just made the same deal with Black Star.

The deal with Ravenlaude, of course, would no longer be valid. He would at most receive some resources as compensation…

Ravenlaude, who was still chasing the mechanical army, did not yet know that his employer had already given up hope on him and that the Universal Treasure he had been thinking of was basically out of his reach.

Han Xiao raised his brows. "And what if you go back on your word?"

"If you agree, I'll make Ravenlaude retreat first, and you can keep the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy for the time being. Then, you will make a public announcement to eliminate the rumors caused by this conflict. Following that, you can exchange it for a Universal Treasure with us. Therefore, you don't have to worry that we won't keep up our side of the deal."

Bekorodi did not plan to play any tricks at all. He at least had this much pride as a superior in the dynasty.

However, Han Xiao did not plan to agree immediately…

If my teammate runs away, who do I beat up?

"We'll talk about this next time. I have yet to decide if I want to give you guys or not. I need to think about it. Therefore, for now, let's just compete fairly… Since you don't want the outside world to know, we'll fight in a place where there's no one else." Han Xiao's tone was calm, and he did not completely reject the deal.

Bekorodi's face stiffened. He was very annoyed.

He did not want to waste any more time and gave a simple "okay". He then ended the call. He told his subordinate to notify Ravenlaude that he had to obtain the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy.

In his mind, Han Xiao's original body was still in Black Star Palace, and only a Lord's Avatar and a group of mechanical troops were there. Secret Master was restraining the Lord's Avatar, so Ravenlaude should still have a chance.

Inside the bright nebula, Ravenlaude chased after the fleeing mechanical army, getting further away from the battlefield that the Lord's Avatar was in and out of everyone's sight.

Without the restrictions of the space stabilization devices, Ravenlaude's teleportation spells were quicker. No matter how fast the mechanical troops were running, he could catch up in an instant. He had only slowly followed behind all this time because he wanted to get further away from the Lord's Avatar so that it would not be able to interfere with his battle.

After all, whether the Lord's Avatar was present or not would make a bit of difference. He did not want to face the Lord's Avatar's attacks with his body like Secret Master. After all…

I'm a proper Mage! I'm like paper!

Remote artillery style is our forte. Melee combat? How can you call yourself a Mage‽

That Secret Master, who drew all over his body, had quite strong melee combat power, but Ravenlaude was an old fashioned Mage who had mastered pure arcane arts. To make him fight in melee range would be the same as Mechanics rushing into Pugilists' arms… Hmm, except for Black Star.

This is far enough.

Ravenlaude focused his mind and used another teleportation spell. He appeared right before the mechanical troops. With a wave of his hand, a top-tier magic staff appeared and hovered above his head. The gem at the top of the staff shone with a bright magical light.

The next moment, thick magical books appeared one after another around Ravenlaude, circling him slowly like a ring of stars and giving off powerful magical energy.

As the magical books opened and the pages turned extremely quickly, a thick and enormous purple magic light appeared and expanded instantly, turning into a spherical, dark-purple energy barrier that shrouded all the mechanical troops before him. The sphere was extremely large.

Looking from inside, the inside wall of this sphere was dark purple covered in circulating streams of bright blue and flaming white magical streams of light, like arcane comets. It looked like a purple curtain decorated with blue and white patterns.

"Wall of Tragal—Dark Purple Arena. This is a new forbidden spell created by my spell research team."

After casting this spell, Ravenlaude smiled with confidence as if the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy was already in his hands.

The Mechanical Force lightning on the mechanical troops suddenly became much weaker. They fired at the wall, but the psionic cannon attacks disappeared when landing on the inside of this sphere like they were absorbed. Some mechanical soldiers flew to the edges, but the moment they touched the inside wall, a bright arcane explosion repelled the mechanical soldiers away.

Ravenlaude was certain that the mechanical troops could not escape. In a situation like this, the villain soul lying deep inside his body started to boil. He started to perform the signature move of a villain—explain!

"This is a forbidden-level sealing spell. It can absorb the energy attacks inside it and transfer it to its outside. At the same time, it prevents any material from passing through its wall. Your mechanical troops won't be able to escape. Furthermore, this spell can also reduce the efficiency of energy transmission. Haven't you noticed? The Mechanical Force you applied on them has become weaker."

He was having a good time talking, but the mechanical troops ignored him and continued to physically attack the inside wall, getting repelled away time after time.

Seeing this, Ravenlaude shook his head and smiled. He slowly said, "Stop wasting your time, Black Star. I know you can hear my voice. Let's discuss this."

After a few seconds, the mechanical troops gave up trying, turned to look at him, and opened the area communication channel. Han Xiao's voice appeared.

"Discuss what?"

"Black Star, I respect your strength, but your Lord's Avatar isn't here. If you fight me, you'll only waste these troops. So, why not just give me the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy? I'll remember this favor I owe you and give you enough compensation. You know, we're allies; we don't have to solve the problem with violence."

Ravenlaude smiled faintly and felt that he was giving Black Star a lot of face.

However, only inexperienced youngsters would give up their own profit because of a few kind words. Although Han Xiao was considered basically a baby in terms of age among the Beyond Grade As, his experience in life was far from being this immature. He was completely unaffected and immediately ordered the mechanical troops to fire.

Tu tu tu tu!

The mechanical troops surrounded Ravenlaude and fired at him immediately. However, Ravenlaude was prepared. Multiple layers of arcane shields protected him while he moved at a high speed to dodge attacks. Offensive spells were thrown out from his hands continuously, bombarding the mechanical troops.

The size of this sphere was extremely large, giving Ravenlaude enough space to kite. In addition, his mobility provided by teleportation could keep the battle at medium range, so it would be a battle of cannon fires and spells.

"The goal isn't to destroy the mechanical army. It's best to leave after getting the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy."

While shooting spells at the mechanical army, Ravenlaude noted the location of the mechanical soldier that was escorting the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy.

Suddenly, the formation of the mechanical army showed a flaw. There was a gap in the protection of the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy for an instant, and he noticed it immediately.

"Chance!"

Ravenlaude cast a spell that he had already prepared long ago. An invisible shockwave shot out and divided the mechanical army. He cast another teleportation spell, which was also prepared beforehand, immediately appearing beside the mechanical soldier escorting the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy. A purple hand formed of arcane energy grabbed toward the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy contained right before his eyes.

At this moment, a dark blue tint of light suddenly appeared at the edge of his sights. The sharp feeling it gave off made his hair stand on end.

In an instant, Ravenlaude hastily retracted his abdomen to dodge the light. A white spear covered in a gold pattern and surrounded by dark blue energy easily tore open all his shields, slipping right past his vital spot under his abdomen. He was suddenly covered in cold sweat.

That was close, almost lost my offspring.

Psionic Prime, who had been lying in wait among the army for a long time, twisted his spear, shooting out an energy wave and directly slapping Ravenlaude away!

The Psionic Prime Spear was his 'Life Weapon', which appeared when he became an Apostle Weapon. It had a silver-orange Grade, and it would become stronger together with the Apostle Weapon.

At this point, the Psionic Prime Spear had many new characteristics. When used by Psionic Prime himself, these characteristics would be enhanced. It was a terrifying close- to mid-range weapon in his hands that could easily penetrate most shields. Ravenlaude's magic shield was like paper in front of the Psionic Prime Spear.

Psionic Prime shook his spear and chased right after Ravenlaude, not letting go of the opportunity that he had gained by suddenly attacking. As he caught up in no time, he immediately used a smooth Mechanical Pugilist combo on him, not giving Ravenlaude any time to catch his breath.

Not long after, Ravenlaude once again felt a strong sense of danger behind him. A few more hidden Apostle Weapons charged toward him at close range. They were all good at close combat, such as Mad Sky Hunter, Purple Sky Spirit, and Heaven-Suppressing Banner. They forced Ravenlaude to not have the time to use teleport to increase the distance between them.

Other than Apostle Weapons that had usual sizes such as Giant King Kong, all the other Apostle Weapons were there and had been hiding among the mechanical troops. Now, they finally all struck. Psionic Prime led some of them to fight at close range while Silver Flash led the other ones to attack from a distance. They cooperated perfectly.

With the success of the surprise attack, Ravenlaude was stuck being passive.

With Han Xiao's Mechanical Force enhancement, every single one of these Apostle Weapons had Beyond Grade A strength. Now that Han Xiao had gone through another Promotion, his machinery-related abilities were strengthened again, so the strength of his Apostle Weapons had increased as well. Even just one could fight with a normal Beyond Grade A for a long time… and it went without saying whom this referred to.

'Dueling' more than a dozen of Apostle Weapons with this kind of strength at the same time… Ravenlaude could hardly hold on.

There were no tricks to get out of this. It was a complete difference in raw strength. The situation quickly turned one sided.

I can't even beat a medium-sized mechanical army without a Lord's Avatar? Has his strength already grown to this level‽

Ravenlaude clenched his teeth and endured the fierce attacks from these more than ten Apostle Weapons. The magic energy in his body flew out like a broken dam. His heart was filled with disbelief and helplessness that sank deep into his bones.

Feeling the state he was in now, Ravenlaude could fully confirm one thing—Black Star had become stronger again!

At this time, he suddenly recalled his experience against the Mechanic Emperor many years ago…

This was how it felt!

So strong that even a Beyond Grade A like him was afraid!

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1035 Beat Up My Teammate

This was not the first time Han Xiao had fought with a Mage. Every Beyond Grade A Mage had their own style and a different way of fighting.

Ravenlaude was one of the Ancient Ones. Although, due to his limited potential, he had already reached the top of his strength and would not be able to become a peak Beyond Grade A, in his long life, he had learned countless spells. The Arcane Institute under his command was an organization used to study and invent new spells for him. In this fight, he had showcased his extremely broad knowledge in the study of magic.

As an Ancient One as well, 'Dragon King' Milizaus' style had very clear differences. Milizaus focused on the powerful dragon magic spells, fighting with raw strength in a straight forward style, while Ravenlaude had endless spells to swiftly deal with all kinds of situations.

Every Beyond Grade A had their specialty. Facing such a disadvantageous situation, although Ravenlaude was suppressed by the Apostle Weapons, he gradually used his ever-changing spell combos to give himself some breathing space, which was followed up by a combo he had prepared for a very long time.

With a flash of the gem on his staff, silk-like rings made of runes appeared around him. Purple arcane energy started spinning and quickly expanded into a tornado. The violent energy blew the nearby Apostle Weapons away, creating a short opportunity to cast more spells. Ravenlaude was in the storm eye. With the change of his hand sign, the arcane storm swiftly condensed into thousands of magic arrows hovering around him. The highly concentrated arcane energy almost looked solid as if they had turned into transparent purple crystals.

"Secret Ability—Arcane Nova Arrow Rain!"

The purple crystal-like arrows shot out in all directions into the mechanical army, causing clusters of bright purple arcane energy explosions.

Boom boom boom boom!

Impact wave rippled and expanded, blowing away tons of mechanical soldiers. At the same time, the vibration of magic particles caused many mechanical soldiers to become immobilized. This ability had both damage and control effects in a large range.

Ravenlaude did not stop there. He waved his hand, a magic book suddenly appeared and flipped open. All of its shining pages danced and turned into a circular turning light belt, creating a white secondary dimension entrance that expanded rapidly behind him. The entrance was expanding to several thousand meters wide.

Ohm!

An enormous quadrangle tower tip that looked like it was made of crystal extended out from the tunnel, slowly showing its full appearance. It was clearly a magnificent magic building.

High Grade Arcane Spell—Mage Pagoda Summoning!

"He's summoning his Mage Pagoda. Stop him!" Psionic Prime's eyes flickered. He stopped himself from being blown away and charged forward once again.

The Mage Pagoda was the core equipment of high-level Mages. A Mage with and without the Mage Pagoda would be on two completely different levels. A Mage would only reach full strength when fighting alongside the Mage Pagoda.

For example, Austin's Palace of Hidden Spells was a gold Grade Mage Pagoda, which not only gave him extremely powerful enhancements but also exceptional mobility.

The cost of Mage Pagodas that could be stored in a secondary dimension and summoned anytime was extremely expensive. Usually, when a Mage summoned their Mage Pagoda, it meant that they had decided to stand their ground and fight on that spot. This was because most Mage Pagodas did not have as strong teleportation powers as the Palace of Hidden Spells.

A Mage Pagoda was a trump card. Since it had been summoned, it meant that Ravenlaude was no longer holding back. He was going all out.

"Black Star, you're indeed stronger than me… but it won't be that easy to defeat me!"

Ravenlaude bit his lip. His pride as a Beyond Grade A was harmed, and his will to fight was flaming.

The mechanical army immediately activated the space stabilization device. However, inside the Dark Purple Arena, the thick magic energy weakened its effects. Ravenlaude was also doing all he could to keep the summoning portal stable.

The Mage Pagoda extended out bit by bit. Silver Flash and the mechanical army shifted the target of the long-range attacks to the Mage Pagoda. Large defensive runes appeared on the Mage Pagoda to protect it, like a translucent purple light energy shield. It stopped the bombardment and vibrated nonstop as explosions and sparks erupted on its surface.

Ravenlaude used his magic energy at maximum capacity. Dark purple light glowed from his body. In the process of summoning the Mage Pagoda, his mobility would be reduced tremendously. The thick layers of arcane shields protected his casting from being interrupted.

Suddenly, the space behind him rippled. Mad Sky Hunter, who had a short distance teleportation ability, teleported right inside the shields. With his sharp blades and teeth, he pounced right at Ravenlaude.

In the blink of an eye, Ravenlaude hastily turned his body, and Mad Sky Hunter slid past.

The arcane energy slapped Mad Sky Hunter away. He then looked down. His ribs and the side of his leg were slashed right open with deep wounds. He could see his flesh moving inside, trying to close the wounds.

Before he could do anything else, Psionic Prime appeared. His spear stabbed forward as fast as a meteor, leaving only afterimages behind.

The Psionic Prime Spear's ability to penetrate shields was a major counter to him. The summoning was near its end. In order to block this attack, he had to cast spells and stop the summoning. Ravenlaude clenched his teeth and decided to just not dodge it. He had to summon the Mage Pagoda even at the price of being injured.

Whoosh!

As usual, the shield was penetrated with ease, and the spear stabbed right into Ravenlaude's chest.

The taste of blood gushed up his throat. Ravenlaude ignored it and completed the last part of the summoning spell.

"Descend!"

Boom!

The entire Mage Pagoda was finally summoned. It released an extremely powerful magic energy impact wave that stirred up a tornado, blowing all the mechanical soldiers away onto the inside wall of the Dark Purple Arena, including the Apostle Weapons, damaging them twice.

This was a tall crystal tower. Its base was an enormous disc. Overall, it looked like an enlarged chess piece. Colorful magic streams flowed within the crystal, and countless runes and magic arrays formed a slowly spinning sphere shaped barrier that shrouded the Mage Pagoda.

Ravenlaude coughed a few times, casually created a light green healing magical sphere, and stuffed it into the penetrating wound made by Psionic Prime to stop the bleeding. Then, he flew into the Mage Pagoda, connecting his own magic energy with the energy core of the Mage Pagoda. Only then were they fully linked.

The next second, rows of black holes appeared at the bottom of the Mage Pagoda. Tons of magic puppets and colossi swarmed out. Right after, teleportation tunnels appeared all around, and countless monsters were summoned, charging toward the mechanical army.

Psionic Prime swung and spun the spear in his hands, shooting out waves of light, easily slashing the colossi and monsters in his way in half, creating empty areas in the pile of enemies.

At this time, Ravenlaude's voice sounded in the entire arena like thunder.

"Since you desire battle, enjoy it to the end. Come, Black Star!"

"A Beyond Grade A Mage at full performance… I can't disappoint the lord's trust!"

Electric sparkles flashed in Psionic Prime's eyes. Unafraid, he led the mechanical army and charged forward.

The army of two slides collided!

Long after the dynasty's fleet arrived at the scene, what they saw was a wreckage.

Shattered gems, flesh, and machinery floated in this area. There were also countless radiation reactions in the cosmic space created by high energy explosions. A heavily damaged Mage Pagoda floated, covered in burnt holes and cracks. The magic light around it dimmed completely. It had clearly experienced an extremely tough battle.

The dynasty fleet did not see signs of the mechanical army, so they sent people into the Mage Pagoda and found Ravenlaude, who was leaning against the wall. His clothes were tattered, and he was in a mess. His body was covered in wounds, and there were piles of dried golden blood marks on the floor. A magic staff that was broken into two lay beside his feet; the cut was as smooth as a mirror.

"You guys… ahem… finally came."

Ravenlaude's voice was weak. He stood up with the help of the wall. A few dynasty soldiers quickly approached to help.

"What happened? How have you ended up like this‽" Bekorodi, who was remotely commanding the troops, was shocked.

The opponent was just Black Star's mechanical army. Even if Ravenlaude failed, as a Beyond Grade A, how did he end up this badly beaten‽

Bekorodi thought of a possibility and asked, "Was Black Star's original body here?"

Ravenlaude shook his head, gasped for air, and said, "No, he wasn't."

"Oh… so you should have annihilated the mechanical army and obtained the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy, right?" Bekorodi asked. No wonder there were no signs of the mechanical army. He felt that this was the most likely outcome.

Ravenlaude shook his head again with a complicated expression. "No, I was defeated."

Bekorodi's expression stiffened. "So, you're saying, you, a Beyond Grade A, came personally and even used your Mage Pagoda, but you were defeated by one of Black Star's mechanical armies that didn't even have a Lord's Avatar?"

Bro, what is this?

Aren't you too weak‽

Seeing Bekorodi's expression, Ravenlaude knew full well that he despised him. He felt embarrassed and said with a deep voice, "You know nothing about Black Star's strength!"

Then, he repeated the process of the battle in detail and made an accurate analysis on Han Xiao's current level of strength.

"I once fought Mechanic Emperor, and the impression he gave me is still vivid. Black Star has definitely touched the level of God's Trait Transformation, which is why his Apostle Weapons and mechanical army have the power to defeat me!"

Unknowingly, while listening to the report, Bekorodi's expression had become extremely serious.

After a long silence, he finally slowly spoke.

"Black Star's strength hasn't grown for about twenty years. I used to think he needed more time to get through that barrier. I didn't expect him to have grown again this soon."

During the version update, Han Xiao did not level up much, so it looked like he had run into a wall, which made the outside world relieved. They thought that he had finally reached his limit for the time being.

Bekorodi had thought the same. But now, seeing how beaten Ravenlaude was, he knew that Black Star had found the path forward again. Twenty years was not a short time, but compared to the growth of Beyond Grade As, this was way too quick!

With a deep exhale, Bekorodi said in a solemn tone, "Report what happened to Her Excellency and only put this intelligence in confidential documents. Do not leak it."

At this moment, he made the right choice. Hiding the fact that Black Star had become stronger was not because he wanted to but because he knew that the Ruler Urranrell would definitely give that order.

Although Bekorodi did not like Black Star, he knew that hiding the strength of the dynasty's allies was beneficial for the dynasty. Even though his precious Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy had been snatched away, he still had to suck it up and clean up after Black Star.

"Retreat." With resignation, Bekorodi ended the operation.

"Our deal…" Ravenlaude spoke and hinted at the mess with his eyes. His meaning was clear. I gave my all. At least compensate me for it.

"The dynasty will compensate you for the repair fees of your Mage Pagoda and your colossi. As for the Universal Treasure… sorry, you did not complete the mission, so I can't give it to you. Those are the rules," Bekorodi said with a poker face.

He did not want to speak of this matter anymore and ended the communication.

Ravenlaude clenched his teeth with anger.

Not only was his Mage Pagoda broken, but his colossuses were also all destroyed, and he was beaten up. Plus, the Universal Treasure that he had been looking forward to was gone as well. It was a complete loss!

Ravenlaude rubbed his face.

I took this heavy beating for nothing!

Black Star, you *sshole. We're allies, but you really didn't hold back!

Remember this, I'll get you back for this one day!

The Tyrant was bullied by Black Star before. I'll go find him!

He was only angry because he was beaten up by Han Xiao. As for losing the Universal Treasure, he did not blame Han Xiao for it. Without Black Star, Secret Master would most likely have gotten it. He was still sensible in this respect…

But I'm still so angry!

Back at the initial battlefield, the Lord's Avatar and the mechanical army were still fighting intensely with Secret Master.

At this time, the Lord's Avatar suddenly paused. The army stopped firing and backed away.

"Hmm?" Secret Master frowned. He held the magic axe in his hands and did not throw it out. "Why did you stop?"

Han Xiao waved his hand. "I've got it. There's no need to fight anymore. But if you still are not satisfied, I can continue accompanying you."

Secret Master went silent.

He had already been stalled for way too long. He had lost track of the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy long ago, so there would be no way to chase after it. He initially wanted to teach Han Xiao a lesson with his secret luck spell, but this guy turned out to be the unluckiest person he had ever seen. His luck could not have been any worse. According to any fortune telling, he should have died young. Therefore, technically, he should have died long ago, but he became someone this powerful and strong.

To be honest, Secret Master actually felt a little respect for Han Xiao. To be able to come this far with such a tragic fate, he had to give him his respect.

Since anything related to luck was useless to Black Star, Secret Master could only put up with it. After all, even if he tore the Lord's Avatar apart, it would not cause too much damage to Black Star… not to mention the fact that he could not even tear it apart.

"You've won today." Secret Master gave Han Xiao a meaningful look. He then sent a voice message with mind energy to Han Xiao alone. "Since you're unlucky to a pitiful level, I'll give you a heads up. Gorutan might be plotting something against you."

Han Xiao was stunned for a moment. "You're warning me? Are you this kind-hearted?"

"Humph." Secret Master did not reply. He turned around and returned to his spaceship, departing with his fleet.

Watching Secret Master leave, Han Xiao thought those words.

Han Xiao remembered that both Secret Master and Gorutan were protectors of the Galactic Black Market, so they should be in the same faction. He had destroyed Secret Master's plan to get the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy, yet he had warned him and sold Gorutan out.

"Looks like there are internal conflicts between the protectors of the Galactic Black Market too. Could it be that the fewer the protectors, the more profit each one gets?" Han Xiao pondered.

As the battle between the two of them ended, the rubbernecking organizations also scattered.

To most organizations, although they did not gain anything, they had taken part in a major event, so it was worth it. With first-hand information, they would have plenty of chances to brag about it in the future.

The Modo Civilization, however, became the biggest loser of this incident.

They did not even touch the tip of the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy, and more than eighty percent of their Calamity Grade elites had died for it.

"What a tragedy…"

Han Xiao expressed his sympathy.

As the fight for the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy came to an end and all the irrelevant people left, he could finally take a look at this treasure.

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1036 Buy One Get One Free?

A mechanical army had just arrived at a desolate planet outside the Star Zone through hyperdrive. A white desert with no end in sight covered the planet.

Psionic Prime led the others and slowly landed on the ground. There was a small black dot hovering one meter above ground. It was a Divine Mechanical Throne.

Han Xiao's original body sat right on it with his eyes closed, focused on controlling the Lord's Avatar and the remote troops. Blue-gold lightning sparked around his body and disappeared when more than a meter away from him, entering into the Quantum Infinite Distance Transmission Channel to enhance his troops afar.

The army stepped onto the ground, and Han Xiao opened his eyes at the same time.

"Welcome back."

"Lord, we have not failed you."

Psionic Prime walked at the front. He stamped the spear onto the ground, took out the magical container that sealed the Psionic Prime Spear, and offered it up with both hands.

Han Xiao looked over. Inside the translucent crystal ball was the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy that was sealed, shrunk countless times. It was like red fog that kept changing its shape.

"Well done."

Han Xiao grabbed the magic ball and toyed with it a bit. He then looked at the troops before him.

This army had battled Ravenlaude and his peak strength. Their victory did not come easy. Tons of normal troops had been destroyed. Almost every mechanical soldier had wounds on their body, and the exterior armor of many of them had cracked open, showing their insides that were flickering with electric sparks.

Among the ten or so Apostle Weapons, four were paralyzed by Ravenlaude and brought before Han Xiao by the others, lying on the ground and unable to move. Han Xiao had to repair them himself for them to recover.

Apostle Weapons had the ability to repair themselves, but there was a limit. Once the damage they suffered exceeded a certain extent, or their tinder energy lowered beyond the warning line, they would enter a paralyzed or hibernation state. These four Apostle Weapons were all melee combat soldiers. Although they did not die at Ravenlaude's hands, they had taken tons of damage.

"You've done a good job." Han Xiao nodded. He raised his palm. Four silvery-white nanoparticles flew out and fused into these four Apostle Weapons. Their bodies shivered, and their exterior damage started to slowly recover.

"Leave them like this for the time being. I'll have to give them a full repair inside the secondary dimension factory for them to fully recover." Han Xiao then stared at Psionic Prime and smiled. "So, have you anything learned?"

Psionic Prime nodded. "Our neurons and memory storage collected all the combat data. The database for fighting with Beyond Grade As has new examples and is more comprehensive. The next time we fight with Ravenlaude or another Beyond Grade A Mage, we'll be able to design more targeted strategies to decrease damage incurred and increase efficiency."

Apostle Weapons were all mechanical lives with growth potential. Their learning ability was very powerful. The fighting process with all kinds of strong opponents would become part of the Apostle Weapons' combat experience that would make them stronger, or even acquire special combat techniques.

"Very good. This is the first time you guys have defeated a Beyond Grade A at his fullest without the help of a Lord's Avatar. I'm very satisfied with the results."

Han Xiao gave them a few compliments. Then, he let the machinery set up space stabilization traps and shattered the magic ball with his hand.

Ravenlaude had only just sealed the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy when it was snatched away by Secret Master, so there was no time to set any magic arrays or whatnot. Brute force was all it took to break the container. Nonetheless, only Beyond Grade As would be able to break something like this so easily; Calamity Grades would not be able to.

Ka-cha!

The crystal magic ball exploded and turned to dust.

Boom!

The moment the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy came out from the ball, it instantly expanded and wanted to escape to the secondary dimension. However, the mechanical army had set up the trap, so it could not escape.

This time, Han Xiao raised his hand, opened his palm, and performed a pull gesture at the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy.

Whoosh!

A powerful absorption force erupted from his hand. The Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy flew to Han Xiao and entered his body. The red energy cloud was soon completely absorbed.

"Hiss!"

Han Xiao inhaled deeply, and red light shot out from his eyes.

According to the research the Universal Civilizations had on Primal Esper Ability Entities, only Espers and ordinary people could become owners. However, Han Xiao planned to test out how true this information was with his own body. After all, his first choice would, of course, be himself using it. He had to try to see if he was suitable.

He was not worried about failing. The damage caused by not being a compatible owner could kill Calamity Grades, but it would at the very most only cause a little bit of damage to Beyond Grade As. Plus, he humbly felt that his regeneration ability was not too bad, so he was not afraid at all.

Cells were the residence of Primal Esper Ability Entities. As soon as the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy entered his body, it automatically fused into each and every one of his cells. Intense agony exploded in Han Xiao's body!

Han Xiao could clearly feel that due to the difference in Energy Attributes, the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy and his own energy conflicted and produced a feeling that was similar to rejection. The more Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy his cells absorbed, the more intense the pain became.

However, compared to the pain he went through during Promotions, this was child's play. Han Xiao frowned slightly, opened the status bar in the interface, and looked at it.

Your body has been invaded by a Primal Esper Ability Entity. Due to repelling Energy Attributes, you're receiving 30,000 – 50,000 erosive damage every second.

You have entered the [Cell Suppression (Energy Conflict Type)] state. Due to energy erosion, the cells that provide you energy are suppressed. -30% Health, energy, and stamina recovery efficiency.

You have entered the [Slightly Weakened] state. The energy erosion has made your body weak. -15% all attributes. -15% maximum health and energy.

You need to use extra energy to suppress the Primal Esper Ability Entity. Your maximum energy has been reduced by 40% temporarily.

"Huh, that's a ton of debuffs." Han Xiao's mouth twitched.

His original plan was that even if he turned out to be unsuitable, he could try to forcefully endure the load brought by the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy with his regeneration ability, so he would be able to use the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy. However, when he saw all these debuffs, he knew that this would not work.

"Looks like I won't be able to become the owner."

Han Xiao shook his head. The energy in his body vibrated and immediately pushed out the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy, which made him feel refreshed instantly. All the debuffs from earlier disappeared.

Before the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy could do anything, Han Xiao took out a containing device for energy entities that had the appearance of a seventy-centimeter-long pipe. Its middle was yellow nano glass. Without saying a word, he contained the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy once again.

Seeing the mini Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy inside bashing left and right but not able to pass through the specially-made energy restraining field, Han Xiao shook the pipe and made the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy roll over a few times. He chuckled.

"Although I can't become the owner, with my technology, it won't be hard to make use of the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy. Mages can seal it in a special colossus and turn it into a fighting puppet, so I can build a special mechanical body to become the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy's host too. I shall artificially create a mechanical owner. However, it'll take a lot of testing to find a way to build the host…"

Han Xiao thought about how to deal with the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy.

However, at that moment, a weak psychic wave escaped from within the container that was filled with a sense of resignation. A sexless voice suddenly appeared in Han Xiao's mind.

"Hi, Mr. Beyond Grade A, can we have a chat?"

Hmm? The Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy is talking? Right, this guy is an independent life form that has a conscience.

Han Xiao raised his brows, looked at the contained in his hand with interest, released his psychic barrier, and formed a psychic communication link with the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy.

"You're the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy?"

"This is just what you people call me. My real name is Mossenil Kad Piroye 'Red Spirit' Dito…"

After dozens of words, the name still had yet to finish. Han Xiao could not take it anymore and interrupted its self-introduction. "Stop, it's too troublesome. I'll just call you Ah K."

"Ah… Ah K…"

The Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy's tone was stiff. It probably had never heard such a nice nickname before.

"Don't mind the details. What did you want to talk to me about?" Han Xiao raised his brows.

"What do you plan to do with me?"

Han Xiao thought about it and told the truth. "I plan to build a host that can contain you, to make you fight for me. If that doesn't work, maybe I'll find a new owner for you."

"As expected." The Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy, however, was not angry about it. "I've seen many Beyond Grade As. When I fused with you earlier, I found that you're one of the few stronger ones even among Beyond Grade As. I'm powerless to resist, so I'll let you do whatever to my body. Be gentle, ok? I don't like it rough."

Why did the way you said that sound kind of weird?

Han Xiao coughed and said with curiosity, "You're going to become my puppet, so aren't you angry?"

"My life is longer than you can imagine. I've experienced everything there is to experience. It's not like you're the first one to want to control me. You're just another passerby in my life." The Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy's tone was casual and carefree.

"… Didn't expect you to be so open minded."

Han Xiao's mouth twitched, and he did not know how to describe this.

"If you'd lived as long as I, you'd know the feeling of loneliness. It's the most horrifying feeling in the entire universe. Therefore, I hibernate most of the time. In fact, the experiences I have fighting alongside my owners are the more exciting and colorful memories."

The Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy was very honest. As an ancient Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy that spent most of its time sleeping, he had no need to hide his real thoughts.

Han Xiao suddenly thought of what had happened to Evans not long ago and asked, "So, you actually are eager to find an owner?"

"During my hibernation, I let my sub-bodies find compatible candidates everywhere, and when the day comes that I'm interested in it, I'll find an owner to start a new adventure.

Han Xiao's cheeks twitched.

What's going on with the world? Even Esper Abilities look for spare tires‽

Ptooey! Bad Esper Ability!

However, this explained what had happened to Evans—it was a story of a side chick becoming the main chick.

There are way too many things wrong with this…

"You're so cooperative now, so why did you try to escape just now?"

"I like to be on the controlling side… but I can still enjoy being on the passive side," the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy replied.

Han Xiao rolled his eyes. So, basically, it's because you have no choice but to cooperate because…

He initially thought that the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy would resist and fight to its death, but to his surprise, the truth was so refreshing and novel.

However, it made sense when he thought about it. For an energy entity that had lived this long, few things probably mattered. It definitely resisted when it was caught the first time, but once one let that bottom line be crossed, one would start to fall into an endless abyss.

Han Xiao somewhat understood why the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy was like this—it was ancient indeed, but without enough strength, how ancient it was did not matter.

As someone once said, 'If you cannot fight it, enjoy it.'

As time passed on, the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy slowly developed this personality of not caring about anything.

This time, the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy actively started a new conversation and asked, "It's been so long since I awakened. What's the situation in the universe now? What major events have happened in the past years? Who are you? Tell me, tell me."

"Since you're so cooperative, I'll tell you…" Han Xiao shook his head. Through the psychic link, he quickly transmitted tons of data to the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy.

The Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy sensed the data joyfully. "Looks like while I was asleep, quite a number of big things have happened in the universe. I recall that when I fell asleep, the Beyond Grade As were not the ones existing now, and there were not this many of them."

"So, how long did you sleep for?" Han Xiao asked.

"Hundreds of years? A thousand years? Sigh, why would I remember that? Time is meaningless to me."

The Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy sighed and said in a fond, reminiscent tone, "Before the birth of Beyond Grade As, us Primal Esper Ability Entities still existed. Not to toot my own horn, but think about it. In the era when individual powers had yet to reach the Beyond Grade A realm, we represented peak strength. Countless people yearned for our power… Our era only ended when Beyond Grade As appeared."

Primal Esper Ability Entities were extremely ancient. They definitely had a glorious history in the distant past. They might even have been the 'protagonists' of some era.

This seemed to be a group of people with quite a lot of stories to tell.

Han Xiao suddenly thought of something. "Then, do you know where the other Primal Esper Ability Entities are?"

"So much time has passed. I lost track of where they went long ago…" This time, Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy paused. He then suddenly changed his tone, which became motivated and energetic. "However, I might know where one guy is. If you're interested, I can help you capture him."

"… Why are you suddenly so excited?" Han Xiao responded doubtfully. Could it be that you like to beat up your teammates too?

"Truthfully, that guy is my arch enemy. I've never liked him. We fought every day long ago, and countless owners died. If you're interested, I'm very willing to help," the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy said with anticipation.

Han Xiao was a little surprised to hear this.

Not only did he capture the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy, but he now got a surprise gift? Buy one get one free?

Damn, I didn't even bring Feidin here!

Could it be that when Secret Master pitied me earlier, he secretly increased my luck?

Hmm, or maybe this is a scam.

Han Xiao caressed his chin and asked, "What's its name?"

"Its name is Na… Oh, according to what you guys call it, it should be the Holy Light Particle."

Holy Light Particle?

Han Xiao's eyes sparkled.

This was a familiar name too. In his previous life, it served the same host as the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy. It was Evans' second Esper Ability.

As a crucial character in the EsGod storyline, Evans had quite a number of protagonist type opportunities. The Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy wanted him to help it take back the part of its body that EsGod had taken away, so it helped Evans become stronger at all costs. It probably had told him about the Holy Light Particle like it did Han Xiao.

Evans, however, had a very unique body, which shockingly happened to be compatible with the Holy Light Particle too. The two Primal Esper Ability Entities somehow achieved an agreement, let go of their past beef, and decided to share their owner. At that time, Evans was the first ever owner of multiple Primal Esper Ability Entities in the history of the universe.

Speaking of which, the man was quite talented. Even though he could no longer be an owner, recruiting him into the army would increase the army's luck.

"No problem, no number of Primal Esper Ability Entities is too many. Where's the Holy Light Particle?" Han Xiao was interested.

"As far as I know, it stays in a secondary dimension over very long periods of time. It's a world made of materialized light; everything is made of colorful light. Solid light looks like bright gems, and liquid light looks like thick and dense milk…"

The Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy described the dimension with as much detail as possible, clearly showing his strong hostility to his arch enemy.

At the same time, a notification popped up on Han Xiao's interface.

You have triggered the mission [The Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy's Arch Enemy]!

Mission Introduction: You have captured the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy. It is a very casual guy. If you're willing to help it handle a small problem, it is willing to fight by your side.

Mission Requirements: Defeat another Primal Esper Ability Entity, Holy Light Particle.

Reward: 2.4 billion EXP, 2 Character Summon Cards, activates special Milestone Mission—[Primal Esper Ability Collector].

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"Not bad, even gave me a mission."

Han Xiao glanced at it with interest.

Primal Esper Ability Entities were strong, but they were not much to him now.

Using a certain comic that he had read in his previous life as reference, Primal Esper Ability Entities were like tailed beasts, praised by the writer as something almost unbeatable at the start, but to those characters in the later stages of the comic…

What? Can this thing even kill anyone?

Similarly, the owner was like the Jinchuriki. If the Primal Esper Ability Entity met a powerful owner, it would have strong powers.

Looking at the mission reward, Han Xiao started planning.

In terms of this mission's difficulty, it would require many Calamity Grades to form a team, so it's considered a team mission for the later versions. Two Character Summon Cards, so probably the Character Summon Cards of the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy and Holy Light Particle.

To players, they basically cannot become the owners of Primal Esper Ability Entities, so Character Summon Cards are useful to them. To someone like me who can tame them, however, Character Summon Cards are just the cherry on top… But this Milestone Mission seems quite interesting…

Han Xiao had seen other special milestones in his previous life, which were usually all hidden missions. However, this was the first time he had seen this [Primal Esper Ability Collector] milestone. No one had ever triggered it in his previous life.

"Sounds exotic, but its effects are unknown. Maybe it's more suitable for Espers."

Han Xiao caressed his chin, thought about it for just a few seconds, and then put it aside.

No matter what this milestone was about, he was going to get the Holy Light Particle one way or another. He mainly wanted another Primal Esper Ability Entity, so the mission was just the icing on the cake. He would see about this special milestone when the time came; speculating would not lead to anything.

"I'll agree to this then. Let's make the Holy Light Particle come and accompany you."

"So, when do we depart?"

The Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy could not wait. It looked like it wanted to take revenge on its arch enemy, but according to what had happened in Han Xiao's previous life, Han Xiao kept feeling like it was looking forward to seeing its old friend.

Hehe, Esper Abilities.

Han Xiao thought about it, shook his head, and said, "Not now, I have something to do. When the time comes, I'll go find it."

He still had some things to do. His priority was to build the King and Emperor's Cape, the two pieces of gold equipment. Also, he had to invent and build a special host for the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy, the artificial mechanical owner.

This way, he would have a special mechanical guard that possessed a Super High Risk Esper Ability. Its Grade would be difficult to judge, as it would depend on the performance of the host. If he could turn it into a mechanical life, with the effect of the Esper Ability, it would have exceptional specifications.

Of course, there were precedents of this in the Mechanic class. The Beyond Grade As whom the Mechanic Emperor had captured were used as materials to make special mechanical puppets. Apostle Weapons were high-level soldiers provided by the class itself, but Mechanics could invent and create their own high-level soldiers.

On the other hand, the intelligence that Secret Master had given him made Han Xiao more certain that Hila was in a risky position. Therefore, his original body had to stay hidden in the Emerald Star Cluster and would only move when the opportunity came.

At the same time, players all over the universe were swarming toward the Flickering World. The World Server was forming very quickly. According to Han Xiao's knowledge about the players, although he was having a great time harvesting leeks, due to how much the army players stood out, they might become the target of the players from the other factions. He had to stay there and see the direction of things. Due to the existence of the Black Star Army, the players in the Flickering World would, of course, take different actions compared to his previous life. Hence, he had to improvise and adapt.

Compared to the importance of these things, capturing the Holy Light Particle would have to be postpones. Not to mention the fact that he had to travel to a secondary dimension to carry out this mission, as well as find out which secondary dimension the Holy Light Particle was in.

"Alright, I'll wait."

The Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy did not mind; it was not in a hurry. It understood that Black Star was its master, not an owner or tool like those before.

The only thing it was sad about was that it might be sealed in a lifeless mechanical body and not be able to communicate with anyone, which would be a lot less fun than playing with its owner.

"Sigh, I only found a perfect compatible owner not long ago. Sadly, I won't be able to enter him."

Han Xiao cut off the psionic link, put the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy into his pocket, and stood up. He stowed the Divine Mechanical Throne away, summoned his ride, and headed back with Psionic Prime and the others.

As dust settled around the ownership of the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy, all the participants who retreated did not keep it a secret. They quickly posted the recording of the event, which became the top news in just a few hours.

"The Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy Appeared, Fell into Black Star's Hands!"

The changes in the Flickering World affected the entire universe. The news about the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy appearing in the free competition zone and falling into Black Star's hands quickly spread across the various Star Fields.

The galactic residents did not know much about Primal Esper Ability Entities, but the Super High Risk Esper Ability List was famous. Furthermore, the news mentioned the two popular terms 'Flickering World' and 'Black Star'. There was even the recording of the battle venue. Hence, this news becoming a hot topic at countless dinner tables was not uncommon.

A few hours after this news, the production company of Wayne Cards made an announcement, expressing that they would be making the new Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy card and potentially adding it to the Black Star Army's faction card set. Furthermore, they would be considering introducing the 'Primal Esper Ability Entity' set card. The way they rode the hype train was astonishing.

The players who liked to surf the internet saw this news too. While shocked, they learned the new concept of 'Primal Esper Ability Entities'.

However, the popularity of this news mainly revolved around the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy. Black Star had done way too many astonishing things. Compared to the major events in the past, this was not that big a deal. The countless galactic residents and players were used to it.

We knew how incredible Black Star is long ago. This is just a basic occurrence, so sit down.

At a certain military base of the dynasty, in a very crowded and noisy bar that was filled with loud laughter and cheers, the atmosphere was joyous. All the guests there were soldiers and officers wearing the dynasty's uniform.

This military base mainly functioned as a training ground. Many dynasty soldiers accepted training there. As it was a half-closed base, it had internal entertainment venues, mainly bars. In the current era, the civilizations would not be too strict with the Super soldiers. They had quite good privileges and benefits. Even when training in an isolated base, they could still enjoy life to a certain extent.

Many Super key training camps were training there too, which consisted of those who were on the list of people the dynasty wanted to focus on training. Gaud was one of them.

A group of key training students were sitting at the bar. They were all Calamity Grades. They drank joyfully and chattered with each other.

Gaud was among them. He held his glass with a calm smile on his face, occasionally saying a few words, looking like he was quite sociable. It was a friendly atmosphere.

He got the most attention among all the training students. The Esper Ability he possessed had an extremely bright future. Hence, he had always been famous in the training camp.

Someone shook his head and said with a smile, "Among us, the one who has the highest chance of breaking through the Beyond Grade A limit is you, Gaud. It's so hard to compete. Maybe we will all become your subordinates in the future. We'll need you to take care of us then."

"By the way, if you become a Beyond Grade A, what position do you plan to take on? You probably won't make it as the Ruler's guard, and the dynasty most likely won't send you out, so you'll probably be the commander of a certain army," someone else said.

"It's whatever for me." Gaud smiled. His identity would be a direct Beyond Grade A of the dynasty, so his development direction would be different from the allies. He could be a part of the dynasty's core authority like Clotti.

Someone laughed and jokingly said, "According to past conventions, we'll likely join your team… Sigh, we might as well cheer for our future boss. You're not going anywhere today before you get drunk."

Gaud smiled and accepted the passion of his comrades.

While the atmosphere was exciting, Gaud suddenly caught a glimpse of the news that was playing on the virtual screen on the bar's war. His face quickly stiffened, and his smile disappeared.

His abnormal response surprised his comrades. They looked over following his sight and saw that the screen was playing the news about the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy being snatched away by Black Star.

"Yo, Black Star did something again."

"Incredible, no wonder he's the next pillar the dynasty has chosen."

"A few years ago, when I accepted the changes of the Evolution Cube, I met him up close and almost could not stop myself from wanting to ask him for an autograph."

"Luckily, he's the dynasty's ally instead of the federation or the church. It's a blessing for the dynasty."

The others could not help but start chatting about this topic. Everyone there admired the strong. Many of them were fans of the various Beyond Grade A dynasty allies, and a number of them were Black Star's fans.

At this time, Gaud put down his glass, stood up with a poker face, and coldly said, "I have something to attend to. I'm heading off."

Without waiting for the others to respond, he passed through the crowd and left the bar, leaving his many comrades confused and exchanging looks.

What's going on? What happened?

Gaud left the bar, quickly returned to his room, took out his communicator, and contacted Bekorodi.

After it rang for quite a while, the other side finally picked up. Gaud instantly questioned, "You told me to wait for the good news—is this the good news you spoke of?"

Bekorodi stayed silent for a few seconds before finally slowly replying. "Black Star's interference was unexpected. The Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy is indeed in his hands now."

"So, what do you plan to do?" Gaud was expressionless.

"I'll try to save this, see if we can exchange something for the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy."

Gaud stayed silent and did not ask what was going to happen if that did not work.

The dynasty was willing to give the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy to him for him to make full use of his Esper Ability and help him become a Beyond Grade A sooner. Then, he would be able to analyze the principles of the Evolution Energy. Without the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy, the dynasty would still wait for him to slowly grow.

However, to Gaud, this meant that he had lost a powerful source of strength. Without the various special abilities of the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy, the specialized plan he had made for himself would be severely messed up, and he would not reach his strongest form.

This meant that his future maximum strength was directly reduced!

"Black Star won't be able to use the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy himself. As long as we take out enough chips, he'll be willing to exchange it. It's not impossible. I…"

Bekorodi was still analyzing the situation when Gaud spoke and interrupted him.

"Let's keep to that then. Notify me when there's any progress."

Then, Gaud hung up the call and frowned slightly.

He was in an extremely bad mood and did not bother wasting his time with Bekorodi. He knew that the chance of regaining the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy was thin.

The dynasty would not overpay for a Primal Esper Ability Entity that was not completely necessary, and Black Star was a piece of sh*t who would never make a losing deal. From what he knew about these two sides, the odds of making the deal were infinitely close to zero.

Gaud shook his head and crossed out the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy in his mind.

With the power he had now, he had absolutely no way to interfere with the fight for the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy. The only way was to borrow the dynasty's forces, and the dynasty had failed. Hence, he had no other options, and there was nothing he could do about it.

He had yet to fulfil his potential, while Black Star's forces became stronger and stronger. Since the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy was gone, he could only let it be. It was far from time to mess with Black Star.

"I thought that with the dynasty taking part, this would be in the bag, but you ruined it. Now, I have to adjust my growth plan… Tsk, Black Star, oh Black Star, you really give me a lot of trouble."

Gaud was in a very bad mood.

Outside the remote communication room of the Modo Civilization's Emerald Star Cluster stronghold, two soldiers who were stationed there were whispering.

"How long has it been since the commander and the inspector went in?"

"Probably almost an hour."

"Looks like the Three Kings have summoned them. I wonder when they will come out…"

"Hey, the gate's opening. Stand properly."

The gate of the room slid open, the two guards quickly stood straight, stopped talking, and looked straight forward, acting diligent. However, their eyes uncontrollably shifted to glance at Commander Roddick and Inspector Lagos.

Roddick's face looked like he was on the verge of exploding, while Lagos looked borderline depressed.

As the sacrifice of tens of Calamity Grade elites was completely meaningless, they had earned a thunderous scolding from the Three Kings of Modo, as well as their direct bosses. Their image among the upper echelons fell to rock-bottom.

Although he was just executing the mission given by the people above and the death of tens of Calamity Grades was not his fault, he could do nothing but take the blame. He was so furious that he had almost exploded.

Lagos had no way of comforting him. He asked hesitantly, "Our high-level combatants have suffered heavy losses. Like the Three Kings said earlier, that cannot occur. What do you plan to do?"

"It's all because of Black Star!" Roddick clenched his fists tightly and said with rage, "If we continue to be this passive, Black Star will ruthlessly bite off our forces. Without solving this problem once and for all, similar things will keep happening."

If we could stop Black Star, we would have… Lagos smiled bitterly with resignation and asked, "So, what idea do you have?"

"If we could kill Black Star…" Roddick was murmuring. He then turned around and immediately saw Lagos's unamused expression, so he swallowed what he was going to say next. He thought about it and said, "By ourselves, there's no way we can fight Black Star, so we can only borrow external forces. If we cause the Black Star Army a lot of trouble and make them have no time to deal with us, maybe we can mitigate the current situation."

"For example?"

Roddick opened his mouth and felt helpless.

If something like this was so easy to think of, how could they have ended up in this situation? If they did not make some gigantic contributions, their promotion would probably never come.

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Chapter 1038 Recruitmen

In a certain area inside the Emerald Star Cluster, the exploration fleet of a small financial group was flying. Organizations like this were not strong enough to occupy resource rich planets; they could only gain profit through normal exploration or getting hired. This was very common in the current Flickering World.

This fleet mainly consisted of exploration ships and transportation ships. As a fleet used for expeditions, other than the necessary crews on every ship, there were also extra people who lived in a travel ship that was specially used to transport people. This ship mainly had life facilities inside. The number of people it could hold far exceeded functional spaceships such as exploration ships. Most staff who did not have crew duties stayed there usually.

This long-term travel ship was like a portable space station. It was bigger than even the industrial transportation ships in the team. It took care of manpower logistics, food supplies, and entertainment facilities. With how intense the competition was in the Flickering World, without daily benefits, it would be very tough to hire anyone. As a commercial financial group, their crew could not be considered truly loyal, so the treatment they got was one of the important factors that attracted more employees.

The hall of the space station was a multifunctional entertainment social venue. There were entertainment facilities and all kinds of stores, where the crew could spend money. The hall was on the bottommost floor, and above it were bridges made of transparent materials. The people in the hall could see the people above them walking by when looking up. Overall, it looked like a crowded and prosperous business square.

In one area of the hall was the staff canteen, which was boisterous and noisy. Staff from all positions could be seen there.

At the edge of the canteen, Evans sat at a table by himself, slowly eating his meal. His eyes were hardly open, staring down at the table and daydreaming.

He was still wearing the yellow protective suit but with the helmet open now. He looked ordinary and common like every typical ground crew member. In fact, ninety-nine percent of the people who took this job were ordinary people. They were the staff at the lowest level of the financial group.

At the tables around him, other ground crew workers filled the seats, chattering while eating, sometimes bursting into laughter. Occasionally, some people's eyes darted past Evans, but they did not stop and ignored him completely.

Evans was used to this. Ground crew members were mostly normal people. Their work efficiency was not high, and many of them liked to slack off. Comparatively, he was hardworking and never lazed around, often completing his tasks beyond the minimum requirements. Therefore, he was always publicly praised by the team's manager and even received some bonuses.

Due to his attitude, some of his colleagues started to urge others to isolate him, maybe because they were jealous, or maybe because they did not like an ex-convict who had just left prison. Gradually, more and more people stopped interacting with him.

Being boycotted, Evans did not mind it at all. He had never liked socializing with colleagues to begin with. After spending many years in prison, he had learned not to care about what others thought.

"Hmm? Evans, you're sitting alone?" A voice that he recognized appeared beside him. Evans looked up, and a familiar person stood beside him holding the meal plate. It was the manager of the ground crew team he was in.

There were many teams in the ground crew department. This team manager was just a base-level officer who did not have much power. He was Evans' direct boss who liked him.

"Since there's no one sitting beside you, do you mind if I join your table?" the team leader said with a smile.

"Not at all." Evans signed for the team manager to please sit down.

The team manager sat opposite him and chatted with Evans while eating. The ground crew members could no longer ignore Evans' table, so they turned to greet their boss.

"Manager, you don't have to help me for this," Evans softly said with resignation. "I really don't care about being disliked by others."

"That won't do. What happens if you delay your work because of a bad mood? The quota of our team might have to rely on you to be completed." The team manager shrugged.

Evans smiled bitterly. This manager was a normal person, and a kind one at that. Because of his high work efficiency, the manager took extra care of him and was very friendly.

After gulping down the meal, Evans bade farewell to the manager, who was still eating, before standing up with the empty plate in his hands. He then went to the recycling window of the canteen and threw the plate in.

At this time, a few people in mechanical suits walked into the canteen. They were all bottom level mercenaries, and their faces did not look normal. There was a slight redness from excitement. They were walking in Evans' direction and attracted his attention.

"Supers… looks like they've consumed some kind of stimulation drug and are high."

Evans gave a few more looks to these people, and as he was just about to pass them by and leave the canteen, he suddenly heard the voice of a mercenary increase amid their conversation. One of them seemed very emotional.

"You don't believe I've invented a new way to use my Esper Ability‽ I'll show you then!"

Right after he said that, this excited mercenary clenched his hand. The air around him gathered and formed an invisible wind sphere. It then smashed right into the ground below him. The sphere of wind exploded and turned into tiny blades of wind that scattered and spread everywhere.

The financial group had a rule that the powers of Supers were not allowed to be used in public areas. If discovered, punishments ranged from paying a fine to being fired. However, these Grade D mercenaries who had just used mind stimulation drugs were in a state of overexcitement and had completely lost their senses. They totally forgot about this rule.

The people around panicked. The floor was filled with traces of slash marks, and the staff around backed away hastily.

As the power of this sphere of wind was limited, the others were not really injured. Evans, however, was the closest to it. He was blown away by the wind pressure, and his protective suit was cut open in many places.

A tint of bright red appeared in everyone's eyes.

"Someone's wounded!"

Many people immediately moved to rubberneck. The staff of the ground crew squeezed in too, but when they saw that Evans was the one who was wounded, their footsteps stopped as they hesitated over whether they should help him up or not. While they were hesitating, the team manager already quickly walked up and helped Evans up before looking at his wound.

"Where are you wounded? Let me see."

"Just a small wound, I'm okay. Tsss…"

Evans tightened his face, but the twitch at the edge of his eyes showed that the wounds were quite painful. The wind blades had slashed open more than ten wounds on his body, all of which were bleeding. Very soon, the protective suit was dyed red.

A few patrol guards heard the fuss and ran over.

"What's going on ‽"

The team manager pointed at these mercenaries with anger and said, "They violated the rules and used an Esper Ability in a public area, causing a crew to be wounded.

The guard frowned and looked at the scene, noticed that Evans was injured, and then looked at the few mercenaries. He asked with a deep voice, "Is that true?"

After this accident, these few people were more awake. The mercenary who had thrown the sphere of wind coughed and said, "I did it unintentionally. It's just an accident. I'll go to ask for the punishment later."

"Hmm, luckily, only one person was hurt. You'll be fined at most, not a big deal." The guard comforted the mercenary a bit. He then turned to Evans, glanced at the ground crew uniform on his body, and said casually, "You're Evans, right? It's just flesh wounds. Get them treated at the medical room, and you'll be fine. You won't die."

"That's it?" The team manager was unsatisfied. "Not even an apology?"

The mercenary who had caused the incident glanced at Evans and said in a very perfunctory tone filled with arrogance, "This is my fault, sorry."

No sincerity could be felt at all.

"What kind of attitude is that?" The team manager was resentful.

This time, the guard interrupted him. "That's enough. He has already apologized, and his salary will be deducted later too. Don't keep dwelling on it."

Although the guard looked like he was doing what should be done, his attitude clearly showed the different treatment he gave to the two sides. He was a Super too. Seeing that this mercenary had only accidentally wounded a normal ground worker, he did not think it was a big deal. To him, although this mercenary had made a mistake, as long as he was willing to take the punishment, it would be best to give him some comfort. This was more important than a normal person.

This mercenary looked like this was completely normal. Seeing that Evans would not die, he did not bother looking at him anymore and turned around to casually chat with his friends.

This was witnessed by the people around. Many normal people had complicated expressions on their faces.

Most Supers did not care about how affected ordinary people, and the ordinary people knew that very well. Even though the other party apologized and accepted the punishment, he still did not care at all. Seeing this, most present felt a flame burning in their chest.

Supers having privileges was a rule silently accepted in the entire universe, and there was nothing they could do about that.

This time, Evans pulled the team manager a little and stood up by pressing on his knees. Blood dripped onto the floor, splashing around everywhere. He endured the pain and said, "It's okay. It's just not my day. Bring me to the medical room."

The team manager gave the other side a glare and gave up on arguing. He then assisted Evans and walked out of the crowd.

"It's all settled. Nothing more to see here." The guard waved the crowd away.

However, at this instant, a sudden change occurred!

Bang!

The spaceship suddenly trembled as if it had stopped in an instant. Even the internal shock absorption system could not eliminate the enormous inertial force. Everyone present staggered and fell onto the ground in panic.

"What's going on?"

"Looks like the spaceship was forced to stop!"

"Did we meet galactic pirates‽"

While everyone was getting up anxiously and was about to rush out of the canteen to take refuge, the speaker inside the spaceship suddenly sounded and echoed through the entire fleet. Everyone could hear it.

"This is the Black Star Army. Your spaceship has been forced to come to a stop by us. There's no need to panic. Our goal is only to find one person. His name is Evans. He works in your ground crew…"

As soon as the sentence ended, all eyes focused on Evans.

Swoosh!

In an instant, the area around Evans became empty. Everyone hid with shock.

The Black Star Army is looking for this guy by name‽

How did he get into trouble with the Black Star Army? And why are they putting in so much effort to find him? Does he have a secret identity‽

This time, Evans' most ordinary appearance suddenly became mysterious in the eyes of everyone around him.

"Black Star Army?" Evans was stunned too.

Isn't that an advanced organization I'm far from being able to encounter? Why are they looking for me? They probably have the wrong guy.

He turned to look at the team manager, but the team manager had let go of his hand long ago and hid to the side with fear on his face.

Evans was just about to say something when he suddenly realized that these guards and mercenaries had walked toward him and surrounded him.

"What are you doing?"

"Preventing you from escaping. Since the Black Star Army wants to see you, you shall wait here," a guard said coldly.

Evans clenched his teeth. He breathed rapidly a few times, and only after a while did his fists open again. He then said with resignation, "Don't worry, I won't run. I want to find out what this is about too."

The people waited there for a while. Suddenly, footsteps appeared outside, and a group of people walked in. The upper echelons who were usually arrogant and mighty were now all walking beside this group of Black Star Army warriors with their heads low. The warrior leader leading the group gave off a powerful energy wave. He was a Grade B, and he was considered a very powerful person to these bottom level workers.

The scene was so silent that no one dared breath heavily.

The group of them walked to Evans. The fleet's commander pointed over and said, "He's the person you're looking for."

"Hmm." This Black Star Army's Grade B warrior sized Evans up with a poker face. "You're Evans?"

Evans took a deep breath. "That is indeed my name, but I have no past interaction with the Black Star Army. I think you might have found the wrong person."

Hearing this, this Grade B team leader took out a resume and showed it to Evans. "Is this your resume?"

Looking at it closely, Evans nodded with shock. His face was filled with doubt and confusion.

The Black Star Army really is looking for me?

The Grade B team leader nodded. "That's correct then. You're the one we're looking for. Follow me."

"Wait a moment, I would like to know, why did you guys come for me?" Evans asked.

Everyone perked up their ears to listen to the reply.

They also wanted to know the answer to this question.

The Grade B team leader suddenly smiled, reached out his hand, and said passionately, "You're a talent His Excellency Black Star asked to recruit by name. Brother, welcome to the Black Star Army."

The entire venue became silent for an instant.

Boom!

Then, like a bomb, roaring voices exploded!

"What!"

The team manager shivered with his eyes wide open. The earlier guard and the mercenary were completely frozen with shock.

Everyone present was stupefied. Some even thought that they were hearing things. Countless looks of disbelief focused on Evans.

Did we hear that right?

That famous Beyond Grade A Black Star is recruiting a normal person by name‽

Could he be so talented that even a Beyond Grade A is tempted to recruit him‽

He's definitely been hiding his talents, which is why we did not notice it all this time.

You really can't judge a book by its cover!

Admiration appeared in everyone's eyes.

That was especially so for the colleagues who isolated Evans. They were filled with regret and hastily looked down covered in sweat, worried about being noticed by Evans.

"Recruit… me?"

Evans was stupefied.

At this instant, he fell into a deep state of self-doubt.

What's so incredible about me that even a Beyond Grade A is interested in me?

Could it be that it's really like what I fantasized about when I was young?

That my body has sealed the power of the evil Universe Overlord, the Master of Destruction, Black Devil‽

At the same time, inside a mysterious base in a distant Ancient Star Desert, a few silhouettes were discussing the news about the appearance of the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy inside the private conference room.

"Another Primal Esper Ability Entity has appeared."

"It's the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy. We have to find a way to get it."

"It has fallen into Black Star's hands. Black Star is a Beyond Grade A who rose in the past few decades. His growth speed is astonishing. He won't be easy to deal with."

"Black Star can live for a very long time, but we don't have so much time to wait. The Primal Esper Ability Entities are the keys to open the Third Sanctum. They must be obtained… Let's make use of the products we've invented in recent years. The Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy is an important material for fusion. We must get it."

"Sadly, EsGod's body is in the Crimson Dynasty's hands. Otherwise, his Esper Ability would be the best tool."

"Speaking of which, things on Thousand Shadows' side are almost maturing. We can expect to harvest it after some time."

"Before the promised date arrives, we have to finish preparing the awakening ceremony."

"The honor of the Primordial Ones shall never wither."

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1039 EsGod"s Destined Arch Enemy!

Thousand Shadows' territory was situated in the Abyss of Stars' Shadow Realm. The black gaseous planet was still hovering beside the Shadow Realm like a black satellite, covered in thick streams of black energy that occasionally formed wave-like tides.

A spaceship stopped beside the dark satellite, and the hatch opened. Calamity Grade Shadows pushed the various prisoners they had captured from different Star Fields down with a poker face. The prisoners were mostly Calamity Grades. There were also low-grade Supers with special abilities.

These prisoners were covered in restraining devices and were extremely weak. They had no power to fight back at all. The scene looked like cooking dumplings. Every time someone fell onto the surface of this dark satellite, there would be one wave of black energy engulfing it. The next second, that person would disappear.

This was how Thousand Shadows' servants replenished shadows for him. There were close to a thousand prisoners in this batch, and they were all consumed by the planet-sized Thousand Shadows.

At this time, the space beside the spaceship suddenly rippled. A blurry silhouette suddenly appeared. It was wearing a hooded black robe and did not show its face or body. The edges of the silhouette looked like flames, as if it was emitting gas. Overall, it looked like a black cloud. This was not a remote projection of the quantum network but some kind of mind projection. Only Thousand Shadows and his Shadow Servants could see it.

The next second, the planet surface of Thousand Shadows suddenly started moving violently, forming huge black tsunamis. Very soon, a face appeared on the planet's surface, just eyes, nose, and mouth formed by energy vortexes. It was opening its mouth wide as if it was roaring.

Two invisible psychic waves were released from both sides and formed a psychic communication link.

"How's the progress? How long is the transformation going to take?" The blurry silhouette spoke first.

"I don't know. Thousand Shadows is very persistent."

"How conscious is he?"

"Not very. I obtained control of his body long ago and inherited all of his memories. As soon as I completely consume his last bit of conscience, it will dramatically increase the speed of the transformation."

"Make it as quick as possible. You're a core factor of our plan. We've tried many methods in these years. In the end, we discovered that, in order to open the Third Sanctum, it can only be done with Esper Abilities. Therefore, you're the foundation of our fusion ceremony, the vessel to contain the other Primal Esper Ability Entities."

"Don't worry. Back then, Thousand Shadows wanted to live for eternity and vitalized me using your technology. Humph, this greedy guy brought this upon himself. He exceeded the limits of his physical body, but he suffered damage from it. You guys have given me life and independence. When I transform into a true Primal Esper Ability Entity, I will be able to help you."

"Hmm, when the plan is complete, we promise you freedom."

After that, the blurry silhouette disappeared without a trace.

The surface of the dark planet slowly returned to normal after the face disappeared.

The news about the appearance of the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy only remained as the hot topic for a few days. In the current Flickering World, conflicts were abound, so the popularity of the news shifted very rapidly. Very soon, there was other news that attracted the attention of the galactic residents and the various organizations.

As the final winner of the competition, Black Star's mechanical army also received a certain amount of attention. However, it quickly disappeared without a trace, and its whereabouts were not known to the outside world.

At this moment, Han Xiao's invisible spaceship was hidden nearby Hila's territory in the Emerald Star Cluster. He was currently calling Ames.

"… So, that's the situation. I invited you over as a guest to protect Hila, make it look like I'm in my base to make the hidden enemies let their guards down, and have you help protect the base and look after Aurora… Therefore, I really did not stand you up on purpose." Han Xiao's tone was filled with resignation.

On the screen, Ames was playing with a small green force field sphere with her eyelids hanging low. Despite her calm tone, it gave off a strange vibe of danger.

"If you'd told me directly, I would've helped you too. Do you not trust me?"

"How could that be? Didn't you want to see Aurora after she advanced? Well, now you've seen her. Plus, when I invited you, I didn't say anything about me wanting to see you." Han Xiao scratched his head and joked, "I didn't say it directly mainly because I wanted to be polite. I know that as long as I ask, you definitely will agree. After all, I'm already so strong now. I'm worried you might think I'm ordering you."

"Hehe, you didn't order me sure, but I feel like you're using me. Doesn't that seem worse?" Ames narrowed her eyes. A green tint flashed across her eyes.

"Hey, that's not true at all. With the relationship we have, using the term 'use" is exaggerating it." Han Xiao waved.

"Is that so? You've used me many times in the past." Ames smiled every so faintly.

"That's in the past. Things are different now. Our two organizations are intertwined. We're a family. As family, well, it's normal to occasionally joke around…"

"Tsk, who's your family? Shameless." Ames frowned slightly.

Seeing this, Han Xiao smiled and teased her. "Hehe, did you really want to see me so badly? Do you want me to go back and accompany you?"

"… Who wants to see you?"

Ames paused, deactivated the force field, and casually said, "Stay there to protect my student then. Do you need me to go over to help?"

"No need."

"Because I'm too weak?" Ames raised her brows slightly.

"Ahem, of course not. It's mainly because another thing needs your help. You have to stay in Black Star Palace and act as if I'm there too."

"Since it's for my student, I shall cooperate with your show… but don't be in a rush to thank me. We have yet to settle the matter of you tricking me."

"Alright, when I return, how about I accompany you on a sightseeing trip in a secondary dimension?" Han Xiao raised his brows. "Just the two of us."

I'll have to capture the Holy Light Particle in a secondary dimension too, killing two birds with one stone… I'm so brilliant!

"Okay, it's decided then." Ames had no objections.

Although she had been tricked into going all the way there, after stroking Aurora for the past few days, she was not really angry anymore.

If someone else had toyed with her and used her like this, Ames would have been furious for sure. But since it was Black Star who pranked her, she did not mind it too much—only those close to her could do something like this.

Furthermore, this reminded her of the past when Black Star kept using her despite being so weak. It made her feel nostalgic.

After chattering for a while longer, Han Xiao hung up the call and looked over at the workbench on the side.

He was currently inside the machinery workshop of the spaceship. His Mechanical Force was controlling all kinds of devices to build the King mechanical suit. To his side, there was already a pile of failed products.

He called them all failed products, but they were still all orange equipment, which could be considered rare equipment. Unfortunately, they did not reach the Universal Treasure level. Not only were their performances tremendously weaker, but they also had none of the incredible effects they were supposed to have. Plus, the cost was horrifyingly expensive. To him, these were undoubtedly failures.

After putting his communicator away, Han Xiao could finally focus on building this attempt at the King right in front of him. The [Spirit Instrument] talent on his interface constantly glowed. This talent would only be activated when building Universal Treasures.

However, when Han Xiao was more than halfway done, Phillip suddenly appeared and reported that some of the mechanical soldiers had already returned with Evans.

"Bring him over then." Han Xiao's eyes sparkled.

After a while, the gate of the machinery workshop opened. A few mechanical soldiers escorted a man in. It was Evans.

As soon as Evans walked in, he saw a handsome and domineering black-clothed man looking at him with a faint smile, and he immediately became nervous.

"Your Excellency, are you Black Star?"

"That's me."

Han Xiao smiled and nodded as he sized Evans up. His first impression of him was ordinary, way too ordinary.

Evans felt that Han Xiao's eyes seemed to be able to look right through him, like there was nothing he could hide in front of Han Xiao. He became even more anxious.

Although he was usually calm and levelheaded, even he could no longer maintain his cool when facing someone who stood at the top of the universe like Black Star.

Evans took a deep breath, found the courage, and asked, "Your Excellency Black Star, I'm just an ordinary person without Super genes. What part of me has caused you to be interested?"

Han Xiao smiled playfully. "Your physique is quite special, and I'm very interested in that."

"Special physique?"

Evans was stunned. He looked down at himself and felt that he was basically the direct opposite of the word 'special'.

"Anyway, don't worry, as a Beyond Grade A, I won't put in so much effort just to find trouble with an ordinary person like you. Your life is not in danger here. You just have to cooperate with my experiments at most. After that, you can take up an office job in the army, which pays way more handsomely than the financial group you worked for before. What do you think?"

"… You've already brought me here, can I still reject?" Evans smiled bitterly.

He had just come out of prison. He had come to the Flickering World both to gain knowledge and to make a living. He did not mind working for the Black Star Army at all. Plus, the pay would be much higher.

Seeing he had no objections, Han Xiao picked up a syringe and walked to Evans. He told him to stand still and sucked a vial of blood out of him.

Han Xiao was not lying. He did intend to run some experiments.

Evans had been the shared host of the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy and Holy Light Particle in Han Xiao's previous life, so his physique was undoubtedly special. Han Xiao wanted to build the mechanical host for Primal Esper Ability Entities, so extracting and studying Evans' cells would help to explain the reasoning behind his exceptional compatibility with Primal Esper Abilities, which would speed up the progress of the research.

On the other hand, Han Xiao also dealt damage to Evans by punching the needle into his body, so the combat information was triggered as well.

The Great Mechanic Han's eyes sparkled as he opened the interface to see Evans' attributes.

The attribute interface of an ordinary person was very simple; only two special talents attracted Han Xiao's attention. One was [Medium Luck Glow, meaning he was a protagonist-type character, and it was only medium because while Evans obtained power, he also had a new arch enemy, EsGod.

The other special talent was called [Highest Grade Esper Ability Affinity Physique, and its effects were all related to the Esper class. It drastically increased his compatibility with Primal Esper Ability Entities. At the same time, when being attacked by Espers, it provided a certain chance to recover some of his health and energy. Plus, the difficulty of cultivating and exploring his own Esper Ability decreased drastically, while the power of his Esper Ability would be increased drastically. It even passively increased the potential of Esper Abilities by one grade.

No wonder he could possess two Primal Esper Abilities, this talent is basically the 'Perfect Mechanical Sense' of the Esper class. Its effects are way too incredible.

Han Xiao was astounded.

Usually, those with such talents should all be able to awaken as Espers, but sadly, Evans was an ordinary person. What a waste of this tal…

Wait a minute!

That's not right. If he has this talent, how can he not have Super genes? Something must be wrong!

Han Xiao suddenly turned around with very bright eyes.

With Evans having an unwilling expression on his face, Han Xiao told him to take off all his clothes. He then obediently underwent a detailed full body check. Evans was broken in the past. Of course, he had no way to check his Super gene in some high-level facilities. Therefore, Han Xiao thought something might have been overlooked.

And with this check, he really found something!

Han Xiao looked at the report and frowned.

"W-what is it?" Evans wore his clothes back and was a little nervous.

"It's not that you don't have Super genes. I don't know who did the check for you, but they did not check thoroughly enough."

Evans was stunned.

He had always thought that he was an ordinary person with no talent. Never did he expect to have someone tell him today that he actually had talent. Even though he had gotten used to the identity of an ordinary person, he was still full of shock.

"But don't get excited too early." Han Xiao waved and spoke slowly. "There's something wrong with your Super genes. It seems to be suppressed by some kind of drug. After so many years, your Super genes have shrunk so much that it's almost impossible to be detected, so the chance of your Super genes awakening is close to zero. This was an act of man. Did you have any enemies growing up?"

Evans barely suppressed the boiling emotions in his heart and started seriously searching through his memories. He then said with uncertainty, "I accepted Super gene detection when I was ten. If someone did something like this, it must have been before I was ten. But how could I have made enemies when I was that young? Because of my family? But I only have a normal family. How could this be…"

His expression kept changing. He could live with not having any talent, but only today did he know that he initially had talent, but it was destroyed by someone when he was young!

His talent was not the only thing that was destroyed but his life in the last few decades too!

Evans had initially already accepted his fate, but now, the flames of wrath burned violently in his heart.

Clap clap.

Suddenly, Han Xiao clapped and interrupted his thoughts.

"Alright, don't think about it if you can't figure it out. You can research it in the future. Let's talk about a more important matter. I might have a way to help you awaken."

Evans' entire body shivered. He suppressed his excitement and asked, "What do I have to give in return?"

"Simple. I initially thought you're just an ordinary person, but if you can awaken your Esper Ability, just fight for me." Han Xiao paused, smiled, and slowly said, "I've researched you. When you were an ordinary person like you have always been, to protect your friends, you found a way to kill a low-grade Super. Not every ordinary person has guts like you. You have fighting talent. You once refused to accept your fate, and the many years spent in the prison extinguished your passion, but now, you might have a chance to be reborn. I only hope you don't waste it."

"Okay," Evans replied firmly. His eyes were filled with perseverance. The vibe he gave off became completely different from when he had already accepted his fate, like a sharp sword buried in dust that has been finally dug up and cleaned off the rust.

Seeing this, Han Xiao took out a bottle of life force potion made by Aurora.

Evans' symptom was that his Super genes had shrunk and lost all activity. As long as enough life energy was injected, they would recover. The life force potion was the perfect medicine for this.

Han Xiao injected just one tenth of the golden medicine into Evans' body so that he would not end up having overflowing life force.

Buzz!

The next moment, Evans started glowing and releasing strong vitality energy from all over his body.

This glow lasted many minutes before dimming down. Evans closed his eyes and stood at the same place, but he felt completely different. He could not be any healthier. All the damage incurred from his many years in prison and the rest of his life had all disappeared.

"How do you feel?"

"Like I've been reborn."

Evans opened his eyes. The gold light in his eyes finally dissipated. He looked at Han Xiao with appreciation in his eyes.

Han Xiao nodded with satisfaction and asked, "Have you sensed your Esper Ability?"

Evans frowned. He carefully sensed the changes that he had undergone but was a little hesitant.

"It does feel different, like I have a new sensory organ. That should be my Esper Ability, right?"

"Show it to me." Han Xiao was curious.

Evans nodded. He then used all his strength to try to use it, but he realized that nothing happened at all, so he doubted himself. "I can't seem to be able to control it. Did my Esper Ability really awaken?"

Anyone who had just awakened would become a Grade E Super, but despite being very weak, situations where Espers were not able to control their Esper Ability should not happen. Han Xiao frowned. He felt that this was not a simple matter, so he poked Evans another time with a needle to look at his combat information.

However, with just one glance, Han Xiao's entire body stiffened, and he stood in place. He rubbed his eyes and almost thought he was hallucinating.

He looked at it for a total of more than ten seconds before he recovered from the shock. He looked at Evans with an extremely strange expression and murmured, "No wonder… no wonder…"

"Have you found out what my Esper Ability is?" Evans asked nervously.

Han Xiao took a deep breath, patted Evans' shoulder with a complicated expression, pursed his lips, and said with deep meaning in his words, "You have to be a good person…"

Then, he did not care about Evans' confused expression, turned his back to him, and roared in his heart.

You son of a bi*ch!

This kid's ability… is also absorbing Esper Abilities!

Exactly the same as EsGod!

No wonder… now this guy's uniqueness in my previous life all makes sense!

No wonder you're EsGod's arch enemy! Is this the choice of Steins;Gate‽

He had snatched the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy that led to Evans losing the opportunity to change his fate, so Han Xiao initially felt somewhat guilty and wanted to give him some compensation.

Now…

The Primal Esper Abilities are not good enough for you!

You are the biggest profit I've made on this trip!

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[Esper Ability—Copy]

This was EsGod's core ability, but it had appeared in Evans.

Han Xiao's first response was to suspect what relationship Evans had with EsGod, then he instantly made up a two-million-word romantic novel in his mind. However, after thinking about the storyline in his previous life, he denied this possibility.

The chance of this being a coincidence was higher. In the universe, Espers who awakened the same abilities were not uncommon. Abilities like controlling fire, water, force fields and so on were basically everywhere. Therefore, another person being able to absorb Esper Abilities was not impossible.

However, a coincidence like this still made Han Xiao feel extremely weird. EsGod had been locked in Spacetime Amber by him just not many years ago, and now, a new 'EsGod' had appeared in the outside world… Could this be reincarnation? Did there always have to be an evil lord?

What a surprise, I've met an 'EsGod' at his newbie stage.

Han Xiao was pleasantly surprised.

Having [Esper Ability—Copy, Evans would certainly have to take the path of absorbing the Esper Abilities of others. His talents were suppressed by someone, but now he would have no choice but to take away others' talents. This was all very dramatic and ironic to Han Xiao.

Obviously, without a firm belief, the way this Esper Ability was destined to grow would very easily make its owner fall to the dark side.

Evans, however, had experienced decades as an ordinary person, tasting the bitterness of being at the lowest level of the society, so he might not be as aggressive as EsGod.. Nonetheless, he might have some deeply buried hatred that could explode after being suppressed for too long, and no one could know if that would happen.

He's a double-edged sword, Han Xiao thought. If he can be of use to me, he'll have extraordinary potential. I have to guide him to be on my side as much as I can. He feels grateful to me, so he should be very loyal. If he someday shows any sign of decadence, I'll have no choice but to kill him, so there won't be a second EsGod.

Though powerful, what people were afraid of was not [Esper Ability—Copy] but EsGod himself.

In the hands of EsGod, all the abilities he absorbed had Beyond Grade A strength. Without his strength as the foundation. No matter how many Esper Abilities he absorbed, it would still make no difference.

Absorbing Esper Abilities was a way to obtain more combat methods, they were considered as abilities and would not increase one's own levels and attributes. Therefore, in order for Evans to increase his Grade, there were no shortcuts. He had to slowly train just like the other Espers. Even though he was talented enough to have [Highest Grade Esper Ability Affinity Physique, he would still not be able to skip the process.

At the moment, Evans had only just awakened and was extremely weak, only around Grade E. Although the subject of comparison was that notorious EsGod, how long had EsGod lived? How much combat experience did he have? God knew how long it would take for Evans to reach the level of the Beyond Grade A.

Due to how extremely rare this Esper Ability was, Han Xiao wanted to plan his growing path for him so that it would not be wasted.

EsGod had already proved the limitations of [Esper Ability—Copy]. If he absorbed too many Esper Abilities, his genetic chain would be at risk of shattering.

This meant that the maximum number of Esper Abilities Evans could absorb would increase as his Grade increased. Once that limit was exceeded, he would die. Therefore, the situation of him having thousands of Esper Abilities when he was at a low Grade would never happen.

However, due to Evans' physique, at the same level, the maximum number of Esper Abilities he would be able to absorb should be more than EsGod.

Also, [Esper Ability—Copy] did not guarantee a perfect success rate when absorbing Esper Abilities. EsGod had always absorbed Esper Abilities from Espers whose Grade was lower than his, so there were never any problems.

However, when absorbing the Esper Ability of someone at the same Grade or even at a higher Grade, the success rate would be extremely low.

Therefore, in order for Evans to absorb Esper Abilities from someone whose Grade was higher than his, there were extremely strict requirements. For instance, the target needed to be near death, or the target could be captured. Basically, it would only have a chance to succeed when the target could not resist.

"EsGod has been collecting Esper Abilities for so many years. He's a high-quality material. The Esper Abilities he uses to battle are all quite powerful. Sadly, Evans won't be able to do anything through the Spacetime Amber. If the seal is opened, EsGod will escape straight away. It's only been a few decades; no way his conscience will have shattered this easily. For safety reasons, we have to keep him locked up for at least five hundred years."

The amber blocked any and all energy. The outside world could not inspect the condition of EsGod, and he would not bear the risk of letting EsGod escape to open the seal.

Han Xiao put this thought behind and pondered about Evans' growth path. He soon came up with some ideas.

"It's not suitable for Evans to take EsGod's path. He should plan what to absorb, quality over quantity, so he will benefit from it his whole life."

EsGod was powerful indeed, but he had absorbed way too many Esper Abilities, which made his genetic chain reach the cusp of shattering. EsGod had no use for the vast majority of these abilities. Instead, they suppressed his strength.

Although the army at the super healer Aurora, Han Xiao did not want her to have too much contact with Evans. At most, he would let him use the life force potions.

One reason EsGod absorbed that many abilities was his ambition. He wanted to fuse the Super High Risk Esper Abilities to transform himself and break through the limit of peak Beyond Grade As, becoming an entirely new being.

Another reason was that part of EsGod's ambition came from his experience. Han Xiao had read about his past before. When EsGod was weak, he had always been alone. He relied on himself for everything, and he could only trust himself. Therefore, he wanted to become almighty so that he would never need any friends.

However, Evans had no need to do that, so he had the luxury to only absorb useful and strong Esper Abilities. This might be a much more suitable path.

Seeing that Black Star faced away from him and did not speak for a while, Evans became more confused as time went on. Finally, he asked, "Your Excellency Black Star, I…"

Han Xiao regained his focus. He turned around and patted Evans' shoulder. "Your ability can absorb the Esper Abilities of others. This is an ability with a lot of potential…"

As Han Xiao explained the ability, Evans then understood his own power but frowned. "I don't really like this kind of Esper Ability…"

Evans looked conflicted. His talent had been suppressed for decades, so he did not like the Esper Ability that took away others' talents.

Han Xiao uncontrollably rolled his eyes in his mind.

You think you're buying groceries in the market? So picky.

The Great Mechanic Han then coughed and said with a friendly tone, "Don't worry, since you're now my man, I'll guide your path. I won't allow you to absorb abilities from others whenever you want, so you don't have to be troubled. No one will force you to walk the path of a criminal.

"But, at the same time, I hope you can resist the temptation. Don't have the thought of wanting to make someone else's Esper Ability your own when you see how good it is. Don't walk the wrong path because of a moment's temptation.

"EsGod is the perfect lesson. He fell to evil, caused crimes everywhere, and created countless enemies. In the end, he was still locked up by the group of us and lost his freedom. Therefore, learn from his mistakes. Keep a low profile like me, understood?"

Hearing Black Star's lecture, Evans nodded.

He had heard of the notorious EsGod. Despite having the same ability, he was not the same type of person. He warned himself in his heart to never forget where his heart was and never fall to the side of evil like EsGod.

Han Xiao said a few more words before telling some mechanical soldiers to lead Evans away.

He was the only one left in the room. He touched his chin and murmured, "This guy's ability is worth raising. As long as he doesn't take the wrong path, he'll undoubtedly become someone strong in the future. As for how to help him obtain Esper abilities… Hmm, to me, this should be the easiest part."

Han Xiao chuckled.

In his previous life, EsGod had tried absorbing the players' Esper abilities, so Han Xiao understood that…

It was possible!

Although the players could revive, their bodies were made of existing materials. Other than having strange limitations and turning into light after dying, they would still bleed and get injured from normal battles. Only, the way this was displayed to them would be all kinds of debuffs.

In Version 1.0, there were even organizations that tried to dissect the players. Although, due to their health, not long into the dissection, the players turned into light. Nonetheless, the blood samples collected were no different from normal beings.

If an Esper class player was absorbed by EsGod, he would lose his Esper Ability too, entering the state of [Ability Frozen]. All abilities related to his Esper ability would become gray and unusable. This state was fixed and permanent; no ability could get rid of it, just like how the NPCs' Esper abilities were taken away…

However!

When this player died and respawned, his status would be refreshed, and he would regain his Esper Ability!

This was related to the mechanisms of [Esper Ability—Copy]. The process of this ability could be simply explained as: Snatch Analyze Genetic Chain Construction Fixation Storage.

After snatching an Esper Ability, [Esper Ability—Copy] would break it down and analyze it, then store this ability in the owner's body in a genetic chain. What constructed these genetic chains was a special matter produced by [Esper Ability—Copy, which was considered the material produced by the owner of this ability himself. Hence, it would not disappear as the players disappeared, just as EsGod would not lose his abilities when the original owner of the ability died.

Therefore, in Han Xiao's previous life, a phenomenon where the players sold their bodies to EsGod in exchange for money appeared. This was something that had never happened before, and it led to the three Universal Civilizations having no choice but to come up with a special policy stating that if Immortals actively gave their Esper abilities to EsGod, they would be seen as wanted criminals. Of course, the players had all kinds of tricks to get past this policy, so this policy rarely had any effect.

Of course, EsGod was no philanthropist. Due to the limitations of his genetic chain, he would only absorb the abilities he was interested in. Otherwise, he would not absorb the players' Esper abilities even if they came right to his doorstep to sacrifice themselves.

Also, this action of the players caused a hilarious misunderstanding. At the start, EsGod thought that this was the three Universal Civilizations' plot to purposely send people over to die to make his genetic chain shatter. After killing many players, only then did he finally notice that these people were sincerely there to commit suic… to give him Esper abilities.

At that time, even the ever so calm EsGod had been completely astonished, which led to him saying one of his signature sentences among the players. "If I'd met you people earlier, I might have been able to become a good person."

Thinking about that, Han Xiao uncontrollably grinned.

"So, I don't even have to do much to help him get Esper abilities. All I have to do is give out a mission to the Esper class players, offering a high enough reward, and people will come forward themselves…"

This way, the millions of Esper players would be the largest material inventory!

Furthermore, no one would die; it was legal!

Although he had given Evans the clear path of choosing quality over quantity, with so many materials, he could slowly gather peak the Esper Abilities that complemented each other and form all kinds of strategies, achieving the most perfect combos!

Having this thought, Han Xiao was completely thrilled. At this time, a new plan was born in his head.

"Phillip!"

"Yes, hum…"

"Sketch up a new plan, the content is to record the various Esper Abilities of all the Esper Immortals under the army's command. Then, according to the effects of these Esper Abilities, simulate all kinds of tactical combos that can be put together. Set the minimum to two Esper abilities, and set the maximum to ten Esper Abilities for the time being. Mark this plan with the highest level of confidentiality. Also, don't mention Evans' existence."

"Okay, hum… This will only occupy a little bit of my memory. What's the name of the plan?"

"Don't have to name it. Just give it a serial number."

Han Xiao really wanted to name it something like 'EsGod Raising Plan', but he thought about it and gave up that idea.

Although his database would basically never be hacked again, Han Xiao still chose to be low profile about this.

He had already made up his mind that before Evans matured, he needed to hide him as a secret weapon.

"Speaking of which, I have the Evolution Cube and the Spacetime Amber, and the army has Hila and Aurora. It's indeed a little too conspicuous. If I even tell anyone I'm planning to create a second EsGod… tsk, the enemies will probably all want to rob me."

Thinking of that, even Han Xiao shivered controllably.

He then rested for a while to digest all these emotions before getting back to the work he was doing earlier, continuing to build the King mechanical suit that was more than halfway done.

He did not know whether it was because of the incredible luck Evans had left in the room or not, but when Han Xiao completed the last process and at the instant the King mechanical suit was complete, a notification suddenly popped up on the interface.

You have built a Gold Grade equipment (Universal Treasure).

You have benefitted from [Spirit Instrument].

You have received 1 God's Trait Transformation Point. (Another cannot be obtained again through the same blueprint.)

One of your random attributes has been decreased by 200…

Randomizing, randomizing complete.

-200 LUK.

You have received 200 Free Attribute Points.

You have received Level One Bonus from [Spirit Instrument: 2.5% basic success rate of building gold equipment, 1.2% basic success rate of inventing gold blueprints.

You have received a new talent, [Universal Treasure Creator]!

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You have received 1 Legendary Point.

"So, this is what the [Spirit Instrument]'s benefits are."

Han Xiao's eyes sparkled.

[Spirit Instrument] was a class talent he obtained by default after becoming a Divine Throne Mechanic, which was only effective when building Universal Treasures. When successful, it would give bonuses. This was his first time seeing the exact bonuses it gave, and he was pleasantly surprised.

Previously, Han Xiao did not if there were any other ways to obtain God's Trait Transformation Points, but now he had found one—building Universal Treasures.

The same blueprint would not provide multiple points, meaning even if he built another gold-grade King mechanical suit, he would not receive more God's Trait Transformation Points. Hence, he needed to get more gold blueprints.

Han Xiao was curious. There were other Beyond Grade A Mechanics who had built Universal Treasures throughout history, but from the intelligence provided by the dynasty, this method of obtaining God's Trait Transformation Points was not mentioned.

He had some speculations.

Some Beyond Grade As who successfully built Universal Treasures probably did not fulfill the prerequisites to obtain God's Trait Transformation Points, so they could not notice this effect. For example, Austin.

As for those who knew, maybe they hid this information for their own purposes and did not report it… or the advanced civilizations kept this a secret deliberately.

It could even be that he was the only one who could obtain God's Trait Transformation Points through this method because the other Beyond Grade As did not have the interface!

Of course, it could also be that the dynasty did not know about this but the other two Universal Civilizations did. After all, the three Universal Civilizations were not a family; they would not share their secrets.

"The problems I'm facing now at this level are finally touching the blind spots of the Universal Civilizations… Makes sense. The dynasty doesn't know about the First Sanctum too."

Han Xiao shook his head.

"I still have the Emperor's Cape blueprint in my hands. If I'm able to build it, I'll obtain another God's Trait Transformation Point. Indeed, becoming stronger through building things is the best way for Mechanics."

As for the randomly decreased Attribute Points that were changed into Free Attribute Points, it was similar to resetting attributes. After every level up, Race Evolution, or Promotion, all attributes would automatically be increased. This would shift some of the Attribute Points in less important attributes to the main attribute, slowly making him stronger, which was quite useful.

Han Xiao felt that this could be triggered repeatedly but probably had a limit. Maybe the number of points reduced and given was related to the difficulty of building the Universal Treasure. The more difficult it was, the more points would be affected.

Furthermore, following the logic of the increased cost of blueprint gambling… if he built the same Universal Treasure multiple times, the points should decrease slowly too. For example, King reset two hundred of his Attribute Points the first time, but the second time might be less than two hundred.

"By the way, this time, it actually decreased my Luck…"

Han Xiao opened the attribute interface and looked at his Luck, which turned from a stick to an egg. His mouth twitched uncontrollably.

In his previous life, players with the subclass [Gambler] had tested that the lowest the Luck attribute could go was zero. It was the bottom line. To Gamblers, it meant this put them at an 'unbeatable' spot.

He previously only had one Luck, which had decreased to zero, and then he obtained two hundred Free Attribute Points…

"So, I basically netted 199 Attribute Points‽

"I don't know if this is lucky or unlucky…"

Han Xiao was speechless.

Although it was an amazing deal, he could not smile. Tears were running in his belly.

"Sometimes, you only realize how precious something is when you have already lost it.

"Brother, I can't do without you. It cannot be zero!"

The Great Mechanic Han clenched his teeth and solemnly pressed on the "" button beside his Luck attribute…

1.

The next moment, the value of his LUK attribute returned to that noble, pure, magnificent, and holy '1'.

Han Xiao almost felt like his soul had ascended.

Actually, Han Xiao was mainly worried that if his Luck was zero, the next time an attribute reset came, Luck would not be considered in the range of attributes.

He looked depressed, but he was actually overjoyed and wanted it to happen to him more.

"In addition to what I have in my interface, I now have 2,248 Free Attribute Points. My Endurance is now more than 11,700, and as long as it exceeds 15,000, I will be able to obtain one more God's Trait Transformation Point through the next Promotion… Hmm, let's save it for now."

Suppressing his excitement, Han Xiao looked at his attributes interface, pondered a while, and used the one God's Trait Transformation Point on [God's Trait Transformation—Machinery].

Machinery and Void represented his main class and species; the transformation paths of these two should be mostly the same for everyone. Through testing, the former enhanced his Mechanic abilities, and the latter strengthened his Racial Talents and gave him bonus attributes.

Since he now had [Spirit Instrument] as a method to obtain God's Trait Transformation Points, he would have to invent more gold blueprints, which would require strong Mechanic abilities. Not only did the main class path increase his basic Machinery Affinity and ability strength, it also slightly enhanced the effects of his various Mechanic abilities.

The next moment, his cells operated at full capacity. His energy waves increased drastically, and electric sparks appeared from all over his body. His flesh and bones were both itching and hurting, which made him narrow his eyes a little.

God's Trait Transformation—Machinery (2/?)

Stage One: 1,000 Machinery Affinity, 20% Ability power. The basic effects of all Mechanic class abilities are slightly enhanced.

Stage Two (New): 15% building, enhancing, repairing abilities, 1% Machinery Affinity for every 30 INT. Main branch ability effects enhanced (Virtual Branch).

"Not bad."

Han Xiao scratched his chin. He felt like this was not as good as the first enhancement. It might be that the first stage was like a welcoming gift and was an exception, while the later stages would keep getting better.

Then, he looked at the new talent, [Universal Treasure Creator]. Its introduction was that building a Universal Treasure meant that he had touched a certain new level. Its effect was 10% Machinery Creation Performance, 1 level to all machinery abilities, 4% basic success rate of building gold equipment, and 2% basic success rate of inventing gold blueprints.

Its effects were quite good, but Han Xiao's attention was attracted by the notification that came with this talent.

You have obtained the talent [Universal Treasure Creator]. You have fulfilled the requirement.

You have received 1 [The First Sanctum] Ability Fragment.

"This so-called The First Sanctum again…"

An electric spark flashed past Han Xiao's eyes.

He now had two Ability Fragments, and he still did not know what use they had, but since they were so difficult to obtain, it was definitely something important.

Without any clues, there was no point in overthinking. Han Xiao put the thought away and looked at the Legendary Point given.

Achievement Legendary Point: Universal Treasure Artisan—You have built a Universal Treasure. From this moment forth, you're one of the top artisans in the entire universe. You've become a master. The things you have built will be passed on as treasures in the future.

"Speaking of which, since I have the core technology, if I build more Kings and sell them, I can make quite a lot of money."

Han Xiao smiled at this thought.

He was just thinking about it. There was no way he would exchange his trump card for money; he now had no interest in money.

After making sure he had gone through all the new things he had obtained on the attributes interface, Han Xiao finally looked at the gold Grade King mechanical suit closely.

At this point, it was not yet colored. The appearance of King was a magnificent full cover style mechanical armor. The details on every piece of its plates were exceptionally exquisite, giving off the beauty of a top-class mechanical product. It was like a piece of art.

A palm-sized triangular device was embedded on its chest and was glowing slightly. This was the King mechanical suit's only set attachment, Throne. As long as it was taken off, no matter where it was placed, the King would be able to instantly arrive at its place. Its effect was comparable to the Multi-Dimensional Sky Opening Transportation Device.

Performance-wise, naturally, it was far superior to orange equipment in every way. As equipment specially made for Beyond Grade A Mechanics, it provided a 1.075 multiplier to the wearer's total Machinery Affinity, as well as a thirty-five percent bonus to the effective area of Mechanical Force enhancement. It was a mechanical suit that was top-notch even among Beyond Grade A equipment.

Han Xiao immediately put it on like an old driver who had just bought a new car, tested it with excitement, and recorded the various parameters. Only then did he reluctantly stow it away.

"If the mechanical suit I was using last time was a home-use Volkswagen, King would be a Pagani, Koenigsegg, or a Bugatti sports car."

Han Xiao was very satisfied.

After organizing all his gains, he ordered the mechanical assistants to clean up the workshop while he set the Divine Mechanical Throne to lazy sofa mode.

He leaned back and opened the forums comfortably, planning to reward himself by looking at those idiotic players.

In Version 4.0, the player forums had made some changes and updates. It added the new Flickering World panel, which was like a world channel to the players.

As more and more people arrived, the popularity of the Flickering World panel exceeded all the other panels in no time, quickly becoming the most active channel on the forums.

Han Xiao flipped through the posts for a while and saw Bun-Hit-Dog's newly released video.

The Black Star Army series got a new episode again. Its content was what the army had done during the version update, and its views seemed to have broken records again.

He clicked in and watched it. This was not really the best episode ever, but since tons of players had joined the Black Star Army, more people came to learn about the Black Star Army's history, hence the explosive increase in the view count of even the videos posted in the past.

Ever since Version 1.0, Bun-Hit-Dog had been making series videos, which already had many episodes by now. The new players could binge-watch from the start and learn about the complete rise of the Black Star Army. As a super faction that grew before the eyes of the players, it could give them a strong sense of immersion.

Most of the foreign players who had joined the army came for the benefits and did not have any sense of belonging at all. However, learning the history of a faction could slowly build up their unity, and Bun-Hit-Dog's series videos played a huge part in that, like fertilizer.

"Ideology construction has to be heeded. They need to be given more knowledge about the Black Star Army so that the players will feel the warmth of a home."

While mumbling, Han Xiao continued to flip through the posts. Suddenly, he saw that someone had made a post to expose the Limitless Financial Group.

The content was shockingly the spying mission given by Sorokin, which required players to purchase intelligence from Black Star Army players.

The Limitless Financial Group actually kept this secret very well. At least Han Xiao did not know about it through other sources. Sadly, the players sold Sorokin out on the forums.

It's probably more difficult for me not to know…

Han Xiao's mouth contorted slightly.

The player forums were a special information exchange platform; no outsider could interfere with it. However, he could browse it, which gave him an incomparable intelligence advantage that currently only he had.

To him, players were a natural free intelligence network. Even if he did nothing and sat at home, the player forums would continuously provide intelligence about the other organizations.

Currently, the Limitless Financial Group was the organization that was most passionate about recruiting the players other than himself. That unlucky b*stard wanted to use the players as his spies but had no idea that he was exposed by the players instead, and Han Xiao did not have to pay the price for it.

The joy of having privileges has always been this simple and dull.

Thinking of Sorokin's face that was clearly covered in plots and conspiracies, Han Xiao almost wanted to laugh.

Might as well let the army players accept his mission, then sell some intelligence to take Sorokin's money for free. He's that rich anyway.

While Han Xiao was having these wicked ideas, he suddenly saw a very popular post title, and his attention was pulled over immediately.

'The Army Players' Corpses Have Been Camped Time After Time. Who Is Targeting the Black Star Army‽'

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Chapter 1042 Reappeared Shady Trick

Camping corpses was a task that required skill.

To protect the players' fragile hearts, there were many ways to revive they could choose from—revive on the spot, at the nearest city, nearest carrier, or special designated coordinates. They could even not revive and just go offline. Also, they could revive a maximum of ten times every six days. Therefore, camping someone's corpse was pretty difficult.

In his previous life, the fact that Han Xiao was okay despite being completely ruthless was mostly thanks to this kind of reviving method.

However, even with so many difficulties, the players never got tired of camping the other players' corpses. The more common methods were kidnapping, forcing carriers to stop, and so on. In combat mode, there were restrictions to logging off for the players, and they would be punished for forcefully exiting the game. Hence the kidnapping method. They would bring the target to the nearest revive point and surround the target. Forcing carriers to stop made the player revive on the same spot whether they chose to revive on the spot or the nearest carrier. Nonetheless, none of these methods could perfectly deal with the reviving mechanism. Even if all locations were blocked off, the target had to be at least online and not log off.

Hence, the only requirement for camping someone's corpse to succeed was… that the target had a lot of pride.

And from the ID of this pal who made the post, which was [Daddy Is Proud What Are You Going To Do, Han Xiao could clearly feel his unrestrained sense of manliness.

In the post, this [Daddy Is Proud What Are You Going To Do, who was an army player, explained what had happened to him.

"Just some time ago, I was doing a solo errand mission in the free competition zone and came to a transit planet. I met a group of stranger players from another organization, and the moment they saw me, they attacked me without saying anything and killed me.

"I asked them why, but they dared to tell me that they just didn't like my face! I don't know about the others, but there's no way I could put up with that. So, I revived on the spot and fought with them head-on, not intending to give up. These pieces of sh*t then actually really killed me time after time and finished all my revive counts for today. After that, they even private messaged me to mock me, f*ck!

"I was minding my own business, and out of nowhere, I got beat up. Who did I mess with‽ I've already posted the ID of these sons of bi*ches. My brothers, all of you are my fathers today. Please respond to my summon and help me greet their family. Let these *ssholes enjoy the bath of positive energy!"

Han Xiao looked at these IDs, which were clearly all American players of the Demon Race.

He then continued reading the comments and realized that this post had already become a sea of joy.

[Fast Horse: Shocking, agitated dude calls people father at the scene (っД;)っ]

[Human Hammer: I, your daddy, will avenge you!]

[Cold Sister: Senior keyboard warrior of thirty years reporting for duty!]

[I Can't Take It Anymore: When it comes to scolding people, count on us.]

Other than these chaotic replies, there were also army players who were complaining about experiencing the same thing. It seemed this had happened to quite a lot of people.

However, not everyone was so stubborn. More people were just attacked by a group of players from other organizations out of nowhere. Furthermore, it was not just the Americans; there were players from other countries too, and not all of them were guild members. It was almost like people were hunting the army players.

Han Xiao pondered about the reasoning behind this.

He felt that this was probably a butterfly effect he had caused. In his previous life, everyone was scattered without the Black Star Army. Now, the Black Star Army was the biggest player faction.

The winds howl around the highest peaks.

From the responses of the players, this most likely had nothing to do with NPC organizations and was completely initiated by the players. Maybe some people were hostile toward the army players, or maybe the foreign big guilds worked together secretly. There were only so many possibilities.

Currently, tens of millions of players were swarming into the Flickering World and onto the universal stage. They started attracting the attention of all kinds of organizations. Tens of millions of people was just a droplet of water in the vast sea to a Star Field, but if they were all Immortal Grade B Supers, it would be a force that could not be ignored.

As a part of the universe's ecological system, the players' actions now would affect the others too. Han Xiao's intelligence network had shown that more and more organizations were beginning to study the players, and even more were trying to use the players. The three Universal Civilizations had also moved the recruitment and studying of players up the schedule.

The fact that foreign players were willing to leave their own factions to join the Black Star Army attracted more attention as well. Many organizations were very curious about the source of influence Black Star had among the Immortals. Although Black Star was famous indeed, why was the top choice of so many Immortals the Black Star Army? They could not figure it out.

However, many players joined other factions too, so although the situation surrounding the Black Star Army was interesting, it was not too big a deal. If Han Xiao really had all the players in his army, the dynasty would probably have come to his door to question him the very next day.

"The other organizations did not target the army, but their players actually started causing trouble first."

Han Xiao carefully read all the replies and discovered that the biggest group of people who hunted his players were American, Japanese, and Korean players.

Also, when they attacked the army players, they avoided killing any army soldiers, so it was clearly targeted at the players.

Suddenly, he had a thought and started searching in the forums. As expected, he discovered some anonymous posts that were censored due to the aggressive language used, which were about the players of the other organizations bragging about killing army players and expressing that they were indeed targeting the Black Star Army. They were also very arrogant, mocking the Chinese players they killed by name.

"Interesting, so that's how they're going to play."

Han Xiao suddenly understood the reasoning behind this.

He was not unfamiliar with this method. This had happened among the players in the previous life too, also during Version 4.0.

This was a very shady method. The people behind this were undoubtedly the big clubs. Basically, they secretly gathered some of their local players to hunt the players of the target faction. Then, these players would be told to taunt and provoke as much as possible, as aggressively as possible on the forums, to trigger the rage of the target faction players, starting an insulting war. Afterward, they would then let people secretly guide the focus of the situation to race, nationality, and area discrimination, causing hatred.

The goal of this was to control their local players' faction preference by creating collective hatred.

Since the players these clubs could directly control were very few compared to the normal local players, who made up the majority, someone in his previous life thought of this extremely shady and low idea to influence the normal players' preference in picking factions.

For example, a faction had a million players, among whom there were 800,000 Chinese players and 200,000 American players. The American clubs would then start hunting the Chinese players, provoking and taunting to make the Chinese players retaliate and insult them too. They would then guide the topic into the hatred between the nations.

This way, the 200,000 American players in this faction would, of course, not be happy, so they would join the internet war. The clubs would then keep fanning the flames and making the situation worse.

The result would be, a lot of these 200,000 Americans would quit this faction out of their anger toward the Chinese players, and more American players would not want to join this faction. This was just one of the methods the big clubs used to manipulate the faction preference of their local players. They created hatred, and using that hatred, they increased the unity of the players of their country.

The reason for this was very simple—the clubs did not want their local players to work for the factions that the clubs of the other countries were in. They only wanted their local players to work for the factions they were in.

To normal players, the more players in one faction, the stronger the competition. But to clubs, local players represented cheap labor. Be it during normal developments or national wars, as long as the clubs made announcements, the normal players would most likely respond and become free manpower.

Normal players wanted to enjoy the game freely, which the professional players had to respect too. However, clubs and official guilds were commercial organizations; their goal was to gain achievements in the Pro League and make a profit.

Therefore, after Version 4.0 started in the previous life, with the Americans in the lead, some clubs started to manipulate their fans at all costs, using all sorts of dirty methods. This led to the forums' environment becoming contaminated to a certain extent, so the mainstream factions of the clubs of the other countries would be weakened, and they would become stronger… Simply put, they were robbing leeks from others.

Only clubs of a very few countries did not take part in such things, and the Chinese were one of them.

The Chinese had always been united, and now that most of the Chinese players were in the Black Star Army, there was no need to use such shady methods at all.

"Tsk, the first reappearance of this trick, and it's aimed at me. Plus, it's from the clubs of multiple countries."

Han Xiao thought about it and understood what these clubs were thinking.

It was basically because the foreign clubs did not want the army players' forces to keep getting bigger. Otherwise, the army would have too many advantages among the factions. Not only would that reduce the development space of the other faction, but it would also give the Chinese clubs free manpower, which was basically sending money to the enemies, to these foreign clubs.

"Just as I expected, the army is too outstanding, so the Chinese clubs became targets. Although these foreign clubs are not targeting me, if I let them continue doing this, my leek farm might shrink."

Han Xiao did not panic at all. Rather, he smiled.

"Isn't this a perfect opportunity to strengthen the sense of belonging of the new army members that is delivered to my doorsteps?"

Why were the Alliance and the Horde so united? One reason was their background story and the game setting, but the more direct reason was that the players of the two factions were fighting each other all the time.

Creating a shared target—this was a great way to rapidly increase the sense of unity of a group!

"Discrimination is a factor in the real life. I indeed can't deal with that right now, but I can target those main factions that you foreign clubs are in.

"You're manipulating players through nationality differences, so I shall make use of the difference between factions.

"When the foreign clubs gather people to hunt the army players, their factions won't reward them. Therefore, to them, this is just a matter between the players.

"However, if I announce a Bounty Mission, stating that as long as the army players kill the players of your factions, they'll be rewarded, what will happen?

"At that point, your local normal players might even beat you up!

"How can those people secretly hired by the clubs compare with the eight million warriors of our army‽

"You wanted to play dirty? You asked for it!

"Hehe, since you people can't be satisfied with peacefully developing your forces and play these dirty tricks all day, let me add more wood to the fire and make your business more popular."

Han Xiao grinned wickedly, sat up from the lazy throne, opened the faction interface, and started drafting the Bounty Mission.

At the same time, on a private player chat channel, the high position members of the professional clubs of many countries were online.

Among these were America's Devil and Key; Japan's Hydra, Amaterasu, and Werewolf; Korea's Kimchi and Triple Star Bomb; Italy's Classical and Pizza; and Southeast Asia's Red Bay, Island, and Titan. Many of the regular attendees of the international tournament were in this channel.

At this time, the topic these people were discussing was indeed related to the Black Star Army.

Just like Han Xiao guessed, as more and more players of the various countries changed factions and joined the Black Star Army, these guilds who were not planning to change their factions could not put up with it anymore. They secretly worked together and planned to restrain the Black Star Army's rapidly growing player base.

"… The people on our side are moving according to plan. The public opinion part is still in preparation. The players' emotions need time to be developed," a high ranking member of the Key club said.

"The circumstances are actually beneficial to us. China has managed to win two consecutive years. This is their pride, and they have this sense of superiority, so the public opinion will not be tough to manipulate. Steer the topic in this direction, toward how the normal players of the various countries are targeted because the teams of their country did not achieve optimal results, then let the Chinese players insult us. This way, more anger can be created."

"Actually, tricks like this are not difficult to see through. The players are quite smart…"

"Don't worry. Players will be players. Once it gets to their head, reasoning won't be important. The Pro League is a great conversation topic. It'll be easy to trigger their emotions."

"Let's hope it works. We're all in different factions. The biggest threat now is the Black Star Army. There are way too many players there. If we don't weaken them, the Chinese clubs will have way too big an advantage."

"It'll be best if we can isolate them."

As for the stand of the Black Star Army, it was not within their consideration. To them, all of this was just between the players. The NPC factions were just the background.

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"I'll god d*mn burn down all your dreams!"

In the great hall of Black Star Palace, an emotional roar sounded as a white beam of light shone up. It transformed into a revived army player with the ID of [Under the Soaring Clouds]. Naturally, he came from China.

The great hall had quite a few players coming and going, and hearing this loud exclamation, everyone turned to look at Under the Soaring Clouds. All they saw was him heaving hard with a look of resentment.

To the side, one of the veterans asked with a tone as though he expected it, "What's wrong, brother with big lungs? Why the anger? Who f*cked you?"

"I got squatted[1] by a bunch of foreigners, and they even ridiculed me. This is already the third time!" Under the Soaring Clouds was exasperated.

"Sigh, it's now Version 4.0, the World Server. There are players from all sorts of factions outside now, and it can't be compared to back then when we were in the Shattered Star Ring. You have to watch out for your safety," the veteran advised before shaking his head and leaving.

Under the Soaring Clouds' face was nasty to behold.

He was a new player that only joined in Version 3.0, and he was more of a casual player, not interested in PK at all.

In the last version, the World Server had not been opened yet, so as an army player, he was basically only meeting his own people whenever he went out, so he was rarely attacked by others. However, there was no security in the current version. He had done a couple of missions but was maliciously interfered with by players from other organizations.

He struggled to get used to the huge gap between the two versions, so he felt that his gaming experience had drastically fallen.

Looking around, he saw that players with foreign IDs were scattered around, basically newcomers who had only joined the army recently. Among them, a small group of players constantly scanned the coming and going army players, looking at him from time to time as well. This sort of performance was most likely from a 'spy' sent by a foreign guild.

"Recently, there have been many squatting incidents, and this is probably the work of those spies. My whereabouts were revealed by them, which caused me to be squatted as well." Under the Soaring Clouds felt that this was likely, and he gritted his teeth in indignation.

He disliked the foreign players who had recently joined, and he was not the only one—many of the Chinese players had the same idea as him, as the previous versions were so much more comfortable to play in. Everyone belonged to the same country, but now, since there were more foreigners, they had to be aware of the lurking dangers in their external and internal environments, making many people sick and tired of playing.

Under the Soaring Clouds belonged to the category of a new player, and he was unlike the veterans who had invested a lot of time into the army. Right now, he could not help but think about changing factions.

"I really don't want to encounter the mess of being squatted anymore. It really affects my mood."

Just as he was about to act on his words, the communicators of every player in the room rang. The moving players all gave each other a strange look, collectively stopping as they lowered the heads to read the news.

Under the Soaring Clouds also retrieved his communicator, and when he scanned the notification, he realized it was an internal announcement from the army, and there were three messages.

Army Announcement 1: Newcomer Preferential Treatment Policy

Addressed to all soldiers of the army: Now is the period of the development in the Flickering World. Recently, we have recruited new warriors from the other Star Fields. In order to quickly integrate the newcomers into the army, we're re-enabling the policy of supporting the newcomers. Existing members can take the newcomers to perform missions, and both parties will obtain additional benefits. The army will give certain subsidies, which include but are not limited to Enas, Contribution Points, Ammo, and free repair opportunities. The full list can be seen in the Appendix (Expand/Collapse). I hope everyone will actively help newcomers, no matter which Star Field they arrived from. As long as one has joined the Black Star Army, I hope we can all entrust each other with our backs in battle—Army Commander, Black Star.

"It turned out to be this policy." Under the Soaring Clouds had a shift in heart.

In the previous version, the army recruited a bunch of Russian and Australian players in the Constellation Corridor. During that time, they also announced a similar policy, which was implemented for a period of time. After results were achieved, this welfare plan was temporarily frozen.

The effect of this policy had been proven in the previous version. It would mobilize the enthusiasm of older players to bring in newcomers, and it also quickly narrowed the distance between them, encouraging the making of friends. This allowed the Russian and Australian players in the previous version to quickly blend into the army.

Right now, the Russian and Australian players in the army were different from those new players who had only joined the army recently. They had blended in with the Chinese players for a longer period of time and got along relatively well with them. Han Xiao had thus proposed this plan again in order to quickly integrate the new players from various countries and to allow them to feel the warmth of the old players, eliminating any barriers caused by unfamiliarity.

Under the Soaring Clouds was not surprised by this announcement… but he was a little upset. Now that many of the old players were being squatted, the army actually wanted them to even lead the newcomers.

While the spies only accounted for a small portion of the population, he could not help but blame the entire new player group. Thus, in his eyes, this plan sounded like the leader still choosing to help the bully even after he had shown signs of being bullied. The more he thought of it, the angrier he got.

"This is too much!"

Under the Soaring Clouds knew that the NPC could not be blamed, but he could not help sulking.

As he scrolled down to the next messages, he suddenly jerked, and his eyes widened like saucers.

Army Announcement 2: Organization Warning List

Recently, a large number of immortals have reported to the upper echelons that while they were performing their missions, they were ambushed and killed by immortals from other organizations. After a detailed investigation, we have found this to be true. We have compiled a list of organizations that are deliberately targeting our members. For details, please refer to [Appendix – List of Organizations] (Expand/Collapse). Although immortals do not fear death, their actions are regarded as a provocation to the Black Star Army. Thus, I am issuing a public warning to these organizations to restrain your immortal subordinates before I declare war—Army Commander, Black Star.

Army Announcement 3: Counterattack Permit

Until these organizations restrain their subordinates and put an end to the ambushes made to our immortals, we will initiate counterattacks. I hereby inform all immortals of the army that they can engage in retaliatory attacks against the above organizations, restricted only to their immortals. It is not our style to be beaten and not fight back. In order to encourage this behavior, the army will subsidize additional supplies, which can be found in [Appendix – Reward List] (Expand/Collapse). Repeated kills are allowed, and to receive rewards, you will need to use the Phillip mini program to upload each battle video in exchange for the reward you are entitled to. Kills on the same person will not be awarded.

At the same time, for those habitual offenders who have repeatedly attacked members of our army, a special pursuit order will be issued. Every time you kill a designated wanted person, you can exchange it for special reward, please refer to [Appendix – Kill List] (Expand/Collapse). Everyone, please remember, those who offend me, Black Star, will be punished no matter the distance—Army Commander, Black Star.

An uproar sounded as Under the Soaring Clouds finished reading the other two notifications, and many players got excited.

"Damn, what is this? The army actually moved!"

"The PKs between players actually caused such a change in the faction‽"

"Haha, those dumb bitches. Squatting on us? Do you think our identity as army members is given for free‽"

"This is the feeling of having a backer. It's really good."

"Our Army Commander is truly domineering, tsk, warning the other factions immediately."

The recent squatting incidents had left the army players outraged, but it was because they did not have any teams, they could only count on themselves, praying that they would not meet any of those malicious players from the other factions.

But right now, the Black Star Army had directly issued a faction announcement, with very domineering wording indicating that they could retaliate against their enemies. This attitude made many of the army players extremely comfortable.

Especially since killing players from other factions would now give them reward, everyone was immediately motivated.

Han Xiao released three announcements with the intention of a full-scale blow. He first used the Black Star Army to suppress people and skipped through the chain of command to warn the other factions that their people were causing trouble, making them pull those troublemakers back.

The second was the permission to counterattack. All players in the army could thus be mobilized, and players in the other factions could be hunted down. Not only could they vent their frustrations and enhance their sense of identity, this would also allow the older players to fight together with the newbies to build friendships.

In addition, he even dragged the players from other countries into the water, tying everyone to the same ship. In this manner, it would be much more difficult for any foreign clubs to incite discrimination between countries.

They wanted to divide based on nationalities? Even their own countrymen would end up attacking them, so there was nothing to fuss about!

The manpower used by the clubs to incite trouble was limited, which was only considered annoying to the army players, but if all the army players turned around to hunt down the hostile players, the foreign club players would be overwhelmed and choose to change factions, which would in turn weaken the scale of players in the faction and would help expand their own leek farms.

The third announcement served to specifically fish out players that liked to cause chaos, killing the chicken to warn the monkeys. This would reduce the number of players who engaged in trouble together, thus reducing the manpower available for the clubs as much as possible.

Under the Soaring Clouds was pleasantly surprised. He turned his head, seeing those people he suspected of being spies now standing still, as though frozen stiff.

Under the Soaring Clouds felt as though all his grievances had been vented. He felt extremely good and comfortable, and if there was a faction identity score, one would see his score have continuously rising.

"Haha, this is the judgement from heaven. Who will Black Star forgive!"

Under the Soaring Clouds laughed out loud, feeling extremely comfortable.

A perfectly normal casual player was actually rubbing his knuckles, as though he could not wait to form a team and cut down people.

From today onward, Black Star will be my big brother. Whoever tries to mess with the army, I'll show them who they're messing with!

Once the three announcements were issued, a storm was set off among the players.

The players were no strangers to this sort of mission. Was this not a faction war?

The army players felt like they had been brought to a carnival, where many of them did not even bother with the normal missions any longer, calling for their friends and rushing for the clearing list, exiting the base like locusts leaving empty fields.

The Black Star Army was the first organization to organize a faction war mission. In the memory of the army players, some people in the previous version had switched over to Bloodshed Land, causing the army to issue a similar killing list, but it paled in comparison to the current operation.

This was a large group consisting of more than a million people!

The players were more prone to chaos than NPCs. Missions could be skipped, but how could such an interesting event be passed up?

Whether it was an old player or a new player, their enthusiasm was stimulated!

In particular, the new players from the various countries who had joined recently were even more enthusiastic than the Chinese players. Because many of them had jumped from such factions, they were familiar with the formations of these organizations, and they had naturally rushed faster than anyone to fight with their own people. The veterans naturally took on a few of such 'pathfinders' in their parties.

The hostile factions listed by Han Xiao were those organizations that the clubs worked for. They came from different Star Fields and did not have a particularly strong background, let alone being in the Flickering World where Black Star reigned supreme.

Thus, facing the warning of the Black Star Army, most of them were bewildered.

What are you warning us about? We didn't provoke you guys at all!

But after a short check, they discovered the truth and almost had a stroke.

They obviously had no intention of targeting the Black Star Army, but some of the immortals under them had acted spontaneously and caused trouble, resulting in them being wronged.

It was literally the scenario of sitting at home, but a pot descended from the sky to strike at their head!

Most of the organizations immediately responded to Black Star Army's warning and hurriedly stated to Han Xiao that those were not their intentions. It was only some crazy subordinates who had acted without permission. They had no intention of becoming an enemy of the army, and their weak hearts could not withstand such a 'surprise'.

Internally, these organizations started to strictly restrict the movement of their immortals, ensuring that without their orders, they were not allowed to provoke anyone, lest they suffered from dire consequences. They also punished those troublemakers and instigators… Reflected in the player interface, those players experienced a decrease in Contribution Points and Favorability.

However, there were a small portion of organizations with a rather unique way of thinking. Considering the special reputation Black Star Army had among the immortals, they came to a startling conclusion.

Spies!

This group of troublemaking subordinates must have been spies sent over by the Black Star Army!

The Black Star Army must have plans to swallow us, so they purposely got the spies to create trouble. That way, they will have a just cause to attack us!

These smart alecks began to brew their own conspiracy theories and decided not to fall for the evil plot.

There were even a handful of organizations whose thought process was more refined, thinking that these Immortals that caused trouble were neither their people nor the people of Black Star, but rather a third party.

Their goal was to cause a conflict between them and the Black Star Army, thus acting as the fisherman that benefited in the fight between the sandpiper and clam!

Anyway, regardless of whether this was a truth or not, the organizations already believed it to be so.

And for the Limitless Financial Group, which was the keenest on recruiting the players, it had turned into an excellent target.

Hearing this, Sorokin was in a mess.

There was no problem. I really had such a plan…

But I haven't even started implementing it!

Could this be retribution?

Han Xiao's announcements stirred up the situation and directly caused the entire player population in the World Server to turn into chaos.

And the foreign clubs were immediately forced into a corner by Han Xiao's triple attack.

This is not right. Us players originally liked to PK, so why is it you as the NPC that reacted most strongly‽

We only attacked your Immortals troops, and you already made such a big hoo-ha. Do you even feel embarrassed‽

Their plan was hit hard right after it started, and they almost got destroyed because of it. In this situation, even if the plan could continue, it would be far from achieving their desired results.

The executives of the clubs were also unable to do anything.

If they fought a faction war, they would not be the ones suffering. Including all the affected factions, even if they could not beat the Black Star Army players, they would not lose too badly. They could even rally the ordinary players in their respective factions through this faction war.

However, the factions they belonged to directly complied. Not only did they not allow a counterattack, they even restrained the players under their command.

Since their superiors did not allow them to retaliate, the faction war could not take place. All they could do was withstand the enemy's attacks.

The Black Star Army had encouraged their players and even released faction rewards. Not only did their organizations not have rewards, but they even held them back. The contrast was just too jarring.

They all knew that if they were bullied like this, the casual players in their faction would be disappointed, maybe even jumping over to the Black Star Army since they could not beat them.

The benefits of staying in a strong faction were just too much!

However, it was not these clubs that had the worst. It was the casuals.

Faced with such a situation, many of them were caught totally unawares.

I just got out of bed, without even brushing my teeth, and you're telling me that I've been marked by hundreds of thousands of players‽

What are you trying to do‽

Just as these players were tearing up in confusion and desperation, Hila, who was situated in the Emerald Star Cluster, suddenly received a special communication request.

It came from the Arcane Church, from the Pope himself!

[1] Squatted is gaming slang where the PKers spawn camp the corpse.

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Chapter 1044 Exposing One"s Fangs

At the frontline exploration base of the Black Star Army in the Emerald Star Cluster…

In the bright, empty training room, Hila was levitating in midair, her eyes closed and breathing slow. A red brilliance surrounded her body, and the energy fluctuations she emitted made the high collared cloak of the Crimson Snake uniform flutter like dancing black and red clouds.

In front of her floated a deep red ball of concentrated death energy, and suspended in the middle was a faint golden glow. Golden blood vessel-like threads radiated from that glow, spreading throughout the ball.

At this moment, Hila's brows suddenly frowned, and the energy ball in front of her boiled as though a violent chemical reaction had occurred. It exploded, the death energy reverberating across the room.

"We failed again, Sis."

Aurora's annoyed voice sounded in Hila's mind.

"It's okay. It's not your fault." Hila shook her head.

With the qualitative change in one's Esper Ability's strength, control, and other characteristics, the Esper would be able to bring out and develop more uses for this ability.

Because there existed an exclusive vitality link between the two, after Aurora entered the Calamity Grade, this link was further strengthened, giving birth to a two-way telepathic channel for them to communicate with each other.

As for the transmission of life energy, this was originally limited by the distance. Right now, their personal project was to develop an energy transmission channel that would ignore the factor of distance. However, they had not succeeded yet and were still looking for a method.

Now that Aurora had entered the Calamity Grade, Hila reckoned that she could protect herself. Thus, she no longer restricted Aurora, allowing her to utilize the abilities and life energy freely.

"Sis, actually, the life link that ignores distance already has an embryonic form. The life energy is constantly emitted from my side, but it cannot be transmitted to yours."

"It's not a complete failure." Hila nodded. "Actually, I did receive a small amount of life energy, but the energy loss is too severe, which limits me to only receiving one ten thousandth of it. The way I see it, most of your energy seems to be absorbed by an unknown secondary dimension, and that secondary dimension has a weak connection with me, which is why I could feel its presence."

"Is that so? I didn't feel anything." Aurora was surprised.

"I only sensed this when I advanced to the Beyond Grade A realm. I think that if we wish to complete the link, we need to first solve this obstacle. I previously sent my death energy into this secondary dimension, but once it entered, it was cut off from me entirely. I'm afraid I'll need to find time to go there in person. I always feel that it has some secret related to us. Call it the intuition of a Beyond Grade A."

As she spoke, Hila shook her head and lifted her finger. There was a bright golden light floating on her fingertip, about the size of a peanut. This was the life energy she had obtained from Aurora.

With just her eyes, she manipulated the sesame-sized particles of death energy into this cluster of life energy, and the next moment, a brilliant light flashed as the two energies melted together. The red and golden light spots merged into a light spot with the color of orange gold.

"Sis, did you succeed?"

"Nope, I'm still exploring the ratio needed to successful fusion. Right now, I can only merge this small amount of energy."

Hila lightly breathed out. She had tried to fuse their energies a long time ago, but due to their lack of control over their Esper abilities, they had never succeeded. At that time, they had thought that it was a conflict in their energy natures that caused this.

However, now that Hila was in the Beyond Grade A realm and Aurora had also entered the Calamity Grade, Hila reattempted the combination, only to find out that their energies were actually combinable, but they were unstable and required powerful manipulation abilities to maintain the balance.

After the fusion, it would turn into an orangey-gold light cluster, with different characteristics. Although the healing and killing effects were still present, these two characteristics were not strengthened but in fact weakened. Hila had not yet studied the special effects the fused energy would have.

At this moment, a communication request sounded.

Beep beep!

A virtual screen appeared, and the vice-captain's image popped up. The shock on his face had not faded as he said, "Your Excellency, the Pope of the Arcane Church wishes to speak to you. Should I transfer the call over?"

Hila's pupils shrank.

For someone seated at the very top to come knocking, Hila thought it was surprising.

She thought for a while before saying, "Transfer it."

Very quickly, the screen in front of her changed to the shadow of the Pope.

The three Universal Civilizations often had their leaders appear in the news, so Hila naturally knew who he was. Thus, her expression was indifferent as she spoke.

"May I know your intention in looking for me?"

Because of the conflict between the Arcane Church and the Black Star Army, Hila did not bother showing much respect.

The Pope did not bother beating around the bush either. "I would like to invite you to join our Arcane Church."

"The leader of a Universal Civilization actually came to personally invite me, I'm really flattered… If Black Star was here, that's what he would say." Hila remained impassive. "But I'm not him."

The Pope slowly continued. "We've looked into you, and you're someone who values and pursues strength. The Arcane Church can help to give you incredible strength. I…"

"It's alright. I reject your offer." Hila did not even wish to listen on and refused flatly.

"… So long as you join as an ally, you can state any conditions."

"Not interested."

The Pope paused, expressionless. "The reason you insist on following Black Star, is it because of your own personal feelings?"

"Nothing to do with you."

The Pope nodded. "My offer will stand. If you happen to have a change in heart, the Arcane Church will forever welcome you with open arms."

He then ended the communication.

Looking at the darkened screen, Hila could not help but frown.

The Arcane Church's Pope had personally appeared, which meant that he had more sincerity than the Crimson Dynasty. However, this could be because of their relationship as enemies, which would require him to step up if he wanted to poach her.

If it was an ordinary Beyond Grade A that had received such a treatment, they would likely have accepted it on the spot. However, she would not consider leaving the Black Star Army for the time being. Thus, no matter how good the offer, she did not hesitate to refuse.

On the other end, there was a fleet of spaceships making their way toward the Black Star stronghold in the Emerald Star Cluster.

The insignia of the fleet represented a small mercenary group, but it actually carried several Beyond Grade A combatants from the Arcane Church.

'Child of Light' Sagman glanced at his communicator. "The Pope's intentions have been conveyed. The poaching has failed. We can begin our operation."

The Arcane Church had long prepared both plans. During this time, the Beyond Grade As had assembled, and if the Pope failed to persuade her, they would strike and eliminate Hila, preventing any mishaps in the future.

"The situation now is beneficial to us, as both the dynasty and Black Star have yet to discover that we have assembled. It's best to do a quick battle and make no mistakes like before," Taylor said.

In the past, it would have taken the Beyond Grade As a long time to gather because of the different Star Fields, so any action would have been discovered a long time ago. However, because a large number of them were in the Flickering World, they were close to each other, facilitating their actions. Before their enemy discovered them, they could take action whilst they were unaware.

"It's best to shift Hila away from the stronghold. Otherwise, the allies of the dynasty can quickly support her through the stargate."

"Then we'll leave this job to you, Tolaen. You go provoke Hila and draw her out. The further the better," Sagman said.

Tolaen paused for a while, his heart unwilling. In the end, he gritted his teeth and said, "Let me try."

"Well, if Hila does not accept the challenge, we will first destroy the stronghold's stargate. It's a pity that Sun Hunter will not be able to participate in that activity. Taylor, you're a Mage with more flexible means. Destroying the stargate will be left to you and me." Sagman hesitated, before continuing in a deep tone. "As for the Lord's Avatar of Black Star that will be beside Hila…"

At this moment, the doppelganger of Kasuyi, which had always been silent, said, "I'll hold him off."

The Arcane Church had brought out enough benefits to allow Kasuyi to participate in this operation. However, he did not like the act of besieging others or bullying newcomers, so he merely sent a doppelganger over as insurance.

"Alright, we have no guarantee of beating Black Star's avatar. Only you will be able to suppress him." Sagman nodded.

"It's a pity that His Excellency Wuornos could not appear as well, or else killing Hila would only be a matter of seconds," 'Desolate Beast' Mercer muttered.

"Stop imagining things. Wuornos will never leave the Temple of God. He will not involve himself in vulgar mortal affairs." Taylor shook his head.

The six of them present were 'Child of Light' Sagman, 'World Gate' Taylor, 'Desolate Beast' Mercer, 'Red Devil' Tolaen, a doppelganger of Kasuyi, and a Lord's Avatar of a Mechanic.

The nature of Kasuyi's doppelganger was similar to the Lord's Avatar of the Mechanic class, which carried a part of the body's combat power. It could not be compared to the quasi-Beyond Grade A doppelganger ability of EsGod.

Such a lineup just to deal with Hila, this was truly overkill.

However, the difference between this and the battle at Planet Lighthouse was that the allies from the dynasty were missing, and Black Star's true body would also not be present, which meant the absence of the Spacetime Amber. The Arcane Church thought that this situation was favorable, not to mention that their target was Hila, who was easier to deal with than the cockroach that was Black Star.

Kasuyi's doppelganger turned his head away to look out of the porthole, declining to continue the conversation with the rest.

"Manison, you probably wouldn't make a move right… If Hila dies, Black Star will certainly go crazy… Hehe, such a difficult choice this time.

"You're not suitable to act, and I understand, so let me take your place in this show.

"With me around, she will not die."

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The Federation of Light's territory in the free competition zone was in another Star Cluster.

A fleet was hovering in space, with the total number of battleships amounting to two million. Among them, the largest flagship was the Eternal Light. Two humongous mechanical rings circled around the entire fleet, one horizontally positioned and one vertically positioned, perpendicular to each other.

These two mechanical rings, which were larger than the stargate itself, were the strategic Universal Treasure of the Federation of Light, the Multi-Dimensional Sky Opening Transportation Device.

The components of the mechanical rings were intricate, and a large number of mechanical ships were being connected to each section of the ring for debugging and maintenance work.

On the bridge of the flagship, the gathered Beyond Grade A members of the Federation of Light stood in a row, looking at the scene outside.

"To actually utilize such strategic equipment, it seems like the federation's upper echelons really value the action this time." A muscular green-skinned man sighed. On his head was a purple runic turban that glittered constantly.

This person was Womre, with the moniker 'Energy Soul'. He was a pugilist based in the federation and was adept at energy-based attacks. As a Beyond Grade A descendant race, he possessed unique racial talents that gave him superior skills. Standing with his hands behind his back, he gave off the bearing of a grandmaster.

"This matter concerns the unlocking of the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter's seal, so it is worth them investing the huge resources to activate the Multi-Dimensional Sky Opening Transportation Device," Hades said. "The Arcane Church will definitely make some sort of move. When they begin to stall Black Star's avatar, we'll activate the teleporter to appear directly in the battlefield."

"That's right," the commander explained. "We also have another Multi-Dimensional Sky Opening Transportation Device in the fleet, so once we grab Hila, we'll be able to teleport back, and the operation will be a success."

The Federation of Light was different from the Arcane Church; their objective was to capture Hila so as to force Black Star to unseal the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter. Because of their Multi-Dimensional Sky Opening Transportation Device, they had a natural advantage in allowing them the ability to escape the battle once they obtained their target.

The Multi-Dimensional Sky Opening Transportation Device was able to send someone away but could not bring them back, so the fleet equipped itself with a second set of teleporters, along with a self-destruct device. Once the teleportation was completed, it would destroy itself, preventing others from taking it and studying the technology.

If they could unseal the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter, paying the cost of a Multi-Dimensional Sky Opening Transportation Device was acceptable to the federation. While expensive to build, a Universal Civilization did not lack money, and it was not difficult to build them if one had the relevant technology. They had quite a number of Multi-Dimensional Sky Opening Transportation Devices lying in their warehouse, acting as a deterrent to other civilizations.

"It's easier said than done. While the fleet has brought along another set of teleporters, it takes a lot of time for it to be arranged and charged, and there will definitely be disturbances during this period," one of them in a mechanical suit said. His name was Jackornitz, a Beyond Grade A Mechanical Pugilist of the Federation of Light.

"Thus, the reason we're bringing this fleet along. There are a lot of unmanned ships within this fleet, which will speed up the deployment of the transmitter, and it will help to protect the transmitter from interference. There's also the mechanical army of Her Excellency Mornisa to aid us, enough to allow us to retreat," Hades replied.

"Yep." A machine by the side nodded. This was her Lord's Avatar, and she also brought along a mechanical troop, which was the best candidate to block off the enemy's path. She would not feel regret even if all of them were completely destroyed.

"Don't forget, Black Star is a Virtual Mechanic and can invade our fleet's controls."

"Romo and I will be responsible for the virtual defense remotely, and the main artificial intelligence of the federation will also invest the majority of its computing power into the firewall. While Black Star is a pinnacle Beyond Grade A Super, he can't break through our defense while being distracted by the fighting," Mornisa explained.

The Romo mentioned by her was a Beyond Grade A Virtual Mechanic from the federation, responsible for guarding the quantum network and the main intelligence network of the federation. He was not participating in this operation, but he would provide some form of remote assistance.

"It's a pity that the Mechanic Emperor is not planning to take part in this operation. If he were in charge, we would not have to be afraid of the Virtual Intrusion of Black Star at all." Hades sighed.

At this moment, Sierron, who was standing with his arms crossed in the center of all the people, snorted before indifferently speaking. "Humph, Manison refuses to come, and Oulou is also in the Central Galaxy, so I have to lead this team. I don't care about the rest, just leave Black Star to me. If there's anyone from the Arcane Church who tries to stop us, I'll deal with the strongest too."

'Star Shatterer' Sierron, a pinnacle level Beyond Grade A Pugilist, was the head of the federation team for this operation, and he was also a member of The Ancient Ones.

On the other side, a multi-faceted crystal was suspended in midair, its body shining with a deep blue color. It sent out mental fluctuations. "The task of capturing Hila can be left to me."

This was a crystal life form called Crystal Soul. It was a Beyond Grade A Psychic.

The Federation was sending seven Beyond Grade As this time—'Energy Soul' Womre, 'Lone Ranger' Jackornitz, 'Mechanic Empress' Mornisa, Hades, Crystal Soul, 'Star Shatterer' Sierron, and 'Defender' Romo, who was providing remote assistance.

This lineup was stronger, with one additional participant compared to the Arcane Church.

In the Garu Star Cluster within the Flickering World, Sorokin stood at one of the branch offices of the Limitless Financial Group, overlooking the dense comet trails in space. These were the trajectories left by the spaceships coming and leaving the area.

This place was an interstellar transit station, located in the territory of the Black Star Army. Not far away was one of the stargate transportation hubs, so it was very prosperous and led to the surroundings of Black Star Palace.

Sorokin squinted and muttered to himself, "A good show should begin soon."

As the middleman who was responsible for the sending of messages to the federation and the church, he knew how they would act when Hila's data was given to them. There was a high probability of both civilizations taking action.

As he admired the scenery, he began to hypothesize the possible scenarios.

"The federation has the Multi-Dimensional Sky Opening Transportation Device, which gives them the initiative. It is likely they will lurk behind and move later, waiting for the Arcane Church to first make a move. The Mechanic Emperor is likely not participating in this operation, so it is likely that Sierron will be the one at the helm. As for the church's side, whether it's Kasuyi or Sun Hunter that's leading, they will most likely be paddling and not really moving for real… Heh, the Meeting of the Gods really affected quite a few people this time, Black Star."

Just as he was speculating, a magic transportation door lit up in his room, and someone walked out. The person stood behind Sorokin and waved his hand, casually destroying the door.

Feeling the magical fluctuations, Sorokin turned around, and a superficial smile surfaced.

"Your Excellency Traveler."

The person was a humanoid creature, with a gray complexion and no nose. He had yellow, crystal eyes, with vertical slit-like pupils, messy gray hair, and a gold ring. He only had three fingers on each hand, with one holding onto a staff that was twisted like a branch. He wore a gold headband with a brown hooded robe.

The Traveler, a Beyond Grade A mage, spent most of his time travelling around the secondary dimensions, and he did not appear in the outside world often. On the surface, he was a neutral Beyond Grade A, but he actually maintained a secret relationship with multiple Super Star Cluster level civilizations. He was also present during the Meeting of the Gods, albeit remaining taciturn and almost non-existent.

"The Super Star Cluster Alliance has employed me to aid you." The Traveler looked at Sorokin with interest. "This is interesting. What sort of deal have you reached with them, to actually have them send me to challenge Black Star?"

"There are some matters that are currently happening, and if my predictions are correct, the federation and the church will appear in the next few days to attack Hila. During that time, I hope you will be able to go to Black Star Palace and announce that you wish to challenge Black Star." Sorokin blandly smiled.

He had secretly contacted the Star Cluster alliance and revealed some bits of news, reaching a new deal to interfere in the process.

"Ah, so what you mean is…"

"That's right. Go up for a challenge, and if Black Star spars with you, he will have to split his attention, which will cause the strength of his consciousness to drop, reducing the aid he can provide Hila. If he does not agree to the spar, it will mean that his true body is not in the camp, which means you will fight against Ames. I heard that he has a close relationship with Ames, which will leave him torn as to whom he should help first… No matter what, he will be restricted."

Traveler quietly listened before speaking up. "You seem to be very clear that this operation will be a success. What benefits will you obtain?"

"Hila's existence is a threat, and I believe the majority of Beyond Grade As do not wish to see such a character growing." Sorokin laughed. "Furthermore, even if she joins an alliance, she will definitely choose the Crimson Dynasty. Thus, this poses a danger to the other two universal civilizations."

"It doesn't just stop there, right?" Traveler refuted. "You even dragged the Super Star Clusters into the mess. You definitely have bigger objectives."

"Haha, alright, there's no harm in telling you." Sorokin narrowed his eyes. "Do you think the other two are kicking up such a big fuss over such one Hila? No, Hila is merely a catalyst. The bigger reason is the Meeting of the Gods that took place not long ago."

"Oh?" Traveler's eyes flickered.

"Think about it, the federation and the church sending their Beyond Grade As to do such a thing… once they succeed, how will Black Star respond? Both civilizations are trying to promote infighting among Beyond Grade As. If successful, then the Meeting of the Gods will only exist in name…" Sorokin's mouth twisted up. "But I dare to boldly guess that the aim of the federation and the church is to leave just one or two of the Beyond Grade A allies alive from this operation, using this grudge to fuel their hatred."

Traveler frowned. "It can't be, right? The situation isn't that bad."

"Who knows? Throughout my long lifespan, I've awoken to a fact… that you should never believe you're irreplaceable to the Universal Civilizations."

Traveler stared at him before slowly saying, "Then, what about you? You're also a member of the Beyond Grade As, but you're not on the same front as them."

"Aren't you the same?"

"I'm justified, but you're a true neutral."

"Hehe, if I really have to give a reason, it's just that I don't like the idea of having an individual rule supreme. I'm a businessman, and I believe in having a collective entity. I believe only in the market."

Sorokin revealed an insincere smile.

"No matter how strong a Beyond Grade A is, they are still an individual. Only the diversification of civilizations will be able to make the cold universe flourish. Civilization is the cornerstone of society itself, the protagonist of the universe. Individuals outside these specifications are merely dispensable parts of our interstellar society. Getting rid of them might even make the world more peaceful and prosperous.

"The Beyond Grade As have too many privileges. If you do not know how to be satisfied with what you have, you will reach out to places that you should not touch, causing new turmoil in the universe. I don't want to see this, so the fewer Beyond Grade As in the universe, the better."

Traveler was a little surprised. "I always thought you only knew how to make money. To think you had such a side."

"You can think of me as a warden, responsible for the balance of the universe."

Sorokin turned around, and after a momentary pause, he added another sentence.

"… Of course, money still has to be earned."

Somewhere in the Emerald Star Cluster, Han Xiao was hiding in the mechanical workshop within his spaceship.

"Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy Carrier, Test #17."

A silver and red mechanical carrier stood on the test bench. The Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy cylindrical container was fixed on top of the mechanical body by four mechanical arms, connecting both the container and carrier with dense transmission wires.

Phillip sat on Han Xiao's shoulder, reporting, "The carrier has completed the self-diagnostics. Status is excellent. The state of Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy is currently well behaved, and the connection is stable. Should we begin the energy transfer?"

Han Xiao nodded. "Begin."

The instruments activated when he spoke, and the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy turned active, rushing into the mechanical carrier along the transmission wires.

Buzz!

The mechanical carrier jerked, its eyes lighting up with a red glow, becoming more and more glaring. Its body vibrated at a high frequency as it endured the load of the Primal Esper Ability Entity.

Han Xiao fully released his Mechanical Sense, staring closely at the carrier as he observed every detail.

In his eyes, the violent Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy was gradually being constrained by the carrier and had begun to fuse with the special conversion components within the body. The function of this component was similar to that of the host's cells to contain and refine the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy.

After a long period of time, the final speck of energy merged into the carrier.

Hu!

The carrier released a crimson colored shockwave, creating a gale in the room.

"Fusion complete. Synchronization rate is 72%. Compatibility, 75%. Load on the carrier is at 41%…" Phillip began reading out the results.

"Finally, it succeeded." Han Xiao's expression was joyful.

The carrier could not even perform the first step of fusion before, but now it had finally merged with the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy. While continuous optimization was required, this was a good start and could already be directly used in combat.

The creation of the carrier for the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy was different from that of the mechanical soldiers. Its technical requirements were extremely sophisticated, not only needing to integrate the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy but also to prevent it from seizing control of the body.

Fortunately, Han Xiao had obtained the cell sample of Evans, which spared him from a lot of detours.

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1046 Enemy Spotted

The mechanical carrier played a similar role as a host, accommodating the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy and using its own Psionic core to exert a force in order to drive the Primal Chaos' abilities. It did not need to start from scratch like ordinary human hosts and could directly exert a strong combat power.

The combat power was wholly dependent on the performance of the carrier, as well as its fusion rate with the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy. In simple terms, this situation was similar to that of EsGod—an inherently strong host would allow the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy to burst forth with its fullest strength.

However, the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy's main purpose was to provide energy, similar to a tool. It would be constrained within the carrier, and it would be the carrier itself or the artificial intelligence Sparta that controlled the body to fight instead.

Because this carrier was only the first prototype, there was still a lot of room for improvement, so Han Xiao did not turn it into an Apostle Weapon immediately.

"This model will be named [Mysterious Energy Host—First Generation]. I'll come out with a new code name when it becomes an Apostle Weapon."

Han Xiao was quite satisfied. He had a lot of skills that could increase the upper limit of his mechanical skills, so he still had vacancies to create Apostle Weapons.

"Noted, hum… The model name has been recorded, and its entry in the database is complete."

Han Xiao nodded. He then sized up the carrier carefully before saying, "How do you feel?"

The next moment, a mental fluctuation was released, and the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy said, "It's a little too cozy and uncomfortable. Give me a better carrier in the future."

"Relax, the model has already been created, and optimization will be a simple process." Han Xiao waved his hand casually.

"Humph, replace this carrier with a mechanical life form so that there will at least be someone to converse with me. Right now, I feel like I'm trapped within a prison." The Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy was grumbling nonstop.

Han Xiao suddenly recalled something and interrupted, "Oh yes, do you think it's possible if I were to split you into eight equal pieces to create a team of Mysterious Energy Hosts?"

"Don't even think about it!" The Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy immediately lashed out. "I won't allow you to mutilate my body! Ab! So! Lute! Ly! Not!"

"What an intense reaction. Is it unbearable for your senses?" Han Xiao was a little curious. He could not help but ask that upon thinking of EsGod.

"Humph, it's equivalent to you dismembering a person and that person having to watch others use his body parts as weapons, playing with his body at will. Furthermore, the pain inflicted on the parts will still be transmitted back to the brain, so you tell me whether this is good or not," the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy grumbled in dissatisfaction.

"Cough, treat it as I never mentioned it."

Thinking about it, Han Xiao realized that the scene was a little gruesome and coughed to hide his embarrassment. He pretended that nothing of the sort had been spoken.

Next, he tested the combat power of the First Generation Mysterious Energy Host, applying many scenarios that would require the usage of Esper Abilities. The results only left him with satisfaction.

As a Super High Risk Esper Ability, the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy definitely had a plethora of abilities. It could strengthen itself, radiate the powerful dual attributes of psychic and spatial energies, and fly at high speed. It could even shuttle through secondary dimensions and extract energy directly from the planetary cores.

Since it had yet to receive the bonuses offered by a mechanical life form and Apostle Weapon, its combat power was far lower than a Beyond Grade A, but once the Mysterious Energy Host turned into an Apostle Weapon, it would likely become the most capable existence among the Apostle Weapons. Even Psionic Prime, who had been continuously evolving for many years, might not be its opponent.

"As long as the optimization is completed, the Mysterious Energy Host will become my top fighter and might even defeat ordinary Beyond Grade As."

Obtaining another strong helper in battle left Han Xiao overjoyed.

At this moment, Phillip vibrated before saying, "Master, hum… There's news from Black Star Palace. A Beyond Grade A has come knocking."

"Who is it?" Han Xiao's eyes narrowed.

Since it was Black Star Palace, who would dare go and lay their hands on his home base?

This person's courage was really too great. With the resources he had poured into Black Star Palace, alongside the troops stationed there, one would require two Beyond Grade As to attack it in order to pose a threat.

"Uh, it's not an enemy. It's an ally of the dynasty, Silver Shadow."

Han Xiao immediately jerked to a stop, his expression a little puzzled.

Why did this guy come over to my base camp in secret to find me?

"Who's receiving him now? Did he mention his intentions?"

"Ames has received him. He came here with a gift and would like to request for an opportunity to use the Evolution Cube."

"So, that's what this is…" Han Xiao figured.

Previously, when he fought with Silver Shadow, he defeated him, thus robbing Silver Shadow of the chance to request to use the Evolution Cube. Thus, he had most likely been searching for bargaining chips that would allow him to do an exchange.

"What sort of presents did he bring for me?" Han Xiao was curious.

"It seems like he brought some rare blueprints and materials. I have no idea where he got them."

"Blueprints… that works."

Han Xiao had already decided to properly befriend this Uber, so when he asked about the bargaining chips, he had set the bar low. As long as he showed a favorable attitude, then he would lend Silver Shadow the Evolution Cube. In this regard, Han Xiao's style was to treat each individual differently. People like Heber who were always annoying him would not be able to borrow the Evolution Cube even if he gave the entire Bloodshed Land to him.

"What a coincidence, to come precisely when my true body is not in the base." Han Xiao tapped Phillip's round face with his finger. "So, where's the Throne now?"

"Reporting, it has almost arrived at Black Star Palace. The ETA is in a few hours, hum…" Phillip gurgled as he hugged Han Xiao's finger.

"Then let him converse up with Ames for the time being. I'll be there once the Throne has arrived."

With the King already crafted, Han Xiao had gotten his mechanical army to secretly transport the warp point 'Throne' as well as Evans back to their main camp, Black Star Palace. It had already been some time since they did so, and with the exclusive stargate passage of the Black Star Army, they took many shortcuts. They were already nearing Black Star Palace.

The moment the Throne arrived in his palace, he would be able to utilize the King to warp directly there. As long as he did not stay longer than three minutes, he would be able to re-activate the charge and return to his original position before the cooldown began.

At the same time, in the Army Commander's reception room in Black Star Palace, Silver Shadow placed both hands on his knees, sitting up straight, appearing cautious and polite.

And opposite him, Ames was seated on the main seat, one hand supporting her chin, while the other telekinetically brought three wine glasses to the table. She smiled. "No need to be polite. Let's have something to drink first."

By the side, Feidin smiled lightly. "Your Excellency Silver Shadow, the Army Commander has just gone to inspect the territories and will be back in a few hours. Please wait for a moment."

"Alright." Silver Shadow nodded before lifting the glass and emptying it.

Ames sized up Silver Shadow's gleaming body with some interest. "I heard from Black Star that you have good strength, and he's very optimistic about your potential."

"Thank you. I'm also deeply respectful of His Excellency Black Star." Silver Shadow hesitated for a while before continuing. "Actually, I have a question to ask…"

"What is it?" Ames lightly smiled as she lifted the glass to sip at her wine.

"Black Star is not here, but why is it you that is welcoming me?" Silver Shadow was a little hesitant as he spoke.

In his opinion, while the Black Star Army and Floating Dragon Island were allies, there was no need for them to replace each other to meet other Beyond Grade As. After all, the officers of the army were present, and the Dragon Emperor should be a guest. However, it seemed like she was treating this place like her house.

Unless… the rumors were true, that Black Star and the Dragon Emperor had… that sort of relationship?

"How is that surprising?" Ames raised a brow. "Black Star told me to come over to meet him, but he ended up going away, so of course I'm the one to welcome the Beyond Grade A guests instead."

Hearing this, Silver Shadow felt that there were a lot of hidden meanings within.

Such a natural tone… ha, the rumors were indeed true!

He had actually felt it strange at the start. Why would Ames come all the way from afar to visit Black Star Palace? But now it was all clear. If they really had such a relationship, it was no big deal for Black Star to call the Dragon Emperor over to spend some long and sleepless nights together.

Thinking about this made Silver Shadow subconsciously display an even more respectful attitude. While he was someone who did not enjoy small talk, he tried his best to accommodate Ames' requests.

After all, he had a request to ask of Black Star, and since a 'family member' had come out to greet him, it would be rude for him to snub them.

At the same time, in the Emerald Star Cluster, a spaceship flew over from the distance, slowly approaching the entrance of the Black Star Army's stronghold.

Seeing this, the defense force in outer space immediately separated two battleships, intercepting the ship and issuing a warning on the wide area channel.

"Visitor, please stop advancing and identify yourself!"

After the message was sent, the strange spaceship slowly switched off, hovering in outer space.

But the next moment, a tyrannical energy fluctuation burst out, and all energy detection radars in the entire stronghold instantly rang, sending out endless warning alarms.

Boom!

"Alert! Alert! High-energy fluctuations detected. The model is being matched… Match found. The source is determined to be an energy release from a Beyond Grade A!"

Swoosh!

A commotion erupted throughout the stronghold, and the fleet in outer space immediately gathered. The cannons on the ground also raised their muzzles toward the air, locking onto the spaceship, and a large number of battleships rose into the air. The stronghold instantly entered a state of combat.

The next moment, the figure of Tolaen appeared on the wide area channel, laughing arrogantly as his entire body blazed with Demonfire.

"Ahahahaha… Hila! I'm here to get my revenge! Last time, I was beaten by you, but today, I shall wash away my humiliation. Do you dare fight me once more!"

As he spoke, his Beyond Grade A aura slammed against the stronghold.

In the training room, Hila suddenly opened her eyes, her gaze cold.

The warning from Han Xiao a while ago reappeared on her mind, which made her more cautious in dealing with matters.

Seeing that the defeated person had actually come looking for another battle with her, she thought to herself, What a fraud… does he really take me for a fighting idiot?

At this moment, the Vice Commander contacted her.

"Your Excellency Hila, he's challenging you. What should we do?"

Hila had an indifferent expression, blandly replying, "What does the army manual say about how to deal with an enemy that's close to the stronghold? Do I still need to teach you? Just because the other party is a Beyond Grade A, you suddenly do not know what to do. What's the use of having you around?"

The Vice Commander shrank his neck. "I… I understand."

Being surrounded in the starry sky by battleships, Tolaen patiently waited after sending out his battle request. He sneered to himself. With Hila's character as a fighting nut, there's a high probability she will agree. Kasuyi and the rest are hiding in the vicinity. As long as I lead her over whilst pretending to fight with her, we can complete this ambush.

Just as he was planning his movements, he found out that his vision was gradually brightening.

Tolaen looked up in a hurry, only to see that the Black Star Army fleet surrounding him had begun to open fire without any greetings.

The light of countless energy cannons filled his vision!

Tolaen's expression paled.

F*ck me, you're not following the script at all!

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Boom!

The spaceship that was targeted turned into dust in an instant. Under the attacks of countless spaceships, not a single remnant could escape the fate of being completely annihilated. Not a scrap of the wreckage remained.

Not far away, an unstable transportation door opened, and Tolaen staggered out from it with fear.

Fortunately, he had prepared a teleportation spell long ago and dodged the attacks at the last moment. Otherwise, it would have been way too shameful for him to be heavily damaged before the fight even began.

"Shameless! Firing at me without saying anything at all!" Tolaen was both shocked and furious.

Who in the world would not even give any face at all in the event of a visit or request to spar between two Beyond Grade As‽

Even though I did indeed come to challenge you, isn't it too ill-mannered for you to start firing at me immediately without even saying a word‽

To him, even if the two Beyond Grade As had beef with each other and one went to challenge the other, they would at least be polite to each other on the surface.

We're all very important people with reputations to uphold. How can you just blast me away like that‽ What happened to the courtesy between Beyond Grade As‽ I'm not the only one that'll lose face for this, you will too!

At this time, Hila's voice appeared on the public channel.

"You've lost to me. Those I surpass will never have the chance to catch up. I have no interest in fighting you again."

Tolaen was instantly enraged by what Hila said. He thought he was arrogant enough, but Hila was even more arrogant than him.

After his expression changed a few times, he decided to put up with it for the time being.

"Humph, I have a mission to do, so I won't argue with you. You're already a dead woman anyway."

Tolaen snorted in his mind before activating a magical communication rune to contact his teammates who had set up an ambush somewhere else.

"Guys, our judgment was wrong. Hila did not accept the challenge and fall for the trap. She even shamelessly ordered her fleet to attack me instantly. The plan to lure her away won't work. Let's carry out a forced attack. At least we now know for sure that she's in the stronghold."

Very soon, Sagman's reply came through the magical communication rune.

"Okay, change of plan, start the forced attack! Tolaen, share your vision with us. Taylor, open the teleportation gate and attack the stargate. Also, prestart the spacetime stabilization device. Make sure that Hila has nowhere to run after we arrive and that everything goes according to plan."

Hila went all the way to the command room of the stronghold and looked at the image on the surveillance screen, where Tolaen was barely dodging the attacks from her fleet.

"Still not leaving, he must be up to something."

Hila frowned slightly, hesitated for a moment, and took out the communicator to send Han Xiao a message. She wanted to discuss this with Han Xiao.

However, the next moment, she intuitively felt an extremely strong sense of danger, piercing deep into her back and almost freezing her bones.

Hila's expression changed slightly as she looked up. She sensed a few Fixed Star sized energy sources suddenly appear nearby.

"Alarm! Alarm! High energy source detected!"

"Alarm! Alarm! Stargate is being attacked. Requesting reinforcements!"

The image on the screen changed, showing a magical teleportation gate suddenly appearing beside the stargate station afar and two people walking out of it. It was Taylor and Sagman.

The two of them started attacking immediately before the defense fleet could launch emergency fire. Tons of summoned monsters swarmed out and restrained the defense fleet, while countless arcane beams and shockwaves destroyed one stargate. The surprise attack was effective.

Beside Tolaen, another enormous teleportation gate appeared, and mechanical troops flowed out like a tide, quickly spreading out. The three at the front were Kasuyi's doppelganger, 'Desolate Beast' Mercer, and 'Mechanical Catastrophe' Francisco's Lord's Avatar, who was controlling this mechanical army.

Kasuyi and Mercer had known each other for a very long time, while Francisco was a direct member of the Arcane Church. His situation was rather unique, as his main body had always been serving a sentence in the Arcane Church's prison and was not usually allowed to go anywhere. The Arcane Church would only let him join battles using his Lord's Avatar when they needed his power, and the contributions he made would shorten his sentence.

His crime was related to his nickname, Mechanical Catastrophe. He had once caused a catastrophe that was machinery related. At the same time, this nickname was also a recognition of his strength. He was a Mechanic of the Energy Branch who had special talents. The cost of enhancing his machinery using his Mechanical Force was drastically lower than Mechanics of the same Grade, and the range of it was much larger. This meant that he could enhance a much larger army of machines compared to others.

Mechanical Catastrophe Francisco was there to deal with the fleet of the army stronghold, as well as to restrain Black Star's mechanical army that was stationed there. Otherwise, the few Beyond Grade As would have to waste a lot of energy dealing with the fleets.

As soon as he arrived, Mechanical Catastrophe immediately started controlling his mechanical army to clash with the fleet of this stronghold.

With the sudden arrival of enemies, the stronghold fleet's response was late for some time but quickly adjusted. The battle instantly entered the climax.

Mechanical Catastrophe's army also brought along several spacetime stabilization devices, wormhole restriction devices, and so on. They were all activated, stabilizing the spacetime of this area. Even teleportation spells could no longer be used.

Seeing this, Hila's expression became grave.

The enemies were well prepared, six Beyond Grade As including powerful ones like Kasuyi…

Do they want to kill me this much?

Despite how proud Hila was, her heart still shivered for a second.

Is this what Black Star faced back then?

No, this might be worse. It's almost a certain death situation.

However, her mindset was only shaken for an instant before she suppressed the negative emotions and turned them into the fighting will, making her feel as if all the blood in her body was boiling.

Boom!

The next second, Hila tore the ceiling open and flew right into the sky. She clenched her teeth and charged toward the few Beyond Grade As in outer space who were locking on to her.

During the charge, she released death energy continuously, which turned into a bright red cloud.

Seeing this, Red Devil, Desolate Beast, and Mechanical Catastrophe's Lord's Avatar dove down at the same time, quickly got past the defense fleet that was restrained, and clashed with Hila.

Boom!

A circle of red shockwaves exploded!

The scarlet cloud formed by death energy dissipated, and the red meteor fell toward the ground at an even greater speed than before.

Boom!

After crashing large areas of bases and leaving a rift-like trail behind, Hila was finally able to stop herself. Her surroundings were filled with dust.

"Ahem…"

Hila helped herself up with a fierce look in her eyes, casually wiped away the blood dripping from her nose, and stared at the three people in the sky.

Clearly, she could not fight the three of them head-on and was blasted away immediately.

At this time, a black tide rose into the sky not far from the stronghold and quickly approached. It was the mechanical army Han Xiao had placed there, and at the front was his Lord's Avatar.

However, the next instant, an ethereal voice appeared in everyone's mind.

"Black Star, your opponent is me."

With a flash of light, Kasuyi's doppelganger stood in the path of Han Xiao's mechanical army. He raised one hand and flipped it so that his palm was facing down.

Boom!

All the mechanical troops were instantly pressed onto the ground. Only the Lord's Avatar was still standing, surrounded by bright Mechanical Force, barely hanging on.

"Although these are machines and mental attacks that I'm best at won't be effective, I'm quite good at Psychic control too," Kasuyi's doppelganger said with a calm tone. He raised his hand and pushed forward.

A psychic wall appeared across thousands of miles and charged forward. All the buildings and machinery in its path were pushed away and pressed against it.

Some of the mechanical troops tried to attack the invisible psychic wall, but it was as if Kasuyi's energy was infinite. Even though cracks kept showing up on the wall under the attacks, he easily patched them up in no time.

The advance of the psychic wall seemed unstoppable. It wiped away a large area of the planet surface like an eraser. Countless pieces of debris from buildings and machines were pushed away from the planet's surface and into outer space.

Other than the Lord's Avatar and some highly mobile mechanical soldiers that backed away, the rest of the mechanical army were all pushed off the planet and away from the battlefield, only able to form a formation again in the cosmic space.

At the same time, Kasuyi's avatar followed them over and stopped in front of Han Xiao.

"Such powerful psychic powers." Han Xiao's Lord's Avatar's eyes sparkled.

"I can absorb energy from the Void Dimension, so my Psychic energy is infinite. In terms of energy volume, only the Federation of Light's Oulou might be able to match up to me," Kasuyi said coldly. "I heard you have the blood of the Void Race too. When your God's Trait Transformation reaches a certain point, you might awaken a power like this."

Han Xiao's Lord's Avatar looked around at the entire battlefield.

At this point, the planet stronghold could be divided into three battlefields.

First, there was Hila fighting Red Devil, Desolate Beast, and Mechanical Catastrophe, in which she was completely overpowered. It was too difficult for Hila to fight three of them at the same time, and she looked like she could be defeated and killed at any moment. However, Han Xiao knew what she was capable of. Although Hila would not be able to beat the three of them, she would be able to hold on for a short period. After all, her life-steal ability was quite powerful. Plus, her ability to reduce the enemy's lifespan would make the three of them fight more carefully and not dare to exchange blows.

Second was the large-scale army battle between the mechanical army controlled by Mechanical Catastrophe and the defense fleet of the stronghold. It was a very intense battle. The defense fleet's goal was to help Hila, while the Mechanical Catastrophe's army's goal was to restrain them.

The third and the last battlefield was Sagman and Taylor attacking the stargate stations to cut off Hila's path of escape and prevent reinforcements from arriving. When the two of them destroyed all the stargates, they would join the fight against Hila, and Hila would not be able to hold on any longer.

Han Xiao's Lord's Avatar wanted to stop the two of them, but the distance between the stargate and the stronghold planet was quite far, so he could not make it.

Furthermore, with the mechanical army he had there, he might not even be able to break away from Kasuyi. His largest mechanical army and the Apostle Weapons were all with his main body and were rushing there, but they would take some time to arrive.

This isn't looking very good… Han Xiao narrowed his eyes and looked at Kasuyi.

"Are you sure you want to keep me here?"

With an expressionless face, Kasuyi sent Han Xiao a unidirectional psychic message, saying slowly, "This Lord's Avatar of yours has to stay here with me."

He emphasized the words 'Lord's Avatar'.

Han Xiao observed Kasuyi's emotions. Suddenly, he had an idea. He controlled his Lord's Avatar and his mechanical army and charged toward Kasuyi.

Kasuyi was a Psychic, but not only did he not back off, he instead charged toward the Lord's Avatar and fought with it at melee range. The battle was very 'intense'. It looked like they had very deeply rooted hatred for each other.

The mechanical army around fired nonstop, which looked very accurate but actually barely hit Kasuyi at all.

Kasuyi did not stop this from happening and let these attacks land on the battlefield between Hila and three enemies behind him, occasionally stopping their attacks, forcing them to dodge and give Hila more chances.

At the same time, the mechanical army spread out, trying to get past Kasuyi. Kasuyi symbolically controlled his psychic wall to stop them, but the strength of it at some places was visibly weakened and was easily torn apart as the mechanical soldiers passed through the wall.

It looked like Kasuyi's doppelganger was forced to fight Black Star at close range and could not maintain his psychic wall at full power, leading to some of Black Star's mechanical army breaking away and heading in Hila's direction.

Han Xiao finally confirmed that this guy was deliberately doing this.

Why is he helping me?

Han Xiao suddenly had a flash of insight and softly whispered the code words in the unidirectional mind link.

"Meeting of the Gods? Acting?"

"Focus, acting."

Han Xiao immediately felt assured.

Damn, the opponent's boss is an actor!

He had already requested reinforcements from the dynasty. Although the stargates at the stronghold might be destroyed, the dynasty's reinforcements could still go to the nearest stargate. They would not be able to arrive right away, but it would not take too much longer.

The church has made its move, so there might be others waiting for an opportunity. I shall wait for the reinforcements and my main body to arrive first, Han Xiao thought.

With Kasuyi's 'help', some of the mechanical army successfully arrived at Hila's battlefield to support her. Once enhanced with Han Xiao's Mechanical Force, these mechanical soldiers were very powerful. Despite their low quantity, Tolaen and the others could not ignore them.

With help having arrived, Hila was relieved. The situation became much better, and she did not have to fight solely on her own anymore.

Her death energy, which had the ability to reduce one's life span, made Tolaen and Mercer very afraid. Usually, they were both tank-type fighters, but Mechanical Catastrophe's Lord's Avatar was the one taking on the role of the tank.

The fragile mechanical body had to endure pressure that was not supposed to be bestowed on this class. 'Mechanical Catastrophe' Francisco was completely speechless seeing how these two muscular men, Tolaen and Mercer, fought so cowardly.

Come on guys, try harder! I'm not Black Star. My Lord's Avatar isn't that tanky, okay‽

"Sh*t, Kasuyi's letting enemies pass on his side. Is Black Star's avatar so tough to deal with?" Mercer was surprised.

"After all, it's Kasuyi's doppelganger that's here, and he just used a powerful attack earlier to divide the battlefield, so it's normal for him not to be at full power." Francisco's tone was calm. "What's surprising is how strong Black Star is. Not only is he fighting Kasuyi head-on, but he's still able to use Virtual Intrusion on my troops at the same time."

On the other side, just as 'Red Devil' Tolaen was about to speak, his shield was suddenly shattered by cannon fire, and he was hit by one of Hila's death energy shockwaves.

Tolaen could not help but look at Kasuyi far away, who was in the middle of an 'intense battle', then complained in his mind, My life span's been shortened again…

"W-what's going on‽"

In the fleet outside the stronghold, the army players inside the battleships were stupefied by this sudden event.

Although many players had already formed or joined guilds and were moving in the free competition zone as subsidiary organizations, there were also some players who chose to move along with the main fleet of the army.

Due to the faction war order that the army had recently announced, many players had gathered in this stronghold at the frontlines and chosen this to be their temporary main city to form teams and pursue the players of enemy factions.

Unexpectedly, while they were enjoying their time in the stronghold, this place was suddenly attacked by multiple Beyond Grade As and became a battlefield of eight Beyond Grade As!

What's going on? Aren't Beyond Grade A all very difficult to see?

Have we… run into another huge event‽

Many players thought of the Planet Lighthouse event in the previous version and quickly started to record the battle, trying their best to capture the Beyond Grade As.

"This might be a huge event of this version! We're here to witness it!"

"Quickly, record it. I have a feeling that this will lead to something big!"

Many players had their fill of being rubberneckers and were very excited.

Hasty footsteps came closer and closer.

Bang!

The gate of the reception room was rammed open. Ames, Silver Shadow, and Feidin, who were chattering in the room, looked toward the gate. It was Aurora, who quickly ran in with an anxious expression.

"Teacher, bad news!"

"What happened?" Ames asked.

"My… my sister is being attacked by the Arcane Church. They've sent many Beyond Grade As to kill her. I saw it through our mental link!"

"What‽"

Ames immediately stood up. Her Force Field erupted and blew away the furniture around her.

After training together for more than a decade, she already had a strong bond with Hila. Once she heard that her student was in a dire situation, Ames was enraged.

At this time, a virtual screen appeared in the room. It was a call from a management officer.

"Your Excellency Ames, Your Excellency Feidin, there's a situation. A Beyond Grade A has arrived at Black Star Palace. He calls himself the Traveler, and he has challenged the Army Commander by name. How should we deal with this?"

"Tell him that His Excellency Black Star isn't here," Feidin replied.

"Er… he said that if Black Star isn't here, he'll fight his Lord's Avatar."

"Tell him, Black Star is very busy now and has no time to fight him."

"… Your Excellency Feidin, he said that he won't waste this trip here. If he can't fight Black Star, he can challenge Her Excellency Dragon Emperor too… He's refusing to leave. He's a Mage, so it'll be very difficult to chase him away without using special means."

Feidin frowned and was about to reply.

Ames patted his shoulder, interrupting him, and frowned. "This person did not come with friendly intentions. He probably has some ulterior motives, which might be related to what's happening to Hila. I'll test him. Tell him that I'll accept the challenge."

Hearing this, Silver Shadow, who had been silent, felt that this was a great opportunity to gain a favor—if he helped Black Star's family, he would probably benefit a ton from it.

He approached and said, "Your Excellency Ames, how about I take the challenge?"

"How can we let our guest help us in matters like this? Feidin, take Silver Shadow to the watchtower to observe the battle."

Ames waved and rejected him. She then turned around and walked out of the room with large strides, her skirt swaying like a black flower.

Her tall back disappeared from everyone's sights, only leaving her voice behind.

"Don't worry, I'm not that easy to deal with."

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