Hegemons Gather

Besides these major powers, Lister's statement has also spread to other cosmic powers.

The newly promoted World-Ending Level powerhouse and the brand-new force have an explosive impact on the universe.

"Severely injured Curtis with a single blow!?"

"Is your information correct?"

On an extremely cold planet, a colossal throne sculpted from eternal ice floats in the heart of a blizzard.

A man clad in ice armor leaned back on the throne, his pale, bone-white fingers tapping lightly on the armrests. Each touch caused the ice crystals in the air to condense into dazzling diamond dust.

He was holding a cup of "Winter's Drink" in his hand. As soon as it entered his mouth, the condensation froze into beautiful icicles between his lips and teeth, which he then crushed and swallowed.

The subordinate standing nearby was cautiously giving a definite reply.

"My lord, there can be no mistake!"

"The intelligence from several major powers is consistent with ours."

"I heard that a total of six World Annihilation experts were present that day!"

"Six world -World Annihilation?"

"This is a rare sight, one that has been seen only once in thousands of years."

"What's the name of that newly World Annihilation? Where does it live?"

A servant poured another glass of fresh iced drink for the patient.

He was silently calculating on his face, and unsurprisingly, he wanted to get closer to Lister.

Only those who become the Hegemon in the vast universe realize how difficult it is for Hegemon to grow stronger.

In fact, the entire universe's power structure is built around the seven super powers.

The more one desires rare resources, the more one must align oneself with these major super powers.

However... even if a typical Hegemon wants to align itself with these super powers, the other party may not necessarily acknowledge it or be willing to be driven by it.

Now that a new World Annihilation power has emerged, a new super power will inevitably be established.

In this early stage, it is a good time for many Hegemon who want to continue to advance to actively seek refuge.

"His name is Lister Merrick, and he's currently in the Milky Way Galaxy."

After his subordinate finished speaking, the man in ice armor on the throne frowned.

That name... it sounds familiar.

The Milky Way Galaxy...? That place where a madman is trying to blow up his own galaxy?

Lister?

No way!

As if he had just thought of something, the man suddenly sat up straight from his throne.

With a single finger pointing in front of him, a flawless ice surface instantly appeared before his eyes.

The next moment, the ice surface sent a communication message to the Eternal Sea of Trees.

The connection was quickly established.

"Qingteng..."

"That newcomer at the last Hegemon Conference..."

Before the words were even finished, the Lord of Qingteng on the other side had already given a reply.

"It's Lord Lister."

"This... how is this possible!?"

Indeed, the man in ice armor on the throne was also a member of the last Council of Hegemon.

Ewaer, the Extreme Cold Hegemon.

After the last meeting of Hegemon in the Eternal Sea of Trees ended unhappily, he naturally investigated the newcomers who had joined the meeting that day.

He was, after all, a newcomer who had slain the Hegemon of Yatke.

However, the investigation was eventually dropped after it was discovered that the Hegemon in the Milky Way Galaxy.

He knew the Milky Way Galaxy well, as well as the strange galaxies nearby.

It is highly enclosed, and the Hegemon Tier beings inside far surpass those in ordinary star systems.

Fortunately, their overall combat strength was not strong, and they hardly communicated with the outside world, so he eventually stopped paying attention to them.

"Was Lister really that person from that day...?"

"He only recently broke through to the World- World Annihilation...?"

In fact, Ewaer hadn't accepted it yet.

The newcomer who originally attended the same Hegemon conference as him... has actually... transformed...

"Not..."

"Lord Lister had already reached the level of World Annihilation when he attended the Hegemon Conference that day!"

The Lord of Qingteng no longer hides anything.

Lister's fame is now spreading throughout the universe.

It cannot be hidden, nor is it necessary to hide it.

"You... you! Why didn't you say anything that day?"

Ewaer was immediately furious upon hearing this.

For a meeting of these Hegemon from remote star systems, to have even one World-Ending Level powerhouse attend...

If only he could have connected with Lister back then... now...

"I initiated this meeting, and I informed everyone beforehand that they could choose to remain anonymous or reveal their identities."

"Besides, you ultimately rejected the alliance proposal that day, so what's there to say!?"

Looking at Ewaer in front of him, Qingteng smiled faintly.

Her emotions have always been relatively stable, and she is not easily disturbed by external affairs.

But today, I can't help but feel the pleasure that Ewaer derives from this regret.

"I agree! I agree now!"

"When is the next Hegemon Conference? I'd love to attend!"

Ewaer's attitude can change in an instant.

In the past, any decision made by Overlord Tier power required careful consideration.

But today, Ewaer is acting without the slightest hesitation.

Lister is not just someone who has just entered the World-Ending Level; he can even severely injure Curtis with a single strike.

Given his strength, this Hegemon, who couldn't align himself with any superpower, naturally chose to align himself without hesitation.

"There are no more Hegemon conferences!"

"Our Eternal Sea of Trees has followed Lister. You can discuss the rest yourself in the Milky Way Galaxy."

Having said that, the Lord of Qingteng disappeared from the screen.

Only Ewaer, sitting on his throne, crushed his wine glass in his hand with a grim expression, diamond-like ice shards falling from between his fingers.

Staring at the off screen of the communicator, a storm raged in his icy blue pupils.

"They're nothing more than servants of the Tree of Eternity..."

"His abilities are just average. He begged me to come back then, but now he's acting all high and mighty with me!"

"Damn... I'm so lucky!"

Despite his words, Ewaer's envy was beyond words.

He turned and gave orders to his subordinates.

"Prepare the shuttle."

I want to go to the Milky Way Galaxy myself.

The subordinate looked up in surprise, some of them wanting to dissuade him.

"My lord, Lord Lister is still at war with the Void Corridor..."

"If we join... I'm afraid..."

That's why we need to go now!

Ewaer stood up, his armor, sculpted from eternal ice, clanging crisply.

"Once Lister's power is truly established, we won't even be qualified to have an audience with him."

"Besides, it's just Void Corridor, what's there to be afraid of!"

"The Church of the End will definitely escalate the war, and this presents an opportunity for us!"

On the other side of the universe, Lister stood on the observatory of Merrick Castle.

The area around Merrick Castle is now entirely designated a restricted zone.

A screen appeared in front of Lister, showing Hoffman and Kavin arguing about something.

"The garrison in the Gray Domain Galaxy must be no less than three army groups."

Hoffman pointed to the star map and said, "The Emerald Royal Court will never easily give up those resource points."

Kavin shook his head, disagreeing with Hoffman's opinion.

"They are not interested in Ancient Machine Civilizations Ancient Machine Civilization, and even if they don't give up on them, they won't focus on them."

"But they won't give up the opportunity to observe us! There's even a good chance that this kind of localized small-scale war could break out!"

Hoffman was ultimately better able to think about problems from the perspective of the vast universe.

Nowadays, everyone has already tested and become aware of some of the unspoken rules.

Among the most powerful forces in the universe, the level at which they take action is that of Overlord Tier.

Furthermore, no one cares about the outbreak of various local wars; they just fight, and whoever loses suffers the consequences.

The Emerald Royal Court doesn't seem like the type to follow the rules.

Lister did not participate in their discussion at the time.

His gaze pierced through the castle's transparent dome and landed in the depths of the distant starry sky.

Of course, he was actually observing his own game panel, and as players advanced and various activities were held, his experience points began to soar again.

Even if players rely solely on themselves, it would take a considerable amount of time to reach level 240, the maximum level for the Fourth Advancement.

At the same time, what he was most curious about was whether there would be Fifth Advancement after the Fourth Advancement.

"Grown ups."

Sariel's voice came through the communicator.

"The Seventh Central Army reports that another unfamiliar reconnaissance ship has been spotted on the outskirts of the star system."

The holographic projection unfolds automatically, revealing an unfamiliar fleet approaching the Merrick Star Region.

The fleet was entirely ice-blue, with the emblem of the Extreme Cold Galaxy engraved on its bow.

Lister shut down the projection of his conversation with Hoffman and waved gently at Sariel.

"Let them in. Send them all to the Third Governing Star."

The orbital ring of the Third Governing Star was now like a boiling furnace, with shuttles from seventeen star systems crowding the quarantine port area.

Naz stood in front of the holographic observation screen, his speechless, twitching mouth reflected in the reinforced glass.

Those oddly shaped ships are completely blocking the quarantine channels.

There were Zerg warships covered in biological carapaces, and crystal spaceships embedded with stellar cores.

The most outrageous one is the "Frost Ark" pieced together from frozen soil blocks, which is currently shedding ice fragments amidst the overload alarms of its thrusters.

He came from a remote star system, but thanks to Reck's care, he has now stayed and is working within the Merrick Civilization.

"The seventh connection point is 300% overloaded!"

Colonel Reck's nephew's voice came through a special chip in his ear.

Only then did Naz breathe a sigh of relief, though he couldn't help but mutter a complaint.

"Are these really here to surrender? I feel like... some of these star systems look more like interstellar refugees..."

"Uncle, it's just a difference in aesthetics between different galaxies."

"The same applies to different civilizations within our own star systems."

Reck smiled faintly and shook his head to explain.

They then hurried to the pick-up point to escort the new VIP guests to the Galactic Council Center.

The so-called heavyweight class naturally refers to the Overlord Tier of powerhouses.

Aside from the great war in the Milky Way, Reck had never seen so many Overlord Tier powerhouses.

Moreover, during that great battle, he only observed from afar, focusing his main energy on the battlefield.

Now, he is personally getting up close and personal with the other party.

Some powerful individuals were even willing to speak with him.

How many guests have visited your galaxy recently?

Ewaer, clad in ice armor, asked Reck calmly.

He had anticipated the current state of the Merrick Civilization in the Milky Way Galaxy, especially in its core region.

Fortunately, he received the news quickly; otherwise, with so many forces involved, if he had been a few days later, he might have missed the opportunity.

"My lord, there are the Lord of the Inferno Galaxy, the Crimson Archbishop of the Blood Magic Church, and the Archbishop of Southcas of the Mechanic Church..."

The aura of Overlord Tier was faintly revealed beside him.

Even though he knew that this Hegemon had already restrained himself, the chill emanating from him still pierced his body, making him feel a bone-chilling cold.

"Hmph! They're quick on their feet!"

Ewaer's face flashed with disdain. Most of the forces that Reck mentioned were those from the Hegemon conference that Yuan Qingteng had invited.

The rest are all Overlord Tier forces that even Qingteng wouldn't consider worth their attention.

We finally entered the waiting room, which was already full of familiar faces.

"Ewaer, I didn't expect you to be here too!"

The old man who spoke was dressed in a blood-red robe and held a huge, dark red book in his hand.

He was also one of the strongest members of the Hegemon Council from the original Qingteng.

"Since you're here, how could I not come?"

Ewaer looked around and finally sat down next to the old man.

"I felt that this Lister was extraordinary during that meeting."

"A mere rank 20 was enough to kill Yatke."

The old man quietly chatted with Ewaer about Lister.

Countless auras were already surrounding them, probing each other.

The many Hegemon present actually harbored considerable animosity towards each other.

The reason they gathered here was simply to align themselves with Lister's new faction.

Otherwise... given the situation, a huge uproar would have already broken out.

Not long after the conversation began, emerald-green vines suddenly rose from the floor of the circular hall.

The figure of the Lord of Qingteng solidified from the branches, the wood grain at his neck gleaming with a dark gold hue.

"Lord Lister is on his way. Please wait a moment."

As soon as the Lord of Qingteng finished speaking, a unique aura emanated from the hall, plunging the entire circular hall into silence.

The Hegemon figures who had been whispering amongst themselves immediately lowered their voices and turned their gazes to the center of the hall.

An invisible pressure permeated the air, along with the convergence of more than a dozen Overlord Tier perceptions, as if even the space itself was trembling slightly.

Standing in the corner, feeling the oppressive atmosphere, Reck couldn't help but break out in a fine sweat on his forehead.

He never imagined that one day he would witness so many Overlord Tier gathered together, let alone that they would wait for one person with such respect.

Suddenly, the light in the hall dimmed abruptly, as if swallowed by some force.

Immediately afterwards, an intense killing intent reverberated throughout the hall.

Sensing the threat of this murderous intent, everyone's expression turned serious.

Fortunately, in the next instant, the killing intent began to gather, converging towards the center point and condensing into Crimson crystal of killing intent.

These crystals continuously condensed and shattered, eventually outlining a slender silhouette on the ground.

Lister's figure was ultimately formed from these killing intents, the Shadowless Blade silently hanging at his waist, the killing intent crystals wrapped around the hilt emitting a faint red light.

However, his application of his own Killing Intent Wave and killing intent crystals allows him to move through the killing intent crystals.

Of course, the movement speed is too slow, not as good as Flash, but it is just an alternative understanding of the Crystallization of Killing Intent.

At that moment, Lister's gaze calmly swept over every Hegemon present.

The invisible pressure caused everyone to unconsciously hold their breath.

Even a long-established Hegemon like Ewaer felt a slight chill at this moment.

This is a World-Ending Level powerhouse capable of severely injuring Curtis with a single strike!

"Thank you for coming all this way, everyone. You must be tired."

Lister's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears, as if it were resounding directly in their minds.