Players Request an Audience

Xavier's judgment surprised even Lister.

He was, after all, the chief archbishop of the Church of the End, and also the most powerful being implicitly acknowledged in this universe.

This judgment is indeed accurate; they can even determine whether it's an alien universe merging into their own.

At this moment, the dozen or so World Annihilation present couldn't help but nod in agreement.

Although a great war is imminent, everyone is able to remain calm for the time being regarding the invasion and fusion of the alien universe.

At least as it is today, none of these World Annihilation forces have shown any signs of taking action; they have simply expressed their opinions on this spectacle together.

"Based on current assessments, this universe is likely not very powerful."

Sailianna continuously sensed this fused singularity.

The conflict and integration of higher-dimensional energies were displayed with unparalleled clarity before everyone.

"However, we cannot rule out the strength of an individual entity within that universe. I suggest we join forces to shut it down."

Lister hadn't expected that Sailianna would be the one holding a conservative opinion.

After all, the Emerald Royal Court's style is anything but conservative, quite different from her attitude as its leader.

At the same time, he also truly understood the contract he had signed with the mastermind, including the real reason for the difficulties of the Fifth Advancement mission.

Emotions are a defense against these World Annihilation, preventing the merging of the two universes.

The powerful Killing Intent Wave as it was carefully sensed by the ever-expanding singularity.

According to Lister's assessment, the player's Mastermind Universe is at a disadvantage in terms of energy levels between the two universes.

They wanted to actively integrate, but were not accepted by this universe.

Some spacetime rules are constantly linked, but the majority are rejected.

This is an unconscious game between two fundamental cosmic entities.

Therefore, the one who can truly change or determine whether this fusion can continue is the World Annihilation powerhouse of their universe.

As the strongest top-tier combat force in a single universe, they lack the conditions to initiate cosmic fusion, but they certainly have the ability to interrupt and prevent the fusion process.

"Void Spirit, have you ever traveled through this universe? What are your thoughts?"

Sailianna turned her gaze to the Lord of Void Spirits.

As the only beings in the current universe who can freely travel to other worlds based on their talents, they are the few World Annihilation of the Void Corridor.

Even Overlord Tier beings can travel to other universes, and their combat power originates from those other universes.

They seem to have more say in this matter.

"I'm not familiar with the atmosphere of this universe; I probably haven't explored it before."

"However... just like you said, Sailianna, the strength of the universe itself cannot measure the strength of the individuals within it."

"Among the worlds I've explored, there are several where the universe itself isn't powerful, but the individual entities within it are exceptionally strong."

"I suggest that there's no need to merge the other universe into ours."

The situation was starting to look bad, and Lister was starting to get anxious.

If things continue like this, with so many different opinions on World Annihilation reaching a consensus, it will be difficult for him to smoothly integrate the Mastermind Universe.

Unless... war really breaks out ahead of schedule, preventing the various factions from freeing up manpower to come here.

Or perhaps he should seize the opportunity as soon as possible and eliminate these World Annihilation one by one.

If they weren't under a combined attack, Lister would be confident that he could annihilate these World Annihilation forces one by one.

"You make it sound so easy."

Fortunately, a different opinion emerged at this moment, from Binn, the leader of the Crimson Covenant.

The opinions regarding the Emerald Royal Court and the Void Corridor were met with outright rejection.

"The more universes we merge with, the more resources we'll receive."

"It gives us, as a group, more opportunities to grow and thrive."

"Benjamin, your Void Clan can travel to other universes and has access to resources from other dimensions, so naturally you don't want to take this risk."

"Sailianna, does your Emerald Royal Court really think the Seed of Eternity is already yours?"

The reasons for the refusal from both sides were stated directly and clearly.

The Void Clan doesn't need to take this risk, or rather, restrict the resources of their own universe. Their greater potential lies in growing and developing in other universes.

The Emerald Royal Court, too, likely seeks to gain Power of the Plane through the Seed of Eternity.

They are not happy about the merging with other universes.

For a moment, several people's eyes turned to Lister.

After all, as Binn said, the Seed of Eternity has not yet been acquired by the Emerald Royal Court.

The exact moment of his birth was known to Lister beforehand.

The one who possesses the Seed of Eternity is Lister's Machine-Slaying Federation.

"I agree with Binn."

"Since this universe isn't very powerful, we should let the other side try to integrate into it."

"Regardless of whether the Seed of Eternity exists, having more resources in our universe is a good thing for everyone."

Lister immediately took the opportunity of Binn's words to express his opinion.

The atmosphere suddenly became awkward.

After all, Lister, who possessed the Seed of Eternity, held completely opposite views to his rival Emerald Royal Court.

Moreover, to some extent, Lister's current perspective is much broader than that of the Emerald Royal Court.

Even though the Eternal Night Royal Court and the Spirit Remains Star Abyss have already sided with the Emerald Royal Court.

However, they still have their own judgment and attitude regarding resources.

The Lord of Spirit Remains and King Soren exchanged a glance and immediately made a decision.

Or rather, they would still do the simplest cost-benefit analysis.

The only thing that needs to be considered is the opinion of the Emerald Royal Court.

"I believe it's acceptable to allow other universes to integrate."

King Soren also made a direct statement, looking at Sailianna with a rather serious expression.

Their Eternal Night Royal Court only chose the Emerald Royal Court because of the powerful alliance of the Church of the End.

It was never a vassal of the Emerald Royal Court; it was merely a warlord who could be considered the counterpart to the more powerful one.

But when it comes to such interests, they won't listen to the Emerald Royal Court.

"Benjamin, stop using isolated examples."

"The strength of a universe is generally consistent with the strength of an individual universe."

"We, Spirit Remains Star Abyss, are willing to take this risk."

After a series of statements, Lister's mood calmed down considerably.

Fortunately, for the time being, most of the World Annihilation forces share his opinion.

Or rather, everyone is eagerly anticipating all the benefits that the upcoming alien universe will bring, including more resources and barriers.

As for the relative risks...

Lister knew perfectly well that the individual strength of this merged universe was astonishingly weak...

The players are just ordinary people in their own universe, without any extraordinary characteristics.

On the contrary, in their universe, everyone is now quite powerful and is constantly advancing towards the Fourth Advancement.

"Xavier, what's your opinion?"

Sailianna paid little attention to the opinions of the other world World Annihilation.

After waiting silently for a response, he looked at Xavier again.

Her attitude was inexplicably arrogant, as if she and Xavier were the only ones in charge of this universe.

Hehe~!

Xavier, who had been quite calm until now, had a smile on his face.

He was polite and calm, without the sinister smile of Ocas.

Xavier gave Lister a feeling somewhat similar to that of an old gentleman like Arkas.

"We, the Church of the End, have always hoped that this universe could be a little more lively."

"It will give us more opportunities for missionary work, and more people will join the church."

"To transmit the Power of the End, so that the universe may return to its end."

"Any 'new life,' regardless of its origin, is part of the journey towards 'end,' and deserves our respect and patience."

The more Lister listened, the more he felt something was amiss.

As expected... Xavier's true nature is still the same as Ocas'.

He is not only a missionary fanatic in the church, but also an advocate for the universe to return to stillness.

Xavier slowly raised his withered hand, and a deep, cold, dark purple energy carrying an aura of ultimate annihilation flowed from his fingertips.

This Power of the End did not attack any person or object, but rather spread precisely, beginning to weave in the nearby void.

Eventually, it disperses into an invisible barrier, serving only as a warning.

Upon seeing this, a murderous intent immediately emanated from Lister.

The immense Killing Intent Wave drew the attention of all the World Annihilation in the vicinity.

Xavier's strength was something everyone was prepared for and had witnessed.

But for most of the World Annihilation, this was the first time they had met and made contact with Lister, the new World Annihilation.

The exchange just now did not reveal any power, and although the people were wary of him, they did not take him too seriously.

All the attention is on Sailianna and Xavier.

The overwhelming killing intent immediately made the faces of the many interviewees solemn.

And watch as this extreme killing intent formed a tangible crystal, which, after enveloping the surrounding area, gradually transformed into scarlet threads, and then slowly returned to nothingness.

It can be said that this manipulation of killing intent opened the eyes of all those present who were destined to World Annihilation.

This was the first time he had ever encountered such murderous energy.

Lister's ability to control his killing intent at will, along with the subtle fluctuations in the depths of their souls, silently raised the level of danger Lister posed to them once again.

Until Lister finished his actions, every single one of the remaining forces left behind a unique shield aura.

Although nothing was finalized or a convention was reached.

But the actions and opinions of the people are already clear.

Even if we allow this fusion of different universes to continue, at least for now, the Emerald Royal Court and the Void Corridor alone cannot oppose it.

A gathering of World Annihilation powerhouses came quickly and went just as fast.

The issue of cosmic fusion, given the current situation, will not receive much attention except for today.

After all, integration is not something that can be achieved overnight; the survival of the major powers is still the more critical issue now.

Inside Merrick Castle, Lister quietly sensed the changes within himself.

As the Mastermind Universe continued to integrate, Lister keenly perceived the changes in his own body, or rather, his soul.

It was as if some of the stagnation and shackles were beginning to disappear, and some of the power of the rules was gradually being drawn away.

The most obvious change is in the learning of skills and knowledge. The original idea of forcing students to learn new skills within five days has begun to be removed.

His learning ability began to return to normal, though his learning speed for some knowledge and skills varied.

At the same time, a natural surge of understanding of how to use certain active techniques also occurred in my mind.

Our understanding of the rules governing the entire universe is rapidly improving.

He had a premonition that his active skills would gradually shift from being used under the forced assistance of the system to being used based on his own understanding of the rules.

After sensing these subtle changes, Lilina had been waiting outside for quite some time.

"My lord, the Scourge Legion... has a warrior who has reached the Overlord Tier."

"Okay, I understand."

Lister already knew about this in the game's public chat.

It's been half a year since the server opened, and even if the Fourth Advancement quest is difficult, some players should have completed it by now.

The current top player on the server, "Chen Shanqiang," formerly known as "War God of Jiangling Prefecture," naturally lived up to expectations and was the first to complete the task.

Furthermore, thanks to Lister's previous care, including the provision of Soul Crystal resources.

After he reached the Fourth Advancement, he truly entered the ranks of the Hegemon.

The player training quota for Lister has finally been filled by one person.

Is there anything else going on?

"My lord, this Hegemon of the Scourge Legion... he and several other warriors have jointly requested an audience with you."

Lilina hesitated upon hearing the news.

Actually, she didn't want to report it, but after all, the Scourge Legion had a newly emerged Hegemon.

The Overlord Tier powerhouse in the Machine-Slaying Federation naturally has a certain say; at least she can't directly ignore this Hegemon.

"See me?"

"Yes! It's said to be a major event concerning the 'truth of the universe'."

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Lister's lips curled up almost imperceptibly.

He knows far more about this so-called "universal truth" than these players do.

After a moment's thought, he nodded.

"Okay, go ahead and inform them. I'll wait for them in the main hall."

They are indeed the top players who adapted first, especially Chen Shanqiang breaking through to the Overlord Tier, which is an encouragement to the players.

Lister also needs such an example; at least nine more top players need to refocus on the game, or rather, truly put their minds on this world instead of thinking about going back.

The castle's main hall was last used during a meeting with Arkas.

It reopened today, and Chen Shanqiang led a group of four players into the main hall.

"Commander."

A few minutes later, as Lister stepped in, Chen Shanqiang was the first to get up and put on his luggage.

This top player was also one of the first to collect passive skills along with Lister.

Now that he has broken through to the Fourth Advancement, he still cannot control his Hegemon aura very well, and it seems somewhat weak.

"Please sit down."

Lister nodded slightly, gesturing for the four to sit down.

Lilina quickly brought over black tea and pastries, then left with a wary expression.

After all, she still vividly remembered the riot six months ago. Even though she knew the other party couldn't possibly harm Lord Lister, she was still wary.

"Chen Shanqiang, you haven't disappointed me after all. You've successfully reached the Overlord Tier."

"Commander... you've been following me?"

"I remember, I remember seeing you back in the Great Chu Dynasty."

"Back then you were a therapist, right? I never imagined you'd achieve so much now."

Upon hearing this, Chen Shanqiang felt inexplicably excited.

In fact, as the leader of the players, including during Acts 6 and 7, he was specially awarded the rank of major by Lister and given specific instructions.

These memories had been lingering in his mind, but he was worried that Count Merrick had experienced too much of the game's timeline.

He might have forgotten him, but now that he's asked to meet, he never expected the other person to still remember him.

At that moment, I couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.

Tell me... why did you contact me?

"Commander, I must inform you of some news in advance. Something has happened in our universe."

"A change of events? You mean the merging of the two universes?"

Lister looked at the other person with a half-smile.

Upon hearing these calm words, the four players opposite him were all dumbfounded.