Faced with Han Xiao's teasing, the Secret Master's face darkened. Too lazy to respond, he looked past Han Xiao and gazed at a streak of light receding into the distance at the edge of the battlefield.
Soon, a portion of the exposed mechanical legion detached itself to escort the Chaos Mysterious Energy out of sight.
The cooked duck flew away, and his mood plummeted from its peak to its lowest point; he was in a very bad mood.
He intended to give chase, but the Black Star's Dominion Avatar blocked his way, radiating a high-intensity energy fluctuation that made his nerves tense. If he made any move, he would inevitably be met with Rainstorm of attacks.
The Secret Master withdrew his gaze, fixing it once more on Han Xiao before him. He scrutinized him carefully, his tone a mixture of seven parts displeasure and three parts keen interest:
"Black Star, this should be our second meeting, right?"
"Including the Meeting of the Gods, this is indeed the second time." Han Xiao nodded.
"Hmph, then we're quite... fated!" The Secret Master emphasized his tone.
He was furious that the Chaos Mysterious Energy been stolen, but everyone was there to take something, and everything depended on strength. Whoever got it got it, so there was no point in questioning it.
He originally planned to be the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind, but he didn't expect Han Xiao to be there as well, and even more hidden. In the end, his love was stolen away by someone else, and all his efforts were in vain.
He really wanted the Chaos Mysterious Energy, but now that Black Star had stolen it, it wasn't enough to create a deep-seated grudge... They were both high-ranking figures in the universe, so it was fine if he couldn't get the item; it wouldn't look good if they completely broke off relations over it, and there was no need for that.
But retreating like this wasn't an option; a counterattack was necessary. The Secret Master didn't intend to watch Han Xiao escape unscathed; that would make it seem like he'd been scared off by Black Star... He was a man of principle, unlike the habitually arrogant Seven-Eyed Boy beside him.
I secretly tested the teleportation spell and found that spatial magic was restricted by the Void Domain Prison.
'Once this domain is broken, there will still be a chance to teleport and catch up with the Chaos Mysterious Energy, and retrieve the item...'
The Secret Master secretly adjusted his mindset, focusing his attention on dealing with the current unexpected situation. Suppressing his anger, he regained his aloof expression and began to speak slowly:
"To be honest, I've always been curious about you. Although we haven't had much interaction before, I have a deep impression of you."
"How deep is it?" Han Xiao didn't mind exchanging pleasantries with him for a while to buy time.
"Your deeds are celebrated throughout the universe. In my eyes, you are an ambitious schemer and a speculator. Luck played a large part in your success. Every speculation you made brought you opportunities for rapid growth. You are a lucky man."
Upon hearing this, Han Xiao couldn't help but glance at the Secret Master a few more times.
This is the first time someone has said I'm lucky; you must have mistaken me for someone else...
He could understand why the Secret Master had such an impression of him. From the outside, his rise to power seemed extremely rapid and smooth, with so many opportunities appearing to be the work of luck.
But this "luck" was actually an opportunity he created artificially by knowing the world's trends and having an information advantage.
But outsiders will never know this.
"Then I guess I'll just consider it luck," Han Xiao replied jokingly.
"Heh, but starting today, your good luck has run out." Magical runes appeared deep within the Secret Master's eyes. "You should have heard of my name; I can control a person's destiny."
Seeing his confident demeanor, Han Xiao felt a little strange, but had no choice but to play along and continue the performance.
Are you trying to permanently diminish my luck?
"Those who steal my things have to pay a price."
The Secret Master scoffed.
Deep down, he was reluctant to antagonize Han Xiao. After all, Han Xiao's status in the Beyond Grade A circle was quite special after the Meeting of the Gods. As a neutral faction, he preferred not to provoke Han Xiao.
However, he couldn't swallow this insult and needed to save face, so he decided to use his specialty to punish Han Xiao.
As expected, it still comes down to fists... Han Xiao had anticipated this and never thought the other party would give up so easily.
The next moment, a dazzling blue magical light emanated from the Secret Master.
Everyone says you're a great fighter, so I'll let you experience it for yourself and see just how good you really are.
As soon as he finished speaking, the accumulated magical energy burst forth like a raging tsunami.
Rumble!
Han Xiao's Dominion clone was swept away by the burst of magical energy and sent flying a distance.
The Secret Master seized the opportunity to retreat, attempting to create distance. However, after being strengthened by the Divine Transformation, the Void Domain Prison's effect was enhanced, with an extremely strong sense of stagnation. This domain-type ability did not distinguish between friend and foe, allowing Han Xiao, who possessed the Void Talent, to move freely within it.
He quickly realized that no matter how far he retreated, he couldn't get away from Han Xiao. Seeing this, he simply stopped moving, transformed into a magic cannon, and began to cast spells.
In order to urgently seize the Chaos Mysterious Energy, the Dominion's clone swapped positions with the sealing container using Void Displacement, causing it to break away from the mechanical legion and venture deep into enemy territory alone. At this point, the Dominion's clone can only fight the Secret Master alone for now, while the mechanical troops are on their way.
Bang!
Streaks of blue magical energy, trailing lightning-like trajectories, relentlessly bombarded Han Xiao, shattering into arcs of electricity and fragments of light upon impact with the Dominion's avatar's shield.
With the mechanical troops not around and their firepower clearly insufficient, Han Xiao simply deployed his floating cannons and charged forward amidst a machine gun-like barrage of spells. Taking advantage of the fact that the Secret Master was unable to create distance, he unexpectedly charged straight at him.
With this advancement, Master Han's Strength and Agility attributes are considered high among Beyond Grade A. When facing a mage alone with his Dominion clone, melee combat is actually more advantageous than ranged combat.
One stood still, while the other rapidly closed the distance.
In Han Xiao's line of sight, the Secret Master's giant basin was getting closer and closer.
"Eat my rocket headbutt!"
Activating his critical strike skill, Han Xiao charged headfirst into it.
Clang!!
The metal forehead, through the magical energy shield, struck the Secret Master's forehead.
The master's head buzzed instantly, as if a bell was ringing in his brain. He quickly focused his mind, and all the runes and enchantments on his body lit up. Hundreds of mage hands formed around him, unleashing a barrage of punches that clashed with Han Xiao's attacks.
--As a mage, it makes perfect sense to unlock the melee skill tree.
"Such powerful strength." The Secret Master was secretly alarmed as he found himself at a disadvantage in the clash.
He had sparred with many martial artists before, and now he discovered that the power of Han Xiao's Dominion's close-combat attacks was even stronger than some Beyond Grade A martial artists. The overwhelming onslaught was almost too much for him, and he couldn't help but be surprised by Han Xiao's strength.
'I always felt that Black Star was more powerful than the rumors suggested...'
The thought flashed through his mind, Secret Master focused his attention and multitasked, dealing with Han Xiao's close-range attacks while simultaneously manipulating his magic to construct spell models and unleash his signature mystical magic, specifically targeting his fortune.
Luck is inherently elusive and ethereal, but at this moment, within the Secret Master's magical vision, a hazy mist suddenly appeared on the body of every living being, some faint and some dense.
This is the secret magic of the Secret Master, which combines the principles of magic from various aspects such as soul, spirit, foresight, and divination. It successfully quantifies the luck of the observed target, and the concentration of the mist represents the fortune of a living being.
The better one's luck, the denser the fog will be, and the Lucky Halo unique to protagonists is usually the densest.
"Let me see just how strong your luck is!"
The Secret Master was determined to cut off Han Xiao's luck.
Upon closer inspection, he suddenly froze!
Normally, Beyond Grade A people are all people with strong luck, who can become big figures in the universe. Even if their luck is bad, there is a limit. In his imagination, Black Star's luck should be so strong that he should be covered in thick fog.
However, the reality was quite the opposite... The mist surrounding Black Star was so thin it was almost transparent!
The Secret Master had observed countless people, but this was the first time he had ever seen someone with such bad luck; he simply couldn't believe his eyes!
There's no reason for that; Beyond Grade A player couldn't possibly have such low luck!
How could such an unlucky guy actually rise to become Beyond Grade A big shot?!
The Secret Master was completely bewildered.
Originally, I wanted to dampen Black Star's luck, but now that I see...
Is there any room for this thing's luck to drop any further?!
Many of the Secret Master's unique spells indirectly cause massive soul damage by reducing the target's luck, but against Han Xiao... he found that his trump card seemed to become very ineffective.
He lost his composure for a moment, immediately revealing a weakness. Han Xiao didn't care about his inner thoughts and seized the opportunity to unleash a Ora.
Bang bang bang!!!
The lightning-fast metal fist struck the flesh with tremendous force, delivering a powerful shockwave.
The Secret Master was given a sound beating, several of the stress-relief runes engraved on his body were shattered, and he was in pain. He dared not be distracted and adopted a defensive stance, struggling to hold on against Han Xiao's rapid attacks.
The two were having a great time fighting, while Ravenlaude, who was also trapped in the Void Domain Prison, hesitated.
Normally, Ravenlaude would be supporting the Imperial allies, but now Black Star is also a competitor for Chaos Mysterious Energy...
'Only by retrieving the Chaos Mysterious Energy from Han Xiao can we complete the mission and exchange it for the Universal Treasure.'
After some thought, Ravenlaude calmed himself, made a decision, and began casting a spell to dispel the effects of the Void Domain Prison and neutralize the area.
"Hmm?" Han Xiao sensed something and turned to give Ravenlaude a death stare.
"Don't look at me, I'm just carrying out an imperial mission."
Ravenlaude noticed Han Xiao's gaze, forced a reply, and then silently joined forces with the Secret Master to break the Void Domain Prison.
The next moment, the Void Domain Prison was broken, and the surrounding space returned to normal. Taking advantage of the fact that the two were locked in combat, Ravenlaude opened a portal without saying a word, disappeared on the spot, and chased after the mechanical troops escorting the Chaos Mysterious Energy away.
Seeing this, the Secret Master wanted to follow suit, but the Dominion's clone clung to him tightly, holding him back.
The mechanical troops arrived at this moment, activating the spatial stabilizer and magic jammer, covering the area and disabling the teleportation spell again, preventing the Secret Master from pursuing them.
"Damn it!" The Secret Master's face grew increasingly gloomy. This situation meant that he was basically out of the running in this battle.
Moreover, the Secret Master could see that Black Star actually had a way to stop Ravenlaude as well, but he deliberately let him go, leaving only Ravenlord behind.
Is this specifically targeting me?!
It's overflowing with excrement!
Seeing the Secret Master expression, Han Xiao chuckled, "So you figured out I deliberately let Ravenlaude go? I wasn't targeting you, I was targeting him."
He deliberately gave Ravenlaude a chance to pursue, using Ravenlaude as a target to demonstrate his power.
Because of the previous unpleasantness, Han Xiao wanted to demonstrate more strength to the Empire, but did not want the outside world to know that he had grown stronger again, lest the Mechanic Emperor come knocking on his door again. Therefore, he wanted to shift the battlefield and try to eliminate bystanders.
Imperial allies are the best targets.
--It seems more effective to establish authority by attacking teammates than enemies; after getting beaten up, teammates have to conceal the battle information.
Although the Dominion's clone stayed behind to restrain the Secret Master, all the Apostle Weapon were in the escort team.
With this configuration, plus the mechanized troops, they possess formidable combat power even when he is not present!
Allocating forces and engaging in multi-front warfare is precisely the combat style of Beyond Grade A mechanic.