"This task is finally solved. It wasn't difficult, it just took too long."
Han Xiao's eyes flickered, and he looked down at the back of his hand, where he saw a mark slowly forming, the pattern of which was exactly the same as the one on Hila's hand.
He looked up and saw Onicelu smiling at him.
"This is the Netherland Brand, allowing me to borrow a portion of Netherland power. Without your help, the Netherland could not have returned to its former glory. I have nothing to repay you with; this is just a small token of my appreciation."
"I understand, I will make good use of your body... cough, your Netherland body."
Han Xiao coughed lightly.
The Netherland is Onicelu's body; wouldn't that be considered "a woman with nothing to repay you with, so she offers herself in return"?
No, no, we're respectable people... Please increase the intensity.
Suppressing his urge to complain, Han Xiao sensed the Netherland Brand. Wisps of black energy escaped from the imprint, coiling around his palm, and he extracted a small amount of Netherland energy.
This is the second Secondary Dimension that I have a connection with. In comparison, the mental connection with the Void Dimension is more advanced, while the Netherland Dimension can only borrow some power through a medium, but it also has a slight bonus.
At the same time, due to the special nature of the Netherland Dimension, enemies killed by oneself can be absorbed into the souls of the dead through the Netherland Brand, transforming them into heroic spirits under Hila's command.
Once Aurora reaches the Beyond Grade A realm, allowing the Netherland to regain its revival ability, I should be qualified to summon heroic spirits to fight using the Netherland Brand. However, this will require the energy of Hila and Aurora, and the three of them to cooperate.
'In that case, the more heroic spirits there are in the Netherland, the more benefits I'll receive, so it won't be considered working for nothing.'
Han Xiao muttered to himself for a moment, then looked at the other reward, Onicelu's character card.
The effect of [Source of Ten Thousand Souls] is incredibly powerful; it grants immunity to all mental attacks, it's simply inhuman.
Although it can only be used once, it is undoubtedly a trump card, capable of producing extraordinary effects at the right time.
While he was checking the mission rewards, the Netherland was undergoing a dramatic transformation, and Hila was already communicating with the seven Heroic Spirit King.
After these seven people backed down, the process of reaching a consensus went much more smoothly.
"From today onwards, you are unofficial members of the Black Star Army, understand?" Hila said in a deep voice.
"No problem! If Lord Black Star tells us to go east, we will never go west; if he tells us to go to heaven, we will never go to hell!"
The seven men patted their chests and gave their assurances, their attitude changing with practiced ease.
"Were they like this before?" Han Xiao asked curiously.
Onicelu, "The former master didn't have much of an idea to expand the Netherland. Of these seven people, two were killed and captured for provoking the two sisters, and suffered all kinds of torture, which has long since smoothed out their edges. Three of them were fugitives who owed favors, and the other two took the initiative to come to the two sisters, crying and begging them to take them in... So you can imagine what kind of people they are."
"Awesome, awesome..." Han Xiao's lips twitched.
The sisters' behavior reveals that they act arbitrarily and have no sense of responsibility. The reason there are so many people in the Netherland is probably because many people, in pursuit of immortality, actively seek to join regardless of whether the sisters are reliable or not, even abandoning their freedom. Clearly, they have little integrity left.
Han Xiao sensed the presence of his peers within.
That's a master!
The saying "Sitting at home, you can attract leeks like clouds" perfectly illustrates that building a platform is worse than making a product.
Sure enough, the essence of all wealth accumulation is to raise and harvest leeks. Without the dedication of leeks, there would be no happiness for the oligarchs.
Although the seven Heroic Spirit King joined for different reasons, after years of being influenced by what they saw and heard, they were already reluctant to give up immortality. They dared not offend the Lord of the Netherland, and even hoped that the Life Dominion would summon them so that they could go out and play.
This personality trait can be described as: meek and submissive internally, but ruthless and decisive externally! A fool in internal power struggles, Phantom God in external battles!
Currently, the most powerful among the Heroic Spirit King is a being named Rega, the First Ones. According to the data, his energy level is around 65,000 Ona, not quite at the Peak Beyond Grade A, but he is in the upper-middle range among general Beyond Grade A. With an immortal body, his actual performance can be improved by half a level.
Han Xiao thought for a moment, then stepped forward and asked, "Do you know anything about the Sanctuary?"
He had originally intended to obtain information about the Sanctuary from the spirits of the Netherland, but the cooperation with the Sanctum had progressed further, and they were now re-collecting the "keys to the Third Sanctum," so the help of the spirits of the Netherland was no longer needed.
Moreover, these heroic spirits certainly don't know as much about the Sanctuary as the Sanctum does; Han Xiao is just taking a chance and asking them now.
"The Sanctuary? I didn't expect you... even the boss knows about this."
The seven Heroic Spirit King looked over at the same time, their expressions slightly complicated, as if they were thinking of something from the past.
"Before we entered the Netherland, a rumor circulated among a small number of Beyond Grade A that some people could occasionally sense a special existence outside of space and time. Some called it Sanctuary, but most people had no such experience and could not verify its authenticity, so it was always considered a rumor," said a Heroic Spirit King.
"Some say the Sanctuary is a stepping stone to the next level, some say Sanctuary holds all the technologies of the past and present, and some even say Sanctuary can bring the dead back to life. No one knows the truth," another person said.
Rega sighed and shook his head, saying:
"We don't actually know much, but during our exploration of the past, I remember a group of Super and Book Grade A characters banded together and formed an organization. They seemed to want to use the Sanctuary to be reborn in the future. We thought it was unreliable, so we didn't join. They should have failed by now."
Han Xiao raised an eyebrow. "What's the name of that organization?"
"I think it's called the Sanctum."
"..."
Han Xiao pursed his lips, unsure of what expression to make.
As expected of the Sanctum, they didn't fail at all; the plan was a resounding success!
Of course, the vast majority of the credit goes to the Oathkeeper. I wonder what good deeds those the First Ones of the revival did in their past lives to have such a reliable partner.
However, it's best not to tell these seven Heroic Spirit King about this. Once they enter the Netherland, they'll probably never be able to Sanctuary Revival. If they find out about this, these seven hanged men will probably regret it to death.
It's better to let them continue to believe that the Sanctum Organization has failed, and not reveal this cruel truth. This is also to protect the mental and physical health of the "leeks" (the followers)...
In any case, these heroic spirits have achieved a different kind of immortality. Although they took different paths, they all eventually reached the other shore.
Various thoughts flashed through Han Xiao's mind, but he suppressed his emotions and remained silent, listening to Hila's conversation with the seven Heroic Spirit King.
After chatting for a while, the seven Heroic Spirit King took their leave and returned to govern the Heroic Spirits.
Seeing the seven people walk away, Hila turned her head and asked, "What do you think of them?"
Han Xiao smiled. "Although their personalities are a bit off, their strength is undeniable. The Netherland is an extremely powerful armed force. Although it's useless now, as long as Aurora maintains her current growth rate, she'll eventually reach Beyond Grade A. At that time, there won't be many people in the universe who can threaten you two sisters... Speaking of which, the Netherland seems to be a special Universal Treasure exclusively for you two. Tsk, I'm really envious."
In her previous life Hila did not inherit this legacy and wasted it. But this time, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the two Hila sisters are more than capable of joining the first tier of powerful beings Explored Universe.
As soon as Aurora reaches Beyond Grade A level, the two sisters take off.
"How does that compare to you? Can I beat you?" Hila's eyes gleamed.
"What, are you trying to seize power?" Han Xiao joked. "Dream on. I'll still beat your ass until it's bruised and battered."
"Hmph, I don't believe it." Hila's lips curled slightly. "We'll only know if we try."
She secretly decided that once she got back, she wouldn't do anything but urge Aurora to train every day so that the Netherland could regain its fighting strength as soon as possible.
Having finished her business, Hila felt Han Xiao's solid and powerful aura, and her urge to fight was immediately aroused. She secretly felt itchy and issued a challenge.
"You've got nothing to do right now, how about we have some fun?"
"The Netherland has just recovered, and you still have a lot to do. It would be best to compile a list of heroic spirits. We can talk about the sparring later." Han Xiao waved his hand.
"That's true." Hila had no choice but to swallow her words.
Han Xiao gave a few instructions, donned the Sovereign, and instantly teleported away from the Netherland.
Back in his office at the Black Star Palace, Han Xiao changed into casual clothes, summoned Phillip, and added information about the Netherland to the confidential project files.
As he took notes, he secretly analyzed the situation. Although it was good news, his heart felt heavy.
"In this way, I will have another powerful secret force at my disposal. In the future, the status of Hila and her sister in the universe will surely rise dramatically, enough to become high-level members of the Beyond Grade A Association."
Once the Sanctum is established, the entire universe will have two paths to revival: the Sanctuary and the Netherland. Beyond Grade A individuals will have a choice, but currently only I and the Oathkeeper know that the Sanctuary offers Infinite revival. Others believe it's a one-time event, and it's possible that some might switch to the Netherland due to incorrect information... However, for superhumans below Beyond Grade A, they only have one choice: the Netherland.
Both of these methods of revival are openly or covertly related to me, and I will inevitably become the focus of the entire universe and the main target of attention of the Three Universal Civilizations. Currently, the Empire is in the hands of hardliners, and the new president of the Federation of Light seems to be a muscleman as well... Tsk, the situation is not optimistic. The Sanctuary and the Netherland are far more important than the Evolution Cube. The advanced civilizations will not let this go easily this time, and I may become the starting point of the storm.
Once development reaches a certain stage, it can't stop; stagnation means regression. Advanced civilizations, representing collective power, will never cease targeting Beyond Grade A...
Han Xiao frowned in thought, forced to consider the future.
The complex web of vested interests made many things unsolvable problems, and a vague yet bold idea suddenly came to his mind.
If the Beyond Grade A Association were to merge and transform with all other Beyond Grade A forces to form a new power, completely severing the class distinction between ordinary people and superhumans...
This may be an unforeseen path, a world-shaking revolution that will kill many people.
At his current level, he has the ability to influence the direction of the universe, and many things that seem impossible are no longer unimaginable.
However, once the decision to change is made, it will affect the lives of hundreds of millions of people. He currently only has the idea and has no intention of putting it into action.
The shadow of the World Tree still looms over the Explored Universe; now is not the time to make such plans.
"Let's deal with the external enemies first, then decide what to do next. I really don't want to take that step..."
Han Xiao exhaled, suppressing the turmoil in his heart and burying these thoughts deep within.
Just then, the communicator suddenly rang.
"Beep beep beep..."
He took out his communicator and glanced at it; it was a call from Sylvia.
"Commander, the Crimson Dynasty has sent an official letter. They will dispatch envoys to conduct a preliminary assessment of the Kunde Race's cultural transformation efforts. If it meets their standards, they may consider opening a portion of the sealed-off areas and allowing a group of people to enter interstellar society."
"Oh? It's been less than thirty years, much earlier than expected."
Han Xiao's eyes suddenly lit up.
He still remembered the mission to the Kunde Race; Modo had already lost everything, and only the requirement for cultural transformation remained unfulfilled.
Once he completes this task, he will finally obtain the abilities he has been longing for.