The spaceship entered the airport of a secret base of the Sanctum Organization. The hatch slid open, and Han Xiao stepped out, immediately spotting the Oathkeeper waiting on the dock.
"Hey, it's been a while. You're still dressed like this. Don't you need to do laundry?" Han Xiao laughed.
"... No, I won't wash." The Oathkeeper twitched at the corner of his mouth. "I've been waiting for you for ages. Let's go inside and talk."
After saying this, the Oathkeeper walked ahead to lead the way, and Han Xiao followed him along the Earth Movement.
The two walked and talked about business.
Han Xiao scratched his chin and asked curiously, "It's only been a few decades, and you've already collected all the keys to the Third Sanctum again? That's incredibly efficient."
"It's nothing. Entering the Sanctuary is either zero times or countless times. With experience, it's much easier to do it again. Some keys aren't one-time use; we still have some in stock. For example, the Primordial Esper Ability Entity. We were stuck at this stage before, but we collected them all last time, so we can just use them again... As for other types of keys, with your financial resources and connections, collecting them is much easier than before," the Oathkeeper explained.
Upon hearing this, Han Xiao nodded in understanding.
It's like a second playthrough; the key items are carried over, so there's no need to collect them again.
The time span of the previous life wasn't particularly long, and the scale of the Sanctum Organization in the present world was far greater than it is now, proving that the Oathkeeper must have entered the Sanctuary several times, so it's not surprising that it's so efficient now.
Han Xiao entered the Sanctuary alone this time, partly to complete the third stage of the [Relay Across Iterations] mission, and partly out of curiosity.
The two chatted casually as they arrived at the senior activity room. As soon as Han Xiao stepped inside, he was stared at by dozens of eyes.
Dozens of the First Ones survivors waited anxiously, and as soon as they saw Han Xiao, they swarmed around him.
"Black Star, congratulations on being elected president of the association!"
"The appointed time has arrived. Can we leave the mountain now?"
The crowd chattered excitedly, creating a noisy commotion.
Han Xiao raised his hand to calm everyone down, and said slowly, "Well, that's about enough, but in my opinion, it would be better to stay for another year or two."
"We have to wait another year or two?"
The expressions on everyone's faces changed slightly.
You told us to go into seclusion and cultivate ourselves, and three years passed, then another three, and now it's been almost fifty years, brother. If this continues, we really won't be able to hold back anymore!
"Ahem, everyone, don't rush, I have three reasons."
Han Xiao held up his finger and explained:
"Firstly, I've only just been elected president, so it's best to take some time to adjust. Secondly, in the past forty years, we haven't gained a single ally from the Three Universal Civilizations, so I imagine they have quite a few complaints. Let's observe their movements first."
As for the last reason... it's that I need to go to the Sanctuary, and I don't know how long that will take."
According to the oath- Oathkeeper, the flow of time is different in the Sanctuary. He didn't feel like he had been inside for a long time, but when he came out, he found that several years had passed in the main universe. Therefore, Han Xiao also needs to make preparations in advance before going in this time.
Upon hearing this, many of the First Ones showed conflicted expressions.
They wanted to leave the mountain immediately, but if Han Xiao entered the Sanctuary, he might disappear for several years. During this period of vacuum, without the support of President Black Star, many things would be difficult to handle.
At this moment, Pangon spoke up, coldly saying, "It doesn't matter. I never intended to join the association anyway. I've already decided that I'll come out of seclusion in a while!"
Han Xiao glanced at him, nodded, and said nothing.
The goals of these the First Ones revivers can be divided into three main categories. One group wants to enjoy Beyond Grade A privileges in peacetime and therefore hopes to join the association, such as Baigel and Mysterious Lady. This group is the main ones who are struggling with this decision.
The second type wants to remain hidden within the Sanctum, helping the Oathkeeper run their organization. They have no intention of leaving the organization, so naturally they have no objections.
The last type are the creditors from the exploration history, who want to Revenge on advanced civilizations. They are relatively few in number, and a representative of them is Pangon, who originally planned to be a lone wolf and did not expect to join the association.
Han Xiao didn't want these people to join either. After all, Revenge would greatly escalate the conflict between the Three Universal Civilizations and the Beyond Grade A groups. If he joined the association, would he help or not? Most association members would probably oppose it. So he felt it was better to let Pangon and his group be lone wolves and not drag the association into the mess.
In his previous life, this group's act of Revenge was one of the important triggers for the Super Calamity version. Han Xiao didn't care about the fate of Pangon and his group.
On the other hand, Han Xiao also understood Pangon's thoughts. Pangon did not expect the association to help him, and he also understood the significance of the Beyond Grade A Association, so he did not intend to implicate the association. Thus, he took on the responsibility of Revenge alone.
In his previous life, Pangon had not revealed the existence of the Sanctum, so although he was stubborn, he was still loyal.
Han Xiao shifted his gaze to Baigel and the others, "So, what about you? Are you willing to wait for me?"
Baigel thought for a moment and nodded:
"Although we can't hold back any longer, we must prioritize the greater good. Although we and the current Beyond Grade A are not from the same era, we all represent the same class and share the same interests. Our appearance will inevitably cause huge turmoil in the entire Beyond Grade A. Don't worry, we will not ruin the overall situation for our own selfish desires."
Upon hearing this, Han Xiao smiled with satisfaction.
After more than forty years of interaction, most of the First Ones have integrated into the era. Some of them no longer only consider themselves, but have been persuaded by themselves to devote themselves to the cause of the Beyond Grade A Association, putting aside their past exploration history and deciding to participate in this new war between Beyond Grade A and advanced civilizations, fighting for the entire Super A Tier.
These people believed that the arrival of a major upheaval would be impossible without Black Star, a key figure, and therefore they were willing to remain in hiding for a while longer.
Although Baigel and his group haven't officially left the mountain yet, they already consider themselves part of the Beyond Grade A Association and are considering the overall interests.
"Great! I knew I hadn't misjudged you all..."
Han Xiao laughed and spoke up, quickly calming everyone down with some polite words.
Having received their reply, the group composed themselves and went back to playing cards.
Han Xiao then pulled the Oathkeeper out of the senior activity room and into Enderman next door for a private chat.
After closing the door, Han Xiao asked, "To prepare for the upcoming upheaval, we need more Beyond Grade A cultivators. Are the resurrection media ready for this mission?"
"Yes, it's all done. It's thanks to the fact that many Beyond Grade A left behind descendants of their ancestors; otherwise, it would have been very difficult to collect them." The Oathkeeper nodded.
The person chosen to enter the Sanctuary this time is Han Xiao. He is going there with a mission: to revive more Beyond Grade A.
The Sanctuary Revival requires various forms of mediums. For decades, the Black Star Army and the Sanctum Organization have been quietly carrying out this work, collecting items related to historical Beyond Grade A beings, including relics and remnants of races, and have now gathered another batch.
Han Xiao took the list and glanced at it, his eyes narrowing slightly:
"It seems there are some big names among those recovering this round."
"Can anyone be as fierce as you?" The Oathkeeper secretly curled his lip.
"That's true, I'm fucking unparalleled in the world." Han Xiao acknowledged the compliment.
However, he immediately thought of Jess of the Federation of All Stars, wondering if he could revive this guy from a different iteration.
Shaking his head and suppressing the thought for the time being, Han Xiao found an empty room, stayed alone, blocked all the room's surveillance cameras, then took out his communicator and dialed a number.
He dialed Kasuyi's number first, and soon Kasuyi's image appeared on the screen.
"Black Star... no, Guild Master, what brings you here?" Kasuyi asked with a smile.
Han Xiao rubbed his chin and said, "I might be disappearing for a while. The time is uncertain; it could be a few days or a few years. While I'm gone, could you help me manage the association's work?"
"Where are you going?" Kasuyi's smile faded, and he frowned.
"Remember our experience in the Secondary Dimension? I've found some clues, and I'll need to investigate them for a while." Han Xiao didn't go into details, but since the other party was also somewhat familiar with the information about the Sanctuary, a simple explanation would suffice.
As expected, Kasuyi understood, his face showing surprise. Without asking any further questions, he nodded seriously and said, "Then you can go without worry. I will take good care of the association."
When Kasuyi learned about the Sanctuary Revival from Jess decades ago, he knew that Han Xiao's path was correct, and he stood on the same side, becoming a secret ally.
Kasuyi has no interest in power. He ran for vice president not because he wanted to rise to the top, but because he was instructed by Han Xiao to indirectly help Han Xiao consolidate his position. Anyway, it's not a bad thing, so he doesn't mind doing Han Xiao a favor.
"Then it's up to you."
Han Xiao nodded, gave a few instructions, and then hung up the call.
He didn't stop, dialing the numbers of Hila, Ames, and others in turn, indicating that he would disappear for a period of time to seek opportunities for Divine Transformation in Secondary Dimension World.
This situation is not uncommon for Peak Beyond Grade A individuals, and this excuse worked well; Hila, Ames, and others did not suspect anything.
Han Xiao instructed them to look after the legion's forces while he was away, giving them detailed instructions.
Then, he dialed the final number, contacting people from the Three Universal Civilizations.
The Three Universal Civilizations once favored him to take the lead, believing he was more suitable to lead the association than the Mechanic Emperor. However, over the decades, the speed at which contradictions accumulated exceeded expectations, and this little bit of face was no longer enough. The Three Universal Civilizations could not allow the Beyond Grade A Association to continue to grow independently because of him alone.
Han Xiao didn't know how long he would be missing after entering the Sanctuary, so he planned to reiterate his identity and stance to stabilize the situation for a while.
With the title of advisors to the Three Universal Civilizations, the negotiations went relatively smoothly, and Han Xiao managed to gauge the Three Universal Civilizations ' stance.
The Three Universal Civilizations are still observing the changes in the association after he takes office. It is reasonable that they will not suddenly ignite conflicts in the short term, which is within his expectations.
After arranging everything, Han Xiao approached the Oathkeeper again. Looking into the other person's expectant eyes, he nodded steadily.
"Get ready, open the Sanctuary as soon as possible!"
Three days later, in an uninhabited area near the Sanctum Organization base, ships floated in the desolate space.
Han Xiao was the only one floating alone outside the spaceship, his mech's internal screen maintaining communication with the Oathkeeper.
On the screen, the Oathkeeper gave an encouraging gesture and said:
"Are you ready? Everything is set up on my end, and the Sanctuary can be opened at any time."
"Come on." Han Xiao exhaled and calmed himself down.
The Oathkeeper nodded, then turned and ordered, "All troops, listen up! Begin!"
As soon as the words were spoken, the warships, which had been warmed up, immediately sprang into action. They had practiced the operating procedures countless times and were like a precision instrument, making no mistakes whatsoever.
Thump thump thump--
One after another, the Primordial Esper Ability Entity loaded into the special cannon barrels were fired out, and the multicolored beams of light concentrated at one point, rapidly expanding and transforming into a suspended white sphere of light.
Under the influence of special instruments, the sphere of light, like a piece of clay being kneaded by a large hand, was compressed into a dazzling ring with a diameter of only about 100 meters and an extremely high energy density.
Next, the remaining spaceships activated their instruments one by one and used traction beams to insert other "keys" into the ring.
The space seemed to tremble violently, and the ring suddenly emitted light, projecting six mirage-like illusory light gates.
The next second, five of the light gates disappeared, leaving only one. It seemed to have shifted from illusion to reality, still trembling unstablely, as if it might disappear at any moment.
"This is the passage to the Third Sanctum, go in!" the Oathkeeper hurriedly said.
Han Xiao's expression hardened, he activated the thrusters, and transformed into a shooting star, soaring into the Sanctuary passage.
At that moment, the light before my eyes suddenly intensified, and all I could see was an endless expanse of white.
The instant he passed through the portal, Han Xiao felt a lightness in his body, as if he had broken through some barrier. He floated up like pure air, and inexplicably felt as if he did not exist in this world.
"Finally in..."