The mission prompt stated that outsiders had virtually nowhere to hide within the World Tree's territory, making Han Xiao increasingly wary of the World Tree's unknown detection methods.
"The World Tree Civilization's surveillance of its own territory far surpasses that of the Three Universal Civilizations. If I don't figure out what's going on, I'm afraid I won't be able to move an inch here..."
Han Xiao frowned.
Now that their whereabouts have been discovered, continuing to flee will only result in relentless pursuit. Given the convenience of the World Tree's Psychic Network, pursuers can share intelligence and engage in a pincer movement, making it quite troublesome for them.
"It seems we need to adjust our plans; now is not the right time to carry out the land acquisition mission..."
Han Xiao thought to himself.
If we don't figure out what kind of detection methods the World Tree Civilization uses, how we were exposed, and how we can avoid it, we won't know what to do.
Since the pursuers are behind him, he has no choice but to deal with them. He might as well try to find out the mechanism of the detection method from them. He originally wanted to see if Virtual Purification would be effective against the people of the World Tree Civilization, and now he has the opportunity.
Due to the mechanisms of the Psychic Network, contact with the people of the World Tree Civilization and any actions taken by oneself will be observed, which carries many risks, such as the other party calling for reinforcements, etc., which may prevent the mission from continuing and force one to leave.
However, this is not a big problem. The World Tree Civilization's territory can be explored once. There is no time limit for the land-claiming mission. If it can't be done this time, it can be done next time. On the contrary, if he could learn about the World Tree's detection methods from the pursuers, it would be more valuable in his opinion. At least he wouldn't have to fumble around blindly.
"However, even though I've been discovered, I'm not without advantages..."
Han Xiao's eyes flashed.
The current situation seems to be one where the enemy is in the dark and we are in the light. However, the pursuers have discovered him, but they probably don't know that he detected them through the mission panel. To put it another way, perhaps it's one where the enemy is in the light and we are in the dark.
Although the situation with the pursuers is unknown, they are most likely following the path of my movements. Perhaps I can ambush them from the opposite direction, taking advantage of their unpreparedness to quickly end the battle and prevent the pursuers from seeing too many of my tactics.
"Tsk, I just wanted to stay hidden, you had to force me."
Han Xiao's lips twitched. He stopped advancing and instead flew back a short distance to begin making arrangements.
A green rainbow streaks across the starry sky, hurtling at breakneck speed.
Babani kept his High-Dimensional Information Vision open, tracing the traces left by Han Xiao. In his eyes, a path composed of luminous particles continued to extend outward.
"How dare they stay and try to gather more information? They're courting death."
Babani was not angry but delighted, becoming even more excited.
Although the Sacred Tree Envoy hold high positions and great power, they have nothing to do most of the time. After all, the World Tree Connection everyone, there are no criminals or rebels, and there is basically no internal strife. These powerful beings do not engage in production, and apart from training and material enjoyment, they have nothing else to do. Many of them are even too lazy to manifest themselves and remain asleep in the tree, living in the virtual world.
Now that something interesting has happened, Babani is overjoyed and full of anticipation.
"I hope these outsiders are capable enough to let me have some fun."
However, just as he was lost in thought, a sudden change occurred!
The surrounding space suddenly trembled, as if it had instantly solidified, and Babani's speed plummeted, as if he had sunk into a quagmire.
At the same time, dozens of starlight suddenly lit up his vision. The next moment, dozens of huge blue-white beams of light attacked from all directions, crossing the line of sight. Babani was located at the intersection of the beams, and the dazzling light instantly engulfed his body.
"This is an ambush?!"
The excruciating pain, like flesh being evaporated, swept through every nerve instantly like Volcano eruption. Babani felt his body Dissolution, his life force rapidly draining away. The power of the attack was beyond his expectations, and he was immediately filled with shock and rage.
It couldn't be anyone but outsiders. Babani found it hard to believe that these outsiders had actually noticed his pursuit, and instead of running away, they even wanted to launch a counterattack!
Babani was filled with shock and anger. Just as he was about to break free of his restraints, a line of red light suddenly appeared inside the dozens of blue-white beams of light. In the next instant, the red light expanded rapidly, turning the beams of light into a fiery red color and causing the output power to surge.
The point where the beams of light converged exploded with a deafening roar, like the birth of a red sun!
Babani was thrown into the air, his body covered in wounds, almost as if he had been burned, utterly horrified.
The destructive power of this attack startled him. He hadn't expected that with his skills, he would be seriously injured in a single exchange, without even seeing the enemy.
This time, the outsiders are incredibly powerful!
'I can't handle this by myself, I need to call for help!'
Babani was about to take action when suddenly a sliver of Glimmer appeared in his field of vision, sweeping across him and instantly passing over his body.
At that moment, Babani's body suddenly froze, and he looked bewildered.
At the same time, Han Xiao, who was observing this place remotely through a device, raised an eyebrow and looked surprised.
"Did the Virtual Purification work?"
Han Xiao had set up an ambush in the area he had passed through earlier, using a bunch of technologies from the Jiebach to conceal his presence as much as possible. These dozens of high-intensity beams of light came from a special array of floating weapons, which were Universal Treasure- level mechanical equipment, originally one of the accessories of Mechanical Deity, and had astonishing destructive power.
Han Xiao had initially thought the pursuers might be a fleet, and he was prepared to launch a direct attack if the ambush failed. However, he discovered that the pursuers were only one person. Based on his understanding of the World Tree Civilization, this person was most likely Beyond Grade A powerhouse such as Sacred Tree Envoy or Ancestral Spirit. It couldn't possibly be one of the five incredibly Tree King.
Without hesitation, he launched an ambush, obtained the opponent's combat information through the panel, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Babani's level was far lower than his, with an energy level of around 53,000, making him only a mediocre Beyond Grade A. Even if he could borrow some of the World Tree's power, he would still be powerless against him.
Therefore, after using [Virtual Purification ·Restore], Han Xiao was prepared to immediately kill it. However, the feedback from the battle information made him stop. The panel clearly indicated that Virtual Purification had taken effect!
"It actually works!"
Han Xiao gasped for breath.
When he obtained [Virtual Purification and Restoration], he suspected that this technique might be effective against the World Tree, but he didn't expect it to actually work.
The World Tree's Psychic Network connects everyone. In its view, it is like an extremely large intelligent host that processes, distributes, and monitors the information of each individual. All the lives World Tree Devour have their thoughts rewritten. No matter how much hostility they harbor, they will eventually become loyal to the World Tree. Negative memories do not disappear, but are only diluted.
The effect of [Virtual Purification ·Restoration] is to purify intelligent targets infected by the virus. The life forms World Tree Devour will also change in nature, forming a symbiotic relationship. Even without physical form, they can live in the virtual world created by the World Tree, similar to intelligence. Therefore, Han Xiao was not sure if this move would work, but now it seems that he guessed correctly.
But Han Xiao's joy didn't last long; he soon realized a problem.
Virtual Purification only temporarily restores the other party's original thoughts, but the other party is still an individual World Tree Devour. This connection will not be severed, so the World Tree can rewrite the other party's thoughts at any time and overwrite the effect of Virtual Purification, which means that this move may only make the other party temporarily aware.
Moreover, this technique can only be used on those who have been enslaved; if the target is already loyal to the World Tree, it is obviously of little use.
Fortunately, this guy named Babani was not a native race of the World Tree Civilization, but an enemy that the World Tree Civilization devoured in its cosmic conquests.
"What am I doing...?"
Babani stood there, stunned. Countless memories collided in his mind. The memory of his own civilization being destroyed by the World Tree's iron hooves came back to life. He even remembered that after he was devoured, he became an accomplice in the destruction of his own civilization, and countless of his kin died at his hands.
The distorted thinking was quickly corrected, the perspective on things returned to normal, and the long-lost hostility and anger erupted like Volcano.
"World Tree! What have you made me do?!"
Babani suddenly clutched his head, trembling all over, his voice a mixture of roar and wail, the pain he conveyed was deeply moving.
However, at that moment, Han Xiao activated the short-range teleportation device, instantly appearing beside Babani, grabbing his body, and said in a deep voice:
"Are you awake? Time is of the essence, I don't have time to waste with you. If you're awake, tell me the secrets you know!"
Babani snapped out of his grief and immediately remembered what he was doing before he regained consciousness; these memories could not be erased by Virtual Purification.
Without needing much explanation, he instantly understood the outsider's meaning and his current predicament.
Without any hesitation, Babani immediately revealed the secrets of the World Tree that he possessed. After regaining his senses, Babani believed that no matter who this outsider was, as long as he was an enemy of the World Tree, he was someone worth helping, without any further thought.
Seeing that the other party was so cooperative, Han Xiao breathed a sigh of relief and concentrated on memorizing the contents.
He was rapidly recounting important secrets when, not long after, Babani's expression suddenly changed, a look of struggle flashing across his face.
"They've noticed. You'd better leave quickly. The World Tree's people could arrive at any moment... It's monitoring everyone and has already discovered that I've regained consciousness. I can't resist its will, and soon my mind will be rewritten along with the Book."
Han Xiao also saw the duration of the Virtual Purification in the status bar rapidly fading away. His heart skipped a beat, knowing that the World Tree had already taken notice of this "out-of-control" individual.
He released his grip and was about to back away when he noticed that Babani had raised his hand and forcefully pushed him away. Immediately afterward, his entire body glowed with crack-like light, clearly indicating that he was about to unleash all of his energy.
As the light reached its peak, Babani gave Han Xiao a deep look, his tone resolute.
"We're beyond saving. Whoever you are, don't lose!"
Boom!
The next moment, a violent explosion spread, and Babani instantly self-destructed, turning into dazzling fireworks.
Han Xiao was slightly moved.
The actions of this "sober-minded person" were far more resolute and decisive than he had imagined; only intense hatred could drive such a choice.
"I may have underestimated this move..."
Han Xiao's thoughts raced.
But there was no time to think about it. Han Xiao quickly collected the mechanical equipment on site, activated the short-range teleportation device, and flashed away from the place time and time again.
After a while, a spatial rift suddenly appeared in the area, from which the World Tree emerged. A massive fleet sailed out, quickly solidifying into reality, and several Sacred Tree Envoy descended to inspect the scene.
"The Information State Warning Network just issued its highest alert, indicating that the most serious information breach to date has occurred here!"
Several Sacred Tree Envoy looked grim; they had rushed over immediately upon receiving the alarm.
Not long ago, World Tree shared Babani's experiences through the Psychic Network, which shocked several people.
"Babani betrayed us? How is that possible!"
"He actually leaked the secret!"
"What exactly happened? What methods did the outsider use to bewitch him?"
"He's turned back into a seed. We'll have to wait until he matures again to ask him what happened."
The Sacred Tree Envoy found this situation incomprehensible, for no one had ever betrayed the World Tree, nor even entertained the thought of betrayal.
Just then, more and more spatial rifts opened up, sending out roots that transported fleets and powerful individuals to this place.
Suddenly, the Tree King's cold voice rang out in the Psychic Network of everyone present.
"Pursuit him down! Don't let this outsider leave alive!"