In the dazzling starry sky, Han Xiao's figure was speeding along.
"So that's how it is, the Information State Warning Network..."
Recalling the information he had just received, Han Xiao's expression became quite solemn.
Babani revealed a lot of secrets, including Information State Warning Network and High-Dimensional Information Vision. Han Xiao finally understood how the other party had discovered him, and couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.
Unless one possesses Information State Technology surpassing that of the World Tree, such detection methods are virtually unsolvable. No wonder the Three Universal Civilizations were exposed so quickly; outsiders indeed find it extremely difficult to move an inch within the World Tree Civilization's territory.
The reason I triggered the warning network must have been when I was calibrating the navigation device and closely observed the yellowish-brown planet and the World Tree next to it. As an outsider, I interacted with the information collection of the World Tree Civilization, which is why I was detected. That's why the Sacred Tree Envoy came to check and tracked the traces I left behind with High-Dimensional Information Vision. Even the mark of the Child of Destiny protecting me was useless.
It's like having an extremely strong sixth sense; you can tell the direction of someone's gaze just by looking at you, and you can even sense which part of your body they're looking at.
"This is going to be difficult. It seems we won't have a chance to complete our land acquisition mission this time..."
Han Xiao thought to himself, his mind racing.
The most crucial element is the Information State Warning Network. As long as no alarm is triggered, even if you leave traces, the World Tree cannot detect them immediately; it's like finding a needle in a haystack.
But now that he has been discovered, and the World Tree Messenger can follow the trail, he is worried that using the energy of the Child of Destiny to claim territory will be discovered by High-Dimensional Information Vision, and it may even be inconvenient to leave behind the Throne.
According to the mechanism of the Information State Warning Network, there is a way to avoid it. As long as you consciously avoid information interaction and simply fly in space without contacting anything related to the World Tree, you can still hide... Just like when I was first teleported here, there was no information entanglement, so the World Tree did not detect me.
But this is easier said than done. At least this time the alarm has been triggered, and there is basically no chance to hide it now.
As for other secrets, Babani also mentioned some, some of which Han Xiao already knew, while others were unknown, thus increasing his understanding.
What he values most is the World Tree's remote sensing of the location of incoming information. The more people who know about it, or the deeper the entanglement between the two sides, the more likely the direction of the Explored Universe will be exposed, which is not good.
"Although the Three Universal Civilizations concealed the information, they still managed to let some people know about it in order to conduct covert research... If no further security measures are taken, the number of people who know the truth will only increase."
Han Xiao's eye twitched.
The more you know, the easier it is to be detected; the World Tree's ability to counter tracking is too troublesome.
Unfortunately, these intelligence reports did not contain the coordinates of the World Tree itself. According to Babani, he had never read any related information in the Psychic Network, and none of the Sacred Tree Envoy or other high-ranking personnel he had contacted knew about it.
Even so, the value of this intelligence surpasses all the previous findings, and it is probably the biggest gain of this trip. Knowing the World Tree's various methods will enable us to take countermeasures.
"Fortunately, the Virtual Purification was effective; otherwise, it would have been almost impossible to obtain these secrets."
Han Xiao secretly felt fortunate, as the intelligence he currently possessed surpassed that of his previous life.
Having witnessed Babani's resolute actions, he realized that the effect of Virtual Purification might exceed expectations—many alien races had been World Tree Devour, and if everyone had similar awareness, they could all become potential spies, turning anyone they pointed at into a double agent.
Although the World Tree will definitely take precautions against this move, and immediately rewrite its mind once someone "loses control," causing the duration of the Virtual Purification to plummet, it should at least be able to leave time for self-destruction. In this way, the foreign powerhouses World Tree Devour may not be able to play a role.
However, powerful beings of the World Tree do not die completely. Once they die, they turn into seeds and return to the World Tree, falling into slumber. The World Tree can consume resources and time to make them mature, allowing them to awaken and be reborn. The mechanism is somewhat similar to that of the Netherland, but there are also subtle differences.
The existence of the spirits of the Netherland is based on their souls. They regain their former fighting power by acquiring physical bodies. As long as the spirit exists, it doesn't matter if the physical body dies, because they are essentially still "alive".
The World Tree's resurrection mechanism is different; it is Information State- level capability. Each individual is unique, and because the World Tree Connection, information is updated in real time. When an individual dies, unlike heroic spirits who retain consciousness, their thoughts become dormant, entering a period of hibernation, turning into "seeds." Only when the World Tree replenishes its nutrients can it be reborn and awakened.
In this respect, the World Tree and the Sanctuary Revival are similar, except that the Sanctuary Revival only requires opening the Sanctuary and does not require additional resources or time. However, the World Tree's resurrection of individuals requires a large amount of resources and time, meaning that once someone dies, they cannot be brought back to life in a short period of time.
This format reminded Han Xiao of the "barracks" in old-fashioned real-time strategy games from his previous life, where producing units required a loading bar, and the stronger the unit, the longer it would take.
"The principles behind the revival of the World Tree and the Sanctuary are both related to Information State, but there is a principle of uniqueness. What would happen if someone used the Sanctuary Revival the World Tree first? Would the connection still exist?"
Han Xiao couldn't help but be curious.
If feasible, the Sanctuary Revival might be able to continuously seize the power of those controlled by the World Tree, causing a shift in the balance of power between the two sides.
However, the possibility of failure cannot be ruled out. After all, individuals and the World Tree have a symbiotic relationship. So even if an individual dies, as long as the World Tree that preserves the individual's Information State template still exists, the "dead" individual may be judged by the Sanctuary as still alive. In that case, there is no way to revive them, and they will be enslaved forever.
Moreover, based on the World Tree's mechanism, Han Xiao even suspected that the World Tree, like the previous master of the Netherland, had intercepted the Information State of its powerful subordinates, preventing them from entering the Sanctuary and thus preventing their revival.
"We can only guess for now; we'll only know for sure if we try it ourselves... Well, it's not convenient to take any risks right now."
Han Xiao pondered to himself.
Babani is dead, and it's unclear whether the information he revealed counts as a medium. Han Xiao doesn't want to risk using the Sanctuary Revival for the time being. If the World Tree Connection isn't severed as a result, there will be many more risks. This can be tested after the war breaks out, at which point there's no fear of revealing coordinates and being discovered.
Han Xiao let various thoughts flash through his mind, digesting the newly acquired information, before opening the panel for a quick look.
The previously triggered quest [Nowhere to Hide] had already been completed, and he immediately settled it.
A notification immediately popped up, showing that he had gained 210e experience, 2 random reward opportunities, and a Babani character card, which was an offensive skill and not very useful to him.
In addition, it also indicated that the World Tree faction's favorability had dropped significantly, and a new quest had been started.
[You have triggered the emergency quest [The World Tree's Wrath]!]
[Mission Brief: Your actions have angered the World Tree, which sees you as a major threat and has decided to launch a large-scale Pursuit to eliminate you.]
[Mission Requirements: Defend against pursuers and escape the territory of the World Tree Civilization]
[Rewards depend on mission evaluation, and mission evaluation depends on escape resistance.]
[Note: Once you activate this task, it means the World Tree has remembered you. It will Pursuit whenever it discovers your whereabouts, and this effect will last forever.]
"Hey, we've really stirred up a hornet's nest."
Han Xiao smacked his lips.
It seems that the Virtual Purification has left a deep impression on the World Tree, which now sees itself as the number one threat and will relentlessly Pursuit once it is discovered.
The mission itself is simple; if you want to escape, you can use the Sovereign to retreat right now. However, the rating depends on the resistance; completing the mission so easily will probably get you the lowest rating.
This trip didn't allow for the completion of the land acquisition mission, so we'll have to come back another time. However, after thinking for a while, Han Xiao decided not to retreat immediately.
Since we've already been discovered, we might as well take the opportunity to use Virtual Purification to obtain more information and kill some World Tree powerhouses, forcing them back to their seed state and temporarily reducing the World Tree's high-end combat power. Unfortunately, we don't know what changes will occur in the connection between the World Tree and the individual after the Space-Time Amber seals the target. We're not too willing to take the risk right now, for fear that we'll be remotely located after taking the amber away.
"However, this is the enemy's stronghold after all, full of powerful individuals, and there are many factors that could threaten me. If I'm too reckless, I might end up in trouble."
Han Xiao steadied himself, then simply pulled out a series of bombs specifically designed to erase traces and began setting them up along the way as he sped off.
This bomb can erase all traces of conventional information beyond High-Dimensional Information State, making it impossible for the Information State Imaging Device to trace back.
Although the Information State Imaging Device is inherently unable to detect High-Dimensional Information State, deploying these bombs can expand the area that the World Tree forces cannot detect, which is advantageous to them.
Meanwhile, behind Han Xiao, a massive fleet was in hot pursuit.
In the command center, a group of Beyond Grade A powerhouses with different appearances gazed out the window, using the power of the World Tree to continuously illuminate the traces of higher-dimensional information.
"The outsiders have begun a large-scale cleanup of their tracks. They've learned about the existence of the imaging device from Babani, and this is likely a targeted measure... We're deploying more people to search the areas they've passed through to prevent them from leaving anything behind."
The tall figure at the very front spoke slowly, his tone leaving no room for doubt, and everyone else present followed his lead.
Tedrian, the Nine-Leaf Executive, was in charge of coordinating this pursuit and was the highest-ranking person present.
The World Tree has five Tree King, and each Tree King has two Executives as assistants, ranked from the first leaf to the tenth leaf.
The Tree King are usually in a slumber, absorbing the power of the World Tree to strengthen themselves. Therefore, these Executive Under the King are the highest administrative officials who handle the affairs of the World Tree Civilization. They not only hold high positions and great power, but also possess formidable personal strength. None of the Executive Under the King are below the Peak Beyond Grade A.
Besides him, there were other Peak Beyond Grade A in the room.
"If we only chase from behind, the enemy can easily escape. I have already notified some Sacred Tree Envoy to ride their roots to intercept them."
A man beside him spoke in a deep voice. This was a high-ranking Sacred Tree Envoy, possessing a deeper World Tree Connection and greater personal power, far surpassing that of Babani.
"There seems to be only one outsider, but he's very strong, at least at the Executive level. Be careful he doesn't break through."
Then someone else spoke up; this time it was an Ancestral Spirit, who is generally responsible for matters of faith.
The one who spoke was not an ordinary Ancestral Spirit, but one of the "Thirteen Ancestral Spirits," representing the thirteen strongest Ancestral Spirit, with a starting strength at the Peak Beyond Grade A.
"Rest assured, His Majesty the Tree King is keeping a close watch. If the situation becomes unfavorable, he will personally descend upon us."
Tedrian responded coldly, then glanced back and said:
"Babani has been misled. Those who have joined me in this pursuit are all of strong will. I hope you can resist the insidious manipulation of this outsider."
Upon hearing this, everyone present nodded.
Having undergone a Virtual Purification, the World Tree, though unaware of the underlying principles, sensed a threat upon witnessing Babani's actions through the Psychic Network.
To be on the safe side, all those dispatched this time to pursue the enemy were individuals who were already loyal to the World Tree; there were not a single "outsider" whose thinking had been altered.