A military restricted area within the Black Star Army's territory.
In the dazzling starry sky, two colossal Mechanical Deity are colliding repeatedly, like interstellar behemoths locked in close combat. With each strike, arcs of electricity flash and sparks fly, shockwaves continuously ripple outwards like endless waves.
Bang!
The black and gold Mechanical Deity, topped with a thick Psionic Energy shield, slammed into its opponent's abdomen, scattering countless specks of light. Taking advantage of the collision to create a small distance, the densely packed cannons on its shoulders fired countless beams of light, which condensed into a dazzling golden beam of light, pushing its opponent away.
The Mechanical Deity, sent flying, tumbled and rolled in the starry sky for a while before quickly regaining its balance. Its flickering shield withstood the attack, and it remained unharmed.
You're recovering well.
The black and gold Mechanical Deity did not pursue. Its body opened and closed like scales as it retracted its weapon into its body. Then it spoke into the channel; it was Han Xiao himself.
The other Mechanical Deity, Hyperion, stopped upon hearing this, stretched his shoulder joints, and muttered:
"This setup needs to be readjusted; the power is insufficient."
After awakening and proving the existence of the World Tree, Hyperion, with Han Xiao's help, repaired his body, restored his combat power, added various weapon components, formed different suit configurations, and constantly adjusted their operation. He would occasionally spar with Han Xiao to test the combat capabilities of each configuration.
"I think this melee equipment combination suits you quite well. Just add a few more reactor modules, and although you can't beat me, you should be able to hold your own against the Mechanic Emperor."
Han Xiao smiled.
For him, sparring with Hyperion was a good form of relaxation, allowing him to unwind while building machinery. After all, most Beyond Grade A couldn't handle his size, while Hyperion was about the same size as him and also quite durable, making them a good sparring partner for him to fight freely.
Although Hyperion was once defeated by a World Tree expert, he faced a situation where he was fighting against multiple opponents, so his strength should not be underestimated. After recovering his combat power, he will definitely enter the first tier of the Beyond Grade A group in the Explored Universe, or even the top level among them, making him a powerful asset.
Upon hearing this, Hyperion, removed a metal tube from the groove in his arm armor, and casually tossed it to Han Xiao, saying, "Another mutated component."
Han Xiao took the metal tube, examined it, sensed some unusual structures within it, nodded, and put it away.
Although he is now an activated Mechanical Deity, it is a result of trickery and has not fully replicated Hyperion's unique characteristics.
Hyperion's body is extremely strange, with flesh and mechanical life harmoniously combined. Mechanical components configured over a long period of time, like biological tissue, have a chance to undergo natural mutations, transforming into special equipment similar to the companion weapons of the Apostle Weapon, with enhanced effects.
To the average person, a machine like Hyperion is a treasure trove, with every part containing astonishing technological content. However, Han Xiao only needs the mutation modules. He asks Hyperion to occasionally pluck off mutated body tissues and send them to him for research. This is one of the rewards for adjusting the body.
After doing all this, Hyperion asked, "How is your contact with the World Tree going now?"
"Not bad. We've gathered quite a few secrets. For now, we'll hold back and conserve our strength..."
Han Xiao briefly explained how he stole the World Tree's secrets and his current strategic approach. This was the intelligence he had agreed to share when he invited Hyperion to fight against the World Tree.
Hearing that the Three Universal Civilizations had gained an intelligence advantage with Han Xiao's help, Hyperion hesitated for two seconds before finally saying:
"It's truly fortunate that Three Universal Civilizations produced someone like you..."
If you were to ask Hyperion how he feels right now, it would be a mixture of envy and bitterness.
His Kama Republic Alliance didn't react until the World Tree Civilization attacked them, catching them off guard and utterly defeated. He couldn't help but envy those Explored Universe and possessed the Black Star. If the Kama Republic Alliance had the Black Star's help, at least they wouldn't have lost so utterly...
Hyperion, his mood complicated, said dejectedly:
"Unfortunately, we don't have that kind of luck; we can't produce someone like you."
"Cough, it can't be that bad..."
Han Xiao was helpless.
We were having a nice chat, why did you suddenly start bragging? Did I tell you to brag?
Just as he was about to say something to comfort her, the communicator suddenly started beeping.
Upon closer inspection, it was revealed to be a message from the Oathkeeper:
[New findings from the Child of Destiny surveillance, come quick!]
Han Xiao narrowed his eyes, his mind racing, and he immediately lost interest in chatting.
He casually bid farewell to Hyperion, then changed into the Sovereign and teleported to the Sanctum Organization.
In a flash, he found himself in the Child of Destiny's laboratory, where the Oathkeeper was waiting for him.
"What happened? What's going on?"
Han Xiao glanced at the Child of Destiny, walked to the Oathkeeper, and asked directly.
"The situation has changed, take a look."
The Oathkeeper looked serious, not in the mood for jokes, and stepped aside.
Han Xiao turned his head and connected mentally with the Child of Destiny. Messages flowed into his mind, and his expression suddenly changed.
"The World Tree Exploration Team got our coordinates?!"
This information was somewhat unexpected, and Han Xiao's mood immediately became serious.
The Child of Destiny's monitoring comes from the information exchange when the child activates its precognitive abilities. This time, the intelligence monitored was that an exploration team from the World Tree had found the coordinates of a new, unknown civilization. The World Tree used all the information gathered by this exploration team as a medium for precognition, organizing a large number of precognizers to activate their abilities. Thus, the Child of Destiny became aware of the exploration team's situation.
Therefore, Han Xiao saw in the intelligence report that the World Tree exploration team had discovered a group of Kunde Race, and the information they obtained from them pointed to the ancient site of the Kunde Race Civilization, which was located in the central part of the Shattered World.
The surveillance intelligence revealed the origins of this Kunde Race: they were refugees who survived the war of conquest. Although the refugees knew almost nothing about interstellar society, leading the World Tree to be unsure whether this unknown civilization and the outsiders spying on them were the same group, exposing their coordinates was extremely dangerous. The World Tree would definitely investigate thoroughly before it was satisfied, and then it would naturally be able to find out the details of the Three Universal Civilizations.
"Such a thing could happen..."
Han Xiao frowned deeply.
In the previous life, the World Tree's invasion was swift and devastating, and it came prepared. Clearly, the exploration team had discovered the Three Universal Civilizations early on, but had been secretly gathering intelligence until they were fully prepared before launching a full-scale war.
No one knows exactly when the World Tree first discovered the Three Universal Civilizations, but in Han Xiao's opinion, it doesn't make sense to be so early. It's probably the butterfly effect. Because of his influence, the number and trajectory of the Kunde Race refugees changed, and they just happened to run into the World Tree exploration team.
Without coordinates, even finding West Capital difficult. Knowing the location increases efficiency countless times, let alone in the vast interstellar universe. The World Tree exploration team operates on the same principle. In its previous life, the team would likely have been searching aimlessly, like looking for a needle in a haystack, and would have stumbled upon Explored Universe by chance. Now, with navigation coordinates, they can travel directly in the desired direction, significantly shortening their arrival time in the Explored Universe and exposing the Three Universal Civilizations earlier.
What are you planning to do?
Seeing Han Xiao's constantly changing expression, the Oathkeeper asked in a deep voice.
Han Xiao snapped out of his reverie, frowning and pondering.
"In that case, we have no choice but to intervene. We can't just sit idly by and let the World Tree come knocking on our door."
The Child of Destiny's monitoring showed the exploration team's current location. The only thing to do now is to intercept the exploration team halfway, try to prevent the World Tree from figuring out the Three Universal Civilizations' secrets, buy some time, and force the Three Universal Civilizations to openly mobilize, officially enter a war mode, and be on high alert against external enemies.
But no matter what they do, the World Tree has already obtained the coordinates, and finding the Shattered World is a foregone conclusion. Even if this exploration team is destroyed, there will be a continuous stream of follow-up troops.
"I thought there was plenty of time, but plans never keep up with changes..."
Thinking of this, Han Xiao shook his head helplessly.
After much effort, the Three Universal Civilizations were persuaded to follow his advice and reduce contact with the World Tree Civilization, giving the Secondary Dimension Expedition Team more time. However, unexpected factors caused things to go awry... The Kunde Race Civilization was once destroyed by the Empire, and now the refugees have brought even greater disaster to the Three Universal Civilizations. It's like a cycle, and every action has its own destiny. No one can blame anyone else.
With a sigh and Tu Shu, Han Xiao composed himself and calmed down.
Regardless, what's done is done, and all we can do is try to cope and accept reality.
"Has the World Tree discovered our coordinates?"
In the conference room of the Three Universal Civilizations leaders, the three received Han Xiao's intelligence and were all taken aback.
"It's like this..."
Han Xiao recounted the whole story. After leaving the Sanctum, he immediately notified the leaders of the Three Universal Civilizations to share this breaking news.
After hearing the explanation, all three of them looked solemn.
The three of them didn't have any particular thoughts about the Kunde Race refugees leaking information. At most, they cursed their bad luck, but they were more relieved that Han Xiao had a surveillance channel to discover the World Tree's movements this time.
After all, they don't have a superhuman Information State Warning Network like the World Tree. If someone were to infiltrate them, it would be completely undetectable, and their very privates would be exposed.
After thinking for a moment, Mabrus spoke in a deep voice, his tone serious:
"Black Star, the exploration team is your responsibility... Everyone, from now on, we need to enter a state of war."