The heroic spirit transformation ceremony is underway, and on a distant black mountain peak, the Ten Vajras of the Netherland stand there, gazing up at Han Xiao and his group, their eyes focused on the Sorokin undergoing transformation.
"Hmph, Black Star has brought in another newcomer." The Ninth Prince Igor Vanaz, crossed his arms and snorted.
"Why isn't this newbie resisting? Could it be that he came here voluntarily? I thought he'd get a beating like Ninth and Tenth before accepting his fate," the oblivious Fourth Brother teased.
The tenth prince Dilron, twitched slightly at the corner of his eye, his face cold as he remained silent.
He was eventually molded into accepting his fate. Rather than suffer endless torment, he preferred to enjoy limited freedom. He could only hope that Black Star would keep his promise, remove his status as a heroic spirit, and allow him to recover normally.
"Hmph, whether this newbie is here voluntarily or not, I'm going to teach him some manners."
Igor Vanaz scoffed.
He was taught a lesson at first and only compromised in the end. He was unwilling to see newcomers join the Netherland so easily.
Sorokin adjusted his vision, making sure he could see the scene in the distance clearly. He raised an eyebrow, his expression playful.
"I don't think you can teach him a lesson. This time, a formidable opponent has arrived."
"How powerful? Can you be stronger than me?" Dilron interjected casually.
"You?" Sorokin head, glanced at him from head to toe, and scoffed, "You're probably not even worth a handful."
Dilron was immediately displeased. "They're both Peak Beyond Grade A, how can he be stronger than Black Star? If he had that ability, why would he have entered the Netherland?"
Sorokin smiled without saying a word.
He lived in the same era as the Sorokin, but the others were different; none of them knew the Sorokin. Only he understood how powerful the Netherland's mechanisms, combined with the Sorokin's combat strength, would be.
"However..." Sorokin changed the subject, a smile playing on his lips, "Even if he's incredibly capable, he's still ranked after us in seniority; he's the eleventh."
On the other side, Han Xiao also noticed the movements of the Ten Heroic Spirit King of the Netherland. He turned his head and glanced at them, a smile playing on his lips.
The Ten Vajras of the Netherland have now evolved into the Lightning Eleven, finally forming a complete football team.
However, the reason why the Sorokin is easy to talk to is because he has the most power. It doesn't mean that he treats everyone the same way. He is not someone who will easily submit to others. Getting him to obediently become the eleventh prince is not so easy.
After a while, the transformation of the heroic spirit was finally completed. The Sorokin reopened its eyes, sensed the heroic spirit's form of existence, and nodded appreciatively.
"The fusion of the Power of Death forms a perfectly harmonious structure. This is the ultimate control over supernatural abilities, a completely different path. The Netherland can be called Cosmic Wonder. The two sisters in history were indeed exceptionally talented. Even if I were to develop these two abilities, I might not be able to do better than them."
"Snort."
Hila disliked being instructed in that tone, but since the other person was, after all, the "God of Esper Abilities," an absolute master in the field of superpowers, she didn't say anything, only letting out a slight hum to express her dissatisfaction.
At this moment, the Ten Vajras of the Netherland, seeing that the ceremony was over, all gathered around, ready to get to know the newcomers. Sorokin was the first to greet them.
"Hey, look who's here? I thought you'd be locked up in that dark, sunless prison forever. How come you've been released and become a member of the Netherland?"
"Sorokin, you're here too?"
The Sorokin's gaze swept over.
"Heh, it seems you've been imprisoned for too long and have no idea what's happened all these years." Sorokin shrugged and pointed to the Heroic Spirits beside him. "Let me introduce you. These seven are Beyond Grade A who joined the Netherland during the Exploration Era, while these two are historical Beyond Grade A who were revived by Black Star. They both possess Peak Beyond Grade A strength. We are all Heroic Spirit King of the Netherland..."
"Resurrection?" The Sorokin's eyes flashed with interest. He turned to look at Han Xiao and chuckled, "It seems you've accomplished quite a bit during my nearly 100 years in prison."
"Otherwise what? Do you think I've been doing nothing all these years?" Han Xiao shook his head. "The interstellar landscape has changed a lot in the last hundred years. You should ask Sorokin about these things. You know each other, after all, and he'll definitely be happy to tell you."
"That's right, all you need to do is owe me one Promise Coin... Don't look so confused, come on, let me introduce you to the currency of the Netherland..."
Sorokin was incredibly enthusiastic and couldn't wait to promote the financial system he had created.
But before he could even begin, Dilron interrupted him, squinting as he looked the Sorokin up and down, and coldly said:
"I haven't asked your name yet. What's your name?"
Upon hearing this, the Sorokin turned to look at him, "You don't need to know my name, just call me the Sorokin."
What does it mean?
"God of Esper Abilities"
Dilron laughed immediately, his tone sarcastic, "Throughout history, countless powerful superhumans haven't dared to call themselves that. Eleventh Brother, do you even deserve that name?"
"The eleventh?" The Sorokin raised an eyebrow, counted the people in front of him, and immediately understood that they were ranked in order of seniority.
"You're not convinced?" Dilron scoffed.
"If we were all still alive, you would be dead by now." The Sorokin spoke calmly. As a thug who struck fear into the hearts of interstellar society, he was not a man of good temper.
"Alright, let's have a fight. Sorokin said you're pretty good; I'd like to see how you kill me."
Dilron sneered; he remembered Sorokin's words and simply refused to believe them.
Anyway, we're all immortal heroic spirits now, so if you're not happy, just fight. Who's afraid of who?
Han Xiao couldn't help but glance at him, not finding it strange at all. Dilron was known for his foul mouth and his ability to mock others; he was always looking for trouble. Moreover, after accepting the identity of a Heroic Spirit, this guy had no more worries and seemed to have unleashed his true nature, becoming even more foul-mouthed and mocking at will, his personality incredibly strong.
They are all Heroic Spirits. Without Aurora giving them life, none of them can make a move. Dilron probably just enjoys the fact that people dislike him but can't do anything about him.
"What do you say?" The Sorokin turned to look at Han Xiao.
"In that case, Aurora temporarily grant you bodies, and you can re-rank yourselves, with strength as the ultimate measure." Hila's eyes lit up; she loved watching others fight to the death, and she immediately made the decision.
"I agree." Sorokin's eyes lit up, and he immediately expressed his opinion.
Although he is not the strongest among the Heroic Spirit King, he is definitely among the top ranks, at least he doesn't have to be the eighth anymore.
"Excellent, just what I wanted." Dilron sneered, pointing at the Sorokin, "I hope you can satisfy me."
"I'm in a good mood today, so I'll use you to celebrate my new life."
The Sorokin paused, turned to look at Evans, and said calmly:
"This time I'll demonstrate how to use this ability in combat. Watch carefully and learn well."
Evans immediately perked up.
Not long after, Aurora summoned Hila to create bodies for numerous Heroic Spirit King, nearly draining her dry.
Han Xiao led his group to the main universe and found a Desolate Universe Belt to use as their battlefield.
Three days later, the eleven heroes, now restored to their spirit forms, returned to the Netherland. They made no mention of the battle, but simply rearranged their seating order.
The Sorokin descended to become the eldest brother, Dilron became the second, Sorokin became the third, Igor Vanaz became the fourth, and so on down the list.
Although the first and second place are only one position apart, there is a huge gap in combat power. As a spectator who watched the whole battle, Han Xiao witnessed what the Sorokin was like in his prime. He was much stronger than when he was alive, and he could easily defeat Dilron. Only "crushing the dry leaves" could describe the battle between the two.
In Han Xiao's view, he was probably the only one in the entire universe who could reliably defeat others; at best, everyone else could only manage a draw. The unburdened Sorokin feared no one except him.
Urnos's win rate is even lower than Hyperion's. Even though he has a higher power level, he may not be a match for the Sorokin... After all, he is a superhuman. Once [Superpower Silence] touches him, he is basically half dead.
On the other side, in the joint conference room of the Three Universal Civilizations.
The three leaders had just finished a meeting and were organizing documents when Louis remembered something, looked at Mabrus, and asked curiously:
"How's your deal with Black Star going? I heard Gaud has returned?"
Mabrus paused, then slowly nodded.
The leader of the Arcane Cult narrowed his eyes and slowly said, "So, Gaud really was captured by Black Star. How did your empire handle it?"
"... The investigation is still ongoing; you don't need to concern yourself with the details."
Mabrus shook his head.
Seeing this, the two guessed that the Empire had probably suffered a setback at Black Star's hands, and couldn't help but smile secretly.
The leader of the Arcane Sect coughed lightly and said calmly, "Black Star Wings strong enough, so let's leave him for now. In any case, we have welcomed back a direct descendant with extraordinary potential, Beyond Grade A. He will surely become an important pillar of our individual strength in the future. Congratulations on gaining a new Pillar of the Nation. Nurture Gaud well."
Because his own Urnos was preparing to advance to the Beyond God Grade, the leader of the Arcane was quite magnanimous at this moment. He didn't care that the Empire had regained the Gaud, and from the perspective of the Three Universal Civilizations, this was a good thing for all of them.
Upon hearing this, Mabrus felt a pang in his heart.
Others still thought Gaud was the incredibly high-potential, high-risk superpower possessor, and now they were congratulating him on finding a promising talent—it was ironic, and he felt uneasy.
Mabrus didn't want the two to know that the Empire had made a bad deal, exchanging an Sorokin for a useless person, so he had to swallow his anger and force a stiff smile, feeling incredibly frustrated.
Shattered World's frontier.
Giant engineering ships cruised through space, their planetary-level data collection devices enveloping planets and carrying out destructive exploitation, draining their cores, crushing them, and breaking them down into various substances that flowed into giant storage chambers. Like a swarm of locusts sweeping across the starry sky, they left nothing but desolation in their wake.
Several star clusters Shattered World's borders were originally resource-rich areas, but now, under the destructive development of the Three Universal Civilizations, they are gradually transforming into Desolate Universe Belt. They are being transformed into a strategic depth zone to prepare for the future invasion of the World Tree. All valuable resources have been packed up and taken away, leaving nothing for the World Tree.
At this very moment, on the edge of the development zone, a small Imperial fleet is escorting an ordinary spaceship bearing the Black Star Army's insignia away.
Inside the spaceship, Meat Bun was organizing the materials he had collected on this trip. The players around him all had the ID prefix "Meat Bun Studio," meaning they were all employees of Meat Bun's company.
"It's a pity the Empire doesn't allow us to conduct in-depth explorations of their territory. This time we only collected some scraps, not enough for a video explaining the war preparedness measures of the Three Universal Civilizations..."
Meat Bun sighed, not very satisfied with his trip.
"You should be grateful. The Three Universal Civilizations agreed to let us see the outskirts is already an exception."
The personal assistant, Xiaomai, curled her lip.
Most players are currently engaged in harassment warfare on the front lines, but Meat Bun didn't stay there indefinitely. Since all he could do was report battles, it wasn't convenient to make videos. He keenly felt that the changes in the rear were more valuable to explore, so he led a group of studio employees back to the Explored Universe to gather news from all over.
Before long, Meat Bun set his sights on two news items: the Black Star Training Base and the Three Universal Civilizations' preparations for war. However, since outsiders were not allowed to enter the training base, he could only come to observe the latter.
Meat Bun is quite well-connected in certain departments of the Three Universal Civilizations. First, the accounts under his studio are all focused on charisma, specifically to cultivate relationships with various figures. Second, Meat Bun constantly promotes himself and has many players endorsing him, letting the Three Universal Civilizations know that he has a special influence among the Immortals, becoming the Immortals's exclusive media. Third, he possesses a special journalist status with the Black Star Army; his studio is affiliated with the Legion's Intelligence Department, an officially recognized branch with a news license.
Therefore, in the eyes of the Three Universal Civilizations, Meat Bun represents a special intelligence agent of the Black Star Army's Immortals group. He has some influence and can negotiate business and cooperation with various forces as a player. This is also the practice of some guilds. With so many conveniences, Meat Bun Studio's business is booming.
He submitted a visit application to the Three Universal Civilizations. After some negotiation, Meat Bun and his companions finally received permission to visit the edge of this border development zone. However, their gains were not as expected, and they are now on their way back.
"What should I do? Although we have plenty of material, it's all old news. I need some sensational news!"
Meat Bun pulled at her hair, her face full of distress.
Just then, a chat notification popped up on the forum, indicating that an employee had sent a private message, and the employee was very excited.
"Boss, I've made a major discovery! This material will definitely scare you so much you'll ejaculate prematurely!"
Meat Bun glanced at his ID and remembered that he was the junior manager in charge of news materials for the Empire region, and his spirits immediately lifted.
"Stop talking nonsense and tell me what you found!"
"This is information one of my lads got from an Imperial logistics officer. Apparently, not long ago, Black Star went to kill the Sorokin, demonstrating power surpassing Beyond Grade A, and even handed over Gaud..."
The junior manager spoke fluently, unaware of Black Star's dealings behind the scenes, only recounting the surface-level actions at the time, but even that was enough to shock Meat Bun.
"Are these reports true?!" Meat Bun felt his bladder tighten.
"I wouldn't know about that. My employee is on very good terms with that Imperial officer. Anyway, I found out from him that the officer was supposedly at the scene!"
"Well done! All these years of activity funds haven't been wasted!" Meat Bun slammed his fist on the table excitedly.
His studio is now quite large, with regional branches set up in some major organizations. He has his employees specifically cultivate relationships with people in various departments of these organizations, focusing on building charisma and interpersonal skills. He has been investing in building intelligence networks, and occasionally he can get inside information from these people.
Of course, with his personal assets, he couldn't possibly expand such a large operation; he also has sponsors behind him.
The biggest sponsor was Black Star himself. Meat Bun thought that Han Xiao had a high enough liking for him to receive the funding, and he was very pleased with himself.
This inside story is the biggest news he's ever received. Although the reason is unknown, just the fact that Black Star broke through to Beyond Grade A and that Gaud's disappearance is related to Black Star is enough for him to make a compelling video.
Even if it's just hearsay, the hype is enough to attract attention.
Meat Bun made a decisive move, slamming his hand on the table.
"Send over the materials right now! The video has to be online within three days. You guys have to work your butts off to get it done, I'm going to be famous again!"