Han Xiao didn't even turn his head, casually replying, "As you can see, these are all reinforcements I brought in to fill the gaps in our fighting strength during our two-front war."
The leader of the Arcane Sect tapped the table with his knuckles and said in a deep voice, "Don't play dumb. I'm asking how they got here, and when you revived these people?"
Upon hearing this, Han Xiao turned his head and glanced at the three of them, his tone low and somber.
"Do you think all Revived are willing to appear in public? I never said that everyone in the association is a Revived. As for who I specifically resurrected, I have no obligation to tell others. Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask."
The three of them choked for a moment, then gave him a deep look.
Without much thought, they could guess that this was Black Star's backup plan, secretly harboring a group of Revived, most likely an arrangement made during the confrontation years ago, as a trump card against the Three Universal Civilizations.
If they had insisted on launching the purge back then, the outcome would have been unpredictable. Now that Han Xiao has revealed this trump card, it almost startled the three of them, leaving them somewhat fearful.
However, after knowing each other for so many years, the three had become quite familiar with Black Star Black Star's unfathomable nature and were used to him laying down spies everywhere. Perhaps this group of suddenly appearing Revived was just the tip of the iceberg of his hidden power...
The three of them looked away with heavy hearts.
This was not the time to dwell on such matters, but the three of them felt an even deeper sense of awe for Han Xiao.
Now that Black Star was on equal footing with them, the three of them, seeing that he didn't want to explain, wisely refrained from pressing him further.
Moreover, compared to the importance of Black Star himself, having an extra batch of Revived doesn't seem to matter much. With Han Xiao, a Beyond God Grade gem, as a precedent, the impact of these hidden Revived on the three of them is limited.
Han Xiao naturally wouldn't take the initiative to explain the origin of the Sanctum. Seeing the three people's stern expressions, he couldn't help but smirk.
The reason the Sanctum Organization's power was concealed was to leave the Association a way out, allowing the Beyond Grade A group to be divided into two parts, one in the open and one in the shadows, to watch over each other.
He originally planned to reveal a small part of the Sanctum at the right time, making the Three Universal Civilizations hesitant to act rashly. However, plans can't keep up with changes. Now that he himself has stepped into the realm of the super gods, his deterrent power is equivalent to the entire group of Beyond Grade A beings. The trump card of the Sanctum Revived is not as important as before... However, it still has its uses. Making the Three Universal Civilizations more wary is not a bad thing.
Han Xiao refocused his attention on the battle, and after watching for a while, he suddenly locked onto a surveillance camera showing the Secret Tree King and Clottey engaged in combat, his eyes flashing.
"My prey has appeared, gentlemen. Excuse me."
As soon as the words were spoken, the remote projection disappeared.
Only then did the tense bodies of the Three Universal Civilizations leaders relax. They exchanged glances and saw deep apprehension in each other's eyes.
A shallow-dimensional battlefield, a certain war zone.
BOOM!!
A rainbow-like magical Frenzied Sword Fried Rice pierced through the surging dark energy, striking Clottey and leaving a new wound. The powerful annihilation force propelled him away, sending him crashing into the dark brown earth, smashing through hundreds of layers of ground with a deafening roar.
"Cough cough..."
Large swathes of her cells withered under the influence of the annihilation magic. Clottey quickly used her strength to stabilize her injuries, then looked up at the enemy in the sky with a solemn expression.
The Secret Tree King was floating in the air, looking down at him from above, while clusters of forbidden techniques were rapidly forming around him, falling like a storm.
Clottey gritted his teeth and suppressed his injuries, manipulating dark energy to meet the attack head-on. However, after only a moment of stalemate, he was blasted away again, suffering many new injuries.
"This Tree King... is a bit too strong..."
Clottey clutched her wound, her eyes flashing with shock.
His assessment of the Tree King's strength came from the Dominion avatars of the Tranquil Tree King, the Heart Tree King, and the Anchor Tree King. He originally thought that even if he couldn't defeat this new Tree King, he could at least hold his own for a long time. But Clottey didn't expect that this guy who called himself the Secret Tree King was clearly stronger than the other three—he was, after all, Pillar of the Nation, yet the other guy beat him up as easily as if he were a younger brother.
Of all the opponents he had faced, only Black Star and Urnos could so easily manipulate him.
If other Beyond Grade A mages are ordinary magical turrets, then this Secret Tree King is a magical nuclear bomb rapid-fire cannon, whose casting intensity, frequency, and speed far surpass any mage Clottey has ever seen!
High in the sky, the Secret Tree King paused his attack, casually twirling his fingers and toying with a ribbon of magic, saying nonchalantly:
"You actually dared to challenge me to a one-on-one fight? Is your courage commendable, or are you overestimating yourself? Too bad, only that mechanic or that superhuman would be qualified to fight me. Your strength is a bit lacking. If this continues, you won't pique my interest in killing you..."
The only opponents the Secret Tree King considered serious were Han Xiao and the Sorokin. Although Clottey's combat strength was not low and her ability to Dark Energy Manipulation was quite sharp, she posed little threat to him, a supreme mage who mastered multidimensional energy.
Sensing the other party's disdain, Clottey kept a calm face, silently gathering her strength, preparing to fight with all her might.
However, at that moment, a spatial fluctuation appeared in their senses. The spatial wall in the distance opened up, and a figure completely hidden under a hooded black robe rushed in. The robe fluttered in the wind, its edges like escaping black flames, and the figure exuded the aura of Peak Beyond Grade A, attracting the attention of the two.
"Who are you?" Clottey turned her head to look at him, unsure whether he was friend or foe, and immediately became wary.
"One of our own."
The Oathkeeper glanced at him, then fixed his gaze on the Secret Tree King, locking onto it from afar.
"Another one?" The Secret Tree King narrowed his eyes. "You're with those unfamiliar reinforcements, aren't you? You must be their leader. Interesting, you actually have a group of high-level combatants hidden away... Heh, but so what? It can't salvage the situation. We'll wipe out all your forces in the Secondary Dimension World sooner or later!"
Through the shared Psychic Network, he had learned of the Sanctum Revived' support for the Three Universal Civilizations Beyond Grade A civilizations.
In the eyes of the Secret Tree King, the Three Universal Civilizations should have been under immense pressure from an opponent like the World Tree and should have mobilized all their forces long ago. Yet, the opponent is still holding back, which is truly unfathomable.
Moreover, given the nature of the Secret Tree King, he was somewhat displeased by this... What, is our World Tree not worthy of your full-scale attack?!
Ignoring the Secret Tree King, the Oathkeeper communicated with Clottey's spirit through telepathy:
"Leave this to me, you go and help the others."
"Are you sure you can handle it? This Tree King is very strong; we'd better work together to deal with him," Clottey said skeptically.
"This Tree King is Mage Class. It's clear that his spells are enhanced in the Secondary Dimension World. I'm probably no match for him, but I only need to hold him off. In this respect, I'm better suited than you. There's no need to waste our strength on him."
The Oathkeeper responded.
Not long ago, the Expeditionary Army's outpost was attacked. Han Xiao finally notified the Sanctum Organization to join the war. Many Sanctum Revived had already prepared themselves mentally and did not need to be mobilized. They set off on their own initiative, partly for the qualification to Sanctuary Revival, and partly because they felt that if one of them was gone, the other would be in danger.
In addition, Han Xiao also requested that the Sanctum bring special technologies such as Dimensional Banishment Projectile, Advanced Life Form Energy Disruption Wave, and Cross-Plane Detection Radar to provide support. The Oathkeeper had no choice but to comply, as the Sanctum Organization's forces were always on standby and quickly arrived to provide support.
Clottey had not yet responded when suddenly the Secret Tree King attacked, unleashing a barrage of extremely powerful forbidden techniques, firing indiscriminately at the two of them.
Bang bang bang!
The sky was filled with dazzling magical light, both beautiful and deadly. The Oathkeeper and Clottey reacted immediately, weaving and dodging within the light barrier.
On the other side, the Secret Tree King multitasked, rapidly constructing spell models and unleashing forbidden spells with a crackling sound, while simultaneously communicating with the Ancestral Tree King through the Psychic Network:
"The mechanic is nowhere to be seen on either the front lines or the Secondary Dimension battlefield. Given his sealing abilities, he's likely targeting one of the Tree King, so I'm probably his target. He might be observing me from the shadows, and once I've engaged with these two opponents for a while, he'll likely jump out and ambush me."
Upon hearing this, the Ancestral Tree King expressed his agreement via the Psychic Network, saying in a deep voice, "Your judgment is very reasonable. Continue to engage in combat. As long as that mechanic is lured out, I will immediately descend upon him and catch him off guard."
"Good."
The two quickly devised a plan, intending to use the Secret Tree King as bait to lure the snake out of its hole.
Like the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind, since Black Star has likely set his sights on the Secret Tree King, the Ancestral Tree King has chosen to strike back and launch an ambush. He has two main objectives: one is to find an opportunity to kill Black Star, and the other is to find a way to rescue the Heart Tree King... Without dealing with Black Star, how can we talk about unsealing? At the very least, we must seize the Universal Treasure of the person who sealed him.
It's not that they value the Heart Tree King that much. Even the foolish Tranquil Tree King escaped being sealed by "decisively" self-destructing twice. Only the useless Heart Tree King was affected. The Ancestral Tree King just wanted to take back the sealed Tree King Crown. Otherwise, there would always be a vacancy among the five Tree King, and they couldn't even replace the person.
With the addition of the Oathkeeper, the two finally managed to hold off the Secret Tree King. The three engaged in a fierce battle, chasing and weaving through the battlefield, which shifted repeatedly. One moment it was a dark purple abyss, the next a silver kingdom like a holy land, then a nascent, ethereal dimension, and then an unstable, late-stage Secondary Dimension. Without exception, all were shattered by the aftershocks of their battle, and fleet after fleet was swallowed up by the spatial storms.
The three of them traveled to a Shadow Dimension. Suddenly, the spatial barrier in the distance opened up, and a new figure entered the battlefield—it was Han Xiao.
The Secret Tree King immediately noticed Han Xiao, forgetting his other two opponents and focusing intently on Han Xiao, his eyes revealing a strong fighting spirit and a chilling killing intent.
"You finally decided to come out?!"
Han Xiao glanced at him, waved for the Oathkeeper and Clottey to stop and step aside, and then spoke to the Secret Tree King in the wide-area channel:
There are three of us here, aren't you going to run?
"Run? Who do you take me for?!"
Suddenly, the Secret Tree King swept his hand, and an invisible spatial fluctuation swept across this space. The entire Secondary Dimension instantly turned into a mirror space, as if it were trapped inside a crystal. Silhouettes of battlefield scenes flowed across the various spatial facets, overlapping and dazzling the eye.
A spatial barrier suddenly formed, isolating Clottey and the Oathkeeper outside. They could only see what was happening inside the barrier but could not participate in it, as if they were in parallel spaces that never intersected.
Within the barrier, only the Secret Tree King and Han Xiao gazed at each other from afar.
"You want to fight me one-on-one?" Han Xiao glanced around at the barrier and smiled strangely.
"I've always wanted to fight you, why did you run? I thought you'd ambush me, but you showed up openly... But that doesn't matter, this barrier is our dueling arena. If you're so capable, don't try to escape with that teleportation technology. Today, I will kill you!"
The Secret Tree King's eyes flickered. He knew that Black Star possessed teleportation technology that could ignore control, so this barrier was only to prevent other enemies from interfering and to create the illusion of a one-on-one duel. As long as Black Star did not teleport away and stayed to fight him one-on-one, the plan would be half successful.
Without hesitation, he immediately cast spells, unleashing a barrage of spells with All Kinds of Oddities effects at Han Xiao. On the surface, it appeared to be a fierce one-on-one duel, but in reality, he was already using spells to guide the Ancestral Tree King into the barrier, preparing to launch a pincer attack.
However, before the spell could hit its target, a powerful, Higher Lifeform Pressure swept outwards from Han Xiao like a storm, causing the Secret Tree King to instinctively tremble!
boom--
Countless machines surged out from the Divine Body Fortress, instantly condensing on Han Xiao's body and merging into a giant Mechanical Deity, none other than the Supreme Heavenly Venerate, whose Beyond God Grade energy fluctuations erupted without reservation!
The Secret Tree King instantly changed, his fierce look turning into fear and disbelief.
"This is at the level of Tree God?!"
He was completely unprepared and was terrified.
At this moment, tactics and plans were all thrown to the back of one's mind.
Without hesitation, the Secret Tree King constructed a teleportation portal, ready to flee. All arrogance vanished, replaced by panic.
However, Han Xiao was faster. With a flash, the huge machine teleported behind the Secret Tree King, reached out and tore apart the surrounding World Tree. Then, the Emperor's Space-Rending Blade slashed down, and invisible Psionic Energy Wave burst out like blade waves.
Click, click, click—
As if a mirror were shattering, the area swept by the Psionic Energy Wave saw spatial barriers, various forbidden spells, portals, and everything else constructed of magic collapse rapidly, like a sandcastle crumbling!
There was absolutely no power to resist!
"What?!"
The Ancestral Tree King, who had just teleported to a short distance behind Han Xiao and was about to launch a sneak attack, froze on the spot, his expression changing drastically!