Han Xiao shook his head and withdrew the [Information State Erasure] vision.
The abilities he drew this time were pretty good. The Tree God immediately jumped to third place on his list of good people, with the Germinal Leader second.
The number one spot belongs solely to Old Manison, unshakeable, forever a god.
"Speaking of which, the Tree God has quite a few good items. I wish I could draw from it a few more times... But the World Tree probably won't use this trick on me so easily again. I feel the chances are slim."
Han Xiao stroked his chin, pondering to himself.
During this ability extraction, he also gleaned some details about the Tree God from the options. Among them, the [Tree King Crown - Liberation] confirmed his guess: the Tree God was indeed the product of the fusion of various Tree King, and it seemed to have consumed a great deal of energy. Since he had driven the Tree God away, the chances of the opponent using this move against him again were not high.
"However, judging from the current situation, the Three Universal Civilizations have turned the tables and are now the ones who are extremely uneasy."
Han Xiao smiled inwardly.
The current situation is excellent, much more comfortable than in his previous life, largely thanks to his efforts—the entire interstellar society is under my control, okay!
Just then, patches of black flame appeared before them, quickly condensing into a mental projection of the Oathkeeper.
"Lord Black Star, the Three Universal Civilizations have cleaned up the battlefield, and our Sanctum Organization has taken the opportunity to withdraw, without much interaction. What are your next instructions?"
Han Xiao glanced at him and, seeing the Oathkeeper's submissive demeanor, couldn't help but chuckle, "Your attitude has changed quickly. Are you scared after seeing my heroic bearing?"
"..." The Oathkeeper's eye twitched, but he remained silent.
It's impossible for me to admit it; it's never going to happen in this lifetime.
Seeing that he didn't answer, Han Xiao clicked his tongue and said, "Don't be so reserved. I still prefer your unruly side."
"... Don't joke around."
"Alright, alright, I'm just teasing you." Han Xiao chuckled, then his expression turned serious as he pondered, "The Sanctum has been exposed to the world this time, but I don't intend for you to emerge... cough, I mean, to emerge from seclusion. In short, you will continue to operate in the shadows. Without my call, you don't need to actively participate in battles, nor should you have too much interaction with the Three Universal Civilizations. All communications should ideally be relayed through me."
"How will we explain this to the association? They'll definitely keep asking when these Revived appeared. If you keep hiding it, it might arouse their suspicion..." the Oathkeeper.
"You don't need to worry about that. I will provide a certain explanation while concealing the specifics of the Sanctum."
Han Xiao waved his hand.
"Alright." The Oathkeeper the oath nodded.
"Oh, and one more thing. Sanctum members don't have to fight, but you need to contribute your Secondary Dimension technologies, such as Dimensional Banishment Projectile and Energy Disruption Wave, for use in the war."
"Okay, whatever you say."
The Oathkeeper had been worn down by Han Xiao and agreed expressionlessly.
Meanwhile, the Super Star Cluster Alliance was holding a meeting, and the many civilization leaders attending the meeting had complex expressions, some happy and some worried.
"The Three Universal Civilizations repelled the Secondary Dimension invasion of the World Tree... That's impressive."
"If this trend continues, the Three Universal Civilizations can reliably keep their enemies outside the boundaries of the Explored Universe, and the situation will not descend into chaos."
"In that case, we can't proceed with the plan..."
Many leaders of civilizations were at a loss for words.
The Super Star Cluster Alliance originally planned that while the Three Universal Civilizations were locked in a fierce battle with the World Tree Civilization, they would take advantage of the fact that the Three Universal Civilizations were preoccupied with other matters and lead their entire civilization away from the Explored Universe, escaping the rule of the Three Universal Civilizations.
But now it seems that the Three Universal Civilizations are not in a bitter struggle at all; they are clearly doing very well!
It's all Black Star's fault for being too powerful; he didn't give them a chance to start their plan!
"Sigh, leaving the Explored Universe is one of our few remaining opportunities to have the freedom to develop. Let's continue to observe and hope that the World Tree will be more reliable."
The leader of Star Arc sighed helplessly, feeling somewhat frustrated.
This plan is very important to the Super Star Cluster Alliance. Even though the current situation is unfavorable, they will not give up easily, but frustration is inevitable.
At this moment, a leader of a civilization narrowed his eyes and whispered, "Perhaps we can lend the World Tree a hand..."
Before he could finish speaking, the Star Arc leader glared at him and snapped, "If you want to die, don't drag us down with you! If this gets out, we're all dead!"
He simply couldn't believe that anyone would make such a suicidal suggestion; wasn't that just asking for trouble?
Even if they desperately wanted the World Tree World Tree to disrupt the war, they could only silently cheer for it and passively wait for the situation to change. How could they possibly offer any substantial help? Wouldn't that be tantamount to colluding with the enemy?!
Speaking of this, the Star Arc leader was furious—you World Tree acted so powerfully, I thought you could beat the Three Universal Civilizations to a pulp, but you couldn't even get past Black Star.
Is this what you call an intrusion?
How ridiculous!
A few days later, the great victory in the shallow dimension quickly spread throughout interstellar society, driven by the Three Universal Civilizations. Although, as requested by Han Xiao, the fact that he fought against the Tree God at the Beyond God Grade was not emphasized, it still caused widespread excitement among the interstellar population.
Initially, when the news broke about the World Tree's invasion from Secondary Dimension, most interstellar citizens were filled with fear and panic. However, upon seeing the Three Universal Civilizations successfully repel the enemy, they breathed a sigh of relief, became excited, Three Universal Civilizations gained even more confidence in their victory in the war.
Because the safety of staying in the Explored Universe has greatly increased, the level of unrest on various refuge planets has also decreased significantly. Many interstellar citizens have become more law-abiding, the frequency of protests has decreased, fewer people have tried to escape, and it is easier to manage them centrally.
The Sanctum Revived, who suddenly appeared this time, were portrayed as key contributors to the victory in the war. However, they left after the battle without ever interacting with the Three Universal Civilizations, and their actions were very mysterious, arousing strong curiosity among the interstellar citizens.
Online, many StarCraft citizens recognized some of these individuals based on the Veyne Cards deck, identifying them as historically renowned Beyond Grade A players.
Therefore, all signs pointed to Black Star, who controlled the Sanctuary Revival, and countless interstellar citizens enthusiastically unleashed their imaginations, with various versions of speculation circulating online.
The main star of the Beyond Grade A Association, the conference hall.
A large group of Beyond Grade A individuals gathered together, all staring at Han Xiao in the main seat, chattering amongst themselves.
"Black Star, you have to give us an explanation. Who are those Revived?"
"Exactly! It's so unfair of you to keep this from us all this time."
"This must be related to you. If you say you don't know, I won't speak to you for a month!"
Most of those who pressed for answers were current-era Beyond Grade A individuals, while insiders like Baigel and subsequent Revived remained silent, watching the show from the sidelines.
"Ahem, well..." Kasuyi raised his hand slightly and coughed, "Actually, I know a little about this matter too."
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone's gaze sharpened and they all focused on him.
Seriously? You knew about the Sanctuary Revival before Black Star first revealed it, so how come you know now and are helping Black Star keep it from us?
Before, people thought you were senior because of your thick eyebrows and big eyes, so they elected you as vice president. But now it seems you've completely turned into the shape of Black Star!
Seraon, standing to the side, was filled with envy and jealousy. "We're all vice presidents, how come you know so many secrets while I'm just a clueless fool? You guys are just using me as a decoration!"
Damn it, I can be a confidant too! I want to be in cahoots with Black Star too!
Han Xiao was somewhat surprised and turned to look at Kasuyi, "When did you find out?"
"I guessed."
Kasuyi smiled sheepishly.
During the training camp, Han Xiao once entered the Sanctuary to allow the Oathkeeper to make contact with Kasuyi.
Although the Oathkeeper did not reveal anything about the Sanctum, Kasuyi had a preconceived notion that the Oathkeeper was Han Xiao's secret subordinate. Based on this, he deduced that Han Xiao might have a backup plan and possibly had a group of Revived hidden away. Therefore, Kasuyi was not surprised by the emergence of the Sanctum Organization; on the contrary, he had a feeling of "I knew it."
Han Xiao thought for a moment and guessed how Kasuyi knew. Not minding, he turned to look at everyone and smiled:
"I originally intended to explain this matter to everyone. Back when the Three Universal Civilizations clashed with the Association, I specifically had a group of Revived hide and form a special group. If something happened to us, we would have a way out and a means to counter the enemy, so don't blame me for keeping it a secret."
As you all know, the World Tree suddenly invaded, and we made peace with the Three Universal Civilizations to fight against the enemy together. So this trump card was kept until recently, when the Secondary Dimension front was in danger, and I sent them out to provide support."
Everyone nodded, accepting this explanation without objection.
However, the Sun Hunter asked casually, "Now that they've been exposed, why don't they join the association?"
Han Xiao smiled and said, "This involves our future development path. In my plan, a group of Beyond Grade A should secretly form an organization to work with the Association, one in the open and one in the shadows, watching out for each other. Unless something major happens, they will remain in the shadows. These mysterious Revived are the first batch of members I have my eye on. They are not all just following orders; they also have the idea of retiring, so this mission is very suitable for them."
I intend to retain this system as a retirement home for those at the Beyond Grade A). Once things stabilize, if anyone grows weary of conflict and politics, they can choose to retire from this organization and return to their status as an outsider.
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone's eyes flashed, catching Han Xiao's unspoken message, and they couldn't help but give him a deep look.
It seems that Black Star, having ascended to the Beyond God Grade, is no longer content with the status of an association. Once the war ends, he'll likely use his official status, recognized by the Three Universal Civilizations, to do something significant...
'War is indeed a catalyst for ambition...'
Many Beyond Grade A students had this sentiment in their minds.
However, from a personal perspective, they do not reject this point; Black Star's ambition as a leader is a good thing for their group.
"Then I have no objection."
"We are too."
"You were right to have foresight."
Everyone readily agreed, and they proceeded with a flurry of compliments.
Han Xiao smiled and was about to speak when suddenly the panel vibrated.
He paused for a moment, then quietly opened the panel, glanced at the prompt, and his eyes lit up immediately.
[Version 5.5 is now available!]
[Retrieving data... Data retrieval complete!]
[Player forum open]
Welcome to Galaxy version 5.5 - [Black Star Era: The Territory-wide War]
"Oh, this little update is finally over?"
Han Xiao immediately perked up.
The players logged off more than ten years ago, and a minor update was released. Unexpectedly, the lovely "leeks" (players who exploit others) have returned at this time.
However, Han Xiao's joy didn't last long before his attention was drawn to the change in the version name.
Territory-wide War?
Han Xiao narrowed his eyes.
Based on his experience, version updates usually occur on the eve of some major event or upheaval.
The Three Universal Civilizations are currently in a favorable position, while the World Tree has fallen into a passive position. However, the version has such a name, which makes him feel uneasy and that something is not so simple.
"Whose Territory-wide War is this version's title referring to? Is it us defeating the World Tree, or the World Tree invading the entire territories of the Three Universal Civilizations like in the previous life? They're currently blocked outside the borders of the Shattered World, do they still have that chance...? Hmm, it's best to investigate, just in case."
Han Xiao pondered in his heart, his eyes flickering.