Secondary Dimension World, World Tree Civilization control zone, Tree King's Palace.
With his Psychic Network with Hailian severed, the Ancestral Tree King knew she had been sealed away by Black Star. He silently closed his eyes, his expression somber and gloomy.
"What should we do?" Anchor Tree King looked over, his tone complicated.
The Ancestral Tree King pressed his brow, his expression shifting between frustration, disappointment, resentment, and regret.
After a moment of silence, he reopened his eyes and slowly spoke, his expression revealing helplessness and exhaustion:
"... Recall all troops stationed outside, return them to their Secondary Dimension territories, and deploy all forces to protect the Mother Tree itself."
"Are we going to abandon the intrusion?"
"Now is not the time to think about how to invade the enemy; it's time to guard against their counterattack."
The Ancestral Tree King's eyes were solemn, a hint of resentment flashing across them.
The coordinates of the Mother Tree have been exposed. If it were an ordinary opponent, the World Tree Civilization wouldn't panic too much. They could simply seal off the dimension and mobilize a large force to defend it. Even if the enemy wanted to attack the Mother Tree, they would have to cross countless defenses.
However, the Three Universal Civilizations are perfectly able to counter this tactic. The High-Dimensional Apocalypse Teleporter ignores any spatial blockade and can pass through any defense line. Once the coordinates of the Mother Tree are exposed, it will give the Three Universal Civilizations the opportunity to directly raid the Mother Tree and strike at its heart at any time.
The Ancestral Tree King dared not take the risk and had to withdraw all his troops to protect the Mother Tree. The roles of offense and defense had been reversed, and now it was his turn to worry about the invasion of the Three Universal Civilizations.
In the eyes of the Ancestral Tree King, this approach was merely a desperate measure. Even if it could repel the armies of the Three Universal Civilizations time and time again, the Pivot Snake had been completely controlled by Black Star and could locate the Mother Tree at any time, meaning the World Tree would never have a peaceful day. The Ancestral Tree King could hardly think of a way to turn the tide. Civilization had not fallen into such a desperate situation for a long time.
After hunting down so many civilizations, we've finally met our match. As the saying goes, "He who walks by the river will eventually get his shoes wet," and "He who hunts geese all day will eventually get pecked in the eye."
"Is there really no other way?" Anchor Tree King asked in a low voice.
"Yes, and it's very simple. Just kill Black Star, and everything will be resolved." The Ancestral Tree King said expressionlessly.
"... If I could kill him, I would have done it long ago." Anchor Tree King looked distressed.
"Therefore, we no longer have control over the war, and our long-term strategy has lost its implementation environment. All we can do now is react to whatever comes our way."
The Ancestral Tree King spoke with a bitter tone.
Now, he has no idea where his fate will lead him.
The Tree King's orders were transmitted to all officers through the Psychic Network, and regardless of whether they felt shocked, panicked, or unwilling, all officers obediently carried out the orders.
The World Tree Fleet, which had been wreaking havoc within the Three Universal Civilizations, was urgently withdrawn in batches, while the army groups stationed outside the borders of the Shattered World also abandoned their strongholds and left via wormhole jumps, all of them withdrawing.
The World Tree's sudden withdrawal left many of the Interstellar Joint Army's support forces empty-handed, leaving many bewildered and wondering what the World Tree was up to.
This intelligence was quickly relayed upwards, attracting the attention of higher-ups.
An emergency meeting is underway at the Interstellar Joint Army Strategic Command.
The remote projections of the leaders of the Three Universal Civilizations were also present. They received a report from the General Staff and were greatly surprised. They joined the meeting and listened to the military's analysis of the reasons for the withdrawal of the World Tree troops.
"The World Tree clearly held the initiative, able to harass and devour our territory at will, but now it has suddenly stopped its invasion. Not only that, it has even withdrawn the army group that was eyeing us covetously beyond the borders of the Shattered World. This situation is quite strange, and we don't know why. What are your thoughts?"
Commander Simon's tone was grave.
Everyone present wore a serious expression, their eyes fixed on the virtual strategic sandbox.
They are not optimistic that the World Tree's withdrawal is a good thing. From their perspective, such illogical behavior must have a reasonable, unknown reason behind it.
From the military's perspective, World Tree was probably up to something, but they didn't know the enemy's objective, so the atmosphere was quite tense, and anxiety filled the air.
Tenny tapped the table and said in a deep voice, "According to the General Staff's calculations, the World Tree's sudden withdrawal may be a feint, intended to mislead our judgment. Behind the scenes, they are brewing an unknown large-scale military operation, the target of which is very likely our Central Galaxy, the mother planet of the Three Universal Civilizations!"
Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions became even more serious.
"In that case, we must continue to strengthen the defenses of our home planet! The World Tree's withdrawal at such a critical moment indicates that its planned actions are far from a simple formality. If we let our guard down, they might actually succeed!"
Simon's expression was solemn, and his voice was firm.
At this moment, an officer from the Arcane Church hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Doesn't anyone think that something has happened inside the World Tree?"
The leader of the Arcane Sect turned to look at him and said in a deep voice, "We cannot pin our hopes on the enemy's own problems; we must always consider the worst-case scenario first."
At this moment, President Louis, seemingly Glory in thought, said, "The World Tree's withdrawal must have a reason. Could it be that a traitor has secretly leaked some intelligence to the World Tree, leading them to make a new decision?"
As soon as the words were spoken, the faces of the officers hardened, and their Tu Shu became even more somber.
For the past six months, the Three Universal Civilizations have been resisting the invasion of the World Tree while thoroughly investigating traitors within their own borders. There are a lot of suspects, but they just can't identify the mastermind.
With external enemies pressing in, the Three Universal Civilizations dared not err on the side of killing the innocent. The cooperation of the Interstellar Joint Army was hard-won, and they were also afraid of wrongly accusing an innocent ally and causing internal turmoil, which would be inappropriate.
Mabrus agreed, "That's also a possibility. The existence of traitors remains a destabilizing factor and is most likely to trigger various variables."
"We still need to come up with an effective way to expose the traitor," the leader of the Arcane Cult emphasized.
Just as everyone was expressing their opinions and discussing the matter, another remote projection suddenly appeared in the conference room.
Everyone turned to look, and the newcomer was none other than Black Star.
"Oh, the meeting has already started. Looks like you guys didn't wait for me."
Han Xiao looked around and nodded to everyone, who nodded in return.
As one of the pillars of the war, he naturally received an invitation to the meeting, but he was delayed for a while in order to confirm that the coordinates of the Mother Tree sensed by the Pivot Snake were correct.
"You're late," Mabrus said helplessly.
Han Xiao waved his hand dismissively.
"Don't worry about the details, what were you talking about just now?"
Simon offered an explanation:
"The World Tree has suddenly withdrawn its troops and halted its Invasion of the Entire Territory. We are speculating about their motives... The most likely explanation is that the World Tree is planning a large-scale military operation against the homeworlds of the Three Universal Civilizations. Another possibility is that a traitor has leaked new intelligence."
"Oh? The World Tree has been removed?"
Han Xiao blinked, realizing he was only just finding out about this.
He thought for a moment, then understood the World Tree Civilization's motives, and couldn't help but laugh:
"Alright, stop scaring yourselves. The World Tree retreated because they were afraid."
"Scared?"
The group exchanged bewildered glances, not understanding Han Xiao's meaning.
The leader of the Arcane Cult coughed and said, "Black Star, please stop joking. This matter is very serious."
"Who has time to joke with you?" Han Xiao clicked his tongue. "I've accelerated the maturation of the Pivot Snake and now I have the precise coordinates of the World Tree's main body. The World Tree detected this through two-way sensing. They retreated because they were afraid we would strike at their heart, so they went back to defend. There's no other possibility."
"You've found the location of the World Tree itself? Really?!"
The three were stunned for a moment, then overjoyed, yet also somewhat apprehensive, fearing it was all a lie.
Everyone was shocked, their expressions changed drastically, and they stared blankly at Han Xiao, their eyes filled with disbelief.
Only after Han Xiao gave an affirmative answer did the three leaders and the officers present become truly excited, their emotions running high.
"How did you do that?!"
Mabrus hurriedly pressed for an answer, and everyone else stared expectantly at Han Xiao.
Seeing this, Han Xiao didn't hide anything and briefly recounted the assassination attempt on Hailian, emphasizing that Pivot Snake had unlocked its sensory abilities, which excited everyone.
Because of the existence of the Pivot Snake, everyone has always been confident about this war, but that confidence is based on the long-term trend. They thought that they would have to hold out for at least several decades under the World Tree's Invasion of the Entire Territory before they could wait for a turning point to decide the outcome. Unexpectedly, Black Star has solved the key problem at this stage.
This is equivalent to reducing war losses for interstellar society by decades and freeing these officers from war earlier than expected, which is undoubtedly encouraging.
"Well done! Now the initiative is completely in our hands!"
Mabrus clenched his fist, overjoyed.
While he was pleased, he also felt somewhat ashamed. While they were still figuring out how to catch the traitor, Black Star had already found the key to ending the war and regained control. The two sides were simply not on the same level.
Looking at the course of the war since its inception, Black Star has been involved in almost every turning point, and now he has brought victory to the Three Universal Civilizations once again. It is no exaggeration for any of them to say that he alone has dominated the course of the war.
At this moment, Han Xiao waved his hand and casually said:
"Enough with the unnecessary words. The World Tree's weaknesses have been laid bare, leaving it completely on the defensive. We should muster our main force and launch a proactive attack to utterly eliminate this enemy... In this war, the World Tree has reached its end!"
Upon hearing this, Simon stood up abruptly, his eyes sharp, his tone resolute:
"Lord Black Star is right, it's time for us to sound the horn of counterattack!"
As soon as the words were spoken, everyone felt a surge of pride and stood up. With solemn expressions, they looked at the three leaders and volunteered in unison.
"Please issue the command!"
Seeing this, Mabrus, Louis, and the leader of the Arcane Cult straightened their expressions, nodded emphatically, and solemnly spoke:
"Alright! From this moment on, we will make a strategic adjustment. Our primary objective will no longer be to defend our territory; our new strategic goal will be the complete destruction of the World Tree Civilization!"
"Clear!"
The officers present responded in unison, their expressions grim and eager to try.
Han Xiao, watching this scene from the side, curled up a playful smile.
Although he and the Three Universal Civilizations share the common goal of defeating the World Tree Civilization, their specific needs are still different.
From the perspective of the Three Universal Civilizations, the World Tree was naturally the one they trusted the most.
But from Han Xiao's perspective... all he can say is that their willingness to jointly resist foreign enemies is genuine, and their mutual exploitation is also genuine.
'Once the main conflict is resolved, my differences with the Three Universal Civilizations will also surface. These people are thanking me now, but who knows what they'll do then?'
Han Xiao's eyes flickered as he secretly made his calculations.
With the World Tree's withdrawal, the fierce battle between the two sides ceased, and the war-torn Explored Universe suddenly fell silent.
The war suddenly ended when the interstellar people were not prepared, just as abruptly as the World Tree's invasion, coming and going in a hurry.
The high-ranking officials of the Three Universal Civilizations reached a consensus, and the strategic shift quickly had far-reaching consequences Interstellar Joint Army ceased patrolling and guarding their territory and instead began to assemble in the Central Galaxy.
Sensing the change in the situation, countless interstellar citizens who had been living in constant fear were momentarily stunned and confused.
There are many conflicting opinions online, and the Star Alliance observers lurking in the Desolate Universe Belt are also confused by the World Tree's withdrawal.
Unaware of the secrets of the Pivot Snake, they remained in the dark, gathering intelligence only from publicly available information online, leaving them utterly bewildered.
"Strange, the World Tree should have been constantly devouring the Three Universal Civilizations, so why did it suddenly disappear?"
Inside the secret base, many Star Alliance observers were quite puzzled.
Their leak of intelligence was intended to incite the World Tree to wreak havoc on the Three Universal Civilizations. For the past six months, the World Tree's actions have perfectly aligned with their expectations, allowing them to observe from afar.
Things were going according to plan, and they were enjoying the show when the World Tree suddenly disappeared, catching the Star Alliance observers completely off guard.
"The World Tree must have its reasons for doing this. Perhaps they're not satisfied with small-scale skirmishes and are consolidating their forces, preparing for something big!"
After analyzing the situation for a while, the captain of the observers reached a conclusion, speaking with certainty.
Upon hearing this, many team members agreed that it made sense, and their initial surprise turned into anticipation.
At this moment, these Star Alliance infiltrators were unaware that the World Tree Civilization, the tool they had used to carry out their plan of using someone else to kill, was now in dire straits and struggling to survive.