Super Sanctuary, a certain uninhabited area.
A shimmering mass of energy floats in space, its shape ever-changing, like a colorful cloud being kneaded by an invisible force. Streams of various high-energy particles flow through it, much like electrical signals released by neurons during activity. The entire energy mass resembles a small nebula-like energy field, a kind of brain.
Evans floated in the center, his expression serious and focused, meticulously manipulating various energies to continuously refine this nebula brain.
But suddenly, the energy nebula expanded unstablely, and the neural bridges built from various energies collapsed in a chain reaction, causing a violent chain reaction.
Just as the energy nebula was about to expand and explode, Evans made a circle with both hands, opening his energy field. The raging energy suddenly stabilized, rapidly contracted, and transformed into a dazzling ball of light the size of a human head, which was then absorbed into Evans' body.
"Sigh, another failure..."
Evans looked helpless and sighed inwardly.
Ever since witnessing Beyond God Grade battles in the war, he has deeply felt the inadequacy of his own strength and has always longed for that incredible power.
After the war ended, everyone went on vacation, but Evans was one of the very few who didn't relax and kept focusing on developing his superpowers.
One source of motivation is his own pursuit, and the other is that Evans still remembers Black Star's high expectations for him and is unwilling to waste his hard-won potential, striving to reach the level Black Star expects.
The Sorokin was quite pleased with this, believing that Evans had always remembered his promise to help him beat up Black Star and had always taught him everything he knew, guiding Evans's cultivation.
"I hope to improve as soon as possible. Lord Black Star told me that he hopes I will become a pillar of the Super Sanctuary in the future, and I cannot let him down..."
Evans clenched his fist, silently encouraging himself.
Just as he was about to try again, his senses suddenly stirred, and he looked in a distant direction.
A streak of light appeared as a spaceship sprang into view, hovering not far away. A strong figure flew out—it was Carrot.
"Oh, so it's you here. I was wondering when a high-energy reaction zone appeared within our territory."
Carrot was slightly surprised to see Evans and took the initiative to strike up a conversation.
"Uh, hello." Evans hesitated for a moment, then nodded in greeting.
Although both were members of the Black Star Army, they didn't communicate much and only knew each other's basic information; they were merely acquaintances.
"What are you doing here?" Evans asked curiously.
"I was looking for an extreme environment to temper my body. The spaceship sensed a high-energy reaction, so I came over. So it was you training. No wonder."
"Oh, I see..."
The two were unfamiliar with each other, and after a few awkward words, they realized they had nothing to talk about and gradually fell silent.
But no one left; they stared at each other, and the atmosphere slowly became strange.
In fact, during their secluded training, the two of them always thought they were the only seeded players who received special treatment from Black Star. Only after emerging from seclusion did they learn of each other's existence and discover that they were not the only ones.
This relationship made their feelings for each other very subtle; on one hand, they were curious about each other's background, and on the other hand, they were curious about what Black Star saw in the other...
This mentality is roughly equivalent to two top students in a class both receiving extra tutoring from the teacher, subconsciously creating a competitive mindset...
After a long silence, Carrot coughed, breaking the silence, and tentatively began to speak:
"How about... we practice together?"
"... sounds good."
Evans and Carrot's eyes met in mid-air, as if sparks were flying between them.
Black Star Army Headquarters, Fleet Commander's Office.
Melos sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, looking at the Sunil people in front of him, and pushed the wine glass on the table with his finger.
"Want some?"
"No need for Lord Melos."
Melos didn't seem to care, sized up the leader of the Sunil people, and nodded:
"You must be the leader of the Sunil people this time. Not bad, not bad. The previous leader mentioned you to me, saying you were very shrewd and capable."
"You flatter me." The leader nodded.
The Sunil people are the race of Melos. Since the rise of the Black Star Army, Melos, as one of the earliest elders, has wielded great power and has given back many resources to his race within his power.
Therefore, every generation of Sunil leaders would come to visit him, essentially as a way of paying respects, and this generation was no exception.
"Now that you've become the leader, do a good job."
Melos offered a word of encouragement, then glanced at the few still-childish young Sunil people behind him, raising an eyebrow as he said:
"Who are these people...?"
"Your Excellency Melos, these are some promising young men from my immediate family who wish to join the Black Star Army for training. I would appreciate your assistance," the Sunil leader said respectfully.
Melos sized up the group, and the young men immediately straightened their backs, looking quite nervous and uneasy.
Seeing this, Melos shook his head and said, "The legion has a new leader, and Nero is in charge now. However, the standards remain as strict as ever. I can make them official members, but whether they can climb the ranks depends on their own abilities."
"Thank you, Your Excellency." The Sunil leader bowed.
Melos waved his hand, indicating that there was no need for formalities, paused for a moment, then suddenly changed the subject, saying:
"From this day forward, no leader of any generation should visit me again. It's time for you to be more independent. Now leave my place."
The Sunil leader trembled slightly, his expression complex, but he said nothing, bowed his head in agreement, and led his men away tactfully.
After the group left, another person walked in; it was Sylvia, who had been eavesdropping outside for quite some time.
"Not bad, you've finally decided to stop using your position for personal gain," Sylvia teased.
"Nonsense, I've always been thinking of the legion." Melos rolled his eyes.
"Just kidding, but I'm really curious why you're no longer helping your tribe." Sylvia blinked.
"They can't always rely on me, or they'll become dependent on me sooner or later. After nearly a century, the habits cultivated by generations have already begun to show this tendency, and I can't just turn a blind eye." Melos shook his head and said in a deep voice, "Besides... Black Star could tolerate me before, but now that someone else is in power, I can't be ungrateful in the future."
Sylvia pursed her lips, said nothing, stood with her hands behind her back by the window, looked at the dazzling starry sky outside, suddenly sighed, and murmured:
"A hundred years have passed in the blink of an eye..."
Melos turned to look out the window, sighing softly, "Yes, a hundred years... We've actually followed Black Star to this point. Sometimes I think it feels like a dream. If Black Star hadn't invited me, I might have spent my whole life drifting aimlessly in my family's little tavern."
"If I hadn't met him..." Sylvia paused, then shook her head, "Perhaps I would have died somewhere in the universe long ago, and the life I have now is something we could never have dreamed of..."
The two gazed silently out the window, no longer speaking, each savoring their own memories.
In peaceful times, time passes even more silently, and several months have passed in the blink of an eye.
On this day, in the conference room where the Three Universal Civilizations joined forces.
"Recently, the morale of the direct subordinates' Beyond Grade A members has been fluctuating; the expansion of the Super Sanctuary is too astonishing."
"Fortunately, Clottey and Oulu stabilized the situation, otherwise there might have been another instance of their loyal followers defecting to the Super Sanctuary."
The leaders of the Three Universal Civilizations looked worried and sighed.
The Super Sanctuary has disrupted the old order, and as the original beneficiaries, they are naturally not comfortable, but can only silently endure wave after wave of impact.
"Speaking of which, Black Star hasn't shown his face for a while. Didn't he already complete the Sanctuary Revival? What has he been busy with all this time?" the Arcane Leader asked curiously.
"Who knows? I can't get any information about it anyway," Mabrus helplessly.
"His disappearance for so long isn't a solution. If the Star Alliance sends new infiltrators and Black Star happens to be away, we might be exposed."
"To be honest, if Black Star were willing to help, all he needed to do was control the leaders of the Star Alliance, and we could win easily. Unfortunately, he doesn't want to help."
"Hey, with Black Star's personality, nothing is absolute. I think the price isn't high enough. If we offer some conditions, he should agree."
"There's some truth to it, but he's got a huge appetite these days. We need to think of some leverage we can use to sway him..."
Just as the three were discussing how to get Han Xiao to join them in invading the Star Alliance, a remote projection suddenly appeared in the room; it was Han Xiao.
The three of them were immediately startled.
"Black Star? You... you're back? Why didn't you announce it beforehand..." Mabrus stopped mid-sentence, his brow furrowing in displeasure. "Hey! You didn't hack into the Empire's database again, did you?"
Han Xiao ignored Mabrus's dissatisfaction, instead scanning the three of them with a strange look, and slowly spoke:
"I'm here to share information about the Sanctuary so we can develop it together. If you're not happy about it, then I'll leave."
The three of them were taken aback.
"Are you serious? You really want to take us with you to develop the Sanctuary?"
Louis's tone was hesitant, somewhat incredulous; he had previously thought Black Star was joking.
Han Xiao nodded, but suddenly changed the subject, his tone becoming meaningful:
"But before we cooperate, there are some things I need to tell you... Don't be afraid of what I'm about to say..."
"Afraid?"
The leader of the Arcane Cult found it somewhat amusing, and was rather dismissive.
"We've even faced an enemy like the World Tree, what else could we possibly be afraid of? Just say it, we're seasoned veterans, nothing can scare us."
Han Xiao raised an eyebrow, his expression somewhat amused.