"What?! Black Star has secretly partnered with the Three Universal Civilizations to jointly develop the Sanctuary?!"
The Star Arc leader's surprised voice echoed in the Super Star Cluster Alliance's joint conference room.
One of the civilization leaders nodded solemnly. "I've received some rumors that Black Star seems to have indeed shared the Sanctuary's data with the Three Universal Civilizations."
"Is the news confirmed?" The Star Arc leader's expression turned serious.
"Very credible."
Upon hearing this, the expressions of many leaders of the super-star clusters present changed.
The Three Universal Civilizations did not conceal Black Star's sharing of the Sanctuary; this was not a secret that could not be found out. However, they did not publicize it. After learning about their current situation, they no longer had the mind to do so. Otherwise, they would have publicized it in the past to enhance their reputation.
The composition of the three Sanctuary Key that Han Xiao sent out, as well as their purpose and method of entering the Sanctuary Sanctuary, are the secrets that the Three Universal Civilizations guard tightly and cannot be found out by outsiders. Therefore, the Super Star Cluster Alliance currently only knows the appearance of the two sides cooperating in developing the Sanctuary, but does not know the specific reasons and details.
"This is really strange. Now it's a three-way balance of power between the Three Universal Civilizations, the Super Sanctuary, and us. The Sanctuary is the core competitive advantage of the Super Sanctuary. Isn't Black Star's move aiding the enemy? What exactly does he mean by this?"
The leader of Star Arc was utterly bewildered, unable to find a solution.
"Indeed, I don't understand either. Why would Black Star need to share the Sanctuary with the Three Universal Civilizations?" another civilization leader asked, puzzled. "Back when the Beyond Grade A was still an association, they never shared the Sanctuary's information when facing suppression from the Three Universal Civilizations. Now, the Super Sanctuary is already a behemoth-level power, completely on par with the Three Universal Civilizations head-on. Why are they giving up the Sanctuary's information? Could it be that the Three Universal Civilizations have some leverage over them?"
"I don't think Black Star can be threatened by the Three Universal Civilizations. There must be other reasons. Black Star may have other plans... We can't even rule out the possibility of them reaching a deep strategic cooperation."
"The World Tree has been resolved, what strategic cooperation could they possibly have left? Could it be to fight that third-party infiltrator? But is it even necessary? Neither the Three Universal Civilizations nor Black Star himself could handle the Star Alliance on their own."
At this moment, one of the leaders of a civilization hesitated for a moment, then cautiously said:
"... Have you ever considered that if they cooperate, they might be targeting us?"
The room fell silent as soon as the words were spoken.
After a long silence, the Star Arc leader swallowed hard and tentatively said, "Um... I think it's unlikely. We're the mediator between them; they shouldn't join forces against us..."
"I don't think so..." someone worriedly voiced a dissenting opinion. "Could it be that our attitude of waiting for a higher bid was too blatant, angering both sides?"
Upon hearing this, everyone panicked and were momentarily at a loss for what to do.
After the postwar order was established, they maneuvered between the Three Universal Civilizations and the Super Sanctuary, repeatedly switching sides to maintain a balance of power.
According to the initial analysis, the Three Universal Civilizations needed to form an alliance with them to counterbalance the Super Sanctuary, so they would definitely "repent" and offer a lot of benefits to win them over. And that was the initial trend. They were finally no longer suppressed and had the space to develop freely, achieving their original motivation of migrating in an alternative way.
Logically speaking, if it weren't for the rise of the Super Sanctuary, the Super Star Cluster wouldn't have been able to achieve its goal. Black Star deserves credit for this. However, due to the need for balance of power, they couldn't closely align themselves with the Super Sanctuary, otherwise the Three Universal Civilizations would definitely be in an uproar. Therefore, they had to temporarily shelve their original deep alliance agreement with Black Star and instead opted for a superficial cooperation.
The Super Sanctuary didn't say anything about it. They even called Black Star to apologize, and the other party said they didn't mind. So the Super Star Cluster Alliance was always at ease, thinking that this route was fine and hoping to maintain a good cooperative relationship with both sides... But now that Black Star and the Three Universal Civilizations have pulled this stunt, they suddenly feel uncertain.
It feels like having two rivals who don't get along, while you maintain a good relationship with both of them, acting as the glue that holds the trio together. But then one day, the two rivals inexplicably make up, put their arms around each other, and stop including you in their group. You end up being the isolated third person, which is really upsetting.
"I think we need to analyze this further, but we can't rule out the possibility that such factors are at play... We need to reconsider our attitude towards the Super Sanctuary and the Three Universal Civilizations; we can't be too indifferent." The Star Arc leader's tone was heavy.
The higher-ups in the Super Star Cluster present felt increasingly uneasy, becoming paranoid and scaring themselves unnecessarily.
The Unexplored Universe, the Star Alliance capital.
"Since the World Tree's full-scale invasion, the Three Universal Civilizations have faced increasingly dire circumstances. In nearly two years, they have lost almost six percent of their territory. I originally thought they could hold out for decades, but it seems I overestimated them. The Three Universal Civilizations simply cannot withstand the World Tree's offensive. At this rate, the Three Universal Civilizations will be utterly defeated in five or six years, or at most thirteen or fourteen years!"
Inside the conference room, the leader of the Star Alliance and the heads of many allied civilizations wore warm smiles, and the room was filled with a joyful and cheerful atmosphere.
For over a year since the World Tree invaded interstellar society, they have been living a life of unparalleled bliss, even walking with a light step. Every time they finish reading the "battle report" sent by the infiltrators, they eagerly anticipate the next one, because each one is full of surprises.
The worse off interstellar society becomes, the happier they are!
The leader of the Star Alliance tapped the table and said with a smile, "Over the past year, the Three Universal Civilizations have been almost completely routed by the World Tree. Black Star was ambushed and severely injured, exceeding the limits of his Undying Body, forcing him to fall into slumber and slowly recuperate. Therefore, the Sanctuary Revival has also been temporarily halted. Intelligence reports say that he is now the spiritual pillar of interstellar society in its fight against external enemies. With Black Star down, the morale of the Interstellar Joint Army has collapsed in a chain reaction, resulting in repeated defeats on the battlefield... So it is obvious that without Black Star, the Interstellar Alliance is just a rabble."
"Hehe, not bad, not bad." The leader of the Lorl Civilization, Sevinis, chuckled. "Moreover, the previous two battle reports mentioned that the Three Universal Civilizations ' homeworlds suffered frequent attacks, forcing many high-ranking officials to seek refuge. During their voyage, the Crimson Dynasty's ships were ambushed on a large scale, and their current leader, Mabrus, was cut in half at the waist, his body mangled beyond recognition. The previous empire's head, Urranrell, was captured by members of the World Tree. It's said that the Pillar of the Nation Clottey, was furious and went to rescue him alone, only to be captured himself. However, his will remained strong, so the World Tree World Tree Urranrell repeatedly in front of him, destroying Clottey's will before consuming him and turning him into a slave..."
"Speaking of which, the Peak Beyond Grade A, are either dead or wounded. The Manison Mechanic Emperor's true form was exposed, and it was transformed into a slave by the World Tree, with all its resources going to the enemy. Kasuyi's mind was shattered, turning him into an idiot. Urnos was forced to join the war, and even the Arcane National Treasure were almost destroyed..."
These battle reports were fabricated by the group of spies who had already defected, at Han Xiao's order. He even added a lot of his own personal touches, making them quite "exciting"... As for the people involved in the battle reports, they were completely unaware and had no idea that Han Xiao was seriously fabricating stories about them.
The members of the Star Alliance chatted animatedly about the good news from past battle reports, as if they were eager to witness firsthand the suffering of the people in interstellar society and then laugh heartily.
After a while of chatting and laughing, the leader of the Star Alliance composed himself slightly, tapped the table, and said seriously:
"Although the defeat of the Three Universal Civilizations is a foregone conclusion, and we have finally eliminated a major threat and a competitor, the World Tree is a new threat. Even after the war ends, we will still need to pay attention to the World Tree."
Sevinis immediately chimed in, "That's right. The failure of the Three Universal Civilizations has proven how terrifying they were. Even if we develop to the same level as the Three Universal Civilizations, we still won't be their match."
"Well, time is on our side. As long as we keep developing, sooner or later..."
Just as the leader of the Star Alliance was about to look to the future and encourage everyone, the conference room was suddenly pushed open.
Bang!
A secretary rushed in, looking extremely anxious, with a deep sense of panic in her eyes.
"Leaders, something terrible has happened! Traces of the World Tree army have been discovered within our borders! The World Tree has attacked!!"
"What?!"
Splash--
All the Star Alliance high-ranking officials present suddenly changed their expressions and stood up abruptly!