The teardrop-shaped spaceship entered the atmosphere and slowly descended, revealing a fiery, cracked lava surface to Sisko.
Sisko had already sensed the location of the Evolution Cube, which was underground on the planet. At such a close distance, he was able to pinpoint its location precisely.
"The coordinates have been stuck on this planet for several hours... Did he abandon the Evolution Cube and choose to run away, or did he deliberately stay here to wait for me?"
Sisko secretly speculated about the unknown enemy's intentions. He suspected that the enemy might have set a trap to attack his ship, preventing him from pursuing it. Just in case, he abandoned his plan to fly himself and continued piloting his ship across the land, approaching the coordinates.
After flying for a short while, the detection radar suddenly reacted, detecting a life signal hundreds of kilometers away. The field of vision suddenly expanded, and it became possible to vaguely discern hundreds of mechanical soldiers surrounding a life form, seemingly imprisoning it.
"That looks like Sedim?" Sisko's eyes lit up, and he turned and flew over, quickly arriving above Sedim.
The ground-based mechs raised their cannons and opened fire on the spaceship overhead.
Bang bang bang!
An invisible telekinetic shield rose up, distorting space like an air wall, upon which Psionic Energy particle cannons exploded into blue fragments of light.
Explosions continued, but the protective shield remained completely unmoved.
The next moment, a pale white telekinetic shockwave appeared out of thin air and swept across the ground.
Brush!
The hundreds of mechs below, now without any Mechanical Force boost, were all shattered into pieces by the single blow. The telekinetic power deliberately avoided Sedim, leaving him standing still and escaping unscathed.
The Esper Class is the one among the five major professions that specializes in mental power. Its strength lies in mental attacks, but it also possesses physical attack methods. Psychic power is the energy attack generated by influencing matter with mental power, and it even has a certain ability to materialize illusions. It is both offensive and defensive.
Sisko used telekinesis to crush the restraints on Sedim, then used the ship's traction beam to pull him into the cabin.
"Ahem... You've finally arrived!"
Sedim leaned weakly against the hatch, but his face was filled with excitement and ecstasy.
We're saved!
Beyond Grade A is reliable! Trusting Sisko was definitely the right decision!
"Who is the enemy?" Sisko didn't waste any time and went straight to the key question.
"Bar... it's Black Star!"
"Black Star? Where have I heard that name before... Oh, it seems to be someone from the Colton Star Cluster. Apparently, they're active in the Secret War, and I heard they've offended the Tyrant."
"Yes, yes, that's the Beyond Grade A Seed, the guy who's said to be invincible among the Calamity Grade."
Invincible among the Calamity Grade? So it was this title that gave him the confidence to challenge the Beyond Grade A?
Sisko shook his head. The Colton Star Cluster was quite far from the territory of the Star Pupil Protoss. He had only heard of Han Xiao but hadn't paid much attention to him. To him, a Calamity Grade being was just a nobody, no matter how famous he was.
He had little interest in Secret War; he'd rather spend that time concerned with the Star Pupil Protoss's reproductive issues.
"Sir Sisko, Black Star abandoned me here a few hours ago. He should still be on this planet. Your killing of those mechs has already revealed your location. You'd better capture Black Star immediately to prevent him from escaping."
Sedim couldn't wait to offer his advice, eager to see Black Star suffer as soon as possible.
He couldn't forget the humiliation of being cuckolded and always wanted to take back the troops. Sisko was his current backer. In his view, the Calamity Grade would never be a match for the Beyond Grade A. No matter how Black Star struggled, in the end, he would only be beaten to a pulp by Sisko.
'I will not only take back my own mechanical troops, but I will also seize your mechanical legion!' Sedim gritted his teeth and vowed fiercely in his heart.
"Yes, you're right, we definitely need to finish this quickly." Sisko wholeheartedly agreed.
With his ability to sense and locate the source of the problem, he wasn't worried about Black Star escaping. What he feared was that if Black Star realized it had nowhere to run, it would make a desperate move and destroy the portable device of the Evolution Cube, releasing the massive body of the Evolution Cube here. In that case, he would need to mobilize the manpower and resources of the Star Pupil Protoss to move the Evolution Cube back, and he hated such unnecessary trouble.
Just as he was about to pilot his spaceship over, the location of the Evolution Cube he sensed suddenly shifted, hurtling rapidly toward him. Soon, at the edge of his field of vision, a black dot rapidly enlarged.
Rumble--
The rapidly approaching black shadow flew across the ground, stirring up a howling wind. The lava flowing on the ground seemed to be shaken by the shock wave, splashing up like miniature tsunamis.
The next moment, the dark figure stopped in mid-air not far away, facing Sisko's spaceship from a distance.
"That's Black Star!" Sedim exclaimed hastily, pointing out the porthole.
"They actually came to us themselves..."
Sisko was somewhat surprised, but he roughly understood the other party's intentions; they simply wanted to negotiate with him.
His gaze was fixed on the small cube around Han Xiao's neck. Through its location tracking, he knew that it was a miniaturized portable Evolution Cube.
Buzz!
Before Han Xiao could speak, Sisko launched a fierce attack, unleashing a surge of psychic power that directly assaulted Han Xiao on a mental level.
He couldn't be bothered to waste words with Han Xiao. The other party was simply using the Evolution Cube as a bargaining chip, but what right did a Calamity Grade being like him have to negotiate with him?
Sisko wasn't willing to let others take the initiative, so without saying a word, he preemptively struck—"Let's talk after I get the Evolution Cube back!"
Before Han Xiao could speak, his mental power attacked fiercely. Fortunately, he was prepared and immediately used his new talent from the Chaos Apostle, [Void Deity's Echo], to draw a rich and textured Void Divine Power from the Void Dimension, creating a mental barrier that negated nearly half of the mental damage.
The remaining psychic energy surged in, invading his brain. His brain felt as if it were being pierced by countless steel rods, causing excruciating pain. Even though his feats such as [Supreme Devotion], [Advanced Mental Fortitude], and [Mental Lock] more than doubled his mental resistance, this attack still took away more than 80,000 of his health. The combat information indicated that Sisko had used a skill, dealing additional damage.
This is genuine Beyond Grade A attack power!
However, with Han Xiao's current health, this psychic attack, which was enough to severely injure or even kill an ordinary Calamity Grade, was not even a minor injury to him; he could recover in the blink of an eye.
"This guy acted without hesitation, he's really decisive." Han Xiao's expression hardened.
However, this was exactly what he wanted. Only by demonstrating his strength to the other party could he have the right to engage in equal dialogue.
With his thoughts racing, Han Xiao's hands moved just as quickly. Without a word, he cast a Luck Curse on Sisko, then instead of retreating, he activated Apostolization and Void Blessing, causing his state to surge. A torrent of Psionic Energy erupted out like a celestial river hanging upside down, crashing down on Sisko's spaceship.
Rumble!
The surging Psionic Energy crashed violently against the psychic barrier, like a waterfall slamming into rocks. The azure fragments of light scattered like water droplets, the air vibrated incessantly, and a deafening echo reverberated.
"This power... isn't right?"
Sisko couldn't help but feel surprised and suspicious. He felt pressured, and the outcome was completely different from the easy block of the attack he had imagined.
Although it was only a little bit of pressure, this was the first Calamity Grade superhuman who had made him feel pressure in all his years as Beyond Grade A.
Kerala--
The next moment, Han Xiao continued to unleash his energy, summoning a mechanical legion. The sky flashed with light, and the barracks teleported over, releasing an overwhelming mechanical legion. The black tide blotted out the sun and occupied every inch of the sky.
Not only Han Xiao's own mechanical legion, but also Sedim's mechanical forces were included, numbering over ten million.
Sizzle--
A surge of Mechanical Force, accompanied by lightning and thunder, erupted from Han Xiao's body, rapidly connecting with every mechanical soldier, forming an enormous, lightning-covered spiderweb. At that moment, it seemed as if all the mechanical soldiers were moving in unison.
Han Xiao unleashed his full power, causing the energy level to rise sharply and his aura to expand continuously, as if piercing the sky and suppressing the earth.
In that instant, Sedim felt a sudden, inexplicable sense of dread.
Just then, Sisko, inside the spaceship, spoke to Sedim.
You're wrong.
Sedim snapped out of his daze, completely bewildered. "What went wrong?"
You're wrong to say he's Beyond Grade A Seed.
Sedim glanced at Sisko, only to be surprised to find that Sisko's expression was no longer relaxed; instead, it was more serious than ever before.
"He's not Beyond Grade A Seed..." Sisko said gravely, "He is Beyond Grade A!"
Like a thunderbolt blasting through his mind, Sedim's brain went blank, he froze, his eyes widened slowly, and his expression gradually changed from disbelief to utter horror.
Black Star... is it Beyond Grade A?
This means that a fifth Beyond Grade A has appeared in the Shattered Star Ring?!
Sedim's face turned ashen. If Han Xiao were only at the Calamity Grade, he would still dare to be his enemy, but now that Han Xiao had become Beyond Grade A, he couldn't even muster the thought of revenge.
When exactly did this happen? Just two days ago when I fought him, he was only at the Calamity Grade! Could it be that he deliberately concealed his strength?
Perhaps he was already Beyond Grade A when he was disguised as Barn.
Has he been playing games with me all this time?!
Thinking back to how he had so arrogantly boasted about recruiting a Beyond Grade A, Sedim felt utterly ashamed.
"If Black Star and Sisko fight, the aftershocks of the Beyond Grade A..."
Sedim panicked immediately. He had thought that Sisko's arrival would ensure his safety, but now it seemed he might die here!
At this moment, the mechanical legion surrounded Sisko's ship, with countless cannons aimed at him, their lights glowing as they charged.
Buzz!
Sisko's seven eyes widened suddenly, and his psychic power surged forth, weaving layer upon layer of barriers that enveloped the spaceship.
"Fire!" Han Xiao pressed his palm down sharply.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh--
Tens of millions of particle cannons fired simultaneously, all converging on the same target. The sky was filled with Psionic Energy light, and in the next moment, these Psionic Energy cannons condensed together, triggering a chain reaction of annihilation. Centered on Sisko's spaceship, a deep blue-black energy sphere was born and rapidly expanded.
The mechanical legion hurriedly retreated to avoid it. The energy ball expanded to a radius of over 100 kilometers before exploding with a deafening roar!
BOOM!!
The momentum was like an earthquake.
A blinding, dark blue beam of light shot into the sky, piercing straight through the atmosphere.
There was no dust or mushroom cloud; it was all annihilated by the expanding Psionic Energy.
The area was turned into a deep crater, the land seemed to have vanished into thin air, the explosion almost pierced through the Earth's crust, and its power reached the mantle, leaving a bottomless hole on the planet's surface.
Rumble rumble--
The earth's veins, spanning thousands of kilometers, were affected, triggering violent earthquakes and erupting Volcano. The already cracked earth developed countless deep rift valleys, and the landmasses were torn apart by the tectonic movement. Surging magma spewed up from the rift valleys, resembling fiery red dragon spines.
"This power has increased many times over..." Han Xiao muttered to himself as he surveyed the changes on the earth.
With his Mechanical Affinity attributes skyrocketing, coupled with the amplification from [Supreme Power], his destructive power has entered the Beyond Grade A category.
"My mechanical legion hasn't been upgraded yet. My combat power will reach its peak when I go back and build stronger machines and manufacture a large number of planet-destroying cannon-level weapons."
Once Han Xiao made up his mind, he began searching for Sisko's whereabouts.
The devastating scene he created was indeed shocking, but he was never short of self-confidence and didn't think that this attack could pose much of a threat to a Beyond Grade A. The strong aftershocks meant that the power was not concentrated enough.
A flurry of attacks, but the damage was only 250. The combat information on the panel showed that most of the attacks were blocked by the Beyond Grade A psychic barrier.
In mid-air at the epicenter of the explosion, there was a shattered red sphere of light. This was Sisko's psychic barrier, and even his psychic energy had been heated to a magma-like red by the Psionic Energy explosion, emitting high-temperature white steam.
The mechanical legion regrouped. Sisko watched this scene, then glanced at Sedim, who was trembling with fear beside him, and shook his head.
After a moment of silence, he dispelled his mental barrier, opened the hatch, and flew out, facing Han Xiao from afar.
"Not bad power."
Sisko glanced down at the bottomless sinkhole before looking at Han Xiao, his expression impassive. "Let's talk."
After a brief exchange, Sisko realized that his opponent was on equal footing with him, and he had no choice but to change his attitude and acknowledge that Han Xiao had the right to engage in dialogue on an equal footing.
Although he had never dealt with this person before, he now had to remember this man named Black Star.
This gesture also signifies that he is prepared to negotiate with Han Xiao.
In reality, Sisko was furious. He had thought his opponent was just an overconfident Calamity Grade, but it turned out to be a true Beyond Grade A. He had stumbled upon the worst-case scenario with the lowest probability, making the situation even more complicated.
Sisko wasn't afraid of Han Xiao, but as the leader of a civilization, he was unwilling to easily provoke a newly emerged Beyond Grade A enemy unless they couldn't reach an agreement.
As the saying goes, new talents emerge in every generation, each leading the way for hundreds of years. The new Beyond Grade A will change the landscape of the star system. The Shattered Star Ring has not seen Beyond Grade A for a long time, but other star systems are different.
Sisko is a long-lived individual, and due to his connection with the Arcane Church, his vision extends beyond the Shattered Star Ring. He is well-informed and not yet prone to losing his composure. However, witnessing the birth of a new Beyond Grade A is bound to cause surprise, but he doesn't want to show it to avoid affecting the negotiations.
Seeing this, Han Xiao ordered the mechanical legion to stop and flew to Sisko's side.
The two faced each other, sizing each other up.
State your terms. What do you want my Evolution Cube for?
Sisko took the initiative to speak, not wanting to waste time on fancy pleasantries, and went straight to the point.
Han Xiao's brow twitched.
This guy is really straightforward; he doesn't seem like the type to be easy to talk to...
That makes sense, though. The exchange just now was just a simple sparring match, a back-and-forth of offense and defense, where both sides showed their strength. It ended before it really got going, far from the level of Beyond Grade A player going all out.
Sisko was willing to engage in equal dialogue mainly because I demonstrated Beyond Grade A strength. As a veteran Beyond Grade A, it's impossible for him to become wary of me after just one exchange...
Han Xiao knew exactly what was going on. After thinking for a moment, he grabbed the Evolution Cube around his neck and said in a deep voice, "Actually, there's room for cooperation between us."
"You say it," Sisko said expressionlessly.
Han Xiao nodded and explained the situation regarding the Evolution Cube's activation password. He continued, "I know how to use the Evolution Cube in its portable state, which allows it to remain in that state and be carried with me, preventing it from being stolen... However, if the Evolution Cube returns to you, and you don't know the password, you can only release the original form. This could lead to another attack by the Sorokin, resulting in many casualties."
So why not let me carry the Evolution Cube, diverting the attention of the Sorokin, while you can borrow the cube from me at any time? This way, we can form a close alliance, and you won't have to worry about the Evolution Cube Evolution Cube stolen, while you can continue to use it—a win-win situation.
Sisko listened patiently, his expression indifferent, and then spoke calmly.
"Heh, then I'll give you a plan too. You give me the Evolution Cube and the activation code, and the Star Pupil Protoss will become your close allies. You can also borrow the Evolution Cube from me in the future, and I can even help you take down the Tyrant. Would you agree?"
Han Xiao's eyelids twitched. "If I don't agree..."
"Then I'll help the Tyrant take you down." Sisko interrupted Han Xiao, applying pressure without hesitation and taking the initiative. His face was expressionless as he said, "Now, give me an answer. Will you give it to me or not?"