The panel indicated that [Bold Explorer] had taken effect, Han Xiao's vision once again entered an illusion. He already knew how the skill took effect, so he focused on watching this information fragment.
Two figures appeared in the illusion, surrounded by chaotic blue-black spatial energy, as if they were in a wormhole.
The two figures were very familiar; one was his former self, and the other was an avatar of the Sorokin. This scene stirred something in Han Xiao's heart.
This set of wormhole data comes from the wormhole that the Sorokin's avatar traveled through when the two first clashed; this is what happened back then.
The scene shifted, and his past self escaped the wormhole as originally planned, while Han Xiao's perspective remained fixed on the Sorokin Sorokin's clone, watching it float and sink in the spatial turbulence.
"They're here, they're here." Upon seeing this, Han Xiao's spirits lifted.
He had banished the Sorokin's avatar back then, and he didn't know what happened afterward. It seems that now he can finally find out what the Sorokin's avatar encountered on the other side of the wormhole, which is why the Sorokin is so obsessed with the coordinates of this wormhole.
The next moment, the Sorokin's avatar finally passed through the passage and was spat out by the wormhole, appearing in a pitch-black space.
The Sorokin clone in the scene couldn't wait for Han Xiao and realized that it had been tricked. It seemed a little annoyed. It lingered in the same spot for a while, and then suddenly began to teleport continuously in one direction. Han Xiao's perspective followed the Sorokin clone the whole time.
Not long after, the Sorokin's avatar suddenly stopped. A strange planet appeared in front of it. There were many wormholes in the outer space of the planet. Plant roots that stretched from the sky to the ground extended from the void and connected to the planet's surface. Streams of energy were absorbed by the roots, as if they were drawing nutrients from the planet.
"This is..." Han Xiao's pupils contracted sharply, and his mind was shaken.
He never expected to see this thing here!
Before he could even think, the situation on the screen suddenly changed!
Suddenly, a dark spatial rift appeared out of thin air beside the Sorokin's avatar, from which more than a dozen slender plant roots shot out, like vines, instantly binding the Sorokin's avatar tightly.
Just then, the illusion vanished, the scene abruptly ended, and Han Xiao's vision returned to reality.
"Holy crap, why did it stop here?"
Han Xiao almost cursed. He was intently waiting to see what would happen to the Sorokin's clone next, and it was over just like that?!
So annoying!
Taking a deep breath, Han Xiao recalled the fragments of information he had just received, his expression shifting between light and dark.
If this fragment of information were shown to others, they would only find it incoherent and worthless. Explored Universe, it's unlikely anyone but oneself would understand the significance of this fragment.
I am probably the only one who knows what those roots are; they are the World Tree Civilization that launched a massive invasion in the later stages of my previous life!
"The World Tree Civilization is several versions removed from the present, yet it appeared at this stage?" Han Xiao subconsciously bit his nails, his expression extremely solemn.
He finally understood that this set of wormhole data was connected to the territory of the World Tree Civilization, and the Sorokin's avatar had just happened to travel to that area!
The World Tree Civilization resides in Unexplored Universe, far removed from the Explored Universe. The Three Universal Civilizations and the World Tree are unaware of each other's existence. For a powerful civilization, exploring unknown territories is a necessary task, and encountering each other is inevitable. However, in the later version of the previous life, the World Tree Civilization discovered the existence of the Three Universal Civilizations and ultimately decided to launch an invasion, igniting a massive cosmic war from which no one could remain uninvolved.
At this stage, the two sides shouldn't have any interaction at all!
"If it weren't for me, the DarkStar Leader wouldn't have attacked me with his Sorokin avatar, and the Sorokin wouldn't have encountered the World Tree Civilization. Damn, this is probably the biggest butterfly effect I've ever caused..."
Han Xiao's expression was grave.
The information snippet just now contained a wealth of intelligence.
He knew that the World Tree Civilization was a special kind of civilization. The World Tree was equivalent to their Universal Treasure, and the highest-grade one at that. It was worshipped and nourished by the entire civilization, and at the same time, it brought unparalleled benefits to the entire civilization. It had a symbiotic relationship with the civilization.
The World Tree is rooted in the dimensions and has a keen sense of energy. The Sorokin's avatar was discovered by the roots of the World Tree. Although we do not know what happened to the Sorokin's avatar afterward, it is clear that the Sorokin is obsessed with this set of wormhole data, which means that he must have done something. The two have already made contact!
"The Sorokin is studying this data, probably to find the exact location of the World Tree Civilization. He says it's the hope for the next stage of evolution... Could this bastard have been bewitched by the World Tree Civilization and wants to become a guide?!"
Thinking of this, Han Xiao's expression changed.
If the World Tree Civilization discovers the locations of the Three Universal Civilizations ahead of time due to the visit of the Sorokin's avatar, then the World Tree Civilization's invasion is very likely to break out prematurely, which would be a disaster for the entire Explored Universe!
When the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact. If the war of the World Tree Civilization breaks out ahead of schedule, the plot he is familiar with will be completely overturned, his advantage of foresight will be greatly reduced, and he will lose the time to accumulate his own strength.
Although they already possessed the strength of Beyond Grade A, even Beyond Grade A individual could not guarantee their survival in a massive interstellar war comparable in scale to an exploration era.
After all, far too many Beyond Grade A warriors perished in this war in my previous life.
"Fortunately, it was just an avatar of the Sorokin. Given the Sorokin's nature, he might not reveal anything to outsiders..."
This guy wants to find the location of the World Tree Civilization, rather than waiting for the World Tree Civilization to arrive, which proves that the Sorokin may not have revealed information about the Explored Universe.
Now, Han Xiao could only pray that the Sorokin hadn't revealed the existence of the Three Universal Civilizations to the World Tree Civilization.
However, if the Sorokin continues to study this data, he will eventually achieve his goal and drag everyone into the war, leaving no one unscathed.
This is a ticking time bomb that cannot be ignored!
"We can't let him continue this research..." Han Xiao gritted his teeth.
So far, he has only fought the Sorokin twice. Although they are enemies, he knows he cannot defeat the Sorokin anytime soon.
But today, for the first time, Han Xiao felt an urgent killing intent towards the Sorokin, wishing he could eliminate it immediately!
"The Sorokin can survive in the cracks between the Three Universal Civilizations. Asking the Empire for assistance would likely be useless. Besides, I currently have no evidence to prove the existence of the World Tree Civilization. The Empire won't resolutely eradicate the Sorokin..."
[Bold Explorer] can only be used on oneself and cannot be shared with others. Even if one tells the Empire, the Empire will not believe in the existence of the World Tree Civilization. The only way to make the Empire believe is to interrogate this witness, the Sorokin.
However, to interrogate him, they would first have to capture him; otherwise, the Sorokin would not reveal anything on his own initiative.
"The Sorokin deliberately told me about the anomaly in that set of data, intending to use me indirectly with the Empire's technology to complete the research on the data. Whoever finds the region where the World Tree Civilization is located first will benefit him... But since it's about using him, the Sorokin obviously won't voluntarily reveal what he has seen and heard."
Han Xiao frowned, realizing that he didn't have much external support to rely on in this matter.
Unless... https://www. hetushu. com. com... The Empire also made progress in studying this data, discovering the World Tree Civilization without being detected by them, then in order to keep the existence of the entire Explored Universe a secret, the Empire would have a strong need to eliminate the Sorokin.
"It's difficult. The conditions are too harsh. Although the Empire has experience in Exploration Era War and knows how to conceal itself from unfamiliar beings, there is now an order in existence, and the Empire may take the initiative to contact them." Han Xiao shook his head helplessly. If he had known earlier that this set of wormhole data led to the World Tree Civilization, he would not have handed it over to the Empire for research. There are too many uncontrollable factors. Once a mistake is made, the space war that will appear in later versions may break out prematurely.
Only I know about this now, and it's too difficult for me to handle it properly on my own... Han Xiao felt heavy-hearted.
"Dealing with the Sorokin needs to be put on the agenda. My current strength isn't enough to fight Sorokin alone... Sigh, the experience penalty period is so long..."
Han Xiao looked helpless.
After staying on Lighthouse Star for more than half a month, several new exploration teams that had come from afar finally arrived in Shattered World and reached Lighthouse Star.
Tarrokov met with the leaders of these exploration teams at the base, Han Xiao also came over to join in the fun, meeting the members of the second exploration team, intending to make his presence known and meet new friends.
As everyone filed into the conference room, they immediately spotted Tarrokov waiting there. Then, their gazes shifted to Han Xiao standing to the side.
"Hello, Commander-in-Chief Tarrokov, hello, Lord Black Star."
The commanders of the star cluster-level civilization exploration teams present were all familiar with this new ally of the Empire who possessed the Evolution Cube, and they all cast curious glances at him. Han Xiao smiled and nodded.
"Haha, we meet again." Beoni laughed and greeted him. "I heard the Arcane Church is planning an attack on you. It seems you need my help."
Before he could finish speaking, someone nearby suddenly interjected, saying, "It was 'our' help."
Han Xiao turned to examine the person, only to see that the person was a glowing energy body, with a Flowing Flame red light flowing around his entire body. The structure was that of a humanoid creature, but his face had no mouth or nose, only a pair of bright golden dragon eyes.
"You are..." Han Xiao was stunned, not recognizing him at all.
"Milizaus," the energy entity said calmly, "Don't be surprised, this is just a magical avatar; my true form hasn't landed."
Han Xiao suddenly realized, and extended his hand to shake hands with the avatar of magic. "It's an honor to meet you, King of the Dragon Blood Nation and Chief of the Astral Spirit Dragon."
At the same time, he secretly entered the Quantum Network Vision and looked out at the outer space of Lighthouse Star through the base's monitors.
A colossal dragon, comparable in size to a flagship, soared through the outer space of the planet. Its head was adorned with long, flowing whiskers, and its body was covered in diamond-shaped scales, the smallest of which were several meters long. The dragon's body was a mix of silver, purple, and blue, as if glittering starlight rolled between the scales. Despite its enormous size, it appeared to have a streamlined and agile form.
This is an Astral Spirit Dragon, and even among its kind, its size is astonishing. This is Milizaus's true form; he is a non-human intelligent being.
The Astral Spirit Dragon is a Beyond Grade A inherited race, a bloodline branch left by a magical blue dragon that once broke through the limits to reach Beyond Grade A. They are born with powerful Mage Class talents. Although their reproductive rate is not high, adult Astral Spirit Dragon can reach at least Grade B combat power, and the proportion of Calamity Grade dragons in the race is relatively high.
Milizaus is the second Beyond Grade A born in this inherited race, a unique dragon mage who possesses the characteristics of both a normal mage and a magic circuit mage. He can learn various spells, but when using dragon inherited spells, their power is greatly enhanced. Currently, Milizaus is the leader of the entire inherited race, similar in status to the leader of the Machine Race Mechanic Emperor, Manison.
Furthermore, due to the dragons' formidable strength, Milizaus is also a member of the Ancient Ones Club, and he is another Ancient Ones among the Crimson Dynasty's allies, besides Ravenlaude.
However, the Ancient Ones were a loose alliance, and their positions differed from Ravenlaude's, even to some extent their relationship was strained. Ravenlaude was also a wizard, and the two had differing philosophies about magic.
Clearly, Milizaus has become a new species, no longer a pure Astral Spirit Dragon. Due to his enormous size, he usually communicates with others using magical avatars.
"I've heard so much about you, the Undying Black Star." Milizaus's voice was weathered and hoarse, but his personality was quite cheerful, not as aloof as Clottey —mainly because they were both Beyond Grade A, and only those on the same level could communicate on equal terms.
"With me here, you don't need to worry about the Arcane Church. Perhaps they won't dare to make a move once they see me."
"Haha, then I'll have to prepare the Evolution Cube for you in advance." Han Xiao laughed, then suddenly his eyes lit up. "By the way, are you interested in making another deal with me, still about Evolution Cube?"
"Oh?" Milizaus became interested. "You know me quite well. Okay, after the meeting, we'll have a proper talk with the library."
Ravenlaude glanced at Han Xiao Han Xiao a playful expression, nodded to him as a greeting, and sat down with the others without saying anything else.
Because of Iso, Ravenlaude didn't want to get close to Black Star. As a mage, he wasn't particularly enthusiastic about Evolution Cube, and since they were both exploring the Gaolu Star Cluster, they were in competition. Ravenlaude didn't plan to let their acquaintance develop further for the time being—he wasn't one to engage in backroom deals.