Chapter 1429 Premeditated Assassination
The World Tree moved overnight, and the thought of causing a huge ruckus naturally fell through. Han Xiao left behind a group of mechanical troops in this Star Field that had once again become empty and lonely, then took back his Lord’s Avatar.
As long as the World Tree’s mechanism was not disturbed, its base could be built anywhere in the universe. They had wiped out many civilizations over the years and had the coordinates of many areas. They could just find a place that they had turned into a desolate universe belt and migrate there.
The migration process had a certain impact on their invasion at the frontlines, which caused a slight gap in support. Han Xiao told the three Universal Civilizations about this.
After learning that the World Tree had been frightened by Han Xiao alone, the three leaders were shocked and also ordered the strategic command center to make adjustments.
The flames of war raged across the entire explored universe, and a month passed very quickly. Under the Galactic Alliance Army’s attack, the World Tree’s first full-scale invasion finally stopped.
Although the World Tree’s aggressive arrival had caused quite a bit of panic in the galactic society, in terms of practical benefits, the World Tree’s first wave of invasion did not cause too much damage. Most of the invading teams were intercepted by the Galactic Alliance Army. Although they had devoured some planets, this number was just a drop in the ocean for the entire explored universe. Furthermore, they were scattered everywhere and did not have much development potential. Although the three Universal Civilizations did not have a powerful home defense system like the Information Form Warning Network and the World Tree Express, the Multi-Dimensional Sky Opening Transportation Device was just as amazing, allowing the galactic alliance army to have extremely strong military mobility. As long as an invader appeared, they would be able to send reinforcements in an instant.
If it were any other civilization, they would be extremely passive in the face of the World Tree’s unpredictable harassment and invasion. This was the battle of attrition that the World Tree was good at, but the technologies of the three Universal Civilizations countered the usual tactics of the World Tree, preventing it from achieving the best results. Of course, although the first wave of the World Tree fleet was repelled, there were still quite a few World Tree fleets left in the galactic society, hiding in the dark. This was the weakness of the three Universal Civilizations. Without sufficient monitoring devices, although the reinforcements were fast, as long as the World Tree fleet hid and did not appear, it would be difficult for them to lock onto the enemy within their territory.
After resolving the current emergency, the upper echelons of the Galactic Alliance Army invited the various officers and the Beyond Grade A Association upper echelons to hold a strategic meeting to analyze the current situation and discuss the subsequent actions. “…Although the traitor leaked the information and caused the World Tree to invade the entire realm, our current situation is not as bad as we thought. The vast territory and the rapid reinforcement speed are two of our greatest strengths in maintaining the situation. It has already shown a significant role in the war.”
Teny pointed at the 3D star map on the table and summarized the current situation.
The same star map model was floating in front of the participants, displaying the current strategic deployment.
“According to the statistics, most of the World Tree’s targets are military facilities, resource planets, civilizations’ mother planets, and Beyond Grade A race territories. From this, it can be seen that the World Tree’s main strategy is to destroy our productivity and social stability. However, at present, the World Tree has only succeeded a few times. We have already secretly relocated the important facilities in the early years, and part of the information leaked by the traitor is outdated.”
Teny spoke with confidence.
The way the Star Alliance Observers hid was too low-profile, causing them to only be able to obtain general information from the internet. As such, the information was lagging. Thus, the Star Alliance Observers naturally had no way of knowing some confidential information of the advanced civilizations. The most valuable information they leaked to the World Tree was the star map and spatial coordinates.
“Does this mean that the traitor’s position isn’t high?” an officer asked.
“Not necessarily. Maybe it’s just a disguise,” another person retorted.
Teny interrupted the two of them, coughed, and said, “Ahem, regarding the traitor, we have someone else to take care of them. We don’t need to discuss this matter, let’s get back to the main topic… Our intercepting efficiency is quite good, and it’s all thanks to the support of His Excellency Black Star and the Beyond Grade A Association. Otherwise, the high-level combatants of the World Tree would have been able to wreak havoc for a long time.”
Hearing this, the officers turned around and nodded at the representatives of the Beyond Grade A Association.
Han Xiao nodded and said, “We wiped out quite a number of World Tree experts this time. They will need at least a year or two to make a comeback.”
His Mechanical Oracles had worked together with the Beyond Grade As of the Association, direct descendants, and Holy Accord, eliminating a large number of high-level combatants of the World Tree. They had sent at least two to three hundred people back to be watered in the World Tree, so they would not be able to return anytime soon.
A portion of the experts from the other races encountered Han Xiao’s Lord’s Avatar and was hit by (Virtual Purification-Restore). They exploded on the spot and turned into fireworks.
Other than dying in a normal battle, some of the high-level combatants of the World Tree had been used by Han Xiao to test the effects of (Information Form Obliteration), or they had been sealed by the Spacetime Amber and turned into his collection. There were about thirty of them, and the World Tree had lost these powerful individuals forever.
Due to the division of the battlefront, some Beyond Grade As from the three Universal Civilizations also died. They were logged in the Soul Comfort Monument that the three Universal Civilizations had set up and had recorded a new number of deaths.
Teny then turned to look at Manison and said with a deep voice, “This time, the Mechanical Race’s territory was also the main focus of the invasion. We did not arrive in time. Luckily, His Excellency Mechanic Emperor defeated the enemy. We offer our apologies.”
“It’s just a small matter, not worth mentioning.” Manison waved his hand and said calmly.
Everyone was surprised.
Manison’s force was one of those which showed an astonishing performance against the invasion. He had hidden an astonishingly large mechanical army in the Mechanical Race’s territory and wiped out the World Tree invaders without the aid of the galactic alliance army. The military strength he displayed was shocking. Although Manison was no longer the authoritative figure of the Mechanic class, the foundation that he had built over the years was not just for show. Among the Beyond Grade As, he still had a lot of weight.
This time, an officer suddenly said thoughtfully, “Speaking of which, the Super Star Cluster Alliance had also sent out a lot of troops to provide support.”
“Now that you mention it, I thought of something unusual. The World Tree’s invasion seemed to have avoided the territory of the Super Star Cluster Alliance, and it was at most a small-scale harassment. That’s why the Super Star Cluster was able to help.”
“It is indeed a little strange…” All the officers had strange looks on their faces.
In their eyes, the World Tree did not treat the Super Star Cluster Alliance as an invasion target. It was a little strange, giving them the feeling that they were in cahoots with each other. The suspicion of them being the traitor was quite high. However, the Super Star Cluster Alliance did not just stand by and watch but took the initiative to send troops to support the Galactic Alliance Army. This was a good action, which confused many of the upper echelons of the military, reducing their suspicion. The Super Star Cluster Alliance did this to fulfill its agreement with Han Xiao. If they had not taken the initiative to provide support, the three Universal Civilizations would have been even more suspicious of them. But now, they were more confused than doubtful, and there were no signs of internal conflict for the time being.
Listening to everyone’s discussion, Han Xiao’s expression remained the same. He had convinced the Super Star Cluster Alliance, barely suppressing the suspicion within. However, he did not intend to speak of his contribution.
At this time, Commander-in-chief Simon took over the conversation and pulled it to the main topic.
“Currently, there are two things that we need to pay attention to. The first is to clean up the dormant World Tree invaders. Their main force has been chased away, but there are still a small number of troops within the borders. This is a hidden danger, and it has put quite a bit of mental pressure on the galactic society. What do you guys think?”
The three Universal Civilizations had neutralized the first wave of invasion, but the aftereffects were severe. Because their line of defense was suddenly breached by the World Tree, the people were panicking, and chaos broke out everywhere. The three Universal Civilizations had no choice but to take out more energy to deal with the refugees.
In this regard, the three Universal Civilizations were no different from normal civilizations. The World Tree was one of the few civilizations that did not have any internal conflicts.
After some discussion, the result was only to strengthen the strict military control. Now was not the time to talk about freedom.
Seeing this, Simon continued, “In addition, we have to figure out the World Tree’s next move and make some preparations in advance. They did not invade the Central Galaxy this time, but they will take action sooner or later. They are in a race against time, so they won’t be able to wait long.”
The upper echelons of the military began discussing this topic. Han Xiao and the others did not participate and listened quietly. After some discussion, the military finally came to a consensus. The meeting temporarily ended, and the participants passed down the order.
Secondary Dimension World, World Tree Blessed Race territory.
The roots of the trees formed a spiral-shaped pagoda that stood in the middle of the ground. Surrounding the pagoda were buildings formed by huge trees that formed a tree city. Countless members of the Blessed Race lived there.
Space cracks opened from time to time, and the battleships of the Blessed Race came and went.
Two figures floated in the blue-green sky, looking down at the tree city below. One was the Ancestral Tree King, and the other was a female figure in a gorgeous robe. Her skin was like tender leaves, glowing with jade green light. Her long white hair was spread behind her back, and there was a complicated and mysterious mark on her forehead. She was one of the 13 Ancestral Spirits, Hayleen.
“Your Excellency Tree King, why are you looking for me?” “I have a mission for you.”
“Please speak.”
“The Secret Tree King is not coming back. His crown needs a new master, and we also need a new Tree King. Are you interested?”
Hearing this, Hayleen could not help but look at the Ancestral Tree King with surprise in her eyes.
“Am I qualified to become the Tree King?”
“Of course, your magic strength has already reached the standard for this position.” The Ancestral Tree King nodded.
Hayleen narrowed her eyes. “I am indeed interested… but there are more powerful mages than me. Why me?”
“I only said that you are qualified, not chosen,” the Ancestral Tree King said calmly. “Under normal circumstances, the position of the Tree King will not be yours. What I mean is, if you want to become the Tree King, I can give you a chance. As long as you complete one objective, you will be able to inherit the crown of the Secret Tree King. The magic left behind by generations of Tree Kings is stored in there, and I believe you will be interested.”
“…What do you want me to do?”
“I know that your genes mutated in your early years, fusing with your own magic power, and you entered a rare ‘Warlock’ branch, forming some strange innate spells. You can use a very strange method to hide your existence, and you’re very good at stealth and assassination… Now that the civilization is facing an unprecedented threat, we need your ability to assassinate the Pivotal Snake’s infant protected by Black Star,” the Ancestral Tree King said with a deep voice.
“Are you asking me to die?” Hayleen frowned.
The Ancestral Tree King shook his head and raised his palm. A black-green liquid substance suddenly seeped out from his palm and floated in midair. Following that, the phantom of a golden leaf appeared beside him, and the two objects circled his palm.
“These are two key items to carry out the mission. One is a lethal poison that the mother tree specially synthesized to restrain her natural enemy. As long as you give it to the Pivotal Snake, it can quickly deprive the other party of their life force. Be it through injection or poisoning the food, it will be effective. This golden leaf is a child treasure derived from the mother tree, called the Leaf Concealment Robe. It can hide your tracks on all levels and enhance your stealth ability.”
Hayleen’s expression changed, and she took the two items hesitantly.
Seeing this, the Ancestral Tree King said indifferently, “The growth of the Pivotal Snake is very fast, and the mother tree’s perception of it is becoming clearer. Follow its guidance and you will be able to find its traces. As long as you can kill the Pivotal Snake, you will be the hero of the civilization. When you return, this tree crown will be yours!”
Hayleen played with the two items for a while and finally nodded.
“…I can try.”