Chapter 1364 Determination and Shadow

The three Universal Civilizations would not deliberately publicize the failure of the intercepting circle, but the truth could not be hidden for long either. As the troops of the various large organizations retreated to the explored universe, this news quickly spread to the galactic society that was constantly paying attention to the battle situation, causing a large-scale panic.

For more than a year, the refugees who had migrated to the Central Galaxy from all over the world were used to the successive reports of the World Tree stopping them from entering the Central Galaxy. This was also the reason why many people felt that forcing them to take refuge was worth it. They had already treated the intercepting circle as a ‘border’ to block the enemies.

As long as they could intercept the World Tree, they would have a sense of security. They thought that this barrier would be able to stop the World Tree forever, preventing the flames of war from spreading to their area. However, now that this barrier had been broken by the enemy, people’s confidence had been taken away. The chain reaction was shocking. Not only did it cause fear and panic, but it also caused their trust in the three Universal Civilizations to plummet.

In the eyes of the galactic residents, the three Universal Civilizations were nigh-omnipotent ‘kings’. However, even with such powerful rulers working together, they still failed to defeat the enemy. Although there were many factors involved, in the eyes of ordinary people, this was like a math equation of 3 < 1, which meant that the three Universal Civilizations were no match for the one enemy!

Many people were willing to accept the forced migration because they believed that the three Universal Civilizations would eventually be able to repel the invaders. However, if the three Universal Civilizations could not defeat the invaders, would it really be safe for them to stay in the Central Galaxy and seek refuge? Wouldn’t they be waiting for death?

This thought spread like a virus in the hearts of the galactic residents, nouris.h.i.+ng their unease, panic, and fear. Even if the public relations department of the three Universal Civilizations works themselves to the bone, the overflowing emotions were like a tsunami that could not be easily blocked.

Thus, chaos erupted.

S er

There were many cases of people trying to escape from the Sanctuary planets. Some of them were no longer willing to believe the three Universal Civilizations and felt that staying behind was equivalent to waiting for death. They wanted to ‘save’ themselves before the enemy attacked, wanting to escape from the explored universe in s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps. In the face of life and death, the refugees, who were originally akin to docile sheep under the control of the three Universal Civilizations, suddenly displayed a sense of herd mentality resistance. The difficulty of managing them suddenly spiked, and the three Universal Civilizations had no choice but to divert more energy to comfort and suppress the refugees.

All of a sudden, chaos ensued.

In his previous life, the foreign enemies had charged in with a fierce momentum, and there was no way for the people to retreat. Now that the three Universal Civilizations had the time to prepare for war, citizens were given an option. There were pros and cons to this and they would not be able to achieve a state where everyone was a soldier like in Han Xiao’s previous life.

At the Beyond Grade A a.s.sociation headquarters…

Due to the large-scale deployment of the three Universal Civilizations’ troops, many Beyond Grade A organizations decided to change the location of the a.s.sociation’s headquarters. This planet located in the middle of the Flickering World had already been moved to Black Star’s territory.

Ever since a large number of Beyond Grade As had rushed to the frontlines, the Beyond Grade A a.s.sociation had entered a hiatus. Han Xiao and the other partic.i.p.ants had returned to the a.s.sociation, and after a year or so, they once again convened a full meeting.

In the round table conference room, many a.s.sociation members were gathered. Compared to the seats that were full before the battle, there were many empty seats. Every empty seat represented a sacrifice. “… to summarize, in at least 11 years, the World Tree will invade the mainland and reach the border of the Flickering World…”

Han Xiao’s tone was low as he recounted the outcome of the battle conference he had with the three Universal Civilizations.

Hearing this information, all the Beyond Grade As present had solemn expressions.

“11 years is too soon…”

A Beyond Grade A could not help but speak with a worried tone.

In the eyes of a Beyond Grade A, this amount of time would pa.s.s in the blink of an eye. The shocking attack of the World Tree breaking through the intercepting circle left a deep impression on the partic.i.p.ants. When they thought about how the endless green tide would invade their territory soon, like a disaster that devoured everything, covering the entire explored universe bit by bit, everyone subconsciously tensed up and became extremely fearful.

Kasuyi knocked on the table and encouraged, “On the bright side, we still have at least eleven years to prepare. After fighting with the World Tree this year, we have also discovered many of our shortcomings. We can use this opportunity to improve ourselves.” Because he knew the truth about the Sanctums and the Iterations, he had always been a firm believer of the warring faction. He was another pillar of support other than Han Xiao.

However, after he finished speaking, the partic.i.p.ants of the battles did not respond like before. They only remained silent, and the members of the a.s.sociation in the avoidance faction had their differences, and naturally would not show any signs of approval.

Dillon placed his elbows on the table, took in everyone’s expressions, and sneered. “Tsk, I told you long ago that your att.i.tude will change after you experience the war. Now you know that I made the correct choice, right? Look at all of you. You were so pa.s.sionate when you set off, but now? You were all beaten back by the enemy! You sacrificed so many members of the a.s.sociation but still failed to stop the enemy. Tell me, what’s the use of sacrificing these people? It was just a waste of our only chance to revive.”

Hearing this, most of the partic.i.p.ants clenched their fists and claws. They were clearly enraged, but no one spoke up.

What Dillon said had touched a raw nerve in their hearts. In the galactic battlefield of a hundred billion, many people felt how minuscule they were. Seeing those Beyond Grade As who usually called the shots in the galactic society die one after another, their belief in partic.i.p.ating in the battle was shaken.

Seeing this, Han Xiao frowned and heavily spoke out.

“Alright, shut up. At least we managed to cooperate with the three Universal Civilizations and delay the World Tree’s invasion for a year.”

“Ha, a mere year…”

Dillon curled his lips in disapproval, but he did not dare say anything more under Han Xiao’s glare.

Han Xiao did not look at him anymore. He looked at everyone and slowly said, “No matter what, these eleven years is the last preparation period. We can’t waste it. I will use the Evolution Cube and a series of Universal Treasures to increase your strength unconditionally. The others who have similar Universal Treasures should do the same. You have all been in the position of ‘galactic big shots’ for too long. Some of you have not been able to improve for a long time and have already wasted your training. I suggest everyone undergo special training. Be as strong as you can.”

“What special training? Who’s doing the training?” Kohler was curious.

Han Xiao announced.

“The peak Beyond Grade As of the various systems will all be the mentors, imparting experience and guiding routes. As the Chief Instructor, I will be coordinating all the special training plans. On one hand, we will work towards increasing everyone’s individual strengths, and on the other, your capabilities in working as a team.

In addition, this will be live combat training. There’s no need to worry about getting injured, as Aurora will be in charge of healing. During times of peace, as the representatives of individual strength, we do not have the chance to fight frequently. Right now, this is no time to care about face or prestige. We have to increase our combat strength as much as possible, thus combat is the best way. Winning or losing is not important, the most crucial thing is to improve our abilities.”

He did indeed want to increase the average combat power of the Beyond Grade As, but on the other hand, he also felt that this was a good excuse to find people to spar frequently. He might be able to obtain more abilities.

Hearing this, everyone hesitated but did not object.

At this moment, Secret Master solemnly spoke. “What if the three Universal Civilizations lose in the end?” Han Xiao looked downwards, before slowly speaking.

“…I promise all of you that if things don’t work out, I won’t ask for anything else. I will take all of you out of the explored universe and head to the endless galaxy. Therefore, these eleven years will also be the time for us to move the resources of our Beyond Grade A organizations and prepare for our future.”

Han Xiao was uncertain that the three Universal Civilizations would be able to defeat the World Tree. Now that the timeline was different, whether or not they would be able to find the World Tree’s main body was a complete mystery. This was still an unknown probability. If they could not find it, the three Universal Civilizations would have almost no chance of winning, thus he had also expected the worst and devised a backup plan for the a.s.sociation.

If the three Universal Civilizations were really done for, he would also abandon this place without mercy. The universe was huge, and there was nowhere he could not go.

The meeting lasted for a while more before everyone dispersed. After everyone had left, Han Xiao took out his communicator, contacted Oathkeeper, and asked about the progress of the Sanctum Key collection. The priority was still the First Sanctum, and the time flow was the most consistent.

However, Oathkeeper replied that he had yet to gather the materials and would have to wait for some time.

“I hope we can start the second round of recovery as soon as possible. The fighting spirit of the a.s.sociation members has been shaken.”

Han Xiao thought to himself.

Many of the revivors felt that they had used up their only chance to revive and would no longer need him in the future, so they did not listen to him. Now, they urgently needed to use the truth to correct these people’s thoughts. Only by showing their indispensability would they be able to amplify their words and make the Beyond Grade As rely on him more.

At the same time, the two sisters walked out of the venue one after another.

Suddenly, Hila stopped in her tracks. Aurora, who had her head lowered, b.u.mped into her back as if she did not notice anything. She then regained her senses and looked up in confusion.

“What’s wrong with you recently? Ever since the seal on your mind was removed, you’ve been in a strange state. You’ve been s.p.a.cing out all the time, and it was the same during the meeting just now.”

Hila turned around and sized Aurora up with a frown.

“I…” Aurora clenched her fists and lowered her head. She hesitated and said,” I was just thinking if I was much stronger than now, would these things still have happened?”

“Oh?” Hila raised her brows but did not reply. Aurora pursed her lips and muttered to herself,

“Black Star once said that my current level is far from being able to unleash the true strength of this Esper Ability. If I become stronger, I can summon more Underworld Spirits at any time. If I become stronger, I will be able to resist the thought seal. If I become stronger, I won’t have such comrades dying in battle…”

As she spoke, her voice grew increasingly disappointed and filled with reproach.

“This is all because I’m not strong enough!”

Hila looked at her quietly and waited for her to finish venting her emotions before speaking expressionlessly. “That’s right, it’s because you’re not strong enough! They’re all comforting you, saying that it’s not your fault, but in my eyes, it’s your problem. If you were at the peak Beyond Grade A level, all the losses in this battle could have been prevented!” Hearing this, Aurora twisted her fingers and felt even more ashamed.

After becoming a Beyond Grade A a few years ago, she no longer had to be controlled by Black Star and Hila. Her heart was wild, and she felt like she was finally free to do whatever she wanted.

Her Esper Ability could ensure her survival, and she had also inherited the powerful Underworld Spirit. She had also obtained a lot of support from the a.s.sociation members, and she even had the life-saving equipment that Black Star had given her. She had all kinds of trump cards since birth, so she relaxed and stopped training. Only after this setback did Aurora regret not training hard for the past few years. Aurora looked up into Hila’s eyes, bit her lower lip, and made up her mind. “Sis, can you give me special training?” Hila’s lips curled up into an almost undetectable smile. She then coldly spoke while holding a straight face,

“Then be prepared. I won’t go easy on you.”

Secondary dimension world.

This was a s.p.a.ce filled with black liquid, like a pitch-black ocean in which one would not be able to see their fingers even if they were stretched out in front of them.

A fleet of s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps was slowly advancing through it like submarines.

This was one of the earliest divisions that the three Universal Civilizations had sent out. After a year of travel, they had long entered the depths of the secondary dimension and left the shallow areas controlled by the three Universal Civilizations.

In one of the living cabins of the battles.h.i.+p, Harrison was pacing back and forth anxiously while chanting “In the main universe, the World Tree has already broken through the three Universal Civilizations’ encirclement. If we don’t speed up, the enemy will be able to invade our territory in no time… How do we find the thing His Excellency Black Star mentioned?” Due to the lack of communication in the secondary dimensions, the expedition team could not maintain stable communication with their hometown and could only occasionally report the situation. The last time they exchanged intelligence, the expedition team that Harrison was in received news that the intercepting circle was broken, which made him anxious.

After more than a year of searching, the expedition team search could be called fruitless. They had not even seen a World Tree fleet.

The secondary dimensions were endless. New dimensions were born every second, and the old dimensions were destroyed. The relations.h.i.+p between the secondary dimensions was unpredictable and constantly changing. If there were no specific coordinates, it would be much more difficult to search for something.

“If I try my luck like this, the chances are too low. When will I be able to find clues…”

Harrison clenched his fists. The thought of his hometown being threatened by the invaders made him feel uneasy.

However, Harrison, who was immersed in his emotions, did not notice that there was a huge shadow swimming in the dark sea outside the porthole. It was almost impossible to tell its shape apart in the darkness. The strange thing was that even the radar of the fleet did not detect it.