If the previous Bai Qi bore some resemblance to a lizard, the current Bai Qi had become a true dragon. The combination of black and gold made Bai Qi look even more majestic and imposing.
However, the current situation did not allow Bai Qi much time to admire his new skin.
Although his physical body had been strengthened to a certain extent, it was still far from sufficient compared to the surge of power.
His body, unable to withstand the new strength, began to show signs of collapse.
Bai Qi was not overly flustered by this, as he had anticipated such a situation from the beginning of his plan. He just hadn't expected it to happen so soon.
"Little Clock, initiate Project Nirvana."
After giving Little Clock the command, Bai Qi transformed into a bolt of lightning and flew rapidly upwards, quickly reaching outer space.
"Voice confirmed, Project Nirvana, initiating."
As Little Clock began to operate, a massive sonic boom tunnel appeared in space at a distance from Earth. Following this, Egon, now covered in metal, or rather, Cybertron, slowly emerged from it.
Without further ado, Bai Qi locked onto the location of the energy well and plunged in, quickly traversing the long pipe and entering the core of Cybertron, which was the heart of Primus.
Upon merging with Primus's heart, it began to change at a visible rate. Its color shifted from the original blue to blood red, and its surface was covered with a layer of hard metal casing. Fifty percent of Cybertron's energy was converging towards the heart.
This was the crucible Bai Qi had prepared for his rebirth.
During Cybertron's genesis, she had traversed various parts of the universe, continuously absorbing and storing energy, all for the purpose of supplying Bai Qi at this very moment.
On Cybertron's surface, the original semi-mechanical organic lifeforms, through repeated metamorphoses, had completed their evolution into fully mechanical organic lifeforms, even giving rise to the terrifyingly powerful and colossal Decepticons.
Despite their immense strength, the Decepticons possessed simplistic minds, driven solely by primal instincts. However, this was sufficient. The first program generated upon the birth of every Cybertronian was to protect Cybertron's safety.
Now that Bai Qi was integrated with Cybertron's core, protecting Bai Qi naturally meant protecting Cybertron.
Bai Qi's Project Nirvana was not that simple.
After Bai Qi merged with Cybertron's core, all the measures Bai Qi had previously put in place on Earth were activated.
Dao Long, Octavian, Gu Yi, and other core members loyal to Bai Qi immediately found Bai Qi, who was still learning under Batman, informed them of the situation, and pushed him to become the new king of Kutor.
Of course, this kingship was merely a title; the primary objective was to establish Bai Qi's identity. Bai Qi only needed to continue his studies, while Octavian and others handled the rest.
The Taskmaster, Kraven, and others, leading the demon army and the Valkyries, swiftly and covertly resolved over eighty percent of the unstable factors worldwide.
The fleet of warships, originally scattered across the universe, also rapidly returned. Seventy percent encircled Cybertron, providing protection for the regenerating Bai Qi, while the remaining thirty percent remained hidden, offering protection to Earth.
The magic circles Bai Qi had laid out across various locations in the main world were also activated, reinforcing and protecting all areas susceptible to void invasion, preventing any incursions by Outer Gods during his absence.
Simultaneously, Bai Qi had also made prior arrangements with Mother of Black and Father of White, instructing them to temporarily halt the salvage of world fragments during his slumber, to avoid any potential calamities brought upon the main world by unearthed monstrous entities.
And so, Bai Qi slumbered for twenty years.
During these two decades, Earth underwent earth-shattering changes.
In pursuit of the Infinity Stones, Thanos entered the solar system with his massive army.
Upon entering the solar system, Thanos's fleet discovered Cybertron and the vast fleet of warships surrounding it.
However, considering his primary objective, Thanos did not expend his forces on unnecessary conflicts. Instead, he led his army directly towards Earth.
Thanos held Earth in contempt. Based on the information he had gathered, Earth was merely a remote and backward planet, its civilization even incapable of space travel. As for Cybertron, protected by a large fleet of warships, Thanos, though unaware of its true nature, assumed their firepower was comparable. As long as he did not initiate an attack, they would not foolishly engage him in battle.
What Thanos did not know was that the moment he entered the solar system, the fleet hidden in the shadows had already detected his presence.
"Report to Captain, an external fleet has been detected. According to the database, this fleet is directly under Thanos's command. Do you require us to send a warning to Earth?"
Kromitz casually glanced at the intelligence report submitted by his subordinate and said, "Inform them."
His nonchalant reaction clearly indicated that Kromitz did not take Thanos's army seriously.
Earth soon received the news of Thanos's impending arrival. Like Kromitz, they did not pay it much heed, as in terms of technology, firepower, or sheer numbers, Thanos's army was far from a match.
However, Dao Long and others still managed to carve out some time amidst their busy schedules to convene and discuss the matter.
After Bai Qi's departure, every position, from top to bottom, required personnel.
In the conference room at this moment were Dao Long, Taskmaster, Octavian, and Wu, seasoned subordinates absolutely loyal to Bai Qi. They were joined by the newly recruited Savage, Gu Yi, and Lex.
"Earth is too chaotic now. Regional conflicts, ethnic strife, wars are everywhere. Earthlings killing Earthlings."
"Exactly. We need to help these people make a choice. Thanos's arrival is an opportunity, a chance for the entire Earth to unite as one."
"So, what do you all say to my proposal?"
"Approved."
"Approved."
"Approved."
"Approved."
"Approved."
"Approved."
After deliberation, the seven of them quickly reached a decision.
With the power they wielded, they could engage Thanos's army in a space battle in orbit around Earth and were absolutely confident in their ability to annihilate them. However, the seven did not intend to do so.
In their view, Earth was currently too chaotic, like a tangled ball of yarn. Untangling it thread by thread was practically impossible. Therefore, a swift and decisive approach was necessary to resolve everything. Thanos's arrival was a rare opportunity, a chance to unite humanity globally, and there was no reason to let it slip away.