Chapter 1 A Secret Gathering

A few hours after Han Xiao entered the Holy Covenant, a group of association members from the avoid-war faction gathered in a secret meeting room at the behest of Dilron.

"Black Star has finally entered the Holy Covenant again… What are everyone's thoughts?"

Dilron chewed on a fluorescent grass leaf, gently rubbing his thumb and forefinger together as he surveyed the other Super-As around the table with a scrutinizing gaze.

Everyone remained silent, returning their companions' gazes with the same expression, none wanting to be the first to speak.

Seeing this, Dilron removed the grass leaf from his mouth, gently tapped the table twice with his fist, and slowly said:

"Since no one wants to speak, then I will. The last time Black Star went to the Holy Covenant, it took about two months. This time, I estimate it will be about the same. I believe this is a good opportunity to leave."

Everyone stiffened and turned to look at him, their eyes unreadable.

Dilron didn't mind and spread his hands.

"You all know me. I've always been straightforward. The last time Black Star entered the Holy Covenant, I wanted to make this suggestion, but at the time, I didn't know how long Black Star would be gone, and everyone was observing whether the interception circle could really stop external enemies, so I didn't propose it. But now the battle situation has changed. The external enemies have broken through the interception circle and will sooner or later reach the homeworlds of the three great civilizations. At the same time, we also know how long Black Star's Holy Covenant vacuum period is, so this is an opportunity to leave the main universe and avoid the war."

Hearing this, the expressions on everyone's faces changed. Some were dissatisfied, some were tempted, and some were watching.

"Don't forget, Black Star revived us. We all owe him a favor. It wouldn't be good to leave without saying goodbye, would it?"

Someone frowned in opposition.

The association members of the avoid-war faction present were all resuscitated Holy Covenant members who had chosen to come out of seclusion. Because they cherished the second chance at life that they had obtained with great difficulty, they had not participated in the war. Because Dilron was good at talking, everyone had temporarily made him their representative, but he was not their leader, and there were also internal differences.

Dilron played with the glowing grass leaf and said lightly:

"I don't deny that Black Star is kind to us, but he won't allow us to leave freely. The purpose of reviving us is nothing more than to use our strength.

He tolerates our avoidance of war now, but it's only temporary. As the participants in the war become more and more dissatisfied with us, Black Star will put pressure on us sooner or later, just like he forced the third batch of resuscitated individuals to participate in the war this time. He will do the same to us in the future, so we might as well leave the main universe before this happens, or we will become more and more passive.

Although I feel a little sorry for Black Star, we have to be responsible for our own lives. Even if he revived us, it doesn't mean we have to accept their orders and sacrifice our lives for him."

Everyone frowned and pondered. These words also touched the hearts of many people. Many people were reluctant to openly defy Black Star out of consideration for face, but their true desire was to avoid the risk of participating in the war.

"What about the Holy Covenant side?" someone asked.

Dilron snorted coldly: "The Oathkeeper is in cahoots with Black Star. If we want to leave, we must act secretly and not notify them."

"If we do this, I'm afraid it will incur Black Star's pursuit. I don't think we can make a decision so rashly," another person said cautiously.

Hearing this, Dilron retorted: "Black Star is not in the main universe. We only have a chance to slip away quietly. Every minute and every second we waste now is time for us to escape. If we wait for him to come back, can we still leave? Anyway, no matter what you say, I will definitely leave!"

Many people immediately looked conflicted.

Black Star's pressure on them was too strong. Only when he was not around would these people dare to secretly plot, thinking that this vacuum period was a rare opportunity to escape.

If Black Star had not entered the Holy Covenant, they would not have dared to act rashly at all, fearing that Han Xiao would come to their door to educate them if they made a move.

After discussing for a while, the avoid-war faction present could only barely reach a consensus. Those who were willing to leave would make their own plans, and those who were unwilling to leave were not allowed to leak secrets, making preparations on both sides.

Watching the crowd argue, Dilron became somewhat absent-minded. He played with the grass leaf in his hand, and past memories flashed through his mind like a carousel.

He remembered the once glorious elven kingdom he had created, and couldn't help but miss the scenes of himself playing with his many royal consorts in the white royal court, their faces, some charming, some aloof, and some pure, flashing before his eyes.

Unfortunately, after he died in the Peak War, the elven kingdom lost its protection. These royal consorts could not control their own destinies, and the status of a Super-A widow, like the emperor's harem, was enough to arouse the interest of many powerful gray figures, becoming a rare commodity…

Now that he had been revived, his old friends had long since disappeared with time. He had power, but he couldn't save anything.

Dilron's expression tightened, and he subconsciously used force with his fingers, crushing the grass leaf into powder.

"The three great civilizations… not taking advantage of your misfortune at this time is already the bottom line. How could I possibly help you!"

…

On the other side, somewhere in the training base.

A group of Super-As gathered in a room, looking at each other.

This group was part of the third batch of resuscitated individuals, excluding most of the civilization's direct descendants, leaving the neutral Super-As.

Because they had common interests, the third batch of resuscitated Super-As had privately formed groups. The resuscitated direct descendants formed one faction, and the free Super-As formed another. Although the three great civilizations had placed them under house arrest, they could still communicate privately, after all, they were an important combat force, and they couldn't really restrict all their freedom like prisoners.

After a while, a Super-A spoke, breaking the silence.

"Black Star has gone to the Holy Covenant. What are we planning to do by summoning us at this time?"

Everyone immediately turned to look at the initiator of this gathering, a high-level Super-A named Stein.

Stein was a male Mothman with transparent wings, resembling a moth in appearance. Apart from his wings and antennae, the rest of his body structure was humanoid. At this time, his two antennae twitched, appearing quite nervous, and he said in a low voice:

"I've heard some news. Black Star's claim that the Holy Covenant can revive you an infinite number of times might be a lie specifically to deceive us…"

"What?!"

Hearing this, everyone's expression changed.

The three great civilizations had been controlling the channels, preventing the third batch of resuscitated individuals from accessing relevant information, so they had always been unaware that Han Xiao had once said that Holy Covenant revivals were limited to one time, and had always been kept "in the dark."

"What exactly is going on?" everyone quickly asked.

Stein quickly explained: "On the matter of Holy Covenant revivals, Black Star's statements to us are different from those to other Super-As. He used to claim to the outside world that Holy Covenant revivals were limited to one time, but he told us that there was no limit… I only accidentally came into contact with this information, and there must be a problem here!"

"Is the news reliable?!"

"I can't guarantee it, but it's most likely true," Stein said hastily.

Everyone's faces immediately turned gloomy, and their thoughts raced.

If Black Star had two different statements, then other Super-As must know about it, but until now, no one had exposed it, no one had reported it… Everyone immediately felt a chill down their spines, and subconsciously developed a conspiracy theory.

Perhaps Black Star's statement to them was a deliberate lie, in order to trick them into contributing, and the other Super-As were all beneficiaries, so they acquiesced in this behavior, not only not exposing it, but also tacitly cooperating, deceiving their third batch of resuscitated individuals together… Everyone wanted to use them as cannon fodder!

In fact, this line of reasoning was correct, guessing right in almost every aspect. Based on their perspective, this possibility was completely plausible and extremely convincing… But due to misunderstanding key information, the conclusion was exactly the opposite of the truth.

The more everyone thought about it, the more frightened they became, and their anger continued to surge.

"Then what should we do now?" someone took a deep breath to calm the anger in his chest, and asked in a deep voice.

"If revivals are limited to one time, then this is our last life, and we have to consider a way out," Stein pondered.

"Are we going to take the opportunity to escape? Although Black Star is not around, we are under house arrest in this area, and those later generation Super-As are not easy to deal with."

After a heated debate, someone suddenly made a suggestion:

"The situation is still unclear. Let's wait and see. When Black Star comes back to perform the Holy Covenant revival, we will probably watch along with him. At that time, we will see if he revives a second-time deceased.

If not, then no matter what reason Black Star gives, we will launch a face-to-face questioning, standing on the side of reason. In this way, we can shake the new resuscitated individuals this time, as well as those direct descendants who were resuscitated in the same batch as us, and unite together to break the house arrest of the three great civilizations and resist the fate of being cannon fodder!"

Hearing this, many people's eyes flashed.

It was difficult to resist with just these people, and the next revival site might be an opportunity to seek a temporary alliance.

"Then it's settled. We'll launch an attack together then!"

Stein agreed with a final decision.

…

Old Star River, Mech Race territory.

In the mechanical palace, Manison's Avatar of the Controller and Kesuye's remote projection sat opposite each other, playing cards casually.

"I really envy you. You don't have to manage the association's affairs and can spend all your time digesting the insights from the war. I want to do that too…"

Kesuye grumbled and complained while looking at the card game.

Manison didn't mind and said casually: "Black Star is not around, so someone needs to supervise the association. I resigned from the position of president a long time ago, and I'm not even the vice president. This job is yours."

"Sigh, there's no way. Black Star instructed me when he left, saying that some association members and resuscitated individuals might be uneasy during his absence, and told me to be careful of changes. I can only do as he says."

Kesuye shook his head, his tone helpless.

Like the Exploration Era, war has always been a catalyst for the strong. Many Super-As have been stationed in the interception circle for the past year, experiencing battles of all sizes. Many have gained new insights. Manison and Kesuye have both discovered a wider space for improvement. As long as they go into seclusion for a period of time, their strength can still improve.

Unfortunately, Black Star has gone to the Holy Covenant and told him to be careful, so Kesuye can only suppress the urge to digest his war experience and turn to manage the association, so he is very envious that Manison can concentrate on closed-door cultivation.

"You're overthinking it. I've also encountered some miscellaneous matters here." Manison's tone was indifferent. "Nefarious, the Great Emperor, has been restless recently. He is not reconciled to the fact that the Mechanical Life Church and the Mech Race are controlled by Black Star and me. He feels that these benefits should have been his, so he is trying to regain his former leading position."

"Oh? What has he done?" Kesuye asked curiously.

"Hmph, Black Star had barely left when he sent people to the Mechanical Life Church to promote his return, wanting to use his identity as the founder to reap the main faith of the followers, clearly wanting to take advantage of the situation."

"What was the result?" Kesuye was interested.

"What else can it be? He's a founder who has been eliminated by history, revived by Black Star's light. He still wants to shake Black Star's position with this? He's just dreaming," Manison sneered.

"That's true. Nefarious, the Great Emperor's prestige has long been eroded by time. He doesn't have the capital to compete with Black Star now."

Kesuye nodded, paused, and joked:

"Besides, even you can't beat Black Star, let alone him."

"…Hmph, ridiculous."

Manison glanced at him and snorted lightly.

This guy was poking at his sore spot. If they weren't old acquaintances, he wouldn't bother with him!

Kesuye shrugged and asked, "What about the Mech Race? Nefarious, the Great Emperor's return as an ancestor should be quite troublesome for you, right?"

"Who do you think I am? I've been running the Mech Race for many years. Does he think that he can make me hand over my base camp with just the identity of an ancestor? Is that possible?" Manison said calmly.

"So what did you do to him?"

"In the past, I would have turned him into a criminal long ago, but I haven't done that kind of thing for a long time. After all, Nefarious, the Great Emperor, is the ancestor of the Mech Race. I want to be justified and can't do anything to him, so I gave him a group of Mech Race members and let him establish his own sect, creating a new Mech Race."

"So, the Mech Race has split?" Kesuye raised his eyebrows.

Manison didn't mind and said lightly: "It's not that serious. The clansmen can give him some. Anyway, they can regenerate, but the family fortune I've accumulated over the years… he can't take even a screw."

"Hehe, you're still the same. Apart from Black Star, no one can get any advantage from you."

Kesuye shook his head and smiled.

"Hmph, even Black Star hasn't taken much advantage of me."

Manison was insincere.

Kesuye just smiled and didn't expose Manison's stubbornness, changing the subject and winking: "By the way, before Black Star left, he left me the contact information of a stranger and told me that if those resuscitated individuals have any unusual movements, I can find this person to solve it."

"Black Star wouldn't do anything aimlessly. What's the name of that stranger?"

"I don't know the name. Black Star just told me to call him the Oathkeeper. I haven't contacted him yet. I don't know what his background is, but even Black Star values him so much."

Kesuye was quite interested.

"It seems Black Star is still hiding a lot of secrets." Manison snorted lightly.

…

World Tree Territory, Tree King Palace.

Streams of vibrant, emerald green light surged, constantly pouring along the root veins into a giant cocoon made of leaves, resembling a cabbage in appearance, with a luxurious base below, looking like an altar.

After a long while, the leaves that made up the giant cocoon suddenly opened layer by layer, and a figure radiating dazzling green light walked out, stepping down the steps. The green light slowly converged, revealing the appearance of the Town Tree King.

"You're finally resurrected!"

Below the altar, the Stable Tree King, who had been waiting for a long time, flashed a hint of joy in his eyes and stepped forward to meet him.

After watering him for so long, the Town Tree King is finally mature. In this way, I can finally slack off!

"Phew, still not used to it."

The Town Tree King exhaled and moved his stiff body, awakening his dormant senses.

Although the World Tree could allow him to return to the seed state to be reborn, the process of the seed germinating and maturing was very uncomfortable. Thinking of Black Star, who had caused him a lot of pain, the Town Tree King couldn't help but feel annoyed.

"He actually made me die once. I will definitely make that outsider pay the price next time!"

"You will have a chance."

The Stable Tree King immediately chimed in.

Only then did the Town Tree King turn to look at him, revealing a look of surprise.

"Why is it you? Where's the Mind Tree King?"

"He was planted, sealed by that outsider." The Stable Tree King's tone was contemptuous.

The Town Tree King immediately frowned and said in a deep voice:

"What happened when I died?"

Hearing this, the Stable Tree King didn't force him and directly told the Town Tree King the whole story through the psionic network.

After learning the whole story, the Town Tree King's expression eased and he nodded slowly:

"So that's what happened. The Mind Tree King restrained the recovery-type ability users, leading to the success of the exchange strategy. The enemy civilization suffered a lot of high-level combat power casualties. Although the Mind Tree King was planted later, the strategic results he caused have laid a good foundation for us. The numerical advantage is gradually sliding towards us. The enemy civilization's high-level combat power will only become less and less in the future. Well done."

"But the Ancestor Tree King is not satisfied. The Mind Tree King was captured, and the Tree King crown cannot be recovered," the Stable Tree King said lightly.

"It doesn't matter. It's just a seal. We'll find a chance to save the Mind Tree King later. Using temporary losses in exchange for permanent losses to the enemy, we have undoubtedly made a profit."

The Town Tree King waved his hand, not minding.

"Okay, now that you're resurrected, I'll leave the affairs here to you. I'll go back to the Mother Tree first."

After speaking, the Stable Tree King didn't wait for the Town Tree King to react and immediately released his body, returning to the World Tree and disappearing.

"Hmph, I still have to rely on myself."

The Town Tree King snorted, not rejecting the idea. As a martial artist, he was used to doing these hard jobs.