Chapter 1322: Guerrilla Warfare
Right at this moment, the World Tree experts in the command room suddenly stopped moving. The movement in their High Dimensional Information Vision suddenly split into seven and headed in different directions.
“The outsider threw out bait to confuse our tracking; they are trying to disperse our manpower. It seems like they have the intention to retaliate.”
Seeing this, Tedrian narrowed his eyes and said with a solemn tone.
One of the thirteen Ancestral Spirits, Roxilian, stroked his beard-like small tentacles on his chin out of habit and said slowly, “In this case, we can only split up. We can’t ignore any trail.”
Although the High Dimensional Information Vision could see through ‘Information Closure’ and track the traces, it could not trace back to the specific details like the Information Form camera.
The World Tree still had its limits, so they could not immediately tell which one of the seven tracks Han Xiao was on. Only by collecting enough information samples could they differentiate the traces. This would take some time, and they would have to follow the trail and collect samples to lock onto the outsider.
If the goal of the outsider was to escape, scattering thousands of trails was a good way to mix things up, and it was enough to stall for more time. However, since there were only seven trails, Tedrian guessed that the outsider had not given up and wanted to fight back.
Even if the other six trails were just bait, they had to deal with them to prevent the outsider from leaving their troops or other dangerous things in the territory of the civilization.
“Then let’s gather more people. Our reinforcements are very fast anyway.”
The high-level Holy Tree Emissary Offerman nodded in agreement.
The group did not have any objections. In the territory of the World Tree Civilization, they could travel quickly on the World Tree roots. As long as someone discovered the target and shared their location through the mental network, the others would arrive quickly.
“Leave some people to act as mobile support troops. The rest will split up.”
Tedrian nodded.
Not only were they chasing from behind, but they were also following the direction of the trails, allowing some troops to pass directly to the front and intercept them. After confirming the changes in the trail, they would keep on shrinking the range.
The troops of the World Tree were constantly mobilized, gradually forming a large encirclement.
A fleet followed one of the trails for quite some distance, and the Holy Tree Emissary on the ship focused on maintaining the High Dimensional Information Vision.
At this time, a message came from the mental network. The sender was the intercepting troop in front of this trail.
“There’s no follow-up information trail ahead. We’re turning back and heading toward you, narrowing the search radius. Be careful.”
Hearing this, the Holy Tree Emissary immediately perked up.
They were some distance away from the intercepting troop. Since the trail ahead had been cut off, it meant that the target was likely within this distance, and it was very likely that they would meet each other.
“Be careful. The enemy is close,” the Holy Tree Emissary instructed the crew. He carefully sensed his surroundings and was a little angry.
It was a pity that the Information Form Camera was of no use this time. Otherwise, they would have no need to be so careful regardless of what the enemy had planned.
After traveling for some distance, an alarm suddenly sounded on the spaceship’s radar.
“High energy attacks detected. Shield activated. Please watch out!”
At the same time, beams of light shot over from afar, penetrating the fleet’s formation and quickly destroying many battleships.
“Enemy attack!”
The Holy Tree Emissary shuddered, and without hesitation, he called for reinforcements through the mental network before immediately activating his energy shield to protect himself.
A small mechanical troop surrounded by golden Mechanical Force suddenly charged over from the distance, closing in rapidly and firing continuously.
In the High Dimensional Information Vision, the source of this trail was this troop, but the outsider did not seem to be here.
“It seems like the trail I’m chasing is just bait.” The Holy Tree Emissary had a frustrated expression, as though he was regretful that he had not caught up to the outsider.
At this time, spatial rifts appeared around them, and many roots extended out. Reinforcements quickly arrived, and several Beyond Grade As arrived.
Seeing this mechanical troop fighting with the fleet, everyone knew that this path was not where the outsider was.
“One trail removed; there are six left.”
“Let’s get rid of these mechanical troops first. Let the Holy Tree swallow them and analyze the information.”
Without any hesitation, they charged forward, planning to end the battle quickly.
However, at this moment, one of the mechanical soldiers suddenly self-destructed, and a blue psionic light burst out, instantly swallowing the surrounding mechanical soldiers. The light expanded rapidly like it would never stop. “Damn it, it’s Primordial Psionic Energy!” The expressions of the World Tree experts changed drastically; they hurriedly stopped and retreated The encircling fleet also dispersed and turned to leave immediately. However, there were still some spaceships that could not escape in time and were swallowed by the Primordial Psionic Energy.
The larger the sphere of light was, the faster it expanded. All matter and energy that came into contact with it were assimilated, and psionic energy expanded continuously.
However, at this moment, spatial rifts appeared once again. The World Tree roots extended from the cracks and stabbed into the psionic energy ball and absorbed its energy rapidly like sucking a jelly. Only then did the psionic ball stop expanding and slowly shrink until it disappeared.
Everything that had been devoured by the psionic energy before was completely destroyed.
The World Tree experts who had run far away finally stopped, their faces ashen.
This was not the stable secondary psionic energy but the violent Primordial Psionic Energy and quite large at that. Although they were Beyond Grade As, they did not want to test the Primordial Psionic Energy’s strength with their bodies.
The Holy Tree Emissary had a lingering fear in his heart, and he angrily said, “That outsider must have set up Primordial Psionic Energy on all the bait to blast the pursuers to oblivion. Tell the others to be careful!”
The news quickly spread from the mental network to their comrades. Every chasing team immediately became cautious.
“A troop has already detonated…?”
Han Xiao was speeding through the universe when he suddenly sensed the Mechanical Force feedback.
Not long ago, he had sent out six mechanical troops to split up. On one hand, they were to split up the forces of the pursuers, and on the other hand, they served to act as a ward to see the size of the pursuers. The mechanical army did not enjoy the protection of the Destiny’s Child’s Mark, which meant that all their actions would be seen through by the Information Form Camera. However, after receiving the Mechanical Force link, the mechanical army would be able to share the disguise of the Destiny’s Child’s Mark and become bait.
Han Xiao had left some tricks with the bait, and the Primordial Psionic Energy was one of them. He did not mind spreading psionic energy pollution in the World Tree Civilization’s territory. Planting mushrooms in the enemy’s home would not only damage the pursuers but also wipe out his own troops, preventing them from being swallowed by the World Tree.
However, he did not count on the Primordial Psionic Energy causing too much damage to the other party. After experiencing the war in his previous life, Han Xiao knew very well that the World Tree’s ability to devour energy was just as effective against the Primordial Psionic Energy. This way of dealing with the psionic pollution was much more convenient than the three Universal Civilizations’ method.
At this time, Han Xiao suddenly felt something. He turned around and saw a spatial rift not far ahead from which a World Tree fleet appeared.
“Found him!”
The Holy Tree emissary leading this intercepting fleet was both surprised and delighted. He immediately sent the location through the mental network.
Seeing this, Han Xiao turned around to attack. Golden Mechanical Force was released, and a large mechanical army emerged, bombarding the fleet unreservedly.
With his current energy level, the destructive power of his mechanical army was already shocking. It destroyed this small intercepting fleet almost instantly.
The Holy Tree Emissary hurriedly dodged and defended, but he was unable to withstand the firepower of the mechanical army. He was riddled with wounds immediately and was scared out of his wits.
At this time, spatial rifts appeared around him one after another. The first batch of reinforcements from the World Tree Civilization quickly arrived, and Han Xiao sensed five Beyond Grade As’ energy.
However, he did not care. His energy erupted as he charged forward. A portion of his mechanical soldiers quickly gathered and turned into a small Mechanical Deity, almost instantly arriving in front of the injured Holy Tree Emissary.
Splitting rays were released from the fingertips of the Mechanical Deity, tearing apart the defense of this Holy Tree Emissary in the blink of an eye. Han Xiao activated the device in his palm; a spatial shockwave shot out, temporarily freezing the target in midair. Then, he threw a punch at the horrified Holy Tree Emissary.
Boom!
Shockwave erupted. The accumulated power of [Charge-Endless Potential] hit the Holy Tree Emissary’s body with full force. The powerful force crushed his muscles and bones, and even his cells instantly withered.
Green blood exploded in midair. This Holy Tree Emissary’s body disappeared, leaving only bloodstains on the mechanical fist.
With one punch, his HP was emptied! “You aren’t even an S+ rank, yet you dare to block my path. Do you think I flew so far for nothing? Let’s start this by killing one!”
Han Xiao grinned.
The combat information showed that this Holy Tree Emissary’s Energy Rank was less than 50,000, slightly weaker than Barbani. He had moved quite far, and the power of [Charge—Endless Potential] had stacked quite a lot. Together with the focus fire of the mechanical army, he insta-killed this Holy Tree Emissary.
He did not waste any time and immediately changed his target. He led his mechanical army and charged toward the five World Tree experts who had just arrived. The upgraded Celestial Punishment Edge was unfolded in his hands and slashed. The surging psionic energy turned into a sharp blade. “Dodge!”
Seeing how Han Xiao had insta-killed their comrade, the expressions of the five World Tree experts changed drastically. They did not dare take the attack head-on and quickly left the fleet behind to escape.
Boom!
The fleet could not dodge in time. The battleships along the path were crushed by the Celestial Punishment Edge, instantly exploding into fireworks. The fragments of the battleships were swept up by the blade, turning into hot lava that splashed on the surrounding spaceships and burned their shields.
Han Xiao used Virtual Purification on the five of them. However, the five of them only swayed slightly before returning to normal. They did not look lost like Barbani.
“Is the World Tree on guard? It didn’t send foreign races to chase after me. It reacted quite quickly.”
Han Xiao narrowed his eyes, but he was not surprised. He turned his blade and locked onto the weakest of the five people shown by the combat information. He charged forward, scaring the other party so much that he turned and fled.
The other four people hurriedly launched long-range attacks from the side, trying to restrain Han Xiao. However, it was like scratching an itch. Their focused fire could not even penetrate the Mechanical Deity’s shield; Han Xiao could not even be bothered to block.
At this time, more and more reinforcements arrived. When these World Tree experts saw this, they immediately joined the battle. The number of people surrounding Han Xiao rapidly increased to double digits, and it was still rising
However, what shocked the many World Tree experts was that even though the number of attackers had reached double digits, this outsider was still able to run amok as though there was no one around. He ignored the damage and only attacked without defending. He endured the focused fire of so many people and killed an Ancestral Spirit that he had locked onto. This gave them the second casualty!
However, as more and more reinforcements arrived, the group finally managed to tie down this outsider and stop his killing spree.
Not long after the battle, Tedrian and the others also arrived on the battlefield on the World Tree Express. They immediately saw the Mechanical Deity, which was protected by a large number of mechanical soldiers, fighting dozens of World Tree powerhouses without being suppressed.
“This outsider’s combat strength is too excessive!” Tedrian’s expression changed slightly.
“Could it be that he comes from a civilization with extremely advanced individual strength?” Offerman was shocked.
Looking at the chaotic battlefield, Roxilian was terrified. “It seems like I was too conservative in the past. He’s definitely at the level of a Tree King!”
The three of them had previously judged Han Xiao’s combat strength from what happened to Barbani, but now, they realized that this outsider’s strength was a little frightening, far beyond their expectations. “The situation isn’t right. I have to summon the Tree King.”
Tedrian made a prompt decision and immediately contacted his superior through the mental network.
This time, the Mechanical Deity suddenly unleashed its full power, temporarily forcing back the surrounding people.
The next moment, the Mechanical Deity disintegrated and revealed Han Xiao. The mechanical troops around him shrank rapidly and were absorbed into his body.
Han Xiao looked at the situation on the battlefield. There were more than thirty Beyond Grade As who had come to help, and there were even a few peak Beyond Grade As. Under such circumstances, there was basically no chance for him to continue killing. Furthermore, the World Tree was still sending in reinforcements, and if he stayed there, he would definitely be kicked around like a ball. Furthermore, the World Tree did not lack top-notch individual strength, and the five Great Tree Kings were each stronger than the last.
He turned to look at Tedrian and the others and narrowed his eyes.
“Tedrian, Roxilian, Offerman… Hehe, they’re all familiar faces.”
During the war in his previous life, there were casualties among the experts of the explored universe and the World Tree Civilization. Han Xiao naturally knew some of the powerful figures of the World Tree.
If he did not remember incorrectly, all three of them had blood of Beyond Grade As on their hands in his previous life. The previous owner of the Spacetime Amber had his head smashed by Tedrian, causing this Universal Treasure to fall into the hands of the World Tree Civilization. Later on, he was killed by Karlot.
Just as Han Xiao was recalling, something happened. Another World Tree root appeared, and a powerful pressure far exceeding that of the others spread out.
The next second, a tall figure with an imposing aura descended. His long white hair hung loosely, and his eyes were cold. His entire body was surrounded by blue-green light, mixed with dark-red electric arcs.
This person had a light green mark on his forehead, shaped like a burning flame. He was currently staring at Han Xiao. “Yo, here comes a strong man.”
Han Xiao raised his brows.
One of the five great Tree Kings, ‘Subduing Tree King’ Saint Grace Bellandor, a Pugilist. In his previous life, he caused huge casualties in the explored universe. ‘Dragon King’ Milizaus and ‘Beast Ancestor’ Gorutan had both died to him. In the end, Karlot and ‘Love Carrier’ Silver Shadow merged and killed him with great difficulty, almost dying together.
In his previous life, during the war, he had personally witnessed the Subduing Tree King attacking many times, and he had even been killed more than twenty times just by the shockwaves. It had left a deep impression on him.
“If I can kill you, the revival time will definitely be quite long…” Han Xiao had this thought, but after looking at the dozens of World Tree experts around him, he immediately dismissed it. If it was a duel, he would not be afraid of the other party. However, in the enemy’s base camp, it was basically impossible for him to do this.
At this time, the World Tree experts who had been forced back earlier were about to surround him again.
However, right in front of everyone’s eyes, Han Xiao’s figure suddenly disappeared, leaving everyone dumbfounded.
“How did he disappear? Has the space anchor lost its effect?”
Tedrian was shocked.
In order to prevent the outsider from teleporting away, they had locked this space during the battle. Logically speaking, other than the World Tree Express, which was unique to the civilization’s territory, no other teleportation methods should work.
However, he soon received a reply from the others on the mental network, saying that the space lockdown was normal.
“He actually escaped in this almost impossible situation?” Roxilian was unhappy.
“It seems like he has some kind of special teleportation method that can ignore a spacetime anchor… Then we have no choice.” Offerman frowned.
The group was instantly discouraged. They had finally surrounded their prey, and even the Tree King had personally descended. But they actually failed at the crucial moment.
Tedrian had no choice but to bow to the Tree King. “Your Excellency Tree King, we did not do our job well and let this outsider escape.” The Subduing Tree King glanced at him and said indifferently, “He escaped quite fast. Otherwise, I would have given him to the Mother Tree to devour and grasp the location of this foreign civilization.”
“Sorry, I ruined your plan. It’s my… Hmm?”
Tedrian was about to continue his self-reflection when he suddenly stopped, his expression turning interesting.
At the same time, everyone present received the same message through the mental network.
The pursuing troops that had gone to chase after the other ‘bait’ had suddenly encountered the outsider and were completely wiped out. The Holy Tree Emissary, who had led the team, only had time to send out a distress signal before the sound disappeared. He was dead.
Tedrian’s face turned dark with anger.
“This outsider did not leave! He finished another troop!”
At the same time, at the location of one ‘bait’ mechanical troop, Han Xiao grabbed a dying Holy Tree Emissary and broke his head.
Then, he took back the Throne that this mechanical troop was carrying and smirked.
He did not just put Primordial Psionic Energy in these ‘bait’ teams; he had also given each team a Throne without caring about the losses.
This time, he did not bring much equipment with him when he came to the territory of the World Tree Civilization other than bringing many Kings.
After so many years, he had used his banknote ability to accumulate a large number of Kings, so he did not need to worry about them.
Throwing away the corpse, Han Xiao licked his lips.
“Indeed, we have to fight in other people’s homes.”
