Chapter 761 Negotiations
The waterdrop-shaped s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p slowly entered the atmosphere and descended. The scene of fire and cracked lava jumped into Psyker’s sight.
Psyker had already sensed the position of the Evolution Cube just below the planet, so close that he could accurately sense its position now.
“The coordinates have stopped at this planet for a few hours now… Did he give up on the Evolution Cube and choose to escape, or did he purposely stay here just to meet with me?”
Psyker tried to guess the intentions of his unknown enemy and felt that the person might have set traps for him, causing him to be unable to continue pursuing him. As a precaution, he gave up the thought of flying down using just his fleshly body, instead flying over to the coordinates he detected in his s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p.
After flying for a while, the detection radar suddenly pinged as it had spotted a life signal hundreds of kilometers away. The distant area was expanded, and it could be discerned that there were hundreds of Mechanical Warriors around a living body, as though keeping it in captivity.
“That looks like Sardeem.” Psyker’s expression grew grim, and he immediately flew over to Sardeem.
The troops on the ground raised their muzzles, opening fire at the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p overhead.
Boom boom boom!
A surge of invisible mental power formed a s.h.i.+eld, distorting the s.p.a.ce like a wall of air. The Particle Cannon blasted shattered into blue specks of light upon hitting them.
Explosions continued to move, but the s.h.i.+eld remained motionless.
The next instant, a pale white mental shock wave materialized, sweeping across the ground.
Swoos.h.!.+
The hundreds of Mechanical soldiers below did not possess the bonuses of Mechanical Force and were naturally shattered in a single blow. The mental wave avoided Sardeem, and he was the only one left standing after the shockwave had pa.s.sed.
The Psychic profession was the profession specializing in mental strength. Its strength lay in its mental attacks, and at the same time, it possessed the means to perform physical attacks. The driving force behind this was using one’s mental strength to affect the surroundings in order to generate the physical attack.
Psyker crushed the restraints on Sardeem’s body with his mind before beaming him up into the cabin.
“Cough cough… you’re finally here!”
Sardeem held onto the cabin door weakly with an expression of joy.
He was saved!
A Beyond Grade A Super was so reliable. Believing in Psyker was the correct thing to do!
“Who’s the enemy?” Psyker did not waste time talking, going straight into the main topic.
“It… it’s Black Star!”
“Black Star? I’ve heard this name before… oh, it seems like someone from the Colton Star Cl.u.s.ter. He took part in the secret war and ended up provoking Tyrant.”
“Yes, yes, yes, it’s that Beyond Grade A Seed. He claimed to be invincible among Calamity Grades.”
Invincible among Calamity Grades? So, is it his moniker that gave him the confidence to go against a Beyond Grade A?
Psyker shook his head. The Colton Star Cl.u.s.ter was far away from his Star Pupil Holy Race, and while news about Han Xiao had pa.s.sed through him, he did not pay attention to him. To him, a simple Calamity Grade was just an ant no matter how famous he was.
He had no interest in the secret war. If he had the time, he would have spent it worrying about the fertility problem of the Star Pupil Holy Race.
“Your Excellency Psyker, Black Star threw me over here a few hours ago. He should still be on this planet. Just now, when you wiped out the mechanical soldiers, you revealed yourself. I believe we should hurry to capture Black Star, lest he runs away again.”
Sardeem immediately raised that suggestion. He could not wait to see Black Star get into trouble.
He could not forget the humiliation that he had suffered and wished to take back his mechanical troops. Psyker was his backer, and in his eyes, a Calamity Grade would never be a match for a Beyond Grade A. No matter how Black Star struggled, he would only become a punching bag for Psyker.
Sardeem gritted his teeth, viciously thinking, I’m not only going to get back my mechanical army, I’m even going to steal yours!
“Oh, that makes sense. We should settle it quickly,” Psyker said as though it was natural.
With his perception pointing the way, he was not afraid of Black Star running away but rather more afraid that if Black Star had nowhere left to run, he would smash the portable container of the Evolution Cube to pieces, revealing the true form of the Evolution Cube. In that case, he would have to gather all the manpower of his Star Pupil Holy Race to move the Evolution Cube back, and he hated such trouble.
Just as he was prepared to pilot his s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p over, he felt the Evolution Cube in his perception begin to approach them. Very quickly, a tiny black dot grew ever larger toward their location.
Rumble!
The fast-moving shadow shot over the ground, raising up gales, and the magma flowing on the surface was split to the sides due to the wind pressure.
The next moment, the black shadow stopped in midair not far off, facing squarely with Psyker.
“That’s Black Star!” Sardeem immediately pointed as he exclaimed.
“To think he came knocking on his own…” Psyker felt a little mystified. He roughly understood the intentions of the other party—to negotiate with him.
His gaze was fixed on the small Evolution Cube hanging from Han Xiao’s neck. With his perception, he knew that this was the compact version of the Portable Evolution Cube.
Hum!
Without waiting for Han Xiao to open his mouth, Psyker raised his hand, and a blast of psychic power roiled out, hitting Han Xiao on a spiritual level.
He was too lazy to speak pleasantries to Han Xiao. He knew that the other party planned to use the Evolution Cube as his bargaining chip, but what qualifications did Han Xiao, as a Calamity Grade, have to speak on equal grounds with him?
Psyker was unwilling to give him the upper hand. Thus, without a single word, he attacked directly.
If you have anything to say, wait till I get the Evolution Cube!
Before Han Xiao could speak, a wave of mental energy struck at him. Fortunately, he had been mentally prepared to use his new talent [Void Dimension] from the [Chaos Apostle] race, drawing a large amount of power from the void to offset the psychic energies. The barrier he created diffused close to half the mental damage.
The remaining amount of psychic energy pierced through, invading his brain, and he felt pain in his mind as though countless nails were being hammered in. However, his talents such as [Supreme Piety], [Advanced Mental Toughness], and [Soul Lock] had more than doubled his mental resistance. This blow shaved off more than 80,000 of his overall HP, with the interface showing that Psyker had utilized his skills to deal extra damage.
This was the true strength of a Beyond Grade A Super!
However, with Han Xiao’s current HP, this attack that was enough to destroy Calamity Grades did not even count as a light injury to him, and he recovered in the blink of an eye.
This jerk is really decisive! Han Xiao turned solemn.
However, this was what he wanted. Only by first showing his strength to the other party would he be qualified to negotiate on equal grounds.
While his thoughts moved, Han Xiao’s hands did not slow down as well. Without a second word, he immediately applied the Luck Curse on Psyker, and without retreating, he activated [Apostilization] as well as [Void Blessing]. With an arrogant bearing, a sea of Psionic energy was launched, akin to a river of stars in a galaxy as it rushed toward Psyker’s s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p.
Boom!
The surge of Psionic energy violently smashed against Psyker’s mind barrier, akin to a waterfall against a rock. The light blue colored sparkles resembled the splas.h.i.+ng of water, and the surroundings vibrated endlessly, with roaring echoes.
“This strength… isn’t quite right.”
Psyker could not help but be surprised. The pressure withstood by his spirit was totally different from his original expectation of easily blocking the attack.
While there was only a bit of pressure, having been a Beyond Grade A for so many years, this was the first time that he had felt pressure coming from a Calamity Grade.
Clank!
The next instant, Han Xiao poured out more energy, summoning his Mechanical army. Flashes could be seen around the sky as the Army Boxes arrived one after another, releasing an overwhelming number of Mechanical troops. A black colored wave of soldiers occupied every inch of the sky.
Not only was Han Xiao’s mechanical army there but Sardeem’s too. The total scale was over ten million.
Buzz!
Mechanical Force resembling sparks of electricity rushed out from Han Xiao, connecting to each mechanical soldier like a ginormous lightning web. At this moment, all the Mechanical soldiers’ actions were synchronized.
Han Xiao then released his full strength. The level of energy that he emitted sharply climbed, and his momentum continued to expand.
It was at this moment that Sardeem had a bad premonition in his heart.
Right on cue, Psyker opened his mouth.
“You’re wrong.”
Sardeem regained his senses and replied in confusion, “What’s wrong?”
“You said he was a Beyond Grade A Seed. You’re wrong.”
Sardeem could not help but turn to Psyker, and to his shock, he found out that Psyker’s expression was no longer easygoing. At some time, his expression had turned stern.
“He’s not a Beyond Grade A Seed…” Psyker’s tone was grave. “He’s a true Beyond Grade A!”
Like a bolt of lightning blasting apart his mind, Sardeem’s thoughts turned blank. His whole body stiffened, and his eyes slowly grew larger, as his expression turned from disbelieving to terrified.
Black Star… was a Beyond Grade A‽
This meant that the Shattered Star Ring now had five Beyond Grade A Supers‽
Sardeem’s face was pale. If Han Xiao was still a Calamity Grade, he would have had no issues making him an enemy. However, the other party was now a Beyond Grade A. What sort of revenge would he dare perform?
When did this happen? Two days ago, when I was exchanging blows with him, he was still a Calamity Grade! Could it be that he purposely hid his strength?
Maybe, when he had disguised himself as Barne, he was already a Beyond Grade A.
Then, has he been fooling me all along‽
Seeing that he was so vocal about managing to have a contact with a Beyond Grade A, Sardeem now felt utterly speechless.
If Black Star and Psyker start fighting, the aftermath of a Beyond Grade A battle…
Sardeem now started to panic. He had thought that once Psyker arrived, he would be safe, but now it seems like he would die there!
At this time, the mechanical army surrounded Psyker’s s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p, and dense rows of muzzles aimed at him. At the same time, the dim glow of acc.u.mulating energy could be seen.
Hum!
Psyker’s seven eyes immediately grew huge, and his psychic energy was poured out, weaving layer after layer of barriers that wrapped around the entire s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p.
“Fire!” Han Xiao pressed down sharply with his palm.
Pew! Pew! Pew!
Millions of particle cannons were fired in unison toward the same target, and the next moment, the various psionic rays converged at a single point, triggering a chain reaction. At the center point, a dark-blue energy ball was formed and quickly expanded.
The Mechanical army retreated as this energy ball swelled to more than a hundred kilometers in diameter before exploding!
Boom!
The sound was akin to a mountain collapsing.
A dazzling blue beam shot up toward the sky, heading for the atmosphere.
Without dust nor a mushroom cloud, all the Psionic energy vanished as though it had never existed.
The area was transformed into a deep pit, with the land seemingly having vanished into thin air. This explosion almost blew through the crust of the planet, and the remaining power had penetrated the mantle, causing it to turn into a bottomless hole.
Rumble!
The veins in the surrounding thousands of kilometers had all been affected, with several earthquakes happening simultaneously. All the volcanoes in the area erupted, and the cracked ground produced countless deep rifts. The crust was shredded by the tectonic movements, and magma raged from the rifts, rising like red hot dragon ridges.
Seeing the extreme changes, Han Xiao could only sigh in appreciation.
Just how many times has my offensive strength multiplied?
His Attributes and Machinery Affinity had soared, and the bonuses given by [Supreme Prestige] allowed Han Xiao’s strength to step into the realm of Beyond Grade A.
My Mechanical army has not yet been renewed. The moment I return and create a set of stronger machines, as well as a large number of Planetary Obliteration Cannons, that will be the peak of my combat capability.
Han Xiao settled his mind before turning around to look for traces of Psyker.
While the picture of devastation that he had wrought was shocking, Han Xiao never let his guard down. He would not expect such a blow to pose much of a threat to another Beyond Grade A. After all, the strong aftermath meant that his control of power was still not precise and concentrated.
Even with that huge explosion, the damage inflicted was only 250,000 HP. This was already inferred on his interface, and the majority of his attacks were stopped by the Beyond Grade A Psychic mental barrier.
In the epicenter of the explosion, there was a cracked light sphere, red in color. That was the psychic barrier of Psyker. Even his mental and psychic energies had been superheated by the Psionic blast, turning into lava red and constantly emitting steam.
The mechanical army gathered once again, and upon seeing this, Psyker glanced at Sardeem, who was trembling beside him, and shook his head.
After staying silent for a while, he dissipated his mental barrier, opened the hatch, and flew out, facing Han Xiao.
“Good strength.”
Psyker first lowered his head to start at the bottomless pit before turning back to face Han Xiao. He did not reveal any emotions on his face as he said, “Let’s talk.”
After this simple exchange, Psyker understood that the other party was on the same level as him. Thus, he could only change his att.i.tude and acknowledge that Han Xiao was qualified for equal conversation.
While he had never made any contact with Black Star before, he would have no choice but to remember this person in the future.
Making this gesture also showed that he was ready to negotiate with Han Xiao.
In fact, Psyker was a little p.i.s.sed. He had originally thought that his opponent was just a Calamity Grade that was too full of himself, but it turned out to be a real Beyond Grade A Super. The worst-case scenario actually happened, and this made the situation even more complicated.
Psyker was not afraid of Han Xiao, but as the leader of a civilization, he was not willing to easily provoke a new Beyond Grade A as his enemy unless there was no hope of negotiating.
As the saying went, whenever talented people emerged, they would leave their mark on the world. Every new Beyond Grade A expert signified some sort of change in the Star Field. While the Shattered Star Ring had not had a new Beyond Grade A expert for a long time, it did not mean that the same went for many of the other Star Fields.
With Psyker’s long lifespan, alongside with his contacts in the Arcane Church, he could follow the news beyond the Shattered Star Ring. He was well read, so he did not lose his composure, but upon witnessing the birth of yet another Beyond Grade A, it was unavoidable that he would be surprised. He just chose not to show it so as not to affect the negotiations.
Seeing this situation, Han Xiao bade his mechanical army to stop before flying in front of Psyker.
The two stood opposite each other, sizing the other party up.
“State your conditions. What do you wish to do with my Evolution Cube?”
Psyker took the initiative to speak. He did not wish to speak in riddles and immediately approached the main topic.
Han Xiao raised his brow.
This guy’s personality is really direct, probably not too good at talking…
However, that made sense. Their exchange just now was merely a simple blow, exchanging shots to prove their strength. It was far from what a Beyond Grade A Super could do.
Psyker was willing to communicate mainly because Han Xiao had proven this strength and because it was impossible to eliminate him in a single blow.
Han Xiao’s mind was full of nasty words, but he thought about it and spoke solemnly whilst holding onto the Evolution Cube around his neck. “Actually, there’s a way for us to cooperate.”
“Speak.” Psyker remained expressionless.
Han Xiao nodded before explaining the need for a pa.s.sword to crack the Evolution Cube in its portable form. Following which, he said, “I know how to unlock this Evolution Cube, so I can allow it to maintain this portable state and carry it around with me, so it won’t be stolen. As for you, since you do not know the pa.s.sword, you can only release its original form, and one day, it might be stolen by the EsG.o.d again, leading to many deaths.
“Thus, I propose that I hold on to the Evolution Cube. Let me divert their attention. You can borrow the Evolution Cube whenever you wish, and both of our forces will also be closely allied to each other, so you do not have to worry about it being stolen and still can continue to utilize its strength. It’s a win-win.”
Psyker patiently listened before pa.s.sively saying, “Ah, then I’ll also propose something. How about you give the pa.s.sword and the Evolution Cube to me? The Star Pupil Holy Race will be your closest allies, and you can always use the Evolution Cube anytime you wish. Furthermore, I’ll help you to get rid of the Tyrant. How about that?”
Han Xiao’s eyes twitched. “And if I don’t agree…”
“Then I’ll help the Tyrant get rid of you.” Psyker interrupted Han Xiao without hesitation, pressuring him. “Now, give me your reply. Will you hand it over?”