Chapter 1362 Fort.i.tude Tree King: I’ll Take Over Your Water Pot!
Heart Tree King was locked in a strange position by the Lord’s Avatar, and they were trapped in the s.p.a.cetime Amber. Time seemed to have stopped, and this world-famous painting was seen by all the Beyond Grade As on both sides.
The Beyond Grade As of the three Universal Civilizations were overjoyed. “Black Star has succeeded!”
“Beautiful! That Tree King did not have the time to self-destruct!”
“Support them with all your might! Don’t let those enemies hara.s.s Black Star!”
The morale of the Beyond Grade As was greatly boosted, and they were no longer in low spirits for losing their healer. They launched ferocious attacks at the World Tree experts who were anxious to leave the battle.
The emotions of all the World Tree experts were the exact opposite. Their rapidly changing expressions were filled with shock and anger.
They could not be bothered to fight with the opponent and rushed toward Han Xiao like crazy, trying to s.n.a.t.c.h Heart Tree King back.
However, the moment Han Xiao succeeded, he controlled the Mechanical Deity to move again. He grabbed the s.p.a.cetime Amber ball and swallowed it into his body, taking back the s.p.a.cetime Amber in Hila’s hands.
Without another word, he used his mechanical army as a s.h.i.+eld to block the attacks of the World Tree fleet around him. He then flew in the opposite direction at full speed and stopped fighting. His goal was to retreat from the battlefield.
To lure the three Universal Civilizations into deploying their high-level combatants, Heart Tree King naturally would not stay too deep into the World Tree fleet. The battle zone was located at the periphery of the fleet and even if the World Tree fleet wanted to intercept Han Xiao, they would not be able to do so. Han Xiao paid the price of groups of mechanical soldiers and quickly entered the battle zone at the center of the battlefield.
The many World Tree Supers could not care less and surrounded Han Xiao in groups, trying to hinder his return. However, the Beyond Grade As of the three Universal Civilizations that were chasing after them all acted as cover for Han Xiao, restraining one opponent after another. The energy waves that flashed when they fought lit up continuously around Han Xiao, creating a path.
Fort.i.tude Tree King was entangled with Herberlon again, and violent vibrations were transmitting through his body. He also wanted to support Heart Tree King, but could not get rid of Herberlon and could not increase his speed at all. He could only watch Han Xiao’s figure get further and further away. He was so angry that his energy core almost overloaded.
“D*mn idiot! Even Subduing Tree King is smarter than you!”
Fort.i.tude Tree King was furious. They had clearly achieved a huge success in the Exchange tactic, so it would have been fine to retreat. At the very least, they could self-destruct and die. He did not expect them to be defeated at the last moment. It was supposed to be a great victory without much loss, but now, it had become a real ‘Exchange’!
He had already cursed Heart Tree King’s eighteen generations of ancestors in his heart. Just because he had thought for too long at that last moment, Heart Tree King did not self-destruct and was captured. This was a fatal mistake that even Subduing Tree King did not make. He was the shame of the Tree Kings!
What happened next could only be decided by Ancestral Tree King!
Seeing that Han Xiao was about to return to the fleet of the three Universal Civilizations, Fort.i.tude Tree King knew that there was nothing he could do. His eyes flashed sharply as he sent a command in the mental network:
“Everyone, stop chasing. Retreat! Stop fighting!”
Now that Heart Tree King had been captured alive, Fort.i.tude Tree King was the only one in charge. He took over the leaders.h.i.+p without hesitation and ordered all the Beyond Grade As to retreat.
One Tree King was already gone, he was worried that Han Xiao would continue to seal more experts, so he decided to give up and ordered everyone to leave the battle. Upon hearing the order, the World Tree experts who were chasing Han Xiao paused slightly. They looked at Han Xiao’s back that was getting smaller and smaller, but they still chose to follow the orders of the Tree King and stopped their pursuit. While dealing with the Beyond Grade As of the three Universal Civilizations, they quickly retreated to the World Tree fleet.
The battles.h.i.+ps in the distance also began to provide remote support to help them escape from their opponents.
The Beyond Grade As of the three Universal Civilizations did not chase after them too deeply. Instead, they chased for a while and killed a few World Tree experts who were exposed due to the sudden change of plan. Then, under the leaders.h.i.+p of the a.s.sociation members, all the Beyond Grade As retreated and did not dare follow the remaining World Tree experts into the enemy fleet. If they did that, they would be the ones in danger instead.
Seeing this, Herberlon did not dare continue fighting alone. He fought fiercely with the Tree King a few times before gradually moving toward his teammates. After escaping from the battle, his eyes—flas.h.i.+ng with Mechanical Force-locked onto the Tree King, filled with killing intent as though he was saying, “I’ll teach you a lesson the next time we meet.”
Fort.i.tude Tree King took a deep look at this familiar face and did not say anything. He took the World Tree powerhouses and retreated deep into the World Tree fleet. Stars.h.i.+ps moved over and formed layers of barriers, blocking the sight of Herberlon and the others.
As the remaining Beyond Grade As of the World Tree retreated, the battle between the high-level combatants on both sides came to an end. The members of the a.s.sociation and the direct descendants did not stay on the battlefield. They went back to the three Universal Civilizations’ fleet while bracing the merciless firing.
Everyone put away their weapons and returned to the temporary command s.h.i.+p at the back of the battlefield. As soon as they entered the command room, they noticed Han Xiao, Hila, and the others were already there. The remote projections of Simon and the many commanders were also gathered there, pointing at Heart Tree King’s s.p.a.cetime Amber and talking.
“…Black Star, our front line of defense can’t hold on any longer, and the other war zones are also showing signs of collapse. The World Tree breaking through the interception circle is already set in stone. We are currently mobilizing our troops to retreat, but this isn’t your problem. You did very well by capturing a Tree King.”
Simon’s tone was low.
“I should have dealt with the Tree King Halo much earlier…” Han Xiao sighed.
“Although that would have been helpful, from the way the World Tree is attacking, it can only slightly delay them from breaking through the blockade. At most, the first to fall wouldn’t be this war zone but the other defense lines.”
Simon shook his head and said with a helpless tone. However, he was not angry. After a month of fighting, the entire command level had already mentally prepared themselves for the worst-for the interception circle to be broken.
“What do we do next?”
“There’s no need for you to continue fighting. Return to the main base first. We will begin evacuating in batches. The World Tree’s goal is not just to break through the intercepting perimeter but also to clean up our troops. Since the defense line has been broken, the trend will be difficult to reverse. There’s no need to fight them head-on. We will use the various fortifications that we have built in the strategic depth of the rear for the past year to cover fire and hara.s.s them into slowing down. I…”
“You guys can decide the matters of the army.” Han Xiao waved his hand.
Simon nodded and turned to look at the wounded Beyond Grade As. He changed the topic and said, “Everyone, please tabulate the damage. We need accurate data.”
Hearing this, the Beyond Grade As sized each other up and began telling their names. The number of people had decreased by a lot compared to when they went to fight. Many of them had died in the intense battle, with the direct Beyond Grade As suffering the most casualties, as well as some Revivors. The number of casualties among the a.s.sociation members was relatively low.
Because the number of partic.i.p.ants this time had increased quite a lot, the World Tree had lost even more people. The three Universal Civilizations, on the other hand, were in a far better state. However, the World Tree did not bring out all their high-level combatants. In terms of numbers, the number of partic.i.p.ants was only a fifth or a quarter of the total.
However, although they had the upper hand in terms of battle losses, it was still much worse than the previous battle. Many familiar faces disappeared, and the Beyond Grade As present could not even muster any emotions. They were still immersed in the battle and could not extricate themselves from it. They still had lingering fears and felt like they had just survived a disaster. The atmosphere was like a dark cloud.
“The losses this time are not small,” Sun Hunter muttered. “I think we should have retreated when Aurora was defeated…”
Hearing his soft voice, many Beyond Grade As nodded in agreement. They looked at Han Xiao with complicated emotions-helplessness, understanding, dissatisfaction, and resentment.
If they did not capture Heart Tree King this time, they would have suffered a huge loss. However, they had at least gained something and did not return empty-handed. Although many Beyond Grade As still felt that they had suffered a loss, they felt more or less comforted when they saw Heart Tree King in the amber.
Although they were unhappy, they could not say anything. After all, Han Xiao had captured a Tree King and made a huge contribution. At most, they felt that it was not worth it to exchange so many people for one opponent.
Han Xiao casually glanced at them. He knew what they were thinking, but he did not explain.
He had originally wanted to see if he could manipulate the scene and make some Revivors die in battle, but now that Aurora had fallen, although his losses had increased tremendously, it made it easier for him to act. He did not need to press Aurora to make a ‘mistake’ as he had planned.
These dead Revivors would be the best evidence to prove the truth of the Sanctum Revival. He was not sad at all; instead, he was relieved. It would have been troublesome if no Revivors died in this battle.
After listening to the war casualties of the Beyond Grade As, Simon sighed and shook his head.
“The direct descendants have suffered heavy casualties. No matter what, most of the victims still have a chance to revive in the Sanctum. Thank you for your hard work.”
Everyone was in a bad mood and could not be bothered with him. They turned to look at Hila. They were most concerned about Aurora’s situation.
“How’s your sister?”
“The seal is a little thicker than before, and it will take some time to unseal it. Everyone, let’s not delay any further. Let’s rest for a while and start. We can be at ease if she wakes up as soon as possible,” Hila said with a deep voice.
“That’s right. Those with psychic abilities come out. While we’re retreating, wake Aurora up.” Kasuyi stepped out from the crowd and released his psychic energy to enter Aurora’s mind s.p.a.ce. He then started to bombard the thought seal purple crystal in her mind. Many Psychics, Mages, and Espers walked out one after another and worked together to speed up the process. With so many people working together, the thought seal was getting thinner at a visible rate. At this rate, it would be completely unsealed in a few hours.
Seeing this, Han Xiao turned to look at Heart Tree King in the amber. He remembered that Heart Tree King had used a leaf-shaped Universal Treasure to activate the Illusion – Mind Lock. That was probably one of the rare items that the World Tree grew, and it was hidden in Heart Tree King’s body. However, Han Xiao had no intention of unsealing the amber in the short term and temporarily suppressed his curiosity.
World Tree Territory, Tree King Palace.
The executives who did not partic.i.p.ate in the battle found out about the situation from the mental network, and their faces were filled with shock and doubt. They were prepared for Heart Tree King to die in battle, but they did not expect him to be captured alive by the enemy with that strange sealing method, and they were all terrified.
Seated on the throne, Fort.i.tude Tree King slowly opened his eyes and deactivated the Lord’s Descent state. A rare look of anger appeared on his face, and he slapped the armrest of his chair heavily.
“Humph, Heart Tree King, so useless!”
As soon as he said that, the roots on the two thrones beside him suddenly rose, and two figures with different appearances appeared.
“Hehe, it seems like the enemy this time is indeed very difficult to deal with. Of the five Great Tree Kings, one is dead, and the other is captured. Now, only three can fight. You’re right, Heart Tree King and Subduing Tree King are both useless.” One of them turned his head and looked over with a sneer of disdain. “However, you’re not much better. Your Lord’s Avatar was clearly present, but you didn’t save Heart Tree King.”
Fort.i.tude Tree King glanced at him coldly and snorted. “Secret Tree King, I can’t be bothered to argue with you, but you better watch your words.”
“Heh.” Secret Tree King did not think much of it. He did not even care about Fort.i.tude Tree King. Among the five tree kings, he did not like anyone other than Ancestral Tree King. “Humph, I can’t be bothered to argue with you.” Fort.i.tude Tree King turned to look at Ancestral Tree King in the middle seat and asked, “What do we do next? What do you think?”
The aura of Ancestral Tree King was the opposite of the other four tree kings. He was like an ordinary person, lacking any sense of presence. Be it his appearance or physique, there was nothing special. If one did not pay attention, they might subconsciously ignore him.
Hearing this, Ancestral Tree King said slowly without any expression.
“I’ve already tried. Heart Tree King is completely isolated from the outside world, and the mother tree can’t take back his Tree King Crown. This means unless he’s unsealed, I can’t remove his position and replace him with a new tree king. Therefore, we must try to save him. At the very least, we have to take back his Tree King Crown. Otherwise, we won’t be able to make the Tree G.o.d descend completely.”
Hearing this, the faces of Fort.i.tude Tree King and Secret Tree King turned solemn.
Initially, they had thought that Heart Tree King killed a lot of high-level enemy combatants by himself. Although it had become a real Exchange, it was worse for the enemy. However, if they could not retrieve the Tree King Crown, it would be troublesome.
The ident.i.ties of the tree kings all came from the ‘Tree King Crown’. This was a special ability given by the mother tree. Like the Apostle Weapons, there was a limited quota. The quota was only five, and it had to be five different Super systems. Other than Ancestral Tree King occupying one quota, the other four Tree King Crown positions had been changed over the years.
Only by gathering five crowns would they be able to make Tree G.o.d descend completely. This was their trump card. “Then what should we do?” Fort.i.tude Tree King asked.
“There’s no need to worry for the time being,” Ancestral Tree King said casually. “The civilization on the other side has yet to show the strength that would require us to use the Tree G.o.d’s Descent. Heart Tree King is only sealed, so there’s no danger. We have two paths now. One is to wait. The enemy might be interested in studying a Tree King. As long as we unlock that special seal, I can retrieve the Tree King crown.
The second is to send someone to rescue him. Although the mother tree’s connection with him has been cut off, the broken connection can still point in his direction. We can organize high-level combatants to s.n.a.t.c.h him back.”
“Then let’s just wait and see when these enemies can’t take it anymore.” Fort.i.tude Tree King snorted.
“Hmm, I think so too.”
Ancestral Tree King nodded and continued.
“Although we have broken the enemy’s interception circle, we still need to move forward to the enemy’s territory. Just let the fleet carry out this task. There’s no need for high-level combatants, so there won’t be any opportunities to attack.
“Furthermore… Although we know the direction, the distance is unknown. We don’t know how long it will take to reach the enemy’s territory. It might take a few years or decades. However, according to the enemy’s reaction, the distance shouldn’t be too far.”
The other two nodded silently.
“Also, Heart Tree King is gone. Someone needs to continue managing the daily affairs of this place.” Ancestral Tree King turned to look at Fort.i.tude Tree King and said slowly, “You shall do it.”
Fort.i.tude Tree King’s face fell.
G.o.d knew how many years it would take for the fleet to arrive at the other party’s territory. He did not want to keep showing himself. He wanted to slack off, but he did not dare go against Ancestral Tree King, so he could only agree in a m.u.f.fled voice.
After casually instructing him on a few things to take note of, Ancestral Tree King’s figure quickly faded and returned to the mother tree. Secret Tree King took a gloating glance at Fort.i.tude Tree King and left, leaving only Fort.i.tude Tree King on the throne.
“You want me to work? Fat chance.”
Fort.i.tude Tree King snorted, rolled his eyes, and came up with a plan.
By the way, the seed of Subduing Tree King should almost be ripe. When he revives, I can transfer this job to him. Anyway, that iron head is very hardworking and is willing to do this hard work. I can continue to slack!
As soon as he thought of this, Fort.i.tude Tree King could not wait to see Subduing Tree King reincarnate in front of him.
He could not help but stand up and walk out of the palace. He inherited the glorious legacy of Heart Tree King and went out to water Subduing Tree King.