by <unknown>
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 spaceship.
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 splashing 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!Read more chapter on NovelFull
At this time, the mechanical army surrounded Psyker’s spaceship, and dense rows of muzzles aimed at him. At the same time, the dim glow of accumulating 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 spaceship.
“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 coul
d only change his attitude 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 pissed. 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 password 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 password, you can only release its original form, and one day, it might be stolen by the EsGod 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 passively saying, “Ah, then I’ll also propose something. How about you give the password 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?”
Chapter 762. Apologies, I Won“t Let You Support My Ass |
“Is that a threat?” Han Xiao was mystified. This was really too direct.
“No, I’m just helping you understand your current situation.” Psyker’s tone remained calm yet steely.
With them both being Beyond Grade A Supers who wielded immense strength, the laws of the various civilizations had already lost their purpose in front of them. Beyond Grade A Supers were the class that represented prestige, and they had already stepped out of the rules of society. Thus, any nonsense from Psyker was useless, and he chose to immediately strike his opponent’s weak points. This was more useful than exchanging a lot of bullcr*p pleasantries.
As for Black Star’s current situation, Psyker was not too aware, but he knew that the Tyrant had set his sights on him. Thus, no matter whom he joined, the balance would be broken.
What he was betting on was that Black Star, as a new Beyond Grade A, would choose stability as a priority. He still had to accumulate his strength and influence, splitting apart the benefits in the Star Field as he had just risen to Beyond Grade A. Thus, facing the threat of two older Beyond Grade As, he would likely choose to compromise.
The Star Pupil Holy Race’s genes were already almost optimized to the bottleneck. The function of the Evolution Cube had no use for them, and what Psyker needed was to use its value—to trade it with the Arcane Church in exchange for its support.
Over the past few decades, the Arcane Church had repeatedly proposed generous conditions in exchange for the Evolution Cube, and their latest bid proposed that they would support the Star Pupil Holy Race into becoming the designated spokesperson of the Arcane Church in the Shattered Star Ring, allowing it to become a true Star Cluster civilization. This promise moved Psyker.
However, his bargaining chip was then stolen.
As such, it did not really matter if the Evolution Cube was portable or not. Han Xiao’s conditions were not attractive in his eyes, as he did not need to borrow it but rather needed the Evolution Cube itself.
No matter what, the Evolution Cube had to be returned to his hands, or else he would lose the support of the Arcane Church. After all, without the Evolution Cube, there was no need to discuss anything else!
Han Xiao thought a little and could understand Psyker’s rationale as well as his bottom line. The other party could not compromise, which gave him a headache.
This little comrade refused to perform the win-win cooperation and only wished to take back the Evolution Cube. He could not fulfill Psyker’s wishes in any way.
Threatening another’s race would do more harm than benefit as well. All galactic civilizations were covered under the Civilization Treaty but not mercenary groups. This was the difference in the nature of their organizations. It would be okay for others to hit him, but he himself could not attack other civilizations. This was how sad and pathetic the life of a mercenary was.
Psyker cared about his own race, and this was a well-known weakness of this. But if he gave in every time someone threatened him with his race, the Star Pupil Holy Race would not have reached this current stage. One could even say that Psyker had received threats his entire life, leading to his tough stance in dealing with problems. Unless Han Xiao decided to abandon his Black Star Army and turn into a wanted man in the galaxy, like EsGod, he would not use the Star Pupil Holy Race to threaten him.
However, he knew of this point and is not willing to use the Black Star Army to threaten me. This means that he still has some morals left and is not willing to force me into a corner.
Han Xiao’s heart was moved.
The focus of this competition was for the Evolution Cube, and both parties had some sort of restraining fear. In order to avoid the losses of both, they had not mentioned their respective forces.
However, Han Xiao was unwilling to hand the cube over to Psyker so easily. For most civilizations, the Evolution Cube was an unprecedented opportunity for development, and no civilization would be able to reject this opportunity. If he controlled the Evolution Cube by himself, it will form a huge collective of interests, and the Black Star Army’s influences would soar hundreds of thousands of times higher than it currently was.
Taking a step back
, with his identity as a Beyond Grade A, if he took the Evolution Cube to work together with the Crimson Dynasty, he would be able to obtain the support of a Universal Civilization. The Star Pupil Holy Race obviously enjoyed such a benefit from the Arcane Church, and they would also be able to join in the forces for early exploration to the Flickering World, laying the groundwork for future versions.
At the same time, the Evolution Cube would still be able to attract countless Calamity Grades and maybe even Beyond Grade As. That was not impossible.
He was not someone like Psyker who only had his own race in mind, keeping all the good stuff only for his race to utilize.
There was only one Evolution Cube, so the benefits were huge. He did not have a chance before, so that was it. However, this opportunity had been presented to him, and he had the strength to keep the treasure. If he gave it up too easily, it would be letting himself down.
When it was time to fight, Han Xiao would never retreat.
Taking the Evolution Cube for himself would give the best benefits, accompanied by the same amount of risks. However, with his body and Aurora’s medicine, even if the Tyrant and Psyker joined forces, they might not be able to kill him. His forces would be able to improve even further without any threat, as the supporting ability of the Evolution Cube was top-class. However, if he gave the cube back to Psyker, while there would be no danger, he would have given up a lot of benefits, only being able to obtain the scraps once they had been distributed.
This was the choice of wanting a single tree or taking the entire forest!
Han Xiao no longer thought about it and asked, “Is there no room for compromise at all?”
“If a civilization wishes to develop, it is inevitable that they fight for resources, for the future,” Psyker blandly said. “Since ancient times, no matter how advanced or backward a civilization is, you cannot escape this rule, and you cannot fight it. In the end, if you don’t follow these rules, you’ll be eliminated. I believe you’ve heard the saying ‘a civilization without ambition has no future’.”
He would not say things like the Evolution Cube belonged to him and that he should get it back, as they were both standing at the pinnacle of individual strengths. It was useless to reason. In essence, the Evolution Cube was ownerless, but the other influences considered it his only because he had held it for a long time.
