Chapter 1 A King Captured

The Mind Tree King was being held down in a peculiar position by the Lord's Avatar, trapped within the Amber of Time and Space. In that instant, time seemed to stand still. This picturesque scene was etched into the minds of all the Beyond Grade As, friend and foe alike.

A surge of intense joy erupted from the Beyond Grade As of the three civilizations, like a bursting dam.

"Black Star succeeded!"

"Beautiful! That Tree King didn't have time to self-destruct!"

"Full support! Don't let those enemies get close to harass Black Star!"

The morale of many Beyond Grade As soared. They swept away the gloom of losing their healer and launched a fierce offensive against the World Tree powerhouses who were eagerly trying to disengage from the battle.

Conversely, the emotions of all the World Tree powerhouses underwent a rapid transformation. Their expressions were filled with shock and rage.

They couldn't be bothered to entangle themselves with their opponents, and they rushed towards Han Xiao like madmen, trying to snatch the Mind Tree King back.

However, the moment Han Xiao succeeded, he controlled the Mechanical Deity to move again. He grabbed the Amber of Time and Space and swallowed it into his body, conveniently retrieving the original Amber of Time and Space from Hela's hand.

Then, without a word, using the mechanical army as a shield to block the firepower of the surrounding World Tree fleet, he flew away at full speed in the opposite direction, no longer lingering. His goal was to withdraw from the battlefield.

The Mind Tree King had naturally positioned himself on the outer edge of the World Tree fleet in order to lure the three civilizations to deploy their high-level combatants. Even if the World Tree fleet wanted to intercept Han Xiao, it was beyond their reach. They could only watch as Han Xiao, at the cost of wave after wave of mechanical soldiers, rapidly broke into the melee in the center of the battlefield.

Many World Tree powerhouses disregarded everything and swarmed over in waves, trying to obstruct Han Xiao's return, but the Beyond Grade As of the three civilizations, who were in pursuit, provided cover for Han Xiao, holding back one opponent after another. Bursts of energy flashed around Han Xiao, clearing a path.

The Stability Tree King exchanged another blow with Hyperion, the violent tremor transmitting through his machine. He also wanted to support the Mind Tree King, but he couldn't shake off Hyperion's entanglement. His speed couldn't be increased at all, and he could only watch as Han Xiao's figure grew farther and farther away, so angry that his energy core was about to overload.

"Damn it, you idiot! The Town Tree King has a better brain than you!"

The Stability Tree King was furious. Clearly, the trade tactic had been a great success, and they could have retreated. At worst, he could have self-destructed and died. But he didn't expect to fail at the last moment. What was supposed to be a great victory without much loss, a sure profit, had now turned into a real "trade"!

He was already mentally cursing the Mind Tree King's ancestors for eighteen generations. Because of a moment of overthinking, the Mind Tree King hadn't self-destructed and had been directly captured. This was a fatal mistake that even the Town Tree King hadn't made. It was simply a disgrace to the Tree Kings!

The next course of action could only be decided by the Ancestral Tree King!

Seeing Han Xiao break through layer after layer of obstacles and about to return to the fleet of the three civilizations, the Stability Tree King knew that things were irreversible. A flash of electricity flickered in his eyes, and he spoke in a deep voice in the mind network:

"Everyone, stop chasing! All of you, retreat back to me. No more fighting!"

With the Mind Tree King captured alive, the Stability Tree King was the only one in charge of the overall situation. He unhesitatingly took over the leadership and issued an order to retreat to all the World Tree Beyond Grade As.

With one Tree King already gone, he was worried that Han Xiao would continue to seal more powerhouses, so he simply chose to cease operations and ordered everyone to disengage.

Hearing the order, the bodies of many World Tree powerhouses who were in pursuit paused slightly. They glanced unwillingly at Han Xiao's shrinking back, but they still chose to obey the Stability Tree King's command, stopped their pursuit, and quickly retreated towards the World Tree fleet while dealing with the entanglements of the Beyond Grade As of the three civilizations.

The distant fleet also provided remote support, helping them to shake off their opponents.

The many Beyond Grade As of the three civilizations did not pursue deeply, but pressed the attack for a while, wiping out several World Tree powerhouses who had revealed fatal flaws due to the temporary shift in their targets. Then, under the leadership of the Association members, they retreated tacitly, not daring to follow the remaining World Tree powerhouses into the fleet. Otherwise, they would be the ones in danger.

Seeing this, Hyperion did not dare to continue his lone advance. He exchanged several fierce blows with the Stability Tree King and gradually shifted the battlefield to join his many companions, completing his disengagement. His eyes, flashing with the light of mechanical force, were fixed on the Stability Tree King, filled with killing intent, as if to say, "I'll make you pay next time we meet."

The Stability Tree King took a deep look at this acquaintance, but said nothing. He retreated with the disengaged World Tree powerhouses, sinking into the World Tree fleet. Starships moved over, layer upon layer, blocking Hyperion's and the others' sight, and they could no longer see the figures of the many World Tree powerhouses.

With the withdrawal of the remaining World Tree Beyond Grade As, the battle between the high-level combatants on both sides came to an end. The Association members and direct subordinates did not linger on the battlefield. They braved the artillery fire and crossed the battlefield, returning to the fleets of the three civilizations.

Everyone put away their weapons and returned to the temporary command ship behind the battlefield. As soon as they walked into the bridge command room, they saw Han Xiao, Hela, and the others already there. Simon and the remote projections of many marshals were also gathered there, pointing at the Amber of Time and Space containing the Mind Tree King, talking.

"...Black Star, our front-line defense can't hold out any longer. The other war zones are also showing signs of collapse. It's a foregone conclusion that the World Tree will break through the interception circle. We're mobilizing our troops to retreat, but that's not your fault. You did a good job, at least you captured a Tree King."

Simon's tone was low.

"I wish I could have solved the Tree King's aura sooner..." Han Xiao exhaled.

"That would have helped, but judging from the World Tree's offensive, it would only delay their breakthrough. At most, this war zone wouldn't be the first to fall, but other defense lines."

Simon shook his head, his tone somewhat helpless. However, he wasn't particularly angry. After a month of fierce fighting, the entire command had been mentally prepared for the interception circle to be broken through and had prepared a contingency plan. They wouldn't be enraged when it actually happened.

"What are we going to do next?"

"You don't need to continue fighting. Go back to the main base first. We'll start evacuating in batches. The World Tree's goal isn't just to break through the interception circle, but also to clear out our troops. Since the defense line has been broken and the trend is hard to reverse, there's no need to fight them head-on. We'll use the various fortifications we've built in the rear strategic depth over the past year to provide fire coverage and harassment, trying to slow down their advance as much as possible. I..."

"You can decide on the military matters." Han Xiao waved his hand.

Simon nodded and turned to the group of Beyond Grade As who were almost all injured. He changed the subject and said, "Everyone, please tally up the battle damage. We need accurate data here."

Hearing this, many Beyond Grade As looked at each other and began to count. The number of people had declined a lot since the start of the battle. Many had sacrificed themselves in the fierce fighting, mainly the direct subordinates and some of the Resurrected, while the casualties among the Association members were relatively small.

Because there were more experts participating this time, and they also had a numerical advantage, the number of World Tree powerhouses lost was even greater. The survivors were only twenty to thirty percent. The three civilizations were far from being so tragic. However, the World Tree hadn't used all of its high-level combatants. Counting only the number of combatants, the number of those deployed was about only one-fifth to one-quarter of the total.

Although the battle damage was in their favor, it was much worse than the amazing record of the last time. More familiar faces had disappeared. The Beyond Grade As present couldn't raise their spirits and were still immersed in the battle just now, still feeling lingering fear. The atmosphere was like a cloudy sky.

"The losses this time are not small." Hunter muttered, "I think we should have retreated when Aurora was knocked down..."

Hearing his soft muttering, many Beyond Grade As nodded in agreement, glancing at Han Xiao with complex emotions, including helplessness, understanding, dissatisfaction, and resentment.

If they hadn't captured the Mind Tree King this time, it would have been a complete loss, but now at least they had gained something and hadn't returned empty-handed. Although many Beyond Grade As still felt a bit of a loss in their hearts, they felt somewhat comforted by the Mind Tree King's bizarre posture in the amber.

Although they were unhappy, they couldn't say much. After all, Han Xiao had captured a Tree King and made a contribution. At most, they felt that it wasn't worth it to trade so many people for one opponent.

Han Xiao glanced at them casually, seeing through their thoughts and understanding these emotions, but he didn't intend to explain.

He had originally wanted to see if he could manipulate things and sit back and watch the Resurrected die in battle, but now Aurora had directly fallen, which, although greatly increasing the battle damage, made his actions easier. He didn't need to make Aurora appear to make a "mistake" as planned.

These fallen Resurrected were the best evidence to prove the truth of the Sanctuary Resurrection. He wasn't sad at all, but rather relieved. It would have been troublesome if a few Resurrected hadn't died in this wave.

After hearing the Beyond Grade As' tally of the battle damage, Simon sighed and shook his head.

"The direct subordinates suffered heavy casualties. In any case, at least most of the sacrificed still have a chance to be resurrected in the Sanctuary. Thank you all for your hard work."

The crowd was in a bad mood and didn't bother to pay attention to him. They turned to look at Hela, as they were most concerned about Aurora's condition.

"How is your sister now?"

"The seal is a bit thicker than before, and it will take time to break it. Everyone, time is of the essence. Let's start after a rest and wake her up as soon as possible so that we can feel at ease." Hela said in a deep voice.

"That's right, everyone with mental abilities, come out. Let's wake up Aurora while we're evacuating."

K’Suye stepped out from the crowd, raised his hand, and released his psychic power, probing into Aurora's brain to bombard the purple crystals that sealed her mind.

Many psychics, mages, and mental power users came out one after another, cooperating with each other to speed up the progress. With so many people working together, the mind seal was slowly thinning at a visible rate. At this rate, it would be completely unsealed in a few hours.

Seeing this, Han Xiao turned to look at the Mind Tree King in the amber. He remembered that the Mind Tree King had used a Universe Treasure shaped like a leaf to launch the Illusion·Mind Lock. That was probably one of the World Tree's unique growths, hidden in the Mind Tree King's body.

However, Han Xiao had no intention of breaking the amber in the short term and suppressed his curiosity for the time being.

...

World Tree Territory, Tree King Palace.

The executives who had not participated in the battle also learned of the situation from the mind network. Their faces were uncertain. They were prepared for the Mind Tree King to die in battle, but they didn't expect him to be captured alive by the enemy using such a strange sealing method. They were all filled with fear.

The Stability Tree King sat on the throne and slowly opened his eyes, ending the Lord's Advent state. A rare look of anger appeared on his face, and he slammed his hand heavily on the armrest of the seat, making a muffled bang.

"Hmph, Mind Tree King, so useless!"

As soon as he finished speaking, roots suddenly intertwined on the two thrones beside him, revealing two figures with different appearances.

"Hehe, it seems that this enemy is indeed very troublesome. Of the five Tree Kings, one is dead and one is captured. Now there are only three who have combat ability. You're right, the Mind Tree King and the Town Tree King are both useless." One of them turned his head and sneered contemptuously. "But you're not much better. Even though your Lord's Avatar was also present, you didn't save the Mind Tree King."

The Stability Tree King glanced at him coldly and snorted, "Secret Tree King, I'm too lazy to argue with you, but you'd better watch your words."

"Heh." The Secret Tree King didn't care and didn't take the Stability Tree King seriously. Among the five Tree Kings, he couldn't stand anyone except the Ancestral Tree King.

"Hmph, I'm too lazy to argue with you." The Stability Tree King turned his head to look at the Ancestral Tree King in the middle seat and asked, "What should we do next? Do you have any ideas?"

The Ancestral Tree King's aura was the opposite of the other four Tree Kings. He was like an ordinary person, lacking a sense of presence. Whether it was his appearance or his physique, he didn't seem to have anything special about him. If one wasn't careful, they might subconsciously ignore him.

Hearing the question, the Ancestral Tree King said expressionlessly, "I've already tried. The Mind Tree King is completely isolated from the outside world. The Mother Tree can't retrieve his Tree King Crown, which means that before he's unsealed, I can't remove him from his position and replace him with a new Tree King. So, we must try to rescue him, or at least take back his Tree King Crown. Otherwise, we can't let the Tree God descend completely."

Hearing this, the faces of the Stability Tree King and the Secret Tree King became serious, and their mood became heavy.

They had originally thought that the Mind Tree King had exchanged a large number of high-level combatants from the enemy. Although it had become a real trade, the enemy's side had lost more. But if they couldn't retrieve the Tree King Crown, it would be troublesome.

The Tree Kings' identities all came from the "Tree King Crown," which was a special ability granted by the Mother Tree. Like the Apostle Weapons, there was a limit to the number of spots available, only five. They must be five different super-energy systems. In addition to the Ancestral Tree King, who occupied one spot all year round, the other four Tree King Crowns had been changed over the long years.

Only by collecting all five Crowns could they cast the complete Tree God's Advent, which was their trump card.

"Then what should we do?" the Stability Tree King asked.

The Ancestral Tree King said casually, "There's no need to worry for the time being. The other side's civilization hasn't shown the ability that requires us to use the Tree God's Advent. The Mind Tree King is only sealed, and there's no danger. We have two options now. One is to wait. The enemy may develop an interest in researching the Tree King. As long as they unlock that special seal, I can remotely retrieve the Tree King Crown.

The second is to send someone to rescue him. Although the Mother Tree's link with him has been cut off, the direction of the broken link can still point to his location. We can organize high-level combatants to snatch him back."

"Then let's focus on waiting and see when these enemies can't help but take action." The Stability Tree King snorted.

"Yes, that's what I mean too."

The Ancestral Tree King nodded and continued:

"Although we broke through the enemy's interception circle, we still need to travel to the other side's territory. Let the fleet carry out the task of traveling. There's no need for high-level combatants. There won't be any chance to attack.

Moreover... although we know the direction, the journey is unknown. We don't know how long it will take to reach the enemy's territory, maybe a few years, maybe a few decades. But judging from the enemy's reaction, the distance shouldn't be too far."

The other two nodded silently.

"Also, with the Mind Tree King gone, someone needs to continue to preside over the daily affairs here." The Ancestral Tree King turned to look at the Stability Tree King and said slowly, "Then let you do it."

The Stability Tree King's face collapsed.

Who knew how many years it would take for the fleet to reach the other side's territory? He didn't want to be on display all the time. He really wanted to be lazy, but he didn't dare to disobey the Ancestral Tree King, so he could only hum in response.

After casually giving a few words of caution, the Ancestral Tree King's figure quickly faded and returned to the Mother Tree. The Secret Tree King gloated and glanced at the Stability Tree King, then also ended his display. Soon, only the Stability Tree King was left on the throne.

"Don't even think about making me work."

The Stability Tree King snorted, and his eyes rolled as an idea came to mind.

That's right, the Town Tree King's seed should be almost mature. When he's resurrected, I can just transfer this job to the Town Tree King. Anyway, that iron-headed fool is diligent enough and willing to do these hard and tiring jobs. I can continue to slack off!

As soon as he thought of this, the Stability Tree King couldn't wait and hoped that the Town Tree King would immediately resurrect in front of him.

He couldn't help but stand up and leave the palace in big steps, inheriting the glorious tradition of the Mind Tree King and going out to water the Town Tree King.