“What a ruthless person…”

Many Super-A Grades who were currently engaged in fierce battles couldn't help but spare a little attention to Han Xiao's situation.

They were also aware of the trap area composed of hundreds of Keys of Destruction. Looking at the violently expanding light, they couldn't help but sweat for Han Xiao.

Black Star's kill-one-thousand-damage-eight-hundred style of fighting was notoriously rogue, but the power of hundreds of Keys of Destruction was not comparable to the firepower of the Mechanical Army. Moreover, confined to a small area, the power was highly concentrated, and the explosive force was even more terrifying.

Not only was he ruthless to the enemy, but he was also ruthless to himself. Everyone only felt that Black Star's methods were too crazy. Was he not afraid of blowing himself up?!

Various thoughts flashed through everyone's minds, but just before the explosive power had climbed to its peak, the protective shield surrounding the killing zone suddenly burst open with a large number of cracks.

Boom boom boom!

Dozens of World Tree roots emerged, frantically digesting the explosive power while wildly slapping the shield from the inside. Then, a green meteor suddenly crashed into the cracks on the protective shield.

Crack!

The shield trembled violently and exploded a gap. The Tree King, charred all over, rolled out.

In the next moment, Han Xiao's figure chased after the Tree King, trying to engage in close combat, but he was sent flying like a baseball by the berserk World Tree roots.

At the same time, because the protective shield was broken by the Tree King, the power of the Keys of Destruction broke through the shield from the inside. The chain reaction energy clusters in the area lost control and expanded rapidly. Fortunately, the fleets of the three major civilizations had already reserved a large blank area around the trap to prevent this situation. The nearest fleets had ample time to retreat, while constantly launching remote artillery fire at the Tree King.

The Tree King ignored everything else, gathered the World Tree roots into a defensive posture, and then hurriedly fled into the distance, avoiding the constantly expanding energy clusters behind him, fearing being swallowed again. Han Xiao stopped himself and continued to chase after the Tree King, engaging him in close combat.

The two rolled and tumbled while moving away from the energy clusters. Suddenly, a bright light flashed, and the expanding energy clusters exploded completely. The shockwave shot in all directions, hitting the backs of the two. The huge impact threw them out, faster than normal flight speed.

After tumbling countless times, Han Xiao barely managed to stop himself. Every part of his body was in pain, and he was covered in charred wounds, obviously injured badly. On the other hand, the Tree King, who had fallen not far away, was also in a similar disheveled state, as if a layer of skin had been peeled off.

“He runs fast enough.” Han Xiao's temples throbbed. He moved his hands and feet, and patches of scorch marks fell off as his injuries gradually recovered, and his plummeting health slowly recovered.

The Tree King was not a dead man who would foolishly stay in the trap and take damage. At the critical moment, he also burst out with all his strength, smashed the sealed shield, and escaped the explosion zone. Han Xiao had originally stayed to hold back the Tree King, but after the other party broke free from the lock technique he had successfully launched at the beginning, he no longer gave him a chance.

Han Xiao had teleported over using Emperor, naturally dispelling his Mechanical Deity form. The Mechanical Deity's Descent was not instantaneous, and there was not enough time in a hurry. Relying solely on his own attributes, he couldn't control a martial artist of the Tree King's level and was smashed aside.

The premise of the mutually assured destruction tactic was to control the enemy. How could the target obediently stay in the kill zone? The Tree King ran fast and had the protection of the World Tree roots. He broke free before the Keys of Destruction completely exploded, so he didn't take the full damage. Han Xiao could only chase him out.

However, the power of this wave was truly terrifying. Even though the Tree King escaped in time, he was still severely injured. His body was scarred, and dozens of World Tree roots that had absorbed the most damage had also shrunk. The World Tree power flowing within them was seriously depleted, the color was dim, and they were weak, as if they were withering.

The Tree King looked down at his serious injuries, showing no emotion, and said calmly,

“A good attempt. I didn't expect you to be so reckless. You have guts.”

He looked up at Han Xiao's injuries again, and a trace of regret flashed in the Tree King's eyes.

—How careless. Knowing that the other party was so reckless, he shouldn't have escaped just now. He might as well have gone along with the plan and dragged this Outsider down with him, eliminating this dangerous opponent.

The thoughts of the World Tree members were different from ordinary people. The Tree King did not feel fortunate to have escaped death. Instead, he felt regret and felt that he had missed an excellent opportunity to trade.

“It's a pity that the recovery-type Esper was not killed…”

The Tree King shook his head secretly.

This Outsider was clearly at an advantage in strength, but he still took a dangerous approach. His intention was very clear: he knew that he couldn't take him down in a short time and didn't want to fight for too long, so he tried to solve the problem of his army-wide halo as soon as possible to reduce battle damage… The Tree King was well aware of this.

But even if he had another chance, he would still attack the recovery-type Esper. The other party took the initiative to lure him with a weakness, which was worth a try. As long as he could make the opponent lose his healer forever, it would be worth it even if all the high-level combatants including him died.

Various thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant, but the Tree King's actions did not stop. He turned his head and fled in another direction, not wanting to fight at all.

—Being led by the opponent to the enemy's main force and being surrounded, how could he possibly win a fight here? The most urgent thing was to prolong his survival time. Only by escaping back to his own fleet to receive protection and reinforcements could he escape danger and continue to provide the army-wide halo.

“He’s running again!”

Seeing this, Han Xiao gritted his teeth and immediately chased after him, quickly restoring his Mechanical Deity form on the way. The blade light was cold, and the two fought together again, rolling and tumbling while moving.

Martial Artists were not scary, but it was scary when Martial Artists were not headstrong. If the Tree King had been a little more impulsive, a little more reckless, he would not have been so difficult to deal with.

Boom boom boom!

The surrounding fleets of the three major civilizations were not idle either, providing massive fire support. A constant stream of light cannons bombarded the dozens of World Tree roots extending from the Tree King from all directions, exploding into a sky full of fireworks.

Han Xiao was unwilling to fall into the enemy's main force alone, and the Tree King was also afraid to do so. This scale of group army was enough to pose a life threat to individual power. The concentrated fire not only shattered the World Tree root fragments but also held the Tree King back.

Moreover, the Tree King was also seriously injured, and his condition had declined significantly. Although his own recovery ability was also good, under the entanglement of Han Xiao and countless fleets, the Tree King's injuries showed no signs of improvement, and his situation was caught in a vicious cycle.

Other World Tree powerhouses and many fleets wanted to rush over to meet him, but they were all blocked by the troops of the three major civilizations in various local battlefields. The two sides fought fiercely, their eyes bloodshot.

…

Whoosh!

A scarlet-red disintegrating ray swept across, cutting two almost withered World Tree roots in half.

The Tree King, who was protected behind the roots, was unable to dodge and had half of his foot cut off. The texture of the cut was like broken wood, slowly twisting and growing, as if he was about to grow a new foot.

“It seems that this is where I will be buried.”

The Tree King observed the encirclement and frowned secretly.

He had tried to break through for a long time, but he was still trapped in the main force of the three major civilizations, enduring the storm of attacks. The World Tree roots he summoned after transforming had also been cut off for the most part, and his physical condition was gradually reaching its limit. He was already unable to resist Han Xiao's offensive head-on.

With the Tree King's combat power after releasing the power of the World Tree, he could actually last longer, but the mutually assured destruction tactic had worked and laid the foundation for victory. If it hadn't been for this wave that seriously injured him, the Tree King would not have been beaten to the point where he had no power to fight back so quickly.

At this time, the space vibrated with a buzzing sound. The Mechanical Deity's palm rotated, and various force fields enveloped the Tree King, trying to imprison him in mid-air.

The Tree King's expression tightened, and he circulated his much weakened martial arts aura, struggling to break free, his eyes narrowed.

“You want to capture me alive?”

Hearing this, Han Xiao did not respond and continued to increase the intensity of the force field.

Currently, the World Tree had already reached his doorstep, and the approximate coordinates had already been exposed, so he could safely use the Time-Space Amber to try to seal the World Tree powerhouses and see if he could curb the World Tree's revival ability.

But the only problem was that the World Tree powerhouses would not obediently accept the seal.

Realizing Han Xiao's intention, the Tree King looked calm, resisting the force field restraints, and said slowly,

“Your resistance is futile. We will invade your civilizations sooner or later. If we fail this time, there will be countless more times. You can't stop the World Tree's iron hooves forever… I'm waiting to fight you next time.”

As soon as he finished speaking, before Han Xiao could react, the Tree King's body suddenly burst into a strong light and exploded without hesitation!

Bang!

The violent shockwave swept out, creating large arcs of electricity on the Mechanical Deity's shield.

The remaining few World Tree roots in the field also collapsed one after another, turning into light dust and dissipating, as if they had never existed.

The World Tree had fought in the universe for many years and had encountered civilizations that wanted to capture their high-level combatants alive more than once. The ideas were basically the same, believing that capturing the World Tree powerhouses alive and not killing them would curb the World Tree's revival and reduce the other party's war of attrition. This situation was not new to the World Tree powerhouses.

Although the Tree King did not know what methods the enemy had to capture him alive, there was no need for him to take the risk. Seeing that the situation was not right and he could not escape, he simply blew himself up, not giving the other party a chance—in this regard, the World Tree members had too much experience. Unless the difference in strength was too great or they were forced to, World Tree members would rarely allow themselves to enter a dying state where they could be manipulated. When they were weak, they would consider self-destruction and actively return to the embrace of the mother tree.

“These are really tricky enemies. The Tree Kings are indeed not easy to deal with…”

Han Xiao's eyelids twitched, and he clicked his tongue.

The Time-Space Amber needed time to generate, and the other party self-destructed without hesitation, not allowing himself to be imprisoned. There was nothing he could do about it. Although he had the advantage in dealing with the Tree King, whose strength was similar to his, he could not arbitrarily manipulate the other party.

His previous opponents were normal people. Either they completely lost their combat power and could not move, or they would rather be sealed than die in battle. No one would easily give up their life to self-destruct, so the Time-Space Amber had succeeded many times.

But the World Tree's thinking was completely different. They liked the trading tactic of exchanging lives for lives, and self-destruction was commonplace for them.

You want to control me? Then I'll die for you to see!

This was very tricky.

In his previous life, although the Time-Space Amber was taken away by the World Tree powerhouses, the three major civilizations did not give up capturing the other party's high-level combatants alive, but most of them ended in failure. The biggest obstacle was the World Tree powerhouses' mentality of self-destruction.

“In any case, the Tree King's revival time will not be short, at least the army-wide halo has been removed.”

Han Xiao calmed his mind and turned to look at the battle situation.

With the death of the Tree King, the green light on all the World Tree members dimmed again, losing the halo enhancement. The pressure on the troops of the three major civilizations was instantly reduced, and they finally returned to normal combat.

“…I can't do anything about the Tree King, but the gap between ordinary Super-A Grades and my strength is too great, so I may have a chance to seal a few.”

Han Xiao moved his gaze, looking at the other World Tree powerhouses who were fighting, his eyes flickering.

…

At the same time, in the World Tree Territory, the Tree King's Palace.

The Mind Tree King slowly opened his eyes and looked at the several executives who had not participated in the expedition, and said lightly,

“The Town Tree King has sacrificed himself and has already turned into a seed.”

Hearing this, the faces of the several executives present sank.

Although they had expected this result when they set out, the few people were still surprised when it actually happened. After all, the Tree Kings represented their top combat power, and their death had a special significance.

At this time, the Mind Tree King stood up from the throne, summoned a root, stepped on it, and prepared to teleport.

“Aren't you going to continue watching the battle?” one of the executives asked.

“The battle is set. It seems that this forced attack has failed, and the trading effect is limited, but we have probed a large number of the enemy's trump cards, as well as that very critical recovery-type Esper. The gains are enough.”

“Understood… then where are you going now?”

Hearing this, the Mind Tree King glanced at the few people and shook his head with a smile.

“I'm going to water the Town Tree King to help him grow up quickly.”