This time, all the Guardian Civilizations were in an uproar, and they all expressed their loyalty to Jiu Jiu, no longer questioning the Star Alliance’s decision.
In this way, the Star Alliance officially took over the territory of the Dark Star Alliance, incorporating the Star Spirit Council into itself, and a new Great Elder emerged, who was Jiu Jiu.
"Jiu Jiu!"
Halfway through the meeting, Jiu Jiu could no longer sit still.
Holding his beloved Osmanthus Pills, he happily gnawed them in front of everyone.
The little fellow’s cheeks were packed full, looking like a hamster constantly stuffing food into its mouth, a sight that left countless people dumbfounded.
Among the crowd, three figures, one white, one blue, and one gold, watched this scene with twitching eyes, wanting to speak several times but stopping, finally only letting out a long sigh.
These three people exuded a thick aura, as boundless and unpredictable as the Milky Way, clearly showing that they were at the Transcendent Level.
They were from the Guardian Civilization, powerful beings. When Zhang Xiaoman attended the Plague Relics expedition, it was hosted by them, although then there were four, with only Zi Kuang missing this time.
There wasn’t just one Transcendent in the Guardian Civilization.
Although there wasn’t one at the Middle Transcendent Level like Zhang Xiaoman, they were certainly not to be underestimated, so using Jiu Jiu to subdue them was the best choice, greatly strengthening our forces without bloodshed.
"The Great Elder is still young, so I hope you all will assist as much as possible."
Yang Yangyang looked at the three elders.
The three elders nodded solemnly.
"It’s my duty. We thought the whole Star Spirit Clan had perished by his hand, but we didn’t expect there were still survivors left, a gift of fate to us once again."
"Our civilization was helped by the Star Spirit Clan back then. If not for them, our clan might have been devoured by calamity long ago."
"Indeed, after all these years, I thought I would never be able to repay that kindness. Today, to see the Star Spirit again, I, Jin Long, swear that no one will harm it, and anyone wishing harm on the Great Elder will first have to step over my dead body!"
The three elders’ expressions were stern.
In the field, Jiu Jiu continued to enjoy his Osmanthus Pills, oblivious to everything happening around him.
Yang Yangyang smiled, for this was indeed the situation he was most pleased to see.
After confirming the position of the Star Alliance, the meeting moved halfway through, the rest focusing on defense strategies against the current Demon Tide invasion.
Just like the white-haired man, Magic Wolf, mentioned earlier, the Aigus proposal to evacuate everyone to the Original Realm was clearly unrealistic.
The number of civilizations within the Dark Star Alliance was as vast as the sea of stars, making such an undertaking impossible with such a large population.
After all, there’s only one Tree Gate to the Original Realm, even Zhang Xiaoman himself couldn’t help move everyone, it was simply too many people.
Ultimately, the strategy was set on contracting the defense line, with the Star Alliance deciding to shrink the original 48 Star Zones inward to five zones.
Focusing on the Erin Star Zone where the Erin Continent is, concentrating defensive power to jointly resist the invasion of the Demon Tide.
The advantage of this is that the Erin Star Zone is farthest from the Outer Domain and closest to the Beller Star Domain. Given the current control of the Star Alliance over the Beller Clan, they can anytime dispatch drones to assist in battle, a considerable aid against the Demon Clan.
However, even so, shrinking from forty-eight Star Zones to five is extremely challenging, undeniably a colossal project.
The specific execution tasks were handed over to the underlings, and although the council families were recently weakened, they still had the power to implement the retreat plan.
Ji Xiaoqi returned to the First Universe to liaise with headquarters, and Yang Yangyang went to the Original Realm, trying through a special method to contact Star Lord Zhang Xiaoman.
Zhang Xiaoman was busy searching for materials to imprint the fifth Star Pattern, even though the amount of Star Dust he had was immense, he didn’t intend to waste it carelessly.
Through collecting and trading for resources, he preferred not to use the dream method to condense, since it consumed a tremendous amount of Star Dust.
During this time, Zhang Xiaoman was elusive, venturing into perilous places where Treasure Level materials were found, inhabited by rampaging Wild Beasts or laden with dangers within Ancient Ruins, places no ordinary Dark Spirits could tread, leaving him to venture alone.
Of course, to prevent any mishap in the Star Alliance during his absence—though the probability was low—Zhang Xiaoman left a Realm Lord Order with Yeluo in the Original Realm so that the Star Alliance could contact him in case of emergencies.
"Demon Tide appeared, the Demon Realm is invading the Four Star Domains?"
Upon receiving the news, Zhang Xiaoman was still amidst the Ancient Ruins.
This was an illusion left by an Ancient God, where he found a Treasure Level Netherworld Grass.
Now, combined with other resources obtained through dreams and other methods, he’d gathered the main materials for 38 imprints, 37 of which were all at Treasure Level, leaving only one, the Unlimited Level Chaos Spirit Flower, to complete them.
"Very good, you did well. The calamity level of the Demon Tide has already surpassed the Insect Race, we must treat this matter with full diligence. Although the calamity is currently confined to the Second Universe, influenced by the Great Fusion, these beings could appear in our world anytime."
Zhang Xiaoman first praised Yang Yangyang’s response strategy, not paying much mind to the ownership of the Dark Spirit Star Domain.
After all, he had long laid his plans, and Jiu Jiu was his final killing piece, so he wasn’t surprised.
Cutting off contact with Yang Yangyang, Zhang Xiaoman contemplated the 37 materials in his Storage Space, feeling conflicted inside.
He was just one step short of gathering all materials, and according to his original plan, he was to prioritize imprinting and nourishing the fifth Star Pattern to further enhance his strength, granting greater confidence against any strong foes.
Yet plans couldn’t keep up with changes, and the sudden appearance of the Demon Tide hit him off guard.
Now, if he continued gathering materials to complete the fifth Star Pattern, there simply wouldn’t be enough time, as the strength of the Demon Clan was formidable, leaving him unable to focus on gathering materials and nurturing Star Patterns, filled with unforeseen changes.
"The threat of the Demon Tide is too great; best to return first, and the Star Pattern matter should be set aside for now..."
Zhang Xiaoman sighed, the Netherworld Grass he just obtained suddenly seemed less delightful.
No choice, mainly because the Unlimited Level material was the ultimate in the universe, and he didn’t have a clue.
Even if he could gather it through dreaming, success would be exceptionally challenging, and despite the considerable Star Dust expenditure, success wasn’t guaranteed.
In fact, Zhang Xiaoman had a bit of his own thoughts regarding the last Unlimited Level Chaos Spirit Flower, hoping to obtain it not through dreams but by collecting it directly in the void.
At another time, Zhang Xiaoman wouldn’t have entertained the notion, as the Chaos Spirit Flower, arising only at the dawn of the universe, would likely have been divided among the Great Powers long ago, leaving no chance for him.
But now, the situation was different, as the conditions for the Chaos Spirit Flower included the fusion of two universes, and this was the perfect moment just as the Great Fusion began.
So, Zhang Xiaoman nurtured a little hope.
If possible, he planned to try his luck and see if he could find a new Chaos Spirit Flower, saving himself from pledging all he had on the slim success chance through dreaming.