Chapter 79

After Luofeng and Babata arrived here, they also couldn't immediately lock onto a target.

The information Chén Chén gave was only that the Devouring Beast was here; in this vast place, only Luofeng and the disconnected Babata were present, making it difficult for them to find the Devouring Beast on their own.

Having come this far, Babata's guess was also almost confirmed: the Devouring Beast should be the tool the World Tree uses to establish its might here.

Perhaps Chén Chén didn't tell himself the Devouring Beast's specific whereabouts and clues because he truly didn't know, or perhaps there was simply no need to tell.

Because the Devouring Beast kept in the dark had no idea it had become someone else's pawn; it only needed hunger's drive to appear on its own.

Luofeng had also not refrained from questioning why Chén Chén didn't personally intervene, but Chén Chén responded with an expression that left no room for rebuttal:

"I also have my own matters to complete."

At that moment, Luofeng seemed to gain the ability to discern Chén Chén's truth from lies, and this time he did not lie.

Chén Chén indeed had matters entangling him, which in turn made Luofeng feel somewhat better in his heart.

According to the current analysis, it seems I too have become the hero in this linked plan who saves the people here from fire and water.

In other words, the authority to decide the extent of this show of force and the power over life and death have fallen into Luofeng's own hands.

And this, perhaps, is also part of the choice Chén Chén spoke of.

Luofeng looked westward, toward the central city; his distant gaze fixed on a white palace, where frost condensed inside the white palace, and there, kneeling for a long time, was the legendary hero of this land, the Ice and Snow Great Emperor Han Modesen.

……

Now this place is divided into three factions: the Faithful Faction, the Surrender Faction, and the Stubborn Faction.

Among the three factions, if any side is suitable for establishing might, naturally it is the Stubborn Faction opposing the World Tree that is most fitting.

And Luofeng remembered that in the illusion, Han Modesen was one of the five who sacrificed their lives to help him against the Golden Horn Giant Beast; although he clearly knew reality and illusion cannot be conflated, he still held expectations for Han Modesen.

After all, this legendary hero's regional influence during the Great Nirvana period was not inferior to that of Hong, making him a genuine hero.

Moreover, East Lord once said that illusions stem from reality; whether it be Babata, Black Dragon Mountain—X81, or the Golden Horn Giant Beast, they can correspond, so Han Modesen might be a hint from East Lord to himself.

Now Babata is disconnected, and Luofeng himself lacks an intelligence source in the Americas; seeking cooperation with Han Modesen would also allow him to know the moment the Devouring Beast appears.

Since they have come here, Luofeng also wants to minimize the losses brought by the Devouring Beast as much as possible.

Babata piloted the intelligent warship, arriving at the capital in just a few minutes, without wasting time, concealed his trajectory, and rushed straight toward the white palace.

The White Palace underwent one reconstruction after the Great Nirvana; it is both Han Modesen's residence and the center of authority.

However, as early as over a year ago, Han Modesen had continually secluded himself within the White Palace; amidst several upheavals, he never appeared to clarify or resolve them, and many confidants never saw him even once.

Moreover, the inaction of the leadership headed by Han Modesen is also a fundamental cause of the split among the three factions.

Luofeng did not understand these matters, but prior to the Heartnet converging, Babata had been paying attention.

Han Modesen closed all electronic devices, remained inside the White Palace, prohibited all outsiders from entering; counting up to now, it has already been a year.

Luofeng slowly entered the white palace, relying on psychic power to have already confirmed Han Modesen's position.

As they went deeper, the surrounding environment gradually grew cold, and all the surrounding walls were sealed in ice and snow—this is the ability of the Ice and Snow Emperor.

Luofeng, Handemosen's strength has actually made noticeable progress this year; he is now at the planetary fourth stage.

Babata wasn't worried, after all Luofeng's martial artist strength was already at the planetary sixth stage, and as a mental cultivator he had already entered the Control Chapter, while the other party was merely an Earth native……

Thinking of this, Babata also thought of that woman called Dongjun.

Not long after, Luofeng had already arrived at the central main hall, seeing Handemosen, who had sealed the white palace for a year; accurately speaking, what he saw was merely a huge ice pillar standing in the center of the main hall.

Through mental power—

Handemosen was wrapped in thick ice layers; ordinary people couldn't see inside clearly, but Luofeng could clearly sense that Handemosen was not only within the ice, but his life force was extremely vigorous.

It seemed to sense Luofeng's arrival; the ice pillar slowly cracked, but didn't shatter outright, with cracks multiplying until the entire ice pillar was covered in fissures.

"Pa—"

The faint sound was like a tiny object falling to the ground; the ice pillar shattered into powder, and Luofeng finally saw Handemosen's half-kneeling figure within the ice.

"Have you come, Luofeng?"

Luofeng stared at Handemosen, certain he had never seen this guy before and didn't know him, yet Handemosen's gaze and tone toward him made Luofeng feel oddly familiar.

"Handemosen..."

Luofeng roughly recalled that Handemosen's gaze and tone were indeed those of the Handemosen he knew.

Illusion and reality intertwined, but Luofeng could be certain this world was real.

But it was clear that Handemosen, who should have only intersected with him in an illusion, appeared here…… capable of weaving reality:

On Earth, among the people Luofeng knew, there was only one.

Fortunately, from the subsequent conversation with Handemosen, Luofeng learned that Handemosen also couldn't distinguish illusion from reality, and his experience was similar to Luofeng's at Longmen.

Dongjun had also deliberately held back and let Handemosen go.

However, the illusion Handemosen experienced was clearly more realistic, his time spent in the illusion was much longer, and even within that time his strength continued to improve.

Even Babata began to praise Dongjun's level.

Luofeng also finally stated the purpose of this trip, and told Handemosen that the appearance location of the Devouring Beast might differ from that in the illusion.

Handemosen fell silent for a long time, then led Luofeng to the communications equipment that had been sealed in ice for a long time; inside had accumulated a large amount of messages.

In the previous one or two months, the messages were about worries over the form of war and fear of the strength displayed by the monsters.

Afterward, due to the failure of the war fundraising plan, there was resentment toward the World Tree, then followed by concerns about the World Tree's space and suspicions about extraterrestrial civilizations……

Regarding the resentment over the messages about the 'Earth Net', the subordinates suspected each other……

Time had come to six months ago; the subordinates stopped asking Handemosen, and the later messages that arrived were only a few, intermittent.

"Your Majesty, I don't know if we are wrong, but if we are, I am also willing to bear all the faults together with you."

"Regarding the World Tree being the source of extraterrestrial civilization, we seem to have found it."

"Your Majesty, did you perhaps already anticipate this day?"

Luofeng and Babata communicated mentally about the letter's content, feeling that Handemosen indeed had a group of blindly loyal followers under him, but they also seemed to have discovered something amiss.

But Handemosen wasn't just focused on the letter's content; while examining each letter, he silently categorized the senders.

Seeing recent events, Handemosen frowned deeply.

"You said the Devouring Beast would appear here as punishment?"

Luofeng pondered for a moment: "It's just speculation, and we can't even determine the Devouring Beast's location, let alone command it to appear somewhere."

Handemosen looked at Luofeng, his eyes seeming to ask further.

After a moment, Luofeng added, "Just speculation."

Handemosen sighed, closed his communication device, and sighed again.

"That's exactly what we deserve."

Luofeng looked at Handemosen's desolate appearance, unable to tell what feeling it was; illusion and reality differed, and in this world Handemosen was not a hero born to defend Earth with his life, but the instigator who, blinded by power, led the nation into the abyss.

"'Not here.' Handemosen said."

"'What?' Luofeng asked."

Before Handemosen could answer, Babata also sensed something from his communication signal.

"'His meaning should be that the World Tree's target is not the conservatives, but the faction that follows the situation and always pursues its own interests.'"

———

At the same time, in the Northeast region's defector faction headquarters, not only were there planetary-level figures, but also several representatives from various domestic families or groups brought many defector faction leaders together.

The news of the World Tree's recent brutal assault on the coastlines had already reached here; all the leaders clapped in celebration and then immediately convened this banquet.

At the banquet, everyone wore formal attire, played classical and elegant music, enjoyed food and wine, and the nature of it was to invite the opposite sex nearby to dance an elegant dance to earn applause from those around.

A small table rose in the center of the venue, the surrounding lights dimmed slightly, and a spotlight shone on the small round table in the middle.

"'Fellow compatriots, I am Weilangte, honored to serve as this session's representative, announcing this news worth celebrating.'"

"'Just yesterday, the great World Tree launched a counteroffensive against the monsters; in only one day, eighty percent of the world's shallow seas had been seized, and the era of humanity is about to return.'"

The audience below clapped in unison, cheer after cheer, as if this victory belonged to them.

After the applause subsided slightly, Weilangte made a quiet gesture, and everyone again fell silent politely.

"'But before that, we still have unatoned sins; our people are still deceived by madmen, our land still ruled by stubborn forces, and the old-era rulers still run rampant on this land.'"

Weilangte spoke with deep emotion, his feelings so strong that tears could not help but flow.

"'Comrades, we too have once been deceived, enslaved, and pressed down by powerful force and violence……'"

"'Comrades, the day to cleanse our sins and shame is today.'"

"'Declaring war on the West is today.'"

After Weilangte finished speaking, he curled his four fingers, tightly wrapped his thumb around them, and formed a large fist.

"'Let's go to war!'"

Below also came a burst of cheers and shouts, likewise following Weilangpu's loud cry:

"'Let's go to war! Let's go to war!'"

Everyone knows what the purpose of this war is, and everyone also knows how to act.

Cheers, applause, and the voices swearing allegiance to the World Tree rose and fell.

However, as everyone was laughing and chatting, the ground suddenly trembled.

An earthquake?

Everyone's minds flashed with a thought, but a planet or high-ranking war god was the first to sense something wrong; the cheers hadn't even faded when the conference hall was split right down the middle.

A huge crack gradually revealed a massive black figure that could swallow half the venue in one bite; the central Pulangte was already a war god, but had no time to react, and half of him was bitten off by the teeth of the cross-section.

Death, fear, chaos, and blood soaked the venue.

Only half of Weilangpu's expression and movement remained unchanged; the tears on his face were not yet dry, only his gaze turned to terror.

People's original feast had turned into a banquet of the Devouring Beast.

"'Roar——'"

"【I'm starving to death!】"