They won the Holy Grail War, but this turned out to be the Virtual Tree Universe.

Chapter 433 "Challenge" Star Howl

The atmosphere at the Shangziwei gathering was quite harmonious.

Everyone was a young person under three hundred years old (Xueyi and Hanya are officially younger than one day old), and as long as Danlei didn't put on airs like a dragon lord, they quickly became cheerful.

During the dinner, Danlei also heard a lot of funny stories that he had missed.

For example, when Yanqing and Yunli were teaching Sanyueqi, they argued about whether to emphasize agility or strength. Unable to convince each other, they chose to learn through practical experience.

Of course, they didn't fight again; instead, they dragged March 7th and "accompanying study" star directly into a recent martial arts ceremony survival elimination tournament.

The survival elimination tournament on Yuyang II is still operated by Luofu, so it's not difficult for four people to be parachuted into a single match.

Moreover, all four of them are not unknown figures, so the broadcasters and viewers naturally had no objections.

Unfortunately, Yanqing and Yunli were eliminated in this elimination round when there were only about 20 players left.

According to them, the participants in this competition were too dirty; towards the end, they were all prone to lying in wait, and you couldn't see a single person on the battlefield.

Although Yanqing and Yunli were exceptionally skilled in martial arts and had good perception, they still lacked combat experience when facing those cosmic wanderers who spent their days wallowing in blood and mud.

Moreover, the two were stubborn, using only lightsabers and mechanical destruction swords as weapons, and not even having a pistol as a ranged weapon.

He didn't get any good shields because of bad luck, and was eventually killed by a ranged attack combined with the assassination attempt by the Fate Walker.

Fortunately, their apprentice, March 7, was very capable. Relying on March 7's "intuition" and Xing's trash can hiding tactic, the two of them managed to survive all the way to the final round. After destroying an Omnic that had absorbed a large amount of machinery on the field and turned itself into a Gundam, Xing voluntarily conceded, allowing March 7 to win.

However, due to the increasing number of participating omnics, the organizers have decided to change the rules to limit the number of weapons that omnics are allowed to equip.

There's no way around it; advanced AI can directly integrate mechanical weapons into their bodies. Given enough time to gather them, AI can truly arm themselves into mini fortresses to fight in the final rounds.

This is too unfair to non-machine contestants; restrictions are necessary.

Moreover, in the survival elimination tournament, teams have spontaneously formed to cooperate in eliminating others and earning points, and even professional "tool" teams have emerged.

This prompted Luofu officials to change the rules overnight, prohibiting collaborations of more than four people; otherwise, both collaborating parties would be eliminated and their points would be forfeited.

Everyone was having a great time talking about the survival elimination rounds, but Danlei noticed a blind spot in their conversation.

That is, Xingxiao, as the Great Lord of Annihilation, had a very low profile in this incident.

Danlei wasn't saying that Xingxiao hadn't done enough work, but rather that she was always following orders from others.

It would indeed be most convenient for Xingxiao to infiltrate Luofu and cause damage by relying on the fragments originally left behind, but judging from Yuluo's statement, Xingxiao was completely directed by Huanlong and Guiji this time.

This is not her style.

The Great Lords of Annihilation each have distinct personalities, but they all share a strong obsession with their respective aesthetics of destruction.

This time, Xingxiao seemed to have abandoned his obsession and obediently became Huanlong and Guiji's tool.

This is obviously unreasonable.

Dan Lei preferred to believe that Xing Xiao was secretly gathering troops, preparing to give Luo Fu a surprise and attempt to behead Jing Yuan.

Following Huanlong and Guiji's plan now is merely a tactical necessity.

Moreover, the gathering of various forces from the universe makes it easier for Starrosh to assemble its troops.

Although the antimatter legion cannot come, the Immortal Ship has too many enemies, and not all Destruction Believers are covered in flames and ready to explode at any moment.

Many destructive factions are indistinguishable when mixed in with the crowd.

You asked why it was Jing Yuan who was beheaded and not Dan Lei?

Dan Lei said, "Don't think Xing Xiao is stupid. She definitely knows that some lousy people can't possibly behead her. They'll just be easy prey."

As for Jing Yuan, ninety percent of his command power lies in his spirit power. As long as he is prevented from summoning his spirit power, he could very well be assassinated.

Now that things have come to this, surely no one still thinks that Dan Lei's overall strength is inferior to Jing Yuanqiang's.

Thinking from this perspective, Dan Lei suddenly wondered if he were to challenge Xing Xiao to a duel, not by force, but by having his subordinates play a live-action RTS game on Avalon, would Xing Xiao volunteer to fight him?

It's important to understand that, just as Guiji wouldn't refuse [Aha]'s game invitation, Xingxiao, in principle, wouldn't refuse a confrontation as a commander.

This guy is a war fanatic who even gets involved in skirmishes involving antimatter legion corvettes.

Dan Lei thought the plan was more and more feasible, so he deliberately asked Yan Qing and Yun Li, who were discussing survival strategies for the elimination tournament, "..."

"Yanqing, Yunli, have you ever fought against forces of destruction? I mean forces other than the antimatter legion."

Yanqing and Yunli didn't know why Danlei suddenly asked that question, but Yanqing still answered honestly.

"I have little experience fighting the forces of destruction. I only had a few direct confrontations during the last major war. Apart from the antimatter legion, I have basically not encountered the rest."

So, Dan Lei grinned mischievously.
"Do you want to try fighting? You might run into a coalition of the bountiful people and the forces of destruction."

Upon hearing Dan Lei's words, Yan Qing and Yun Li immediately showed excited expressions. Both of them were battle maniacs in a sense, so they naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity.

So Yun Li patted her chest and said...
"Danlei, who are you planning to send on an expedition? Transfer me to be the vanguard. Don't worry about Grandpa's attitude. I can always sneak out on my own."

Seeing Yun Li's behavior, which completely disregarded Huai Yan's thoughts, Dan Lei silently mourned for the old man for a few seconds. His granddaughter had grown up and had already learned to sneak out of the house.

However, Dan Lei stopped the two from getting too excited and said...
"Don't rush, it's just an idea for now. I need to talk to a few generals."

Since Dan Lei was unwilling to say more, Yan Qing and Yun Li naturally didn't ask any further questions, and the meal ended amidst laughter.

However, after dinner, Dan Lei did not hesitate at all. After contacting Fei Xiao and Huai Yan to meet at the Shence Mansion, he went straight to the Shence Mansion alone.

Soon, Dan Lei tricked Jing Yuan out of a can of good tea again, brewing a pot in front of him and drinking it in front of him and the staff of the Shence Mansion.

Jing Yuan was speechless upon seeing this, and said bluntly

"Hey Yu Yang Jun, you had a good dinner at Shang Zi Wei, and now you've come here to drink tea and cool off?"

Jing Yuan knew that he had eaten at Shang Ziwei before, which Dan Lei found not strange. He had been in control of Luofu for so long, if he didn't even know where he was eating openly and legitimately, it would only prove that he was a complete failure as a general.

Therefore, Dan Lei simply said calmly.
“I wasn’t the only one; I also asked General Huaiyan and General Feixiao to help put out the fire.”

Upon hearing this, Jing Yuan knew that Dan Lei must have another idea, so he didn't ask any more questions. He figured that Dan Lei would tell him once Huai Yan and Fei Xiao arrived.

As for the others, they should hurry up and finish what they're doing, because they'll soon be out of a job in this office.

Dan Lei summoned them, and Huai Yan and Fei Xiao arrived shortly afterward.

As soon as Huaiyan entered the door, he complained to Danlei.

"Danlei, Yunli brought me some delicious fried handmade meatballs, which is rare for her, but you called me out before I could even eat them. If you don't have something serious to say, I won't let you off the hook."

Upon hearing this, Dan Lei broke out in a cold sweat, wondering if Huai Yan would be furious if he knew that Yun Li and Yan Qing had competed in a eating contest and Yan Qing had lost and ate what was left over.

Therefore, Dan Lei skipped the question and, after dismissing irrelevant personnel, went straight to the point.
"Actually, the reason I called you all here today is because I came up with a plan to lure Xingxiao out." As soon as Dan Lei said this, Jing Yuan perked up instantly.

Jing Yuan hasn't come up with a good way to find Xing Xiao among the endless tourists.

Seeing that Danlei seemed to have a solution, Jingyuan immediately asked...
"What method? Tell me quickly, I can't sleep without thinking about Xingxiao."

Seeing that Jing Yuan was almost completely absorbed by Xing Xiao, Dan Lei didn't hide anything and said directly...

"Actually, Xingxiao is one of the more informed Extinction Lords in the Alliance."

"Do you think that if we openly provoke Xingxiao now, agreeing that the commander won't participate but will only direct the subordinates in a live-action combat war game, would Xingxiao show up on his own?"

Jing Yuan had clearly considered Dan Lei's idea earlier and directly rejected it.

"It's not suitable. I've thought about this idea before."

Publicly provoking Xingxiao might indeed make her step into the limelight, but once the announcement is made, Luofu itself will be thrown into chaos, not to mention anything else.

Tourists attending the martial arts ceremony certainly don't want to get caught up in a war between commanders.

If Xingxiao were to take the initiative to step forward, chaos would not easily occur under the threat of the Great Lord of Annihilation.

Everyone knows that the Great Lord of Annihilation is unreasonable, and only by uniting under the banner of Luofu can they survive.

However, if we unilaterally declare that the Great King of Extinction is in Luofu, the tourists' first reaction will definitely be to run away before the battle even starts.

After all, battles between Envoy-class ships often affect several star systems. It's only because Luo Fu's location was relatively remote that the civilizations in the surrounding star systems were significantly impacted during the last battle.

Dan Lei had naturally thought of all of Jing Yuan's ideas as well. Scheming against Xing Xiao couldn't be done by just making up a plan on a whim.

So Dan Lei said with a smile
"Jingyuan, so it turns out you can be stubborn and unable to think straight sometimes."

Why did we announce Xingxiao's presence in Luofu?

Why not just launch simulated battles as a new selling point for military exercises?

I don't believe Xingxiao can resist taking action when he sees a battle mode that suits her taste so well.

Among tourists visiting Luofu, there are not many who possess tactical command abilities.

As long as Xingxiao can't help but take action, he can filter her out.

Xingxiao must be curious about what it's like to command a cloud cavalry unit in actual combat.

Upon hearing Dan Lei's words, Jing Yuan immediately felt that the plan was highly feasible.

But the next second he frowned and said...
"This seems feasible, but how should we arrange the Cloud Cavalry's opponents? We can't have Cloud Cavalry internal battles every time."

Wouldn't this expose all of the Cloud Cavalry's tactics?

To this question, Dan Lei simply laughed.

"Don't worry, Jingyuan, contact the Boshi Society. They must have a bunch of random things that need to be tested in practice."

Moreover, I can directly create monsters to act as opponents.

For example, the Zerg, orcs, which you've never seen before.

Upon hearing Dan Lei mention the insectoid race, Jing Yuan immediately recalled what Fu Xuan had told him about Dan Lei raising insects.

However, Jing Yuan did not intend to interfere in this matter, because Dan Lei had clearly stated in the temporary generals' meeting that he intended to take back this destiny that had split off from the immortal.

The special breeding program is currently unclaimed, and unless Dan Lei becomes a real problem in the future, the league will not stop him.

Therefore, Jingyuan was merely offering a reminder.
"Danlei, it's best not to invite the Zerg swarm to become your opponent."

If other forces in the universe knew you could control the Zerg swarm, they might try to pin some of the blame for the plague on you. Therefore, it's best if you maintain a distance from the Zerg in your daily life.

Upon hearing this, Dan Lei knew that Jing Yuan had misunderstood.

If you want to summon a swarm of Zerg to fight the Cloud Riders, you definitely won't use a breeding swarm; the Zerg from StarCraft will do.

After all, Dan Lei had no intention of using these insects to fight against the Cloud Cavalry with equal numbers of troops. He needed ten or twenty times the number of troops, and the Cloud Cavalry was not allowed to use large-scale bombing, otherwise, what was the point of fighting?

Therefore, Dan Lei directly extracted the description of the interstellar swarm from his memory and spoke to the three generals in front of him.

"In fact, before the emergence of the breeding swarm, there were already swarm civilizations in the universe."

In the immortal memories I inherited, there's a group of insects like this. Look at them, aren't they perfect as villains?

After Dan Lei said that, Jing Yuan and the others realized that Dan Lei was just preparing to recreate the insectoid civilization during the ancient times when the immortal race was active.

These civilizations are certainly beyond the reach of any records nowadays, so the three of them read on with great interest.

After a short while, Huaiyan, who had finished reading first, stroked his beard and sighed.

"Insects are insects; they're never easy to deal with, no matter the era."

After Huaiyan finished speaking, Jingyuan echoed his sentiments.

"Yes, even as life changes, the swarm has never left the universe, whether now, in the past, or in the future."

Jing Yuan and Huai Yan were both impressed by the resilience of the insect swarm, but Fei Xiao was different from them; she excitedly said...
"Danlei, this bug is interesting. Can you really reproduce it?"
"How about you let me practice on it after you've recreated it?"

Seeing Fei Xiao getting excited, Dan Lei ruthlessly poured cold water on his enthusiasm.

"Don't even think about it. These insects are just a surprise. I have no intention of resurrecting them."

Moreover, the purpose of this competition is to attract the appearance of Xingxiao, and the three generals, including myself, can only appear as commanders.

However, in the warm-up exhibition match, Jingyuan, you can give Feixiao a run for his money.

But neither side is allowed to command the Cloud Cavalry. I'll ask the company to borrow two squads of soldiers and see how we can test our command skills.

Upon hearing this, Fei Xiao immediately rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

"Comparing tactical command with General Shence is challenging. By the way, may I bring my staff?"

Dan Lei shook his head and said...
"Even with your staff, are you still in command? You might as well just let your staff be the commander-in-chief."

Seeing that Danlei disagreed, Feixiao had no choice but to give up the idea of ​​bringing Jiaoqiu along.

Jing Yuan, on the other hand, scratched his head in exasperation and said...
"Alas, this martial arts ceremony has nothing to do with Luofu tradition anymore; it's just a grand military exposition."

Okay, one more project it is. Hopefully, it'll bring out Xingxiao.

(End of this chapter)