An invasion from the Abyss? I, a demonic cultivator, laughed.

Chapter 379 Three Major Forces
"Understaffed?"

Zhao Jie's words made Chu Xiu pause for a moment.

“That’s right,” Zhao Jie nodded. “The power of modern weapons has an upper limit, and to increase that limit, one must rely on the support of extraordinary power.”

Chu Xiu nodded. He had witnessed it during the Battle of Pengcheng. With the support of a special inscription array, a sniper rifle could be amplified to the point of severely injuring a general-level horned demon.

It's worth noting that even a fierce-level abyssal monster can withstand a rotary cannon. To elevate a sniper rifle to such a level demonstrates the power of a technological weapon fused with extraordinary power.

"All the weapons on the Titan Machine have matching spirit rune arrays. These spirit rune arrays not only enhance the power of the cannonballs, but also add many powerful effects."

"Guiding, burning, penetrating, and so on, it can be said that only through these spirit rune arrays can the achievements of the army's development over the past ten years be truly demonstrated."

"But the problem is... we're short-staffed!"

"The energy of these formations can be provided by a dedicated energy source, but the infusion and activation of their power require the awakened one's strong mental strength to manipulate and control them."

"At the core of the Titan Machine, a powerful being with at least the Spirit level of spiritual attributes is needed to oversee the entire operation in order to maximize the power of these devices! Otherwise, this Titan Machine will be no different from an ordinary mountain!"

"But the people we've gathered back are fine for helping you develop and build civilization in peacetime, but when war breaks out, very few will stay! Mu Wu won't stay, and neither will Guan Ke!"

Zhao Jie's words caused Chu Xiu to fall silent. After a long while, he finally asked, "Where are the people from the civilized world?"

"The overall strength of your civilized people has indeed improved significantly during this period, with many exceptionally talented awakened individuals emerging. Their future achievements should not be underestimated."

"However, given the short time they've had to develop, they probably won't be of much use in the final battle."

Zhao Jie said regretfully.

Chu Xiu sighed upon hearing this. The group in Peach Blossom Spring numbered only 20,000, of which only 5,000 were able-bodied men capable of fighting! And of those 5,000, less than 500 had reached the warrior rank.

The top-ranking Liang Zhan and Buddhist elders are at the level of fierce or general.

Moreover, they need to enter the Tower of Prayer to provide Chu Xiu with a boost of civilization power, so there are very few who can mobilize to drive the Titan Machine!

This level of performance provides very limited boost to the Titan Machine.

Compared to the lack of activation of the Spirit Rune Array, the Titan Machine's lack of a core is even more fatal.

The Titan machine in the Old Trials was just an ordinary mountain transformed; Aurora's enhancement of various weapons mainly relied on her own talent.

However, the Titan Machine extracted from the Abyss data is a genuine mythical artifact! Its core contains a powerful energy source and amplification effects.

It could be said that Aurora's talent was also brought here.

Guan Ke wanted to wield this weapon, but it was too much of a stretch. Moreover, given her personality, it was impossible for her to stay and help Chu Xiu defend it to the death. Therefore, Chu Xiu's original target was Shen Tianxie, but unfortunately, the other party died at the hands of Qing Yunzi.

"The Titan machine can grit its teeth and use the leader-level ancient remains to collect Aurora's soul, but it will be troublesome for the others."

Finding someone else now would be far too difficult! This is dealing with a servant of a supreme god! Who would be so foolish as to take such a risk?

But Chu Xiu needs the help of a high-level cultivator.

No matter how strong the firepower of the Titan Machine is, it can only block low-level creatures. The interception rate will be much lower for monsters of the general level and above. When it comes to king-level monsters or even heroic spirits, it must be intercepted in a targeted manner!

Although he had a ghost army, his ghost army was only half its original strength and was not good at resisting a single breakthrough by a strong person.

"As a divine messenger, Astrid is absolutely well aware of the weaknesses of civilized territories. He won't be foolish enough to launch a head-on attack; he will definitely disperse his forces and resort to encirclement, surprise attacks, or even assassinations!"

"In this situation, without the support of a demigod-level power, I have absolutely no confidence!"

He originally had a Hellfire Corpse, which could barely rival a demigod, but it was destroyed by the tribulation lightning.

Thinking of this, Chu Xiu immediately realized how tricky things were.

Zhao Jie continued, "There's something I must tell you: the scale of this decisive battle may far exceed your expectations!"

"That was a messenger of a supreme god!"

Can you imagine how many resources he will use?

"Three blood demons and their legions? No, it's definitely much more than that. Those extraterrestrial demons that covet our planet, those abyssal creatures hovering near our level—do you think they would refuse to befriend a divine messenger of a chief god?"

"Even within our own human race, Astrid might have access to communication channels!"

"I can tell you for sure that this battle is far more than just a war to defend civilization. Many high-level eyes have been drawn to this place, using it as a battleground!"

Zhao Jie's words made Chu Xiu's expression even more solemn. He naturally realized Astrid's power, as well as the power and status he represented.

But Zhao Jie's words were still somewhat beyond his expectations, and he knew that as the head of a branch of the Investigation Bureau, if the other party dared to say such a thing, then it was definitely not without reason!
"Could it be that additional Heavenly King-level power will join in?" Chu Xiu's expression was somewhat grim.

“It’s hard to say,” Zhao Jie shook his head, “but our three Heavenly Kings have all taken notice of this matter, and even that Supreme Being asked me for a complete report.”

Even the Supreme Being has noticed this matter!

Chu Xiu's expression hardened.

Although that supreme being's strength was not as great as that of the Heavenly Kings, his power was in no way inferior to that of the three Heavenly Kings.

"What does that mean?" Chu Xiu asked.

“I can’t reveal the specifics,” Zhao Jie shook his head. “I can only say that opinions differ. Some people want to take advantage of this opportunity to catch the cicada while others want to simply give up the aid and preserve their strength.”

"After all, you know that your civilization is just a small civilization with a population of 20,000. No matter how outstanding your talent is, the growth of a civilization requires time to accumulate. Many people in the government feel that it is not worth the risk for this, which is why the allocated funds are only a mere 200 billion."

Chu Xiu nodded in understanding. If the construction of the Corpse Demon World Camp was likened to an investment, it would be a junk stock with extremely high risk and low return. The government's assistance was already sufficient.

"Brother Zhao told me all this, so the Investigation Bureau must have a mature plan, right?" Chu Xiu said.

Zhao Jie laughed and said, "Student Chen, you are quite perceptive. I wouldn't call it a plan, but just a suggestion."

"Regarding the final battle with Astrid, our Bureau of Investigation will provide assistance to the best of its ability, but ultimately it is your own business, Chen, and you will have to put in a lot of effort."

"We can't interfere with the power struggles at the top; we just need to optimize the camp's defenses to the greatest extent possible."

"The first thing to solve is, for example, the manpower problem."

"For the Titan Machine Auxiliary that is used to activate the Spirit Rune Array, we can try to retain as many students as possible from your cohort by increasing the bounty and other measures."

"But you'll have to figure out the personnel to control the Titan's core and the enemy's high-level combatants yourself."

"There are only two methods. One is to offer a high reward. A generous reward will surely attract brave men. As for the second one..." Zhao Jie looked at the three people who had not yet left and were trading cause and effect points with Chu Xiu, representing the three forces, and smiled, "These three comrades may have something to say."

Upon hearing this, Chu Xiu was taken aback at first, but immediately understood.

Zhao Jie meant that he should choose a faction to join!
He lacks support now because of his status as a free man; those in power have no incentive to support him.

The reason given as the future of humanity is far too shallow! Chu Xiu cannot bear this responsibility! Although he has already displayed incredible talent, how many of the awakened beings at the top would be willing to sacrifice their own interests to cultivate a genius who is not related to them at all?
Let alone Heavenly Kings, even demigods and heroic spirits no longer rely on human civilization for survival. This was evident in the Battle of Pengcheng. Even if human civilization were to perish, these heroic spirits would still be able to survive, and most of them would even find ways and means to join other forces and civilizations.

Under such circumstances, naturally no one would risk their life for Chu Xiu.

In fact, the various benefits granted to the envoys of civilization were already interests that these powerful individuals were willing to relinquish.

But joining a faction is different, especially now that the path to godhood is about to begin!

Chu Xiu's guess was correct. Almost as soon as Zhao Jie finished speaking, the three leaders from different forces spoke one after another.

And the meanings they expressed were largely the same.

That means that as long as Chu Xiu is willing to join them, they can send a demigod-level expert to help him, and even the Heavenly King behind him might take action!

Each faction has a complete set of reward and punishment rules, as well as a means of measuring contribution points. Due to Chu Xiu's amazing talent, all three provided him with a high initial contribution point, which was enough to temporarily hire a demigod. Some even said that the Heavenly King would send his trusted demigod to help Chu Xiu for free!

However, this assistance is not unconditional.

On the surface, it seems that Chu Xiu did not suffer any loss at all, but at certain times, choosing to take sides will already result in the loss of many intangible benefits, not to mention the most important freedom.

"However, sometimes, restricted freedom also means the protection of a powerful figure."

"As my strength gradually increases, I will attract more and more attention, and the covetous eyes will grow day by day. This is a good time to join a faction."

"But I must choose carefully. If I join one faction, the demigods of the other two factions will be even less willing to risk their lives for my civilization," Chu Xiu thought to himself.

He didn't have any obsession with not being subordinate to others. As a demonic cultivator, he honestly maintained order, hoping to develop through the stability that order brought.

After some thought, Chu Xiu clasped his hands and said, "I wonder if you could give me some time to consider this?"

"It's natural."

All three smiled as they gave each other their contact information before saying goodbye and leaving.

After the three figures disappeared from sight, Chu Xiu turned to Zhao Jie and asked, "Brother Zhao, what do you think?"

Zhao Jie said, "Joining a faction isn't a bad thing. If you don't want to be too closely tied to it, you can just maintain a cooperative relationship based on exchanging benefits."

Chu Xiu nodded and then asked, "Brother Zhao, which faction do you think I should join?"

“I can’t answer that,” Zhao Jie shook his head. “The three forces each have their own advantages and disadvantages. The merchant guild and conglomerate represented by the Longevity King have a lot of resources and are the most economically powerful of the three. However, their disadvantage is that merchants are profit-driven and there is little friendship among them. Moreover, their overall strength is the weakest of the three, and it may be difficult for them to recruit ideal combat forces.”

"The guild represented by Wuji King and the military represented by Shasheng King are roughly equal in strength, both possessing a large number of extremely powerful demigods, but their styles are completely different."

"The union values ​​brotherhood. Once they recognize you, many will be willing to go through fire and water for you. But someone like you who joined halfway and hasn't experienced life and death with them yet, I'm afraid it will be difficult for them to truly accept you."

"As for the military, it demands strict discipline and has the most rules among the three major powers. You even have to carry out a mandatory mission every now and then to prove your worth and loyalty to the military."

Zhao Jie's words made Chu Xiu frown.

In terms of cooperation model alone, the conglomerate is naturally the most ideal, but the conglomerate cannot provide the combat power that Chu Xiu wants most. The other two guilds are naturally the best, but they are not stupid. Chu Xiu only wants to use them, so how can they be expected to open their hearts to Chu Xiu? They may not even receive as much help as the conglomerate in the end!
As for the military's strengths and weaknesses, they are too prominent. It seems to be the best solution to his current predicament, but it will inevitably face many limitations afterward.

Seeing Chu Xiu's furrowed brows, Zhao Jie patted him on the shoulder and comforted him, "You don't need to rush. After all, you still have nearly three months to prepare."

"Moreover, besides the three major powers, there are many other secondary powers that will definitely extend olive branches to you, such as our government, the four major families, Shanwailou, etc. Although these powers do not have a Heavenly King in charge, they have quite a few strong demigods among them."

Upon hearing this, Chu Xiu nodded and stopped worrying about it. He looked at Zhao Jie and said, "Brother Zhao, I have a request."

Zhao Jie said, "Brother Chu, please speak freely. You saved my life, there's no need for such formalities."

Now that there were no outsiders around, he directly addressed Chu Xiu by his real name.

Chu Xiu didn't waste any time. He raised his hand and waved it, and suddenly a large amount of Chinese currency and supplies appeared all around!

"These are some things I don't need, and their total value is close to 300 billion Chinese yuan. I would appreciate it if Brother Zhao could help me deal with them."

Zhao Jie laughed and said, "I thought it was something important. This is our Investigation Bureau's duty, so of course we won't refuse."

He moved quickly, waving his hand to collect them all, and said, "With these resources, we can equip the Titan with more advanced weapons, and I believe there will be many more students willing to stay."

Chu Xiu then said, "I would like to ask Brother Zhao to help me find a suitable expert again."

Zhao Jie nodded: "Okay, the Investigation Bureau has already started preparing for this. I will send you a complete list in a week at most. Senior Ya Zi has been monitoring Astrid without letting up for a moment during this time, so let's not trouble him. Let's add each other as friends in Yuancheng. I will send you the information in Yuancheng, so we can contact each other anytime if anything happens."

"Okay." Chu Xiu nodded.

The two quickly separated a wisp of their consciousness and entered Yuan City, where they exchanged contact information.

Zhao Jie said, "By the way, since we're already here, why don't you go to the Mountain Pavilion?"

"There are plenty of crazy people in the Mountain Outer Building who are willing to risk their lives for money. Maybe we can hire a few suitable thugs."

After saying this, Zhao Jie left without lingering.

Chu Xiu stood there pondering for a while, then followed Zhao Jie's instructions and headed towards the Mountain Outer Tower.

The other party is right. If immediate combat power is urgently needed, Shanwailou is indeed a good choice.

Moreover, Chu Xiu wanted to buy a new identity. The Sun King's advice was still ringing in his ears, and he could no longer use the identity of Qin Yu.

With his current strength, he can easily earn enough Abyss Coins by completing a few tasks.

Soon, a seven-story building with distinctive oriental features appeared before him.

Chu Xiu approached, and after verifying his identity, he was about to express his purpose to the person in charge when he heard the other party suddenly let out a soft "Eh," and a large amount of "respect" suddenly emanated from his body.

"I was unaware of the arrival of the 'King of the Night,' and I apologize for not being able to greet you properly."

"Our master wishes to see you. Does he have the time?"

(End of this chapter)