"So your purpose in coming to the Eternal Lake Secret Realm this time is to seek revenge on Venerable Piercing Sun?" Venerable Nine Swords asked, his tone carrying both amusement and genuine curiosity.
"Not entirely," Han Jue replied.
"There aren't many places in the original universe suitable for my training now. I can't venture to the outer battlefields, and most well-known universe secret realms are too dangerous for me. Only the Eternal Lake Secret Realm, located within human territory, is suitable, though it still presents a considerable challenge."
"That's true enough." Venerable Nine Swords nodded in understanding.
Han Jue was currently being closely watched by the other peak races. The Insect Race, Monster Race, and Mechanical Race, the three apex powers bordering human territory, all desperately wanted him dead before he could become another Universe Master for humanity.
If Han Jue dared show himself in the outside world, Universe Masters would probably lower themselves to assassinate him personally. The Sky Wolf Lord, for example, harbored a deep grudge. When Han Jue killed that Monster Race Universe Venerable right in front of him, the humiliation had cut deep. Later, the Sky Wolf Lord had been forced to help resurrect that fallen Venerable, which only added salt to the wound.
"I haven't seen Venerable Piercing Sun in quite some time," Venerable Nine Swords mused.
He and Kandeli had been exploring this secret realm for thousands of years, and encounters with the other top powers were rare.
"Besides, with that domain-type treasure of his, he possesses the combat power of a top-tier Universe Overlord. The three of us probably aren't qualified to challenge him, not unless Venerable Ripple were here."
In Nine Swords' assessment, Han Jue might be considered a mid-tier Universe Venerable at best, while he and Kandeli together were merely two high-tier Universe Venerables. With such a lineup, defeating even an ordinary Universe Overlord would be difficult, let alone a top-tier one like Piercing Sun.
"This matter isn't urgent," Han Jue said with a slight smile. "I want to find an opponent first to test my current strength and earn your trust."
Venerable Nine Swords' eyes lit up at those words.
"Perfect! Do you remember that demonic dragon your senior brother Venerable Xingyu caught back then? It was at Demonic Dragon Cliff. Initially, we all thought the only danger there was that one demonic dragon. But when we explored deeper, we encountered an even stronger one, probably possessing strength close to a high-tier Universe Venerable."
He paused, his expression growing more serious. "This stronger demonic dragon should be related to the previous one, maybe a brother or mate."
"If you're looking for an opponent to gauge your strength, this creature is probably the most suitable."
"No problem." Han Jue nodded readily.
A demonic dragon...
Venerable Xingyu, who specialized in the soul path, was also skilled in beast taming, a branch of mental cultivation that was extremely rare in the universe. Almost no one chose this path.
Speaking of which, Venerable Lansong and Venerable Xingyu had promised to give him a gift years ago. But shortly after he left the Eternal Lake Secret Realm, they discovered Han Jue already possessed everything they could offer. When he returned from the outer battlefields, he'd grown even richer than both of them combined.
So they never gave him those gifts. However, Venerable Xingyu had treated Han Jue's younger sister, Han Xi, as a semi-personal disciple, frequently providing guidance. This had led to her rapid progress, she was advancing no slower than their brother Han Huan.
Because of Venerable Xingyu's presence in his life, Han Jue had some understanding of demonic flood dragons.
These creatures were special lifeforms that appeared in the Eternal Lake Secret Realm in its early days. Through continuous growth and evolution, some eventually reached the level of Universe Venerables.
A Demonic Flood Dragon at the Universe Venerable level was approximately 100,000 kilometers long. Its scales possessed defensive capabilities comparable to ordinary treasures, and its combat power far surpassed other Universe Venerables of the same rank. With a life gene level around 300 times the baseline, it was an absolutely terrifying existence.
The creature was entirely black and serpentine, with four powerful claws and two sharp horns crowning its head. It specialized in the fundamental Law of Light and possessed a unique innate technique called [Demon Domain].
[Demon Domain] unfolded a region with a diameter of nearly one million kilometers. Within this domain, all light disappeared, plunging everything into absolute darkness. Anyone entering the Demon Domain would lose their sight while the surrounding space became sealed, controlled entirely by the Demonic Flood Dragon. Time itself could be manipulated, accelerated or slowed by up to ten times.
With this innate technique, the Demonic Flood Dragon was an extremely terrifying existence within the Eternal Lake Secret Realm. Ordinary Universe Venerables trapped within the Demon Domain were almost unable to escape. Only those whose spacetime manipulation abilities exceeded the dragon's could forcibly break free from its constraints.
"Let's go then." Venerable Nine Swords retrieved his spaceship.
It was a G9-class vessel, not as powerful as a palace-type treasure, but still far superior to Han Jue's Ice Wasteland spacecraft.
The three boarded the ship and quickly headed toward Demonic Dragon Cliff.
Meanwhile, in an extremely remote star field of the original universe...
"Whoosh!"
A massive water sphere with a diameter of nearly one billion kilometers materialized in the void.
Trapped within this sphere was a Universe Venerable of the Prison Clan. For some unknown reason, he had provoked this enormous entity and was now imprisoned within it, powerless to resist, on the verge of annihilation.
"The Lord of Eternal Lake has awakened?"
Sensing the anomaly through his soul restriction, the Lord of Starsea condensed into the form of a water giant and murmured to himself.
Then he snorted coldly.
"That old bastard! Such poor talent, yet he barely reached the level of a Universe Master after countless eons, relying on most of the secret realm's resources. If it had been me, I would have become a Universe Master ages ago!"
His voice carried deep resentment.
"The first thing I'll do when I become a Universe Master is go back and kill that old bastard!"
He paused, his thoughts turning darker. "And that Piercing Sun has practically become the old man's lapdog all these years. I wonder if Blood Moon will be bewitched by him too."
The Lord of Starsea casually crushed the Prison Clan Universe Venerable within his body and gazed into the depths of the universe.
"Great Master, the Prison Clan is coming," a ferocious beast appeared beside him and said respectfully.
"The Prison Clan?" The Lord of Starsea's tone was dismissive. "It doesn't matter. I'm about to break through to the Universe Master level. By then, I should possess the strength of a second or third-tier Universe Master. Combined with my massive divine body, unless the strongest member of the Prison Clan personally takes action, they absolutely cannot harm me."
He smiled slightly. "As for now..."
The Lord of Starsea logged into the virtual universe.
Just as he'd told Han Jue before, he'd chosen to join the Hong Alliance as a member. Though he hadn't been a member for long, his strength had already been recognized, he was a seven-star powerhouse within the Hong Alliance.
☆☆☆
-> SUPPORT ME WITH POWER STONE
☆☆☆
-> 50 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/AshenMoon
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you