Rather than an island, Shattered Moon Island was truly a continent.
Its diameter exceeded a trillion kilometers, and from above, its crescent-moon shape possessed an otherworldly, hazy beauty that captivated any who gazed upon it.
A colossal blood-red moon hung perpetually in the sky, drawing the worship of countless beings dwelling on the island below. To the trillions of intelligent creatures living on Shattered Moon Island, this crimson celestial body was their god.
Among the island's inhabitants were many Immortal powerhouses and even Universe Venerables. Born within the universe's secret realms, each possessed considerable strength, yet they willingly served as servants to Venerable Blood Moon. Should anyone be accepted as his disciple, they would receive the reverence of every being on Shattered Moon Island.
Above the blood moon itself, more than a hundred stars of varying sizes orbited in intricate patterns around both the moon and the island. Among these stellar bodies, a figure materialized atop the blood moon.
The blood moon was no mere celestial object, it was a flying palace treasure of considerable power.
"Starflow has left," Venerable Piercing Sun announced as he arrived atop the Blood Moon, addressing the figure seated upon its crimson surface.
"I know," Venerable Blood Moon replied calmly, his gaze fixed on Shattered Moon Island below before drifting toward the depths of the distant cosmic realm.
"We cannot resist the power of the Virtual Universe Company," Venerable Piercing Sun continued, studying Venerable Blood Moon's profile.
Finally, Venerable Blood Moon stirred.
He turned to face Venerable Piercing Sun, his expression cold and indifferent. "So what?"
"Why would we resist the Virtual Universe Company? When Starflow departed, the Virtual Universe Company didn't stop him either." Venerable Blood Moon's tone remained casual, almost dismissive. "Since any of us can leave, what benefit is there in opposing the Virtual Universe Company?"
Venerable Piercing Sun's expression shifted.
Venerable Blood Moon's words made his position painfully clear, he had no intention of getting involved.
"This is his order," Venerable Piercing Sun said, his voice dropping to a grave tone.
"Whose order?" Venerable Blood Moon's composure finally cracked.
"Has he awakened?"
Venerable Piercing Sun shook his head slowly. "Not fully awakened yet. But I detected signs of his awakening some time ago, and he's already capable of sending messages."
"The Virtual Universe Company doesn't know of his existence, do they?" Venerable Blood Moon asked, his brow furrowing deeply.
"They probably don't. Starflow was placed under a soul restriction back then. Even as the strongest among us, he couldn't break free from that soul binding, so he couldn't leak information about him. Of course, with his awakening progressing, whether the information leaks or not may soon become irrelevant." Venerable Piercing Sun sighed heavily.
"But..." Venerable Blood Moon frowned, lost in thought for several moments.
"Even if he fully awakens, we still won't have the power to deal with the Virtual Universe Company. There are multiple Universe Masters within the Virtual Universe Company alone, not to mention the entire human race standing behind them."
"I know. Of course I know." Venerable Piercing Sun's expression turned bitter, his smile twisted with irony.
"But back then, we were nearly enslaved through soul manipulation! What means do we possibly have to resist his will?"
"Besides Starflow, even if we were allowed to leave this place, we'd eventually have to return obediently!"
"What about Wu Ling?" Venerable Blood Moon asked, changing the subject. "She only became active after he fell into slumber, and she possesses a high-grade soul treasure. She wasn't bound by any of his soul restrictions."
"Venerable Dance Spirit?" Venerable Piercing Sun seemed to deliberately evade the question, his discomfort evident.
"I'm not particularly familiar with Venerable Dance Spirit, and I don't know what her plans might be."
"Hmm? You old fool, she hasn't charmed you, has she?" Venerable Blood Moon looked at Venerable Piercing Sun with open suspicion.
Venerable Piercing Sun maintained the appearance of an elderly man, while Venerable Blood Moon appeared as a youth, calling the former an "old fool" wasn't entirely inappropriate.
Venerable Dance Spirit was renowned for her mastery of charm and soul manipulation techniques. Beguiling Venerable Piercing Sun, whose true combat power barely reached that of an ordinary Universe Overlord, would be child's play for her.
Venerable Blood Moon had every reason to suspect the two had secretly begun some kind of relationship behind his back.
"How could that be!" Venerable Piercing Sun's face flushed slightly, though his self-control as a Universe Overlord prevented Venerable Blood Moon from detecting anything truly amiss.
"His awakening is of paramount importance," Venerable Piercing Sun pressed on, his tone becoming serious once more. "You should be extremely careful. See if you can use this opportunity to escape his control, or even leverage the Virtual Universe Company's power to eliminate him."
"Of course, no one can say for certain how long it will take for him to fully awaken. It could be tens of thousands of epochs, hundreds of millions of epochs, or even tomorrow."
Venerable Piercing Sun's expression grew solemn.
"I'll take my leave now. Be careful."
"Yes, I will be careful," Venerable Blood Moon nodded gravely.
With that, Venerable Piercing Sun manipulated the surrounding star belt and departed the area.
For some inexplicable reason, Venerable Blood Moon sensed something desperate in the retreating figure of Venerable Piercing Sun, as if he were fleeing in disarray rather than simply leaving.
He shook his head and sighed softly.
Venerable Blood Moon returned to his cross-legged meditation atop the blood moon, his eyes filling with melancholy as memories from ages past surfaced in his mind.
That one was, in fact, a top-tier Universe Overlord who had appeared at the very dawn of this secret realm's creation.
Though perhaps now, he should be called by his true title, the Lord of Eternal Lake.
In the early days of the Eternal Lake Secret Realm, Venerable Piercing Sun, Venerable Blood Moon, and the Lord of Starsea had been the closest of friends. They grew and strengthened together, even addressing each other as brothers. However, after a certain incident, their relationship gradually cooled until only a hollow camaraderie remained.
Venerable Piercing Sun had taken the form of an elderly man, the Lord of Starsea that of a burly warrior, and Venerable Blood Moon that of a youth, this represented their original relationship, with Venerable Piercing Sun being the eldest brother.
Because all three were special life forms, their power increased as naturally as drinking water, their progression seemingly effortless compared to ordinary beings.
This rapid growth quickly attracted the attention of the Lord of Eternal Lake, who was already a top-tier Universe Overlord at that time.
Recognizing that the three were as close as brothers and possessed exceptional talent, the Lord of Eternal Lake calculated that once they broke through to the Universe Venerable realm, they would likely become Universe Overlords themselves. On a whim, he decided to take them as his servants.
At that time, the three of them were merely Immortals.
Even as Immortals, they could already rival or even defeat some ordinary Universe Venerables. But compared to a true top-tier Universe Overlord, the gap remained insurmountable, an ocean that could not be crossed.
The three brothers had no means whatsoever to resist the Lord of Eternal Lake's overwhelming power.
Fortunately, the Lord of Eternal Lake ultimately failed to fully enslave their souls. He wasn't particularly skilled in soul arts, he merely placed restrictions within their souls. If they resisted his will, these restrictions would trigger, causing their divine bodies to collapse and their souls to shatter instantly.
Only by reaching the Universe Master realm could they resist these soul restrictions.
"Starflow..." Venerable Blood Moon murmured, his voice barely a whisper.
Of the three brothers, only the Lord of Starsea had the best chance at freedom.
His talent was the strongest, his divine body the most powerful, and his innate secret techniques the most formidable. He was the one most likely to eventually reach the Universe Master realm.
Now, the Lord of Starsea had departed the Eternal Lake Secret Realm for the outside world, seeking his fortune among the stars.
Meanwhile, the Lord of Eternal Lake had officially broken through to the Universe Master realm and was on the verge of full awakening.
The game had changed, and Venerable Blood Moon could only wonder what the future would bring.