The Dance Spirit Starfield wasn't particularly large, at least not compared to other regions of Eternal Lake Secret Realm. Its defining characteristic wasn't the number of planets it contained, but rather the countless pink mists that permeated the entire region like veils of deadly beauty.
Even a Universe Venerable could be pulled into an illusion if they ventured carelessly into those mists. Once trapped, escape became nearly impossible without extraordinary willpower or external intervention. The unfortunate souls who failed to break free would remain imprisoned within those ethereal prisons forever, their consciousness trapped while their bodies withered away.
But the mists weren't the only danger.
Residing within those same pink clouds lived a peculiar creature:
The Mist Maggot.
A parasitic organism that inhabited the fog itself, feeding on whatever unfortunate beings became trapped within. These weren't special lifeforms in the technical sense, they possessed no innate law comprehension or unique evolutionary paths. Yet they harbored a trait that even most special lifeforms couldn't match:
They devoured souls and divine bodies with equal voracity.
Some called them Soul-Devouring Maggots for this very reason.
A single Mist Maggot posed virtually no threat. Its consumption rate couldn't even keep pace with the divine power recovery of an ordinary Immortal. But when hundreds of billions gathered together, when their fat, white bodies twisted into writhing masses that blocked out the stars themselves, even a Universe Venerable would be forced to retreat!
When trillions of Mist Maggots swarmed together, they could devour even armor-type treasures. Only supreme treasures could completely withstand their relentless gnawing.
Individually, removing Mist Maggots was trivial. The weakest Immortal could obliterate thousands with a casual palm strike, after all, these creatures barely possessed Universe-level strength, if that. They were vermin in the truest sense.
But combined with the Dance Spirit Starfield's unique pink mists, they became a death sentence delivered without warning. A Universe Venerable who lacked adequate soul defenses could easily be pulled into an illusion, only to have their helpless divine body consumed by countless hungry maggots while their consciousness wandered phantom realms.
Fortunately, the three explorers didn't need to worry about such concerns.
The real danger lurking in the Dance Spirit Starfield wasn't the maggots or the mists.
It was Dance Spirit Venerable herself, a top-tier Universe Overlord who could strike at any moment.
"Are you certain the third component is nearby?" Han Jue asked Nine Swords Venerable, his Six Eyes scanning the surrounding void with meticulous precision.
"It should be," Nine Swords Venerable replied, his voice carrying an edge of frustration. "If we consider the Cliff Palace as a complete vessel, Purple Stone Mountain serves as the main body and Dragon Cliff functions as the control center. What we're searching for now is the power core, the energy device that drives the entire treasure's operation."
At this moment, the three had penetrated deep into the Dance Spirit Starfield's heart.
Before them floated a massive star ring composed of countless asteroids, their arrangement forming a distinctive heart shape. Faint pink luminescence emanated from the formation, its purpose unclear and possibly ominous.
"Let's search a bit longer," Nine Swords Venerable said after a moment of consideration. "I can sense it's somewhere in this vicinity. But if we still can't locate it after another thorough sweep, we'll abandon the search and leave immediately."
"Agreed," Han Jue nodded.
They'd been searching this region for half a month already, combing through void and asteroid field alike with increasingly little to show for their efforts. The last component of the Cliff Palace seemed to have vanished entirely, as if it had never existed at all.
If they delayed much longer, Dance Spirit Venerable might actually discover their intrusion.
Kandeli walked along the star ring's outer edge, his consciousness extending outward in careful sweeps. When he reached the formation's center, something felt wrong. The energy patterns didn't match what he'd expect from simple asteroids.
"Wait!" Kandeli's voice cut through the silence with sudden urgency.
"What is it?"
Han Jue and Nine Swords Venerable both turned toward him sharply, instantly alert.
Kandeli's voice trembled slightly as he spoke. "Look closely at the asteroids within the ring formation."
"What about them?"
Following his direction, the two immediately focused their attention on the objects in question.
With his Six Eyes' assistance, Han Jue was the first to spot the anomaly. His breath caught in his throat.
"This...this isn't a ring of asteroids at all," Han Jue said, shock bleeding into his voice. "It's a Mist Maggot nest!"
Those weren't asteroids.
They were countless Mist Maggots clustered together in dormancy, their surfaces coated with layers of cosmic dust accumulated over millions of years. The disguise was nearly perfect, they resembled asteroids in every superficial way.
When Mist Maggots entered hibernation, even Universe Overlords needed to observe carefully to distinguish them from ordinary rock. Only a Universe Master capable of controlling spacetime itself could immediately identify them for what they truly were.
Kandeli, with his exceptionally keen observational skills, had been studying those supposed asteroids with meticulous attention. That's how he'd made this terrifying discovery.
If Kandeli hadn't noticed, even Han Jue with his Six Eyes wouldn't have detected anything amiss. The deception was that complete.
"Don't disturb them," Kandeli warned as he carefully retreated. "Back away slowly."
The sheer number of Mist Maggots present defied comprehension.
Even the smallest "asteroid" contained over one trillion individual maggots clustered together!
And there were far more than one trillion asteroids arranged in this heart-shaped formation!
If an ordinary Universe Overlord wandered here without armor-type treasure protection and accidentally fell into one of the starfield's illusions, they would likely be devoured alive by these sleeping horrors. Their divine body would be consumed piece by piece while their consciousness remained trapped elsewhere, unable to defend themselves.
Even without falling into an illusion, this location would be perfect for an ambush. Dance Spirit Venerable could easily trap enemies here with a sealing-type treasure. Even a top-tier Universe Overlord would perish under such circumstances, buried beneath an avalanche of ravenous maggots.
Han Jue and Nine Swords Venerable both nodded grimly and began retreating with careful, measured movements. Setting aside everything else, the sight of those fat white maggots twisted into writhing masses was genuinely revolting. Even though they couldn't penetrate Han Jue's defenses, he had absolutely no desire to be covered in them.
However, as often happens in such situations, fate had other plans.
Boom!
The heart-shaped star ring suddenly moved!
Countless asteroids collided in a cascading chain reaction, crushing billions of Mist Maggots instantly. But the impact awakened exponentially more, and these newly-roused maggots were ravenously hungry after their long hibernation.
They surged toward the three intruders like a living avalanche.
Outside the star ring, one hundred and eight stars of varying sizes descended upon their location in a precise geometric pattern. Han Jue recognized them immediately as Venerable Guan Ri's high-tier treasure, the Stellar Belt, each star blazing with power equivalent to a low-level Universe Venerable's attack.
"Damn it," Han Jue cursed under his breath, irritation flashing across his features.
He doesn't show up when we're actively looking for him, but the moment we're waist-deep in maggots, here he comes?
Nine Swords Venerable and Kandeli both attacked, unleashing waves of destructive energy that obliterated millions of approaching Mist Maggots.
Neither possessed supreme treasure protection, so they could only rely on offensive techniques to prevent the maggots from swarming them. A defensive formation wouldn't help against creatures that could devour energy itself.
Fortunately, without the interference of the pink mists' illusions, killing these Mist Maggots remained relatively straightforward for Universe Venerables of their caliber.
As Universe Venerables, destroying an entire star system was trivial. Although these Mist Maggots numbered in the countless trillions, they were still some distance away and couldn't immediately break through the defensive perimeter formed by continuous attacks.
"Stellar Domain," Venerable Guan Ri announced calmly, his voice carrying across the void with absolute confidence.
The domain manifested instantly.
The one hundred and eight stars shifted into new positions, forming a cage that encompassed the entire star ring's surrounding space. They sealed off spatial teleportation while simultaneously exerting enormous pressure on the three trapped within!
Each stellar flame blazed with power nearly equivalent to a low-level Universe Venerable's full-strength attack. Their combined weight pressed down like the crushing depths of an ocean.
"Venerable Guan Ri!"
Han Jue's expression darkened as he stared coldly at Venerable Guan Ri, who stood calmly amidst the starry void, his form silhouetted against the blazing stellar light.
However, Venerable Guan Ri completely ignored him, turning instead to a woman who had appeared beside him. He whispered something to her in a low voice:
"Wu Ling, what do you think?"