The conversation among the five went smoothly enough.
Soon, three of them departed Wu Ling Star, leaving only Venerable Guan Ri and Dance Spirit Venerable behind.
"Wu Ling, about that one's, " Venerable Guan Ri began.
"Don't say anything more." Dance Spirit Venerable made a silencing gesture, effectively cutting him off mid-sentence.
The two intertwined, their bodies and souls merging into one.
Though they were both Universe Overlords, they still savored the experience.
Afterward.
Dance Spirit Venerable lay beside Venerable Guan Ri, her expression distant as she lost herself in endless memories.
Perhaps Guan Ri had long forgotten, but Wu Ling would never forget the protection he'd shown her when she was still a fragile Immortal cultivator, vulnerable and alone.
Even later, when Guan Ri's personality gradually twisted into something darker and more unpredictable, she still couldn't forget the person who had once saved her life.
"Guan Ri..." she murmured softly.
"Hmm?" Venerable Guan Ri was slightly startled by her tone.
Virtual Universe.
Within the Ice Mountain Palace.
The previously absent Lord of Ice Peak and Primal Chaos City Lord appeared simultaneously, along with Han Jue.
After listening to Han Jue's detailed account of recent events, Primal Chaos City Lord nodded gravely.
"Based on this information, this so-called 'Lord of Eternal Lake' will likely become an enemy of our human race," Primal Chaos City Lord said slowly, his voice carrying the weight of countless millennia. "We cannot allow such an unpredictable variable to exist."
"This time, I'll coordinate with my junior brother and Long Xing, three Universe Masters working together should be sufficient to suppress or even eliminate him completely," Primal Chaos City Lord continued. "If we allow the Lord of Eternal Lake to leave the Eternal Lake Secret Realm unchallenged, who knows what disaster might follow? The realm's location is simply too strategically sensitive."
"Even if he initially shows friendliness toward humanity, we cannot gamble on his intentions. Once he escapes that secret realm and changes his mind, we'll have no means of stopping him. With the Giant Axe Founder currently absent from the Original Universe, we must ensure the absolute safety of our race!"
"Moreover, the Lord of Eternal Lake's strength is probably not overwhelming. His upper limit is most likely comparable to the Sky Wolf Lord at best. With three of us working in concert, we have excellent chances of suppressing, or even permanently killing, him."
The Lord of Ice Peak spoke up as well, "Ensuring humanity's safety must take absolute priority. If this were merely a top-tier Universe Overlord, it would mean nothing to our race. We could suppress such a being with a casual gesture. But the strength difference between a Universe Overlord and a Universe Master is an unbridgeable chasm. Our human race cannot afford to bear the potential consequences of inaction."
The defection of Emperor Yan in ages past had brought devastating losses to humanity, not merely the loss of a powerful Universe Overlord, but a catastrophic blow to human prestige. It had caused many alien races within Hongmeng to question humanity's leadership, and it had taken vast resources and countless years to suppress the resulting unrest.
The sudden appearance of a solitary, unaffiliated Universe Master would naturally raise suspicions among any powerful race, except perhaps loose coalitions like the Northern Frontier Alliance, which was essentially a confederation of countless weaker races bound together by necessity rather than trust.
"Then it's decided," Primal Chaos City Lord declared with finality.
"Han Jue, you and Nine Swords can either return first or remain within the Eternal Lake Secret Realm. The Lord of Eternal Lake shouldn't be particularly skilled in soul arts, but you should remain wary of Dance Spirit Venerable, who possesses a high-tier soul-type Arcana," Primal Chaos City Lord added, directing his attention to Han Jue specifically.
"Understood. If the situation becomes dire, I'll self-destruct immediately," Han Jue nodded firmly.
"Han Jue, your true body is still lacking in supreme-grade treasures," the Lord of Ice Peak said with evident interest. "Are you interested in that 'Stellar Belt'?"
The Stellar Belt was a domain-type High Arcana that specialized in sealing spacetime. In terms of its ability to freeze and restrict spatial movement, it could rival even some Pinnacle Arcana that weren't optimized for that specific function.
In terms of pure value, it was definitely comparable to top-tier treasures.
However, humanity didn't particularly lack this level of high-tier domain-type Arcana. Therefore, no one had bothered to cause trouble for Venerable Guan Ri over it. Even Universe Overlords who might covet such a treasure found it difficult to attack Guan Ri, not without forming an alliance first, which introduced its own complications.
"Teacher, I would rather attempt to claim it myself," Han Jue said eagerly, his eyes lighting up at the prospect.
Venerable Guan Ri and Dance Spirit Venerable were practically inseparable, making them difficult targets to isolate. But if humanity's Universe Masters descended upon that secret realm, Han Jue's strength would give him a genuine chance at revenge.
After all, once stripped of the Stellar Belt, Venerable Guan Ri would be reduced to just another ordinary Universe Overlord.
Han Jue had already demonstrated Universe Overlord-level combat power when he killed that Monster Race dragon!
Killing Guan Ri outright would still be challenging, but at least it wouldn't be like before, when resistance had been utterly impossible.
"Do it yourself? That's acceptable," the Lord of Ice Peak nodded slightly, a hint of approval in his ancient eyes.
Given Venerable Guan Ri's volatile and unhinged personality, recruiting him into Hongmeng would obviously prove far more difficult than it had been with the Lord of Star Stream. As for Dance Spirit Venerable, if she didn't demonstrate sufficient value or loyalty, she wouldn't be absorbed into the alliance either.
Better to eliminate both threats while the opportunity presented itself.
"Then it's settled," Primal Chaos City Lord said with finality.
"Han Jue, the three of you wait there. If anything goes wrong, flee immediately. If escape proves impossible, self-destruct without hesitation. Do not allow yourself to be soul-enslaved under any circumstances. We three Universe Masters will arrive at the Eternal Lake Secret Realm soon!"
Inside the Eternal Lake Secret Realm.
Han Jue, Venerable Nine Swords, and Kandeli gathered within the palace-type treasure known as Cliff Palace.
This treasure belonged to the flying palace category and lacked sealing capabilities, but its flight speed approached the standard velocity of true palace-type Arcana.
"We just need to wait for the Universe Masters to engage, then immediately leave the Eternal Lake Secret Realm," Han Jue said calmly.
Once Universe Masters clashed, few beings in the entire secret realm would survive the collateral damage. Even palace-type treasures couldn't withstand casual strikes from Universe Masters. At minimum, one would need a high-tier palace-type treasure to even participate as a spectator in battles between Universe Masters.
For example, the Heavenly Wolf Palace belonging to the Sky Wolf Lord was precisely such a high-tier palace-type treasure.
"Let's take this time to see if there's anything of value remaining in the Eternal Lake Secret Realm," Han Jue suggested, glancing at his two companions.
Han Jue himself wasn't lacking in treasures, at this point, only high-tier Arcana could truly tempt him.
For Nine Swords Venerable and Kandeli, however, some top-tier treasures still represented rare and valuable finds. Though their practical uses might be limited for beings of their caliber, such items still held exchange value and could be traded with their respective clans for other treasures better suited to their needs.
"It's fine. Kandeli and I were already planning to leave the Eternal Lake Secret Realm during this period anyway," Nine Swords Venerable said with an easy smile. "Besides, obtaining this Cliff Palace already represents the greatest gain of this entire expedition."
"That's good," Han Jue nodded in satisfaction.
Just as the three were about to continue their discussion, they suddenly felt the surrounding space trembling violently, causing the entire Cliff Palace to shake with alarming intensity.
"What's happening?" Han Jue frowned, his expression turning serious.
"This aura... it's very likely that the Lord of Eternal Lake has awakened," Nine Swords Venerable said gravely, staring outward with narrowed eyes.
☆☆☆
-> 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