The three gathered within the Cliff Palace remained completely unaware that Venerable Guan Ri had brought Lord Eternal Lake with him.
From the violent spatial distortions rippling through the secret realm, they could only deduce one thing, Lord Eternal Lake had fully awakened.
"Teacher said that once Lord Eternal Lake awakens, he'll most likely be a second-tier Universe Master at minimum," Han Jue said, his expression grave. "We won't even withstand a single blow from him. If we encounter him, our only option is to flee."
Lord of Ice Peak knew about the supreme treasures Han Jue possessed, as well as his true combat capabilities.
Even with that assessment, he still delivered such a sobering warning.
A second-tier Universe Master could easily annihilate a top-tier Universe Overlord without breaking a sweat. Han Jue hadn't even reached Universe Overlord status, not truly.
"We understand," Nine Swords Venerable replied grimly.
None of those who had survived this long were fools.
Before Lord Eternal Lake appeared, the strongest beings in the Eternal Lake Secret Realm had been merely a handful of top-tier Universe Overlords. With the backing of the Virtual Universe Company, they'd been essentially untouchable. The combined strength of Nine Swords Venerable and Kandeli meant that even ordinary Universe Overlords couldn't threaten them.
Without danger, the two had dared to explore the secret realm so brazenly. But if real danger emerged, they would naturally choose to retreat.
"Alright, "
Before Han Jue could finish his sentence, the entire Cliff Palace shuddered violently, trembling as if caught in an earthquake.
The three immediately exited the palace. Nine Swords Venerable swiftly retrieved the Cliff Palace into his spatial storage and looked toward the depths of the Eternal Lake Secret Realm.
"That's... Venerable Guan Ri?" Nine Swords Venerable's eyes widened in recognition.
The Stellar Belt, that domain-type treasure was far too distinctive to mistake.
Even separated by hundreds of thousands of light-years, the 108 stars of varying sizes remained instantly recognizable.
"Who is he fighting? Lord Eternal Lake?" Han Jue couldn't help but ask.
"It should be," Kandeli confirmed.
"Let's retreat to the exit and observe. We need to avoid getting caught in their crossfire."
"Agreed."
The three concealed themselves at the secret realm's exit, ready to escape at a moment's notice.
"Guan Ri, why did you betray me?" Lord Eternal Lake's voice thundered across the void, filled with volcanic fury.
"Betrayal?" Venerable Guan Ri laughed bitterly, his divine body already suffering catastrophic damage.
Both combatants had revealed their true forms. Venerable Guan Ri's true body was a special life form resembling a living star, radiating light and heat without any fixed physical shape. The Stellar Belt could almost be considered his innate treasure, born alongside him from the secret realm itself.
Without the Stellar Belt, Venerable Guan Ri wouldn't even survive a single exchange with Lord Eternal Lake in direct combat. He would perish instantly.
"You arrogant bastard, do you really think you're something special?" Venerable Guan Ri snarled through the pain. "If you hadn't forcibly implanted those soul restrictions and separated the three of us, who would have truly submitted to you?"
"Breaking through to Universe Master? Ha! This Eternal Lake Secret Realm was originally capable of nurturing top-tier treasures naturally. You plundered most of its resources and energy for yourself. Even with all that, you only barely managed to break through after countless epochs. Anyone else would have already become a Universe Master long ago!"
"How dare you!"
Lord Eternal Lake's temperament had always been volatile. Under Venerable Guan Ri's calculated provocation, his rage exploded completely. He unleashed his strongest innate secret technique directly at Venerable Guan Ri.
"Nebula Rift!"
Lord Eternal Lake roared. Countless rays of starlight surged from his nebula-like divine body, eventually converging at his core to form a devastating beam of energy. The beam's power was perfectly controlled, not a single ray leaked from its focused destruction.
"Guan Ri!" Blood Moon Venerable sensed something catastrophic and arrived at the battlefield. Seeing the attack forming, his expression changed drastically.
The crimson moon beneath his feet shot forward instantly!
This was a flying palace-type treasure with defensive capabilities comparable to high-grade armor. Only a fourth-tier Universe Master could destroy it. It blocked the attack containing Lord Eternal Lake's boundless power, shielding Venerable Guan Ri from certain death.
"Blood Moon?" Venerable Guan Ri exclaimed in shock.
He hadn't expected Blood Moon Venerable to come to his rescue!
"Lord Eternal Lake, you dare injure Guan Ri? You're finished!" A delicate yet furious female voice rang out across the battlefield.
A pink butterfly fluttered into view, its gossamer wings catching Venerable Guan Ri's severely wounded form with surprising gentleness.
"You two truly did conspire together," Blood Moon Venerable said coldly, his gaze fixed on the intimate pair.
Venerable Guan Ri's face flushed crimson. To hide his embarrassment, he immediately turned his attention back to Lord Eternal Lake.
Seeing this development, Lord Eternal Lake wasn't angry, instead, he seemed pleased.
"Three ants, nothing more. Do you actually think the three of you together can contend with a Universe Master?"
Blood Moon's surprise attack might work once when Lord Eternal Lake was unprepared, but if Lord Eternal Lake remained vigilant, the crimson moon couldn't withstand his assault.
"Devour!"
Lord Eternal Lake shouted. A massive vortex manifested on his nebula-form divine body, directly swallowing the crimson satellite into his core!
"What?!" Blood Moon Venerable stared in disbelief.
His connection to the Blood Moon had been severed completely!
"Hahaha! You don't even understand my abilities, yet you dare attack me?" Lord Eternal Lake's laughter echoed across the void.
Then his expression hardened into something cold and merciless.
BOOM! BOOM BOOM BOOM!
Hundreds of purple energy beams erupted from his form!
Lord Eternal Lake's sudden explosive power made it impossible for the three to withstand his onslaught.
Blood Moon Venerable's true form was a special meteorite life form capable of fusing with planets to expand his divine body and enhance its strength. But in this critical moment, even with divine body durability comparable to a top-tier treasure, it proved futile!
Hundreds of attacks pierced through Blood Moon Venerable's divine body, as well as Dance Spirit Venerable, who desperately tried to protect Venerable Guan Ri.
In the blink of an eye, both Blood Moon Venerable and Dance Spirit Venerable suffered catastrophic injuries!
Venerable Guan Ri, due to excessive divine body damage, fell into forced hibernation.
Lord Eternal Lake understood the principle that villains often fail by talking too much. Though he didn't consider himself a villain, he still moved quickly to finish them off.
Crack!
A single palm strike descended!
The surrounding spacetime shattered completely, forming spatial rifts. Countless chaotic law currents surged through the void, this entire region had become a complete death zone.
At the center of that palm was Venerable Guan Ri, protected by Dance Spirit Venerable. His divine body had sustained the most severe damage, making him the target Lord Eternal Lake most wanted to eliminate.
"Guan Ri!" Dance Spirit Venerable cried out in anguish.
"Truly touching," Lord Eternal Lake said with a mocking shake of his head. He withdrew his hand casually, claiming the Stellar Belt as his prize before looking at them with contempt.
With that single strike, Venerable Guan Ri was utterly annihilated, truly and completely dead!
"Guan Ri..." Blood Moon Venerable's eyes turned bloodshot as he stared at Lord Eternal Lake with pure, burning hatred.
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