The Dry Sea Secret Realm contained a boundless ocean suspended impossibly in the void.
Beneath this sky-borne sea lay a vast continental shelf. When the Dry Sea Secret Realm cycled into its underground sea phase, the surface of this hidden continent would be exposed to the realm's dimension. However, Han Jue and the other participants had entered shortly after the transformation from underground sea to sky sea, meaning the next continental exposure wouldn't occur for another six months.
"Don't be stubborn about asking for help," the Bald Territory Lord warned from the spaceship's command deck, his tone carrying genuine concern despite his gruff demeanor. "If the situation becomes truly dangerous, contact us through the Virtual Universe network immediately. Our rescue team will arrive within minutes."
His caution was justified. Every participant in this secret realm came from wealthy or noble families, bloodlines that powerful factions valued highly. Not even the Bald Territory Lord himself, despite being a ninth-level Territory Lord, could afford the consequences if something happened to these young elites. If any descendant favored by an Immortal perished here under his watch, the repercussions would be catastrophic.
"We understand," several voices responded in acknowledgment.
"Good. You're dismissed."
After the spaceship achieved stable positioning above the designated entry zone, the Bald Territory Lord gave his final authorization. The deployment bay doors opened with a hiss of equalizing pressure.
Han Jue didn't hesitate. His form blurred with controlled acceleration as he launched himself from the vessel, diving cleanly into the azure expanse below. The sky sea's surface approached rapidly, and he sliced through the water with barely a splash, his body control perfected through countless training sessions.
"Master, the sky sea reaches a maximum depth of approximately one million meters," Rimuru reported, his synthesized voice calm and analytical as always. "The shallowest regions measure only slightly over one hundred thousand meters. Theoretically, if you descended through the entire vertical distance, you would reach the continental floor at the bottom of the Dry Sea Secret Realm. That's where Dry Sea Ore typically accumulates."
"Dry Sea Ore has negligible market value," Han Jue replied dismissively, his Water Domain already extending outward to map the surrounding environment. "It wouldn't justify the time investment."
His priorities were clear and focused. "Our objective is locating sea beasts suitable for combat training, preferably ninth-level Stellar or even Universe-level specimens. Rimuru, initiate scanning protocols for nearby targets."
"Affirmative. Beginning scan now."
The detector integrated into Rimuru's systems activated immediately, casting its sensory net across a fifty-kilometer radius. While not quite as sophisticated as the advanced detection array aboard the Ice Wasteland spacecraft he'd inherited, this equipment still represented cutting-edge technology, capable of penetrating even Territory Lord-level concealment techniques. Even Realm Masters would find evading its scan difficult.
"Initial results: One ninth-level Stellar sea beast located four kilometers northwest. One second-level Universe-level sea beast detected fifteen kilometers due east..." Rimuru continued listing targets methodically, his voice maintaining perfect composure despite the combat implications.
Han Jue's lips curved into an anticipatory smile. Without wasting another moment, he gripped the Cloud Sea Sword's hilt and propelled himself toward the closest targets with explosive speed.
Time to hunt.
The Cuimu Empire possessed only a single Immortal, the ancient progenitor of Prince Diaman's bloodline.
Compared to the mighty Black Dragon Mountain Empire, the Cuimu Empire was significantly weaker across virtually every metric of power. Their military forces, economic resources, and territorial holdings all paled in comparison to their neighboring superpower.
Prince Diaman, the most gifted cultivator of his generation's royal family, carried the entire empire's hopes on his shoulders. Many considered him the ideal candidate for the next Emperor, if not for the inconvenient existence of his elder brother, the position of Crown Prince would have already fallen to him.
Yet Diaman himself cared little for imperial politics and courtly intrigue. His true dream extended far beyond such mundane concerns, he wanted to achieve Immortality and lead the Cuimu Empire into a new golden age of prosperity and strength.
Unfortunately, his elder brother had drastically different visions for their shared future.
"Brother, you should vacate the palace voluntarily," his elder brother's voice echoed in Diaman's memory, cold and dismissive. "Don't force me to take more direct action."
"You'll regret this decision!" Diaman had warned.
"Brother, I am the Crown Prince. You need to understand your proper station in this hierarchy."
Even now, months later, remembering that night's conversation still made Diaman's blood boil with barely contained fury.
His eldest brother's so-called "talent" was mediocre at best. Achieving Territory Lord level through his own cultivation efforts would be extraordinarily difficult, perhaps impossible. Without the empire's full institutional support and resource allocation, reaching Realm Master level was nothing but a delusional fantasy.
Yet their father favored the eldest son regardless. Their mother shared that bias. And with their ancestor remaining in closed-door cultivation, completely uninvolved in succession politics, his elder brother wielded unchecked authority throughout the imperial court.
So under mounting pressure from the Crown Prince's faction, Diaman had ultimately fled the Imperial Capital with all his portable wealth and resources. His destination: the Dry Sea Secret Realm. His goal: use its extreme training environment to achieve a breakthrough to Universe level.
After that, he would join the Great Axe Dojo as a Universe-level warrior, climbing through their ranking system one hard-fought victory at a time. Eventually, he would reach Realm Master level through his own merit and power.
Then, and only then, would he return to the Imperial Capital and demonstrate to his arrogant brother that the throne was never the true prize. Real power came from personal strength, not inherited authority.
These ambitious plans filled Diaman's thoughts as he navigated through the sky sea's depths.
"Hmph. A mere sea beast dares obstruct my path?"
Diaman's expression turned contemptuous as he detected the massive creature approaching. Without breaking stride, he drew the elegant spear from the magnetic holster on his back and engaged the giant octopus-type beast directly, its tentacles writhing with predatory intent as it closed the distance between them.
His Water Domain flared with controlled intensity, and the battle began.
The Dry Sea Secret Realm was truly immense in scale.
The region covered by the sky sea alone exceeded several times the total surface area of Qiongling Star, making it one of the larger training grounds maintained by the major powers of the Black Dragon Mountain Star Region.
Ten thousand participants scattered throughout such vastness were essentially invisible drops in an infinite ocean.
Xie Peng was currently exploring the sky sea's intermediate depths alongside three newly acquainted companions, fellow young nobles from prominent families scattered across the region.
All four were stereotypical dandy scions: wealthy, privileged, and largely uninterested in serious cultivation. They'd been effectively forced to participate in this training realm by their respective families' elders, who desperately hoped exposure to real danger might light a fire under their unmotivated descendants. Their ultimate life goal would probably be reaching Universe level, anything beyond that required too much actual effort.
"Xie Peng, aren't you Blue Silver Clan members supposed to have natural affinity with the Origin Law of Wood?" asked Xifuwei, a lavishly dressed man standing over three meters tall. Distinctive white wings sprouted from his back, the signature trait of his Thousand Feather Clan bloodline. "Why are you training in a water environment instead?"
"Xifuwei, your Thousand Feather Clan specializes in the Origin Law of Light," another companion interjected with a laugh before Xie Peng could respond. This speaker had dark blue skin and four functional arms, genetic markers of the Suilan Clan. "Light has even less connection to water than wood does. You're hardly in a position to judge."
"Brother Gushan, your Suilan Clan does possess natural attunement to the Origin Law of Water," Xie Peng acknowledged diplomatically. "This environment should provide significant advantages for developing your innate abilities. We're looking forward to witnessing them firsthand."
"Don't worry," Gushan replied with confident laughter, his four arms gesturing expansively. "I won't disappoint."
"Wait, something's approaching," the fourth member of their group suddenly interjected, his tone sharp with caution.
This last companion was the shortest by far, almost dwarf-like in stature, but his sensory perception clearly exceeded the others' capabilities.
"What is it?" The other three immediately fell silent, their expressions shifting to wary alertness as they scanned the surrounding waters.
The Dry Sea Secret Realm's ecosystem varied dramatically depending on which phase of its cycle currently dominated. During the sky sea period, the waters contained virtually no conventional food sources for the native fauna.
This created a situation where the sea beasts became extraordinarily aggressive and indiscriminately violent, attacking any living creature they encountered on sight. Anything that wasn't their own species became a potential meal. The three dominant predator types inhabiting these waters were the Cloud Shark, the Giant Whale, and the Abyssal Octopus.
Among these three apex predators, Cloud Sharks were by far the most dangerous. They traveled in coordinated hunting packs and employed sophisticated group tactics. Once surrounded by a Cloud Shark swarm, even Universe-level cultivators faced lethal danger.
The oppressive silence pressing down on them from all directions fit perfectly with typical Cloud Shark hunting behavior.
"Hmm..." Gushan suddenly focused his attention intensely in one specific direction, his expression darkening with growing concern.
"What's happening?" Xifuwei demanded nervously, his wings twitching with agitation.
"It seems we might need to call for emergency extraction," Gushan said heavily, his voice grave with reluctant acceptance.
"Xie Peng, Xifuwei, Mu Yuanli," Gushan addressed each of his companions formally, his four arms crossing over his chest in a gesture of solemn declaration. "My Suilan Clan's innate secret technique is called Listening to Springs. It grants me the ability to perceive events occurring at great distances through water as a medium. Right now, I can sense that a massacre is unfolding approximately five hundred kilometers from our current position."
His expression grew even grimmer. "Vast quantities of blood are staining the sea crimson in that location. Only a hunting swarm of Cloud Sharks could produce that level of carnage."
"Brother Gushan, are we truly unable to escape?" Xie Peng asked reluctantly, clearly unwilling to waste his precious emergency extraction opportunity.
Requesting rescue carried a steep cost, ten million Universe Coins per activation. Even as a member of the Blue Silver Royal Family, that represented a significant expense for Xie Peng personally.
More importantly, this secret realm remained open for ninety continuous years. Participants received one complimentary emergency extraction, but only one. If he burned that option immediately upon entering, what would he do if he encountered an even more dangerous situation later?
"I refuse to give up without trying," Xie Peng declared through gritted teeth, his jaw set with stubborn determination.
"Me as well," Mu Yuanli agreed firmly. "Even if escape proves difficult, I won't surrender this easily."
Xifuwei remained silent but nodded his agreement, his white wings spreading slightly in preparation for rapid movement.
"You three..." Gushan regarded them with obvious surprise, clearly having expected them to immediately opt for evacuation.
A faint smile finally crossed his blue-skinned features. "Very well then. I'll accompany you as well."
His four arms gestured decisively toward the opposite direction from where he'd sensed the distant slaughter. "Move in the opposite direction from the Cloud Shark activity. With luck and the ancestors' favor, perhaps the swarm hasn't detected our presence yet. There's still a chance for escape!"
The four cultivators immediately altered their trajectory, swimming with desperate speed away from the unseen threat lurking somewhere in the vast depths of the sky sea.
Whether they would successfully evade the predators hunting these waters remained to be seen.
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