The first level of Myriad Avatars allowed the cultivation of three incarnations.
In terms of difficulty, it far exceeded the first level of Myriad Threads. But for Han Jue, someone who'd already crossed the threshold of the Space Origin Law and possessed the innate secret method of [Analysis], Myriad Avatars proved far more manageable than expected.
Han Jue took a deep breath, his speed exploding as he circled behind the Desert Sea Octopus.
Now!
Including the three differentiated incarnations, four versions of Han Jue simultaneously attacked the Desert Sea Octopus, completely overwhelming its ability to track the real threat.
"Splash!"
The Desert Sea Octopus burst forward with desperate strength, its eight tentacles lashing out at all four Han Jues simultaneously in a frantic attempt to defend itself.
"Snap!"
Under the octopus's furious assault, three incarnations dissipated into shadows, vanishing like smoke.
But Han Jue, the real Han Jue, hidden perfectly among the decoys, erupted with his full power at precisely that moment of vulnerability.
The second form of Cloud Sea Sword Technique!
Han Jue's eyes turned cold and focused. He'd already comprehended nearly one-third of the first-level secret patterns of the Cloud Sea Hunting Dragon, comparable to Luo Feng's mastery of the first layer of the Nine Divine Weapons. He could finally unleash a glimpse of the Cloud Sea Sword's true power!
"BOOM!"
The sword strike resonated with immense force.
Though still a prototype technique, its destructive power already rivaled his yet-to-be-perfected Ice Freeze sword form.
Once fully refined, Han Jue believed this move would become his ultimate killing strike.
The seawater split cleanly in two under the sword's passage, creating a brief vacuum where nothing existed. Wherever the Cloud Sea Sword passed, reality itself seemed to vanish into nothingness.
"Crash!"
The displaced waters rushed back together, crashing with tremendous force and creating massive waves that rippled outward across the sky sea.
When the turbulence finally settled, the surrounding sea was devoid of any sign of life, save for Han Jue himself.
Observing the Desert Sea Octopus's body split cleanly in two, Han Jue nodded with satisfaction.
By combining his understanding of the fundamental Water Origin Law and Space Origin Law, he'd created this sword technique's prototype. While still unstable and unrefined, its power was undeniable.
Perhaps this sword move should be called 'Sea Splitting'? Han Jue pondered the name thoughtfully.
Arriving beside the bisected Desert Sea Octopus, Han Jue was surprised to find it still clinging to life.
What tenacious vitality, he thought with grudging respect.
"Countless years ago, before the Dry Sea Secret Realm was officially discovered," Rimuru explained conversationally, "a Realm Master-level Desert Sea Octopus caused catastrophic damage to First Bank of the Universe personnel. Eventually, an Immortal was dispatched to subdue it."
No wonder these creatures are so difficult to kill.
Han Jue nodded in understanding, then delivered a finishing strike to end the octopus's suffering.
He extracted large pieces of translucent white gel from the Desert Sea Octopus's body and stored them carefully in his World Ring. Retrieving his concealed spaceship from subspace, he escaped inside its protective hull.
"Rimuru, can you measure my current physical fitness?" Han Jue asked.
Rimuru's holographic form appeared instantly, running diagnostic scans.
"Master, your current physical fitness is approaching that of second and third-level Cosmic-rank warriors. Continuing to consume Sea Beast Gel will likely provide diminishing returns from this point forward."
Sea Beast Gel could elevate a Stellar-level warrior's physical fitness to levels comparable with Cosmic-rank cultivators. Because Han Jue's genetic level was five times that of baseline humanity, the gel's effects had been amplified even further, but that advantage had reached its natural limit.
"Today is only the tenth day since we entered this place," Han Jue sighed.
In just ten days, his mission objectives for the Dry Sea Secret Realm had been essentially accomplished.
Further training opportunities?
Even third-level Cosmic-rank Desert Sea Octopi were no longer challenging opponents. Finding significantly stronger sea beasts wouldn't be easy, and might not even be possible within the accessible regions of the sky sea.
He'd also experimented with Dry Sea Water Droplets purchased through the First Bank of the Universe over the past few days, but the enhancement effects proved disappointingly minimal. They provided no significant advantage over his own natural comprehension speed.
"Master, you could continue using the E-grade nutrient chamber to strengthen your body," Rimuru suggested practically. "Wait until the sky sea sinks and the seawater transforms into the underground sea phase. Then emerge and attempt to comprehend the Water Origin Law during that transitional period, the environmental shifts might provide unique insights."
That's probably the best approach.
Han Jue nodded in agreement.
The spaceship descended deep into the sky sea's lower regions, finding a stable position far from surface disturbances. Han Jue settled into the nutrient chamber, allowing its advanced systems to optimize his continued physical development.
Time passed steadily.
More than a month had passed since they'd first entered the secret realm.
Xie Peng and his companions were still struggling desperately against the seemingly endless swarm of Cloud Sharks.
"Everyone, it seems we won't be able to claim that Dry Sea Crystal Source from the Cloud Sharks on our own," Xifuwei said with evident frustration and reluctant acceptance.
Over the past month, the five cultivators had attempted numerous assault strategies. Each time, however, before they could even approach the massive Cosmic-level Cloud Shark guarding the crystal source, they were driven back by hundreds of planetary and stellar-level Cloud Sharks acting as living shields. Had they not escaped with excellent timing each attempt, they would have been torn apart by the swarm.
The strongest among the five was undoubtedly Diaman, a ninth-level Stellar Master who'd successfully mastered his Water Domain.
The weakest was Xie Peng, a mere second-level Stellar Master, though his enthusiasm never wavered despite the power gap.
The remaining three ranged from fifth to eighth-level Stellar Masters, each with respectable combat abilities.
But even with such collective strength, they were simply no match for hundreds of coordinated Cloud Sharks defending their territory and precious resource.
"Everyone, if this situation doesn't improve, I'll be departing first," Diaman announced, standing with his spear slung casually over his shoulder, clearly preparing to abandon the futile effort.
"Brother, you, " Xie Peng started to protest.
Xifuwei stopped him with a gentle gesture, shaking his head. "Let him go."
Piloting the spaceship toward what he hoped might be a safer observation position, Xifuwei suddenly sensed something profoundly wrong with their environment.
"Wait, have you noticed?" asked Gushan, whose four arms were tensed with alertness, his senses the keenest among them. "The water around us... it seems to be sinking?"
Gushan wasn't imagining things.
The surrounding sea beasts and Cloud Sharks were also beginning to stir restlessly, their behavioral patterns shifting from organized hunting to panicked confusion.
"The water is sinking?" Mu Yuanli exclaimed, his short stature tensing with sudden realization. "Isn't that what happens when the sky sea transforms into the underground sea? But that transition shouldn't occur for at least four more months!"
When the group had entered the Dry Sea Secret Realm, the underground sea had only recently risen to become the sky sea, perhaps a few days before their arrival at most.
Even accounting for the month they'd spent battling the Cloud Shark swarm, at least four months should have remained before the next phase transition.
Diaman frowned deeply, his expression darkening as he stared through the spaceship's viewing ports at the increasingly chaotic waters outside.
The Cloud Sharks near the spaceship were already descending into violent chaos, even attacking each other in their panic. The sea was gradually being stained red with blood.
The largest member of the swarm, that massive Cosmic-class Cloud Shark they'd been unable to approach for weeks, relied on its overwhelming strength to carve a bloody path through its own pack. It charged directly toward their spaceship, seemingly mistaking the vessel for the cause of the environmental disturbance.
"BANG!"
The entire ship shook violently from the impact.
Xifuwei's face drained of color, horror flooding his features.
This is a C9-class spaceship!
Even a ninth-level Cosmic-rank creature shouldn't be able to penetrate its defensive hull, yet a single Cloud Shark had shaken the entire vessel?
"It... it appears to be absorbing power from the Dry Sea Crystal Source!" Mu Yuanli exclaimed, his voice filled with disbelief as he observed the phenomenon through the ship's sensors.
Sea beasts can't normally utilize Dry Sea Crystal Source!
If they could, countless Domain Master-level sea beasts would have emerged in this secret realm over the millennia, transforming it from a training ground into a death trap for stellar-level cultivators.
While Dry Sea Crystal Sources were considered rare treasures for human cultivators, they appeared with regular frequency in the secret realm every six-month cycle. If sea beasts could absorb them, the entire ecosystem would have evolved dramatically over generations.
"Domain!" Xie Peng shouted, pointing with trembling fingers at the transformed Cloud Shark.
As the Dry Sea Crystal Source gradually merged into the Cloud Shark's massive body, it opened its maw and unleashed a Water Domain that pressed against the spaceship's hull with crushing force!
"We must request rescue immediately!"
Xifuwei no longer hesitated, sending an emergency distress signal directly through the Virtual Universe network.
The Cosmic-level Cloud Shark's momentum continued growing exponentially as it absorbed more of the crystal source's power. After determining it couldn't breach the spaceship's reinforced hull despite its enhanced strength, the creature turned back toward the swarm, and began systematically devouring other Cloud Sharks to fuel its transformation.
Everyone aboard the spaceship breathed a collective sigh of relief.
"What's happening here?!" Xie Peng was nearly in tears, his voice cracking with stress and fear. "This wasn't supposed to happen!"
Diaman's face was grim and uncertain, his thoughts clearly racing through tactical possibilities and survival scenarios.
The seawater outside surged with increasingly chaotic currents. The spaceship drifted helplessly with the turbulent flows, its stabilization systems struggling to maintain position.
The vessel continued sinking along with the descending seawater, rapidly leaving the sky sea's upper regions and approaching the transitional zone where the underground sea would eventually form.
Xifuwei attempted to activate the spaceship's propulsion systems to counteract the descent.
The engines failed to respond.
His hands flew across the control panels, running emergency diagnostics.
The power system is damaged? Xifuwei's mind reeled. When did that happen?
A spatial crack appeared without warning directly beneath the spaceship, a hairline fracture in reality itself, completely invisible to the vessel's detection systems.
None of the cultivators aboard noticed it at all.
The spaceship drifted inexorably toward the widening fissure in space.
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