Initially, the Virtual Universe Company had dispatched five World Masters from the Primal Secret Realm to explore this treacherous sea region.
Only two emerged alive.
Both survivors eventually acquired the ability to create clones, bodies possessing genetic levels one hundred times greater than ordinary special lifeforms. While these clones seemingly lacked innate secret techniques, their divine bodies proved formidable beyond measure, far surpassing even powerful plant-based lifeforms like the Star-Eating Grass.
When Virtual Universe Company executives questioned these two World Masters about how they'd obtained their clones, neither could provide answers. Their memories of the crucial events had been completely wiped, as though extracted by some unfathomable force.
All their intelligent optical computers and recording devices had been destroyed beyond recovery.
If they weren't deliberately concealing the truth, and telepathic scans confirmed they weren't, only one explanation remained: even greater opportunities lay hidden beneath those stellar waters.
Unfortunately, subsequent expeditions yielded diminishing returns.
The Virtual Universe Company sent many Immortals, even Universe Venerables, to explore the region. They found nothing new. Instead, another group of World Masters entered the depths, and only one returned alive.
That lone World Master also eventually gained a clone.
This pattern of survival, mysterious memory loss, destroyed equipment, and inexplicable clone acquisition, was why the Lord of Ice Peak had sent Han Jue to this location.
In her estimation, if World Masters from the Primal Secret Realm could obtain clones despite their lesser talents, then with Han Jue's extraordinary abilities and comprehension, he might uncover even greater secrets lurking in those depths.
Three years passed in the blink of an eye.
For someone at Han Jue's level, such a span felt negligible, barely enough time to complete a single meditation session.
Within the Virtual Universe, Han Jue was attempting to cultivate an advanced technique.
Teleportation.
If he could master this ability, it would signify that Han Jue's comprehension of spatial laws had reached a level equivalent to that of a Peak Immortal King!
The Lord of Ice Peak had explained that, given Han Jue's special bloodline advantages, once he fully comprehended the sixth diagram of the Ice Peak Chaos Monument, he would possess a genuine chance of utilizing teleportation in reality, even without perfect mastery of all the diagram's nuances.
However, with his current understanding of the laws, achieving practical teleportation would require considerable additional cultivation time.
In contrast, his innate secret technique [No Limit] had shown remarkable progress.
As his understanding of spatial laws deepened, the upper defensive threshold of [No Limit] had now reached ten thousand times a World Master's baseline power, equivalent to an initial-level Immortal King's attack strength.
Han Jue was currently studying the secret patterns of spatial law corresponding to [No Limit], attempting to actively cultivate it as a refined technique rather than simply relying on passive improvement through his fundamental spatial law comprehension.
How powerful would [No Limit] become if he could actively refine it?
Han Jue dared not imagine the possibilities.
However, his current level of spatial law understanding still fell short of transforming this innate secret technique into an actively cultivatable method, a somewhat frustrating limitation.
"Master, we're approaching the Hong Luo Secret Realm," Rimuru announced.
"Good," Han Jue acknowledged with a slight nod, exiting the Virtual Universe.
"Activate exterior simulation," Han Jue commanded.
Whoosh!
The interior of the spacecraft suddenly turned transparent, its walls becoming windows to the cosmos beyond.
A massive black hole, approximately one hundred million kilometers in diameter, loomed in the starry void before Han Jue's vessel. Its event horizon devoured all surrounding light and matter with insatiable hunger, creating a sphere of absolute darkness against the star-scattered background.
This was the passage to the Hong Luo Secret Realm.
By traversing this black hole, one could enter the secret realm capable of threatening even Universe Venerables, the notorious Hong Luo Secret Realm!
Han Jue had Rimuru shut down the Ice Wasteland's main engines. Using the black hole's gravitational pull, the entire spacecraft was drawn inexorably inward. After passing through an extraordinarily long tunnel of distorted spacetime, the Ice Wasteland emerged into a new section of the cosmos.
Only a Universe Venerable could physically traverse that black hole's passage unaided.
Others, even those at Peak Immortal King level, required the protection of an F9-class spacecraft to survive the journey. Otherwise, they would be torn apart by the dimensional shearing forces within. Even Immortals would fall into deep comas from the severe damage inflicted upon their divine bodies during such an attempt.
The Hong Luo Secret Realm was vast beyond ordinary comprehension.
The dangerous regions currently explored by humanity accounted for less than one-third of the entire Hong Luo Secret Realm's total area.
Estimates suggested the Hong Luo Secret Realm was comparable in size to a high-level Universe Country, an almost incomprehensible expanse of space containing countless threats and treasures.
Using the star map coordinates provided by his teacher, Han Jue directed Rimuru to pilot the Ice Wasteland toward the Star Flow Sea.
The Star Flow Sea
Within the Hong Luo Secret Realm, the Star Flow Sea existed as one of the most perilous regions, a place where even powerful Immortals trod carefully.
Its name derived from a simple yet terrifying reality: each individual drop of water possessed a mass equivalent to that of an entire star. The currents resembled the collision of countless planets, creating pressure waves that could instantly crush unprepared intruders into atomic mist.
Upon reaching the Star Flow Sea's boundary, Han Jue retracted the Ice Wasteland into his world ring.
This sea region was extraordinarily treacherous.
Any F9-class spacecraft entering it would be crushed like a tin can by the stellar-mass currents, the pressure differential was simply too extreme for even advanced materials to withstand.
"Star-Eater," Han Jue called, and the Star-Eating Grass erupted from his internal world in a burst of golden radiance.
Enormous golden leaves immediately enveloped Han Jue's body, forming a primary defensive barrier against the hostile environment.
"Clone..." Han Jue murmured thoughtfully.
The three World Masters who had previously acquired clones had all used Immortal-level plant lifeforms to penetrate the depths of the Star Flow Sea. The precise events of their journeys remained unknown, their memories completely erased.
"Star-Eater, descend!" Han Jue commanded.
Splash!
The Star-Eating Grass carried Han Jue into the Star Flow Sea, sending up surprisingly small ripples despite the immense forces at play. The protective golden leaves glowed brilliantly as they began bearing the crushing pressure of the stellar waters.
The diameter of the Star Flow Sea was approximately nine hundred million kilometers, roughly six times the distance from Earth's sun to its orbit.
The entire sea resembled a gigantic planet composed entirely of water, hovering impossibly in the void of space through forces that defied conventional physics.
The deeper they descended into the Star Flow Sea, the greater the water pressure became. At the deepest point, even a Universe Venerable wouldn't easily survive the crushing forces.
Han Jue grew increasingly skeptical about how those three World Masters had obtained their clones under such extreme conditions.
By this point, the Star-Eating Grass had already carried Han Jue to a depth of one million kilometers beneath the sea's surface!
The pressure at that level was sufficient to damage even an Immortal King's divine body. Descending further, to perhaps ten million kilometers, would cause the Star-Eating Grass's divine body to begin collapsing under the strain.
At thirty million kilometers depth, the rate of damage would accelerate dramatically, threatening its complete destruction.
"There's nothing in this Star Flow Sea. How did they obtain their clones?" Han Jue pondered, unable to reach a satisfactory conclusion.
"Master," the Star-Eating Grass transmitted telepathically, "it seems an underwater vortex has appeared below us."
"Investigate!" Han Jue's eyes lit up with sudden interest.
The greatest fear wasn't encountering enemies or strange phenomena, it was finding nothing at all!
This underwater vortex might be connected to the mysterious opportunity hidden within the Star Flow Sea.
Han Jue felt confident in his abilities to handle whatever they might discover.
"Great Master, a newcomer has arrived outside."
Two beings conversed in a magnificent hall deep beneath the stellar waters.
Upon closer inspection, the speaker kneeling below was a terrifying beast with a hideous face covered in sharp barbs. Three pointed horns jutted from its head, and three slender tails swung rhythmically behind its massive form, each movement radiating barely contained violence.
The other party in this exchange was a towering giant seated upon an imposing throne. Its entire body appeared composed of flowing water, making its specific features impossible to discern. The aqueous form rippled and shifted constantly, as though the being were simultaneously solid and liquid.
"Well then, follow the usual procedures," the water giant on the throne said, its voice resonating like waves crashing against stone.
"Yes, Great Master," the ferocious beast replied in a muffled voice before turning and departing the hall.
The water giant gazed into the distance, as if its perception could pierce through the endless seawater and directly observe Han Jue's distant approach.
"Can this one succeed?" the water giant murmured to itself.
It had been waiting here for countless epochs, watching generation after generation of hopefuls arrive. Most perished. A rare few succeeded partially. None had yet achieved the true purpose for which this trial existed.
Perhaps this newcomer would be different.
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