"Did you know? That was an illusion I designed based on your human games," the towering water giant said, its voice echoing through the grand hall.
"From the moment you entered that continent and encountered the small village, you were supposed to gather intelligence there, then travel to Twilight Island. You should have helped the island owner complete various tasks, learned of the giant beast's existence, united the other island owners, discovered information about the Bubble Fruit, and finally found a way to poison the beast. Working together with all the island's powers, you would liberate humanity across the entire continent."
The water giant's massive form rippled as it regarded Han Jue with what might have been amusement.
"But I didn't expect this outcome."
"You directly enslaved the island owner's soul and instantly killed a giant beast at the Peak King level. You even broke through my carefully constructed illusion without exploring any of the information I had hidden within it."
"That's good, though."
"At least you didn't go on a killing spree from the very beginning."
Han Jue looked embarrassed, unsure what to say in response.
It was true, he hadn't killed everyone indiscriminately.
But that restraint hadn't been born from any particular moral consideration. He simply hadn't known it was an illusion at first and had worried that killing people randomly might trigger some unknown consequence or disrupt whatever delicate balance kept the realm stable.
The only creature he'd actually killed was the toad-like beast, which had seemed to be the strongest being on that continent.
Even as he'd attacked, Han Jue had maintained an escape plan in his mind. With his abilities combined with the Star-Eating Grass, he'd calculated a reasonable chance of escaping into the Starry Sea if things went wrong.
"The goal of the first test was to kill the beast," the Water Giant explained. "Many have completed the first test before you, but they failed to see through the illusion and the second test. As a result, they obtained only mediocre clones."
The giant's gaze intensified as it stared directly at Han Jue.
"You now have two choices. First, you can obtain a clone with one thousand times the genetic power. I won't erase your memories, and you can leave immediately. Second, you can continue the test. If you succeed, you will eventually obtain a clone comparable to the entire Starry Sea."
Han Jue fell into deep thought.
A clone comparable to the entire Starry Sea?
Aside from lacking the Creation innate secret technique, it would probably be no less powerful than Luo Feng's legendary Remote Ocean clone. However, the Creation innate secret technique was precisely the most critical ability a Remote Ocean clone possessed, and it would be a crucial aid on his future path to divine power and True Godhood.
Still, the opportunity was extraordinary.
"I choose to continue the test," Han Jue said, looking up with determination.
"Very good." The water giant nodded approvingly, pointing to the ferocious beast resting beside him. "Fight it, and win. As long as you inflict fifty percent damage to its divine body, you'll be considered victorious."
"Its strength is that of a Primary Universe Venerable with thirty times the genetic level. Your ultimate attack can harm it. You may use all means at your disposal to attack it, including your Star-Eating Grass."
Looking at the ferocious beast before him, Han Jue swallowed nervously.
Me, fighting a Universe Venerable?
A ninth-level World Master fighting a Primary Universe Venerable, anyone who heard about such a matchup would think he was courting death.
However...
Han Jue felt he could still give it a try.
The explosive burst of 1.1 million times the power of a World Master was theoretically enough to injure a Primary Universe Venerable. Add to that the fact that his opponent apparently had no treasures or supreme equipment to help defend itself, and the outcome became much harder to predict.
"Roar!"
The ferocious beast bellowed at Han Jue, revealing its full massive form.
It was a creature roughly resembling a rhinoceros, though far more monstrous. Thick skin afforded it immense natural protection, and its hide was covered in black and red barbs that gleamed dangerously. Three sharp horns sprouted from its head, each covered in intricate patterns of law comprehension that shimmered with barely contained power. Its claws were so sharp that a single swing could cleave a planet in two.
This ferocious beast stretched over one hundred thousand kilometers in length. While that seemed modest compared to the million-kilometer expanse of Han Jue's Star-Eating Grass, the divine body's power density made it an incredibly imposing opponent.
"Ice Crystal Sword Energy!"
Countless streams of ice crystal sword energy, each capable of instantly freezing a peak World Master, converged on the blade of the Ice Wasteland Sword in Han Jue's hand. They merged into a massive sword strike equally spanning a million kilometers, descending like a river of frost!
"Boom!"
The sword energy collided with the beast's claws, instantly unleashing a tremendous explosion.
The energy released by that single clash alone could kill a Peak King-level opponent.
The Water Giant watched from the sidelines, seemingly unaffected by the devastating energies being thrown around.
"Woo!"
A strange roar emanated from the ferocious beast. The three sharp horns on its head suddenly illuminated with brilliant light. Countless secret patterns of laws condensed around them, and a dangerous aura emanated outward. Even clad in the Eternal Day Primordial Armor, Han Jue felt a genuine sense of mortal threat.
I can't let it accumulate power!
"Star Eater!"
Han Jue roared.
The Thousand-Vine Star-Eating Grass instantly materialized beside the ferocious beast. Its golden leaves entangled the creature, briefly halting its movements. However, the power gap was simply too great, the Star-Eating Grass was instantly repelled, suffering severe damage.
Facing an opponent an entire major realm above its own strength, and with an equally massive divine body, the Star-Eating Grass offered no significant advantage.
Han Jue collected the severely damaged plant companion, calculating it would take hundreds of years to fully recover from those injuries.
Next,
"Hmph!"
Han Jue snorted coldly, his figure already reaching the ferocious beast's head in an instant. The Ice Wasteland Sword in his hand trembled faintly, as if struggling to withstand such intense combat forces. Visible cracks appeared along the blade's surface!
Boom!
Countless blue flames, like streams of liquid fire, enveloped the ferocious beast's divine body. They burned continuously across its surface but couldn't truly inflict significant damage.
Perhaps only 0.0001% of its divine body was being consumed per second.
The Molten Flame Pool's primary function had always been containment rather than direct damage.
Even a Universe Venerable couldn't immediately break free from such a top-tier domain-class treasure.
Han Jue had never used the Molten Flame Pool during his time in the illusion, so it represented an unknown method to the ferocious beast's tactical programming.
The creature tried repeatedly to unleash its innate secret techniques, but Han Jue interrupted each attempt with precisely timed strikes, leaving the beast increasingly furious.
"Roar!"
Unable to activate its innate secrets despite multiple attempts, the beast simply abandoned that approach entirely.
It decided to rely on its divine body's overwhelming advantage to wear Han Jue down through attrition!
Burning divine power!
The ferocious beast's power exploded upward, instantly rising to a higher level of intensity. Han Jue's expression changed dramatically as he dodged repeatedly, his movements becoming increasingly desperate.
Bang!
The surrounding space was sealed by the Molten Flame Pool, preventing the ferocious beast from teleporting. However, its physical speed remained extraordinary. With a perfectly aimed blow, it knocked Han Jue away like a meteor.
His back slammed heavily against the hall's reinforced floor. This was a full-strength blow approaching the power of a mid-level Universe Master. Even though the impact was weakened to one hundred-thousandth by the Eternal Day Primordial Armor, it still caused Han Jue to suffer serious internal injuries, coughing up a mouthful of blood.
If not for the fact that his physical fitness was already comparable to that of an Immortal Marquis, a normal World Master would have died on the spot from bearing such an attack.
"It's really hard to fight," Han Jue muttered, standing up again and staring at the ferocious beast with grim determination.
From the beginning of the battle until now, the beast's divine body loss hadn't exceeded twenty percent, and the majority of that damage came from its own burning of divine power rather than Han Jue's attacks!
Making its divine body suffer more than fifty percent damage seemed nearly impossible with his current capabilities.
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