Is there any way to break this deadlock?
Han Jue gritted his teeth, his mind racing through tactical options even as the ferocious beast bore down upon him. The battle had reached a critical juncture, his Ice Wasteland Sword showed visible cracks spreading across its blade, and his divine energy reserves had depleted dangerously low.
The third sword of "Ice Sword Qi"!
The third form required a certain level of comprehension of the sixth diagram from the Ice Peak Chaos Monument, an achievement typically reserved for cultivators who had spent centuries contemplating those profound patterns. However, relying on his exceptional natural talent and his deep affinity with the fusion laws of water and space, it was possible to force this technique.
The second sword, Ice Crystal Sword Qi, combined with Han Jue's powerful explosive output, had proven capable of damaging this ferocious beast despite the enormous gap in their cultivation levels. The third sword's power exceeded the second by over a hundredfold.
Swish!
The third sword was called Star Sword Qi.
Each individual blade of sword energy resembled a frozen planet falling from the heavens, massive spheres of compressed ice and spatial law. A single strike manifested as countless frozen planets cascading down upon the target with apocalyptic force!
According to the Lord of Ice Peak's annotations, this sword energy, relying purely on technique mastery without considering the amplification from treasures or genetic level, could potentially kill a High-level Universe Overlord at the peak of World Master cultivation.
The technique's power was truly fearsome!
"Roar!"
The ferocious beast stretched out its massive claws, each one the size of a skyscraper, and grabbed toward Han Jue with crushing force. At this point, the creature was still burning divine energy to maintain its offensive pressure, its entire divine body had already depleted by nearly thirty percent from the sustained combat.
The cracks on the Ice Wasteland Sword in Han Jue's hand deepened with ominous groans, spreading like a spiderweb across the blade's surface.
"Crack!"
Han Jue could even hear the sound of the Ice Wasteland Sword shattering as microscopic fragments began flaking away from the weapon.
Only one strike left!
"Star Sword Qi!"
Han Jue's expression contorted with fury as he unleashed his final burst of strength, channeling everything remaining within him into this ultimate technique. Countless particles of icy mist erupted from his body, instantly freezing the surrounding water of the Star Flow Sea into crystalline structures that glittered with otherworldly beauty.
The Star Sword Qi seemed to adapt unexpectedly to the surrounding environment. The waters of the Star Flow Sea, where each drop possessed the mass of an entire star, resonated with the technique in ways Han Jue hadn't anticipated. The stellar-mass water resembled individual planets suspended in space, and the sword energy naturally incorporated this phenomenon into its manifestation!
The combined effect of Star Sword Qi infused with Star Flow Sea water created a devastating synergy. Countless frozen planets formed from the fusion of ice law, space law, and stellar-mass water. The power amplification exceeded the original technique by tenfold!
"Crack!"
The Ice Wasteland Sword shattered completely, fragmenting into countless pieces that dissolved into motes of light!
Han Jue lost his weapon, but the Star Sword Qi had already been released. The technique descended upon the ferocious beast's head like divine judgment made manifest.
"Boom!"
The frozen planets shattered against their target!
A thunderous roar echoed throughout the entire hall, shaking reality itself. The water giant observing from the periphery raised an eyebrow in genuine surprise, this outcome exceeded his initial calculations.
The power of this strike proved far greater than Han Jue had expected. The cascading frozen planets directly severed all three sharp horns protruding from the ferocious beast's skull and cleaved away half of its massive head in a spectacular display of destructive force. Divine blood sprayed outward, only to instantly freeze into crystalline sculptures suspended in the oppressive water.
The enhanced effect was primarily due to the amplification provided by the Star Flow Sea's unique environment.
Han Jue could only consider himself extraordinarily lucky.
If he had used the original Star Sword Qi without this environmental bonus, its destructive potential might not have exceeded his Ice Crystal Sword Qi. The "Ice Sword Qi" technique had originally been designed as a secret method suitable for cultivators below Universe Venerable level, powerful, but with clear limitations.
Under the blessing of Han Jue's explosive power and the Star Flow Sea's amplification, the five sword forms possessed roughly equivalent destructive capabilities. Unless he could create a sixth sword form that perfectly suited his own comprehension path, he could at most severely injure a Primary Universe Venerable, but killing one would remain beyond his reach.
Compared with this current strike, however, even that theoretical maximum paled in comparison.
"Hu~"
Han Jue gasped for breath, staring at the ferocious beast now lying motionless not far away. His scan revealed only thirty-nine percent of the creature's divine body remained intact. The test had been brutal beyond imagination.
Did this count as success?
"Not bad," the water giant spoke, his voice rumbling like ocean waves. He waved his massive hand, and the ferocious beast's body vanished as if it had never existed, presumably sent somewhere to recuperate and restore its divine body.
Then the giant turned his attention fully toward Han Jue, regarding him with what might have been approval.
"Luck is often a fundamental component of strength. You have demonstrated sufficient talent and power to be worthy of my recognition."
"Next, I will take you to a special place."
A current of water enveloped Han Jue before he could respond. The giant instantly carried him away from the battle hall, not giving him any opportunity to speak or ask questions. The transition was so sudden that Han Jue barely had time to process what was happening.
The next moment, the two of them materialized in a dark expanse of water that seemed to stretch infinitely in all directions. There was no light source, yet Han Jue could somehow perceive his surroundings with perfect clarity, as if the water itself possessed awareness.
"This is the core of the Star Flow Sea," the giant explained, his voice now carrying an oddly intimate quality despite its massive scale. "And also my true form."
"What?" Han Jue was stunned, his mind struggling to process this revelation.
The entire Star Flow Sea, a region nine hundred million kilometers in diameter, was this giant's true form?
"My strength, according to classifications used in the outside universe, would place me at the level of a Top Universe Overlord," the giant continued. "I rank fourth in power within this secret realm, and I have existed for countless epochs."
"I was born with a genetic level of nine thousand times normal baseline, that's how you humans would measure it."
"With almost no need for cultivation, I naturally reached the level of Universe Venerable through maturation alone. I mastered the Origin Laws of Space through instinct and held an extremely high status within this secret realm. But the more powerful I became, the more meaningless it all seemed."
The water giant's voice carried hints of ancient melancholy, the weariness of an existence that had lived too long without purpose.
"Dozens of epochs ago, a spatial passage appeared in this secret realm connecting to the outside universe. Only then did I realize there were so many powerful beings out there, and such a wonderfully complex cosmos beyond these walls. I decided to leave this place."
"But before I depart, I wanted to find someone who could inherit my legacy."
Han Jue listened in stunned silence, barely able to believe what he was hearing.
"The method of obtaining a clone wasn't created by me," the water giant explained. "It comes from a treasure naturally born within this secret realm, an artifact that allows a cultivator to possess and nurture an avatar with a genetic level no more than one hundred times their own baseline."
"That treasure has limited quantity, only nine total specimens existed. I fought for four of them over the course of several epochs. This is the last one remaining in my possession."
"I contemplated the situation and suddenly realized something interesting, I don't actually have any conventional secret techniques to pass on as inheritance."
"The only meaningful legacy I can offer... is myself."
"So you possess one hundred times the baseline life genes." The water giant's attention focused entirely on Han Jue. "From the moment you entered the Star Flow Sea, you were my chosen successor."
This...
Han Jue hadn't expected the water giant's plan to take such an unprecedented direction. The implications were staggering.
"You will use my genes to create a clone," the water giant suddenly said, a hint of amusement coloring his tone. "That makes you my child, in a sense. Calling me 'Father' wouldn't be too much of a stretch, would it?"
"Huh?" Han Jue was completely at a loss for words. Should I actually call him Father, or not?
"Hahaha, just kidding," the water giant laughed, the sound creating actual pressure waves in the surrounding water. "Next, you will cultivate your clone here within my core. Once you've successfully created it, I'll depart this secret realm and explore the outside universe."
"If nothing unexpected happens, I might join your human race's Hong Alliance, or perhaps explore elsewhere, searching for an opportunity to break through and become a Universe Master. If you're ever in mortal danger, you can always seek me out, assuming I'm not otherwise occupied."
"Wait!" Han Jue interjected quickly. "I'm only a World Master now. The clone I can create is, at most, World Master-level, correct? But you're a Universe Venerable!"
Han Jue had discovered a critical flaw in this plan.
How could a World Master possibly give birth to a Universe Venerable-level clone? The power disparity was too extreme, it violated fundamental principles of cultivation progression.
"Don't worry about that," the water giant reassured him. "Although I was born as an Immortal and have now reached Universe Venerable level, I possess an innate secret ability called [Split]. This allows me to divide off a body equivalent to World Master cultivation level. That separated body can be used to create your clone, so the power imbalance shouldn't pose any problem."
Upon hearing this explanation, Han Jue nodded slowly, his concerns partially alleviated.
Split?
It might not be as impressive as the Nine Nether Lord's legendary creation abilities, but possessing a similar capacity to generate controllable avatars was still extraordinarily valuable. This water giant was quite the exceptional existence!
"Senior, what should I call you?" Han Jue asked respectfully.
"Name? I don't have one," the water giant admitted. "But I might adopt the name 'Star Flow' when I move through the outside universe in the future."
The water giant waved his hand dismissively, and the conversation shifted toward the practical details of the clone creation process.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Hong Luo Secret Realm...
"Nine Swords, Kandri, thank you both for your assistance this time," Venerable Lan Song expressed his gratitude to his two rescuers, lingering fear still visible in his eyes from the recent battle. "I genuinely thought I might fall here."
"It's a small matter," Venerable Nine Swords replied with an easy smile. "We're all human beings, and we happened to encounter you in distress. Of course we had to help you escape from danger. What kind of people would we be otherwise?"
"And what about the mother dragon you mentioned?" Kandri inquired, his expression turning serious. "You said you had locked onto its location?"
"Yes, I've maintained the tracking connection," Venerable Lan Song confirmed. "I was previously surrounded by those cursed evil spirits and couldn't break through to reach it, but now, "
"Lan Song, are you alright?" A new voice suddenly interrupted, and all three Venerables tensed in surprise at the unexpected arrival.
"Senior Sister?" Venerable Lan Song asked doubtfully, recognizing the voice but uncertain of the newcomer's identity in his current depleted state.