"That Marquis Jinyu is truly clueless."
Han Jue shook his head slightly, his expression carrying a mixture of disdain and mild amusement.
In less than a day, Marquis Jinyu had been dismissed from his position. Without Han Jue's intervention, the corruption within the military department under Jinyu's command had been exposed by the Virtual Universe Company's investigation. If nothing unexpected occurred, Jinyu would soon be exiled to the outer battlefield realms, a harsh but fitting punishment for his transgressions.
The new head of the Ganwu Branch's military department would assume office within ten days.
Marquis Jinyu's swift downfall served as a stark warning to both Marquis Zidian and Marquis Heiyan. The speed of his removal made them realize the terrifying nature of Han Jue's backing and demonstrated just how easy it would be for the Virtual Universe Company to investigate anyone who dared cross someone under their protection.
With the convenience of the virtual universe network, it was impossible to avoid using it for daily operations. Even in the physical world, evidence could be found. Such compromising information would be nearly impossible to completely conceal, let alone within the all-seeing virtual universe where every transaction and communication left traces.
The transition period before the new department head took office would take some time. Han Jue took advantage of this brief respite to return to Earth and handle some personal matters.
...
Solar System, Moon - Inside the Gilded Temple
Han Jue materialized within the vast interior of the Gilded Temple, his consciousness seamlessly transitioning from the virtual universe to this physical location. The architecture surrounding him radiated ancient power, towering golden pillars carved with intricate patterns that seemed to shift when observed from different angles, their surfaces reflecting light in mesmerizing patterns.
He proceeded deeper into the palace complex, his footsteps echoing softly against the polished floors. After navigating several corridors, he found the person he sought.
"Senior Sister," Han Jue called out respectfully, his tone warm and genuine.
Venerable Lianyi turned to face him, her cold and elegant features softening slightly at his arrival. She nodded in acknowledgment. "Hmm."
Without further preamble, a precious orb materialized in her outstretched palm. The treasure was roughly the size of two clenched fists, its surface an mesmerizing fusion of black and white that resembled the eternal dance of yin and yang. Within its depths, ink-like patterns flowed and intersected, forming what appeared to be an abstract wash painting. Yet upon closer inspection, these patterns seemed to transform into intricate lines representing the fundamental laws of the universe, space, time, and the mysteries between. However, whenever Han Jue tried to examine the patterns more closely, they became indistinct, as if the treasure itself rejected superficial observation.
"A top-tier soul defense treasure, the Misty Pearl," Venerable Lianyi said softly, her voice carrying the weight of the artifact's significance.
The Misty Pearl floated from her hand and drifted smoothly into Han Jue's grasp. He cradled it carefully, feeling the subtle vibrations of power emanating from within.
"This Misty Pearl possesses remarkable defensive capabilities," Venerable Lianyi explained, her tone taking on a more instructional quality. "It can weaken soul attacks from Universe Venerables to one percent of their original power. Against Universe Masters, it reduces soul attacks to one-tenth of their strength. As for attacks from anyone below the Immortal realm, you'll be completely immune."
She paused, allowing the information to sink in before continuing. "Given your current consciousness strength, which rivals that of a peak World Master thanks to the Lord of the Mirage Sea's inheritance, unless you encounter a Universe Venerable who specializes exclusively in soul-based techniques, it's highly unlikely they could affect you."
Han Jue's eyes widened slightly with appreciation. The defensive capabilities far exceeded his expectations.
"Additionally," Venerable Lianyi continued, "the Misty Pearl contains three secret patterns engraved within its structure. Once you fully comprehend these patterns, they can enhance your soul attack capabilities. However, understand that the Misty Pearl's primary function is soul defense. For offensive soul techniques, it's merely an ordinary treasure, useful, but not exceptional."
Venerable Lianyi's expression became more serious. "Once you acknowledge it as your master and integrate it into your sea of consciousness, it will permanently guard your soul. As long as you don't become a soul slave, the Misty Pearl can facilitate your resurrection even after death through the Virtual Universe Company's resurrection protocols. Therefore," she emphasized, her tone brooking no argument, "if you ever encounter an enemy who specializes in soul techniques and you realize you're about to be enslaved, don't hesitate to self-destruct immediately. Death is preferable to enslavement, and with this treasure protecting your soul's fundamental imprint, resurrection remains possible."
"Understood, Senior Sister!" Han Jue nodded solemnly, recognizing the weight of her words. The ability to ensure his soul wouldn't be enslaved was invaluable, it meant that even in the worst-case scenario, he could be brought back.
Following Venerable Lianyi's instructions, Han Jue closed his eyes and extended his consciousness toward the Misty Pearl. He carefully imprinted his spiritual signature upon its core structure, establishing a permanent soul connection. With a mere thought, the pearl vanished from his physical grasp and reappeared within his sea of consciousness, that vast internal space where his soul resided.
The moment the Misty Pearl settled into place, information flooded Han Jue's mind. Techniques, methods, and profound knowledge materialized within his consciousness like ancient texts being unsealed after millennia.
"The Misty Soul Canon?" Han Jue murmured aloud, his mental voice carrying a note of curiosity as he examined the newly acquired knowledge.
"Yes," Venerable Lianyi confirmed. "This is the secret technique contained within the Misty Pearl itself. The canon is divided into three chapters: soul attack, soul defense, and soul enslavement. It's a significantly more advanced technique than what you've learned before, classified as a top-tier secret method. However," she cautioned, "you should only attempt to cultivate it once you've reached at least the peak level of Immortal Marquis, preferably the threshold of Immortal King."
Han Jue carefully examined the structure of the Misty Soul Canon within his consciousness. The technique was organized into three distinct levels of mastery, each corresponding to different stages of power: the initial level of Immortal Marquis, the peak level of Immortal Marquis, and finally the peak level of Immortal King.
Currently, he could only access the first level corresponding to the initial stages of Immortal Marquis cultivation. The higher levels remained sealed, their contents obscured by powerful restrictions.
The cultivation method was elegant in its design: comprehending the first layer of the Misty Pearl's secret patterns would allow him to use the treasure to attack an enemy's soul directly, while simultaneously unlocking access to the second layer of techniques. To obtain the third and final layer of secret methods, he would need to fully comprehend the second layer of secret patterns, a progression that could take centuries or even millennia depending on one's talent.
"This is for you," Venerable Lianyi said, her tone returning to its characteristic coolness. "Together with the Henggumu Armor you received from the Ice God General's legacy, you now have comprehensive protection for both your soul and your physical body."
She leaned back slightly, her posture relaxing marginally. "As for offensive treasures and other life-saving items, I will personally provide them to you after you successfully break through to the World Master realm. Don't worry," she added, a rare hint of something that might have been amusement flickering across her features. "My teacher is far from stingy. When he makes a move, he always provides treasures of appropriate quality."
Her expression shifted, taking on a note of frustration. "Back when Lingji became his direct disciple, she even obtained a high-level armor treasure from the teacher. I, however, suffered the misfortune of becoming his disciple too early in his career, when his resources were more limited. Even my primary weapon had to be acquired by my own efforts on the Primal Star battlefields."
She sighed dramatically, though her eyes held a glint of dry humor. "The early disciples always bear the heaviest burden."
Han Jue looked at Venerable Lianyi with newfound understanding. Despite her complaints, he knew she was extraordinarily powerful. Her main combat body cultivated the two fundamental laws of metal and space, a combination that granted devastating offensive potential when properly wielded.
Her primary weapon was a slender golden soft sword, a high-level melee treasure that could function either as a traditional blade or transform into a flexible whip depending on the combat situation. Combined with her mastery of space laws and her overwhelming power as a Universe Overlord, she could face even the weaker Universe Masters without risking death, a testament to both her skill and the quality of her equipment.
Besides the golden soft sword, Venerable Lianyi certainly possessed other treasures and defensive equipment, but Han Jue had no knowledge of what they might be. Such information was typically kept private among powerful cultivators.
"Senior Sister, I'll be taking my leave now," Han Jue said respectfully, bowing slightly.
"Go," Venerable Lianyi waved her hand dismissively, already turning her attention to other matters.
...
After leaving Earth and returning to his private training space, Han Jue took stock of his current assets and defensive capabilities.
He possessed the top-tier soul defense treasure, the Misty Pearl, and the legendary Henggumu Armor for physical defense. His innate secret technique, Unlimited, provided additional versatility. The Ice Peak Nine Hells Body cultivation had already granted him tremendous physical enhancements, and his genetic multiplier stood at an impressive 30 times baseline human strength.
Han Jue's calculations suddenly revealed an interesting pattern: his defensive capabilities had reached an extraordinarily high level across all fronts.
Conversely, his offensive power remained relatively limited, constrained primarily to the explosive bursts provided by the Water-Sky Holy Flame and the combined activation of his Origin Fire seeds.
"To fully harness the Water-Sky Holy Flame for sustained daily use without exhausting myself, I would need to possess at least ten thousand times the power of a World Master, or achieve the physical fitness equivalent to that of a primary Immortal King," Han Jue analyzed methodically. "This would require reaching at least the seventh level of the Ice Peak Nine Hells Body, still several major breakthroughs away from my current progress."
He continued his mental calculations. "Before reaching that milestone, my strongest burst of power comes from simultaneously activating all eight Origin Fire seeds, which generates 256 times the power of a World Master. This amplification is roughly equivalent to that of an ordinary Immortal Military Lord, respectable, but not exceptional among true Immortals."
Han Jue pulled out his primary weapon from his storage device, examining it with a critical eye. "The Ice Wasteland Sword is now fully usable as my main weapon. I'll continue relying on it until I can acquire a true treasure-grade weapon. Even an Immortal King at their peak would struggle to shatter this blade, so it's more than sufficient for my current needs."
He paused, his expression becoming more contemplative. "To rapidly increase my overall strength, I still need substantial resources, specifically, the materials and treasures required to cultivate the higher levels of the Ice Peak Nine Hells Body."
Cultivating just the fourth level of the Ice Peak Nine Hells Body required treasures worth billions of Hunyuan Units. The investment was staggering, but the returns would be proportionate.
Fortunately, there was someone who could provide Han Jue with a substantial influx of funds.
World Master Pan Xi.
...
Within the eternal twilight of Primal Chaos City, two figures stood suspended in mid-air, their forms concealed by sophisticated spatial manipulation techniques that rendered them completely invisible to ordinary perception.
King Zhenyan, the legendary Invincible Immortal King, crossed his massive arms across his chest. His golden armor gleamed faintly in the dim light, and his eyes, which seemed capable of piercing through space itself, observed the scene below with great interest. "These two little ones look remarkably familiar," he remarked, his deep voice carrying a note of surprise.
Beside him, King Yinyue maintained her elegant poise, her long hair drifting gently in the cosmic winds that perpetually swept through Primal Chaos City. "Of course they do," she replied smoothly. "They are Han Jue's children, Han Huan and Han Xi."
"Han Jue's offspring?" King Zhenyan's eyes widened fractionally. "Are these two children born with peak bloodlines?"
"That's correct," King Yinyue confirmed with a slight nod. "Otherwise, we wouldn't need to keep such close watch over them. We're simply ensuring that nothing unexpected happens to them during their training. These children represent an enormous investment in humanity's future."
She gestured toward the scene below, where two young figures were engaged in combat. "Don't worry, they're completely unaware of our presence. Unless they face truly life-threatening danger, we won't intervene. The goal is to allow them to develop naturally while preventing catastrophic loss."
Below their observation point, Han Huan and Han Xi, both at the ninth level of Universe-rank cultivation, were working together seamlessly to combat a group of Universe-level chaos beasts that had emerged from one of the city's dangerous zones.
On the surface, the situation appeared precarious. The chaos beasts numbered more than a dozen, each possessing savage instincts and considerable power. The creatures moved with predatory grace, their forms shifting between solid and ethereal states as they attempted to surround the two young cultivators.
However, despite the apparent danger, the siblings remained completely composed. Han Huan wielded his blade with precision and economy of motion, each strike carrying the refined techniques of someone who had trained under expert instruction. Han Xi supported him with ranged attacks and defensive barriers, her spatial manipulation techniques creating temporary shields and redirecting enemy attacks.
They moved like dragons swimming through water, fluid, powerful, and utterly confident in their abilities.
King Yinyue watched the display with approval. "Look at their coordination and combat instincts. They fight without fear, trusting in their training and in each other."
For a brief moment, watching the two young warriors dance through the battlefield, King Yinyue saw echoes of their father, Han Jue, in their movements and decision-making. That same relentless determination, that refusal to surrender even when facing overwhelming odds.
"Han Jue has taught them well," King Zhenyan observed, his typically explosive temperament subdued by genuine respect. "They have inherited his will."
The two Immortal Kings continued their silent vigil, guardians in the shadows, as Han Huan and Han Xi carved their own path forward, just as their father had done before them.
☆☆☆
-> SUPPORT ME WITH POWER STONE
☆☆☆
-> 50 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/AshenMoon
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you