The exosphere was already a vacuum.
Ordinary living beings could not survive here.
In the mortal world of Earth, only the most sophisticated spacecraft could ever reach this altitude.
Looking further upward lay the desolate, frigid cosmos, stretching endlessly without a boundary in sight.
Yet precisely here, one above the other, two figures were still relentlessly ascending toward outer space.
Lu Yuan drew the Heaven-Shaking Bow. Strands of heaven-and-earth power converged continuously upon it, while brilliant golden blood qi surged around his body.
Having reached the fifth stage of evolution, he could survive in space for brief periods. Even here in the vacuum, he remained entirely unaffected.
Formidable power erupted from within him in wave after wave.
Once he resolved to kill, he would not hold back.
At the same time, to prevent his quarry from escaping entirely, Lu Yuan once again deployed the power of Buddha Kingdom in the Palm, sealing off any avenue of survival.
Up ahead, Lei Xuan could clearly sense the terrifying killing intent gathering behind him.
Glancing back, he saw Lu Yuan looking like a celestial deity, bow in hand, exuding an aura far more terrifying than before.
All around them, ancient Buddhist temples manifested out of thin air, enveloping the surrounding void.
Lei Xuan knew full well that if an arrow struck him, he would have no chance of survival.
"Lu Yuan of the human race, do you truly intend to fight my Celestial Clan to the bitter end? You cannot bear the wrath of the Celestial Clan! Withdraw your techniques now, and we can live in peace hereafter. What do you say?"
He shouted in rage, but beneath it lay overwhelming terror. He knew disaster was imminent if this continued.
Thus, his words were half threat and half capitulation.
After all, if he died, everything would truly be gone.
"The Celestial Clan?"
Hearing this, Lu Yuan sneered. "If the Celestial Clan continues to provoke me, I have no fear—I will exterminate them all!"
There was not the slightest hint of fear in his voice, and his gaze was calm to the extreme.
Ever since he killed the Winged Celestial back then, the feud between them had already been cemented.
So what if it was the Celestial Clan? As long as they posed a threat and kept provoking him, he would slaughter them just the same.
"Exterminate us all?"
"Human, what grand words you have!"
Just then, a majestic voice rang out.
Accompanied by a magnificent power, it bypassed the void of outer space and struck directly into Lu Yuan's ears.
Lu Yuan felt an immense pressure bearing down from all directions, like a primordial mountain pressing down to crush him completely.
This power was extraordinarily formidable, far beyond human comprehension.
Fortunately, beyond Earth's atmosphere, mysterious patterns flickered into view, blocking the vast majority of the force outside.
Even so, the fraction that filtered through sent a chill over Lu Yuan's skin.
Frowning slightly, he slowly looked up.
High above, a figure had appeared.
He possessed the same pair of wings on his back, his entire body wrapped in electric arcs.
It was a middle-aged man with white hair and white robes, his hands clasped behind his back, looking incomparably majestic.
Standing in the boundless darkness of the cosmos, he cast a cold gaze downward alongside a potent aura.
The Saint Domain Realm!
Feeling this power, Lu Yuan immediately recognized it: this was an entity that had achieved sainthood.
He had long known that powerful beings from various extraterrestrial clans resided beyond the atmosphere. It was merely because their cultivation was too high, held back by the Severance of Heaven and Earth, that they were unable to descend. Otherwise, Earth would already be a vastly different sight.
"Clan Uncle?"
On the other side, Lei Xuan looked up as if grasping a lifeline, his eyes lighting up.
He had rushed upward precisely to reach the outer cosmos and summon aid from his kinsmen. Now that his goal was achieved, he whipped around to face Lu Yuan, his eyes cold. "Now that a Saint of my clan has arrived, do you still dare kill me?"
Although the Saint Domain Realm was only one tier above the Sovereign King Realm, the disparity between the two was like night and day.
Among the various clans across the cosmos, a saying went: *All beneath Saints are mere ants.*
Upon reaching this realm, one could traverse the stars. Those who were stronger could even shatter a minor star directly. Otherwise, how could they bear the title of 'Saint'?
Lei You's arrival gave Lei Xuan immense confidence, entirely reversing his previous posture. He did not believe that the other would dare make a move under such circumstances.
"I said you would die today."
Yet at this moment, Lu Yuan showed no fear whatsoever. Instead, he spoke once more.
Even when facing a Saint of the Celestial Clan, his attitude remained exceptionally unyielding.
At the same time, his hands never stopped. He pulled the Heaven-Shaking Bow to a full moon. Strands of heaven-and-earth power converged into a golden arrow, imbued with even greater might than the one that had slain the Origin Demon prodigy.
The killing intent churning around him did not diminish in the least.
"Presumptuous!"
"Lower your hand!"
Lei You, the Saint of the Celestial Clan, spoke again.
He took a step forward, and the lightning around him began to rumble violently. Light blazed in his eyes, and a pressure unique to those who had achieved sainthood pressed down without restraint, showing he was truly enraged.
After all, Lei You had never imagined that a human from the Milky Way Star Sector would dare act so audaciously.
At the same time, two more powerful auras approached from the distance.
They were Void Saints from the Three-Headed Ghost Clan and the Origin Demon Clan.
Stepping forward, their Saintly will unfurled, surging in rolling waves.
Three entities of the Saint Domain Realm stood in outer space, releasing their might without holding back.
From recent events, the two Void Saints understood roughly what had transpired: the sequence prodigies of their respective clans had been slain by Lu Yuan.
Now, Lu Yuan had even charged past the outer sky, aiming to execute yet another right before their very eyes.
This was something none of the three could tolerate.
Were it not for the protective power of the Severance of Heaven and Earth covering the planet, Lei You and the others would have descended without hesitation. But at present, they could not. Even if they forced their way down, it would come at an immense cost, destabilizing their own cultivation realms.
After all, that barrier was the work of true paragons from the Milky Way Star Sector's glorious past.
"Lu Yuan, hold your hand! As long as you pull back from the brink, everything is negotiable!"
"I can persuade the three seniors not to hold this against you!"
Lei Xuan spoke once more, simultaneously channeling the power within his body in a desperate bid to break through the confinement of Buddha Kingdom in the Palm.
He knew that only by truly reaching outer space and leaving Earth's domain would he be safe. Thus, he tried to pacify Lu Yuan to find an opening to escape.
Yet Lu Yuan said nothing.
His eyes remained fixed on Lei Xuan, brimming with killing intent.
In the next instant, without the slightest warning, he released his right fingers.
*Whoosh—*
The golden arrow shot forth.
It carried layered waves of formidable power, along with Lu Yuan's resolute killing intent.
In an instant, it pierced straight into Lei Xuan's body, and the energy within detonated violently.
*Pfft!—*
In a flash, Lei Xuan blew apart.
His physical body was utterly obliterated, turning into a mist of blood.
As it drifted in the air, the lingering power of Buddha Kingdom in the Palm erased it completely.
Having done this, Lu Yuan's expression did not change in the slightest. Looking up toward the prominent figures of the three clans in the distance, he said softly, "I killed him. What now?"
He was as calm and composed as ever, his voice so flat that not a ripple of emotion could be seen.
Moreover, he looked straight at the three Saint Realm figures led by Lei You, utterly fearless.
Out in the cosmos, Lei You stared blankly at the scene.
It was not because Lei Xuan had died.
It was because someone had dared to disregard his direct intervention and do as he pleased anyway.
Beside him, the Void Saints of the Origin Demon Clan and the Three-Headed Ghost Clan slowly turned their heads.
*Rumble—*
In the very next moment, the three Saint Realm entities unleashed their power in unison.
Strands of radiance swirled around their bodies. Not far away, several small meteorites shook violently before crumbling into dust.
"Lu Yuan of the human race, do you know what you just did? It is a provocation—a declaration of war against my Celestial Clan!" Lei You finally regained his composure and spoke, yet his voice was thick with boundless fury.
The Milky Way Star Sector had declined long ago, stripped of its former glory. Yet now, such a brazen mortal dared exist.
To him, this was a blatant insult. How could a Saint tolerate it?
"Lu Yuan of the human race, you have already courted your own death!"
"From this day forth, my Three-Headed Ghost Clan will also fight you to the bitter end!"
The Void Saints of the Origin Demon Clan and the Three-Headed Ghost Clan chimed in.
Saints possessed their own pride. Being utterly ignored had provoked the deepest killing intent within them.
"If you truly had the power, you wouldn't be throwing empty threats around. Just come down and fight," Lu Yuan retorted with a smirk.
He knew he was indeed no match for three Saint Realm experts, but the crucial point was that they could not descend.
He had banked on precisely this fact.
Lei Xuan and the others had laid an ambush hoping to kill him, and being slain in turn was simply reaping what they sowed.
Therefore, no matter who stood before him, those few had to die.
So what if they were in the Saint Realm?
Lu Yuan was confident that given a little time, he would inevitably attain that realm as well. So what was there to fear?
Having said his piece, he ignored the three spouting threats and immediately plunged back downward.
His business was done; there was no need to waste words.
"Fine!"
Lei You was thoroughly enraged and snapped, "One month from now, I will personally descend and use your blood to wash away the disgrace of my Celestial Clan!"
To him, Lu Yuan was far too arrogant, disregarding him completely. As stated, this was now a fight to the bitter end.
Under such circumstances, he had only one goal: make the man pay the price.
When had the Celestial Clan, a titan among the top hundred star sectors, ever been so thoroughly ignored?
If word spread, they would become the laughingstock of the cosmos.
Therefore, even if it cost him dearly later on, Lei You was determined to act.
Lu Yuan did not look back, merely sending a single phrase over his shoulder: "If you descend, I will strike you down."
With that, his figure vanished entirely.
In the exosphere, only Lei Xuan's blood remained, slowly drifting out into the void.
Farther off, extraterrestrial beings stepped out from starships and various flying vessels.
They did not belong to the three great clans, but watching this spectacle, they were deeply shaken.
Indeed, how long had it been since anyone dared provoke three great clans all at once?
"Do you truly intend to descend in a month?" the Origin Demon Void Saint asked hesitantly.
Given their cultivation realm, they were subject to severe restrictions. Forcing a descent would carry dire consequences.
"He has brought the provocation to our doorstep! Even if it costs us, he must die!"
The Three-Headed Ghost Void Saint's gaze was chilly. "If he does not die, how will our three clans hold our heads high as titans of the top hundred star sectors?"
So many extraterrestrial beings were watching from behind. They had lost all face today. How could Void Saints bear such humiliation?
"Indeed. Besides, we have a month to prepare and minimize the cost," Lei You said with a nod. He had made up his mind: Lu Yuan had to die.
From the look of things, slaying this man would be exceedingly difficult for ordinary means. Only an intervention by a Saint Realm existence would guarantee success.
Although higher-ranking sequence prodigies from their clans were already en route and possessed such strength, Lei You could not wait that long. He had resolved to handle it personally.
"The Origin Demon sequence prodigy is dead as well. Do you plan to just stand by and watch?" The Three-Headed Ghost Void Saint looked over. "Are you so hesitant over a mere Sovereign King?"
Hearing this, the Origin Demon Void Saint immediately replied, "I will descend alongside you!"
Indeed, even in his eyes, Lu Yuan was far too insolent. Such a person could not be allowed to live, lest he disrupt their future plans.
Naturally, they had completely cast aside the fact that they were the ones who had laid an ambush and provoked Lu Yuan in the first place.
In the eyes of these three, he had tarnished their dignity and slain their clan prodigies, leaving only one possible outcome for him.
Without another word, Lei You turned and returned to the Celestial Clan's outpost in outer space.
He had already begun preparations for his descent.
The other two Void Saints did the same.
***
Meanwhile, Lu Yuan departed the upper atmosphere, descending rapidly until he arrived above Mount Kongtong.
"It's King Lu! He's back!"
"The Origin Demon sequence prodigy was already slain. What about the Celestial Clan one...?"
"No need to wonder. Knowing King Lu's temperament, that so-called tenth sequence is definitely dead."
Below, the Awakened of Earth were the first to react.
Though they did not know what had transpired above, they understood clearly that whenever King Lu made a move, he was overwhelmingly invincible, leaving no survivors.
As for the extraterrestrial beings who had descended, they looked at one another in disbelief.
They knew well that the three clans were renowned throughout the starry cosmos, and those chosen as sequence prodigies were prime luminaries carrying immense weight among the younger generation.
And now, they had truly been slain by a human from the Milky Way Star Sector?
Lu Yuan paid no mind to their reactions and quickly located Zhu Qingyu and the others to regroup.
In his view, the most pressing matter now was to return to the Mount Tai Trial Academy and completely refine the restrictions within the Fantian Seal.
That item was suspected to be a supreme treasure left by the immortal Guangchengzi. Even if incomplete, mastering it would provide a tremendous boost in strength.
In the short term, its might could even surpass that of the Daluo sword core, which still needed time to mature.
Lu Yuan also knew full well that Lei You's declaration of descending to Earth was no joke; a massive crisis loomed on the horizon.
"King Lu, is the Celestial Clan's tenth sequence truly dead? And what exactly happened up there?" Zhu Qingyu could not help asking from beside him.
Ice Fairy, Little Celestial Master Chunyang, and the others also cast curious glances, eager to learn what had occurred.
"Nothing much."
Lu Yuan shook his head with a slight smile. "Just that a month from now, I may have a major battle against a Saint Realm existence."
Chapter 154