The Heavenly Court was an ancient name.
It did not represent any single person, but was a symbol belonging uniquely to the Milky Way Star Sector.
Countless eras ago, those two words had shone across eternity. Relying on the foundation of a single power, an entire star sector had been propelled into the ranks of the universe's top ten. It had even possessed the strength to vie for the very first place. It was worth noting that no concrete rankings had ever been established among the top ten star sectors. Yet back in that bygone era, if the universe had been forced to name a supreme number one, countless beings would have chosen the Milky Way Star Sector.
For no other reason than the name Heavenly Court.
Within the Heavenly Court stood not only countless peerless experts, but also the Human Sovereigns and Heavenly Emperors—undisputed supreme figures who bestrode the eight wildernesses, swept across the cosmos, and reflected their glory upon the heavens. Virtually any accolade of invincibility could be placed upon a Heavenly Emperor without exaggeration. And though few had ever borne that title, without exception, nearly every one of them had hailed from the Milky Way Star Sector.
Admittedly, the Milky Way Star Sector had languished in silence for ages and remained sealed for untold centuries, to the point where the clans beyond the domain had nearly forgotten its former glory.
Now, hearing the words "Heavenly Court" once more, the various extraterrestrial clans felt their hearts sink. They could not help letting their thoughts race.
Could it be that this human, Lu Yuan, truly had the power to rebuild the Heavenly Court?
However, that notion lingered in their minds for only an instant. In their eyes, Lu Yuan was still far too green; compared to the sequence prodigies of the truly powerful star sectors, a considerable gap remained.
Of course, they could not deny that if Lu Yuan continued to grow, his future achievements would be terrifying. Even though he had already accomplished the feat of slaying Saints, any Divine Son or Saintess from the top ten star sectors could manage the same under comparable conditions—some could even reverse the odds and battle a Saint in their prime.
Furthermore, each clan had sequence prodigies of their own who had accompanied them. Their original intention had been to allow these chosen youths to obtain fortunes and advance further during Earth's transformation. The sequence prodigies of any clan were of paramount importance; none could afford to place them in perilous situations. What if an accident befell them? Yet with Lu Yuan around, such ambitions had to be postponed. Who knew if he might suddenly strike?
Thus, the various clans arrived at a straightforward conclusion: wait for the truly powerful star sector forces to arrive, seize the right moment, and settle for a modest share of the spoils.
"With someone like that in the Milky Way Star Sector, things are indeed troublesome."
"Indeed. We should leave the difficult matters to those who are stronger. We ask for nothing extravagant—only to secure some benefits once the grand golden age descends and ensure our star sector's standing does not drop."
Out in deep space, figures of great standing from the various extraterrestrial clans spoke among themselves. Most of them were in the Void Saint Realm.
In truth, matters were unfolding just as Lu Yuan had anticipated. The major extraterrestrial figures had already received word that entities from the Eternal Star Sector, the Ziwei Star Sector, and the Desolate Flame Star Domain were on their way. Before long, they would reach the Milky Way Star Sector and descend.
The extraterrestrial beings who had already descended received strict orders and quieted down completely. Even when seeking legacies and fortunes, they maintained an exceptionally low profile, doing their utmost to avoid conflict with the natives of this world. For now, all they had to do was wait.
With the passage of time, the restrictions of the Severance of Heaven and Earth would eventually fade. It would not take too long. When that hour arrived, Saints would be able to descend in their full glory.
***
Earth once again welcomed a brief period of peace.
The authorities seized this window of opportunity to recruit even more talented Awakened into Zhendan Academies across the mega-cities. From there, elite candidates were selected for advanced study at the Mount Tai Cultivation Academy. Once qualified, they would have the opportunity to enter the Heavenly Court.
Everyone understood that to contend against those extraterrestrial beings, they had to exhaust every possible means to bolster their own strength. After all, time was running short.
In truth, Zhu Qingyu and the others were also cultivating diligently with vast amounts of resources. Having acquired the Daoist Canon Breathing Method Lu Yuan had previously bestowed upon them, alongside guidance from the sect masters of the Three Immortal Islands, they made rapid progress. Yet throughout the process, Lu Yuan had cautioned everyone not to pin all their hopes on external resources—true strength ultimately depended on oneself. The crowd took his advice to heart, throwing themselves earnestly into their evolution and cultivation.
At the same time, figures like the Peacock King took the lead in lobbying other mutated beast kings to join the Heavenly Court. Everyone knew the days ahead would grow increasingly arduous, and they had to seize this narrow window of preparation.
Day after day slipped by.
***
Mount Tai Cultivation Academy, inside a private chamber.
Following the conclusion of the battle against the three Saints, after nearly two to three months of seclusion, Lu Yuan had fully healed his injuries.
Once his wounds were mended, he used the Ziwu Heaven-Mending Furnace to concoct numerous pills. At the same time, he took various spirit fruits and anomalous herbs and cast them into the furnace to refine. If a single spirit fruit was insufficient, what about a hundred? What about ten thousand?
Following Earth's two revivals, treasures and fortunes blanketed the land. Though ordinary spiritual items were of limited use to him at this stage, his foundation was extraordinarily profound, and Earth lacked for nothing when it came to sheer abundance. A quantitative shift could always produce a qualitative leap.
Once the refinement was complete, he swallowed them all in one breath. His objective was simple: to divinize all his internal organs aside from his heart in a single stroke.
After all, not everyone possessed a foundation as boundless as his. The process was arduous and normally required a vast amount of time. Proceeding step by step was far too tedious; given his foundation, there was no need for such hesitation, so he chose to undertake it all at once.
Lu Yuan sat cross-legged. Golden vital blood surged continuously from his body. Inside him, his viscera and bowels rumbled incessantly, unleashing deafening sounds like rolling thunder.
Before long, Lu Yuan completed the divinization of his internal organs.
Though his cultivation realm had not advanced, his combat strength had undergone an astonishing transformation. In fact, his battle prowess had multiplied elevenfold! Even the Ancestral Dragon Breathing Method had expanded, opening from twenty-four grotto-heavens to thirty-four.
Sensing the shifts within himself, Lu Yuan showed a faint smile, pondering his next move.
With his internal organs fully divinized, the very next step was the Saint Realm. Reaching that realm might be daunting for others, but for Lu Yuan, it was comparatively simple. The road ahead was to achieve sainthood!
"Beyond accumulating immense energy, the Saint Realm requires profound comprehension of all things in heaven and earth, as it touches upon an entirely different plane of power. Moving forward, I must study my visualization method thoroughly."
A visualization method was vital to an evolutionary practitioner. To become a truly formidable powerhouse, possessing a superior visualization method was indispensable, especially in the later stages of cultivation.
And what he possessed was hailed as the number one visualization method under heaven, capable of visualizing the cosmos itself. Coupled with the innate enlightenment buff granted by the Ancient Bodhi Tree, his path forward was set.
Chapter 167