At the border of the Milky Way Galaxy.
A colossal black hole manifested.
This was not a celestial body in the ordinary sense, but a passage spanning infinite distances.
From within, surges of formidable, overbearing auras continuously emerged. Under the weight of these auras, several smaller stars flickered between light and darkness, heavily perturbed.
Outside Earth, the various clans from the star sectors observed through their respective means. They knew full well that those arriving now were bound to be from the top hundred star sectors.
A true grand era was dawning.
The extraterrestrial beings who had arrived earlier looked on with utmost gravity upon discovering the upheaval at the galactic border.
Rumble~
Within that black hole, a colossal bolt of lightning appeared, stretching untold leagues. A figure wrapped in thunder and lightning stood like a god. It was a member of the Celestial Clan.
The aura radiating from him was far more terrifying than Lei You's—he had reached the eighth stage of the evolutionary path, the Great Saint Realm.
At the same time, another massive silhouette surged out from behind him: a divine bird bathed in blazing flames. Its wingspan spanned a full ten thousand meters, resembling a miniature sun. With a slight flutter of its wings, endless roaring flames surged forth. Its cry shook the surrounding space, shattering nearby meteorites into dust.
Yet that was not all. More figures emerged: beast kings resembling Qilin, a lion with nine heads that looked just like the Buddha's mount from ancient myth, and powerful beings resembling humans crowned with nine halos of light.
Then, a figure appeared with wings upon his back and white hair. He was so powerful that the moment he emerged, he shone as brilliant as a star. Wherever he passed, even the nine-headed lion and the Celestial Clan could not help but make way for him.
"The true powerhouses have arrived, and the Severance of Heaven and Earth is failing. It seems everything is about to change."
"Indeed. Otherwise, competing against those star sectors would be entirely impossible. Fortunately, their passage is at the border of the Milky Way Star Sector, so it will still take them time to reach here."
They understood that the stronger an entity was, the more heavily the Severance of Heaven and Earth restricted them. They could hardly even approach the solar system, held back by that mysterious power. This was precisely why the truly powerful, major star sector clans had chosen to establish their passage at the edge of the galaxy.
Of course, as time passed, the restriction was gradually losing its potency. Once the limits vanished completely, the great clans would be able to advance and descend in full force.
When that time came, there would be even less opportunity for anyone else.
Their original plan had been to descend early, seize some inheritances and fortunes, and use the head start to grow strong. Who could have foreseen that a human named Lu Yuan would emerge and ruin their plans?
Now, the truly mighty extraterrestrial clans had appeared.
Prodigies descended, and champions clashed.
Countless individuals would vie in this world for the supreme throne on the evolutionary path. After all, whatever had transpired so far was merely minor skirmishing.
Yet this was unavoidable. All that remained was the final opportunity: the opening of Mount Kunlun.
"The opening of Mount Kunlun on Earth is no coincidence. We must seize this chance and take action to claim whatever benefits we can."
At once, those extraterrestrials issued orders to their kin who had already descended to Earth. If necessary, they were to spare no cost to seize whatever inheritances and fortunes they discovered—even a fraction would suffice.
Since the world's upheaval, they had mostly remained within their own territories. Now, under these commands, the extraterrestrials on Earth began mobilizing, advancing toward Mount Kunlun.
Their renewed movement was driven by Mount Kunlun's illustrious reputation and their desire to contest its fortunes. The renown of Mount Kunlun was simply too great; no one could resist its call.
***
It was not just the extraterrestrials who were stirring.
Lu Yuan checked the time: the three-day period was up. Everything was ready.
The Golden-Winged Garuda descended from high altitude. Its aura was stronger than ever, its feathers glowing with radiance. Its mythical bloodline, refined continuously, was finally beginning to manifest its true power. Its progress was well within Lu Yuan's expectations.
The Peacock King, the Nine-Tailed Fox King, and the Spirit Monkey arrived as well, stepping into Lu Yuan's courtyard with excitement gleaming in their eyes.
Finally, Jiang Ningxian arrived. She had not brought Elder Jiang with her, choosing instead to accompany Lu Yuan to Kunlun alone. Even she had been drawn out by the event. Going to Kunlun now was a perfect opportunity for her to see the so-called Home of the Myriad Gods.
Just as everyone was preparing to depart, Elder Ji walked over and whispered, "We received news yesterday—we found traces of the Zhou family. It's Zhou Yunqiong. She seems to have learned of the commotion at Mount Kunlun and has set out for it. However, our people lost her trail, and her exact location is unknown."
Elder Ji knew very well that this matter had to be reported to Lu Yuan.
Ever since the Winged Celestial's death, the authorities had been tracking leads on the Zhou family's whereabouts. The family had hidden themselves so well that they couldn't be traced at all—until clues finally surfaced over the past two days. Though discreet, the authorities were the authorities, after all, and had detected them at the earliest opportunity. What was more, they had spotted Zhou Yunqiong, the Zhou family's key figure.
"Also, Zhou Yunqiong is quite different from before. She is exceedingly strong. Our preliminary assessment is that she has reached at least the Sovereign King Realm," Elder Ji added.
"Zhou Yunqiong?"
Hearing this, a smile appeared on Lu Yuan's face. "So she couldn't hold back after all."
Elder Ji had found it somewhat odd at first, thinking the upheaval at Kunlun was simply irresistible. But on second thought, it seemed more likely that the figures backing her had grown anxious because more forces were closing in on Earth. Choosing to remain hidden and cease competing for fortunes across the land was surely because they had gained external backing. As for who, the answer went without saying.
And now...
Lu Yuan reflected that the upheaval at Mount Kunlun marked the opening of the grand era. This very moment would likely serve as the turning point.
"It has finally begun."
"While I am away, let everything proceed as usual," Lu Yuan instructed Elder Ji without unnecessary words. He told the authorities to maintain a low profile during this period, focusing only on accumulating and growing their strength. After all, he did not know when he would return, and extraterrestrial beings might well take advantage of his absence to strike.
Elder Ji nodded and said no more.
Lu Yuan's intention was simple. He wouldn't concern himself with other things—he couldn't gather every inheritance and fortune into his own hands anyway. However, the Yongzhou Cauldron, one of the Nine Cauldrons, was something he would never yield to anyone else under any circumstance.
He then stepped directly out of the room to stand shoulder to shoulder with Jiang Ningxian.
"King Lu," they greeted him.
Saying nothing more, he looked toward the Golden-Winged Garuda and the three beast kings, and said calmly:
"Set out!"
Chapter 171