Dozens of figures stood gathered in the courtyard, with the Golden-Winged Great Peng at their head.
Flanking it were the Peacock King, the Spirit Monkey, and the Nine-Tailed Fox King. Beside them were several other individuals, both men and women. Without exception, every one of them exuded a heavy, ferocious aura.
They were clearly all transformed beast kings in human form, virtually all at or above the Sovereign King Realm, and each possessed an extraordinary bloodline.
Even taking extraterrestrial beings into account, they counted as formidable—a truly terrifying combat force. Yet right now, every single one of them stood before Lu Yuan, their expressions filled with a mix of anticipation and yearning.
Seeing this, Lu Yuan felt a flicker of surprise and couldn't help glancing toward the Golden-Winged Great Peng. "Did you tell them everything?"
The moment he saw the beast kings arriving one after another, he had understood.
They had undoubtedly noticed the changes in the Golden-Winged Great Peng and assumed Lu Yuan possessed the means to elevate the bloodlines and strength of mutated beasts.
After all, ever since its name had been inscribed upon the Investiture Decree, the Great Peng no longer needed to hunt beasts carrying dragon blood; its bloodline was automatically being purified.
During this recent period in particular, its strength had progressed almost daily, and it would soon break into the Sovereign King Realm.
The Peacock King and the others were well-acquainted with the Golden-Winged Great Peng, so they had naturally caught on to these developments and pressed it for answers. Moreover, Lu Yuan had never instructed it to keep the matter a secret in the first place, making it all but inevitable that the bird would eventually spill the truth.
Sure enough, upon hearing his question, the Great Peng lowered its head in admission that it had indeed spoken about the investiture.
"King Lu, we know you have reservations, but rest assured."
"Virtually all the beast kings present here have joined the Heavenly Court."
"In essence, we are already your subordinates." The Peacock King stepped forward, bowing slightly, and continued, "We hope King Lu can aid us in walking a higher path of evolution!"
It had witnessed the Golden-Winged Great Peng's transformation with its own eyes. Following the investiture, the bird had made daily leaps in progress; at this rate, it would soon surpass the Peacock King itself. Such speed had deeply astonished the Spirit Monkey and the other beast kings.
It was simply too fast. Once they learned the reason behind it, they gave it careful thought and wished to receive an investiture as well.
Granted, this might place them under another's control, but if it allowed them to grow stronger, it hardly mattered. With the arrival of the extraordinary and the dawn of the evolutionary path, every living being yearned to reach the supreme heights.
Yet even though this world enjoyed uniquely favored conditions, the beast kings understood all too well that without great fortune and momentous opportunities, they would inevitably stall at some stage.
Even now, several of them had already sensed a bottleneck, feeling it would be extraordinarily difficult to break into the Saint Realm on their own.
Now that an opportunity to continue growing and evolving lay before them, they naturally refused to let it slip away. Thus, they had arrived in succession.
"I understand." Lu Yuan knew what the beast kings were thinking. He had already been considering conferring titles upon more beings anyway.
Doing so would further bolster the Heavenly Court's combat strength, so why not? His only concern had been that the Peacock King and the others might refuse.
As things stood, however, that worry seemed entirely unwarranted. Even so, after a moment's contemplation, he spoke once more: "You all must think this through clearly. Once it is done, there will be no regrets, and you may very well spend the rest of your lives beneath me."
Unpleasant truths had to be stated upfront; otherwise, matters would become difficult to handle down the line.
"We have already made our decision. Please grant us your aid, King Lu," the Peacock King was the first to state its stance.
The beast kings behind it echoed the sentiment in unison.
In truth, they were keenly aware of Lu Yuan's strength. Serving beneath him was by no means a humiliation.
On the contrary, once King Lu grew even mightier in the future, they stood to reap even greater benefits. This visit was their complete submission, uniting to revere Lu Yuan as their master.
"Very well. Then let us ascend Mount Tai together." Lu Yuan nodded. With this resolved, there was no need for further hesitation.
With that, he led the beast kings straight out. In another courtyard, Jiang Ningxian watched them leave, deep in thought.
She, too, had long noticed the Golden-Winged Great Peng's transformation. She had simply refrained from prying. Now, it appeared the man held far more secrets than she had imagined.
"Lu Yuan must have obtained an Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token—and perhaps more than one," Jiang Ningxian murmured to herself. Gazing at Lu Yuan's departing back, a faint smile surfaced on her face. "Perhaps he truly is one of the Sons of the Great Era."
For reasons she couldn't explain, she felt no anger over him keeping it from her. Instead, a peculiar sensation welled within her heart.
"Holy Maiden, we have established contact with the clan. The Sacred Lord wishes to speak with you personally," Elder Jiang said as he walked over, his expression respectful.
The Jiang clan had already set out and would descend upon this world before long. They needed to make preparations in advance, especially concerning the matter of stopping the Ranked Immortals from the various astral domains.
The higher-ups of the Jiang clan viewed this with grave importance. Fearing it would cause widespread chaos, they knew action was required.
"Understood. I will go right now." Jiang Ningxian nodded and returned to her quarters.
Before long, Lu Yuan would prepare to ascend the moon, employing the Severance of Heaven and Earth to confront the Ranked Immortals of the various astral domains and prevent their full descent. Having promised to assist him, she naturally would not go back on her word.
Meanwhile, atop Jade Emperor Peak on Mount Tai, Lu Yuan utilized the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token to write the true names of all twelve beast kings present into the Investiture Decree.
At the same time, he observed closely, curious to see what changes would occur once they were invested.
Very soon, the Peacock King and the others were bathed in an intangible power of providential fortune. Some broke through on the spot, some experienced a sublime leap in their bloodlines, while others instantly comprehended a supreme divine ability.
Each beast king was different, yet without exception, every single one received tremendous benefits.
Providential fortune was a truly extraordinary force.
It originated from heaven and earth. In layman's terms, it was the favor bestowed by the Great Dao—something difficult to articulate. Yet whoever possessed this power would inevitably obtain unimaginable blessings.
And to be able to command it was even more terrifying. Why were Heavenly Emperors and Human Sovereigns hailed as the supreme powerhouses? Because they stood above the rules, stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Great Dao, and could channel providential fortune to confer titles upon immortals and gods through unfathomable means.
Lu Yuan had now begun taking his first steps toward that realm, though for the moment, he still relied on the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token.
Once he grew sufficiently powerful in the future, he would be able to truly command it himself. At this moment, Lu Yuan also gained a general understanding of some of the token's functions.
Once the investitures were complete, he turned to the beast kings and instructed them not to speak of this to anyone for now.
Formidable entities among the extraterrestrial beings coveted the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token, eager to master this power for themselves. If word leaked, endless trouble would ensue, potentially sparking utter chaos.
At the very least, until his own strength reached a certain level, outsiders could not be allowed to learn of it.
To this, the beast kings naturally raised no objections. By now, they had essentially submitted to Lu Yuan entirely and would obey any command without question.
As for Lu Yuan, he knew the time was fast approaching to deal with those entities lurking in the starry expanse beyond—or more precisely, the Ranked Immortals!
Chapter 198