Lu Yuan spoke in an exceptionally calm tone, completely unfazed by the simultaneous arrival of twelve Demi-Saints.
He stood in the depths of space. Behind him hung that blue planet, expanded several times over yet still breathtakingly beautiful.
He knew very well that what he had to do now was protect this civilization. What the future held was closely tied to whether his previous battles succeeded.
There were billions of living beings down there. He had lived through that once before, and he had no desire to experience it again. The twelve Demi-Saints were indeed tremendously formidable.
Yet what of it? Lu Yuan had a crystal-clear understanding of his own strength. Once he broke into the Saint Realm, even if all these beings struck together, they would be unable to do anything to him.
To crush the full-scale descent of extraterrestrial beings, he would inevitably clash with those Ranked Immortals. Even if the Ranked Immortals had not descended in person, he had to take them with utter seriousness.
That was why Lu Yuan had just spoken, declaring that he had no intention of waging war against these twelve Demi-Saints. His true adversaries were the Ranked Immortals.
His goal had always been crystal clear. Yet those words caused the Demi-Saints, led by the Yin Sparrow Clan, to look displeased, their forms radiating terrifying auras. Ever since reaching the Saint Realm, this was the first time they had been disregarded like this, and it was intolerable.
Before, they had regarded Lu Yuan favorably and wished to take him in for their own use, but now that notion had vanished. One had to realize that most of the clans present ranked within the top hundred across the entire universe.
Not only were they mighty, but their status was also exceedingly high. Yet what was Lu Yuan? Nothing more than a human from a regressed civilization.
"Fine, impressive courage. However, you have squandered my goodwill," the Yin Sparrow Demi-Saint said. His clan ranked even higher than the Three-Headed Ghost Clan and the Origin Demon Clan, standing alongside the Celestial Clan.
Originally, he had thought that if Lu Yuan could pledge allegiance to the Yin Sparrow Clan, he could rely on the clan's formidable foundation to smooth over the previous unpleasantness. Who could have foreseen that this youth would be so ungrateful? Even so, as a Demi-Saint, he was not easily provoked into fury by mere words.
At this moment, the Yin Sparrow Demi-Saint spoke once more: "Setting aside the fact that you are currently merely at the Sovereign King Realm, even if your innate talent and combat prowess are extraordinarily formidable, you are young after all. Even if we do not stop you, can you reach the Moon in a short time?
"The Ranked Immortals have already made their move. Before long, they will project their Ancestral Stars and shatter the Severance of Heaven and Earth.
"When that time comes, you will still be powerless, and what you just said will be nothing more than arrogant bluster." The entire Solar System had expanded, and the distance between Earth and the Moon was vast to begin with.
Only by attaining the Saint Realm and acquiring the ability to tear through space could one traverse it in a short span. Lu Yuan currently stood only at the fifth stage of evolution.
Who knew how long it would take him to reach the Moon? The power to tear through space was one of the hallmark abilities of the Saint Realm.
Without reaching that level, no one could overcome that gap. His lengthy speech was merely to point out how arrogant Lu Yuan was being.
"You need not concern yourself with that." Lu Yuan simply smiled. The next instant, he turned his hand slightly, and a jade talisman appeared.
Mysterious energy and a distinct aura circulated across its surface. Jiang Ningxian had handed this item to him several days ago.
For him, it was already enough to travel back and forth between Earth and the Moon. Right now, Lu Yuan had no desire to waste any more time.
Without the slightest hesitation, he poured his power straight into it. Hum—beams of light burst forth from within.
Densely packed runes spread around Lu Yuan, forming a passage oriented toward the Moon's position.
"Not good, he actually has a Boundary-Shifting Talisman, and its quality is not low!" Seeing this, the Yin Sparrow Demi-Saint shouted aloud in complete shock that such a thing could occur, instantly beating his wings.
In a flash, towering black flames swept outward across several thousand li, massive enough to envelop a meteor.
The energy contained within these flames was immense; any meteorites that came into contact with them were directly reduced to nothingness. The power of a Demi-Saint, unsuppressed, was put on full display.
The other eleven Demi-Saints were equally astounded, but they quickly reacted and prepared to strike.
Their current mission was at least to bar Lu Yuan from reaching the Moon. Naturally, the Demi-Saints of the Origin Demon Clan and the Three-Headed Ghost Clan harbored other thoughts as well—slaying him would be even better.
Previously, because the Yin Sparrow Clan wanted to recruit him, they had suppressed those intentions. Now that the Yin Sparrow Demi-Saint was also making a move, they had few reservations left.
Although it was baffling how he possessed a Boundary-Shifting Talisman, none of that mattered anymore.
Stopping Lu Yuan, and killing him if given the chance, was the foremost priority. When twelve Demi-Saints struck together, one could imagine their terrifying power—they could even temporarily seal space itself.
Their primary target was to shatter the passage created by the Boundary-Shifting Talisman.
Once that was done, Lu Yuan would be reduced to an ant they could knead at will. Brilliant, chilling rays of light appeared in the starry sky, each carrying a tremendous aura as the twelve Demi-Saints' attacks surged directly toward Lu Yuan's position.
Meanwhile, on the other side, the runes of the Boundary-Shifting Talisman had already formed a corridor before Lu Yuan leading straight to the Moon. Yet those incoming streaks of light were right on top of him.
"Gentlemen, you are all Demi-Saints who have lived for centuries or even millennia. How can you be so shameless as to strike against a junior?" Just then, a voice rang out. At the same time, an emerald-green cauldron positioned itself in front of Lu Yuan.
This cauldron radiated an intensely vibrant life force and bore various profound energies. Upon its appearance, the surrounding starry sky trembled.
At the same time, it effortlessly dissolved every single attack unleashed by the twelve Demi-Saints. Even Lu Yuan was thoroughly stunned, realizing that this cauldron was an existence surpassing Saint weapons.
"That's... the Shennong Cauldron? No, this aura isn't strong enough. It's an imitation, a Lesser Shennong Cauldron!" The Yin Sparrow Demi-Saint felt his scalp tingle in shock. The Shennong Cauldron was a supreme artifact forged by the Human Sovereign and Heavenly Emperor.
Yet he soon reconsidered, sensing that it fell far short of the supreme artifact in his memory.
"Shennong... the Jiang clan lineage? Is he from the Jiang clan?" The Demi-Saint of the Three-Headed Ghost Clan frowned deeply.
"How is that possible? Didn't the Jiang clan set out not long ago?" The Demi-Saint of the Origin Demon Clan found it hard to believe.
The experts of the other clans turned pale with astonishment as well, then turned their heads one after another to look in another direction.
It was Elder Jiang. Dressed in a black robe, he stood with his hands clasped behind his back, an indistinct, extraordinary aura lingering about him.
Paying no heed to the shock of the twelve Demi-Saints, he turned to Lu Yuan and nodded. "King Lu, I have things handled here. You may go."
Hearing this, Lu Yuan nodded. He had long known this Elder Jiang was extraordinary, and his true strength prior to descending to Earth was bound to be unfathomable. Just like now, even though he only displayed the cultivation of the Sovereign King Realm, his imposing presence far eclipsed those Demi-Saints.
Chapter 202