She had heard of him back in deep space: Lu Yuan of the human race.
He was indeed powerful enough, standing at the absolute forefront of cultivation and evolution in this world. However, he had already offended the Celestial Clan and the Ji clan.
Both clans had already issued death warrants against him, and few could save him. The Eternal Clan, however, was definitely among those who could.
They certainly possessed the strength and means to do so. Just as the woman had said, if the man truly proved to be a talent, the Eternal Clan would not mind intervening to shield Lu Yuan. Naturally, the price was that he had to submit.
"If he has such good sense, that would be for the best," the man beside her agreed with a nod, evidently sharing the sentiment. A talent naturally could not be cast aside.
As for how the Spirit Clan might react afterward, with the Eternal Clan standing in front of them, anything could easily be settled.
Immediately, the two turned their heads, fixing their gazes upon the man standing in the center. After all, the actual course of action still depended on his decision.
"Let us make some preliminary preparations first. We will face plenty of competition in the future, so there is no need to rush into certain matters," the man spoke. Behind him, halos of divine light flickered incessantly. As a sequence prodigy of the Eternal Clan, he knew Lu Yuan was indeed important, but they could not afford to be too hasty. They needed to secure a firm footing first. Strong as the Eternal Clan was, they were not invincible. With the eyes of essentially the entire universe fixed upon this world, they had to tread carefully.
"Understood," the two beside him nodded.
With that, the three members of the Eternal Clan took a step forward, their figures swiftly vanishing from the spot.
***
Meanwhile, beyond Earth.
Almost all beings had quieted down, gazing at the life-bearing star below. One after another, they began deploying various means to send more people down, for the earlier one descended, the greater the chance of giving birth to that wisp of great era providence within them.
In truth, many of these races harbored grudges and disputes with one another to varying degrees. In the past, whenever they crossed paths, they would usually break into an outright battle. Yet now that they were near Earth, fighting held no meaning whatsoever. Having descended at this critical juncture, they naturally had to set their sights much further ahead.
It was only because the power of the Severance of Heaven and Earth remained that those old monsters could not seize this opportunity in person. Still, sending down some talented juniors was not a bad alternative. All they needed to do was steadily accumulate strength.
Such occurrences unfolded continuously across Earth's famous mountains and great rivers. By constructing pathways connected to folded spaces, extraterrestrial beings descended directly. Furthermore, as the power of the Severance of Heaven and Earth steadily waned, the reinforcements sent down grew increasingly powerful.
***
Time continued to slip by. Another two or three months passed.
Many things had happened on Earth as various extraterrestrial clans descended. More and more extraterrestrial beings appeared, belonging to different races.
During this period, the situation could no longer be called peaceful compared to before.
After descending, those beings did not immediately seek trouble with the Heavenly Court or Lu Yuan. At first, they kept a very low profile, though eventually, they began making their presence felt one by one. Part of this was likely due to wary caution, but they were also accumulating strength and adapting to the world's environment.
First, the Yin Sparrow Clan decided to establish a faction, cordoning off a region. At the same time, they proclaimed that they could absorb Earth's Awakened; as long as someone joined the Yin Sparrow Clan, they could obtain various resources, as well as breathing methods and visualization methods.
One had to understand that even though years had passed since Earth's initial mutation, those who possessed both kinds of techniques remained a small minority. The Heavenly Court had them, of course, but not everyone could join or practice them. Moreover, there were resources to be gained, which was essential.
Coupled with the fact that these major clans set virtually no prerequisites, many hearts were stirred when breathing and visualization methods were offered.
Next was the Celestial Clan. This clan was extremely domineering, directly occupying the Changbai Mountain region and designating it as their sphere of influence. They also proclaimed that any talented Awakened from Earth could join, promising to teach them everything without reservation.
Immediately following them was the Three-Headed Ghost Clan, who erected a grand hall beside a lake and named it Three-Headed Hall.
Already, people had chosen to head over. Some factions and Awakened hesitated, weighing which major clan they should join. Certain large consortiums and financial groups opted to cooperate with the extraterrestrial beings. There were also those who believed the future situation would become immensely complex and that the extraterrestrial beings were simply too powerful, making it very likely that the Heavenly Court would fail to hold its ground. Under such circumstances, they thought joining an extraterrestrial clan might be the better choice.
The Heavenly Court did not stop any of this. Everyone had their own choice, and it could not be prevented.
***
Mount Tai. Within a courtyard.
Lu Yuan sat upright, pouring tea for Elder Ji and Elder Yun.
In fact, everything had fallen within the Heavenly Court leadership's conjectures. In any era, intelligence was of paramount importance—only by knowing oneself and knowing the enemy could one emerge victorious in a hundred battles. Various personnel had been dispatched to investigate the situation. Although many had been eliminated, some remnant spies inevitably slipped through the net.
Elder Ji produced a document filled with records compiled by the Heavenly Court's covert agents.
"King Lu, according to our statistics, over a hundred races have descended, staked out their respective territories, and established factions in recent months. And that number is still climbing."
Because they only knew that extraterrestrial beings were descending incessantly, it was impossible to ascertain exactly which clans were arriving or where they came from in every case.
Hearing this, Lu Yuan nodded and asked, "Have these extraterrestrial beings posed any threat to the five super cities?"
"Not for the time being. They are only building up their forces and haven't shown any signs of further moves," Elder Yun replied. As the overall commander responsible for defending the five super cities, he had the authority to speak on the matter.
"Then all is well." Lu Yuan smiled faintly. "It is entirely within my expectations. Whatever they wish to do, let them be. For now, the most important thing for us is to build up our strength to prepare for any contingency."
Extraterrestrial beings descending was part of the greater trend; with the Heavenly Court's current strength, they could not completely counter it. Because the world was simply too vast, it was impossible to attend to everything at once. What he could do was maintain the overall situation in a stable state. For now, they only needed to ensure this world did not plunge into utter chaos. It was best if extraterrestrial beings dared not indiscriminately slaughter the populace when a major war broke out.
Fortunately, this objective had temporarily been met, though what the future held was difficult to say.
This world would ultimately become the epicenter of conflict. No matter what, almost everyone knew that many things would likely be overturned in the future. Many had long thought so.
Elder Ji and Elder Yun could also foresee this, knowing that the clans were gathering beyond the planet. Thus, they could not help but ask, "King Lu, can we truly ensure that such a peaceful situation continues indefinitely?"
Hearing this, Lu Yuan smiled, took a sip of tea, and remarked placidly, "I am about to break into the Demi-Saint Realm."
Chapter 242