"It is nurturing a god!" Hearing those words, Lu Yuan could not help but narrow his eyes.
Previously, he had only found it strange, wondering why the power of heaven and earth would gather of its own accord. But now, prompted by Jiang Ningxian's reminder, many possibilities sprang to mind.
The power of heaven and earth was the very foundation of evolution, much like the heaven and earth spiritual energy described in ancient mythological tales. Once condensed to a certain degree, it would bring about tremendous changes—perhaps extraordinary fortunes, or perhaps, fueled by that vast power, a form of life unlike anything seen before.
Still, Lu Yuan kept those thoughts to himself.
He merely asked once more, "How can you tell?"
"It's too obvious." Jiang Ningxian pondered briefly before continuing, "The power of heaven and earth does not gather without reason, especially in such massive amounts. The ancient tomes preserved in my clan once mentioned that such conditions are ideal for nurturing a god." That was what she knew, which was why she had spoken those earlier words.
Unfortunately, it remained nothing more than speculation. Even with the strength the two possessed, they could only perceive the surface of Mount Tai's changes; plumbing anything deeper was impossible for now.
Beside her, Lu Yuan took a deep breath. Looking toward the Golden-Winged Great Peng and Spirit Monkey at his side, he said, "From now on, if any major changes occur on Mount Tai, report them to me immediately. Do not delay under any circumstances."
Having obtained this information, he naturally took it very seriously. What if, as she suggested, a god truly was being nurtured within Mount Tai?
In his previous life, though he had known Mount Tai had undergone changes, he had never known the cause, nor had he possessed the qualifications to investigate.
Now, however, he had the strength. His thinking was simple: whether Mount Tai's transformation boded well or ill for this world, he needed to stay informed in real time.
"Understood, Master," the Golden-Winged Great Peng replied with a nod, and the Spirit Monkey did the same. Whenever they had no other duties, they spent virtually all their time on Mount Tai, so they would naturally notice any new developments.
Seeing this, Jiang Ningxian said no more. She knew that uncovering the true cause behind the changes under current circumstances was clearly impossible, so lingering there served little purpose.
Without further ado, she left Jade Emperor Peak alongside Lu Yuan. Before their departure, the Heavenly Palace ruins continued to cast out rays of iridescent light, just as they had during the first global mutation.
Soon, the two arrived at the foot of the mountain.
"I can tell that the major clans of the various star sectors are currently stirring in the starry skies," Jiang Ningxian said, looking at Lu Yuan. "They are all waiting for the final moment to descend. Perhaps they have already dispatched scouts to acclimate to this world. As this new metamorphosis unfolds, the people of those major clans will surely exercise restraint no longer."
Her unspoken meaning was clear: they had done nothing before only because they had been suppressed, and Lu Yuan had indeed been sufficiently formidable. But now, as more extraterrestrial cultivators descended with ever-greater strength, their misgivings were dwindling. Once the timing was ripe, all past grudges would inevitably erupt.
"I know. Don't worry, I'll stay vigilant." Lu Yuan knew she was speaking out of concern, so he nodded.
Jiang Ningxian said nothing further and returned directly to her quarters. Between the two of them now, beyond the partnership they had formally agreed upon, there seemed to be another layer of connection that neither could easily articulate.
In fact, Lu Yuan had sensed this long ago, but he had never voiced it. Shaking his head, he pushed the thought aside and turned to leave.
However, he did not return to his quarters to resume secluded cultivation. Instead, he met with Elder Ji and Elder Yun to inform them that he would be heading out for a time.
The transformation on Mount Tai had prompted Lu Yuan to reflect deeply, making him eager to see what anomalies had surfaced across other famous mountains and great rivers.
Furthermore, this was a task only he could undertake. With numerous foreign powerhouses descending while the Heavenly Court was still building up its strength, others would be powerless to cope if they encountered certain figures. Lu Yuan, however, was different.
At present, there was no one he needed to fear.
Thus, in the time that followed, he set out to tour the various famous mountains and great rivers.
His first stop was Mount Kongtong, the dao ground of Guangchengzi. As before, the folded space—the mythological secret realm—still existed.
Unlike before, however, the secret realm was currently sealed shut, barring outsiders from entering. Lu Yuan observed it carefully.
Here, even more folded spaces seemed to be manifesting, though what lay within remained unknown. Because this involved spatial laws, even cultivators in the Saint Realm could not probe inside. Yet one thing was certain: Mount Kongtong was undergoing changes, and they were far more violent than before.
Could this be related to the immortal Guangchengzi? He pondered for a moment.
Reaching no definitive conclusion, he departed once more. Since his goal was reconnaissance, he naturally could not linger in one spot; covering more ground would yield more information.
His next destination was Ancient Mount Shu. Given that Lu Yuan had reached the Saint Realm, he could tear through the void; had he still been in the Sovereign King Realm, traversing the vast expanses of modern Earth would have taken who knew how long.
Over the years, Ancient Mount Shu had remained under official control, though it had now been incorporated into the Heavenly Court. Consequently, anyone with talent from Zhendan Academy and the Mount Tai Trial Academy would come here to comprehend powerful inheritances and fortunes.
Yet to this day, no one besides Lu Yuan had been able to set foot upon its highest summit. Of course, he had not come here to reminisce.
After another inspection, he found the situation much the same as on Mount Kongtong: multiple folded spaces were beginning to surface, though what lay inside could not yet be perceived.
This was only natural, as the third revival had only just begun. Even if transformations were taking place, they would not manifest directly all at once.
If anything, this round of changes was effectively ushering Earth straight into a true mythological era.
Seeing nothing more to discover, Lu Yuan left Ancient Mount Shu as well. His next destination was not a mountain or river, but the Dragon Palace located in the East Sea.
It had originally been a folded space within the sea that had manifested due to the global mutations, harboring many secrets.
Most of its treasures had already been scavenged by Lu Yuan and his companions, and the second Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token had been obtained from that very place.
Lu Yuan had come here in hopes of gathering further information; after visiting several sites with little to show for it, he hoped this oceanic expanse might yield results.
The East Sea was also vastly different from before. The most fundamental change was the emergence of numerous new islands.
Furthermore, both the width and depth of this sea area were several times what they had once been. In particular, the mutated beasts dwelling in the ocean far outnumbered those on land.
It was only because Lu Yuan had previously reached an agreement with the Beast Kings; otherwise, those marine beasts would surely have surged onto the mainland, inflicting catastrophic casualties on the populace.
Fortunately, having lived a previous life, Lu Yuan had foreknowledge of it all and had prevented the tragedy.
When he arrived at the East Sea once more, the surroundings were completely quiet. At the same time, he unexpectedly caught sight of a familiar figure.
Chapter 253