As Lu Yuan's voice faded, the Yinglong turned its head.
The look in its eyes grew solemn. Only having crossed hands with them did it truly understand the might of those Celestial Clan Saints. It had suffered a bitter loss at their hands, and laden with grievous injuries, it could no longer afford to take them lightly—even with Lu Yuan by its side.
Lu Yuan, however, was not the least bit perturbed. He could sense the rapidly approaching auras.
They were essentially all at the Void Saint Realm. Within the same realm, he was utterly invincible and capable of crushing any foe, let alone against opponents of an inferior cultivation level. In that regard, Lu Yuan felt not the slightest concern. Even if his adversaries were from the Celestial Clan, it was hardly his first time facing them.
Soon, with the passage of time, those formidable auras drew nearer and nearer. At last, four figures arrived, bearing wings on their backs, with white hair and golden eyes. One was a young man, while the other three were elders—two men and one woman.
All of them were at the Saint Realm. At that moment, their eyes fell upon the colossal form of the Yinglong before them, and the young man in the lead spoke.
"Flee! Why have you stopped fleeing? I told you long ago, you have only one choice now, and that is to submit to the Celestial Clan."
"The Celestial Clan ranks among the top hundred across the entire starry cosmos. Submitting to us would hardly disgrace your status as a member of the Dragon Clan. Now, we are granting you one more chance: cease your running at once. Otherwise, do not blame us for showing no mercy," the young man said. His name was Lei Zhong, the fifth-ranked sequence prodigy of the Celestial Clan.
He had descended not long ago to take part in this operation to subjugate the Yinglong. Beside him were several clan elders. Though their strength was comparable to his, their status was inferior to that of a sequence. After all, the sequence members were the chosen prodigies of the younger generation, possessing immense future potential.
"I have told you as well: under no circumstances will I submit, even in death." Ao Ze shook its head, cold, sharp light continually bursting from its dragon scales.
It was indeed exceptionally powerful, its radiating aura churning the sea waters below into relentless surges. Yet standing before it now were members of the Celestial Clan, all likewise in the Saint Realm—and among them was a sequence prodigy.
"Obstinate fool!" With cold, aloof eyes, Lei Zhong took a step forward. Beneath his feet, arcs of lightning surged, crackling and roaring in ceaseless circulation.
Lightning was inherently one of the most violent forces in the world, notoriously difficult to control. Yet in the hands of this Celestial Clan sequence, it obeyed his every whim as naturally as his own limbs.
Beside him, the other Celestial Clan members also stepped forward. Wrapped in lightning, they appeared immensely powerful, their thunderbolts intertwining in relentless turbulence.
"Why waste your breath? If it is a battle you want, so be it!" Yinglong Ao Ze had no fear whatsoever, unleashing waves of potent aura from its frame.
A fierce battle was on the verge of erupting. But at that very moment, a voice rang out.
"The Celestial Clan truly remains unchanged from before. Do you think this is the Thunderstrike Star Domain?"
Lu Yuan spoke up, walking out in front of the Yinglong with an utterly calm demeanor.
Just moments ago, he had deliberately reined in his aura, unwilling to let himself be sensed. But now that the clash was about to commence, he directly stepped forward. Since he intended to help the Yinglong resolve this crisis, he naturally could not remain silent.
His voice caused the expressions of the Celestial Clan members opposite him to shift slightly. Lei Zhong had intended to snap back a rebuke, but upon clearly seeing who had spoken, boundless shock instantly filled his eyes. "You are... the human Lu Yuan?"
Lu Yuan's fame was simply too vast. Even in the depths of outer space, countless beings had heard of him. Moreover, the Celestial Clan harbored a deep grudge against him and viewed him with utmost importance, eager to eliminate him and having prepared his portrait long ago.
That was why Lei Zhong reacted in such a manner the moment he laid eyes on him. Hearing that name, the Celestial Clan members beside him stiffened as well.
Lu Yuan was a formidable enemy of the Celestial Clan. By the same token, they were well aware of his terrifying strength and how difficult he was to deal with.
Even with the massive influx of descending extraterrestrial beings, everyone remained extremely wary of him and loath to provoke him, precisely because none possessed absolute confidence in defeating him.
"Are you trying to stop us from dealing with the Yinglong?" Lei Zhong quickly recovered his senses and spoke again.
He did fear Lu Yuan to some degree, but this mission had been handed down from above and was closely tied to the Ji clan behind the Celestial Clan. Under such circumstances, there was no way he could simply retreat.
"Not quite." Hearing this, Lu Yuan shook his head. His tone remained tranquil, devoid of any discernible emotion.
Those words allowed Lei Zhong to heave a slight sigh of relief, thinking that if Lu Yuan was not here to stop them from taking the Yinglong, there was nothing to worry about.
Yet immediately after, Lu Yuan said, "I merely wish to collect some interest from the Celestial Clan."
The moment those words were spoken, all the Celestial Clan members present shuddered. They clearly felt the killing intent woven into his statement.
"Back then, I had no intention of provoking anyone. Yet your Celestial Clan repeatedly pressed me, from that Lei Xuan to Lei You; someone has always wanted me dead. I have kept all of this in mind." At this point, Lu Yuan slowly raised his head and continued, "Just because I refrained from acting does not mean I can be trifled with at will."
His meaning was plain: he had never forgotten the troubles stirred up by the Celestial Clan, nor had he ever intended to let the matter rest. Whenever they crossed paths, battle was inevitable.
"You—" Hearing this, Lei Zhong felt a chill in his heart, realizing what the other meant to do. Lu Yuan offered no further explanation and slowly took step after step forward.
Powerful waves of energy surged forth from his body. Golden vitality roiled, gradually coalescing.
Then, behind him, a great sun appeared, casting brilliant, piercing beams of light as though illuminating all of creation.
An incomparably immense power erupted from Lu Yuan's frame. Down below, massive ocean waves churned, surging hundreds of meters high. At that moment, he stood there like an exalted deity.
Beside him, the Yinglong could not help but be stunned by the sight. It knew Lu Yuan was formidable and possessed terrifying combat strength, having once slain a Saint while still in the Sovereign King Realm. But surely there had to be a limit. Pursuing it now were four Celestial Clan Saints, including a sequence prodigy.
Ao Ze had assumed Lu Yuan would at best be able to hold his own without falling into defeat; fully resolving the crisis seemed entirely out of the question.
Yet now, as Lu Yuan laid bare the entirety of his aura, the dragon was thoroughly shaken. This power was truly too terrifying—so overwhelming that even Ao Ze felt a twinge of dread.
Lu Yuan was far stronger than it had ever imagined.
Across from them, the Celestial Clan members trembled with fear at the sight. They knew Lu Yuan was powerful and had entered the Saint Realm, but what unfolded before their eyes exceeded all expectations.
A Demi-Saint.
Indeed, the second stage of the Saint Realm—a level higher than anyone present. How were they supposed to fight him?
Lu Yuan, however, paid no heed to their reactions. He strode forward step by step, the imposing aura about him growing ever denser.
The interest accrued from before would now be collected—starting with the Celestial Clan!
Chapter 255