Rumble!
Accompanied by a colossal roar of thunder, the four Saint Realm members of the Celestial Clan, led by Lei Zhong, were utterly submerged within the raging tempest.
Just as Lu Yuan had said, he did not care who these people were, nor whether his actions would incite the fury of the entire Celestial Clan.
Once he made a decision, he would not change it—not to mention that this was hardly his first time slaying a sequence prodigy.
At that moment, under Lu Yuan's methods, terrifying thunder cascaded from the heavens. Its dreadful might completely enveloped the four Celestial Clan Saints.
To prevent them from escaping, he constantly surged the golden vitality within his body and suppressed them entirely with the Great Sun Smelting Furnace.
Yet dealing with Lei Zhong and his companions did not even require Lu Yuan to unleash his true strength. Otherwise, the battle would have ended long ago.
Of course, even so, the four Celestial Clan Saints could not endure for long against Lu Yuan's onslaught. Under the sheer force of the thunder, they were utterly obliterated, leaving behind not even a corpse, as if they had never existed in this world.
"So... it's already over?"
Nearby, seeing this spectacle, the Yinglong Ao Ze stared in shock.
From Ao Ze's perspective, barely a few breaths had passed from beginning to end. It had assumed that even with Lu Yuan's current strength, dealing with four Celestial Clan Saints would take considerable effort. But now, it seemed it had completely overthought matters; Ao Ze had even intended to lend a hand, yet in the end, it had not done a thing.
"That's right. It's over."
Hearing this, a faint smile appeared on Lu Yuan's face as he looked at the Yinglong before him.
He knew the dragon was bound to be deeply shocked by his strength. But it did not matter; that had been his intention all along.
"Weren't you heading to the East Sea Dragon Palace? Come, let us go together."
Without dwelling on the other's stunned expression, Lu Yuan spoke softly again. He had not forgotten his primary purpose in coming to the East Sea.
"Very well."
Snapping back to its senses, Ao Ze nodded at once.
Immediately, one man and one dragon plunged directly into the vast sea.
As for the prior battle, it had thoroughly concluded. Only the lingering aura permeating the air and the vault of heaven seemed to recount how terrifying that clash had been.
Deep within the East Sea, that immense Dragon Palace still stood proudly in the undersea world. Normally, this place should have teemed with marine beasts, but because of the fierce battle on the sea's surface earlier, they had all fled immediately for fear of being caught in the crossfire. After all, one side consisted of Celestial Clan Saints, while Lu Yuan was an even mightier Demi-Saint; for weaker creatures, escaping as far as possible was the only sensible choice.
"The East Sea Dragon Palace remains just as before, without much change," Lu Yuan murmured as he surveyed the surroundings.
The third mutation was only just beginning; gathering further information at this stage was indeed difficult unless the changes progressed to a certain point. Otherwise, as things stood, although he had visited many places and toured renowned mountains and great rivers, he had not gained much.
Arriving at the East Sea Dragon Palace now, he found the situation was largely the same.
He then turned to the Yinglong and continued, "You came here because you knew there are many folded spaces near this Dragon Palace, hoping to try your luck and use them to evade the Celestial Clan's pursuit?"
With the third revival underway, folded spaces had multiplied everywhere. The East Sea Dragon Palace naturally held them as well, having once been a gathering place of the Dragon Clan. It was only natural for Ao Ze to come here in search of a sliver of hope for survival.
"Indeed. Though now, it seems unnecessary," Ao Ze nodded. In truth, even for a member of the Dragon Clan, successfully entering an unopened folded space was extraordinarily difficult. Back then, it truly had no other choice, but now the tables were completely turned.
Lu Yuan did not immediately reply, continuing to inspect the surroundings.
After confirming there were no noteworthy discoveries, he turned back toward the Yinglong and said, "Ao Ze, your injuries have yet to heal, and they appear rather severe to me. Why not accompany me to Mount Tai and join the Heavenly Court? What do you say?"
At these words, the Yinglong was taken aback, staring intently at Lu Yuan.
At last, it spoke slowly, "So, your helping me against those Celestial Clan Saints was also done with the intention of recruiting me?"
Ao Ze was far from foolish; connecting the recent events, it could already guess the general picture.
"That's right."
Lu Yuan did not deny it, nodding straightforwardly. "However, I did not intervene against those Celestial Clan Saints merely to recruit you. In truth, I would have struck even if it weren't for you. As for recruiting you, I simply wished to display my strength for you to see."
In this world, the strong commanded respect, and power reigned supreme. As long as one was powerful enough, a vast host of followers would gather, just like the Heavenly Court today.
And the Yinglong was inherently proud and exceptionally gifted. To make such a creature yield was virtually impossible under ordinary circumstances—unless one possessed overwhelmingly terrifying strength and combat prowess.
Thus, Lu Yuan had acted, revealing his Demi-Saint cultivation and annihilating the Celestial Clan in a mere fraction of time using the very element they excelled in most.
He knew doing so would inevitably strike Ao Ze with immense shock. Once this step succeeded, everything that followed would become far simpler.
"I suppose my wits were a bit slow, then," Ao Ze chuckled upon hearing Lu Yuan's candid admission. It had always dealt with matters plainly and directly, and it respected Lu Yuan's approach.
Winning respect through sheer, overwhelming strength. Furthermore, Lu Yuan had only invited it to join the Heavenly Court without attaching any extra conditions.
"Presently, extraterrestrial beings watch us hungrily, gathering across the starry skies. Once the power of the Severance of Heaven and Earth completely fades, they will descend without the slightest hesitation. When that time comes, without sufficient strength, we will not be able to withstand them.
"You, Yinglong, are also a being of this world; you ought to know how cruel that will be," Lu Yuan continued, speaking straight from his heart.
His purpose in founding the Heavenly Court was never simply to become some so-called Lord of Heaven. His goal was to accumulate a sufficiently robust foundation so that he could calmly face the extraterrestrial beings in the future. He understood very well that when that day arrived, those entities would never be as easy to talk to as people might imagine.
Lu Yuan had always been clear on this, and he had been preparing all along.
And what was the only way to face everything?
Absolute, supreme strength!
The Yinglong was precisely someone Lu Yuan wished to bring into the fold; he had simply lacked the opportunity before, but now was the perfect moment.
Speaking this much was to help the other understand the true state of affairs. Of course, if Ao Ze refused, Lu Yuan would not press the matter, as he never forced others against their will.
At this moment, upon hearing those words, contemplation flickered in the Yinglong's eyes. Finally, it lifted its gaze and spoke slowly:
"Very well!"
Chapter 257