The Yinglong did not contemplate this decision for long.
It understood everything Lu Yuan had said earlier and had already thought it over carefully.
Just as he had stated, it was also a living being of this world. If a great disaster truly descended, Ao Ze would never choose to flee. If there was anywhere it could lend a hand, it certainly would not hesitate.
Yet in its heart, it was equally clear that relying on solitary strength, or merely a handful of relatively powerful individuals, was obviously not enough to stop future crises.
The extraterrestrial beings were exceedingly strong. Those who had descended previously were merely testing the waters, not the core forces. Now, with the passage of time, the truly powerful experts had begun to arrive—just like the ones who had pursued it earlier, which had even included sequence prodigies of the Celestial Clan.
To contend with more adversaries of that caliber, one had to unite every force that could be united.
Ao Ze knew that the Heavenly Court was forged by Lu Yuan, bringing together the most talented beings of the contemporary world. Perhaps they had not yet fully matured, but given time, every single one of them would surely possess boundless prospects.
Having considered this, it hesitated no longer and chose to agree.
After all, even setting all that aside, Lu Yuan's personal strength alone was enough to win over the Yinglong completely.
"Good. Once you join the Heavenly Court, aside from essential matters, you may act and decide freely. I will not force you on this point," Lu Yuan immediately added upon hearing its agreement.
He did not wish to order the dragon about as a mere subordinate, which was why he included this assurance. The Yinglong was an extraordinarily powerful asset; that it was willing to enter the Heavenly Court was already more than enough. As for anything beyond that, he had no desire to make demands.
"Good, I understand."
Hearing those words, Ao Ze grasped his meaning.
At the same time, its mind eased considerably, for it genuinely did not want to be constrained. Now that Lu Yuan had raised the matter of his own accord, it naturally consented without reservation.
Afterward, the man and the dragon patrolled a few more circuits through the Dragon Palace. Seeing that there was nothing unusual beyond those folded spaces, they lingered no longer and took their leave.
As for the Yinglong, having previously dwelt elsewhere, this was its first time traveling to Mount Tai. It felt immense curiosity toward this sacred ground of Fengshan sacrifices.
"I recall you came from Kunlun, didn't you? That place ought to be even more mysterious than Mount Tai," Lu Yuan remarked upon noticing this. He had originally planned to head straight there, but doing so would have taken up too much time. With the Yinglong right here, he might as well learn more from it.
"In truth, I do not understand Kunlun very well either."
Ao Ze pondered briefly before continuing, "Back then, my elders merely sealed me away there. As the Home of the Myriad Gods, it has indeed always had countless legends. But by my era, the supernatural had already begun to decline, and I know little about its deeper secrets."
It was speaking the plain truth. Kunlun was never a dwelling place of the Dragon Clan; it had only been sealed there. As for what Kunlun had been like during antiquity, even the Yinglong had no way of knowing.
And so, the man and the dragon departed the East Sea.
***
Mount Tai, within the Trial Academy.
When Elder Ji and Elder Yun saw that the Yinglong was also joining the Heavenly Court, they were utterly stunned.
Even though they already had strange beasts like the Golden-Winged Great Peng and the Spirit Monkey, a dragon was fundamentally different. Even within Huaxia, what it symbolized held extraordinary significance.
Furthermore, they knew full well that the Yinglong itself was immensely powerful, to say nothing of its talent and bloodline. Its joining the Heavenly Court represented a tremendous reinforcement, deepening their foundation by yet another degree.
Consequently, the leadership was unquestionably delighted and welcoming of the Yinglong's arrival.
As for its dwelling place after joining the Heavenly Court, it would naturally be on Mount Tai. This place was inherently unique, blessed with diverse resources, and Ao Ze took no issue with the arrangement.
However, because it needed to mend its injured body, it headed directly up to Mount Tai's Jade Emperor Peak, preparing to enter a brief seclusion.
"King Lu, while you were away, did you slay several beings from the Celestial Clan?" Elder Ji asked at this moment.
Lei Xuan was, after all, a sequence prodigy of the Celestial Clan, and with three other Saints killed alongside him, the incident was bound to draw the Celestial Clan's full attention and thorough investigation. The matter had already stirred up a massive uproar.
The Celestial Clan had even suspected whether other extraterrestrial beings had moved against them at such a critical juncture. Yet in the end, they found that was not the case at all, and their gaze locked onto Lu Yuan.
Aside from fellow beings who had descended from beyond the domain, the only person most likely to carry out such an act was Lu Yuan.
Of course, even after confirming it, the Celestial Clan took no further action. They knew that with their current strength, seeking vengeance was simply out of the question.
Elder Ji and the other leaders had been deeply anxious upon receiving the news. Now that Lu Yuan had returned, he immediately voiced the inquiry.
The latter had no intention of denying it, simply nodding in affirmation.
"The third mutation has already begun, and it will only grow fiercer from here. Those extraterrestrial beings will inevitably be unable to restrain themselves. Every famous mountain and great river harbors its own folded spaces and mythological secret realms, within which lie countless fortunes.
"Even to powerful clans, those are well worth exploring and seizing into their own hands."
Lu Yuan continued, "We must now begin preparing to confront any great war that may arise."
He understood very well the concerns of Elder Ji and the others. This was a rare window of peace, and they did not wish to see it broken right away.
Yet reality would never conform to what people wished for.
The third mutation was underway, and various folded spaces were constantly surfacing. Some might be quite ordinary, but others contained all manner of great fortunes.
After all, in antiquity, Earth was the core of the Milky Way Star Sector, the birthplace of the Heavenly Court. Countless myths and legends had not only survived to this day, but were thoroughly understood even by extraterrestrial beings. Just as when Guangchengzi's Dao arena appeared, people from various clans had coveted it. After the third mutation, such occurrences would only become more frequent.
Lu Yuan's line of thought was very simple: during this period, seize as many fortunes as possible for the current Heavenly Court. In doing so, he could allow his subordinates to grow rapidly, accumulating an ample foundation by the time the power of the Severance of Heaven and Earth truly dissipated.
Therefore, he had to fight for the fortunes brought by the third mutation.
"King Lu, we understand."
Hearing this, Elder Ji and the others immediately nodded with grave resolve. They might not know how the future situation would unfold, but one thing was certain: no matter what, they would follow behind King Lu.
Seeing this, Lu Yuan also felt at ease.
Not only had the Heavenly Court been established, but he had gradually forged this power into a unified force. If they carried on this way, there was no reason they could not recreate a Heavenly Court equal to the one of antiquity.
Toward this, he held absolute confidence!
Chapter 258