As Lu Yuan's order came down, everyone present took a deep breath.
At that moment, brilliant rays of light flashed around the Golden-Winged Great Peng. Its body expanded, its wingspan instantly stretching several hundred meters.
Because many people were heading to Mount Huang this time, and the Peacock King was not around, the Golden-Winged Great Peng essentially had to carry everyone on its own.
Admittedly, Lu Yuan could tear open the void and allow people to reach their destination in a short span of time. But crossing torn space required a powerful physique.
One's cultivation realm would likely need to be at least at the Sovereign King Realm. Over a sufficiently long distance, only those in the Saint Realm could endure it.
Thus, they still had to rely on this simplest method. Of course, if Lu Yuan's personal strength reached a certain level where he could thoroughly stabilize space, it would not be so troublesome. Unfortunately, he had not yet attained that degree of power.
Meanwhile, the crowd began walking onto the Golden-Winged Great Peng's back. With over a hundred people, it was indeed a sizable group, forcing the creature to keep expanding its size.
This was nothing to the Great Peng, as its bloodline talents allowed it to grow as large as mountains and rivers if it so desired. It was, after all, a mythological-tier entity. Seeing that everyone was aboard, it exchanged a glance with Lu Yuan, needing no words.
With a slight vibration of its wings, its body shot straight into the sky. Under its tremendous speed, it soon transformed into a streak of light and vanished completely.
"Shouldn't we be heading out too?" Seeing this, Jiang Haokong promptly spoke up. He had two goals right now: first, he wanted to see what was so miraculous about the revived Earth and its famous mountains and great rivers; second, he hoped to wrap this matter up quickly so he could finally fight Lu Yuan.
Because of that, he appeared rather anxious, constantly urging Lu Yuan on.
"You and I have both entered the Saint Realm now."
"We possess the power to tear open the void. This distance is nothing to us, so there is no need to rush," Lu Yuan said with a smile. After speaking, he walked directly up to Elder Ji and Elder Yun to leave a few instructions.
He told them that before he returned, no matter what happened, they must not act rashly. After all, the situation now was vastly different from before.
The two elders understood this clearly. Extraterrestrial invasions were underway, and the Heavenly Court had finally amassed a degree of strength; they naturally could not act recklessly, or all their prior efforts would go to waste.
Lu Yuan said nothing more. Having full trust in the two men, he was completely at ease. Shortly thereafter, he took Jiang Haokong and departed Mount Tai.
Both were in the Saint Realm. Either could directly tear open the void to reach their destination. Yet they did not do so, choosing instead to travel by treading through the air.
The reason was that Jiang Haokong was intensely interested in many regions of Earth. Along the way, whenever he spotted mountains and rivers, he observed them meticulously.
After several days of this, he ultimately arrived at a conclusion: the current Earth was in the midst of a resurgence, continually generating powerful energy of heaven and earth.
It was far more terrifying than the Desolate Flame Star Domain. As time passed, all things were undergoing a transformation under its influence.
In other words, Earth was constantly evolving, just like living beings. Put another way, this was the elevation of a world.
Consequently, cultivating and evolving here was far faster than in other star domains. One had to admit that a chosen pride was indeed a chosen pride; he was exceptionally sharp in such matters.
His deductions effectively explained the entire process of this world's revival. Lu Yuan had merely traveled slowly alongside him, and once he felt enough time had passed, he tore the void open.
A bloodline contract bound Lu Yuan to the Golden-Winged Great Peng, and combined with his current realm, he could naturally sense its general location.
Knowing everyone was nearly at Mount Huang, he delayed no longer. Many extraterrestrial beings were sure to be gathering there; if conflict broke out, things would certainly go awry without him present to hold down the fort.
Meanwhile, on the other side, the Golden-Winged Great Peng flapped its wings. Golden radiance flowed across its body, and its feathers, resembling divine metal, parted the sea of clouds.
On its back, Zhu Qingyu, Ice Fairy, and the others looked forward while observing the mountains and waters below.
"From the looks of it, we should be able to reach Mount Huang in about half an hour," Zhu Qingyu said, her expression grave.
Along their journey, she had sensed many formidable auras, mostly belonging to extraterrestrial beings. She had even spotted the Nether Bull Clan, the Three-Headed Ghost Clan, and others.
They were also making their way toward Mount Huang. More importantly, those races harbored deep grudges against the Heavenly Court.
If something went wrong, a fight could easily break out, and their side would undoubtedly be at a disadvantage.
Of course, Ice Fairy and the others were not afraid. Several of them had already reached the Sovereign King Realm—the fifth stage of evolution—and with their innate talents, hardly anything below the Saint Realm could threaten them. Facing the likes of the Nether Bull Clan did not faze them.
Their only worry was that stronger races, such as the Celestial Clan, might suddenly intervene. Against such adversaries, their current strength was indeed insufficient.
Buzz, buzz, buzz—
Just then, the group noticed the space not far away split open, forming a tear.
Two figures stepped out from within: Lu Yuan and Jiang Haokong.
"King Lu."
"Master."
Seeing them arrive, the crowd could not help but grow excited. After all, this was their first time genuinely heading out for real-world tempering, so a touch of nervousness was unavoidable. Lu Yuan's arrival completely relieved their anxiety.
Lu Yuan said nothing in response, knowing words were useless right now. If he truly wanted to establish the Heavenly Court and forge a powerful force—perhaps even a host of heavenly soldiers and generals capable of waging war across the cosmos—he had to let them experience this firsthand. Only by experiencing it would they truly understand.
And this trip to Mount Huang was the best opportunity.
Thus, he walked straight onto the Golden-Winged Great Peng's back and sat down cross-legged, remaining silent.
Zhu Qingyu and the others were exceptionally clever and grasped his intention at once. They exchanged glances and instructed everyone to sit down and make their final preparations against the battle that could arrive at any moment.
The Golden-Winged Great Peng continued hurtling forward.
Below, mountain after mountain receded rapidly into the distance.
Finally, half an hour later—
Rumble!
Accompanied by a violent crash of thunder, everyone opened their eyes.
Ahead lay a vast expanse of towering peaks, each thrusting straight into the sky and radiating an immense, imposing aura.
Yet this was not the most striking sight.
What truly astonished everyone was that nestled among these peaks, beneath endless cascades of lightning, a secret realm space loomed indistinctly. It constantly breathed out powerful spiritual energy of heaven and earth, appearing wondrous and formidable.
More importantly, nearly everyone present could sense an inexplicable power lingering inside—a power that did not seem to belong to this universe.
Chapter 262