Thunder rumbled across the firmament as endless black clouds rolled in.
They carried a terrifying aura. The immense, majestic power bore down like a mountain range, seemingly capable of suppressing all beneath it. Everyone in the Heavenly Court knew that behind this overwhelming might were the fully assembled extraterrestrial beings.
Faced with such a sight, not a single person present showed any hint of fear. They all stood at the Southern Heavenly Gate, their gazes resolute.
Even though some knew full well what lay ahead, none chose to shrink back. Instead, they treated this as a crucible. After all, the sacred duty of the Heavenly Court was to protect the living beings of this world.
In their minds, if they fled at a moment like this, with what dignity could they ever remain in the Heavenly Court?
Elder Ji and Elder Yun stood among them as well. As members of the leadership, they could have easily stayed behind to direct the battle from safety.
Yet neither did so, choosing instead to advance and retreat alongside their subordinates.
Rumble!
Before long, another formidable surge of power descended from above. A terrifying aura swept across the heavens, instantly whipping up a colossal storm.
In the next instant, the entire sky turned dim and gloomy, as though plunging straight into night. Overhead, an endless expanse of leaden black clouds gathered, threatening to drag everything into the dark abyss.
"They're coming," Elder Ji said, his eyes narrowing slightly as he watched. He knew this time was unlike the past—two galactic superpowers had joined forces.
Compared to before, the enemy was no longer a disorganized rabble, but a truly formidable host. Relying on the Heavenly Court's strength alone, they stood no chance of withstanding it.
As he spoke, tension gripped the people around him. Everyone could not help but recall the old line:
*Dark clouds bear down upon the city, threatening to crush it.*
At this moment, those gathered at the Southern Heavenly Gate were primarily the Heavenly Court's soldiers and Heavenly Generals.
As for the students of the Trial Academy, they had been kept inside under protection and were not permitted to step out. After all, they were the seeds of the future; facing a crisis like this was beyond them, and even if they joined the line, they could accomplish nothing.
"They are merely some extraterrestrial beings. There is no need to fret over them."
Just as tension weighed heavily on everyone, a reassuring voice rang out. The one who had arrived was none other than Lu Yuan.
Tall and slender, he wore a calm expression, looking just as composed as ever. Even knowing that powerful foes were descending, his composure remained undisturbed, radiating supreme confidence.
In an instant, everyone felt their hearts settle. In their eyes, as long as King Lu was present, any crisis could be resolved.
Behind Lu Yuan followed the Heavenly Court's strongest young generation, led by Zhu Qingyu—the true backbone of their ranks.
They had arrived as well, their eyes equally fearless as they stood side by side with the rest.
*Skreech!*
Right at that moment, a piercing cry echoed from midair. Everyone looked up, their spirits instantly ignited with excitement.
Leading the way were the Beast Kings, with the Peacock King and the Golden-Winged Great Peng at their head. There were more than twenty of them, and nearly all had attained the Saint Realm.
More than twenty Saints—united, they formed a truly terrifying force. Although they were mutated beasts, the Heavenly Court and the beasts now belonged to the same camp, and every one of them answered to Lu Yuan.
Watching this, Elder Ji sighed with emotion from nearby. He understood better than anyone that if not for King Lu, endless wars would have erupted between humanity and the beasts, exhausting both sides in the process—especially mankind.
Since humans evolved far more slowly than mutated beasts, their losses would undoubtedly have been catastrophic. And if extraterrestrial beings had intervened at such a juncture, humanity—and the entirety of Huaxia—would have faced utter ruin.
Fortunately, King Lu was here.
With the arrival of Lu Yuan and the Beast Kings, the morale of the Heavenly Court soared.
Everyone firmly believed that under King Lu's leadership, this crisis would be overcome just like every other time before.
As for Lu Yuan, he merely smiled at the crowd's reaction, then stepped forward, walking all the way to the very front.
If truth be told, this was probably the first time he, as the master of the Heavenly Court, would lead his subordinates to face an enemy together.
Rumble!
At the same time, waves of rumbling thunder once again echoed across the heavens. Soon, figure after figure emerged high above.
They looked down disdainfully upon the Southern Heavenly Gate below. Further in the distance, countless more powerful auras were surging forth.
Of course, everyone knew that only those standing in the high sky were the real threat. They were the powerhouses, and as long as they were dealt with, this crisis would be fully resolved.
*Thud!*
At last, those figures drew closer, slowly descending. There were men and women alike; some resembled humans, others resembled beasts, and there were even beings that were neither human nor beast.
Every one of them was an extraterrestrial being. That they could stand aloft in the void meant their cultivation had reached at least the Golden Body Realm, if not the Sovereign King Realm.
At the head of the host stood four or five figures hailing from the Celestial Clan, the Yin Sparrow Clan, and others. The most formidable among them, naturally, was the one from the Eternal Clan—Yu Xiong.
"I didn't expect everyone to be gathered so neatly," a young man from the Celestial Clan remarked, flapping a pair of wings wrapped in crackling arcs of lightning.
This youth was also a sequence prodigy. Wherever he had gone in the past, he was a central figure, bathed in the spotlight.
Now, however, overshadowed by the member of the Eternal Clan, his brilliance naturally paled in comparison.
"It seems we won't need to waste time hunting them down one by one," Yu Xiong said with a faint smile. His gaze settled on the leader standing below—Lu Yuan—and he spoke slowly, "Lu Yuan of the human race, you should already know why we have come.
"Within the Immortal Cave Secret Realm on Mount Huang, you went on a slaughtering spree, butchering a hundred Saints and my own clansmen. Do you plead guilty?" He had no intention of wasting time, so his opening words were a direct demand for accountability.
As soon as the words left his mouth, the extraterrestrial beings around him glared furiously. The reason was simple: their kinsmen had perished there as well.
"If you want to fight, then strike. Why waste so many words?" Lu Yuan replied in a flat voice, disinclined to trade banter with them. After gathering such a massive host to march here, was their purpose not to wage war? Why spout so many grandiose pretexts? They clearly intended to kill, yet they still insisted on claiming the moral high ground.
At this moment, Lu Yuan had no desire to argue with them. In the end, it was nothing more than a battle.
"What audacity!" Yu Xiong laughed out of sheer fury, his voice hardening once more. "It seems you still have no idea what kind of situation you are facing. You have offended the various races of the star sectors. Do you truly believe your strength alone will allow you to resolve all your troubles as you did before? Pure wishful thinking!"
With that, he gave a slight wave of his hand.
Behind him, the gathered host of extraterrestrial beings released their auras in unison, their killing intent soaring to the heavens!
Chapter 300