Among these clans, each had lost members to Lu Yuan's hand.
Some had even lost their own elders. Now presented with an opportunity to bring him down, none showed the slightest hesitation.
Although their total number of Saint Realm cultivators was not overwhelmingly vast—falling short even of the Heavenly Court—most among them had already reached the Demi-Saint level.
Thus, following Yu Xiong's words, they stepped forward in unison, unleashing their auras without restraint.
They made no attempt to conceal themselves; there was no longer any need. Things had come this far, and between the two sides lay a mortal feud where only one could survive. What was left to hide?
"Lu Yuan, today we settle all our debts at once!"
"You killed our kin—an irreconcilable blood feud!"
"Battle!" At this moment, the extraterrestrial beings spoke up one after another, the killing intent radiating from them thicker than ever before.
"Whether you can settle this trouble or not—wouldn't you know if you just had the courage to try?" Facing their clamor, Lu Yuan's expression did not waver in the slightest. Still brimming with confidence, he stood there utterly fearless.
Behind him, the hosts of the Heavenly Court did not hesitate either. They took a collective step forward, planting themselves firmly with sharp, piercing gazes.
Perhaps they would lose their lives once the fighting began, but what of it? The moment they took their stand here, their decision had already been made.
"Hahaha!" Yu Xiong laughed, utterly dismissive. "Do you truly believe you can contend with all the extraterrestrial races gathered here with only your own meager strength?"
"They indeed overestimate themselves. Having gained a modicum of power, they look down upon every domain in the starry sky." Just then, another voice chimed in—a woman's.
Zhu Qingyu and the others furrowed their brows, sensing something familiar. Soon enough, they saw the speaker: it was Zhou Yunqiong.
Behind her stood several men and women. Though nothing appeared remarkable about them on the surface, each possessed an extraordinary air, their bodies brimming with potent power.
Clearly, these were no ordinary figures. And seeing Zhou Yunqiong, the Heavenly Court's members quickly realized that these newcomers likely hailed from the Ji clan.
"Zhou Yunqiong, you were born on Earth, from the Milky Way Star Domain, yet here you are leading outsiders against your own homeland. Don't you feel any shame?" Seeing Zhou Yunqiong arrive with her retinue, Zhu Qingyu immediately barked in rebuke.
In her eyes, Zhou Yunqiong was a native of this world, yet she now stood shoulder to shoulder with extraterrestrial beings.
In other words, this was utter, shameless betrayal, and Zhu Qingyu could hold her tongue no longer. Beside her, Ice Fairy, the young Celestial Master Chunyang, and the rest also cast hostile glares. Some grudges indeed needed settling, but one had to consider the greater picture!
"People of my homeland? What an absolute joke." Hearing this, Zhou Yunqiong only sneered. "I originally hail from the Ji clan and bear the bloodline of the Ji clan. I was never the same kind of person as you to begin with. As for your talk of being shameless, that is even more baseless. You know better than anyone how my kin died." She looked down at Zhu Qingyu and the others, paying no heed to the reprimand and finding it laughable instead.
When Zhou Yunqiong came here, she had never considered herself part of this world. Now that she had joined the Ji clan and earned the favor of that great figure, her associates were all from the top ten races in the starry sky. She held no regard whatsoever for her so-called homeland.
Of course, most important of all was her burning hatred for Lu Yuan.
"You—" Zhu Qingyu wanted to say more, but Lu Yuan waved a hand, signaling that there was no need to waste words. He simply said, "You cannot reason with someone like her. She will always place her personal interests above all else. To her, everyone is merely a stepping stone."
Whether it was the Winged Celestial in the past or the Celestial Clan later on, they were all merely outsiders she used to advance her evolutionary cultivation. Zhou Yunqiong valued herself above everything else.
That was why Lu Yuan had always found her dangerous. But now that their paths had crossed once more, some scores indeed had to be settled once and for all.
"Lu Yuan, your end is upon you today, yet you still dare slander me?" Zhou Yunqiong glared at him, the malice in her eyes uncontainable.
Though she had never placed much value on kinship, her family was dead, and all her plans had crumbled, forcing her to rely on the Ji clan. The two of them were truly mortal enemies—a hatred that could not coexist under the same sky.
Now, Zhou Yunqiong had lost all patience. Turning directly to Yu Xiong, she urged, "I see no reason to wait. Their forces are all here. Let us strike at once."
Hearing this, Yu Xiong nodded and took a stride forward.
In an instant, his aura swept out from head to toe. Beside him, four or five beings of equal standing stepped forth as well, essentially all having reached the peak of the Demi-Saint Realm.
On their way here, they had already devised a plan: deploy the strongest among them to engage Lu Yuan first.
They did not seek to slay or defeat him outright—holding him down would suffice. Meanwhile, the rest would attack the members of the Heavenly Court directly.
By doing so, they would seize Lu Yuan's soft underbelly. Once they succeeded, everything that followed would become far easier.
At the same time, as those individuals stepped forward, the few from the Ji clan also stepped out. They were not following orders, of course; their great figure had commanded that Lu Yuan be slain, and they simply wished to lend a hand.
At this moment, all the extraterrestrial beings fell silent. With titans like the Ji clan and the Eternal Clan standing at the vanguard, they harbored no fear.
Their auras merged into a unified wave, raging relentlessly across the sky. The firmament rumbled, and the earth trembled beneath them.
Dozens of Demi-Saints—and of the peak caliber, no less—joining forces was a truly terrifying sight.
Knowing this full well, the members of the Heavenly Court took deep breaths, having long prepared themselves for a fight to the death.
Yet, just as they prepared to charge forward, Lu Yuan remained firmly at the very front of everyone. His straight, towering figure stood like the loftiest mountain in the world. Looking up at the extraterrestrial beings in the sky, he spoke in a measured tone.
"For everything that follows, all of you need only watch."
His voice was soft, devoid of overt majesty.
Yet at this moment, it resonated clearly in the ears of every Heavenly Court member. In the next instant, a formidable aura surged forth from his body.
Golden blood energy spread out, surging like boundless, raging waves, and swept directly into the sky above, transforming into an ocean of gold.
The power of a Demi-Saint was laid bare without the slightest reservation. Looking at his foes, Lu Yuan muttered softly to himself, "Today, I slaughter anew!"
As his voice fell, his entire figure appeared in midair. Before him stood the extraterrestrial beings. The scene seemed no different from several past confrontations, yet in terms of power, everyone had changed considerably.
Even so, Lu Yuan remained fearless. He understood well that this might be his final battle before breaking through to the Great Saint Realm. If so, then let this battle strike awe into the entire starry sky!
Chapter 301