Upon sensing those two powerful forces, Yu Xiong and the others shuddered, their expressions changing drastically. They knew that their planned scheme was likely impossible to carry out smoothly now.
Taking advantage of the momentary lapse in their focus, Lu Yuan launched another attack. Jade Emperor Orthodox Heavenly Thunder Art!
In the vault of heaven, thunder rumbled ceaselessly, booming with apocalyptic terror. Boundless lightning cascaded down, engulfing everyone within its reach.
Beneath this single strike, several Demi-Saints were obliterated on the spot, leaving not even a shred of their physical bodies behind. Even Yu Xiong and the members of the Ji clan retreated repeatedly, gasping for breath.
Yet, just as they braced to withstand the subsequent attacks, Lu Yuan suddenly ceased moving, standing quietly where he was.
For a moment, the crowd was utterly bewildered.
Down below, having felt those two surging forces, Zhou Yunqiong, who was leading the assault, changed countenance immediately. She halted her actions and looked into the distance, an expression of astonishment appearing on her face.
There stood two figures, a man and a woman, their bearing otherworldly and exceptionally extraordinary. A faint, almost imperceptible aura of authority emanated from them, exerting an intense pressure merely by standing there.
*Her?* Zhou Yunqiong looked toward the woman and recognized her at once.
Back when they entered the Kunlun Secret Realm, this very woman had accompanied Lu Yuan. In terms of beauty, she was even a cut above Zhou Yunqiong herself, and her demeanor was completely peerless. Now, she had appeared once more.
"Who exactly are you?" Zhou Yunqiong demanded. For some reason, she felt that this woman was exceedingly dangerous.
Moreover, the fact that this woman surpassed her in certain aspects stirred an involuntary jealousy within her heart. What was more, she stood by Lu Yuan's side.
Could it be that her own judgment had been wrong all along? Driven by this thought, Zhou Yunqiong bristled with fierce hostility.
"Someone like you isn't worthy of knowing my elder sister's identity," Jiang Haokong retorted upon sensing her hostility, his voice dripping with disdain.
Though this was his first time seeing Zhou Yunqiong, he had heard about some of her deeds. Naturally holding her in deep contempt, he did not hesitate to sneer at her.
"You—"
Zhou Yunqiong was about to say more, but Yu Xiong's voice suddenly rang out. "It seems the two of you are the Holy Maiden and the Divine Son of the Jiang clan."
As a sequence prodigy of the Eternal Clan, the moment the two had appeared, he had sensed their potent aura. Coupled with their extraordinary bearing and the intelligence he had gathered beforehand, he had deduced their identities at once.
The Holy Maiden and the Divine Son of the Jiang clan?
The moment those words were spoken, nearly all the extraterrestrial beings present were shaken to the core, their faces filled with disbelief.
Even Zhou Yunqiong was struck dumb for a moment, hardly daring to believe her ears.
Holy Maiden and Divine Son—these were titles bestowed only upon the most exceptional and powerful sequence prodigies.
Whether in terms of talent or any other aspect, they were truly peak existences across the entire starry sky.
More importantly, they hailed from the Jiang clan. What kind of faction was the Jiang clan? Masters of the Desolate Flame Star Domain, a power ranked among the top ten in the top hundred star sectors.
Even when facing the Ji clan or the Eternal Clan, they had nothing to fear. Their profound heritage, ancient lineage, and formidable prestige were known to all across the boundless cosmos. And now, they had appeared, standing alongside Lu Yuan and the Milky Way Star Sector. What did this signify?
"At least you have some discernment," Jiang Haokong sneered. "Now that you know who we are, aren't you going to back down?" Unlike the others, he was among the strongest sequence prodigies; even against the Eternal Clan, he had nothing to fear.
"So, the Jiang clan has already chosen to stand with the Milky Way Star Sector?" a member of the Ji clan asked, his eyes narrowing slightly. He clearly realized how troublesome this situation had become, for the Jiang clan was by no means an easy opponent to cross.
"What does that have to do with you? Besides, you aren't a sequence prodigy of the Ji clan, so you're not qualified to receive an answer from me," Jiang Haokong replied, completely disregarding the Ji clan members before adding, "If your clan's Divine Son were here, I might spare a few more words."
Those words made the members of the Heavenly Court below gulp.
Everyone felt his tone was outrageously arrogant, as if he held no one in his eyes at all. Naturally, only the members of the Heavenly Court thought this way, for Jiang Haokong put on no airs before them and would even offer guidance in cultivation on occasion.
Yet the extraterrestrial beings reacted differently; hearing those words, none felt that anything was amiss. Even that member of the Ji clan found it natural.
This was because the youth before them was the Divine Son of the Jiang family, a figure of truly transcendent status. Though he was merely at the Demi-Saint Realm at the moment, that was only due to the suppression of this world. Once he departed, breaking through to higher realms in a short time—or even reaching the Immortal Realm—would present no difficulty whatsoever.
Titles such as Divine Son and Holy Maiden were not honors that ordinary people could obtain. Whoever bore them was inevitably a favored prodigy of the entire universe.
Yu Xiong knew this all too well. He had originally thought that the newcomers were merely two ordinary Demi-Saints, perhaps hidden trump cards left behind by Lu Yuan.
He had never imagined that they would turn out to be the Divine Son and Holy Maiden of the Jiang clan. In that case, things had become thoroughly troublesome.
If the Jiang clan intervened, what would they do? This operation had to be abandoned for now.
Thinking this through, Yu Xiong took a deep breath, looked toward Lu Yuan, and spoke in a subdued voice: "We were impetuous this time and should not have come looking for trouble. As for you, you have already slain several Demi-Saints. Why don't we let bygones be bygones for now?"
He knew that pressing on would bring no benefit. If Lu Yuan joined forces with the Divine Son and Holy Maiden of the Jiang clan, none of the extraterrestrials present would meet a good end, and he might very well perish himself.
Although Yu Xiong yearned for vengeance, a wise man submitted to circumstances. Their side had fallen into a disadvantageous position, so they could not act recklessly.
Moreover, he had to investigate thoroughly what kind of relationship existed between the Jiang clan and Lu Yuan.
Above all, this matter had to be reported to his superiors.
With these words spoken, the members of the Ji clan raised no objections, as the situation had far exceeded their expectations and could not be handled rashly.
Below, Zhou Yunqiong opened her mouth to speak, but quickly realized the gravity of the situation and held her peace.
"And here I thought you all possessed tremendous courage and resolve," Jiang Haokong remarked, shaking his head at the sight. Beside him, Jiang Ningxian remained silent from start to finish.
She merely gazed at Zhou Yunqiong in the distance. Feeling that gaze, Zhou Yunqiong felt a sudden chill, knowing with certainty that she was utterly outmatched by this woman.
Yu Xiong had no intention of trading insults with Jiang Haokong. He merely cupped his hands and prepared to leave, as did the other extraterrestrial beings.
The emergence of the Jiang clan had truly caught them unprepared.
"Wait!"
Just at that moment, a voice rang out.
The one who spoke was none other than Lu Yuan. Looking upon the extraterrestrial beings and the Saint Realm experts of the various clans, his eyes remained calm as he said coolly, "You came to my doorstep to cause trouble. Did you think you could just leave whenever you please?"
Chapter 303