Lu Yuan stood suspended in midair not far away. The formidable aura emanating from him surged outward ceaselessly.
His golden blood energy galloped like a boiling ocean, roiling and churning in towering waves. In that moment, he resembled the most majestic divine mountain of antiquity, towering loftily and exuding an overwhelming sense of oppression.
Even without lifting a finger, he struck dread into those present, making them wary of drawing near. When they recalled his immense strength, a tremor ran through them all the more.
Everyone present understood plainly that this was a figure one must never provoke. Cross him, and one would be slain in an instant—there was no doubt about it.
Originally, once the Jiang clan's Divine Son and Holy Maiden appeared, Yu Xiong and the others intended to temporarily abandon their objective, return to confer with their clansmen, and formulate a new plan.
Yet Lu Yuan's words made it blatantly clear that he had no intention of letting matters rest here. At this moment, Yu Xiong and the members of the Ji clan could not help but exchange glances. Their expressions darkened, though they did not let their fury show. Yu Xiong stepped forward, offering a smile.
"I wonder what else King Lu wishes to say? If you require compensation or an apology, please feel free to speak your mind."
Their current priority was to avoid a full-scale battle at all costs; otherwise, they would suffer a terrible loss.
Even with all their Demi-Saints joining hands, they could only briefly hold Lu Yuan at bay. If the Jiang clan intervened as well, their predicament would turn catastrophic.
That was clearly more than they could handle right now, leaving them no choice but to swallow their pride and soften their stance. Otherwise, the consequences would be even direr.
Thus, he even changed his form of address to signal his deference.
"Compensation? An apology?"
Hearing this, Lu Yuan offered a faint smile and replied, "My apologies, but I have no need for either."
His voice was soft, yet exceedingly resolute, as if nothing under the heavens could sway his resolve.
In truth, he had known all along that the moment Jiang Ningxian and her brother showed themselves, the tides would instantly turn. After all, the status they bore was simply too extraordinary. Even among the great extraterrestrial clans—even those ranked in the top ten—any would have to weigh their actions carefully.
They represented the entire Jiang clan and the Desolate Flame Star Domain, not mere sequence prodigies. However, letting enemies who had marched right to his doorstep walk away freely was entirely contrary to Lu Yuan's style.
His principle had always been that whoever struck at him must pay the price.
The extraterrestrial beings led by the Eternal Clan and the Ji clan clearly intended to rid themselves of him, destroy the entire Heavenly Court in the process, and subsequently seize complete dominion over this world.
Had he not been strong enough, that outcome would have already come to pass, and the present standoff would not exist. Lu Yuan knew this well. He also understood that precisely at times like these, one had to strike hard enough to make those covetous eyes weep with pain.
And so, the moment those words left his mouth, a killing intent emanated from him, growing sharper and fiercer by the heartbeat.
At this juncture, virtually everyone present could sense that today's affair would not end peacefully.
"Then what exactly do you want to do?" Yu Xiong realized something was amiss, a sharp glint surfacing in his eyes. In his heart, he truly harbored dread toward Lu Yuan.
Yet if it truly came down to battle, it was not as though he could not fight. He was merely afraid the Jiang clan's Divine Son and Holy Maiden would get involved.
Now, he could also see that the man before him had no intention of letting them leave easily.
*This is troublesome...*
Not far away, she had never imagined the situation would unfold like this. Clearly, their side had been the one holding the absolute advantage.
"What do I want to do?"
Lu Yuan chuckled, continuing, "It isn't difficult to settle today's matter. Just leave your lives behind."
The moment his words fell, the boundless golden blood energy enveloping him surged forth, rolling in massive waves to merge completely with his unleashed killing intent, growing ever more terrifying.
At the same time, his hands began to move. Arcs of lightning crackled and churned, periodically radiating a tyrannical, savage aura.
"Take our lives? Do you truly believe that relying on the Jiang clan allows you to do whatever you please?"
A woman from the Ji clan spoke up, brimming with indignation.
As a member of a clan ranked in the top ten across the cosmos, when had she ever suffered such humiliation? Right now, the only party she truly feared was the Jiang clan.
Yet even with the Jiang clan backing him, he could forget about riding roughshod over them!
"You're mistaken," Lu Yuan replied. "There is no need for either of them to intervene. I alone am enough."
With that, he took a step forward, and his aura erupted outward.
In that split second, he wasted no more breath on words and struck directly. Rampaging golden blood energy blanketed the surrounding expanse, and in the next instant, he appeared right before Yu Xiong and the others, driving a fist forward.
"What sheer audacity! Do you truly take us for sheep to be slaughtered at will?"
Yu Xiong and his companions could finally endure it no longer. Unwilling to sit by and await death, they unleashed their powers one after another.
Meanwhile, the members of the Ji clan cast another glance down at Jiang Ningxian and her brother. "You two, this is a grievance between us and Lu Yuan. We hope you will not interfere."
Were it not for the Jiang clan, they would have had little reason to fear him.
Jiang Haokong was just about to say something, but Jiang Ningxian stepped forward beside him and said indifferently, "Set your minds at ease. Do as you please."
She possessed absolute confidence in Lu Yuan. The foes gathered here were not enough to threaten his life.
*Rumble!*
At that precise moment, the two sides clashed.
A dreadful aura erupted with a violent shock wave, permeating the entire dome of the sky.
On the extraterrestrial side, even counting only the Saint Realm, their numbers reached sixty to seventy cultivators, with Demi-Saints among them.
Anywhere else, such a force could never be disregarded; against certain star domains, it would be an insurmountable force.
Yet right now, Lu Yuan moved. The moment he struck, lightning surged from his hands, splitting into tens of millions of bolts that filled every corner of the sky. The power he displayed was simply too domineering.
Just as he had declared earlier, by his strength alone, he stood against everyone present.
*Boom!*
Lightning tossed violently, shaking the heavens.
Figure after figure tumbled from above, crashing into the mountains. They were extraterrestrial beings of lesser strength, from the Yin Sparrow Clan and the Celestial Clan.
Among them were even beings of the Saint Realm. Yet at the very onset of the clash, they were blasted into oblivion.
"This guy's thirst for slaughter is truly immense." Watching this scene unfold, Jiang Haokong could not help smacking his lips in disbelief. It struck him as entirely outrageous. Knowing Lu Yuan was enraged, he realized the man was showing no mercy whatsoever.
Then again, it made sense. Those extraterrestrial beings had come looking for trouble again and again; had it been him in Lu Yuan's shoes, he would not have tolerated it either.
"This is barely the beginning. Everything has only just started."
Beside him, Jiang Ningxian shook her head. She knew very well that Lu Yuan had always despised trouble.
From the look of things, he intended to slaughter every last one of them. Following this, he would undoubtedly have follow-up measures prepared.
As for what those measures might be... even she could not tell.
Chapter 304