This power was simply too terrifying. Above all, the disparity between them was already immense.
Back when he was only in the Demi-Saint Realm, Lu Yuan had been capable of crushing opponents in the same realm. Now that he had reached the Great Saint Realm, every facet of his strength had undergone a qualitative leap.
Though Zhou Yunqiong possessed numerous techniques and trump cards, she could not resist him in the slightest. At this moment, as she felt that force surge toward her, breach her body, and begin tearing through her internal organs and even her very soul, her face turned deathly pale.
Her thoughts drifted back to the old era, back to their days in university. At that time, she had been fully aware of Lu Yuan's secret crush on her.
She had simply looked down on him. Even knowing his family was quite well-off, what did that matter to her?
Leaving aside the powerful bloodline inherent within her, merely comparing family backgrounds placed them on entirely different tiers.
Back then, her constant ambition had been to rely on that bloodline to leave Earth and make her name resound across the entire starry cosmos. She had even dreamed of leading her family to dominate the entire Milky Way Star Sector and establish a mighty power. And once heaven and earth revitalized into the New Era, that was precisely what Zhou Yunqiong had set out to do.
Throughout that process, even when she witnessed Lu Yuan's rise as an Awakened and his ever-growing dominance afterward, Zhou Yunqiong had never once felt regret; she had felt only a fleeting touch of surprise, nothing more.
It was only later—when Lu Yuan forcefully ascended to sainthood, and then up until this very moment, as extraterrestrial powerhouses were cut down by him one after another—that everything changed.
Even after she had summoned the projection of the Ji Clan Divine Son, the outcome remained unchanged.
Now, sensing the flame of her life flickering into extinction, Zhou Yunqiong harbored no other emotion in her heart—only regret.
Indeed, it was regret. She regretted not accepting him back then; she regretted not treating Lu Yuan with a kinder attitude.
If everything could only start over, would this end have been avoided? As the thought crossed her mind, she watched her physical body begin to shatter.
Her soul was relentlessly ground down, her aura withering away until, in the end, both soul and flesh were thoroughly annihilated.
On the other side, Lu Yuan watched quietly, his gaze devoid of the slightest ripple. Zhou Yunqiong was dead—truly dead, with no one left to protect her.
Nor did she possess another Death Immunity Talisman. It was complete, absolute death, beyond any possibility of resurrection. After all, even her soul had been directly obliterated.
Such were Lu Yuan's methods: when he acted, he was thorough. He had already spared no effort once before; naturally, he would never allow Zhou Yunqiong to go on living. The reason was exceedingly simple: she was a woman of deep, scheming malice. Dealing with her sooner was far better than waiting.
Having done all this, Lu Yuan did not immediately turn back. Instead, he lifted his gaze toward the silhouette standing not far away.
It was the projection of the Ji Clan Divine Son. Unlike before, however, this projection could no longer wield any power, leaving him able only to watch helplessly.
"Your actions today have completely enraged me. From this day forth, I will surely kill you!" The Ji Clan Divine Son's earlier fury had vanished entirely. When he spoke those words, his tone was eerily calm—so calm that it sent chills down the spine.
Although not a shred of aura radiated from the projection, anyone could sense the monstrous, sky-filling murderous intent lurking behind it.
Seeing this unfold, the surrounding extraterrestrial beings all began to tremble. After all, a Divine Son belonging to a supreme clan had been thoroughly provoked. Everyone knew what that portended for the future.
Lu Yuan, however, seemed entirely unbothered. He spoke slowly, "Then we shall see whether you possess the ability when that day comes."
It sounded arrogant, yet he truly possessed the capital to back it up—especially when the power of this projection had been completely dispersed.
"Good, good, good!" The Ji Clan Divine Son uttered the word three times in succession. Just as he was about to speak again, Lu Yuan acted without hesitation.
He threw another punch, blasting the final remnants of the projection into nothingness. Then he said, "I dislike idle chatter most of all. If you want revenge, come whenever you like."
The deed was already done; why waste words with him? Besides, it was not his true body, making further conversation utterly meaningless.
As for the extraterrestrial beings around them, their scalps went numb, and they were left rendered speechless.
Indeed, Lu Yuan gave off an impression that was simply too domineering. Yet he possessed the strength to match such dominance, leaving nothing to be said.
Just as everyone was marveling inwardly, they suddenly realized something: he had completely dealt with the Ji clan.
Did that mean they were next?
In an instant, tremors ran through everyone's bodies. The current Lu Yuan was no longer a Demi-Saint; he was a Great Saint.
And those who had arrived in this Milky Way Star Sector were essentially in that same realm. More crucially, he was practically invincible within the realm.
If he chose to strike, scarcely anyone present could escape. Now, he truly stood unmatched under the starry skies.
Sure enough, just as that realization struck them, Lu Yuan cast his gaze toward them from the distance.
*Buzz—*
Instantly, a surging aura erupted from within his body, sweeping across the surrounding space in a breath and enveloping most of the extraterrestrial beings within it.
A Great Saint unleashing their full might was an existence capable of destroying celestial bodies; such combat power could hardly be captured in words. The current Lu Yuan had reached precisely this level; referring to him directly as a supreme powerhouse was no exaggeration.
"King Lu, we... we took no part in the battle!"
"Indeed! Look closely, King Lu—we have remained neutral the entire time!"
"From beginning to end, the only ones who struck were those seventeen Great Saints. We did nothing at all!"
At that moment, the extraterrestrial beings spoke up one after another. Granted, pleading in such a manner stripped them of all dignity. But compared to their lives, dignity was trivial; survival was plainly far more important. Thus, they submitted without the slightest hesitation.
"Rest assured, I am no bloodthirsty butcher," Lu Yuan said with a smile. Yet he also knew that their change in attitude stemmed entirely from his breakthrough to the Great Saint Realm, which had brought about a qualitative leap in his strength.
"Many thanks, King Lu! Many thanks, King Lu!"
Hearing those words, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Even so, none dared let their guard down completely, for a simple reason: who knew if he might change his mind?
After saying this, Lu Yuan shifted his gaze toward the remaining Great Saints who had previously besieged him, now that Ji Hongyu was already dead.
That look caused their expressions to change drastically, yet none dared utter a word.
"Today, I have newly entered the Great Saint Realm and have no wish to create excessive slaughter. Aside from the few great clans that already hold grudges against me, I shall merely teach the rest of you a small lesson."
As Lu Yuan's voice fell, arcs of lightning manifested in his hands and surged outward in an explosive strike.
The Great Saints of the Yin Sparrow Clan, Celestial Clan, Spirit Clan, and other hostile factions were directly slain by his hand. As for the rest, though they were spared from death, they could not escape punishment!
Chapter 312