"The Ji Clan Divine Son?"
When the siblings heard this, shock flashed through their eyes. Neither of them had expected such a figure to appear.
"The Ji Clan Divine Son has already reached the Immortal Realm. Logically speaking, he shouldn't be able to descend upon the Milky Way Star Sector," Jiang Ningxian spoke first, continuing, "So the one who came this time had to be merely his projection."
"Even if it was just a projection, it would still be immensely formidable. That is a true powerhouse," Jiang Haokong said, quickly asking once more, "So you defeated even his projection?" He found it hard to believe and scarcely imaginable. The reason was simple: that was the Divine Son of the Ji clan.
He was one of the few figures Jiang Haokong considered himself far outmatched by, an immense gap separating them. After all, that person had attained the Immortal Realm long ago.
Breaking into the Great Saint Realm would not be difficult for Haokong himself, but advancing a step further would indeed require immense effort. Thus, learning that Lu Yuan had defeated a projection of the Ji Clan Divine Son left him thoroughly astonished.
"That's right." Lu Yuan nodded. Naturally, he had no reason to deny it. At the same time, he harbored a few questions of his own, so he recounted everything that had taken place beyond the planet.
Eighteen Great Saints joining forces; his sudden breakthrough into the Great Saint Realm; crushing them entirely; expelling the extraterrestrial beings; and directly crippling the cultivation of several foes—he concealed nothing.
Though the siblings had not witnessed those scenes firsthand, they could easily imagine them. After breaking into the Great Saint Realm, Lu Yuan had forcefully settled the entire crisis in one fell swoop.
They had no doubt he possessed the strength and means to do so. At the same time, Jiang Haokong could not help but sigh. He had originally thought that with enough cultivation, he might catch up to Lu Yuan. He had believed that once they reached the same realm, a contest between them would be inevitable. Yet hearing that even the projection of the Ji Clan Divine Son had been blasted apart by Lu Yuan, that thought dwindled considerably.
Only the truly paramount clans understood just how terrifying beings like the Ji Clan Divine Son were. Even a projection was something extraordinary.
Yet Lu Yuan had only just broken through, and he was already capable of such a feat. Jiang Haokong was filled with profound shock.
Meanwhile, Elder Ji, Elder Yun, Zhu Qingyu, and the others listening beside them were thrilled beyond measure.
In their eyes, King Lu had always been invincible, triumphing over every opponent he faced. It had been true in the past, and it remained true now. Hearing that the extraterrestrial beings had been temporarily driven out of the Solar System, they also breathed a sigh of relief.
It could not be helped. For many people, having a throng of extraterrestrials constantly watching them from space, hovering right above the sky, was an intensely oppressive feeling. Now that the menace was temporarily gone, they naturally felt relieved.
Elder Ji noticed that Lu Yuan seemed to have more to discuss with the siblings. Pausing briefly, he led the others away. In any case, all current crises were resolved, and they had plenty of tasks ahead of them.
Soon, the crowd dispersed. Lu Yuan, Jiang Ningxian, and Jiang Haokong walked toward their quarters.
"There's something I don't quite understand," Lu Yuan said. "You're both Divine Son and Holy Maiden level figures yourselves—why do you hold the one from the Ji clan in such high esteem? Is there something different about him?"
Ever since the projection of the Ji Clan Divine Son appeared, Lu Yuan had found it peculiar. The man's strength and cultivation realm were staggering, but more importantly, even someone as proud as Jiang Haokong seemed to hold him in exceptionally high regard.
Even if differences arose from cultivation time, the gap shouldn't be so dramatic.
Now that the others were gone, it was the right time to ask.
"The Divine Son of the Ji clan is indeed very different," Jiang Haokong replied after a moment's thought.
"In truth, among the paramount clans, the strongest sequence prodigies usually have a Divine Son and a Holy Maiden, including the Eternal Clan. But the Ji clan is somewhat different—they have only one Divine Son, an indisputable one," Jiang Ningxian explained, continuing, "Because he was already the Ji Clan Divine Son ten thousand years ago."
"Ten thousand years ago?"
Hearing this, astonishment surfaced on Lu Yuan's face. He could not wrap his head around it. If he became Divine Son ten thousand years ago, setting aside lifespan issues and considering only the state of the world, wouldn't he have grown into an overlord of an entire domain by now? After all, he was a chosen pride at the Divine Son level.
"He became the Divine Son ten thousand years ago, but he hasn't lived for ten thousand years," Jiang Ningxian said, realizing Lu Yuan had misunderstood. She continued, "Over these ten thousand years, the Ji clan kept him sealed using special methods. He emerged a few times during that span, but only for brief periods. Yet all this time, his position as Divine Son remained unshakeable. After him, the Ji clan never appointed another Divine Son, only Holy Maidens.
"And several decades ago, when he was unsealed once more, the Ji clan simply stopped conferring Holy Maidens altogether. You can imagine just how powerful this person is."
Upon hearing this explanation, Lu Yuan realized what it implied and said, "So not only has he cultivated longer, but his innate talent might also be the most peerless the Ji clan has seen in ten thousand years?"
Had that not been the case, the Ji clan would never have taken such measures.
Now, he finally understood completely. This Ji Clan Divine Son was truly extraordinary.
"Exactly," Jiang Haokong nodded, continuing, "Ever since he emerged into the world, he has virtually never tasted defeat.
"Above all, rumor has it that he had already reached the Immortal Realm ten thousand years ago. For you to defeat him from the Great Saint Realm, even if it was just a projection, is already astonishingly formidable." As he spoke, a trace of admiration involuntarily surfaced in his gaze toward Lu Yuan.
To achieve this while a realm lower—how could one not admire that?
"So that's how it is," Lu Yuan murmured thoughtfully. Then he couldn't help asking, "Still, why would a figure like him place so much importance on Zhou Yunqiong?
"Was he interested in her bloodline power? But logically, the Ji clan should possess plenty of that. So what was the real reason?"
The Ji Clan Divine Son possessed extraordinary status and prestige; Zhou Yunqiong shouldn't have been worth a glance in his eyes.
Yet he had personally bestowed a Death Immunity Talisman upon her—an utterly unusual gesture. The disparity between them was too vast. There had to be an underlying reason.
Unable to fathom it, Lu Yuan turned his gaze to the Jiang siblings. He felt that as members of another top ten clan, they were bound to know something.
Even if they didn't know the exact reason, they could surely provide some clues. As for why he was so curious, it was because Lu Yuan knew this person would inevitably become his future opponent!
Chapter 314