He was a future opponent—and without doubt, a formidable nemesis.
Under such circumstances, it was only natural to learn as much as possible about him.
Moreover, as time passed, the power of the Severance of Heaven and Earth grew weaker and weaker.
In the future, Immortal Realm existences would inevitably descend.
Lu Yuan understood this all too well.
He was currently relying on his formidable might to expel those extraterrestrial beings from the Solar System.
Yet it would not be long before they made a comeback. Formidable though his strength was, it had not reached the level where he could disregard everything.
Peril still lay ahead.
And to face that peril, Lu Yuan had to plan carefully on all fronts.
The Jiang siblings did not answer his question right away.
In truth, they did not know much about the Ji Clan Divine Son either, beyond the fact that he was extraordinarily powerful.
As for why he held Zhou Yunqiong in such high regard, they were equally in the dark.
Only after a moment did Jiang Ningxian's gaze shift slightly, and she spoke up. "I did hear some similar news before. The Ji clan travels to various star sectors in search of scattered bloodlines. Once those individuals reach a certain caliber, they are brought back to the Ziwei Star Sector to be nurtured.
"Some special ones receive even greater attention. Yet in the end, every single one of those individuals vanished without a trace, simply evaporating into thin air."
The Ji clan was an ancient, eminent family. Their ancestors had once produced a Human Sovereign and Heavenly Emperor, and the clan had flourished across countless ages.
Beyond Earth, they possessed numerous branch bloodlines scattered throughout the cosmos.
The Zhou family was merely one of them.
Now that Jiang Ningxian revealed the Ji clan sought out collaterals with strong bloodlines to cultivate, only for those people to vanish, it naturally gave rise to suspicions.
"So Zhou Yunqiong might have been one of the bloodlines the Ji clan took an interest in?" Lu Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly.
Even so, that still did not explain what the Ji Clan Divine Son truly intended.
He knew there had to be some secret behind it.
Unfortunately, he had far too little information to deduce anything concrete.
"I'll have my clan look into it as well. Perhaps we'll uncover something later," Jiang Ningxian said, deciding to mobilize her clan's resources to investigate.
She, too, felt there had to be more to this than met the eye.
It made no sense for Zhou Yunqiong to suddenly be granted such prominence.
After all, the Ji Clan Divine Son was a figure of supreme standing.
"Alright." Lu Yuan nodded without dwelling on it further.
He knew this was not a matter to be rushed. Having just broken through to the Great Saint Realm, he needed to rest and recuperate; although his new power was fully under his command, the recent battle had been far fiercer than any before.
After conversing a little longer, the three went their separate ways.
"To shatter even the Ji Clan Divine Son's projection while a whole realm lower... Sis, the guy you've got your eyes on is really something else," Jiang Haokong could not help remarking as he watched Lu Yuan's receding figure.
"What do you mean, 'the guy I've got my eyes on'? If you don't know how to speak properly, keep your mouth shut!"
A blush unexpectedly tinged Jiang Ningxian's lovely cheeks.
Recovering her composure almost instantly, she snapped at him.
"Right, right, I'll shut up."
Though Jiang Haokong carried himself with haughty arrogance before outsiders, he stood under absolute sibling hierarchy before his older sister and dared not say another word.
Inside his chamber, Lu Yuan sat cross-legged.
Waves of golden blood and qi surged continuously around his body.
Feeling the immense energy within him, he could not help marveling.
The Great Saint Realm was truly extraordinary.
Yet as he observed this, Lu Yuan noticed subtle wisps of purple radiance circulating within his golden blood and qi.
"When my battle intent peaked, the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token in my mind seemed to stir. Is this connected to that?"
After brief contemplation, he cleared his thoughts and directed his entire focus into his mind.
There, the Ancient Bodhi Tree stood as steadfast as ever, casting down halos of soft light.
Beneath it sat his innate spirit. Before it lay the Heavenly Emperor Decree, already inscribed with numerous true names—all beings who had been conferred titles as gods of the Heavenly Court. And above the innate spirit's head, the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token drifted up and down, radiating faint wisps of purple light.
This ancient token had been formed from the fusion of three separate pieces.
Lu Yuan's understanding of it was limited. Aside from its ability to confer divine titles and bestow providential fortune, he knew little else.
Previously, he only ever thought of the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token when conferring titles.
Yet during his battle with the Ji Clan Divine Son, when his battle intent was at its peak, the token had stirred. That led him to suspect it possessed other functions.
Unfortunately, after studying it for quite a while, he found it remained unchanged.
"Could it really require me to locate the remaining ancient tokens?"
Seeing this, Lu Yuan felt somewhat troubled.
He had no idea where the remaining tokens were, so how could he even begin?
Then there were the Nine Cauldrons connected to them. He had only uncovered three so far, and the whereabouts of the rest remained unknown.
The search for both had ground to a halt previously.
With affairs piling up lately, he had set the matter aside.
However, looking at the situation now, it was worth making an attempt.
The extraterrestrial beings who had hovered menacingly in space had been temporarily driven off.
As for those who had already descended, after the recent events, they would surely remain quiet for a good while.
This interval offered an ideal opportunity.
Moreover, Lu Yuan had a distinct premonition that both items would prove of immense aid to him in the future.
After all, what he would face down the line was not merely extraterrestrial beings, but also those Extraterrestrial Demons.
The Nine Cauldrons anchored the providential fortune of Huaxia.
And while the exact use of the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token remained unknown, anything bearing the words "Heavenly Emperor" was bound to be extraordinary.
With these thoughts in mind, Lu Yuan took a deep breath.
Setting distractions aside, he began stabilizing his cultivation realm.
The Great Saint Realm was the final stage of the Saint Realm.
One step further lay the immortals.
He knew this transition was of paramount importance. Even with his deep foundation, crossing that threshold completely would demand substantial time and energy.
Yet energy was something Lu Yuan did not lack; after all, he had no need to micromanage the day-to-day affairs of the Heavenly Court. The most pressing factor was time. Who could say how much longer the Severance of Heaven and Earth would hold?
Who knew when those beings from beyond this realm might appear?
Every detail had to be weighed.
Of course, things had to be taken step by step.
First and foremost were the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token and the Nine Cauldrons.
The cauldrons were manageable; as long as another one remained on Earth, he had ways to find it.
The Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token, however, was truly troublesome. Even in his previous life, Lu Yuan had heard very little about it, so that would have to be deliberated over time.
Chapter 315