The upper half of the mountain range had been sheared away, leaving behind flat, leveled ground.
Searching it was naturally far easier now.
Because the place was obscure, there were not many mutated beasts roaming about to begin with. Moreover, the earlier arrival of the Golden-Winged Great Peng and the Spirit Monkey had driven most of them away, making the search remarkably straightforward.
Soon, Lu Yuan stepped into the mountain range. Gleams of light surged within his eyes as wisps of aura emanated from his body.
It was the power of providence communing with the Nine Cauldrons. Compared to the Golden-Winged Great Peng, he was far more sensitive to such an aura. Combined with having pinpointed the location beforehand, finding it proved even simpler.
"Found it."
Sure enough, less than fifteen minutes had passed when Lu Yuan sensed a familiar surge of providence—the unmistakable aura that could only belong to the Nine Cauldrons.
Without hesitation, he raised his hand.
In an instant, a vast expanse of earth was peeled back.
Beneath it lay a colossal platform flanked by four massive stone pillars. Auspicious beasts were carved upon them, appearing ancient and profoundly mystical.
Of course, none of that was what truly mattered. Most important was the black cauldron resting at the very center.
It was a square cauldron with four legs and two loop handles, its entire body exuding an inscrutable aura. It stood quietly where it was, as though it had been placed there in an age long past.
"The Xuzhou Cauldron?" Lu Yuan murmured, looking at the vessel before him. Reaching out with his senses, he felt the three cauldrons within his body resonate with it, their auras seeming to weave together. In that very instant, the cauldron's name surfaced in his mind.
It was indeed one of the Nine Cauldrons.
After a brief thought, Lu Yuan channeled the power within him.
The next moment, the Xuzhou Cauldron transformed into a streak of light and merged directly into his body.
"Now that four cauldrons have been found, five remain. Continue your hard work, and coordinate with the other Beast Kings. If any news turns up, notify me immediately."
Having collected the Xuzhou Cauldron, Lu Yuan turned toward the Golden-Winged Great Peng and the Spirit Monkey nearby to give his instructions.
He could not be certain whether all of the Nine Cauldrons were in the Milky Way Star Sector, but finding even one more would add another measure to his foundation and strength.
For some inexplicable reason, as he gathered the cauldrons, Lu Yuan always felt a faint, lingering premonition of crisis gradually drawing nearer. Yet whenever he tried to investigate it closely, he could find no lead at all.
Thus, his immediate priority was to raise his strength in the shortest time possible.
"Yes, Master." Hearing the command, the Golden-Winged Great Peng nodded, knowing what to do.
Having secured the Xuzhou Cauldron, Lu Yuan wished to refine it and invest more people, so he departed without delay.
Soon, on the sheared mountain range that was now just a flat expanse, only the Golden-Winged Great Peng and the Spirit Monkey remained.
"Let's continue searching for the remaining cauldrons. I wonder how the Peacock King and the others are faring," the Spirit Monkey said, sounding somewhat anxious. It knew that the current calm was merely on the surface. Locating the Nine Cauldrons was of tremendous help to King Lu, so naturally, it felt a sense of urgency.
"Indeed. Whatever comes, we must give it our all," the Golden-Winged Great Peng replied.
With nothing more to say, the two Beast Kings tore open the void and took their leave.
Yet less than an hour after their departure, wisps of black mist abruptly rose from the massive platform where the Xuzhou Cauldron had rested, shooting straight toward the sky.
The mist carried a bizarre aura that seemed alien to this world—identical to what had appeared at Guangchengzi's Dao arena before.
However, the black mist lingered only for a brief moment before vanishing entirely, as though it had never existed.
***
Mount Tai.
Inside a chamber, Lu Yuan sat cross-legged.
As before, he was in secluded cultivation, though this time it was not to advance his evolutionary realm, but to refine his fourth cauldron, the Xuzhou Cauldron.
The process went smoothly. After all, it was not his first time, and the procedure was relatively simple. In less than three days, he brought it to completion.
*Boom!~*
The moment Lu Yuan refined the Xuzhou Cauldron, it merged directly into the Investiture Decree.
At the same time, an immensely powerful surge of providence gushed from his body.
He discovered that the true names of the beings inscribed upon the decree shone even brighter than before, gleaming like dazzling stars, while the characters for 'Di Yuan,' representing himself, hung like the sole, radiant sun.
Even more notably, Lu Yuan saw that the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token resting in his mind radiated a purple mist far more intense than ever, seeming to harbor an unfathomable, profound power within.
"Does the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token truly represent the Heavenly Emperor? And how many such ancient tokens are there?"
Sensing all of this, Lu Yuan's eyes filled with contemplation.
He had always known the token was extraordinary. It was perhaps the most singular artifact in the entire starry sky, concealing boundless power, yet he still had no idea how to activate or employ it.
Everything had to be taken one step at a time. The answer would reveal itself eventually.
With a quiet sigh, Lu Yuan said nothing more and rose to his feet.
Because the power of providence upon the Investiture Decree had grown stronger, he could now invest more individuals, and he had no intention of letting that opportunity go to waste.
For him, and indeed for the entire Earth, the stronger the Heavenly Court became, the better.
Naturally, this round of investiture was directed toward the forces of the Heavenly Court.
As time passed, more and more people joined their ranks. The Awakened among them possessed commendable strength and potential. Taken all together, the Heavenly Court's personnel now exceeded tens of thousands—the very vanguard of humanity walking the evolutionary path on Earth today.
Nearly all of them had now converged under the banner of the Heavenly Court.
Seeing the Heavenly Court grow ever more formidable filled Elder Ji and Elder Yun with profound joy. They believed that having Lu Yuan was an absolute blessing for Earth and all of humanity.
Were it not for him, there was no telling what this world would have become or how severely the situation would have deteriorated by now.
To them, entrusting everything to King Lu was the most correct choice they could have made.
As for the younger generation, they had long held Lu Yuan in the highest esteem.
Meanwhile, resources from the Jiang clan were continuously delivered to Earth via special channels. All in all, everything was progressing in the best possible direction.
Even so, no one let their guard down completely. Everyone knew that the true trial still lay ahead.
Chapter 319