Once the Liangzhou Cauldron was completely refined, its power of providence was fully bestowed upon the Investiture Decree. More importantly, an aura surged from it, intertwining with the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token.
In truth, whenever one of the Nine Cauldrons was refined, a vast amount of providence would augment the Investiture Decree.
Everyone whose true name was inscribed upon it would reap tremendous benefits during this process. However, Lu Yuan discovered that after refining the fifth cauldron and allowing the decree's providence to reach a certain threshold, a change occurred within the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token. Wisps of purple aura merged with his innate spirit.
During this time, a brand-new sensation seemed to awaken within him, sharpening his perception of the surrounding world far beyond what it had been before. Even his control over the Investiture Decree became second nature.
Most crucial of all, Lu Yuan noticed that the name "Di Yuan" inscribed on the Investiture Decree was now entwined with wisps of purple mist.
Those two characters appeared even more extraordinary, reigning supreme above all living beings.
"This feeling..."
Lu Yuan carefully examined the subtle anomaly following the token's transformation. Yet, just like before, he still could not probe any distinct properties.
Even so, he could tangibly feel the shift. What it truly entailed and what function it served remained unclear.
"Regardless, this change is definitely not simple." Lu Yuan pondered the matter, surmising that as more providence accumulated, the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token would likely begin to manifest its miraculous traits.
As for why he still could not wield it, he suspected he had not gathered enough of the tokens. At this thought, a wave of helplessness washed over him, leaving him at a loss for words.
Just as he had anticipated, he still had means to locate the rest of the Nine Cauldrons. After all, the nine cauldrons formed a single unified whole; having one allowed him to utilize special methods, making subsequent searches much easier.
Yet the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token was different. Although it seemed part of a set, tracking down the remaining pieces was extraordinarily difficult.
Compounded by his scant knowledge regarding it, the matter was even more troublesome. Would he truly have to take it slowly?
But did he have the time?
Lu Yuan knew all too well that formidable enemies had already gathered outside the Milky Way Star Sector.
Who knew how much longer the power of the Severance of Heaven and Earth could hold out? Even with absolute confidence in his own strength, facing that Divine Son of the Ji clan—who had long since attained the Immortal Realm—would be no simple feat. The gap between them was simply too vast. Even if he exhausted every trump card at his disposal, claiming victory would be impossible.
In fact, there was a high likelihood he would be slain. Along the path of evolution, a single step created a chasm.
Having reached the Saint Realm, Lu Yuan's ability to fight above his cultivation level was already terrifying. In truth, against an ordinary Immortal Realm expert, he had little to fear. The crux of the problem was that the Ji clan's Divine Son was an exceptionally rare favored son of heaven across the entire cosmos.
Surpassing him in a short period was fundamentally impossible unless special means were employed. And Lu Yuan was certain the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token held such power.
Yet he could not use it. It was like holding a sharp divine sword that refused to leave its scabbard.
Naturally, he felt no true dread toward the Ji Clan Divine Son. Lu Yuan still had many methods; if it came down to a fight to the death, even if he fell, he would tear a layer of skin off his foe.
Without dwelling on it further, Lu Yuan stepped out of his room. Having refined another cauldron and gained more providence, he could now bestow titles upon more deities.
Of course, his plan this time was not to focus merely on numbers as before. In his view, the ranks of the Heavenly Court were largely sufficient; the next step was to nurture true mainstays of strength.
Earlier, the Thirty-six Heavenly Generals had already been appointed. Lu Yuan now intended to follow the hierarchy of the Daoist Heavenly Court and cultivate another elite cadre—such as the Nine Luminaries, the Twelve Yuanchen, and the Twenty-Eight Mansions. In his blueprint, all of them would stand as future heavenly generals.
Should danger threaten the Milky Way Star Sector or Earth down the road, they would lead the heavenly soldiers into battle.
As for Zhu Qingyu, the Ice Fairy, and the others from the first cohort who had joined the Heavenly Court and already achieved the Saint Realm, he had greater purposes in mind. Lu Yuan understood that he could not remain in the Heavenly Court indefinitely; a time would come when he had to depart. When that day arrived, there had to be several figures capable of holding the fort—true high-ranking leaders—and Zhu Qingyu and the others were perfectly suited for the task.
Following his plan, Lu Yuan conferred titles upon a new group of people, channeling more power of providence into them in hopes that they would grow rapidly in a short span.
At present, Earth had far too few Saint Realm experts.
Naturally, he had not forgotten the Beast Kings' search for the Nine Cauldrons.
The Beast Kings had been searching continuously. Swift ones like the Peacock King had even left the borders of Huaxia.
Although the odds of finding the cauldrons outside Huaxia were slim, it was not impossible. Thus, it had ventured out with several other Beast Kings.
And just as Lu Yuan had predicted, cauldrons did exist across Earth. While not all of them were here, a good number were.
The Nine-Tailed Fox King and the others discovered another cauldron and notified Lu Yuan immediately. This was the sixth one.
If he could obtain it, only three would remain. Yet when Lu Yuan inquired about its location, he was somewhat surprised.
The sixth cauldron had appeared in Shennongjia—a place he had visited before without noticing it.
Reflecting on it, this made sense. When Lu Yuan had explored Shennongjia back then, he had not even covered a tenth of the region, visiting only the Shennong Altar. Moreover, he had not known where the cauldron might be at the time, so failing to find it was entirely normal.
Just as he prepared to set off, however, the siblings Jiang Ningxian and Jiang Haokong arrived. Shennong was the ancestor of the Jiang clan.
They had long wished to pay a visit, but had lacked the time. Jiang Ningxian had gone once before, and with their kinsmen soon to descend, she wanted to visit again. Jiang Haokong had also contemplated making the pilgrimage to pay his respects for a long time. Lu Yuan naturally raised no objection.
Before long, the three set out together.
En route, Lu Yuan attempted to contact the Nine-Tailed Fox King again to confirm the cauldron's precise location, only to receive no response.
More importantly, when Lu Yuan arrived at Shennongjia once more, he sensed that the region was blanketed by a peculiar power. Even with his current strength, he could not penetrate it to investigate clearly.
Above all, the instant he stepped into the boundaries of Shennongjia, the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token within his mind trembled faintly.
Everything seemed to presage that this journey would be anything but ordinary!
Chapter 323