The Heavenly Court—such an entity had existed as far back as ancient times.
From what Jiang Ningxian had recounted, Lu Yuan knew that the name "Heavenly Court" signified something extraordinary and carried immense weight.
For during a certain era, the Human Sovereign Heavenly Emperor had founded the Heavenly Court, which not only became the mightiest power in the Milky Way Star Sector, but also grew into a formidable force capable of swaying—and even dominating—the entire universe.
Even the so-called top hundred star sectors, or factions like the Eternal Clan, had stood a head shorter before the Milky Way Star Sector and the Heavenly Court.
When it came to certain decrees, even they had to comply. One could say the Heavenly Court ruled over everything, a testament to how mighty the Milky Way Star Sector had once been.
Yet with the departure of the Human Sovereign Heavenly Emperor and the passing of its powerhouses, the Heavenly Court had naturally declined until it vanished completely.
In truth, many great clans across the star sectors had resented having such a colossal power lording over them, so perhaps they too had lent a hand in the Heavenly Court's downfall.
After all, every great clan possessed its own pride; how could they willingly submit to another's constraints? It was precisely because of this that when the extraterrestrial beings learned Lu Yuan had established a Heavenly Court, they had essentially only two reactions.
First was shock. According to records, the Heavenly Court had truly been overwhelmingly powerful; its emergence meant all races had to bow their heads.
Second was mockery. They believed Lu Yuan was no Human Sovereign Heavenly Emperor—his strength was vastly inferior, so how could he possibly build such a mighty power?
All in all, the significance of the Heavenly Court was extraordinary, though no one knew its true purpose.
Now, however, Lu Yuan was beginning to understand. The reason the Human Sovereign Heavenly Emperor had chosen to establish the Heavenly Court was likely to unite the power of the entire universe against the Extraterrestrial Demons. After all, those were adversaries that even supreme powerhouses had to treat with utter gravity, heralding the descent of catastrophe.
No matter how formidable the Human Sovereign Heavenly Emperor had been, he could not face every crisis alone. This inevitably reminded Lu Yuan of why he had formed the Heavenly Court in the first place: to rally the strength of this world and fend off extraterrestrial beings. By now, he had largely achieved that goal.
Would he next have to confront those Extraterrestrial Demons?
At that thought, he suddenly felt that being the so-called Master of the Heavenly Court was no easy task.
Still, it mattered not. As long as he continued to grow stronger, there would be no need to worry.
Without dwelling on it further, Lu Yuan returned to his residence. Though he had already reached the Immortal Realm, this was not the end.
He knew full well that with his current cultivation, he was at best an Undying Immortal. Above him lay four more minor realms. To say nothing of the highest, take the Black Dragon he had encountered in the Dragon Prison—that dragon had been a Creation Immortal, relying on the black blood of Extraterrestrial Demons to survive for who knew how long. Even in its current state, it could unleash the power of the Immortal Realm.
Had Lu Yuan not been strong enough, he would have long since become its feast. And that was after the Black Dragon had languished in decline for countless years; what if it had been in its prime?
Just as it had claimed, it truly qualified as a terrifying powerhouse. While it might not have run rampantly unchecked across the universe, almost no one would have dared to provoke it.
Lu Yuan intended to forge ahead toward that realm—and become even stronger than the Black Dragon. He knew his adversaries were no longer just extraterrestrial beings, but Extraterrestrial Demons as well.
Only by reaching the pinnacle could he truly fear nothing. Thus, while his current strength and realm could not be considered merely a beginning, they were certainly far from the destination he sought.
Naturally, Lu Yuan also turned his attention to the growth of the Heavenly Court's forces.
They were very likely to serve as the main force in confronting extraterrestrial beings and even Extraterrestrial Demons in the future. They had to grow stronger as quickly as possible. Conveniently, this was a grace period. He had previously issued an order directing everyone to seek out fortunes across the famous mountains and great rivers.
Lu Yuan joined their operations as well, aiming to quicken the pace and secure more resources. The extraterrestrial beings had initially been doing the same, since their primary purpose in descending was to seize opportunities and resources. Yet upon hearing that Lu Yuan was personally taking action, they quieted down and ceased making moves.
The reason was simple: who knew if he was targeting them? Under such circumstances, playing it safe was best. The power of the Severance of Heaven and Earth was nearly gone.
When it vanished entirely, the situation would inevitably change. Even if conditions were not great, they could hardly be worse than now, could they?
In short, the most important thing at present was to preserve their lives. With matters standing this way, Lu Yuan's task of leading the Heavenly Court's members to gather resources and fortunes became far easier.
In less than two months, many had taken their strength a step further. Of course, during this time, Lu Yuan did not strip every last resource and fortune bare, taking only a portion.
The Heavenly Court needed to grow stronger, but it could not block the path of everyone else. As the power of the Severance of Heaven and Earth faded, Earth transformed once more.
More ordinary people embarked on the path of evolutionary cultivation. Their progress was so rapid that extraterrestrial beings were astonished by what they saw.
To be sure, the extraterrestrial beings had not progressed slowly after descending, but compared to the natives of this world, their pace lagged far behind.
Under normal circumstances, they would have intervened to suppress them, as no one wanted potential threats to emerge. Yet with Lu Yuan holding sway over Earth, no one dared to make a move.
Consequently, over this period, not only did the Heavenly Court grow stronger, but all living beings of this world grew stronger as well—humans and mutant beasts alike.
Because of this, the Heavenly Court recruited even more people once again. It was a virtuous cycle, equivalent to the entire world elevating and gaining power.
Extraterrestrial experts estimated that if things continued at this rate, the Milky Way Star Sector would surge into the ranks of the top hundred star sectors within a few years.
This was terrifying. As many knew all too well, which of the top hundred star sectors had not achieved that status through countless years of accumulation?
Yet how long had Earth taken? A mere few years. Such a development truly left them feeling helpless.
Originally, had nothing unexpected occurred, they would have carved up the various resources of this world. Now, they could only watch from the sidelines.
Seeing the Heavenly Court begin to flourish, Lu Yuan was quite pleased. While it could not yet compare to a true top hundred star sector, with such speed, he could hardly ask for more.
After three months of leading his forces across famous mountains and great rivers to gather resources and fortunes, he left them to act on their own.
Still, Lu Yuan felt a touch of disappointment deep down, as he had found no trace of the remaining cauldrons among the Nine Cauldrons. This forced him to wonder whether the final two cauldrons were even on Earth.
If not, whose hands were they in?
As he pondered this, Jiang Ningxian finally emerged from her residence, bringing the latest news from the starry sky and the Jiang clan.
Chapter 368