Compared to three months ago, the aura emanating from Jiang Ningxian had grown even stronger.
Faint signs already pointed to an imminent breakthrough into the Immortal Realm. Naturally, breaking through was not difficult for her; it was merely a matter of whether she wished to do so.
The only reason she had held back before was the constraints imposed by this world, but the power of the Severance of Heaven and Earth was steadily waning.
Now, Jiang Ningxian could gradually draw upon her accumulated foundation to advance toward higher realms. In truth, whenever she desired, she could break through at any time.
It was just like that previous occasion in the Dragon Prison, when Jiang Ningxian could have broken into the Immortal Realm in one fell swoop, only to be stopped by Lu Yuan in the end.
"What is the situation beyond Earth right now?" Lu Yuan skipped the pleasantries and went straight to the point.
After all, he understood full well what lay ahead. Only by keeping abreast of the outer realm's movements could he better make advance preparations, rather than being caught off guard.
"Because the power of the Severance of Heaven and Earth is disappearing, more and more extraterrestrial experts have arrived in the Milky Way Star Sector."
"That includes every single one of the top ten clans. Presumably, all of them intend to descend the very moment the way opens."
"However, some of them have no intention of conquering this world," Jiang Ningxian said without withholding anything.
She laid out the entire situation in detail. In short, the Milky Way Star Sector and Earth had become the focus of the entire universe, drawing everyone's attention.
"If conquest isn't their goal, then they must be after that wisp of great era providence, right?" Lu Yuan remarked, understanding the real reason behind the extraterrestrial beings' arrival.
The world's revival naturally brought a wealth of resources and fortuitous encounters, but those were only enough to entice star sectors that were not particularly powerful.
Factions ranked in the top ten, such as the Eternal Clan, the Ji clan, and the Jiang clan, cared little for ordinary resources. Otherwise, they would have made their moves long ago. Jiang Ningxian herself had done almost nothing other than focus on her own cultivation since descending. But to such entities, the great era providence was of paramount importance; obtaining it meant defying fate to change one's destiny. Even for the two Divine Sons from the Eternal Clan and the Ji clan, the same held true.
In other words, the possessor of this great era providence could be seen as the chosen child of destiny for this entire era.
Lu Yuan understood this thoroughly and knew that once those extraterrestrial beings descended, the entire world would be plunged into various conflicts. While those struggles would not be aimed entirely at Earth, plans had to be laid in advance.
"Additionally, my Jiang clan is nearly here. Several of my uncles will be leading the force in person. They are exceedingly powerful, and once they reach the Milky Way Star Sector, they will also rally a number of allies to support Earth—or more accurately, your Heavenly Court," Jiang Ningxian said with a faint smile.
She knew that throughout this period, Lu Yuan had been striving to prepare for what was to come, relentlessly elevating the strength of the Heavenly Court and its members.
Unfortunately, time had simply been too short, and there was only so much one could achieve. One could not expect everyone to advance like Lu Yuan. Under these circumstances, external aid was essential.
The Jiang clan was powerful. While they were not strong enough to confront everyone alone, they had their own allies. More importantly, not every great clan sought to conquer and suppress this world; many were interested solely in the great era providence.
Because of that, the Heavenly Court and Earth had a fighting chance. That was precisely why she was in good spirits: her family was prepared to back Lu Yuan fully.
Lu Yuan understood all of this just as clearly. Looking at Jiang Ningxian, he said, "Thank you."
This was the first time since they had grown close that Lu Yuan had voiced his gratitude, yet it carried a different warmth than before.
Jiang Ningxian seemed to sense it. A smile touched her eyes as she continued, "Actually, it wasn't just my persuasion that swayed my father and the clan. It's because you are strong enough. Your performance exceeded all their expectations. You slew the projections of two Divine Sons directly; in their eyes, your talent is in no way inferior to the mightiest sequence prodigies of the universe."
The meaning was simple: Lu Yuan's performance had convinced the Jiang clan that he was worth investing in.
It might have looked like a transaction or an exchange of interests, but Lu Yuan understood completely. Such matters concerned an entire clan and could never be decided lightly.
Even so, he knew that Jiang Ningxian had done a great deal behind the scenes. Lu Yuan looked at her, and feeling his gaze, she seemed poised to say something more.
Just then, Jiang Haokong strolled over from the side. Having overheard parts of their exchange, he piped up, "Hey, Lu Yuan, it wasn't just my sister! I put in plenty of good words for you in front of Father and the clan elders, telling them that your talent and strength are on par with mine! You'd better make sure you thank me properly down the road!"
Jiang Haokong wore a look of immense pride, as if the credit were truly all his.
Lu Yuan chuckled at the sight and started to speak.
Before he could, Jiang Ningxian furrowed her delicate brows, turned on her brother, and scolded him loudly, "Weren't you supposed to be in secluded cultivation? What does this have to do with you? Of all the places you could go, why do you have to hover around me? Weren't you determined to surpass Lu Yuan? How are you going to do that with that lazy, slacking attitude of yours every single day?"
She was genuinely annoyed. She and Lu Yuan had been having such a good conversation, only for her oblivious brother to barge in and ruin the moment.
With a cold huff, Jiang Ningxian turned on her heel and walked away.
Left behind, Divine Son Jiang Haokong had no idea what had just happened. He stared blankly at Lu Yuan before finally squeezing out, "Did I do something wrong?"
Lu Yuan smiled without answering, then turned and walked off as well.
He still had to guide Zhu Qingyu and the others in their evolutionary cultivation today. As for Jiang Haokong, he was left standing there with a bewildered expression.
In the period that followed, Lu Yuan continued as before: cultivating diligently while gathering information regarding the Nine Cauldrons.
He was also looking for traces of the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token to see if another piece might be found. Naturally, the movements of the various star sector clans remained his greatest priority.
He was well aware that both the Eternal Clan and the Ji clan wanted him dead, though what methods they would employ remained unknown.
Even so, Lu Yuan felt no fear. To him, those two clans were merely nuisances rather than true archenemies. His sole desire was to grow relentlessly stronger and scale the path to the supreme summit, so that he could confront the Extraterrestrial Demons—the true catastrophe that loomed ahead. Everything unfolding now was merely a prelude.
More importantly, Lu Yuan held another ambition in his heart: if the opportunity arose, he would take this chance to bring every force firmly under his own command.
Chapter 369