Arriving alongside the voice was a middle-aged man.
Dressed in a gold-trimmed white robe, his attire strongly resembled that of the ancients. With a single stride, he arrived directly at Mount Tai.
Though he looked refined and scholarly, a terrifying aura emanated from his entire body. In particular, this imposing might was not in the slightest inferior to that of the Ji Clan Third Ancestor above. Evidently, he was at least an existence of the Immortal Realm, possessing formidable power and cultivation. Standing there, he blocked the oppressive presence radiating from the Ji clan force straight out, steadying the surrounding mountains and rivers.
Not only Zhu Qingyu and the others, but even Lu Yuan felt bewildered upon seeing this middle-aged man. They had never laid eyes on him before and had no idea who he was.
Soon, however, Lu Yuan realized what was happening and looked toward Jiang Ningxian. She wore a smile and nodded back at him.
"Jiang Huanyun?"
"I never expected even you to come." At this moment, the Ji Clan Third Ancestor stared blankly upon seeing the middle-aged man before speaking up.
His voice was solemn, devoid of arrogance. It seemed the person before him demanded his utmost seriousness. Beside him, the Ji Clan Divine Son was instantly taken aback by the name. "Jiang Huanyun? The Jiang clan's genius Fifth Ancestor?"
Had it been an ordinary person, he would neither have known nor cared. But the man before him was different—he was one of the Jiang clan's foremost powerhouses. More importantly, in his youth, he had been a chosen pride of his generation. In terms of talent, he was in no way inferior to the so-called Divine Sons and Holy Maidens, and his fame had echoed across the entire void. Now, he had never imagined that the Jiang clan would send such a mighty figure.
Involuntarily, the Ji Clan Divine Son lowered his gaze toward the Jiang siblings. "Merely to protect this Lu Yuan, the Jiang clan has completely aligned itself with the Milky Way Star Sector, even going so far as to oppose my Ji clan. Is doing this truly worth it?"
Dealing with Lu Yuan was a plan devised long ago, and he had fully expected the Jiang clan to intervene. What he had not anticipated was that they would send someone like Jiang Huanyun—a powerhouse at the level of Grotto-Heaven Immortal, someone with the potential to reach Creation or even become a Heavenly Position Immortal.
In truth, both he and the Ji Clan Third Ancestor understood very well that sending Jiang Huanyun was not necessarily meant to plunge straight into an all-out war with the Ji clan. Rather, the Jiang clan was using this to express their stance: they would aid Lu Yuan and the Milky Way Star Sector with everything they had, and if anyone truly dared to strike, the Jiang clan would see it through to the end.
The Ji clan did not fear the Jiang clan, but having them as a direct adversary was indeed something to weigh carefully. After all, at a juncture like this, no faction or supreme being would lightly make an enemy of another—especially an enemy as formidable as the Jiang clan. That was why the Ji Clan Divine Son had spoken those words.
"It is not a question of whether it is worth it, but whether it is the right thing to do," Jiang Ningxian spoke up, saying bluntly, "The Ji clan, descendants of Xuanyuan the Yellow Emperor, also originated from this world. Yet what of now? You treat your own blood and kin as enemies, viewing them as a thorn in your side and a dagger in your flesh. My Jiang clan could never be so callous.
"If the Ji clan is truly bent on pursuing this obstinate course, then we have no other choice—let us fight."
Naturally, she did not wish to clash head-on with the Ji clan either; otherwise, she would not have bothered to say so much. Of course, dissuasion was one thing, but as she had just stated, if they truly persisted in their folly, battle would be the only conclusion.
Long ago, Jiang Ningxian had promised that the Jiang clan would stand firmly by Lu Yuan's side.
"You—" The Ji Clan Divine Son bristled with anger. What she brought up had struck a raw nerve, and he was just about to retort.
Right then, the Ji Clan Third Ancestor spoke up, a smile on his face, his previous overbearing aura completely vanishing.
He glanced at Jiang Huanyun before him, cupped his hands slightly in a polite gesture, and without saying anything further, waved a sleeve.
With that, he swept away everyone, including the Ji Clan Divine Son. The entire sky once more returned to tranquility, and the commotion seemed to have drawn to a close.
Watching this unfold, Zhu Qingyu and the others looked at each other in astonishment. They truly had not expected matters to conclude in such a manner; they had assumed an earth-shattering battle was inevitable.
After all, the Ji clan group had arrived with immense momentum and palpable killing intent. Now, everyone finally began to truly appreciate the Jiang clan's immense power.
A single person sent was enough to make the Ji clan retreat.
Of course, they did not understand the underlying reasons. Previously, the Jiang clan had known full well that beneath the Immortal Realm, sending people would be of little use.
Furthermore, under the constraints of the Severance of Heaven and Earth, they had merely kept watch, as having the Jiang siblings present was sufficient.
Now, however, the situation was different. The barrier had vanished, and extraterrestrial beings could descend freely. This would inevitably bring massive upheaval to this world, making intervention necessary.
Moreover, up until now, nearly all troubles had been resolved by Lu Yuan on his own. If the Jiang clan did not make a clear gesture at a juncture like this, it would truly be unbefitting.
"So you had this planned all along," Lu Yuan said with a smile as he watched the Ji clan depart, turning to look at Jiang Ningxian.
"I know you probably had contingency plans, but there was no need to push things to that extent. Since my Jiang clan is here, we naturally couldn't just hide behind you forever. It's only a minor trouble; when action is called for, we should take it." She nodded. Her words sounded nonchalant, but deep down, she had feared Lu Yuan would face genuine peril.
After all, the incident with the black dragon had already left her anxious. Now facing the Ji clan, the disparity in cultivation was simply too great. With a clansman arriving just in time, why wouldn't they act?
"This must be King Lu," Jiang Huanyun said as he descended from the sky. Every shred of his aura was completely withdrawn.
At this moment, he looked no different from an ordinary person, a stark contrast to his previous appearance.
"Senior, you may simply call me by my name," Lu Yuan replied, slightly cupping his hands. After all, the other party had just resolved a massive crisis for him and the Heavenly Court; showing such respect was only proper. Furthermore, this man held an extraordinary status within the Jiang clan, so addressing him as "Senior" was entirely natural.
"Founding the Heavenly Court and breaking through to the Immortal Realm in such a short span of time—there are very few across the cosmos who could achieve such a feat." Jiang Huanyun smiled and continued, "In the future, you will surely become one of the foremost powerhouses of this era. There is no need to be overly courteous with me."
He had come here by clan orders, but he also wanted to see Lu Yuan for himself.
He had wanted to know what kind of person could break through to the Immortal Realm in just a few years and decisively defeat the projections of two Divine Sons.
For now, though he could not yet discern everything, meeting Lu Yuan only reinforced his impression that this young man was truly extraordinary.
Chapter 374