"No need for thanks."
"If the Nine Cauldrons can bring forth the power they ought to possess in your hands, it will be well worth it." Jiang Huanyun smiled, not minding in the least.
He had indeed wanted to know why Lu Yuan needed the Nine Cauldrons and what his purpose was. Yet the young man had chosen not to speak of it, which proved he had no intention of deceiving him.
Although Jiang Huanyun felt a touch disgruntled at still not knowing his objective, he was, after all, a man who had lived for many years—a senior even to the master of the Jiang clan. Naturally, he would not squabble with a junior over such things. Moreover, from this brief exchange, Jiang Huanyun could also sense that Lu Yuan was far from ordinary. His future achievements would unquestionably be immense. As to just how high he would reach, that remained to be seen.
In truth, there was one thing he had not voiced: the Jiang clan had originally been unwilling to hand those two cauldrons over to Lu Yuan.
The reason was simple enough. They were, after all, forged by the ancient sages. Whether in terms of their symbolic significance or other aspects, their importance was extraordinary. Even if the clan could not activate them, they would never pass them to outsiders. Given the Jiang clan's vast foundation and heritage, they had no need to trade the Nine Cauldrons for anything either.
Yet afterward, once Jiang Ningxian learned that the clan possessed two of the Nine Cauldrons, she repeatedly contacted her clansmen and her father, continually insisting that entrusting the cauldrons to Lu Yuan would yield a far greater purpose.
One could say she had pleaded relentlessly to secure those two cauldrons. The only catch was that she forbade him from letting Lu Yuan know.
Jiang Huanyun had no choice but to keep his mouth shut regarding the matter. After conversing for a few more moments, the two went their separate ways.
Lu Yuan watched his retreating figure, lost in thought.
To tell the truth, he found it somewhat strange as well. He had never heard before that the Jiang clan possessed any of the Nine Cauldrons. Yet now, the elder had brought it up unprompted and declared that they intended to give the remaining cauldrons directly to him. It was all very sudden, and Jiang Ningxian had never mentioned it to him previously either.
What was the reason behind this?
Lu Yuan could not quite fathom it. But one thing was certain: the other party truly understood that the Nine Cauldrons would unleash their full potential in his hands.
Shaking his head, he gave it no further thought and turned to leave.
Over the period that followed, aside from cultivating, Lu Yuan joined the others in closely monitoring the outside situation.
Ever since the power of the Severance of Heaven and Earth dissipated, extraterrestrial beings descended almost daily in immense numbers. Upon emerging, they seized territories all across the world. Because of this, clashes inevitably began breaking out among the extraterrestrial beings themselves, as they were no longer satisfied with petty locations and wished to claim the renowned mountains and great rivers.
The reason was straightforward: the great era providence was about to manifest in the Milky Way Star Sector.
The more famed and steeped in legend a place was, the easier it would be to obtain a wisp of that great era providence. Naturally, there was more than just one wisp—there were several, though at most no more than ten. Even so, everyone yearned to seize one. Rumor had it that a single wisp of great era providence could bring about the rise of a great clan. With the emergence of such providence, the cosmic landscape and even the rankings of factions would be thoroughly reshuffled.
In other words, this was an opportunity for certain great clans to rise once and for all, and none would pass it up, even if it meant paying a staggering price along the way. After all, who would not want their clan to rank among the greatest?
Moreover, the clans already ranked in the top ten were exceedingly invested as well. First, they feared having their positions usurped by others. Second, they wished to harness that wisp of great era providence to take another step forward. Who wouldn't want their clan's reach to extend across the entire cosmos and reign as the sole supreme power?
The great era providence was precisely their current opportunity. Consequently, the outside world grew extraordinarily turbulent, with great battles erupting from time to time. Only because Earth had undergone several successive revivals was it able to withstand the fallout; any ordinary planet would have cracked and shattered long ago under such ferocious warfare.
Lu Yuan had nothing to say about this.
Let them fight. So long as the flames of war did not spread to the Heavenly Court or the ordinary civilians, he would not interfere.
The five major cities remained safe and sound, largely because Jiang Huanyun regularly went out on patrol. One could say that while the extraterrestrial beings were constantly clashing with one another, the inhabitants of this world were spared even the slightest disturbance.
Normally, such a state of affairs would have been utterly impossible. The reasoning was simple: whenever foreign clans entered a new land, they would first drive out or enslave the indigenous race so they could better control the world. Only once their hands were free would they turn on each other in civil strife, since their initial interests were aligned.
In fact, the earlier extraterrestrial beings had harbored that very intention. But now things were different. This world had Lu Yuan, and it had the Heavenly Court.
This was an immensely powerful force—so formidable that even those extraterrestrial beings dared not provoke them lightly. Coupled with past events, none of them chose to actively seek trouble. After all, everyone knew that if Lu Yuan were provoked to wrath, what followed would be a tempestuous retaliation.
Furthermore, the Heavenly Court was now directly allied with the Jiang clan. Earlier, even the descent of the Ji Clan Divine Son alongside a prominent elder had failed to yield any advantage.
They were also well aware that the Heavenly Court's bottom line was ensuring that the people of this world remained unharmed. As for the famous mountains and great rivers, the Heavenly Court had not insisted on keeping them all, effectively ceding ground. Under such circumstances, seeking trouble would be tantamount to declaring oneself an enemy.
Of course, there was an even more crucial factor.
Everyone knew the Ji clan had joined forces with the Eternal Clan, and rumors whispered that they were in contact with figures from the Bliss Star Sector as well. These three major powers were likely to unite against Lu Yuan and the Heavenly Court. If so, a great battle would be inevitable.
With the Jiang clan standing behind Lu Yuan, this war would essentially be fought between powers ranked in the cosmic top ten. Who could say what the outcome would be? If the Eternal Clan and the Ji clan triumphed, the other extraterrestrial factions would have nothing to worry about. But what if Lu Yuan were the one to have the last laugh?
Therefore, their best choice for now was to remain quiet and refrain from provoking the people of this world. As for what lay ahead, they would take it one step at a time.
Lu Yuan was equally clear on the alliance between the Eternal Clan and the Ji clan, yet he paid it no mind. Both powers were strong, but as great clans, each had its own calculations. Even in an alliance, neither would commit its full might.
Thus, he could make full use of this interval to continue cultivating and prepare more trump cards. Rather than worrying about troubles before they arrived, it was better to keep his mind at ease. And above all, he was waiting for the two cauldrons to be delivered by the Jiang clan. Once they reached his hands, all nine cauldrons would finally be assembled.
Chapter 377