When the Ji Clan Divine Son spoke those words, almost everyone felt a jolt in their hearts, save for Lu Yuan.
In particular, the Immortal Realm beings from various races spectating the battle were visibly shaken. They knew all too well that anyone who could make the Ji Clan Divine Son call out like this was bound to be extraordinary.
It was only now that everyone finally recalled the persistent rumors that three major factions would take action against Lu Yuan.
Yet until now, only the Eternal Clan and the Ji clan had appeared; the third major faction had not shown itself from start to finish.
Could the Ji Clan Divine Son's call mean...?
Just as they were pondering this, the next instant, the firmament suddenly shook.
A powerful aura slowly emerged. Everyone turned their heads to look toward the distant sky.
Shafts of golden divine light shot forth, while golden lotuses blossomed one after another. The spectacle was so dreamlike that almost anyone who laid eyes upon it felt lulled into absolute stillness.
It was as though behind those golden lotuses lay an incomparably wondrous world that enraptured the soul. In the very next moment, waves of chanting arose, resounding across heaven and earth.
Those voices seemed capable of ferrying all beings across every suffering. Close behind came a succession of figures.
Nineteen people in total. Each wore a monastic robe, pressed their palms together, had their eyes slightly lowered, and bore an expression of compassion.
"The World of Ultimate Bliss, the lineage of the Present Buddha, the Eighteen Venerables, and that Buddhist Son!"
"It truly is people from the Bliss Star Sector! The rumors were true."
"Now, the Heavenly Court and Lu Yuan are in dire peril."
Voices rang out one after another, brimming with shock. For those arriving were no ordinary figures, but hailed from the Bliss Star Sector—a mighty faction universally acknowledged across the cosmos to be guaranteed top two and capable of contending for the very first spot. Even if this was merely the lineage of the Present Buddha, they were still terrifyingly formidable.
In the past, even a dread faction like the Eternal Clan had suffered a bitter loss at their hands once. People had never expected this to materialize, having assumed it was nothing more than an empty rumor.
Yet Buddhism's actual arrival truly shocked them. After all, they could not understand why the Buddhist sect, which had always remained indifferent to worldly affairs, would get involved.
Moreover, none had heard of any grudge between Lu Yuan and the Bliss Star Sector. Of course, dwelling on this now was pointless; what mattered was that all three major factions had fully assembled.
"Amitabha. Patron Ji is far too impatient. We have only just arrived," the Present Buddhist Son at the lead spoke at this moment.
His words seemed to carry a strange enchantment. Whoever heard them could not help but feel their emotions soothe, thinking that what he said made great sense and that the fault lay within themselves.
Especially when the eighteen venerables behind him simultaneously chanted the Buddha's name, countless golden lotuses burst into bloom across the sky.
Their arrival instantly transformed this place into a realm of ultimate bliss, compelling all to lay down their grievances.
"Humph." The Ji Clan Divine Son gave a cold snort upon hearing this, but said nothing more. In his mind, what the other party said was of little importance.
As long as they showed up and helped him deal with Lu Yuan, that was enough. The Eternal Divine Son felt the same, letting out a sigh of relief.
There had been no alternative. The two of them teaming up just now had still failed; at a time like this, reinforcements were essential.
The Present Buddhist Son did not intend to chatter either. Raising his head, he looked toward Lu Yuan in the distance and chanted another Buddhist invocation: "Benefactor, lay down the butcher's knife, and become a Buddha on the spot."
Lu Yuan at this moment was enveloped in golden blood and qi, the battle intent radiating from him shaking the firmament.
He indeed looked like a belligerent warmonger; anyone who saw him would dare not approach lightly.
"You urge me to lay it down, yet why do you not urge those two factions?" Lu Yuan continued, "My Heavenly Court has never gone out of our way to cause trouble for anyone; we have remained at Mount Tai all along. They were the ones who took the initiative to seek us out. The ones who need to lay down the butcher's knife are them, not me."
Toward this Present Buddhist Son before him, he felt an indescribable distaste.
It was a completely different feeling from facing Xuan Ci before. For right now, this man seemed to stand upon the moral high ground.
Lu Yuan utterly despised such people.
"Amitabha. Must Benefactor insist on this course?" the Present Buddhist Son said, completely sidestepping Lu Yuan's point, seemingly having already determined that the fault lay entirely with the Heavenly Court.
"If you wish to strike, there is no need for so much drivel. I will gladly accommodate you." Lu Yuan had no desire to waste further breath and spoke bluntly, his golden blood and qi surging outward once more.
By now, he could tell that this Present Buddhist Son before him was stronger than both divine sons. Moreover, the eighteen venerables behind him were all in the Immortal Realm, exceptionally powerful.
If they had truly come to mediate, how could they have brought so many people? Yet even so, he knew no fear. Lu Yuan also wanted to see just what level his peak combat strength could reach.
"Three major factions gathered together just to deal with a world that has only recently revived and risen. What truly impressive capability!" Below, Jiang Ningxian spoke up at this moment, her eyes filled with fury.
Indeed, even she could hardly stand the sight of it. The Present Buddhist Son coming was one thing, but he had brought eighteen Immortal Realm experts with him.
Such formidable combat power was something no one had imagined before, and witnessing it now left them astounded. Up above, however, the Present Buddhist Son merely shook his head upon hearing her words.
"This matter is not as the Holy Maiden imagines, and furthermore, it has nothing to do with the Jiang clan." Having said this, he took a step forward. Golden lotuses suddenly materialized beneath his feet, making him look like an enlightened Buddha. In this manner, leading the eighteen Buddhist venerables, he strode right before Lu Yuan.
Just now, the Present Buddhist Son had effectively disregarded the Jiang clan. Across the stars, only the Bliss Star Sector would likely dare do such a thing.
Seeing this, both the Jiang brother and sister were truly enraged. Not only because of the slight, but even more so because the other party intended to unite with the two divine sons to gang up on Lu Yuan—a blatant case of bullying with superior numbers.
And so the two could no longer hold back and wanted to step in. Yet at that moment, Lu Yuan up above cast his gaze directly toward them, signaling to the brother and sister not to intervene, indicating that he intended to resolve everything himself.
Jiang Ningxian was terribly anxious over this and wanted to say something, but in the end, she held her tongue. For she saw the look in Lu Yuan's eyes—he seemed to have made up his mind long ago.
Thus, she also held back Jiang Haokong beside her, telling him not to act rashly. Up above, Lu Yuan turned back, his gaze remaining as calm and breezy as before.
"Facing the three of us joining hands, you can still remain like this. I truly admire you a bit," the Ji Clan Divine Son spoke. The panic in his eyes had now been replaced by renewed confidence, for with the Present Buddhist Son joining the fray, the situation was completely different.
"No need for useless chatter." Lu Yuan shook his head and said, "If you want to fight, then begin!"
Chapter 388