Lu Yuan understood very well that no one could remain completely devoid of emotion.
Take the Human Sovereign Heavenly Emperors, for instance. They had reached the pinnacle of power, roaming the world without rival as truly supreme beings. Yet why were they so revered, and why had the legends of their deeds endured to this day? Was it merely because they were powerful? Was it because they were invincible? Perhaps that was a factor, but only a very small one.
What truly caused countless generations to remember them and sing their praises was that, even after attaining the highest heights, none of those Human Sovereign Heavenly Emperors ever forgot their original purpose. They shielded others, protected all living things, and performed tremendous feats, willing to lay down their very lives for those causes.
Only such individuals could truly be hailed as heroes of mankind. Otherwise, throughout the ages, powerhouses had been beyond number—why then were so few honored with the title of Human Sovereign Heavenly Emperor?
Naturally, Lu Yuan did not harbor ambitions of becoming such a figure. He simply felt that if he possessed the power, yet stood by and merely looked on, it would go against his personal convictions.
At that moment, he stood in the void, crossing vast distances with every step. At the same time, his gaze swept over the world below, taking in every blade of grass and tree across the land, as well as the living beings that populated it. All things in heaven and earth flourished in an unending cycle, and no matter how minuscule, every existence strove to survive.
Lu Yuan took it all in, and insights welled up within his heart. They were clear, unmistakable realizations regarding his future path. Previously, aided by the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token, he had possessed only a vague sense of it. But now, he truly saw it.
Thus, without him even realizing it, the aura radiating from his body grew increasingly potent. Lu Yuan paid it no mind, however, continuing to observe the myriad living creatures.
He passed the battlegrounds where he had waged fierce wars, and visited the place where he had fallen in his past life. It seemed as though ages had elapsed, yet everything remained vivid in his mind.
*Buzz, buzz, buzz—*
He did not know how much time had passed when, suddenly, brilliant rays of light burst forth from the Ancient Bodhi Tree within his sea of consciousness. The radiance swept across every corner of his being, suffusing every inch of flesh and blood.
Before long, Lu Yuan sensed a barrier within himself open.
It was the boundary separating a Grotto-Heaven Immortal from a Creation Immortal. In other words, from this point on, he simply needed to build his cultivation steadily, and when the moment arrived, his breakthrough would follow naturally.
"The Ancient Bodhi Tree truly lives up to its name," Lu Yuan remarked with a faint smile. With the blessing of his hundred-million-fold talent, he could invest his whole heart and mind into any pursuit, slipping effortlessly into profound states of comprehension. Otherwise, grasping the distinction between a Grotto-Heaven Immortal and a Creation Immortal in such a short span would have taken years, if not decades, if it were possible at all.
He contemplated whether to continue his contemplation, but then Lu Yuan noticed a transmission from Jiang Ningxian regarding the two Domain Lords.
"It's finally here?" His eyes brightened. Several months had passed; at last, word had arrived.
Lu Yuan drew a deep breath. Glancing down at the landscapes below, he knew he would have to return another time. Without hesitation, he took a step forward, his figure vanishing from the spot.
***
Mount Tai.
Upon his return, Lu Yuan found the Jiang siblings standing there. But something felt off, for anxiety was written plainly across their faces.
"What happened?" Seeing their expressions, Lu Yuan knew there must be bad news.
Sure enough, Jiang Ningxian spoke up immediately. "My father was injured—by the hands of those two."
Even a Domain Lord had been wounded?
Lu Yuan could not help feeling shocked by the news. The implications were grave indeed. Even knowing that the perpetrators were the masters of the Eternal Clan and the Ji clan, all three belonged to the same tier of power. In combat strength and every other aspect, they ought to have been nearly identical, making it virtually impossible for either side to harm the other.
Unless they had staked their very lives on the fight. Yet supreme powerhouses of their standing would never act on such reckless impulse. And now, the news was that the Master of the Jiang Clan had been injured.
That meant either the two had truly fought to the death, or they had suddenly gained some powerful backing or trump card.
These were only conjectures, however, and required confirmation. Lu Yuan promptly asked what had taken place.
"I don't know the specifics. My father only sent word that he was injured, without going into detail," Jiang Ningxian said, shaking her head. Then she added, "However, he said that when the time comes, he will speak with you personally."
*He wants to see me?*
Lu Yuan was taken aback. While his strength was formidable, having a Domain Lord seek him out in person seemed uncalled for. Moreover, the man was an elder, so after a brief pause, Lu Yuan offered, "If it is truly of critical importance, I can head out into the starry sky instead." As a Grotto-Heaven Immortal, traveling between stars and traversing the cosmos posed little difficulty for him.
Jiang Ningxian shook her head again. "My father said you only need to remain in the Milky Way Star Sector without worry. There are other matters he must attend to first before he can come."
*Is that so?*
Lu Yuan had nothing more to say. If that was the case, waiting was his only option.
"In all my life, this is the first time I've heard of Father being injured," Jiang Haokong chimed in, his brow furrowed in disbelief. Long ago, his father, the Master of the Jiang Clan, had already surpassed the Heavenly Position Immortal realm. In the current starry sky, he had only a handful of true peers, and virtually no one capable of harming him. To do so would require staking one's life, and powerhouses of that caliber simply did not do that.
"The Eternal Star Sector and the Ji clan must know something and have done something that couldn't be stopped, which is why they struck," Lu Yuan reasoned based on the limited information available.
For those two powerhouses to act and inflict injury, they had to possess a tremendous advantage. Otherwise, in a true fight to the death, no one could predict who would perish.
And what was that advantage? Lu Yuan could not say for certain, though a bold conjecture had already begun to form in his mind.
"There's one more thing," Jiang Ningxian said, sharing the latest intelligence she had received. "The forces that the Ji clan and the Eternal Clan previously withdrew have redeployed. Their target is the Milky Way Star Sector, and this time, both factions have mobilized their foundational reserves."
She, too, suspected that the two Domain Lords had achieved whatever purpose they had pursued. With that objective complete, they no longer felt the need to maintain a low profile.
"Is that right?" Lu Yuan looked up toward the void, a glint flashing in his eyes.
At this moment, he knew all too well that the true final battle was likely about to begin. Otherwise, neither faction would have committed their deepest reserves. And was their objective the great era providence of the Milky Way Star Sector—or did they harbor an entirely different aim?
Chapter 421