As his voice faded, Lu Yuan could not help but smile. In his view, since the two great factions had already made contact with extraterrestrial heavenly demons, their goal was certainly not simple. Hoping for a benign explanation was completely unrealistic. Thus, they had to prepare for the worst, though there was no need to dwell on that just yet.
First, they needed to determine the exact origin of the power granted to the members of the two clans, as well as what the two factions were truly plotting.
Without pondering further, Lu Yuan returned to his chamber to continue familiarizing himself with the power of a Creation Immortal.
A few days later, a tremendous roar suddenly echoed from the neighboring courtyard. Nearly all of Mount Tai felt it—an intense pressure that directly surpassed ordinary immortal realms.
At this sensation, the members of the Heavenly Court were visibly moved, their expressions full of wonder. The Beast Kings on Jade Emperor Peak merely glanced over before losing interest. But Lu Yuan, feeling that power, could not help smiling.
"Hahaha! I've finally broken through! A Grotto-Heaven Immortal! Wielding spatial power, able to open a small world! In the entire cosmos, among my generation, those who can reach this realm must be few and far between!" Soon, a hearty, proud voice rang out. It was Jiang Haokong.
After a long period of closed-door cultivation, he had finally advanced from the Undying Immortal realm to the Grotto-Heaven Immortal realm. And just as he had proclaimed, among the younger generation across the entire universe—including the strongest sequences, Divine Sons, and Saintesses—Jiang Haokong was undeniably in the very first tier to attain the Grotto-Heaven Immortal realm. His current achievement was certainly something to be proud of.
"You've only just broken through."
"There's really no need to be like this."
At that moment, another voice sounded. It was Jiang Ningxian. Having already reached the Grotto-Heaven Immortal realm herself, she looked at her younger brother with a hint of helplessness.
In her eyes, this was merely the second stage of immortality, hardly something that warranted such wild excitement. The entities they would face in the future were bound to be exceedingly formidable; against them, their current realm amounted to very little. They had to keep growing stronger.
Hearing her words, Jiang Haokong shook his head and replied, "Sister, reaching the Grotto-Heaven Immortal realm is precisely what allows us to push forward toward the next realm. No matter how you look at it, it's something worth celebrating!"
He was not wrong. After all, not just anyone could advance from Undying Immortal to Grotto-Heaven Immortal in such a short span of time.
"Congratulations."
Just as Jiang Ningxian was about to speak again, a voice intervened. It was Lu Yuan.
With a smile, he looked at the siblings. "After merely a few months in seclusion, you've both broken through."
Lu Yuan's words were sincere. Compared to them, not a single member of the Heavenly Court had progressed faster than the siblings. Yet that was only natural; they were a Divine Son and a Saintess. Throughout the entire cosmos, few could rival their innate talent.
"Naturally! Lu Yuan, I—wait, did you break through too?" Jiang Haokong was just about to take up the conversation when he suddenly sensed an inexplicable aura radiating from Lu Yuan, one that far exceeded a Grotto-Heaven Immortal.
It was clear that the man before him had already stepped into the Creation Immortal realm. And it seemed... he had broken through even faster than Jiang Haokong himself?
Jiang Haokong froze, his eyes filled with disbelief.
He remembered with utter certainty that when Lu Yuan was a Grotto-Heaven Immortal, he himself had reached the Undying realm—a full major realm behind. In theory, no matter what, he had hoped to catch up eventually and stand in the same realm, so as not to lag behind.
Yet now, Lu Yuan had stepped ahead once again into the Creation Immortal realm. What did that mean? It meant that even at a higher realm, Lu Yuan's cultivation speed was vastly faster than his own!
Hearing Jiang Haokong's question, Lu Yuan nodded. "Yes, just a few days ago."
Jiang Haokong opened his mouth, but the words completely failed him. He had suffered another blow—a comprehensive, devastating one. Had he known, he wouldn't have strutted around so smugly after his breakthrough. That was his sole thought.
In contrast, upon sensing Lu Yuan's breakthrough, Jiang Ningxian was delighted. She seemed even happier than when she herself had broken through. The corners of her lips curved up. "A Creation Immortal... you've taken another massive leap forward."
A Creation Immortal had already begun touching upon the laws of heaven and earth, a step far beyond a Grotto-Heaven Immortal. Jiang Ningxian knew very well that even with talent like hers and her brother's, reaching that realm would require immense time and sufficient accumulation. Yet Lu Yuan had already crossed that threshold; his next step would be the Heavenly Position realm.
Strength of this caliber made one a pinnacle figure even across the wider universe, second only to Domain Lords. Furthermore, she knew full well how formidable Lu Yuan's combat prowess was. Within the same realm, he had no equal. The only beings capable of threatening him now were those in the Heavenly Position realm or even higher. With all the means at his disposal, it was safe to say that unless a Domain Lord intervened, he was virtually invincible. In this way, weathering the coming tribulations would naturally be much easier.
"It was just a fortunate coincidence," Lu Yuan smiled, unconcerned.
Indeed, had the process of integrating the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token not helped him continuously comprehend all things in creation, breaking through would not have been so simple. Afterward, he spoke with the siblings about recent events, particularly regarding the two great factions and the suspicion that they had accepted power from extraterrestrial heavenly demons to rapidly elevate their clansmen's cultivation.
Jiang Huanyun had already set out to investigate this matter, and answers seemed close at hand.
"The Eternal Clan and the Ji clan are truly audacious and utterly reckless," Jiang Haokong said with indignation. He genuinely had not expected that factions already standing at the very pinnacle of the current cosmos would consort with extraterrestrial entities. It was simply inviting wolves into the fold. No condemnation was harsh enough for such conduct, yet the deed was done, and complaining further was futile.
"A grand era arrives, and the situation shifts. Across the universe, countless lives will be swept up; none will be spared," Jiang Ningxian remarked solemnly. Had the two great factions not colluded with extraterrestrial beings, things would never have reached this point, and anger burned within her as well.
Yet Lu Yuan did not entirely agree. In his view, even without the Eternal Clan and the Ji clan, the extraterrestrial heavenly demons would have appeared eventually. The involvement of the two great factions merely pushed events into unpredictable territory.
The three spoke no further on that and began analyzing the current situation and the two factions' motives.
Two days later, Jiang Huanyun returned with the latest development. He had enlisted a clan that had previously cooperated with the Jiang clan to make a move against a Saint Realm expert of the Ji clan, and after tremendous effort, they had finally captured him alive!
Chapter 433