The mutual non-interference between the two sides struck many extraterrestrial beings as exceedingly strange. It felt unnatural, even if the Heavenly Court and the Jiang clan harbored misgivings.
Everyone knew that in terms of pure foundation, they could never compare to how deep the two great factions ran. Yet the Eternal Clan and the Ji clan had already dispatched absolute forces stationed just beyond the domain.
Now, they had suddenly ceased making moves as well. Did they not want to avenge their fallen clansmen and their Divine Sons? Still, discerning figures could see through the stalemate: both sides were wary of each other, and neither wished to strike first. After all, if war truly broke out, no one could guarantee victory.
Even if an alliance between the Ji clan and the Eternal Clan could annihilate the Heavenly Court and the Jiang clan, they would undoubtedly pay an immense price themselves.
What if another party swooped in to take advantage of their vulnerability? That was precisely why the two great factions refrained from taking action.
Furthermore, no matter how one looked at it, the Jiang clan was a force to be reckoned with. They possessed an existence at the level of a Domain Lord, and Lu Yuan was by no means an ordinary figure either.
In such a brief span, he had cultivated to his current realm. Some even suspected he had obtained that sliver of the great era's destiny.
Otherwise, how could he have advanced so swiftly? Meanwhile, the Ji clan and the Eternal Clan had sent their clansmen to target the various other clans.
In all likelihood, they sought to consolidate forces under their banner for a future decisive battle. In short, the current tranquility did not mean peace would last.
Many believed that a massive war would erupt in the near future. Under such circumstances, the prominent clans across the starry skies had to find a way out.
Any war that followed would likely engulf the top ten star sectors. Although the Heavenly Court was not yet formally counted among them, with Lu Yuan alone, almost everyone tacitly regarded it as the eleventh strongest.
A Grotto-Heaven Immortal! Who could say when he might reach the Creation Immortal Realm?
Consequently, after analyzing the situation, some chose to submit to the two great factions, while others opted to draw closer to the remaining top ten star sectors.
The board shifted almost daily. Weaker beings could only drift with the tide, powerless to control their own fates.
The Heavenly Court, by contrast, had transformed from a faction once disregarded by every extraterrestrial being into one capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with the top ten star sectors.
Naturally, Lu Yuan was entirely oblivious to these perceptions, and even had he known, he would not have cared.
Jiang Taiyu had just sent word from the depths of the starry sky, resolving to unite the Jiang clan and the Heavenly Court completely.
Henceforth, there would be no distinction between them. Jiang clansmen could receive the blessing of destiny power, enter the Heavenly Court, and become its members.
Some within the Jiang clan were quite hesitant about this. After all, they had maintained their independence for generations, yet now they were to integrate into the Heavenly Court. Even though the two sides had already forged numerous alliances, this was fundamentally different—it meant two families becoming one.
In the end, however, the Jiang clan elders gave their assent.
Jiang Taiyu's exact words had been: "At a time when the great era is dawning and calamity draws near, no one can remain unscathed alone. Even with the foundation of the Desolate Flame Star Sector, weathering this will be difficult. Yet the Heavenly Court possesses its own unique advantages. By joining forces, our alliance will truly be one of strength combined with strength."
Unlike those of other star sectors, the Jiang clan elders understood the greater picture and chose to agree.
When Lu Yuan received the news, he was indeed surprised. He had not expected them to agree so quickly.
Yet he also understood that the Jiang clan's decision was meant to confront the impending Great Tribulation. Since he had proposed the plan, he could not let them down.
Immediately, Lu Yuan commenced another round of investitures, primarily focusing on the Jiang clan's Saint Realm experts. For the time being, those in the Immortal Realm or those who were weaker were not included.
The reason was simple: the greater the numbers, the harder destiny power became to control. Lu Yuan did not want any accidents to occur during the process.
Everything had to proceed step by step; nothing could be achieved overnight. The Jiang clansmen who accepted the investiture and inscribed their names upon the Investiture Decree almost instantly felt an enigmatic power surge into their bodies. Supported by this energy, their original cultivation boundaries began to loosen.
Just as during Lu Yuan's first investiture, the Jiang clansmen garnered distinct benefits from the destiny power depending on their individual constitutions.
Jiang Huanyun and the others were astonished. They truly had not anticipated that this power would yield such remarkable results.
Lu Yuan also discovered that after completing this round of investitures, the destiny power had barely depleted. Clearly, assembling the Nine Cauldrons had gathered an unfathomable reserve of destiny power. Thus reassured, he could safely proceed.
Even so, he restricted subsequent selections to those below the Immortal Realm while ensuring the Jiang clansmen were informed of what this step entailed. Furthermore, Lu Yuan gave them the right to choose voluntarily, as this was an alliance; otherwise, it would appear as though he were outright annexing the Jiang clan.
As for why he chose only those below the Immortal Realm, he understood that powerful experts might still possess some means to resist the power of the extraterrestrial heavenly demons. But the weaker ones were different—they needed at least enough strength to protect themselves.
Once everything was done, Lu Yuan stopped. First, he needed to allow the Jiang clansmen time to adapt. Second, the investiture process demanded considerable mental focus and care.
He had exerted himself somewhat heavily today and truly needed to rest. Unfortunately, he still felt he possessed too few ancient tokens. Even with six Ancient Heavenly Emperor Tokens fused together, precisely controlling all of that destiny power proved impossible, simply because its volume was too vast.
Even so, he was not in a rush; things had to be taken one step at a time. Since the extraterrestrial heavenly demons had chosen to align with the two great factions, it meant they likely could not descend in the short term. He had ample time to prepare.
During this period, he could continue adapting to the power of a Creation Immortal and see if there was any path to advance further. Lu Yuan knew his mindset was somewhat impatient—after all, how long had it been since his breakthrough? Yet at a juncture like this, slackening was out of the question.
As for external affairs, there was no need to pay them mind. No matter what chaos the two great factions stirred up, as long as they did not provoke him directly, he would let them be.
Their actions were intended to coerce the prominent clans of various star sectors into joining their alliance. While that might yield numerous allies in the short term, it would also inevitably sow seeds of rebellion in many hearts. Where there was fear, there would be wrath.
Lu Yuan knew that not even the two great factions could consolidate all the strength across the star sectors, so there was no cause for worry.
What truly warranted his attention were updates from beyond the domain—such as news of the two Domain Lords, or the reactions of the other Domain Lords among the top ten star sectors once Jiang Taiyu disclosed the matter of the extraterrestrial heavenly demons.
Chapter 437