Regarding the extraterrestrial heavenly demons, Lu Yuan had no clear idea how much the various star sectors actually knew. After all, even when he had brought the matter up with the Jiang clan earlier, they had barely heard of such beings and had only managed to uncover a few scattered records in ancient texts.
What worried Lu Yuan most right now was that after hearing of them, the great star sectors might not regard the extraterrestrial heavenly demons as any real disaster and fail to take the threat to heart. If that happened, things would become extremely troublesome.
He understood very well that given the current strength and foundations of the Heavenly Court and the Jiang clan, even if they joined forces in earnest, simply being able to contend with those two great factions was already quite an accomplishment. The extraterrestrial heavenly demons, however, were far more terrifying entities—an entire star sector of them.
They were foes against whom the human sages and paragons of old had fought with the resolve to die. Thus, from the very beginning, Lu Yuan's idea had been quite straightforward: he hoped to unite all the prominent clans across the starry skies.
Only then would they possess sufficient power. Yet judging from the present circumstances, accomplishing that promised to be an immense challenge.
The crux lay in whether the great clans of the various star sectors knew anything about the extraterrestrial heavenly demons. If they did, they could naturally prepare in advance while simultaneously dealing with the Eternal Clan and the Ji clan. But if they did not, many things would have to be done in the interim; after all, if they did not even know what extraterrestrial heavenly demons were, matters would never be as simple as imagined.
There was no helping it. Far too much time had passed, and this universe seemed to have been shielded for too long by those heroic forebears.
At the same time, Lu Yuan pondered another question: was the Severance of Heaven and Earth in the Milky Way Star Sector also connected to this? Had it truly been established solely to protect Earth?
Reaching this point in his thoughts, Lu Yuan could not help but shake his head. Though he had already learned a considerable amount, much still remained veiled in dense fog, demanding further investigation.
Soon, he set those stray thoughts aside and resumed acclimatizing to the power of a Creation Immortal. Time drifted away, trickling past moment by moment.
The two great factions continued as before, relentlessly pressuring various forces to ally with them or even submit entirely. Those who refused and possessed a measure of their own strength and foundation took the initiative to seek out the Jiang clan and the Heavenly Court. In their eyes, the Heavenly Court and the Jiang clan were essentially the only powers currently capable of standing against the two great factions.
Yet regarding these overtures, Lu Yuan's stance was that they could not simply accept everyone who came knocking. What they needed were genuine allies, not a mere superficial union. Otherwise, if something went awry down the line, they might well be stabbed in the back.
The Jiang clan agreed completely with this view. After all, they knew that what they would face next was a true Great Tribulation. If any danger arose during the process, it would cause catastrophic repercussions. Just as had been said before, the alliance between the Heavenly Court and the Jiang clan was one where either side could entrust their back to the other. On this point, the standard for seeking allies naturally required wholehearted cooperation.
Precisely because of this, the situation beyond continued to shift, with clashes and minor battles breaking out frequently. However, they remained small in scale and had not expanded into open war.
Yet no matter how things changed outside, Mount Tai remained tranquil. By this time, a good portion of the Jiang clansmen had chosen to accept investiture.
In just a short month or two, they had reaped immense benefits. Many had achieved breakthroughs as a result, and even the potency of the bloodlines in their bodies had grown far stronger than before.
With the addition of the Jiang clansmen, the Heavenly Court's foundation had likewise grown substantially more formidable. In a clash today, they were basically no longer afraid of any of the top one hundred star sectors. Of course, the top ten star sectors were still another matter, as there remained a vast disparity in foundation. Even so, this was already astonishingly formidable; after all, how long had it been since the Heavenly Court was established?
To be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with the top one hundred star sectors so quickly would undoubtedly be hailed as a myth if outsiders learned of it. After all, in the eyes of many, the Heavenly Court was powerful solely because of Lu Yuan alone; now, even the strength of its members had surged alongside him. More importantly, these people were imbued with destiny power, which meant their potential would be unlocked to the greatest extent possible.
One could say that given enough time, the Heavenly Court would inevitably become a power capable of rivaling the top ten star sectors.
Yet in Lu Yuan's eyes, this was still not enough. He had to find ways to keep improving. Lu Yuan knew it, and the Heavenly Court's members understood it just as clearly; essentially, all were striving toward the same goal.
Meanwhile, beyond Earth—specifically aboard the Eternal Warship—the people of the two great factions had gathered once again. Those eligible to stand here were nearly all above the Immortal Realm.
"The Jiang clan should already know what we've done, because Jiang Taiyu is currently contacting the various star sectors," a Heavenly Position Immortal of the Ji clan spoke up at this moment, his expression turning solemn.
They knew this matter could never be kept hidden, especially since Jiang Taiyu had witnessed it with his own eyes. This would affect their subsequent plans, an outcome neither faction wished to see.
"Indeed. If the other star sectors unite, we will be forced into a passive position," a Heavenly Position Immortal of the Eternal Clan agreed.
Of course, the "star sectors" he referred to meant solely the top ten. As for the rest, they did not regard them with any concern at all, viewing them as little more than ants. The disparity was simply too vast to merit attention. But if the other top ten star sectors were to form an alliance, the implications would be entirely different. All their prior plans might fall apart at this critical juncture. That was precisely why they had tried so hard to keep the matter concealed and prevent word from getting out.
Regrettably, a slip had occurred nonetheless, leaving those present somewhat uneasy.
"So what if they know? They won't dare make a move lightly. A war among the top ten star sectors would be a colossal catastrophe for the entire universe, unless they can confirm an extreme threat beyond all doubt," another Heavenly Position Immortal of the Ji clan spoke up, continuing, "And this period of time is our window of opportunity."
"The Domain Lords of both our houses have entered seclusion, preparing to take another step forward and transcend the Immortal Realm."
"Once they succeed, what need will there be to care about the so-called top ten star sectors?"
"Even the Bliss Star Sector and the Heavenly Dragon Star Sector will be no exception."
Transcend the Immortal Realm!
The moment those words rang out, the expressions of everyone present shifted.
Every single person understood what that truly meant. To transcend the Immortal Realm was to surpass the shackles of this world's laws, stepping into the ranks of the supreme paragons. Even if a considerable gap remained compared to the Human Sovereign Heavenly Emperor of legend, such a being would unquestionably be invincible throughout the entire universe in this era.
"It seems a very long time has passed since our Xuanhuang Great Universe last saw the emergence of an existence who transcended the Immortal Realm, hasn't it?" someone responded, a brilliant light gleaming in their eyes.
Chapter 438