The spectacle was truly terrifying. Zhu Qingyu and the others were shaken to the core upon witnessing it. Under normal circumstances, standing deep within the fallout of a clash between Immortal Realm beings would exert crushing pressure that they could never withstand. After all, most of those present were merely in the Saint Realm, separated from the Immortal Realm by an immense gulf.
Yet the Heavenly Court members were completely unharmed. The reason was quite simple: when Lu Yuan struck, he had diverted a portion of his power to shield them all.
Thus, no matter how the battle unfolded, as long as Lu Yuan was there, nothing would go wrong. Meanwhile, Zhu Qingyu and the others kept their eyes fixed squarely on the heart of the battlefield.
Even though they had utmost faith in Lu Yuan, now that the great battle had begun, they naturally paid close attention to the outcome.
The earth below lay in utter ruin, magma churning violently. However, this devastation was contained within a ten-thousand-li radius. The surrounding space had been thoroughly sealed, which, to some degree, protected the vast expanse of mountains and rivers beyond.
Otherwise, with the horrifying destructive might unleashed in a clash between three Creation Immortals, not a single living creature on the ground would have survived.
Even this resilience was only because Earth had undergone a great mutation, transforming into a land of great contention and boundless fortune. Had it been any ordinary celestial body, it likely would have cracked apart in an instant.
Boom!
Soon, another deafening rumble shook the air. Limitless radiance flooded the expanse of heaven and earth.
A mighty aura surged forth, yet Lu Yuan stood proud and unmoving in the void. Opposite him, the Creation Immortals of the two major factions staggered backward under the force of that punch.
Horror flickered across their tightly furrowed brows. In the clash just now, they had exerted all their power alongside their subordinates. Yet against Lu Yuan, they had still suffered a disadvantage and been driven back.
Even so, the two refused to retreat. They surged forward once more, drawing upon even greater strength. Behind them, the Grotto-Heaven Immortals and Undying Immortals gritted their teeth and pressed forward as well.
"A bit stronger than I expected." Lu Yuan, however, did not seem troubled in the slightest. He merely assessed the blow. The power carried by that punch had indeed been formidable; even veteran powerhouses among fellow Creation Immortals struggled to endure it.
This gave him a clearer estimate of his own strength. Naturally, Lu Yuan had no desire to drag things out any longer.
He beckoned lightly. Clang, clang, clang!
In an instant, sharp sword cries abruptly rang out. The Daluo Sword Embryo appeared directly in Lu Yuan's hand.
He had not used this sword embryo for a long time. Aiming for a swift resolution, he had no interest in wasting time with these foes.
Facing the forces of the two factions, he raised his hand. Instantly, boundless sword intent radiated from the blade of the Daluo Sword Embryo, piercing the heavens. The measures they had previously deployed—the runes sealing the space—began crumbling continuously beneath this sword intent, unable to withstand it at all.
"Fall back! In his hand is my clan's Eternal Divine Gold!" the moment that sword intent erupted, the Creation Immortal of the Eternal Clan shouted at the top of his lungs.
Eternal Divine Gold was among the most potent divine metals in this world. Forged into a weapon, its power was terrifying, though ordinarily that alone would not provoke such panic in a Creation Immortal. The crux was that it was wielded by Lu Yuan, coupled with that horrifying sword intent. The elder knew that in this battle, every single one of them was doomed to perish.
At the same time, he could not fathom how Lu Yuan had obtained this divine metal. But it was far too late to dwell on such thoughts.
Clang, clang, clang!
As Lu Yuan swung his blade downward, a beam of eternal sword light suddenly burst forth. Time itself seemed frozen, leaving only that singular beam of light.
In the span of a single instant, all the Grotto-Heaven Immortals and Undying Immortals of the two major factions were cleaved to pieces. The overwhelming sword intent wiped out even the source of their life essence.
The two Creation Immortals were naturally caught in its path as well. However, Lu Yuan had held back slightly; with that single strike, he only inflicted grave injuries upon them.
Pfft, pfft!
Soon, the sword light dispersed, and with it, the Grotto-Heaven Immortals and Undying Immortals of the two factions were gone.
As for the two Creation Immortals, they suffered tremendous injuries. Their auras turned feeble, and not even ten percent of their inner strength remained.
The two looked around at their surroundings, then turned their gaze toward Lu Yuan, who stood not far off. Though they had known he was powerful and that their plan might fail, they had never imagined the defeat would be so absolute. They clearly stood within the same realm, so why was the disparity so vast?
"I trust you understand why I spared your lives for the moment," Lu Yuan said, having already put away the Daluo Sword Embryo as he stepped forward to appear right in front of them.
He appeared no different from before, yet in the eyes of the two Creation Immortals, everything had changed.
Though this was their first time meeting Lu Yuan, they could sense that the man before them had already forged a truly invincible momentum.
This presence was something they had only ever witnessed in figures like Domain Lords. From this alone, they knew that his rise was unstoppable.
Indeed, who was left to stand in his way now?
Their thoughts having arrived at this point, the two exchanged glances. Then, the Creation Immortal from the Ji clan spoke, "You merely wish to learn a few things.
"Regrettably, you will be disappointed. No matter what you wish to ask, I will not utter a single word.
"So you had best just strike and save yourself the time." He knew some matters could not remain hidden forever, but this was a critical juncture for their plan, and not a sliver of information could be leaked.
Beside him, the Creation Immortal of the Eternal Clan shared the same attitude, thoroughly resigned to death.
Lu Yuan, however, seemed to have anticipated their reaction. After a brief pause, he spoke again, "The extraterrestrial heavenly demons have already formed an alliance with your two clans. You have accepted their power, and right now, you are aggressively annexing other factions while seizing famous mountains and great rivers.
"I imagine this is all for a single purpose: to usher the extraterrestrial heavenly demons into our world." This was his deduction, and he was nearly certain of it, as he had already gathered most of the relevant intelligence. Mentioning it now was simply to confirm it.
Sure enough, when the two Creation Immortals heard his words, they froze.
They were well aware that Lu Yuan and the Jiang clan must know something, but they had never expected he had investigated to such an extent. He even knew about the power of the extraterrestrial heavenly demons—the black blood. Did that mean he had been preparing all along?
Ignoring their internal shock, Lu Yuan continued leisurely, "If I am not mistaken, the extraterrestrial heavenly demons struggle to cross over due to the presence of the world barrier, requiring special methods to enter. That is the reason you have been swallowing up the various factions.
"Naturally, there is likely another reason why you brought out all your foundation and rushed to the Milky Way Star Sector.
"Namely, that the extraterrestrial heavenly demons will descend directly upon Earth, rather than any other corner of the universe!"
Chapter 447