"Both are beautiful."
With these words from Lu Yuan, silence descended between them once more. A subtle flicker crossed Jiang Ningxian's eyes in particular.
Then, a delicate blush rose on her fair face, spreading all the way to her earlobes. She had truly only meant to tease him and hadn't thought anything beyond that.
Never had she expected Lu Yuan would actually give such a direct answer, catching her somewhat off guard. The two looked at each other, neither choosing to speak first, as if time itself had frozen in that moment.
Soon, Jiang Ningxian snapped back to her senses and swiftly changed the subject. "Lu Yuan, guess why I stayed behind alone."
She knew things could not go on like this; otherwise, how would they gracefully end the conversation?
So the most important thing right now was to get down to serious business. As for Lu Yuan, hearing this, he couldn't help but smile slightly.
His expression then turned earnest as he looked at Jiang Ningxian and gave a slight shake of his head. Since she clearly had real matters to discuss, he ceased joking as well.
"I mentioned before that my father informed the other star sectors about the two Domain Lords, and in the end, the Heavenly Dragon Star Sector chose to lend their support. Do you still remember?" Jiang Ningxian asked.
Hearing this, Lu Yuan nodded, then said, "Has there been some new development?"
He naturally hoped that more and more experts would pay attention to the matter.
Otherwise, if the two Domain Lords finished their preparations, no one would be able to stop them when the time came. After all, the two were currently in seclusion, attempting to break through to an even higher realm.
Beyond the Supreme Immortal realm—though no one knew just how terrifyingly strong that would be, one thing was certain: once they succeeded, no one would be able to stop them. Thus, when Jiang Ningxian brought it up, he naturally assumed that more star sectors had begun taking the threat seriously.
If they could locate the two Domain Lords and strike first, that would be even better. However, upon hearing his words, she shook her head.
"It's not what you think." Jiang Ningxian smiled, getting straight to the point without keeping him in suspense. "It's about the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token. The Domain Lord of the Heavenly Dragon Star Sector seems to possess one as well. He previously heard my father mention things about you.
"Though I don't know exactly how much Father told him, I'm certain he said nothing about the ancient tokens.
"Yet in the end, for reasons unknown, that Domain Lord took the initiative to offer his Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token."
Another Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token?
At those words, a look of perplexity abruptly appeared on Lu Yuan's face. He truly could not fathom why the Domain Lord of the Heavenly Dragon Star Sector would part with an Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token.
Very few people knew of his circumstances—only Jiang Ningxian and the Jiang clan's Domain Lord.
And since Jiang Taiyu hadn't disclosed the matter of the ancient tokens, that was certain. Yet this outcome was quite unexpected.
"Other than that, did the Domain Lord of the Heavenly Dragon Star Sector say anything else?" Lu Yuan asked, voicing his confusion.
If the man truly hadn't said anything else, it was indeed rather strange. But on second thought, perhaps that Domain Lord, much like the Jiang clan's Domain Lord, had deduced the truth from various clues and consequently decided to offer the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token. As for his motive, Lu Yuan did not consider it a threat.
Because given the Heavenly Dragon Domain Lord's status and power, and knowing the function of the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token, if he truly harbored ulterior motives, there was no need to hide them. If that Domain Lord moved against him, Lu Yuan would be no match at all; the disparity was simply too vast.
After all, the Heavenly Dragon Domain Lord was widely recognized as the strongest among all the Domain Lords. For him to willingly hand over an Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token now was, in a sense, a gesture of goodwill. Therefore, the most important thing for Lu Yuan was to clarify whether that Domain Lord had said anything else.
"No," Jiang Ningxian replied with certainty. She continued, "My father said the other party merely took out the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token and asked him to pass it along. Beyond that, he said nothing more.
"My father then decided to have someone bring the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token to the Milky Way Star Sector. It shouldn't be long before it reaches your hands."
At first, she had found the matter strange in many ways, but ultimately found nothing amiss. Moreover, she knew her father would never harm Lu Yuan.
Hearing this, Lu Yuan nodded as well.
Still, the Heavenly Dragon Domain Lord's actions were indeed unexpected.
"My father also had a message for you: the situation across the entire universe will become extraordinarily dangerous in the days ahead.
"Perhaps even someone like him will be powerless to settle it. Therefore, a true supreme expert must emerge—and you can be said to be vital to that, with the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Tokens being the utmost priority," Jiang Ningxian said, her tone turning exceedingly solemn.
These were indeed Jiang Taiyu's exact words.
Hearing them, Lu Yuan was momentarily taken aback before nodding. Clearly, since their last encounter, that senior had gathered a great deal more intelligence in the cosmic void outside the star sectors.
Otherwise, he would not have made such a statement so lightly. This showed that the truly powerful figures had all begun to foresee that a catastrophe in the truest sense loomed in the future.
"I understand," Lu Yuan said at last, nodding.
He said no more after that. At this point, further talk was useless.
The two factions were already in motion; the only course of action now was to advance his strength while disrupting their plans.
Shortly after, following a bit more conversation, Jiang Ningxian took her leave. They had already laid out their plans earlier.
Next, they had to find ways to continuously disrupt the plans of the two factions to prevent the descent of the Extraterrestrial Demons—and they had to act swiftly.
After all, Lu Yuan's slaying of the two Creation Immortals would undoubtedly send shockwaves through the Ji clan and the Eternal Clan. At this critical juncture, the enemy would also fear that their deeds might be exposed and disrupt their subsequent plans. Under such circumstances, they were bound to react in various ways. Thus, both sides needed to move as quickly as possible.
As for Lu Yuan, he once again entered secluded cultivation.
In truth, upon reaching this realm, seclusion was largely ineffective. Yet he was different. Lu Yuan possessed the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Tokens, as well as the invisible blessing of providential fortune.
With every session of cultivation and evolution, his strength grew. Moreover, his goal had always been to reach the absolute pinnacle—and now, before the impending crisis arrived, that was all the more necessary.
Only formidable strength could truly resolve everything. The Creation Immortal realm was not the end, nor was the Heavenly Position Immortal realm.
Even the Supreme Immortal realm was no exception.
Because of this, Lu Yuan needed all the more to keep forging ahead, elevating his strength and cultivation realm.
The Extraterrestrial Demons were drawing ever closer. He could not afford to slacken!
Chapter 451