The Great Saint Realm. Though it might not seem like much at this stage—hardly differing from any other ordinary realm in the eyes of the Immortal Realm—in truth, such strength constituted the backbone of the entire cosmos. In star sectors outside the top hundred, a Great Saint could easily be hailed as a top-tier combatant.
More importantly, only upon attaining this realm did one even stand a chance of striving for the Immortal Realm. Lu Yuan had always believed that Zhu Qingyu and the others possessed ample potential; they had simply lacked time.
With enough time, even without his bestowal of destiny power, reaching the Immortal Realm would not have been out of the question.
Now, he had merely moved that timeline forward. To help them take another step, Lu Yuan resolved to confer even more destiny power upon them.
The stronger the Heavenly Court grew, the more at ease he felt. Ever since gathering all Nine Cauldrons, everything had been progressing in a positive direction.
What needed to be done now was to stabilize the current situation. After all, the most perilous and difficult hurdles were already behind them.
Beyond that, he had also kept a constant eye on the outstanding youths of the Jiang clan. While he could not claim to treat them entirely the same as his own, he certainly did not shortchange them.
After all, anyone whose true name was inscribed upon the Investiture Decree was essentially part of the Heavenly Court. Lu Yuan had also realized that once he fused the seventh Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token, he would be able to control destiny power more effectively and confer titles upon even more people. In doing so, the Heavenly Court's might would ascend to yet another level.
It could be said that every move was made in preparation for the future. Lu Yuan had not slacked off in the slightest, nor had his subordinates.
This was especially true for the members of the Heavenly Court, who had engaged in fierce battles against the two major factions in recent days. Only because each had brought forth their full strength and utilized every method at their disposal had things gone so smoothly.
All in all, it was just as he had once thought: to confront the great catastrophe, one could not rely solely on a single individual, but on everyone.
Naturally, Lu Yuan knew these actions would thoroughly infuriate the two factions. But that no longer mattered. They had long stood on opposing sides; soldiers would be met with generals, and rising waters with earth.
Thus, after conferring titles upon another batch of people, he entered secluded cultivation once more. Meanwhile, beyond the realm, aboard the Eternal Warship...
The two major factions, the Eternal Clan and the Ji clan, had already received word of the Heavenly Court's strikes and that most of their prior efforts had been undone.
Several Heavenly Position Immortals gathered together, each seething with fury. Lu Yuan had slain the Creation Immortals and other experts beneath them; their first impulse was to eliminate him outright.
Yet in the end, they forced themselves to stay calm. After all, their plan had reached its most crucial stage.
Acting rashly now would inevitably invite all sorts of complications. Not only might they fail to kill Lu Yuan, but other disasters could also arise.
"What do you say we do next?"
"The Domain Lord is still in secluded cultivation. Every decision falls upon us now." A Heavenly Position Immortal of the Eternal Clan spoke, his eyes burning with rage.
His killing intent toward Lu Yuan had reached an absolute peak, restrained only by the need to consider the bigger picture. Otherwise, given his usual temperament, he would have struck long ago.
"Actually, everything on our end was already prepared. Advancing the plan ahead of schedule won't hurt," a Heavenly Position Immortal from the Ji clan said after a brief pause for thought. "Besides, we can't afford to wait any longer. Lu Yuan's actions make it clear he has already anticipated what we intend to do, which is why he sent his people to strike.
"If this continues, it will become an even greater problem sooner or later. We might as well push the plan forward.
"I believe that even if the Domain Lord finds out, he won't object." Like the Eternal Clan, the Ji clan could no longer tolerate the situation.
Previously, they had managed to set aside their grudges and anger for the time being. But now, in their eyes, Lu Yuan was provoking them again and again.
Even those with the mildest tempers could endure it no longer. They might as well trigger the plan directly and plunge the entire cosmos into complete chaos. Once that happened, they would have the opportunity to slay Lu Yuan. Yet those words plunged the gathering into silence.
Although they had awaited this day for a very long time, when the moment actually came to begin, they could not help but hesitate. Once set in motion, there would truly be no turning back.
"Everyone." Seeing this, the Creation Immortal from the Ji clan spoke up once more. "I know that by doing this, no one will be able to control the aftermath. But our Domain Lord is already in seclusion, on the verge of transcending the Supreme Immortal realm. This is our chance to seize control of this universe. We cannot afford to waver any longer.
"How long has it been since Lu Yuan began evolving and cultivating? Sooner or later, he will become an overlord of his own.
"If we give him any more room to grow, it will spell doom for both the Ji clan and the Eternal Clan.
"Moreover, don't you wish to take another step forward and become true powerhouses in every sense?" He pleaded earnestly, yearning deeply for that day, as he too had accepted the power of the extraterrestrial heavenly demons.
It had granted him a glimmer of hope to break through to the Supreme Immortal realm, even if it was merely hope. In truth, it wasn't just him; everyone present felt the same.
The power of the extraterrestrial heavenly demons was bizarre, yet to them, it offered tremendous benefits. After accepting that power, the Heavenly Position Immortals present had essentially all caught a glimpse of the path toward becoming Supreme Immortals. In their view, continuing along this path would surely allow them to advance further.
However, the world barrier remained. It was impossible for them to obtain more power from the extraterrestrial heavenly demons unless they set the plan into motion!
"Very well!" Finally, the Heavenly Position Immortal of the Eternal Clan spoke, consenting to the matter. To him, it was bound to begin sooner or later; though the timing was not yet ideal, they could no longer wait.
Soon, the experts of both factions reached an agreement. Shortly thereafter, steering the Eternal Warship, they vanished from the Milky Way Star Sector.
The Heavenly Court learned of this immediately and reported it upward without delay. Previously, the experts of the two factions had lingered beyond the realm, exerting oppressive dominance over all.
Nearly everyone had felt as though a great mountain weighed upon them. Yet now, they had departed all of a sudden.
Normally, this would be cause for celebration. The trouble was that it was far too sudden, especially right after the two factions had suffered blows from the Heavenly Court.
Under normal circumstances, shouldn't a major war have broken out? Why had they simply left? No one understood what was happening, and confusion ran rampant.
Lu Yuan was no exception. After all, those aboard were the Heavenly Position Immortals of both clans. Why would they abruptly choose to depart?
Chapter 453