As Zhu Qingyu's words fell, the crowd was momentarily stunned. Then, a somber dimness crept into everyone's eyes.
They understood all too well that under these circumstances, King Lu's departure was set in stone; none of them could stop it.
Aside from accepting it, they had no other choice. For a time, led by Elder Ji and Elder Yun, all stepped forward and spoke: "The Heavenly Court has us. Please rest assured, King Lu."
Once he left, they would have to shoulder the responsibility of directing everything. Whatever crisis arose, there would be no one left to lean on. By now, some had realized that this was perhaps a trial set by King Lu.
Though it would be difficult for everyone to adjust, they had no alternative.
"Good." Seeing this, Lu Yuan nodded immediately. He said nothing more on the matter. Informing them had merely been to prepare them mentally.
Now Lu Yuan could see that those before him had begun to accept it. The groundwork had been laid.
From here on, how they acted would depend entirely on them. There was no need for him to say anything further.
Next, he briefly outlined the arrangements for future matters and the stance to take toward extraterrestrial beings—setting the broad direction, so to speak.
Should any crisis emerge, however, they would have to resolve it on their own. Hearing these instructions, the crowd nodded one after another.
Finally, Lu Yuan took his leave and returned to his residence. Before departing for good, he intended to continue improving himself.
Whether in raw strength or cultivation realm, any progress was welcome. After all, they were facing extraterrestrial heavenly demons—beings wholly alien to this world. Who knew how powerful they might be?
Jiang Taiyu's order to assemble the members of the Jiang clan already made it clear that this was no simple matter; had it been something easily contained, he would never have made such a decision.
Thus, enhancing his strength and realm was essential.
Meanwhile, the Heavenly Court's ranks watched Lu Yuan's retreating figure.
From the Golden-Winged Great Peng to Ice Fairy, all felt somewhat at a loss. Everyone knew that after three days, neither the Heavenly Court nor Earth itself would have Lu Yuan holding the center.
It was tantamount to losing their backbone.
"Qingyu."
"I originally thought we might still try to persuade him—at least to have King Lu stay a bit longer." Ice Fairy spoke up at that moment. She felt that she and the Heavenly Court's members were not yet ready to shoulder the burden alone. Even though their strength had improved, having more time would have been far better.
Others nodded in agreement; the news truly felt far too abrupt.
However, Zhu Qingyu shook her head slightly and said, "There is no preparing for it."
"Since King Lu has made his decision, it means that no matter what comes next, the Heavenly Court—and all of us—must be ready to stand on our own."
"Besides, the extraterrestrial heavenly demons are indeed far more important. King Lu is going to resolve the greatest peril. As for us, what we must do is stabilize the situation on Earth." She spoke at length, but her core message was simple: Lu Yuan was leaving, and no one could stop him.
He harbored the intention of testing the members of the Heavenly Court, so they had to accept it.
Of course, Zhu Qingyu had also realized something else. Even without the matter of the extraterrestrial heavenly demons, King Lu might still have departed the Heavenly Court on some future day.
Naturally, that was only a guess in her heart.
Hearing her words, the gathered crowd exchanged glances.
Upon deeper reflection, they found it was indeed true, so no one argued. They fully agreed.
Elder Ji and Elder Yun stepped forward, looked at the crowd, and declared, "No matter what, we cannot disappoint King Lu. We must ensure he has no worries holding him back."
Beside them, the others, including Zhu Qingyu, nodded, as did the Golden-Winged Great Peng and the other Beast Kings.
Yet they also knew that word of this could not be spread for the time being. It had to be concealed from everyone beyond those present.
The reason was simple. Once the news leaked, putting aside what the extraterrestrial beings might think, the common people and the vast ranks of the Heavenly Court would likely fall into panic.
After all, from the very beginning until now, nearly everyone had lived under Lu Yuan's protection. If he left now, few would be able to adjust.
Thus, the news could not be divulged.
With nothing more to say, everyone dispersed, leaving only Zhu Qingyu and Ice Fairy standing where they were.
"Qingyu, if he leaves this time, it will be a very long time before we see him again. Don't you want to say something to him?" Ice Fairy asked, "he" naturally referring to Lu Yuan.
Zhu Qingyu did not answer immediately. After a moment, she shook her head.
"Some things don't need to be said aloud. I don't want to distract him."
"Besides, the gap between him and me is still vast." Hearing this, Ice Fairy opened her mouth, but in the end said nothing.
Perhaps only she truly understood Zhu Qingyu's feelings for Lu Yuan.
Shortly after, the two women left as well, each attending to their duties.
Lu Yuan was leaving Earth to wage war against the extraterrestrial heavenly demons in the depths of space. Under these circumstances, they had to arrange everything properly.
Although the extraterrestrial beings were no longer as overbearing and arrogant as before—some even eager to foster good relations with the Heavenly Court—all of that stemmed from Lu Yuan.
With such a powerhouse presiding, no matter what thoughts those extraterrestrial beings harbored, they had to suppress them. But what if Lu Yuan departed?
No one could guarantee whether the situation would shift. Regardless, what the Heavenly Court had to do was nip every potential crisis in the bud.
Preventing disasters from occurring was the only way to safeguard the common people.
As for Lu Yuan, he paid no heed to any of this.
From the moment he decided to leave, he handed everything over to the Heavenly Court's youth to resolve on their own.
Now, Lu Yuan had only one goal: enhance his strength so he could better face the extraterrestrial heavenly demons in the future.
And so, time slipped away piece by piece.
Finally, three days passed. Once again, it was Mount Tai. Members of both the Jiang clan and the Heavenly Court had assembled, though only a small contingent.
All present were core figures rather than the entire body, and they all looked in the same direction.
There stood Jiang Ningxian and Jiang Haokong.
Between them stood Lu Yuan.
For today was the day they would leave Earth and journey into the domain beyond.
Chapter 461