The senior ranks of the Heavenly Court and the Beast Kings had essentially all gathered. Together, they represented the strongest foundation on all of Earth.
This was also the culmination of everything Lu Yuan had built for the Heavenly Court over so much time. In the eyes of outsiders, the force assembled here could easily rival any of the top hundred star sectors.
With Lu Yuan himself included, they could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the top ten star sectors. Not to mention, this had all been achieved within just a few short years.
By now, almost every extraterrestrial being believed the Heavenly Court would grow into a mighty power the entire universe could not ignore.
Even if the Milky Way Star Sector could not fully restore its ancient glory, it would hardly fall short. Ranking among the top ten was all but guaranteed—even if its placement would not be especially high.
Yet right now, the crowd from the Heavenly Court, including the beasts, seemed in low spirits. Looking ahead, their eyes were filled with reluctance and a touch of bewilderment. They all knew that after today, the man who had always anchored the Heavenly Court would be leaving.
From now on, everything would depend on them, and adjusting to that felt profoundly difficult.
Ahead, Lu Yuan stood side by side with Jiang Ningxian and her brother, looking back at the Heavenly Court's ranks behind them.
In truth, very few were setting out beyond Earth this time. Aside from the three of them, there were only a handful of outstanding Jiang clan disciples.
As for the rest, such as those whose names were inscribed upon the Investiture Decree, virtually all of them would remain on Earth. Older generation powerhouses like Jiang Huanyun were no exception; none of them would be leaving.
The reason was simple. While the situation in the Milky Way Star Sector and on Earth had stabilized, no one could guarantee trouble would never arise down the line.
A formidable expert had to remain behind to oversee things.
With Lu Yuan gone, only Grotto-Heaven Immortals like Jiang Huanyun possessed the strength to command such authority and deter other star sector beings.
Across the entire cosmos, Grotto-Heaven Immortals were among the pinnacle experts; unless one hailed from the top ten star sectors, major star sector clans would think twice before making an enemy of them.
For that reason, having Jiang Huanyun and the others remain was naturally the best choice. It was also one of the reasons Lu Yuan felt relatively at ease for the moment.
Once he departed, the burden could not fall entirely onto the shoulders of Zhu Qingyu and the Heavenly Court's members. If an insurmountable enemy appeared, what could they do?
With the Jiang clan members here, he could at least rest easy on that front.
"Don't worry. If anything major happens in the future, you have us," Jiang Huanyun stepped forward with a smile.
From now on, it would be up to him to preside over the Heavenly Court. Inwardly, he hardly felt lighthearted. After all, ever since he had descended, he had witnessed just how many adversaries Lu Yuan had confronted.
Even if there might be none left for now, Jiang Huanyun had seen the entire ordeal unfold from start to finish. Still, the Jiang clan and the Heavenly Court were allied, joined to the point where there was barely any distinction between them. They were true allies; as their ties deepened, calling them family would be no exaggeration.
Naturally, if danger befell the Heavenly Court, he would spare no effort.
"Thank you, Senior," Lu Yuan said, nodding slightly. Even though his own cultivation surpassed the other man's, an elder remained an elder. He would not discard respect simply because of differing power levels. Even if strength reigned supreme, that principle did not apply unconditionally.
Besides, the safety of the Heavenly Court and Earth would temporarily rest upon his shoulders.
"There's no need for that." Jiang Huanyun's eyes crinkled with warmth, and he added, "We are an alliance now. Whatever falls to me, I will give my all, so no need for formalities."
Hearing this, Lu Yuan nodded, then turned his gaze back to the Heavenly Court's members nearby.
He had originally prepared many parting instructions, yet at this moment, he suddenly felt there was no need to speak.
No matter what he said, it would only be reiterating what everyone already understood. Thus, Lu Yuan simply gave a subtle nod toward the assembled crowd.
Led by Elder Ji, Elder Yun, and the others, the Heavenly Court's members and the Beast Kings all nodded in return, offering no further words.
Today, they were seeing Lu Yuan off, yet no one wanted to make the scene overly sorrowful.
Meanwhile, Jiang Ningxian and her brother began saying their farewells to the Jiang clan members staying behind. None knew how long this departure would last, and no one could guarantee they would ever return. After all, they were going to confront extraterrestrial heavenly demons.
Those were not creatures native to this universe, and they were suspected to be the terrifying horrors recorded to have initiated the Great Tribulation.
Even so, go they must. This was only the beginning. If they did not take action now, were they to wait until the extraterrestrial heavenly demons descended in full force?
Soon, the farewells concluded. Lu Yuan, Jiang Ningxian and her brother, along with the group of Jiang clan disciples, stood together in the same spot.
Venturing into deep space was not difficult for them. For Lu Yuan in particular, a single stride could carry him straight into the starry expanse. Still, the universe was vast.
Without specific coordinates, even an immortal would lose their way and wander endlessly through the cosmos.
Vast as the cosmos was, across countless star sectors, ninety percent of its space was completely devoid of life. In certain stretches, not even galaxies or stars existed.
Therefore, a domain point was essential.
Simply put, a domain point functioned much like a map. Naturally, it did not depict the appearance of the entire universe; it merely pointed out directions and gave travelers traversing the void a general sense of where they were.
Most star sectors possessed such reference points. Earth, for instance, had its precise location known to many extraterrestrial major clans—which was why so many beings had been able to descend accurately within a short span before.
Now, as they embarked, they also required a cosmic domain point.
The coordinates were in Jiang Ningxian's possession. With a light wave of her hand, a translucent star chart gradually materialized, dotted with countless stars as though encompassing the entire cosmos.
Once she locked onto their location, she looked toward Lu Yuan and said, "We can head out."
With that, she conveyed the domain point directly to him.
Traversing the starry void was not difficult for many, and upon reaching the Grotto-Heaven Immortal realm, it became relatively simple.
However, the greater one's strength, the vaster the expanses one could cross. To reach the location where the extraterrestrial heavenly demons had emerged as swiftly as possible, they naturally needed to rely on Lu Yuan's methods.
As a Creation Immortal, such feats were effortless for him. After receiving the location data of the domain point, he nodded. Soon, however, a look of perplexity surfaced in his eyes.
"The place where the extraterrestrial heavenly demons appeared seems to be an entire star sector."
Though Lu Yuan had never ventured into deep space before, he could tell at first glance.
Beside him, hearing this, Jiang Ningxian nodded and replied calmly, "Indeed. It is the Thunderstrike Star Domain."
Chapter 462