Lu Yuan was well aware that once he gathered all the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Tokens, the significance would be completely different in every aspect.
Setting aside further musings, he asked directly, "So, this eighth Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token is on the Celestial Star?"
Since Jiang Taiyu had summoned him specifically regarding the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token, it was almost certain that the eighth ancient token was on the Celestial Star.
"Indeed." Sure enough, after a moment's consideration, Jiang Taiyu replied, "I learned of it not long ago. The reason I brought you here this time is in the hopes of seizing that Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token for you. However, doing so would be very troublesome if reliant on my strength alone.
"For that Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token is already in the hands of the Celestial Clan, and the place it resides is within their other ancestral land."
Lu Yuan had learned previously that the Celestial Clan possessed two ancestral lands. The first was the Thunder Firmament Hall, while the other lay in the region already cloaked by the black mist. Put simply, what Jiang Taiyu intended was to find a way to strike and seize the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token from that other ancestral land.
Yet the Celestial Clan's strength had surged considerably, and there were also the Extraterrestrial Demons. Even knowing its location, retrieving it would be extraordinarily difficult.
From his words, however, Lu Yuan caught another layer of meaning.
"In the hands of the Celestial Clan... meaning..."
"The Extraterrestrial Demons do not know about it?" he guessed.
If the Extraterrestrial Demons knew about the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token, under normal circumstances they would certainly hold it in their own hands. After all, the tokens were deeply tied to the Human Sovereign Heavenly Emperor. As said before, they had suffered tremendously at the hands of such supreme beings. Lu Yuan knew full well that the Extraterrestrial Demons could never be ignorant of the token's immense importance—and so long as they knew, they would never ignore it.
"You are very sharp." Hearing this, a smile appeared in Jiang Taiyu's eyes. "Though the Celestial Clan chose to throw their lot in with the Extraterrestrial Demons, they have their own ambitions. Who would willingly remain subservient forever? I imagine their silence regarding the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token is so that one day, they might completely break free from the Extraterrestrial Demons' control."
Hearing this, Lu Yuan nodded. Such a development was entirely natural. The Celestial Clan was, after all, among the top hundred star sectors. Though subordinate to the Ji clan and now entangled with the Extraterrestrial Demons, human nature was simply like that—no one wished to stay under someone else's heel forever. Given a chance to turn the tables, they would inevitably seize it.
Despite the Celestial Clan and the Extraterrestrial Demons being fully allied at present, they harbored their own hidden motives. For instance, knowing full well the importance of the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token, they chose not to disclose it. And what other reason could there be than the hope of breaking free one day?
"So Senior wishes to leverage this, finding a way to infiltrate the Celestial Clan's ancestral land and bring that Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token back?" By now, Lu Yuan roughly understood what they intended to do.
"That is correct. However, once we make our move, the Extraterrestrial Demons certainly will not sit idly by either.
"So going forward, we will need to contend with two different factions.
"The key lies in keeping this operation covert—at the very least, ensuring the Extraterrestrial Demons remain oblivious to our true objective."
Jiang Taiyu laid out what needed to be done on this operation. The Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token was simply too vital. The Celestial Clan would never disclose it, and they could not afford to reveal it either. For once the Extraterrestrial Demons discovered it, everything would change, and the situation would become exceedingly complicated. Furthermore, as he had mentioned earlier, someone on their own side might have already defected to the Extraterrestrial Demons. Therefore, this plan could only be known to two people: Jiang Taiyu and Lu Yuan.
"Then Senior, what do you plan to do specifically?" Lu Yuan knew the man surely had a plan in mind already, so all he needed to do was listen.
"Three days from now, I will take action and launch an attack on the Celestial Clan's other ancestral land, igniting a major battle.
"That place is also home to famous mountains and great rivers, held by powerful experts of both the Celestial Clan and the Extraterrestrial Demons.
"They will inevitably deploy in full force. When that happens, a way can be found to slip into the Celestial Clan's ancestral land.
"Guided by the tokens within your body, you will locate the eighth one." Jiang Taiyu laid out his plan.
In truth, he had planned all of this long ago, but Lu Yuan had not yet arrived then, so he had been unable to execute it. Now that Lu Yuan was here, the time had finally come to begin.
"Very well. Since Senior has already decided, Junior will naturally comply." Lu Yuan knew full well that all of this was to obtain the eighth Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token, and perhaps this was the fundamental reason Jiang Taiyu had summoned him here.
"All right, that is about all I have to tell you." Seeing that he had explained essentially everything necessary, Jiang Taiyu smiled and said no more. With a wave of his hand, Lu Yuan suddenly found himself back within the Thunder Firmament Hall.
Soon, Jiang Feiyi approached and led him toward his quarters. Jiang Ningxian and her brother each had their own residences and had also gone to rest.
Along the way to his lodgings, Lu Yuan noticed that experts from various clans had gathered here. Their cultivation and strength were at least at the Immortal Realm, and their numbers were immense. Only because the Thunder Firmament Hall was vast enough could it possibly accommodate so many people.
Yet on second thought, it made sense. This place was the ancestral land of the Celestial Clan. What was an ancestral land? It was their most crucial stronghold; if it could not even hold this many people, how could it be called an ancestral land?
Before long, guided by Jiang Feiyi, Lu Yuan arrived at his room. Compared to Mount Tai, it was exceptionally luxurious and spacious. The chamber itself had been forged from special materials and was exceedingly sturdy; even a full-strength strike from someone newly stepped into the Immortal Realm would struggle to leave a mark upon it.
This was already quite astonishing. After all, the Celestial Clan was merely among the top hundred star sectors. Possessing such a foundation was formidable even among major clans of the same standing.
"King Lu, the Domain Lord instructed that you rest well here," Jiang Feiyi said at this point. "If anything arises, you will be notified."
Compared to when they first met, he held far greater respect for Lu Yuan now. After all, the man before him had slain three Extraterrestrial Demons all on his own. Jiang Feiyi had never witnessed combat prowess and strength of such caliber. In his mind, Lu Yuan was already an existence comparable to a Heavenly Position Immortal.
Having said his piece, he spoke no further and turned to leave.
Soon, Lu Yuan was the only one left in the room. Standing where he was, he said nothing. Finding a spot to sit cross-legged, he reflected on the two consecutive major battles he had fought against the Extraterrestrial Demons. To him, they served as valuable experience, and so Lu Yuan wished to make another attempt to break through to the Heavenly Position Immortal realm!
Chapter 487