The Celestial Clan was far stronger than before. Had that not been the case, there would have been no need to divert forces to deal with them. Therefore, whether it was the Celestial Clan or the Extraterrestrial Demons, they were all enemies now. And since they were enemies, they had to fight to the finish. Furthermore, among the various clans present, not every race was as powerful as the Maha Clan.
Farther away, Jiang Taiyu was locked in battle against several Extraterrestrial Demons, yet he held no upper hand either. Still, the clash between the two sides could truly be described as earth-shattering.
With every strike, the stars shuddered, and asteroids shattered one after another. Their strength was simply too formidable. It was only because the Celestial Star was the very core of the Thunderstrike Star Domain; otherwise, in a battle of this caliber, even a celestial body this colossal would have exploded in an instant.
As the battle commenced, no one was idle. Even Lu Yuan, while keeping watch, engaged several Celestial Clan warriors.
However, he chose not to deliver fatal blows, appearing utterly ordinary. He knew very well that seizing the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token required catching them off guard. Although his strength was formidable, neither the Celestial Clan nor the Extraterrestrial Demons were yet aware of it, so they concentrated the bulk of their forces on confronting the Maha Clan and the Jiang clan.
Around him, meanwhile, were mostly Celestial Clan members who were not particularly powerful. Because of this, Lu Yuan had the chance to slip away from the battlefield and head into the deepest reaches of the Lei Ji Mountain Range to locate the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token.
Yet his performance puzzled Jiang Haokong and Mo Gang.
In their eyes, had he fought with all his might, he could have swiftly turned the tide of battle. After all, he was an undeniable powerhouse.
Why, then, had he held back? Still, despite their doubts, neither voiced anything, continuing instead to battle the enemy.
Jiang Ningxian, on the other hand, could not help but fall into thought. A realization suddenly struck her: was he plotting something together with her father?
Boom!
Before long, after Lu Yuan struck out again and repelled an enemy, Jiang Taiyu's voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
"Young friend, the time has come. These foes are pinned down. Take this chance to find the eighth Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token. Remember, you must be quick."
His purpose in coming here was precisely to allow Lu Yuan to secure the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token.
Yet there was a drawback to the plan: it required cooperation, and the various clans currently fighting were completely unaware. Pinning down both the Extraterrestrial Demons and the Celestial Clan would likely cost lives. The longer this dragged on, the more people would die, and Jiang Taiyu naturally did not wish to see that happen.
Therefore, the faster, the better.
Upon hearing this, Lu Yuan nodded at once. From start to finish, he had not displayed any formidable combat strength, so neither the Celestial Clan nor the Extraterrestrial Demons were paying attention to him. This was his opportunity.
Lu Yuan took a swift look around, blended into the melee, and then slipped away unnoticed.
Departing the battlefield, he headed into the depths of the Lei Ji Mountain Range. By now, this area was shrouded in endless thunder and black mist, an eerie aura constantly emanating as though warning intruders that this place was perilous beyond measure and forbidden to enter. Yet to Lu Yuan, none of this mattered.
He concealed his aura completely while drawing upon the power of the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Tokens.
"As long as the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Tokens are close enough, a resonance will form between them. Though the distance is still somewhat far, it is enough for me."
Contemplating this, Lu Yuan tracked the location of the eighth Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token through his senses. It was only because he possessed so many tokens already; otherwise, finding it would indeed have been exceedingly difficult.
Even so, it still took considerable time. The Thunderstrike Star Domain was vast, and locating a single tiny token was naturally an immense challenge.
Yet before long, through Lu Yuan's persistent probing, he pinpointed its exact position.
"Found it at last."
Without hesitation, he hurried straight there, knowing he could not afford delay. The faster, the better. If the Celestial Clan caught on, things would become troublesome. The purpose of this expedition was not merely to fight.
Not long after, Lu Yuan arrived at a mountain valley. The valley was covered by a formation, with streaks of lightning crackling within.
Without close inspection, one would find nothing that distinguished this place from its surroundings; it was only through the resonance of the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Tokens within him that he detected it.
"Is it inside?" After a brief thought, he took a step forward while releasing his aura.
If the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token truly lay within, rashly barging in might trigger an alert. Lu Yuan wanted to see whether the Celestial Clan had left behind any hidden contingencies.
As his aura probed deeper, he discovered that only a single formation existed here, with nothing else besides.
"Is it precisely because the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token is so extraordinary that they deliberately pretended not to value it, keeping the Extraterrestrial Demons from growing suspicious?" Realization dawned on Lu Yuan instantly.
Though the Celestial Clan and the Extraterrestrial Demons were currently allied in collusion, they still guarded against each other.
For that very reason, the Celestial Clan would never disclose anything about the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token under any circumstance. At this thought, Lu Yuan smiled. Since they had left no other measures behind, they could hardly blame him for helping himself.
He immediately stepped forward. Facing the formation before him, he said nothing, drew the Daluo sword core, and slashed directly outward.
Formidable though the formation was, it amounted to nothing in Lu Yuan's eyes. In a mere instant, he shattered it completely.
Lu Yuan strode through without pause. The next moment, the scenery shifted around him. It seemed he had entered the deepest part of the Lei Ji Mountain Range, stepping into another dimension altogether.
"The Celestial Clan hid this Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token deeply indeed," Lu Yuan thought, a faint smile surfacing on his face. He could already sense that the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token was right here. Yet for some reason, no one from the Celestial Clan had refined it. Could it be that, like Jiang Taiyu, they were simply incapable of doing so?
Musing over this, Lu Yuan channeled the aura of the ancient tokens within him and walked forward.
Rumble!
Right at that moment, a violent clap of thunder abruptly detonated. An instant later, the space was flooded with boundless lightning.
These lightning bolts carried immense destructive power, seemingly capable of obliterating everything in an instant.
Even an expert of the Immortal Realm would be hard-pressed to withstand it. Evidently, this was a lethal trap left behind by the Celestial Clan.
Yet Lu Yuan was no longer who he once was. The lightning bearing destructive force seemed useless against him, failing to make his footsteps waver in the slightest.
Moreover, Lu Yuan was well aware: having entered this place, what he truly had to face was not the lightning, but something else entirely!
Chapter 491