Beyond promoting one's cultivation and evolution, breathing and visualization methods served another purpose: adjusting one's state and mending a wounded body.
Because of the fierce battle before, Lu Yuan's foundational origin had been damaged. Therefore, this process would inevitably take more time.
Yet it was nothing to lament; gains always came with losses. Even he could not guarantee crushing his foes completely in every single battle; getting wounded was entirely normal.
Besides, it was precisely because of this battle that he had finally grasped the conditions to breach the barrier to Heavenly Position Immortal.
Hence, it was well worth the cost—at least in his eyes. He set both breathing and visualization into motion simultaneously.
The aura around Lu Yuan began to radiate outward, and golden qi and blood welled forth. However, by this point, the qi and blood were no longer pure gold.
Yet the might surging out was far more terrifying than before. Thus, time slipped by drop by drop.
At last, after an unknown span of time, Lu Yuan felt both his physique and soul reach a certain state of perfection.
His damaged origin was fully repaired in that instant, without a single lingering flaw. Seeing this, he could not help but open his eyes, a faint smile surfacing in his gaze. He had originally thought that secluding himself to heal his injuries would take quite a long time.
Yet now, it seemed he had overthought things; it had been much faster than expected. Moreover, his innate strength was even greater than before.
And that was even without having broken through. Naturally, Lu Yuan did not dwell on this; what he looked forward to was what came after his injuries were fully healed.
It was time to enter true secluded cultivation, comprehend the Heavenly Position Laws, and advance toward becoming a Heavenly Position Immortal. Even so, Lu Yuan felt no impatience, remaining completely composed.
He first examined the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token and the Investiture Decree. Sensing that he could now mobilize more destiny power, he pondered briefly.
Then, he once again bestowed destiny upon those whose true names were written upon the decree. The focus, naturally, was on Zhu Qingyu, Ice Fairy, and the others, who formed the Heavenly Court's core.
Granting them more destiny would remove any limits on their growth. Lu Yuan mused that perhaps before long, someone in the Immortal Realm would truly emerge within the Heavenly Court. Of course, he could not perceive that right now. Having finished all of this, Lu Yuan took a deep breath to settle his mind, then prepared to begin his true seclusion.
Once ready, in the very next instant, he felt as though he had slipped into a void where nothing existed at all.
It was unlike before, when he had stood high above heaven and earth, out in the cosmos, watching countless galaxies take shape and perish. Here, he was simply immersed in endless nothingness, feeling virtually nothing.
This was the experience of comprehending the Heavenly Position Laws. Lu Yuan knew he had to exercise sufficient patience. And so, he once again engaged his breathing method and visualization method.
He began to adapt to it all while observing this realm of nothingness. As if in the very next instant, yet also as if an eternity had passed, a deafening crack of thunder detonated. In this void world, Lu Yuan saw a bolt of lightning appear, seeming to surge from primeval antiquity, bringing a glimmer of light to the entire world.
Immediately following were a few stars, though very few—scarcely any at all.
*Heavenly Position Laws: the beginning of all things, the end of all things.*
Suddenly, this thought rose in Lu Yuan's heart. This did not mean he already understood the origin of the universe, but rather that through his comprehension, he was discovering what the so-called Heavenly Position Laws truly were. In this process, Lu Yuan began to grasp it.
Heavenly Position. Reigning supreme over all, it could comprehend the primordial state of the universe. Beyond the Immortal Realm, cultivation was about understanding laws and wielding them.
Cultivation would inevitably become slower, but the benefits gained were far greater. Lu Yuan submerged himself within it. The radiance around him began to intensify, yet without blinding glare; everything was exceedingly tranquil.
Time slipped silently away.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the starry sky, upon Earth in the Milky Way Star Sector:
Ever since Lu Yuan's departure, the Heavenly Court had taken control of everything. Its core members remained Zhu Qingyu and the others from back then.
While cultivating, they maintained order over the situation, and by and large, no major trouble arose.
After all, Lu Yuan's reputation was firmly planted there. Even if some extraterrestrial beings harbored other thoughts, they were forced to suppress them—otherwise, who knew what disaster they might invite upon themselves?
However, as time went on, things began to shift. Many knew that Lu Yuan had departed for the depths of the universe, and the current Heavenly Court lacked an overwhelming expert overseeing it. Consequently, quite a few could not help nursing second thoughts.
Yet before long, such notions were squashed once more.
News arrived from the depths of the starry sky: Lu Yuan had gone to Heaven Star, and had seemingly wiped out the entire Celestial Clan. The moment this news broke, beings from all clans were shaken to their core, finding it hard to believe.
Many knew of the past grievances between the Celestial Clan and Lu Yuan, but that had been long ago. Under ordinary circumstances, such grudges simply faded with time. Yet who could have predicted that the Celestial Clan would actually be wiped out? What did that signify?
It meant Lu Yuan held serious grudges! What if they took advantage of his absence to strike at the Heavenly Court?
Once Lu Yuan returned, he would never let the matter rest. Thus, the various clans instantly behaved themselves.
As for the source of the news, it was naturally Jiang Ningxian's doing. She knew that without Lu Yuan on Earth, the various clans lacked a deterrent.
Even if they refrained from acting openly, they would surely scheme against the Heavenly Court in secret. Thus, establishing an appropriate deterrent was vital.
So she directly spread word of the Celestial Clan's annihilation for precisely this reason.
Naturally, she also wanted to test the reactions of the Eternal Clan and the Ji clan, though that was merely a secondary objective—it hardly mattered whether anything came of it.
Nevertheless, it made the beings from beyond on Earth completely fall in line.
"Without even realizing it, King Lu has protected us once again," Ice Fairy remarked with a sigh upon hearing the news at Mount Tai.
Beside her stood Gu Sang, Zhu Qingyu, Chunyang, and the rest—all core figures of the Heavenly Court.
Back when heaven and earth had only just begun to awaken, they had once shared equal fame with Lu Yuan, though that had been a very long time ago.
"Not only that, the destiny power bestowed upon us has grown stronger than before. Clearly, even far away in deep space, King Lu is still finding ways to protect us," Chunyang said, looking toward everyone.
At his words, everyone present nodded. They could naturally sense the surge in destiny power.
"That is why we must cultivate diligently and continue to strengthen the Heavenly Court," Zhu Qingyu said, determination glinting in her eyes.
Ever since Lu Yuan's departure, she had devoted all her energy to cultivation and managing the Heavenly Court. For she knew deep down that sooner or later, he would return.
Chapter 509