Thus, Zhu Qingyu had always felt that until Lu Yuan returned, she had to do her utmost to handle every matter well and preserve the Heavenly Court.
She believed this was perhaps the only thing she could do. Since she could not accompany him, this was actually quite good.
Beside her, Ice Fairy and the Young Heavenly Master Chunyang nodded upon hearing this. Fortunately, thanks to Lu Yuan's deterrent presence, they did not have to face too much pressure.
All they needed to do was stabilize the current situation; they had no need to worry about anything else.
"I wonder when King Lu will return," Ice Fairy remarked, casting her gaze toward Zhu Qingyu.
She naturally hoped Lu Yuan would return soon, which would put everyone much more at ease. More than that, she felt Zhu Qingyu surely cared about this even more than she did, which was why she brought it up.
"King Lu must have far more important matters in the outer starry skies. When he returns once more, he will certainly be even more formidable," Chunyang said with a faint smile in his eyes.
He looked forward to this, which in turn made him feel that they too had to keep growing stronger.
Otherwise, how could they follow Lu Yuan in the future? Besides, who among them did not wish to venture into the outer starry skies as well?
To achieve that, their own strength and cultivation naturally could not lag behind.
"All right, let us not speak of that for now. What matters next is still stabilizing the current situation," Zhu Qingyu said. Aside from stabilizing things, their other task—as Lu Yuan had instructed before departing—was to gather intelligence on all fronts.
Members of the Jiang clan were present in the Heavenly Court as well, so if anything unexpected arose, word could be conveyed in time.
What they did not know, however, was that at this very moment, wisps of black mist were slowly emerging in the regions containing nine-colored altars, albeit quite covertly.
The mist spanned a very small area, going unnoticed. Yet if anyone were to see it, they would undoubtedly realize something was amiss.
Meanwhile, deep within the opposite end of the starry sky, a gigantic warship drifted—the vessel belonging to the Eternal Clan.
Ever since the Ji clan and the Eternal Clan had decided to carry out their plan, they had vanished completely. Even the Jiang clan did not know their exact location.
Throughout this time, the two factions had exhausted every means to conceal themselves while scheming in secret. And now, everything was fully prepared.
More importantly, word had come not long ago that the Domain Lords of the two factions—the two supreme powerhouses previously in seclusion—were about to emerge.
This meant the two experts were very likely to have broken through the shackles of the Supreme Immortal realm, reaching a higher cultivation that surpassed everyone else in the present world.
This news was immensely exhilarating for the two factions. Moreover, their prior plan had already been set into motion.
Nearly everyone believed that once it succeeded, the Eternal Clan and the Ji clan could collaborate with the extraterrestrial heavenly demons to take total control of this universe.
"I hear the Celestial Clan was wiped out by that Lu Yuan. Truly surprising," a Heavenly Position Immortal of the Ji clan spoke aboard the Eternal Warship, a trace of shock in his eyes, as though the news had caught him off guard.
After all, as a fellow Heavenly Position Immortal, if Lu Yuan could slay the Celestial Clan Domain Lord, did that not mean he could do the same to him?
"His growth rate is simply too rapid. Fortunately, we prepared in advance," an expert of the Eternal Clan chimed in at an opportune moment.
His voice was filled with disbelief. Who could have imagined that someone once seen as a mere nobody would rise to such heights in so short a time?
Not long ago, he had only just entered the Immortal Realm, yet now he was already slaying Heavenly Position Immortals. When would he attain the Supreme Immortal realm?
Had someone told them this before, they never would have believed it, finding it far too monstrous and terrifying. Even across the Ten Great Star Domains, no such figure had ever arisen.
Yet after experiencing so much, both the Ji clan and the Eternal Clan understood clearly that Lu Yuan could never be judged by ordinary standards.
Now that he could obliterate Heavenly Position Immortals, matching a Domain Lord-level existence in the future was likely only a matter of time.
More importantly, they knew it would not take very long at all.
"That is why initiating our plan ahead of schedule back then was the right choice."
"And the Celestial Clan served some purpose by stalling for time." The Ji clan Heavenly Position Immortal pondered briefly before speaking again. "Now that the preparations are complete, true chaos is what follows. I'd like to see how those people manage to resolve it."
The Celestial Clan had merely been bait cast by the two factions to divert attention.
Now that the objective was accomplished, they were naturally of no further use. It was for this exact reason that when the extraterrestrial heavenly demons heard their plea for help, they chose to ignore it; there was simply no point.
"What about next? How should we proceed? Do we begin the operation directly?" the Eternal Clan expert asked, his tone brimming with anticipation, as if he had been awaiting this day for a long time.
However, upon hearing this, the Ji clan Heavenly Position Immortal shook his head with a chuckle. "Before officially launching the operation, we should give them a bit of hope and good news. Otherwise, wouldn't everything we've done be wasted?"
A chilling glint flickered in his eyes as he spoke.
The Eternal Clan expert caught his meaning instantly. He chuckled as well, adding, "Well said. In that case, let us recall the Heaven-Forsaken Clan members in the Thunderstrike Star Domain, giving them the illusion that their resistance has finally succeeded."
"Splendid!" The Ji clan Heavenly Position Immortal smiled. Indeed, without hope, how could they ever know what true despair felt like?
At this moment, neither of them spoke further.
Instead, they stood atop the Eternal Warship, gazing into the distant universe. Everything was ready.
Next would be the official commencement of the plan. When that time came, they would not need to take any specific action themselves.
Watching would be more than enough. As for what consequences this would bring to the living beings of this universe, the experts of the two factions did not care in the slightest. In their view, as long as they achieved their goal, nothing else mattered.
Whether it was the Celestial Clan or the beings of other star domains, all were expendable. Such was their mindset now, and one of the reasons they had chosen to ally with the extraterrestrial heavenly demons.
Whatever the Ji clan and the Eternal Clan set out to do, none could stop!
Chapter 510