Without another word, the two stepped straight out.
Before them lay an unfamiliar sea of stars, where celestial bodies were exceedingly scarce.
Darkness claimed most of the vast expanse. In the universe, everywhere looked largely the same. Direction was impossible to discern, and the staggering breadth made it all too easy for anyone to lose their way.
Faced with this endless void, Jiang Ningxian could not help looking bewildered. Out in the cosmos, there were simply no points of reference to be found, making it virtually impossible to know where they were.
"This..." Jiang Ningxian murmured, at a loss for words.
Beside her, Lu Yuan brought out the Fuxi Eight Trigrams Diagram.
This was the very foundation of his confidence when traversing the cosmos; no matter where he stood, he could always determine their general bearing.
"We aren't too far from the Milky Way Star Sector now, and there seem to be a few planets with life nearby. Come, let's take a look and see if there are any other teleportation platforms," Lu Yuan said. He knew that finding a platform meant they could return to Earth in short order.
If they failed to find one, things would become rather troublesome, and he had no other recourse. Relying solely on tearing through the void on their own power would take a great deal of time.
"You decide. I'll follow your lead." Jiang Ningxian naturally had no objection. Without further delay, they departed at once, heading for the nearest planet harboring life.
In the depths of space, desolation and cold were the order of the day. One rarely encountered anything else.
Nothing surrounded them save for an endless emptiness, making the journey thoroughly dull. Of course, that was only natural; the cosmos offered little in the way of scenery to admire.
Worst of all, one stretch of darkness looked almost identical to the next. And so the two continuously tore through the void, advancing in the direction guided by the Fuxi Eight Trigrams Diagram.
Before long, Lu Yuan and Jiang Ningxian finally arrived at a world teeming with life.
They flew down at once to investigate, only to discover to their surprise that the life-forms here were entirely ordinary. There were no humans, nor any supernatural beings.
It was like a primordial wilderness, utterly devoid of anything extraordinary. At the same time, they confirmed there was no teleportation platform here.
"In truth, the vast majority of living worlds in the cosmos are just like this," Jiang Ningxian remarked with a sigh. "Conversely, beings who possess great power—let alone those who hold sway over an entire star sector—are the rare few."
Though life in the cosmos seemed boundless, much of it was mundane. Many beings went their entire lives without ever learning that supernatural power existed. Having traveled widely, she understood this reality well.
Lu Yuan nodded in agreement. After sweeping the planet once more and confirming there was no teleportation platform, they had to press onward. They did not linger and set off immediately.
The crux of the matter was returning to Earth as quickly as possible.
Once again, they resumed their journey, drifting and darting through the depths of space as before. Yet planets equipped with teleportation platforms were practically nowhere to be found, leaving them no choice but to rely on their own strength to tear through the void.
Time slipped by bit by bit. Neither knew how great a distance they had covered or how many worlds they had passed.
For the first time, Lu Yuan truly realized that traversing the cosmos was no simple feat. Without teleportation platforms, relying entirely on one's personal power was taxing indeed. Helpless, he glanced at Jiang Ningxian beside him and could not resist saying, "No wonder the ancient sages built teleportation platforms across the cosmos. Without them, going anywhere really is difficult."
"Naturally. That was the sages' wisdom at work," Jiang Ningxian smiled, but then seemed to recall something. "Still, you might not know that once someone reaches the level of a Human Sovereign Heavenly Emperor, they can traverse the starry sky on their own."
"According to the ancient records of my clan, they could cross every corner of the cosmos in an instant. No matter where they wished to go, it never took them long."
*Crossing every corner of the cosmos in an instant?*
Lu Yuan froze upon hearing this. He was already a Heavenly Position Immortal, a mere half-step from the peak of the Immortal realm, yet he knew all too well that even a Supreme Immortal would need a substantial amount of time to reach certain destinations. Most of the time, they might not depend on teleportation platforms, but across truly immense distances, such platforms were indispensable.
Yet beings like a Human Sovereign Heavenly Emperor could cross any expanse in the universe in a single instant.
It was staggering. Lu Yuan was certain a Supreme Immortal could never accomplish such a feat. In that case, did a Human Sovereign Heavenly Emperor rival an Imperial Realm Heavenly Lord?
Still, he felt that was unlikely. If that were the case, how had the Jiang clan's ancestor repelled the Extraterrestrial Demons in the ancient past?
From what he knew, the Extraterrestrial Demons were formidable across the boundless cosmos, certainly possessing beings on par with Imperial Realm Heavenly Lords—perhaps more than one. Yet a Human Sovereign Heavenly Emperor had driven them all back single-handedly.
Such strength had to be far greater, standing at least on the same level as an Imperial Realm Heavenly Lord, if not higher.
Just what level they had attained, however, remained beyond his knowledge. Lu Yuan could not help feeling a renewed curiosity toward the power sealed within his own body. What was certain was that should it ever be fully awakened, it would surely be terrifying.
"I think I've been to this region before, and I recall a teleportation platform not far away," Jiang Ningxian spoke up suddenly, gazing at her surroundings and sensing the area carefully.
She had traveled a similar path when journeying from the Desolate Flame Star Sector to Earth, and looking at the surrounding scenery, she recognized it immediately.
Beside her, Lu Yuan's eyes lit up. Although he knew the coordinates of Earth, rushing back by his own means was proving exceedingly difficult. Having a teleportation platform changed everything.
"Let's go take a look, then," he said at once.
Without another word, the two tore open the space before them once more.
Although Jiang Ningxian had said it was not far, on the cosmic scale, the distance remained vast. It took them another full day of travel before they finally reached their destination.
Yet when they beheld the sight before their eyes, both of them could not help furrowing their brows. Lu Yuan turned to look at her, wondering if she had remembered wrong.
Chapter 523