"Are they truly extraterrestrial heavenly demons?"
"Why wasn't there even the slightest forewarning beforehand?" Ice Fairy's face was somewhat pale, her expression weighted with solemnity.
The others around her shared similar feelings. Had they merely been facing the two great factions, they would not have reacted this way.
After all, both sides had clashed several times previously. Even if they did not know the full extent of the enemy's reserves, they had a general idea. Moreover, both sides were human—they were known enemies.
Extraterrestrial heavenly demons, however, were entirely different. Up until now, everyone present—including Jiang Huanyun—had only ever heard rumors of such beings and had never seen one with their own eyes. Often, it was the unknown enemy that proved the most terrifying. More crucially, none of them had any idea when these demons had descended. Even the black mist had materialized without warning.
"What should we do next?" Little Heavenly Master Chunyang spoke up, looking toward Jiang Huanyun. He was an elder and senior whose cultivation realm surpassed everyone else present. Now that crisis had struck, it was only natural to seek his counsel first.
The Jiang clan and the Heavenly Court appeared to be two separate factions on the surface, but in truth, they had become deeply intertwined. Complete trust existed between them in every respect, and Jiang Huanyun was regarded by them as a respected elder.
Thus, after Chunyang spoke, everyone turned their eyes toward Jiang Huanyun, eager to hear his thoughts. The elder did not speak immediately. The turn of events had simply been too abrupt.
Just as they had sensed a major crisis was brewing, it had descended upon them in the blink of an eye. Even someone as steady as him looked grim. Furthermore, they were no longer facing just the two great factions, but extraterrestrial heavenly demons.
"It is hard for me to say anything definitive right now," Jiang Huanyun finally said, then let out a sigh. "We must not only confront the Ji clan and the Eternal Clan, but now the power of extraterrestrial heavenly demons has appeared as well. I suspect the enemy planned this long in advance. Therefore, my only recommendation is to hold the Heavenly Court and protect the five super cities."
What else could they do? Launch an active counteroffensive? That was utterly impossible; the gulf in power was far too vast. He suspected the two great factions would eventually deploy their deepest foundations. Against that, the Heavenly Court's current strength, even bolstered by their own forces, fell hopelessly short. Under these circumstances, their only option was to carry on with their established plans.
"Indeed. We meet every change by holding our ground. Back then, King Lu always did the same." Zhu Qingyu spoke up, her expression resolute as she made the decision.
Yet despite the firm conviction in her tone, her heart lacked true confidence. Back then, Lu Yuan had possessed absolute, peerless strength. No matter what tricks the enemy employed, so long as his cultivation surpassed theirs, there was no cause for fear; once he struck, the outcome was sealed.
Now, however, the Heavenly Court's strength was sufficient to deal with ordinary extraterrestrial beings, but against the two great factions, it was woefully inadequate. And what if extraterrestrial heavenly demons joined the fray? If the worst came to pass, the Heavenly Court's current foundation would never be able to hold them back.
Even so, she had no other choice. Protecting the populace was of paramount importance.
"Indeed. Starting from now, pull back and concentrate our forces," Jiang Huanyun agreed with a sigh.
Without another word, the group departed from Jade Emperor Peak.
Shortly thereafter, Zhu Qingyu issued an order in the name of the Heavenly Court. All civilians were instructed to retreat into the five super cities, and the heavenly soldiers and generals from Mount Tai were dispatched to garrison them.
At the same time, a warning was sent out to all extraterrestrial beings across Earth, alerting them that a Great Tribulation was upon them and expressing hope that all could unite in resistance. Many had already sensed this encroaching dread. In a very short span of time, Earth's famous mountains and great rivers had begun to be enveloped in eerie, mysterious black mist.
Meanwhile, the Eternal Warship began radiating continuous, suffocating pressure and showed signs of movement. Yet those unaligned extraterrestrial beings believed that even if the two great factions took action, it would not necessarily affect them. After all, they remained strictly neutral for now. If they rashly picked a side, it would likely invite endless trouble down the line. Thus, in the end, several extraterrestrial factions deemed it wiser to wait and watch how events unfolded.
Shortly after the Heavenly Court mobilized its defenses, figures finally stepped forth from the Eternal Warship. They were not Heavenly Position Immortals, but Grotto-Heaven Immortals and Creation Immortals. In the eyes of the two great factions, the next phase of their plan did not warrant the personal intervention of Heavenly Position Immortals; in fact, even Creation Immortals were hardly needed.
When the powerhouses of the two factions emerged, the core members of the Heavenly Court were inevitably shaken. Yet they knew clearly that they still could not afford to strike out. Their best course was to defend and concentrate all their strength. Even if it did not dramatically change the ultimate outcome, at least they would have done everything in their power.
Jiang Huanyun continuously sent messages out into the void beyond the domain to contact his clan, but received no response. Nor had he heard any news regarding Lu Yuan and Jiang Ningxian. In his eyes, turning the tide of this crisis hinged entirely on their return. Perhaps placing their hopes on waiting was a passive strategy, but what other option did they have?
As time passed, the experts dispatched by the two factions did not strike directly at the five super cities or the ordinary mortals. For the moment, they had a far more important task: traversing the famous mountains and great rivers, particularly those where the presence of the extraterrestrial heavenly demons had manifested.
The Heavenly Court caught wind of these movements and attempted to discover what the two factions were truly plotting, but they uncovered nothing. The reason was simple: those moving across the land were virtually all Grotto-Heaven Immortals or even mightier beings. Who on Earth today could glean intelligence beneath the notice of such figures? The Heavenly Court did not obsess over it, either, since the priority remained preparing for the imminent confrontation.
The extraterrestrial heavenly demons, the Ji clan, and the Eternal Clan weighed upon their shoulders like three colossal mountains.
For now, the Heavenly Court harbored few grand ambitions—only to protect as many people as possible. If they could hold out until Lu Yuan's return, that would be ideal. Indeed, both the core members of the Heavenly Court and the Jiang clansmen had tacitly come to believe that only Lu Yuan could resolve this crisis. In the past, no matter what disaster struck or what manner of opponent appeared, so long as he intervened, danger was invariably transformed into safety.
Even now, when facing the combined might of extraterrestrial heavenly demons and the two ancient factions—a force potent enough to shake the entire universe—everyone firmly believed that once Lu Yuan returned, everything would be set right.
Yet after some more time had passed, Zhu Qingyu, Jiang Huanyun, and the others suddenly realized that waiting for Lu Yuan's return had begun to feel like an impossible hope.
Chapter 536