Although they had not stepped forward at the very beginning out of a desire to curry favor with the Heavenly Court or Lu Yuan, the key was their awareness that if the two major factions succeeded, disaster would soon befall them as well. That was why they had stood up.
Now, having received Lu Yuan's promise, they were naturally even more delighted.
Without lingering on formalities, the crowd responded in unison, "King Lu is far too polite."
Had this been before, they would not have been so deferential. But the man before them was now an expert at the Heavenly Position Immortal realm.
His future achievements were utterly unpredictable. Under the starry sky, the rules were fundamentally simple: the strong were revered. It had been this way for countless years, and they certainly would not harbor airs of self-importance before a Heavenly Position Immortal.
Hearing their words, Lu Yuan nodded and said nothing more.
He turned his gaze toward the distant void.
After a brief silence, he spoke once again. "If you who are watching the spectacle wish to continue, why not reveal yourselves directly and come be guests of my Heavenly Court?"
These words were naturally directed at the beings looking on with cold detachment, serving simultaneously as a warning.
As soon as his voice fell, a flurry of auras surged, then beat a hasty retreat.
"King Lu jests! We were merely passing by and are leaving at once."
"Indeed, indeed! Please carry on as you see fit, King Lu."
"Quite so, let us visit another time!"
Presently, whether in sheer presence or personal prowess, Lu Yuan possessed the absolute majesty of a supreme expert.
With a single utterance, he imposed a weight the extraterrestrial beings could not bear. In an instant, having left those remarks behind, they chose to depart immediately.
Who knew what might happen if they lingered and provoked his displeasure? With his strength, none of them could possibly withstand him.
And so, the lingering auras in the celestial dome vanished completely.
Lu Yuan paid them no further mind. Ordering the troops to rest and recuperate, he asked Zhu Qingyu and the other core figures, as well as Jiang Huanyun and his companions, to stay behind.
He knew that the assault by the two major factions was not the true crisis; there were far more pressing matters at hand.
"A Heavenly Position Immortal... After just one journey beyond our realm, your growth has exceeded my wildest imagination," Jiang Huanyun was the first to speak, sighing with immense admiration.
He had already known Lu Yuan was formidable and would undoubtedly return stronger than before. Yet he had truly never expected him to have attained the Heavenly Position Immortal realm—it was simply inconceivable.
"Senior overpraises me. It was merely a stroke of good fortune," Lu Yuan smiled with genuine modesty.
Hearing this, Jiang Huanyun chuckled, then shook his head.
He truly did not know what to say.
Good fortune? How could that possibly be? It was the Heavenly Position Immortal realm—how many such beings existed across the entire universe and starry skies? He himself had been trapped at the Grotto-Heaven Immortal realm for a very long time; why had no stroke of good fortune pushed him into the Creation Immortal realm?
Still, Jiang Huanyun did not dwell on it. After a moment of thought, he continued, "Presumably, when you arrived, you must have sensed it too. A certain unusual power has emerged across Earth. We suspect it is the power of extraterrestrial heavenly demons stirring within the famous mountains and great rivers."
The paramount concern now was no longer the two major factions, but the extraterrestrial heavenly demons. In such a predicament, they could not afford the slightest carelessness.
"Indeed," Lu Yuan nodded. "I have gathered you all here precisely for this reason."
He then recounted everything he had experienced on Celestial Star and throughout his journey.
When Jiang Huanyun and the rest of the Jiang clan heard that all the teleportation platforms in the Milky Way Star Sector had been destroyed, their expressions turned pale with shock.
Zhu Qingyu and the others had not understood the significance at first, merely feeling puzzled. But after Jiang Huanyun explained, realization dawned on them.
"Destroying the teleportation platforms means that if a major catastrophe strikes Earth, people from the outside will be unable to rush here in time?" Zhu Qingyu spoke first, then added, "In other words, all of this was likely planned in advance by the two factions and the extraterrestrial heavenly demons!"
As soon as she said this, everyone fell silent, at a loss for words.
Lu Yuan looked at Zhu Qingyu with an approving glance. To instantly analyze the situation and deduce the causes and consequences showed true intelligence. In the future, should he be absent, he could entrust the Heavenly Court to her with peace of mind.
"That is correct." Lu Yuan cleared his throat before continuing, "I believe that from the start, the goal of the two factions was Earth, not Celestial Star, and not the outer domains. Furthermore, their plan is likely already complete.
"The anomalies appearing in the famous mountains and great rivers are because they set down methods to connect with another world. Once the preparations are complete, the extraterrestrial heavenly demons will descend directly through them, threatening all of Earth."
From the moment he returned to Earth and sensed those auras, he had truly understood everything.
Right now, Earth—and indeed the entire Milky Way Star Sector—hung by a thread.
To make matters worse, the teleportation platforms had been completely destroyed.
"So, I also suspect the final battle will take place here," Jiang Ningxian spoke up. She was the only one who had accompanied Lu Yuan the entire way, and she understood many things with absolute clarity.
She knew that once the extraterrestrial heavenly demons appeared this time, it would not be like before. Far more terrifying entities would descend—beings that even Supreme Immortals might be powerless to confront.
"Is there no way to stop it?" Ice Fairy asked.
There were far too many ordinary mortals on Earth. Once a massive war broke out, a catastrophic crisis would ensue and countless people would die. Stopping it beforehand was naturally the best course.
"There is no way. Since the two factions have already acted, it means everything is prepared," Jiang Ningxian said, laying bare the crux of the issue. "Stopping it is simply impossible."
Since it could not be prevented, all they could do was face it.
Hearing this, everyone present—especially Zhu Qingyu and the others—furrowed their brows tightly.
Jiang Huanyun lowered his head, not knowing what to say. Despite all their vigilance, the enemy had succeeded in the end.
"What I wish to say today is this: we must concentrate all our forces, and at the same time, send word across the starry sky to summon more and stronger reinforcements to Earth. What comes next will be a true, full-scale war.
"And the outcome of this battle may well affect the entire universe and starry sky."
Lu Yuan spoke with great solemnity, his expression grave.
The extraterrestrial heavenly demons they had encountered before had not been particularly formidable, but those yet to appear would surely defy imagination.
Regardless, what had to be faced must be faced. Otherwise, not only would Earth and the Milky Way Star Sector meet disaster, but the entire universe would plunge into unprecedented peril.
Just as Jiang Ningxian had said, this would be the final, ultimate war—in other words, the decisive battle!
Chapter 549