Indeed, it would come down to battle.
Would backing down now or doing anything else change the situation?
Clearly, it was utterly impossible. Lu Yuan knew that between himself and the Eternal clan and Ji clan, there had long ceased to be any room for reconciliation.
Even if those two Domain Lords had surpassed the Supreme Immortal realm after accepting the power of the extraterrestrial heavenly demons, so what? All he needed to do was grow even stronger to face them; on that front, he was still very confident.
Beside him, seeing his expression, Jiang Ningxian could not help but sigh in exasperation. "I'm genuinely worried here," she said outright. "You can't just say nothing at all."
She knew Lu Yuan never panicked, no matter what he faced—in fact, he had likely conceived a countermeasure long ago.
Yet the problem was that even knowing this, she still could not dispel the doubts in her heart.
"In any case, set your mind at ease," Lu Yuan said with absolute confidence, a smile appearing on his face.
He could become stronger himself, and even if he truly couldn't resolve everything when the time came, he could still invoke the power of the Heavenly Emperor and Human Sovereign within him. Though that was a last resort, at least it gave him solid backing no matter what.
What needed to be done right now was to guard against the two major factions and the extraterrestrial heavenly demons. As for anything else, overthinking served no purpose.
"Fine, as long as you have a plan in mind," Jiang Ningxian sighed and chose not to press further.
After spending so much time together, she knew what kind of person he was, and she understood that asking further would be pointless.
The two chatted for a few more moments before Jiang Ningxian left Jade Emperor Peak. With Jiang Huanyun having departed, the Jiang clansmen on Earth needed her to act as their backbone and organize various matters.
As for Lu Yuan, he considered what to do next.
The enemies had not appeared yet. The extraterrestrial heavenly demons' power pervaded the famous mountains and great rivers, which seemed grave, but in truth, he also knew that those beings would not descend immediately for the time being.
For now, making his side stronger was of the utmost importance.
After pondering for a moment, Lu Yuan did not leave Jade Emperor Peak. He simply sat down cross-legged.
This was Mount Tai, shrouded in a special power, making it ideal for cultivation and seclusion.
Furthermore, given his current strength, returning to his former residence was out of the question. Even the slightest slip of his aura was terrifyingly potent, capable of making the earth quake and split apart.
It wasn't that Lu Yuan couldn't control it, but rather that he was simply too powerful now.
It was better not to return at all and make Jade Emperor Peak his place of secluded cultivation from now on.
And right now, the first thing Lu Yuan needed to do was a single task: utilize the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token and the Investiture Decree within him to bestow as much power of fortune as possible onto the Heavenly Court's ranks and everyone who had been invested.
The fortune of the Nine Cauldrons was virtually boundless; previously, Lu Yuan had simply lacked the ability to control it. Now, things were different. He was already a Heavenly Position Immortal, having grasped the power of Heavenly Position laws. More importantly, Lu Yuan had gathered multiple Ancient Heavenly Emperor Tokens. His mastery over the power of fortune was incomparably stronger than before.
Immediately, as he settled his mind and gazed at the names inscribed upon the Investiture Decree, he set to work.
First, he bestowed an even more formidable power of fortune upon Zhu Qingyu and other core members of the Heavenly Court.
Lu Yuan genuinely hoped that these people could grow as quickly as possible and break through into the Immortal Realm.
Of course, there were also many outstanding disciples of the Jiang clan. He could not favor one over the other, so he similarly bestowed more power of fortune upon them.
As long as he could strengthen the forces and foundation at his disposal, nothing would be a problem.
Yet in his heart, he also knew very well that no matter how much fortune he bestowed, growth still required time.
Even so, every little bit counted.
If he could strengthen those beneath him so that they would at least have the power to protect themselves when the time came, that would be enough.
And just as Lu Yuan did this, Zhu Qingyu, Ice Fairy, and the others all felt an unseen, profound might descend upon them, causing the power within their bodies to erupt.
Because the immediate crises had all been resolved, many people did not hesitate for a second after feeling this change, directly entering seclusion to see if they could take another step forward.
Thus, time slipped by, bit by bit.
Meanwhile, in the outside world, discussions were still raging over Lu Yuan slaying four Heavenly Position Immortals and sweeping through the two major factions.
Many beings wondered whether they should get on good terms with the Heavenly Court at a time like this. After all, they had already sensed danger emanating from the extraterrestrial heavenly demonic power lingering in the famous mountains and great rivers. If they could ally with the Heavenly Court, things would be much better.
However, the Heavenly Court offered no response whatsoever, for its core personnel were all in secluded cultivation.
As a result, those beings were thoroughly rebuffed.
This was only natural. They had not stepped forward in the most critical hour, yet now, seeing how mighty the Heavenly Court was, they thought they could draw closer. Even if Zhu Qingyu and the others had known about it, they wouldn't have cared; after all, such alliances were the most flimsy.
One had to realize that some of the beings now currying favor with the Heavenly Court had chosen to submit to the two major factions not long ago, and had even taken the initiative to harass the five super cities. It was just that Lu Yuan had chosen not to bother holding it against them, but that hardly meant the Heavenly Court would tolerate them indefinitely.
Ultimately, Elder Ji and Elder Yun sent word: if visitors continued knocking at the gates, it would be time to settle past scores. This warning finally quieted Mount Tai down.
Then, just a few days later, Zhu Qingyu finally broke through from the Saint Realm into the Immortal Realm—becoming an Undying Immortal!
The first realm of the Immortals, making her the very first person in the entire Heavenly Court to reach this height.
Upon hearing the news, several Jiang clan disciples were utterly shocked.
After all, many people knew how long Zhu Qingyu had been cultivating and evolving. Had it even been ten years? Not by a long shot. Yet now, she had stepped straight into the Immortal Realm—such speed was staggering.
A development like this shook them to their core.
Although a newly minted Immortal was not considered much in the eyes of many, especially the truly powerful, when viewed across the cosmic dimension, it was quite terrifying—especially given that she had attained such a level in so short a time.
However, their astonishment did not end there, for over the following half month, Ice Fairy, Little Heavenly Master Chunyang, and others successively broke through into the Immortal Realm as well.
Previously, they had been merely one step away.
Of course, that single step was actually vast, and taking it was exceedingly difficult. For many people, even dozens or hundreds of years might not suffice.
Yet now, within half a month, several people had succeeded in succession. Such a spectacle shook everyone to their bones!
Chapter 551