Some time had passed since the founding of the Heavenly Court.
Of course, across the scale of the cosmos and the starry skies, that span was nothing at all—it was truly far too brief.
Yet everyone understood clearly that the Heavenly Court would sooner or later become a formidable power, elevating the Milky Way Star Sector to a high ranking within the cosmos.
This was because it was led by Lu Yuan, the Lord of the Heavenly Court.
And there was another reason.
The members of the Heavenly Court were remarkably exceptional in their own right. In such a short time, they had attained the Saint Realm one after another.
The heavenly soldiers and generals, in particular, possessed immense potential. Thus, in the eyes of many, even without Lu Yuan, the future Heavenly Court would be anything but ordinary. Given enough time, it was bound to accumulate a terrifying foundation—after all, Earth was now the center of a great cosmic era.
All the extraterrestrial beings understood this well; it was one of the reasons they had journeyed here in the first place.
Originally, their intent was to claim a share of this great era's fortune, using it to strengthen themselves, their races, and their respective star sectors.
Who could have foreseen such an unpredictable outcome? First, Earth produced an invincible powerhouse like Lu Yuan. And now, the core leadership had broken through to the Immortal Realm one after another.
This was a watershed moment in cultivation and evolution.
It signified that the Heavenly Court now truly possessed the strength to contend among the various star sectors across the universe.
Of course, now was no longer the time to dwell on such rivalries.
With the emergence of the extraterrestrial heavenly demons, numerous star sectors—and indeed the entire cosmos—had begun to plunge into crisis. No one had the mind to fight among themselves anymore.
For now, however, because those dread beings had not yet fully descended, people's attention remained temporarily fixed on the Heavenly Court. They wanted to see just how far it could grow during this window of time.
As for Lu Yuan, he remained atop Jade Emperor Peak. He continually used the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Tokens to channel the power of fortune, bestowing it upon each individual according to their specific circumstances to make his followers even stronger.
The results were exceptionally good. He could currently harness a vast amount of fortune, and with the aid of the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Tokens, everything proceeded smoothly.
More importantly, he discovered that after Zhu Qingyu and the others broke through to the Immortal Realm, they could bear even more fortune than before. As long as he was willing, he could continue to augment them.
Lu Yuan even made another discovery: once his mastery over fortune reached a truly terrifying degree, he could use it to directly elevate a person's cultivation realm without any backlash whatsoever. It would be no different from having cultivated the realm themselves, leaving their foundation completely unharmed.
This revelation shocked him deeply and elevated his understanding of fortune to a higher plane.
"Investiture... so it's not merely a figure of speech."
"When that day truly arrives, I will actually be able to do it."
Upon realizing this, Lu Yuan felt a surge of emotion.
Directly raising someone's cultivation realm was truly frightening—it was virtually seizing the wonders of Heaven and Earth's creation.
Of course, he could not accomplish that just yet. For one, his own strength was not sufficient. Furthermore, he had not yet gathered all of the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Tokens. If everything were complete, it would be an entirely different story.
Still, now was not the time to ponder such distant matters.
He did not stop, continuing to bestow fortune upon the members of the Heavenly Court.
There were already many names inscribed upon the Investiture Decree, and combined with the disciples of the Jiang clan, referring to them as a host of a hundred thousand heavenly soldiers and generals was no exaggeration. Thus, he had to take it step by step.
As for whether he would continue conferring titles later on, Lu Yuan had not considered it yet. All he wanted right now was to make the people beneath him stronger.
And so, time slipped by, bit by bit.
Under his day-and-night bestowal, breakthroughs occurred constantly throughout the Heavenly Court. Though immortals were few, their numbers were steadily climbing. As for the Saint Realm, at its peak, a hundred new saints emerged in a single day.
This was nothing short of a miracle. When the extraterrestrial beings heard of it, they were utterly flabbergasted.
They had never imagined that the realms they had labored so bitterly to cultivate and evolve into could be attained so effortlessly in the Heavenly Court. It was simply too terrifying. If this continued, in just a little while longer, wouldn't the Heavenly Court truly possess a foundation comparable to the top hundred star sectors, allowing it to charge directly into the top ten?
For a time, discussions raged everywhere. Everyone knew these changes were brought about by Lu Yuan, yet they could not comprehend how he possessed such ability. It was truly beyond belief.
As for the beings from various star sectors that had once opposed the Heavenly Court, upon learning this, they were filled with bitter regret. They realized that submitting to the two major factions had been a colossal mistake. The Heavenly Court's rapid rise could only be described as earth-shattering. If they decided to settle old scores in the future, what would become of them?
Yet regret was useless now; they could only watch helplessly.
As for seizing the chance to strike while the Heavenly Court was still growing, they never even entertained the thought. The reason was simple: never mind that Lu Yuan had already become a Heavenly Position Immortal, the Heavenly Court itself could already be described as immensely powerful. How could they attack? That would essentially be suicide. They were better off keeping a low profile, hoping the other party would forget about them entirely.
Within the Heavenly Court, spirits were naturally soaring. In a short period, their strength and foundation had advanced by far more than just a single step.
Even the disciples of the Jiang clan reaped immense benefits, as their names were also recorded upon the Investiture Decree. Some, carried by the blessing of fortune, had attained heights they had never dared to dream of before.
Naturally, they knew better than anyone who had brought all of this about.
Jiang Ningxian saw it all as well.
She knew of the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Tokens and the Investiture Decree, and she knew these artifacts possessed unfathomable power. Yet she had never expected them to bring about such drastic changes, and she could not help but be amazed.
"If Lu Yuan truly manages to collect all the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Tokens, what will happen then? Will he truly become the Human Sovereign and Heavenly Emperor, able to confer godhood at will?"
Murmuring to herself, Jiang Ningxian felt disbelief. Even for her, such matters were things she had only read about in ancient records. Now, they seemed poised to become reality. Even to a saintess of a major star sector, the thought was thoroughly awe-inspiring.
Still, Jiang Ningxian did not disturb Lu Yuan during this period. She knew he had his own plans, and that many things could wait until this concluded. Raising the Heavenly Court's strength and foundation first before considering the next move was indeed the safest course of action for now.
And so, more than a month passed.
Atop Jade Emperor Peak, Lu Yuan finally reined in his aura completely. Sensing the current strength and realms of the people inscribed on the Investiture Decree, a smile crossed his face. He then sent a voice transmission, summoning Jiang Ningxian to his side.
Chapter 552