Lu Yuan already had a premonition of this, and he understood it all too well in his heart.
Even with his current strength, or even if he were slightly stronger, once the Extraterrestrial Demons fully descended, stopping the ensuing turmoil would still be immensely difficult.
No matter what, Lu Yuan was certain of one thing: these formidable enemies were terrifyingly strong.
Among them, there were likely many existences surpassing the Supreme Immortal realm.
Although the power of a Human Sovereign Heavenly Emperor resided within his body, he could only unleash it at the most critical juncture, and he had only one chance to do so.
Using it to withstand every looming catastrophe was simply impossible.
As for why he had such a suspicion, the reason was straightforward.
Just now, the vanguard sent by the Extraterrestrial Demons had consisted of twelve beings comparable to Heavenly Position Immortals, and future waves would only be stronger. There was also the bizarre demise of the Maha Domain Lord back then.
That incident had occurred so swiftly and abruptly, but one could only imagine how terrifying the assailant had to be.
Otherwise, how could such a mighty being have been slain without a sound?
And when figures of that caliber descended, just how strong would they be?
Facing this, Lu Yuan could only say that they had to make every possible preparation in advance.
As for the ultimate outcome, that was beyond his control.
Beside him, Jiang Ningxian fell into deep thought upon hearing his words.
She, too, was acutely aware that the formidable enemies they were facing this time surpassed anything seen before.
Though every Extraterrestrial Demon that had descended so far had been slain on the spot, the truth was that those were merely minor pawns. The true powerhouses had yet to arrive—beings who surpassed even her father.
The mist billowing ceaselessly from the black altar was proof that the rules of this world were being altered.
Once that process reached a certain point, the true supreme beings would appear.
When that time came, the battle would not end so easily.
Jiang Ningxian saw this clearly as well.
Yet, she could do nothing about the black altar.
They could only take precautions step by step. Regardless of the circumstances, there was only one thing they could do: no matter how powerful the future enemies proved to be, they would face them head-on and do their absolute best.
"Let's go. Time to head back." Lu Yuan watched for a while, knowing that no more Extraterrestrial Demons would descend for the time being.
He immediately took action, opening a spatial rift once more, and departed alongside Zhu Qingyu and the others.
Meanwhile, atop the black altar, the thick mist grew denser than before.
It seemed as though it had sensed that the twelve Extraterrestrial Demons had been completely wiped out.
Their initial plan had met with a massive obstacle, so their current pace quickened.
More importantly, at that very moment, upon a barren celestial body in the cosmic borderlands...
This star was utterly uninhabitable for any living thing, shrouded in total silence.
Especially because it was situated at the cosmic borderlands, countless spatial rifts and chaotic dimensional currents churned ceaselessly around it.
A powerful aura surged as if capable of tearing everything to shreds. With such terrifying forces at play, even a Saint Realm expert descending upon this star would likely be obliterated in an instant.
Only existences of the Immortal Realm could barely survive upon its surface.
Yet right here, two imposing figures sat cross-legged.
Wisps of black runes continuously surfaced across their bodies.
Their forms radiated an incomparable, terrifying aura that steadily expanded outward.
Whenever their presence swept across nearby stars, the heavenly bodies collapsed in an instant, turning into terrifying black holes.
This alone made it plain just how powerful the two were.
At the moment, they appeared to be in a peculiar state of meditation, oblivious to the happenings of the outside world.
However, in the very next instant, one of them abruptly opened his eyes.
"Word just arrived. The first batch of pureblood members of the Heaven-Forsaken Clan descended, but not long after, they were wiped out," he said, his eyes filled with shock.
"Could Jiang Taiyu and his people have intervened? But that makes no sense. Didn't I give orders before to destroy all the teleportation platforms surrounding the Milky Way Star Sector? By all accounts, it should be impossible for them to reach Earth so quickly."
The second figure spoke. This person was none other than the Ji Clan Domain Lord, also known as the Ziwei Domain Lord.
Because he ruled over the entire Ziwei Star Domain, he was one of the most powerful beings in the Xuanhuang Universe—a figure at the Supreme Immortal level.
Now, upon hearing that the members of the Heaven-Forsaken Clan had been slain right after their descent, he was stunned and found it hard to believe.
He suspected that someone like Jiang Taiyu had rushed to Earth and intervened, but that seemed improbable. After all, the surrounding teleportation platforms should have all been destroyed.
"I don't know either, but it shouldn't be Jiang Taiyu and the others. They are pinned down," the other figure, who belonged to the Eternal Clan, spoke up.
Puzzlement tinged his voice as well, for he had no idea who could have slain those pureblood Heaven-Forsaken clansmen if not Jiang Taiyu and his allies.
"Forget it. What does the Heaven-Forsaken Clan say?"
The Eternal Domain Lord knew full well that dwelling on this was pointless. The matter had already happened and could not be undone, so what mattered was the Heaven-Forsaken Clan's intent.
"They want us to descend upon Earth and resolve all the trouble," the Ji Clan Domain Lord replied after a moment of thought. He continued, "Anyone capable of slaying those clansmen must possess extraordinary strength, likely nearing the peak of the Heaven Rank—which is to say, the Supreme Immortal level. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to accomplish. Only you and I stepping forward will suffice."
He relayed the Heaven-Forsaken Clan's wishes, but as he spoke, hesitation lingered in his tone, as if he were inwardly unwilling.
"Our secluded cultivation has reached a critical juncture. Although we have broken through the Heaven Rank and attained the Quasi-Emperor Realm, our cultivation has not yet fully stabilized. If we act now, problems could easily arise. Furthermore, we finally managed to get Jiang Taiyu and the others to overlook us for the time being. If we act rashly..."
The Eternal Domain Lord spoke, stating his current condition.
That was precisely why he was reluctant to go.
The Quasi-Emperor Realm!
Just how long had it been since anyone in the Xuanhuang Universe reached such a terrifying realm?
Now that they had finally succeeded after great difficulty, they only needed a little more time to solidify their foundation.
Leaving now would not cause severe harm, but it would ultimately feel incomplete. Without fully adapting to the vast power of this realm, it would be difficult to unleash their full strength.
Indeed, they had attained this realm long ago, and they were merely stabilizing and acclimating to it now.
As for why it took so long, that was completely normal. After entering the Immortal Realm, every step forward spanned decades or even centuries.
And that was not even for major breakthroughs—merely for minor insights.
Chapter 564