Not everyone was like Lu Yuan, who could adapt immediately upon entering a new realm and then reach its pinnacle within a short period. His foundation was exceptionally profound, aided by a divine object like the Ancient Bodhi Tree. For anyone else, even existences like Supreme Immortal Domain Lords, a considerable amount of time was required.
Furthermore, there was another factor: whether it was the Eternal Domain Lord or the Ji Clan Domain Lord, their ability to attain their current realm did not stem from their own strength, but from the assistance of the Extraterrestrial Demons. In other words, this was never something they could have achieved on their own.
Now that they had reached the Quasi-Sovereign realm, it was merely through external means, making their process of acclimation even slower.
Because of this, they had been unable to emerge from secluded cultivation for such a long time. Otherwise, they would have long since made their moves against the various factions.
After all, they had already entered into cooperation with the Extraterrestrial Demons earlier. With the plan now running into obstacles, the two had no choice but to remain in seclusion and watch.
Now, at the demand of the Extraterrestrial Demons, it seemed they would have to emerge ahead of schedule.
Though they had attained the Quasi-Sovereign realm, hesitation lingered in their hearts, feeling they ought to wait until they had fully adapted.
At this moment, the two did not overthink it. The Eternal Domain Lord spoke up: "Let our subordinates go take a look and find out what's going on. The forces and foundations of our two factions can still accomplish something."
"Even if they cannot resolve the trouble on Earth right now, at least we can understand what is happening."
Beside him, upon hearing these words, the Ji Clan Domain Lord nodded as well, agreeing that this was indeed a sound approach.
Immediately, they closed their eyes and prepared to contact their clansmen. As instructions had been given previously, their respective clansmen should be in the vicinity of the Milky Way Star Sector.
There was no helping it; even as Domain Lords, they could not micromanage everything. For instance, regarding what their subordinate clansmen did, they generally adopted a hands-off approach.
Now, the two attempted to establish contact with their clansmen aboard the Eternal Warship.
Yet before long, they snapped their eyes open.
After employing special means to reach them, they discovered there was not the slightest response. This was very strange; prior to this, every time they contacted their clansmen, a reply came swiftly.
Yet now, there was no reaction whatsoever, as if all contact had been severed.
Under normal circumstances, this would be utterly impossible—unless...
At once, the exact same thought surfaced in both of their minds:
Their clansmen were gone.
On Earth, even the pureblood Heaven-Forsaken individuals had been slain. One could well imagine how formidable the perpetrator was. From this, it could be deduced that the Eternal Clan and the Ji clan members had likely suffered devastating blows in this battle as well.
Once this thought took root, both were thoroughly alarmed.
Those were their foundations and their kin! Even if not their entire clans, they were elite figures. If every single one of them was gone, it would undoubtedly be catastrophic for the two factions. To describe it as a devastating blow would hardly be an exaggeration.
"What on earth happened on Earth?" the Ji Clan Domain Lord murmured, disbelief in his eyes.
He felt such a thing shouldn't have happened, but now that they could not reach their clansmen, he was forced to think along those lines.
Something was definitely wrong.
"It seems we must make a trip ourselves. Otherwise, this plan will truly be compromised," the Eternal Domain Lord said with utmost gravity.
The reason was simple. To ally with the Extraterrestrial Demons, they had openly betrayed the Xuanhuang Universe, making enemies of everyone. Their goal was to become the supreme rulers of this world afterward. But if something went awry, whether it was the Eternal Clan or the Ji clan, both could face retribution when the time came.
Even though they had now attained the Quasi-Sovereign realm, they could not claim absolute invincibility. At the very least, without the assistance of the Extraterrestrial Demons, everything that followed and the remainder of their plans would become exceedingly difficult to carry out.
"Indeed. We can no longer remain in secluded meditation."
"No wonder the Heaven-Forsaken Clan wants you and me to step in."
The Ji Clan Domain Lord spoke as well, his brow furrowed. "It seems something has truly happened on Earth. But who could the perpetrator be? It couldn't be Jiang Taiyu. What other existence could possibly achieve this?"
At this moment, both were speculating. They knew the assailant was immensely strong. If they hadn't broken through to the Quasi-Sovereign realm, dealing with such a person would likely have posed some trouble even for them.
Normally, they would know who such figures were. Yet right now, not a single matching candidate came to mind.
Naturally, it would never occur to either of them that the one who struck was Lu Yuan.
In their eyes, although that young man was strong and exceptionally gifted, the problem was that he had cultivated for far too short a time. He could become a future menace, but definitely not right now.
Of course, whether it was the Ji Clan Domain Lord or the Eternal Domain Lord, both understood clearly that overthinking at this stage was useless. The crux of the matter was that they had to take action personally to resolve the crisis.
"We are currently in the cosmic borderlands, immensely far from the Milky Way Star Sector. Even with our current strength, reaching it will likely take three months. Hopefully, no unforeseen variables arise during this time."
The Eternal Domain Lord spoke. They had ventured too far away. What if they were Quasi-Sovereigns? A universe was simply far too vast, seeming boundless.
"A Quasi-Sovereign is, in the end, not a Human Sovereign Heavenly Emperor."
"If we possessed that level of might, we could travel anywhere in the universe with a single thought."
The Ji Clan Domain Lord spoke. Clearly, he understood that the disparity between their current strength and existences of that caliber was immense—hard to express in words.
"Human Sovereign Heavenly Emperor?"
Hearing this, the Eternal Domain Lord chuckled. "If you and I had that kind of power, would we still need to cooperate with the Heaven-Forsaken Clan? Back then, when they managed to withstand that ancestor of yours, didn't they pay a colossal price?"
"Otherwise, they wouldn't have taken such a long time to recover before invading the Xuanhuang Universe."
Having interacted with the Extraterrestrial Demons, the two knew many things now. For instance, if this world still had a Human Sovereign Heavenly Emperor, there would be no need to fear the Extraterrestrial Demons so greatly. The only concern would be if the Extraterrestrial Demons fought desperately risking their lives. After all, they knew that the venerable ancestors of the Heaven-Forsaken Clan were in no way inferior to a Human Sovereign Heavenly Emperor in combat prowess. Especially after such an immense span of time, they might even be a notch stronger.
Without another word, the two powerhouses rose to their feet.
They knew that what came next would require them to take action in person.
Chapter 565