Back when the two great factions had descended, they directly rallied the beings of the various star sectors who had submitted to them to launch attacks against the Heavenly Court and the five super cities. Many among them had chosen to strike.
Yet not long after, Lu Yuan descended and wiped out the Eternal Clan and the Ji clan completely.
The crisis had been brought to a temporary close. Although the Heavenly Court had not yet shown any intention of settling scores, that did not mean everything was forgiven and forgotten. Thus, they lived each day in trembling fear.
Under such circumstances, they had been walking on eggshells, terrified of provoking him. But knowing that the great era providence was about to be birthed at Mount Kunlun, and that this was indisputably an opportunity to rise, they had come after all.
Even so, they remained deeply anxious that the Heavenly Court might strike.
Now that Lu Yuan had appeared, radiating an overwhelming aura, their dread only intensified.
If a reckoning truly began, not a single one who had chosen to attack back then would escape.
Thus, beings from several star sectors couldn't help shrinking back, frantically reining in their auras simply to avoid drawing attention.
As for the races that had remained neutral, they were equally uneasy. If Lu Yuan made a move, even all of them combined would be no match for him. How could they possibly compete?
All they could pray for was that he would not seek to hoard all of the great era providence for himself.
That way, they might still get a share of the spoils; otherwise, things would be exceedingly difficult.
High in the sky, with the appearance of the Eternal Warship, a formidable might swept across the world, causing all of Mount Kunlun to tremble incessantly.
The Eternal Warship was originally a supreme treasure, forged by the Eternal Clan with immense effort and resources. The might it bore was naturally immense, and even though it had now fallen into the hands of the Heavenly Court, it still exerted the same suffocating pressure over the beings of the various star sectors below.
Rumble—
Soon, as time passed, the Eternal Warship came to a halt.
Many extraterrestrial beings exchanged glances. In the end, without saying another word, they bowed one after another and called out, "Greetings, Lord of the Heavenly Court."
This was something they never would have done in the past, having considered the Heavenly Court vastly inferior to their own clans. But now, because of Lu Yuan, everything had changed.
It was respect for the strong—and the strong deserved such deference.
The members of the Heavenly Court were quite astonished by this, finding it almost surreal.
Previously, even as they steadily grew stronger, they had still seemed somewhat feeble in the eyes of those extraterrestrial beings. In other words, the outsiders had looked down on them. On the surface they had seemed on equal footing, but in truth it was nothing more than a veneer.
Now, however, it was completely different. They could clearly sense that the deference in these people's voices came from the heart. It meant that the Heavenly Court's power had been recognized by everyone, and a surge of joy welled up inside them.
At last, they stood on truly equal terms with those extraterrestrial beings.
Lu Yuan, however, did not care much about this.
He cast a glance toward the purple radiance continually surging from Mount Kunlun and sensed the extraordinary power brewing within.
He knew that what lay inside was undoubtedly the great era providence.
And he could seize this opportunity to bestow all of it upon the Heavenly Court, making his subordinates stronger so they could face the tribulations to come.
As for what the beings of the various star sectors were thinking, he understood it all too well.
Yet Lu Yuan was no saint. At such a critical juncture, he had no intention of playing fair. After all, when these extraterrestrial beings first descended, they had never offered Earth anything resembling fairness.
The current situation only existed because he and the Heavenly Court had genuinely grown powerful.
Therefore, he felt no qualms whatsoever.
Had he not reached his current level of cultivation, everything would be entirely different.
Then, Lu Yuan took a step forward, standing above the firmament, and spoke calmly: "Everyone, the great era providence is about to emerge. I hope you will all give me face and withdraw from the contest."
His voice was calm, as if he were stating the most ordinary matter.
Yet with a single sentence, he was telling every extraterrestrial being present to abandon their pursuit of the great era providence.
In an instant, the entire area fell deathly silent.
Some beings felt as though they had misheard.
They knew Lu Yuan had always been domineering, but as long as one did not offend him, he would not normally act this way. Yet now, before the great era providence had even fully emerged, he was directly demanding that everyone withdraw.
Those who had still harbored hope froze upon hearing these words, before finally speaking up in protest.
"On what grounds? The great era providence is born of heaven and earth. Why shouldn't we contend for it?"
"Indeed! We admit we cannot beat you, but some things come down to both strength and destiny!"
"We hope the Lord of the Heavenly Court will not force our hand. Be fair!"
With the first voice raised, others quickly chimed in, their dissatisfaction with Lu Yuan obvious.
After all, this was the great era providence.
It was a fortune capable of changing one's own destiny and that of an entire race—how could they possibly give it up?
True, Lu Yuan was exceptionally formidable and not to be provoked, but at a crucial moment like this, they had to fight for it.
Those voicing objections now were almost entirely the beings who had chosen neutrality when the two great factions attacked the Heavenly Court. To put it another way, they were fence-sitters.
Hearing this, Zhu Qingyu and the others frowned. They felt there was no harm in letting them compete; either way, those extraterrestrial beings had no hope of beating the Heavenly Court now.
However, they kept silent.
As for Lu Yuan, after hearing the dissenting voices, his expression did not change in the slightest. Instead, the corners of his lips curved into a faint smile as he said slowly, "You may contest it, of course. But when the time comes, I will take action personally. Weigh that for yourselves."
With those words, silence descended once more, and hearts pounded wildly throughout the crowd.
Whatever else might be said, it was undeniable that the present Lu Yuan was absolutely invincible on Earth.
If he truly struck, it would be with the crushing force of a thunderbolt.
Not a single person among them could oppose him; before the matter was even settled, they would likely be obliterated entirely.
They knew this all too well, and they knew Lu Yuan was not joking.
Those beings who had previously voiced objections stood stunned.
They knew that if he intervened, they could never win no matter what.
Yet...
Were they truly to watch helplessly as the great era providence fell into another's hands?
They were unwilling to accept it and wanted to speak, but after thinking it through, they realized there was simply no other way.
Unless they were truly prepared to fight to the death—and even that would be entirely meaningless.
Because everyone knew that if Lu Yuan made a move, the great era providence was already his for the taking.
Chapter 569