And just like that, it was over.
The extraterrestrial beings present watched the departing Eternal Warship, looking at one another in sheer disbelief.
They had originally assumed another chaotic battle would erupt here. Many lives might have been lost in the struggle, for the great era providence was simply too alluring. After all, great clans from virtually every star sector across the cosmos had sent representatives to Earth, including powerhouse figures at the Immortal Realm.
Yet who could have anticipated such an outcome?
Not a single person had struck a blow.
Not a single drop of blood had been spilled.
Solely because of Lu Yuan's presence, every living soul had been utterly cowed.
"This Master of the Heavenly Court has truly cultivated an invincible aura."
"If not for the looming crisis of the extraterrestrial heavenly demons, he would already stand among the very strongest in existence at this moment."
"Indeed. Who could have imagined that Earth, having revived only recently, would produce a being like him?"
Although deeply dissatisfied that Lu Yuan had claimed the entire great era providence for himself, they had no choice but to acknowledge his sheer might. Especially on Earth, he was an invincible entity in the truest sense. Thus, in the end, none dared contest him.
Above all, everyone was certain that with Lu Yuan present, the Heavenly Court was destined to become one of the most formidable powers in the entire universe.
Of course, that remained a matter for the future. The foremost priority was whether they could survive the tribulation of the extraterrestrial heavenly demons. Everyone knew those dreadful entities would descend sooner or later. When that time came, if the cosmos could not match them, every faction and great clan would face total annihilation. None would be spared—not even the ten strongest star sectors would endure.
Thus, while they acknowledged the might of the Heavenly Court and Lu Yuan, that was the extent of it. At present, all had to confront the great calamity together.
Meanwhile, aboard the Eternal Warship.
Zhu Qingyu and the others were still reminiscing over what had just unfolded at Kunlun. One man had cowed the myriad races of the starry skies. King Lu was truly King Lu. With a single sentence, not a soul dared raise a hand—what terrifying prestige! This only deepened their conviction that so long as they followed Lu Yuan's lead, they could safely weather the crisis even when the extraterrestrial heavenly demons descended.
As for Lu Yuan, he sat cross-legged at the bow of the warship, eyes half-closed.
His consciousness, however, had completely submerged within himself. Inside the Yongzhou Cauldron within his body, ninety-nine strands of great era providence leaped and surged, each radiating a unique aura and power.
Lu Yuan compared them with his destiny power and found numerous similarities, yet the comparison ended there; they were fundamentally different entities. If destiny power was a force born of the beliefs and will of living beings, then this great era providence was nurtured directly by heaven and earth. Rootless and unmoored, it could be freely bestowed upon any vessel to manifest different powers—whether upon a person or something else entirely.
It was indeed wholly distinct from destiny power.
Having grasped this, numerous thoughts surfaced in Lu Yuan's mind. Previously, he had worried about how to allocate the great era providence, but now the situation had changed completely. The reasoning was simple: once destiny power reached a certain threshold, it became exceptionally difficult to control. For instance, even when Lu Yuan invoked the Heavenly Emperor Decree, the amount of destiny power he could bestow upon an individual remained quite limited; exceeding that threshold would only backfire. Great era providence, on the other hand, was different. No matter how much of it was bestowed, it posed no harm.
*Can great era providence be understood as the will of heaven and earth?* Lu Yuan began to see its true nature. Because it was the will of heaven and earth itself, bestowing it upon living beings caused no ill effects.
With these insights in hand, a general plan took shape in his mind. He refrained from further study for now and opened his eyes.
"How is it?"
Jiang Ningxian walked over at that moment. She had been watching him closely, a trace of concern in her eyes. Although she knew what great era providence was, this was her first time encountering it directly. Thus, when he took it all into himself, she had monitored his state attentively.
"I fully understand the great era providence now. Next, it's just a matter of how to use it," Lu Yuan said with a smile, naturally understanding her concern.
Hearing this, Jiang Ningxian breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he was unharmed, all was well.
"By the way, is there still no news from the starry skies?" Lu Yuan asked, thinking of another matter. After their previous battle with the extraterrestrial heavenly demons, he knew the true catastrophe would arrive soon. Under such circumstances, everything had to be arranged properly, and the forces across the cosmos were vital.
"None," Jiang Ningxian replied, shaking her head in helplessness. "Perhaps because the surrounding teleportation platforms were all destroyed, even with Fifth Ancestor acting, there is little he can do except traverse the starry skies to find my father and the others."
The two great factions had set their sights on Earth long ago, using the Celestial Star early on to divert everyone's attention. Furthermore, even once the message arrived, rushing to Earth would still demand a great deal of time.
"Is that so?" Lu Yuan nodded upon hearing this. Everything was within his expectations. After all, their side was a step behind; reacting in time and rallying all their strength under these conditions was extraordinarily difficult.
Without another word, the two looked ahead, both fully aware of what needed to be done next: elevate their strength as much as possible, especially that of the Heavenly Court. If they had lacked the means before, the situation was now completely different. With the great era providence, they finally possessed the foundation to accomplish it.
And so, the Eternal Warship sailed on.
Before long, they returned to Jade Emperor Peak atop Mount Tai.
Lu Yuan first instructed Zhu Qingyu and the others to rest and prepare, then resumed studying the great era providence. This matter was of paramount importance; he could not hastily bestow it upon anyone right after obtaining it. Moreover, Lu Yuan felt that unless its effects were maximized, using it would carry little meaning.
Jiang Ningxian also left Jade Emperor Peak to search for records concerning the great era providence. In short, virtually everyone was making preparations at this moment.
Yet unbeknownst to all, over the course of more than a month, the two Domain Lords of the Eternal Clan and the Ji clan had already abandoned their defense at the cosmic borderlands. They were racing relentlessly toward the Milky Way Star Sector at speeds surpassing ordinary Supreme Immortals.
In less than two months, they would formally descend!
Chapter 571