"The Supreme Immortal realm?"
When Jiang Ningxian heard those words, she was stunned, looking at him with utter disbelief.
She stared at him and couldn't help asking, "Didn't you step into the Heavenly Position Immortal realm just a short while ago?"
Even though some time had passed since Lu Yuan broke through to the Heavenly Position Immortal realm, for those in the Immortal realm, such an interval was nothing more than the snap of a finger.
To speak of breaking through to the Supreme Immortal realm already—it was no wonder Jiang Ningxian was so shocked.
From the moment she was born, her father—the Domain Lord of the Jiang clan—had already been a Supreme Immortal.
She knew that throughout the vast Xuanhuang Universe, beings capable of cultivating to such heights were extraordinarily rare.
Essentially, they were either the Domain Lords of the top ten star sectors or reclusive, ancient fossils who never showed themselves.
Even counting them all, their numbers did not exceed twenty. Yet now, Lu Yuan was claiming that he intended to enter seclusion once more, and that his next step would be to attain the Supreme Immortal realm.
How could she not be astounded?
As for Lu Yuan, he had naturally anticipated her reaction.
He simply explained, "By observing the great era providence, I have found a path toward the Supreme Immortal realm. It is still rather vague, however, and far from certain. This seclusion is merely to put it to the test; success is not guaranteed.
"Still, at the very least, once I emerge, I will be far more powerful than I am now, both in strength and in other respects. You don't need to be so surprised."
*You found a path to the Supreme Immortal realm so quickly, and you tell me not to be surprised?*
Hearing that, Jiang Ningxian was at a loss for words.
She knew very well that even if this seclusion did not yield a direct breakthrough, attaining fresh insights alone was terrifying enough. How many Heavenly Position Immortals throughout the Xuanhuang Universe were trapped at their current level, unable to make the slightest progress? Yet here he was.
Jiang Ningxian wanted to say something, but found herself unable to find the words.
He had simply given her too many shocks already.
In the end, she merely nodded.
"Don't worry, I understand."
Having said that, Jiang Ningxian headed straight down from Jade Emperor Peak on Mount Tai.
Lu Yuan took a deep breath.
Looking at the fully restored sky, his expression remained tranquil.
This time, his seclusion would not take place on Jade Emperor Peak, nor even on Earth.
Instead, he planned to create an independent space of his own. Within that realm, he would establish his own spatial laws, creation laws, and heavenly position laws, and ultimately comprehend the laws of supreme immortality for himself.
From his earlier observation of the great era providence, Lu Yuan had realized that such fortune was something conceived by heaven and earth. Becoming a Supreme Immortal was akin to standing alongside the cosmos itself, breaking through without being bound by worldly rules.
Therefore, he could not do this in any existing place.
It had to be within a space he forged with his own hands.
That was precisely why he had briefed Jiang Ningxian beforehand. Once he entered seclusion, he would be cut off from immediate news of external developments.
Of course, before doing so, some preparation was required. At the very least, he could not rush in heedlessly.
Afterward, Lu Yuan went to find Zhu Qingyu and the others. They had effectively been blessed by two waves of great era providence. Although their cultivation levels had not dramatically changed, to his delight, their innate talent had improved tremendously.
During cultivation, they could readily identify their own flaws. More importantly, their comprehension of the world's various cosmic laws was progressing with astonishing speed.
Lu Yuan had anticipated this and understood the principle behind it.
If this continued, before long, the Heavenly Court's strongest core would be able to break into the Creation Immortal realm.
Such a pace of cultivation and evolution was beyond comparison—even the so-called Divine Sons and Sacred Maidens of the past could not match it. The reason was simple: to date, only Jiang Ningxian had reached the Creation Immortal realm, while Jiang Haokong had not, and the other Divine Sons and Sacred Maidens were even less formidable.
Even so, Lu Yuan was not overly shocked.
After all, these people had been blessed twice over by great era providence.
If they couldn't achieve this much, one would truly have to doubt whether the so-called great era providence was as potent as claimed.
After seeing how they were faring, Lu Yuan traveled to the Heavenly Court in Kunlun. The situation was much the same: a large number of people had seen substantial leaps in their strength and realm. The Heavenly Court as a whole had undergone a complete transformation in just a few short days.
Even Lu Yuan found this remarkable.
All in all, with such improvements across the board, he felt far greater confidence in facing the impending Great Tribulation.
Having seen to everything, Lu Yuan returned once more to Jade Emperor Peak on Mount Tai.
Just as he was giving his final instructions and preparing to enter seclusion, Zhu Qingyu arrived with another piece of news.
The nine major star sector clans that had previously been gifted shares of the great era providence wished to join the Heavenly Court and acknowledge it as their sovereign.
Lu Yuan was momentarily surprised by this, but soon gave his consent.
He had entertained such a thought from the beginning.
Moreover, the Heavenly Court genuinely needed to expand its strength, and those clans had proven worthy of trust.
Thus, before stepping into seclusion, Lu Yuan had one more task to handle: selecting a group of suitable figures from the nine major star sector clans to confer titles upon them.
After the Heavenly Court had been blessed with great era providence, anyone who received a title from the court would essentially share in its benefits. Lu Yuan had not concentrated the providence on a single person, but had spread it across the entire organization. Thus, anyone who formally joined the Heavenly Court would receive its blessing.
And this was precisely Lu Yuan's overarching goal: to raise the strength of the entire Heavenly Court.
He spent some time selecting a group of people and formally conferring titles upon them.
Once all the affairs were settled, Lu Yuan entered seclusion without delay.
By carving out an independent space, he was technically no longer on Earth. Yet if trouble arose, he could return in an instant, so there was no danger of being delayed.
Meanwhile, out in the cosmic void beyond Earth's domain...
Upon a barren planet stood several dozen silhouettes.
Two of them were none other than Jiang Taiyu and Jiang Huanyun.
Beside them stood a Buddhist monk and several other beings radiating immense auras.
A closer sense of their presence would reveal that several among them stood at the exact same cultivation level as Jiang Taiyu—meaning that multiple Supreme Immortals were gathered there.
This was an awe-inspiring sight. Including Jiang Taiyu, nearly half of all the Supreme Immortals in the Xuanhuang Universe were present.
Jiang Huanyun's presence among them proved that he had successfully delivered the message.
Several months had passed, after all. Even though the surrounding teleportation platforms had been destroyed, he was a Grotto-Heaven Immortal; sending word outward was not overly difficult for someone of his caliber. And now, this gathering of formidable beings was drawing steadily closer to the Milky Way Star Sector.
Chapter 579