Chapter 238. Prelude to the Great Age, the First Step in Building the Celestial Court!
Chapter 238. Prelude to the Great Age, the First Step in Building the Celestial Court!
Outside the Mount Tai Trials Academy, Elder Ji and the others waited patiently in a huge clearing.Based on the intelligence they had received earlier, today was the scheduled day. Everyone looked nervous, and they kept glancing up at the sky. It wasn't that they lacked composure; the sheer magnitude of the recent events had simply been too overwhelming for them to process.
This was beyond what the officials could handle, and they were at a loss for words as well as for what they could do. For now, they decided to wait for King Lu's return so they could talk to him.
If the situation were to change before then, the consequences would be catastrophic.
The younger generation understood the gravity of the situation as well. Zhu Qingyu, Ice Fairy, Chunyang, and the others had spent the past several months training and evolving with everything they had, and they were doing great.
Their goal was to ensure they had enough strength to face whatever upheaval lay ahead without being caught on the back foot.
Of course, this was all according to Lu Yuan's instructions.
After learning what was happening in outer space, a profound sense of unease settled on their hearts. Lu Yuan had become everyone's pillar. However, it wasn't because they lacked the initiative to do something or were unwilling to face the crisis.
The stakes were simply too great that they could not afford to be careless.
"Look, I think they're back," Zhu Qingyu said. She had been staring at the sky the whole time. Everyone looked up, and relief flickered across their faces as two streaks of light appeared above the clouds.
The streaks of light drew closer at extreme speeds.
The next instant, the figures within the light became visible—the Golden-Winged Great Peng and the Peacock King. They touched down moments later, and Lu Yuan jumped down with his companions in tow.
"King Lu!" Elder Ji rushed forward to meet him.
Lu Yuan nodded in acknowledgment, and then he exchanged a glance with Jiang Ningxian. The two of them had developed a perfect mutual understanding by now, so they knew exactly what the other was thinking.
Jiang Ningxian offered the group a brief nod of greeting and left without another word. She needed to return and contact her clan immediately to get a clearer picture of the current situation. More importantly, she had to find a way to stop those Immortals, and every second counted at the moment.
Lu Yuan turned to Elder Ji and the others, smiling faintly. "Now then. Let's talk about what's going on in outer space."
The scenery up above made the situation obvious enough, but he needed a more detailed picture.
"We first detected those disturbances about a month ago," Elder Ji said, producing satellite footage as he added, "Multiple spatial corridors appeared at the edge of the solar system. Huge numbers of beings from the Outer Cosmos emerged from them, and they have been closing in on Earth. As of now, they're almost here."
The video offered a far more visceral look at what was unfolding. In truth, the invaders could easily destroy the satellites if they wanted to do so, but they had deliberately left them intact, clearly wanting to show the full extent of their power to the inhabitants of Earth.
Lu Yuan watched the footage closely and saw starships, floating landmasses, and even tiny celestial bodies. It was like the entire universe was rushing toward Earth.
To make things even more, the projections of those colossal Ancestral Planets loomed over everything. The silhouettes of the Immortals were also projected onto Earth from afar.
Those beings were so overwhelmingly powerful that even across such vast distances, their aura remained formidable. They were indeed worthy of their reputation as existences beyond the Sage Realm.
Before all of this, the word "outer space" could be aptly described with the words "desolate," "cold," and "silence."
Now, every corner of the solar system was packed with figures from the Outer Cosmos, and each of their Ancestral Planets radiated a dazzling light. The light wasn't reflected from the sun. It originated from within the planet itself.
They seemed to be trying to demonstrate their power by exuding an aura that pressed down on those observing them from any direction.
Lu Yuan knew what he was seeing. The Immortals had unleashed a great divine art against the Separation of Heaven and Earth. They were channeling the auras of their Ancestral Planets to influence Earth and ultimately descend in full.
Fortunately, they had just begun making their move, which meant it would take some time for them arrive here.
In the end, Lu Yuan shared everything he knew with Elder Ji and the others, giving them time to mentally prepare.
"A full-scale descent? Is there anything we can do to stop them?" Elder Yun's face went pale the moment he grasped the severity of the issue. Virtually no one in this world could stand against them, so the possibility of those beings from the Outer Cosmos accessing Earth freely was a disaster.
They would be in dire straits by then.
Even as the words left his mouth, however, he shook his head. How could they even stop those Immortals? The strongest beings this world had produced were only at the Venerable King Realm.
"There may be a way. Fairy Jiang will be assisting us on that front," Lu Yuan said, urging everyone not to lose hope. Still, he reminded them to prepare for the worst-case scenario.
After all, no one could guarantee how things would unfold. At the very least, a full-scale descent wouldn't happen overnight. There was still time for them to get ready.
"King Lu, there's another issue," Elder Ji said, frowning. "The invaders already on Earth are spreading propaganda on a massive scale. Some people are starting to believe them and are joining their ranks. Should we intervene?"
Elder Ji believed that it had to be addressed as soon as possible. If left unchecked, problems would follow suit. If the general population bought into their rhetoric and jumped ship, a catastrophe could follow.
"Just inform the public that Huaxia has a plan to deal with this. Keep things as stable as possible and ensure that there won't be any major issues," Lu Yuan replied. "As for those who have chosen to defect to those invaders, let them go."
In his view, anyone who believed those outsiders would protect them at a time like this simply lacked the judgement to know better. The officials' job was to maintain stability, not to micromanage everyone.
As always, the officials just had to conserve their strength and do what was within their power, as anything beyond that was simply out of their reach.
"Understood." Elder Ji and the others nodded in understanding. The situation had already grown chaotic. Reckless intervention would only fan the flames. The officials could protect themselves, but ordinary citizens were vulnerable, so securing the five supercities had to be the top priority.
"Qingyu, Chunyang, Brother Gu Sang," Lu Yuan said, turning to face the younger generation. "Your focus going forward remains the same—train, evolve, and work with the Three Immortal Islands to raise more and stronger Awakened."
"The Great Age is here," he said, sounding more solemn than ever. "If conflict with those invaders becomes unavoidable, we'll need people capable of facing them. The people under your command will become the soldiers of the Celestial Court."
He had been thinking about it during the journey back to Mount Tai. The Celestial Court had already been established in name, and now, it was time to actually build it.
Resisting the major clans of the Outer Cosmos in the future would require an army capable of waging war. He needed troops, just like the celestial troops inside Kunlun's secret realm.
With the Celestial Emperor's Ancient Token and the Investiture Edict in hand, making that a reality was well within reach.
"Yes!" Zhu Qingyu and the others responded without hesitation, nodding firmly. This was the first time Lu Yuan had issued them a direct order, and they intended to carry it out to a T.
Lu Yuan spent a while longer discussing the situation with the group. They talked about what they knew and what they could anticipate. Then, he excused himself and returned to his residence alone.
Aside from waiting for Jiang Ningxian's news, there was one more matter that demanded his attention, and it was something important!
