Chapter 164. Schemes, Mythical Secret Realms, Past Glory

Lu Yuan’s voice was utterly cold, devoid of any emotional fluctuations. The words he spoke sent chills down one’s spine. He was simply too strong. People even claimed that he was the “Strongest Expert,” and few would dispute that claim.

After all, his accomplishments were more than enough to support that claim.

Everyone could hear the unmistakable warning in Lu Yuan’s words.

Uncle Zuo trembled involuntarily. He knew Lu Yuan wasn’t joking at all, and his opinion of the man before him changed once again. He wasn’t merely powerful; he was also impossible to deceive. One misstep, and he would face his wrath.

Who could afford to ignore a warning from Lu Yuan? No one.

And so, Uncle Zuo smiled and replied, “Understood. I will definitely convey your message to the young miss.”

With that, he turned around and left without any hesitation. To be honest, he was afraid. What if Lu Yuan decided to attack him? He wouldn’t last a single exchange; he would be killed outright.

Unlike Winged Celestial God, he understood when to do what.

Lu Yuan remained where he stood. When his aura disappeared, Elder Ji, Elder Yun, and the others finally approached him, looking confused.

Zhu Qingyu couldn’t help herself and asked, “King Lu, what did you mean by what you said just now?”

In her eyes, Zhou Yunqiong had sent people to apologize and mend their relationship with each other. This was a gesture of her goodwill.

Uncle Zuo didn’t even kick up a fuss despite Winged Celestial God’s death. They seemed pretty sincere, so she couldn’t understand why Lu Yuan had warned them instead.

“Zhou Yunqiong is far too skilled at scheming,” Jiang Ningxian chimed in with a smile. “She did send them to express her goodwill, but the problem is that the so-called Winged Celestial God is far too arrogant.

“He even spouted a bunch of nonsense instead of yielding. Someone like that won’t be welcome anywhere. Given his grudge against King Lu, a battle would be inevitable if he were to come face-to-face with King Lu.”

Elder Ji and Elder Yun’s faces changed, and their gazes turned cold.

“Are you saying Zhou Yunqiong did this deliberately?” Zhu Qingyu asked, seemingly realizing something.

“Of course,” Jiang Ningxian replied. It seemed she saw through everything from the very beginning. “Do you really think Zhou Yunqiong has no idea about Winged Celestial God’s temperament?

“She’s definitely familiar with him, so why had she decided to send him here? I believe there are two reasons behind it: first of all, she genuinely wanted to reconcile with King Lu. However, if reconciliation is impossible, the two would inevitably clash, and Yi would certainly die.

“However, he has a special identity—he’s a Celestial.

“He wasn’t particularly important, but the Celestials would surely investigate his killer upon their descent, and King Lu would definitely find himself in trouble by then.”

Jiang Ningxian laid out everything, explaining the truth with perfect clarity. In a nutshell, it was about making enemies for Lu Yuan. If she couldn’t control him, she wouldn’t let Lu Yuan go and would do something against him.

This was the reason Jiang Ningxian said that Zhou Yunqiong was too skilled at scheming. Jiang Ningxian was truly clever; she saw through the heart of the matter and understood exactly why Lu Yuan had given out a warning.

Zhu Qingyu’s eyes glimmered with anger. As an elite favored by the top echelons, she knew many things, including matters concerning beings from the Outer Cosmos. In fact, she knew Jiang Ningxian was from the Outer Cosmos.

Details about the Celestials still eluded her, but she knew they were surely powerful. Thanks to Zhou Yunqiong’s schemes, King Lu was already at odds with the Celestials, who had yet to arrive here.

How could Zhu Qingyu not be furious?

“King Lu, how about we dispatch some people to address the Wuzhou Group’s top executives?” Elder Ji asked, stepping forward. His eyes were cold. They had gone too far. At this point, something had to be done.

“It’s useless.” Lu Yuan shook his head. “Since they dared to do something like this, I’m sure they’re prepared for the consequences. The Wuzhou Group’s offices must be empty by now. You won’t find a single top executive.”

Zhou Yunqiong was smart and shrewd. She had contingencies for every move she would make, and it was precisely why she had risen in the New Era back then.

With the Ji Clan and the Celestials’ help, her growth would exceed anyone’s imagination. They were also great at concealing the truth. In fact, the Wuzhou Group had put forward Winged Celestial God to divert the people’s attention from Zhou Yunqiong, who had an excellent bloodline herself.

Zhou Yunqiong’s level of strength remained unknown to everyone. Compared to the other three major organizations, she had been terrifyingly low-key. Without anyone paying attention to her, one could even forget her existence.

Today, it became clear that her ambitions and schemes ran extremely deep.

Elder Ji and Elder Yun exchanged glances. The Wuzhou Group had always been shrouded in mystery. Apart from the incident at Mount Li, they had participated in virtually none of the major events that followed.

“All right. Everyone, return to your duties,” Lu Yuan said calmly. “The world will soon change once again. There may be a brief window of respite to become even stronger, but even that is running out as we speak. Make good use of it.”

His words were clear enough. The world had settled into a temporary truce, but this would change soon. The true test had yet to come.

Everyone nodded and quietly left.

Only Jiang Ningxian remained where she stood, staring at Lu Yuan with a smile and a face full of curiosity. He said nothing, simply meeting her gaze, as he knew she had more to say.

“It seems King Lu knows far more than I imagined,” Jiang Ningxian said. She found a chair in the courtyard and sat down, crossing her smooth legs.

She was truly an extraordinary woman. Her personality and everything else about her were quite unusual, and Lu Yuan knew that she held a special status within the Jiang Clan.

Lu Yuan offered no reply.

“I hear you’re establishing a new organization. The Celestial Court was it?”

Jiang Ningxian wasted no time getting to the point.

“That’s correct. Is there a problem?”

Lu Yuan sat beside her, his gaze as calm as ever.

“The words ‘Celestial Court’ are serious. They can mean many things,” said Jiang Ningxian with a smile.

“You’re quite bold, King Lu,” she added.

“Is that so?” Lu Yuan casually replied.

He had been researching the Celestial Emperor’s Ancient Token for quite some time now, and he knew it held many secrets, including matters concerning the legendary Celestial Court.

But so what? As long as he continued evolving and becoming even stronger, would he be able to establish a brand-new Celestial Court?

Jiang Ningxian seemed to have noticed something and said, “In ancient times, a supreme being established an organization called the ‘Celestial Court’ in this world. It was a very powerful organization with a supreme legacy. In fact, it’s one of the top ten organizations across the universe.

“My ancestor Shennong, Fuxi, Suiren—the three Human Sovereigns—recorded in your nation’s history… they all once served as Lords of the Celestial Court.

“I’m sure it’s hard to believe, but back then, the Celestial Court’s influence was capable of shaking the entire universe, and its influence spanned across a myriad of starfields.”

Jiang Ningxian revealed the fact that the Celestial Court established on Earth had once shaken the very universe itself. It sounded inconceivable. To outsiders, it sounded like a bunch of nonsense, but Lu Yuan didn’t think so.

Frowning, he asked, “The Three Sovereigns were once a part of Earth’s Celestial Court? Why do we have no records of that?”

“This world contains many secrets, and even my people aren’t privy to all of them,” Jiang Ningxian said. Her voice grew solemn as she added, “I’ll give you an example. According to the historical records of your nation, the Three Sovereigns lived three to five thousand years ago, but can that really be confirmed?

“In truth, a long stretch of history was erased. What you know is merely the tip of the iceberg. No one can say for certain exactly what had happened at the time. Of course, it’d be different if you became as strong as my ancestors.”

Lu Yuan nodded slightly in agreement. Everything could happen in the New Era, and it finally became clear that the world’s history extended way beyond just several thousand years of recorded history.

Of course, it made complete sense. After all, even an ordinary Foundation Realm Awakened could live past a hundred years. Someone at the Unfettered Realm could easily live for several centuries.

The recorded history spanned only three to five thousand years, and there was definitely more to the world than what met one’s eye.

“Right now, what matters is what’s about to happen rather than those legends,” Jiang Ningxian said, “The Separation of Heaven and Earth is weakening as we speak, and the second Global Awakening is about to happen.

“This world holds many legacies along with ancient ruins containing supreme boons. They will all appear soon. Folded spaces like the Three Immortal Islands will also appear throughout the world.

“The great clans from the starfields outside are coming mostly because of those folded spaces. They call such spaces—”

“Mythical Secret Realms, correct?” Lu Yuan interrupted, finishing her sentence. He had experienced this before, so he knew that the appearance of Mythical Secret Realms signaled the true beginning of the Great Age.

Mythical Secret Realms, supreme boons, and golden opportunities to evolve—these three elements made Earth the focus of the entire universe. The second Global Awakening, also called the Complete Awakening, marked the beginning of all conflict.

Jiang Ningxian stared at Lu Yuan. She was curious and confused at the same time, as she couldn’t understand how he knew so much. However, she was a woman of discretion, so she didn’t ask any questions.

She simply nodded and said, “In any case, rest assured, King Lu. The Jiang Clan will stand with you.”

She had two goals for speaking with Lu Yuan: a reminder and to reaffirm the fact that they were working together. He appeared indifferent, but she knew the man could influence the entire world.

In fact, it finally became clear to her that her decision to show goodwill to him back then was the correct choice. The Jiang Clan was a powerful clan, but they were not omnipotent. Having a powerful ally would never hurt either.

Perhaps it was due to the time they had spent together, but Jiang Ningxian had grown more curious about Lu Yuan.

“I understand.” Lu Yuan nodded, recognizing her good intentions.

The two chatted briefly about the future before parting ways.

Lu Yuan didn’t immediately return to the training chamber. Instead, he looked up and gazed at the boundless expanse of sky, frowning. “The Great Age…”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep