The Sage Domain...

Once one's comprehension of the world reached a certain threshold, one could manifest a unique domain around oneself. Within this domain, one could unleash one's true power. More importantly, outsiders found it nearly impossible to shatter, making it a seamless fusion of offense and defense.

The domain's power scaled with one's talent and personal strength. Take Lu Yuan, for example. Now that he had reached the Lesser Sage Realm and manifested his Sage Domain, even Venerable Kings could no longer pose a threat to him, unless they wielded a powerful divine artifact.

In fact, even a Void Sage would not be able to put up any meaningful resistance inside his domain. A Sage Domain was a special ability only Lesser Sages could manifest, and it grew stronger alongside the Sage.

Lei You was a Lesser Sage, but he still ended up dying, and there were two main reasons behind it. First of all, Lu Yuan was just overwhelmingly strong, and the other was that Lei You was being suppressed by the Separation of Heaven and Earth, and was unable to wield his true power.

He tried to do so at the very end, but he couldn't do it. As a result, Lu Yuan had claimed victory in their battle. Had it not been for those two reasons, killing all three of those Sages would have been impossible for Lu Yuan. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Of course, things would be entirely different if that incident were to happen today. As long as his opponent stood in the same realm as him, Lu Yuan was confident that he could remain invincible against them. He was even certain that he could face a Great Sage, someone at the eighth stage of evolution.

As for how that would actually play out, it could only be determined with a battle. After all, the further one advanced along the path of evolution, the wider the gap between the stages would become.

The special abilities and forces involved would be even more incomprehensible as well.

Having entered the Lesser Sage Realm, every aspect of Lu Yuan's being was elevated. During his seclusion, he reached a total of one hundred eight grotto-heavens, nearly double his previous count. His body and soul had also changed drastically. It was no exaggeration to say that Lu Yuan's strength had reached a terrifying level.

At this point, he could easily defeat his former self at the Void Sage Realm. This was the "massive leap" that came with reaching the next stage of evolution. In fact, the words "massive leap" did not do it justice.

Even if the Separation of Heaven and Earth weakens even further, I should be strong enough to maintain control of the overall situation, Lu Yuan thought. He knew that Sages could now descend, but Immortals and those beyond still could not do so. If the gap between the Sage Realm and all previous realms represented an entirely different tier of existence, then the gap between Immortals and Sages was no less vast.

The Separation of Heaven and Earth imposed greater restrictions on more powerful beings. Otherwise, the truly terrifying powerhouses would have descended long ago. As an insurance left behind by the sages of antiquity to protect the future generations, how could it not cover all bases?

The sense of crisis weighing on Lu Yuan eased considerably. Of course, he could not let his guard down entirely. However, at the very least, he finally had the strength to forcibly maintain the status quo.

I should go and check up on the Celestial Court. Lu Yuan set aside his thoughts, rose, and left the room. With Jiang Haokong's descent, a large quantity of resources had to have been delivered to the Celestial Court, along with breathing techniques and visualization methods.

With all of that, the Celestial Court would see yet another significant transformation. This was one of the things Lu Yuan valued a lot. In fact, he hadn't decided to rebuild the Celestial Court on a whim.

Before long, he met with Elder Ji, Elder Yun, and the others, as well as the younger generation led by Zhu Qingyu and Ice Fairy. It hadn't been that long since he went into seclusion, but Lu Yuan noticed that everyone had improved dramatically.

Several members of the younger generation were finally Venerable Kings. It was hard to believe, given how it hadn't been that long since they embarked on the path of evolution.

The members of the Four Divisions had all seen major improvements as well. The most pleasant surprise of all was the thirty-six Celestial Generals. When they had first been selected, they were merely Unfettered Realm Awakened. Now, every single one of them had entered the Golden Body Realm.

They were practically growing stronger day by day. Their achievement alone had raised the Celestial Court's overall power to even greater heights.

Then there was Chen Song. Thanks to his connection with Lu Yuan, he had received great support. He wasn't a Celestial General nor a member of the Four Divisions, but through his own hard work, his gains had been substantial.

The Celestial Court could not be considered powerful just yet, especially when compared to the forces in the Outer Cosmos, but they were no longer pushovers.

Lu Yuan knew that not all beings outside were strong. The only ones truly worth watching were the top one hundred starfields. Thanks to the Celestial Court, the Milky Way Starfield was changing rapidly, and given enough time, it would surely become a force to be reckoned with. Its rise was only a matter of time.

The sages of antiquity had used the Separation of Heaven and Earth to seal Earth and the Milky Way Starfield, but they had also left behind numerous opportunities for this world to take. Once they appear, it'll create a terrifying sight.

Knowing this put Lu Yuan somewhat at ease. Earth and the Milky Way Starfield were weak at the moment, but everything had just begun. In the future, they could definitely become one of the top one hundred starfields.

At its peak, the Milky Way Starfield was in the top ten. Moreover, it was the birthplace of the ancient Celestial Court.

Lu Yuan made a rough assessment. At this point, handling the smaller clans and races from the Outer Cosmos would pose no difficulty for the Celestial Court. All his efforts were finally showing some results.

After reminding everyone not to let their guard down, Lu Yuan took his leave. He had a feeling that this peace wouldn't last much longer. Once the beings from the Outer Cosmos were done with their preparations, they would reveal their ambitions.

When that happened, the blessed lands of Earth would become their targets. Mount Tai would certainly be among them. In his previous life, this was exactly what they had done, and they left behind a trail of slaughter in their wake.

A voice reached him just then. "Lu Yuan."

It was Jiang Ningxian, and her face was solemn. "I heard that the Eternals have already descended. The Ji Clan has also entered the Milky Way Starfield. Soon, there will be chaos."

The Eternals and the Ji Clan would eventually move against Lu Yuan. The enmity between them had been forged a long time ago. The only reason nothing had happened so far was that the right time hadn't arrived just yet.

Jiang Ningxian was aware of it, which was why she had come to warn him. She didn't want anything to happen to him.

"I knew it, but my answer is the same as always. If they want a fight, I'll give them a fight." Lu Yuan smiled faintly. Some things simply couldn't be avoided. Even if he could do it all over again, he would make the same choices.

"Great!" Jiang Haokong stepped out from behind his sister. "Spoken like the man who fought me to a draw. That's some real guts you have there! No matter who the enemy is, there's no need for fear. Just crush them all."

Lu Yuan's words had deeply impressed him. He was a fighter by nature. As for why he claimed that their bout had ended in a draw? It was all because he believed that he couldn't use his full strength at the time, courtesy of the Separation of Heaven and Earth.

Just then, Jiang Haokong looked at Lu Yuan more closely, and his expression changed. "Huh? You made a breakthrough?"