Ao Ze did not spend long to make this decision. It understood everything Lu Yuan had said earlier and it had already thought it through carefully.

Just as he had said, it was a living being of this world as well. If a great calamity were truly to descend, then it would not choose to flee. If there were any place where it could act, it would certainly not hesitate.

But at the same time, it also understood very clearly that if one hoped to stop future crises through the strength of a single individual—or even just a few powerful figures—that was obviously impossible.

The Outer Cosmos beings were very strong. Those who had descended before had only been a reconnaissance force, not the true core of their strength.

Now, as time passed, the real powerhouses were beginning to arrive.

Just like those who had pursued it earlier, there had even been a Celestial Ranker among them.

If they wanted to deal with more existences like that, then they had to unite every force that could possibly be united.

Ao Ze knew of the Celestial Court. It had been built by Lu Yuan, and it gathered the most talented beings in the world today. They might not yet have fully developed, but given enough time, each and every one of them would surely have boundless futures ahead.

Once it had thought this through, it no longer hesitated much and chose to agree. After all, even setting all of that aside, Lu Yuan's strength alone was already enough to make Ao Ze yield from the bottom of its heart.

"Good. Once you join the Celestial Court, aside from a few necessary matters, you may move and decide freely for all other things. I will not force things upon you," Lu Yuan immediately replied and added the final sentence.

He did not intend to place Ao Ze under the Celestial Court's command and make it a complete subordinate, which was why he added that particular sentence.

Ao Ze was an extremely powerful source of support. The fact that it was willing to enter the Celestial Court was already more than enough. He had no intention to demand anything more.

"Very well. I understand." Ao Ze also understood the meaning behind Lu Yuan's words. Its mood eased considerably as well, because it truly did not wish to be constrained. Now that Lu Yuan had raised the matter himself, it naturally chose to agree outright.

Afterward, the man and dragon circled the Dragon Palace a few more times. Apart from those folded spaces, they found nothing else of particular note. And so they did not linger any longer, instead leaving the place behind.

As for Ao Ze, it had previously remained elsewhere. This was its first time going to Mount Tai, and it was naturally very curious about this sacred mountain of imperial sacrifices.

"I remember that you came from Mount Kunlun, didn't you? That place should be even more mysterious than Mount Tai," Lu Yuan asked.

Originally, he had wanted to head to Mount Kunlun directly as well, but it would have taken too much time. Since Ao Ze was present now, he might as well learn more from it directly.

"In truth, I don't know all that much about Mount Kunlun." Ao Ze pondered briefly, then continued, "Back then, it was merely that my elders sealed me there. The land of gods has indeed always had many legends surrounding it, but by my era, the transcendent had already begun to decline. As for its deeper secrets, I do not know much either."

It was telling the truth. Mount Kunlun was not a place where the dragon race had resided. It had merely been sealed there. As for what Mount Kunlun had been like in ancient times, Ao Ze had no way of knowing.

And so, the man and dragon departed from the Eastern Sea.

Upon returned to the Mount Tai Trials Academy, Elder Ji and Elder Yun were stunned when they learned that Yinglong Ao Ze was joining the Celestial Court.

There had already been the Golden-Winged Great Peng, the Spirit Monkey, and other mutated beasts before, but dragons were ultimately different.

Even within Huaxia itself, what they represented carried tremendous significance.

They also understood very clearly that Ao Ze itself was extremely powerful. There was no need to even say more about its talent and bloodline.

Its entry into the Celestial Court was an enormously powerful reinforcement. Their foundations had deepened by yet another degree. Thus, the upper echelons were naturally overjoyed by Ao Ze's addition and welcomed it wholeheartedly.

Once it entered the Celestial Court, the place it would reside was naturally Mount Tai. This place had always been unique to begin with, containing all manner of resources. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Ao Ze had no objections to any of that. However, because it needed to repair its injured body, it went directly to Jade Emperor Peak atop Mount Tai and prepared to enter a brief period of seclusion.

"King Lu, when you went out this time... did you happen to kill several Celestials?" Elder Ji asked.

Lei Chong was, after all, a Celestial Ranker, and there had also been three other Sages alongside him. Now that all of them had been killed, it had inevitably drawn the Celestials' attention and triggered a thorough investigation.

The matter had already caused a great stir. The Celestials had even begun suspecting whether some other Outer Cosmos faction had attacked them at such a critical time.

But in the end, they discovered that was not the case at all, and so they fixed their suspicion upon Lu Yuan.

Apart from those lifeforms who had likewise descended from the Outer Cosmos, the only remaining person likely to do such a thing was Lu Yuan.

Of course, even after reaching that conclusion, the Celestials made no further moves. They knew that with their current strength, revenge was utterly impossible.

As for Elder Ji and the other upper echelons, after hearing this news, they had been deeply worried. Now that Lu Yuan had returned, they naturally raised the question.

Meanwhile, Lu Yuan had no intention of denying it.

He nodded directly.

"The Third Awakening has already begun. What follows will only intensify. Those Outer Cosmos beings will not be able to hold back forever. Every famous mountain and great river has its own folded spaces, its own mythical secret realms. Within them lie all manner of fortunes.

"Even for the great races, such places are worth exploring and bringing under their control."

Lu Yuan continued, "We must now begin making our preparations to face every great battle that may come."

He understood Elder Ji and the others' concerns very well. This was a rare period of peace, and they did not want it broken too soon.

Sadly, reality would never develop according to what people merely wished for.

The Third Awakening had begun. Folded spaces were continually manifesting. Some might be ordinary. But some others contained all kinds of fortune.

After all, in ancient times, Earth had been the core of the Milky Way Starfield, the birthplace of the Celestial Court.

Countless myths and legends had not only been passed down to the present day, but were also well known among the Outer Cosmos beings. For example, when Guang Chengzi's Dao ground had first appeared, various races had already coveted it.

After the Third Awakening, such things would only become more common.

Lu Yuan's thinking was very simple. During this period, he had to seize as many fortunes as possible for the current Celestial Court. That way, the people under him could grow as quickly as possible.

Then, when the power of the Separation of Heaven and Earth truly vanished, they would also have accumulated a sufficiently deep foundation.

So, the fortunes and boons born from the Third Awakening were things he had to contend for as well.

"King Lu, we understand."

After hearing those words, Elder Ji and the others nodded solemnly at once. They might not know exactly how the future situation would unfold. But they were sure of one thing.

No matter what, they had to follow after King Lu's footsteps.

Seeing this, Lu Yuan finally felt at ease.

Not only had the Celestial Court been established, but he had also gradually drawn this force together into a single unified whole. If things continue like this, then in the future, it might be possible to build the Celestial Court into how it was from ancient times.

As for achieving this feat, he was filled with utmost confidence!