Chapter 225. Enemies From Beyond, Investiture Edict, Emperor Yuan!

Lu Yuan gazed at the Celestial Emperor's Ancient Token resting in his palm. Before he could utter a word, wisps of ethereal purple light began to seep from him.

"Oh? You already possess two Celestial Emperor's Ancient Tokens?" The Primordial Dragon remained with his back turned, yet he clearly sensed what was going on with Lu Yuan. Surprise tinged his voice as he added, "It seems this Emperor truly chose the right person this time."

"With three tokens in your possession, perhaps you can accomplish what we could not," the Primordial Dragon said, sounding melancholic and hopeful at the same time.

Lu Yuan sensed his emotions clearly, and it felt like gratification. His confusion only deepened. Questions swarmed his mind, yet he did not even know where to begin asking. This entire situation had caught him completely off guard.

"I know you have many questions. You may ask three. Be quick; I will answer what I can," the Primordial Dragon said as if he had seen through Lu Yuan's line of thought.

Lu Yuan steadied himself and rapidly organized his thoughts. After a deep breath, he asked, "I wish to ask—is Your Majesty truly dead?"

Yes, this was his first question. It was all too surreal.

He had never imagined that entering Mount Kunlun's secret realm would lead to him standing before the Primordial Dragon from over two thousand years ago and the First Emperor of Huaxia.

Regardless of what had transpired, this man was his ancestor and a supreme emperor with unparalleled achievements. He deserved respect, so Lu Yuan decided to address him more formally.

"Even I do not know the answer to that," the Primordial Dragon answered with a hint of amusement in his voice. "After discovering the great enemy, I led my army beyond this realm.

"I knew I was no match for them, so I left this contingency behind. My will has long since perished, but whether my true body has met the same fate or not... I cannot say for sure."

Those walking down the path of evolution could live long lives, and Immortals could surely live longer than Sages.

Jiang Ningxian had also stated that deathly qi would manifest only after the demise of at least an Immortal. Since the Primordial Dragon's fragment of will possessed such formidable power, his true body had to be exponentially stronger.

Lu Yuan knew that as well, which was why he had asked. After hearing the answer, he pondered for a moment before posing his next question.

"You said you had finally encountered someone with the blood of Huaxia. But that woman's bloodline should be purer than mine. Why did you choose to bestow the Celestial Emperor's Ancient Token upon me instead?" he asked.

His senses told him there was only one token here. Furthermore, Jiang Ningxian was a direct descendant of Human Sovereign Shennong. In terms of bloodline purity, she surpassed anyone in Huaxia.

"But you two are not the same. Her ancestors left their homeland back then, even though it was also because of war. In the end, they left and did not stay to defend this land. I place my trust

only

in those who remained."

The Primordial Dragon's response suggested a lingering displeasure with those who had departed to traverse the universe. This was why he had not chosen to speak with Jiang Ningxian.

Lu Yuan wasn't the descendant of any legendary figure, but he was born and raised on Earth. As a result, he earned the Primordial Dragon's favor.

"I see."

Lu Yuan nodded, then drew a deep breath. "My final question is this—what exactly do you mean by great enemy? I've visited Guang Chengzi's Dao ground and Shennong's Altar. Both mentioned a "great calamity." Are they related somehow?"

This was the most important question, and it was a doubt that had been lingering in his heart for quite a while now. Just what exactly could command such dread from those mythical figures of ancient times?

"Young man, you asked two questions." The Primordial Dragon sounded amused. "Anyway, they are essentially the same. They do not exist within this realm. As for what they truly are, even I cannot say for certain.

"However, I can tell you this—they are harbingers of catastrophe. In ancient times, they were the enemies of every starfield in the universe. The Celestial Court waged war on them. They appear at regular intervals, but—"

Just then, the Primordial Dragon's figure grew translucent and began to fade. He left behind one final statement.

"—the Sages of humanity have always been at war against them; they've been struggling all this time just to hold them back."

Lu Yuan felt a tremor in his soul. He blinked and suddenly found himself still standing before the dragon throne in the Numinous Sky Hall.

The Primordial Dragon had vanished, and the great hall was empty. It was as though everything that had just occurred was nothing more than an illusion.

As for Jiang Ningxian, she was sprawled out nearby, unconscious.

Lu Yuan extended his senses to her and found that she was unharmed. She would most likely awaken before long. It made sense. The Primordial Dragon was a formidable senior who would never harm a member of the younger generation.

War against enemies not within this realm?

Lu Yuan processed everything he had learned, but he could not make heads or tails of what he had heard.

However, he managed to confirm two things.

First of all, the Primordial Dragon had indeed waged war, but he hadn't ventured into the Outer Cosmos. Instead, he had encountered the great enemy somewhere. Upon learning that he was outmatched, he decided to leave behind the Celestial Emperor's Ancient Token for future generations.

Secondly, there existed a great enemy not within this realm. It was the so-called "Great Calamity" spoken of by both Immortal Guang Chengzi and Human Sovereign Shennong.

At first, Lu Yuan assumed the "great enemy" was the races and clans of the Outer Cosmos, but now, it seemed things weren't that simple. Indeed, the stronger one became, the more secrets one would uncover.

The Jiang Clan definitely knows something about this.

Lu Yuan glanced at Jiang Ningxian beside him. Her goal was to learn about why the Primordial Dragon's campaign had ended in failure.

Now that he thought about it, this was likely something the Jiang Clan wished to know as well. Setting aside these thoughts for now, he looked down at the Celestial Emperor's Ancient Token in his hand.

While Jiang Ningxian remained unconscious, Lu Yuan sat down cross-legged. He pricked his finger and let a drop of blood fall onto the token. Now that the third piece was in his possession, it was time to uncover the token's functions.

Lu Yuan believed that it would not take long.

Hum!

A low hum echoed. When Lu Yuan's blood landed on the token, a mysterious and boundless power emerged from within the token. It swept across all cardinal directions, seemingly declaring its majesty over the world.

As always, it didn't last long, as the Celestial Emperor's Ancient Token vanished into thin air.

Lu Yuan closed his eyes and found that it had merged with the two pieces he had already obtained. Then, it fused into a single whole token. Immediately afterward, an even richer purple aura erupted from the token along with some bizarre runes.

The purple aura descended and enveloped the golden figure seated beneath the Bodhi Tree.

Edict!

An aged voice echoed in Lu Yuan's mind. At the same time, the transparent purple scroll finally materialized, becoming a true, tangible object.

The auspicious beasts adorning it—the qilin, the true dragon, and more—all vanished. The scroll became purple and completely blank.

Just then, something remarkable occurred. A mysterious power billowed out of the scroll, and it carried with it a wave of profundity that made Lu Yuan feel like it was from a supreme dao.

Curious, Lu Yuan controlled the golden figure beneath the Bodhi Tree to rise and approach the token and the scroll. The golden figure reached out and touched them.

As soon as contact was made, a soft hum echoed, and all sound vanished. The next moment, a beam of

eternal

light erupted and merged with Lu Yuan.

The scroll transformed, becoming a true Celestial Emperor's Edict.

Words were written on both sides of the scroll. On the back side of the scroll, the words "Investiture Edict" were written, while the words at the very top of the scroll on its front side read, "Emperor Yuan."

The two words appeared as though they loomed over the mortal world from the high heavens—absolute and undefiable!

Yuan.

𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Lu Yuan's "Yuan."