Chapter 226. To Confer, Blessed by Providence

The moment Lu Yuan saw the two words on the front side of the edict, he instantly understood what was happening.

Yuan.

It referred to the "Yuan" of his name, Lu Yuan. He could also feel an inexplicable connection between himself and the edict. It was like the two were soul-bound.

However, he did not quite understand why the word "Emperor" was added before "Yuan." Recalling the origins of the Celestial Emperor's Ancient Token and the beings associated with it, an idea came to him.

According to historical records, the Five Emperors each had their own titles. Yao and Shun, for instance, were also known as Emperor Yao and Emperor Shun.

Emperor.

The word "Emperor" was special.

Jiang Ningxian had also mentioned it to him.

According to her, whoever obtained the Celestial Emperor's Ancient Token would become a Human Sovereign and the Celestial Emperor. Without question, the scroll bearing the words "Investiture Edict" was definitely important.

As evidence, Lu Yuan felt like a mysterious power had manifested deep inside his soul as soon as he saw his name on the scroll. He felt like he had received some kind of blessing from Providence.

As for where it came from, he could not say for sure.

Furthermore, it seemed he could add more names to the Investiture Edict.

As for what would happen to those whose names were written on the Investiture Edict, Lu Yuan did not know for sure. However, one thing was certain—it would be something beneficial for them.

I'm the master of this Investiture Edict. Since it seems like I can write some more names, is that tantamount to the so-called power to bestow titles on someone? But am I even strong enough to do that right now?

Lu Yuan stared at the Celestial Emperor's Ancient Token in his mind and the Investiture Edict bound to him, sinking into deep contemplation.

Declaring others as immortals or gods and conferring on them titles was something only a figure like the Celestial Emperor could accomplish. He was definitely not as strong as the Celestial Emperor.

Could it be that those whose names were written on the Investiture Edict would receive the blessings of Providence, just like what happened to him just now?

It was an idea that came out of nowhere, but the more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. Still, these were merely conjectures. He would need to confirm them later.

At the very least, now that he had collected the third Celestial Emperor's Ancient Token, he could finally wield this forbidden artifact. Unfortunately, it seemed he needed to gather more tokens if he wanted to unleash its true power.

Only when all were assembled would he truly be able to confer a title on someone. As for how many tokens were left to collect and if they were all on Earth or scattered across the universe, Lu Yuan had no way of knowing.

𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Forget it. Let's take it one step at a time. Gathering three of them is already quite an achievement.

He shook his head slightly and set aside these thoughts. Turning around, he looked at Jiang Ningxian beside him. He knew she would awaken soon.

For now, there was nothing more he needed to do. As for the Primordial Dragon and the Celestial Emperor's Ancient Token, he couldn't talk about them to anyone else, at least, not now.

Before long, Jiang Ningxian stirred and opened her eyes. A flicker of light flashed through her eyes, and golden runes engulfed her at once, isolating her from the outside world.

When Lu Yuan saw those golden runes, astonishment flickered across his face. It was a powerful divine art. Even if he attacked it with all his might, he would not be able to shatter it. Was that one of the life-saving measures the Jiang Clan had given to Jiang Ningxian?

Jiang Ningxian scanned her surroundings with wary eyes. Despite what her clan elders had given to her, she still ended up losing consciousness, and it happened so easily at that.

Jiang Ningxian was truly shocked, which was why she instantly became alert as soon as she awakened. After confirming that there was no immediate danger to her life, she relaxed slightly and stared at the throne.

"Where did the Primordial Dragon's body go? Lu Yuan, what happened?" asked Jiang Ningxian while staring at Lu Yuan.

Setting aside everything else, he had clearly awakened before she did.

"I don't know either," Lu Yuan said, shaking his head. He had no intention of revealing the truth. "When the Primordial Dragon opened his eyes, I also lost consciousness. When I woke up, things were already like this."

"Is that so?" Jiang Ningxian narrowed her eyes and stared at Lu Yuan for a long while before saying, "It seems I won't be able to uncover what happened to the Primordial Dragon before his campaign."

She had come here precisely with that goal in mind. She had finally encountered the Primordial Dragon's body, only to fall unconscious before it. When she woke up, the Primordial Dragon's body had already disappeared.

She had already examined the Numinous Sky Hall as well, and she knew there was nothing else noteworthy. Jiang Ningxian could not help but feel disappointed. Just then, she realized something and turned to stare at Lu Yuan with a faint smile.

Lu Yuan noticed that and chuckled. Jiang Ningxian definitely did not believe him.

The reason she refrained from asking more questions was obvious. She knew she wouldn't receive any answers. Even so, Lu Yuan understood that he needed to offer something valuable. After all, they were collaborators.

After a moment of consideration, he said, "Based on what you said, everyone could walk down the path of evolution during the Primordial Dragon's era, and before his campaign could truly begin, he was met with sudden failure.

"I believe he must have encountered an unimaginably powerful enemy—an enemy that resulted in his body manifesting deathly qi. What do you think?"

Lu Yuan's words were designed to convey a specific fragment of information.

Of course, Lu Yuan knew Jiang Ningxian wouldn't interrogate him relentlessly. Everyone had their own secrets, and revealing truths indirectly was far superior to laying everything bare.

In addition, things would become awkward if Jiang Ningxian were to ask him direct questions.

"That must've been the case," Jiang Ningxian replied. As a smart and quick-witted young woman, she instantly understood what Lu Yuan wanted to say, so she nodded without asking more questions.

Then, she stepped forward to survey the great hall before saying, "I guess there's nothing else for us to find here. Let's go to the Netherworld side."

Mount Kunlun's secret realm was divided into two major regions—the Celestial Court and the Netherworld. They had already ventured deep into the heart of the Celestial Court.

Now, only the Netherworld region remained. The situation there was far more complex, so there had to be more to discover there.

"Let's leave and wait for that yin yang inversion, then," Lu Yuan replied. To be honest, he also believed the Netherworld region held more secrets than the Celestial Court side.

He had already found the Celestial Emperor's Ancient Token here. In other words, the Yongzhou Cauldron, one of Huaxia's Nine Tripod Cauldrons, was likely hidden somewhere in the Netherworld part of this secret realm.

Moreover, they had yet to meet the Peacock King and the others. He didn't know what they had experienced, but he needed to find them soon.

"All right."

Jiang Ningxian raised no objections. With that, the two left the great hall together.

The celestial troops still stood on the plaza, looking as solemn as always. Of course, none of them were alive. They were essentially lifeless constructs. It seemed they were still here because of that will.

The Primordial Dragon said he led his people to war,

Lu Yuan mused as he observed them.

Then why are there celestial troops and Yin soldiers here? Why do they carry that unyielding and defiant will? Are they the army that the Primordial Dragon once commanded?

Lu Yuan couldn't help but wonder whether the Primordial Dragon's campaign had ultimately ended in failure.