Chapter 580. The World Trembles, Facing a Formidable Enemy

"Could it really be the Extracosmic Heavenly Demons? Why wasn't there any warning before this?"

Ice Fairy had gone pale, and everyone around her looked equally grave.

They would not have reacted this way if they were facing only the Eternals and the Ji Clan. The two sides had clashed several times before. Although the Celestial Court did not know the full extent of the enemy's strength, it had a general understanding. More importantly, both factions were human. They were familiar enemies.

The Extracosmic Heavenly Demons were different.

Even Jiang Huanyun had only heard of them, let alone the others. None had ever seen one. An unknown enemy was often the most terrifying, especially when no one knew when these beings had descended. The black mist had simply appeared without warning.

"What should we do now?" Young Celestial Master Chunyang asked, turning to Jiang Huanyun.

Jiang Huanyun was their senior and the strongest among them, so everyone naturally looked to him for guidance. Though the Jiang Clan and the Celestial Court remained separate factions in name, their alliance had grown so close that they trusted one another completely. To the Celestial Court's members, Jiang Huanyun was also a respected elder.

He did not answer immediately. Events had unfolded too suddenly. He had only just sensed that something momentous was approaching, and now it had already arrived. Even someone as composed as Jiang Huanyun could not take the matter lightly.

They were no longer facing only the two human factions. The power of the Extracosmic Heavenly Demons had appeared as well.

"It's difficult to judge the situation right now," Jiang Huanyun finally said. "We must contend with the Eternals and the Ji Clan, and now the power of the Extracosmic Heavenly Demons has surfaced. I suspect this was planned long ago. My advice remains the same. Defend the Celestial Court and the five supercities."

He sighed. What other choice did they have?

Taking the offensive was impossible. The disparity in strength was simply too great, especially if the Eternals and the Ji Clan brought their full strength to bear. Even with the Jiang Clan's forces added to the Celestial Court's, they could not compare.

Their only choice was to continue with the defensive plans already in place.

"Agreed. We'll hold our ground and respond as the situation unfolds. That's what King Lu always did," Zhu Qingyu said, making her decision.

Her voice was firm, but she had little confidence. Lu Yuan had always possessed overwhelming strength. No matter what methods his enemies employed, if he was stronger, he could break through them and decide the outcome himself.

The Celestial Court could deal with the various races now opposing it, but the Eternals and the Ji Clan were another matter entirely. If the Extracosmic Heavenly Demons joined them, the Celestial Court would never have enough strength to withstand the combined force.

Yet Zhu Qingyu had no better option. Protecting the people came first.

"Then we begin pulling back our forces now," Jiang Huanyun said with another sigh.

The gathering ended, and everyone left Jade Emperor Peak. Soon afterward, Zhu Qingyu issued an order in the Celestial Court's name for everyone to enter the five supercities. All Celestial Soldiers and Celestial Generals stationed on Mount Tai were also sent to reinforce the cities.

The Celestial Court warned the Outer Cosmos beings that a great calamity was approaching and called on them to unite against it.

Many had already sensed the danger. In a short span of time, mysterious black mist had enveloped Earth's famous mountains and great rivers, while the Eternal Warship continued releasing waves of pressure and showed signs of impending movement.

Even so, many Outer Cosmos beings believed they would remain unaffected if the two forces attacked. They were still neutral, and choosing a side without careful thought might bring endless trouble. Some ultimately decided it was better to wait and see.

Not long after the Celestial Court responded, experts finally emerged from the Eternal Warship. No Celestial Seat Immortals appeared. Only Grotto-Heaven Immortals and Creation Immortals came forth.

As far as the Eternals and the Ji Clan were concerned, their next stage did not require Celestial Seat Immortals. They might not even need the Creation Immortals to act.

The appearance of these experts unsettled the Celestial Court's core members, but they knew they could not attack first. Their best course was to remain on the defensive and keep their strength concentrated. Even if their efforts could not change the final outcome, they still had to try.

Jiang Huanyun continued sending messages into space in an attempt to contact his clansmen, but none received a response. Nor had he heard anything from Lu Yuan or Jiang Ningxian.

In his view, only their return offered any hope of changing the situation. Waiting for them might not amount to much of a plan, but what other choice was there?

As time passed, the experts dispatched by the two forces made no move against the five supercities or their inhabitants. For now, they had a more important task.

They traveled through a number of famous mountains and great rivers, focusing in particular on places where the power of the Extracosmic Heavenly Demons had appeared.

The Celestial Court received word of these movements and tried to discover what the two forces were doing, but learned nothing. The enemy operatives were all Grotto-Heaven Immortals or stronger. No one on Earth could gather information beneath their notice.

The Celestial Court could not afford to dwell on the mystery. Preparing for what came next remained more important.

The Extracosmic Heavenly Demons, the Ji Clan, and the Eternals weighed upon everyone like three mountains. The Celestial Court asked for little now. Its members only wished to protect as many people as possible.

If they could hold out until Lu Yuan returned, so much the better.

Whether they belonged to the Celestial Court or the Jiang Clan, almost everyone had come to believe that Lu Yuan was the only person capable of resolving this crisis. No matter the calamity or the opponent, his intervention had always turned danger into safety.

Even against the Extracosmic Heavenly Demons and the two factions, a combined force powerful enough to shake the universe, they believed Lu Yuan's return would save them.

But after more time passed, Zhu Qingyu, Jiang Huanyun, and the others suddenly realized that waiting for him might no longer be possible.