From the direction the voice came from, three people were walking over through the air.

All three wore smiles on their faces, and their bearing was extraordinary. More striking still, behind each of their heads was a divine halo that continuously radiated streams of light.

Under the glow of those halos, the three looked like gods descended from beyond the heavens, inspiring reverence in all who saw them.

Behind those three stood another five or six beings. They looked much like humans, but compared to the three leading figures, they fell far short in both bearing and every other regard. They did not seem to belong to the same race.

When Lei Xiao and the other Celestials saw the three at the front, their expressions shifted slightly at once.

As for the other races, a trace of fear seemed to rise in their hearts. They could not help restraining their own auras, their wariness obvious.

It could be said that the appearance of this group caused subtle changes in every lifeform present.

Even Jiang Haokong, who had maintained a calm expression until now, grew visibly more serious the moment he saw them.

"You know them?" Lu Yuan noticed the change in Jiang Haokong's expression and immediately asked.

From what had just been said, he knew these people had come looking for him. The problem was that he did not know them at all. He had never even seen them before and had no idea what this was about. So after noticing Jiang Haokong's reaction, he naturally asked at once.

"I'd only heard of them before. This is my first time seeing them in person." Jiang Haokong shook his head, then continued, "If I'm not mistaken, these people should be from the Eternal Race."

The Eternal Race?

At those three words, Lu Yuan's brows immediately furrowed together.

He had heard Jiang Ningxian speak of this race many times. They were overbearing and domineering, yet also extraordinarily powerful, ranked within the top ten among the top hundred starfields.

More importantly, the Great Luo Sword Embryo in his possession contained Eternal Divine Gold, one of the Eternal Race's most important divine materials.

But why had they taken the initiative to come looking for him?

Lu Yuan was puzzled. Then he observed them more carefully. He discovered that the auras of the people behind those three felt somewhat familiar.

They seemed to be... members of the Spirit Clan.

Are they here to find trouble?

All of a sudden, that thought entered his mind.

Back then, when the Spirit Clan descended upon the Hengduan Mountains, they had made a move against the Golden-Winged Great Peng and the Nine-tailed Fox King. Fortunately, he had arrived in time and killed them all.

In all honesty, Lu Yuan had known all along that doing so would surely bring all sorts of trouble. But he did not care. He simply had not expected the Spirit Clan to come so quickly, and to bring the Eternals with them.

Even so, his expression remained calm.

Standing where he was, facing the three Eternals who were steadily approaching, he answered, "Yes, I am."

No matter what the Eternals intended to do, he had the confidence to face it.

Meanwhile, the gazes of all the surrounding beings turned toward them. Their eyes were filled with curiosity because they knew that these people were members of the legendary Eternal Race.

What sort of sparks would be struck between them and the human Lu Yuan?

Or perhaps would the two sides break into battle directly?

Lei Xiao and the other Celestials, for their part, were very much looking forward to it. They knew Lu Yuan was extremely strong, strong enough that they could not handle him.

It was different for the Eternals. They possessed deep foundations and peerless talent.

If the two sides fought, it was hard to say who would prove stronger. But if they ended up both wounded, that would be ideal.

"Powerful vital qi. Flesh and spirit as one. Very impressive indeed."

By now, the group had already stood before Lu Yuan. The one who spoke was the young man at the front of the Eternals.

He wore a smile and continued at once, "My name is Yu Heng, of the Eternal Race. These are my two clansmen, Yu Hong and Yu Qing."

As he spoke, he gestured toward the man and woman at his side.

Jiang Haokong quietly explained from the side, "The Eternals generally bear the surname Yu. The 'Yu' that made up the word 'universe'[1]."

"Your praise is too generous."

Lu Yuan immediately shifted his gaze to the Spirit Clan members behind them, then said, "May I ask whether your visit has to do with the Spirit Clan members I killed before? If you have come to seek vengeance, then I will naturally accompany you to the end."

He had no concerns at all. Jiang Haokong was at his side and could protect Zhu Qingyu and the others. As far as he was concerned, even if a great battle broke out, he would have no worries.

Besides, the Eternals had come directly to him. That could hardly mean anything good.

"I know that the human Lu Yuan has always acted according to his own principles. Ling Que must have done something truly excessive back then to have met such an end."

Yu Heng smiled, then continued, "I have already spoken with the Spirit Clan. Everything that happened before can be written off entirely. What do you think?"

The Eternals truly were extraordinary. Especially with that bearing of theirs, along with the divine halos behind their heads, they really did seem like gods. Under that sort of presence, it was difficult for anyone to summon the will to argue against them.

More importantly, those words were clearly a gesture of goodwill.

That only made Lu Yuan more puzzled. He truly did not understand why the Eternals would do such a thing.

Ling Que had been a Ranker. Was his death simply to be left at that?

But after a moment's thought, it seemed normal enough. The Spirit Clan relied upon the Eternals. Now that the Eternals had spoken, the Spirit Clan naturally could not refuse to obey.

Sure enough, after hearing Yu Heng's words, the Spirit Clan members behind him all bowed slightly. No matter what thoughts they harbored inside, not a trace of displeasure showed on their faces at this moment. They were obeying completely.

Seeing this, Lu Yuan frowned slightly. Still, one did not strike a smiling face, so he said, "Many thanks."

If the Spirit Clan truly refrained from provoking him from this point onward, then there was indeed no need to forge further enmity.

He was not some bloodthirsty person by nature. There were simply times when others insisted on provoking him again and again.

However, Lu Yuan still did not show too much warmth.

The reason was simple; he knew the Eternals definitely had some objective in mind. And even if they did not, what would happen once they discovered the existence of the Great Luo Sword Embryo?

The Eternals were very strong. Naturally, he did not wish to make enemies of them of his own accord.

It was only that, in the end, the two sides might still be forced into opposition. Of course, if there were any chance of easing matters, he would not let it pass.

In Earth's current situation, the more allies it had, the better its future position would be. That was not for his own sake but for the living beings of this world.

"Great."

After hearing Lu Yuan's reply, the smile on Yu Heng's face grew even broader. He knew that his first objective had already been achieved.

This scene also left those Outer Cosmos beings who bore grudges against Lu Yuan wearing expressions of utter disbelief.

If the Eternals had forged good relations with him—or even joined forces with him—then what were their own races supposed to do?

That was the Eternals...

However, just as everyone was struggling to believe what they were seeing, Yu Qing—the female Eternal—stepped forward directly and spoke without hesitation, "Very well, Human Lu Yuan. Since we helped you resolve one grudge, then shouldn't you also show a little sincerity in return?"

1. The Chinese word for universe is 宇宙 (yu zhou). ☜