Global Awakening: I'm the Only One Ready

The moment Lu Yuan heard those words come out of Jiang Ningxian's mouth, his face changed slightly. It caught him off guard. This was the first time he had heard those exact words from an outsider's mouth.

Until now, he had been turning the question over on his own. He kept wondering where the remaining pieces of the Celestial Emperor's Ancient Token could be. After all, those tokens were closely related to the Investiture Edict and the power of Providence.

If he could gather all tokens, it would certainly change everything. But aside from the pieces already in his hands, he had almost no word about the other tokens at all.

Unfortunately, the tokens were just too hidden and important. Getting near one was already hard enough, much less hearing it from somebody else.

Even the pieces he held had come to him by sheer chance. Anyone else could search for a whole lifetime and never find a single one.

Today, news of one of the tokens reached his ears.

"So you're saying they are searching for the Celestial Emperor's Ancient Token?" he asked. The two of them had touched on the subject before, though never in much depth.

He hadn't told her that he already held several pieces, as he needed a facade to learn more about them.

"That's right." Jiang Ningxian nodded. "The clans ranked among the top ten didn't come down to the Milky Way Starfield just for some Great Age's Providence. They're here for that token as well."

"Legends has it that the Celestial Emperor's Ancient Token represents the Celestial Emperor himself. Obtaining that means obtaining a massive opportunity."

As Jiang Ningxian had mentioned before, whoever obtained the Celestial Emperor's Ancient Token could become the Celestial Emperor. It had been a very long time since any news of the token was heard, so no one had expected those two clans to make a move.

If it hadn't been for the Jiang Clan's vast intelligence network, they wouldn't have known what they were up to.

"Then do you know where they're going?" Lu Yuan asked.

Since they had made a move, they had to have a target in mind. That target was surely here on Earth, not out in the Outer Cosmos. Otherwise, they wouldn't have bothered to descend here.

He even suspected that the two clans' earlier push for Mount Tai had been about the Celestial Emperor's Ancient Token as well. The Jiang Clan had searched for it, too. However, Lu Yuan had taken it long before, so all their efforts were in vain.

It wasn't that he didn't want to bring any of this up. He simply knew how much was at stake.

The Jiang Clan had paid the token little mind and focused on their work with the Celestial Court. However, he believed the Jiang Clan would soon make a move as well, and he was also going to make a move.

Now that he had a lead, he wouldn't let it slip.

"I think it should be on Mount Emei." Jiang Ningxian thought for a moment, then went on. "But they've kept the news sealed up tight, and very few know of it. When we heard of it, we immediately stopped gathering more information for fear that they might notice us."

This concerned the Celestial Emperor's Ancient Token, after all. No one would be careless with it. Everyone would treat it with the greatest care, and the Jiang Clan was no different. They hoped to catch the others off guard and walk away with the token themselves. They meant to bring Lu Yuan along with that.

Lu Yuan smiled upon hearing that. "That wouldn't have been a bad thing."

Jiang Ningxian couldn't help but frown, seemingly confused.

Lu Yuan saw that and explained, "Those two clans are keeping the news sealed because they don't want anyone else to find out about it. For the sake of the token, they've thrown aside even the deaths of their Holy Sons.

"In other words, they must be thoroughly prepared. If we make a move on our own, we'd be facing those two great clans on our own, and I don't think we'll have an advantage over them that way.

"But what if everyone somehow heard of it? Things will surely become chaotic."

Jiang Ningxian instantly knew what he was trying to say. The idea was simple. They would throw the two clans' plans into complete disarray.

The clans wanted to take the token quietly, but it would be a different matter if the news were to spread throughout the Outer Cosmos. Even those who knew nothing about the token would think that it was something extraordinary upon hearing the words "Celestial Emperor" attached to it.

In that case, they would cast aside any regard for the two clans and move to seize it for themselves. Things would become chaotic. In the middle of that chaos, getting certain things done would become far easier.

Soon enough, though, a doubt rose in Jiang Ningxian's mind. "But wouldn't that make the token even harder for us to obtain?"

The more people were drawn in, the more variables there would be. Reaching their own goal would become difficult as well.

"Then think about which is harder. Facing those two great clans by ourselves, or facing them while everyone else is locked in a brawl." Lu Yuan smiled and revealed a bit of his line of thought.

Jiang Ningxian was sharp; there was no need to spell out every single thing.

"Makes sense. If we go there alone, we won't stand a chance against the two clans, but if everyone is there, then it'll be those two clans against everyone else. It's a hassle either way, but it does come out a little easier for us."

Following Lu Yuan's line of thought, Jiang Ningxian's eyes lit up. She looked at Lu Yuan, and two little dimples showed as she grinned. "Not bad at all. I had no idea that you could be so crafty."

The plan would work. Handled well, it would go off without a hitch, and their odds of walking away with the Celestial Emperor's Ancient Token would climb higher.

Lu Yuan didn't say much aside from telling her to get ready as quickly as she could. He had to obtain the Celestial Emperor's Ancient Token no matter the cost.

At the same time, he knew he had to confess to Jiang Ningxian. Hiding it forever would do no good, especially when such an item of great importance was concerned.

Whether for himself, this world, or the Outer Cosmos, the token had to be put to proper use. Otherwise, it would never serve its true purpose, which would most likely affect many things behind the scenes.

Lu Yuan even believed the Celestial Emperor's Ancient Token would be essential against the Extracosmic Heavenly Demons. He had already fused four pieces of it together. Once he had the fifth, commanding the power of Providence and making use of the Investiture Edict, would become far easier.

In regard to that, Lu Yuan had a plan of his own.

Jiang Ningxian passed the plan along to the Jiang Clan, and they strongly favored it. Many of their powerhouses still couldn't make the journey over, and taking on the two great powers head-on would be extremely difficult.

If they muddied the waters, everything would change. They could do a whole lot of things once the waters were stirred up, and getting their hands on the Celestial Emperor's Ancient Token would become far easier. With the decision made, the Jiang Clan and the Celestial Court chose to act together.

As for Lu Yuan, he inadvertently became the player moving the chess pieces. With a single remark, he steered the course of the entire world, drawing both great powers into his scheme.