Chapter 127: Great Crisis, Return to Mount Tai, A Human-Beast Alliance?

Humanity seems to be able to enjoy a brief respite for now, but as time passes, they must confront the reality head-on. Elder Ji, Elder Yun, and others are well aware that the arrival of extraterrestrial beings is merely the beginning. More existences may emerge in the future, and when that time comes, can they still guarantee the same stability as they have now?

While there have indeed been conflicts and grievances between mutated beasts and humans, both are creatures of this world, and they should stand united against external invaders. The decision was made, and everyone began their preparations. However, the official forces still rely primarily on conventional heavy weaponry, as sending their awakened ones into the fray would undoubtedly be a suicide mission.

At the same time, they notified the Spirit Monkey on Mount Tai, informing it that humanity would cooperate. Mount Tai is currently under the joint administration of mutated beasts and humans; should it be occupied by the extraterrestrial Ox-Demon clan, the future opportunities there would no longer belong to them, and even the Trial Academy would be affected. The Spirit Monkey, the wounded Peacock King, and the Nine-Tailed Fox King were all shocked by this news, yet they realized that in such a critical period, they must set aside past grievances. Possessing powerful bloodlines and intelligence comparable to humans, they began using special methods to summon other Beast Kings.

Major mountains and rivers were being targeted, and fighting alone meant certain death. While they could not stop the invaders entirely, preserving Mount Tai and maintaining a significant habitat was a consensus reached by both humans and mutated beasts. Meanwhile, the authorities informed the public, declaring that if the extraterrestrial Ox-Demon clan were to arrive, they would resist with all their might. They promised that if a great war were to break out, it would be broadcast live in its entirety. In short, they would not give up.

Upon hearing this, the public and the awakened ones were energized, with many expressing a desire to participate. However, they were ultimately refused because the plan involved the use of heavy weaponry, and the inclusion of ordinary awakened ones would not significantly improve the situation.

Elder Ji and Elder Yun did not inform Lu Yuan of this matter. Firstly, they feared it would be a bother, and secondly, they wanted to gauge the current gap between them and the extraterrestrial forces. Thus, as time passed, everyone’s eyes turned once again toward Mount Tai. Everyone knew that a great crisis was unfolding.

Meanwhile, in a room, Lu Yuan sat cross-legged. Golden energy rippled from his body before slowly receding. During this period, he had fully mastered the power of the Golden Body stage and gained a complete understanding of his own combat prowess. Having built a deep foundation, he now stood at the peak of this realm, ready to advance toward the fifth stage of evolution—a result of his patient accumulation. After all, breaking one hundred and eight shackles was no small feat.

"Now, even if I face an existence at the Sovereign King stage, I can fight them directly, or even kill them," Lu Yuan thought, feeling the power within him with a satisfied smile. It proved that his choice to remain in the Shackle stage for so long had been correct; he understood that the further one goes, the more significant the results become. He also noticed that since reaching the Golden Body stage, the purple halo emitted by the Ancient Celestial Emperor Token in his mind had become more intense, as if it were evolving alongside him. While other aspects remained the same and its specific usage remained unknown, he felt in his heart that one day, it would reveal extraordinary capabilities, especially once all the missing pieces were gathered.

"It is time to go out and see."

Without further thought, Lu Yuan rose and walked out of the room. By his estimation, extraterrestrial beings should be arriving soon, and the situation would change drastically. He knew the authorities would be unable to cope, and he had to do something. He was well aware that those first arriving extraterrestrial beings harbored no goodwill. In his previous life, even he had been affected.

As soon as Lu Yuan left the room, Zhu Qingyu approached him. Through their conversation, he learned about what was happening outside: the Ox-Demon clan was hunting down Beast Kings and occupying major mountains, treating them as their own territory. Many of the Beast Kings who had discussed coexistence with him at the Jade Emperor Peak of Mount Tai had already perished. Clearly, these extraterrestrial beings intended to seize the nest and disregard the lives of this world.

"Tell Elder Ji and Elder Yun to keep an eye on those extraterrestrial beings," Lu Yuan said, before adding, "Apart from that, it is best not to do anything else. I am going to Mount Tai."

With that, he took a step forward. Unlike before, he ascended into mid-air and sped toward Mount Tai; the Golden Body stage allowed for flight.

Soon, at the Jade Emperor Peak of Mount Tai, the Spirit Monkey sat on the ground with its iron rod beside it, its golden fur fluttering in the wind like flickering flames. Before it stood the Peacock King and the Nine-Tailed Fox King. Their physical wounds had healed, but their auras were weak from the heavy injuries sustained in the previous battle.

"The extraterrestrial beings are truly powerful, surpassing the Golden Body stage. We are simply no match for them; our growth time has been too short," the Nine-Tailed Fox King said, its tone no longer seductive but grave. In truth, its bloodline was not weaker than the Ox-Demon clan’s—it was perhaps even stronger—but the reason for their defeat was that their evolution had been too brief; they had not yet fully matured.

"It is useless to talk about this now," the Peacock King shook its head. "They are ultimately stronger than us. How we respond next is what we must consider first." It had experienced the Ox-Demon clan and knew they were not a match; their lack of strength was a fact. As these fierce beasts continued to occupy major mountains, the mutated beasts of Earth would soon have no place left to live. As Beast Kings, they had to take this into account.

"To hell with that! If they come, we fight!" the Spirit Monkey barked, its temper flaring. "We may be lacking in strength, but we cannot just flee. This is our world after all." It knew the Ox-Demon clan from the stars was powerful, but if they retreated blindly, the result would be that all territories would fall to the extraterrestrial beings. The human side shared this view, which was why they had chosen to form a temporary alliance.

"Indeed, we must fight, regardless of the outcome," the Nine-Tailed Fox King agreed. They had already fled once. While they might be able to save their own lives with their strength, could they keep running forever? The Peacock King also agreed; although many mutated beasts had died, they were all creatures of this world, and endless concession would lead to the same end. In a broader sense, this was a struggle between two worlds and two races. In their ancestral memories, this was only the beginning.

"This will likely be a brutal war," the Peacock King said, its eyes sharpening. Yet, it felt little fear, for this concerned the fate of their world.

"It seems you have all made up your minds."

At that moment, a calm, indifferent voice rang out. The three Beast Kings turned to see Lu Yuan descending from the sky, their expressions filled with astonishment.

"You have reached the Golden Body stage?" the Spirit Monkey asked first, circling him with immense curiosity. It knew that even when Lu Yuan was at the Shackle stage, having broken many genetic shackles, none of the present Beast Kings could defeat him. Now that he had evolved to the fourth stage, the Golden Body, he would be even stronger.

"King Lu," the Peacock King and the Nine-Tailed Fox King greeted him as they approached. Though their auras were weak, they felt a tremor upon sensing the boundless power within Lu Yuan.

"The extraterrestrial beings are arriving and seizing the great mountains. This is just the beginning; their next step will be Mount Tai. I represent humanity, and I have come to propose that we cooperate with the mutated beasts to defend against them. What do you think?"

Lu Yuan wasted no words, stating his purpose directly. He knew that his own power was not enough to solve everything. Moreover, the so-called Ox-Demon clan was only the vanguard. To ensure the creatures of this world were not severely harmed while securing a voice and their own opportunities amidst the powerful clans of various star systems, he had to unite all available forces. The Peacock King, the Nine-Tailed Fox King, and the beasts they represented all possessed immense potential. As time passed, they would become an undeniable force. Why, then, choose to fight alone?

"Does King Lu mean that you will also take action after the Ox-Demon clan arrives at Mount Tai?" the Peacock King asked. In its eyes, it was already generous enough for humans to offer help, as the threat had not yet fully reached the human side.

"Yes," Lu Yuan smiled. "As I said, humans and mutated beasts will fight the enemy together." He had not exterminated some of the Beast Kings earlier for this very reason. There were indeed grievances between the two sides, but the extraterrestrial beings were more important as foreign invaders. If they continued to fight each other, the situation would only become more dire. He needed to control enough power to have more options when dealing with the extraterrestrials in the future.

This way, they could preserve both humanity and the mutated beasts. More importantly, it would prevent the world from being completely occupied by those massive extraterrestrial clans. In his previous life, because no such figure had emerged to unite all forces, various disasters had occurred, and humanity had been reduced to a lower-class race before the invaders. Now, Lu Yuan had the strength and the means, and he had been laying the groundwork to become the architect of order.

The Beast Kings had suffered great losses against the Ox-Demon clan, making them much easier to persuade. Of course, his plans went even further than that.

"Very well, no problem," the Peacock King finally agreed. It trusted in Lu Yuan's strength. The Ox-Demon clan was indeed powerful, but this human before them was equally unfathomable. If they could unite, they would surely improve the situation; at the very least, they would have a way to deal with the impending crisis at Mount Tai.

Hearing this, a smile appeared on Lu Yuan's face. He continued, "Since we are uniting, I have one more condition. I hope you will all agree."