Chapter 86: Advancing Strength and Contact with the Highest Echelons!

Lu Yuan understood very well. With his strength, once the public became aware of him, he would inevitably attract attention. Yet, he had never intended to hide, nor did he fear anyone. Now, the authorities had come to find him. This, too, was within his expectations.

In fact, Lu Yuan himself wished to have a conversation with those in power. Firstly, after the advent of the new era, the situation had grown chaotic. For a long time in his previous life, countless people’s lives—and even their very existence—had been under grave threat. He himself had once been in such a predicament, forced to flee from place to place; sometimes, even supercities could not guarantee safety.

The reason was simple: the mutated beasts had evolved intelligence and now viewed humanity as a mortal enemy. Thus, every so often, they would attack human cities. The authorities had made considerable efforts at the time, but ultimately, the time had been too short. Countless people perished before the situation stabilized later on. On this matter, Lu Yuan believed he could offer advice, to tell them what should be done. If it could save more lives, why not do so?

Secondly, those in power controlled the vast majority of resources, especially information channels—some of which were highly restricted, known only to a select few. Through these, he hoped to understand the overall situation of the new era.

So, after a brief consideration, Lu Yuan looked at Commander Zhang before him and nodded. “Very well, I’ll remain in Deep City for now.”

This also gave him the opportunity to digest his recent gains and evolve once more.

Ever since the world changed, he had acquired and fused with too many divine artifacts. In the past, his strength had not been sufficient to fully assimilate them. Now, having broken through thirty genetic shackles, his physique and other aspects had reached a terrifying degree—even his bloodline was fundamentally different. With this power, he could retrain every aspect of himself. After all, sometimes evolving too quickly could be detrimental; settling down and understanding oneself was crucial.

“Excellent, excellent!” Commander Zhang’s face broke into a smile at these words. “I’ll have someone arrange temporary accommodations for you.”

As the Commander-in-Chief of Deep City’s Defense Force, he wielded immense authority. Yet now, his posture was exceedingly humble, lest Lu Yuan refuse—something he would be powerless to prevent. Here stood a true human king, a hero who had performed great deeds. Now that Lu Yuan had agreed, Commander Zhang finally felt a weight lift from his shoulders.

Lu Yuan said no more, simply nodding as he departed. As for the Golden-Winged Roc, he allowed it to roam freely; keeping such a beast in Deep City, even if it meant no harm, could still cause trouble. But with their blood pact, he could sense its presence no matter the distance, so there was no need to worry.

And so, the crisis in Deep City was finally resolved. The piercing alarms ceased entirely. Those who had been evacuated to safety were led home by the defense forces. At this moment, news of Lu Yuan’s status as a human king spread completely. Previously, it had only circulated online, but now many citizens knew. He had resolved two consecutive calamities—singlehandedly. To ordinary people, he was undoubtedly a hero.

Among the nation’s awakened, Lu Yuan’s appearance gave them a concrete target to strive for. In the past, when facing beast tides, most believed only modern weaponry could prevail, and even then, success was uncertain—they thought such disasters were beyond human resistance. If the previous Chang’an City incident had bolstered their confidence, the events of Deep City finally convinced them: once humans attained extraordinary power, they truly possessed godlike strength.

This was a dazzling path of evolution; as long as they pressed forward, they might one day reach the deep expanse beyond the stars.

As the first widely recognized human king in the country, Lu Yuan’s fame reached terrifying heights. Online, he was placed above all other awakened individuals, considered the strongest—revered as King Lu. The title “King” marked him as one of humanity’s sovereigns, and it won the recognition of countless people.

At this moment, discussions about Lu Yuan reached unprecedented levels.

Shanghai.

In a villa of ancient elegance, with flowing streams and arched bridges, Zhou Yunqiong lounged in casual attire, her legs long and skin porcelain-pale. But today, she did not sit lazily on the sofa as before; instead, her expression was grave as she stared at the news online. “The Shackle Realm… Human King… I never imagined… he really is Lu Yuan.”

Zhou Yunqiong’s delicate brows knitted deeply, disbelief and suspicion clouding her eyes. The videos online, though not high-definition, showed a familiar silhouette if one looked closely—a lone figure with a sword, intimidating the South Sea Leviathan and a hundred thousand mutated beasts.

She had seen that figure many times, so it was deeply familiar. For this very reason, Zhou Yunqiong was even more shocked, her expression darkening.

The human king… was Lu Yuan. Why? Why hadn’t she realized it before? How had Lu Yuan evolved to such heights?

“Young Mistress,” Uncle Zuo approached, bowing slightly. “The meeting is about to begin. The family head asks for your presence.”

But Zhou Yunqiong seemed not to hear, instead turning to ask, “Tell me, just how strong is Lu Yuan now?”

She cared about this matter greatly, wishing to know others’ opinions.

“The South Sea Leviathan, based on all available information, was likely in the Golden Body Realm—the fourth stage of evolution. We’ve watched the battle footage many times: Lu Yuan easily overwhelmed it. If he’d fought in earnest, slaying the Leviathan wouldn’t have been difficult,” Uncle Zuo replied. After a pause, he couldn’t help but add, “Young Mistress, you shouldn’t be so preoccupied with him.”

Zhou Yunqiong said nothing. It wasn’t as though she wanted to be, but Lu Yuan’s every appearance brought her tremendous shock. Not only had he become an awakened, gaining extraordinary power, but he had also reached the Shackle Realm and was hailed as a human king.

She wondered—if she had treated Lu Yuan better in the past, been kinder, might he have served the Zhou family? Yet now, perhaps it wasn’t too late. She believed that if she showed goodwill in the future, there was a chance Lu Yuan might not refuse.

Her thoughts settled, Zhou Yunqiong turned to Uncle Zuo. “Keep an eye on Yi; tell him to restrain himself for the time being.”

She knew Yi harbored strong murderous intent toward Lu Yuan, but she could not allow that to disrupt her plans.

“Yes, Young Mistress,” Uncle Zuo replied at once.

Saying no more, Zhou Yunqiong rose and left for the family meeting—a crucial gathering that would determine the Zhou family’s future.

Deep City.

Several days had passed since the last beast tide. Because the creatures had not breached the city, daily life had continued as before. But during this time, crowds often gathered outside the Defense Force headquarters, hoping to thank the human king who had singlehandedly repelled the beast tide. Of course, none succeeded; Commander Zhang believed Lu Yuan disliked disturbance and trouble, so he turned the crowds away. Still, people came daily, for to Deep City’s residents, he was a true hero.

Within the Defense Force compound, in a separate, quiet building under constant patrol by armed soldiers, Lu Yuan sat cross-legged, undisturbed.

Power surged around him, golden blood energy roiling forth. His entire body was bathed in a golden radiance, even his hair shimmering with gold. The power emanating from within him was enough to make anyone’s heart tremble. If one listened carefully, they could hear his heartbeat—like a war drum.

With every beat, a golden, eleven-tiered pagoda rose and fell inside him, forming a miraculous spectacle. Fortunately, the room was built of special materials; otherwise, it might not have withstood the strain. Had anyone else been present, they would have revered him as a god.

But this was only outward appearance.

Since being settled at the Defense Force headquarters after the last incident, Lu Yuan had been in seclusion, working to fully absorb all the gains he had made since the world’s transformation. The results were impressive—within just a few days, he had broken through ten more genetic shackles, his physique reaching new heights.

Now, sitting in meditation, he observed his own body: his organs glowed with radiant light, golden blood coursed like molten lava, effusing an aura of unmatched strength. In truth, at his current level, he could evolve to the Golden Body Realm within days, reaching even greater heights.

But Lu Yuan chose not to rush, refusing to trade the future for temporary strength. Only by reaching the limit—breaking all one hundred and eight genetic shackles—before entering the Golden Body Realm, would his foundation be truly solid.

After all, he did not aim to be invincible in this world alone. His sights were set on the sea of stars, on the deep reaches of outer space. That was why he had spent so much time preparing everything.

Exhaling slowly, the golden light around him faded and he breathed out a stream of turbid energy, which instantly took the shape of a lifelike dragon. Behind him, the eighth cave heaven manifested, harboring the essence of a true god.

“It seems that for the foreseeable future, I won’t need to seek out more divine artifacts. What I already possess is enough to keep evolving, breaking genetic shackles and opening more cave heavens,” Lu Yuan murmured with a faint smile as he opened his eyes.

After breaking twelve genetic shackles, the process became easier—especially for someone of his innate talent.

The Bodhi Ancient Tree conferred talent a billionfold beyond the ordinary, a concept unimaginable to most. He had also fused divine artifacts, and possessed the Human Sovereign’s blood left by Shennong. These were all treasures nearly impossible to find.

The cultivation of the Ancestral Dragon Breathing Technique demanded immense energy, and his powerful foundation had filled that need in a short time. In other words, even if Lu Yuan did nothing more, his future achievements would not be low. His foundation was simply too deep—almost unmatched worldwide.

“So, for now, I need to thoroughly assimilate everything I’ve gained,” he decided, opting to postpone other plans and focus on the divine artifacts he already possessed. He understood that, like a man who has eaten his fill, he could still take in more, but to do so hastily would only cause indigestion. Better to proceed slowly. Had anyone else attempted this, they would have long since perished from excess.

Without further thought, Lu Yuan stood and stretched. His joints resounded in unison. Even though he had completely concealed his aura, he still exuded an overwhelming sense of power. With a casual gesture, bolts of lightning surged in his palm; in his left hand, strands of Buddhist light bloomed. Thanks to the Bodhi Ancient Tree, he had fully mastered both Buddhist divine abilities, needing only to raise his strength further.

The Heaven and Earth Sword from the ancient Shu Mountain lineage, however, remained elusive, its mysteries profound—evidence of its superiority over the other two arts. Nevertheless, Lu Yuan was in no hurry; he had plenty of time.

“A few days have passed—the authorities should be arriving soon,” he thought, checking the date. Commander Zhang had said the higher-ups would come to Deep City, and it was about time.

Sure enough, as he mused over this, a figure appeared outside his room—Commander Zhang himself. Upon seeing Lu Yuan, he spoke without hesitation, “King Lu, the leaders have arrived. I’ll take you to them.”

“King Lu?” Lu Yuan echoed, puzzled.

Commander Zhang smiled and explained: it was the people’s honorific for him, a recognition of his achievements, hence the title of king.

Lu Yuan was a little helpless—he truly didn’t care for such things—but he wasn’t about to quibble over minor details. He nodded. “Lead the way.”

Commander Zhang led the way without delay.

The Defense Force compound was a restricted zone, off-limits to the general public. Most inside were soldiers and modern weaponry, though there were also some training grounds for awakened individuals, albeit few.

Soon, the two arrived before a room in the central building. Many people had already gathered there—some of whom Lu Yuan recognized. At the forefront was Dean Zheng of the Sundaland Academy, along with the deans of its five branches. There was also Commander Xu from Chang’an City, and the commanders of the other three supercity defense forces.

Most notable among them was Ji Yuzhen of Beidou Biotech, who was also present.

Such a lineup stunned even Lu Yuan for a moment. Aside from the true upper echelons of the government, these individuals were the most powerful and influential figures in the nation—and now, they were all here.

“Is this to show sincerity?” Lu Yuan immediately understood. The authorities wished to meet him, and to dispel any doubts or distrust, they had gathered everyone together as a gesture of solemnity and goodwill.

“King Lu, the elders are waiting for you inside. You may enter at any time,” Dean Zheng said. Of all present, he was most familiar with Lu Yuan and thus spoke more freely.

The elders? So it truly was those at the very top.

Lu Yuan smiled at this, and strode inside.

Brothers, just a reminder—daily updates will resume in a few days. If you have votes, don’t forget to cast them.

(End of chapter)