Chapter 96: Full Official Support, the Mighty Power of an Ancient Command

After the dawn of the new era, the old order began to collapse.

Everyone sought power beyond the ordinary, yearning for mythlike means. At home and abroad, it was nearly the same everywhere. Yet everything had come too abruptly, and the upper echelons of every faction had barely had time to react.

Thus, East and West, after an initial probing of one another, had mostly focused on keeping the situation under control.

Only later, after the incident involving Celestial Tech, did it become clear that the Vatican had already begun to extend its hand.

Even so, the official leadership, headed by Ji Huaiyuan, still suppressed the matter.

After all, there were still too many things to handle.

If they acted too aggressively, they could easily ignite a full-scale war among the various powers.

Nothing else mattered so much; the key issue was that thermonuclear weapons remained the most terrifying arms of the present age, and even the awakened could not withstand them.

So if war truly broke out, that would be the real apocalypse.

But at this very moment, a single sentence from Lu Yuan left everyone present utterly shaken.

Because by declaring that he would, alone, establish a human alliance, was he not, in effect, announcing the sweeping away of all factions?

And moreover, the mastermind behind the Taishan missile incident would all be brought to justice.

Ji Huaiyuan and Elder Yun exchanged a look.

They both understood clearly.

Once they agreed, it would certainly trigger a major upheaval, perhaps even war.

Zhu Qingyu, the Northern Emperor, the Ice Fairy, and the others also knew this in their hearts.

Even if Lu Yuan spoke only in a personal capacity, one wrong move could still worsen the global situation.

For a long time, the official stance had been very moderate in this regard.

So under normal circumstances, they would certainly have tried to dissuade him.

But the next moment, Ji Huaiyuan took a deep breath and said directly, “Very well. Leave this matter to us. And rest assured, King Lu, we old fellows will stand firmly behind you.”

At those words, the younger people nearby all froze. Ji Huaiyuan’s statement was, in essence, a declaration of attitude.

And it was an exceedingly forceful one, tantamount to saying that the upper echelons had chosen complete support.

Even if it ultimately led to war.

“Good.”

Lu Yuan smiled, then continued, “They must give an answer within three months. If not, I will make the trip myself.”

With that, he gave a slight nod to the crowd, glanced once at the four or five Westerners, and, without bothering with them, turned and left.

Elder Yun gave a look, and a soldier hurried over to lead the way.

Clearly, they had also arranged temporary lodging for Lu Yuan at the Taishan stronghold.

After all, it was impossible for him to finish the matter and leave immediately.

Moreover, they still had to await news concerning the kings of the strange beasts.

“Elder Ji, are we really going to do this?” After Lu Yuan had left, a commander stepped forward, his tone filled with disbelief.

After all, once that statement was issued, it would amount to a veiled declaration of war.

Zhu Qingyu and the younger ones also nodded slightly, feeling that this was somewhat aggressive.

“There’s nothing to hesitate over,” Elder Yun said bluntly. He was in charge of the military and had a fiery temper. “The new era has arrived, and they’ve all already reached in. They even used missiles directly against King Lu. We cannot retreat any further.”

“I believe the establishment of a human alliance is imperative, because some of the present power structures truly need to be reshuffled.”

“That’s right,” Ji Huaiyuan said as well, no longer as gentle as before. On the contrary, his bearing was now exceedingly solemn.

He looked in the direction Lu Yuan had departed, his gaze turning resolute as he spoke again.

“Besides, I believe King Lu has the strength to accomplish this.”

In truth, the upper levels had long been considering the idea of uniting all the world’s factions, ending their separate rule and mutual hostilities. But they had not had sufficient strength, and could only continue accumulating power, which would take a very long time.

But now that Lu Yuan had taken the initiative to bring it up and was prepared to do it, they would naturally give it their full support.

There was no other reason, only the one just mentioned.

They believed in his strength.

“All right, disperse for now. There are still many things to do afterward,” Ji Huaiyuan said, making no further explanation as he began assigning the subsequent tasks.

For instance, the opportunity on Taishan could help them cultivate more awakened individuals, and they would need to plan carefully how to make use of it.

How could they achieve the greatest effect, so that Lu Yuan’s ascent would not have been in vain? In short, this might be the first step in the rise of the realm of Han, and there could be no carelessness whatsoever.

“As for these people...” Elder Yun then looked toward the four or five Westerners, his eyes sharp. “Handle them as they deserve.”

He believed that this matter did not require Lu Yuan’s concern at all, and since these men had come with murderous intent,

then they should naturally suffer the fate they had earned. There was no need to hesitate.

“Yes.”

A soldier answered, then took them away under guard.

At the same time, everyone dispersed completely and began carrying out the plans that followed.

Taishan, and the so-called human alliance, still had many things to be done.

On the other side, with a soldier leading the way, Lu Yuan arrived at a room in the Taishan stronghold.

It was well furnished, with a touch of classical elegance, and even included a practice chamber built of alloy, fully equipped.

He knew this was only a temporary base, and that all the facilities were very simple. To have arranged such a room for him was proof enough of how much the higher-ups valued him.

Lu Yuan said nothing about it.

With his strength, he was destined to be closely watched wherever he went.

Of course, he did not mind, so long as he had a quiet place.

After tidying up briefly, Lu Yuan stepped directly into the practice chamber and sat down cross-legged, thoughts flowing through his mind as he recalled what had just happened.

In truth, the idea of establishing a human alliance had also existed in his previous life. At the beginning, it had likewise been proposed by the upper echelons of Han, but the process had not been nearly so easy. There had been several disputes and wars, and only after compromise from all sides had it finally succeeded.

But now things were different. He now possessed absolute strength and could suppress every opposing voice.

If anyone objected, Lu Yuan would not mind using force again.

The descent of beings from beyond the world would not be far off.

Before that, everything had to be settled perfectly.

And the reason he had given them three months was that he needed time to prepare, while also issuing a final warning.

Nothing in this world could be accomplished overnight; just the same, during this period he could also improve his strength.

In addition, he had to make the kings of the major strange beasts within the country stop their beast tides.

That too would be difficult and required absolute strength.

Fortunately, strength was the one thing Lu Yuan never lacked.

And it was best to complete it as soon as possible, or matters would easily change.

The global mutation was still in its early stages, but in the not-too-distant future another transformation would occur, and the famous mountains and great rivers everywhere would begin to awaken in earnest. Taishan, for instance, would become even more mysterious by then.

At that time, even stronger strange beasts or other beings might appear, and the existence of outer-worldly entities would accompany them.

The situation would grow ever more complicated. To act now was, in fact, the most suitable moment.

Thus, what needed to be done next were these two things.

Once all was complete, he would proceed to the next stage of his plan.

Lu Yuan had long since formed his judgment.

“Now I only need to wait.” Shaking his head, he no longer thought about it.

He immediately took out the ancient imperial token he had just obtained and examined it closely.

The radiance upon it had faded, and it seemed to bear no special features at all.

After some thought, Lu Yuan decided to try refining it with his blood.

Any divine object, before being activated, would usually show no anomaly. The saying that sacred things conceal their light was exactly this.

Back when he had fused the ancient bodhi tree or the eleventh-tier Blood Pagoda, it had been the same.

So he also wanted to see just what this ancient imperial token was capable of.

Soon, a drop of blood fell, merging instantly into the token.

Buzz.

At that moment, the ancient imperial token erupted in purple brilliance, threadlike and wavelike, not dazzling, yet carrying some indescribable and mysterious might.

It seemed that anyone who beheld it would be unable to resist bowing down. It was truly extraordinary, beyond words.

And when Lu Yuan tried to look more closely, the token vanished from his hand in an instant.

The next moment, it appeared within his mind, before the little golden figure representing the innate spirit and god of wisdom.

At the same time, the ancient imperial token lowered one stream after another of violet radiance, merging into the little figure.

Lu Yuan suddenly felt something very unusual.

He discovered that all things around him, every blade of grass and every tree, every mountain and river, were held within his grasp. He seemed to have become the sovereign of heaven and earth, a supreme existence capable of controlling all things, like the Heavenly Emperor seated high above the clouds, standing above all living beings.

But that sensation lasted only an instant before disappearing.

The ancient imperial token was still there, and the violet aura still descended.

It shone upon the golden little figure.

Like an emperor.

Like a ruler.

Like the heavens themselves.

Lu Yuan was somewhat stunned.

He still did not know the true function of the ancient imperial token.

But he understood that this token was extraordinary, by no means an ordinary divine object.

It seemed to contain some power capable of commanding heaven and earth, all living beings, and even all things in the universe.

However, it also seemed incomplete, missing something.

“Could there be other ancient imperial tokens?” Lu Yuan murmured to himself, thinking carefully, and finally became certain.

Yes, the token he had obtained might indeed be incomplete. If he wished to truly unleash its power and purpose, he would have to collect them all.

Only how many more there were, he did not know, for the information was too limited.

Take it step by step, he thought.

With his current strength, even if he obtained them all, they would still be difficult to control.

The might contained within the ancient imperial token was simply too vast, too unfathomable.

So in the end, he stopped thinking deeply about it and left it there in his mind.

Then he closed his eyes.

There were still two matters to attend to.

During this time, he could continue refining his foundation and breaking the genetic shackles.

After all, he had already broken forty of them. There was still some distance to the full one hundred and eight.

If he reached the peak of this realm a step sooner, then he could also advance a step sooner to the next stage of evolution: the Golden Body Realm.

Very soon, as he began to draw forth the power within his body,

streaks of golden blood energy burst forth, coiling around him.

Yet this time, Lu Yuan’s aura was somewhat different from before—an alteration he himself did not even notice, born after the refining of the token.

And so, time passed by little by little.

During his seclusion, the outside world once again erupted because of Lu Yuan.

First, the King atop Taishan had already agreed to allow humans to enter.

This proved that, after the Ancient Shu Sword Mountain, the official leadership had once more secured a place of great fortune.

Second, the matter of Lu Yuan standing directly against the missiles atop Jade Emperor Peak spread completely.

Everyone was astonished to discover that this human king had likely already evolved to an unimaginable degree.

Almost all conventional weapons were now ineffective against him. He had completely stepped beyond the human category. It could be said that Lu Yuan had become the true strongest existence in the hearts of all awakened individuals in the country, unmatched by anyone.

People speculated that in the current world, the only thing capable of threatening him might be thermonuclear weapons.

After all, those were the highest crystallization of human wisdom, the most terrifying of all doomsday weapons.

Finally, and most importantly, the official leadership issued a public announcement.

According to King Lu’s request, with Han taking the lead, they announced the establishment of a human alliance.

The Vatican, Olympus, and the rest were given a three-month deadline to respond.

Otherwise, King Lu would personally visit the major powers afterward.

Once this news was released, everyone was utterly shocked.

“An alliance of humanity, led by Han? Is King Lu going to reshuffle all the major powers?”

“That must be it. Didn’t you see the deadline they gave? And it was an official announcement!”

“My God, is King Lu really trying to subdue the entire world by himself? That courage... can he actually succeed?”

“If he really does succeed, I can’t even imagine it.”

In an instant, the country was in complete uproar.

People discussed the matter fervently, offering their own opinions.

They knew that the Taishan missile incident had enraged King Lu.

The mastermind behind it was suspected to be that holy angel of the Church, seeking revenge for the twelve apostles.

In response, King Lu had not personally acted, but instead proposed the human alliance, which was a veiled form of pressure and warning.

So the public and the awakened alike began waiting for a response.

Yet after the announcement was made, neither the Vatican nor the sacred mountain of Olympus gave any reply at all.

Clearly, they too had been shaken, though not because of the human alliance announcement.

It was because dozens of missiles had been launched, and yet the man had still not died.

That had already surpassed the bounds of humanity and exceeded imagination.

Such an existence could be said to have upset the balance.

They were considering how to respond.

They could not win in a fight, that much they knew. They also understood that once Lu Yuan descended upon them, it would be a great crisis.

At last, a few days later, the holy angel responded.

He recorded a video and uploaded it online.

In the video, the holy angel had three pairs of luminous wings on his back.

He had long golden hair, a handsome face, fair skin, and radiated light.

He held a cross-shaped scepter, and his entire body was enveloped in sacred radiance, looking exactly like a god descending into the mortal world.

Even from the video alone, one could see the extraordinary nature of the holy angel.

He was powerful, and his presence was terrifying.

He spoke in a very hard and arrogant tone: “The establishment of a human alliance is absolutely impossible. We revere freedom, and it is the grace bestowed upon us by God. We will not be bent by power. If you descend, then God will surely judge you!”