Chapter 97: Within China, Humans Belong with Humans, and Beasts with Beasts

The video was quickly circulated back home.

In an instant, it drew the attention of countless people.

But after seeing the Holy Angel’s remarks, everyone was enraged.

“The Twelve Apostles were killed, and King Lu is invincible. If you’re so capable, come here yourself instead of barking from afar!”

An irritable awakened one left that comment. He admired Lu Yuan greatly, and seeing the other side act so arrogantly, he could no longer hold himself back.

“Exactly. What’s the use of posting a video?” someone else chimed in, believing that this so-called Holy Angel was no match at all. Even if a god truly descended, it would be useless.

After all that had happened recently, Lu Yuan had already become invincible in their hearts.

If the Holy Angel had confidence in his own strength, he should come in person.

Yet there was no reply.

The other side simply fell silent.

But his stance had already been made clear: he would not agree to the formation of a Human Alliance.

And the upper levels of the government said little more, only restating one point.

At most, three months.

A few more days passed.

The God Knight from Mount Olympus also responded.

He too recorded a video. Wearing armor, he stood tall and imposing.

His entire being radiated a fierce, overwhelming might, like a war god incarnate.

Beside him stood a warhorse wreathed in flames, equally savage and fearsome in appearance.

“We are all human. There is no need to scream and fight ourselves to the point of standing on opposite sides. We should cooperate.”

Unlike the Holy Angel, however,

his words were not sharp at all, but gentle. The general meaning was that this matter could be discussed calmly; there was no need for conflict. In this new era, humans should coexist peacefully and together seek the ultimate path of evolution.

At the same time, the God Knight also said that he held the Eastern King Lu in great respect, and that if there were a chance in the future, he would certainly pay a visit.

Such an attitude did cause many awakened ones at home to soften slightly, thinking that there was still room for negotiation.

Especially when compared with the Holy Angel, the God Knight seemed far more agreeable.

“The God Knight holds absolute authority on Mount Olympus.”

“He once led his followers in slaughtering the awakened ones who opposed him. He is not to be trifled with; he is merely playing political games.”

Very soon, someone spoke up, revealing a few secrets they had gathered from outside, reminding everyone not to be deceived.

The God Knight would only be more troublesome than that Holy Angel, because he was willing to strike against humans.

And from beginning to end, he had never mentioned the matter of a Human Alliance.

Clearly, he was unwilling as well.

For a time, many people were astonished.

Sure enough, everyone outside the East was good at disguise.

As for the authorities,

they remained as calm as ever.

They only posted the three-month countdown online, making the situation clear.

To say nothing more, both at home and abroad, all manner of news and commentary concerning the Human Alliance flooded the world.

Everyone knew that Lu Yuan, this ruler among humans, was formidable in temperament and did not compromise.

The Gene of Immortality, Godly Tech—if he struck, he destroyed them outright.

There was almost no chance he would yield.

Some even believed that a war was unavoidable.

Yet the awakened ones at home did not worry.

They were all confident in Lu Yuan’s strength.

Of course,

that assumed thermonuclear weapons were not used.

But they had such means of deterrence as well, so it was judged that this would be difficult to happen.

In short, the outside world was almost entirely focused on this matter; everyone was captivated by it.

At the foot of Mount Tai.

Inside a room in the temporary encampment.

Lu Yuan sat cross-legged, his aura surging and trembling without cease.

Golden blood energy burst from him at this moment like rolling waves.

Yet even in the midst of cultivation, he was still able to control his power with precision.

Thus the room was not affected.

Otherwise it would already have been torn apart.

His chest rose and fell.

With each breath in and out, dragon-shaped vital energy appeared, then vanished again.

With every cycle, his aura grew a little stronger than before.

Especially the skin on his arms.

It had now become translucent and lustrous, faintly exuding a delicate fragrance.

This meant his physique had become even more robust, reaching a terrifying degree.

No one knew how long had passed before Lu Yuan slowly opened his eyes, a glint flashing through them.

“I’ve already broken through fifty genetic shackles. In this third stage of evolution, I’m basically halfway there now. Not bad.”

He murmured to himself, a smile appearing in his eyes.

If this continued, then before long, once the descent truly came, he might be able to begin advancing toward the Golden Body realm.

Lu Yuan did not continue cultivating.

He remained where he was, quietly waiting.

The reason he had temporarily stopped was because he knew someone was coming.

And indeed,

not long after, there was a knock at the door.

It was Ji Huaiyuan, Elder Yun, and several awakened soldiers carrying live ammunition.

“King Lu, the spirit monkey has sent word. Those beast kings have arrived.” As soon as he entered, Ji Huaiyuan spoke at once, his tone solemn.

After all, this concerned the life and death of countless civilians. It had to be treated with the utmost seriousness. Thus, he had not let the news spread, not wanting to invite unnecessary complications. He intended to wait until everything was confirmed before saying more.

“Good?”

At that, a smile appeared on Lu Yuan’s face.

During his seclusion, the spirit monkey had come once and brought news with it.

It said that not long afterward, after it had made contact through special means, most of the beast kings in the country would come to Mount Tai.

At that time,

he could discuss stopping the beast tide.

The spirit monkey had said that those beings were all very irritable and furious, and that a fight might be unavoidable.

Lu Yuan naturally understood this very well. He had agreed with the other side that he would go to Jade Emperor Peak in the near future.

Now, the timing was perfect.

“After more than a month in seclusion, they’ve finally come.”

Lu Yuan stood up, glanced at the others, and said, “Then only Elder Ji and Elder Yun will accompany me up there.”

The two men nodded upon hearing this. After all, the ones they were going to meet this time were almost all beast kings, at the very least in the Shackles realm. If conflict broke out, bringing more people would be useless.

Immediately after, Lu Yuan did not hesitate and stepped out of the room.

It was now dusk, the great sun sinking in the west.

Across the sky, clouds blazed in profusion, and under the golden light they looked especially magnificent.

He also noticed that during his seclusion, this temporary base had expanded considerably.

All around were busy figures and many construction sites, most of which had already been completed.

Ji Huaiyuan explained at the right moment that a Mount Tai Trial Academy would be established here, independent of the five major Dawn Academies. In the future it would be left for students and others to undergo trials. After completing them and earning a good ranking, they could come to Mount Tai to seek their own fortunes.

Elder Yun also made it clear that the academy had been established only because Lu Yuan had single-handedly suppressed the spirit monkey.

At that, Lu Yuan paused, then slipped into memories.

In his previous life, the authorities had later taken control of part of Mount Tai and established this very academy.

And back then, after he became awakened, he had tried every possible means to enter it and obtain his own chance at fortune.

Alas, his strength was too weak, and he had been eliminated time and again.

He had never imagined that in this life, the Mount Tai Trial Academy would actually be founded ahead of time because of him.

“There is one more thing,” Elder Yun said. “According to King Lu’s instructions, we have already announced the matter of forming a Human Alliance. However, both sides refused, especially the Holy Angel. His attitude was extremely firm. He said he would never submit.”

“Is there still a little over a month left until the deadline I gave?” Lu Yuan pondered for a moment, then continued.

“It doesn’t matter. Whether the Holy Angel agrees or not, he will not survive.”

The missiles were designed by that very person, intended to blast him to death.

Added to the Twelve Apostles from before,

Lu Yuan had long since developed a killing intent toward this man; he simply had not had the time.

Once the Mount Tai matter was settled and the deadline arrived, everything should come to an end.

Hearing this, Elder Yun could not help feeling a little dry-mouthed. As expected, King Lu remained as forceful as ever.

But no matter what, they would support him with all their strength.

The Church had entered the country without permission and had already violated a taboo.

Indeed, it should be purged.

With Lu Yuan here, there would be no problem.

What they now needed to worry about was thermonuclear weapons.

The crystallization of human supreme wisdom, the most powerful weapon in history.

However, under normal circumstances, the other side should not use such a lethal measure.

Thermonuclear weapons were for deterrence.

And they had deterrence of their own, unless the Holy Angel and the others truly intended to throw caution to the wind.

Thereupon,

the three of them said no more and began their ascent toward Jade Emperor Peak.

According to the spirit monkey, the negotiation would take place there.

Mount Tai was vast and majestic. Ordinary people could no longer hope to reach its summit, but that was nothing to Lu Yuan.

As for Elder Ji and Elder Yun, both were in the Shackles realm, so there was naturally no issue for them either.

By the time the great sun had set and night had fallen,

the three of them had reached Jade Emperor Peak.

Aside from Lu Yuan,

this was the two elders’ first time standing atop Mount Tai since the new era began.

When they saw the ruins of those palaces, they could not help but reveal looks of wonder.

Granted, they had seen them on livestreams before, but seeing them with their own eyes was an entirely different matter.

“You’re right on time. Not bad, not bad.”

At that moment, a voice rang out. It was the spirit monkey, holding a metal staff.

It scratched its ear, then looked at Lu Yuan from left to right, and finally exclaimed in surprise, “You’ve gotten stronger again?”

Its bloodline was extraordinary, and its eyes contained a certain supernatural power. Though not comparable to the Martial Heavenly Eye, it could still tell at this moment that the other side’s aura was actually stronger than it had been more than a month ago.

“Mm, a little.”

Lu Yuan nodded, then said, “These are Elder Ji and Elder Yun. They’re here with me.”

After all, this was a negotiation with the beasts concerning the beast tide, and the two elders representing the highest level had to come.

The two elders gave a slight nod, their bodies leaning forward a little.

“King Monkey.”

This was the king of Mount Tai. They were not Lu Yuan; they would never dare be presumptuous.

“Fine, fine. I’ll take you over.”

The spirit monkey had no mind for greetings. Clearly still gloomy over Lu Yuan’s latest breakthrough, it lowered its head and muttered as it prepared to lead them over directly.

However intelligent the spirit monkey might be, it was still an extraordinary beast in the end. It could never be as polite as a human.

Besides, to it, Elder Ji and Elder Yun were not much of anything.

If not for Lu Yuan,

the spirit monkey would not have bothered with them at all.

This was not arrogance; it was simply that their species differed.

In such a situation, strength was the only language that mattered.

Very quickly,

under the spirit monkey’s lead,

Lu Yuan and the others arrived at a wide open area atop Jade Emperor Peak.

By then, the moon had already risen, and the starry sky overhead glittered with points of light, brighter than in the old era.

Not far away, a series of massive shadows lay crouched there. Some had wings, some looked like giant pythons, some bore nine tails, and still others stood upright on two legs yet relied on a pair of enormous bull horns. Under the moonlight, their shadows stretched long behind them.

Every one of those shadows emanated an incomparably violent and terrifying aura, raging outward without restraint and stirring up small storms.

For an ordinary awakened one, or a weak beast, merely sensing such an aura would probably be enough to make them turn and flee at once.

Soon, the three drew near, and at last the appearances of those shadows became clear.

Lu Yuan did not react much.

But Elder Ji and Elder Yun beside him were immediately shaken.

“Peacock King, Giant Flood Dragon King, Nine-Tailed Fox King...”

They spoke one after another, their expressions changing, their faces filled with extreme wariness.

Because several of these were beast kings recorded in the authorities’ top-secret files.

In the early days of the mutation,

they had already displayed terrifying strength and occupied certain famous mountains and great rivers.

Later research showed that every one of these beasts possessed an extraordinarily powerful bloodline and limitless potential.

From the look of it now, they all seemed to be in the Golden Body realm.

And in addition,

there were nine of them standing on Jade Emperor Peak at this moment.

“Hm? You all know each other? Good. Then I don’t need to waste time introducing them.”

The spirit monkey turned around, looked at the group of beast kings, and continued, “Very well, I’ve brought the people here. As for how you talk, and whether the discussion succeeds, that’s up to you.”

After saying that, it ignored both sides, pulled out a spiritual peach from somewhere, and crouched off to the side to eat it.

Back when the spirit monkey had spoken to Lu Yuan about this, it had simply said that it would gather the various beast kings.

It would not concern itself with anything else.

Now that the task was done,

naturally there was nothing more for it to do. Better to sit aside and watch the show.

After the spirit monkey moved away, the ten beast kings all turned their eyes toward Lu Yuan, their gazes unfriendly.

“So you’re the human the spirit monkey mentioned, the one who said we must not unleash the beast tide?”

Then a black bull spoke. It was as tall as ten feet, standing upright on two legs, with a pair of enormous horns on its head that seemed to contain terrifying power, shrouded in layers of black light.

Behind it, a giant silver flood dragon slowly approached, a dragon horn already growing from its forehead, its aura vast and majestic.

There was also a peacock, its entire body flowing with brilliant radiance, its eyes sharp to the extreme.

And a snow-white nine-tailed fox, though not human-shaped,

still exuded an alluring charm that tugged at the heart and mind.

Seeing this,

Lu Yuan said nothing, merely looking on in silence.

Beside him, Elder Ji immediately came over and quietly introduced them. As someone at the highest level, he possessed a great deal of information, much of it preserved in top-secret files. For example, that black bull came from Flaming Mountain; the silver flood dragon came from Mount Changbai.

As for the nine-tailed fox, it belonged to Mount Tai Bai.

Altogether there were ten beast kings, and all ten were in the Golden Body realm. None of them was weaker than the spirit monkey.

Among them, the strongest was the Peacock King. Its background remained a mystery, yet it was exceptionally savage.

Most of them had emerged from various famous mountains and great rivers, and all were true kings.

That was why Elder Ji and Elder Yun had both changed color when they saw them.

Because if these beings were to erupt in violence,

the entire country would descend into chaos, and an unimaginable catastrophe would follow.

“So that’s how it is.”

After hearing all this, Lu Yuan nodded, then slowly stepped forward, his expression as calm as ever.

“Today I’ve gathered you all here, so I won’t waste time with nonsense. I trust the spirit monkey has already conveyed my message: from this day forward, no beast tide may ever occur within the borders of Hua Xia again. Humans belong to humans, beasts belong to beasts. In human territory, beasts stop at the border.”

As soon as he finished, his eyes grew slightly sharper, and he said once more, “Very well. I’ve said my piece. Who agrees, and who objects?”