At the foot of Mount Tai, the construction of the Trial Academy was proceeding in full swing.
Most of it had already been completed and was undergoing final adjustments.
It had to be said that the official forces possessed incredible efficiency, having taken barely three months from start to finish.
From cultivation grounds and residential quarters to logistics facilities, everything was accounted for. One could well imagine how immense the Trial Academy would be once fully completed, allowing humanity to fully harness Mount Tai's diverse fortunes and nurture even more Awakened.
At that moment, dozens of figures were gathered on an already finished runway.
Elder Ji and Elder Yun stood at the front, flanked by Dean Zheng, Ji Yuzhen, and others.
All of them were figures who held sway over the official factions, possessing extraordinary status.
Right now, however, their eyes were filled with respect as they looked toward the same person—
Lu Yuan, who was preparing to depart for the West.
"King Lu, it remains as I said before: this could very well be a trap. You don't have to go," Elder Ji spoke up.
Over these past days, he had gathered a vast amount of intelligence and understood that this journey to Mount Olympus was far less simple than it appeared on the surface.
Though he believed in Lu Yuan's strength, he did not want any accidents to happen—not even the slightest.
After all, Lu Yuan was a great benefactor to the people, as well as the strongest existence in the country today.
Elder Yun and the others nodded in agreement, feeling that the formation of the Human Alliance could be postponed.
They could plan it out thoroughly; as long as they bided their time until their strength accumulated to a certain level, achieving it would pose little difficulty.
"My mind is made up."
Yet Lu Yuan shook his head and continued, "Rest assured, they cannot hurt me."
His voice was calm, yet it carried an indisputable, powerful confidence.
Hearing this, the group could only exchange helpless glances.
In the end, Elder Yun produced a communicator resembling a mobile phone, though far more technologically advanced, capable of maintaining global communications.
Should there be any shift in the situation or new developments, they could notify him immediately.
Lu Yuan naturally did not refuse it and voiced his thanks.
Then, he raised his head to gaze at the sky.
*Skreee—*
The next instant, a piercing cry rang out across the heavens.
Immediately following it, a streak of golden light appeared.
Cleaving through the sky, the streak broke the sound barrier and descended from high above.
It was covered in brilliant golden feathers, immense in size, with shimmering streams of radiance constantly swirling across its form.
At the same time, a formidable aura surged forth, causing even Elder Yun and Elder Ji's hearts to tremble.
"Master."
It was none other than the Golden-Winged Great Peng.
Having received Lu Yuan's summons earlier, it had rushed over.
"You've broken nine shackles?" When Lu Yuan saw it, light flickered in his eyes, and he smiled immediately.
"Yes!" The Golden-Winged Great Peng replied happily. "During this time, I hunted several beasts possessing dragon blood, which greatly enhanced my strength. I believe that before long, I will be able to take another step forward and break even more genetic shackles all at once."
"Not bad."
Lu Yuan nodded approvingly.
Although its current strength could not compare to true Beast Kings like the Spirit Monkey, its bloodline was extraordinarily powerful, and catching up was only a matter of time.
Just like now—in merely three months or so, it had made such progress.
It was truly commendable.
In particular, the Golden-Winged Great Peng possessed immense potential; strictly speaking, it had only just passed its infancy.
As for his journey to the West, there was naturally no need for airplanes or anything of the sort, which were far slower than his mount.
Beside them, Elder Ji and the others looked at each other, their faces filled with shock.
How could they fail to recognize that this was the legendary Golden-Winged Great Peng?
King Lu truly lived up to his name. Even his mount possessed a formidable mythical bloodline and stood at the Beast King level.
Once it fully grew, it would undoubtedly become even more extraordinary.
At that moment, Lu Yuan leapt onto the back of the Golden-Winged Great Peng and gave a brief nod to the crowd.
The creature flapped its wings, soaring into the sky and ascending straight into the upper atmosphere.
"Keep a close watch on every move made by the Vatican Church and Mount Olympus. Do not overlook a single detail, and report back at all times," Ji Huaiyuan instructed immediately as he watched the figure vanish into the horizon.
He had to stay informed so that if any unexpected change occurred, they could react at once and provide support.
"I understand," Elder Yun nodded, his tone exceedingly grave.
Under no circumstances could anything happen to Lu Yuan.
Even if, when the time came, they had to resort directly to modern weaponry!
Without further words, the group departed from the runway.
Meanwhile, in another area at the foot of Mount Tai, two figures appeared—a man and a woman.
The man looked somewhat aged and wore dark red robes.
The woman was young and dressed in ancient garments; both her bearing and appearance were exceptionally striking.
"So this is the ancient Mount Tai recorded on the Ancestral Star. It is indeed extraordinary," the young maiden remarked, looking up with deep curiosity before slightly furrowing her brow. "Yet it doesn't seem quite so mystical, does it?"
"Because this world has merely experienced its initial upheaval. Its true mystical wonders will only reveal themselves in the later stages."
The old man smiled and explained, clearly possessing deep knowledge.
"I see."
The maiden nodded, then looked up at the sky. "The latest word from the Ancestral Star said that the first batch of people is about to arrive, right?"
"Yes, Holy Maiden, though that does not include our clan. The first to descend should be the Celestial Clan," the old man replied, adding, "The branch of the Ji clan that remained in this world found the Celestial Clan's bloodline and seemingly managed to establish contact with them."
"After that, even more major clans from across the star fields will appear. Once the grand era truly begins, it will shake the entire starry sky."
Speaking up to this point, a glimmer of excitement could not help but surface in his aged eyes.
He knew very well that the current era was unlike any before.
A resplendent path of evolution was about to unfold, with this world as its starting point.
"A grand era means grand warfare. There is nothing to look forward to."
The young maiden shook her head, then remarked, "That Lu Yuan obtained our ancestor's true blood as well as the Ancestral Dragon Breathing Method. He is an intriguing figure."
With that, she retrieved a mobile phone from who knew where, fumbled with it somewhat clumsily, and soon found a photograph of Lu Yuan.
A look of keen interest appeared in her eyes, and she murmured, "It seems I'll have to find time to have a chat with him."
Beside her, the old man said nothing, merely reminding her that it was time to move on.
The maiden smiled.
Together, the two began their ascent of Mount Tai, intending to take another look at the ancient peak before it completely revived.
After all, before long, they would no longer have such leisure.
***
Mount Olympus.
A colossal mountain mass loomed over the earth, towering and majestic.
Just halfway up its slopes, it reached a staggering height of ten thousand meters, shrouded in swirling mists and clouds.
This mountain range was one of the mythic cradles of the West, steeped in countless legends and revered by innumerable believers.
Particularly after the arrival of the New Era, divine miracles had manifested, and many had gained extraordinary powers here. Known as the pure land of the gods, it was destined to be extraordinary.
At this moment, inside a massive ancient castle atop Mount Olympus, dozens of figures stood upright, radiating formidable auras.
Seated at the head of the hall were two individuals.
One was clad in golden armor, tall and imposing, holding a halberd, with long brownish-red hair and divine light coursing around his body; he looked extraordinarily majestic.
Beside him stood a warhorse whose four hooves trod on crimson flames—valiant and mighty, an actual mutated beast king.
Not far away sat another figure, bearing three pairs of light wings upon his back and gripping a holy cross artifact.
He had golden hair, fair skin, and wore a pristine white robe.
Sitting there, he looked like a god descended upon the mortal realm.
These two were none other than the Divine Knight and the Holy Angel.
Standing before them were their respective subordinates, all Awakened, not a single one among them weak.
"We have received word that Lu Yuan from the East has already set out. Before long, he will arrive at Mount Olympus," a subordinate reported, bowing slightly toward the Divine Knight with deep deference.
"To think he actually dares to come," the Divine Knight murmured upon hearing this, his eyes narrowing with a faint smile.
"Since he has come, we shall execute him in accordance with God's will to atone for the Twelve Apostles," the Holy Angel declared. His words stood in stark contrast to his divine demeanor, dripping with killing intent.
Back then, the Twelve Apostles he had sent had all perished, and even the sacred artifact of the Vatican Church had been taken.
To him, this was an outright humiliation.
Behind him, several other church devotees also wore expressions of deep hatred.
"Mr. Edward, pardon my candor, but with your current strength, you are simply no match for him," the Divine Knight said, shaking his head. "If we attack him directly, the ones who die will very likely be us."
Over this period, he had conducted extensive investigations into Lu Yuan and ultimately reached a conclusion: this man had already evolved to a terrifying degree.
Not only the Holy Angel, but even if everyone present joined forces, they would likely fail to gain the upper hand and might even be slaughtered down to the last person.
"Then what do you propose?" the Holy Angel asked, narrowing his eyes.
In truth, he knew he was no match for Lu Yuan, but he remained unwilling to accept it.
"That is precisely why we have formed this alliance."
The Divine Knight pondered for a moment before continuing, "If extraordinary power is not enough, why can we not employ modern weaponry?"
"That man is perhaps the strongest Awakened in the East. As the world transforms, he will only grow stronger. As long as he lives, our future will become increasingly bleak. Therefore, no matter what, he must die."
"The intercontinental ballistic missiles I deployed before didn't have much effect," the Holy Angel replied, his gaze dimming slightly.
Ordinary firearms and missiles could no longer harm Lu Yuan; indeed, he had run out of ideas.
Otherwise, he would not have left the Vatican Church to come to Mount Olympus. He had come specifically to see if the Divine Knight had a plan.
"I know that, of course."
The Divine Knight smiled, his eyes gradually taking on a hint of madness as he articulated every word: "But what if we use thermonuclear weapons?"
"I have already reached an agreement with the council officials to deploy a thermonuclear weapon. My reason for inviting you here was for our two sides to cooperate."
"The Vatican Church still possesses five ancient sacred artifacts, does it not? They can completely lock down a region of space."
"As long as you agree, the plan can be carried out immediately!"
Just as people in the East had said, the Divine Knight was far more ruthless than most.
A thermonuclear weapon?
Hearing these words, everyone present looked shocked.
That was the pinnacle of human technology, the most devastating weapon known to mankind.
Its destructive power was unfathomable. Yet now, it was to be brought out merely to deal with a single human being.
Then again, they suddenly recalled just how overwhelmingly powerful Lu Yuan was.
At present, perhaps only a thermonuclear weapon truly stood a chance of killing him.
For a moment, every eye turned toward the Holy Angel.
The Holy Angel narrowed his eyes.
He looked at the Divine Knight, and after only a brief hesitation, he nodded directly.
"Agreed!"
Chapter 100