Below the ancient castle of Mount Olympus, Lu Yuan stood tall, enshrouded in golden blood-qi. Waves of immense, formidable might erupted from his body like boundless, surging ocean waves.
Beneath his feet lay the six-winged Holy Angel, venerated by countless people in the West.
He was stripped of all his former arrogance and majesty, constantly coughing up mouthfuls of blood, every bone in his body shattered. At this moment, he looked thoroughly miserable, crushed beneath an overwhelming weight, entirely powerless to resist. His eyes were filled with sheer despair.
As Lu Yuan pressed down harder, the Holy Angel's entire frame convulsed and trembled uncontrollably. No matter how desperately he struggled, he could not shift Lu Yuan even a fraction of an inch.
The disparity between them was too vast.
As for the so-called restriction, it held no effect against Lu Yuan whatsoever. With a gentle circulation of the Blood-Qi Pagoda's power, the restriction was shattered, rendered useless in the short term.
"I am God's spokesperson! I was sent from heaven to save humanity! You—"
The Holy Angel was genuinely terrified. He wanted to say more, yet his innate pride forbade him from bowing his head. Thus, he tried using his holy status to make Lu Yuan stay his hand.
Yet in the very next instant, Lu Yuan brought his foot stomping down with full force.
*Splatt!*
In a single flash, the Holy Angel's body ruptured completely, crushed underfoot. Pools of blood poured out as his six radiant wings dimmed and died. He was dead, reduced to scattered bones and gore strewn across the ground.
It was brutally simple—nothing more than a single stomp.
Through it all, Lu Yuan's expression did not waver in the slightest. He merely turned his head slowly to look to the side.
There stood the Divine Knight.
His face was pale, his eyes overflowing with terror. Especially when he felt Lu Yuan's gaze lock onto him, an icy chill shot straight to the crown of his head, plunging him into frigid despair. This man was simply too terrifying—ruthless, decisive, showing no mercy, and bound by zero inhibitions. Not even a nuclear strike could kill him.
The Divine Knight knew full well that his life hung by a thread!
"The establishment of the Human Alliance will help us explore the path of evolution together for mutual benefit. I fully support it!" the Divine Knight blurted out. Sensing that this might not be enough, he hurriedly continued, "And not just Mount Olympus—I will persuade the other nations to agree to form the Human Alliance. They will definitely comply!"
At this moment, the Divine Knight believed there was still room for negotiation, hoping this would stay Lu Yuan's hand. He truly did not want to die. In the New Era, his status was exceptionally exalted; even members of parliament followed his every beck and call without dare of resistance. He had truly ascended to the pinnacle of power. Especially at his current evolutionary stage, an even longer lifespan awaited him in the future. How could he bear to die now?
Yet opposite him, Lu Yuan seemed deaf to his words, stepping forward pace by pace.
"No, wait! Behind the castle, there is a vast herb garden filled with exotic fruits and spirit herbs I transplanted!" the Divine Knight stammered in complete panic, pleading for his life. "There are restrictions guarding it, but as long as you spare me, I can give them all to you! Yes, I will present them all to you as an offering!"
Lu Yuan paused in his tracks upon hearing this.
This brief hesitation instantly sparked a glimmer of hope in the Divine Knight's heart. Indeed, what did an Awakened need most, if not spirit fruits and exotic herbs?
There was hope! He was truly saved!
However, Lu Yuan's next words froze the Divine Knight in his tracks.
"Spirit fruits and exotic herbs? Why would I need you to offer them to me?" Lu Yuan said with a faint smile. "Once I slay you, wouldn't everything in this castle be mine for the taking?"
The moment the words left his mouth, he took a step forward.
Golden blood-qi surged, majestic and tumultuous.
In an instant, the Divine Knight and the Flame Steed beside him felt as though an immense mountain had crashed down upon them, rendering them completely unable to move. Then, as Lu Yuan slowly raised his hand and pressed down, an even more overwhelming force slammed into them.
*Crack!*
*Squash!*
Two sounds rang out in quick succession.
The armor on the Divine Knight shattered, and his body cracked apart, blood streaming out. Beside him, the Flame Steed's body disintegrated on the spot, its life force extinguished. Immediately after, the Divine Knight died as well, collapsing lifelessly to the ground.
The representative figures of the two great Western factions were now completely annihilated.
However, the reporters broadcasting the livestream were halfway down the mountain, so the world would likely miss this scene. Naturally, Lu Yuan did not care, his composure unchanged from start to finish. They were the ones who had set a trap and deployed a thermonuclear weapon first. The Holy Angel in particular had provoked him repeatedly. Both of them fully deserved to die.
Without another word, Lu Yuan looked up at the ancient castle—the legendary dwelling of the gods.
"Master," the Golden-Winged Great Peng soon descended, having circled in the sky nearby all along. Because of the Blood Contract, it shared a bloodline connection with its master. Thus, even after the nuclear detonation, the Golden-Winged Great Peng knew that its master had survived and withstood the blast. While shocked by the sheer terror of human weaponry, it was even more awed by Lu Yuan's immense power.
Now, it felt that having such a master was truly magnificent.
Exotic beasts always revered the law of the jungle where the strong ruled supreme; the more formidable you were, the more respectful and reverent they became. Just like on Jade Emperor Peak at Mount Tai, why had the Peacock King and the other Beast Kings agreed to cease launching beast tides? The fundamental reason was that even if Lu Yuan could not wipe out every single mutated beast, not one of the Beast Kings gathered there would have survived.
Lu Yuan did not know what the Golden-Winged Great Peng was pondering. He simply nodded and walked straight into the castle.
The castle was vast, containing numerous rooms and likely subterranean chambers. He had no intention of searching room by room; opening his Martial Dao Heavenly Eye to scan the area, he immediately realized most of them held nothing of value or any real secrets.
Ultimately, he proceeded directly to the central hall, where twelve seats were arranged. Three occupied the foremost positions, while the remaining nine lined up behind them in succession. Sunlight streamed in from outside and reflected off the glass, making the place resemble a pantheon of the gods.
Glancing around, Lu Yuan noticed twelve relief carvings adorning the surrounding walls.
"Master, what are these?" The Golden-Winged Great Peng shrank its body and looked around, its eyes full of curiosity.
"The Twelve Olympians. It seems this truly is the legendary Pantheon of the Gods," Lu Yuan replied. Looking at the three leading carvings, he saw Zeus, the King of the Gods; Poseidon, the God of the Sea; and Hades, the God of the Underworld.
"Main gods? King of the Gods? Quite the grandiose titles. I wonder how they compare to the Human Sovereigns of the human race," the Golden-Winged Great Peng remarked after hearing this, looking at the carvings with mild disdain. In its heart, it held far greater reverence for the legendary entities of Huaxia, believing only they truly deserved the title of gods.
"I can't speak for other aspects, but in terms of character and achievements, they fall far short of our race's Human Sovereigns," Lu Yuan chuckled and said casually. In Huaxia, which of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors had not made monumental contributions to mankind and future generations? Shennong tasted the hundred herbs, Suiren produced fire, Fuxi drew the primeval line to open heaven and created the Bagua, Yao established the four seasons and agricultural calendar, and so forth. Each and every one gave their all to ensure humanity's survival and growth, leaving behind magnificent deeds.
By contrast, the so-called Twelve Olympians were rife with conspiracies and power struggles. Whenever they bestowed blessings, disasters often accompanied them. How could they possibly compare?
Beside him, the Golden-Winged Great Peng nodded, then asked, "Master, are these gods of whatever-mountain dead?"
"No. They might appear in the future," Lu Yuan answered with relative certainty.
In his memories of the next ten years, the Western gods indeed made their appearance. But not now—only after experiencing multiple rounds of mutations.
Indeed, the supernatural had not arrived all at once. It would escalate over time, growing increasingly intense until it ushered in a magnificent era.
Lu Yuan pondered. More than a year had passed since the first great transformation. Before long, another global upheaval would likely erupt.
Soon, however, a question crossed his mind: if even the Western gods would manifest, then what about the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors? What about those mythic figures from history? Would they eventually descend into this era as well?
In his previous life, he had struggled at the bottom and had not lived very long, so he had never witnessed such things. But this life might be different.
"Let's go to the rear of the castle." Shaking his head, Lu Yuan set his thoughts aside.
According to the Divine Knight, there was a vast herb garden back there filled with spirit fruits and exotic herbs—something he certainly wouldn't pass up.
Soon, the man and peng arrived.
Before them lay an enormous herb garden, shielded by a barrier of light that barred entry. Inside, ancient trees, spirit fruits, and exotic herbs glowed with crystalline brilliance, exuding astonishing life essence. Upon closer inspection, several of them were nearing the divine rank, though some were still growing here because they had not fully matured.
Even the Golden-Winged Great Peng was astounded by the sight.
"It seems the Divine Knight wasn't lying," Lu Yuan muttered to himself, knowing the man had likely plundered these from various nations. The Divine Knight had been tyrannical, slaying anyone who opposed him, sometimes specifically to seize their spirit fruits and exotic herbs. But now, it seemed all of it had fallen into Lu Yuan's lap.
Without another word, Lu Yuan stepped forward and threw a punch.
*Crack!*
In an instant, the light barrier shattered.
Without hesitation, he flipped his palm and cast several hand seals.
The Ziwu Heaven-Mending Furnace emerged, swelling against the wind until it expanded into dozens of zhang in size, hovering inverted in midair. Immediately after, an immense suction force erupted from within, swallowing every spirit fruit and exotic herb in the garden. It didn't even spare the soil they grew in, looting everything down to the bare earth.
Finally, the Ziwu Heaven-Mending Furnace shrank back to the size of a thumb, and Lu Yuan tucked it into his robe.
The sight left the Golden-Winged Great Peng utterly dumbfounded.
*The Immortal's alchemy vessel truly is convenient,* Lu Yuan mused inwardly.
He had accomplished most of what he came for, so there was no need to linger.
With the Holy Angel slain, there was naturally no need to make a trip to the Vatican Church. He could return now.
Of course, before that, there was one final matter to attend to.
Chapter 104