Hearing this, Lu Yuan frowned.
Yet he did not panic, gesturing for the two elders to sit down and take their time explaining. Judging from their expressions, the situation was not yet critically dire.
Elder Ji spoke first, explaining that a variety of natural disasters had struck in recent days.
Naturally, that was of minor concern; the authorities had reclaimed all centralized power and could mobilize substantial resources. Unlike during the initial mutation, when mounting a response had been nearly impossible, these disasters had not inflicted significant losses.
The real issue lay with the mutated beasts. Their numbers were swelling by the day, and their temperaments had grown increasingly violent.
They had begun attacking human cities.
The five super cities were massive engineering undertakings and remained under construction. After all, less than two years had passed since the upheaval began, meaning many citizens had not yet fully relocated into them.
Casualties were particularly heavy in certain remote areas. The authorities were unable to react in time; by the time the military and the Awakened arrived, it was generally too late.
Under such circumstances, even without a catastrophic beast tide, chaos had erupted across various regions.
"King Lu, we had already reached an agreement with the ten mutated beast kings that they would no longer invade human territory," Elder Yun said with worry. "With this happening now, could they have gone back on their word?"
He feared the Peacock King and the others had reneged.
Although the authorities had established firm control across the country and recruited many Awakened into the military, their accumulated strength remained insufficient, having had too little time. A beast tide could still be triggered with ease. Even though they possessed formidable thermonuclear weapons, they could not deploy them lightly.
Those weapons were far too destructive. A single misstep could ignite an all-out war between humanity and the mutated beasts, leading to unimaginable consequences. Especially near urban areas where citizens still lived, using them was entirely out of the question.
"Since they promised, they will not renege."
Lu Yuan shook his head and continued, "The world has expanded, and how vast are its famous mountains and great rivers? Even the ten mutated beast kings cannot govern every corner. The current unrest is merely caused by rogue mutated beasts causing trouble."
The ten mutated beast kings, led by the Peacock King and the Spirit Monkey, occupied famous mountains and held sway over vast hordes of mutated beasts. But they did not control all of them—after all, even humanity was fractured into various factions.
By now, Lu Yuan grasped the overall situation: certain disobedient mutated beasts were looking for opportunities to storm human cities.
"Then what should we do? Should we find a way to convene the beast kings for another negotiation?" Elder Ji asked. He leaned toward that idea but remained hesitant, which was why he and Elder Yun had come to consult Lu Yuan.
In their view, they could summon the various beast kings once more, and then they themselves could step forward to negotiate and ease the turmoil. After all, King Lu had already done more than enough; they felt they shouldn't keep troubling him.
"It's useless."
Lu Yuan shook his head with a slight smile. "The various beast kings are scattered far and wide. Moreover, they won't necessarily heed a summons from the Peacock King and the Spirit Monkey. Even if they came, little would come of negotiations."
He knew very well that even in his previous life, certain mutated beasts harbored deep-seated malice toward humanity and cared for nothing else. So long as they could inflict harm upon humans, that was enough.
Although the Peacock King's oversight prevented large-scale beast tides, these isolated strikes remained a nuisance, as one never knew when an attack might suddenly occur.
"Then... what should we do?" Elder Ji and Elder Yun exchanged a solemn glance.
They certainly had methods to deal with the problem, but it would come at a steep price, and the ultimate outcome might still fall short. Furthermore, with the Human Alliance having just been established, there were countless affairs demanding attention; the two elders had been run ragged lately.
"That's simple."
Lu Yuan rose slowly to his feet, his eyes gleaming. "A little bloodshed will suffice."
As he spoke, an unfathomable aura suddenly radiated from him, accompanied by a surge of killing intent in his eyes.
The two elders were taken aback.
A little bloodshed?
What did that mean?
Before they could ask, Lu Yuan smiled and said, "Over the coming period, I will make a tour of the famous mountains and great rivers to pick out a few examples. Reasoning is sometimes useless against mutated beasts. If we are to speak to them, we must speak with our fists.
"When the time comes, you need only provide me with general intelligence. Leave everything to me for now."
Against obstinate mutated beasts, he certainly had no reason to show mercy.
It came down to those four words: curb slaughter with slaughter!
It was the perfect timing—before the extraterrestrial beings descended in full force.
Hearing this, how could Elder Ji and Elder Yun fail to grasp his meaning?
It was simple.
King Lu was about to embark on a killing spree.
The two elders exchanged a look, then rose together and bowed deeply. They knew that to King Lu, such a task was merely a minor inconvenience. But to them, and to the millions of citizens, it meant everything—this was protecting all of humanity.
Without wasting words, the two immediately set off to prepare.
Lu Yuan then summoned the Golden-Winged Great Peng once more.
Having been away for some time, its strength had made another breakthrough, and it too was advancing toward the Golden Body Realm.
Soon, Elder Ji and Elder Yun delivered the intelligence dossiers, detailing the cities that frequently suffered attacks along with information on formidable, humanity-hostile mutated beasts, among which were several Beast Kings.
Having obtained the information, Lu Yuan did not hesitate. Mounting the Golden-Winged Great Peng, he tore through the sky.
***
Meanwhile, the internet outside was abuzz once again.
Mutated beasts attacking cities had caused numerous casualties, making the unrest increasingly palpable.
Indignant Awakened struck out alone, hoping to protect as many citizens as possible. They sought no reward, driven solely by the hot blood coursing through their veins!
Yet such efforts were merely a drop in the ocean. The mutated beasts were far too numerous, with Beast Kings sighted among them across various regions, making the crisis exceedingly difficult to handle.
To coordinate, several Awakened established a dedicated forum to pool intelligence, allowing whoever was closest to rush to the rescue immediately.
"Sigh, this can't go on. It's happening everywhere, and running ourselves ragged just isn't sustainable."
"The truth is, there are Beast Kings pulling the strings from behind the scenes. If we can deal with the Beast Kings, things will be much easier."
"Exactly. Take Mount Hua near me, for instance—there's a lion king there of immense strength. Many of the mutated beasts coming down the mountain are acting on its orders."
"So what if we know which Beast Kings are responsible? We're too weak. I heard the authorities are coordinating plans closely, but the results have been minimal."
People left comment after comment detailing the recent situation, well aware that the crux of the issue lay with certain Beast Kings.
Yet most Awakened were only in the Initial Realm, their strength far from formidable. It was nearly impossible for them to contend with a Beast King.
While the authorities possessed experts in the Shackle Realm, the trouble spots were too widespread for them to cover every front.
Of course, they were merely venting their grievances. The moment news arrived of mutated beasts causing havoc somewhere, they still chose to rush to the scene.
Soon, however, an earth-shattering piece of news appeared on the forum:
[King Lu departs Mount Tai to scour the famous mountains and great rivers!]
The moment this announcement surfaced, it seized everyone's attention, igniting fervent excitement and discussion.
In their eyes, as long as King Lu intervened, there was nothing that could not be resolved. Even a nuclear explosion could not harm him, and his might awed global factions—he was unimaginably powerful.
Everyone waited eagerly for the situation to shift.
Sure enough, before long, updates began flooding in.
"King Lu has descended upon Mount Huang! He executed the lion king and cowed countless mutated beasts. His next stop is Mount Qiyun!"
"What, already? Quick, keep a close watch! I have a feeling King Lu intends to single-handedly suppress every famous mountain and great river!"
"Breaking news! King Lu went to Mount Yandang and casually pulverized three Beast Kings and over a hundred mutated beasts! He was seen bathed in a rain of blood, and an Awakened on the scene even uploaded a video!"
"King Lu arrived at our Mount Tianzhu today! Before he even landed, riding the golden peng, he unleashed a downward punch that obliterated five Beast Kings on the spot!"
"According to official news, the mutated beasts have started reigning themselves in lately! None dare act recklessly for fear of him coming knocking!"
"Too strong! Dominating the world, truly dominating the world! As expected of King Lu!"
Over the span of more than a month, dispatch after dispatch arrived, filling countless people with exhilaration.
It was simply incredible.
A single man had traversed the realm's famous mountains, slaying dozens of Beast Kings outright.
The mutated beasts across all regions were cowed into submission, scarcely daring to stir up trouble, and the chaos was brought to an abrupt halt.
Stunned and in disbelief, the public chanted King Lu's name in unison. After all, this campaign had saved countless lives.
"Good thing I didn't strike back then. Against someone with such an unyielding disposition, it would've been me who died." Deep within the Flaming Mountain, the Black Bull King rubbed his horns, thoroughly intimidated and utterly convinced after hearing the news among the mutated beasts.
"Humanity has produced an overwhelmingly powerful figure after all. It seems we beasts will be suppressed once again."
This was the Peacock King's assessment, sent to the various beast kings who had gathered at Jade Emperor Peak, bidding them to abide by their prior pact.
If trouble arose, King Lu was there to answer it; for the foreseeable future, the beasts had best behave.
"What an interesting human king. Once I fully awaken my bloodline, advance my strength, and take human form, I must have a good look at him," the Nine-Tailed Fox King murmured to herself, her eyes brimming with an enchanting allure capable of swaying even humans.
From the moment Lu Yuan set out across the famous mountains and great rivers on his killing spree, word had spread to every corner, drawing the attention of humans and beasts alike.
The domestic populace was elated.
As for the mutated beasts, alongside their terror lay deep anxiety for the future.
Lu Yuan was already this terrifying at the current stage; when the next mutation occurred, how frightening would he become?
Consulting their ancestral memories, several beast kings reasoned that perhaps only the far mightier, mysterious entities from deep space could suppress this human king.
All told, at this moment, Lu Yuan had truly cowed the contemporary world through his strength alone.
The emerging chaos was largely quashed in under two months. The mutated beasts reined in their aggression, curbing their attacks on cities inhabited by ordinary people and granting the public a much-needed reprieve.
Yet Lu Yuan knew very well that this calm would not last forever; in the end, humanity had to grow strong through its own efforts.
What he had delivered was merely a warning.
There was no alternative. At his current strength, he could not reshape the entire overarching situation.
Even so, he had at least bought breathing room for the domestic populace and the authorities.
Ultimately, once the work was largely done, Lu Yuan directed the Golden-Winged Great Peng to return to Mount Tai.
During his time away, he had spent considerable effort studying the Great Sun Flame God Furnace and found it exceptionally profound. If utilized properly, his physique would be tempered once more, ascending to an even higher plane!
Chapter 109