On the shores of the Bohai Sea, the earth was scorched black.
Seawater mingled with crimson blood.
Cracks spiderwebbed across the hulls of dozens of massive seafaring vessels, threatening to snap them in two.
Most of the disciples from the Three Immortal Islands lay strewn across the ground, completely devoid of breath.
Only the Great Elder of Penglai remained standing where he was.
Yet at this moment, blood seeped through his clothes as well. Had it not been for his Golden Body Realm cultivation, he would have collapsed long ago.
Trembling from head to toe, he stared at the young man before him, his face etched with shock and terror. Hearing Lu Yuan's parting remark made him involuntarily stumble backward.
Reasoning?
Indeed—hadn't he declared just moments ago that the fist was the only reason that mattered?
"Everything can be discussed! All conditions can be scrapped and renegotiated from scratch!" The Great Elder of Penglai was terrified. He could not comprehend why such a monstrously powerful human existed on the mainland, but he knew with absolute certainty that he had to yield.
This youth was an utter anomaly. He clearly appeared to be only in the Shackle Realm, yet how could he possess such terrifying combat prowess? Even if one broke multiple genetic shackles, it made no sense. His strength was downright horrifying.
Regardless, the elder understood what had to be done right now.
He chose immediate capitulation.
"Discuss?"
Lu Yuan shook his head and said softly, "There is nothing to discuss."
Having no interest in further banter, his blood qi erupted once more.
His five viscera and six bowels vibrated again, unleashing a violent, thunderous roar as his overwhelming aura surged forth. Suddenly, a colossal bolt of lightning plummeted from the sky.
Rumble!
The power of thunder and lightning tore through the air.
The Great Elder of Penglai was already grievously injured. Faced with this strike, he had no room to resist whatsoever and was instantly obliterated.
The strongest cultivator of the Golden Body Realm had perished. From start to finish, the entire exchange had taken only a few minutes, completely overturning the situation.
As for Lu Yuan, he still stood in place, his expression serene.
With his current combat power, killing an opponent across realms was effortless. Otherwise, how could he justify the immense accumulation of divine items he had absorbed?
"Elder Ji, Elder Yun, I leave the remaining disciples of the three sects to you," Lu Yuan said without lingering thoughts, turning back toward the two elders.
Those island disciples were wounded to varying degrees. Even if they weren't dead, they had lost all ability to resist. With the military strength at the high command's disposal, handling them would be simple.
"King Lu..."
Elder Ji walked over, his expression somewhat dejected.
He had thought they could resolve the crisis on their own, never expecting that King Lu would ultimately have to step in and salvage the situation.
To him, this felt like a failure.
Elder Yun felt the same.
"I understand what you two are thinking, and it is entirely natural," Lu Yuan said, looking at them with a faint smile. "In this New Era, extraordinary power will only grow stronger, and conventional firearms will eventually be phased out. Nurturing one or two true powerhouses to hold down the fort is of paramount importance."
He did not say much, merely pointing the high command in the right direction. How they proceeded would depend on their own decisions.
In truth, during his previous life, the authorities had come to this exact realization only after fighting a brutal war against the Three Immortal Islands. They had shifted course, pouring endless resources and methods into cultivating younger generations, yet they had still paid an exorbitant price.
The Three Immortal Islands were inhabited by genuine Awakened with profound foundations; conventional weaponry had virtually no effect on them. That was precisely why Lu Yuan had chosen to intervene, while also offering a timely reminder.
There was no helping it. In the early stages of the global upheaval, firearms were indeed effective and could deter many, not to mention the terrifying existence of nuclear weapons, which formed the bedrock of the government's confidence.
However, they were bound to be rendered obsolete.
"We understand." Both elders nodded, knowing what path they had to take moving forward.
"Very well. In that case, it is time for me to attend to serious business," Lu Yuan smiled.
"Serious business?" Elder Ji blinked in surprise, unable to keep from asking, "The crisis here is resolved. What else is there?"
The island disciples who had landed were no longer a threat; surely now was the time to rest and regroup.
Elder Yun and the others beside him were equally bewildered, unsure of what he meant.
Lu Yuan turned his gaze toward the distance, looking out at the three islands shrouded in purple clouds and mist. He said calmly, "Naturally, to strike straight into the dragon's lair."
With that, the golden eagle circling above glided down. Lu Yuan mounted its back, and it shot straight toward the Three Immortal Islands.
Waiting for troubles to unfold before attempting to resolve them was far too tedious. Striking proactively was always best.
"King Lu... is charging straight into the Three Immortal Islands?"
Witnessing this, Elder Yun stood completely dumbfounded, at a loss for words.
"Since King Lu made this decision, he must have his reasons. We just need to take care of the matter at hand," Elder Ji said. He understood that Lu Yuan intended to eliminate future trouble in a single stroke, just as he had done when he descended directly upon Mount Olympus.
Overthinking it now was pointless; they might as well wait here for good news.
The others raised no objections either and began clearing the battlefield.
Meanwhile, above the Bohai Sea, Lu Yuan stood upon the golden eagle's back, gazing at the three immortal islands in the distance.
Rosy radiance filled the sky over them, creating a mesmerizing spectacle truly reminiscent of legendary immortal realms.
Yet, as they flew closer, he realized that the visual distance between himself and the three islands remained completely unchanged. What they looked like from the shore was exactly what they looked like now.
"Jiang Ningxian said that the three immortal islands reside within folded space, making it virtually impossible for outsiders to enter without a specific method. It seems she was telling the truth." This was the first time Lu Yuan had encountered such a phenomenon, but he was in no hurry.
Had this been before, he truly would have been helpless, as this lay beyond ordinary comprehension.
Now, however, things were different. Lu Yuan retrieved the jade slip Jiang Ningxian had given him and, following the instructions she had shared, crushed it without hesitation.
Crack!
The jade slip dissolved into powder.
In an instant, the specks of dust radiated streams of colorful light that converged into one. Far off in the distance, all three immortal islands trembled slightly, growing increasingly distinct above the horizon.
Hum, hum, hum...
A low resonance echoed.
The radiant mist born from the jade dust coalesced into a passage—a brilliant corridor that bridged the space between him and the immortal islands like a vivid rainbow.
Lu Yuan could sense that traversing this path would lead him directly into the islands.
"I suppose I owe her a favor for this," he murmured with a faint smile. Left to his own devices, he certainly would not have been able to penetrate the folded space concealing the islands.
The golden eagle beneath him seemed to sense it as well and flew straight toward the corridor. As a Beast King, it naturally understood the significance.
As they advanced along the path, Lu Yuan detected a peculiar aura drifting ahead. Emanating from the three immortal islands, it differed completely from the outside world—a suffocating, indescribable sensation, as if one were bound by invisible shackles.
"The effects of the Severance of Heaven and Earth are gradually waning in the outside world, yet the resources of the Three Immortal Islands are running dry. The environment is no longer the same," Lu Yuan muttered to himself, coming to an understanding.
To draw an analogy, it was like a living environment. Ordinary humans might not feel much difference, but virtually everyone on the Three Immortal Islands was an Awakened, and the realm was no longer suitable for continued cultivation and evolution. If this continued, everyone here would eventually revert to ordinary mortals, stripped of their extraordinary power.
Just as Jiang Ningxian had said, they had to venture out periodically for the sole purpose of plundering external fortunes. Otherwise, they would simply sit by and deplete their finite reserves.
Before long, as Lu Yuan fully entered the perimeter of the three islands, the scenery in the distance verified his thoughts.
Three islands floated upon the seascape ahead, yet they were nothing like the lush, verdant sanctuaries drenched in purple mist seen from the outside. Instead, everything was steeped in twilight. Towering trees and vegetation stood bare and withered, bearing not the slightest resemblance to an immortal realm.
This was the true folded space, an environment that would only fully integrate after the world completed its resurgence. But in this enclosed domain, resources were already virtually exhausted.
Below him, the golden eagle let out a sharp cry and surged forward once more.
"Who dares trespass upon our islands?"
Just then, a voice boomed across the surroundings.
Simultaneously, dozens of figures flew out from the three islands, led by three elderly men whose auras were overwhelmingly powerful.
Possessing the ability to fly indicated that they had evolved to the Golden Body Realm. It had to be said that the Three Islands truly possessed considerable heritage—there were more than ten cultivators at the Golden Body Realm.
In the outside world, any one of them would be an overlord.
As for the three leading figures, there was no need to guess: they were the masters of Penglai, Fangzhang, and Yingzhou, the sect masters who ruled the islands.
The moment the passage opened, they had detected Lu Yuan's arrival. Knowing an unwelcome visitor had breached their domain, they appeared immediately.
"A mainlander." The Sect Master of Penglai knitted his brows, glaring at Lu Yuan with cold eyes. "You have overstepped your bounds."
"Speak! How did you get in here?" the Sect Master of Fangzhang demanded in a sinister tone.
"Why waste words? Strike first, talk later," barked the Sect Master of Yingzhou.
Just like the subordinates they had sent, these three were haughty and domineering. Seeing Lu Yuan arrive riding a golden eagle, they deduced that he was not in the Golden Body Realm himself; thus, what was there to fear?
The only thing that puzzled them was why there had been no news from the disciples they had sent to the mainland. Regardless, disposing of this intruder took precedence.
Lu Yuan looked at the three of them with an indifferent gaze, having no interest in idle chatter. "I come on behalf of the mainland to give you two choices. First, absolute submission and dedicated service to the mainland; second, total annihilation."
His purpose here was not purely to kill. Treacherous though these people might be, they were undeniably powerful and could serve as formidable enforcers against the many crises to come.
As for loyalty, that was hardly an issue. Lu Yuan had previously forged a Blood Contract with the Golden-Winged Great Peng. While that contract was designed between humans and mutated beasts, with the enlightened comprehension granted by the Ancient Bodhi Tree, creating a method to bind cultivators from the three islands would not be difficult.
Truth be told, he disliked resorting to such means, but extraordinary times called for extraordinary measures.
And naturally, before any of that could happen, a great battle was unavoidable.
"Insolence!"
"Audacious!"
"You are courting death!"
Hearing his terms, the masters of the Three Immortal Islands flared with rage. They had never imagined that a mere mainlander would demand their submission upon their very first meeting. Where did he get such nerve?
None of that mattered now. In their eyes, this was a grievous insult, and an insult had to be answered with the harshest punishment.
Without another word, the three sect masters led the Golden Body Realm experts behind them and charged forward.
He was merely in the Shackle Realm—could he possibly overturn the heavens?
High above, Lu Yuan stood upon the golden eagle's back, a faint smile playing in his eyes.
Then, an unfathomably terrifying aura abruptly erupted from his body. A blazing sun slowly rose behind him like the dawn of a new day. Enveloped in golden blood qi, he looked like a true celestial god descending upon the world.
There was nothing more to say—this was a battle to settle the realm!
Chapter 118