For now, humanity seemed able to enjoy a temporary peace in their corner of the world.
Yet as time marched on, they would inevitably have to confront the crisis head-on.
Elder Ji, Elder Yun, and the other leaders understood all too clearly that the arrival of these extraterrestrial beings was merely the beginning.
More entities might appear in the future. When that time came, could they still guarantee the same safety they had now?
Mutated beasts had indeed clashed and quarreled with humans in the past, but both were native creatures of this world. Facing outside invaders, they ought to share a common enemy and stand united.
With that, the decision was made, and everyone plunged into preparations.
At present, however, the primary force the authorities could rely upon was still conventional firearms and heavy weaponry. Sending their Awakened into the fray would amount to sending them to their deaths.
At the same time, they notified the Spirit Monkey atop Mount Tai, informing it that humanity would cooperate in the defense.
Mount Tai was currently under the joint administration of mutated beasts and humans. Once seized by the extraterrestrial Nether Bull Clan, any subsequent opportunities and fortunes born there would be lost to them, and even the Trial Academy at its foot would be compromised.
The Spirit Monkey, alongside the wounded Peacock King and Nine-Tailed Fox King, was deeply shaken by the news. Yet they too recognized that in such a critical hour, old grudges had to be cast aside.
Possessing formidable bloodlines, their intellect was on par with humans'. They promptly began utilizing special methods to summon other Beast Kings.
Earth's famous mountains and great rivers had all been targeted. Standing alone meant certain death. While they could not stop every single incursion, preserving Mount Tai to ensure a vast sanctuary remained was a consensus shared by humans and mutated beasts alike.
Meanwhile, the authorities released word to the public, declaring that when the extraterrestrial Nether Bull Clan arrived, they would do everything in their power to repel them. Should a great battle erupt, it would be livestreamed in its entirety. In short, humanity would not give up.
Upon learning this, citizens and Awakened alike felt a surge of resolve. Some even volunteered to take part in the defense.
However, their offers were turned down. Heavy weaponry would be deployed in the battle, and the inclusion of ordinary Awakened would do little to turn the tide.
As for this matter, Elder Ji and Elder Yun chose not to disturb Lu Yuan.
For one, they did not want to trouble him. For another, they wished to gauge firsthand just how wide the chasm between themselves and the extraterrestrial beings truly was.
Thus, with the passage of time, all eyes turned once more toward Mount Tai.
Everyone knew that a monumental crisis was unfolding.
***
Meanwhile, inside a quiet room.
Lu Yuan sat cross-legged.
A golden aura rippled outward from his body before slowly receding.
During this period of seclusion, he had fully acclimated to the power of the Golden Body Realm and gained a thorough understanding of his combat prowess.
Moreover, bolstered by his prior foundations, he had already reached the absolute peak of this realm and was prepared to advance toward the fifth stage of evolution. It was the natural harvest of long-accumulated strength—after all, severing a hundred and eight genetic shackles was no trivial feat.
"Now, even if I face an entity in the Sovereign King Realm, I can confront them directly—or even kill them."
Sensing the power coursing through him, Lu Yuan smiled, thoroughly pleased with his progress.
This proved that his decision to remain in the Shackle Realm for so long had been entirely correct. He knew that the further along the path he walked, the more pronounced the benefits would become.
Furthermore, he had noticed another change since reaching the Golden Body Realm: the purple halo emanating from the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token in his mind had grown noticeably richer, seemingly evolving in tandem with his cultivation realm.
In all other respects, however, it remained unchanged. Though its specific use remained a mystery, he had a distinct intuition that one day, it would reveal extraordinary capabilities—especially once all its missing components were restored.
"Time to go out and take a look."
Without dwelling further, Lu Yuan rose to his feet and stepped out of the room.
According to his estimates, extraterrestrial beings should have begun descending by now, bringing drastic shifts to the situation.
The authorities would surely be powerless to handle it alone, so he had to step in. He knew all too well that those first extraterrestrial beings to descend harbored nothing but ill intent.
In his past life, even he had suffered from their emergence.
The moment Lu Yuan left the room, Zhu Qingyu rushed over to greet him. After a few inquiries, he quickly caught up on the events taking place outside: the Nether Bull Clan was slaughtering Beast Kings and claiming famous mountains and rivers as their territory.
Moreover, most of the Beast Kings who had previously gathered with him on Jade Emperor Peak to discuss peaceful coexistence between humans and beasts were now dead.
Evidently, those extraterrestrial beings intended to usurp Earth's lands, utterly disregarding the native lives of this world.
"Inform Elder Ji and Elder Yun to stay wary of those extraterrestrial beings. Aside from that, it is best they take no reckless action."
Lu Yuan paused before adding, "I am going to Mount Tai."
With those words, he took a step forward.
This time, unlike in the past, he rose directly into midair and shot toward Mount Tai at blinding speed. At the Golden Body Realm, traversing the sky was second nature.
***
Before long, on the Jade Emperor Peak of Mount Tai.
The Spirit Monkey sat on the ground with its iron staff resting beside it, its golden fur fluttering in the wind like dancing flames.
Before it stood two other mutated beasts: the Peacock King and the Nine-Tailed Fox King.
Though their physical wounds had faded, their auras were languid and weak—the lingering toll of severe injuries sustained in the recent clashes.
"Those extraterrestrial beings are genuinely terrifying. Having surpassed the Golden Body Realm, we are simply no match for them. We haven't had enough time to grow," the Nine-Tailed Fox King spoke. Its voice lacked its usual seductive cadence, replaced entirely by solemn gravity.
In truth, its bloodline was by no means inferior to the Nether Bull Clan's—if anything, it was even superior. Its defeat stemmed entirely from having had far too little time to evolve, leaving it far from full maturity.
"There is no point dwelling on that now," the Peacock King said, shaking its head. "At the end of the day, they are stronger than us. Figuring out how to handle what comes next is our top priority."
Having crossed paths with the Nether Bull Clan, it understood that winning was an impossibility. Their inadequacy in strength was an undeniable reality.
Now, those savage beasts were advancing relentlessly, capturing one famous mountain and river after another. If this continued, Earth's mutated beasts would have nowhere left to shelter.
As Beast Kings, they had to take this into account.
"What is there to fear? If they come, we fight, and that's that!" the Spirit Monkey snapped, its hot-tempered nature flaring up. "We may lack the strength, but we cannot simply run away. This world belongs to us, after all!"
It knew the extraterrestrial Nether Bull Clan from the depths of the starry sky was immensely powerful, and that it was definitely no match for them. But the problem was that if they continually fled, there would be only one outcome: every single domain would fall into alien hands.
Humanity shared this sentiment, which was why both sides had ultimately chosen to join forces for the time being.
"Indeed. We must fight, regardless of the outcome,"
the Nine-Tailed Fox King agreed with a nod.
They had already fled once. While they possessed the strength to save their own lives by running, could they really keep doing so indefinitely?
The Peacock King raised no objections either. Even with severe injuries, it had witnessed countless mutated beasts perish. Though they belonged to different species, they were all native beasts of this world. What good would endless retreat bring?
To put it on a grander scale, this was a struggle between two worlds, between two distinct races.
And according to their inherited memories, everything that was happening now was merely the beginning.
"I fear what lies ahead will be a brutal battle," the Peacock King said, its gaze sharpening.
Yet fear found no purchase in its heart, for this concerned the fate of two worlds.
"It seems the three of you have already made up your minds."
Just then, a calm, detached voice rang out.
The three Beast Kings turned their heads and caught sight of Lu Yuan stepping through the air toward them, expressions of shock immediately washing over their faces.
"You reached the Golden Body Realm?" The Spirit Monkey was the first to bound over, circling Lu Yuan and looking him up and down with immense curiosity.
It knew full well that while still in the Shackle Realm, Lu Yuan had broken numerous genetic shackles, and even then, none of the Beast Kings present had been a match for him—he had suppressed them single-handedly.
Now that he had evolved into the fourth stage, the Golden Body Realm, he would only be all the more formidable.
"King Lu."
"King Lu."
The Peacock King and Nine-Tailed Fox King walked over as well.
Though their vitality was diminished, both felt a tremor of awe upon sensing the boundless, surging energy circulating within Lu Yuan's frame.
"Extraterrestrial beings have descended and seized famous mountains across the globe. What has happened so far is only the start, and their next target will be Mount Tai. On behalf of humanity, I propose to join forces with the mutated beasts to mount a joint defense. What do you say?"
Lu Yuan wasted no time on pleasantries, stating his purpose directly.
In truth, Lu Yuan knew that his individual strength was not yet sufficient to resolve every crisis alone.
Furthermore, the so-called Nether Bull Clan was merely an advance vanguard. If Earth's native beings hoped to survive the clashes between major star domain clans in the future without suffering catastrophic slaughter—and if they wished to secure their own voice and seize the fortunes due to them—they had to unite every force that could be united.
Whether it was the Peacock King, the Nine-Tailed Fox King, or the mutated beasts they represented, all possessed tremendous potential. With time, they would only grow stronger, forming a force that could not be overlooked.
Why, then, choose to fight alone?
"King Lu, do you mean to say that when the Nether Bull Clan attacks Mount Tai, you will intervene personally?" the Peacock King asked.
To its mind, the fact that humans were willing to provide assistance was already commendable, given that humanity itself was not yet in direct peril.
"Yes," Lu Yuan smiled, continuing, "Just as I said: humans and mutated beasts will stand together against the common enemy."
This was precisely why he had refrained from wiping out these Beast Kings and mutated beasts back then. While grudges certainly existed between the two sides, the extraterrestrial invaders took absolute precedence, as outside forces sought to subjugate their world.
Continued infighting would only plunge the situation into deeper peril.
Moreover, Lu Yuan needed to bring sufficient power under his sway so that he would have more options at his disposal when dealing with extraterrestrial entities later on.
In doing so, he could preserve both humanity and the mutated beasts.
Even more importantly, he could prevent the entire world from being utterly conquered by those interstellar behemoths.
In his past life, precisely because no overarching figure had emerged to unite all forces, calamity after calamity had unfolded, reducing humanity to a subservient race beneath the extraterrestrial conquerors.
Now, Lu Yuan possessed the strength and the means, which was why he had been laying the groundwork all along to become the architect of a new order.
And now that the Beast Kings had suffered bitter defeats and slaughter at the hands of the Nether Bull Clan, convincing them to agree was all the simpler.
Naturally, his ambitions extended far beyond just this.
"Very well. We agree," the Peacock King finally stated.
It possessed full confidence in Lu Yuan's capabilities.
The Nether Bull Clan was undeniably formidable, but the human before them was equally unfathomable. Joining forces would undoubtedly improve their odds, at least granting them a way to confront the imminent Mount Tai crisis.
Hearing this, a faint smile appeared on Lu Yuan's lips, and he added, "Since we are forming an alliance, I have one condition that I hope you will agree to."
Chapter 127