"The Saint Realm." Feeling the power within his body, a faint smile showed in Lu Yuan's eyes.
To be precise, he had reached the sixth stage of evolution: Void Saint.
The Void Saint was one of the three realms of the Saint Domain, marking true entry through the gates of the supreme powerhouses. Soul and physical body, in every aspect, had reached an exceedingly high level.
They merged with near perfection.
This was the fabled union of soul and body. In such a realm, both flesh and soul were extraordinarily difficult to destroy, unless an adversary possessed overwhelmingly terrifying power.
It was just like before, when Lu Yuan already possessed the means to fight above his realm. Yet when facing those in the Saint Realm, where the gap was merely a single cultivation realm, he still had to go all out to match them. Only through various hidden trumps was he able to slay three Saints.
And that was under the suppression of Heaven and Earth. If he had faced those Saints in their prime, he would only have been able to contend with them, not slay them.
Now, however, things were different. Lu Yuan had also attained this formidable realm. If he encountered Saint Realm figures like Lei You again, he could suppress them with utter ease.
Within the same realm, he truly possessed an unrivaled advantage. Even when facing a Demi-Saint, slaying them by going all out was by no means out of reach.
After all, Lu Yuan's Saint Realm was built upon having unlocked all one hundred and eight genetic shackles. His potential, explosive force, and combat prowess were beyond comparison.
Only upon truly reaching this realm could one genuinely appreciate this fact.
Furthermore, Lu Yuan discovered that after attaining the Saint Realm, he had gained a special ability: tearing through the void. He could cross vast distances in a short span of time. However, there were significant limitations. First, it required sufficient power to sustain.
Second, the distance was not excessively far. If he advanced further to Demi-Saint or even Great Saint, it would be an entirely different story.
Lu Yuan considered many things, though he knew that continuing to break through in the near future was out of the question. He needed to build his foundation further or seize more opportunities.
None of that mattered for now. His current strength was already enough to support his plans.
Moreover, the suppression of this world targeted extraterrestrial Saints, but it did not apply to those who broke through within this world itself. With this thought, Lu Yuan rose to his feet and exited the cultivation chamber.
The moment he emerged from seclusion, Elder Ji and the others received word and rushed over immediately. Feeling the formidable aura emanating from him, their eyes widened in shock, followed by wild excitement.
"Congratulations, King Lu, on successfully reaching the Saint Realm!" Elder Ji immediately cupped his hands, looking overjoyed.
This was the very first Saint on Earth. He belonged to them, to the Heavenly Court. The others chimed in as well, as if injected with a potent shot of adrenaline.
Only the continuous emergence of true powerhouses could prevent Earth from being completely overrun by extraterrestrial beings in the coming golden age.
The Beast Kings—the Golden-Winged Great Peng, Spirit Monkey, and Peacock King—looked upon him with immense reverence. In a sense, they had received investitures and were now his genuine subordinates, which gave them an entirely different perspective.
"There's no need for this." Lu Yuan smiled and waved his hand, feeling somewhat helpless at their deferential attitude. He shifted the subject: "Elder Ji, Elder Yun, what is the situation outside now?"
"Following your orders, King Lu, we spread word that you were gravely wounded. They have practically begun to believe it."
"As a result, they've grown quite active recently, and more extraterrestrial beings continue to descend." Elder Yun spoke up, detailing recent events.
Essentially, after receiving the news, the extraterrestrial beings began plotting trouble. Several races had already stepped forward openly, seeking to test the authorities' reaction, even entertaining notions of entering the super cities.
One had to understand that the vast majority of people in the super cities were ordinary citizens. Although many had embarked on the evolutionary path following the cataclysm, they constituted only a tiny fraction of humanity as a whole.
Naturally, the authorities were working on systematic methods to help ordinary people become Awakened. This had been Lu Yuan's initiative from the start, though it required time.
For extraterrestrial beings to enter the super cities meant endangering ordinary citizens—a heinous intent deserving of death.
"King Lu, now that you've emerged from seclusion, can we begin taking action?"
"I've gathered a wealth of intelligence. I know which extraterrestrial beings are colluding with certain factions behind the scenes. With proper arrangements, we can deliver a thunderous blow immediately." Elder Yun continued, an icy murderous intent swirling in his eyes. It was one thing if only outsiders threatened the populace and stirred chaos.
The critical issue was that certain financial conglomerates and capital factions, once regarded as their own, were colluding with the enemy. This was something he would never tolerate—it was outright treason!
"No rush. That alone isn't enough." Hearing this, Lu Yuan shook his head. "What we want is to catch them all in one net. Since they love stirring up trouble, we will follow the plan and continue laying our trap. Gradually substantiate the rumors of my grave injuries, and wait for certain people to come knocking on their own."
"That will save us the trouble of hunting them down. The key is patience. Everything has only just begun." His plan was simple: draw them out into the open, ideally including the Zhou family.
He had lacked the time to deal with them before; now he could use this opportunity to eliminate all future trouble once and for all. Hearing his words, everyone exchanged glances.
On careful thought, the plan was indeed feasible. While the main instigators were broadly known, who could say if even deeper factions lay concealed?
Extraterrestrial beings were manageable; what mattered most were those harboring treacherous hearts. Such people were the most detestable of all.
"Understood, King Lu. I know what to do." Elder Yun nodded. He was usually hot-tempered, unable to tolerate even a speck of sand in his eye.
Yet having held high office for decades, he had a sharp grasp of the overall situation. Striking now might achieve some results, but there was no guarantee the problem wouldn't resurface later. Resolving it once and for all was the superior course.
Elder Ji and the other top officials nodded in agreement with Lu Yuan's thinking and plan. Naturally, executing the finer details was up to them.
For the leadership, this was hardly a challenge. Was it not just public opinion manipulation? One had to remember that they had once represented the state apparatus itself; handling this was effortless.
Now that Lu Yuan had become a Saint, everyone felt far greater confidence and backbone in their actions.
"If anything happens, report it directly to me." Lu Yuan smiled and gave a few more instructions, feeling thoroughly at ease.
He then prepared to return to his quarters to adapt to his newfound power. As a newly ascended Saint, he needed to consolidate his realm to unleash even greater combat strength in the battles to come.
However, just after Elder Ji and the others departed, Jiang Ningxian stepped forward. A faint smile lingered on her face as she said softly, "Lu Yuan, I used to think you were completely straightforward in everything you do. Who would've thought you actually have such a wicked streak?"
Chapter 214