The aura of the Saint Realm was truly distinctive, blanketing the surrounding heaven and earth.
Every living being present could sense it—a formidable pressure that weighed upon the depths of their souls and their physical bodies alike.
Shock rippled through the ranks of Earth's Awakened and the government leadership upon feeling this aura. Elder Ji and the others knew that according to the plan, King Lu was not supposed to appear so early. He was to wait until the situation reached its climax before descending to suppress everything. Yet now, this Saint Realm aura...
The Awakened also paled, turning to gaze toward the horizon. The extraterrestrial beings, on the other hand, seemed to have anticipated this all along, having prepared for it long in advance.
Finally, an instant later, three figures appeared in the distant sky. At their lead stood a middle-aged man clad in black.
He hovered high above, looking down upon all below. Beside him stood two old men with towering, colossal frames reaching dozens of zhang in height, resembling miniature versions of golden dharma avatars.
These three were clearly not human; they hailed from beyond the stars, and without exception, every one of them stood at the sixth stage of evolution—the Void Saint realm.
"Saint Realm? How is that possible? Doesn't this world still forbid the presence of Saint Realm beings? How did they descend?"
"Heaven and earth are in constant flux. Perhaps they used some special method, otherwise it would be impossible."
"What do we do now? A Saint Realm cannot be fought!" At this moment, the human Awakened paled drastically upon witnessing the appearance of the three Void Saints.
This time was fundamentally different from before. Previously, when the Saint Realm beings led by the Celestial Clan had descended, though formidable, they had not been in peak condition. But now, these three Void Saints were completely unrestricted.
Originally, it had already been impossible for Earth's forces to contend with the extraterrestrial beings. Now that the balance of power had shifted once more, an actual clash would result in utter annihilation.
"Clan Uncle, senior elders." At that moment, the leader of the Yin Sparrow Clan stepped forward and bowed slightly.
The leading middle-aged Void Saint came from his clan, just as planned. The other two were from the Nether Bull Clan, having descended alongside him.
As Saint Realm experts, they naturally possessed the means to assume human form. Of course, to lay this deadly trap, having Saints descend had exacted a heavy toll from both clans. Yet as long as they could slay Lu Yuan and eliminate this variable, everything would be worth it.
"This is what a true Saint Realm looks like. You claimed that Lu Yuan had advanced his cultivation, yet why haven't we seen a single glimpse of him? Clearly, you were just bluffing," the elder of the Zhou family spoke up, malice gleaming in his eyes.
With Saints backing them, their confidence had surged. Even the various extraterrestrial clans behind them pressed forward one after another.
Though varying in form and race, they had all gathered at Mount Tai for a single objective.
Killing Lu Yuan was their ultimate goal. As long as that was accomplished, they could carve up the fortunes of this world before the true powerhouses arrived.
"No need to waste words on these people. Enter Mount Tai directly. Whether Lu Yuan is dead or alive, just drag him out," said one of the Nether Bull Clan's Void Saints, his eyes brimming with killing intent.
Back then, the Nether Bull Clan had been among the first to descend upon Earth, originally expecting to reap countless benefits. After all, they had enjoyed a time advantage, arriving ahead of many extraterrestrial beings. Yet who could have predicted that Lu Yuan would intervene, slaughtering scores of their kin? Had the Celestial Clan not previously commanded them to lie low, they would have lashed out long ago.
Now that Lu Yuan was injured and clinging to life, the Nether Bull Clan had no reason to stay hidden. Thus, they had directly dispatched two Void Saints this time, intending to crush everything in peak condition.
"Indeed! Pay no heed to the theatrics of these natives!"
"If that Lu Yuan were truly fine, he would have shown himself long ago. Let us strike now!"
"Delay brings unforeseen complications. Slaughter everyone standing in our way!" Behind them, the extraterrestrial beings chimed in one after another, their bodies radiating intense murderous intent as they grew impatient.
However, the Void Saint of the Yin Sparrow Clan raised a hand to halt the crowd, then declared, "Now, I give you two choices. First, submit and hand over Lu Yuan. Second, suffer the wrath of the Saint Realm."
He was supremely arrogant. Though transformed into human shape, the violent aura exuding from him was not diminished in the slightest.
His words whipped up a tempest, sending tremors through the mountain forests below.
"If you want to touch King Lu, you'll have to go through me first!" Right at that moment, an Awakened stepped forward. It was a young man.
His cultivation was modest, only in the Awakening Realm, yet in the face of the extraterrestrial host, he was the first to step out.
Determination shone in his eyes. Perhaps he knew there was little he could do, and fear surely churned within his heart, yet at this instant, courage conquered fear.
"Me too! If you want to storm Mount Tai, it will be over our dead bodies!"
"As long as we draw breath, we won't let you invaders have your way!"
"Right! Even if it means fighting to the death!"
One Awakened after another stepped forward, their expressions resolute.
Over ten thousand people marched forward. Even those who had hesitated before took that step at this decisive moment. Auras surged from their bodies—once chaotic and disparate, but now merging seamlessly into one.
For everyone's will was aligned; they were determined to stake it all to protect King Lu.
Farther back, Elder Ji and the other leaders were deeply moved by this sight.
These were the very people King Lu had protected.
In the end, he and Elder Yun stepped forward side by side, their voices solemn. "We issue our final warning as well: halt where you are!"
The appearance of Saints was indeed somewhat unexpected, but so what?
Back when King Lu was only at the fifth stage, he had been capable of slaying Saints from below. Now, he would only be far more formidable. There was nothing to fear.
Yet at this moment, they put on a display of desperate defiance, ready to fight to the bitter end—which, to the extraterrestrial beings, only looked like guilt and desperation.
And the Demi-Saint of the Yin Sparrow Clan completely lost his patience. With vicious eyes, he spoke slowly, "In that case, I will personally send you to the afterlife. Slaying that Lu Yuan afterward will not be too late!"
They were merely native humans of the Milky Way Star Sector; he could not care less how many were slaughtered. The moment his voice fell, he reverted directly to his true form.
His wingspan reached a thousand meters, enveloped in terrifying black flames. His frenzied aura even churned the clouds in the sky above.
At the same time, the two Nether Bull Clan Void Saints behind him also revealed their true forms. Their bodies were truly as colossal as mountain ranges, resembling ferocious beasts emerging from ancient times.
Behind them, the vast horde of extraterrestrial beings—outnumbering the human Awakened—advanced in unison. Sky-piercing murderous intent surged forth, threatening to crush all of Mount Tai beneath its weight.
"Since you all insist on seeing me, it would be quite rude of me not to show myself."
In the very next instant, a calm, youthful voice rang out abruptly from within Mount Tai.
Chapter 220