"Where is this person right now?"
The woman asked, cold indifference filling her eyes.
"He should still be in Shanghai. His exact location has also been determined," replied the man in a suit leading the group. This had been deduced from where the Ninth Elite Squad was last seen.
"If the first time was an accident, the second time is completely different."
Hearing this, she pinched the bracelet on her wrist. After a moment's contemplation, she continued, "Dispatch three elite squads, and reassign an ace squad as well. Make sure you bring this person back. Dead or alive doesn't matter. Remember, I only want the person."
The woman seemed to regard Lu Yuan with considerable gravity, going so far as to mobilize four squads at once.
One had to understand that these were all Awakened cultivated by Longevity Genetics.
The ace squad, in particular, was the cream of the crop, boasting formidable abilities.
"This..." The man in the suit hesitated, unable to hold back his concern. "Right now, most of the company's attention is focused on Mount Li Imperial Mausoleum. Second Madam, shouldn't you consult with First Madam before reassigning an ace squad?"
The mutation had occurred not long ago, and Longevity Genetics did not possess many Awakened yet.
Most had been dispatched to Mount Li Imperial Mausoleum to carry out far more crucial missions.
Now, sending out four squads at once for an inconsequential target made him worry that First Madam would take issue with it.
"What? Are you planning to use First Madam to pressure me?"
At the words "First Madam," the woman's gaze turned sharp as a dagger. "Since I have entered the doors of the Wang family, Longevity Genetics belongs partly to me and Tao'er! It's not your place to make irresponsible remarks here!"
At this moment, her emotions grew volatile, stripping away her previous elegance.
After all, First Madam was the Wang family's legal wife.
As Second Madam, she was in truth merely a mistress; her entry into the household was solely thanks to her son.
"Understood. I will handle it immediately."
The man in the suit nodded hastily in assent, not daring to disobey.
If word of this reached the family head's ears, everyone present would face severe punishment.
Besides, as a mere subordinate, obeying orders was what mattered most, so he promptly led his men away.
"Hmph!"
Seeing them leave, Second Madam sneered. "Always trying to use the first branch to suppress me. Who knows whose hands Longevity Genetics will fall into in the future!"
"Mom, don't let these fools ruin your health with anger. There's no need."
At that moment, a youth stepped out of the side bedroom, speaking calmly.
The boy looked to be around seventeen or eighteen years old.
He was well-proportioned, carried a distinct aura, and wore martial arts training attire.
With his appearance, a dense, heavy presence began permeating the entire room, seeming to emanate from within his body.
"Tao'er." Seeing her son, the anger on the woman's face vanished instantly, and she stood up to walk over. "How has your training been going lately? What stage have you reached now?"
"Initial Realm sixth stage!" Wang Tao declared proudly.
"Good, good, good!"
Second Madam seemed immensely pleased with her son's progress. "Keep it up. You must surpass that bitch's son."
"It's only a matter of time!"
Wang Tao smiled confidently. "Still, Mom, why are you so concerned about that guy named Lu? Mobilizing an ace squad over this... I'm afraid Father might be displeased if he finds out."
In his eyes, this was a trivial matter hardly worth making such a fuss about.
"That's where you're wrong," Second Madam said, shaking her head. "Failing twice in a row, with one failure involving an entire squad of Awakened—I'm certain that Lu fellow is extraordinary. He likely gained benefits from that extraterrestrial meteorite. After all, objects from beyond the heavens are never ordinary; they contain miraculous, specialized substances.
"As for you, Tao'er, while your talent is excellent, your genetic intensity still falls short of that bitch's son. It needs to be enhanced.
"If we can extract the genes from that Lu fellow's body and transplant them into you, it will surely strengthen your talent and spur another evolution, allowing you to completely gain the recognition of your father and the entire Wang family!"
She looked at her son, speaking with earnest devotion.
There was no helping it.
Though the two of them had been recognized by the Wang family, their situation was far from ideal, suppressed at every turn.
Many core secrets of the Wang family were beyond their reach; they weren't even permitted to know them.
If they wanted to overturn this predicament and stand tall once and for all, the only way was to further strengthen her son's genes.
"So that's how it is."
Wang Tao understood immediately and said, "Since this Lu fellow is so important, why not let me handle him personally? I'm already at the sixth stage of the Initial Realm, and I've cultivated a powerful breathing method from the family. Dealing with him will be effortless."
He was supremely confident in his strength, believing he could easily enter that so-called Top 100 List.
"No," Second Madam flatly refused. "If you take action, it will inevitably draw the first branch's attention."
Compared to her son, she took a much broader view. The fewer people who knew, the greater the harvest would be.
When the time came and her son transplanted and merged those genes, he could make a stunning debut and utterly suppress the first branch.
"All right," Wang Tao nodded, somewhat disappointed, and continued, "Then do I still go to Mount Li Imperial Mausoleum?"
"Of course you must. That place is of paramount importance too. Mom has already scouted out many helpers for you; perhaps you can claim a piece of the pie. Otherwise, wouldn't they hog all the benefits?" Second Madam said. She had already reached out to several people within the family who pledged their support.
Everyone knew Mount Li Imperial Mausoleum held immense fortune. Whoever obtained it would undoubtedly take the lead in the coming era.
Members of the first branch had already set off, so she naturally could not pass up this golden opportunity.
Coupled with the move against Lu, it amounted to two irons in the fire.
At least one was bound to succeed.
"Yes!"
Wang Tao beamed with delight. Having cultivated endlessly lately, he had been itching to go out and make a name for himself.
That elder brother of his already bore the title of Southern Sovereign; he refused to fall behind.
***
Half a month later.
Deep within a mountain range in the central region.
The area was completely devoid of human tracks, yet lush with flourishing vegetation.
Towering trees reached hundreds of meters into the air, their sprawling canopies blotting out the sky so thoroughly that not even the midday sunlight could penetrate through.
Deep within the forest, gargantuan roars resonated from time to time, feral and chilling to the bone, evoking an ancient, primeval era that felt unfathomable and terrifying.
At this moment, within a vast expanse of the forest, a giant wolf over twenty meters tall and covered in scarlet fur tore through the terrain.
The giant wolf possessed a heavy, oppressive aura, and from its forehead sprouted a single red horn radiating crimson light.
It cut an imposing figure. Every twitch of its powerful muscles set the air trembling.
Most of all, the razor-sharp claws on its paws resembled heavenly sabers; wherever it swept past, giant trees were effortlessly shredded.
The horned giant wolf seemed to be the overlord of this territory. Wherever it appeared, mutant beasts instinctively retreated, terrified to draw near.
Yet a closer look would reveal sheer terror in the horned giant wolf's eyes. Its frantic sprint seemed more like an escape from something, and thick sheets of blood steadily poured from its body, staining the earth red.
"I told you running is useless. You might as well behave and stay to become my dinner."
Right at that moment, a lazy, leisurely voice suddenly echoed through the area.
The horned giant wolf halted instantly upon hearing it, terror deepening in its eyes.
It continuously scanned in every direction while dropping into a defensive stance, as if ready to lunge the moment it spotted its quarry.
The next instant, a slender figure plummeted from high above, landing squarely on the ground.
Boom!
Under the immense impact, the earth trembled and cracked open, churning up billowing clouds of smoke and dust.
The surrounding trees and vegetation snapped directly, utterly unable to withstand the shockwave.
"Roar!"
The horned giant wolf let out a thunderous bellow, like muffled thunder detonating, before unsheathing its razor claws and lunging toward the silhouette.
It threw everything it had into the strike, sensing mortal danger and knowing that the slightest carelessness meant death.
"Truly disobedient, aren't you?"
Lu Yuan strode leisurely out from the smoke with a faint smile.
He had completely reined in his aura, showing nothing out of the ordinary.
Facing the giant wolf's saber-like claws, he showed no inclination to dodge. Instead, he formed a fist seal and punched forward without warning.
Rumble!
A sonic boom detonated instantly.
The surrounding air was ripped apart, creating massive turbulence.
Before the horned giant wolf could even close the distance, the sheer force generated by that punch shattered its claws, splintered its leg inch by inch, and snapped bones harder than forged steel.
Its colossal frame flew high into the air, smashing through hundreds of massive trees each wide enough to take several people to hug before finally coming to a halt.
It collapsed onto the ground, unable to stand again, drawing its final dying breaths.
"And here I thought you were impressive."
Lu Yuan withdrew his fist.
He glanced at the immense trench carved out by his punch and felt a touch helpless.
Right now, he was simply too strong. Even without using any trump cards, he could rampage almost unchecked relying purely on physical might.
Take this giant wolf before him: its strength was roughly comparable to an Awakened at the eighth stage of the Initial Realm.
Yet before it could even touch his fist, it had been beaten to death.
And this was supposed to be the Beast King of the region...
Shaking his head, Lu Yuan pushed the thought aside. Walking up to the horned giant wolf, he waved his right hand.
Rays of light instantly surfaced, laden with sharp, lethal qi.
The Daluo sword core materialized out of thin air into his grip.
After sizing it up, he sliced off one of the giant wolf's legs, carved out the finest prime cuts, and strolled away.
All around, the powerful mutant beasts that witnessed this scene trembled, keeping their heads pressed low and not daring to step forward.
Lu Yuan had no interest in them, however. Dragging the wolf leg along, he pulled out his phone.
"I'm still over five hundred li away from Chang'an."
"I'll eat my fill, replenish myself, and then set off again."
Lu Yuan muttered to himself. Finding an open clearing, he crouched down and built a fire.
He actually intended to roast the prime meat from the giant wolf's leg...
In truth, ever since leaving Shanghai, this was essentially how he had traveled the entire way.
With the global mutation and all living beings embarking on the path of evolution, ancient mountain ranges and forests unprecedented in scale had cropped up everywhere.
Air routes, highways, and railways were largely defunct, making driving impossible.
Hence, Lu Yuan had practically sprinted all the way from Shanghai on his own two feet.
Of course, doing so consumed an enormous amount of energy.
Even a Shackle Realm expert couldn't sustain it without replenishing themselves.
As a result, the mutant beasts born alongside these changes naturally served as his rations.
Furthermore, mutant beasts that stepped onto the evolutionary path harbored unique energy within their flesh and blood. Consuming them replenished what an Awakened required, offering countless benefits. The stronger the mutant beast, the more vast this energy was.
Lu Yuan had sustained himself by eating his way along the entire journey.
Over that time, countless mutant beasts—and even beings known as Beast Kings—had ended up on his plate.
After all, given his current strength, ordinary mutant beasts simply couldn't provide enough energy.
"We're still in the early stages of the mutation, so one can still traverse the country on foot. In the future, that won't be possible," Lu Yuan pondered as he watched the wolf leg turn golden-brown over the roaring fire.
He knew that as time progressed, territories would expand exponentially.
Mountains ten thousand meters high would become common, and the entire world would grow astoundingly vast.
If one could look down from outer space, they would discover that this planet—and indeed the entire solar system—was expanding in equal proportion. What the mutation affected was not just this planet, but the entire cosmos.
Yet it mattered little. As humans continuously evolved and reached certain cultivation realms, the Awakened would gain the ability to fly through the air.
Powerful beings could even stroll freely through star domains and survive within the cosmic void.
"Judging by my current situation, breaking my fourth shackle will still take some time."
Lu Yuan checked his internal state.
In three months, he had crossed two realms to reach the third stage of evolution.
This was because he had fused multiple supreme divine items, which naturally brought about a distinct problem: his foundation was far too solid.
To continue evolving and advancing, he required vastly more energy than an ordinary Awakened.
There were roughly two ways to acquire this energy.
The first was through visualization methods and breathing methods.
The second was consuming natural treasures like spirit fruits and strange herbs.
These were originally mediums for the path of evolution, but after becoming an Awakened, they also served as cultivation energy.
Therefore, Lu Yuan currently had two objectives: obtain the breathing method at Mount Li Imperial Mausoleum, and search for spirit fruits and strange herbs.
He vaguely remembered that near Chang'an City, a few decent types of spirit fruits had appeared in his past life.
While not of immense use, they would still suffice.
Coincidentally, by his estimation, there was still some time before the imperial mausoleum fully opened, so he could take advantage of the window to harvest some.
Gradually, roasted over the roaring flames, the wolf leg meat began giving off a tantalizing aroma.
"Not bad."
Lu Yuan took a whiff. It was truly magnificent.
Mutant beasts differed from ordinary wild animals; their meat possessed exquisite texture and flavor even without any seasoning.
Soon, he began feasting heartily.
As the wolf meat entered his stomach, pores all over his body opened up as his flesh and blood essence were replenished.
Rustle, rustle, rustle...
Before long, Lu Yuan suddenly caught the sound of movement.
The aroma seemed to have drawn a mutant beast.
Yet he paid it no mind.
He could sense that the beast was far from strong—in fact, it was so weak he could crush it with one hand.
Moreover, there also seemed to be... a few Awakened.
Swish!
Right at that moment, the mutant beast struck.
It was a hedgehog, but the size of a car, bristling with quills like sharp swords.
At the very next instant, dozens of sharp throwing knives shot from the depths of the forest, gleaming with brilliant, cold glints.
In the span of a single breath, they were right in front of Lu Yuan.
Chapter 36