Western Divine Arts? Instantly Obliterated by Heavenly Thunder!

The Golden-Winged Great Peng was only the size of a palm. Yet its gaze was exceedingly sharp, and its senses were remarkably keen. It was already ranked among the mutated beast kings, bolstered by its formidable bloodline. If placed among humans, it would be an extraordinary expert whom few could best. Thus, it detected the anomaly at once, even in a place like Shennongjia. "I know," Lu Yuan replied, his gaze unchanging. He was stronger than the Golden-Winged Great Peng and had sensed them a step earlier. He even knew the exact identities of the newcomers. But so what? He immediately signaled the peng to proceed. Without hesitation, the Golden-Winged Great Peng swooped over and harvested three exotic herbs in succession. Having done so, it perched once more upon Lu Yuan's shoulder. Lu Yuan stored the herbs into the Ziwu Heaven-Mending Furnace. Once everything was put away, he turned directly, preparing to leave. He had his own purpose here and had no desire to become entangled with anyone. "Easterner ahead, halt!" a stern voice called out just then. It was Hans, followed by Jennifer and the other cultists of the Western Church. The group emerged and stood not far away. Upon sensing no spirit fruits or exotic herbs in the surroundings, Jennifer frowned deeply and looked toward Lu Yuan. "Did you take the things?" Her voice was as haughty as ever, her green eyes filled with a condescending air. Aside from her own group, only this Eastern man stood here. Hence, she concluded he had plucked the spirit fruits and exotic herbs. However, Lu Yuan did not answer. With calm eyes, he remained standing in place. "It's Lu Yuan! He's in Shennongjia too?" Not far off, the members of Beidou Biology who had trailed them watched from a distance, all of them shocked upon spotting Lu Yuan. Ice Fairy's eyes also held a look of astonishment. Having heard no news of him for some time, she had not expected to run into him here. "What should we do?" someone asked, inquiring whether they should reveal themselves. "No rush," Ice Fairy replied, shaking her head with curiosity on her face. As for Lu Yuan, she felt she understood him relatively well. His temperament was exceptionally domineering, and now he had crossed paths with those arrogant Western cultists... Of course, Apostle Jennifer held a sacred artifact of the Vatican Holy See, which was rather troublesome. However, Lu Yuan's strength was unfathomable. Therefore, she intended to observe a bit longer. If worst came to worst, she would step forward directly and join forces with Lu Yuan. Having been intercepted and robbed multiple times along the way, Ice Fairy could bear it no longer. Her previous concessions were partly due to Asura, and partly because she knew that without reinforcements, attacking would surely result in a loss. On the other side, seeing no response from Lu Yuan, anger flared across Hans's face at being ignored by this Easterner. He took a step forward, intending to say something. "Mr. Hans, please calm down first." Soon, a figure appeared before him. It was Asura, fully concealed beneath his cloak, blocking Hans's path. He then looked at Hans with an intensely grave expression. "Since the items have already been taken, we can go elsewhere. There is no need to continue trying to seize them." His tone was equally earnest as he adopted a firm stance, which left Hans and Jennifer momentarily ill at ease. Of course, Asura did not care about that. What he cared about was Lu Yuan standing not far away. Originally, he thought that if it were unowned spirit fruit and exotic herbs, so be it. Yet the moment he saw it was Lu Yuan, his expression changed drastically. He had rushed over to intervene as swiftly as possible, his heart in his throat. Anyone else would have been manageable. He never imagined they would cross paths with such a god of slaughter in Shennongjia. Lu Yuan seemingly shared equal fame with him, but Asura knew all too well that this man was an absolute fiend. Back at the Mount Li Imperial Mausoleum, he had slain Zhou Biqiong, disregarded the Awakened Regulations, and forcefully executed the Southern Sovereign of Longevity Genetics. He was practically lawless and unbound by any taboos. Furthermore, he possessed extraordinary comprehension. With a month or two having passed, who knew how much stronger he had grown? The man was far too domineering, never one to suffer a loss. If provoked excessively, what would follow was practically unimaginable. Therefore, no matter what, he had to step forward and stop them. "Asura, do you not understand your place?" Hans spoke, his tone dripping with impatience. "Whatever catches our eye is guided by God!" "Regardless, this time you must stop." Asura's tone was resolute. Having said his piece, he immediately walked forward, bowed slightly to Lu Yuan, and adopted an extremely humble posture. "Mr. Lu, these people are from the Vatican Holy See in the West. Having just arrived, they understand nothing. Please, Mr. Lu, do not take offense." His tone was exceedingly sincere as he expressed his apologies. One side was domineering while the other was arrogant; he knew that unless he did this, conflict between the two parties was inevitable. As he spoke, earnest entreaty shone in his eyes. He was genuinely afraid— afraid that a fight would break out, which would end in total disaster. In Asura's mind, Lu Yuan was terrifyingly strong, and cleaning up such an aftermath would be impossible. "I see," Lu Yuan said simply, turning away. It was not because of those words, but because he had lost nothing. Of course, if that group of Westerners insisted on courting trouble, he would not mind striking back in the least. As for Tianshen Technology behind Asura— what a joke. Lu Yuan had dared to kill big figures from the Wuzhou Group and Longevity Genetics; why would he fear offending one more? "Thank you!" Seeing this, Asura breathed a long sigh of relief, still rattled. Fortunately, things had not escalated. He then turned, walked over to Jennifer, and said earnestly, "Miss Jennifer, let us take another route. Delaying any further will waste a great deal of time. The company requires us to complete the mission as soon as possible." Having managed to defuse the situation with difficulty, he truly wanted no accidents, and he hoped never to cross paths with Lu Yuan again. These Western cultists were far too arrogant. If it happened again, there would be no holding things back. At the same time, he reminded her of their true objective for this trip, attempting to divert her attention while Lu Yuan had not yet walked far. The other members of Tianshen Technology also stepped forward, voicing agreement with Asura's suggestion. However, Apostle Jennifer, clutching her cross scepter, seemed not to hear him at all. Her eyes were fixed on Lu Yuan—or more accurately, on the Golden-Winged Great Peng upon his shoulder—with a peculiar gleam on her face. She could tell that this mutated beast was extraordinary. Though small, its feathers were entirely golden. The cross scepter in her hand even glowed faintly, clearly indicating that the creature's bloodline was remarkable. Spirit fruits and exotic herbs could be set aside for now, but this mutated beast had to be hers. Thus, Jennifer did not hesitate in the slightest and took a direct step forward. "We can leave, but that mutated beast must stay." The moment her words fell, wisps of pure, holy white light surged around Jennifer, and a powerful aura emerged from within her. The fallen leaves beneath her feet instantly shattered into powder. It had to be said that as one of the Twelve Apostles, her strength was indeed formidable, placing her in the Awakening Realm. This was the source of her confidence. Even if she deduced from Asura's intervention that the Easterner might be strong, she paid it no heed; after all, she possessed a sacred artifact. "Oh? You mean this one?" Not far away, Lu Yuan, who had already been preparing to leave, halted his steps. He turned slowly, pointing at the Golden-Winged Great Peng beside him. His expression was as calm as before. "Correct," Jennifer replied, as domineering as ever. "Leave it behind, and you may depart safely. God shall bless you as well!" As she spoke, the cross scepter in her hand emitted a terrifying power that permeated the space around her. Clearly, this was no negotiation—it was a threat! Meanwhile, Hans and the others stepped forward one by one, flanking her in combat stances. "You see this? It isn't me looking for trouble," Lu Yuan said placidly. He thoroughly disliked their arrogance. "Why waste words?" Jennifer snapped, her patience seemingly exhausted. "Hand over the mutated beast. I will not say it a second time!" The moment those words were uttered, Asura, who had just breathed easy, paled drastically. He knew all his previous efforts were in vain; things could no longer be stopped, and a conflict was inevitable. For a moment, he wanted to step forward and say something more, but in the end, he did not move. Throughout the journey into Shennongjia, Asura had had enough. Since these Western cultists insisted on courting disaster, let them bear the consequences themselves! At this moment, he could practically foresee a fierce battle erupting. Sure enough, in the very next instant, Lu Yuan turned his head and said faintly, "Fine, but I fear you lack the capability." "Foolish!" Jennifer barked out an order directly: "Hans, strike!" At her command, Hans and the others laughed loudly, auras churning around them. Believers of the Western Church who worshipped the light, each of them became shrouded in holy light as they moved to attack. Waves of intimidating power radiated from their bodies, their eyes locked on the Golden-Winged Great Peng. With an order from the apostle, they naturally did not hesitate. Yet facing them, Lu Yuan made no move, remaining still where he stood. He merely gave a slight nod to the Golden-Winged Great Peng. Those few were not worth his personal intervention at all. The peng understood immediately. It had already been enraged from the very first demand. Only because its master had not spoken had it held back from acting recklessly. Now that it had permission, killing intent burst from its eyes. As the possessor of a magnificent mythological bloodline, did any random dog or cat think they could target it? Without hesitation, facing Hans and the charging Westerners, the Golden-Winged Great Peng fluttered its wings and shot forth like a bolt of golden lightning. Pfft! Pfft! In a mere instant, it pierced straight through the foreheads of all five people. Its speed was so fast that by the time anyone could react, the Golden-Winged Great Peng had already returned to Lu Yuan's shoulder, its golden wings shimmering with radiance. To it, these people were weak and fragile. There was no need even to revert to its true size. At this moment, both Asura and the distant Ice Fairy were utterly stunned. Turning to look, their minds were shaken to the core. They saw Hans and the others—hardly any weaker than themselves—with their foreheads pierced through from front to back, collapsing limply to the ground with their previous expressions still frozen on their faces. Evidently, all of them had been killed in an instant. And none of the onlookers had even managed to see how the little golden raptor had struck. They had thought a grand battle would unfold. Who could have guessed it would end with one side being instantly annihilated? "This..." Ice Fairy's eyes widened. She had initially assumed it was merely an ordinary mutated beast. Now, her perception had completely changed, and looking at Lu Yuan, she could not help but swallow hard. Sure enough, every time they met, he brought her a powerful shock. Just how many secrets did he possess? Moreover, a question lingered in her mind: what kind of being was that little golden raptor? "You killed believers of God? Damn you! In the name of God and the great Holy Angel, I shall execute you!" On the other side, Apostle Jennifer finally came to her senses. Looking at the dead bodies of Hans and the others, rage surged straight into her mind. She took a step forward and swung the cross scepter in her hand. "Omnipotent God, Supreme God, grant me strength to put this heretic to death!" Though enraged, Jennifer had not completely lost her sanity. She was now executing a divine art of the Western Church, akin to an Eastern divine ability. In an instant, the cross scepter in her hand blazed with a dazzling white light that cascaded over her body. Behind her, a pair of radiant wings materialized, making her look like a descending angel. At the same time, she glared at Lu Yuan with cold, indifferent eyes. "Easterner, receive God's judgment!" At this moment, after casting her divine art, Jennifer's aura surged violently as she was bolstered by a mysterious power. The sacred artifact in her hands was also engulfed in radiance, unleashing formidable might. A storm formed in the surroundings. Countless rays of pure white light surged forth; wherever the illumination fell, towering trees instantly disintegrated into rubble. This scene made both Asura and Ice Fairy turn pale. Just as they had anticipated, that sacred artifact was formidable—equivalent to some rare treasure in the East. Both knew deep down that even with their own strength, facing Jennifer in this state would result in a severe defeat, perhaps even mortal peril. "Come, let's assist Mr. Lu," Ice Fairy decided in an instant. Regardless of anything else, Lu Yuan was a fellow Huaxian; she had to intervene. Rumble! Yet in the very next instant, just as Ice Fairy approached with her people, a bolt of thunder suddenly appeared. Carrying an aura of destruction, it crashed straight down upon Jennifer. Buzz! Thunder and white light intertwined. Soon, however, the pure white light could not hold and was crushed in an instant. When all the energy dissipated, the area fell into a brief silence. Everyone present saw that Jennifer, one of the Church's Twelve Apostles wielding a Western sacred artifact, had not even launched her attack before being charred black by the lightning strike. She crashed to the ground, her flesh mangled—killed instantly. On the other side, Lu Yuan dusted his hands, his eyes calm. "Too noisy." He truly was in no mood to waste time on her. This sight rendered Ice Fairy and her companions completely speechless. They had intended to help, but he had no need for it whatsoever; their gesture had been utterly redundant. Asura and his group were equally stunned, unable to process what had happened because it had unfolded far too quickly. The Apostle Jennifer, so exceedingly powerful in their eyes, had died just like that? And with such effortless ease? Regarding this, Lu Yuan said nothing more. He looked toward Ice Fairy and her companions and nodded. He had long known they were nearby, but was somewhat surprised that they had chosen to step forward at a crucial moment. Though he did not need assistance, since it was goodwill, he naturally acknowledged it. Having done so, he turned to Asura and the others from Tianshen Technology and added, "If you wish to make a move, I can accommodate you." Accommodate them? How could they possibly fight? Asura's body trembled slightly, once again awestruck by Lu Yuan's strength and acutely aware of the massive disparity between them. Hearing those words, he gave a bitter smile and shook his head. "I already tried to advise them. They sought their own demise and have no one else to blame." It was Jennifer and her cohorts who tried to rob someone else first; their death now was pure retribution. Those who kill will inevitably be killed! Seeing this, Lu Yuan frowned slightly. He found the man's actions rather strange. On one hand, he seemed to want to protect the Western cultists; on the other hand, he seemed to wish for their deaths. It felt somewhat contradictory. If that was the case, why bring them into Shennongjia in the first place? "Asura is an experimental subject of Tianshen Technology. His life is in the hands of others, and sometimes his actions are not his own," Ice Fairy explained as she stepped forward, watching Asura's retreating figure. "I see," Lu Yuan nodded, then said to Asura, "You may report what happened here truthfully to Tianshen Technology." With Ice Fairy's explanation, he understood that Asura and his people were compelled by circumstances and blameless. At the same time, he did not want others to be punished on his account. "There is no need for Mr. Lu to worry," Asura replied. "We know how to explain this to the higher-ups." The deed was done; words were pointless now. What mattered was handling the aftermath. Especially in his heart, Jennifer and those Vatican cultists fully deserved death. Having said this, Asura bowed once more to Lu Yuan in apology. He then ordered his subordinates to depart immediately. With the people dead, their mission naturally could not continue. As for the corpses, they had no intention of retrieving them. After enduring grievances the entire journey, leaving them behind as food for the mutated beasts was far more fitting. Seeing them leave, Lu Yuan gave it no further thought. He turned and smiled. "I did not expect to run into Ice Fairy in a place like this. It seems we share quite an affinity." "What Ice Fairy? Just call me Ji Rou," she replied, shaking her head and offering her real name. She knew full well that the gap between herself and Lu Yuan was growing wider. Before long, they might no longer stand on the same level. In fact... that might already be the case. Revealing her true name was her way of narrowing the distance between them. "Mr. Lu, the ancients said that if a scholar is absent for three days, one must see him in a new light. It is truly so," she smiled and continued forward, her words laden with emotion. She felt the man before her was becoming increasingly unfathomable. She wondered just how powerful Lu Yuan was now—had he perhaps already reached the Shackle Realm? Yet how long had it been? For a time, countless thoughts arose in her mind. He clearly possessed no backing and relied on no major faction, yet every time they met, she discovered something new. In particular, that bolt of thunder just now had been astonishing. Was it some kind of divine ability? Ice Fairy pondered, but soon a thought struck her. She remembered that during the beast tide in Chang'an, that King of Humanity had also displayed thunderous power. Could they be the same person? Or perhaps they were somehow connected? Of course, she knew her boundaries and would not voice her doubts aloud. Everyone had their secrets; prying too much would only breed resentment. "Ice Fairy flatters me." Lu Yuan offered no further explanation. "Well then, Mr. Lu, we also have tasks assigned by the company in Shennongjia. If the opportunity arises, let us meet again another day," Ice Fairy said, having no intention of traveling together. With the people from the Western Church dead, they could search freely for the spirit fruits and exotic herbs they needed. After speaking, she led the group from Beidou Biology away. Soon, only Lu Yuan and the Golden-Winged Great Peng remained in the area. Without saying more, Lu Yuan prepared to leave. "Master," the Golden-Winged Great Peng suddenly said, looking beside Jennifer's corpse, "there seems to be something over there." Hearing this, Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow and walked straight over. There were several spirit fruits and exotic herbs, nothing particularly extraordinary. Of course, he collected them anyway. Beside him, the Golden-Winged Great Peng pawed around Jennifer's remains and said, "This is it." "Hm?" Lu Yuan let out a soft exclamation of surprise, his eyes shifting as he noticed that the cross scepter was completely intact. Without hesitation, he walked over, picked it up, and examined it closely. It seemed to be forged from some rare divine metal. No wonder even the Jade Emperor Orthodox Heavenly Thunder Art had failed to destroy it directly. This item was useful. It could be fed to the Daluo sword core. "Quite a good harvest. You've earned some merit," Lu Yuan said, putting away the cross scepter. "It's about time. Let's hurry and find the Dragon Blood Flood Dragon." "Yes, Master!" Excited, the Golden-Winged Great Peng expanded to several zhang in size. Carrying Lu Yuan upon its back, it soared directly into the sky.