Within the blood pool atop Shennong's sacrificial altar, radiant golden hazes of light surged and churned like tidal waves.
Surge after surge of formidable aura rolled forth unceasingly, illuminating every corner.
Every beam of light was intertwined with blood-qi.
The Eleven-Tier Blood Pagoda materialized as well.
Yet unlike before, it was no longer blood-red; now it was bathed in pure gold, imbued with a sacred presence.
Its aura had grown even more profound and heavy. Bobbing up and down, it draped strands of luminous light that drifted around.
Lu Yuan sat cross-legged with a solemn expression within the radiant glow. His hair drifted in the air as his pores breathed in and out vast amounts of essence-qi, which merged into his four limbs, his hundred bones, and every single cellular particle within his body.
Within the pool, the essence blood of Human Sovereign Shennong had been entirely absorbed by him, integrating into the deepest recesses of his genes.
This was no ordinary metamorphosis, but a complete remodeling of his genes and cells.
It could be said that Lu Yuan had thoroughly absorbed Shennong's fortune.
His own bloodline had been broken down and reconstituted, arriving at an unprecedented stage.
However, fully digesting it and making it entirely his own was not yet possible.
He still needed time to continue refining the essence blood, assimilating it into all the blood throughout his body, and transforming it completely into a golden hue!
Buzz, buzz, buzz.
As time trickled by, the golden radiance began to retract.
It continuously converted into essence-qi, pouring into his pores and sinking deep into his cells and bones.
And once every last glimmer had faded, the Eleven-Tier Blood Pagoda sank back into his internal organs.
Behind him, a full seven grotto-heavens manifested! Each grotto-heaven nurtured a deity within, granting him a sevenfold boost to his combat prowess.
In the next instant, Lu Yuan opened his eyes, a sharp gleam shooting from them.
Crack.
The blood pool fractured as well, crumbling into fine powder.
Not a single drop of blood remained inside, signifying that every trace had been absorbed.
Lu Yuan brought his feet down to the ground. Like a towering, majestic mountain, his landing sent a tremor through Shennong's altar. An immense pressure—emanating not from raw cultivation power, but directly from his bloodline—gradually radiated outward.
Hum, hum~
Ripples of golden blood-qi pulsed and swirled around his frame.
In that instant, his bones and sinews chimed in unison, and his muscles subtly vibrated, exuding absolute majesty and might.
In the distance, the Golden-Winged Great Peng, which had been watching intently, tucked in its feathers and could not help but tremble.
The pressure was so suffocating that even its own bloodline could not withstand it.
"It has to be the fortune left behind by the Human Sovereign. It must be!"
Heart pounding, the Golden-Winged Great Peng marveled. What other fortune could have granted its master such an astonishing transformation?
To forge a progenitor bloodline meant that if he ever had descendants, their natural talent would undoubtedly be supreme.
Of course, such a bloodline would gradually dilute and weaken across successive generations.
Yet what mattered was that its master was the first generation—the strongest one.
Even though it was only in its nascent stage right now, with the passage of time, it would inevitably become terrifying beyond measure.
Meanwhile, Lu Yuan closed his eyes to carefully sense the shifts in his condition.
"I've broken ten shackles in total this time. Adding to what I broke before, that makes thirty genetic shackles broken. While this hasn't brought a massive leap in immediate combat strength, my bloodline has advanced to a whole new realm, giving me a deeper foundation and far greater potential.
"Moreover, the Ancestral Dragon Breathing Method has progressed tremendously, allowing me to open a full five more grotto-heavens..."
He murmured to himself, understanding the boundless benefits he had reaped from absorbing the Human Sovereign's essence blood.
The most vital was his bloodline and foundation, both far more terrifying than before.
This indicated that in the evolutionary path ahead, he would be able to go much farther.
In particular, as his strength grew and he continued to evolve, his bloodline would strengthen further until he forged a divine bloodline uniquely his own.
Lu Yuan knew full well that the ancestors of the Zhou family from Wuzhou Group and the Wang family from Longevity Genetics had been beings like this.
It was merely because so much time had elapsed and their bloodlines had diluted over generations that their descendants could no longer awaken them.
And now, he was equivalent to the first-generation bloodline of such families.
Naturally, though seemingly similar, there was a vast gulf between them.
The ancestors of those two major factions had likely possessed extraordinary might back in their ancient eras.
Just like Lu Yuan, only by continuously evolving would the full advantages of his bloodline manifest.
As for the shackles, breaking ten in one go might seem substantial, but the boost to his immediate combat strength was not pronounced. The reason was simple: the Shackle Realm was unique. The more shackles one broke, the greater one's latent talent and potential became, much like how the steles on Ancient Shu's Sword Mountain tested comprehension rather than raw power.
"If my previous foundation could have broken at least fifty or sixty shackles, then with my bloodline upgraded, breaking all the genetic shackles in the future won't be a problem at all. I can truly step onto the supreme path."
Lu Yuan was elated, for the advantages bestowed by the Human Sovereign's essence blood were immense.
Once all 108 shackles were broken, that would be the absolute limit.
Even in his previous life, he had never heard of any entity achieving that, extraterrestrial beings included.
Shaking his head, he set the thought aside and reined in his aura.
With the aid of the Innate Qi Robe, Lu Yuan appeared scarcely different from before.
Stepping down from Shennong's altar, he paused, turned around, and bowed slightly. "My gratitude to the ancestor of Huaxia."
Regardless, his current fortune had been left behind by Shennong, who was a forefather of his civilization; this bow was only proper.
"Master, where do we go now? Are we leaving Shennongjia?" the Golden-Winged Great Peng asked, stepping up to his side. Its tone was noticeably more reverent than before. After all, in both strength and bloodline, its master now utterly outclassed it.
It had finally begun to believe that submitting to him might truly be a great fortune in itself.
If things continued along this trajectory, this master was destined to achieve unfathomable heights, and it would surely reap benefits alongside him.
"How long was my seclusion?" Lu Yuan did not answer directly, asking instead.
"Eighteen days in total," the Golden-Winged Great Peng replied.
"Eighteen days?"
Lu Yuan nodded. That was roughly what he expected; refining the Human Sovereign's blood took time.
After brief consideration, he continued, "We won't leave just yet. There's still one matter left unfinished."
He had come here with two goals: first, to help the Golden-Winged Great Peng hunt a mutated beast bearing dragon blood to purify its bloodline; second, to search for that specific item. The Human Sovereign's blood had been an unexpected windfall.
However, according to Lu Yuan's memories, the item he sought should currently be guarded by a powerful mutated beast.
Its strength was no less than that of the Dragon Blood Flood Dragon from before, likely on the verge of stepping into the Golden Body Realm as well.
In the past life, it had sparked a massive war.
Yet for the current Lu Yuan, claiming it presented little difficulty.
This was still the dawn of the cataclysm, when many creatures remained in the opening phases of evolution. After all, few could be like him—wielding a decade of foreknowledge, armed with extensive preparations, and walking at the very forefront.
"Let's go." Putting aside further thoughts, Lu Yuan smiled.
He leapt onto the back of the Golden-Winged Great Peng and sat cross-legged.
The great bird did not hesitate. With a flap of its golden wings, it soared into the sky and, guided by Lu Yuan, streaked off toward another direction.
Meanwhile, as Lu Yuan continued his search for fortune in Shennongjia, a monumental storm was brewing in the outside world.
An explosive piece of news surfaced on the internet:
[Asura conspired with Lu Yuan to murder Western Church Apostle Jennifer and four church members in blasphemy against God. One month from now, the eleven apostles of the Church will convene outside Shanghai to conduct a trial of Asura, while demanding that the mastermind, Lu Yuan, present himself to confess his sins and beg for God's forgiveness!]
The moment this news broke, it was like a boulder crashing into a calm lake, stirring up waves of discussion among countless netizens.
Everyone was stunned, bewildered by what was happening.
Church apostles, Asura, and Lu Yuan—how were these three connected?
"Big trouble! Asura and Lu Yuan killed believers from the Western Church?"
"I say good riddance! I've been sick of those charlatans for ages."
"Are you blind? Can't you see the point? Tianshen Technology released this news to announce a trial for Asura! That means Asura could die!"
"Conducting a trial on someone arbitrarily? Does Tianshen Technology have that authority? Where do they get the nerve?"
"That's why they chose outside Shanghai—to skirt the Awakened Regulations!"
"Isn't Tianshen Technology a domestic Huaxia company? Doing this all for a few Western charlatans?"
"Hmph, Liu Changming of Tianshen Technology is a race-traitor who worships the Western Church! He's always been collaborating with the West."
"What about Zhendan Academy? What's their stance? Aren't they going to do something about this?"
Comments flooded the internet, propelling the news to ever-greater heights and drawing more and more attention.
It was simply too shocking.
From the statement published by Tianshen Technology, the public pieced together the backdrop.
Lu Yuan had slain an apostle, with Asura as his accomplice, drawing the extreme displeasure of the Holy Angel of the Western Church.
Coincidentally, Tianshen Technology maintained extensive cooperation with them, and much of its advanced technology was backed by that side. In other words, some of the rumors previously circulating online were true.
Many found this hard to accept, but with the facts laid bare before them, they had no choice but to believe it.
Meanwhile, insider leaks claimed that Asura had endured brutal torture during this time and had already been abandoned by Tianshen Technology.
Admittedly, significant time had passed since the global cataclysm began, and many understood that the so-called Five Great Awakened were no longer the strongest.
Far more powerful entities existed now, yet figures like Asura had left a profound impression on the public.
To see him so casually cast aside and handed over to foreign apostles for judgment infuriated many, inciting widespread disgust toward Tianshen Technology. Dragging Lu Yuan into it as well and demanding he confess to their so-called God only stoked the flames of public outrage.
Yet even so, public sentiment carried little weight. Tianshen Technology was one of the Four Great Factions—a powerhouse so formidable that online fury barely scratched it.
Most people were watching to see how Zhendan Academy would respond. But for now, there was only silence.
Chang'an.
Zhendan Academy, Dean's Office.
"Dean, have you seen the news?" Zhu Qingyu asked, her delicate brows furrowed.
Beside her stood Northern Emperor and other elite students of the academy, all wearing grim expressions.
If it were only Tianshen Technology acting alone, they wouldn't have interfered. After all, this was the New Era, where old norms had been upended; if a faction chose to discipline its own member, outsiders had little right to meddle.
But dragging in the Twelve Apostles of the Church was an outright disgrace.
Unable to sit by idly, the students had marched to the dean's office en masse.
"Of course I've seen it," Dean Zheng said, looking at the assembled students. "I've already contacted Dean Liu of Shanghai Academy to have her negotiate with Tianshen Technology and get to the bottom of this."
His gaze was solemn and his tone grave, for this matter also involved Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan was someone Zhendan Academy held in high regard. Even though Lu Yuan had never officially joined, Dean Zheng viewed him as an extraordinary talent who could play a pivotal role in helping Zhendan Academy stabilize the situation in the New Era. Having him targeted was something Dean Zheng would never condone.
As for the two killing church apostles, Dean Zheng believed there was definitely more to the story than met the eye. However, with very little concrete information in hand, maneuvering was tricky.
"What did Dean Liu say?" Northern Emperor asked.
Dean Zheng shook his head. "She couldn't get anything out of them. Tianshen Technology refused to disclose details."
"So we're just going to do nothing? Their spearhead is pointed straight at Mr. Lu," Zhu Qingyu chimed in, bewildered. She believed the academy had to take action.
"Enough. None of you need to concern yourselves with this. The academy naturally has its ways." Dean Zheng waved his hand, signaling them to drop the topic.
The academy's upper echelon indeed had plans. Tianshen Technology had gone too far, crossing a fundamental line, but that could not be stated openly.
Arrangements were being made higher up, which was not something the students before him were privy to. Hence, Dean Zheng could only brush them off for now.
At a loss for words, the students offered no further arguments, nodding and filing out of the office.
Once they left, Dean Zheng narrowed his eyes. "The Twelve Apostles, Tianshen Technology... You've crossed the line."
In the New Era, even if most rules and laws had been scrapped and rebuilt, certain red lines could never be crossed. Did they really think the authorities wouldn't care?
With that, he dialed a few phone numbers. The New Era's landscape was intricate, and under these circumstances, certain domestic factions had to be dealt with.
Meanwhile, in Shencheng.
To curb the influence of Longevity Genetics, Beidou Biology had recently relocated its headquarters here.
Backed by immense authority, they had already suppressed several of Longevity Genetics' factions, essentially completing their initial objective.
With Beidou Biology operating in the shadows and Zhendan Academy in the open, the authorities' methods remained exceedingly potent.
At the very least, if things continued according to plan, they would surely regain control over the domestic situation in the near future.
It was an unavoidable struggle; the cataclysm had arrived too abruptly. Fortunately, it was still in its early stages, where firearms and modern weaponry still held relevance.
As a key figure of Beidou Biology, Ice Fairy had naturally accompanied them to Shencheng.
Having returned from Shennongjia not long ago, she immediately spotted the news released by Tianshen Technology and deduced their intentions at once.
"Using Asura as bait to target Lu Yuan? A viciously clever scheme indeed."
Chapter 76