Lu Yuan's voice was not loud, yet it rang out with iron resolve.
Accompanied by the concentric rings of golden blood-qi churning around him, his aura underwent a complete transformation in an instant.
He stood alone.
Confronting Tianshen Technology, Longevity Genetics, and the church's Eleven Apostles entirely on his own, his expression remained extraordinarily calm.
In the eyes of every onlooker, his words carried not the slightest hint of fear.
"Arrogant fool. We have already laid an inescapable dragnet."
Opposite him, Wade heard this and laughed out of sheer fury. "You have courage, but from where I stand, you still fail to grasp your situation."
With those words, each of the ten apostles beside him began radiating pure white holy light.
Bathed in this brilliance, their auras surged, becoming far more formidable than an ordinary Awakening Realm cultivator.
In each of their hands was a cross sacred artifact.
Rumored to have been left behind by God Himself, they possessed immense power capable of bolstering combat strength.
Moreover, not far away stood the five clan elders of Longevity Genetics. Each possessed an extraordinary presence, clearly far beyond ordinary figures in the Awakening Realm.
On top of that were the men from Tianshen Technology, including Liu Changyuan, all encased in mechanical exoskeletons, completely encircling the area.
Indeed, for most people, this was a web from heaven to earth with no hope of escape.
"To think Longevity Genetics joined forces with them too."
"The Awakening Realm... nearly all of them are in the Awakening Realm. Is this the true foundation of two mega-corporations and the Western Church?"
"Can Lu Yuan actually match them? Strong as he is, the situation looks terrible right now."
Watching from the distance, the onlookers felt their hearts sink.
Lu Yuan's arrival left them stunned and full of admiration. After all, knowing full well it was a trap, he had come without a moment's hesitation. The trouble was that the alliance of these three powers made everyone shudder; they commanded enough force to wage a small-scale war.
How could he fight? Even if Winged Celestial and the Northern Emperor joined hands, they likely would never make it out.
This was precisely why, despite deep outrage at Tianshen Technology's conduct, the crowd could do nothing.
"We must be ready to step in at any moment. Whether it's Asura or Lu Yuan, we have to save them."
Dean Zheng marveled at Lu Yuan's courage, but courage did not equal strength.
He exchanged a glance with Dean Liu of Shanghai, preparing to issue orders at a moment's notice.
In any case, their objective today was to completely suppress Tianshen Technology and Longevity Genetics as a deterrent. Lu Yuan's arrival was within their expectations and would not disrupt the plan.
Still, facing three united factions was extraordinarily tricky. With Lu Yuan standing right at the eye of the storm, they naturally feared something might go wrong. What was more, Lu Yuan was among those higher-ups had ordered them to protect.
Ji Yuzhen was well aware of this and took out her phone as well. The moment the battle erupted, she would strike like a thunderclap.
In the eyes of all present, no one believed Lu Yuan could resolve this predicament entirely on his own.
"They're moving!" someone shouted at that moment.
The five clan elders of Longevity Genetics were the first to lose their patience, stepping forward one after another.
Powerful auras surged from their bodies, each wrapped in radiant light. All five practiced ancient Huaxia martial arts, and having evolved into the Awakening Realm, their combat power was undeniably amplified, representing part of the Wang family's deep foundation.
"Lu Yuan, you killed two juniors of our Longevity Genetics' Wang family. Today, you will not escape!"
"Yield your life to appease their souls!"
"Kill!"
The five attacked, crossing dozens of meters in a fraction of a second.
Simultaneously, Liu Changyuan barked orders for his subordinates to strike directly. He knew Lu Yuan was formidable, ranking among the Five Great Awakened, and slaying him would be no easy feat. Tianshen Technology had spent too long preparing this operation to permit any accidents.
If they struck, it had to be with thunderous finality, granting him no opening whatsoever.
Wade, First Apostle of the Western Church, understood this just as well. Alongside the other ten apostles, he raised the cross scepter high. Holy light surged instantly, pouring down with a lethally perilous aura as a beam shot straight toward Lu Yuan.
In this instant, all three factions unleashed their moves simultaneously.
Tension seized the crowd, and some onlookers even wondered whether they should step in to aid Lu Yuan. After all, he was a compatriot from Huaxia.
"Get ready," Dean Zheng commanded, stepping forward to give the order.
"Wait!" Dean Liu beside him suddenly called out in shock. "Something's wrong with Lu Yuan!"
Dean Zheng froze, feeling an overwhelmingly formidable aura abruptly erupt in the distance, sending violent shockwaves rippling out. He looked up, his face filling with astonishment.
Facing the onslaught of all three factions, Lu Yuan remained rooted to the spot, completely unfazed.
Yet the golden blood-qi surging around him burned brighter by the second, causing the ground beneath his feet to fracture.
*Thump-thump! Thump-thump! Thump-thump!*
Rhythmic, heavy beats echoed out.
It was the beating of a human heart, reverberating from deep within Lu Yuan's chest.
The next instant, bright brilliance flared in his eyes. Without the slightest warning, he took a step forward, and golden qi surged out like rolling ocean waves.
*Boom!*
The holy light unleashed by the eleven apostles was completely blocked, unable to penetrate.
With every step Lu Yuan took, the earth trembled beneath him.
At this moment, he seemed entirely transcendent, resembling a true god turned into a beam of streaming light.
In a mere flicker, he appeared directly before the Wang family's five clan elders, raised his right fist, and drove it downward into their midst.
Bursts of light surged and erupted, dazzling and brilliant.
Under this overwhelming force, every spectator felt their spirit suppressed.
Staring at Lu Yuan's incoming fist, the five clan elders felt their hair stand on end. It was as though they were facing a god of slaughter; their souls trembled so violently they could not even mobilize the power within their bodies.
*How can he be this strong?*
*Where did this sudden burst of power come from?!*
Such were the final thoughts that flashed across their minds.
*Rumble! Splat—splat—*
At last, the fist slammed down.
The five clan elders could not offer even a sliver of resistance before their bodies burst apart on the spot.
Countless sprays of blood erupted, staining the earth crimson.
A single blow, and all five were annihilated!
All of it happened in the blink of an eye.
Bathed in the spray of blood, Lu Yuan turned his gaze toward the eleven apostles.
His crushing aura showed not the slightest restraint, radiating outward with an intensity far more terrifying than before.
"A single strike... and the Wang family's five clan elders were completely wiped out? What just happened?!"
"It has to be the Shackle Realm! He evolved into the Shackle Realm!"
"So fast? How is that possible?!"
Innumerable voices cried out in shock at Lu Yuan's staggering might. Those were five clan elders who practiced ancient martial arts, formidable masters wherever they went, yet they had been obliterated without lasting even a single breath.
Some realized this was power that belonged exclusively to the Shackle Realm.
Otherwise, how could he have slaughtered five clan elders in an instant?
This realization made it all the harder to believe.
Most people were still struggling in the Initial Realm, while only a small minority had reached the Awakening Realm—individuals hailed as masters and serving as the backbone of major factions.
And now? Lu Yuan had demonstrated power that stood squarely in the Shackle Realm, surpassing them by a colossal margin.
How long had it been since the New Era began? Barely over half a year!
This evolutionary speed was utterly absurd.
The Northern Emperor, Zhu Qingyu, and Ice Fairy were equally stunned. They had known a gap existed between themselves and Lu Yuan, but none had imagined it would be this vast. He had already reached the Shackle Realm.
"He really did come prepared," Wade and the other apostles thought, chills running down their spines under Lu Yuan's gaze.
They had assumed this operation would be effortless since their target was just one man.
Yet his strength defied all expectations. The Shackle Realm—was that not the same realm as the Holy Angel?
"So what if he stepped into the Shackle Realm? How many genetic shackles could he possibly have broken? Deploy our strongest divine art and slay him!" Wade was the first to recover his wits and barked an order.
Without hesitation, the other ten apostles raised their sacred cross scepters high.
"In the name of the Lord, we pray for divine grace to eradicate this heretic who plagues the mortal world!"
All eleven apostles chanted in unison, their faces filled with devout reverence.
In a flash, the eleven Western sacred artifacts flared with blinding white divine light.
Wings of light unfolded behind each apostle, lifting them off the ground to hover in the air, resembling angels descending to the mortal realm.
Wade, standing at the forefront and bathed in this radiance, felt his aura skyrocket continuously until it broke past the boundaries of the Awakening Realm and touched the Shackle Realm.
Holy and benevolent!
*Hum—hum—hum—*
Beams of holy light converged, pouring directly into Wade.
Hovering above the ground, his eyes turned cold as he pointed his sacred artifact toward Lu Yuan. "In the name of the Lord, I pronounce judgment upon you!"
The holy light surged, terrifying and oppressive, exerting crushing pressure on the spectators all around.
"Not good, that's Western divine art—God's Judgment! It's similar to our divine abilities!"
"I heard the Holy Angel used this exact technique while still in the Awakening Realm to slay a mutated beast king!"
"It truly is terrifying. With this momentum and power, can Lu Yuan..."
Yet as everyone marveled at the might of the Western divine art, Lu Yuan's expression remained tranquil.
He leapt into the sky, utilizing no elaborate techniques—only another simple punch.
Yet the golden blood-qi enveloping his body blazed with even greater intensity, like a miniature sun illuminating everything in sight.
*Boom!*
A single punch slammed down.
Terrifying force reverberated, making the air groan and thunder.
Under that fist, all the holy light was drowned out and shattered in an instant.
Below, the eleven apostles led by Wade trembled violently before crashing to the earth, gouging massive craters into the ground. They coughed up blood, their flesh splintering with cracks, their auras reduced to feeble whispers.
The strongest divine art they took so much pride in had fared no better than the Wang family's five elders, failing to endure even a split second.
Silence fell over the crowd. Not a single person could speak.
Moments ago, they had worried that the divine art would spell serious trouble for Lu Yuan.
It turned out they had worried in vain; his strength exceeded all their calculations.
The eleven apostles were utterly stripped of combat capability, clinging to life by a single breath.
Unbeatable.
He had truly swept all aside!
Everyone was completely awed by the sheer might and dominance he had just displayed.
Lu Yuan landed on the ground and strode forward step by step.
*What is he doing?*
*Is he going to kill these eleven apostles?*
The thought suddenly struck the onlookers.
If he did that, would he not be setting himself on a direct collision course with the Holy Angel?
Naturally, Lu Yuan paid them no mind. Walking up to First Apostle Wade, he looked down with cold detachment. "I told you, since I promised to send you to meet your so-called god, I will certainly see it done."
His voice was calm, as if he were stating the most mundane matter.
"I have the protection of the Lord! If you strike, you will suffer divine retribution and plunge into hell!"
Wade could sense the resolve emanating from Lu Yuan. Though trembling uncontrollably, he shouted out of faith in his god.
Lu Yuan said nothing. His heart beat softly in resonance with the Blood-Qi Pagoda, and a ripple of golden energy surged toward the eleven apostles.
With a resounding boom, everyone including Wade burst apart into pieces, dying entirely.
Dead.
The eleven apostles were dead. Counting the one in Shennongjia, Lu Yuan had single-handedly slaughtered every apostle of the Western Church.
Everyone present swallowed hard, completely at a loss for words.
Yet it was not over.
All eyes remained fixed on Lu Yuan.
Having done this, he merely shook his head faintly and continued walking, turning toward another direction.
Not far away, Liu Changyuan was completely paralyzed by the spectacle.
The subordinates beside him dared not take a single step forward. They were merely auxiliary forces to begin with; now that the Wang family elders and the eleven apostles were dead, how could they possibly resist?
"Hurry! Kill him, kill him!" Seeing Lu Yuan drawing nearer, Liu Changyuan snapped back to reality and barked orders.
He suddenly realized he had provoked an entity that should never have been crossed.
Only raw terror remained in his heart. Forcing his men to the front, he scrambled backward step by step.
Evidently, Lu Yuan had no intention of giving him that chance.
A surge of aura rippled outward from his body.
The bones of the Tianshen Technology men in mechanical exoskeletons snapped instantly, leaving them unable to put up the slightest resistance.
In the same breath, Lu Yuan appeared directly before Liu Changyuan. His face remained calm, yet his murderous aura had only deepened.
"No, don't kill me! I can give you all of Tianshen Technology!" Liu Changyuan panicked, entirely forgetting that he too was an Awakened, and quite a powerful one at that.
Yet he could hardly be blamed. Lu Yuan's previous display had been utterly invincible, crushing everything in his path without anyone able to stop him.
Liu Changyuan harbored no other thoughts now; he wanted only to preserve his life.
Regrettably, the moment he agreed to collaborate with the Western Church, he had already forfeited that chance.
With an unchanging expression, Lu Yuan drove another fist downward with resplendent, majestic force.
*Splat—*
Liu Changyuan flew backward as his body detonated, dead beyond all measure.
Lu Yuan stood where he was, the earth beneath his feet soaked in blood.
In the distance, seeing their CEO dead, the remaining Tianshen Technology personnel dared not advance. They were only following orders; with their direct superior slain, who would dare strike and court death?
As for the onlookers, they fell completely silent.
Someone checked the time.
From the moment Lu Yuan arrived until now, less than ten minutes had passed.
Everyone had expected a protracted, grueling battle, perhaps one that would put Lu Yuan in mortal danger.
None could have anticipated such a complete reversal.
The alliance of three major powers had been entirely eradicated by Lu Yuan in under ten minutes, leaving him the sole man standing, without a single speck of dust upon his clothes.
Chapter 80