The Heavenly Emperor.
Unlike the Jade Emperor recorded in certain mythical texts, the concept of the Heavenly Emperor originated as far back as the ancient era of Yao and Shun. It was also known by names such as Azure Heaven, Imperial Heaven, and Haotian Shangdi. Throughout successive dynasties, whenever emperors offered sacrifices to Heaven, the spirit tablet of the Heavenly Emperor held the primary place of worship—a truly supreme existence.
Consequently, this title was unique and did not point to any specific individual.
When Lu Yuan saw the ancient token, a smile surfaced on his face.
This was precisely what he had come seeking.
Setting the half-plaque aside, he picked up the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token.
The ancient token was only the size of a palm, gleaming with an all-over purple-gold luster, forged from some unknown material.
The moment Lu Yuan grasped it, an inexplicable sensation swept through him, coursing within his body.
Simultaneously, the token radiated an aura that swept across the eight wastes and stood supreme beneath heaven and earth.
This aura was exceedingly potent.
Even his flesh and blood trembled in response.
It was fiercely repulsive, so intense that Lu Yuan struggled to suppress it.
Yet the instant it came into contact with his blood-qi, the aura abruptly dispersed.
The radiant light across the token retracted entirely at that moment, resisting him no longer.
"Hm?"
Sensing this, curiosity showed on Lu Yuan's face.
He remembered that in his previous life, after the extraterrestrial beings descended, they immediately began scouring the entire world for divine objects, focusing especially on Kunlun and Mount Tai. This Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token had been unearthed during that time.
A terrifying battle had erupted even among the extraterrestrial beings for its possession, staining Mount Tai red with blood.
Every faction had paid a staggering price before it was ultimately claimed by an enigmatic great clan.
Yet by all accounts, when the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token was seized, it had emitted an overwhelming aura. It had seemed fiercely repulsive toward them, forcing them to temporarily seal it using a secret art.
Yet now, resting in his hands, why had it gone completely quiet?
*Could it be because of the Human Sovereign essence blood I integrated earlier?*
Lu Yuan could not help pondering. The token had ceased resisting only after coming into contact with his blood-qi.
That had to be the reason; nothing else made sense.
No matter.
The item was in his hands now.
Since it was no longer repulsive to him, perhaps he would uncover the truth later.
Lu Yuan reflected that his ultimate purpose in coming to Mount Tai had been this Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token. Obtaining it smoothly was the best possible outcome; there was no need to waste time digging into the specifics right now.
As for the token's precise function, to be frank, even he did not know.
Yet an item for which extraterrestrial beings were willing to pay such an immense price was bound to be extraordinary.
Rather than waiting for others to seize it later, it was far better to intercept it himself.
After all, no matter how one looked at it, this was something belonging to this world. Why leave it to beings from beyond?
Stowing the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token away, Lu Yuan surveyed the ruins once more.
Without a word, he turned and left.
"You're back?"
The Spirit Monkey opened its eyes, curiosity in its gaze.
The injuries on its body had already disappeared, and its aura had stabilized.
"It seems the breathing method you practice is quite impressive," Lu Yuan said with a smile.
To repair injuries in such a short span required not only a powerful bloodline, but also an extraordinary breathing method; otherwise, such results would have been impossible.
"Naturally! Not just the breathing method, but visualization methods, divine abilities, and more—I—"
At this point, the Spirit Monkey clamped its mouth shut, vigilance surfacing in its eyes.
The human before it was terrifyingly strong.
What if he took an interest in what it had?
If it could not defeat him, would it have to hand them over directly? That would be utterly humiliating for a monkey.
"Rest assured, I have no need to stoop to that."
Knowing full well what the Spirit Monkey was thinking, Lu Yuan waved a hand dismissively. "I know that you mutated beasts have special means of communicating with one another. I hope you can do me a favor.
"Notify all the mutated beast kings within Huaxia: humans will remain humans, and beasts will remain beasts. I do not wish to see any more beast tides laying siege to cities."
As he reached this point, a sharp, cold glint suddenly flickered in his eyes, and the aura inside him rippled outward relentlessly.
No matter what, he was human, and now that he possessed a certain degree of strength, he could take action.
In his previous life, had he not survived thanks to the protection of figures like Zhu Qingyu?
Moreover, he still remembered the White King's words outside Chang'an.
With small-scale beast tides still occurring in various places, Lu Yuan naturally would not stand by and do nothing.
Of course, his demand applied strictly within Huaxia; he did not care about other regions.
"What if they refuse?" The Spirit Monkey was startled. "Those beings aren't as easy to negotiate with as I am. There are no fewer than ten of them who have reached the Golden Body Realm. Are you certain you want me to convey those exact words?"
It was well aware of Lu Yuan's strength, but his statement was rather overbearing.
"Certain," Lu Yuan replied, his tone as calm as ever.
At this stage, among native beings, he feared none.
"Very well."
Seeing Lu Yuan's resolve, the Spirit Monkey said, "I cannot guarantee they will listen, but if necessary, I will find a way to gather them so you can speak face-to-face."
In truth, it did not desire a massive war between mutated beasts and humans either, as its ancestral memories hinted at an even greater crisis to come.
If there truly was a way to avert future catastrophes, the Spirit Monkey was naturally willing to help.
As for the final outcome, that was beyond its control.
"Thank you."
Lu Yuan nodded, indicating that he would remain temporarily at the foot of Mount Tai for the time being.
With that, he turned and left Jade Emperor Peak.
On his way down the mountain, he encountered numerous mutated beasts, but because of his agreement with the Spirit Monkey, they did not attack, choosing instead to retreat out of his path.
Lu Yuan understood that while massive beast tides might be averted in the future, skirmishes between humans and mutated beasts would never cease entirely.
In this New Era, the wild instincts had returned, and the law of the jungle was ultimately impossible to suppress.
Still, stabilizing the broader situation was enough.
At least before the extraterrestrial entities descended, the humans and beasts of this world should not waste their strength in internal strife.
With these thoughts, Lu Yuan soon arrived at the military outpost at the foot of the mountain.
There, Ji Huaiyuan, Elder Yun, Dean Zheng, Zhu Qingyu, and the others were waiting in place.
The moment they saw Lu Yuan, looks of reverence, shock, curiosity, and awe converged, all focused upon him at once.
Suppressing the king atop Mount Tai and withstanding dozens of intercontinental ballistic missiles—this was simply beyond anything a human ought to be capable of.
Even the title of King of Humanity seemed insufficient to describe him.
"The Spirit Monkey has agreed: humans may enter Mount Tai in the future, but only with official permission."
Lu Yuan ignored their stares and spoke of his own accord.
At those words, wild joy surfaced in the eyes of Ji Huaiyuan and the others.
Though they had already known about it, hearing it directly from him was entirely different.
Ji Huaiyuan looked at Lu Yuan, then bowed deeply without hesitation. "On behalf of our people, I thank you, King Lu."
Mount Tai held countless miraculous fortunes. With this, the authorities could accomplish great things, cultivating even more and stronger Awakened.
This was a monumental contribution that would benefit everyone.
Thus, not only Ji Huaiyuan, but everyone standing behind him bowed deeply as well.
"There is no need for this," Lu Yuan said, waving his hand. "There is one more matter. I have reached an understanding with the Spirit Monkey to inform all mutated beast kings across the country that they are forbidden from launching beast tides again. Of course, this will take time.
"Accomplishing this will not be easy, as the beast kings will not concede lightly. However, I will negotiate with them personally."
The moment these words fell, everyone froze once more, exchanging glances.
They understood precisely what this meant.
If this negotiation succeeded, it meant that domestic cities would never again have to live in fear of beast tides!
For a time, everyone was rendered speechless.
"Is there anything you need us to do?" Ji Huaiyuan finally asked, swallowing hard.
"No, I can handle this matter alone." Lu Yuan shook his head.
This lay fundamentally beyond their capacity to resolve, so there was no need.
"Good, good, good."
Ji Huaiyuan understood this clearly and did not press further.
Yet every person present knew that once this was accomplished, countless lives would be spared from the scourge of mutated beasts. What a staggering achievement that would be!
Fortunately, having witnessed so many miracles from Lu Yuan, they found this somewhat easier to take in. Moreover, the matter was not yet settled; as Lu Yuan had said, achieving it would be difficult.
The final outcome remained to be seen.
"Bring them forward!"
At that moment, Elder Yun spoke up. "King Lu, these are Western cultists. It was they who confirmed your coordinates, leading to the subsequent missile strike."
As he finished speaking, a squad of soldiers escorted four or five individuals in camouflage forward, bringing them before Lu Yuan.
Though Mount Tai was vast, Elder Yun had issued a strict order at the time, and utilizing various methods, they had finally tracked down the perpetrators.
Now that Lu Yuan had returned safely from Mount Tai, this matter had to be addressed.
Elder Yun had already extracted the identities of the masterminds through interrogation: the Holy Angel of the Vatican Church and its high-ranking leadership.
They had sought to obliterate Lu Yuan and had executed this operation, nearly succeeding.
Lu Yuan regarded the four or five Western cultists, his gaze calm.
It was just as well; the issue with the West needed to be resolved.
Had his strength been insufficient, that intercontinental missile strike would have obliterated even his physical body.
Their malice was utterly inexcusable!
After a moment's contemplation, Lu Yuan turned to Ji Huaiyuan. "Elder Ji, I trouble you with a task. Issue a public declaration to the Vatican Church, Mount Olympus, and the other factions. State that I will establish a human alliance led by Huaxia.
"Furthermore, every single mastermind behind the Mount Tai missile strike, without exception, must be brought to justice.
"And make it clear: this is a notice, not a negotiation—and it is their final warning!"
As his words fell, every person present stood utterly stunned.
The Vatican Church and Mount Olympus were the two greatest powers in the world outside Huaxia.
Yet the meaning behind Lu Yuan's words was abundantly clear to all: by his own power alone, he intended to purge both great factions, placing Huaxia at the helm. By his strength alone, he would suppress the entire globe!
Chapter 95