The video was soon transmitted back to the country, drawing the attention of countless people in an instant.
Yet after hearing what the Holy Angel had to say, everyone was enraged.
"The Twelve Apostles were slain, and King Lu is invincible! If you have what it takes, come over in person instead of clamoring from afar!"
A hot-tempered Awakened left a fiery comment. He revered Lu Yuan deeply, and seeing the other party's arrogance, he simply could not hold back.
"Exactly! What does posting a video prove?" others echoed, firmly believing that the so-called Holy Angel was no match at all—even if a true god descended, it would make no difference.
Following the recent series of events, Lu Yuan had already become invincible in their hearts. They felt that if the Holy Angel truly had confidence in his own strength, he should come directly.
However, the other party gave no response to any of this, lapsing straight into silence. But he had already conveyed his stance: he refused to form the Human Alliance.
The authorities said nothing further either, merely reiterating the timeline:
A maximum of three months.
A few days later, the Divine Knight of Mount Olympus also released a response.
He, too, recorded a video. Clad in armor, he was exceptionally tall, radiating a formidable aura like a god of war. Beside him stood a warhorse engulfed in blazing flames, looking equally fierce.
"We are all humans. There is no need for bloodshed and confrontation; we should cooperate."
Unlike the Holy Angel, his words were not aggressive; in fact, they were quite mild. His general message was that matters could be discussed calmly without conflict—in this New Era, humanity ought to coexist peacefully and jointly explore the ultimate end of the evolutionary path.
At the same time, the Divine Knight expressed great respect for King Lu of the East, stating that he would certainly pay a visit if given the chance in the future.
Such an attitude softened the anger of many domestic Awakened, making them feel there was still room for dialogue. Compared to the Holy Angel, the Divine Knight seemed far more reasonable.
"The Divine Knight rules Mount Olympus with an iron fist."
"He once led his subordinates to slaughter the Awakened who opposed him. He is definitely no pushover—he is merely deflecting to stall for time."
Soon, someone spoke up with classified information gathered from abroad, warning the public not to be deceived.
The Divine Knight would only be more troublesome to deal with than the Holy Angel, for he was willing to lay hands on his fellow humans. Moreover, from beginning to end, he had not said a single word about joining the Human Alliance. Clearly, he was just as unwilling.
For a moment, many found it hard to believe. Sure enough, people outside the East were all adept at wearing masks.
As for the official authorities, they remained as composed as ever, merely posting a three-month countdown online to signal their stance.
Needless to say, headlines and discourse both domestically and abroad were thoroughly dominated by talk of the Human Alliance.
Everyone knew that Lu Yuan, this King of Humanity, had an unyielding temperament and never went back on his word. Longevity Genetics, Tianshen Technology—he wiped them out the moment he struck, almost never compromising. Some even believed that a massive war might now be unavoidable.
Yet the domestic Awakened were not worried in the slightest, possessing absolute confidence in Lu Yuan's strength.
Naturally, that was assuming thermonuclear weapons were not deployed. But their side possessed them as well, which served as a mutual deterrent, so they were certain such an extreme outcome was unlikely to occur.
In short, the entire outside world was closely following the matter, and all eyes were drawn to it.
***
At the foot of Mount Tai, inside a room at the temporary base.
Lu Yuan sat cross-legged, the aura around him oscillating continuously.
Golden blood-qi surged forth like rolling ocean waves. Yet even in the midst of cultivation, he could now precisely govern his strength, so the room remained completely untouched; otherwise, it would have been destroyed long ago.
His chest rose and fell. With each breath, dragon-shaped essence emerged and vanished. After every cycle, his aura grew a fraction more powerful than before.
The skin on his arms had turned crystal-clear and translucent, emitting wisps of faint, delicate fragrance. This signified that his physical body had grown even sturdier, reaching a terrifying degree.
After an unknown amount of time, Lu Yuan slowly opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing across them.
"I have broken a full fifty genetic shackles. In this third stage of evolution, I have almost reached the halfway mark. Not bad," he murmured to himself, a smile surfacing in his eyes. If he continued at this pace, it would not be long before he could begin making his push into the Golden Body Realm.
Lu Yuan did not continue cultivating; he remained where he was, waiting quietly. The reason he had paused was that he sensed people approaching.
Sure enough, before long, a knock sounded at the door.
It was Ji Huaiyuan, Elder Yun, and several Awakened soldiers armed with live ammunition.
"King Lu, word has come from the Spirit Monkey. The mutated beast kings have arrived," Ji Huaiyuan said solemnly the moment he entered.
After all, this was a matter of life and death concerning countless citizens and demanded the utmost seriousness. Because of that, he had not leaked word of it to the public, wishing to avoid any unexpected complications before matters were settled.
"Good," Lu Yuan replied with a smile upon hearing the news.
During his seclusion, the Spirit Monkey had visited once and delivered a message: through a special method of contact, it had arranged for most of the mutated beast kings across the country to come to Mount Tai, where Lu Yuan could negotiate an end to the beast tides.
The Spirit Monkey had warned that those beings were exceedingly irritable and enraged, and that a fight might be necessary.
Lu Yuan had naturally understood this well, agreeing to head to Jade Emperor Peak in due time. Now was the ideal moment.
"After more than a month in seclusion, they have finally arrived."
Lu Yuan stood up, looked over at the group, and said, "Only Elder Ji and Elder Yun need to accompany me up."
The two nodded in agreement. Those they were meeting this time were almost all beast kings, every one of them at least in the Shackle Realm; if a conflict broke out, bringing an army of troops would be pointless.
Without hesitation, Lu Yuan walked straight out of the room.
It was dusk, the great sun sinking in the west. Evening clouds stretched across the sky, appearing extraordinarily magnificent under the golden light.
He noticed that during his time in seclusion, the temporary base had expanded considerably. Busy figures moved about everywhere, and many facilities under construction were already mostly completed.
Ji Huaiyuan took the opportunity to explain that a Mount Tai Trial Academy would be built here, operating independently from the five Zhendan Academies. In the future, it would serve as a trial ground for students and others; those who achieved outstanding rankings upon finishing their trials could enter Mount Tai to seek their own fortuitous encounters.
Elder Yun also pointed out that the trial academy could be built solely because Lu Yuan had suppressed the Spirit Monkey single-handedly.
Hearing this, Lu Yuan paused, instantly caught in recollection.
In his previous life, the authorities had taken control of part of Mount Tai in the later period and established this academy. Back then, after becoming an Awakened, he had tried by every conceivable means to enter it and gain fortuitous encounters. Unfortunately, his strength was too weak, and he had been screened out time and again.
Who would have guessed that in this life, the Mount Tai Trial Academy would be established ahead of schedule because of him?
"There is one more matter. In accordance with King Lu's wishes, we have announced the formation of the Human Alliance. However, both factions refused—especially the Holy Angel, whose attitude was extremely unyielding, declaring he would never submit," Elder Yun reported.
"There is still over a month left before the deadline I set, correct?" Lu Yuan pondered, then continued, "No matter. Whether the Holy Angel agrees or not, he will not survive."
The missile strike had been engineered by that man in an attempt to blast him to pieces. Factoring in the Twelve Apostles as well, Lu Yuan had long harbored the intent to kill him; he simply had not had the time. Once the affairs on Mount Tai were settled and the deadline arrived, everything would be brought to a close.
Hearing these words, Elder Yun felt his throat go slightly dry. As expected, King Lu was as domineering as ever. Regardless, they would stand firmly behind him with their full support. The Holy See's unauthorized intrusion had crossed a line, and they truly needed to be purged. With Lu Yuan present, nothing could go wrong.
What required concern at present was thermonuclear weaponry—the pinnacle of humanity's intellect, the most destructive weapon in history. Under ordinary circumstances, however, the other side would likely not resort to such a lethal measure. Thermonuclear weapons were a deterrent, and their side possessed that same deterrence unless the Holy Angel and his allies truly dared to discard all restraint.
The three spoke no further, climbing toward Jade Emperor Peak. According to the Spirit Monkey, the negotiation was set to take place there.
Mount Tai was vast and majestic, making it impossible for ordinary people to reach the summit, but to Lu Yuan it posed no challenge. Elder Ji and Elder Yun were both in the Shackle Realm, so they had no difficulty either.
As the sun slipped away and night fell, the three stepped onto Jade Emperor Peak.
Aside from Lu Yuan, this was the two elders' first time standing atop Mount Tai since the New Era began. Beholding the sprawling ruins of ancient palaces, looks of wonder surfaced in their eyes. True, they had seen them through the livestream before, but witnessing them with their own eyes was an entirely different experience.
"Quite punctual. Not bad, not bad."
A voice called out just then. It was the Spirit Monkey, holding its iron staff. It scratched its ear, looking Lu Yuan up and down, before asking in astonishment, "You grew stronger again?"
Its bloodline was extraordinary, and its eyes possessed a unique divine ability. Though not comparable to the Martial Dao Heavenly Eye, it could still perceive that Lu Yuan's aura had grown even more potent than it had been a month ago.
"Yes, a little," Lu Yuan nodded, then said, "These are Elder Ji and Elder Yun, accompanying me."
After all, this was a negotiation with the mutated beasts regarding the beast tides; bringing the two elders who represented the highest authorities was essential.
The two offered a slight bow, leaning forward respectfully. "Monkey King."
This was the king of Mount Tai. Unlike Lu Yuan, they would never dare act presumptuously before it.
"Fine, fine, I'll take you over," the Spirit Monkey muttered, having little interest in exchanging pleasantries. Clearly, it was still feeling dejected over Lu Yuan growing stronger again. Lowering its head, it sulkily led the way.
No matter how intelligent the Spirit Monkey was, it remained a mutated beast in the end and could not observe human etiquette. Moreover, Elder Ji and Elder Yun meant nothing in its eyes. Were it not for Lu Yuan, the Spirit Monkey would never have paid them any mind. It was not arrogance—they simply belonged to different species. Under such circumstances, strength was the sole language of communication!
Soon, guided by the Spirit Monkey, Lu Yuan and the others arrived at a vast, open expanse atop Jade Emperor Peak.
The bright moon had already risen, and the night sky was dotted with stars, shining far brighter than in the old era.
Not far away, colossal silhouettes crouched in the dark. Some possessed wings, some were coiled like giant serpents, others bore nine tails, and one stood upright on two legs with a massive pair of bull horns, casting elongated shadows across the ground under the moonlight.
Every one of these figures radiated an incomparably violent, terrifying aura that swept outward without restraint, kicking up localized gales.
Ordinary Awakened or weaker mutated beasts would have turned and fled the instant they sensed such power.
Before long, the three drew closer and finally saw the forms of these figures clearly.
Lu Yuan remained unfazed, but Elder Ji and Elder Yun beside him instantly paled in shock.
"The Peacock King, the Giant Flood Dragon King, the Nine-Tailed Fox King..."
The two whispered, their expressions shifting as deep dread showed on their faces.
Several of these figures were mutated beast kings recorded in the government's top-secret files.
During the initial phase of the anomaly, they had revealed terrifying might and claimed various famous mountains and great rivers. Subsequent research revealed that every single one of these mutated beasts possessed exceptionally potent bloodlines with boundless potential.
Judging by the look of it now, they all appeared to be in the Golden Body Realm.
What was more, there were a full nine of them present atop Jade Emperor Peak.
"Oh? You recognize them all? That's great, saves me the trouble of introducing them."
The Spirit Monkey turned toward the group of beast kings and continued, "All right, I have brought the man. How you negotiate and whether you reach an agreement is entirely up to you."
With that, it ignored both sides, produced a spiritual peach from who-knew-where, crouched off to the side, and began eating.
From the start, what the Spirit Monkey had agreed with Lu Yuan was merely to gather the various mutated beast kings together, taking no part in anything else. Now that its task was complete, it naturally had no further business here—far better to sit aside and watch the show.
Once the Spirit Monkey moved away, the ten beast kings turned their gazes toward Lu Yuan one after another, their eyes laden with hostility.
"You are the human the Spirit Monkey spoke of? The one who demanded that we cease launching beast tides?"
A black bull spoke first. Standing a full thirty feet tall on two legs, it bore a pair of enormous bull horns atop its head that seemed to harbor terrifying power, enveloped in swirling layers of black light.
Behind it, an all-silver giant flood dragon slowly drew near. A dragon horn had already sprouted from its head, and its aura was vast and imposing.
Beside them was a peacock bathed in radiant, dazzling light, its eyes razor-sharp.
There was also a snow-white nine-tailed fox. Though not in human form, it exuded a captivating allure that tugged at the heart and mind.
Lu Yuan remained silent, calmly watching the scene unfold.
Beside him, Elder Ji stepped forward immediately and began introducing them in a hushed voice. As a top official, he possessed extensive intelligence, half of which was classified as top-secret. For instance, the black bull hailed from Flaming Mountain, and the silver flood dragon came from Changbai Mountain.
The nine-tailed fox belonged to Taibai Mountain.
In total, there were ten mutated beast kings, every one of them in the Golden Body Realm, and none of them weaker than the Spirit Monkey.
The strongest among them was undoubtedly the Peacock King, whose origins remained a mystery, yet was extraordinarily ferocious.
Essentially all of them hailed from famous mountains and mighty rivers, true kings in their own right.
This was precisely why Elder Ji and Elder Yun had paled slightly upon seeing them. If these beings were to run amok, the entire nation would be plunged into chaos, triggering an unimaginable catastrophe.
"I see."
Having heard the explanations, Lu Yuan nodded, then stepped forward slowly, his expression as calm as ever.
"I gathered you all today, so I will get straight to the point. I trust the Spirit Monkey has already relayed my words: from this day forth, within Huaxia's borders, no more beast tides shall occur. Humans belong with humans, and mutated beasts belong with mutated beasts. Mutated beasts shall not set foot upon the lands of humanity!"
Having spoken, his gaze sharpened slightly, and he repeated:
"Now then, I have said my piece. Who is in favor, and who is opposed?"
Chapter 97