Once the disturbance was detected, everyone at the Trial Academy at the foot of the mountain was shaken.
The higher-ups knew full well that many mutated beast kings were gathered on Jade Emperor Peak. Though they did not understand what had happened, if those entities decided to run wild, the consequences would be catastrophic.
Yet just as they sought to investigate more closely, they discovered that the energy fluctuations had vanished. Everything seemed to have settled back into stillness.
Reluctant to actively provoke them, Ji Huaiyuan and the others chose not to probe further.
Even so, worry mounted among the crowd. Elder Yun was particularly anxious; with the death of the Giant Flood Dragon King, the beast kings were bound to harbor resentment. He feared they might renege on what had been agreed upon before. After all, everything prior had merely been a verbal understanding between Lu Yuan and the Peacock King.
Just like that, a few more days went by.
Unable to hold back any longer, the anxious Elder Ji and Elder Yun sought out Lu Yuan once more. Knowing the beast kings had not yet left, they cautiously asked if he could go up again to secure some form of guarantee. The situation was simply too terrifying. Those were all mutated beast kings of the Golden Body Realm; even if they refrained from doing anything now, should they return to summon beast tides in the future, the fallout would be unthinkable.
To this, Lu Yuan merely smiled. "Don't worry. As long as I am strong enough, it's impossible for another beast tide to occur within the country. Furthermore, mutated beasts will not easily set foot upon human territory. The Peacock King and the others will behave themselves."
At these words, Elder Ji and Elder Yun both froze, unable to comprehend where his immense confidence came from.
Soon, however, Lu Yuan drew out a feather shimmering with seven-colored radiance from his robes, his expression serene.
"Is this... the Peacock King's true feather?" Elder Yun's face changed drastically upon seeing it, instantly recognizing where it came from.
Beside him, Elder Ji's eyes widened as realization struck him. He could not help asking, "King Lu, was that great battle we detected earlier between you and the Peacock King?"
With the Peacock King's true feather resting in Lu Yuan's hand, what else was there left to wonder?
Lu Yuan only smiled and said nothing.
He knew very well that the Peacock King and the other beast kings would not yield easily. As the Spirit Monkey had said, a major battle was utterly unavoidable. Lu Yuan had seen through this, which was why he had ascended Jade Emperor Peak once more a few days ago. As for that clash...
To be precise, it had been fought between him and every single beast king present, barring the Spirit Monkey.
The outcome, naturally, went without saying.
The Peacock King and the others had lost. Utterly and completely.
They had directly offered up the true feather, understanding that even if Lu Yuan could not personally halt every beast tide across the realm, he certainly possessed the power to slaughter all of their beast kings. In the end, the two sides reached a complete understanding.
Gathering his thoughts, Lu Yuan did not go into detail, merely saying, "However, gentlemen, it would be best if this matter is not disclosed. In the New Era, pressure is indispensable if we wish to grow strong quickly. Having a sense of crisis in everyone's hearts is also a good thing."
He had resolved the greatest crisis between humans and mutated beasts within the borders; moving forward, the authorities could amass their strength to their hearts' content. When extraterrestrial beings descended in the future, they would not be left helpless—they would at least be prepared.
"Rest assured, we understand."
The two nodded and took a deep breath, their faces filled with respect. They naturally grasped the reasoning behind it and fully supported it. Thus, at this moment, Elder Ji and Elder Yun—representing the very pinnacle of the official administration—were thoroughly obedient to Lu Yuan.
To put it without exaggeration, Lu Yuan currently held an entirely transcendent standing within the country.
Of course, he did not care much about this. While he did harbor thoughts of establishing a faction of his own, the time for that was not now.
Without lingering on the topic, Lu Yuan looked toward the two and asked, "By the way, has there been any news from the Vatican Church or Mount Olympus lately? If I remember correctly, there is only about a month left until the deadline set previously, isn't there?"
The first task was complete; now, it was time to address the second.
"Indeed," Elder Yun replied. "However, neither faction has issued any further response."
With that, the two glanced at Lu Yuan. Having interacted with him over this period, they knew he was a man of his word. If the deadline arrived and the Church and Mount Olympus still failed to take a stance, a great war would be unavoidable.
"Is that so?" Lu Yuan's eyelids lowered slightly, and he said, "Then release another announcement. One month from now, I will pay them a visit in person."
Hearing this, the two elders exchanged glances and nodded heavily. Having already resolved to offer their full support, they naturally showed no hesitation now.
After a few parting words, Elder Ji and Elder Yun bid farewell and departed.
Inside the room, Lu Yuan was once again left alone.
"It seems a trip to the West is inevitable," he murmured to himself, a faint smile surfacing in his eyes.
This time, he had many matters to handle. For instance, that Holy Angel of the Church had to be slain!
Before that, however, Lu Yuan intended to use this remaining time to continue strengthening himself. He knew that when pushed to the brink, those people might resort to desperate measures—perhaps even deploying thermonuclear weapons. But as always, so long as he was powerful enough, none of it mattered.
Without another word, he sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes.
In this one month, he aimed to break as many genetic shackles as possible while practicing his visualization and breathing methods, refining his physique to elevate his combat strength even further.
Soon, under the orders of Elder Ji and Elder Yun, the second announcement went out:
[One month from now, King Lu will travel to the Church and Mount Olympus respectively to make arrangements regarding the establishment of the Human Alliance.]
The moment the news broke, intense discussion erupted across the internet. After a silence of two months, the higher-ups had finally made a move.
Everyone knew that this time, Lu Yuan was completely serious and not joking around. After all, the first announcement had gone unacknowledged by the two factions; on the contrary, the Holy Angel's stance had been exceedingly unyielding. That had already sparked immense dissatisfaction domestically, so with this announcement, countless people felt invigorated.
Discussions spread like wildfire over what the outcome would be if King Lu took action in person. Could the Human Alliance truly be formed?
Most believed it could, as Lu Yuan's overwhelming strength had already been etched deeply into their minds. It was even possible they might witness a clash between Eastern and Western Awakened.
Of course, it all depended on how the two factions responded. If they chose to agree, things would be different. Thus, almost everyone waited eagerly to see whether the other side would continue to stall and refuse, or soften their stance and yield.
Finally, three days after the announcement was made, the Divine Knight issued a response:
[I extend a sincere invitation to King Lu of the East. I hope King Lu can come in one month to discuss matters regarding the formation of the Human Alliance. At that time, the Divine Knight and the Holy Angel will await your arrival together at Mount Olympus.]
The response was not long, yet it revealed a great deal of information—especially the phrase stating they would await his arrival together. It was impossible not to suspect that the two factions had formed a private alliance. Otherwise, there would be no mention of the Divine Knight and Holy Angel waiting together.
Some even felt that this response carried the undertone of a threat. After all, waiting together—did that not imply dealing with King Lu together?
In the end, opinion online reached a unanimous verdict: this was a trap.
The two factions had no desire to form a Human Alliance at all; they had simply been backed into a corner. Knowing they could not face Lu Yuan alone, they had chosen to stand together. In particular, some knew that the Divine Knight was tyrannical and domineering; he was not one to compromise easily. Things were definitely not as simple as they appeared on the surface.
Upon receiving the news, Elder Ji and Elder Yun reached the exact same conclusion. Intelligence reports indicated that Awakened belonging to both the Church and Mount Olympus had begun gathering recently. This was very likely the prelude to a grand battle. Thus, they sought out Lu Yuan to ask how to respond, while simultaneously advising whether it might be wiser to wait for a while.
Those two factions represented two great camps; their military power, conventional firepower, and advanced weaponry were exceptionally formidable.
However, upon hearing this, Lu Yuan simply nodded and agreed. Gathering in a single location was actually quite convenient; it saved him the trouble of making an extra trip.
Elder Ji and Elder Yun immediately grew anxious, insisting that it was likely a trap and that they did not want him walking into danger.
Yet Lu Yuan paid it no mind, his decision already made. Taking a trip to the West before the extraterrestrial beings descended was harmless enough; besides, Mount Olympus held a few interesting secrets of its own. As for whatever schemes those two factions were plotting, he already had a general idea—but what of it? In the face of absolute strength, all conspiracies and tricks were utterly fragile. And he possessed that confidence.
Seeing that Lu Yuan had made up his mind, the two elders knew it could not be changed. They offered to dispatch personnel to protect him, but Lu Yuan turned them down as well.
The reason was simple: with his current strength, he had no need for protection whatsoever. If anything, having others around would only tie his hands.
Faced with this truth, Elder Ji and Elder Yun fell silent, knowing it was the reality. In the end, having no other choice, they responded to the Divine Knight in accordance with Lu Yuan's decision:
See you at Mount Olympus in one month.
This outcome left the general public thoroughly stunned. There was clearly a plot afoot; why agree instead of simply ignoring it? Yet others believed that given Lu Yuan's strength, even if he went, the two factions could do nothing to him. Besides, dealing with the Divine Knight and the Holy Angel to force their submission required precisely such an unyielding response.
Just like that, Lu Yuan's journey to Mount Olympus in one month was officially set in stone.
By this point, it was no longer just the domestic populace paying attention; nations across the globe were watching closely. Lengthy news reports surfaced daily, the fervor never waning for a moment. Everyone knew that this journey might very well reshape the global landscape. Each and every person was waiting for the arrival of that day a month later.
As for Lu Yuan, after making the response, he entered closed-door cultivation once more, completely undisturbed.
During this time, he concentrated on cultivating his breathing and visualization methods. While breaking his genetic shackles up to the sixty-fifth, he tempered his physique once again, pushing its resilience to a terrifying degree. It could be said that throughout this period, his overall capabilities had improved dramatically. Though he had not yet undergone a qualitative leap, he was indisputably the strongest human alive.
Before long, a month flashed by.
On this day under the eyes of the world, inside a room at the Mount Tai Trial Academy, Lu Yuan sat cross-legged, his golden blood and qi restrained. That peerless aura was thoroughly concealed beneath his Innate Qi Robe. Both his physical body and his spirit were honed to their absolute peak.
Shortly after, he slowly opened his eyes. Sensing the condition of his body, a look of satisfaction appeared on his face as he murmured softly, "It's time to set out for the West!"
Chapter 99