Chapter 121. The Southern Sea Kraken? This Land Belongs to Humans, Beasts, Halt!

└Lu Yuan has arrived.

└He's in Shen City; he landed on the rooftop of Longevity Genetics Tower.

└Will he really erase the entire Wang Family? But if he does... what happens to everyone in the city?

└He wouldn't, right? There are over a hundred thousand mutated sea beasts out there...

└Look! Commander Zhang of Shen City's defense troops just went up to meet him!

└Seems like he's trying to talk Lu Yuan down.

All across the internet, the chat feeds surged with frantic comments as they watched the situation.

Everyone agreed that the Wang family had gone too far but no one knew what to do about it. The entire city had been taken hostage by one man's madness.

Many felt that Lu Yuan ought to be persuaded to stay his hand. Let the Wang Family be pacified first and then the authorities could take action eventually.

Meanwhile, on the rooftop of Longevity Genetics, Lu Yuan had just landed when a helicopter descended beside him.

Commander Zhang of the Defense Corps stepped out.

"Mr. Lu, on behalf of every citizen of Shen City, I ask that you show restraint, just for now," Commander Zhang said, his voice tinged with sincerity. "The Wang family's condition is simple. They want to leave the country immediately and promise to never return.

"If you agree to their condition, once they've successfully left, they'll withdraw their missiles from the outer sea and abandon the beast tide plan."

Even as Commander Zhang spoke, frustration and helplessness bled through every word. After all, the Wang Family's act was worthy of heaven's wrath and humanity's scorn.

Under ordinary circumstances, using military force to wipe out the Wang family from existence would be effortless. But this time, the situation left them bound for their lives were tied to the fate of millions.

The authorities had to consider the lives of the city's people. So the only choice left was to persuade Lu Yuan to stand down.

Commander Zhang knew the man was at the Unfettered Realm and so, he spoke with extreme courtesy, for the higher-ups had already issued orders that this man was an important figure.

"Oh?" Lu Yuan turned, a faint smile touching his lips. "How are you certain that once the Wang Family withdraws safely, they will abandon the plan to incite a beast tide?

"For their own sake, they willingly rile the mutated sea beasts and wager the lives of Shen City's residents. Such an act is madness beyond measure. If I stop now, and they betray that promise later, what then?"

"With the Global Awakening, the circumstances could change any time. Can you guarantee you are able to make them pay afterward?"

The question struck Commander Zhang dumb.

Indeed, the Wang Family's conduct had already slid past reason. Otherwise, they wouldn't have resorted to such an act of madness to use an entire city of citizens as leverage.

What if after they withdrew, they still trigger the missile and unleash the beast tide? If that happened, the Wang family would escape punishment and Shen City would be left to deal with the wrath of the beast tide.

Seeing Commander Zhang's silence, Lu Yuan's gaze grew grave and he continued, "So the only sensible course is to end them before they can act. As for the consequences, I will shoulder them alone."

With that, he ignored Commander Zhang and turned to descend the rooftop steps. No matter what, he had no intention of changing his resolve.

Across from him, Commander Zhang could only sigh in helplessness. Of course he wanted to stop Lu Yuan, but the gap between their strengths was a chasm so vast that it was impossible to do so.

In the end, all he could do was exhale softly, turn toward his helicopter, and prepare to strengthen Shen City's defenses. In his gut, he already knew that a terrible calamity unlike anything before was coming.

As for Lu Yuan's words about "shouldering the consequences", he dismissed them inwardly. Unfettered Realm or not—how could one man withstand the might of a beast tide?

But before he could take off, his phone buzzed sharply in his hand. It was a call from the upper command and the message was brief.

Lu Yuan might very well be the King of Humanity who stood beyond the walls of Chang'an and slew eight beast kings alone.

Also, they had decided that there would be no further negotiations with Longevity Genetics. All branches of the military were being mobilized and the Shen City Defense Corps was to coordinate with them.

The higher authorities had realized that the war between humankind and the mutated beasts was inevitable. It was better to let it erupt now when they still had a chance to fight back, than to wait until the monsters struck first.

Though they were not fully prepared, the circumstances no longer offered them a choice.

Commander Zhang lowered his phone slowly, his gaze fixed on Lu Yuan's retreating figure. Awe and shock slowly suffused his eyes.

If Lu Yuan was really the King of Humanity... then perhaps when the sea beast tide besieged the city, the city might not fall if Lu Yuan cooperated with the military.

Without further hesitation, Zhang climbed into his helicopter and began issuing final orders.

Meanwhile, Lu Yuan strode through the gleaming corridors of Longevity Genetics Tower. He already knew exactly where the Wang Family was; he had learned every detail on his way here.

The guards along the way did nothing. They could not have stopped him even if they tried. Before long, he reached a vast conference room.

A long table filled the center, surrounded by over twenty seated figures. At its head sat the patriarch of the Wang family, Wang Zhenyun.

Cameras lined the walls, their red indicators blinking. They were broadcasting, streaming this moment live to the world.

Clearly, Wang Zhenyun intended this to be a spectacle for the whole world to watch. Even an Unfettered Realm Awakened, even someone as powerful as Lu Yuan, must yield when he held an entire city like a bargaining chip.

"You should know the situation now. If any one of us dies," Wang Zhengyun said, rising to his feet. "Every soul in Shen City will face the calamity!"

His eyes burned with rage and hatred. "You are powerful. You killed my two sons and the five elders. But so what? Do you dare throw away the lives of Shen City's people for your vengeance?"

Madness burned in Wang Zhenyun. Beside him, his two wives looked on with apparent loathing on their visage. They clearly wished they could tear Lu Yuan apart with their bare hands.

Yet they knew it was impossible; he was too strong. Their only hope was survival. As long as the Wang Family stood, there might still be a chance in the future.

"I do not like being threatened," Lu Yuan said. He was not the least moved. He stepped forward, slow and deliberate.

An intense golden aura unfurled from his skin and surrounded him. The marble floor beneath his feet spidered with cracks, splitting under the weight of that silent power.

Outside, viewers watching through the cameras swallowed hard. Seeing Lu Yuan advance without hesitation, they understood that perhaps this was truly the end of the Wang Family.

But if that happened, Shen City would face a beast tide. Countless innocents would be swept into an abyss.

For a moment, the world held its breath.

"No, you won't!" Wang Zhenyun roared. He could feel the killing intent emitting from Lu Yuan. Terror finally broke through his mask. He fumbled for a remote control and thrust it forward. "Stop! The missile detonator is in my hand. Take one more step and the whole city shall perish with the Wang Family!"

He truly couldn't believe that even at this critical moment, Lu Yuan still chose to annihilate the Wang Family.

Had Commander Zhang not persuaded him? Were the countless lives within Shen City not enough to make this man hesitate?

Clearly, Wang Zhenyun had miscalculated.

Lu Yuan did not stop. His right hand clenched into a fist, his gaze cold as winter steel. Waves of golden qi surged around him, each pulse rippling through the air with thunderous force until the entire floor began to quake.

And in the next instant, without a trace of hesitation, he thrust his fist forward.

BOOM!

The sheer force tore through the chamber. The shockwave shattered everything within. Walls, pillars, and ceilings ripped apart, leaving nothing but the skeletal frame of reinforced concrete. Even Wang Zhenyun, his two wives, and every member of the Wang Family present was blown apart.

Lu Yuan was just too powerful now. To him, erasing the Wang Family required less effort than exhaling.

Two of the four great powers had already perished by Lu Yuan's hand.

Lu Yuan then turned toward the vast window overlooking the sea.

There, a blinding explosion bloomed over the waters. Just as Wang Zhenyun had warned, the instant he was dead, the missiles launched to enrage the sea beasts and incite a beast tide.

"He really killed them, and the missiles... have exploded!"

"It's over! The sea beasts will be enraged; the beast tide will come!"

"What do we do? Can the Defense Corps hold them back?"

Across Shen City, a number of Awakened stared toward the coast, their blood running cold.

The worst had come to pass.

Some cursed Lu Yuan's recklessness, saying he should have steadied the Wang Family first. Others said the blame lay with the Wang Family alone. What mattered the most now was to focus everyone's strength to resist the imminent beast tide.

As for Lu Yuan, he didn't have much reaction. He bent his legs slightly and then leapt skyward.

Rumble!

In a single instant, Lu Yuan's formidable body shattered the ceiling above him. He tore through dozens of floors in one breath until at last he burst through to the open sky.

On the rooftop, the Golden-Winged Great Peng had already descended and was waiting for him. Several Defense Corps soldiers stood around it.

The moment they saw Lu Yuan, they hurried forward and said, "Mr. Lu! Our tanks and aircraft are in position! The Commander requests your presence at the city wall to face the beast tide together."

Lu Yuan only shook his head. His gaze stretched toward the distant horizon. "No need. I alone will suffice. I said that I will shoulder all the consequences alone. The beast tide will not reach Shen City."

With that, he stepped onto the back of the Golden-Winged Great Peng and the mythical bird shot toward the outer seas.

Meanwhile...

Inside the command center, Commander Zhang leaned over the radar display, watching as countless life signatures flared across the screen. He seized his binoculars and turned them toward the coastline.

It would have been better if he didn't look. One look was all it took to make his seasoned face turn grim.

In the outer seas surrounding Shen City, the waters churned violently.

A colossal shadow breached the surface. Its form measured hundreds of meters tall, but dozens of thick sinuous tentacles writhed through the dark waters. It resembled an octopus, yet its scale made skyscrapers seem like toys.

The aura it released dwarfed even the strongest mutated beast kings on land. And the tumultuous waves were its doing.

Behind it surged an endless tide of mutated sea beasts. Densely packed like sardines, they surged forward toward Shen City.

"The Southern Sea Kraken! It's the Kraken!"

On the massive steel walls facing the ocean, countless Awakened stood shoulder to shoulder. Some held weapons; others held cameras or phones, livestreaming the sight to the world.

When they saw the enormous creature rising from the waves, their minds went blank because they knew this beast by name.

The Kraken had first appeared at the dawn of the Global Awakening. It rose from the depths, overturning freighters and warships alike, and stirred tempests with a single movement of its limbs. Its power was unmatched and was crowned a beast king even back then.

It had vanished for a few months. None knew where it went but they had never expected it to resurface here at Shen City.

Clearly, the missile launched by the Wang Family had enraged this Southern Sea Kraken.

Through the countless lenses aimed toward the coastline, nearly the entire nation witnessed the monster. Everyone watching was consumed with shock.

The sea beasts were indeed far stronger than those of the land. And now, the question hung like a blade over Shen City.

How could Shen City possibly withstand this?

"Commander, what do we do?" a soldier's voice rang out from atop the steel walls.

Even the strongest Awakened would be powerless before such a monster.

"Doesn't matter," Commander Zhang barked. "Deploy the warplanes! Ready the artillery! The moment they enter the inner waters, open fire at will!"

There was no other option. The disaster was already upon them. Whatever the cost, they had to hold the line.

"Yes, sir!" The soldier saluted and sprinted to relay the orders.

But among the Awakened standing nearby, faces had gone pale. Even from this distance, they could feel the suffocating pressure radiating from the Southern Sea Kraken.

The steel walls that loomed a hundred meters tall seemed pitiful before that titanic creature. And though these mutated beasts lived in the sea, their strength made it possible for them to fight on land as well.

How could anyone hope to fight this?

Screech!

Just then, a shrill, piercing cry cut through the air.

Everyone looked upward to see Lu Yuan on the back of the Golden-Winged Great Peng. They streaked over the steel battlements and flew straight toward the open sea.

"That's... Lu Yuan!" someone shouted. "What is he trying to do?"

"Don't tell me he's going to face the entire sea beast tide alone?"

"Impossible! Even if he has reached the Unfettered Realm, there are too many mutated sea beasts out there. And their leader is the Southern Sea Kraken!"

The Awakened standing atop the steel walls could only stare in stunned silence.

Through their lens, everyone watching the livestreams also looked in bewilderment.

It seemed like Lu Yuan truly meant to face the entire beast tide alone.

This is just too crazy...

Even Commander Zhang stood frozen. The memory of their conversation atop Longevity Genetics Tower flashed before his eyes.

Is he really going to shoulder this all alone?

Elsewhere, Dean Zheng, Dean Liu, and a handful of others watched on as well. They were the few who knew that Lu Yuan was the King of Humanity.

But, this tide was more terrifying than the one at Chang'an. Could Lu Yuan really withstand it alone?

Of course, Lu Yuan had no idea of their doubts.

Standing atop the back of the Golden-Winged Great Peng, he had crossed the inner waters and reached the open sea in mere moments.

In the distance, a mammoth octopus loomed like a mountain, its tentacles churning the sea to foam. Countless mutated sea beasts around it surged forward, darkening the ocean as they rushed toward Shen City.

Lu Yuan drew the Great Luo Sword Embryo. Blinding swordlight cascaded from the skies like falling stars.

Golden qi surged out of him in tidal waves, rolling and roaring with the might of the Unfettered Realm.

This time, he held nothing back. He revealed every ounce of his might.

He raised the Great Luo Sword Embryo high; a sharp glint shone in his eyes. Staring at the massive monster before him and the countless mutated sea beasts, he calmly declared, "This land belongs to humans! Beasts, halt your advance!"