Chapter 122. One Man, One Sword. He Who Subdued a Hundred Thousand Beasts!

Lu Yuan stood alone upon the outer seas beyond Shen City with a single sword.

Before him, the ocean churned with life. Tens of thousands of mutated sea beasts crowded the waters. Against that vast and terrifying tide, his lone figure seemed impossibly small.

Yet, the power radiating from him was overwhelming and terrifying.

Golden vital qi surged from his body, roaring like molten rivers, pulsing through every inch of his flesh. His gaze was calm and unwavering as he scanned the tide ahead. Beneath that calm, his body brimmed with immeasurable force, gathering silently within him.

His declaration had not been loud. And neither could the sea beasts understand his words. But they felt his aura.

The waves slowed. The creatures faltered. Even the colossal creature that ruled their ranks, the Southern Sea Kraken, ceased its advance.

It loomed above the sea, towering higher than the steel walls of Shen City itself. Its massive eyes gleamed with a cold, alien light as its eight-hundred-meter-long tentacles churned the ocean below.

Clearly, it was not cowed by that overwhelming aura.

Yet it did not strike outright; instead, it chose to stir the sea and test Lu Yuan's strength.

The water surface convulsed.

A mountain-sized wave surged upward, towering a hundred meters high. Like a colossal mountain heaving from the depths, it rolled forward with crushing force, bearing down upon Lu Yuan.

On the steel walls behind him, soldiers and Awakened alike could only stare, breath caught in their throats.

"He's really going to fight them alone?"

"How much confidence must one have to face something like that?"

"Impossible. There are just too many of them, and they are too strong."

They could now say for certain that Lu Yuan truly intended to face the endless tide of sea beasts alone.

But could one man truly accomplish such a feat?

Over a hundred thousand beasts surged across the waves, led by the colossal Southern Sea Kraken. It was a force so vast and dreadful that no human army could hope to contain it.

In their eyes, this had already surpassed the limits of what humanity could ever withstand.

And yet, within every heart, a sliver of hope still burned.

After all, Lu Yuan was an Awakened who had broken through the Unfettered Realm.

At that moment, Commander Zhang issued another order for all artillery and air units to prepare for engagement. If the battle were to erupt, they would unleash full firepower and conduct saturation strikes on the beast tide.

He believed that since Lu Yuan was that King of Humanity, then his power must be beyond comprehension. Even if he could not resist the beast tide, he could at least hold it at bay long enough for modern weaponry to intervene.

Reinforcements from the upper command were already en route. Missile carriers and armored divisions had been dispatched. If they could just hold the line for a little while longer, then perhaps, this catastrophe could still be averted.

"Look! Lu Yuan's moving!" someone suddenly cried out as he pointed into the distance.

Every gaze followed the finger to see Lu Yuan standing atop the back of the Golden-Winged Great Peng and facing the monstrous wall of water before him.

He spoke no word and only lifted the Great Luo Sword Embryo in his hand slowly.

Clang!

The air itself began to vibrate with sword intent. Countless strands of blinding swordlight burst forth.

One man.

One sword.

And in that instant, Lu Yuan struck.

There were no other flashy moves or preparations. Just a simple, single slash.

The sword's radiance erupted like a sun being born, gathering into a torrent of sword qi a hundred meters long.

Boom!

The strike split the sea itself; the mountainous waves cleaved in two.

Under the brilliance of the blade, the towering wall of water disintegrated into a cascade of rain that poured back into the ocean, leaving behind a vast, uncanny calm.

Lu Yuan's voice carried across the sea once more. "I said, this land belongs to humans! Beasts, halt your advance!"

His tone was still calm, but within it now lay an unmistakable chill.

With the Great Luo Sword Embryo in hand, he aimed it at the distant Southern Sea Kraken. It felt as though the moment that creature dared to take another step forward, Lu Yuan would strike without hesitation.

Lu Yuan was clear that though the sea swarmed with mutated beasts—some even at the Unfettered Realm—the situation was just like the battle at Chang'an. All he needed was to slay the leader. Once the head fell, the rest would scatter.

But Lu Yuan's intent was not bloodshed this time.

After the Global Awakening, the world had changed. The number of mutated beasts had grown beyond imagination. Killing a few would mean nothing. The only way to prevent future calamities was deterrence.

Only through fear could mutated beasts be restrained from recklessly attacking humans.

That was why Lu Yuan stood there to make every creature remember this moment, to deter them from advancing. But if the Kraken refused to yield, he would show no mercy either.

"Halt?" A thunderous voice rolled across the sea, deep and resonant like the rumbling of mountains beneath the waves.

The Kraken spoke. "The creatures of the sea never sought to invade your lands. It was you humans who provoked us!"

The colossal beast loomed like a living myth, its voice inciting fear in everyone as its eyes fixed upon Lu Yuan.

"And you, one puny human, isn't worthy to command me to stop."

As the Kraken spoke, its body erupted in radiant light. Its aura climbed higher and higher until it directly broke through the limits of the Unfettered Realm.

Under its power, the seawater around it started boiling. Waves frothed and spiraled skyward.

All around, lesser sea beasts raised their heads from the water, bellowing in unison. Their ferocious roars rolled through the tides, seemingly answering the Kraken's call.

It was clear that the Southern Sea Kraken possessed frightening intelligence. Unafraid, it stirred the waters with its will, summoning the surrounding sea beasts to strike in unison.

"Master, it has reached the Golden Body Realm," the Golden-Winged Great Peng warned, its vast pupils reflecting a trace of unease. Though its bloodline was more superior than the Kraken, the gap between their strength was vast.

However, Lu Yuan only gave an indifferent reply.

"In that case, we can only fight it out!"

As soon as the words left his lips, a surge of golden qi burst forth from him and wrapped him in blazing radiance. His eyes shone with divine brilliance.

A Golden Body Realm mutated beast?

So what?

He knew no fear!

"Commander! They’re about to fight! Should we open fire?" a soldier called out from atop Shen City's steel walls.

"Hold fire. We wait and observe." Commander Zhang's reply was firm.

That single sword Lu Yuan had unleashed earlier had cleaved through a hundred-meter wave with ease. The sheer power of it still echoed in his mind. A reckless thought couldn't help but enter his mind.

Perhaps...perhaps this man can really hold back an entire beast tide alone?

Meanwhile, the Awakened across the wall were already livestreaming every second of the scene.

"Dean, do you think... he can really do it?" someone asked.

Those watching the livefeed—the Northern Emperor, Zhu Qingyu and the others—turned toward Dean Zheng.

The situation was plain to all. A battle was inevitable but the Southern Sea Kraken's might had already surpassed that of ordinary beast kings.

Combined with the strength of over a hundred thousand mutated sea beasts, they believed that this was no longer a war a human could win. Even if they knew that Lu Yuan was

the

King of Humanity, they could not help but doubt.

Zhu Qingyu's voice broke the silence. "I feel that since he went out there, then he would succeed."

Twice before, she had experienced the beast tide and both times, it was Lu Yuan who single-handedly averted the crisis. So she was inclined to believe that Lu Yuan could achieve the same this time.

Dean Zheng did not give an answer.

He knew that the higher command had already activated reinforcements. Multiple divisions were already mobilized and moving toward Shen City.

Even if Lu Yuan were to fall, as long as he could hold out for a while, the situation could still be salvaged.

But outside of that command circle, nearly everyone who had heard the news was watching.

Shen City stood on the brink of catastrophe and a single man now faced that disaster alone. The scene of him splitting a hundred-meter wave with one stroke had already swept across the networks, igniting awe throughout the nation.

People had always known Lu Yuan was strong from his display of power during the battle at Hu City. But none had imagined he would stand, by himself, against a sea beast tide.

Everyone watched in anticipation, wanting to see how the event would end.

***

In the outer waters of Shen City, Lu Yuan hovered above the rolling sea. His gaze was calm as he scanned the gathering beasts.

Sharp glints of light flashed through his eyes. Without another word,he leapt forward.

The Great Luo Sword Embryo in his hand burst into brilliance once more, its radiant swordlight blooming in every direction. His blade pointed straight at the colossal figure looming across the waves—the Southern Sea Kraken.

"The ocean is my domain," the monster bellowed. "Let's see what you can do here!"

Its hundred-meter tentacles lashed out, each one twisting into the form of a draconic serpent as they struck. Beneath the surface, countless mutated sharks and winged sea serpents surged upward in unison, their roars shaking the tides.

But before they could reach him, a golden streak tore through the air.

In a flash, dozens of sea beasts were cleaved apart.

It was the doing of the Golden-Winged Great Peng. It would allow no creature to threaten its master.

Meanwhile, Lu Yuan's sword descended.

Splat!

In just a split second, one of the Kraken's massive tentacles was severed cleanly. Crimson blood fountained skyward and dyed the surrounding waters red.

ROARRRRRR!

The Southern Sea Kraken's agonized howl tore across the ocean, its fury apparent in its eyes.

It had already ascended to the Golden Body Realm. Coupled with the fact that as a mutated beast, its physique ought to be nearly indestructible. Yet, before this lone human, it had lost a limb in the blink of an eye.

Lu Yuan did not stop. He vaulted onto the massive body of the Southern Sea Kraken. He couldn't fly, so the landing was inevitable, though it hindered him little.

A deep, resonant hum rolled through the air as the Kraken's body flared with blinding light. Beneath it, the sea itself rose in fury, churning into raging currents that surged up along its hide, crashing toward the man standing atop it.

But Lu Yuan showed no fear. He simply moved his sword again and again.

Slash.

Slash.

Slash.

Three colossal tentacles were severed in succession. The sky was filled with the stench of blood, and the waves below turned crimson. Together with the one he had cut before, half of the Kraken's limbs were already gone.

Meanwhile, several sea-beast kings had tried to intervene but the Golden-Winged Great Peng had swiftly suppressed them.

From the very beginning, Lu Yuan had dominated the battle. The Golden Body Realm meant nothing to him. After all, unlike the Golden-Winged Great Peng, the Kraken lacked a pure, ancient bloodline.

And since his transformation in Shennongjia, Lu Yuan had already shattered thirty genetic shackles. Being just one realm higher than him had no benefit.

When the deed was done, Lu Yuan leapt once more into the air. The Great Peng swooped beneath him, catching him effortlessly before carrying him to a safe distance above the raging sea.

Lu Yuan stood upon its back, the Great Luo Sword Embryo gleaming in his hand, and gazed down upon the wounded Kraken.

"If you take another step forward, this place shall be your tomb!"

Golden aura burst forth from him, rising until it seemed to pierce the heavens themselves. Combined with the ruthless display he had just shown earlier, he stood like a god of war from ancient myth.

Everything he had done so far was merely a warning. If he wished to kill this beast, he could have done so long ago.

But his goal was not a full-out war. Rather, it was to end the crisis threatening Shen City.

Even a tide of a hundred thousand beasts, no matter how weak each one might be, would take time to kill if they moved as one.

That was why Lu Yuan chose to reveal his true strength. And as he had declared, if the Southern Sea Kraken dared to advance even a single step farther, he would show no mercy.

After those words fell, the Kraken's fury still raged, yet when it saw the endless blood pouring from its own mutilated body, a chilling realization crept into its mind.

This human was not bluffing.

If it took one more step, it would really die!

Around it, the countless sea beasts could sense the terrifying might radiating from Lu Yuan. For a moment, none of them dared to move.