Chapter 132. The Strongest Against the Strongest, Suppressing the Monkey King

As viewers all over the world watched the livestream, their eyes grew wide with shock and disbelief written plainly across their faces.

This scene was far too familiar—the golden-furred Spirit Monkey, an iron cudgel that carried the weight of a thousand mountains. At least, to any Huaxian, this imagery was torn straight out of a particular myth.

「Hey... do you think that monkey might actually be

the

Great Sage, Heaven's Equal?」

「The South Heaven Gate...the ruined Heaven Palace...dammit, that's a little too coincidental.」

「No way, right? That would be way too legendary.」

「Even if it's not, that monkey is terrifying. It's the king of Mount Tai after all. Can King Lu really handle it?」

Chats flooded with speculation as one comment after another filled the feed. Everyone was consumed with awe and worry. In this New Era where the extraordinary had become the ordinary, anything—absolutely anything—seemed possible.

Of course, they were also worried about one other thing.

This Spirit Monkey was too strong. Even someone like Lu Yuan might be pushed to his limits; its aura alone made that clear.

Even at the foot of the mountain, Ji Huaiyuan, Elder Yun, and the others exchanged grave looks.

Even though they weren't on the Jade Emperor Peak in person and couldn't see the battle with their very own eyes, they could feel the oppressive might radiating from the Spirit Monkey from afar.

Even that iron cudgel in its hand might very well be a divine artifact.

For a moment, the entire group fell silent.

"I believe in King Lu," Zhu Qingyu said suddenly with a determined gaze. "No matter who stands before him, he has always crushed every crisis single-handedly."

Among those present, Zhu Qingyu was with absolute certainty the one who had the most faith in him. In every beast tide, no matter how dire the situation, the one who stood alone on the frontlines and turned hopeless battles into overwhelming victories was always Lu Yuan.

Of course she believed. Her tone carried not a shred of doubt.

Beside her, Ice Fairy nodded. "I agree. King Lu has never shown his true strength. That Spirit Monkey may be powerful, but it's definitely not his match."

Look at what became of the Twelve Apostles? And also the Southern Sea Kraken. Weren't all of them suppressed easily?

The others said nothing, but their eyes never left the screen.

Especially Ji Huaiyun and Elder Yu, the nervousness on their faces unmistakable.

Mount Tai was crucial for their future plans. If Lu Yuan won, everything would fall into place. If he didn't, it would complicate everything.

And they, too, were very clear of one thing. Even if this Spirit Monkey had no connection to the mythical Great Sage, its strength was undeniably terrifying.

After all, Mount Tai had been a special place since ancient times. A creature capable of reigning as king in this place, in any bestial hierarchy, was unquestionably among the strongest of its kind.

On the other hand, Lu Yuan was also considered the strongest Awakened in Huaxia. The King of Humanity.

This clash... was the strongest versus the strongest!

At the summit of the Jade Emperor Peak, two blazing streams of golden light collided again and again, drowning the ruins in a blinding radiance.

Even the surrounding space trembled and groaned under the pressure, as though it could no longer withstand such overwhelming might.

Boom!

Lu Yuan struck out, a golden aura surging forward like a tidal wave.

The Bloodforce Pagoda within his body shuddered as his five viscera and six organs resonated in perfect harmony. He stepped forward and threw forward a punch. That punch carried the weight of a primordial divine mountain, crashing forward with unstoppable might.

Opposite him, the Spirit Monkey gripped its pitch-black iron cudgel. Its fur flared wildly, each strand burning like golden fire, as an immense force continuously surged into the weapon.

Boom!

Their clash erupted again. The very air roared from the impact and the swirling clouds around them were blown apart in an instant.

The sheer power both sides unleashed had long surpassed the boundaries of imagination; it was a display of strength pushed to the absolute limit.

Splurt—!

Blood burst into the air.

The Spirit Monkey's arm had cracked under the force. Its golden fur turned dulled and was sapped of brilliance.

Yet Lu Yuan remained invincible in his advance. Like a divine king descending upon the mortal realm, he pressed forward. He would crush all before him and stand once more as the embodiment of dominance.

"This human... how did he manage to achieve this?" The Spirit Monkey grew more alarmed with every exchange. Its palms trembled from the clash, the webbing between its thumb and forefinger torn, even its internal organs were beginning to shift from the shock.

It knew that if the battle continued, it was only a matter of time before it was utterly suppressed.

It had to change tactics.

"Golden Body Dharma Avatar. Release!"

With a furious roar, the Spirit Monkey's form expanded in an instant and soared to a height of one hundred meters. Its entire body radiated divine brilliance, as it transformed into a terrifying beast whose massive frame reached the clouds themselves.

A pressure far more violent than before emanated from it like a great mountain crashing down from the heavens; its combat strength also surged exponentially.

Even the pitch-black cudgel in his grip now glowed faintly. The weapon stretched and thickened until it resembled a heavenly pillar.

It then swung the cudgel toward Lu Yuan in a mighty arc in an attempt to flatten the latter.

「Could this... be the legendary Cosmos Resonance?」

「No... not quite. This is the Golden Body Realm's Dharma Avatar!」

「I've read about this before. When one's genetic shackles are fully broken, their potential wholly awakened and unified, they may attain a dharma avatar unique to the Golden Body Realm. Only the strongest can awaken it.」

「Such extraordinary talent... That Spirit Monkey's bloodline must be incredibly refined. How else could it reach this level?」

「Indeed. Even the Southern Sea Kraken couldn't accomplish something like this.」

「But in this case, can King Lu still win?」

All across the live broadcasts, viewers were overwhelmed with shock as they watched the Spirit Monkey's body grow into a towering hundred-meter form.

Anyone familiar with the stages of evolution recognized it instantly—this was the Golden Body Dharma Avatar. Only those with supreme bloodline and potential could ever hope to awaken such a state. For most Awakened, even stepping into the Golden Body Realm did not guarantee its manifestation.

And that meant this Spirit Monkey was far more formidable than the Southern Sea Kraken.

On the other end, Lu Yuan—also known as the King of Humanity—was only at the Unfettered Realm. He was one full realm below his opponent.

Could he truly fight the Spirit Monkey?

The others including Ji Huaiyuan and Elder Yun found themselves growing anxious. None of them had expected the beast king of Mount Tai to be this strong.

Surely even modern weaponry would be rendered useless before such a level of power, no?

For a moment, Ji Huaiyuan couldn't help but feel a tinge of regret for letting Lu Yuan go alone. Not because he doubted the man's strength, but because the stakes had shifted. The danger was real. Too real.

All he could do now was continue watching and prepare to intervene with every means available if things spiraled beyond control.

"You're impressive, human. Forcing me to reveal my Golden Body Dharma Avatar, you should be proud of yourself!" the Spirit Monkey bellowed.

However, its movement did not stop. It channeled all its might, unleashing its most formidable attack, determined to crush the man before it.

"Proud?"

As Lu Yuan gazed calmly at the monstrous pressure descending upon him, the corners of his lips curved up into a soft smile.

In a soft voice, he muttered, "Good. Then let's not waste any more time."

With that, he took a single step back. He closed his eyes and brought his hands together in a quiet seal. The golden aura enveloping him faded into silence.

A mysterious force surged from deep within Lu Yuan's body—boundless compassion, magnanimous grace, and a divine tolerance that embraced all sentient life.

Dong!

The Spirit Monkey abruptly halted its assault, realizing with a jolt that no matter how it struggled, it simply could not suppress the man before it. At the same time, an instinctual sense of danger tackled its mind.

At that precise moment, Lu Yuan opened his eyes. Calmly, he extended his right hand.

Then, with a voice as gentle as falling rain, he uttered, "Buddha's Palm Domain!"

As soon as the words left his lips, an aura of dao enveloped the entirety of Jade Emperor Peak.

Above, the clouds parted. A colossal palm emerged from the sky, its five radiant fingers spread apart. It descended slowly yet with overwhelming pressure, shrouding the hundred-meter-tall Spirit Monkey like a mountain of divine judgment reaching down.

Golden Sanskrit characters bloomed across the sky. Ancient temples manifested from thin air. Eight hundred Arhats rose in solemn formation and chanted supreme sutras

Everything in the surrounding area froze. The entire mountaintop transformed into a sealed domain.

The Spirit Monkey's eyes widened. It realized it was trapped. No matter how it tried, it could not break free.

The sacred chants flooded its mind like thunderous waves, each syllable a blow to the soul.

Its Golden Body Dharma Avatar began to unravel, flickering and fading. Its giant form also started to shrink. Cracks webbed across its flesh. Its body trembled uncontrollably beneath the crushing pressure. Even its soul felt pierced by the pressure.

"What... what kind of divine art is this?!" the Spirit Monkey cried out in shock.

It unleashed every ounce of its strength, every technique it knew but nothing worked.

Worse still, that descending palm showed no signs of halting. The oppressive force only grew heavier with each breath. If this continued, it would die.

Meanwhile, Lu Yuan remained motionless, his expression serene and his eyes brimmed with quiet compassion. His right hand pressed downward slowly and steadily without even a trace of hesitation.

"Wait!"

At last, the Spirit Monkey roared out in desperation, "Didn't you say you came here to discuss something! Then let's talk! Everything is negotiable!"

Inwardly, it was beyond vexed.

How could a Golden Body Realm beast like itself be suppressed by a mere Unfettered Realm human? But despite all that, it had to admit that this man's strength deserved reverence.

And upon reevaluating the vast gap between them, it made the wisest choice it could—to yield.

"Alright," Lu Yuan said with a light chuckle as he withdrew his divine art.

He wasn't worried in the slightest about the Spirit Monkey fleeing because it couldn't.

And truth be told, from the very beginning, he had harbored no intent to kill. The reason was simple: he knew what this creature was.

In his previous life, a Spirit Monkey had emerged from Mount Tai, later proclaiming itself the Sage Marquis. It wielded the Heaven-reaching Iron Cudgel, and became one of the most formidable mutated beasts in the entire world.

Its bloodline was profound. Its talent, monstrous. Yet even more rare, it was one of the few beast kings with a benevolent stance toward humanity.

Even when it struck, it had held back from delivering a fatal blow. Given that, Lu Yuan had never intended to slay it in the first place.

If they could negotiate, then that would be the ideal outcome.

And this entire exchange was witnessed by all those watching the livestreams

「King Lu... actually won! He subdued the king of Mount Tai by himself!」

「As expected of our King of Humanity! He's practically invincible! Unbelievably powerful!」

「Compassion as his aspect and using a single palm to suppress the Spirit Monkey. Why does that look like a scene from an ancient myth?」

In that instant, countless spectators erupted into wild cheers. They believe that the Spirit Monkey was overwhelmingly strong, and that Lu Yuan would be in trouble.

But who could have expected that in such a short time, despite being a full realm lower, Lu Yuan still emerged victorious.

That final move was like watching a man covering the entire sky with one hand. How could anyone not be stirred?

And so, reverence for Lu Yuan surged in everyone's hearts.

Even Ji Huaiyuan and Elder Yun found their throats dry, unable to stop themselves from swallowing hard.

Lu Yuan's strength had far surpassed their imagination.

This was true invincibility.

All their earlier worries now seemed utterly laughable. Especially that divine art—it was like something straight out of a myth.

Monk Huikong's eyes flew wide open.

As a disciple of the Buddhist path, he recognized that divine art instantly. It was unmistakably of Buddhist origin. And yet, it had been wielded to such a level by an outsider.

This battle had truly shaken everyone to their core.

Only now did they truly realize what it meant for a powerful Awakened to unleash their full might.

"Looks like with King Lu here, taking control of Mount Tai will be no issue at all," Elder Yun said, his voice brimming with excitement.

He knew then and there that their plan had succeeded. After all, even the king of Mount Tai had been subdued with overwhelming force.

Ji Huaiyuan shared that same spark of exhilaration. A bright gleam lit his eyes.

To think that such a figure stood among them.

With someone like Lu Yuan leading the way, how could humanity not forge an entirely new path in this New Era?

He was truly a blessing for Huaxia!