Chapter 159. Overwhelming Pressure, Arrival, Annihilation!

The Grand Elder of Penglai spoke arrogantly with no courtesy whatsoever. His logic was simple—he hailed from Penglai and had reached the Golden Body Realm. He swept his gaze over the mainlanders dismissively.

At most, they were merely at the Unfettered Realm. An enormous gulf in power stood between the stages of evolution. Moreover, the three islands hosted multiple beings no weaker than himself.

So what if the mainland possessed even more powerful weapons than those they had displayed today? With his strength, he harbored no fear at all. If he wanted, he could crush them utterly.

The Grand Elder of Penglai couldn't care less about the truth. He had the absolute power to look down on the mainland.

For a millennium, the islands were regarded as immortal sanctuaries. The mainlanders were beneath their eyes.

How could they care about the mainlanders when they had just embarked on the path of evolution?

Why show them courtesy when they were so weak?

Elder Ji and Elder Yun frowned. He wanted them to plead guilty? He was arrogant—too arrogant!

The apple truly wouldn't fall far from the tree. No wonder Zhao Yuan had been so presumptuous and insufferable. Unlike the younger generation, the two elders had never been the type to hesitate.

Elder Ji stepped forward.

"Plead guilty? You people provoked us immediately upon coming here. Yes, you're powerful, but we will not submit to those who refuse to talk to us," he said sharply. The enemy had come looking for trouble, so he saw no need for politeness.

If they wanted a fight, then they would get a fight.

"Good, good, good." The Grand Elder of Penglai narrowed his eyes as his aura surged. "You're a paltry Unfettered Realm. How dare you stand before me? Now, you can only do two things: admit your guilt and agree to our terms.

"Everything else can be discussed afterward. You must also pay for the deaths of our disciples."

He was more domineering than Zhao Yuan, Zhang Yun, and that white-robed man from Fangzhang. He made no attempts at negotiation and simply presented his ultimatum.

The others from the other islands stepped forward as well, including those who had shattered twelve genetic shackles and were just one step away from entering the Golden Body Realm themselves.

Not everyone could reach the absolute pinnacle of the Unfettered Realm as Lu Yuan had. For ordinary Awakened, twelve shackles were already their limit.

In the face of the Three Immortal Islands' formidable lineup, no one chose to retreat.

Elder Yun even stepped forward, his words unyielding as he said, "There's nothing to discuss. If you want to attack, then attack. Even if we all die here, there are others who will succeed us. So what if we die here? No matter how powerful you are, don't even think of laying a finger on anything on the mainland!"

Elder Yun was thoroughly enraged. The overbearing islanders had been trying to plunder their resources. At this point, Elder Yun no longer cared who these people were or how strong they could be. If they wanted war, then so be it.

"See? The mainlanders are truly unreasonable and barbaric!" Zhao Yuan immediately clamored. "Grand Elder, please make a move! They won't submit until we start killing them!"

Given how things had developed, bloodshed was inevitable.

"I'll kill you first!" Even the mild-tempered Elder Ji was furious. He stepped forward, unleashing his aura. Zhao Yuan had truly breached the limits of his patience.

"Insolence!" The Grand Elder of Penglai roared. A powerful wave of energy erupted from within him. His Dharma Avatar manifested once more. Dozens of meters tall, it towered over everyone while emanating terrifying might.

"You dare attack my people?!" the Grand Elder of Penglai roared, losing his patience. The world trembled, and those weaker, like Ice Fairy, turned pale under such an overwhelming aura, and their figures shook like aspen trees.

The soldiers collapsed to the ground, while their weapons, along with the attack helicopters and tanks, fell apart like sand castles.

Only Elder Ji, Elder Yun, and a handful of others barely endured the blow. Even then, they were forced to retreat.

Experts at the Golden Body Realm were truly horrifying, and even modern era technology couldn't hope to stand against such an existence. At present, few beings could compare to such experts. Everyone was suppressed and could not resist at all.

"You will listen to what I say, whether you like it or not." The Grand Elder of Penglai's gaze cut like a blade as he surveyed them. "However, it seems blood must be spilled today."

"Listen? You're the ones who won't listen!" Ice Fairy exclaimed despite being suppressed as she burned with fury.

"If you want to attack, then attack us," Elder Ji and Elder Yun said in unison. All seven officials hadn't come here. Even if they ended up dying, the rest would be able to respond in kind.

Even a Golden Body Realm expert would have to pay the price.

"Listen?" The Grand Elder of Penglai laughed, clenching his right fist. "In this era, only those with the bigger fist deserve to be heard."

With that, he decided that further words were unnecessary. He stepped forward, and his Dharma Avatar moved in concert, unleashing a wave of tremendous power.

An enormous gulf in power stood between the stages of evolution. The gap between the third and fourth stages was particularly massive, as one would begin to unlock one's potential upon reaching the fourth stage.

Elder Ji and Elder Yun were already being suppressed. They wanted to act but couldn't. The formidable modern weapons had also been obliterated by that single roar just moments ago.

Ice Fairy, Chunyang, and the other members of the younger generation could only watch. Push had finally become a shove. Were they regretting it? There was nothing to regret. Even if they ended up dying, others would carry on their will.

In stark contrast, Zhao Yuan and Zhang Yun sneered at them from the sidelines, their smiles filled with malice. Once the Grand Elder of Penglai made a move, the mainlanders would surely die.

Screech! Boom!

Before the Grand Elder of Penglai could attack, a sharp screech suddenly pervaded the air.

Immediately afterward, a figure descended from the heavens, wreathed in a powerful golden vital qi. He landed directly between the two opposing forces, and the surging golden vital qi resembled a volcano about to erupt.

The next moment, the Grand Elder of Penglai sensed an unprecedented crisis. His Dharma Avatar wavered, becoming unstable.

Lu Yuan was here.

He stood there as his golden vital qi swirled and billowed out of him. The golden eagle that had carried him here didn't depart but soared high above instead.

King Lu!

Elder Ji, Elder Yun, Ice Fairy, and nearly everyone present were shocked. Wasn't he supposed to be in seclusion? Hadn't they instructed those below to keep things hidden from him? How had he discovered what was happening?

They had many questions, but none of those mattered right now.

"King Lu, be careful! That man... he's at the Golden Body Realm!" Elder Yun exclaimed. In their minds, King Lu was terrifying and was far stronger than other Awakened of the same realm.

However, the purple-robed man was a Golden Body Realm expert, so they couldn't help but feel worried about Lu Yuan.

However, it seemed that the threat of the purple-robed man had made them forget how Lu Yuan had subdued the Spirit Monkey on Jade Emperor Peak. The Spirit Monkey was at the Golden Body Realm as well.

"Who are you? Do you know who I am?" The Grand Elder of Penglai was startled upon seeing the newcomer. He sensed a formidable aura from Lu Yuan. The fluctuations told him Lu Yuan remained at the Unfettered Realm, but his aura was impossibly vast for some reason.

"You're right. In this era, only those with the bigger fist deserve to be heard." Lu Yuan paid him no heed, speaking calmly. Within his eyes, brilliant light blazed forth. "In that case, I shall make you listen."

Uncompressed killing intent erupted from him, saturating the air around him.

This is bad!

The Grand Elder of Penglai's every hair stood on end. As a being who had evolved to his level, he possessed a certain prescience for danger. At this very moment, he could smell the unmistakable scent of death.

Boom!

Before he could react, Lu Yuan made his move. There was no excess movement, nor were there any flashy moves. In fact, it was just a single punch. Boundless energy erupted, forming a massive tempest. Golden vital qi filled the sky, illuminating everything.

Crack!

The Dharma Avatar behind the Grand Elder of Penglai shattered into pieces. Then, he was blasted away. That single punch pulverized every bone inside him, and blood gushed profusely out of his nose and mouth.

Just one punch and it was over...

"

Cough, cough!

Attack! He's too strong! Get him!" Horrified, the islanders nearby immediately ordered an attack on Lu Yuan.

The dozens of ships in the distance carried quite a few disciples, and over a hundred of them were at the Unfettered Realm. They rushed out of the ships clad in robes of different colors, which denoted their affiliation.

Their combined auras were formidable. After all, they had been cultivating for years on the three islands, and their combat experience far exceeded that of mainlanders.

Yet Lu Yuan didn't even spare them a glance.

Thump, thump, thump!

𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Behind him, a blazing sun manifested. Scorching waves slowly rolled forth as if the sun were rising from the horizon. Lu Yuan's heartbeat sounded like the war drums during ancient times, and it echoed vividly in everyone's ears.

The ships shuddered, and cracks spread across their hulls.

Lu Yuan was overwhelmingly strong.

Elder Ji and the others felt nothing, but the disciples of the Three Immortal Islands split apart, and their blood dyed the sea in a crimson hue. In mere moments, over a hundred were killed.

They were like moths, but they flew toward an active volcano rather than a flame.

As for Zhao Yuan, Zhang Yun, and the others who were already wounded, they didn't last even a single breath. They literally exploded, and what remained of them was devoured by the sea.

From Lu Yuan's arrival until now, less than a minute had passed.

Those from the Three Immortal Islands were either dead or wounded. The only one still capable of fighting was the Grand Elder of Penglai. Despite being at the Golden Body Realm and grievously injured with every bone shattered inside him, he somehow managed to rise to his feet.

"How is this possible? How is this possible?!" He was stupefied.

Elder Ji, Elder Yun, and the others were stunned. In their eyes, the Golden Body Realm was an insurmountable wall, and those troublesome disciples of the three islands were an overwhelming threat as well.

Before King Lu, however, they couldn't muster even a shred of resistance.

They were shocked. They knew Lu Yuan was powerful, but they had never imagined that he had reached such heights.

Standing before the corpses of disciples strewn about and the crimson sea, the Grand Elder of Penglai eventually turned toward Lu Yuan. His very soul quivered in a mixture of fear and fury. "You... do you have any idea of what you've done?"

"What I've done?" Lu Yuan couldn't help but chuckle. "I just made you listen."