Chapter 169. A Great Crisis, Returning to Mount Tai, An Alliance Between Humans and Mutated Beasts?

For now, humanity remained safe from the conflict, but it was only a matter of time before they had to face the cold reality.

Elder Ji and Elder Yun knew that their descent was merely the beginning. In addition, there could be more invaders in the future. Could their stance remain the same by then? Surely not.

Mutated beasts were creatures of this world, unlike the outsiders. The natives of this world had to stand united against the foreign invaders.

The decision was made, and the preparations promptly began. The officials decided to rely on their weapons of mass destruction, as sending their Awakened to face those beings was tantamount to sending them on a suicide mission.

At the same time, they notified the Spirit Monkey that they would provide support. After all, Mount Tai was under the joint management of mutated beasts and humans. If the Nether Bull Clan were to seize it, the Trials Academy would be lost, and they would also lose access to its boons as well as resources.

The Spirit Monkey, the Peacock King, and the Nine-tailed Fox King were shocked upon hearing their reply. However, they soon realized that old grudges had to be cast aside in these trying times.

With their powerful bloodlines and human-level intelligence, they decided to summon the other beast kings for a meeting.

The invaders' target was the nation's famed mountains and great rivers; fighting them alone meant death. They couldn't stop the invasion completely, but they could preserve Mount Tai and carve out a habitat for themselves.

Both humans and mutated beasts made the same decision.

The officials also announced that they would resist the Nether Bull Clan with all their might. They promised to broadcast any major battle live, and they also promised that they would never give up so easily in the face of adversities.

The people and the nation's Awakened were thrilled to hear their decision. Some even volunteered but were turned down. They had to make use of modern weaponry first, and ordinary Awakened couldn't really change the situation.

Elder Ji and Elder Yun had decided not to inform Lu Yuan about what was going on.

They wished to avoid bothering him as much as possible, but they also wanted to know the gap between themselves and the outsiders.

As time went on, everyone's eyes focused on Mount Tai, knowing that a great battle was about to unfold.

***

Lu Yuan sat cross-legged in a training chamber inside his residence at the Mount Tai Trials Academy. Golden vital qi billowed out of him before disappearing back inside him.

By now, he had acclimated to his newfound strength upon reaching the Golden Body Realm, and he now had a clear grasp of his power.

Thanks to his incomparably deep foundation, he stood at the peak of the Golden Body Realm, and he could easily make a breakthrough into the fifth stage of evolution.

The strength he had accumulated over time had paid off in spades. He had shattered a hundred and eight genetic shackles, after all, which was no trivial matter.

I can probably kill even a Venerable King,

Lu Yuan assessed his condition with a satisfied smile. Staying in the Unfettered Realm for a long time had been the right decision.

The further he progressed, the fruits of his labor would become even more apparent. When he reached the Golden Body Realm, the Celestial Emperor's ancient token in his mind was starting to emit a richer purple glow.

It seemed to be becoming stronger alongside him, but everything else remained the same. In fact, he still had no idea how to use it. However, his keen instinct was telling him that it would reveal its radiance for the world to behold one day.

Of course, Lu Yuan believed he still had to gather all of its missing pieces.

"Time to go out and take a look." Without hesitation, Lu Yuan stood up and exited the training chamber. By his estimates, those beings from the Outer Cosmos had to have already descended, altering the world's dynamics.

The officials definitely couldn't handle them without him. He needed to make a move. He knew the first wave of invaders was not friendly at all. In his previous life, he suffered greatly at their hands.

As soon as Lu Yuan left his room, Zhu Qingyu came to meet him. Through their conversation, he learned what had happened outside. The Nether Bull Clan had been hunting beast kings and occupying the famed mountains and great rivers outside, claiming them as their territory.

Many of the beast kings that had met with him at Jade Emperor Peak to talk about the peaceful coexistence between humans and mutated beasts were killed. It was clear that those members of the Nether Bull Clan planned to dominate the natives of this world without giving a single care about their lives.

"Tell Elder Ji and Elder Yun to keep an eye on them," Lu Yuan said. "But other than that, it's best if they don't do anything else."

"I'm going to Mount Tai," he added. With that, he took a single step forward, but instead of taking just a step. He stepped on air itself and shot toward Mount Tai at breakneck speeds.

At the Golden Body Realm, an Awakened could soar through the skies.

***

At Jade Emperor Peak, the Spirit Monkey sat on the ground with its iron cudgel resting nearby. Its golden fur swayed in the wind like dancing flames.

The Peacock King and Nine-tailed Fox King stood before it. Their wounds had healed, but their auras remained weak. Their injuries were far too grievous for them to recover quickly.

"Those beings from the Outer Cosmos are truly powerful. They're beyond the Golden Body Realm. We're not their match at all, but it's not because we're weak. We simply haven't had enough time to grow," the Nine-tailed Fox King said, sounding solemn. It no longer sounded as coquettish as before.

Truth be told, its bloodline was not weaker than the bloodline of the Nether Bull Clan members. No, it was probably even stronger. Its defeat resulted solely from the fact that it had just begun walking down the path of evolution.

It had yet to fully mature.

"There is no point talking about that right now." The Peacock King shook its head. "They are stronger than us; that is a fact. We need to think about how we'll deal with them first before we think about anything else."

It had experienced the might of a Nether Bull firsthand, and it knew that there was no way it could beat them by itself. The gap in strength was just too vast.

At the moment, those beasts were busy claiming the world's blessed lands.

At this rate, mutated beasts would have nowhere left to live. As kings of Earth's mutated beasts, they had to act for their kind.

"What is there to be afraid of? If they come here, then we'll fight them!" The Spirit Monkey said. Its temper was as fiery as ever. "We are weak, but we can't just run away. This is our world."

It knew the members of the Nether Bull Clan were powerful and that it was no match for them. However, a continuous retreat promised only one outcome and that was losing every inch of their territory.

Even humanity felt the same, which was why both sides had chosen to join forces.

"That's right. We need to fight, even if the outcome is fixed," said the Nine-tailed Fox King, nodding. They had already fled once. Of course, with their strength, they could survive out there, but they could not run forever.

The Peacock King had no objections. It was badly wounded, and many of its subordinate mutated beasts were killed. Though of different species, they were all mutated beasts of this world.

If they were to keep retreating, they would eventually be in ruin.

This was a struggle between two worlds. Their inherited memories also told them that all of this was just the beginning.

"What comes next will probably be a brutal battle, the Peacock King said, its gaze growing sharp. Yet in its heart, there was not much fear, as the battle would decide the outcome of the world where it was born.

"It seems you've all made up your mind." A calm voice suddenly echoed.

The three beast kings turned to see Lu Yuan flying toward them. Their expressions immediately shifted to surprise.

"You've reached the Golden Body Realm?" the Spirit Monkey asked. It rushed over first, sizing up Lu Yuan with intense curiosity in its eyes. It knew Lu Yuan had shattered numerous genetic shackles while he was still at the Unfettered Realm.

Even then, no beast king could match him. He had suppressed them all by himself.

Now that he had evolved to the fourth stage of evolution, the Golden Body Realm, he was bound to be even stronger than he was back then.

"King Lu."

"King Lu."

The Peacock King and Nine-tailed Fox King greeted, walking up to Lu Yuan. The tremendous power within Lu Yuan left them shaken, even though the latter's aura appeared to be unremarkable.

"Beings from the Outer Cosmos will keep coming and seize our territories for themselves. This is only the beginning. Next, they'll attempt to seize Mount Tai. I'm here on behalf of humanity to suggest a collaboration. What do you think about fighting them together?" Lu Yuan asked, wasting no words by getting straight to the point.

Lu Yuan knew he couldn't solve everything with his current level of strength. Besides, the so-called Nether Bull Clan was merely the vanguard.

If he wanted to ensure the survival of the majority of the creatures and the people of this world, then he had to make every single organization on Earth unite as one against the invading clans of the Outer Cosmos.

That way, they would secure a foothold for themselves and become strong enough to stake a claim to this world's boons and golden opportunities.

The Peacock King, the Nine-tailed Fox King, and the mutated beasts beneath them all had immense potential. They would grow increasingly powerful and eventually become a force impossible to ignore.

So, why would he choose to fight alone?

"King Lu, are you saying that you'll personally make a move once those Nether Bulls are here?" the Peacock King asked. He was already surprised that humanity had decided to provide them with support.

After all, the Nether Bulls had yet to become a direct threat to humans.

"Yes." Lu Yuan smiled and explained, "As I said, humanity and mutated beasts ought to stand united against our common enemies."

This was the reason he had refrained from killing these beast kings. Bad blood existed between both sides, but the beings from the Outer Cosmos remained the more pressing concern.

They were outsiders trying to take over their world, after all.

If the internal strife were allowed to continue, the situation would only grow worse. He needed enough authority so that he would have more options when dealing with beings from the Outer Cosmos.

This way, he could protect both the mutated beasts of Earth and humanity.

More importantly, he could ensure that those major clans couldn't take over the world. In his previous life, no one could unify the world, and disasters ensued. Humanity was then reduced to a lesser race in the eyes of the outsiders.

Since Lu Yuan was strong enough to change the status quo, he planned to establish order in the world. Since the beast kings had suffered greatly under the Nether Bull Clan's attacks, it'd be easy to make them agree to his proposal.

Of course, his plans didn't stop there.

"Alright. No problem," the Peacock King said. It believed in Lu Yuan's strength. The members of the Nether Bull Clan were certainly formidable, but the human standing before them was unfathomable as well.

If they united, their situation would definitely improve. At the very least, they would have a way to deal with the crisis looming over Mount Tai.

Lu Yuan smiled upon hearing that. "Since we're joining forces, I have one condition, and I hope you will agree to it."