Chapter 173. Looking Down Upon the World, an Indomitable Faith, the Forbidden Artifact

When his words fell, the three Beast Kings froze for a moment, then lowered their heads and kept shaking them.

"King Lu, you're joking with us. We really didn't do anything at all," said the Nine-tailed Fox King. Its voice no longer carried that seductive charm, and the curiosity it had shown toward Lu Yuan had vanished completely.

Now, its tone held only respect, genuine respect for the truly strong.

The Peacock King stayed silent, but it felt the same way.

Before this ordeal, Lu Yuan was certainly strong in their eyes.

Everyone agreed on that, especially after he had suppressed all ten beast kings by himself. Even so, they could still catch up to him. They had a formidable bloodline, after all.

Moreover, the restrictions on this world had only just begun to lift. On the path of evolution, a temporary lead wouldn't decide the outcome. Only those who would have the last laugh were the real winners.

However, things were different now. Lu Yuan's display of strength had been far too overwhelming—terrifying, even. He had killed three beings from outer space, and they were all further down the path of evolution compared to him.

As long as nothing unexpected happened, he would undoubtedly become a true powerhouse. There was no question about it. Even the carefree Spirit Monkey showed a hint of deference in its eyes as it gazed at Lu Yuan.

After all, mutated beasts always respected the strong.

"You handled everything yourself, King Lu. We won't try to take any credit," the Peacock King finally said, sounding respectful.

"This is only the beginning." Lu Yuan shook his head and said, "There are harder times ahead. I hope the humans and mutated beasts of this world can stay united and fight together against our enemies outside."

"Of course." The three beast kings answered together without any hesitation.

For the mutated beasts, having such a powerful human on their side meant they wouldn't have to be afraid of those beings from outer space in the future.

Great.

Lu Yuan smiled faintly. This was exactly what he wanted.

Why hadn't he instantly crushed the three Nether Bulls? It was to display his strength in an overwhelming way. Only by doing that could he make the three beast kings see how powerful he truly was. This way, they would be more likely and more willing to work with humanity in the future.

There was no other way. In the New Era, words alone meant nothing. The strong were respected, and power was everything. Lu Yuan turned toward a drone hovering nearby. "It's over."

In response, all the drones descended, and the livestream ended.

「It's over? That was it?」

「Those were three beings from outer space, and they had already reached the fifth stage of evolution. Despite that, they were killed so easily.」

「I'd expect nothing less from the strongest awakened! Our Huaxia's King Lu is invincible!」

The Awakened and everyone else watching the livestream were fired up.

The emergence of beings from outer space had been weighing heavily on the hearts of everyone on Earth.

They felt as if the end of the world was nigh, but today, everything changed.

King Lu had turned things around again. And all by himself!

At this point, they believed that King Lu could single-handedly handle every adversity in the future. Every Awakened saw Lu Yuan as their idol. How could that not be the case when he had such overwhelming strength?

Who wouldn't want to be as strong as him?

What happened to those questioning Lu Yuan's abilities? They had completely disappeared!

***

After exchanging a few words with the three beast kings, Lu Yuan descended Mount Tai and arrived at the Trials Academy.

Elder Ji, Elder Yun, and a group of elite students had been waiting for him.

The moment they saw him, they approached him without hesitation.

"King Lu."

"You don't have to do this," replied Lu Yuan, feeling helpless at how they were acting before him. However, their reaction was understandable. His display of strength was growing more and more incredulous after all.

The New Era had reshaped everyone's worldview, and eventually, strength would overwhelm everything to reign supreme over the world.

"King Lu, you've done Huaxia another great service—no, the entire Earth," Elder Yun said, his voice thick with admiration.

Lu Yuan had never failed to shock the world, and every surprise was even more shocking than the last. He had just shown that he was strong enough to kill beings from outer space, which meant he was unparalleled among the natives of Earth.

The others felt the same. Zhu Qingyu smiled faintly, feeling reassured. Just as she believed, King Lu had cut down every formidable enemy in his path.

"This is only the beginning. We're still far from prepared," Lu Yuan said, shaking his head. "I've already spoken with the three beast kings. They'll gather the mutated beasts under their jurisdiction and will follow your orders from now on.

"This is our chance to build strength. There are even stronger enemies on the way. We don't have much time. We must all unite against them as soon as possible."

He reiterated what he had discussed with the Spirit Monkey and the other beast kings. They had to consolidate their power, become even stronger, and wait for what was to come.

The major clans of the Outer Cosmos couldn't descend at once, and Lu Yuan knew that they had to take advantage of this brief respite.

In the eyes of those beings from the Outer Cosmos, Earth was nothing more than a primitive civilization. In the future, they would either ignore the natives of Earth or slaughter them outright.

In the New Era, he couldn't rely on anyone except for himself. Hence, he began making steps toward the creation of the Celestial Court. In the future, there would be at least one organization capable of standing up against them.

"Understood," Elder Ji and Elder Yun replied, nodding without hesitation.

"And I want you to announce that beings from outer space are forbidden from attempting any invasion on human cities. Tell them that Mount Tai belongs to us as well.

"I'm sure they'll stay quiet for a while once they hear that we've killed three Nether Bulls on their side."

Lu Yuan laid out the true goal behind his actions. He wanted to buy time for the world and for himself. He still wasn't strong enough, while those beings from outer space had been on the path of evolution for many years now.

He also instructed the officials to monitor the famed lands of Earth for any changes. The second Global Awakening had just ended, so divine treasures and even special realms would surely appear.

He couldn't handle everything by himself, so why would he bother doing that in the first place? He deemed it better to take advantage of the officials' resources rather than deal with such trivialities by himself.

Lu Yuan headed back to his residence, already planning his next move.

His mount, the Golden-Winged Great Peng, hadn't appeared for quite some time now. Through their Blood Bond, Lu Yuan sensed that it wasn't in danger. In fact, it had become even stronger.

By the time they met again, it would have shattered several genetic shackles and reached the Golden Body Realm as a mutated beast, which was undoubtedly a good thing.

"King Lu, congratulations on dealing with the enemies from the Outer Cosmos! Your power is truly unmatched!" A bright, playful voice rang out as Jiang Ningxian stepped out from her residence.

As always, she was stunning as ever with an extraordinary bearing. Unlike before, however, Lu Yuan could feel the faint fluctuations of a stronger power within her.

"Miss Jiang, you chose a good time to come out of seclusion," Lu Yuan said with a smile. Then, he added, "I haven't seen that Uncle Jiang of yours in quite a while."

His tone of voice sounded casual, but the question itself carried some weight.

"My clansmen haven't arrived yet, but they sent some things for us to take. Uncle Jiang left to retrieve them," Jiang Ningxian replied. As she smiled, two small dimples formed on her cheeks. She immediately understood Lu Yuan's words.

"We've already agreed to work together. We can't just stand by and watch things worsen," Jiang Ningxian added, "Once Uncle Jiang brings those items back, I'll hand over a large portion of them to the Celestial Court you've built. How does that sound?"

The Jiang Clan was the strongest clan in the Desolate Flame Starfield, and their foundation was terrifyingly deep. As their representative, Jiang Ningxian had no room to be stingy after agreeing to work with Lu Yuan.

"Then I'd have to say thanks, Miss Jiang." Lu Yuan did not refuse. He truly needed their resources. The Celestial Court would soon gather many people, all priority targets for training. The officials had already stated that it would not interfere, making it a force entirely under his control.

𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

With a bleak future ahead, there was no reason to cling to empty courtesy.

"Don't mention it." Jiang Ningxian waved her hand, clearly pleased to continue talking with him. Soon, however, a curious glint surfaced in her eyes. "Judging by how things stand, I feel like you're going to confront the Celestials, King Lu."

"What do you mean by that?" Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow. "Is this about the Nether Bulls?"

"That's right," Jiang Ningxian replied.

"The Nether Bulls are vassals of the Celestials," Jiang Ningxian explained, "They were just scouts. From what I know, one of the Celestials' prodigies is already here.

"He still can't display his true strength thanks to the Separation of Heaven and Earth, but once he adapts to this world, he'll surely come for you, especially after what you did to that Yi.

"There's more. The Celestials are closely tied to the Ji Clan. They've been allies for ages."

The Celestials controlled an entire starfield and ranked within the top hundred. One could only imagine their strength. A prodigy among them would be an elite among elites with a terrifying bloodline.

In a nutshell, they would be a real threat.

Jiang Ningxian knew that, which was why she raised the matter.

In her eyes, Lu Yuan needed more time to become strong enough to contend against them. To make matters worse, behind the Celestials stood the Ji Clan, a great clan on par with the Jiang Clan.

"So what if it's the Celestials? So what if it's the Ji Clan?" Lu Yuan replied, "I'll crush them all myself."

Lu Yuan was not afraid at all. At this point, he had an unshakable faith in himself.

He would not doubt himself or retreat just because his enemies were strong.

"That's the spirit!" Jiang Ningxian's eyes lit up. "Your attitude reminds me of my little brother."

Instead of talking about her little brother, she changed the topic, asking, "By the way, do you really intend to keep Mount Tai under your control forever? It's just far too special. Too many eyes will be drawn to it, and you'll have endless trouble in the future."

"

Oh?

" Lu Yuan felt a stir in his heart. He had already guessed part of it, but he played along, asking, "What do you mean by endless trouble?"

"Somewhere in Mount Tai is a forbidden artifact tied to the Celestial Court of ancient times," Jiang Ningxian said, her face growing solemn as she added, "Legend has it that it is capable of gathering supreme providence."

"Whoever completes it can seize the very essence of heaven, earth, and the universe to ultimately become the Human Sovereign and the Celestial Emperor. The Celestial Emperor has the authority to bestow a title upon someone, declaring them either a god or an immortal.

"But whether this forbidden relic truly lies on Mount Tai is uncertain. Even so, the great clans of the Outer Cosmos won't miss the chance to obtain that. Of course, that includes the Jiang Clan."

Lu Yuan instantly understood that she was referring to the Celestial Emperor's ancient token. He had already obtained it, yet he had no idea how to use it. Fortunately, her words allowed him to learn something about it.

The titles "Human Sovereign" and "Celestial Emperor" held little appeal for him. What truly caught his attention was the so-called authority to bestow a title upon someone, declaring them either a god or an immortal.

Of course, he remained silent about it and simply replied, "For me, becoming the Human Sovereign or the Celestial Emperor can't be as easy as simply obtaining an ancient artifact.

"After all, didn't they reach the apex first before obtaining their title?"

Jiang Ningxian was shocked to hear that. Then, disbelief flashed through her eyes, and she looked as if she had just realized something monumental.