Chapter 175. The Four Great Clans From the Outer Cosmos, the Sage Realm, the Great Peng in Danger

As a Ranker from the Celestial Race, he knew that this world was far from ordinary.

It was an incredibly glorious world in ancient times. The Celestial Court was established here, and several Celestial Emperors emerged from it. It had been sealed for a very long time, and the seal allowed the Awakened to disappear into the annals of history.

Thanks to the Global Awakening, however, the sealed opportunities and boons were rushing out into the open like a deluge. All sorts of unimaginable opportunities and treasures would constantly appear in the future.

Some of the famed mountains and great rivers here even housed Mythical Secret Realms, which contained the legacies of ancient human sages. Obtaining even one meant becoming significantly stronger than before.

Had it not been for those, the great clans from the starfields wouldn't have chosen to come here. In fact, he had paid a huge price and even suppressed his bloodline just to get a head start on the opportunity right in front of him.

At his side, Zhou Yunqiong's gaze never left the jade box. She knew this was her chance to completely change her fate, and now that it was in her hands, everything else seemed trivial.

Still, her cautious nature prevailed, and she quickly looked up with a smile, saying, "With that esteemed figure's favor and the Celestial Race backing us, we'll be the ones standing at the top in the end."

The tall man merely nodded. He looked past the forest, already planning his next steps. Tomorrow, he would contact the Nether Bulls and perhaps even reach out to other races in the starfield. In his eyes, Lu Yuan had to pay a price.

***

The outside world gradually settled down to a calm after hearing the news of how Lu Yuan had slain three Nether Bulls at the Venerable King Realm. The invaders from outer space also fell silent all at once, which eased the panic among civilians and Awakened alike.

Eventually, everyone began paying attention to the events in outer space.

Soon, Huaxia's officials released more information about some changes beyond the solar system. They spotted more invaders moving straight toward Earth.

Just as predicted, this was just the beginning, and increasingly powerful entities would eventually make their way to Earth. Even so, people believed King Lu of Huaxia could hold them all back.

Unfortunately, the myriad of space probes in outer space soon transmitted footage that made everyone shake in disbelief.

The footage depicted a giant over a thousand meters tall. It was shrouded in thick black mist, and it "walked" across the starry sky, surviving freely in the vacuum of space while crushing meteoroids in its palm.

A man with three heads sporting grotesque faces stood ahead of it, and the man seemed to be wielding what looked like a trident.

Even though it was small compared to the giant, each of his mouths could spit out a colorful ray of light containing terrifying, destructive power. The three-headed man's power was proven by how an asteroid spanning more than ten kilometers was reduced to mere ashes in the face of his colorful beams of light.

The two beings from outer space fought for several days without a victor, yet every celestial body around them was reduced to nothingness.

The sight of their clash instilled terror in everyone. They displayed strength that even Venerable Kings could not display. They were existences capable of waging war across the entire universe.

When the footage circulated, panic gripped everyone's hearts. Even those who had already embarked on the path of evolution felt fear gnaw at them.

The officials treated the matter with utmost seriousness. Against such enemies, who could truly stand firm?

King Lu was strong, but could he annihilate a literal asteroid with a single strike?

What would happen if such beings descended on Earth?

For a long time, Elder Ji and Elder Yun remained silent, and their hair whitened almost overnight.

Several days later, Jiang Ningxian emerged from her residence and gave them answers.

"Those members are of the Primeval Daemon Race and the Three-Headed Ghost Race. They have long-standing grudges, so conflict is inevitable when they meet. The ones fighting have reached the Sage Realm.

"Those at the Sage Realm are terrifying beings, as they've truly stepped through the threshold of sagehood. They are beings capable of moving stars and crossing the universe.

"However, their strength is the reason they cannot descend. The protective measures of the sages in ancient times are still protecting Earth. If they were to descend forcefully, the resulting backlash would severely injure them."

Elder Ji and Elder Yun finally felt a bit relieved upon hearing that. Those beings were far too frightening, but thankfully, they could not descend on Earth. They truly felt grateful toward the sages who had decided to protect Earth.

Soon, another question popped up in their heads.

Would those protective measures eventually fail?

Jiang Ningxian answered them with a resounding "yes," but she reassured them by saying that it wouldn't happen anytime soon. At present, the true threats were not beings of that level.

Based on the information they had gathered so far, more than a dozen members of various clans from the Outer Cosmos had been detected in outer space.

The members of the Celestial Race, the Primeval Daemon Race, and the Three-Headed Ghost Race were among them, but there was also another great clan lurking in the shadows.

Only clans and races in the top hundred among the starfields in the Outer Cosmos could be called a great clan. The Nether Bull Clan wasn't qualified to be called a "great clan."

The great clans wouldn't send down Sage Realm experts, but their subordinates were all formidable. Hence, they had to remain highly vigilant.

Elder Ji, Elder Yun, and the others felt their hearts sink once more, but they did not fall into despair. There was still time. Once the members of the Celestial Court had completed their training, they could probably put up a resistance against the invaders.

King Lu was already carrying so much burden. They wished to rely on their own strength to stand against the invaders.

The officials soon issued a public announcement regarding Jiang Ningxian's words. The footage was just too shocking, and they had to issue an announcement or the nation would soon be gripped by panic.

After hearing the announcement, everyone relaxed somewhat.

└ Thank goodness those terrifying beings can't descend here. Otherwise, I don't even know how we'd survive.

└ We need to become even stronger. I feel like the disasters are only going to get worse from here on.

└ Good thing King Lu is keeping those who have already descended in check. We're safe for now.

└ Huaxia is really lucky to have King Lu.

Every Awakened in the world shared the same sentiment as these netizens.

Soon, another piece of news spread like wildfire, and it was about the Nether Bulls. Someone had discovered that the Nether Bulls had begun moving again.

Thirteen had descended in total, and excluding the ones Lu Yuan had already killed, ten remained. These survivors had gathered together for an unknown goal. For some reason, they had chosen not to attack any cities or occupy any lands.

Their movements were so weird that people chose to monitor them closely to uncover their goal.

A few days later, a video appeared online, barely dozens of seconds long.

The video depicted several Nether Bulls in a coastal region. They were chasing a bird that looked heavily wounded yet remained fast enough to keep running away with its life.

Everyone instantly recognized it.

└ It's the Golden-Winged Great Peng! It's King Lu's mount!

The video left a deep impression on everyone. The Golden-Winged Great Peng had accompanied Lu Yuan through several major events, and nearly everyone was aware of how it looked. The sight of it being hunted down ignited their fury.

└ Are these Nether Bulls insane?! Aren't they afraid King Lu will lose control and wipe them out?

└ It's not that simple. They've been staying quiet for a long time. I don't think they're doing this randomly.

└ Could someone be directing them from behind the scenes?

Both shock and suspicion spread rapidly. The Nether Bulls couldn't possibly be

this

reckless. Someone had clearly given them an order to do this.

Regardless, the entire world watched closely as Huaxia's officials reacted at once, ordering all military bases to prepare for a fight. Analysis of the Golden-Winged Great Peng's escape route showed it was heading to Mount Tai.

To ensure it wouldn't be harmed any further, all major forces activated their emergency protocols. Nukes were prepared without hesitation. The Golden-Winged Great Peng was King Lu's mount, so it was an important mutated beast.

They had to intervene and save its life.

Following the route, they located the Golden-Winged Great Peng along with several Nether Bulls. A unit commander gave the order without hesitation, and a nuke was launched in no time.

Boom!

A mushroom cloud rose into the sky, engulfing one of the Nether Bulls. The explosion was terrifying, and even a beast king would have been annihilated. Unfortunately, the Nether Bulls were Venerable Kings from outer space.

The nuke only wounded them.

Afterward, the Nether Bulls became wary, and the subsequent attacks missed their marks. Even so, the assault slowed them down and bought precious time for the Golden-Winged Great Peng.

What about the nuclear fallout? In the New Era, it was no longer a threat, which was why Huaxia dared to deploy such a weapon without any hesitation.

"Sitrep! Where's King Lu's mount? How far is it from Mount Tai?" a unit commander asked urgently through his communicator.

Since Lu Yuan was at Mount Tai, the Golden-Winged Great Peng would be safe once it was close enough to it.

"Reporting, sir! It's still very far away. We've also detected additional life signatures, and they are beings from outer space!"

The commander's heart sank. King Lu had been immensely helpful to Huaxia, and the best they could do to repay him was to ensure the life of his mount, yet could it be that they couldn't do even that?

"Use every means available and spare no cost! We must protect the Golden-Winged Great Peng!" he ordered.

"Sir, yes, sir!"

Meanwhile, Lu Yuan was sitting cross-legged in his training chamber. Instead of training, however, he was focused on communicating with the Celestial Emperor's Ancient Token.

Dense purple light surged from it, yet no matter how he tried, he could not trigger anything special.

The token's power is to bestow divine titles upon someone, declaring them either an immortal or a god. But how do I actually do that?

Lu Yuan opened his eyes, deep in thought.

According to Jiang Ningxian, the Celestial Emperor's Ancient Token represented the Celestial Emperor himself. Did that mean its abilities could only be unlocked once he reached that level of strength? How long would that take?

The token was incomplete, so was he supposed to gather them all? If so, how? Were the fragments even present in this world?

With a soft sigh, Lu Yuan abandoned the attempt and turned his attention elsewhere.

The second Global Awakening is nearly over. Lands with great opportunities and boons will soon open across the world. I can't remain on Mount Tai any longer. I need to move. The opportunities, ancient artifacts, and legacies scattered across the world will be extremely useful to me.

He had been staying put, as the time to make a move had yet to come, but things were different now.

He had to investigate Kunlun, the land of the gods, where Yinglong was said to have emerged.

There were also the sacred mountains of Daoists, the Kongtong Mountains; Mount Wutai, a sacred mountain of Buddhists; and Mount Jiuhua, where Monk Huikong resided.

He had to visit them all, as they contained the sacred lands of formidable Daoists, Bodhisattvas, and arhats, which would eventually appear in the world. It would be a dangerous endeavor, but the memories of his past life were there to help him.

While Lu Yuan was busy planning his next move, a sudden chill ran through him, but he wasn't feeling cold.

"It's the Golden-Winged Great Peng," Lu Yuan muttered, his eyes turning razor-sharp. The Blood Bond within him was telling him that his mount was gravely wounded.