Chapter 212. Sudden Changes at Mount Kunlun, the Legendary Land of Gods

For any Awakened, becoming a Sage was a crucial stage on the path of evolution. At the same time, it was also a gate, a bottleneck that countless people found extremely difficult to cross.

If one succeeded, then they became the bird free to soar in the endless skies, the fish unrestrained in the immeasurable seas.

But if one failed, they might find themselves trapped at this realm for many years to come.

Truth be told, even those blessed with exceptional talent might advance at astonishing speed in the early stages. But upon reaching the Venerable King Realm, they would find themselves utterly unable to take another step forward.

As such, the Sage Realm was the greatest trial on the path of evolution. Only those who became Sages could continue onward and grow into a true powerhouse.

Lu Yuan had never personally reached that realm before. But the memories from both lifetimes served as a form of experience. Moreover, in his earlier planning, he had also made sure to fulfill most of the requirements to attain sagehood. So, it would not be overly difficult for him.

For example, he secured the most powerful visualization method. Besides that, his physique and soul had already reached a near-perfect state.

What remained was merely time and a deeper understanding of the Sage Realm itself. Once the timing was ripe, he would then be able to break through to the sixth stage of evolution—the Void Sage Realm.

It probably won't take long.

Lu Yuan thought to himself as he planned his next steps in his mind.

He knew that while becoming a Sage would not be particularly difficult for him, he shouldn't treat the matter too casually either. More importantly, he knew that as the days passed, the protection offered by the Separation of Heaven and Earth was gradually dissipating.

Because of this, there was a sense of urgency stirring within him. He desired to grow stronger as soon as possible—not just for himself, but for the bigger picture as well.

And to become a Sage, one could not rely solely on closed-door cultivation. Entering the Sage Realm was something that could not be rushed and had to be approached slowly.

Setting aside his thoughts, Lu Yuan decided that after a brief rest, he would leave the Academy once more to get a clearer understanding of the current situation outside.

He already knew that after the second Awakening, the overall strength of Earth's Awakened should have risen by a significant margin. Those under the Celestial Court, namely Zhu Qingyu and the others, would undoubtedly make tremendous progress as well.

Of course, the ones who made the greatest leap in strength would likely be the Beast Kings such as the Peacock King.

With their innate talent and bloodline, coupled with the favor of heaven and earth, each Awakening was a massive blessing for them.

Now, many mutated Beast Kings had joined the Celestial Court, cooperating with humanity; it could be said that past grievances had, for the most part, been set aside.

Lu Yuan could not help but recall his previous life. Back then, both sides had been locked in endless wars. The invasion of Outer Cosmos beings further aggravated the situation, leading to utter chaos. Humanity had suffered greatly with countless cities wiped out.

Even the supercities had been affected. The upper echelons also fell in large numbers. It had been a true age of calamity.

And now...at least, he had prevented such a future from unfolding again. It couldn't be considered an achievement of sorts, but at least he had lived up to the chance of living this life again.

Just as Lu Yuan stepped out of his room—

Rumble!

A sudden peal of muffled thunder resounded in the sky. The entire land seemed to tremble faintly in response.

A strange sensation surged within his heart.

At the same time, Jiang Ningxian emerged from her room with a grave expression on her visage.

They turned to meet each other's gazes and saw the same solemnity. It was an unspoken understanding that something out of the ordinary was unfolding.

Truth be told, ever since the Global Awakening, earthquakes had occurred periodically across this world. However, the tremors were far from intense, and didn't cause much damage.

Eventually, people grew accustomed to it, and equated it to the opening of another mysterious region.

But this time, something felt different.

Lu Yuan and Jiang Ningxian both turned simultaneously toward the same direction—the West.

"King Lu, where do you think it is this time?" Jiang Ningxian broke the silence first, a faint smile gracing her lips.

"There are far too many famed mountains and great rivers. It's impossible to identify at this point," Lu Yuan answered with a shake of his head. The world had already expanded vastly. Even for him, he could no longer pinpoint the exact location, and could only grasp the general direction.

But clearly, for both of them to sense something amiss, it was certainly different from anything before.

"The power of Separation of Heaven and Earth is slowly weakening. Great providence often heralds great peril as well."

Jiang Ningxian let out a soft sigh and did not dwell further on the topic. As of late, she had stopped her closed-door cultivation. She knew her clansmen would descend soon and she had to make preparations in advance.

Lately, she had been coordinating with the official authorities on certain arrangements such as constructing a place for the members of Jiang Clan to reside.

This was only natural since she had offered considerable resources and assistance to both the authorities and the Celestial Court.

In the end, Jiang Ningxian gave a courteous bow, much like the ancient etiquette, and returned to her room.

Meanwhile, Lu Yuan remained where he was. His mind raced as he calculated the possible developments. But in the end, he didn't really have any idea.

"Wait...the west... Could it be Kunlun?"

All of a sudden, the name dropped in his mind and surprise flickered between his brows.

In the previous Awakening, there hadn't been much happenings at Mount Kunlun. The most notable event had merely been the emergence of that Yinglong.

The significant disturbance had only come after the Second Awakening. And considering the timing now, it seemed to fit.

However, he couldn't confirm his guess without concrete information. At that, Lu Yuan chose not to head out anymore. He turned and returned to his room to wait.

Not long after, Elder Ji and the others arrived.

𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

The authorities had been monitoring every corner of the world all along. Though it was impossible to have absolute coverage, they were confident that any notable change within the borders of Huaxia would be detected at the earliest possible moment.

If it was just a minor matter, they would not disturb Lu Yuan. But this time, they had come in person.

"King Lu, we've detected an immense energy fluctuation within Kunlun. It's even stronger than that previously recorded at the Kongtong Mountains. We can't determine if it's a Mythical Secret Realm or something else, " Elder Ji said with a solemn expression.

If it was just any other ordinary famed mountain or river, the authorities simply couldn't maintain round-the-clock surveillance. But Kunlun was different; its significance was no less than Mount Tai.

Moreover, in stories of myth, Kunlun was revered as the Land of Gods, the birthplace of countless legends, the cradle of innumerable myths.

As such, the authorities had placed Kunlun under surveillance since the very beginning of the Global Awakening. Back when Yinglong emerged, they had also been the first to receive the news.

They had thought that there would not be any more events happening at Kunlun, but this sudden event had been unexpected.

"So it really is Kunlun..." Lu Yuan muttered to himself. Though he had his speculations, it was a different story once confirmed.

After slaying three Sages, calm had returned to Earth for a long while. But this period of peace was destined to end.

And the largest omen signalling its end was the disturbance at Kunlun.

"Leave Kunlun alone for now," Lu Yuan looked at Elder Ji and said. "Ordinary people can't venture there. I'll make the trip myself in the next day or two."

Indeed, now that an event had occurred at Kunlun, he had to go. After all, this was a crucial step in the series of plans he had laid out!