Chapter 217. A Gathering, Usefulness, Arrival At Last

This world held far too many secrets. Every time he found an answer to a conundrum, the answer only led him to more questions. However, he believed that any secret would eventually reveal itself if pursued with enough determination.

Lu Yuan said nothing more and simply stared at the young woman before him.

Jiang Ningxian smiled. "From the moment the Milky Way Starfield was sealed by the Separation of Heaven and Earth, its eventual awakening was destined."

"My Jiang Clan originally came from this world. Our Ancestral Planet has changed, but our homeland remains our homeland."

An Ancestral Planet was simply where one's ancestors had settled down. There could be many of those, but there could only be one homeland. The Jiang Clan had never forgotten nor overlooked that fact. They had always known that they would return to their homeland one day.

Why else would the clan send her here from the very beginning of the Global Awakening? Jiang Ningxian was well aware of her clan's intentions.

"Miss Jiang and the Jiang Clan have never forgotten that fact, but others may not share that sentiment," Lu Yuan said calmly. His thoughts drifted to the Celestials. This world was also their fatherland, but how many of them would still acknowledge that fact?

Jiang Ningxian offered no response. Inwardly, she sighed, knowing all too well how many great clans had long abandoned their roots.

Together, they looked at the horizon. Everything that needed to be said had been said. What came next would have to wait until they reached Mount Kunlun.

Soon, the Golden-Winged Great Peng let out a piercing cry and accelerated even further.

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Mount Kunlun lay to the west of Mount Tai. Since Earth had gotten bigger, traversing such a distance using modern aircraft would require an unimaginable amount of time.

For the Golden-Winged Great Peng, however, it was merely a matter of a month at most. Its speed had long surpassed the sound barrier, after all.

Along the way, they had no need to worry about attacks from mutated beasts. There were four beast kings among them, so what creature would dare provoke them?

Just like that, time flew by.

Lu Yuan spent most of the days training and working on his visualization method to prepare for his eventual breakthrough into the Sage Realm.

During the journey, he received updates from Elder Ji and the others about the movements of those beings from the Outer Cosmos. Most of them had already set out for Mount Kunlun along with a number of Earth's Awakened.

The anomaly at Mount Kunlun had grown even more intense than before. Day and night, countless rays of radiant light burst forth to illuminate the heavens.

The phenomenon blanketed an area spanning thousands of miles. From time to time, massive palaces would even materialize in the sky. Of course, those were mere phantoms rather than real structures.

Earthquakes even struck the mountain. In other words, the region was becoming more and more extraordinary and mysterious as time went on.

The officials had also detected Yinglong's presence. It seemed Yinglong was also heading for Mount Kunlun.

There was also the matter concerning Zhou Yunqiong's whereabouts.

Amidst all this, Mount Kunlun became the focal point of the entire world. Everyone had their eyes on the mountain, but as for whether a supreme legacy awaited them there or a great battle, no one could say for sure.

Everyone knew the dangers that lay ahead, but still, none of them backed down.

***

A huge number of humans and mutated beasts had gathered in a mountain forest somewhere in Huaxia. The mutated beasts were all capable of flight, but none of them were as speedy as the Golden-Winged Great Peng.

Even so, they had all reached the Golden Body Realm. If they were released into the outside world, they'd be a formidable force.

As for the humans, all men and women alike wore identical uniforms, except for one woman with exceptional beauty and figure.

Her striking demeanor and bearing made her identity clear. She was none other than Zhou Yunqiong, who had been in secluded training for quite some time.

She stood on a mountain ridge, gazing into the distance. The aura she exuded was vastly more powerful compared to when she was last seen. Wisps of light even rippled across her smooth skin, and a terrifying aura exuded from her.

Uncle Zuo approached her and respectfully said, "Young Miss, the people tailing us have caught up with us again."

"Should we eliminate them?"

Those trackers were agents dispatched by the officials of Huaxia. They had been following her group the entire way. She had shaken them off several times, only for them to cling strongly as if they were adhesive.

They were starting to become a nuisance, but...

Zhou Yunqiong shook her head and replied in a calm voice.

"No need. They have already guessed our destination. Whether we deal with them or not makes no difference."

Still, her inner thoughts did not escape Uncle Zuo's notice. He frowned and asked, "Young Miss, are you still hoping to mend your relationship with Lu Yuan?

"Lu Yuan has killed three Celestials in succession, including a Ranker and a Lesser Sage. The Celestials are furious. They've marked him as a priority target for elimination.

"The next time a powerful Celestial descends, their first objective will be to kill him. Your attitude toward him may displease the Celestials," Uncle Zuo added.

No one could have anticipated just how formidable Lu Yuan had become. Slaying a Ranker was one thing, but he had even managed to kill a Sage. His feat far exceeded the Zhou Family's expectations and left them utterly shaken.

There was also what happened to Winged Celestial God.

Zhou Yunqiong and Lu Yuan had likely become enemies after that incident.

"Mending our relationship is not what matters. What matters is his usefulness—whether he can be made useful to us or not.

"The Great Age has arrived, and everyone is competing against each other. He may very well become a

Child of the Great Age.

Someone like that will achieve great things in the future," Zhou Yunqiong replied.

Lu Yuan's performance had genuinely astounded her. Had this been before, she would have wanted him dead. However, things were different now.

She had caught the attention of an important figure within the Ji Clan and learned many secrets. Zhou Yunqiong's ambitions ran deep. If she could truly win Lu Yuan over, it would be a monumental achievement.

"This trip to Mount Kunlun is the perfect opportunity, and I'll talk to him personally. After all, enemies

can

become friends," Zhou Yunqiong added. Noticing that her people had rested long enough, she added, "Tell them to get ready to move out. The sooner we reach Mount Kunlun, the better."

These were the elites that the Zhou Family had secretly trained. Each one was invaluable. Bringing them to Mount Kunlun was a form of training to push them further down the path of evolution.

Uncle Zuo nodded quietly and relayed her orders.

The Zhou Family wasn't the only one. Practically everyone was gathering on Mount Kunlin. Beings from the Outer Cosmos descended frantically, afraid to miss this great opportunity.

In the truest sense of the phrase, a storm was gathering on Mount Kunlun.

***

After more than a month of travel, Lu Yuan and his companions finally neared their destination. Lu Yuan was sitting cross-legged on the Golden-Winged Great Peng's back. His eyes were deep and bright as he stared ahead.

A sprawling mountain range with peaks numbering in the tens of thousands stood before him. Each mountain soared over ten thousand meters into the sky, and the mountain in the middle of it all seemed tall enough to reach the stars beyond the firmament.

A stretch of seemingly endless white snow blanketed the region. It was a scenery that had never changed since ancient times. Amidst the stunning scenery, dazzling rays of light flitted about in the mountains from time to time.

The Land of the Gods—Mount Kunlun!