Chapter 23. The Great Luo Sword Embryo, Factions in Turmoil

"Everything's settled. It's time to leave."

Lu Yuan cast a final glance at the three lifeless bodies lying to the side. Without another word, he walked toward the crater where the meteor had landed.

The massive pit was still hissing with white steam. At its center was a jagged, pockmarked stone. There was nothing about it that stood out at first glance.

Lu Yuan crouched down and picked it up; he clearly felt the searing warmth radiating from within the meteor.

A celestial treasure lay hidden within. And that item was what he had to get his hands on.

Initially, he had planned to rest for the night before leaving the next morning. But after learning of the intel from Zhao, he fell into deep thought.

Many powerful factions are aware of their meteor shower and have taken action. Aside from this piece in my possession, most of the meteors burned up in the atmosphere. Even the rare few that landed contained nothing within. They'll continue searching in the dark for the other meteors.

Realization dawned upon him. With the vast resources at their disposal, those factions were bound to trace the land purchase back to him. If he left with the meteorite just like that, it would only raise more suspicion.

He had no way to tamper with the crater itself. And with the Day of Awakening just a few days away, he didn't want any mishaps.

After a brief moment of thought, Lu Yuan made his decision. Without a hint of hesitation, he grabbed the meteor with both hands and crushed it.

Instantly, a stream of black powder trickled to the ground as the outer shell shattered. It didn't take long before the majority of the stone crumbled into dust, revealing the core—a palm-sized black sword embryo.

Its surface looked rough, and there didn't seem to be anything special about it. However, the sword embryo felt heavy in his hand. He brought it to eye level to examine it carefully and sensed a strange force radiating from within it.

For some unknown reason, the force was flickering in and out of existence, as if some ancient power sealed it.

Lu Yuan knew at that point that it was because the Day of Awakening had not descended upon them, and the sword embryo had yet to awaken.

When that day finally came, it would unleash a power beyond imagination.

In his previous life, a peerless cultivator had wielded this very sword embryo and swept across the land unchallenged. His blade cut through the heavens and allowed him to establish dominance across the realm.

Lu Yuan had witnessed his might from afar. Just a single sword strike, the sword light surged with such brilliance that even the sun's radiance was drowned in its wake. It was as if that slash could sever the stars themselves. The enemy beneath its edge vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving not even dust behind.

To say that a single sword strike could cleave through the Nine Heavens was no exaggeration.

As such, the sword embryo had another name: the Great Luo Sword Embryo.

"It's time to go." Lu Yuan gathered his thoughts and tucked the sword embryo into his embrace

He had already crushed the meteorite into dust. Even if the major factions came looking, they would waste time analyzing the powder first.

Moreover, he was just an ordinary person on the surface and wouldn't attract too much attention. And by the time they reacted, the global awakening would have already begun.

Soon, Lu Yuan returned to the villa within the farm. He carried the Wordless Stone Stele out and placed it in his car before driving off.

Tonight was bound to be a chaotic night. If he stayed here, there would be incessant trouble approaching him. It was better to leave while he still could.

And indeed, just per his prediction, less than an hour after his departure, another group arrived at the farm.

They were dressed in full black and their eyes gleamed with sharp vigilance. Unlike the previous group, they were armed with firearms and exuded a far more aggressive combat presence.

The moment they spotted the crater and the lifeless bodies of Captain Zhao's squad, they immediately understood what had happened.

"Longevity Genetics. Perpetrator unidentified. Report to HQ," the leader gave the order to notify their superiors.

The rest of the team fanned out to search the area. Upon discovering traces of meteor dust, they moved swiftly to collect it. But before they could finish, several more groups pulled up in vehicles.

Each group belonged to a different faction. No words were exchanged. The moment their eyes met, chaos erupted.

Gunfire blazed, fists flew, and shouts of battle filled the air.

Still, there was a sense of control amid the mayhem. After securing whatever meteor dust they could, the groups quickly withdrew, not willing to linger any longer.

Meanwhile, in Hu City...

Within a lavishly decorated villa, Zhou Yunqiong lounged on a leather sofa and gently swirled the red wine in her hand.

She was breathtakingly beautiful, her figure perfectly proportioned in all the right places, so much so that even the loose silk robe draped over her couldn't conceal her allure.

"Young Miss," Uncle Zuo called out as he approached respectfully. "We've just received news that a meteor really did fall within the farm on the outskirts of Zhouwu City. People from Longevity Genetics were stationed there, but they were killed. The killer is a powerful figure and is definitely not human by normal standards."

"Oh?" Zhou Yunqiong's brows furrowed together. "What about that meteor?"

"It was crumbled into dust. Our men managed to collect some of them and are preparing to send them to the lab for analysis." Uncle Zuo paused. After a brief moment of consideration, he added, "However, Skygod Technologies and Polaris Biotech also managed to secure some of the meteorite dust during the clash."

Naturally, the Wuzhou Group had sent their men to the farm as well.

During the battle, each faction had managed to obtain a portion of the meteorite dust.

Although the Wuzhou Group hadn't been able to successfully purchase some of the meteor sites, that didn't mean they couldn't investigate things through back channels, just that the task was low on the priority list.

"How amusing. They openly claim that they won't fight or compete but they still make their moves in the dark." Zhou Yunqiong let out a cold chuckle.

She took a sip from her wine glass before she asked, "I heard that the farm was bought by my old classmate, Lu Yuan?"

"Yes," Uncle Zuo replied and presented a file. "He acted ahead of us, and that's why we didn't manage to purchase the farm. Also, we managed to find out that he had been living at the farm for the past few days. However, no one had seen him tonight. Young Miss, should I look into him to see if he has discovered anything?"

The implication in Uncle Zuo's words was unmistakable—he suspected that Lu Yuan might be involved.

"No need." Zhou Yunqiong shook her head. "He's just an ordinary fellow. Back when I was still in college, I had every classmate thoroughly investigated. There was nothing special about him."

She continued, "Didn't you even collect their hair samples in secret and send them for lab tests? None of them had the potential of awakening."

From the very start, Zhou Yunqiong had never taken her so-called college classmates seriously.

The reason was simple and straightforward—they were just normal people. They didn't belong in the same world as her, and there was no need for her to spare them too much of her time or attention.

As for the farm incident, she felt that it was purely a coincidence. Even if it hadn't been a coincidence, how could Lu Yuan possibly even fight the people from Longevity Genetics? He was simply too weak.

"Alright," Uncle Zuo replied with a nod. He realized that he was probably overthinking it as well.

Not long after, a massive change would descend upon the entire world. Ordinary people would remain ordinary, unable to stir up even the slightest ripple. They were doomed to stay at the bottom of the societal hierarchy unless they were blessed with some divine opportunity.

Lu Yuan might have some money, but in the near future, wealth would lose all meaning. If not for his slight connection to Zhou Yunqiong, he would be nothing more than a nobody and hardly worth a second look.

"Never mind, let's not talk about him. The meteorite is just a small matter." Zhou Yunqiong waved her hand in a dismissive gesture before asking another question. "Have we found that person yet?"

That person was the actual top priority of the Wuzhou Group!