Chapter 36. Out of Seclusion! Supreme Might, Heaven and Earth in Turmoil (1)

Night.

In the early days of the Global Awakening, two moons had once hung in the overhead inky black canvas. Now, the sky had returned to its former order. Only a single pale moon remained, its cold glow washing the earth in silver.

The chill of December lingered in the air. Perhaps due to the Awakening, the temperature felt even lower than in years past.

When Lu Yuan stepped out from the villa compound, he realized how much his surroundings had changed.

Endless mountains stretched around him; wild grass and weeds ran rampant, while towering trees reached skyward. The land had transformed into a primeval wilderness, stripped of all traces of modern civilization.

The villa itself, once built upon flat ground, now stood on a mountain slope, hundreds of meters above sea level.

Extending his senses, Lu Yuan felt the tangled, chaotic currents of energy stirring across the land, and faintly, in the distance, the presence of prowling beasts.

This was the new normal.

The world had been reshaped beyond recognition. Once-familiar places turned strange and alien, nothing like they had been before. Truly, overnight, heaven and earth had overturned, seas had shifted into mulberry fields.

For the ordinary folks, this was a hard pill to swallow. But for Lu Yuan, it was an entirely different matter.

He had already lived through ten years of this new era. To him, these upheavals were nothing new—mere echoes of an experience that could no longer shake him.

They're almost here.

Lu Yuan walked several hundred meters away from the villa and gazed into the distance, divine light flickering in his eyes.

To him, the night was no different from broad daylight; the darkness could not hinder his vision in the slightest.

And so, he saw them clearly.

A squad was slowly advancing in his direction, their movements cautious, their steps silent.

From their breathing alone, Lu Yuan could tell they were no ordinary men. Power circulated faintly within their bodies, evident that they were Awakened.

But that power... was weak.

Lu Yuan did not move. He simply stood where he was, waiting for the intruders to draw near.

Hiding in the shadows and waiting for a chance to strike?

Sorry, that had never been part of his playbook.

Meanwhile, on the other side...

Elite Squad Nine of Longevity Genetics crept forward beneath the cover of night.

"Captain, it should be just up ahead," one team member whispered.

"Good." Wang Xing nodded. "Act on my command. Remember. If possible, capture him alive. If he resists, bring back his corpse."

"Yes, sir!" the squad answered in unison.

Their journey had taken much time, but at last they had reached their destination. Still, caution weighed heavily on their steps. It wasn't fear of being discovered by their target that restrained them, but the danger of rousing the beasts prowling these mountains.

For since the Global Awakening, towering peaks had risen out of nowhere, and within them roamed mutated creatures. Most of these beasts had set foot upon the path of evolution, and were fierce and troublesome opponents.

Thus, every step had to be taken with care.

But then, at the very front, Captain Wang Xing suddenly halted. His eyes locked on the scene before him, his body stiff.

The others, puzzled, followed his gaze. And in an instant, astonishment dawned upon their faces.

Not far away, a figure stood beneath the moonlight.

The man was tall and slender, a bow in his hand. Yet no arrow was nocked. He merely stood there, his eyes shining cold and bright, his expression calm and detached as he looked at them.

"Honored guests," Lu Yuan said, his eyes glimmering with faint amusement. "What business brings you to my humble abode?"

His voice was not loud, but steady, composed and with an unhurried ease.

"Captain, that's him—the one named Lu." A squad member pulled out a photograph, compared it carefully, and confirmed the target's identity.

Wang Xing's eyes flickered with brief surprise, but he quickly steadied himself. He barked, sharp and commanding, "You are Lu Yuan? Have you been to the farm in the outskirts of Wuzhou? Speak! On 21st August, what exactly happened there!"

His tone was cold and interrogative. Since they had found their target, there was no need for small talk. At the same time, Wang Xing made a subtle gesture with his right hand. The squad instantly caught on.

They spread out in formation, guns drawn from their waists, aiming at Lu Yuan from every angle.

To them, Lu Yuan looked like nothing more than an ordinary man. But then, he held a bow in his hands, so who knew what strange retaliation method he had.

Although they had stepped on the path of evolution, they weren't about to gamble recklessly. Caution had been drilled into them through years of harsh training.

"You're from Longevity Genetics, aren't you?" Lu Yuan's gaze fell upon the sigil embroidered on their sleeves. His brows furrowed slightly. His brows furrowed, "Lingering ghosts... unwilling to leave."

He had expected as much. He knew Longevity Genetics would never let the matter rest, chasing down the truth to the bitter end. He just hadn't expected them to arrive so quickly.

As for their true purpose—there was no doubt. They had come for the Great Luo Sword Embryo.

"Oh? So you

do

know something after all," Wang Xing instantly caught the implication in Lu Yuan's words. He drew his pistol, aimed it at Lu Yuan and spoke in an icy tone, "Now, you have two choices. One—submit quietly and come with us. Two—die."

The moment his words fell, a series of metallic clicks echoed as the squad pressed down their safeties.

Even Awakened were wary of hot weapons.

"Ah...how fearless the ignorant can be..." Lu Yuan shook his head. He hadn't even spoken his piece, and yet these men were already set on seizing him by force, deaf to reason.

He flexed his fingers, preparing to test the might of the Heavenquake Bow. It felt like an overkill... but so be it.

Yet the elite squad, honed by years of training, was no ordinary rabble. Their reflexes were razor-sharp.

"Cripple him!" Wang Xing commanded without hesitation the instant he noticed Lu Yuan's intent to resist.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Gunfire erupted in unison. Dozens of bullets tore through the night, avoiding vital points but targeting Lu Yuan's arms, shoulders, and legs. Clearly, they planned to keep Lu Yuan alive to haul him back to the company, and complete their mission.

But as the hail of bullets tore through the air toward him, Lu Yuan did not move. He simply stood there, not even lifting a hand in defense.

Has he lost his mind?

That was the collective thought flashing through the minds of every Elite Squad Nine member. But in the very next instant, their expressions froze stiff.

When the bullets struck Lu Yuan, the crisp clang of steel meeting steel rang out in the air. One after another, the bullets ricocheted off his body, whistling into the distance and shredding through the trunks of nearby trees.

As for Lu Yuan, he had not budged an inch.

Impossible! Those are real bullets!

The squad's faces drained of color, their eyes wide with disbelief.

"This is bad! He must be an Awakened too! Don't hesitate, kill him!"

Wang Xing reacted at once. Realizing the man before them was no ordinary foe, he yanked a grenade from his belt, pulled the pin, and hurled it forward.

The destructive force of a grenade was not something mere bullets could compare to. Even steel plates would be scarred from the blast.

He was certain that even an Awakened couldn't withstand such power. Most would be blasted into bloody fragments on the spot.

But what followed utterly defied their imagination.

Lu Yuan extended his hand and casually caught the grenade midair. His face betrayed not the slightest change. Then, with a casual clench of his fist—

Boom!

A thunderous explosion ripped through the night. Fire blossomed violently, shockwaves convulsed the ground, and the blast wave consumed the area.

Yet within the raging inferno, Wang Xing and the others saw

him

. Lu Yuan stood unshaken, calmly brushing his palms together as though dusting off specks of ash. Even the hem of his robe had not been scorched.

"Not bad."

Lu Yuan gauged the force of the grenade. Far from harming him, it hadn't even stirred the faintest sense of danger. He hadn't acted sooner only because he wished to test the toughness of his current physique.

Now it was clear that ordinary hot weapons no longer posed a threat.

The Unfettered Realm is indeed far more formidable than I imagined it to be.

"Is he...not human?" a squad member stammered.

They had thought this mission would be a simple one, but who would have expected to run into such a monster. Not even a grenade exploding at arm's length left a single mark on him. They doubt even the strongest Awakened of the company could achieve the same feat

"Calm yourselves! We are Awakened too!" Wang Xing roared, forcing composure into his voice. He was still their captain, after all.

His eyes flared, blazing with a brilliant emerald light.