Chapter 37. Out of Seclusion! Supreme Might, Heaven and Earth in Turmoil (2)

His arm muscles bulged monstrously, tearing apart the combat uniform that bound them. His frame swelled to three meters tall, and a savage, bestial aura surged from him.

At the same time, the other six squad members snapped back to their senses and unleashed their Awakened abilities as well. Yet their transformations were much the same. Their bodies ballooned in size, and their strength amplified dozens of times over.

In the blink of an eye, seven giants, each towering three meters tall, stood in front of Lu Yuan. Their faces were twisted, grotesque green patterns glowed all over their skin, and veins writhed across their foreheads, further adding to their grotesque appearance.

With a single motion, they seized ancient trees whose trunks were so massive that two men could barely encircle them, ripped them from the ground, and brandished them as crude weapons.

Such destructive might was already beyond the scope of ordinary men. This was the terror of the Awakened. Physique, speed, strength—every facet of their being was amplified dozens of times over, granting them overwhelming power. This was the very ability they relied on to survive.

"I'm not going to waste time with the likes of you." Lu Yuan shook his head lightly, his expression calm, indifferent, as though none of this was worth his concern. He stepped forward.

And within his body—

Boom!

A colossal force erupted like a volcano bursting free of the earth. His aura surged outward in a tempest, pressing down with such weight that the very ground beneath his feet caved in.

Behind him, an eleven-tier, blood-red pagoda manifested in dazzling radiance.

No longer suppressing, no longer concealing, Lu Yuan unleashed his power in full. Tonight, he would stretch his limbs.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The pagoda trembled with a deep and resounding pulse, each beat sending waves of crimson light rippling outward like the tide. Wherever those waves swept across, weeds withered to dust, colossal trees splintered and collapsed, and the very earth sank down.

Within a radius of dozens of meters, all life and vegetation was obliterated, the land reduced to barren wasteland. It was as though a meteorite had struck the earth; the sheer destructive force was unimaginable.

This is bad!

On the other side, the seven-man squad froze in dread. In that instant, Lu Yuan seemed less like a man and more like some primordial beast from the wilderness of ancient myth. His aura alone made their souls tremble. Their bodies shook uncontrollably, every instinct screaming for them to flee.

But it was already too late.

The blood-red waves crashed into them. Their so-called indomitable bodies that they took pride in split apart instantly—skin cracking, bones shattering with sharp splintering snaps. Torrents of blood gushed from their wounds, and pooled the earth beneath their feet.

Faces twisted in horror, they stared at Lu Yuan as if seeing a ghost. Wasn't this supposed to be a simple mission? How had they run into such a monster?

That was the only thought left in the minds of Wang Xing and his men. Apart from shock, endless fear consumed them. Why had they chosen to provoke this man?

Let alone make a move, they couldn't even get close to Lu Yuan. Just the sheer pressure of Lu Yuan's aura alone had crushed them flat, rendering them incapable of any combat, leaving them sprawled across the ground, clinging desperately to their last breaths.

This was the suppression of a higher lifeform over a lower one. They simply did not exist on the same plane. The gulf was too vast; resistance was meaningless.

Lu Yuan drew his power back, and the Blood Pagoda slowly faded into nothingness.

He stood in silence, dazed, as his gaze swept across the ruined land and shattered vegetation surrounding him.

So this... is my strength now? But... I haven't even made a move.

Lu Yuan's expression darkened as he fell silent.

These people...why are they even weaker than paper dummies?

But soon, he understood.

He had already stepped into the third stage of evolution—the Unfettered Realm. Coupled with the various divine artifacts he had fused with, his strength had reached an unimaginable level.

Moreover, the might he had displayed earlier was under deliberate restraint. Had he unleashed his full power, the destruction would have been far more terrifying.

As for the seven men before him, though they bore the title of Awakened, Lu Yuan knew the truth. They were nothing more than artificial products cultivated by Longevity Genetics. Through manufactured methods and specially concocted drugs, they had been forced onto the path of evolution.

𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

In his previous life, he had heard much about Longevity Genetics. They had extracted mysterious essences from rare spiritual herbs and exotic fruits, using them to manufacture Awakened. The results, however, varied greatly in quality, and failures often meant death for the test subjects.

These seven were proof of that. At best, they had only reached the first or second tier of the Foundation Realm. Even if given time, they would never step into the true Awakened Realm. After all, they were forcibly created; their potential crippled from the very start.

Still, to ordinary people, even this level of power was something to marvel at, enough to make them willing to risk everything. After all, ever since the Global Awakening, the world had become cruel, and strength alone was the root of survival.

Lu Yuan cast his gaze over the seven men lying heavily injured on the ground. His expression remained calm as he raised his hand to finish them off. He knew such an act would certainly sow future trouble, but he simply could not be bothered to care.

Once, a colossus like Longevity Genetics had been an untouchable behemoth in his eyes, an overlord he would never dare to provoke.

But now, things were different. If they still dared to come after him, then he would not hesitate to pay Longevity Genetics a visit himself.

After taking care of the intruders, Lu Yuan let out a faint sigh and tightened his grip on the Heavenquake Bow. He had originally intended to test its might, but it seemed there was no need for the time being.

His own strength alone was already too overwhelming. With nothing but his tempered physique, he could roam unhindered across the land. And that was without even revealing the many trump cards he still held in reserve.

"I should head back first."

Shaking his head, Lu Yuan left the corpses where they lay. He returned directly to the villa, tidied up the courtyard a little, and turned on his phone.

Before the intruders had appeared, he had planned to check on the situation outside. Now that they had been dealt with, he could finally do so in peace.

Soon, line after line of news reports flashed across the screen.

In the three months since the Awakening, the outside world had been turned completely upside down.

Major upheavals erupted everywhere. Expanding territories, mountains suddenly surging skyward, the sudden emergence of new rivers and lakes—these phenomena had already become commonplace.

The Awakened had become the center of all attention. A select few who had seized the opportunity early had gained extraordinary powers, instantly becoming figures of envy and awe.

According to the latest tallies, at least hundreds of thousands had already stepped onto the path of evolution. It was a staggering number—and still climbing by the day.

The internet was in a frenzy. Everyone yearned for their own chance, the chance to become a favored child of this New Era.

Yet with the rise of Awakened also came countless incidents of unrest across the land. Some, upon gaining strength overnight, grew violent and unhinged. Even so, ordinary people looked upon them with envy. For everyone understood that within this New Era, strength itself had become the sole foundation of survival.

"The New Era has arrived. The strong will prey on the weak. The law of the jungle will reign supreme."

Reading the reports, Lu Yuan could not help but shake his head. He had already lived through all this once before, and knew all too well the cruelty that such a world entailed.

The unlocking of the evolutionary path for all living beings was indeed an opportunity, but also a herald of disaster and chaos.

Even now, in the deep mountains and remote wilds, mutated beasts had begun to emerge in droves. They rampaged unchecked, devouring humans and leaving only destruction in their wake. They were ferocious beyond measure.

Nor was the coastline spared. Thousand-meter-long octopi, winged sea serpents, and other monstrous marine abominations lurked in the depths. They churned the seas, overturned ferries and cargo ships, and with combined force even stirred up tsunamis, bringing calamity to countless innocents.

These mutated beasts were like the Awakened among men. Once they stepped onto the path of evolution, they became akin to the great demons of myth and legend.

Among humans, no matter how ruthless one became, there was still some restraint when facing one's own kind.

But mutated beasts were different; they were another species entirely. Worse still, after centuries of humanity's wanton destruction of nature and slaughter of animals for profit, the beasts carried a deep-seated hatred toward mankind. If the situation continued unchecked, they would one day pour into the great cities to hunt, and the consequences would be dire beyond imagination.

"Judging by the time, the authorities should be making their move soon." Lu Yuan pondered. He knew such chaos would not be allowed to persist indefinitely.

Sure enough, it wasn't long before the latest announcements appeared across his screen.