Chapter 54. Winged Celestial God, the Terracotta Soldiers Come to Life (1)

The moment the word "apology" left his lips, the nearby Awakened shuddered. Not long ago, someone else had demanded the same, and he slapped them without hesitation, cutting down six experts afterward. When those words echoed from his mouth again, dread prickled the scalp of everyone present.

If Zhou Yunqiong showed even a hint of aggression, they feared he would unleash another massacre.

If they were in Lu Yuan's shoes, would they truly be able to remain so unyielding in the face of the Zhou Family? Would they be able to remain unwilling to compromise even in the slightest?

In this New Era, the strong preyed upon the weak. They understood their new reality and were gradually adapting to it. In fact, some of them had already stained their hands with the blood of several people.

Despite that, they still couldn't fathom what Lu Yuan was doing right now, but they could summarize his actions with one word—insane!

"

AAAAH!

" someone roared.

The man Lu Yuan had kicked into the mountainside earlier staggered back into view. His hair hung in a filthy tangle; his face was smeared with dirt and blood, and his every step emanated his rage.

Yi's blazing eyes looked as if flames would burst out of them at any moment now.

Even a child could deduce that Yi was driven to the depths of fury; he was genuinely enraged.

Since the Global Awakening, he had never suffered such a devastating blow. This was simply intolerable. His carelessness had resulted in his injuries and loss; he vowed never to let that happen again.

Just then, the rest of the Awakened from the Wuzhou Group closed in on Lu Yuan, and they glared at him with hostility.

"Yi, calm down. And all of you, stand down immediately," Zhou Yunqiong said sternly, commanding them to stand down instead of attacking.

At her words, both Yi and the Awakened from the Wuzhou Group ceased their advance and stood in place. Many were shaken, finding it unbelievable. The third lady of her family was killed, but she still managed to maintain a sane mind.

With a single command, everyone withdrew, proof of the eldest miss' overwhelming authority within the Wuzhou Group. Even so, many wondered how she would resolve the aftermath.

After all, her own sister was just murdered right before her eyes.

Upon seeing that Yi and the remaining experts of the Wuzhou Group had decided to stand down, Zhou Yunqiong turned her gaze to Lu Yuan, but her gaze quickly settled on the Great Luo Sword Embryo.

Indeed, he had become completely different from what she could remember, and it was proven by how he moved so fast that no one could react to his movements at all.

Had he stumbled upon a fortuitous opportunity? Though she couldn't sense his specific level of power, Zhou Yunqiong was certain that Lu Yuan was far from simple and had changed greatly compared to before.

Was it because of that... black sword?

Upon the advent of the New Era, countless divine artifacts emerged. The Wuzhou Group possessed some as well, and they contained extraordinary power beyond imagination. Unfortunately, they were difficult to control, and mishandling them meant a backlash.

That has to be it

. Zhou Yunqiong thought.

Lu Yuan wasn't in any hurry either, standing in place. His clothes remained spotless despite the chaos just a few moments earlier.

"No," Zhou Yunqiong finally replied, and her voice sounded pleasant to the ears as she added, "Third Sister was too reckless, and she simply got what she deserved. I should be the one apologizing to you."

Zhou Yunqiong lowered her head slightly, seemingly unconcerned about her sister's death. She harbored no thoughts of revenge whatsoever. In fact, she was apologizing on her sister's behalf.

The scene stunned everyone present. To abandon such deep enmity and offer an apology instead—Zhou Yunqiong, the Zhou Family's eldest daughter, was nothing short of extraordinary. Whether it was composure or coldness toward a family member, none could say for sure. Yi and the Wuzhou Group's experts exchanged puzzled glances, yet no one dared to voice any objection.

Lu Yuan, however, wasn't surprised. He knew exactly what kind of person she was—her bloodline power was the strongest in the Zhou Family, and her talent surpassed the talents of the so-called Five Supremes. In his previous life, she reached remarkable heights by relying on the Wuzhou Group's resources.

Zhou Yunqiong's defining traits were her composure, meticulousness, and her remarkable grit that could never be swayed by any emotions.

Thanks to her powerful bloodline, perhaps even the Zhou Family's patriarch would likely heed her words. Moreover, there was a chance she could brush aside everything that had just happened and resume her attempts to win him over.

As Lu Yuan had expected, Zhou Yunqiong smiled faintly and said, "My offer still stands. If you're interested, you can come find me at the Wuzhou Group."

Zhou Yunqiong acted as if the deaths of her sister and subordinates meant nothing more to her than the loss of a pet ant—not worthy of her fury or concern.

The nearby Awakened were stunned. It felt surreal. The incident was over just like that?

The eldest miss of the Zhou Family had backed down, and to make matters even more bizarre, she was actively trying to recruit her sister's murderer. What on God's green earth was going on?

Naturally, Zhou Yunqiong's thoughts eluded them. They weren't on the same level, after all.

"I'm really not interested." Lu Yuan shook his head and stayed silent. Since she had no intentions of provoking him any further, he was happy to let things be.

He turned around, looking up at Mount Li in the distance. Lu Yuan could sense it... the world was changing.

BOOM!

A deafening explosion tore through the skies. The Awakened whose gazes were still on Lu Yuan immediately turned toward the source of the explosion.

Everyone saw that the gateway before Mount Li had stabilized and manifested, appearing as though it truly existed. Streams of light poured continuously into it, eliciting ancient patterns to appear all over its surface.

There was no mistaking it; the tomb was about to open, and perhaps in the very next moment.

The aura emanating from the gateway was so violent that it affected the surroundings, and even the skies had taken on a gray hue. The powerful pressure made it hard to breathe as well.

The "dragon" above the mountain was starting to solidify, looking as if it was about to come alive.

"I'm looking forward to hearing from you," Zhou Yunqiong said to Lu Yuan. Then, she turned around and walked away. Her goal was the Mausoleum in Mount Li, and now that the tomb was about to open, she decisively left, ordering her subordinates to prepare.

Yi stared deeply at Lu Yuan but said nothing before following after Zhou Yunqiong.

His injuries healed with each step, and his aura churned, sweeping outward. Before anyone could understand what was going on, a powerful energy surged through Yi, and light swallowed him whole. His black hair grew longer, becoming silver, and his frame stretched taller as he transformed.

Then, a pair of white wings unfurled from his back, propelling him skyward. Arcs of lightning crackled around his wings as he towered above the crowd.

Yi's glowing figure and cascading silver hair made for a picturesque scene. In mere moments, Yi had transformed, becoming vastly different from before.

"Yi... is the Winged Celestial God?!"

"No way, he's actually the Winged Celestial God?"

"No wonder we haven't been able to find him. He can actually transform!"

The nearby Awakened stared in shock, their faces twisted with disbelief. Who could have imagined the Winged Celestial God could appear in the form of an ordinary human?

Surely, he was at his strongest in his true form, wasn't he?

With that in mind, they cast their gazes on Lu Yuan.

Mere moments ago, the Winged Celestial God had stared deeply at him.

Everyone present wasn't foolish. They knew his gaze displayed genuine anger. Anyone could sense the fury in the heart of the figure standing at the apex of the Awakened.

He clearly had Lu Yuan in his sights, so trouble was inevitable for the young man.

They were talking about the Winged Celestial God, after all, one of the Five Supremes.

The Winged Celestial God's wings formed from wind and lightning contained terrifying might. Earlier, he was in his "human" form. Upon revealing his true form, he was truly a "celestial god."

Everyone stared at Lu Yuan as if he were pitiful.

Why did you have to provoke anyone else but the mighty Winged Celestial God?

The Zhou Family's eldest miss was protecting him at the moment, but the keyword here was "at the moment." What was he going to do later on?

They knew Lu Yuan's strength was decent. However, everyone knew of the Winged Celestial God's fame, and he had the Wuzhou Group's backing as well.

Even though the odds were overwhelmingly stacked against him, Lu Yuan's gaze remained unperturbed. He truly hadn't expected this to happen. His former self had been too weak, after all, so he never had the chance to encounter the so-called Winged Celestial God, much less interact with him.

Unbeknownst to them, Lu Yuan found his thoughts turning to another matter—the true identity of the Winged Celestial God. He carried a bloodline not of this world nor from the human race. It was a bloodline from beyond the solar system, belonging to an immensely powerful race born strong by nature.

The Global Awakening had affected the entire universe, not just this world, and it was a true transformation never seen over the past millions of years.

Eventually, beings from many different star systems beyond this world's solar system would descend upon this world. All sorts of terrifying myths and legends would gradually appear; the sight before everyone here was a mere peek behind the curtains.

Once the curtains had completely parted, the true crisis would begin. The beginning of the true crisis was the reason Lu Yuan had been constantly trying to become even stronger.

Knowing the future, a sense of urgency filled his heart, forcing him to grow nonstop.

As for the so-called Longevity Genetics, the Wuzhou Group, and other major forces, he had never paid them much attention. In fact, he never considered them his enemies. After all, everyone's understanding of the world was bound to change once the true crisis was here.

Shaking his head, he dismissed his thoughts and focused on the Mausoleum—the resting place of the Primordial Dragon. There, he would find a great boon that would serve as a stepping stone for his evolution.

Unbeknownst to Lu Yuan, some people were still observing him from afar.