Chapter 261. A Coalition, Climbing Mount Tai, Time to Draw Some Blood
Chapter 261. A Coalition, Climbing Mount Tai, Time to Draw Some Blood
Lu Yuan had a great influence on both the beings from the Outer Cosmos and the living beings of Earth. He was just one man, yet he alone could dictate the course of this world's future.His condition was naturally the focus of everyone's attention, especially given the recent rumor about how he had sustained severe injuries and teetered on the brink of death.
Many had already accepted it as truth. They believed Lu Yuan was truly dying. In fact, even Earth's Awakened were starting to believe it. The beings from the Outer Cosmos decided to test the waters. The officials' response would determine the truth once and for all.
Everyone waited. The longer the silence stretched, the more anxious the public became. The beings from the Outer Cosmos, on the other hand, grew increasingly excited, interpreting the delay as admission of guilt.
Finally, three days later, the officials responded. A brief statement was posted online. In a nutshell, the officials stated that they had made the bed themselves, so they ought to lie in it.
King Lu had merely fought back. They also stated that they would not entertain any further inquiries about the subject and declared that the invaders ought to suffer the consequences of their actions.
That was it. A single rebuttal and nothing more. As for Lu Yuan, he had not shown his face from the beginning until the end.
And it was precisely because of this that everyone became convinced that Lu Yuan was indeed severely injured. Otherwise, the official's response wouldn't have been this mild. It was just too bizarre.
In the past, the provocations of the invaders elicited a forceful response from at least the Celestial Court. This was unprecedented. Those invaders were practically stepping on their faces, but all they did in retaliation was offer a flimsy explanation.
"That human, Lu Yuan, must truly be on the verge of death. I think he's already dead."
"Checking that is easy. Didn't he go to Mount Tai after that incident? We should just go there and check."
"Mount Tai is his base. There are some powerful Awakened there. Wouldn't that be too risky?"
"What do you mean, risky? They're mere ants compared to our coalition. We have many Venerable Kings, and the Nether Bulls as well as the others will have their Sages descend here in secret."
"Is that so? Then, let's go and climb that Mount Tai!"
The members of the coalition erupted with excitement. The Nether Bull Clan, the Three-Headed Ghost Race, and the Primeval Daemon Race burned the hottest of all.
Their blood feuds with Lu Yuan had never been laid to rest. The only reason they held back was that they were too weak, and their powerful elders couldn't descend here without being suppressed.
Now, it was certain that Lu Yuan was gravely injured, and there was even a possibility that he was already dead. At this point, one in this world could suppress them.
In the end, every race and clan reached the same decision—they were going to Mount Tai to confirm whether Lu Yuan was dead or alive. If he was truly dead, then they would seize the opportunity to take control of Earth.
If he was still breathing, then they would strike him down themselves and eliminate the threat once and for all.
With the plan set, the Nether Bulls, the Three-Headed Ghosts, and the Primeval Daemons took the lead. They only had one destination in mind—Mount Tai.
The Awakened and the ordinary civilians noticed their movement almost immediately, and alarm bells echoed in their minds.
└The top officials of our nation are on Mount Tai! The Celestial Court's headquarters is on that mountain as well. What are they going to do there?
└Those outsiders definitely think that King Lu is injured and dying. They want to kick him while he's down.
└Are we going to let that happen? King Lu has protected us so many times before. The beast tides, the Southern Sea Kraken, the beast kings, and the recent Immortals incident. Had it not been for King Lu, many people would have been injured or killed! No, I won't let them succeed!
└That's right. King Lu protected us, and it's our turn to step up and protect him! It doesn't matter even if we don't make it back alive!
The Awakened erupted with fury the moment they caught wind of the news. They were certain that the beings from the Outer Cosmos were targeting King Lu.
King Lu was facing an unprecedented crisis. Under these circumstances, no one could stand by and do nothing. King Lu had saved them, and his feats had spared many lives from certain death or injuries.
If they were just going to stand by and watch, it would be tantamount to disregarding his kindness.
After a brief discussion, someone proposed that the Awakened ought to unite and confront the beings from the Outer Cosmos to protect King Lu.
The call was answered instantly. In less than three days, tens of thousands of Awakened signed up and departed for Mount Tai.
King Lu had protected them, and now, they would protect him.
Just like that, the coalition of invaders and the allied Awakened all set out for the same destination.
Meanwhile, Lu Yuan and Jiang Ningxian sat across from each other in a quiet courtyard. A wooden board was on the table between them. They were playing Go.
In the old era, Lu Yuan would play Go whenever he had the time, but as for his skill level... Unfortunately, Jiang Ningxian had already seized an overwhelming advantage against him.
"It's my loss." Lu Yuan smiled and waved his hand in surrender. In just a few days, he consolidated his gains and saw no need to continue his seclusion, so he decided to go out and relax for a bit.
When Jiang Ningxian mentioned that she knew how to play Go, they sat down for a match. Since Jiang Ningxian was from the Outer Cosmos, Lu Yuan assumed she only picked up the game after arriving on Earth.
However, it seemed that he was mistaken, as he ended up losing three games in a row.
"The Dao of Go aligns with the Dao of the heavens. Legend has it that it was invented by Emperor Yao, one of the Five Emperors, as a means to comprehend the ultimate principles of Heaven and Earth.
"My father often played this game with me when I was young. It's perfectly normal that you can't beat me," Jiang Ningxian said, and her face brimmed with pride.
Lu Yuan shook his head with a smile. The claim that Emperor Yao had invented Go was one of the traditional accounts, but it was never verified.
However, he genuinely felt that his mind was being refined and his soul was being nourished while he was playing the game.
Just then, Elder Ji and Elder Yun appeared. They did not beat around the bush.
"King Lu, everything has unfolded exactly as you had predicted. The beings from the Outer Cosmos have lost their patience and are heading toward Mount Tai. We believe their goal is to attack you.
"We've also noticed that they've received support from certain financial consortia and capitalist groups. We have documented everything. Additionally, we finally know where the Zhou Family has been hiding all this time."
At this, the two could not help but feel amazed. King Lu was young, but he was as shrewd as he was strong. A single rumor about his grave injury had drawn every snake out of its hole.
Now, they just had to round them all up at once. Afterward, the officials would regain full control of the situation.
"So they couldn't hold back after all." Lu Yuan smiled at the report. "Where are they?"
"We believe they'll reach Mount Tai in seven days," Elder Yun replied after a quick mental calculation. He was thrilled. The idea of using this opportunity to thoroughly purge every last hidden threat had him fired up.
To make matters even more exciting, they believed that King Lu was gravely injured. When Elder Yun heard the news of their movement, he could not stop himself from laughing out loud. He could already imagine their faces upon discovering the truth.
If he could, he would have long announced the truth to the world.
"Seven days?" Lu Yuan rose to his feet. He gazed out at the yellowing leaves in the distance, and his expression remained calm as he said, "Winter is almost here. I guess it's time to draw some blood."