Global Awakening: I'm the Only One Ready

Even though the Golden-Winged Great Peng was only the size of a palm, its eyes and senses remained exceptionally sharp and keen. After all, it was a formidable creature even among beast kings, and if it were among humans, it would be a cream of the crop expert few could surpass.

Had it not been for that, it wouldn’t have immediately noticed the approaching humans amidst the expansive Shennongjia.

”I know,” Lu Yuan replied. His expression did not change despite the warning. Being far stronger than the Golden-Winged Great Peng, he sensed their approach one step earlier.

He even knew the specific identities of those who were coming.

But so what?

He nonchalantly signaled at the great peng, urging it to continue its task. The Golden-Winged Great Peng flew over to pluck all exotic herbs in quick succession.

With that, it returned to perch on Lu Yuan’s shoulder.

Lu Yuan placed the newly acquired items into the Meridian Heavenmend Furnace.

Upon harvesting the herbs, he turned around to leave. He had come to this place with a goal in mind, and he had no desire to waste time by getting involved with anyone.

”Stop right there, Huaxian!” someone shouted in the distance. It was Hans. Jennifer stood behind him, followed by the others from the Vatican.

Jennifer’s brows furrowed tightly upon confirming that there were no spiritual fruits or exotic herbs in the vicinity. She fixed her gaze on Lu Yuan.

”Did you take the items?” she asked, sounding as arrogant as ever. Her azure eyes glimmered with contempt.

Aside from her own group, the young man before her was the only other person in the area. Obviously, he had to have harvested those spiritual fruits and exotic herbs.

Lu Yuan remained silent, looking perfectly calm and unfazed before Jennifer’s questioning.

”It’s Lu Yuan! He’s in Shennongjia, too?”

The people from Polaris Biotech were collectively shocked upon seeing Lu Yuan. Ice Fairy’s eyes glimmered in surprise as well. She had not heard any news of him for some time and had never expected to encounter him in a place like this.

”What should we do?” one of them asked, wondering if they should reveal themselves.

”No rush,” Ice Fairy said, shaking her head. However, excitement pervaded her face at the sight. She understood Lu Yuan’s personality fairly well, and he was incomparably domineering.

Lu Yuan had just crossed paths with those arrogant Westerners, and she couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. Of course, she acknowledged that Apostle Jennifer held a sacred relic from the Vatican, which would certainly be troublesome to deal with.

However, Lu Yuan’s strength was unfathomable.

With that in mind, she planned to observe. If the tide of the battle were to turn against Lu Yuan, she would reveal herself and fight with him.

Ice Fairy’s patience had long reached its limits, and it was all thanks to Jennifer’s group stealing their harvests.

First of all, Asura’s subtle pleading was just a part of the reason she had been giving in to them; a huge part of it was that she knew that, without reinforcements, a direct confrontation would surely put her group at a disadvantage.

Meanwhile, Hans was infuriated by Lu Yuan’s silence. Lu Yuan’s blatant disregard was something he couldn’t bear.

He stepped forward and was about to speak when—

Swoosh!

A figure appeared before him. It was Asura covered in a cloak.

”Mr. Hans, please don’t be so hasty,” he said, standing in Hans’ way. Then, he turned his gaze toward Jennifer and solemnly said, ”Since someone else has harvested them, we should just go elsewhere. There’s no need to fight over them when they’ve already been claimed.”

His solemn tone of voice and assertiveness made Hans and Jennifer feel a bit uncomfortable. Of course, Asura couldn’t care less about what they felt. He cared more about the young man in the distance.

If they were just going to ”harvest” a few ownerless spiritual fruits, then so be it. Upon seeing Lu Yuan, however, his face changed dramatically, and he moved to intervene at the fastest speed possible.

His mind reeled with anxiety. Anyone else would be manageable, but Lu Yuan was different. Never had he imagined, even in his wildest nightmares, to encounter the so-called ”god of death” in the middle of Shennongjia.

People claimed that Lu Yuan was as strong as Asura, but the latter himself understood with perfect clarity that the former was a wild and domineering individual who was far stronger than him.

Of course, Asura’s claim was not without merit, as Lu Yuan slew Zhou Biqiong without hesitation before the Mausoleum. Then, he ignored the regulations governing the Awakened to kill the Southern Sovereign of Longevity Genetics.

In other words, Lu Yuan was a fearless existence unbound by laws.

Moreover, he had an exceedingly high level of comprehension. Now that a month or two had passed, who could say for sure how much stronger he had become?

Lu Yuan was a domineering individual not to be trifled with. Otherwise, the consequences would surely be... unimaginable. Hence, Asura had to come forward to intervene.

”Know your place, Asura!” Hans snapped, sounding impatient. ”What we have set our eyes on is God’s grace bestowed upon us!”

”No matter what you say, you have to stop here,” Asura replied firmly. Then, he walked past Hans and stopped before Lu Yuan. He bowed and explained. ”Mr. Lu, they’re from the Vatican in the West. They’re foreigners and thus ignorant of the happenings here. I hope you won’t take their actions to heart, Mr. Lu.”

He sounded sincere in an effort to mediate between one side’s raw, unparalleled force and the other side’s sheer arrogance. Without his intervention, a tragedy would surely ensue.

Asura’s eyes revealed true sincerity, but the truth was that he was terrified. If these two sides were allowed to exchange blows, it would be over. In Asura’s eyes, Lu Yuan was extremely powerful.

The aftermath of such a fight would surely be exceedingly difficult to handle.

”I understand,” Lu Yuan said and turned his head away. He had decided to back down, not because of Asura’s words, but simply because he hadn’t actually lost anything.

Of course, if they wanted to provoke him, he wouldn’t mind indulging them.

What about the possibility of offending Skygod Technologies, the force Asura represented? What a joke. He had already killed important figures from the Wuzhou Group and Longevity Genetics. Why would he fear offending one more?

”Thank you.” Asura sighed in relief, still feeling a bit afraid.

Fortunately, the situation hadn’t escalated.

He turned back to Jennifer and sternly said, ”Miss Jennifer, let’s take another route. If we delay any further, we will only waste more time. The company has requested that we complete this mission as quickly as possible.”

Having barely avoided a confrontation, he wanted nothing more than to get out of here as soon as possible. Then, he prayed that they would not encounter Lu Yuan again; these Westerners were too arrogant.

Another encounter with Lu Yuan could easily spell disaster.

Asura’s words served to remind Jennifer of their true goal, as he was desperate to divert her attention elsewhere. After all, the ”god of death” was still nearby.

The others from Skygod Technologies also walked forward, voicing their tense agreement with Asura’s opinion.

However, Apostle Jennifer with her sacred cross-staff in hand seemed to have heard not a single word from them. Her eyes remained fixed on Lu Yuan. More specifically, her gaze was on the Golden-Winged Great Peng perched on his shoulder.

Her expression became stranger. The mutated beast in her sight was surely extraordinary. Despite its size, it was covered in brilliant golden feathers. In addition, the cross-staff in her hand was emitting a faint light, a clear sign that the mutated beast’s bloodline was anything but common.

Jennifer could ignore a few spiritual fruits and exotic herbs, but a mutated beast with a formidable bloodline had to be obtained at all costs.

Having made up her mind, Jennifer decisively stepped forward, ignoring Asura’s advice to say, ”You can leave, but that mutated beast must stay.”

As her words fell, streams of pure white holy light erupted from her, and her powerful aura billowed out of her as well, turning the fallen leaves at her feet into mere dust.

As one of the Twelve Apostles, her strength was undeniably formidable. She also had a stable foothold on the Awakened Realm. Her Awakened Realm power was the true source of her confidence.

Asura’s desperate intervention told her that the young man before her was strong, but she couldn’t care less. Why would she care? She still had a sacred relic, after all.

”Oh? Are you talking about this?” Lu Yuan asked, pointing at the Golden-Winged Great Peng perched on his shoulder, looking perfectly calm as always. He was just about to leave, but Jennifer’s words forced him to stop in his tracks.

”That’s right,” Jennifer declared, her tone as domineering as always. ”Leave it behind, and you can leave safely. And God will even bless you for your obedience!”

Rumble!

The cross-staff in her hand radiated a terrifying power that permeated the air around her. Clearly, Jennifer’s statement was a threat rather than an attempt at persuasion. At the same time, Hans and the others stepped forward to surround Lu Yuan.

”You saw it yourself,” Lu Yuan said blandly. ”It is not I who is looking for trouble.”

However, he greatly disliked their arrogance.

”Stop the nonsense,” Jennifer snapped, her patience clearly exhausted. ”Hand over that mutated beast. I will not reiterate myself!”

Upon hearing that, all the blood drained from Asura’s face, and his newfound relief vanished in an instant. He knew it was over. His efforts were wasted.

The situation could no longer be stopped; this conflict was now inevitable. For a fleeting moment, he wanted to step forward and try one last time, but ultimately, he remained frozen in place.

On this journey to Shennongjia, Asura had simply had enough. Since these Westerners insisted on suffering a tragedy, he was going to let them bear the consequences themselves!

Asura could already foresee the great battle about to unfold.

Indeed, Asura was correct. Lu Yuan turned around to face them.

”Fine. But I’m afraid you’re not strong enough to take it away.”

”Insolent fool!” Jennifer spat coldly and ordered, ”Hans, attack!”

Hans and the others laughed menacingly, rushing forward. A radiant light wrapped around them as their formidable auras swept out.

Their eyes were transfixed on the Golden-Winged Great Peng. Since Apostle Jennifer had already given the order, there was no need for them to hesitate.

Facing their combined assault, Lu Yuan showed no intention of moving. He remained standing in place, merely offering a slight, permissive nod to the Golden-Winged Great Peng.

They simply weren’t worth his time.

The Golden-Winged Great Peng instantly understood its master’s intention. It had been seething with anger since it heard the woman’s demand.

Lu Yuan hadn’t given it permission, so it hadn’t made a move. Upon receiving permission, a cold killing intent immediately flashed in its golden eyes.

It was an unparalleled beast with a mythical bloodline. Was it something that any random Tom, Dick, and Harry could covet? Of course, not!