Global Awakening: I'm the Only One Ready

Not far from the secret realm’s exit, Zhu Qingyu and the others looked up, watching as the three Rankers drew closer to them. At first, they assumed the trio was coming for them, but now, that clearly was not the case.

All three had sustained injuries of varying severity. They even looked panicked. At last, everyone confirmed it. These three Rankers were fleeing. However, they were in Guang Chengzi’s Dao ground, so who was strong enough to force them to flee?

Just as the same question popped into everyone’s minds, they exchanged glances.

King Lu!

Swoosh!

Just then, the three Rankers rushed past them and made a beeline for the exit. The next moment, an even more terrifying aura swept across everyone. The aura carried with it a scorching heatwave that made the air itself tremble.

Before anyone could react, they saw Lu Yuan in the distance. He was the same as before, calm and unhurried, but the power he radiated had become even more terrifying than before.

He was no slower than the three Rankers—no, he was even faster. Upon spotting the trio, he didn’t hesitate and made his move. Golden vital qi erupted from him as he extended his palm.

Rumble!

The world seemed to change colors as ancient temples materialized one after another. The sound of a myriad people chanting sutras echoed as the temples and buildings heaved.

It was as though a Buddha who had attained enlightenment was descending on this world. This was the supreme divine ability of Buddhism—the Buddha’s Palm Domain!

The three Rankers caught a whiff of Death closing in from behind them. They picked up the pace, but by now, their shock had given way to fear. They had never imagined Lu Yuan could be this powerful.

He had destroyed everything at their disposal. Even the Tri-Head Firmament-Sealing Array, refined by a Void Sage, had only delayed him for the briefest of moments, and he had just unleashed another divine ability.

The world transformed as what looked like a Buddhist kingdom manifested in no time. A crushing pressure loomed over them. Left with no choice, they split up and accelerated, hoping that at least one of them would survive.

Lu Yuan naturally understood their goal. He channeled more energy into the palm domain and slowly closed his right hand to trap all three prodigies within Buddha’s Palm Domain.

However, Rankers were still Rankers in the end. Their extraordinary strength and bloodline talent allowed the Primeval Daemon Ranker and Lei Xuan to escape the divine ability’s range.

Unfortunately, the Three-Headed Ghost Ranker wasn’t so lucky.

”Human Lu Yuan, you wouldn’t dare!” he exclaimed as the looming crushing pressure descended on him, threatening to crush both his soul and fleshly body. In no time, fear gripped his heart, but he still managed to bellow out a warning.

”I’m the Sixth Ranker of the Three-Headed Ghost Race, one of the top hundred races in the Outer Cosmos’ starfields! If you dare lay a hand on me, you’ll make an enemy of my entire race!” he roared once more.

His only remaining leverage was the power behind him. After all, the Three-Headed Ghost Race was an esteemed race in the Outer Cosmos. Under normal circumstances, people would hesitate to provoke them, afraid of the consequences of sowing enmity with them.

Knowing that, the Sixth Ranker of the Three-Headed Ghost Race invoked his backing.

Unfortunately, he had chosen the wrong person.

Lu Yuan didn’t even bother to listen to him, and his palm descended completely.

Splat!

Just like that, a powerful prodigy and a Ranker exploded into a mist of blood, dying on the spot.

At the same time, Buddha’s Palm Domain faded away. Lu Yuan turned his gaze toward Lei Xuan and the other survivor, who were approaching the secret realm’s exit.

He didn’t immediately give chase. Instead, he looked down at Zhu Qingyu and the others down below. ”Leave this secret realm and wait for me outside the Kongtong Mountains!”

With that, he shot forward once more, and his killing intent came to life.

”It really is King Lu. H-he’s hunting down the Rankers of the three races?”

”He’s so domineering! Wait, did he just kill one of them in like one attack?”

”Don’t overthink it. Just follow King Lu’s orders.”

Everyone was stunned, struggling to process what they had just witnessed.

However, they knew that they absolutely could not hold Lu Yuan back, especially in a situation like this. Without another word, they turned around and headed straight for the secret realm’s exit.

***

Outside the secret realm, a number of Earth’s Awakened and beings from the Outer Cosmos stood waiting. Some individuals had entered the secret realm but gained little for their efforts, while others never really had the intention to enter the dangerous secret realm.

However, none of these spectators had chosen to leave the foot of the mountain. They waited patiently, wanting to know whether the mythical secret realm atop the Kongtong Mountains truly contained the legacy and boon of an Immortal.

They also wanted to see who would ultimately claim it.

In everyone’s eyes, the most likely candidates were either the three Rankers from outer space or the man known as Earth’s Strongest Awakened—Lu Yuan.

After all, no one among those gathered doubted his strength nor talent.

”Hm? Look! There’s some movement at the exit again!” someone exclaimed. They had been intently staring at the exit.

In response, all eyes turned toward the opening, curiosity written across every face. They wanted to know who would emerge and whether they had obtained the so-called Immortal’s legacy.

BOOM.

A thunderous boom echoed as two bloody figures rushed out of the secret realm.

”That’s the Eighth Ranker of the Primeval Daemon Race and the Tenth Ranker of the Celestial Race!”

”Why are they coming out? And why do they look injured? Could there be something terrifying inside?”

”No, wait! There’s an even more powerful aura behind them. Those two Rankers are being hunted!”

At first, the onlookers found it strange, but they quickly understood the reality of the situation.

The Rankers of two great races looked utterly disheveled, which meant they were in grave danger.

Moments later, another thunderous boom echoed as Lu Yuan rushed out of the exit. He streaked across the sky, emanating a cold and fierce killing intent.

Lu Yuan seemed to have transformed into the god of slaughter himself as he rushed at the two Rankers.

The flabbers of everyone present were gasted in total disbelief. This was especially true for the beings from the Outer Cosmos. Someone from the backwater Milky Way Starfield was actually hunting down two esteemed Rankers from the Outer Cosmos.

As for Earth’s Awakened, they knew Lu Yuan was powerful with unfathomable strength, but they had never imagined that he would be just as dominant and terrifying against the prodigies of those from outer space.

Wait, weren’t there three Rankers? How come only two of them came out? Could it be that...

Everyone fell silent, seemingly realizing what had happened.

”Human Lu Yuan! We’re already retreating! Must you really fight us to the death?!” Lei Xuan shouted. His voice finally showed fear and a trace of submission.

In the mythical secret realm, he saw Lu Yuan unleash a Buddhist divine ability, and he watched him effortlessly annihilate the Sixth Ranker of the Three-Headed Ghost Race.

The scene had filled his heart with pure terror. At this rate, his death was only a matter of time.

”As long as you stay your hand, I swear that I will never be your enemy again.” The Eighth Ranker of the Primeval Daemon Race also expressed his stance. He had gone through a lot of trouble just to reach this world. He hoped to make use of this world’s opportunities and become even stronger, so how could he be willing to die here?

How about the orders from above? Well, he had already done his best.

He was simply not Lu Yuan’s match. What more could he do?

”Today, there will be a slaughter, and the two of you are going to die,” said Lu Yuan in response to their desperate plea. He sounded calm and composed, yet his movements didn’t cease for even a moment.

The Great Sun’s Furnace blazed with light that illuminated both heaven and the earth. Combined with the golden vital qi swirling around him in torrents, he truly resembled a god.

He became even faster than ever. At the same time, he circulated the Jade Emperor’s Divine Thunder Art. Above the firmament, thunder rumbled, and a powerful wave of pressure descended as arcs of lightning crackled and danced up above.

The Jade Emperor’s Divine Thunder Art was a supreme Daoist art. Once practiced to a certain degree and with enough strength, one could even manipulate the world’s weather. It transformed its caster into a god of lightning.

Of course, as a supreme art, the Jade Emperor’s Divine Thunder Art could deal damage far more devastating than any other divine ability or technique.

BOOM!

Lei Xuan was struck, and his injuries instantly worsened. Thanks to his bloodline talent, he managed to survive the attack.

The Primeval Daemon Ranker, however, was not so fortunate. Lightning represented the essence of destruction itself, and his body cracked open upon being struck.

The black fog shrouding him grew denser than before—not to attack, but to desperately repair his wounded self.

This can’t continue. This was the shared thought of both Rankers.

With that in mind, they split up and fled in different directions. This time, however, they held nothing back. They burned even their blood essence to reach their maximum speed.

One fled forward toward the horizon, while the other shot upward into the clouds. Their speed doubled instantly, and in the blink of an eye, they vanished from sight.

Lu Yuan could not help but frown at the sight. He was indeed powerful, but he was just one man—he couldn’t chase those two Rankers simultaneously.

However, a smile soon crossed his face. He flipped his hand, and the Heavenquake Bow appeared in his palm. Without a word, he drew it to its limit.

Heaven-Earth Spiritual Energy converged on the bow, and a golden arrow materialized, nocking itself on the bowstring. The arrow itself radiated an incomparably terrifying aura. Its target? The Primeval Daemon Race’s Ranker.

Swoosh!

The arrow shot forth and vanished into the horizon. As for Lu Yuan, he turned around without even waiting for the result of his attack. Then, he flew toward the direction where Lei Xuan had fled.

The onlookers at the foot of the Kongtong Mountains saw that and exchanged stunned glances.

A single arrow? Could that really be enough to slay a Ranker?

Seemingly answering their question, a violent explosion erupted in the distant sky, and a heart-wrenching scream followed suit.

The scream came from the Eighth Ranker of the Primeval Daemon Race. Though he had fled over ten miles, the arrow still shot him down.

It reduced him to blood mist; he was deader than dead.

The second prodigy was dead!

The witnesses gulped mouthfuls of their own saliva at the sight, and their scalps collectively went numb.

The beings from the Outer Cosmos looked at one another in disbelief.

Humans from the Milky Way Starfield were actually this fierce and strong? Hadn’t their clans said the Milky Way Starfield had already declined? How could such a terrifying individual still exist among them today?

High in the sky, Lei Xuan beat his wings frantically. He spat out his blood essence, converting it into energy to accelerate even further. Before long, he covered tens of thousands of meters. He reached the clouds and climbed even higher.

Lei Xuan had only one thought in mind—survival. If he wanted to survive, he had to escape Earth and reach outer space. Venerable Kings could survive briefly in the vacuum of space.

Below, Lu Yuan’s golden vital qi churned as he gave chase. Soon, the two of them reached the exosphere. At this rate, they would soon reach outer space, but Lu Yuan didn’t hesitate and sped up using his golden vital qi.

The gap between them rapidly shrank, and he soon caught sight of several satellites in orbit.

”Human Lu Yuan! A Sage of my Celestial Race is here! If you dare attack me, you’re going to die without a burial place!” Lei Xuan warned one more time upon seeing that Lu Yuan truly wanted to kill him.

He was so close to escaping Earth and reaching outer space. The mysterious power protecting Earth couldn’t suppress the Sages in outer space.

Lu Yuan remained calm as he replied, ”So what if there’s a Sage out here? He won’t make it in time to save you!”

The Heavenquake Bow appeared once more, and massive torrents of power gathered in it, along with boundless killing intent. This attack was strong enough to end Lei Xuan’s life once and for all!