Global Awakening: I'm the Only One Ready

”Those Western zealots are dead. How the hell are we going to explain this when we get back?”

Deep within a certain sector of Shennongjia, the air was thick with unease. A member of Skygod Technologies broke the silence, his expression filled with dread.

Truth be told, none of them felt any grief over the foreigners’ deaths. If anything, it brought a sense of grim satisfaction. But the real problem was how to report back to headquarters. The company would demand answers.

Everyone turned their gaze to Asura. All eyes silently pleaded for him to decide their next move.

”We’ll say that not long after entering Shennongjia, we encountered a powerful exotic beast,” Asura fabricated a plausible excuse after a moment of contemplation.

”But... will the company actually believe that?” someone questioned.

The excuse was too convenient. Why had it only been the Westerners who died? Wouldn’t that raise questions?

”As long as I return injured as well, it adds credibility to the story.” A gleam of coldness flashed across Asura’s eyes.

Although Lu Yuan had offered to shoulder the blame and face the consequences alone, Asura couldn’t accept that.

Those Westerners had crossed the line again and again, robbing Ice Fairy’s spoils, throwing their arrogance around like a divine right. He had warned them multiple times and had even tried to rein them in, but they refused to listen.

Their deaths were justice served.

Asura’s thoughts were simple. He wouldn’t let Lu Yuan, a fellow Huaxian Awakened, suffer because of a few outsiders.

No matter how formidable Lu Yuan was, Asura knew too well the depth of Skygod Technologies’ reach. Also, he had brought the foreigners into Shennongjia, so he was partly to blame as well.

The others exchanged glances, uncertain.

Would this really work?

”There’s no better option. Lu Yuan is also a Huaxian, same as us.”

With those words, Asura exhaled slowly and clenched his fist. Without the slightest hesitation, he drove it straight into his own gut.

Yet still, a sliver of unease lingered in his heart.

To add to the story’s credibility, Asura braced himself against several enormous boulders nearby, ramming his body into them again and again. Only when nearly half the bones in his body were fractured did he finally come to a stop.

Drawing in a breath, he turned to the others and warned them to make sure that today’s events stay buried in their hearts. Also, if the headquarters ever suspected anything, pin all the blame on him.

He was the appointed team leader. The rest were still in the Foundation Realm, so it was believable that they had been distanced from the event and hence were uninjured.

Hearing this, the few remaining Skygod Technologies members nodded solemnly.

They were no more than test subjects to the company and were no different from stringed puppets. But this time, they felt a rare sliver of camaraderie. Lu Yuan was one of their own, a child of Huaxia. If they could shield him from the fallout, why not? Especially when the foreigners were already dead. At worst, they’d suffer some beatings and interrogation.

Surely the upper echelons wouldn’t fly into a rage for the sake of a few Westerners?

And so, supporting the bloodied and injured Asura, the group limped slowly toward the outskirts of Shennongjia.

***

High above the clouds, deep within the heart of Shennongjia, days had passed in search and silence.

”Master, I sensed the aura of the Dragon-Blooded Jiao.” The Golden-Winged Great Peng finally broke the silence, its keen eyes locked toward the eastern horizon. ”Only a few hundred kilometers from here. It’s in that direction.”

”Let’s go then.” Lu Yuan nodded lightly. He was also curious just what kind of existence a beast with draconic blood truly was.

Soon, as the great peng flapped its massive wings and soared through the skies, several hundred kilometers passed in the blink of an eye.

They arrived above a vast mountain valley. Below, countless mutated beasts roamed freely, their roars shaking the trees and stirring the air. There was no lack of beast kings as well.

Shennongjia had always been a land steeped in mysteries. Now, with the Global Awakening, the ancient region would certainly have no lack of exotic mutated beasts.

And Lu Yuan, at last, laid eyes upon the creature known as the Dragon-Blooded Jiao.

What he saw was a massive python, its entire body the color of congealed blood. Atop its scaled head curved a single dragon horn.

It lay coiled at the very heart of the valley. Though smaller than the White King of the Qinling Mountains, its aura was far more oppressive. The surrounding space was utterly silent as no other beast dared draw near.

Clearly, it ruled as the undisputed overlord of this region.

”Master,” the Golden-Winged Great Peng called out as it spiraled through the clouds above. ”This Dragon-Blooded Jiao has shattered twelve genetic shackles.”

In the inherited memories etched into its bloodline, any creature bearing draconic blood was considered formidable. After all, the dragon was a mythical terror, and even a trace of its bloodline meant the bearer would not be ordinary.

Yet the great peng had not expected its first real target to be this powerful.

Had it come alone... the hunter and prey might have been reversed.

”Don’t worry. Just descend,” Lu Yuan instructed calmly. He could already see through the great peng’s thoughts.

This Dragon-Blooded Jiao was indeed more formidable than the White King, and with its draconic bloodline, it would be a fearsome existence to most. But to Lu Yuan, it hadn’t yet crossed into the Golden Body Realm, and that was all the assurance he needed. Anything below that threshold, he could crush with ease.

”Yes, Master!”

At those words, confidence surged through the great peng. Without another pause, it folded in its wings ever so slightly and then plunged downward like a streak of lightning.

ROAR!

Below, the valley trembled. The Dragon-Blooded Jiao sensed the incoming threat. It reared its massive head, its crimson eyes flaring with murderous intent.

”Golden-Winged Great Peng?” it sneered, voice laced with disdain. ”How dare you challenge me after shattering only a single shackle? Seeking death, are you?

”Perfect timing. I’m at the edge of a breakthrough. With your bloodline, I shall ascend to the Golden Body Realm and reign supreme over all of Shennongjia!”

As its voice thundered out, waves of blood-colored light erupted from its crimson-hued scales. The pressure it exuded was suffocating, tyrannical, and swept across several hundred meters like a flood.

The surrounding beasts wailed in fear, scattering like frightened leaves in a storm.

Draconic blood could refine the peng’s bloodline. Likewise, the peng’s blood could empower the Jiao.

They were born to clash, true nemeses by blood and fate.

In that moment, the Dragon-Blooded Jiao made its move, intent on devouring the Golden-Winged Great Peng whole and breaking through into the Golden Body Realm.

But just then, it suddenly sensed an even more suffocating aura

Without warning, a colossal eleven-tier blood-red pagoda manifested in the skies.

And the Dragon-Blooded Jiao finally caught sight of an unassuming figure seated upon the back of the descending Peng. The man had his arms folded across his chest and his expression was calm.

”This is bad!”

The Dragon-Blooded Jiao was stricken with terror. All arrogance and ambition vanished from its bloodshot eyes. Without a moment’s hesitation, it withdrew its aura and turned tail, attempting to flee into the depths of the valley at the fastest speed possible.

It wasn’t foolish. The moment it laid eyes upon the Bloodforce Pagoda, it knew that it stood no chance.

”Trying to flee?” Lu Yuan smiled faintly, then leaped off the Golden-Winged Great Peng’s back.

Boom!

The earth shook violently as he landed. Cracks spiderwebbed through the ground beneath his feet. Without pausing, he bent his knees. The next instant, he launched himself forward like a missile.

His speed tore through the sound barrier, leaving behind a booming shockwave. Before the Dragon-Blooded Jiao could even process what was happening, Lu Yuan had already caught up. A punch smashed down from above.

Bang!

The blow struck the Dragon-Blooded Jiao. It was hurled backward, tumbling end over end. Hundreds of colossal trees were uprooted in its wake. Its crimson scales were shattered and covered in blood.

Damn it! The Dragon-Blooded Jiao cursed inwardly. Where did this freak of a human come from?!

Still, the Dragon-Blooded Jiao wasn’t some fragile beast. It had shattered twelve genetic shackles. Coupled with the draconic blood coursing through its veins, it possessed power and resilience far beyond most. Even at this moment, it was no weaker than the Golden-Winged Great Peng.

Even after eating a full-force strike, it didn’t falter. Instead, it bellowed again at the Golden-Winged Great Peng and, with a final lash of its tail, darted off once more.

Its body blurred into a red streak, surging across the forested terrain. In mere seconds, it had fled several kilometers and showed no signs of slowing.

If Lu Yuan hadn’t possessed such a terrifying foundation and had his body refined through countless fusions with heavenly treasures, any other cultivator in his realm would’ve lost track of the creature.

”Master! Don’t let it escape!” the Golden-Winged Great Peng called down from above as it watched the direction of the Jiao’s escape. ”There’s a terrifying aura ahead. Something dangerous awaits.”

Its golden feathers quivered slightly, wings folding in as a primal fear coursed through its veins.

Below, Lu Yuan furrowed his brows. He tilted his head upward and directly activated the Martial Dao Heavenly Eyes.

He instantly pierced the veil of distance and saw that no more than a few hundred meters ahead, a pillar of blood-red light surged into the sky.

Within that column, a vast and volatile power churned. This surge of power was one of the most vast and overwhelming energies Lu Yuan had ever encountered.

Yet unlike the threat that the Golden-Winged Great Peng felt, he sensed something different.

There was no killing intent. Instead, he felt a gentle, beckoning presence.

What is that place? Lu Yuan’s eyes lit with curiosity.

His instincts stirred, telling him that a great opportunity lay hidden within that towering pillar of blood-red light.

However, he did not act on impulse. The unknown always came with risk, and besides, there was still unfinished business.

Without another word, he drew the Great Luo Sword Embryo and slashed at the Dragon-Blooded Jiao.

In the blink of an eye, countless swordlights poured forth. Infused with Lu Yuan’s own enlightenment of the Heaven-Earth Sword, the sword’s intent amplified the sword embryo’s blinding brilliance.

Pshhh!

The moment the swordlights fell, the Dragon-Blooded Jiao’s massive form was cleaved clean in two. A storm of blood rained across the valley, soaking the earth in crimson.

Though the beast had shattered twelve genetic shackles and was a formidable foe, slaying it in such a short time wasn’t easy. Of course, Lu Yuan had held back and didn’t go all out.

”Master, you’re unstoppable!” came an elated cry from above.

The Golden-Winged Great Peng flapped its wings, ecstatic beyond measure. At this moment, it felt that following such a powerful master was truly its fortune.

But Lu Yuan paid the great peng no mind. Instead, he stepped calmly onto the massive skull of the Dragon-Blooded Jiao.

The Bloodforce Pagoda reappeared behind him, its crimson light surging as it sealed and suppressed the beast’s remaining essence.

Lu Yuan lifted his chin slightly, pointing toward the distant blood-red pillar.

His voice was soft, but it held a chilling authority.

”Tell me. What lies in that place?”