The sun rose in the east.
The morning sun burst forth in dazzling radiance.
Morning mist rolled through the mountains and forests, lending them an even more mysterious air.
Mount Li.
It had not been famous throughout history.
But ever since the Ancestral Dragon had chosen it as his resting place more than two thousand years ago, everything had changed.
Ever since then, rumors about the Mount Li Imperial Tomb had been plentiful, emerging every so often.
Especially after the New Era arrived, the mountain rose higher, and dragon-shaped essence circled overhead.
Almost every Awakened, even ordinary people, knew this.
There had to be some incredible fortune hidden within.
As long as they could obtain it,
they would surely achieve greater things in the future and gain extraordinary, almost mythical power.
So even those who knew they were weak still wanted to give it a try. Perhaps they might succeed.
There was no helping it. This era was unfamiliar, ruled by the law of the jungle. Strength was everything, and everyone longed to stand at the very top.
At that moment, before the Mount Li Imperial Tomb,
there was a stretch of flat land, surrounded by hills, though none of them were very tall.
Normally, no one came here. But today, even though dawn had barely broken, countless auras had appeared.
They were all Awakened who had heard the news and come to seize the opportunity. They were already on the move.
With so many people, friction was inevitable.
There were also Awakened who encountered Mutant Beasts and fought them.
On his way to the Mount Li Imperial Tomb, Lu Yuan saw many bloodstains. From time to time, he even came across corpses, their clothes rummaged through. Perhaps their enemies had found them and ambushed them on the road.
In Chang'an City, people still exercised some restraint, but out here in the wilderness, it was different.
And savagery had always existed in human genes.
Now, it had been fully unleashed.
Lu Yuan had seen too much of this during those ten years. He was long accustomed to it.
Still, the closer he got to Mount Li, the less often he encountered such things.
Everyone shared the same goal.
No one wanted to waste too much time along the way.
Soon,
Lu Yuan saw his destination.
Far ahead, a dozen or so miles away,
a gigantic mountain stood tall, entirely black—even the plants growing on it shared that color. It bore a solemn, weighty majesty, like a primordial giant peak, making anyone standing before it seem utterly tiny.
At its summit, halos of light constantly surged forth, turning into a rainbow of colors before finally forming a dragon-shaped mass of essence.
The dragon's head hung ten thousand meters in the sky, looking down upon the land.
This was the Mount Li Imperial Tomb as it stood now.
At ten thousand meters tall, it could no longer be considered an ordinary peak.
But its sheer grandeur was too overwhelming to ignore.
Below it, a great many people had already gathered. At a rough estimate, there were at least several thousand.
Nearly all of them were Awakened who had heard the news and rushed here from all directions.
They talked among themselves, but kept each other on guard as well. No one knew whether someone might stab the person beside them in the back once the tomb opened—unless they were old friends who knew and trusted one another.
Lu Yuan approached and entered the crowd, calm and inconspicuous.
He could now see that outside the Mount Li Imperial Tomb,
layers of black energy were surging.
The energy seemed to seep out of the mountain itself, gathering together until it formed a hundred-meter-tall gate.
The gate looked ancient and somewhat indistinct, with its two doors tightly shut.
As time passed,
the giant gate gradually began to stabilize. It would likely appear in full before long.
The world had changed, and the supernatural had arrived. Such mythical visions were now commonplace in certain famous mountains and rivers.
So the Awakened who stood watching the tomb gate intently were surprised, but remained composed.
"No wonder the major powers can predict when the tomb will open."
After seeing it, Lu Yuan began to ponder.
In his previous life, he had entered the Mount Li Imperial Tomb too, but that was after he became an Awakened. Even then, he had been an insignificant nobody who could only watch from the sidelines, with none of the benefits going to him.
Now,
he was still standing among the crowd, but everything was completely different.
Brrrrrr—
Just then, the roar of engines suddenly rang through the sky.
Everyone who had been watching the tomb gate turned around, drawn by the sound.
Behind them,
helicopters appeared one after another, circling overhead.
What shocked everyone was that these helicopters were fitted with heavy weapons.
"Judging by the emblems on them, they seem to belong to Wuzhou Group, Beidou Biology, Tianshen Technology, and Chang Sheng Gene."
"I heard that at the beginning of the upheaval, the authorities struck deals with them to maintain stability, allowing them to control some conventional weapons. Looks like it was true."
"With their influence and the current situation, they could probably buy weapons from abroad too."
"Are they going to use those weapons against us?"
An Awakened spoke up.
He had recognized the factions the helicopters belonged to.
Everyone was shocked. They had not expected these major powers to possess conventional weapons.
The crowd grew restless, afraid they might be targeted at a critical moment.
After all, apart from a few people with special abilities, most Awakened were not strong enough to withstand conventional weapons.
Lu Yuan had naturally seen them too, but he paid them no mind.
Powers like Wuzhou Group had deep foundations. The Zhou Family was an ancient lineage with its own visualization arts and Breathing Methods; it simply kept them hidden in ordinary times. Even without cooperating with the authorities, they could still obtain plenty of conventional weapons, especially in an era like this.
The authorities also needed to rely on certain means to maintain order.
He paid it no attention.
Turning his gaze back ahead, he waited for the tomb gate to open.
Meanwhile,
the helicopters landed one after another.
Figures emerged from them.
Some were men, some women.
Without exception, they were all Awakened, and every one of them was powerful.
Now that their era had arrived, these ancient lineages were finally revealing the depth of their strength.
"Wasn't Wuzhou Group supposed to have ties to Winged Sky God? Why haven't we seen him?"
"Right. We haven't seen the Southern Emperor with Chang Sheng Gene either."
"Could they be hiding?"
People began to discuss among themselves.
By now, almost everyone had figured it out.
The Five Great Supremes each represented a faction, and had been put forward by them.
Chang Sheng Gene had the Southern Emperor, Wuzhou Group had Winged Sky God, Tianshen Technology had Asura, and Beidou Biology had the Ice Fairy.
As for the last one, the Northern Emperor, he naturally belonged to Zhendan Academy.
It made sense.
Only factions like these could produce the Five Great Supremes, who stood at the very peak of the Awakened hierarchy.
"Sis, there are so many people," Zhou Biqiong said as she stepped off the plane and looked toward the tomb. She frowned. "Looks like a huge battle is bound to break out today."
Standing before her was Zhou Yunqiong, whose beauty was breathtaking. She was as cool and unruffled as ever.
Behind the sisters was a group of people, both young and old.
Their auras were all extraordinary.
"These people won't change much. The key ones are the Southern Emperor and the others," the man called Yi replied as he stepped down.
At the same time, he glanced toward the area where Chang Sheng Gene was gathered.
But when he failed to spot the person he was looking for, he turned away.
He held a high position, and the people from Wuzhou Group beside him lowered their heads slightly in respect.
"Of course. With Brother Yi here, they're nothing but a rabble. I could take them all down myself," Zhou Biqiong said at once, full of admiration for him.
She was usually haughty, and as a young lady of the Zhou Family, she possessed the Ancestral Bloodline.
Though it was not as strong as her sister's,
it was still enough to put her above countless Awakened.
"Yunqiong, what are you looking at?"
Yi noticed that Zhou Yunqiong's attention seemed elsewhere.
Her gaze kept sweeping across the crowd, as if searching for someone.
"I just want to confirm something," Zhou Yunqiong replied coolly, then continued scanning the crowd.
Ever since she had entered Chang'an City that day, she had kept recalling that familiar figure.
At first, she thought she had been mistaken. But when she thought it over carefully, she felt sure she had been right, even if the person's appearance had changed somewhat.
Her bloodline was the strongest in the Zhou Family, and her strength now surpassed that of ordinary people. She almost never mistook someone, so Zhou Yunqiong was certain that person had also come to Chang'an.
There was still some time before the tomb officially opened. It would be best if she could find him.
That class reunion
had been very different for Zhou Yunqiong.
For the first time, she had been ignored. With her temperament, she could not stand it.
"Is that so?" The man's eyes took on a strange look when he heard this.
Beside him, Zhou Biqiong was displeased at the sight.
Whatever Yi hated,
she hated too.
Not far from where Wuzhou Group had gathered, several helicopters were also parked.
At their head stood Wang Tao, the son of the Second Madam of Chang Sheng Gene.
"Young Master."
An elderly man in a long robe stepped forward and said, "The Second Madam just sent word. We couldn't find that man surnamed Lu. He's an Awakened, and we suspect he may have come to the Mount Li Imperial Tomb as well."
"Good," Wang Tao replied at once. "You all have his photo. Keep an eye out."
"If that man surnamed Lu really has come to the Mount Li Imperial Tomb, tell me immediately."
"I'll deal with him myself."
He and the Second Madam had been searching for Lu Yuan all this time, but there had been no sign of him.
The Mount Li Imperial Tomb had drawn Awakened from across the country.
It would not be strange if Lu Yuan had come here too.
"This..."
The elderly man furrowed his brow slightly. "The First Young Master said that the Mount Li Imperial Tomb is our top priority today. Shouldn't we put this matter aside for now?"
"I know you work for my big brother, but I'm a Wang too. Besides, I don't need you to make a move," Wang Tao said.
"Yes."
The old man nodded helplessly.
The major powers had left the matter of the tomb's opening to the younger generation, to give them a chance to prove themselves.
He thought the Second Young Master was losing sight of what mattered, but fortunately, the First Young Master was nearby too.
At the same time,
in another inconspicuous corner,
a group of people appeared quietly.
At their head was an elderly man with a full head of white hair. He looked kind and gentle.
But when he saw the Awakened and major factions gathered below, he could not help sighing.
"Dean, will they definitely fight later?" a Green-Robed Woman asked.
She looked at Zhou Yunqiong and the people from Chang Sheng Gene and the other factions. Worry showed on her face. It was Zhu Qingyu, who had defended Qingyang City against the Beast Tide and been rescued by Lu Yuan. Qin Lan and the others were beside her too.
"No one knows what lies inside the Mount Li Imperial Tomb, but one thing is certain: whoever obtains it will gain immense benefits,"
the old man replied. His name was Zheng Wenyuan, and he was the head of the Chang'an City branch of Zhendan Academy.
He was also an exceptionally powerful Awakened.
Otherwise, he could not have been entrusted with guarding Chang'an City.
Behind him were students and teachers from the branch as well.
"Then should we compete for it?" Zhu Qingyu asked, but then felt that something was wrong. "But if we do, a great battle will be unavoidable. That goes against the principles of our Zhendan Academy."
Zhendan Academy was backed by the authorities. Its most important duty was to maintain stability within the country and prevent chaos from breaking out.
Their purpose in coming here was also to prevent heavy casualties.
But that was all they could do.
The world had changed.
She was a little frustrated. The greatest threat to humanity now was clearly the Mutant Beasts, yet people were still fighting among themselves.
"Silly girl, with the arrival of a new era, maintaining stability also requires great power."
"In the past, conventional weapons could keep everything in check. That no longer works. Besides, Mutant Beasts are stirring all over the country, and the West is eyeing us from beyond our borders. We have to increase our strength quickly. Of course there'll be a struggle for power."
Dean Zheng smiled. "It's just that the best outcome is to gain power without anyone getting hurt."
"But Chang Sheng Gene and the Wuzhou Group have both sent people. Do we even stand a chance?"
Zhu Qingyu couldn't help speaking up. She knew those factions were all unfathomably powerful.
"Don't worry. That senior of yours will be coming too."
"And even if the worst comes to pass, you still have this old bag of bones. I can hold out for a while."
Dean Zheng said. Zhendan Academy had been preparing for the Mount Li Imperial Tomb for a long time.
"Do you mean the Northern Emperor, one of the so-called Five Great Supremes? If he comes, that would certainly improve our odds." Zhu Qingyu's eyes lit up, but she soon thought of that arrow of lightning in Qingyang City.
"Too bad we still haven't found that Mysterious Person. If he helped us, our chances would be even better."
That arrow, that day, had left a deep impression on her.
In Zhu Qingyu's eyes,
the Mysterious Person who had fired that arrow of lightning was no weaker than the Five Great Supremes.
"What Five Great Supremes? That's just some title busybodies made up. They're not worthy of it."
Zheng Wenyuan shook his head, then looked at the girl with a kindly expression. "Besides, your talent may well be no worse than theirs. After this, the academy will focus on nurturing you. As for that Mysterious Person, we'll just have to leave it to fate. If he doesn't want to show himself, there's nothing we can do."
After the Beast Tide incident in Qingyang City, Zhendan Academy had made the person who fired that arrow of lightning a top priority.
But even after investigating for a long time, they still couldn't find him. It was as if he'd appeared only for a fleeting moment.
"Hm?"
Just then, Qin Lan, who was standing beside them, suddenly spoke up. "Dean, Teacher, Qingyu, look—what's Zhou Yunqiong doing?"
She pointed below and saw Zhou Yunqiong, who had been standing still, suddenly move toward the crowd.
As an important member of the Zhou Family, Zhou Yunqiong
was known to nearly every Awakened.
After all, during the first three months following the mutations, she had often appeared online as a representative of the Wuzhou Group.
"Strange. What could have made her move?" Zhu Qingyu was puzzled too. She had never met Zhou Yunqiong, but she knew the woman was cool and aloof, with an air of haughty pride. Combined with her powerful bloodline, it was hard to imagine anything stirring much emotion in her.
"She seems to be walking toward someone. Tsk, that back looks familiar." Qin Lan spoke again.
"Don't worry about it. Keep your eyes on the situation as a whole. The gates of the Mount Li Imperial Tomb could open at any moment."
Dean Zheng spoke at just the right moment, reminding his students not to fixate on one person but to watch the overall situation.
"Yes."
Zhu Qingyu and the others answered, and sure enough, they stopped paying attention.
At that moment,
Lu Yuan stood among the crowd, gazing toward the Mount Li Imperial Tomb in the distance.
But suddenly, his brows knit slightly.
Someone was coming.
And it was someone he knew.
"Lu Yuan, it really is you?"
Zhou Yunqiong walked over, tall and slender, with long legs and a cold, noble bearing. Now, though, she wore a curious expression.
The Awakened nearby parted automatically, then exchanged glances. They all knew this important member of the Zhou Family. She held a high position, and her fame had been growing lately. As the Wuzhou Group's representative, she was practically one of its leaders.
Everyone was simply baffled that someone of her stature would walk into the crowd just to speak to a stranger.
Hearing her voice, Lu Yuan turned around and frowned. "What, am I not allowed to be here?"
His expression was stern. He really didn't want to have much to do with her.
As soon as he said that,
everyone nearby was stunned.
Who was this guy? How dare he speak to the Zhou Family's young lady like that?
"No."
Zhou Yunqiong seemed to have expected this. She smiled faintly, then asked, "You've become an Awakened?"
The changes in Lu Yuan's build and bearing surprised her. She clearly hadn't expected this. The Wuzhou Group had studied his genes before, and found nothing unusual.
"Don't you already know the answer?"
Lu Yuan spoke impatiently, unwilling to waste words.
At his reply, Zhou Yunqiong's feelings stirred again.
It was this attitude.
It had left a deep impression on her ever since she'd met Lu Yuan. She wanted to know what gave him the right.
The two of them were worlds apart in status and every other respect. That should have been obvious.
Especially in this new era, that gap was all the more impossible to bridge. So why was he still acting this way?
But Zhou Yunqiong took a deep breath and quickly calmed down. After hesitating for a moment, she continued, "I already know the answer, of course. Since you've become an Awakened, you should have some understanding of the current situation. If you need anything, you can come to the Wuzhou Group. I'll make arrangements for you."
She was proud to begin with. Being treated this way made her want to use her status and the Wuzhou Group's power to put Lu Yuan in his place.
After all, who in the country didn't know about this powerful group of Awakened by now?
"Sorry, I'm not interested."
Lu Yuan spoke, then turned to leave and find somewhere quiet.
The Awakened nearby could hardly believe what they were seeing.
Brother, do you even know who you're dealing with?
"Friend, that attitude of yours is out of line."
Just then, a man called Yi stepped forward, his eyes cold. "Yunqiong kindly invited you to join the Wuzhou Group so you'd have someone to rely on and a place to find shelter in this new era. Not only are you ungrateful, you're cold to her. That's really out of line!"
He'd said "out of line" twice to make his displeasure clear.
The man's presence was imposing, and he carried himself like he was above everyone else.
Combined with his golden eyes, it made people feel an involuntary fear, as if they ought to bow their heads and back down.
"And then?"
Lu Yuan didn't retreat. Instead, he stepped forward and looked at the man.
He could naturally sense the other man's hostility, but so what?
"You should apologize!"
Yi felt provoked by Lu Yuan's actions, but with Zhou Yunqiong beside him, he chose not to attack. He simply said,
He knew this was the same Lu Yuan he'd heard about when he'd entered Chang'an City earlier, so his tone was commanding.
"How laughable. You really think far too highly of yourself."
Lu Yuan smiled and continued, "Besides, you don't have the standing—or the ability—to make me apologize."
"Impudent! Do you know who you're talking to?"
Suddenly,
a voice full of anger rang out.
It was Zhou Biqiong, standing beside Yi, her gaze sharp. "Don't think that just because my sister is here, we won't dare lay a hand on you."
Zhou Yunqiong will not be the heroine.
From now on, updates will stay above eight thousand words a day!
Before you continue