Chapter 89: Live Assault on the Mountain, the Ruins of the Southern Heavenly Gate

The moment they stepped off the plane, a crowd moved straight toward them.

It was the heads of the other four great Zhengdan Academies, who had arrived ahead of time, along with Zhu Qingyu, the Northern Emperor, the Ice Fairy, and several others. Even the Pure Yang Little Celestial Master and Monk Huikong were there.

“Although Mount Tai is mysterious and dangerous, it is also an opportunity. These young people can help Lord Lu clear out some weaker beasts at the beginning, which counts as a form of tempering.”

Ji Huaiyuan spoke with a smile to explain. He understood well that if one wished to become a powerful awakened being, it was essential to draw experience from battle.

And all those before them were people they would cultivate in the future, so this happened to be a fitting chance.

As for danger and the like, with Lu Yuan present, nothing would go wrong.

Of course.

These people would only accompany them for part of the way.

If they could not hold on, they would have to come down and must not drag the others back.

After he finished speaking, Zhu Qingyu and the others faced Lu Yuan and bowed slightly.

If, in the past, everyone could still interact as equals, that was now impossible no matter what.

A being in the Shackled Realm, one who had crushed the great sea monster of the Southern Sea, was someone they could now only look up to from afar.

So at this moment, each of them was exceedingly courteous, out of respect for the strong.

“It seems the resources and power in the upper ranks are far greater than I imagined,” Lu Yuan said with a smile, shaking his head.

There was no need to mention Ice Fairy and the Northern Emperor; their affiliations were obvious.

But the Pure Yang Little Celestial Master, as well as Huikong of Mount Jiuhua, actually belonged to the official upper ranks.

One had to know that even with the ten years of memories from his previous life, he had not been clear about this.

Yet when one thought about it, it made perfect sense.

The upper ranks were the upper ranks. Without some foundation and means, how could they hope to control everything in the future?

“Lord Lu jokes,” said Old Yun, the one in charge of this operation, as he came over with a smile. “We have already released the news. The plan to assault Mount Tai will be broadcast live from start to finish.”

“I know. It’s fine.”

Hearing this, Lu Yuan nodded. Zheng the Dean had informed him of this beforehand, and he had already agreed to it.

In his heart, he also understood very clearly that the upper ranks were doing this simply to show both home and abroad that when it mattered, he, the human sovereign, would stand with the officials.

That would serve to deter some petty opportunists.

Lu Yuan naturally did not care.

In fact, the turmoil of the early new era truly did require a force to act as a deterrent.

Before long, when beings from beyond the domain descended, if one wished to respond properly, relying on individuals alone would not do. There had to be a guiding force, and letting the official upper ranks serve as that guiding force was clearly best.

“Thank you, Lord Lu.”

Old Yun let out a breath and finally relaxed.

If the other party had not agreed, the live broadcast would naturally not begin.

At this stage, even the upper ranks had to mind Lu Yuan’s expression.

“All right, it’s getting late. Let’s get to the point.”

Ji Huaiyuan walked over and gathered everyone, directly holding a meeting on the spot.

“Since the changes between heaven and earth, Mount Tai has become extremely mysterious, with many strange beasts. We sent people to investigate earlier and obtained some related information.”

“In certain areas of Mount Tai, there are vast stretches of ruined palace halls, and also some kind of mysterious underground palace, which appeared suddenly.”

“And in recent times, the summit of Mount Tai has frequently emitted a special aura, which has also attracted many strange beasts.”

“Furthermore, because the area is so vast, some awakened beings from abroad have also infiltrated it.”

He spoke of some of the information currently known about Mount Tai, so that those climbing the mountain could be prepared.

He pointed out several dangers: strange beasts, foreign awakened beings, and mysterious palace ruins and underground palaces.

Of course, this mission was not complicated. It was simply to find a way to clear out some of the monsters.

And the most important task was the few creatures at the summit of Mount Tai.

As long as the strongest one could be dealt with, the rest could be left to the official forces.

“There is one more thing: the summit of Mount Tai is very special. We cannot probe it. Only through satellites did we discover there is a broken relic gate there, bearing the words ‘Southern Heaven Gate’.” Those last words were addressed to Lu Yuan by Ji Huaiyuan, his expression extremely solemn.

He also laid out everything the upper ranks knew. In his eyes, the only one capable of reaching the summit of Mount Tai was Lu Yuan.

“The Southern Heaven Gate? Could there really be a Heavenly Court?” Ice Fairy said, her face full of astonishment.

She was Ji Huaiyuan’s junior, so she could speak at such a time.

The others were likewise shocked and curious.

After all, only the Heavenly Court of myth and legend would have something called the Southern Heaven Gate.

However, the latter shook his head, saying he did not know.

But in any case, this assault on Mount Tai would certainly not be simple.

“We’re ready on our side. We can begin at any time.” Old Yun had already arranged everything and came over.

Behind him, beside the armed helicopters, drones, and other modern aerial strike weapons, stood rows upon rows of soldiers at attention. Once ordered, they could immediately form a formidable net of firepower.

At this moment, everyone looked toward Lu Yuan, waiting for him to speak.

Lu Yuan merely smiled.

He turned to look at Mount Tai, towering to a summit unseen.

Then he said nothing more, only murmured, “Very well. Then let us begin.”

With those words, all kinds of drones took to the air.

At the same time, the official livestream on the internet officially went live.

“At last there’s a signal. I’ve been waiting so hard.”

“Look, look, it’s Lord Lu, and the Northern Emperor, Ice Fairy, and the others. They’re about to reach the summit.”

“I have a feeling that today on Mount Tai, a shocking battle is bound to erupt between humanity and the beasts.”

As soon as the official livestream opened, a huge crowd surged in instantly.

This was undoubtedly the biggest news in the country recently.

It was worth everyone’s attention.

Everyone knew that Lu Yuan was the human sovereign, and Mount Tai was home to many powerful beasts. It was likely that such a spectacle would be impossible to see again in the future.

Meanwhile, in the city of Shanghai, Zhou Yunqiong also opened the livestream at the proper moment.

Her curiosity about Lu Yuan had grown stronger and stronger.

This was the perfect chance to understand how he had become so powerful.

On the screen, Lu Yuan had already set out with the Northern Emperor and more than twenty others.

There were many routes to the summit of Mount Tai, but Old Yun and the others had already devised the plan, so they simply followed it.

The moment they entered the mountain, everyone felt a special aura: cold and piercing, utterly unlike the world outside. Zhu Qingyu and the others kept their minds guarded and carefully observed everything around them.

Among these people, many had fought beasts before, but Mount Tai was far too special.

Above them, armed helicopters and drones circled overhead.

While providing firepower, they also relayed everyone’s situation live and monitored the area ahead.

Lu Yuan walked at the very front, his six senses spread wide to detect the beasts within Mount Tai.

These beasts seemed different from those outside, as though they far surpassed their kind.

However, those near the foot of the mountain were not very strong; most were only around the first or second stage of the Initial Realm.

With the suppression of fire from armed helicopters and drones, these beasts were cleared away as obstacles, allowing everyone to conserve their strength for later.

Yet as they continued upward, the number of beasts increased more and more, and Zhu Qingyu, Ice Fairy, and the others had no choice but to begin taking action.

Lu Yuan, however, still looked toward the summit of Mount Tai. Thinking of the Southern Heaven Gate mentioned earlier by Old Ji, his eyes shone brilliantly.

“It seems this journey to Mount Tai will not be simple,” he murmured.

Adding in his previous life, this was also his first time climbing Mount Tai, and he knew little about it. Yet in his heart, he was very much looking forward to it.

On one hand, he wanted to know exactly how strong the most powerful beast in Mount Tai truly was, and whether it could allow him to fight to his heart’s content.

On the other hand, he also knew that once he reached the summit, that divine object could be taken away as well.

For the moment, Lu Yuan cleared his thoughts.

He looked ahead.

Zhu Qingyu and the others were locked in battle with a swarm of beasts. Their strength was not weak; most of them were in the awakened realm.

But there were too many beasts, and even with firearms assisting them, it was difficult to eliminate them quickly.

Seeing this, Lu Yuan said nothing more. As his heart beat, golden blood essence surged out.

In an instant, a tremendous aura burst forth from his body like a towering wave.

In the next moment, more than a hundred beasts exploded on the spot, blood splattering across the forested mountain.

At once, Zhu Qingyu, Ice Fairy, and the more than twenty others, those once regarded as future seeds, all turned around, faces full of astonishment.

The Pure Yang Little Celestial Master and Monk Huikong, those two men of the world beyond, even could not help exchanging a look.

It was as if they both saw the same thought in each other’s minds.

One strike.

He had not even made a move.

What training was there left for the rest of them?

But Lu Yuan paid no heed to their reactions. He called out for them to hurry up and increase their pace.

Although the upper ranks wanted them tempered, he also did not want to waste too much time.

And so, as everyone continued climbing Mount Tai, on a distant little hill.

Four or five Westerners in camouflage clothing were watching Lu Yuan and the others through binoculars. The middle-aged man at the head immediately took out a radio and said, “Report, report. The target has appeared and is advancing toward the objective. Over.”