Global Awakening: I'm the Only One Ready

Chapter 236. The Truth Behind the Descent, Suffocating Dread, Gathering Storm

Lu Yuan stared at the message on his communicator and frowned. Whatever had happened was almost certainly related to what Jiang Ningxian had just told him.

The scale of what was happening had to be enormous. Elder Ji wouldn't have sent such a message otherwise.

"They've detected a disturbance from the Outer Cosmos?" Jiang Ningxian asked. She had been on Earth long enough to develop a reasonable understanding of its technological capabilities.

While they weren't as capable as those powers from the Outer Cosmos, they had their own merits. In fact, some civilizations in the Outer Cosmos had comparable levels of technology to Earth, differing only in degree.

"I'll need to confirm the specifics in person. Let's head back to Mount Tai first," Lu Yuan replied. Understanding the situation in the Outer Cosmos through ordinary means was out of the question; he would need the officials' resources if he wanted to learn more about what was going on.

Besides, there was nothing pressing to deal with here anymore. Returning to the Mount Tai Trials Academy to make preparations ahead of time seemed like the right move to make here.

"Agreed." Jiang Ningxian knew that she needed to contact her clan for more information as well. She had already committed to cooperating with the officials and with Lu Yuan, so she had the responsibility to help protect this world from the worst of what was to come.

At this critical juncture, there was no more time to waste. They needed to understand every movement happening in the Outer Cosmos. There was no reason to delay, so the group made its move at once.

Rumble!

Violent rumblings split the air; Lu Yuan and the others turned toward the source. The twin stone pillars of Mount Kunlun's secret realm were dimming; their light weakened by the second as the scenery within became blurry.

Mount Kunlun's secret realm was closing, but this no longer mattered to them.

Once everything was in order, they left just like how they arrived. The Golden-Winged Great Peng and the Peacock King took to the skies, leaving behind two streaks of light that vanished into the horizon.

Unlike their journey toward Mount Kunlun, the two beast kings flew at full power, pushing for maximum speed. The energy expenditure was considerably higher, but they could easily replenish it in time.

As they streaked across the firmament, Lu Yuan stood tall on the Golden-Winged Great Peng's back, gazing out across the sky and the land down below. At first, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

The moment he activated his Martial Dao Heavenly Eyes, however, he detected a far more violent energy permeating the world. It carried with it a tangible and savage aura brimming with wildness. It was like the planet itself was reverting to its condition during ancient times.

"The Separation of Heaven and Earth is failing," remarked Jiang Ningxian as she moved to stand beside him. "Every starfield is using its own methods to influence this planet and obtain what's in here. If they succeed, even more powerful figures will arrive, and perhaps we'll see a few Holy Sons and Saintesses by then."

Lu Yuan nodded. He understood what she meant. He had lived through it once before, after all. Still, there was something that had never quite made sense to him.

The true reason the major clans from the Outer Cosmos were so fixated on descending to Earth still eluded him.

If it were merely about the inheritances and opportunities here, it'd seem overkill. A starfield ranked among the top hundred had terrifying foundations, and the boons available on Earth would be little more than icing on a cake for them.

It had always been a question burning in Lu Yuan's mind, and he hadn't asked it yet as he felt the right timing hadn't arrived. However, the right timing was finally here, so Lu Yuan asked the question that had been gnawing at him all this time.

"You're not wrong," Jiang Ningxian replied after a moment of thought. "They aren't after this world's legacies or boons. They're after something else entirely."

"What they covet is the unimaginable potential this world will unleash after centuries of being sealed," Jiang Ningxian added, sounding solemn. "That potential will manifest as a kind of Providence, and whoever rises above the rest will become a Child of the Great Age.

"And the most critical factor is this one fact—every Celestial Emperor and Human Sovereign began their journey here. This world has been the starting point of their conquest.

"For every clan out there, the temptation of achieving what those figures have achieved is simply too great to resist. That's why they all believe that they need to descend as soon as possible."

The meaning behind Jiang Ningxian's words was unmistakable. This world had become the epicenter of the universe, and everyone would come here for the sake of one, unified goal—obtain the blessings of Providence and become a Child of the Great Age.

Afterward, they would make use of Earth's Awakening to walk even further down the path of evolution. This was the reason those starfields had chosen to bring their people here.

Lu Yuan understood everything at once.

"I see. So in other words, they view this place as a battlefield?" he replied. He finally had the full picture.

The powerhouses of those major clans in the Outer Cosmos believed that this world offered the chance to become a Human Sovereign or the Celestial Emperor.

In other words, Earth was the best place to embark on one's journey to the apex of evolution. Earth's legacies, inheritances, and boons were secondary. The chance to ascend to the apex of the path of evolution? It was an irresistible temptation.

"That's one way to put it," Jiang Ningxian replied. "Earth is about to go through some tough times."

She knew exactly how the clans of the Outer Cosmos viewed this world. A backward civilization—a mere shadow of its past glory. Its inhabitants were nothing more than primitive apes in their eyes.

Soon, a full-scale descent would begin, and it was anything but good news for Earth.

"Tough times?" Lu Yuan said, smiling playfully. "I don't think so."

He knew full well what a full-scale descent meant. It would be a catastrophe. He had lived through it once before, and it was precisely because he had lived through it that he would never let it happen again.

Jiang Ningxian turned and cast a deep gaze at him but said nothing.

Indeed, Earth had somehow produced someone as powerful and extraordinary as Lu Yuan. Given enough time, he'd grow immensely powerful. By then, those major clans wouldn't be able to push this world around so easily.

Jiang Ningxian's gaze drifted down to the Golden-Winged Great Peng beneath their feet, and she fell into contemplation. The mutated beast seemed different from before. Something had subtly, but distinctly changed.

However, she couldn't pinpoint it. She tried hard, but the specifics eluded her perception. Whatever it was, she knew that it had to do with Lu Yuan. He had undoubtedly obtained something inside Kunlun's secret realm.

Of course, she didn't ask any questions. She remained composed and serene.

Neither of them said anything more, and their gazes remained fixed on the horizon up ahead.

Fierce gales tore at them relentlessly, thanks to the Golden-Winged Great Peng's extreme speed, but it was nothing for Awakened at their caliber. Now, all that remained was to wait until they reached their destination—Mount Tai.

During the journey, Lu Yuan noticed that the world's aura was changing. He wasn't the only one who sensed it. Countless living creatures felt it too; they instinctively realized that something big was about to happen.

The mutated beasts grew restless, stampeding through mountain ranges and rivers in agitation. It was a suffocating feeling. The civilians felt as if an invisible mountain was pressed down on their chests, making them feel uncomfortable.

Days passed just like that, and the beings from the Outer Cosmos seemed to have realized what was coming, as they fell completely silent, seemingly waiting for the gathering storm to descend and become a raging typhoon.

Twenty days later, deep rumbling noises erupted across the world!