12dz Chapter 24 The Shackles Loosen
Chapter 24 The Shackles Loosen
Deep within the abandoned air-raid shelter in Xishan, a pillar of blue light pierced the sky!
The cyan pillar of light, which had gathered the spiritual energy of the Gathering Spirit Jade for a thousand years, forcefully pierced through the hundreds of meters of thick rock, cutting through the night sky with unstoppable momentum. It dyed the entire night sky of Xishan and even the capital city with a warm cyan light, making even the stars pale in comparison.
Lu Yuan stood calmly at the very center of the pillar of light, his robes fluttering in the wind, his blue shirt billowing slightly in the raging spiritual energy, showing no sign of panic. The shattered bones, bloodstains, and sinister black energy scattered on the ground had long since been washed away by this pure and immense spiritual energy, leaving the ground as smooth as a mirror, without a trace of filth. Only the faint spiritual energy remaining in the air testified to the earth-shattering change that had just occurred here.
The Spirit Gathering Jade in his palm was incredibly hot. Azure spiritual energy, like a galloping wild horse, surged wildly into his palm, forcefully crashing into his meridians with unstoppable momentum, seemingly about to burst them. Any Earth martial artist, even at the peak of the Divine Realm, would have already exploded and died facing this torrent of spiritual energy capable of tearing flesh apart, without even having time to scream.
Lu Yuan, however, didn't even blink, his expression calm, even a hint of composure playing on his lips. Even though his Mahayana stage meridians were suppressed by the laws of Earth's universe, losing their former immense power, their resilience was still unimaginable to Earth's martial artists. This torrent of spiritual energy, which would be deadly to others, was to him at most a sip of slightly stronger liquor—pungent but not enough to harm him in the slightest. On the contrary, it nourished his meridians and golden core, which were suppressed by the laws.
"The laws of this wretched place, Earth, are even more rigid than I expected." Lu Yuan lowered his eyes, feeling the surging spiritual energy within his body, and secretly calculated in his mind. A barely perceptible raised eyebrow flashed in his eyes. "I originally thought that the spiritual energy in this Spirit Gathering Jade would be enough for me to forcibly break through the bottleneck of the Golden Core Peak and touch the threshold of the Nascent Soul stage. It seems that I overestimated the carrying capacity of this world."
The laws of heaven and earth were like a rusty iron bucket, tightly pressing down on his head, suppressing his cultivation and preventing him from fully circulating his true essence. Even with the support of a massive amount of spiritual energy, he could hardly break through the shackles.
Without the slightest impatience, Lu Yuan calmed his mind and guided the spiritual energy within his body, slowly circulating it according to the Mahayana stage cultivation method. The spiritual energy flowed through his body, passing through his limbs and bones, circulating repeatedly. With each circulation, the spiritual energy became more and more refined, completely merging with his true essence.
After thirty-six cycles of the Great Heavenly Cycle, the golden core, the size of a dragon's eye, within Lu Yuan's dantian suddenly trembled slightly. Immediately afterward, a tiny crack appeared on the surface of the golden core, and wisps of golden true essence surged out from the crack, dazzling and instantly illuminating his entire dantian. A pressure several times stronger than before quietly emanated from his body.
Although he failed to condense his nascent soul and break through to the next realm, this tiny gap meant that the true essence he could mobilize had doubled compared to before, and his strength had also skyrocketed. Even though he was still suppressed by the laws, he was now able to roam freely on this earth!
"Fine, one bite at a time, one step at a time." Lu Yuan slowly curled the corners of his mouth, a hint of determination flashing in his eyes. He suddenly clenched his fingers, and with a soft "click," the azure light on the surface of the Spirit Gathering Jade in his palm instantly dimmed, completely losing its luster and becoming just an ordinary blue stone—the thousand-year-old spiritual energy inside had been completely drained by him and absorbed into his body.
He carefully put the jade pendant, which carried his mother's worries, close to his body, his fingertips tracing its outline. A hint of tenderness flashed in his eyes, but then he regained his coldness and composure.
Lu Yuan slowly raised his head, looking out at the night sky through the huge hole blasted open by the pillar of light. The thick, inky clouds that had obscured the stars had long since been dispersed by the pillar of spiritual energy, leaving the night sky clear and the stars sparkling. A gentle evening breeze, carrying a faint spiritual aura, blew into the air-raid shelter and brushed against his cheek.
The air was filled with an indescribable scent—somewhat like the fragrance of earth after a rain, with a hint of fresh grass and trees. Inhaling it made every pore on the body open up, even the bones felt itchy, leaving one feeling completely refreshed. This was the scent of spiritual energy, the aura of spiritual energy that had finally returned to Earth after being sealed off for millennia.
A knowing glint flashed in Lu Yuan's eyes. He knew that by forcibly breaking the seal on the Spirit Gathering Jade tonight and draining its spiritual energy, he had essentially punched a pinhole in the Earth, a can that had been sealed for a thousand years. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth, which had been sealed for a thousand years, was now seeping out through this pinhole, nourishing this long-barren land.
Those demons, monsters, reclusive experts, and mutated beings hiding in every corner of the earth, clinging to life with a wisp of remnant spirit, will soon be drawn by the scent of spiritual energy and emerge from the shadows, stirring up a new storm. But Lu Yuan doesn't care. No matter what kind of demons or monsters they are, anyone who dares to block his path or touch his people will be slain!
......
Deep in the Kunlun Mountains, beneath an ice cap at an altitude of 6,000 meters, lies a hidden natural cave, perpetually shrouded in darkness, where the temperature remains at a constant minus 30 degrees Celsius. The howling winds and icicles create a chillingly still atmosphere.
In the center of the cave, a towering, millennia-old ice slab stood majestically. The ice was crystal clear, radiating a bone-chilling cold. Right in the center of the ice sat an old man, dressed in a tattered sheepskin coat. His hair and beard were completely white, thick ice crystals clung to his eyebrows and beard, his face was bluish-purple, and his body was stiff. Even his breathing had ceased, making him appear like a lifeless, frozen corpse, frozen for hundreds of years.
But at the very instant that azure beam of light appeared in the sky above the capital, the old man's eyes, which had been closed for a hundred years, suddenly snapped open!
With a crisp "crack!", the thick layer of ice that had formed on his eyelids instantly shattered into a shower of powder, dissipating into the air. His once cloudy and lifeless eyes now shone brightly, gleaming with a fanatical and ecstatic light, like two burning flames that shattered the silence of the ice cave.
Immediately afterwards, the millennia-old ice enveloping his body cracked open from the middle, with a huge fissure. The cracking sound was incessant, and it continued to spread, soon covering the entire ice, with countless ice shards falling down.
The old man's withered chest suddenly heaved violently, and a slurred breath burst from his mouth. The breath, upon encountering the cold air, instantly condensed into a sharp white ice sword. With a crisp "clang," it slammed into the opposite rock wall, the blade penetrating three-tenths of an inch into the stone, trembling incessantly.
"Spiritual energy...it's spiritual energy!" The old man's voice was hoarse and dry, trembling with barely concealed elation. His withered fingers gripped the ice beneath him so tightly that his nails curled up, and the blood that had just seeped from his fingertips was frozen into red ice beads by the biting cold. But he was oblivious, still clenching his fist as if he wanted to crush the block of ice. "I've waited one hundred and thirty years! A full one hundred and thirty years! Finally, the day of spiritual energy's revival has arrived!"
He suddenly raised his head and let out a superhuman howl. The howl pierced through the ice cave and echoed deep within the Kunlun Mountains, causing icicles to fall from the cave ceiling and the ground to tremble violently as if it were about to collapse. A century of silence and waiting transformed into a roar of wild joy at this moment. He knew that his opportunity had arrived!
......
In the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean, a private island, shrouded in thick fog and without any coordinates, floats on the surface like a ghost. Three hundred meters below the island, in a secluded underground laboratory, glaring red alarm lights flash wildly, and piercing alarms resound throughout the laboratory, filling the air with a suffocating tension.
In the center of the laboratory stood a huge bulletproof glass nutrient tank filled with green nutrient solution. A strong man, covered in tubes, was immersed in the solution. The man was burly, with bulging muscles that had taken on a sickly purplish-red hue. Beneath his skin, it seemed as if countless earthworms were writhing wildly, creating an eerie and terrifying scene, emanating a violent aura.
Several researchers in white lab coats were hunched over the control panel, their faces pale, their hands frantically typing on the keyboard, their fingers turning white from the force, their foreheads covered in cold sweat, and their eyes filled with panic.
"Supervisor! Something terrible has happened! Subject Three's brainwaves have suddenly spiked tenfold! It's beyond the monitoring range!" A young researcher screamed, his voice trembling with fear, as he watched the data on the screen jump wildly.
"His cell activity is multiplying exponentially! The nutrient solution's pressure is no longer enough! If this continues, the nutrient tank will burst!" another researcher roared, frantically adjusting the parameters on the control panel, but to no avail in stopping the data from soaring.
The supervisor, a tall, blond-haired, blue-eyed Caucasian man, was now deathly pale, large beads of sweat rolling down his face. He stared intently at the data on the screen, his eyes filled with fear and despair, and roared at his subordinates, "Increase the sedative dosage! Quickly! Add all the sedatives in the reserves! We must keep him under control!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than a deafening "Bang!" resounded.
Suddenly, a dense network of spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the bulletproof glass, which was ten centimeters thick and strong enough to withstand bullet impacts. The cracks spread rapidly and instantly covered the entire glass surface, as if it would shatter completely at any moment.
The man inside the nutrient tank slowly opened his eyes. They were pure black eyes, completely devoid of white, as black as ink, devoid of any emotion, only filled with endless violence and madness, like a demon from hell.
Through the cracked glass, the man slowly grinned at the panicked white manager, revealing a strange and ferocious smile. His teeth were sharp as knives, gleaming with a chilling luster.
The next second, with a loud "BOOM!", the entire nutrient tank exploded. Green nutrient solution mixed with sharp glass shards sprayed forward like a shotgun. The two researchers at the front were riddled with bullets before they could even scream. Their blood mixed with the nutrient solution, staining the entire laboratory floor red, a truly gruesome sight.
The man was soaking wet, all the tubes attached to his body broken. He walked out of the ruins step by step, each step landing on shards of glass, yet he was completely unaware. The violent aura around him grew stronger, and his eyes were filled with a fanaticism for blood and power—the revival of spiritual energy had broken the shackles on him, allowing him to completely break free from the control of the experiment. From now on, there would be no more constraints in the world!
......
In the capital city, at the headquarters of the Bureau of Extraordinary Immortals, the command hall was brightly lit, yet filled with an atmosphere of extreme oppression. Long Yuan sat in a wheelchair, his face pale and his eyes weary, staring intently at the large screen in front of him. On the screen, dense reports of abnormal data from all over the country were constantly being updated, a truly alarming sight.
The entire command center was filled with the urgent reports from the operators, one after another, their speech so fast that it was almost impossible to keep up. Everyone's face was filled with panic and solemnity.
"Report to the Director! The Changbai Mountain monitoring station has sent an urgent message: the water level of Tianchi Lake has suddenly dropped by three meters. Strong energy fluctuations have been detected underwater, indicating signs of activity from an unidentified giant creature, suspected to be the resurgence of an ancient mythical beast!"
"Reporting to the Director! A minor earthquake has occurred in the back mountains of Qingcheng Mountain in Sichuan. Although the magnitude was not large, satellite images show that a large area of ancient building ruins has emerged from the ground, and there is a strong spiritual energy fluctuation above the ruins!"
"Reporting to the Director! The core points of the feng shui formations in the three coastal provinces are all showing abnormal energy fluctuations, with the spiritual energy concentration at the core points soaring, suggesting that the formations are about to revive!"
The adjutant, carrying a thick stack of documents, strode to Long Yuan's side, his face grave and his voice low: "Director, this matter can no longer be suppressed. The commotion caused by this spiritual energy revival is too great; the pillar of light shot straight into the sky, and even foreign satellites must have captured it. It's no longer possible to cover up the news."
Long Yuan wearily rubbed his temples and took a deep breath. He felt that all the headaches he had ever had in his life were nothing compared to tonight's. Lu Yuan's actions had directly shattered the millennia-long peace of Earth, triggering a global cataclysmic event. As the director of the Bureau of Extraordinary Immortals, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and clean up the mess.
"Issue the order immediately," Long Yuan's voice was hoarse, yet carried an undeniable authority. "All related information is locked at the highest level of confidentiality. Any leaks are strictly prohibited. Violators will be treated as traitors! Notify all branches to cancel all leave and enter a state of high alert. Closely monitor any anomalies in their respective areas. If any resurgence of the anomalies is detected, no unauthorized action is permitted. Report to headquarters immediately!"
After speaking, Long Yuan turned to his adjutant, his expression extremely grave: "Also, raise Lu Yuan's file security level to SSS, the highest level! Without my personal written order, no one, not even the deputy director, is allowed to access or discuss it. Anyone who violates this order will be executed without exception!"
The adjutant paused, a look of confusion and bewilderment on his face. He subconsciously asked, "Director, he's caused such a huge mess, disrupting the entire global order. Are we just going to ignore it? If we just let him run rampant, what if he does something even more earth-shattering in the future? We, the Extraordinary Immortal Bureau, simply won't be able to explain ourselves to our superiors!"
"Manage?" Long Yuan sneered, his tone filled with helplessness and awe, even tinged with self-mockery. "Tell me, what can we use to manage him? Your head, to fill the hole he has that can summon lightning at will and stomp through an armed helicopter?"
His fingers tapped lightly on the armrest of his wheelchair, a hint of calculation and apprehension flashing in his eyes: "Now that he's back in Jiangnan City, let those local tyrants there probe his background. Those people are all ambitious and arrogant; they certainly won't stand idly by."
After a pause, Long Yuan's tone grew increasingly serious as he spoke, enunciating each word clearly: "Pass on my message: From this moment forward, the Jiangnan City branch is to turn a deaf ear and pretend not to see anything. As long as Lu Yuan doesn't cause any major upheaval or jeopardize the foundations of the nation, no one is allowed to provoke him, and no one is allowed to approach him. Even if he destroys the powerful families of Jiangnan City, we are not allowed to interfere!"
The adjutant was shocked and finally understood Long Yuan's intention—it wasn't that he didn't care, but that he simply couldn't afford to! Lu Yuan's strength had already exceeded the control of the Bureau of Extraordinary Immortals and the scope of the state apparatus's resistance. Rather than courting death by provoking him, it was better to avoid his sharp edge and let him run wild. At least, they could preserve the Bureau of Extraordinary Immortals and maintain the stability of the capital.
Long Yuan looked again at the long-dissipated cyan beam of light on the big screen, his eyes filled with awe and bewilderment—he knew that from tonight onwards, the earth had completely changed, and Lu Yuan, this god-like man, would become the most unapproachable being in this new era.