After the college entrance examination, my identity as a Mahayana Immortal Venerable could no longer

Jiangzhou, at the foot of Panlong Mountain.

The once wide and flat mountain road was now completely blocked by more than a dozen dark green military armored vehicles. The heavy armor of the vehicles gleamed with a cold, hard metallic luster, and the muzzles of their cannons were faintly pointed at the mountain peak, exuding a chilling aura. Three dense lines of police tape were set up by heavily armed special agents from the Alien Immortal Bureau. The dark muzzles of their guns were pointed at the surroundings, and their expressions were as cold as ice. Any vehicle or pedestrian attempting to approach was sternly driven away by the agents, who did not even allow them to stop and look.

At the forefront of the cordon, a black armored SUV with top-tier Beijing military license plates sat quietly, its body spotless, yet exuding an oppressive aura that kept strangers at bay. The door was suddenly pushed open, and a pair of gleaming military boots slammed heavily onto the dew-kissed asphalt, making a dull thud—Long Yuan stepped out.

He wore a crisp black military uniform, the gold stars on his epaulets gleaming. The scar on his face, running from his brow bone to his jaw, appeared even more menacing in the morning light. He slightly raised his head, his gaze piercing through the thick white mist in the mountains, looking at the villa hidden in the fog atop the mountain. His muscles tensed involuntarily, and a hint of solemnity and apprehension flashed in his eyes.

Even from a distance of hundreds of meters, even though he was a martial artist at the peak of the War God Realm in China and had long been accustomed to bloodshed, he could still clearly feel the oppressive aura emanating from the mountaintop—it was not a deliberately released killing intent, but an absolute crushing force originating from the level of life itself, like an ant looking up at a towering giant, small and powerless, unable to even muster the thought of resistance.

"Chief." The adjutant stepped forward quickly, his steps slow, clutching a tablet computer tightly in his hand. His voice was extremely low, carrying a hint of barely perceptible panic. "The mutated beast tide in Jiangzhou City has been temporarily suppressed by the local garrison in conjunction with the branch of the Bureau of Extraordinary Immortals, but the casualties are considerable. What's more troublesome is that the concentration of spiritual energy in the air is still soaring. The ancient martial arts world is in complete chaos. Several old guys who have been stuck at the Grandmaster realm bottleneck for decades have suddenly broken through by taking advantage of the spiritual energy tide and are now rushing to Jiangzhou like madmen, all eyeing this mountaintop."

Long Yuan's lips curled into a cold sneer, his tone full of disdain and mockery: "A bunch of wild dogs that pounce on the scent of spiritual energy, blinded by greed and forgetting all righteousness. Don't they even know whose territory this is?"

He raised his hand and waved it, his eyes resolute: "Ignore them, let them come. Perfect, let that guy on the mountaintop teach them a lesson about rules and strength."

After saying that, Long Yuan straightened his military uniform, smoothed out the wrinkles at the hem, and without any attendants, he stepped across the cordon and headed up the steep mountain road alone. His back was lonely and desolate, yet it carried a ruthless determination—he knew that this trip would either lead to a successful negotiation or his death.

……

Halfway up Panlong Mountain, in a secluded thicket of bushes.

Lin Wan'er lay disheveled in the mud, her expensive Chanel suit torn to shreds by tree branches, covered in mud and grass clippings, her exquisite makeup ruined, and her hair plastered messily to her face. She was a far cry from the dignified socialite of Jiangzhou. She clutched her mouth tightly, her knuckles white, but her eyes were fixed on the endless line of armored vehicles below, a sickly light gleaming in them.

She hadn't slept a wink last night, not out of fear, but out of excitement—the news that the Zhao family had issued a 10 billion yuan bounty for Lu Yuan's life was spreading like wildfire in Jiangzhou's high society. In her eyes, Lu Yuan, that poor, penniless brat, no matter how skilled he was in combat, was nothing more than a self-taught fighter with no background. Faced with the Zhao family's 10 billion yuan bounty and countless assassins, he had no chance of surviving last night.

Once Lu Yuan was dead, she would no longer have to endure the humiliation of being ignored and despised, no longer have to see Lu Yuan's disdainful gaze, and she could even take the opportunity to seize the priceless mountain villa under Lu Yuan's name. With this sordid expectation, she secretly sneaked up the mountain before dawn, wanting to see Lu Yuan's corpse with her own eyes and witness her own "liberation".

But as soon as she climbed halfway up the mountain, she was stunned by the scene before her—armored military vehicles blocked the mountain, and heavily armed special agents were on guard. The chilling atmosphere made her feel cold all over, but she was instantly overwhelmed by a surge of ecstasy.

"The military has been mobilized... even armored vehicles have arrived!" Lin Wan'er lowered her voice, her lips curling into an uncontrollable smile, her eyes practically overflowing with elation. "Lu Yuan, you ignorant idiot! Do you really think that knowing a little bit of martial arts gives you the right to act lawlessly and oppose the state apparatus?"

"You're dead! This time, even a god couldn't save you!"

She eagerly pulled out her phone, her fingers trembling with excitement, and quickly snapped a video of armored vehicles blocking the mountain. She sent it to her newly acquired patron—the eldest disciple of the Xuanmen master Chen Daoling—in a fawning yet urgent tone: "Darling, something big has happened at Panlong Mountain! The military has sealed off the entire mountain. That kid surnamed Lu has definitely been dealt with by the military! That villa on the mountaintop will soon be ownerless. We need to find a way to get it quickly!"

After sending the message, Lin Wan'er lay in the mud, laughing uncontrollably, as if she could already see herself living in a villa on the mountaintop, enjoying boundless glory. She was completely unaware that Lu Yuan, whom she thought was "certain to die," was sitting on the mountaintop, waiting for a good show.

……

At the top of Panlong Mountain, inside the villa courtyard.

As soon as Long Yuan stepped into the courtyard, he was so shocked by the scene before him that his pupils contracted sharply, his stomach churned, and he even held his breath for half a second. The ground was covered with dark red bloodstains, which had long since dried and turned black. Fragments of flesh, broken bones, and scattered weapon remnants were embedded in the cracks between the floor tiles, and there were signs of a battle everywhere.

He had fought on the battlefield for decades, experiencing mountains of corpses and seas of blood, and witnessed the most tragic scenes of carnage. But this was the first time he had ever seen such a thorough and one-sided slaughterhouse. There was no trace of resistance, as if the dead were just ants that had been crushed at will. This extreme cruelty and tyranny made even this martial artist at the peak of the War God Realm feel a chill run down his spine, and his fear in his heart deepened.

The front door of the villa was wide open, without any guard, yet it exuded an invisible pressure. Long Yuan took a deep breath, suppressing the fear in his heart, and stepped inside.

In the living room, Lu Yuan sat languidly on the mahogany sofa, holding a freshly brewed cup of premium Da Hong Pao tea. The tea was clear and fragrant. He held the teacup lightly between his fingers, his expression indifferent, as if the bloodshed before him and the commotion outside were irrelevant to him.

Long Yuan stopped in his tracks, not displaying the slightest bit of the official airs of the Director of the Bureau of Extraordinary Immortals—he knew very well that in front of a monster of Lu Yuan's caliber, official airs and status were nothing but a joke, and to flaunt them would be tantamount to courting death.

"Mr. Lu." Long Yuan's voice was extremely low, with a hint of barely perceptible respect. "Let me introduce myself. I am Long Yuan, Director of the Bureau of Extraordinary Immortals of China."

Lu Yuan gently blew on the foam in his teacup, causing ripples to spread across the tea. He didn't even lift his eyelids or glance at Long Yuan, uttering only one word in a calm yet weighty voice: "Speak."

That single word made Long Yuan feel as if the air around him had been instantly sucked out, as if his lungs were being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, a suffocating sensation washing over him, and his blood seemed to freeze. He forcibly circulated the true energy of the War God Realm within his body, desperately resisting this invisible pressure, fine beads of cold sweat seeping from his forehead, and his military uniform on the back instantly becoming soaked.

"The Bureau of Extraordinary Immortals is already aware of Mr. Lu's remarkable feat in the East China Sea." Long Yuan gritted his teeth and spoke with difficulty, his tone carrying a hint of deliberate flattery. "Your strength has indeed surpassed the realm of worldly understanding; it is an existence that we can only look up to."

He carefully pulled up a chair and sat down opposite Lu Yuan, leaning slightly forward as he tried to maintain control of the conversation. His tone became increasingly cautious: "But this is China, a society governed by the rule of law. Last night, you killed more than a hundred people in the villa, which violated secular laws. Subsequently, you triggered a turmoil in the Jiangzhou earth veins, causing a surge of spiritual energy that resulted in mutated beasts injuring people and leaving countless people homeless."

At this point, Long Yuan's tone became slightly more forceful, attempting to project the authority of the state apparatus: "You have crossed the line of the state apparatus."

Lu Yuan finally raised his head, his gaze falling on Long Yuan's scarred face. His eyes were calm and expressionless, but a cold smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, his tone full of mockery: "You think you can threaten me with those worthless pieces of metal and worldly laws?"

Long Yuan's back stiffened abruptly, and a chill instantly spread through his body. He quickly waved his hand, his tone softening again: "I'm not here to threaten you, Mr. Lu. I'm here to discuss cooperation."

As he spoke, he pulled out a document stamped with the top-secret red seal of the Bureau of Extraordinary Immortals from his pocket, pushed it onto the coffee table, and said in a seductive voice, "The Bureau of Extraordinary Immortals is willing to provide you with the most prestigious legal identity—'National Guardian Martial God,' enjoying the highest level of privileges in China, and no one will dare to offend you; the country will also mobilize all its top medical resources to treat your sister's illness and ensure her lifelong well-being."

"In exchange," Long Yuan stared into Lu Yuan's eyes, his tone becoming serious, "we need you to hand over control of the Panlong Mountain Spirit Gathering Array, and, without the approval of the Bureau of Extraordinary Immortals, you must not use that destructive power again, nor cause any more large-scale chaos."

He paused, deliberately emphasizing his words in an attempt to intimidate Lu Yuan: "Mr. Lu, no matter how strong an individual is, they cannot contend against an entire nation. The foundation of the royal family in the capital is far deeper than you imagine, and they are backed by the power of the cultivation world. If you insist on your own way and refuse to compromise, we will have no choice but to use our last resort—including tactical nuclear weapons with a yield of tens of millions of tons. Even if it means mutual destruction, we will never allow you to do as you please again."

A deathly silence fell over the living room, broken only by the faint sound of steaming tea. The air was so heavy it seemed to drip water. Long Yuan stared intently at Lu Yuan, his palms clammy with cold sweat. He knew that those words were both a threat and the final line of defense.

Lu Yuan slowly put down his teacup. The porcelain collided with the glass coffee table, making a crisp "ding" sound that broke the silence, but also made Long Yuan's heart sink.

"The God of War who protects the nation," Lu Yuan murmured softly, his tone full of disdain. "What great prestige, what a heavy blessing."

He slowly stood up, without unleashing any imposing aura or releasing a trace of killing intent. He simply looked at Long Yuan calmly, his indifference more chilling than any murderous intent.

"You treat these few scraps of paper stamped with red seals as a gift, as bargaining chips to manipulate me."

"They treat those buried powder kegs as truth, as capital that can threaten me."

Lu Yuan took a step forward, and the invisible pressure surged again. Long Yuan felt as if his bones were about to be crushed. He spoke each word clearly and coldly, with an unquestionable authority: "What qualifications do you think you have to sit here and negotiate with me?"

Before he finished speaking, Lu Yuan raised his right hand, slightly bent his index finger, and gently tapped Long Yuan's knee from a distance.

"Kneel down."

"Snap—!!!"

Two crisp cracking sounds rang out instantly in the living room, extremely piercing. Long Yuan didn't even have time to react to what had happened. His War God Realm protective aura, which he was so proud of and relied on for survival, burst on the spot like a cheap balloon under this one finger, leaving him no room for resistance whatsoever.

Two terrifyingly powerful forces slammed into his kneecaps, and excruciating pain instantly overwhelmed his senses. Long Yuan's knees buckled, and he crashed heavily onto the floor with a thud, creating two deep craters in the hard marble tiles. Shards of stone flew everywhere, and his military uniform at his knees was instantly soaked in blood, revealing the white bone fragments beneath.

He tried to stand up and resist, but found that it was as if a mountain was pressing down on him, and he couldn't move even a finger. He could only kneel on the ground in a sorry state, his whole body convulsing, sweating profusely from the pain, and his face as pale as paper.

"You...you dare!" Long Yuan's face turned red, the veins on his forehead bulged, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. His eyes were filled with humiliation and rage. He was the director of the Huaxia Extraordinary Immortal Bureau and a peak warrior of the War God Realm. He had never suffered such humiliation.

Lu Yuan slowly walked up to him, looking down at the disheveled head of China's top secret agency. His eyes held no pity, only icy indifference: "Go back and tell those royals in the capital who are playing power games behind the scenes, and your Bureau of Extraordinary Immortals."

"Wash your neck clean and wait for me."

"These worldly rules, these so-called national bottom lines, have been abolished since the day I, Lu Yuan, returned."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Yuan raised his foot and kicked Long Yuan in the chest without hesitation.

"Bang—!"

Long Yuan was kicked away like a tattered sack, crashing heavily out of the villa gate and into a muddy puddle in the yard, splashing mud everywhere. He kept spitting out blood, barely breathing, and didn't even have the strength to struggle.

The dignified Director of the Huaxia Extraordinary Immortal Bureau, a peak War God Realm martial artist, couldn't even manage a single move to test Lu Yuan's strength in front of him, and didn't even have the right to stand and speak—this is absolute power, this is Lu Yuan's rule!