Who Let Him Cultivate?! (WX)

Before this, the salvation squad had considered countless possibilities. They had speculated that the King of Aberrant Beasts could be a tiger, a lion, an elephant, or some amalgamation of various animals, so they had devised battle plans for every conceivable scenario. But never in their wildest imaginations had they expected the King of Aberrant Beasts to take a human form!

How does it do that? Mimicry? Or some ability that has yet to be discovered?

A chill shot up from the soles of their feet to their crowns. It was the primal fear of the unknown. Would our guns, cannons, sabers, and swords really be effective?

The squad leader signaled for them to launch a sneak attack as planned. Panicking is useless now. The only way forward is to fight with our lives on the line and carve out a brighter future for humanity! At the very least, we have to wound the King of Aberrant Beasts severely and buy humanity some breathing room!

“Yo, what a coincidence, finding people in a place like this.” The “King of Aberrant Beasts,” seated atop the ferocious tiger’s head, waved and smiled in their direction. Lu Yang was slightly surprised. He had transmitted an auditory message, communicating through the mind.

This would automatically convert his speech into a language the recipients could understand. Running into a tiger in such a desolate place isn’t strange, but who would’ve thought there’d be people here too?

The squad thought, Not only is it humanoid, but it can also speak!

“It’s spotted us! Attack!” The squad leader changed their plans and ordered a direct assault.

He struck first, brandishing a high-powered laser sword. It was the pinnacle of human technology, forged for him at enormous expense. The blade could slice through steel and concrete as easily as cutting through tofu.

As expected of the foremost of the Ten Great Experts, he moved at lightning speed. In the blink of an eye, he was before the King of Aberrant Beasts!

“I’ll cover you!” a burly man growled. His moniker among the Ten Great Experts was “Weapons Specialist,” and he carried an arsenal of devastating armaments. Even Captain Zhan Po would be reluctant to face him head-on.

A barrage of shells was fired, slamming into the King of Aberrant Beasts with force that could shake heaven and earth.

Shi Lingyun was also known as “Cloud-Reaching Ambition,”[1] just like his name suggested and was a master of ancient martial arts. He charged in second, unarmed, with his fists and feet as his weapons.

“Monkey King” Yuan Xing, “World’s Number Two” Su Tianxing, and “Hundred Battles” Gu Xiao... seven of the Ten Great Experts struck simultaneously, creating a breathtaking spectacle. Each was an unparalleled powerhouse capable of single-handedly holding a city against an army. The seven of them acting together was unprecedented in human history.

“Why do you attack someone you’ve just seen?” Lu Yang was displeased, catching the laser sword barehanded.

“What?!” Captain Zhan Po’s pupils contracted sharply. My laser sword has been stopped for the first time, and by a bare hand at that! Also, why is there not a single scratch on the King of Aberrant Beasts after the Weapons Specialist’s onslaught of shells?

“Mountain-Moving Fist!” Shi Lingyun struck from the flank, unleashing his full ancient martial arts prowess. This was a fist that could shake mountains. It landed on Lu Yang without causing even a tremor.

“Have you mistaken me for someone else? Also, don’t just hit people randomly.” Lu Yang flicked his finger and sent Shi Lingyun flying.

Shi Lingyun’s eyes were filled with horror as he hurtled backward.

“Lingyun, leave!” Captain Zhan Po bellowed without hesitation. We have deployed every trump card in the shortest time possible, yet the King of Aberrant Beasts hasn’t felt so much as an itch. The King of Aberrant Beasts’ power far exceeds our expectations. This is not an opponent we can defeat.

“No!” Shi Lingyun’s eyes reddened. “I can’t just survive on my own without dignity while everyone dies!”

“I’m not asking you to survive on your own without dignity. You are humanity’s hope. If you don’t leave, everyone will die here!” Zhan Po roared.

“Hold on, why are you making me out to be the villain here?” Lu Yang grumbled in exasperation. What is wrong with these people? They go straight for the kill the moment they meet you. Even the Demon Region isn’t this chaotic. Then again, if even a random exploration squad is this formidable, the humans of this planet must be pretty impressive.

Seeing Lu Yang rise, the squad members all moved to stop him.

Tears streamed down Shi Lingyun’s face as he watched his comrades get hurled away one after another. Memories of their time together came flooding back—the arguments, the disagreements, but also the laughter and joy. I must protect all of it!

With a heart-wrenching howl, he stomped and shattered the earth. “NO—”

Zhan Po’s expression shifted from disbelief to elation. This is the state achieved by fully absorbing the enhancement agent. It’s the strongest possible state in theory! Even I am half a step short of reaching it.

I’d hoped Shi Lingyun would retreat and regroup after the setback, fighting again after fully absorbing the enhancement agent. Never did I expect him to accomplish that right here and now!

Shi Lingyun’s presence was overwhelming. His body was stronger than ever before. He stared at Lu Yang with bloodshot eyes and enunciated every word. “I. Will. Defeat. You!”

At this moment, Shi Lingyun was humanity’s mightiest warrior. The victory of the battle, his teammates’ hopes, the future of humankind all rested on his shoulders. All of it was both a source of pressure and motivation.

“Lingyun!” the squad members shouted with excitement. Finally, they saw a glimmer of hope. Everyone present was overcome with emotion, tears and snot streaming down their faces.

Only Lu Yang found them unbearably noisy. He was speechless. You attack me the moment we meet, try to flee when you can’t win, then turn around halfway through because you suddenly think you can win. And every one of you is so worked up. Do you people have a screw loose?

“Be quiet.” Lu Yang flicked his finger from a distance and sent Shi Lingyun flying once more.

The group was plunged into despair. Even Shi Lingyun, evolved to his strongest state, is still no match for the King of Aberrant Beasts?

Lu Yang ambled over slowly and flashed what he believed was a genial smile. “Now, can we sit down and have a proper chat?”

~~~

Before long, the salvation squad was seated in a row in front of Lu Yang.

“Let me get this straight. Thirty years ago, a mad scientist conducted illegal experiments and developed an evolution agent that caused animals to evolve en masse, and they’ve taken over your planet?

“You call these evolved animals ‘aberrant beasts,’ and the King of Aberrant Beasts can control all of them. Your nuclear missiles and the like were intercepted by the avian aberrant beasts at the cost of their lives, so you couldn’t get them through.

“After paying a devastating price, humanity managed to hold onto half the territory.

“You seven are among humanity’s Ten Great Experts, and you came here specifically to deal with the King of Aberrant Beasts, only to mistake me for it?”

The salvation squad members nodded in unison.

Lu Yang patted the gigantic tiger beneath him. “And this is the King of Aberrant Beasts?”

“Uh, it should be. After all, we don’t know what it looks like.”

Realization dawned on Lu Yang. No wonder a random tiger I encountered was so formidable. So this is the King of Aberrant Beasts, and this squad isn’t some ordinary expedition team but seven of humanity’s Ten Great Experts.

“You’re fortunate to have run into me instead. If you had encountered this tiger, at least half of you would be dead, and that’s assuming Shi Lingyun here had already broken through.”

Captain Zhan Po noticed the hole in the tiger’s forehead and broke out in a cold sweat. This is the King of Aberrant Beasts that humanity had been powerless against, yet it hadn’t even lasted a single move with this person. Just who is he?!

“Mr. Lu... who exactly are you?”

Lu Yang’s terrifying power was utterly beyond his comprehension. Who is he? Is he a legendary deity? Or a reclusive master?

“Me? I’m just traveling around.”

1. The nickname is “Lingyun Aspiration,” and it’s the same “lingyun” in his name. It refers to grandiose ambitions. ☜