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The Imperial Capital of Chixing. Members of the Chixing high command gathered together. In addition to Hunyuan Martial Saint Jiang Banzi, who presided over the meeting, Lei Ting of the Star Shrine, Imperial Preceptor Zuo Wendao, and Imperial Uncle Jiang Zhenwu were in attendance. Furthermore, Jiang Bairen—the true stabilizing pillar of the Jiang family who wielded their sole set of high-rank battle armor—also attended via video link. These individuals were more than enough to represent the Jiang family, and indeed the absolute pinnacle of authority in the imperial capital. Even Qi Renjie and the heads of the twelve great aristocratic families were normally not qualified to attend a meeting of this caliber. "Is he truly a Heavenly Being?" Jiang Bairen's gaze turned toward Lei Ting. "He might possess combat strength close to that of a Heavenly Being through some secret technique. It's also possible he is an actual Heavenly Being who held back out of wariness toward our Jiang family's backing in the Artifact Sect. There is yet another possibility..." Lei Ting said in a heavy voice, "The Rebirth Society." The Rebirth Society! Those words weighed heavily on the hearts of everyone present. Although the Rebirth Society had not engaged in direct conflict with the Crimson Star Empire at the moment, the pressure they exerted on the Jiang family was even greater than that from the Xuelong Empire. The Xuelong Empire at least shared common roots with them. While the two sides had their disputes, there remained a bottom line when they clashed, and neither would completely tear away all pretense of civility. But the Rebirth Society... If the intelligence was true, they were a hostile force to the Artifact Sect. Once swords were drawn, only one side would likely be left alive. Moreover, the combat strength of those in the Rebirth Society could not be measured by surface cultivation. Relying on consummate combat techniques and boundless battle experience, certain Grandmasters could frequently unleash the combat power of a Martial Saint. Martial Saints among them could even rival Spirit Intent Martial Saints with such means. Going higher still... It seemed entirely reasonable for a Hunyuan Martial Saint to unleash combat power approaching that of a Heavenly Being with the help of secret techniques. "So the Rebirth Society suddenly going completely quiet recently means they're about to make a move against us?" Jiang Banzi's eyes were filled with solemnity. "Wait. Going by that person's actions, he should be a member of the Jishi Society. How did the Rebirth Society get dragged into this?" Jiang Zhenwu was somewhat bewildered. "The Jishi Society?" Lei Ting sneered. "If they had that kind of capability, I wouldn't have rounded them up with such ease last time. Besides, many of their supporters have already defected to us. Based on the intelligence they provided, I know better than anyone what the Jishi Society is actually capable of..." The others nodded in deep agreement. "Then it makes no sense. If someone from the Rebirth Society really struck to sow internal chaos in our Chixing imperial family, why would they use the guise of the Jishi Society? They know full well we wouldn't fall for that," Jiang Zhenwu argued. His words plunged the room into silence. None of them had an answer. "In truth, the answer might not be as complicated as we think. The Jishi Society might not lack this kind of power after all." At this moment, Imperial Preceptor Zuo Wendao spoke up. Everyone was slightly taken aback. Jiang Bairen's gaze locked onto him in particular. "Tell us your guess." He knew this Imperial Preceptor had always been renowned for his meticulous thinking. "The reason we ruled out the Jishi Society is that, according to the intelligence in our possession, they are indeed beneath notice. But in truth... I have reviewed Lei Ting's summary of their intelligence, and that file... overlooked one person." "Who?" "Su Yaoguang." "Hmm!?" The moment the name was uttered, strange expressions appeared on everyone's faces. "That genius Martial Saint who wiped out the Liao family?" "Yes." Zuo Wendao nodded. Lei Ting, Jiang Banzi, Jiang Zhenwu, and the others exchanged glances. After a moment, Lei Ting finally spoke: "I admit that Su Yaoguang is extraordinarily gifted, and his combat strength should have reached the level of a Spirit Intent Martial Saint. But as far as I know, he is not even twenty years old this year. Claiming he could defeat me in a direct confrontation at such an age..." He let out a soft laugh. "I doubt even the direct disciples of the Artifact Sect's elders could possess that kind of strength at his age without relying on external assistance." "Theoretically, that is true," Zuo Wendao agreed with a nod. "Yet what if Su Yaoguang is of the same kind as those in the Rebirth Society?" Upon hearing this, the expression on Lei Ting's face froze. "Are you saying... the Moon Demon Empire!?" "The Rebirth Society has practically vanished without a trace lately, resembling the calm before a storm. I had our people step up their investigation into intelligence concerning them, and they discovered that within the Rebirth Society... they are attempting to gather information on Su Yaoguang." Zuo Wendao looked solemn. "You all should know that whether through deliberate pretense or some other reason, the Moon Demon Empire carries an indescribable sense of superiority even when facing us. That feeling... is just like how we look upon the natives of this world... Yet that attitude has only ever had one exception: Su Yaoguang. Toward him..." He paused for a second. "They carry the feeling of treating one of their own kind..." "Their own kind!" For a time, the people present recalled all the files on Yaoguang. When they cross-referenced them, they were shocked to realize... Yaoguang was strikingly similar to those demons and descenders of the Rebirth Society! Both underwent a sudden drastic change in temperament; both experienced a meteoric rise in cultivation after taking up martial arts; both possessed immense combat strength that defied what their level should allow... "I suspect Su Yaoguang might also be a life form like the descenders from the Moon Demon Empire. Just as our Artifact Sect is split into several factions, Su Yaoguang might simply not belong to the same camp as the Rebirth Society." Zuo Wendao's conjecture caused everyone to draw a sharp breath of cold air. Having a single Rebirth Society was already troublesome enough. Judging by current trends, had another new faction similar to the Rebirth Society infiltrated them as well? "Investigate! We must investigate this thoroughly!" Jiang Banzi said without hesitation, "Determine whether this Su Yaoguang truly shares the same origin as the Moon Demon Empire. If not, so be it. If he does, we must find out as quickly as possible whether he belongs to a vast organizational power like the Rebirth Society, or if he merely represents an individual like those rogue cultivators who occasionally slip into our world to stir up trouble... If he has a massive force behind him... it will prove beyond doubt that the Artifact Nurturing Realm has become an utter sieve. When that time comes, no matter what, we must leave this world as soon as possible and return to Cangwu." His words made the Jiang family members present nod in deep agreement. "I will go personally," Lei Ting said in a low voice. "Letting Shengtian's killer escape was my dereliction of duty. Therefore, regardless of his identity, I will personally step forward to settle scores with him." "You..." Jiang Banzi hesitated slightly. "Let Lei Ting go," Jiang Bairen decided. "Take the Scarlet Blood Sword. With this quasi-demon weapon, combined with Lei Ting's own armor, he can threaten even a genuine Heavenly Being." "But what if..." "Aside from me, this is already the strongest measure our Jiang family can deploy. If we still cannot deal with him, then all we have left are nuclear weapons... only the Great Sun True Fire remains." Jiang Bairen took a deep breath. "The reason the Rebirth Society hasn't dared to overstep their bounds too far until now is that they fear our mastery over the Great Sun True Fire. They do not know whether the secret techniques in their grasp can interfere with the normal deployment of the Great Sun True Fire. Yet any weapon holds its true greatest power only before it is used. Once it is used... a countermeasure will always be found; it's merely a matter of time. Therefore, the Great Sun True Fire is our final trump card..." The others understood his meaning. Actually using the Great Sun True Fire would signify that Chixing was at its wit's end. When that happened... Chixing would have no choice but to face reality. "Focus primarily on investigating. Do not act rashly without sufficient certainty," Jiang Bairen instructed once more. "Understood." Lei Ting nodded solemnly. Jiang Banzi could not help asking, "Is that stubborn old Xie Bo'en still refusing to call a truce and join hands with us against the Rebirth Society?" "Their condition... is that our Chixing must yield both the Southern and Northern Continents," Jiang Bairen replied. Their hearts sank. Although it was their Jiang family's fault for clinging to power when the term expired, the problem now was... They couldn't leave. Without a way to return to the Artifact Sect, if they surrendered the Southern and Northern Continents as well, the Jiang family would inevitably be reduced to vassals of the Xie family. "Accelerate the progress of the Demon Lord Plan," Jiang Bairen said. "Only by taking control of the Five Emperors Furnace will we possess the true ability to make the Xuelong Empire cooperate with us. At that point, whether to leave or stay will be entirely up to our discretion." The Five Emperors Soul Refining Furnace. Hearing Jiang Bairen mention this artifact, the crowd rallied their spirits and nodded together. This was where the Jiang family's true trump card for turning the tables lay. *** Elsewhere. Yaoguang looked at a relatively smooth asphalt road ahead and the signpost standing by the roadside. "I've finally set foot in Dayu." He let out a light breath. Even for a Spirit Intent Martial Saint, trekking thousands of kilometers was still an exhausting endeavor. However, he had no intention of contacting Lei Yun and the others. A long-distance journey like this was itself a tempering of one's state of mind. Although he could rapidly master all information through the "Ancient Tree" search engine, still... A student who read ten thousand books might not necessarily become a top scientist. Things that required practical experience still had to be practiced one by one. "Speaking of which, the batch of medicinal herbs from the Crimson Star Empire was of fine quality. After brewing and ingesting them according to the formula, I can clearly feel my spirit intent stabilizing and my mental power growing... If this trend continues, my spirit intent will reach perfection in a year, and reaching major mastery might only take a few months." Yaoguang calculated slightly. Theoretically, only when spirit intent reached perfection—bringing one's essence, qi, and spirit to a new pinnacle—could one capture that harmonized sensation of Hunyuan Flawless, thereby tempering a flawless true body and stepping into the realm of a Hunyuan Martial Saint. Yet with his wealth of experience, Yaoguang had already forged his flawless true body long ago and could skip the process of capturing the "harmonized sensation of Hunyuan Flawless" entirely. In fact, even as his spirit intent grew, he was able to purify it simultaneously. Maintaining this state, once his spirit intent reached major mastery, he would be able to utilize the Heaven and Earth Furnace at all times to temper his form, rapidly strengthening his physique. Furthermore, with the secret technique of the Earth Furnace at his disposal, the time needed to finish tempering his physical body would be dramatically shortened. As he pondered, a sedan pulled up briskly in front of Yaoguang. Immediately afterward, an excited Lei Yun quickly opened the door. She approached Yaoguang and bowed respectfully. "Young Master, we have come to take you home."