Assault

On the outskirts of Karl's capital. Three bulletproof commercial vans and two trucks came to a stop outside a town built in an exotic architectural style. Ahead of them stood an industrial complex consisting of three buildings. The main gates were tightly shut. As the vehicle doors opened one after another, figures stepped down. Yaoguang, Xie Yier, Kong Fang, Gu Wanquan, and a host of Spirit Intent Martial Saints, including the Hunyuan Martial Saint Xie Yushu, revealed themselves. Every single one was fully armed, wielding divine weapons and clad in battle armor. Some even had heavy firepower mounted onto their armor to breach fortifications and shatter defenses. Yaoguang glanced around their surroundings. "This isn't a densely populated area. Given Xuelong's usual style, they could easily mobilize the military to flatten this entire region, couldn't they?" Yaoguang asked. "The Moon Demon Empire backing the Rebirth Society primarily walks the path of spirit cultivation. In mental manipulation, hypnosis, and control, they are far superior to the spirit refining legacies left behind by our Artifact Sect. Even now, we still don't know how many people have been compromised by the Rebirth Society. Under such circumstances, the massive commotion of mobilizing an army would alert them without fail, allowing them to flee in advance," Xie Yier explained. Yaoguang felt a sense of sudden clarity upon hearing this. While the lethality of a modern army was terrifying, mobilizing it created far too much noise. It was not as though two armies were confronting each other on an open battlefield. Using regular forces to encircle and eliminate an individual or a handful of Martial Saints was like trying to hit a fly with a sledgehammer—boundless strength with nowhere to apply it. "Lord Yaoguang, we'll leave their leader, Mo Guang, to you. As for the rest, leave them to us," Xie Yushu stepped forward and said in a grave voice. "Furthermore, we've powered our various detection instruments to maximum capacity. The moment Xue Qi, the mastermind behind the Rebirth Society, shows his face, we will clear the area immediately." Yaoguang nodded. At the same time, he glanced at Kong Fang. Kong Fang gave a slight nod as well. He carried quite a few devices on his person. These devices established instantaneous links to multiple departments. Those departments served no other function than to guarantee that during their cooperation with Xuelong, Xuelong would not deploy nuclear weapons to drag everyone down into mutual destruction while Yaoguang was entangled with the Rebirth Society. "Then let us head inside and meet this president of the Rebirth Society," Yaoguang said. Right now, his sensory secret technique had already clearly detected dozens of red dots within the factory complex. Dozens of them. Compared to the Baisheng Chemical Plant, this was the true demon's den. Truly worthy of being the Rebirth Society's headquarters. Xie Yushu nodded. Yaoguang's party of over ten people was armed to the teeth; anyone could see they came with hostile intent. By now, a commotion was already echoing from within the factory buildings. Seeing no need to waste time, Xie Yushu gave the order. With a single command, two battle-armored Spirit Intent Martial Saints swiftly stepped forward. The rocket launchers on their shoulders flashed, and amidst bursts of fiery light, the main gate was blown wide open. The following Martial Saints charged straight inside. The moment they noticed anyone attempting to show their head inside the factory, they aimed their heavy machine guns directly at them. *Rat-tat-tat-tat!* Amidst rolling roars, the machine gun muzzles spewed fiery serpents, raking toward the Rebirth Society members trying to peek out. Some members instantly let out ferocious howls, morphing into demon form and leaping into the air to pounce. However, ordinary demon forms were evidently incapable of withstanding heavy machine gun fire, not to mention... There were six Martial Saints equipped with such battle armor present. Six heavy machine guns, supplemented by occasional rocket fire, formed an overwhelming wall of suppressive fire against this factory harboring dozens of gathered demons. While the armored Martial Saints suppressed the demons, the other Martial Saints held swords and darted into the factory like streaks of flowing light, slaughtering the remaining demons within. The entire operation proceeded with orderly advances and retreats in seamless coordination. "They're retreating," Yaoguang suddenly spoke up. Under his Perception secret technique, four red dots were fleeing into the distance at extreme speed. One of those red dots possessed an extraordinary vigor of qi and blood, far beyond what any of the other red dots could compare to. "After them!" Xie Yushu made an immediate decision. Thereupon, he, Yaoguang, and two Spirit Intent Martial Saints gave chase after the four red dots, while the remaining Martial Saints continued clearing out the other demons in the factory. Following their senses and the commotion ahead, four figures soon appeared before them. Moreover, as they dashed forward, the bodies of the four were already swelling and demonizing, transforming into their strongest forms. The sight made Xie Yushu and the others tense inwardly. However, taking into account their respective gear and equipment, they suppressed their unease and pressed on relentlessly. Finally... In a patch of woods some ten-odd li from the factory, the four demons completed their full transformations and halted their retreat. They knew very well that unless they shook off their pursuers, the moment the Xuelong Empire called in fire support, having pursuers of comparable cultivation pinning them down would place them in extreme peril. "What insolence!" The leading demon, standing over three meters tall and covered in pitch-black scales, glared at the four pursuers rapidly closing in. "Even the Artifact Sect behind you was utterly crushed under our Moon Demon Empire's onslaught. You marginal figures, who at best count as peripheral disciples, actually dare oppose us? Since you have a death wish, I'll grant it!" With that, he waved his hand fiercely. "Kill them all!" "Roar!" The other three demons in demon form bellowed and lunged toward the three Martial Saints led by Xie Yushu. Meanwhile, Yaoguang stood directly in front of the leading demon. "Mo Guang, president of the Rebirth Society?" Yaoguang said, then added, "Your name sounds just like 'Demon Emperor'... It seems you have no small ambition." "And what about you? What kind of creature are you, anyway? A failed descent, or... a remnant of the Heavenly Demon Empire?" Mo Guang looked at Yaoguang and demanded. Yet immediately after, he shook his head. "Not that you would answer if I asked. In that case, I will capture you myself and hand you over to Lord Xue Qi for interrogation. Last time, Lord Xue Qi only used a tier-four avatar when he descended, which allowed you to take advantage of him. But now... not only have I reached tier six, I have even manifested my complete form. I'd like to see what you have to contend against me..." As his last words fell, the three-meter-tall behemoth let out a low roar and pounced forward. The sheer force whipped up by his charge swept away all fallen leaves in the vicinity. His colossal body brought with it a suffocating pressure, rolling forward like an unceasing wave, as if exerting spirit intent suppression every single second... No! This was no longer mere spirit intent suppression! It was Shi—the momentum of heaven and earth! He had fused his own momentum with that of heaven and earth, forming a tangible, crushing aura that crashed downward. Facing such a terrifying physique and immense aura, an ordinary Martial Saint or even a Spirit Intent Martial Saint would feel their spirit seized with dread, their will and fighting spirit involuntarily drained away. From this alone, one could infer that Mo Guang's cultivation realm... Was definitely above the seventh tier. Unfortunately, he was up against Yaoguang. Even the momentum of Xue Qi—a suspected Star Lord-grade demon—could not shake Yaoguang in the slightest, let alone a demon equivalent merely to a high-tier cultivator. *Rumble!* Thunder shattered the air! Greeting this demon was a strike from the Thunderstrike Sword that seemed capable of cleaving the world in two. The lightning carried by the sword light resembled a swath of silk ripping through the void, instantly shattering the heavenly and earthly momentum Mo Guang had gathered. With both his Earth Furnace and the trait of the Child of the Stars he had subsequently acquired, anyone attempting to play with the momentum of heaven and earth before Yaoguang was merely making a fool of themselves. "You are not even on the same level as Leng Tianfeng," Yaoguang's voice echoed through the air. His sword strike not only cleaved apart Mo Guang's momentum, but it also infused his own momentum into the blade, crashing down upon Mo Guang along with the rolling thunder. The instant before the two collided, Mo Guang felt as though he had entered an intense high-gravity environment, the load on his body surging more than tenfold. "This kind of momentum!?" Mo Guang's pupils constricted sharply. Manifesting their true forms was an overburdening act for any demon. This was why none of them would casually assume their true forms unless locked in a life-and-death struggle. In this state, they could exert combat power beyond their current realm, but it was akin to a patient riddled with hidden ailments undergoing high-G flight. The surface of the body might hold up, but minor internal aches and ailments would fully erupt under such overload. All at once, Mo Guang's massive body shuddered violently, blood seeping from numerous places across his flesh, and even the razor claws swiping downward slightly warped in trajectory. *Whoosh!* Seizing this opening, power erupted beneath Yaoguang's feet. Under the near-constant enhancement of Star Ignition and the Heavenly Demon Disintegration, his speed at this moment far exceeded the imagination of an ordinary Hunyuan Martial Saint. The Thunderstrike Sword seemed to turn into a bolt of true lightning, piercing straight into Mo Guang's vital heart. This was only because of their height difference, which made beheading him inconvenient with this angle. Otherwise, the battle might have ended the very moment they clashed. Yet it was not over. "Roar!" Struggling against the internal flare-ups triggered by Yaoguang's sword momentum, Mo Guang swiftly clamped his hands over the Thunderstrike Sword embedded in his chest, preventing it from piercing any deeper. Yet almost the instant he gripped the Thunderstrike Sword, the inherent thunder power within the divine blade erupted. Violent electric currents surged from the blade, engulfing Mo Guang's entire body in an instant and locking him in paralysis. Immediately following this, Yaoguang, maintaining his charging momentum, used his own body as a weapon and slammed like a massive war hammer into Mo Guang's three-meter-tall frame weighing over four hundred kilograms. The moment they collided, a ring of air exploded outward centered on Yaoguang, instantly shredding the leaves and foliage where he stood into dust. Empowered by the momentum of that charge, Mo Guang's body was sent flying back more than ten meters as if struck head-on by a speeding heavy truck. He crashed heavily into the dirt and skidded another five or six meters before halting. An absolute crush! Both were Hunyuan Martial Saints! Furthermore, Mo Guang had even manifested his demon form, possessing combat strength superior to that of ordinary Hunyuan Martial Saints. Xie Yushu reckoned that even if he himself fought Mo Guang while fully armed, his chances of victory would be under thirty percent. Yet such a formidable president of the Rebirth Society... Had been defeated by Yaoguang in an almost entirely one-sided crushing fashion. Such terrifying strength... Caused Xie Yushu and the others' pupils to contract in shock, each feeling they had truly backed the right horse. However, Yaoguang paid no heed to their delight. He did not even spare a glance at Mo Guang, whose heart had been pulverized, but looked toward a spot not far from the woods... At this moment, he seemed to understand. The Xuelong Empire wanted to use him as bait to draw out the Rebirth Society demon that had possessed Xie Bo'en. And the other side, by deliberately exposing Mo Guang's whereabouts... Had the exact same intention.