Counterattack

"Dead?" Yaoguang asked once more. "Yes. He died in Tiannan." Yue Xingzhou paused before continuing, "From what I understand, he was taken into custody by the royal family and should have been in the royal capital. Yet he ended up... suddenly turning up dead in Tiannan's provincial capital. This... is a warning from the Rebirth Society to us." "You think the Rebirth Society did it?" "..." Yue Xingzhou was silent for a moment. Only after a good while did he speak again. "Didn't our trail lead to Zhao Sheng? Zhao Sheng clearly belongs to the Rebirth Society's upper-middle ranks. He went to the royal capital not long ago and just returned today. Shortly after his return, Xia Wuyuan's body was discovered, so... it should be... it must have been Zhao Sheng's doing." Yaoguang listened without saying a word. Yue Xingzhou let out a long breath and said, "Yaoguang... things have come to this; we can't investigate any further. I know you're young and hot-blooded, and you won't accept this lying down. But the risk lurking behind this matter is far too great—so great that the slightest misstep will crush us to powder. So... let it go. In a little while, I'll bring a gift to pay a visit to Governor-General Zhao..." "No need," Yaoguang said. "Regardless of who actually did it, I'll take care of Zhao Sheng." Yue Xingzhou froze. Immediately after, he grew anxious. "Yaoguang, I'm afraid this Zhao Sheng isn't as simple as we imagined. I even suspect... that once he transforms into that monster form, he possesses the strength of a Martial Saint. Otherwise, it would be impossible..." He did not dwell on that point, quickly changing the subject. "You may be a teenage Grandmaster, and with your talent combined with the Jishi Society's nurturing, becoming a Martial Saint in the future is certainly within reach. But becoming a Martial Saint in the future and facing one right now are two entirely different things! Potential is still only potential. Before it translates into actual combat power, relying on sheer hot-blooded bravado to attempt what you cannot do will only destroy yourself in the end!" "I understand," Yaoguang said. His expression hardly changed. Yue Xingzhou knew Yaoguang hadn't taken his words to heart, and he hurriedly said, "Yaoguang, take my advice: the water here runs too deep for you to handle! You're still young. You can easily wait until your cultivation has matured before investigating in secret. While there are green hills, there'll be wood to burn!" "I have my own measure of things," Yaoguang said. "That will be all." He hung up the phone. Then, he began packing his belongings: the Shenying Sword, the 5S-class combat suit, and the medicinal herbs for cultivation. *A Martial Saint,* Yaoguang said to himself. Once the progress on any branch reached 60%, it met the criteria for a breakthrough into the next realm. Reaching 80% practically guaranteed a breakthrough. The remaining progress from 80% to 100% consisted mostly of techniques, combat experience, and insights for slaying opponents of higher realms and overcoming the strong from a position of weakness. The demon at the Baisheng Chemical Plant that had fully revealed its true form was an outright Martial Saint. Back then, when his cultivation realm was still at the fifth rank, he had already been able to kill that demon in its true form. Now, his realm had advanced to 71% of the sixth rank. So... "It's not as if a Martial Saint cannot be killed." *Click.* Yaoguang locked the case, picked up the sword box, and prepared to head out. The moment he went downstairs, he saw Zong Yan and Liu Tong hurrying over. Seeing Yaoguang coming down as if about to leave, Zong Yan was slightly taken aback, then seemed to realize something. "You heard?" "The Jishi Society's competence is disappointing," Yaoguang said, looking at him. "I shouldn't have placed my hopes on you." Zong Yan's expression turned grim. The day before yesterday, Yaoguang had made it unmistakably clear to Fang Lu and Liao Ming that Xia Wuyuan was his man, and that Xia Wuyuan had submitted the demon intelligence to the royal family solely on his behalf. At the time, Zong Yan had also instructed them to have the royal family watch over Xia Wuyuan, and Liao Ming had agreed. Yet... In the blink of an eye, Xia Wuyuan was dead. With such an incident occurring, both the Jishi Society and his own dignity as a Martial Saint had been thoroughly disgraced. It was no wonder Yaoguang would say something like that. "The Jishi Society will give you an explanation for this. In fact... this isn't the Liao family's fault. Xia Wuyuan snuck out of the Supreme Procuratorate on his own, which gave the fiends an opportunity," Zong Yan promised in a deep voice. "We've already identified the person responsible. It's a high-ranking member of the Rebirth Society—an equivalent to a director in our Jishi Society—who operates under the identity of Tiannan's Vice Governor-General Zhao Sheng! Our Jishi Society will handle him personally!" "Then what are you waiting for?" Yaoguang asked. "A director of the Rebirth Society... definitely possesses the strength of a Martial Saint. If transformed from a fiend within the Ten Thousand Demons Blood Soul Banner, he might even rank among the peak of Martial Saints. We must assemble enough manpower..." Zong Yan held up two fingers. "Two days. Give me two days!" "Manpower? There is already enough; it is merely a matter of whether you are willing to act," Yaoguang said. "As for Zhao Sheng... I will deal with him." "You!?" Zong Yan's eyes widened. He immediately added, "A Martial Saint is nothing like a Grandmaster! This is the first transformative stage along the path of Fiendgod Body Refining. A battle-hardened Martial Master facing a newly broken-through Grandmaster might still turn defeat into victory and turn the tide by relying on rich experience and resolute willpower. But the gap between a Grandmaster and a Martial Saint is stark and immediate. Overcoming strength from weakness is virtually impossible..." "'Virtually impossible' means someone can do it." "But—" "There are no 'buts.'" With that, Yaoguang carried his things and walked toward the courtyard exit. "Wait!" Zong Yan called out. "Even if you can deal with Zhao Sheng, he's bound to have other fiends at his side. You—" "Are you afraid?" Yaoguang asked suddenly. He looked at Zong Yan. "Is the Jishi Society afraid of the Rebirth Society?" "No! The mission of the Jishi Society is to oppose Chixing, oppose the Star Shrine, and oppose the Rebirth Society that they prop up! We do not fear them in the slightest. We simply don't want to see anyone sacrifice their life in vain when the situation is unclear—" "I know what I'm doing," Yaoguang said. He had traveled through many parts of the provincial capital and found no demons. Furthermore, according to the fiend who dropped the Soul-Intimidating Orb, that creature had put aside urgent business just to assassinate him. In other words... Short of taking the field himself, that had already been the strongest force Zhao Sheng could mobilize. Therefore, even if any fish slipped through the net, they would at most be ordinary characters at the Grandmaster level. "Yaoguang, don't be reckless," Zong Yan urged, growing anxious. Yaoguang... was a Martial Saint seed he had high hopes for, someone who, with focused nurturing, had the potential to become a Martial Saint before twenty-five. Becoming a Martial Saint at twenty-five, then after five more years reaching thirty, he would be right at the peak of his life—in his prime, with a great hope of defeating a Chixing Martial Saint and reclaiming the recommendation quota spot that Chixing had monopolized for forty years. If he were to die just to eliminate an executive of the Rebirth Society... It simply wasn't worth it. *What on earth are those people from the Liao family good for?! Someone in the royal capital itself could be intercepted and murdered by the Rebirth Society?!* Zong Yan cursed inwardly. He quickly caught up with Yaoguang, who had already left the courtyard, and said resolutely, "Wait. I'll go with you." "Hm?" Yaoguang looked at him. "Give me one hour!" Zong Yan said in a low, heavy voice. Even though he was advanced in years with waning qi and blood, if he risked his life in an all-out burst, he could still unleash the combat power of a Martial Saint. What was more... The Jishi Society's Holy Fire Liquid was exceptionally potent at igniting human potential. Although taking Holy Fire Liquid at his age was virtually gambling with his life, still... Passing on the torch, cultivating young Grandmasters into Martial Saints, sending them into the Artifact Sect, and having them repay the nations behind the Jishi Society once they attained status—thereby shielding their own country from the Crimson Star Empire's tyranny—that was the mission of the Jishi Society's Martial Saints. For that mission, even dying was a sacrifice he would gladly make. "I need to make preparations. In one hour, I'll set out with you!" Zong Yan said solemnly. "Fine." Yaoguang looked at Zong Yan and nodded. "I'll wait for you for one hour." With that, he returned to the courtyard. Zong Yan also departed swiftly to don his combat suit, equip his combat weapons, and prepare for the impending battle. As for Yaoguang... He swallowed a Snow Ginseng Pill and quietly tempered his physique. Often, matters did not follow one's wishes. They didn't grant people much time to wait. Just like with Xia Wuyuan... He had planned to bail him out after becoming a Martial Saint and attaining a higher status. But as it turned out... He had overestimated his own weight. A teenage Grandmaster... No matter how prodigiously talented, how formidable in battle, in the end, he was still just a Grandmaster. Within Dayu alone, there were eighty if not a hundred of them. At the provincial or municipal level, his word carried enormous weight, but at the national level, it decided nothing. Yet if he had demonstrated the strength of the Martial Saint realm a day earlier—a Grandmaster with Martial Saint combat power, on the verge of breaking through— The outcome would have been completely different. In the final analysis... "'Greedy for petty gain yet reckless with life; scheming for grand endeavors yet sparing one's skin.'" Yaoguang murmured. A year ago, he could convince himself that he was merely an ordinary person. Before transmigration and after transmigration, it was the same. Yet now... A year had passed. His strength was called Grandmaster in name, but in truth was that of a Martial Saint, already standing among Dayu's uppermost tier. And yet... ... Yaoguang waited in silence. In under an hour, a commotion drifted in from outside. Pondering, Yaoguang stepped out the door. He saw both Fang Lu and Liao Ming arguing with Zong Yan. Not far from them stood dozens of heavily armed figures with solemn expressions. The leading few were, without exception, all Grandmasters. Zhang Tianji was among them. "Director Zong, this matter must be reported to the general headquarters for a decision! What you are doing now is abusing your authority for private ends!" "Our main force is concentrated in the East Continent, and our personnel in the Central Continent are still insufficient. Without knowing how much strength the fiends led by Zhao Sheng actually possess, acting rashly risks walking straight into an enemy trap and suffering massive casualties for nothing!" Fang Lu and Liao Ming spoke in rapid succession. "Enough, say no more. My mind is made up," Zong Yan waved his hand. "Director Zong!" Fang Lu raised her voice. "The Jishi Society isn't your personal society! I cannot sit by and watch you lead the elites of our Jishi Society into peril!" Nearby, Liao Ming also spotted Yaoguang stepping out. He immediately said in a deep voice, "Yaoguang, you're the one forcing Director Zong to make this decision, aren't you? But let me make things clear to you: it's not that our protection of Xia Wuyuan was lacking. He failed to cooperate and snuck out on his own, which led to him falling into the Rebirth Society's hands and losing his life! Who else can be blamed for that?" "I will investigate and find out the full truth behind this," Yaoguang met his gaze. "Whoever is implicated in this matter will pay the price." As he spoke, he glanced at the Grandmasters and Martial Masters standing behind Zong Yan. Hesitation showed in the eyes of quite a few. Evidently, storming a Rebirth Society stronghold without adequate preparation was something they were reluctant to do. "Then let it be voluntary," Yaoguang said. "Those willing to slay fiends alongside us may depart together; those unwilling won't be forced." His words prompted many eyes to turn toward Zong Yan. Zong Yan took a deep look at Fang Lu and Liao Ming, then nodded. Assuming this was the greatest concession Zong Yan and Yaoguang would make, Fang Lu and Liao Ming had no choice but to say, "Voluntary, then." Right away, out of the dozens of people, about ten stepped forward to Zong Yan's side, while the remaining thirty-odd remained stationary. Zong Yan nodded to these ten or so people, then turned to Yaoguang. "Let's go."