Demon Lord

"Yaoguang alone?" Zhao Xuanbing was momentarily taken aback by those words, but he quickly caught his drift. "Are you saying... on his own, he could evade being hunted down and killed by five or six Martial Saints?" "Evidently, you never truly examined the report I submitted after returning from Dayu, or you wouldn't be asking such a question." Ji Pingtian said placidly, "What you really need to ask is not whether he can evade five or six Martial Saints hunting him down, but... whether he can defeat five or six Martial Saints joining forces." "Impossible!" Zhao Xuanbing replied without hesitation, "Two fists cannot match four hands. Divine Realm Martial Saints are formidable, but the gap between them and ordinary Martial Saints isn't like the gulf between a Martial Saint and a Grandmaster. I doubt even Hong Chuan, the strongest among us, would have any certainty of defeating five or six Martial Saints besieging him, unless someone assisted from the side to stall the others and grant him the chance to defeat them one by one." "Zong Yan put it well: do not look upon the achievements of peerless geniuses through the eyes of ordinary people." Ji Pingtian sighed with emotion. Only after a good while did he continue, "As for Yaoguang... both Zong Yan and I are in complete agreement that he is a peerless genius seen once in a century. If he can secure an opportunity for advanced cultivation at the Artifact Sect, he will become at least a high-tier cultivator in the future." As soon as these words were spoken, Zhao Xuanbing and Hong Chuan exchanged stunned glances. They knew Ji Pingtian regarded Yaoguang very highly. They did as well. Any intelligence regarding him was reviewed immediately, treated with the absolute highest priority. And yet... Never had they imagined that Ji Pingtian's appraisal of Yaoguang would be so extraordinarily high. Stronger even than Hong Chuan, the most powerful of the three presidents? "Last time... didn't the two of you end in a draw? Besides, it wasn't a fight to the death, and you hadn't used your favored divine weapon," Zhao Xuanbing pointed out. "If you had used a divine weapon in a battle to the death, taking victory over him would surely have been effortless. Why..." Hong Chuan looked at him as well, waiting for his answer. "At the time, I thought so too. But when I later analyzed his method of breaking through my Dragon-Elephant World Suppression, I realized that his application of combat techniques and his command of the battlefield were not the slightest bit inferior to mine. Given that his raw cultivation was inferior to mine, strictly speaking, I had already lost." Ji Pingtian looked at the two of them. "Furthermore, you both verified the facts again: he truly has only cultivated for a single year. To achieve so much in just one year... after another year passes, who among us would dare claim they could definitely defeat him?" "Are you saying..." "We need to buy him time to grow." Ji Pingtian spoke straightforwardly, "Our Jishi Society must step forward to protect Dayu and deny Shangguan Xiong any chance to stir up trouble." "Out of the question!" Zhao Xuanbing said in a heavy voice, "We cannot confront Chixing head-on." He then added, "Nor can we afford to." "Then it comes down to what you two presidents choose next," Ji Pingtian said with a solemn expression. "Do we choose to obey the Council formed by the various nations and aristocratic families, prioritizing securing slots for the Artifact Sect above all else, or do we place our hopes on Yaoguang, this once-in-a-century peerless genius?" Hearing this, Zhao Xuanbing and Hong Chuan looked at each other, their moods turning exceedingly grave. Without Ji Pingtian's intelligence, they naturally would have adhered to their original objective, prioritizing slots for the Artifact Sect. But now... Chixing and Xuelong seemed to have lost contact with the Artifact Sect. This forced them to weigh their options carefully. "Gentlemen, let me remind you: because of the Fang Lu incident, things have already become somewhat strained between us and Yaoguang. Stalling Shangguan Xiong this time to buy Yaoguang time to grow will be our final chance to mend relations. Otherwise... if he truly rises to prominence in the future and enters the realm of high-tier cultivators, none of that glory will have anything to do with our Jishi Society," Ji Pingtian emphasized with grave solemnity. "I understand the reasoning, but this Yaoguang..." Zhao Xuanbing furrowed his brow, speaking tactfully, "He is far too young and impetuous..." "If a youth isn't headstrong, can he still be called young?" Ji Pingtian cut him off directly. "I believe the two of you need only recall how Yaoguang wiped out the Liao family over Xia Wuyuan to see the kind of person he is." He looked at the two of them. "Fundamentally, he had no close ties with Xia Wuyuan. In fact, Xia Wuyuan was full of hostility toward him in the beginning. Yet... you all saw how he acted in the end. So, do you truly believe that if we choose to wager our bets on him, we will lose everything?" Xia Wuyuan. That name, along with his entanglements with Yaoguang, instantly surfaced in the minds of the two presidents. It likewise became a decisive counterweight in shaping their decision. Immediately, Hong Chuan said in a deep voice, "Given the scale of our Jishi Society, even if we stand in Chixing's way, we might not be able to hold them off for long. Especially if we truly step out and stand in opposition to Chixing, many nations will likely pull away. So..." "Holding out for a year should be manageable," Ji Pingtian said. As a president, he had naturally calculated the odds. "As long as we handle things carefully, maintain appearances, and refrain from openly declaring slogans about destroying Chixing, holding out for a year is absolutely well within our power." "A single year?" Hong Chuan and Zhao Xuanbing were visibly moved. "You have that much confidence in him? One year will be enough?" Ji Pingtian did not speak, merely giving a slight nod. "One year!" Hong Chuan and Zhao Xuanbing exchanged glances and promptly came to a decision. "Then we will do as you say!" "No matter how powerful Chixing is, our Jishi Society isn't made of paper. I refuse to believe we can't even withstand their pressure for a single year." Both nodded in agreement. "Very well. Leave the rest to me. I will personally lead a team to Dayu to back Yaoguang," Ji Pingtian said. "No matter how much clout Shangguan Xiong has, persuading neighboring countries to mobilize seven or eight Martial Saints is his absolute limit. Once I arrive with five or six Martial Saints by my side, Shangguan Xiong won't dare make any rash moves before driving me away. And with all the back-and-forth between both sides... we could easily drag out the negotiations and bickering for half a year to a year." Hong Chuan and Zhao Xuanbing nodded slightly. *** Mount Yuhuang. Beside Longyou Stream, Yaoguang quietly felt the momentum of the mountains and earth veins constantly washing over his body. By now, a whole month had passed since he began his secluded cultivation on Mount Yuhuang. Relying on the wonders of the Life Force Field, his physical strength and the nurturing of his spirit intent had both ascended to an entirely new tier. Coupled with his prior comprehension of the flawless true body's subtleties... his advancement across the three paths—Martial Saint, spirit intent, and Hunyuan—progressed hand in hand. Almost every passing moment, he could feel himself making progress. That constant sense of growing stronger left him utterly immersed. Yet Zong Yan, Lei Yun, Pang Long, Su Yizhou, and the others were completely unaware of the transformations taking place within him. At most, they could only sense the aura of intimidating pressure around Yaoguang growing increasingly suffocating. Every time they stood before him, they felt as though they were facing a prehistoric beast. Even Zong Yan, a Martial Saint, was no exception. Presently, under the coverage of the Life Force Field, the blood circulating through Yaoguang's body completed a heavenly cycle and subsided into tranquility. "It has reached perfection," he murmured. Perfection in blood exchange. At this moment, his physical body had grown stronger than ever before. Even if shot at point-blank range by pistol bullets, at most a red mark would be left behind. If he unleashed the Life Force Field in its entirety... Not even a red mark would remain. "Next, I must cultivate patience and nurture my spirit intent, allowing it to grow steadily." This step was hardly difficult for him. It was merely a process that would follow naturally as water forms a channel. The only question was how much time it would take. Just then, as if sensing something, Yaoguang abruptly looked up. Before long, a middle-aged man clad from head to toe in a crimson robe stepped out from the woods, walking toward him pace by pace. Looking at him, even though Yaoguang's strength had surged significantly, he still felt a creeping chill run down his spine. It felt as if he were being watched by some terrifying, sinister creature, engulfed in an inescapable peril. The red-robed man drew closer step by step, ultimately halting before Yaoguang. The two stood facing each other across the stream. After a moment, the red-robed man licked his lips. "A hint of a domain?" His gaze swept over Yaoguang in thorough appraisal. "How flawless. I actually cannot see through it at all." Through his sensory secret technique, the red dot signifying abnormal vital blood clearly revealed itself to Yaoguang. "The Rebirth Society?" Yaoguang asked. "You could say that," the red-robed man replied casually. "To blend so perfectly into this body, it seems you are no minor figure. Which faction are you from?" "Before interrogating someone else, shouldn't you introduce yourself first?" Yaoguang countered. "Me?" The man said, "You may call me Blood Weeping." Blood Weeping?! The Blood Weeping Demon Lord?! "No!" Yaoguang said, "This is not your true body." The red-robed man before him was formidable, radiating a crisis of hair-raising danger. Yet... He himself was not powerful. The two contrasting sensations of strength and weakness intertwined upon him, presenting a striking contradiction. "It is inconvenient for my true form to descend, so I have temporarily borrowed a vessel. Furthermore, Blood Weeping is merely an identity I use on this side. Out of respect for someone possessing such techniques... I am willing to give you my true name..." The red-robed man offered Yaoguang a peculiar salute. "Leng Tianfeng, Soul-Commanding Envoy of the Sixth Fleet, Divine City Expeditionary Army of the Moon Demon Empire." The Moon Demon Empire? Divine City? Expeditionary Army?! These unprecedented terms caused Yaoguang's pupils to constrict slightly. Having performed his salute, the red-robed man, Leng Tianfeng, frowned when he saw that Yaoguang had not returned it. The look he directed at Yaoguang turned somewhat puzzled. His gaze roved over Yaoguang once more in appraisal. "Did something go wrong during your descent?" Only after a long while did he shake his head again. "Whether something went wrong or you have forgotten things, I came here merely out of courtesy to offer a warning. This world is already the hunting ground of our Sixth Fleet. Incidents like the unpleasantness that befell those youngsters are not something I wish to see again. Otherwise... regardless of which faction you hail from or what origins you possess, only one outcome awaits you..." He reached out, flicked his finger toward Yaoguang's head, and voiced an onomatopoeia: "Bang." With that, he seemed ready to turn and leave. "Wait," Yaoguang spoke up. "There are some doubts I haven't cleared up yet." After a beat, he shook his head. "Never mind. I'll do it myself."