The Modern Martial Immortal-Chapter 62: Counterattack

"Dead?" Yaoguang asked again.

"Yes, dead. In Tiannan," Yue Xingzhou said, then paused. "From what I know, he was taken under royal custody and should have been in the royal capital. Yet the result was that he suddenly died in Tiannan's capital. This was a warning from the Rebirth Society to us."

"You think the Rebirth Society did it?"

Yue Xingzhou did not answer immediately. After quite some time, he said, "Didn't we already trace things back to Zhao Sheng? Zhao Sheng was clearly a middle- to high-level member of the Rebirth Society. He went to the royal capital not long ago and only returned today. Not long after he came back, Xia Wuyuan's corpse was discovered. Zhao Sheng probably did it in person."

Yaoguang listened without speaking. Yue Xingzhou let out a long sigh and said, "Yaoguang, things have reached this point. We can't investigate further. I know you're young and full of fire, and you won't be willing to accept this, but the risks are too great. One misstep, and we could be crushed into dust. So let it go. Later, I'll bring a gift and pay a visit to Deputy Governor Zhao..."

"No need," Yaoguang replied calmly. "No matter who did this, Zhao Sheng is someone I will deal with."

Yue Xingzhou froze. He then said anxiously, "Yaoguang, Zhao Sheng is probably far from simple. I even suspect that after turning into that monstrous form, he possesses martial-paragon-tier strength. Otherwise, it wouldn't be possible..."

He did not continue down that line, quickly changing the subject. "You are a young grandmaster, that much is true. With your talent, plus the nurturing of the World-Saving Society, becoming a martial paragon in the future is almost guaranteed. But becoming a martial paragon in the future and facing a martial paragon right now are two completely different things! Potential is only potential. Before it becomes real combat power, charging ahead on hot blood alone to do what you are unable to do will only lead to destruction!"

"I understand," Yaoguang replied. There was no major change in his expression.

Yue Xingzhou knew that Yaoguang had not truly taken his words to heart and hurriedly said, "Yaoguang, listen to me. The waters here run deep. This is not something you can control! You're still young. Wait until your cultivation is complete, then investigate in secret. As long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood."

"I have my own judgment," Yaoguang said. "That's all."

He hung up the phone, then began packing his things—the Divine Shadow Sword, the level 5S combat suit, and the various medicinal materials used for cultivation.

Martial paragon. Yaoguang thought to himself.

When every branch reached 60% progress, the requirements for breaking through a realm were met. After 80%, the breakthrough was almost guaranteed. From 80% to 100%, what remained was mostly experience and insight gained from killing enemies above one's level, using weakness to defeat strength.

The daemon at Baisheng Chemical Plant that had fully revealed its true form was an undeniable martial paragon. At that time, even while he was only at the fifth tier, he had still managed to kill that daemon. Now his realm had already advanced to the sixth tier, reaching 71%, so...

"A martial paragon isn't unkillable," Yaoguang remarked.

Click. Yaoguang locked the case, lifted the sword case, and prepared to head out.

The moment he arrived downstairs, he saw Zong Yan and Liu Tong hurrying over. Seeing Yaoguang about to leave, Zong Yan paused slightly, then seemed to realize something. "You've heard?"

"The World-Saving Society's capabilities have been disappointing." Yaoguang looked at him. "I shouldn't have placed my hopes on you guys."

Zong Yan's expression darkened. Yesterday, Yaoguang had already made it clear to Fang Lu and Liao Ming that Xia Wuyuan was one of his people, and that it was because of him that the daemon information had been submitted to the royal family. At the time, he had specifically instructed them to keep a close watch on Xia Wuyuan, and Liao Ming had agreed.

Yet now, in the blink of an eye, Xia Wuyuan was dead. With something like this happening, the World-Saving Society and even his own face as a martial paragon had been utterly disgraced. It was no wonder Yaoguang said such things.

"The World-Saving Society will give you an explanation for this matter. In fact, it wasn't the Liao family's fault. Xia Wuyuan secretly slipped out of the Grand Prosecutor's Office himself, which gave the fiend an opening." Zong Yan made a solemn promise. "We've already identified who did it. It was a high-level member of the Rebirth Society, equivalent to a director within our World-Saving Society, using the identity of Tiannan's Deputy Governor, Zhao Sheng. Our World-Saving Society will personally deal with him!"

"Then what are you waiting for?" Yaoguang asked.

"A Rebirth Society director absolutely has martial-paragon-tier strength. If he were transformed from a fiend from the Ten-Thousand-Fiend Blood Soul Banner, he might even be considered top-tier among martial paragons. We must gather enough manpower..."

Zong Yan raised two fingers. "Two days. Give me two days!"

"Manpower? You already have enough. It's just a question of whether you're willing to act," Yaoguang said. "As for Zhao Sheng, I'll handle him."

"You?!" Zong Yan's eyes widened.

He immediately said, "A martial paragon is different from a grandmaster. This is the first transformation phase on the God-Fiend Body Refinement path. A battle-hardened martial master facing a newly advanced grandmaster might still turn the tables with rich experience and unyielding will. But the gap between a grandmaster and a martial paragon is immediate and overwhelming. It's almost impossible to defeat the strong while being weak..."

"Almost impossible means someone can do it."

"But..."

"There aren't that many buts." Yaoguang carried his things and walked toward the courtyard gate.

"Wait!" Zong Yan called out. "Even if you can deal with Zhao Sheng, there will definitely be other fiends around him. You—"

"Are you afraid?" Yaoguang suddenly asked, then looked straight at Zong Yan. "Is the World-Saving Society afraid of the Rebirth Society?"

"No! The World-Saving Society's mission is to oppose the Crimson Star Empire, the Stellar Sanctum, and the Rebirth Society they both support. We will never fear them in the slightest. We simply don't want to see someone die needlessly when the situation is unclear..."

"I know what I'm doing," Yaoguang said.

He had already scouted many places in the capital and had not discovered any daemons. Moreover, according to what the fiend that dropped the Soul-Seizing Pearl had said, it had set aside its other tasks specifically to come kill him.

In other words, that had already been the strongest force Zhao Sheng could mobilize without personally entering the fray.

Therefore, even if there were still stragglers, at most there would only be a few ordinary grandmaster-tier characters.

"Yaoguang, don't be impulsive." Zong Yan grew anxious when he saw this.

Yaoguang was someone he valued greatly, given that he was practically assured to become a martial paragon. With focused cultivation, he could break through before the age of twenty-five.

If he became a martial paragon at twenty-five, then after another five years, reaching thirty, he would be at the absolute peak of his life, young and powerful. At that time, there would be a strong chance for him to defeat a Crimson Star Empire martial paragon and reclaim the recommendation slots monopolized by the Crimson Star Empire for forty years. If he were to die simply to eliminate a high-level member of the Rebirth Society... That would be far too wasteful.

What were those people from the Liao family doing? How could someone under royal custody in the royal capital still be intercepted by the Rebirth Society and killed? Zong Yan cursed inwardly.

He quickly caught up to Yaoguang outside the courtyard and said decisively, "Wait. I'll go with you."

"Hmm?" Yaoguang glanced at him.

"Give me one hour!" Zong Yan said in a solemn voice.

Although he was already advanced in age, with declining qi and blood, if he were willing to stake his life and unleash everything, he could still display martial-paragon-tier combat strength.

Moreover, the World-Saving Society's Ignition Liquid was exceptionally effective at stimulating human potential. Even though, at his age, consuming Ignition Liquid was practically gambling with his life, he was still willing to do it...

Passing on the torch, cultivating young grandmasters into martial paragons, sending them into the Artifact Sect, and after they gained status, having them give back to the nations behind the World-Saving Society so that they could avoid the oppression of the Crimson Star Empire was the mission of the World-Saving Society.

For this mission, even death was something he would not run away from.

"I need to make some preparations. In one hour, I'll go with you!" Zong Yan said heavily.

"Alright." Yaoguang looked at Zong Yan and nodded. "I'll wait one hour."

He immediately returned to the courtyard. Zong Yan also departed swiftly, putting on his battle suit and carrying his battle gear, preparing for the upcoming battle. As for Yaoguang, He swallowed a Snow Ginseng Pill and quietly tempered his body.

Many times, circumstances were beyond one's control. They did not give people much time to wait. Just like Xia Wuyuan... He had planned to secure a higher status after achieving the martial paragon tier and only then get him out. Yet the result was that he had overestimated his own weight.

A young grandmaster, no matter how outstanding his talent or how formidable his combat strength, was still only a grandmaster. Within Dayu alone, there were no fewer than eighty or a hundred such figures.

But if he had revealed his martial-paragon-tier strength just one day earlier, being a grandmaster in name but a martial paragon in actual combat power, with a breakthrough to martial paragon within arm's reach, the outcome would have been completely different. In the end...

"Greedy for small gains, one forgets life. Plotting great undertakings, one cherishes the self," Yaoguang murmured.

A year ago, he could still have convinced himself that he was merely an ordinary person. Before transmigration and after transmigration, it was all the same. But now...

A year had passed. His strength was known to be at the grandmaster tier, yet in truth, it was at the martial paragon tier. He already stood among the very top ranks of Dayu. And yet...

***

Yaoguang waited quietly. Less than an hour later, he heard a commotion outside. Yaoguang thought about it briefly, then stepped out.

He saw Fang Lu and Liao Ming there, arguing with Zong Yan. Not far from them stood several dozen fully armed individuals, their expressions solemn. The few at the front were, without exception, grandmasters. Zhang Tianji was among them.

"Director Zong, this matter must be reported to headquarters for a final decision. What you are doing now is using your authority for personal ends."

"Our main forces are concentrated in the Eastern Continent. Our manpower in the Central Continent is still insufficient. Before we know how much strength the fiends led by Zhao Sheng truly possess, acting rashly could result in us walking straight into the enemy's trap and running into needless casualties." Fang Lu and Liao Ming spoke rapidly.

"That's enough. There's no need for further discussion. I've made up my mind." Zong Yan waved his hand.

"Director Zong!" Fang Lu raised her voice. "The World-Saving Society isn't your personal society. I can't just watch you lead our elite into danger."

Liao Ming also noticed Yaoguang stepping out and immediately said in a deep voice, "Yaoguang, you're the one forcing Director Zong to make this decision, aren't you? But I have to make this clear to you. It wasn't that we failed to protect Xia Wuyuan. He refused to cooperate and secretly slipped out on his own, which allowed the Rebirth Society to get their hands on him and cost him his life. Who can you blame for that?"

"I will investigate the truth behind this." Yaoguang met his gaze. "No matter who was involved in this, they must pay the price."

As he spoke, he glanced at the grandmasters and martial masters behind Zong Yan. Many of them showed hesitation in their eyes. Clearly, without sufficient preparation, they were also reluctant to attack a Rebirth Society stronghold.

"Let it be voluntary," Yaoguang said. "Those willing to join me in killing fiends may depart together. Those unwilling shouldn't be forced."

His words caused many eyes to turn toward Zong Yan. Zong Yan looked deeply at Fang Lu and Liao Ming, then nodded.

Fang Lu and Liao Ming likely realized that this was already the greatest concession Zong Yan and Yaoguang could make, and they could only say, "So be it. Volunteers may go."

At once, out of the several dozen people, around ten stepped forward to stand beside Zong Yan. The remaining thirty or so did not move. Zong Yan nodded to the dozen or so, then turned to Yaoguang. "Let's go."