The Modern Martial Immortal-Chapter 69: Tiannan

"Are you happy?" Yaoguang opened his eyes.

It was a bit of a pity. He had not found the chance to ask Zhao Sheng that question before the man died. However...

He tilted his head slightly, his gaze appearing to pierce through the void and look toward a distant horizon. "Who exactly is the prey?"

***

In Tiannan's capital, as soon as Yaoguang arrived at Yuyuan Estate, he immediately perceived something. The surroundings of Yuyuan Estate were under surveillance.

He glanced at Zong Yan. Zong Yan was initially confused, but he quickly deciphered the meaning in Yaoguang's gaze and focused for a moment. Soon after, he made a hand gesture toward one of the grandmasters.

That grandmaster immediately led several people out of the vehicle. Soon, a voice came through a small communication device on Zong Yan's person. "It is the local authorities."

"Tell them to leave," Zong Yan commanded.

"Understood." The voice faded away.

"Those people have some connection to your logistics team, don't they?" Yaoguang inquired.

"Strictly speaking, they are composed of the juniors from my logistics team. The original members of my team are quite old now and have all retired," Zong Yan replied.

It was perfectly normal for a martial paragon to have their own team. However, as one of the three main heads of the World-Saving Society's Dayu headquarters, the fact that he could only mobilize members of a logistics team implied a lack of authority despite being a director.

Zong Yan clearly understood this point as well. He smiled bitterly and said, "I am old now, and my strength is no longer what it used to be. Furthermore, I am from Lihuo. Although it is not a tiny country, its power cannot compare to Dayu's. My appointment to this branch of the World-Saving Society was primarily for oversight, so it is difficult for me to interfere in internal affairs."

Yaoguang listened but said nothing.

As a developed nation with a population of three hundred million, Dayu was one of the few countries that could avoid becoming a mere pawn in the struggle between the Snowdragon and Crimson Star Empires. Because of this, the people of Dayu possessed some of the arrogance of a developed nation. Aside from those from the Snowdragon and Crimson Star Empires, it was very difficult for immigrants from other countries to climb to high positions within Dayu.

The vehicle came to a stop at one of Yuyuan Estate's villas, and Yaoguang stepped out of the car.

Lei Yun, Pang Long, and the others quickly walked forward to meet him, their expressions filled with gravity. "Young Master."

"Make arrangements for the guests," Yaoguang instructed.

His composure allowed Lei Yun and Pang Long to relax slightly. After responding with a "Yes," they quickly went to attend to the members of the World-Saving Society.

However, upon entering the villa, Ai Li approached him, looking as though she wanted to say something, but hesitated.

"Speak freely. They can be trusted," Yaoguang said.

"Grandmaster Yue is here," Ai Li whispered.

"Hmm?" Upon hearing her words, he quickly perceived a presence upstairs that was restrained to the absolute limit.

"I will go up and take a look." He left instructions for her to host Zong Yan and the others, then walked up to the second floor.

Following his senses, he soon arrived at a study.

"Grandmaster Yue," Yaoguang greeted.

As he pushed the door open and entered, Yue Xingzhou, whose mind had been under constant stress, finally dared to relax slightly. Then, as if remembering something, his expression changed drastically. "Yaoguang, the situation in Tiannan has spiraled out of control. Lu Zhenhai and Wei Kongming are going to drop all pretenses to deal with us!"

Yaoguang had already seen this information within the soul fragments of Zhao Sheng. Killing a single Xia Wuyuan was clearly not enough for the Liao family to express their apologies. He and Yue Xingzhou were the next targets. Since the Yue family was the local powerhouse in Tiannan, they would naturally react to any signs of trouble immediately. Therefore, it was not surprising that he had received the news.

"Then you—" Yaoguang began.

"We must leave Dayu and go into hiding for a while," Yue Xingzhou said in a heavy voice. "I came to take you with me. The Yue family cannot stand against the Rebirth Society. You... Perhaps you can challenge the Rebirth Society in the future, but for now, it is also unwise to have a direct conflict with them."

Hearing this, Yaoguang gave Yue Xingzhou a surprised look. Even in such an environment, Yue Xingzhou still thought of escaping with him. However...

"It does not matter. The Rebirth Society will not have the chance," Yaoguang said.

"The forces behind the Rebirth Society are too mysterious and powerful..." Yue Xingzhou smiled bitterly. "I even suspect that the president of the Rebirth Society, known as Mo Guang, is a noble from the Crimson Star Empire, and a powerful one at that. Otherwise, their influence would not span across all of Dayu, making the Royal Family afraid to act rashly..."

At this point, the expression on his face froze. He seemed to finally realize the meaning behind Yaoguang's statement that "The Rebirth Society won't have the chance." Suddenly, his pupils constricted.

"Yaoguang, I think I just heard you say—"

"There is no need to be surprised. Zhao Sheng is dead. The forces of the Rebirth Society within Dayu have been nearly wiped out in one fell swoop. Until the Rebirth Society manages to infiltrate the country with new members, we are safe and sound," Yaoguang said.

"Dead?!" Yue Xingzhou’s breath hitched, and then his voice suddenly rose an octave. "Zhao Sheng is dead?!"

"Mhmm."

"Zhao Sheng... According to the latest information I received, he was not only the head of the Divine Blood project but was also very likely the leader of the Rebirth Society in Dayu. How... did he die?!" Yue Xingzhou's face was filled with disbelief.

"How did he die?" Yaoguang said calmly. "I wanted him dead, so he died. Is there a problem?"

"Uh..." Yue Xingzhou was momentarily left speechless by Yaoguang’s words.

But then he thought of something else. Yaoguang had seemingly been invited to join the World-Saving Society. With his talent, once he entered the World-Saving Society, he would surely be cultivated as a priority. Being granted the status of a Harbinger and having a martial paragon follow him as a guardian and personal teacher would not be difficult.

Furthermore, the World-Saving Society was the arch-enemy of the Rebirth Society. Since Zhao Sheng had set his sights on Yaoguang, it was only logical for the World-Saving Society to strike with full force to annihilate them.

At this thought, he took a deep breath and quickly composed himself.

In that case, there was no need for them to worry anymore. At this thought, Yue Xingzhou felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

"Those people downstairs who came with you, are they experts from the World-Saving Society?" he asked quickly.

"Yes."

"Is there a martial paragon among them?"

"There is."

"Then it is fine."

"Don't you want to ask how many there are?"

"How many?"

"Two," Yaoguang said. "One downstairs, and one upstairs." 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"Upstairs?" Yue Xingzhou’s expression changed. He straightened his posture and said solemnly, "Where? Since a martial paragon has graced us with their presence, I should go out and pay my respects."

"You may pay your respects now," Yaoguang said with a small smile.

"I can pay them now?" Yue Xingzhou pressed immediately. "Where is the senior?"

"Right in front of you," Yaoguang replied. "Me."

Yue Xingzhou froze for a moment. Then, as if he finally understood the meaning behind this conversation, his eyes widened involuntarily.

"You?!" His face was a mask of horror, and his voice was filled with disbelief. "You became a martial paragon!?"

"Mhmm." As Yaoguang spoke, he pressed his hand down slightly in a calming gesture and said placidly, "As a grandmaster of Tiannan's Yue family, you must remain composed."

"I..." Yue Xingzhou opened his mouth, instinctively wanting to blur out some rather unrefined language, but the words were forced back down the moment they reached his lips as he considered Yaoguang's current strength and shift in status.

After a long while, he truly could not contain himself. "I can't stay composed! A martial paragon?! You are already a martial paragon?! How could that possibly happen this fast?!"

Yaoguang smiled but did not explain. He simply said, "Let's go. We should head downstairs to meet the director of the World-Saving Society."

He paused slightly before adding, "We should have a territory of our own."

He did not like the feeling of being monitored even after arriving at Yuyuan Estate, a place he temporarily regarded as home.

"Wait!" Yue Xingzhou suddenly called out.

He stared at Yaoguang for a long time before reaffirming once more, "You... really became a martial paragon?"

"If not, how could we have wiped out Zhao Sheng and his pack of daemons in one fell swoop?" Yaoguang asked.

"Martial paragon... A martial paragon! A nineteen-year-old martial paragon!" Yue Xingzhou repeated the title over and over. It took a good while before he finally seemed to accept this reality.

Following that, his expression gradually turned grim. "There is more to Xia Wuyuan's death than meets the eye."

"I know," Yaoguang said.

"No! The inside story I am talking about is not what you think!" Yue Xingzhou hesitated for a moment before continuing. "The night before he died, he called me. He asked if I knew about the Artifact Sect and the truth of the world."

"How did you answer?"

"Regarding the Artifact Sect, it is naturally recorded in the archives of our Yue family," Yue Xingzhou said. "Out of respect for Xia Wuyuan's character, I told him the truth about the Artifact Sect."

He paused. "But after listening to me, he told me that... it was wrong. The truth of the world was not as I understood it."

Yaoguang was not surprised that Yue Xingzhou knew about the Artifact Sect. He had already learned the nature of the aristocratic families from the World-Saving Society. It could be said that behind every aristocratic family stood a disciple of the Artifact Sect. The scale and level of their family in this world depended on the status of the family's martial paragon within the Artifact Sect. However...

"The truth of the world is wrong?"

"I don't know what he was trying to say." Yue Xingzhou shook his head. "In theory, for a grandmaster from a local sect like him, being able to come into contact with the existence of the Artifact Sect should have been the limit. How could he know more information? Let alone the truth of the world."

"Go to the Zhenwu Sect and take a look." Yaoguang mused. "Try to find out what he was trying to say."

"Then you..." Yue Xingzhou looked at Yaoguang.

"I will not go for now," Yaoguang said calmly.

The true murderer remained at large. Once he finished what he needed to do, it would not be too late to go.

Yue Xingzhou did not understand the reasoning, but he did not contradict Yaoguang's words. He simply nodded heavily. "I will go right away."

However, just as he was about to leave, he stopped and turned back to Yaoguang. "May I inform Yue Nanxing of the news that you have become a martial paragon?"

"You may," Yaoguang said. "It is not something that needs to be kept in the shadows."

Upon hearing this, Yue Xingzhou gave a solemn nod. "Even though I cannot represent the entire Yue family at this moment, I believe that once he knows you have become a martial paragon, he will absolutely support my decision unconditionally."

He clasped his hands and gave a deep, formal bow. "From this day forward, everyone in the Yue family is willing to follow Young Master Su as our leader, obeying your every command."

Yaoguang was not surprised by Yue Xingzhou's decision. When Yue Xingzhou had previously sent a gift worth four billion, he had already shown his desire to establish good relations. At that time, he likely intended for it to be an equal partnership.

However, the fact that Yaoguang had become a martial paragon in such a short period made Yue Xingzhou realize that the martial paragon realm was by no means his limit. Consequently, his mindset naturally shifted. An equal partnership had transformed into a clear relationship of master and subordinate.

Yaoguang had anticipated this scene from the moment he accepted the gift. He did not refuse, but instead asked, "The Yue family has people in all the major departments in Tiannan, right?"

"Yes!" Yue Xingzhou said sternly. "If it weren't for our wariness of the Liao royal family standing behind Lu Zhenhai and Wei Kongming, our Yue family could take control of Tiannan at any time."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Yaoguang said. "I will deal with the Liao family. I will give you one month. Is that enough?"

"It is enough!" Yue Xingzhou nodded firmly. "In one month, there will be only one voice left in Tiannan!"