Chapter 94: Changes
Chapter 94: Changes
At Yuhuang Mountain's villa, the brilliant sun in Yaoguang’s mental world gradually dimmed, marking the end of a cultivation session spent on psyche nurturing.Feeling the growth of his psychic will, he felt a hint of regret. "Nurturing the psyche is different from tempering the body. The key to psyche nurturing lies in the word 'nurture'. The efficiency is much slower compared to the refinement of the physique."
In truth, the speed at which he nurtured his psyche was not considered slow. However, the precedent of his rapid achievement of martial paragon stood before him. In just over a year, he had jumped directly from a novice martial artist to a fifth-tier psychic-will martial paragon. Now, the prospect of having to spend six months to a year just to nurture his psychic will made him feel somewhat restless.
The biggest issue is resources. I had medicinal supplements to assist me in strengthening my body, whether it was strengthening tendons, forging bones, or refining organs. I even had pills for the process of blood renewal and marrow cleansing. That's how I was able to cultivate and advance as fast as I did. But when it comes to psyche nurturing, almost all materials are monopolized by the Crimson Star Empire. They have even classified all materials related to psyche nurturing as special tributes; even just possessing them is illegal, whether as an individual or a nation. If discovered, a crackdown is inevitable... Yaoguang thought.
Yaoguang understood why the Crimson Star Empire banned psyche-refining herbs while allowing blood-renewing herbs. On one hand, they had to consider the dignity of the Artifact Sect and the attitudes of other nations. On the other hand, a martial paragon who mastered psychic will could hypnotize and control others, posing a much greater danger to a nation than a simple martial artist. If a psychic-will martial paragon hypnotized someone close to another martial paragon and equipped them with bombs, they could kill that paragon. It was impossible to guard against.
It has also been over a month since I reached the fifth tier. Why hasn't a new branch representing a new profession grown on the ancient tree? Is a psychic-will martial paragon not considered a new realm? It would be wonderful to get an Alchemist branch.
He had seen in the information about the Artifact Sect provided by the World-Saving Society that while the sect was world-renowned for its Dao of artifact refining, there were also many skilled in alchemy. The pills they refined for longevity, healing, beauty, body tempering, and psyche refining all had extremely significant effects. The Snow Ginseng Pill he had taken previously was not even worth mentioning compared to true spirit pills.
The difference in cultivation efficiency with and without pills was like night and day. It was just like how ordinary people could scheme and backstab with everything they had until they literally worked themselves to death, yet might never get promoted to manager, but others were born as the chairman of a billion-dollar company.
Without sufficient psychic will, my cultivation can only rely on the earth veins. I cannot be like a true heavenly being and borrow the forces of heaven and earth to forge my body at any time or place. It's already been a month, and my physical strength has only increased by ten percent. It barely exceeds the limits of a martial paragon. At this rate, it will take at least three, perhaps even five years, to surpass the second human limit and become a heavenly being.
Yaoguang assessed his current state and eventually shook his head. Psychic will relies on nurturing, and it will take a year or so. Unless I can master alchemy and refine some peerless immortal pills to help me quickly reach the mastery stage of psychic will, I can only endure through this realm.
Fortunately, he had already forged the Flawless True Body. This level only required subtle control over the circulation of his essence, qi, and psyche, which was equivalent to the concept of micro-control at the physical level. For Yaoguang, who possessed a Life Force Field, this was a realm he could step into naturally after a brief period of adaptation.
With the Flawless True Body and the protection of the Great Solar Psyche-Suppressing Diagram, he was only slightly lacking in psychic-will attacks. Otherwise, it would not be an exaggeration to say he had broken through to the level of a unified martial paragon.
***
While Yaoguang cultivated with undivided attention, Zong Yan, Kong Fang, Yue Xingzhou, and Lei Yun arrived one after another from a distance. Even before they reached him, Yaoguang already felt the heavy solemnity on their faces.
"Did something happen?" Yaoguang didn't even need to guess. "Did the Crimson Star Empire take action?"
Kong Fang and Yue Xingzhou glanced at Zong Yan. Ultimately, Kong Fang stepped forward and said, "We received news from Shangguan Xiong. Because the Crimson Star Empire made its stance clear and pressured the various nations of the Eastern Continent that backed the World-Saving Society, those nations abandoned the society under pressure. In just three days, the power of the World-Saving Society was uprooted. Out of the three presidents, one was captured, and one fled..."
Yaoguang was slightly stunned upon hearing this. From his last conversation with Ji Pingtian, he knew the World-Saving Society was willing to step forward and bear the pressure from the Crimson Star Empire. Although Yaoguang didn't feel they needed to intervene, since they were eager to prove themselves, he wanted to see what they were made of.
How long has it been? The entire World-Saving Society was uprooted? Yaoguang thought.
Should he think the World-Saving Society talked big but turned out to be a joke when the fighting started, or was the Crimson Star Empire simply too strong? Was it so strong that the World-Saving Society, backed by dozens of nations, dozens of martial paragons, and three psychic-will masters, couldn't even last a month once they got serious?
"Wait, why is there only specific information on the whereabouts of two of the three presidents?" Yaoguang asked.
At those words, Zong Yan's expression turned quite ugly. It took a long moment before he said, "Zhao Xuanbing betrayed the World-Saving Society..."
Yaoguang thought for a moment. "Zhao Xuanbing wasn't the only one who betrayed the World-Saving Society, was he?"
Zong Yan nodded silently.
Seeing Zong Yan's dejected expression, Kong Fang took over the report. "Besides the three psychic-will masters, the World-Saving Society only had thirteen martial paragons who could truly be deployed at will. The remaining dozens... were all supporters and overseers from various nations in the Central and Eastern Continents."
"Like Fang Lu, who represented the interests of the Liao family?" Yaoguang remarked.
Kong Fang nodded. These people represented various national interests within the World-Saving Society. When there was danger, they would hide in the back and let the psychic-will masters and martial paragons like Hong Chuan, Zhao Xuanbing, Ji Pingtian, and Zong Yan go first. When there were benefits, they would absolutely be the first to rush to the front to claim them.
"Oh," Yaoguang replied.
Any organization without a voice capable of suppressing the overall situation would naturally fall into internal power struggles once there were too many factions. It might be fine if no great danger or powerful strike was encountered, but once targeted by a powerful force, an institution of this nature was simply a heap of loose sand that would collapse upon a single blow.
Yaoguang had long seen through the nature of the World-Saving Society and never placed too much hope in them.
Still, Ji Pingtian had promised to gain him a year of peaceful cultivation, but it hadn't even been a month. Well, all things considered, they had managed to buy him two months. That was not bad.
"Then so be it," Yaoguang said.
If there were people to handle certain matters for him, he preferred not to do them himself. After all, who would enjoy a life of constant killing? Was it not better to cultivate in peace, approaching the realm of a human immortal step by step, and seeking eternal life and indestructibility?
This was the reason he had accepted Ji Pingtian’s offer to shield him from the Crimson Star Empire. Unfortunately, there were many things one could not avoid, even if one wished to. When the entire social environment was corrupted, no one could remain untainted.
"The Crimson Star Empire," Yaoguang murmured.
This problem had reached a point where it had to be resolved. Perhaps he could choose to avoid their edge for now, achieve the status of a heavenly being in three to five years, and then suppress the empire with overwhelming force. But he did not want to wait that long.
Moreover, compared to the Crimson Star Empire, the one he truly feared was the Soul Manipulator of the Lunar Fiend Empire. Since he had crushed one of that being's incarnations, the Soul Manipulator had vanished completely. Even the Rebirth Society had become low-profile, creating a silence that felt like the calm before a storm.
That being might not give him three to five years to grow. In fact, judging by the understanding of power the opponent revealed when breaking his Life Force Field, if Yaoguang were to remain in obscure seclusion for years, he might find himself facing a Star-Transformation powerhouse of the ninth level of God-Fiend Body Refinement by the time he became a heavenly being.
Thinking of this, he glanced at Zong Yan. "Which president was captured?"
"President Ji," Zong Yan said, pausing briefly. "In addition, three directors were also captured. Many elites of the World-Saving Society are currently being hunted..."
He gave a bitter smile. "Some nations were clearly terrified by the Crimson Star Empire's strike. To prove to the empire that they have no connection with the World-Saving Society, their crackdown on us has been even more severe than the empire's own."
Yaoguang was not surprised. The Crimson Star Empire had been the global hegemon for centuries; the fear other nations felt for them was bone-deep. It was expected that these fence-sitters would make such a decision.
"Have them come to Dayu," Yaoguang said.
"Dayu... might not be able to protect them," Kong Fang said hesitantly. After all, the one striking them was the world hegemon. "We received news that the sixteenth prince, Jiang Zhengming, arrived in Dayu over a month ago..."
"I know." Yaoguang looked at Yue Xingzhou. "Old Yue told me they sent an invitation. I even suspect that their strike against the World-Saving Society was, on one hand, because the society served as a bond uniting the nations of the Central and Eastern Continents, which was a development they found threatening, prompting a thunderous response. On the other hand... they intended to use this as a warning to others."
"Use this as a warning..." Zong Yan had similar suspicions. He just hadn't expected that the World-Saving Society, which they considered powerful, would be so weak and insignificant in the eyes of the Crimson Star Empire. This sense of powerlessness left him, whose homeland had long suffered under the empire's bullying, with an indescribable desolation.
"Actually, just today, that sixteenth prince sent another invitation," Yue Xingzhou said with measured words. "He... invited us to witness an execution ceremony for the terrorists who disrupted the Eastern and Central Continents."
As soon as he spoke, both Zong Yan and Kong Fang froze. Their pupils constricted as they instantly realized the implications.
"Oh? When?" Yaoguang asked.
"In three days." Yue Xingzhou's heart was heavy. Clearly, this was the Crimson Star Empire’s final ultimatum to Yaoguang.
"Three days... time is a bit tight," Yaoguang remarked.
"Lord Yaoguang..." Zong Yan stepped forward, opening his mouth as if to say something, but finally said, "Perhaps, you should go to Yujing Mountain. The armies of the Snowdragon Empire and the Crimson Star Empire are in a standoff there. If you can meet the strongest man and commander of the Snowdragon Empire, Xie Boen, and express your intent to serve, the Snowdragon Empire would definitely be willing to accept you and provide asylum, given your talent and potential."
He did not want Yaoguang to serve the Crimson Star Empire under any circumstances. If that happened, wouldn't the members of the World-Saving Society have sacrificed themselves in vain?
"It won't come to that. Three days... While time is tight, if I move quickly, I can still make it." Yaoguang turned to Lei Yun and instructed, "Buy me a first-class ticket on a direct flight to the capital of the Crimson Star Empire."