Chapter 101: Confirmation
Chapter 101: Confirmation
The atmosphere in the area froze as everyone watched the figure who had just defeated Lei Ting, the master of the Stellar Sanctum, in a head-on clash. The mysterious individual streaked through the night like a bolt of light and vanished without a trace."Sanctum Master Lei Ting?!"
Lei Ting was the leader of the Stellar Sanctum, the most powerful enforcement agency of the Crimson Star Empire. Whether it involved quelling rebellions, suppression, arrests, or assassinations, the Stellar Sanctum handled it all on a daily basis. Since Lei Ting had taken command of the Stellar Sanctum, whenever the Crimson Star Empire wanted to deal with someone, his intervention meant the problem was as good as solved.
Local powerhouses? Foreign royalty? Underground organizations? None could stand against him; they were all dealt with one by one. Even Emperor Jiang Shengtian would often repeat the same sentence whenever he encountered danger: "Where is our Sanctum Master Lei Ting?"
It was no exaggeration to say that wherever Lei Ting appeared, any crisis would quickly subside. The recent annihilation of the World-Saving Society, which was backed by dozens of countries across the Central and Eastern Continents, served as the perfect example.
But just now, he was defeated. The invincible Sanctum Master Lei Ting, the man believed to be capable of crushing any powerful foe, had lost. He fell at the hands of the mysterious person who had just launched a surprise assault. Furthermore, he was overpowered and defeated in a direct clash.
For all the Crimson Star martial paragons and psychic-will martial paragons closing in on the scene, this sight was nothing short of earth-shattering. A pillar of invincibility that had always stood firm in their hearts had finally collapsed. A few members of the Crimson Star imperial family finally realized that the Crimson Star Empire was no longer the absolute hegemon of the world. Whether it was the Snowdragon Empire that prepared to replace them or the newly emerged Rebirth Society, all were poised to challenge the existing order.
The era of the Crimson Star Empire was coming to a close.
Despite the inexplicable shock and fear filling their hearts, the Crimson Star princes, noble families, and psychic-will martial paragons showed no outward signs of abnormality.
"Chase! Chase him down!" they shouted in unison. "Even if you have to dig a meter into the capital's soil, capture this arrogant wretch!"
The determination in their voices and the cold killing intent made it clear to anyone listening that the Crimson Star imperial family was truly enraged.
"Quick! Go check on Father!"
"Emergency rescue, now!"
"I will handle the situation here! The rest of you pursue him immediately! Do not let this criminal escape! No one walks away unscathed after acting so insolently toward our Crimson Star imperial family!"
Amidst the angry roars, a large number of martial masters and grandmasters, interspersed with a few martial paragons, set off in pursuit of Yaoguang’s silhouette. Meanwhile, the princes rushed into the True Cultivation Palace to check on their father's injuries. Those who could not squeeze into the palace turned toward Lei Ting, showing concern for his wounds.
As for personally hunting down Yaoguang, that was out of the question. Such matters were best left to subordinates. Wealthy people valued their lives. They were noble members of the Crimson Star imperial family; how could they truly risk their lives against such a vicious outlaw like the commoners below them?
***
The emperor is dead. I expect the Crimson Star Empire will be in chaos for a long time, Yaoguang thought as he rushed away from the scene.
It was not yet time to annihilate the Crimson Star Empire. The empire possessed nuclear weapons. If pushed to the extreme, they could launch them indiscriminately, which would inevitably lead to global devastation. Therefore, until he mastered the technology to intercept nuclear weapons or possessed the power to destroy them before they could be launched, he could not destroy the Crimson Star Empire.
At the foot of Zhaixing Mountain, following Lei Yun's directions, Yaoguang quickly located the vehicle waiting for him. He got into the car and immediately ordered, "Leave the city as quickly as possible."
The driver, who could already see the brightly lit mountainside, did not dare ask a single question and sped away. Yaoguang also contacted Lei Yun promptly. "Have Zong Yan pass word to the people of the World-Saving Society to evacuate the Crimson Star Empire's capital completely. We must avoid innocent casualties. The capital is about to descend into chaos."
However, his words did not receive an immediate response. Yaoguang assumed it was a signal issue and called out again, "Lei Yun?"
This time, a somewhat panicked response came through the earpiece. "Understood. Supervisor Zong Yan issued the retreat order a short while ago..."
After a pause, her voice became cautious. "Young Master... Did you really... just storm the Crimson Star Imperial Palace and force the Crimson Star Empire to release the prisoners?"
"External tools will never be more than tools," Yaoguang said calmly. "All power resides within the individual; those so-called hegemon nations and their war machines are not as formidable as you imagine."
These words left Lei Yun hardly daring to breathe. She knew that martial artists at the martial paragon tier were already considered superhuman, and that as long as they avoided military bases and the few vital locations guarded by other martial paragons, the world was theirs to roam; however, she never expected that a top-tier martial paragon could be this powerful.
To most people in Dayu, including the aristocratic families, offending a few Crimson Star officials would be a massive problem, and being targeted by a noble family from the Crimson Star Empire would feel like the sky was falling. Yet, Yaoguang had directly charged into the Crimson Star Imperial Palace and carried out a massacre! His attitude of treating high-ranking officials and dangerous locations as if they were nothing deeply shook their souls and shattered their worldview. Even though some time had passed, she still had not recovered from the shock of the news.
"Did you pick up Ji Pingtian and the others?" Yaoguang asked.
"We have them."
"Mhmm. I acted as a member of the World-Saving Society. Once they learn that such a martial paragon is hidden within the society's ranks, they won't dare to act rashly until they're confident they can hunt me down or they have prepared the means to eliminate me," Yaoguang said calmly. "After all, acting rashly would mean mutual destruction."
Lei Yun was speechless. Mutual destruction. He's claiming the tiny nation of Dayu actually possesses the capability to ensure mutual destruction when facing the Crimson Star Empire?! It's simply absurd.
"Right... I took a few photos that should help keep that Shangguan Xiong and the sixteenth prince from causing any more trouble. Have Zong Yan send them their way through the World-Saving Society's channels. Once they see them, they should learn to behave." As Yaoguang spoke, he selected a clear photo taken from a good angle and sent it over.
Finally, he instructed, "That will be all for now. Although our communications use encryption, we should suspend contact for a while, just in case the Crimson Star Empire has more advanced decryption methods. We will talk again after I return."
"Yes," Lei Yun responded with a hint of shame in her voice. "Young Master, please be extremely careful."
"Mhmm," Yaoguang replied before hanging up.
With the arrangements made, he closed his eyes and used his Life Force Field to control and mitigate the physical strain caused by the Heavenly Fiend Disintegration.
To ensure a swift resolution, he had used the Heavenly Fiend Disintegration almost as a standard state during this operation. Every move made during his raid had possessed a hint of a heavenly being's grace. Whether he faced a psychic-will martial paragon or a unified martial paragon, he had crushed them with overwhelming force.
While this unstoppable fighting style allowed him to rampage freely through the Crimson Star Imperial Palace, it had placed a significant burden on his body. Fortunately, he had already taken some healing medication, and combined with his Life Force Field and his mastery over his tendons, bones, organs, qi, and blood, he knew he would recover with some rest.
After slightly stabilizing his condition, he took out the Soul-Capturing Bead. Soon, the memories of the Crimson Star Empire's emperor, Jiang Shengtian, flooded into his mind.
"Hmm?!" Soon, a shocked expression appeared on Yaoguang's face.
The first thing that surfaced was Emperor Jiang Shengtian's deep anxiety regarding the Rebirth Society. As he carefully processed the information for a moment, the truth became clear.
"My suspicion was correct. The Rebirth Society and the Crimson Star Empire are not on the same side at all. The people from the Rebirth Society claim to have defeated the Artifact Sect. They first appeared within the Crimson Star Empire's borders thirteen years ago... and declared that the Sixth Fleet of the Lunar Fiend Empire had been appointed to this world..." Yaoguang muttered.
The reason Jiang Shengtian believed this news was that the Artifact Sect had been engaged in outward expansion as far back as two hundred years ago. Not long after, they had discovered the world where the Lunar Fiend Empire was located. However, his status did not allow him to contact the high-ranking officials of the Artifact Sect, so he could not confirm if that world and the one occupied by the Lunar Fiend Empire were the same.
What was certain was that the Artifact Sect had suffered a major upheaval, and all contact with the sect had been lost over forty years ago. Comparing the two accounts, some members of the Jiang family had begun to take the possibility of the Artifact Sect's defeat seriously. Because of this, the Crimson Star Empire had not gone all out to exterminate the Rebirth Society over the years.
After all, assuming the Lunar Fiend Empire behind the Rebirth Society could defeat the Artifact Sect, and given that the elites of the Crimson Star Empire had lost contact with the sect and found themselves trapped in this world, without the ability to open a Star Gate, they would be digging their own graves if they dared to offend the Rebirth Society to the point of no return.
The Crimson Star Empire's current countermeasure was...
"The Fiend Lord Plan," Yaoguang muttered to himself.
The Crimson Star Empire is attempting to take control of a powerful fiendish artifact... This artifact was originally the rent that the Jiang family was supposed to pay to the Artifact Sect. Now that the situation has changed, they want to claim it for themselves. They hope to use its power to oppose the Rebirth Society... or at the very least, use the artifact's strength to forcibly open a Star Gate and flee back to the world of the Artifact Sect...
He quietly processed the information regarding the fiendish artifact. The Artifact Sect required immortal weapons and fiendish artifacts nurtured by lower worlds, each powerful enough to split mountains and part rivers. The intended users were not cultivators at the ninth realm of the God-Fiend Body Refinement or Qi Refinement, but rather great cultivators who had established a Dao Foundation or even an immortal foundation.
"Hmm?! Wait!" As if sensing something, Yaoguang suddenly said, "Stop the car!"
He quickly thought a bit more, then asked, "Do you know how to get to Griffin Garden?"
"Yes, I do," the driver replied.
"Go there. Once we arrive, you can leave immediately. You don't need to wait for me," Yaoguang said.
"Understood." The driver complied and quickly changed direction. Meanwhile, Yaoguang finished digesting the memories, a faint smile appearing on his lips.
"I didn't expect such an unexpected harvest..."
To smoothly execute the Fiend Lord Plan and gain control of that fiendish artifact, the Crimson Star Empire had prepared vast amounts of resources. Fearing that the project might trigger a counterattack from the Snowdragon Empire or the Rebirth Society, they had acted with extreme caution. The supplies were not hidden in the palace but were placed in a location called Griffin Garden, near a logistics park.
Logistics parks were generally located near the outskirts, which was not far from his planned escape route. Since he was leaving anyway, it would be a shame to visit the Crimson Star without taking something back. Therefore, a trip to the logistics park was perfectly reasonable.