Chapter 86: Information

Chapter 86: Information

"Crimson Star Empire," Yaoguang uttered those words.

Why did the Crimson Star Empire surface just as he had finally finished dealing with the Liao family? Then again, what was the Liao family? They were nothing more than the lackeys of the Crimson Star Empire.

During the era of the Liao family, Crimson Star citizens in Dayu lived lives of absolute privilege; as long as they did not provoke too much public outrage, it was no exaggeration to say they did whatever they pleased.

Even if they ran rampant across Dayu, the Liao family would immediately step in to clean up their mess and suppress any potential negative repercussions. When those above set the tone, those below followed suit. The Liao family’s posture ensured that all Dayu officials paid extra attention to any case involving a Crimson Star citizen.

Even if a Crimson Star citizen suffered a minor scratch, it was treated as a major diplomatic incident. Police cars would clear the way to escort them to the hospital to demonstrate the close bond between Dayu and the Crimson Star Empire.

Naturally, the upper echelons of the Crimson Star Empire quite liked the obliging Liao family. Now that he had annihilated them, one did not need to guess what it meant for Commander Shangguan to summon him at this time.

"A nuisance," Yaoguang muttered, his brow furrowing.

Since Shangguan Xiong had summoned him, a scolding was inevitable. However, the conflict between himself and the Rebirth Society was irreconcilable: Unless he was willing to stretch out his neck for the slaughter, he would soon face the Rebirth Society’s thunderous retaliation. Considering that the Rebirth Society was backed by the great nobility of the Crimson Star Empire, there was little room for maneuver.

"One must consider the master before beating the dog," Yaoguang said, his furrowed brow gradually smoothing out.

Forget it. Things have reached this point, and there is no way to avoid it. If Shangguan Xiong wants to stick his head out, I will simply kill him.

"Speaker, Shangguan Xiong is a citizen of the Crimson Star Empire. Without exception, those who reach the rank of general possess noble blood, and 'Shangguan' is indeed one of the noble surnames of the Crimson Star Empire. Offending a noble of this caliber will surely invite catastrophic trouble. I know that with your talent and potential, it is not an idle dream to lead Dayu to a position of power equal to Crimson Star Empire in the future, but for now..." Yue Xingzhou advised. "It is not wise to escalate the conflict with the Crimson Star Empire. Caution is the best course. Go once, make some excuses, and let this matter pass—"

"Wait." Before he could finish, Yaoguang, who had been deep in thought, regained his focus. He glanced at Yue Xingzhou. "Are you saying that Shangguan Xiong has a family behind him?"

"Yes." Yue Xingzhou nodded solemnly.

"If I hit the small one, will the bigger ones come?" Yaoguang asked again.

Yue Xingzhou froze for a moment, his pupils shrinking as he immediately laid out the stakes. "If anything happens to Shangguan Xiong, the Shangguan family will never let it rest! Furthermore, Shangguan Xiong holds an official position. If a lieutenant general dies in our Dayu, the Crimson Star Empire will definitely investigate to the very end. By then, Dayu will inevitably fall into chaos."

He was clearly reminding Yaoguang of the potential consequences of such an action.

"I know," Yaoguang responded. He contemplated for a moment and waved his hand. "Tell Shangguan Xiong that we will walk our own paths..."

Once he finished, he shook his head. "Those words probably won't mean much. Still, even though it is predictable that he won't listen, we must convey our intent. After all..."

His tone softened slightly. "Let it not be said that I did not warn him."

Upon hearing this, Yue Xingzhou nodded with a heavy expression. He had expected this kind of result. Even though the consequences were severe, if Dayu truly wanted to escape its near-colonial status, there would come a day when they would have to face the Crimson Star Empire's forces stationed on their soil.

He had only hoped that time would not arrive so soon. But now that Yaoguang, their speaker, had made his decision, they would follow. They simply needed to make full preparations to face the coming storm.

"Then I will reorganize the words and reply according to your intent," Yue Xingzhou said.

"Go." Yaoguang nodded. Immediately after, he pressed the communication device on the desk. "Have Zong Yan come see me."

Upon receiving the message, Zong Yan ceased his training of Lei Yun, Pang Long, Su Yizhou, and the others and quickly walked to Yaoguang’s cultivation room.

"Captain, you wanted to see me?"

"The World-Saving Society was founded to resist the bullying of the Crimson Star Empire, so you should be quite familiar with their various factions. I need information on the noble Shangguan family of the Crimson Star Empire," Yaoguang said directly.

"The Crimson Star Empire." Zong Yan’s expression turned stern.

Even within a power as strong as the World-Saving Society, there was a consensus: Nothing involving the Crimson Star Empire was a small matter. Now that Yaoguang wanted information on a Crimson Star noble...

"Have they targeted you?" Zong Yan asked.

"It’s not certain yet. It might also be that tactic of alternating between kindness and intimidation," Yaoguang said.

"I will apply for access to the records immediately." As Zong Yan spoke, he quickly made a phone call.

Ten minutes later, he returned. "The information has arrived. I will send it to you now."

Yaoguang glanced at the document he had just received and opened it.

"A psychic-will martial paragon?" When he saw the first line of data, he was somewhat surprised. "The Shangguan family actually possesses a psychic-will martial paragon?"

"The internal situation of the Crimson Star Empire is similar to Dayu's; it is composed of the royal family and twelve great noble families. Of course, besides the twelve great nobles, there are eighty-eight minor noble families. However, those minor nobles were mostly enfeoffed for their service to the Crimson Star Empire. In terms of scale, the weaker ones are even inferior to the Liao family. But the Shangguan family is one of the twelve great aristocratic families. The family head, Shangguan Jinlong, holds the rank of marquis," Zong Yan explained seriously.

𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Yaoguang looked at the data provided. They had one psychic-will martial paragon and four martial paragons. Such a lineup could sweep across Dayu. Since the Shangguan family, just one of the twelve great nobles, possessed such strength, it was no wonder the people of the Crimson Star Empire were so arrogant and treated all other nations as beneath them.

"Even if we exclude the power tied down by the Snowdragon Empire, the combined forces of every martial paragon and grandmaster from all nations would be unable to resist the Crimson Star Empire's martial world. If you further account for the disparity in equipment between the two sides, it simply becomes a question of how long the world's united martial paragons and grandmasters could hold out against the Crimson Star Empire," Zong Yan said.

Zong Yan seemed to know what Yaoguang was thinking. He sighed and continued, "This is also why dozens of countries in the Central and Eastern Continents formed the World-Saving Society, yet they have only ever dared to position it as a private organization. They simply don't dare to challenge the Crimson Star Empire openly."

"Mhmm." Yaoguang nodded.

Comparing the data of the Crimson Star Empire's martial paragons with those of the other nations reminded Yaoguang of the fifth-generation fighter jets from his previous world. Against other nations, the Crimson Star Empire possessed an overwhelming advantage. Moreover, unlike fifth-generation jets, which were subject to various operational constraints, a martial paragon’s mobility, lethality, and deterrence were on an entirely different level.

After a while, Yaoguang finished skimming through the information on the Shangguan family.

"Alright, I have an idea on how to resolve this matter." He looked at Zong Yan. "Bring the logistics team and follow me to the villa at Yuhuang Mountain. I will be cultivating there for a while. Use this interval to give them a round of intensive training."

"Yuhuang Mountain? Very well." Zong Yan nodded.

"Get ready. We leave this afternoon," Yaoguang instructed.

Zong Yan left to carry out the orders. Once he was gone, Yaoguang’s hand came to rest on the files regarding the Shangguan family.

The Shangguan family possessed one psychic-will martial paragon and four martial paragons, which represented the main lineage and the four major branches. Shangguan Xiong was the sixth son of the head of the main lineage, Shangguan Jinlong. However, within the Shangguan family, there was significant competition between the main lineage and the four branches.

"If Shangguan Xiong truly intends to stand up for the Liao family, I’ll just find some time to go to the Crimson Star Empire and kill Shangguan Jinlong directly. Once the Shangguan family falls into chaos, he won’t have the energy to cause trouble for me," Yaoguang remarked to himself.

**

In the afternoon, Yaoguang traveled by car to the vacation villa on Yuhuang Mountain that had originally belonged to the Liao family. After settling in, he utilized the Great Earth Furnace secret technique to search for the most suitable location for cultivation.

The ancestors of the Liao family had seemingly employed an expert when deciding where to build the villa. After wandering the mountain for a day, Yaoguang concluded that the best spot for cultivation was actually a scenic site called Longyou Stream, located only two miles from the building.

The energy within the earth veins at that location was more than just a notch stronger than that of Jingyun Mountain. Consequently, Yaoguang immediately selected this spot for his cultivation.

Just as he was about to begin cultivating, news arrived from Su Chiming that the nine great aristocratic families had simultaneously sent congratulatory gifts. These gifts consisted of either key assets from various regions or divine weapons. There were even many long-overdue tax payments included.

As these gains were recorded, Yaoguang soon sensed something. His gaze immediately focused on the ancient tree within his mental world. Specifically, it was fixed upon the Martial Dao branch.

Thanks to the tireless contributions from the Merchant branch over the past half-month, the Martial Dao branch, which had been at the eighth tier, saw its growth speed increase by leaps and bounds.

As of today, with the initial stabilization of Dayu and the arrival of congratulatory gifts from all sides, bringing in assets worth over a trillion asters, the Martial Dao branch finally broke through the limit of the eighth tier and entered the ninth tier.

"Finally... The ninth tier," Yaoguang sighed with emotion.

He clearly noticed that pure money was providing less and less experience for the Merchant branch. Conversely, items like divine weapons and treasures were more effective for experience growth.

To test this, he specifically estimated the value of Liao Zhenguo’s Heavy Star and Bian Liancheng’s Crescent Saber. Based on the experience growth of the Merchant branch, the former was worth approximately 40 billion while the latter reached 20 billion asters. This was several times higher than the actual market valuation of the items.

Money really becomes nothing more than a string of numbers without substantial value at this level. The ninth tier is already the limit of the God-Fiend Body Refinement. If I want to push further, relying purely on money would likely require hundreds of trillions...

The entire wealth of Dayu did not even amount to a tenth of that figure. If he wanted to go a step further and catch a glimpse of the realm beyond the ninth realm of God-Fiend Body Refinement, he would either have to become the master of the Central Continent or conquer the Crimson Star Empire. Or...

"Immortal weapons and fiendish artifacts," Yaoguang murmured. These were divine objects that were stronger than any ordinary divine weapon, and their value could not be measured with mere money.

After a moment, he focused on the Martial Dao branch. The ninth tier was called Star Transformation. This step required merging the heaven-and-earth furnace with oneself, transforming into an existence similar to a stellar magnetic field.

Because this realm was already far removed from conventional Martial Dao cultivation, and combined with the fact that his progress was only at 1%, Yaoguang could not yet comprehend it.

However, the Dao Fruit formed upon perfection of the eighth tier came as a pleasant surprise to him. "Life Force Field."