Chapter 45: Counterattack

It was nighttime when Lei Yun drove Yaoguang to a small house in the suburbs. Two people were already waiting inside. One was Xia Wuyuan, the initiator of this operation. The other was Yue Xingzhou, the publicly acknowledged grandmaster of the Yue family.

When Yue Xingzhou saw Yaoguang walk in with a sword at his side, surprise flickered in his eyes. His gaze immediately shifted to Xia Wuyuan. "Him?"

"Yes." Xia Wuyuan nodded.

"That's impossible!" Yue Xingzhou said, his pupils immediately constricting.

Earlier, Xia Wuyuan had mentioned that he would bring in a grandmaster from the Su family. With three grandmasters working together, they could break through this daemon lair. At that time, Yue Xingzhou had been wondering which Su family member had reached the grandmaster tier.

Leng Jun? Su Chixin? Why was there no news at all? Given the Su family's current situation, if they truly have a grandmaster, they ought to flaunt it.

And now, seeing Yaoguang...

"He's a grandmaster?" Yue Xingzhou asked again.

"Yes." Xia Wuyuan's tone remained calm. "I don't joke when it comes to this kind of operation."

Yue Xingzhou gasped.

"You look barely twenty! A grandmaster at twenty!?" He directed the question at Yaoguang.

"He's nineteen," Xia Wuyuan answered for Yaoguang.

At that, Yue Xingzhou rubbed his forehead. He felt as though the era was already leaving him behind.

Xia Wuyuan opened a guitar case that contained only firearms. He checked them with practiced familiarity. Watching this, Yaoguang suddenly felt the sword in his hand become less impressive.

"Want one?" Xia Wuyuan asked, noticing Yaoguang's reaction.

After thinking for a moment, Yaoguang picked up a large-caliber pistol and slipped two magazines into his pocket.

Yue Xingzhou sighed softly. "The world truly is changing."

Yaoguang remembered something Zhang Tianji had said the day before, and turned to Xia Wuyuan. "Do you know about the World-Saving Society?"

Xia Wuyuan froze mid-check. His eyes immediately focused on Yaoguang. Yue Xingzhou also paused, then showed a look of understanding.

"They already approached you?"

"Explain it to me," Yaoguang said.

Bai Ya had investigated them all day yesterday, but there was almost no information about the World-Saving Society online. Even the Su family's intelligence network contained nearly nothing. It was as if the organization had been erased from existence.

"It's not surprising they've taken an interest in you," Xia Wuyuan said. "Actually, after I won the fourteenth National Martial Dao Tournament years ago, I was ambushed and nearly killed. Later, I learned that the attacker was a tester from the World-Saving Society. My performance... failed the test."

He added, "They accepted me as an external member afterward. My role was to search for Martial Dao talents and recommend them. But even though their ideals sound grand, they're always concealing themselves and acting in the shadows. I don't like that."

Yue Xingzhou gave him a strange look. Yaoguang caught it immediately. "You know about them?"

"I've heard of them," Yue Xingzhou replied after some thought. "I only know they have significant backing. But I became a grandmaster relatively late, so I never had any contact with them."

"The tester who came for me mentioned that the organization involves multiple nations across the Central Continent," Xia Wuyuan added. "Their stated goal is to build a Martial Dao sacred land everyone dreams of. But... who knows if that's true..." Xia Wuyuan said.

𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Yue Xingzhou glanced at him but said nothing.

Xia Wuyuan added, "If someone has already approached you, then it won't be long before they send someone to test you. If you pass, you'll really get to know the actual World-Saving Society. As for whether their so-called sacred land is real or just a fantasy... That depends on your interpretation."

Yaoguang nodded. Xia Wuyuan finished preparing and slipped on a vest under his clothing. It was a bulletproof garment of some kind.

As for Yue Xingzhou, given the stiffness in his movements, it was clear that he was wearing a combat suit beneath his clothes. Yaoguang simply couldn't guess which level the combat suit was.

The group stepped outside, where a seven-seater business van was waiting at the door.

"If I die, everything I've uncovered will be delivered directly to the king's desk," Xia Wuyuan said quietly.

Yue Xingzhou shook his head. "I know what can and cannot be done. I will not gamble the entire Yue family."

He looked at Xia Wuyuan and added, "But you... Buyers of divine blood include people from every level of high society. You'd better be prepared for the consequences."

"If anything happens, I'll bear it alone," Xia Wuyuan said, voice firm. "I know this decision will cost me my time, my family, my friends, my life—everything. But someone must stand up and put a stop to this..."

Both Yue Xingzhou and Yaoguang looked at him.

"If no one else will..." Xia Wuyuan's voice grew solemn. "Then I will."

For a grown man in his thirties to say something like that, it sounded almost naive. Yet neither Yue Xingzhou nor Yaoguang laughed.

They understood that one should not grow used to the darkness and begin defending it, never take pride in compromises, and never mock those who were braver than you, for the light they burn within themselves might one day illuminate your path as well.

"Let's go," Yaoguang said quietly.

Inside the car, a martial master from the Yue family drove them straight toward the wilderness, while Yue Xingzhou unfolded a map in the back.

"Baisheng Chemical Plant. Forty kilometers from the provincial capital. It's the largest and the only distribution point for divine blood in Tiannan. This is the layout. But considering they may have modified the structure, use the map only as a reference." Yue Xingzhou gave a brief introduction.

The plant was small. Compared to Qingyu Industrial Park, it wasn't even on the same level, but it possessed strict security measures. Yue Xingzhou pointed out the private security unit contracted to guard the plant. It had only been established a year ago.

"For this operation, we have three objectives. First, gather as much visual evidence as possible. Second, determine whether they have backing from anyone else. Third..." Xia Wuyuan explained, then he glanced at Yaoguang. "I need to see those monsters clearly."

"I'll locate them," Yaoguang replied.

"Good." Xia Wuyuan nodded. He knew Yaoguang must have some method to draw those monsters out. Such a sensitive task was best left to the one proficient in it.

As they discussed, the chemical plant came into view. Despite being nighttime, it was brightly lit, with workers and vehicles constantly moving in and out.

Yaoguang and the other two were all grandmasters, so their mobility was astonishing. They left the car hidden behind a patch of forest a few hundred meters away, then rapidly approached the plant on foot. As soon as they reached the perimeter, Yaoguang began using his Perception.

The Yue family's intelligence was indeed accurate. There were two daemons here.

"Follow me," Yaoguang said.

"You found them?" Xia Wuyuan quickly caught up.

Yue Xingzhou didn't understand, but he followed regardless. Soon, they reached a small, three-story building.

"They're inside," Yaoguang said as he took a glance. The doors and windows had been sealed, and nothing inside could be seen.

"I'll go first," Xia Wuyuan offered. In his view, since he had asked Yaoguang for help, the dangerous job should fall to him. But...

"We'll go together," Yaoguang said. "Kill it as fast as possible. The second one will definitely be alerted afterward. You'll see his full form then."

"There are two?" Xia Wuyuan was startled, but quickly nodded. "Then we must finish this fast."

He whispered to Yue Xingzhou, "Hold the perimeter for us. Stop anyone who comes running."

Yue Xingzhou nodded.

Judging from their discussion, the one inside was certainly a leader-level figure, and clearly strong. Otherwise, they wouldn't insist on combining their strength for an instant kill. It might even be a grandmaster from some distant province or small nation.

Between fighting experts and fighting ordinary people, he preferred the latter. He positioned himself outside while Yaoguang and Xia Wuyuan approached the door.

After briefly looking at each other, they shoved the door open at the same time.

"Who is it?!" A shout rang out.

Recognizing the direction of the voice, Xia Wuyuan didn't hesitate. He fired immediately.

A muted thud slipped through the suppressor as the silenced rifle trembled slightly, and a burst of bullets tore toward the source of the voice. Despite the muffler, the act of breaking in had already startled the daemon inside. It reacted instantly, bursting toward the window and smashing through it.

Outside, Yue Xingzhou, who had been preparing to hunt down small fry, felt shards of glass and wood blast past him as a black shadow lunged straight at his face.

His grandmaster-tier instincts kicked in. He shifted his jin, and the saber strapped to him drew a sharp arc of cold light, slashing toward the shadow.

But just as his saber struck, the shadow lashed out. It was a scaled and monstrous claw! It slammed into his blade, producing a metallic boom. The force sent a violent shock up Yue Xingzhou's arm, making him nearly lose his grip as his defense collapsed.

"Crap!" His expression changed drastically as he immediately tried to retreat.

Under the faint light, he saw the creature's blood-red eyes and massive build as the creature's left arm shot forward like a spear, aiming straight for his heart. The strike wasn't just fast, it was precise, flawlessly reading every one of his reactions. In that instant, it felt as if no matter where he dodged, the blow would pierce through his chest and rip out his heart.

A grandmaster! This explosive force and speed are definitely those of a grandmaster! And this is a top-tier grandmaster, one who has mastered the Martial Dao to an extreme degree. Our first target is this terrifying monster?!

Yue Xingzhou thought.

"No!" Yue Xingzhou roared, panic sharpening his voice. His qi and blood surged violently as he activated some kind of secret technique. The speed at which he was retreating spiked, but even so, the claw still came down like an inescapable net.

It was a moment between life and death. Just as the claw was about to punch through Yue Xingzhou's chest, a chilling beam of sword light cut across the night.

The shadow's body jerked as a sword pierced cleanly through its forehead. Yue Xingzhou could feel the icy sharpness radiating from that blade.

He immediately widened the distance, landing several steps back. Only then did he register that Yaoguang had already leapt through the shattered window, his figure as fluid as that of a swimming dragon. In mid-air, his sword thrust into the back of the creature's skull, securing the kill with precision and saving Yue Xingzhou at the very last moment. Had Yaoguang been half a second slower, Yue Xingzhou would already be dead beneath that claw.

Wait! Claw?!

Yue Xingzhou stared at the corpse. Though the creature still maintained a human shape, its monstrous arm had not fully retracted. The scales and twisted structure remained clearly visible.