Chapter 74: Impact

Several hours later, Yaoguang let out a long breath and ended his cultivation.

Relying on his exquisite, peak-level control over his physical essence, he had finally somewhat recovered. Although he had not returned to his peak, he was more than capable of engaging in another life-and-death struggle with daemons.

However, when his perception caught the presence outside that had yet to dissipate, he frowned. "They haven't left?"

Before going upstairs to recover, he had clearly told the people from the World-Saving Society to leave. He hadn't expected them to remain at Yuyuan Estate. Did they no longer care about losing face?

He immediately headed downstairs. Below, Ai Li was politely serving Ji Pingtian a glass of water.

Outside the courtyard gate, in addition to the society members who had not entered the living room, Leng Jun and the others had also arrived. Not even Yue Xingzhou had departed. Although the strength of Leng Jun and his companions was not on the same level as the World-Saving Society's members, their presence undoubtedly signaled a defensive stance.

Consequently, the atmosphere was somewhat awkward. When Yaoguang reappeared downstairs, that awkward tension finally broke.

Ji Pingtian stood up immediately and quickly produced a box. "Yaoguang, I forgot that you were injured while killing those fiends like Zhao Sheng. Here's a batch of Body-Nurturing Pills that I had urgently transferred here. They are quite effective at recovering from injuries sustained in combat. If you can use them, you might as well give them a try."

Yaoguang did not respond to the offer, only asking, "Does President Ji have more business?"

"This..." A smile forced its way onto Ji Pingtian’s face. "The procedure for a transfer of 300 billion aster is quite cumbersome. I stayed behind so that I could coordinate and resolve any issues immediately if they arose."

"Oh." Yaoguang glanced at his phone. He had previously set it to silent, but looking at it now, several notifications of received funds had already appeared. The 300 billion aster were being transferred in batches, and more than half had already arrived. As he watched, another large transfer became visible in the account.

After a quick calculation, it was almost complete. Looking at the string of zeros in his account balance, Yaoguang felt a genuine sense of realization. After a certain amount, money truly became just a number.

"It’s enough," Yaoguang said. "Please, suit yourselves."

"Lord Yaoguang." Ji Pingtian stepped forward, speaking sincerely, "I sincerely apologize to you for what happened earlier—"

"It’s fine," Yaoguang interrupted with a wave of his hand. "You did nothing wrong, and I will not violate our agreement because of this incident."

Ji Pingtian let out a small sigh of relief. He then moved to the main topic. "News recently came from within the World-Saving Society that Zhao Sheng’s status within the Rebirth Society... was not simple."

"Was it the Rebirth Society or the Crimson Star Empire?" Yaoguang asked.

Ji Pingtian was slightly startled, then replied, "The nature of it doesn't make much of a difference. In short, I'm afraid this matter will not end here."

"I know," Yaoguang responded. He also felt that things wouldn't end like this, because he didn't plan on ending it yet.

"Just to be safe, Lord Yaoguang, you should come with me to the World-Saving Society. I can guarantee that something like what happened to Xia Wuyuan will never happen there," Ji Pingtian proposed gravely.

"No need," Yaoguang said. "I won't be going to the World-Saving Society."

"Not going?" Ji Pingtian and Zong Yan exchanged looks, both feeling a sense of foreboding.

After a long moment, the president smiled and said, "Yaoguang, don't worry. Once you reach the World-Saving Society, your Harbinger status will be approved immediately. At that time, within the society—"

"There is one thing President Ji doesn't seem to understand." Yaoguang looked at Ji Pingtian. "The agreement I signed with you has always been transactional in nature. I help you fight the Crimson Star Empire's martial paragons during the World Martial Assembly, and you pay me enough money. Therefore, we should stick to those terms."

Ji Pingtian was stunned by those words. Zong Yan also realized something and remarked, "Lord Yaoguang did indeed set conditions. At his request, we signed the Template 6 agreement."

"Template 6?" Ji Pingtian understood instantly.

The obligations required by Template 6 were indeed limited to representing World-Saving Society during the World Martial Assembly to fight the Crimson Star Empire's martial paragons. Everything else could be ignored.

The reason the World-Saving Society even had this template was that the high-level leadership believed that whether someone was a potential martial paragon or a Harbinger, they would naturally want to obtain more cultivation arts, resource allocation, and careful guidance from psychic-will realm martial paragons. To get those, they would have to contribute, perform tasks issued by the society, and follow the society’s rules and regulations.

But Yaoguang didn't need any of that! He didn't need cultivation arts. As for resources, with 300 billion aster in his account, that would clearly last him a very long time. As for guidance, there was likely no one in the entire World-Saving Society capable of guiding him.

In other words, the agreements, routines, and rules used by the World-Saving Society to constrain potential martial paragons and Harbingers were useless against him.

"Let it be," Yaoguang said. "Send someone to notify me when it is time for the World Martial Assembly."

Ji Pingtian understood it was best not to stay any longer and risk becoming an annoyance. He stood up and said, "Whether we are dealing with the Rebirth Society or the Crimson Star Empire, we stand on the same side. If you need help, do not be polite; just ask."

"Alright," Yaoguang replied with a polite nod.

Ji Pingtian and Zong Yan then led the other members of the World-Saving Society out of Yuyuan Estate. Looking back at the brightly lit courtyard behind them, Ji Pingtian felt helpless.

"President." Zong Yan sighed. "At the time, I only thought about signing the agreement as quickly as possible. After all, being able to sign a nineteen-year-old grandmaster for 10 billion aster..."

"I understand. You did nothing wrong," Ji Pingtian said.

When Yaoguang desired nothing from World-Saving Society, be it resources, cultivation methods, or guidance, the validity of his agreement with them rested entirely upon his personal integrity. Yaoguang’s intent was unmistakable: he would not discuss personal sentiments, only business.

"Forget it. There is no point in blaming the agreement itself," Ji Pingtian said.

To both the World-Saving Society and Yaoguang, the agreement was merely a statement of intent; it possessed no actual binding force. The key factor remained whether both parties could get along pleasantly and share a common purpose. In this regard, he, the president, had completely botched the situation.

"I was narrow-minded," Ji Pingtian lamented.

Yaoguang’s youth had instinctively caused him to look down on him. Furthermore, he had defaulted to treating Yaoguang like he would treat any other member of the World-Saving Society, addressing him with the authority stemming from his position as a superior. When Yaoguang did not comply, Ji Pingtian felt he was being defied and became dissatisfied. Fang Lu had then fanned the flames, causing that dissatisfaction to fester.

Finally, there was his own style of conduct. A martial paragon broke the limits of the human body; they were an army unto themselves, possessing immense power. They were used to acting directly and bluntly, and few people dared to cross them.

Although Zong Yan had stated more than once in his reports that Yaoguang was powerful and exceptionally talented, Ji Pingtian’s perception of him remained centered on the label of a "nineteen-year-old grandmaster." Ultimately, his own arrogance had cost him a perfect situation.

"President," Zong Yan said, carefully weighing his words. "I have been in Dayu's branch of the World-Saving Society for so long, yet I failed to discover that Dayu's royal family had already abandoned us... This is a result of my incompetence and dereliction of duty. Combined with my advanced age and lack of sufficient strength to stabilize a national situation, I wish to resign from my position as the director of Dayu's branch."

"You..." Ji Pingtian thought of the information he had seen in Fang Lu’s memories. Dayu's branch had indeed been infiltrated completely. Zong Yan could not avoid responsibility for this, no matter what. Besides...

After considering it for a moment, he said, "You should rest for a while."

Zong Yan nodded.

"In fact, you might have a new place to go," Ji Pingtian added.

"Hmm?" Zong Yan was startled.

He watched as Ji Pingtian pointed toward the villa in Yuyuan Estate behind them. "I no longer have any doubts about Su Yaoguang’s strength and potential, but his foundation is too shallow. Setting everything else aside, his logistics team alone is completely unworthy of his status."

Zong Yan understood. "You want me to apply to join Su Yaoguang’s logistics team?"

Ji Pingtian nodded. "In this way, we can at least maintain a bond with him, so we do not become strangers in the future."

As he spoke, he took his phone out of his pocket and checked it. "As expected, Lord Yaoguang is likely going to take action against the Liao family. I originally intended to give him the files on the Liao family myself, but after thinking it over, I believe it would be better if you brought these files as a stepping stone."

Zong Yan looked at the specialized phone in his hand; he had already received a file.

"Things have come to this; we can only do our best to make amends," Ji Pingtian said.

Zong Yan hesitated for a moment before nodding. "I will try my best to get hired."

***

Because of the incident with Ji Pingtian, Yue Xingzhou had not yet left the study.

"There are connections between the aristocratic families, right?" Yaoguang asked.

"Yes." Yue Xingzhou nodded. "Over the years, the Liao family has ignored the unspoken agreement that the royal and the aristocratic families govern together. They have ruthlessly suppressed the aristocratic families. If the various families had not secretly united against them, they would have been devoured long ago."

"Then, if the core members of the Liao family were to disappear, could you ensure that Dayu does not fall into chaos?" Yaoguang asked directly.

Although Yue Xingzhou had anticipated this, his pupils still constricted sharply when he heard these words from Yaoguang’s own mouth.

"Lord Yaoguang, are you planning to..." His voice trembled slightly. He had unconsciously begun using a respectful title in his tone.

"Correct." Yaoguang leaned back in his chair and said calmly, "Since they have no desire to act like humans and have sided with the fiends, then they shall no longer be humans."

Yue Xingzhou gasped.

If Yaoguang had merely broken through to become a martial paragon, Yue Xingzhou would have naturally tried to stop such a crazy action. But his clash with Ji Pingtian just now had proven that after becoming a martial paragon, his combat power was not inferior to the psychic-will realm!

A psychic-will martial paragon, combined with the cooperation of the other families to topple the Liao family, was by no means a pipe dream. The most critical factor was Yaoguang!

He was a nineteen-year-old martial paragon, and one with psychic-will realm combat power! What did this mean? It meant he would definitely be able to enter the Artifact Sect! He would definitely rise to greatness!

As long as the Yue family played this card, all the aristocratic families in Dayu that had been suppressed by the Liao family would immediately rally around Yaoguang. They would do their utmost to make Dayu bigger and stronger.

Because if all went well, this would mean that a third super-level empire was about to rise, alongside Crimson Star and Snowdragon Empires! And when that time came, all of them would be the founding ministers of a new era!

After thinking it through, Yue Xingzhou responded heavily, "We can definitely assure you that Dayu won't descend into chaos!"

"Good." Yaoguang nodded. "Contact them."