Yao Lao's Crisis

In the Roland Empire, at the back mountain of the Imperial Capital Magic Academy, withered yellow leaves carpeted the ground. Lynn sat upon a giant boulder, his expression grave as he gazed toward the direction outside the academy.

"In the few years since my clone vanished, the number of people from the Church of Light within the Roland Empire has indeed increased. I originally thought they were searching for Xiao Yan, but... now it seems that is not the case at all."

"When Xiao Yan disappeared, the intelligence gathered by the Church of Light would have at most pegged him as a fifth or sixth-rank warrior. Even if they deemed him important, that one time four years ago should have been enough. It is impossible for them to persist for so long. Such an obvious truth, and I only just realized it now." Lynn felt a bit vexed.

"I fell victim to my own subjective bias. I know my own talent, but the Church of Light does not. At most, they only regarded my clone as a genius with the potential to break through to the Saint Realm—important, yes, but only to a limited extent."

Lynn scrutinized the mistake he had made.

...Wutan City, tavern.

Under the dim, yellow light, a "tipsy-looking" Xiao Yan lay half-reclined at the bar, focusing his attention on the conversations of the patrons in the tavern.

The more he listened, the heavier Xiao Yan's heart became.

Under Xiao Yan's observation, even the red-haired, burly man with the highest cultivation among the crowd in this small tavern was merely a fifth-rank warrior.

Yet, this group of commoners, whose highest cultivation was only at the fifth rank, were discussing matters nearly identical to what Lynn had heard at the gathering of Saint Realm descendants four years ago.

This was terrifying; it meant that someone was deliberately spreading this information, acting as a provocation toward the three great empires.

"Saint Realm magical beasts possess high intelligence. The slaughter of human cities, a task with no profit to be gained, rarely happens even once in several hundred years. Yet now, in just four short years, the number known to these commoners alone has reached seven!"

"Next are the abnormal movements of the Church of Light and the Church of Darkness. They are so massive that even commoners know of them, yet those high-ranking officials of the empire have yet to react!"

"There must be a reason for this. Oh no... Starfire City, Yao Lao!" While deep in thought, Xiao Yan suddenly realized something.

With the movements of the Church of Light and the Church of Darkness becoming increasingly bold within the empire's borders, and their fear of the empire significantly diminished compared to before, the Church of Light was highly likely to take action against Yao Lao at this very moment.

Thinking of this, Xiao Yan rushed out of the tavern and flew toward Starfire City at his maximum speed.

The old man leaning against the doorway watched Xiao Yan leave, blinking his eyes in confusion.

"...Did he just fly, fly, fly away?" The old man reached out a trembling hand to point at the sky.

"Another one drank too much. Why don't you say you saw a Saint Realm expert?" The waiter shook his head.

The night sky was like thick ink. Inside Starfire City, everything was quiet. In the darkness, the outline of the city was barely visible, and the sparse lights emitted a faint glow that flickered in the night, as if they could be extinguished at any moment.

At the very center of Starfire City, where the lights were densest, stood the Starfire Royal Palace. King Luo En stood at the highest point of the pavilion, looking toward the direction of the Dragon Knight Warrior Academy, his eyes complex, seemingly filled with both anger and a sigh.

"Albert, you have hidden for so long, but this day has finally come."

Albert was Yao Lao's original name.

"The Church of Light is becoming increasingly daring. Why does the empire still not take action to sanction them?" Luo En was puzzled.

In a corner of the city, the Dragon Knight Warrior Academy was shrouded in shadows, immersed in darkness. A gust of wind blew, and a rustling sound came from the bushes outside the academy.

At the academy gate, an old man with white hair and a white beard held a crimson longsword, his head bowed as he leaned against the academy's closed iron gate.

This old man was none other than Yao Lao.

"Since you have come, then come out." Suddenly, Yao Lao opened his eyes, his expression calm as he looked toward the bushes not far away.

"Rustle~~ Rustle~~"

"As expected of a ninth-rank warrior who has grasped the momentum of heaven and earth, your perception is indeed sharp." A hoarse voice emerged from the bushes.

Following this, more than a dozen people stepped out.

The leading old man was none other than Dialuo, the Cardinal of Starfire City.

"The disgusting, hypocritical aura emanating from you people of the Church of Light is ten, a hundred times stinkier than the sludge in a latrine. It is hard for this old man not to notice." Yao Lao's expression remained calm, as if he were merely stating a fact.

"Hehe... so many years have passed, Albert, and you still use this way of greeting. It is a pity, though; from now on, this Cardinal will no longer be able to hear it." Dialuo sneered, his words filled with sarcasm.

"Rest assured, given the disgusting things you old dog have done, such greetings will not be in short supply in the future." Yao Lao's expression remained calm, without a ripple of emotion.

"Furthermore, my life is not so easy to take. Just relying on you old dog, even with the addition of six special-grade deacons, is not enough!" Yao Lao's expression turned stern. He drew the crimson longsword from his embrace, and a terrifying murderous aura soared into the sky, exerting pressure upon Dialuo and the others from the Church of Light.

"Kill!"

Seizing the opportunity, a sharp glint flashed in Yao Lao's eyes. His entire body appeared before Dialuo as if teleporting, his crimson longsword thrusting toward his neck.

"Die!"

It was a strike containing the momentum of heaven and earth; an ordinary ninth-rank warrior would be unable to react. Just as Dialuo was about to die, a figure suddenly appeared before him, blocking Yao Lao's lethal strike with two fingers.

"Bang!"

"It is you, Theodore!!!" Yao Lao recognized the newcomer, his expression changing violently as he spat out the name through gritted teeth.

The person who arrived was none other than one of the two founders of the former Holy Radiance Federation, the Saint Realm warrior of Light, Theodore!

Theodore blocked Yao Lao's attack with one hand, exerted a slight force with his palm, and flung Yao Lao a short distance away, looking at him with an indifferent expression.

"If you had stayed honestly in Starfire City and not engaged in any petty tricks, considering that Hector is already dead, it is not as if I couldn't have spared you."

"It is a pity that you did not cherish this opportunity!" Theodore said coldly. "Therefore, not only must you die, but you will also implicate that youth named Xiao Yan to die along with you!"

"Haha... an opportunity? Theodore, you colluded with the Church of Light to harm Ancestor Hector, besieged my Yao Clan, and shattered my dantian, so that even a ninth-rank life mage could not fully heal it, preventing me from breaking through to the Saint Realm. And you say you gave me an opportunity?" Yao Lao's expression was filled with fury.

"A joke, a colossal joke!"

"Is this your final word?" Theodore asked with a calm expression, looking indifferently at the frantic Yao Lao.

Yao Lao stared at the enemy who had slaughtered his clan, the man he had once called uncle, with bloodshot eyes.

"Kill!"

Further words had lost all meaning; Yao Lao knew that he would likely not escape death today.

But even if he were to die, he would die standing!

"Boom!" Yao Lao desperately mobilized all his Dou Qi, disregarding the damage to his meridians and Dantian, and compressed it onto his crimson longsword.

Just as Yao Lao was about to rush forward to fight for his life, a palm suddenly appeared and pressed down on his shoulder.

"I finally made it in time. Leave the rest to me!"