Chapter 1046: Let Them Lead the Charge!
After Zuo Meng left the temple, she immediately carried out the evacuation overnight, as per Xia Xinger's orders.
In Gu Mo City, the Holy Mother Cult held two territories. One had always belonged to them and had never been wrested away throughout the years, while the other was the Underworld Office's territory.
The so-called transfer involved moving all the Holy Mother Cult's personnel and assets currently located in the Underworld Office's territory to the Holy Mother Cult's original stronghold.
The people and objects referred to included some brought by the Holy Mother Cult and some that previously belonged to the Underworld Office. However, for this transfer, everything currently under the Holy Mother Cult's possession, regardless of its past ownership by the Underworld Office, was included in the relocation.
Precisely because of this, the Holy Mother Cult's transfer caused a massive stir, alarming all the major and minor factions throughout Gu Mo City!
After all, the Holy Mother Cult was one of Gu Mo City's major powers. Their sudden, significant movement made it impossible not to alert other factions. Many immediately called emergency meetings regarding the matter, and the Spirit Mediums were among these factions.
Death God believers still resided within the Holy Mother Cult's territory, and the Underworld Office's new Emissary of Death was also hiding there. This was precisely the information the Spirit Mediums had gone to great lengths to relay to Zuo Meng's ears. Thus, the Spirit Mediums had been secretly observing every move made by the Holy Mother Cult today.
It was precisely for this reason that the Spirit Mediums learned of the Holy Mother Cult's withdrawal from the Underworld Office's area immediately.
However, with Big Sister having spoken, even if they harbored grievances, they dared not voice them. They could only dutifully attend the meeting.
"Just received word, the Holy Mother Cult has begun evacuating from the Underworld Office's original territory."
Big Sister sat in the main seat. Once everyone had arrived, she took a puff from her cigarette and, without mincing words, directly relayed the received intelligence to the assembled Spirit Masters.
Among the Spirit Masters present, not everyone was privy to this matter. Those who knew naturally showed no surprise, but those who were unaware, without exception, wore expressions of utter shock.
"The Holy Mother Cult has started evacuating from the Underworld Office's territory, what's going on?"
"Exactly, could it be that Xia Xinger of the Holy Mother Cult suffered a loss at Yang Haoran's hands and was then driven away by him?"
"Yang Haoran has only been an Emissary of Death for a few short years; how could he possibly have the ability to deal with Xia Xinger of the Holy Mother Cult? What's more, Xia Xinger isn't the only powerful combatant in the Holy Mother Cult. By what right could Yang Haoran drive the Holy Mother Cult out?"
As Big Sister's words fell, the Spirit Masters who were still in the dark voiced their inner doubts one after another. If the words hadn't come directly from Big Sister's mouth, they likely wouldn't have believed it was true.
"Why the Holy Mother Cult is withdrawing from the Underworld Office's territory, I'm not entirely clear on that yet. However, this matter is indeed a fact. If you had paid a bit more attention, you wouldn't be so completely clueless."
Big Sister said, smiling, but her smile carried a hint of coldness.
The few Spirit Masters who had spoken heard the shift in Big Sister's tone. No one dared to utter another word, all dutifully shutting their mouths.
Big Sister's gaze swept over these individuals. Seeing them all lower their heads and fall silent, she didn't press the matter further. Instead, she took another puff of her cigarette, turned her gaze to Zhuang Mingzhe, and continued to speak with a smile.
"I had intended to use the Holy Mother Cult to deal with Yang Haoran, but to my surprise, not only did the two sides fail to clash, that wretched woman Xia Xinger actually returned the territory to Yang Haoran. It truly exceeded my expectations; that wretched woman certainly played her cards well."
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Mingzhe also lowered his head, not daring to speak. The initial suggestion had been his, and the current outcome was vastly different from their anticipated result, which left him somewhat mortified. Although he believed the fault wasn't his, he had also discerned the displeasure in Big Sister's tone. Naturally, he dared not speak at this moment, lest he invite trouble upon himself.
Seeing that no one was speaking, Big Sister frowned slightly. She slowly extinguished her cigarette butt in the ashtray, then smiled and addressed the Spirit Masters present.
"Are you here to listen to me report on my work?"
The expressions of the Spirit Masters present all changed, for the anger in Big Sister's words was even more apparent than before.
Shang Yuanqi, sensing the displeasure in Big Sister's tone, feared she might vent her rage upon these Spirit Masters in her pique. He quickly spoke up to mediate.
"Big Sister, please calm your anger. Although this matter didn't achieve our desired outcome, we haven't suffered any losses, nor has Yang Haoran gained much."
Upon hearing this, Big Sister turned her gaze to Shang Yuanqi. She took out another cigarette and lit it for herself. Though she remained silent, Shang Yuanqi understood her meaning and continued to speak.
"When the Holy Mother Cult evacuates the Underworld Office's area, they certainly won't leave much behind for the Underworld Office. According to the information I've gathered, the ordinary people in that area now almost all believe in the Holy Mother. And during this withdrawal, the Holy Mother Cult has not abandoned these believers. This means that once the Holy Mother Cult completes its evacuation, the Underworld Office's territory will be nothing more than an empty shell. An empty shell without people, even if its land area is considerable, will have its value greatly diminished. So, even if Yang Haoran obtains that area, he hasn't actually gained much benefit, Big Sister, there's no need to be angry."
Big Sister took a puff from her cigarette, then said indifferently.
"My anger isn't because that area has fallen back into the Underworld Office's hands, but because of the incompetence of some people. The Holy Mother Cult made such a huge commotion, and yet they knew absolutely nothing."
As Big Sister's words left her mouth, those Spirit Masters who had been utterly clueless about the matter not only lowered their heads even further but didn't even dare to breathe loudly.
"Big Sister is right, they truly deserve to die, but now is not the time to dwell on this. We should still think about how to deal with Yang Haoran. Although what he received is just an empty shell, if we let him develop like this, their Underworld Office might truly rise from the ashes, and that wouldn't be good for us at all."
Shang Yuanqi spoke, and Big Sister lightly flicked her cigarette ash, then asked indifferently.
"Up until now, we haven't even figured out Yang Haoran's full capabilities, and you're already itching to make a move against him?"
Upon hearing this, Shang Yuanqi quickly shook his head and began to explain.
"A direct confrontation between us and Yang Haoran is inevitable. After all, our two sides are fundamentally irreconcilable, and we certainly cannot allow him to continue developing in Gu Mo City. However, we haven't yet fully grasped the extent of his strength, so we shouldn't act rashly. I, however, think we could devise a way to let others test the waters and see how deep his capabilities run."
Shang Yuanqi spoke with great confidence, but Big Sister frowned upon hearing it. Some of the Spirit Masters present also furrowed their brows, and one old crone couldn't help but speak up.
"We've already used that trick, and everyone saw the result. Are we to repeat the same old maneuver?"
The old crone still held a certain standing among the thirteen, which allowed her to voice her opinion in such a setting.
Big Sister smoked her cigarette, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with the old crone's assertion.
"Heh heh, this time is different from the last. After the Holy Mother Cult withdrew from the Underworld Office's territory, Yang Haoran gained an area belonging to the Underworld Office. Although it's merely an empty shell, he can develop within this region. Currently, Gu Mo City's major factions have grown accustomed to the absence of the Underworld Office. If the Underworld Office were to rise again, then a portion of Gu Mo City's various resources would be seized by them. Do you think the major factions would be willing to see that happen?"
Shang Yuanqi's words caused the old crone's expression to change; she seemed to understand the meaning behind his statement.
"I can responsibly tell everyone that among Gu Mo City's major factions, the vast majority certainly do not wish to see the Underworld Office rise in Gu Mo City. Therefore, after tonight, the Spirit Mediums will absolutely not be the only ones looking for trouble with Yang Haoran. We simply need to prepare for battle in secret and constantly monitor Yang Haoran's movements. Someone will definitely lead the charge for us, I guarantee it. As for us, we just need to seize the right opportunity and then deliver a fatal blow to Yang Haoran!"
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