Chapter 1089: Long-Overdue Trouble
The power fluctuation they currently sensed was not Spirit Power, indicating that the newcomer was not from the Underworld Office.
Huang Sha dropped the look of shame from his face. Upon sensing this power fluctuation, his expression turned serious.
This was because the power fluctuation was actually Star Spirit Power, a type of energy exclusively possessed by Demon Hunters. In other words, this person was a Demon Hunter.
Huang Sha was a demon, inherently at odds with Demon Hunters. Ye Zhiqiu was an exception; since he knew Ye Zhiqiu was Yang Haoran's subordinate, he hadn't shown any hostility towards him when they first met.
Similarly, Ye Zhiqiu also knew Huang Sha was Yang Haoran's subordinate, and thus hadn't displayed hostility when encountering Huang Sha.
But this was merely between the two of them. It didn't mean that all demons and Demon Hunters could coexist peacefully. The reality was quite the opposite: both Demon Hunters towards demons, and demons towards Demon Hunters, harbored deep-seated animosity.
It was precisely for this reason that Huang Sha's expression turned serious after sensing the Star Spirit Power. As Yang Haoran had said, it was unknown whether the newcomer was a friend or foe.
"Boss, I'll go out and see what's happening," Huang Sha offered.
Yang Haoran felt a little uneasy letting Huang Sha go alone. After all, he hadn't fully established himself in Gu Mo City yet, and the Spirit Mediums had been up to something secretly lately. Most importantly, demons and Demon Hunters were naturally at odds. To avoid unnecessary conflict, he felt it was best to personally investigate.
Huang Sha could somewhat guess Yang Haoran's thoughts, so he didn't try to dissuade him. He respectfully followed behind Yang Haoran, leaving the conference room.
When Yang Haoran first sensed the Star Spirit Power, the person was still outside the temple. However, by the time he left the conference room, this individual had already reached the location of the Death God statue inside the temple and halted their steps. He didn't know the purpose of the person's visit, but since they hadn't sealed their power fluctuations, their intent was self-evident.
The Death God statue stood in the temple square, the busiest area of the entire temple. All devotees who came to the temple would invariably arrive before the statue to pray and prostrate themselves devoutly, making this spot the most bustling.
When Yang Haoran arrived at the square, devotees immediately noticed his presence. These worshippers were extremely respectful towards Yang Haoran, this divine envoy, and all performed a grand prostration. The Night Watchers, who were responsible for maintaining order and assisting the devotees here, naturally did the same, though their greetings were bowing rather than prostrating.
Whether it was the ordinary devotees or his own Night Watchers, Yang Haoran never put on airs. Facing their greetings, without exception, Yang Haoran returned each with a smile, viewing it as a basic form of respect.
Beneath the Death God statue, stood a man in his thirties. Unlike the other devotees, he did not kneel and pray to the Death God statue. He merely stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing at the towering Death God statue before him.
Yang Haoran's gaze fell upon this person, for the Star Spirit Power he had sensed was emanating precisely from him.
As Yang Haoran's gaze landed on the man, the latter seemed to sense it, withdrawing his eyes from the Death God statue and turning to look at Yang Haoran.
Their eyes met. Yang Haoran wore a smile, while the man's face remained expressionless.
"Heh heh, the intelligence you collected wasn't entirely useless. At least it let me know who this fellow is."
Hearing this, Huang Sha, who was standing by, could only offer an awkward chuckle. The intelligence he had previously gathered indeed contained information about this man, but these details were hardly secrets and could be obtained with a bit of effort. Thus, he didn't think the small amount of information he'd gathered for Yang Haoran held much value, nor would he take pride in it.
From the way the man looked at Yang Haoran, he must have recognized him. After all, Yang Haoran's identity in Gu Mo City was no longer a secret. However, the man did not proactively greet Yang Haoran just because he recognized him; instead, he remained rooted to the spot, his face devoid of expression.
Yang Haoran's reaction was quite the opposite. He had no intention of remaining where he was. With a faint smile on his face, he walked directly towards the man.
Huang Sha's brow furrowed slightly, his expression betraying a hint of displeasure. This displeasure, of course, wasn't directed at Yang Haoran, but rather at the Demon Hunter. However, he didn't say anything more, simply staying close behind Yang Haoran.
"Heh heh, Chairman Zhuang, hello. What brings you to my humble little place today?"
Yang Haoran stopped a few meters from the man and spoke with a faint smile.
This man was Zhuang Yingjie, the head of the Gu Mo City Demon Hunter Association branch. Yang Haoran knew of him partly due to Huang Sha's collected intelligence, but also because when he first arrived in Gu Mo City, Shui Ling had provided him with information about the various major factions, including details about Chairman Zhuang. Compared to Huang Sha's intelligence, Shui Ling's understanding of Chairman Zhuang was even more detailed. However, Yang Haoran chose not to mention this, as he didn't want to overly discourage Huang Sha; a simple acknowledgement was enough.
Zhuang Yingjie did not immediately answer Yang Haoran. With a stern face, he looked at Yang Haoran, then at Huang Sha behind him, before finally speaking indifferently.
"Divine Envoy Yang, you should know that we Demon Hunters and demons are mortal enemies. There is only one outcome when we meet: a fight to the death. You taking a demon as a subordinate, and even allowing him to openly show himself in Gu Mo City, makes it difficult for me not to feel that you are provoking our Demon Hunter Association."
Yang Haoran had only been in Gu Mo City for a short time, and he had no prior dealings with Zhuang Yingjie. However, like Zhuang Yingjie, he had secretly investigated his counterpart. Thus, Zhuang Yingjie had some understanding of Yang Haoran, and naturally knew even the simplest information, such as Yang Haoran's name.
Previously, Yang Haoran had been wondering if the newcomer was friend or foe. Now, upon hearing Zhuang Yingjie's words, he felt the possibility of friendship was slim, as the other party's tone bore no hint of jest.
The fact that Yang Haoran had a sand demon as a subordinate was no longer a secret. During the great battle against the Corpse-Driving Sect that day, Huang Sha had displayed his terrifying strength, ensuring everyone remembered him.
However, the Demon Hunter Association hadn't come knocking immediately; instead, they only appeared today, which puzzled Yang Haoran. He even wondered if there was a Spirit Medium's shadow behind this, if Spirit Mediums were secretly fanning the flames, thus leading to Zhuang Yingjie's appearance.
Of course, this was merely his speculation, and he couldn't be certain if it was true. But now wasn't the time to dwell on it. What needed to be done was to first resolve this trouble with Zhuang Yingjie.
Yang Haoran chuckled. His smile held no provocation, no ridicule, no arrogant disregard, and certainly no fear. It was simply natural.
"Chairman Zhuang, you're speaking too seriously," Yang Haoran said. "I'm just a humble Emissary of Death from the Underworld Office, new to this place and in need of your care, so how could I possibly do anything to provoke the Demon Hunter Association?"
Yang Haoran spoke with a smile, his words very polite, but Zhuang Yingjie wasn't buying it.
"If you have no intention of provoking our Demon Hunter Association, then what about this sand demon behind you?"
Zhuang Yingjie was aggressive. Yang Haoran turned to look at Huang Sha, whose face clearly showed anger. However, he was evidently still able to control his fury, not letting it erupt, nor did he show any intention of speaking.
Yang Haoran had initially thought to remind Huang Sha to calm down, but seeing Huang Sha's current state, he decided that no immediate reminder was needed.
Withdrawing his gaze, Yang Haoran once again looked at Zhuang Yingjie, his smile unchanged.
"Heh heh, Chairman Zhuang, this isn't the proper place to talk. Could I ask you to move? We can sit down and discuss whatever matter you have at length. There's no inherent enmity between you and me, and our Underworld Office has always coexisted peacefully with your Demon Hunter Association. So I believe there are no grievances between us that cannot be resolved, don't you agree?"
As his words fell, Yang Haoran smiled and made a 'please' gesture towards Zhuang Yingjie.
Zhuang Yingjie snorted coldly. His stern face didn't soften because of Yang Haoran's words, but he did, however, take a step.
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