Chapter 1091: A Strong Sense of Danger
Zhuang Yingjie felt very upset inside, but he didn't make a move against Yang Haoran. Although his words sounded tough, he was actually quite wary of Yang Haoran in his heart—or, more precisely, of the Underworld Office behind Yang Haoran.
The Underworld Office was a colossal entity. Even though the presence of Spirit Mediums had caused it significant losses recently, a starving camel was still bigger than a horse. The Underworld Office's status and power were not something any other force could hope to compare to, and what's more, the Underworld Office wasn't even a starving camel yet.
The Demon Hunter Association was also a colossal entity in the New Beginning Realm, but compared to the Underworld Office, the gap was simply too vast. If they were to fight the Underworld Office alone, the Demon Hunter Association would be utterly annihilated, leaving not even a speck of dust behind; there was absolutely no other possibility.
As the head of the Gu Mo City Demon Hunter Association branch, Zhuang Yingjie naturally understood the stakes. However, he didn't show his apprehension in front of Yang Haoran. To achieve his goals, he instead acted extremely assertively in Yang Haoran's presence.
Of course, acting assertively in front of Yang Haoran wasn't solely to achieve his goals. Another reason was his identity: as the head of the Gu Mo City Demon Hunter Association branch, he considered his status extremely noble. How could he easily reveal his apprehension in front of others?
He had originally thought that if he acted a bit more aggressively, Yang Haoran would become more apprehensive. But the outcome was completely opposite to what he had predicted. From start to finish, Yang Haoran appeared utterly natural, even leisurely. There wasn't a hint of tension; he observed the entire situation like an outsider watching a play, while Zhuang Yingjie felt like the monkey being toyed with. This left him simultaneously furious and awkwardly unable to back down.
The arrow was on the string, and it had to be loosed. Even with his inner rage, even with the situation leaving him unable to back down, what needed to be done still had to be done. Otherwise, not only would he fail to achieve his objectives, but he would also lose all his face—and that was not a result he wanted to see.
"It seems Soul Sower Yang is determined not to hand over this sand demon?"
Yang Haoran smiled, saying nothing, merely nodding at Zhuang Yingjie. Although he said nothing, his nod was an affirmative answer.
Zhuang Yingjie's eyes practically spat fire with rage. Yang Haoran's attitude infuriated him. The anger in his heart caused the power fluctuations emanating from his body to surge abruptly, and his fists clenched tightly at that moment.
Although the power fluctuations Zhuang Yingjie had previously emitted were strong, they paled in comparison to the present. It was clear that he hadn't unleashed his full power before, merely releasing a portion of it to signal his arrival to Yang Haoran.
Now, the reason he unleashed more power from within his body was, naturally, to demonstrate to Yang Haoran, using this method to tell him that he, the head of the Demon Hunter Association branch, was very angry and on the verge of exploding, hoping Yang Haoran would be sensible.
Between his eyebrows, two Star Seals were now visible. This meant he was a two-star Demon Hunter, but judging by the intensity of the light emanating from the Star Seals, his strength should be at the peak of a two-star Demon Hunter.
This level of strength, while not the absolute peak in Gu Mo City, certainly faced few rivals. Moreover, no one could say for sure whether the power he was currently unleashing was his true strength.
According to the intelligence Yang Haoran had gathered, Zhuang Yingjie's strength was at the peak of a two-star Demon Hunter. However, Yang Haoran couldn't be certain if this information was accurate; who knew if Zhuang Yingjie shared his own habit of concealing his true strength?
Zhuang Yingjie's reaction provoked Huang Sha. Today, Zhuang Yingjie had come specifically for him, Huang Sha, and he was already quite furious about it. However, out of respect for Yang Haoran, he hadn't unleashed his inner rage. Now, seeing Zhuang Yingjie erupt with even greater power, looking as if he was about to strike at Yang Haoran, Huang Sha could no longer restrain himself and likewise erupted with his own power.
In comparison, the power Huang Sha unleashed was considerably weaker than Zhuang Yingjie's. However, Huang Sha showed no hint of fear because of this. On one hand, his inner rage was even more intense than Zhuang Yingjie's, and on the other hand, this was the Death God Temple, with Yang Haoran presiding over it. He had no reason to be afraid.
"This is not the Demon Hunter Association! You have no right to act wild here!"
Huang Sha spoke coldly, his tone also carrying strong killing intent. He was a demon, a demon who killed without batting an eye, not a harmless chick or duck. As the anger in his heart erupted, his ominous aura was likewise revealed.
"You, sand demon, what right do you have to speak to me like that?"
A cold glint flashed in Zhuang Yingjie's eyes. As his voice fell, a surge of Star Spirit Power roared out from within him, blasting towards Huang Sha.
If Yang Haoran had said those words to him, he might have tried to restrain himself out of deference to Yang Haoran's strength and status. But for Huang Sha to speak to him in such a tone—that was something he couldn't accept. Driven by his inner fury, he decisively attacked Huang Sha.
Huang Sha reacted quickly. The moment Zhuang Yingjie made his move, he adopted a defensive stance. However, before the Star Spirit Power could successfully strike him, it was dispersed by a surge of Yin Spirit Power.
Yang Haoran simply waved his hand with a smile, and pitch-black Yin Spirit Power surged forth. A massive amount of Yin Spirit Power instantly transformed into a ferocious ghost head, which opened its gaping, empty maw and swallowed all of the incoming Star Spirit Power in a single gulp.
There was no booming sound. After the Star Spirit Power was swallowed by the ghost head, it seemed to be digested, emitting no noise whatsoever. It simply vanished silently. The ghost head let out a satisfied burp, its face still betraying a sense of wanting more.
Witnessing this scene firsthand, a flicker of shock passed through Zhuang Yingjie's eyes. Although he hadn't used his full strength in that attack, he knew its power. Yet, Yang Haoran had merely waved his hand casually, without employing any Ghost Art or Soul Armament, simply conjuring a ghost head from Yin Spirit Power to break his attack. How could he not be shocked?
"It seems the intelligence was wrong," Zhuang Yingjie mused inwardly. "Yang Haoran's strength is higher, not lower, than what I understood!"
Zhuang Yingjie had some understanding of Yang Haoran's strength, an understanding that stemmed from Yang Haoran's battle with the Corpse Driving Sect that day.
Zhuang Yingjie hadn't been present that day, but he had sent his subordinates to observe the battle, which was how he had gained some insight into Yang Haoran's strength.
However, now that he had witnessed Yang Haoran's actions firsthand and gained a more intuitive understanding of his strength, he realized his previous assessment of Yang Haoran's power had been mistaken.
"Heh heh, President Zhuang," Yang Haoran chuckled. "My place here has only just been successfully rebuilt not long ago. I really don't want to rebuild it again. Please go easy. Don't destroy anything here. Even if you only break one chair, I'll be very heartbroken."
Yang Haoran spoke with a smile, then gently waved his hand. The ghost head, condensed from Yin Spirit Power, spun for a moment before dissipating into wisps of Yin Qi and vanishing completely.
Zhuang Yingjie looked at Yang Haoran, and a strong sense of danger suddenly rose in his heart.
For him to strike here, and against Yang Haoran's subordinate Huang Sha, this action was more than just a simple provocation; it could be entirely interpreted as a declaration of war.
Normally, anyone encountering such a situation would feel at least some anger, and might even retaliate to save face. But Yang Haoran didn't do that. Not only did Yang Haoran refrain from striking back, but he maintained the same smile as before, his expression utterly unchanged. On the surface, Yang Haoran seemed very amiable, and it was precisely because of this amiability that his actions differed from others. However, in Zhuang Yingjie's heart, he felt that someone like Yang Haoran was the most dangerous, and it was precisely for this reason that such a strong sense of danger now welled up within him.
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