Chapter 1182: It Really Was an Act
As time slowly passed, the power fluctuations emanating from Yang Haoran gradually stabilized, but simultaneously, they were rapidly weakening. As for whether Yang Haoran’s eyes remained blood-red, Xiang Chuan couldn’t tell due to the overwhelming density of Yin Qi, which obscured the interior. However, he could clearly sense Yang Haoran’s progressively stable power fluctuations, which emboldened him to approach Yang Haoran.
He didn’t rush directly to Yang Haoran’s side, but instead cautiously approached him little by little. In his view, this was relatively safer; if a sudden anomaly occurred, he would have time to react. Of course, deep down, he knew this was just self-comfort. With Yang Haoran’s strength, if he truly intended to strike, even if Xiang Chuan hadn't approached him incrementally, it would still be difficult to dodge the lightning-fast Remnant Moon. Yet, sometimes people simply need a bit of psychological solace, even if they know full well it's self-deception, they will still choose to act upon it.
The closer Xiang Chuan got to Yang Haoran, the more nervous he became. The cold sweat that had been wiped clean from his forehead now reappeared.
"Heh heh, if you’re scared, then don’t come closer. "
Just then, a voice suddenly emerged from within the dense Yin Qi. The voice was calm and, to Xiang Chuan, very familiar. Upon hearing this familiar sound, Xiang Chuan’s taut nerves immediately relaxed.
"Oh my god, Big Brother, you’re finally awake! If you hadn’t woken up, I reckon the entire Gu Mo City would have been utterly massacred by you! " At this point, Xiang Chuan suddenly recalled something else, and a look of extreme dissatisfaction instantly appeared on his face as he continued to speak to Yang Haoran.
"Do you have any idea that I was almost killed by you just now? If it wasn't for Xia Xinger's Sacred Art Purification having an effect on you and successfully awakening your primary consciousness, I would absolutely have met a tragic end at your hands! "
From within the dense Yin Qi, Yang Haoran's faint laughter echoed once more.
"Heh heh, my apologies indeed. But it’s good that you didn’t die. "
"If apologies were enough, what would we need the police for? I don’t care, I received too great a fright today, so afterwards, you absolutely must compensate me! "
Xiang Chuan wasn't lying; he truly had been quite startled today. However, his demand for compensation from Yang Haoran was merely talk, not a genuine expectation that Yang Haoran would make it up to him.
"Don’t worry, you won’t miss out on benefits this time. Go back and find Lu Wu, have him arrange for people to come over. There are plenty of good things here; you and I can’t handle it all ourselves. "
Originally, Xiang Chuan had merely intended to complain a bit to Yang Haoran, but Yang Haoran had made him a promise, which naturally made Xiang Chuan very happy.
"Heh heh, since Big Brother has put it that way, then it would be disrespectful for your little brother not to obey. " Xiang Chuan had no intention of being overly polite with Yang Haoran; since Yang Haoran dared to make him a promise, he naturally dared to accept it, and was indeed quite happy to do so.
However, he then thought of a very serious problem, and the impish grin on his face faded somewhat.
"If I go back to call for people, what about you, Big Brother? Leaving you alone here makes me a bit uneasy! "
"Heh heh, you don’t need to worry about me. Just go back and call for people. Even if my body is a bit weak right now, I’m not someone just any cat or dog can bully. " From within the dense Yin Qi, Yang Haoran responded with a laugh, his calm tone revealing a strong sense of confidence.
Seeing that Yang Haoran had said so, Xiang Chuan no longer tried to persuade him. On one hand, he trusted Yang Haoran’s strength, and on the other hand, going back to call for people wouldn't take too long.
"Alright then, Big Brother, please be careful. I’ll gather some people and rush back immediately! "
After leaving these words, Xiang Chuan tore through space and departed the Ancient Demon Palace, going to find Lu Wu as Yang Haoran had instructed.
No sooner had Xiang Chuan left than a restrictive barrier enveloped the Ancient Demon Palace. This barrier had been set up by Yang Haoran, its primary purpose to isolate the area and sound, ensuring that everything happening within the barrier remained unknown to the outside world.
After the restrictive barrier appeared, the dense Yin Qi shrouding Yang Haoran began to rapidly dissipate. In less than a single breath’s time, all the Yin Qi vanished, and Yang Haoran’s body was revealed.
At this moment, the expression on Yang Haoran’s face was no longer blank, nor did it show any signs of struggle. He wore a faint smile, having returned to his usual demeanor.
In addition to his expression returning to normal, his eyes had also regained their natural state, no longer blood-red as before. As for the power fluctuations emanating from his body, they were no longer as intense or unstable as previously; now, his power fluctuations were not only very stable, but the vast majority of his power had also been reined in, resulting in only a faint aura.
"Heh heh, putting on this act really is quite tiring. " Yang Haoran spoke to himself with a faint smile, casually brushing dust off his clothes with his hand. Although his outfit was now tattered, he still disliked having dust on himself.
From his words, it wasn’t hard to discern that he had been putting on an act the entire time.
Indeed, that was the truth; Yang Haoran had been acting all along, ever since his heart demon was supposedly awakened.
The Big Sister was right; Yang Haoran hadn't been awakened by Wan Wu Yi's heart demon at all from beginning to end. It was all a pretense by Yang Haoran, and his objective in doing so—the Big Sister was also correct about this—was to use this opportunity to eliminate the various major factions, or at the very least, severely cripple them.
The major factions had repeatedly caused trouble at his Death God Temple. Their objective, he knew very well, was to get rid of him and then kick their Underworld Office out of Gu Mo City once again. Without an excuse, they wouldn't dare act rashly, but once they had a suitable pretext, they naturally wouldn't want to miss the opportunity.
If his strength hadn't been sufficient to exert a certain deterrent effect, and coupled with the sudden emergence of the Ancient Demon Palace today, which diverted the attention of the major factions, they would absolutely not have ceased their fight to the death with the Underworld Office.
The actions of the major factions had crossed his bottom line. Although he hadn't shown it, a murderous intent had already stirred within him.
However, behind each of the major factions stood powerful experts. If he were to embark on a slaughter without a proper excuse, he would undoubtedly invite immense trouble afterwards; even the Underworld Office would likely find it difficult to protect him, as he would be offending not just one, but multiple factions.
By the same token, if the major factions wished to eliminate him and expel the Underworld Office from Gu Mo City, they too would require a legitimate reason, or else they would surely provoke retaliation from the Underworld Office.
Wan Wu Yi’s desire to awaken his heart demon presented him with an opportunity. He simply decided to turn the tables, feigning the appearance of someone whose heart demon had been roused. He had witnessed what a person looked like after their heart demon was awakened, so disguising himself was no difficult feat.
Thus came about the bloody and brutal scene from before, where the people of the major factions were subjected to a frenzied slaughter. Aside from a very small number who managed to escape, all others from the major factions perished right there.
In present-day Gu Mo City, among all the major factions, only the Holy Mother Cult remained, besides his own Underworld Office. The other major factions suffered heavy casualties; to say they were crippled would be an understatement. Truthfully, these factions could now be struck from Gu Mo City's roster, as far too few of their members successfully escaped, making it impossible for them to regain a foothold in the city. Moreover, they dared not show their faces again, for they couldn’t guarantee that if they did, they wouldn't meet a tragic end due to various reasons.
Therefore, in today's Gu Mo City, the Holy Mother Cult was the only major faction remaining, apart from the Underworld Office.
Yang Haoran did not attack the Holy Mother Cult for four reasons.
The first reason was that when he first arrived in Gu Mo City, Xia Xinger had returned the Underworld Office’s former territory. Although she took many believers with her, she didn't force those who still believed in the Death God to leave, allowing them to stay instead.
The second reason was that the Holy Mother Cult had always advocated against killing. While their methods could often be annoying or even repulsive, they at least didn’t actively stir up trouble. It wasn't to say they were completely harmless, but compared to other factions, their danger was significantly lower.
The third reason was that his attack on the major factions this time was ostensibly due to being controlled by his heart demon, with the root cause entirely attributable to Wan Wu Yi. Although the truth was otherwise, this was the narrative he intended for everyone, and for this narrative, he needed someone to bear witness for him. The Holy Mother Cult would serve as an excellent witness then.
The fourth reason was that although the major factions had repeatedly sought trouble with him, the Holy Mother Cult had never truly participated. Moreover, this time, apart from Xia Xinger and Zuo Meng, no other members of the Holy Mother Cult came to the Ancient Demon Palace. Not only did he lack a reason to attack the Holy Mother Cult, but even if he had one, the conditions weren’t right.
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