Chapter 1186: Corpse Fire Soars to the Sky
Under normal circumstances, a corpse wouldn't just up and leave. The fact that Wan Wu Yi's body was missing meant he was very likely not dead. This was Xiang Chuan's thought, and it was Yang Haoran's thought too.
Of course, besides the possibility that Wan Wu Yi wasn't dead, there was another: his corpse might have been secretly taken away by someone else.
As for which possibility was more likely, Yang Haoran didn't voice his opinion, merely confirming Xiang Chuan's speculation.
Regarding Xiang Chuan's question about what to do next, Yang Haoran pondered for a moment before responding.
"I wanted to find Wan Wu Yi simply because I was somewhat interested in his soul. Since his body can't be found, then so be it. My time is precious, and I don't want to waste it on him."
Yang Haoran replied with a faint smile. Lu Wu didn't overthink it; in his view, if Yang Haoran said so, then that was surely the truth—Yang Haoran was merely interested in Wan Wu Yi's soul, nothing more.
However, Xiang Chuan had known Yang Haoran longer, understood him better than Lu Wu, and his mind was far more meticulous. Thus, he harbored some doubts about Yang Haoran's statement.
Based on his understanding of Yang Haoran, if Yang Haoran were only slightly interested in Wan Wu Yi's soul, he wouldn't have mentioned it multiple times. Since he brought it up repeatedly and even had Lu Wu and the other Night Watchers search for Wan Wu Yi's body, it indicated that Yang Haoran cared deeply about Wan Wu Yi's soul—it was far more than just a fleeting interest.
The Night Watchers under Lu Wu spent a considerable amount of time, finally turning the entire dilapidated Ancient Demon Palace upside down. They weren't entirely without gains; they did find some things, but they were mostly miscellaneous trinkets, primarily cultivation techniques or demonic artifacts useful only to the Demon Cult. In Yang Haoran's eyes, these held little value, but to ordinary Night Watchers, they were quite decent.
Just as Yang Haoran had surmised, when Wan Wu Yi first entered the Ancient Demon Palace, he had already scoured it thoroughly, taking anything he deemed valuable. As for the remaining trifles, it wasn't that he hadn't found them; he simply couldn't be bothered to collect items he held in such low regard.
As for why the Ancient Demon originally collected these seemingly worthless items in the Ancient Demon Palace, perhaps their appearance suited his taste, or perhaps they held a unique significance to him, or perhaps there were other unknown reasons.
Regardless of the true reason, it was a fact that the Night Watchers found these small items in the Ancient Demon Palace. Yang Haoran didn't ignore them; he planned to study them carefully later. If he could make an unexpected discovery among these trinkets, that would naturally be ideal. If not, it wouldn't matter, as he hadn't lost anything.
Under Yang Haoran's command, the mountain of corpses was set ablaze by Lu Wu. As for the various collected items, their sheer quantity meant they couldn't all be taken without ample spatial storage, a luxury Yang Haoran and his companions clearly lacked. Lu Wu suggested packing everything up the old-fashioned way, but Yang Haoran refused with a smile.
Yang Haoran wasn't worried about anyone attempting to rob them mid-journey. After the slaughter he had unleashed today, any survivors would surely be filled with terror, daring not to jump out and risk certain death by plundering. His refusal of Lu Wu's suggestion was purely because packing everything up would be too slow.
His method was simple: with a wave of his hand, he tore open a spatial rift, sending all the items into it. Through this method, everything was transferred to the Death God Temple, not only preventing his Night Watchers from expending unnecessary energy but also maximizing time efficiency.
The mountain of corpses burned with a raging inferno, the flames soaring even higher than the tallest building in the Ancient Demon Palace. From any area or location within Gu Mo City, one could witness the towering blaze.
"Heh heh, let's go. There's nothing left to linger over here. As for these corpses, they won't burn to ash for several hours. Let the flames see them off on their final journey."
Yang Haoran spoke with a faint smile, then gently waved his hand, tearing open the space beside him, forming a spatial rift. Lu Wu and the others had already been sent back to the Death God Temple, leaving only him and Xiang Chuan.
Hearing this, Xiang Chuan glanced at the rapidly forming spatial rift, hesitated for a moment, then grinned at Yang Haoran.
"Heh heh, Big Brother, are you really not going to bother with Wan Wu Yi anymore?"
Yang Haoran's expression remained unchanged as he smiled and looked at Xiang Chuan.
"Heh heh, it's not that I don't want to bother, but that I can't. I don't even know if he's dead or alive right now, so how can I bother with him?"
Xiang Chuan had intended to get more information from Yang Haoran so he could deduce what Yang Haoran truly intended. But to his exasperation, Yang Haoran still wasn't willing to reveal his inner thoughts, even though only the two of them remained.
"Big Brother, you're really not being fair. It's just the two of us here, and you still won't tell me the truth. This clearly shows you don't consider me one of your own! Back when you were controlled by your inner demon, I came back to save you, disregarding my own life. Don't you feel any pangs of conscience treating me like this?"
Xiang Chuan's expression was as exaggerated as ever, but his complaint was genuine. Yang Haoran, facing Xiang Chuan's grievances, smiled faintly, patted his shoulder, and spoke.
"What I said is the truth; you're just too sensitive. Besides, we still have many things to do right now. There's no need to waste time on someone whose fate, dead or alive, remains unknown. The various items we just gained here are just small pickings; the real treasures are still in the lairs of the major factions. What do you think is the first thing we should do right now?"
Originally, Xiang Chuan wore a skeptical expression, believing Yang Haoran was trying to trick him. But when Yang Haoran mentioned the lairs of the major factions, his eyes immediately lit up. It wasn't that he believed Yang Haoran's words; he was simply captivated by the thought of the major factions' strongholds.
The major factions had existed in Gu Mo City for quite some time. Their strongholds were bound to contain a wealth of good things. Not to mention all the major factions in Gu Mo City, even just one of them would have an absolutely astonishing collection.
Now, ninety-nine percent of the major factions' members had met tragic ends. This situation presented a prime opportunity for plundering their homes. Whoever got in first would naturally reap the benefits, and it was this thought that made Xiang Chuan's eyes gleam.
Compared to raiding the homes of the major factions, the matter of Wan Wu Yi naturally seemed insignificant. Xiang Chuan had no mind left for some 'bullshit' Wan Wu Yi; all his thoughts were consumed by the prospect of plundering.
"Heh heh, Big Brother, you're truly humorous. Why would you ask me such an easy question? It goes without saying, the first thing we need to do now is immediately head to the lairs of the major factions and scoop up all their treasures from over the years, leaving not a single one behind! If we're late and someone else gets there first, our losses would be immense!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Xiang Chuan's figure flickered, and he entered the spatial rift Yang Haoran had opened. Such decisive action made Yang Haoran momentarily stunned.
"Big Brother, what are you still standing there for? Hurry up! If we're late, we won't even get a drop of soup!"
Seeing Yang Haoran still rooted to the spot, Xiang Chuan quickly urged him, afraid that if they arrived late, others would seize the benefits. As for Wan Wu Yi, he didn't mention him at all at this point, having completely forgotten about the person.
Yang Haoran smiled faintly, wasting no more words, and likewise flashed into the spatial rift.
The spatial rift quickly healed, and the two vanished from the Ancient Demon Palace. Not long after they left, a different scene unfolded within a dilapidated side hall of the Ancient Demon Palace.
The walls of this side hall, like those in other areas of the Ancient Demon Palace, were carved or painted with gruesome images. However, at this moment, these images seemed to suddenly come alive, subtly twisting as if they were trying to break free from the walls.
The images did not break free from the walls; they merely emanated faint wisps of bloody aura. These bloody auras converged, coalescing into a figure. This person was none other than the vanished Wan Wu Yi!
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