Chapter 1188: The Scapegoat
Xiang Chuan was well aware that the Blood Array reappearing now must be because of Wan Wu Yi.
This array originated from Wan Wu Yi himself, and given that Wan Wu Yi's body was never found, the reappearance of the Blood Array now could only mean Wan Wu Yi wasn't dead, and in fact, was reactivating the array right at this moment.
Why Wan Wu Yi chose to reactivate the Blood Array precisely at this moment, he didn't know.
Why Yang Haoran wasn't flustered in the slightest, even appearing quite pleased, was even more baffling to him.
He opened his mouth to question Yang Haoran, only to be met with Yang Haoran's own counter-question, leaving him momentarily unsure how to respond.
“Heh heh, you're right. With Big Brother's strength, there's certainly nothing to be anxious about. ”
As he spoke, something seemed to click for Xiang Chuan, and the smile on his face deepened.
“Big Brother, did you already know Wan Wu Yi would definitely resurface? Is that why you acted so nonchalant back at the Ancient Demon Palace? No matter how I pressed you, you wouldn't say, afraid of tipping off the enemy? ”
“Heh heh, I apologize. Under those circumstances, if I could have avoided deceiving you, I naturally would have told you the truth. As you said, I didn't want to tip off the enemy, so I could only feign nonchalance. But I hadn't expected you to be so perceptive, actually seeing through my pretense. Remarkable, truly. ”
The smile on Xiang Chuan's face didn't fade, and a hint of smugness appeared.
“Heh heh, did you think I was as easy to fool as that simple-minded oaf, Lu Wu? But how did you know Wan Wu Yi would reappear? ”
Yang Haoran offered a faint smile. This time, he didn't conceal anything from Xiang Chuan, offering an explanation.
“The grand array Wan Wu Yi laid over the entire Ancient City is called the Blood Array. Although I don't fully understand this formation, since it's named the Blood Array, it must be deeply connected to blood. Otherwise, it wouldn't be called the Blood Array. ”
Pausing there, Yang Haoran took out a cigarette and lit it. After calmly taking a drag, he continued to speak.
“Before Wan Wu Yi fell, I was actually observing him closely. I noticed that from time to time, he would glance at the fresh blood flowing on the ground. His intense focus on this, coupled with the Blood Array shrouding Ancient City, led me to suspect he might still be trying to obtain something, or achieve some goal, and that to achieve his objective, a large amount of fresh blood and the Blood Array would both be indispensable. ”
His voice paused, Yang Haoran took another drag from his cigarette, and then continued.
“The fact that Wan Wu Yi's body was never found had already made me certain he was still alive. I truly didn't notice when he escaped, because he was very careful, and my attention wasn't on him at the time. Since Wan Wu Yi was still alive, and hadn't yet acquired what he wanted, or completed what he intended to do, he certainly wouldn't be content. He would try every conceivable method to finish everything left undone. Heh heh, what I hadn't expected was for him to be so impatient. The moment I left, he immediately made his move. ”
After listening to Yang Haoran's explanation, an expression of unreserved admiration involuntarily appeared on Xiang Chuan's face.
“Big Brother truly lives up to his name! Your humble subordinate is impressed! ”
Xiang Chuan's expression was as exaggerated as ever, giving the impression of being utterly feigned, but his admiration for Yang Haoran at that moment was undeniably genuine!
“Heh heh, no need to flatter me. It's almost time. I'll go and be back quickly. If I'm late, I might just fall at the last hurdle. ”
Yang Haoran replied with a faint smile, then waved his hand, tearing space apart, and departed from the Death God Temple.
Lu Wu arrived at this moment. He had seen the bloody barrier shrouding Ancient City before, and knew it was a formation barrier, but who had set up this grand array, and what its purpose was, remained unknown to him.
Now that the vanished bloody barrier had reappeared, he wanted to report the matter to Yang Haoran and, while he was at it, understand what was going on. However, by the time he arrived, he had merely witnessed Yang Haoran's departure, and before he could even open his mouth, the spatial rift had already healed.
“Where is the Emissary going? ” Lu Wu asked Xiang Chuan.
“Heh heh, to kill someone,” Xiang Chuan replied with a chuckle.
Upon hearing this, Lu Wu's expression changed, not in fear, but in excitement.
“Kill someone? Who? ”
Xiang Chuan pointed upwards, then replied with a smile.
“Someone who's looking for death. ”
Yang Haoran stepped out of the spatial rift, arriving above the Ancient Demon Palace. Beneath him lay a dilapidated side hall. Gazing downwards, he could see the interior of the side hall through its shattered sections, though no one was visible inside the hall.
“Your actions now will further prove that my previous behavior was entirely controlled by you, because in the eyes of others, a living you is perfectly capable of manipulating me. Of course, even if you hadn't shown yourself and remained in hiding, I'd still have ways to deal with people's suspicions. However, given the current situation, it's better for you to make an appearance. That way, there's only benefit for me, and no harm. ” Yang Haoran mused to himself.
In the eyes of others, Wan Wu Yi had long since died a tragic death. So why would Yang Haoran still be controlled by an inner demon under such circumstances?
Yang Haoran had actually prepared a countermeasure for this point long ago. If anyone questioned him, he would tell them that even after Wan Wu Yi's death, the inner demon he had awakened remained active, and his primary consciousness hadn't recovered, thus he was still a killing machine—an uncontrollable killing machine.
While this explanation wasn't entirely perfect, it was certainly feasible for him to use it to evade responsibility. If there truly were no better alternatives, this reason would naturally come in handy.
However, now that Wan Wu Yi had actively reappeared, as long as Wan Wu Yi showed himself, making an appearance before the eyes of other living people in Ancient City, allowing them to witness that Wan Wu Yi was still alive, then Yang Haoran could pin all of today's bloody massacre on Wan Wu Yi. While this approach wouldn't completely absolve him of responsibility, and some people would inevitably still come looking for trouble, it was far more convincing than his previous plan.
“Heh heh, Wan Wu Yi, it's most fitting for you to take the fall for me. ”
As Yang Haoran thought this to himself, he unleashed a palm strike towards the dilapidated side hall below, which still showed no sign of anyone.
A vast amount of Spirit Power coalesced into a gigantic palm, striking directly onto the crumbling side hall.
Boom! ! !
With a thunderous crash, dust and smoke billowed. The majority of the dilapidated side hall was shattered by Yang Haoran's single palm strike, revealing a blood-red restriction barrier.
The barrier emitted a dense bloody glow. The naked eye could only perceive the blood-red barrier, but not what lay within it.
Yang Haoran's palm strike only shattered the areas not enveloped by the bloody barrier. The regions covered by the barrier naturally remained undamaged, as the barrier itself hadn't shattered.
This blood-red restriction barrier was precisely crafted by Wan Wu Yi. And this dilapidated side hall just happened to be the very one where Wan Wu Yi was hiding.
Wan Wu Yi had been very weak when he set up this restriction barrier, so it wasn't particularly strong. With Yang Haoran's abilities, a casual palm strike could not only shatter this side hall and the restriction barrier together, but also instantly kill Wan Wu Yi inside the barrier.
But the reality was not so. It wasn't that Yang Haoran lacked the ability, but that he didn't want to do that. He controlled the force of his palm strike, resulting in the scene before them.
There were two reasons for his actions. One was to feign weakness, to make it seem as if his strength hadn't recovered after his severe injuries.
The other was that he didn't want to kill Wan Wu Yi in a single blow. He wanted Wan Wu Yi to show his face before the other living residents of Ancient City, to let everyone see that Wan Wu Yi was still alive. He wanted Wan Wu Yi to take the blame for him, Yang Haoran, before his death.
After the palm strike, the power fluctuations emanating from Yang Haoran intensified slightly, giving the impression that he had forcefully boosted his strength a little in order to break through the restriction barrier. However, judging by his pale complexion, this slight increase in power had placed a considerable burden on him.
Following that, Yang Haoran unleashed another palm strike.
Boom! ! !
This palm struck the bloody barrier. As the thunderous sound echoed, cracks spread across the bloody barrier, and then it exploded with a crash.
Without the bloody barrier obstructing the view, Wan Wu Yi and the remaining intact section of the dilapidated side hall were immediately revealed to Yang Haoran's sight, and simultaneously to the eyes of the observant individuals secretly watching.
At this moment, Wan Wu Yi's expression was grotesque. He continuously poured power into the array disk, all while glaring fiercely at Yang Haoran. His gaze was as if he wanted to devour Yang Haoran alive!
“Yang Haoran! How did you know I was here! ”
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