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Chapter 1231: The New Jingling Continent Great Emperor

"Yang Haoran hides his depth too well. To this day, we still haven't figured out just how strong he truly is. If I want to avoid defeat in our next confrontation, then I absolutely must increase my own power as much as possible, the more the better!"

Her voice paused slightly, then the Big Sister continued to speak.

"Besides dealing with Yang Haoran, there's another reason I want to use special means to enhance my power, and that reason is you. ”

Upon hearing this, Shang Yuanqi couldn't help but reveal a look of confusion on his face, for he didn't understand what the Big Sister meant by her words.

"Big Sister, this old man doesn't quite understand what you mean."

Shang Yuanqi not only didn't conceal the doubt in his heart, but he even asked the Big Sister directly, wanting to understand what was going on and why this matter involved him.

"Although your power has reached the late stage of a Spirit Master, there's still a long way to go before you can break through to the Great Spirit Caller realm. If I want you to break through to the Great Spirit Caller realm as quickly as possible, then we can only resort to extraordinary means; conventional methods won't allow you to achieve this."

The Big Sister's words made Shang Yuanqi understand something in his heart.

"Big Sister, do you mean. . . you want this old man to also use your method of rapidly increasing power?"

"Letting you use this method directly makes me a little uneasy, after all, I've already suffered losses with it. So, I want to experiment on myself, continuously summarize the experience, and make some adjustments to the drawbacks of this method, minimizing them as much as possible. Only when this method is perfected and reaches a level that satisfies me, will I then allow you to use it to enhance your power."

The Big Sister's words dispelled the doubt in Shang Yuanqi's heart, and at the same time, a sense of gratitude bloomed within him.

"Thank you, Big Sister, but this old man still hopes you will consider this matter carefully."

Shang Yuanqi knew perfectly well that his persuasion would be useless, yet he couldn't help but make one final plea.

The outcome did not surprise Shang Yuanqi. The Big Sister didn't take his advice to heart at all, nor did she have any intention of changing her mind.

Since the two of them were not going to Gu Mo City to trouble Yang Haoran, but were instead preparing to return to their Spirit Master headquarters in Jingling Continent, they did not linger in the dilapidated small village. They tore through space and hurried towards their base camp.

In the blink of an eye, half a month passed. As there had been no progress in tracking down the Big Sister and Shang Yuanqi, Yang Haoran could only choose to give up, for he didn't want to waste too much time and energy on this matter.

Rather than employing a large number of people for such a clueless investigation, it was better to wait for the other party to walk right into his trap. In his opinion, he had not only thwarted the Big Sister's plan to "borrow a knife to kill someone" but had also slain a large number of Spirit Masters. Given such a deep blood feud, the Big Sister would certainly not let the matter rest, and the likelihood of her coming to seek revenge was very high.

Of course, all of this was predicated on the Big Sister and Shang Yuanqi still being alive. If they had already lost their lives for some reason, then that would be an entirely different matter.

As the days passed, Gu Mo City underwent increasingly significant changes. From its former dilapidation, it began to show considerable improvement. However, this progress was limited to the territory managed by the Underworld Office. As for the area managed by the Holy Mother Cult, it showed no noticeable difference compared to before.

Nevertheless, compared to the territory managed by the Underworld Office, the Holy Mother Cult's managed area was quite small. After all, after the battle at the Ancient Demon Palace, Yang Haoran had taken over the territories previously managed by various major factions, thus his domain far exceeded that of the Holy Mother Cult.

Still, one couldn't say the territory managed by the Holy Mother Cult was truly small. After all, the Holy Mother Cult was one of Gu Mo City's major factions; its domain naturally wouldn't be tiny. It was merely much smaller compared to the current Underworld Office.

Inside the Holy Mother Cult's largest temple, Zuo Meng was reporting on the recent situation of their Holy Mother Cult to Xia Xinger, specifically mentioning the earth-shattering changes that had occurred within the territory managed by the Gu Mo City Underworld Office.

To give Xia Xinger a more intuitive impression of the matter, Zuo Meng used Saintly Power to conjure illusions of all the changes she had witnessed within the Underworld Office's territory.

The scene depicted various buildings being repaired, ordinary believers laboring at work, a bustling and vibrant market, and most importantly, ordinary believers with smiles radiating on their faces.

Every single image brought a certain psychological impact to Xia Xinger. When all the scenes had been viewed, a ripple disturbed the calm of Xia Xinger's eyes.

"In such a short time, I never expected such enormous changes to occur within the Underworld Office's territory."

Xia Xinger spoke, her voice, compared to her usual calm, now carried a hint less of serenity and a touch more of surprise.

To be able to shatter the tranquility in her eyes and make her voice reveal surprise was no simple feat; indeed, one could say it was exceedingly difficult to achieve. This clearly showed how intense her inner astonishment was at that moment.

"This is only part of the changes. If the Saintess were to personally visit the Underworld Office's territory, you would definitely be even more astonished."

Zuo Meng said, not at all surprised by Xia Xinger's reaction. In fact, after she herself had witnessed the changes in the Underworld Office's territory firsthand, her astonishment had been far more intense than what Xia Xinger was currently displaying.

"It seems this Yao Guozhi whom Yang Haoran is employing possesses considerable skill; otherwise, it would have been absolutely impossible for the Underworld Office's territory to undergo such immense changes. In this regard, our Holy Mother Cult falls far behind the Underworld Office. ” Xia Xinger said.

"There’s nothing to be done. Our Holy Mother Cult lacks talents like Yao Guozhi, so we haven’t made much progress in this area. ” Zuo Meng replied.

"Just because our Holy Mother Cult doesn’t have them doesn’t mean the ordinary believers beneath our Holy Mother Cult don’t either. ” Xia Xinger said.

These words made Zuo Meng seem to realize something, and she couldn't help but frown slightly.

"Saintess, do you mean. . . selecting administrative talents from among the ordinary believers, and then having them manage our Holy Mother Cult’s territory? ” Zuo Meng inquired, her voice tinged with uncertainty.

"Why, is that not possible? ” Xia Xinger asked, her tone calm.

"No, this subordinate didn't mean that. It's just that, Saintess, as you know, once we do that, it's tantamount to delegating authority. If the chosen person is loyal, then all is well, but if they have ulterior motives, they might bring us considerable harm. ” Zuo Meng quickly responded.

What Zuo Meng said was, in fact, exactly what Xia Xinger had thought before. It was precisely for this reason that she had never delegated authority throughout all these years.

In the past, the entire Gu Mo City had been in utter chaos. Compared to other factions, the ordinary believers under their Holy Mother Cult had already enjoyed quite favorable treatment. At the very least, their Holy Mother Cult would not mistreat ordinary believers like livestock, and they would even provide them with lodging and food. Where else could ordinary people under other factions receive such good treatment?

It was precisely because of this that Xia Xinger had never thought of changing anything. After all, she believed that the ordinary believers under their Holy Mother Cult were living decent lives; at least, that was certainly the case when looking at the entirety of Gu Mo City.

Aside from this reason, there was another why she hadn't made changes: Gu Mo City was simply too chaotic, its situation severe and unstable. It was extremely difficult for her to effect change; it wasn't something she could alter just by wishing it.

Now, Gu Mo City was left with only their Holy Mother Cult and the Underworld Office as two major forces, and the situation was already much more stable compared to Gu Mo City of the past. Moreover, the vast changes in the territory managed by the Underworld Office allowed her to see the disparity, which is why she now entertained the idea of change.

"Delegating authority indeed carries certain risks, but if we don’t do this, the gap between our Holy Mother Cult and the Underworld Office will only widen. The ordinary people under us will also grow increasingly dissatisfied with our Holy Mother Cult and will instead begin to yearn for the Underworld Office. ”

At this point, Xia Xinger paused slightly, then continued to speak.

"Previously, the ordinary people managed by our Holy Mother Cult lived the best lives in Gu Mo City, so of course, they wouldn't feel dissatisfaction towards us; they might even feel extremely fortunate. But now it’s different. The disparity between us and the Underworld Office is too great. They will no longer feel lucky in their hearts; instead, they will feel very unlucky. Over time, their dissatisfaction will only grow more severe, and there might even be a possibility of rebellion, which is why we must make changes. ”

As to whether Xia Xinger was being alarmist, Zuo Meng was the one with the most authority to speak, because she had always been the one managing and overseeing the ordinary people under their Holy Mother Cult. Thus, she knew that some ordinary people had indeed begun to yearn for the Gu Mo City Underworld Office, as the ordinary people managed by the Gu Mo City Underworld Office lived much more comfortable lives than theirs.

"The Saintess is right,” Zuo Meng said. “We truly should make some changes. Otherwise, if things continue like this, there will likely be major problems. ”

Zuo Meng spoke, and Xia Xinger, in turn, cast her gaze towards Zuo Meng.

"Since you also believe this is necessary, then let us proceed. However, when selecting suitable candidates, you must be extremely cautious and not make the slightest blunder. You absolutely cannot allow the kind of situation you spoke of to occur. ” Xia Xinger said.

"Rest assured, Saintess, this subordinate will handle this matter properly. ”

Zuo Meng responded respectfully, then accepted the order and withdrew. She proceeded to select suitable candidates according to Xia Xinger's instructions, preparing to emulate the Gu Mo City Underworld Office and bring about some changes to their Holy Mother Cult's territory as well.

After Zuo Meng left, Xia Xinger also walked out of the temple. Standing outside, she gazed into the distance, her eyes fixed on the direction where the Gu Mo City Underworld Office temple was located.

She stood in place for a long time before finally murmuring to herself.

"Gu Mo City has been in chaos for countless years, with constant strife that never ceased, even before the world descended into great disorder. Yet, no one expected Gu Mo City to become like this today. Yang Haoran, although I dislike bloodshed and slaughter, I must admit you are very resourceful and capable. ”

At the Gu Mo City Underworld Office, the Death God Temple was now overflowing with people, with an endless stream of believers filling the enormous temple to the brim.

As the lives of the believers gradually improved, while they rejoiced in their hearts, they naturally didn't forget who had granted them all of this. Therefore, whenever they had a day off, they would proactively come to the Death God Temple to worship the Death God, praying devoutly, hoping their lives would continue to improve.

It was precisely for this reason that the Death God Temple remained packed with believers throughout the day.

In Yang Haoran’s courtyard, he sat leisurely in the pavilion. After taking out a Soul Pill and consuming it, allowing his body to absorb it naturally, he then lit a cigarette for himself. Immediately after, he took out a stack of documents from his independent space.

These documents contained information recently collected by Shui Ling, pertaining to Gu Mo City as well as the outside world, covering various major factions.

That time he drank with Gao Xinxing, Yang Haoran had already resolved in his heart to gather more information about the major factions. It was fine if he didn’t know about some minor matters, but he absolutely had to be clear about major events. Only then could he gain a better understanding of the various factions and avoid being so passive when encountering problems.

Thus, he instructed Shui Ling to collect as much information as possible regarding the recent activities of the major factions. At the same time, he also assigned this task to Tang Shi. With both Shui Ling and Tang Shi collecting information together, he believed he would absolutely have a comprehensive grasp of the major factions’ recent movements and any significant events that had occurred.

The documents he was currently reviewing contained the information collected by Shui Ling. As for the information collected by Tang Shi, it would be personally delivered into his hands by someone at a specific time and location.

In comparison, the intelligence gathered by Tang Shi's subordinates was far more extensive and detailed than what Shui Ling could provide. However, Yang Haoran did not consider Shui Ling incompetent because of this. After all, there was simply no comparison between Shui Ling and Tang Shi. Not only did Tang Shi command a multitude of ghosts, but they were also uniformly Evil Spirit-level entities, each possessing strength comparable to Shui Ling's, and even more powerful ghosts were quite numerous among them.

Conversely, Shui Ling only had ordinary Night Watchers at her disposal, and their numbers were fewer than Tang Shi’s ghosts. Naturally, the information she could gather couldn’t compare to Tang Shi’s.

The cigarette slowly burned down, and the documents in Yang Haoran’s hand also turned into ash, one by one. Each time he finished reading a page, he would use Spirit Power to destroy it, leaving none behind.

When the cigarette had burned out, Yang Haoran had also finished reviewing most of the documents. As the last page turned to ash in his hand, he tossed the cigarette butt aside, closed his eyes, and quietly digested the information.

A moment later, Yang Haoran opened his eyes, then took out the Underworld Iron Tome, preparing to learn about the recent activities of the Underworld Office and see what major events had occurred.

Opening the Underworld Iron Tome, he flipped through the messages one by one. Although the expression on his face remained unchanged, his emotions still stirred somewhat in his heart, because the information he saw in the Underworld Iron Tome was not optimistic for their Underworld Office.

First, a considerable number of their Underworld Office's Emissaries of Death had died recently; within just one week, over a hundred Emissaries of Death met tragic ends.

Next, dozens of cities' Underworld Offices had been annihilated by Spirit Masters, who then took their place. As for the major factions within these cities, the Spirit Masters did not act against them. Even if some factions had secretly or overtly assisted the Underworld Office, the Spirit Masters did not retaliate against them; instead, they extended an olive branch.

As for those factions that had never taken action against the Spirit Masters, or those that stood with the Spirit Masters, the Spirit Masters were even less likely to move against them.

A hundred Emissaries of Death might not seem like a large number for the vast multitude of Underworld Officials in the Underworld Office. However, for a hundred Emissaries of Death to lose their lives in just one week was indeed a considerable loss for the Underworld Office.

Dozens of cities might also seem like nothing to the entire New Beginning Realm. But for the Underworld Office, having these places annihilated by Spirit Masters was not merely a matter of loss; it also concerned their 'face. ' To have dozens of cities' Underworld Offices wiped out within a single week was indeed a severe blow to their prestige.

The great war between the Spirit Masters and the Underworld Office had begun since the world fell into chaos. Initially, the major factions did not favor the Spirit Masters. After all, the Spirit Masters had been suppressed by the Underworld Office for countless years, even hunted so relentlessly that they had to hide everywhere and dared not show their faces. Therefore, the major factions did not believe the Spirit Masters had the ability to directly confront the Underworld Office head-on.

It was precisely because the major factions held such beliefs in their hearts that when it came time to choose sides, no one chose to stand with the Spirit Masters, for no one wanted to place their bets on the losing side.

However, over time, as the Spirit Masters displayed increasingly greater power and more and more formidable experts emerged, the major factions' attitudes towards the Underworld Office became subtly nuanced. Especially after the Jingling Continent Great Emperor of the Underworld Office and two Guardians had their souls scattered at the hands of the Spirit Masters, the major factions' attitudes towards the Underworld Office changed even more drastically. It was at this moment that the Spirit Masters extended olive branches to the major factions, hoping to seize this opportunity to win them over.

Some factions neither joined the Spirit Masters' side nor the Underworld Office's side, because they didn't want to drag their own forces into the fray. Yet, at the same time, they also didn't want to offend either the Underworld Office or the Spirit Masters, so they chose to remain neutral and observe.

There were also some factions whose approach was much more direct and decisive. They simply chose to stand with the Spirit Masters. Apart from some grudges between their high-ranking members and the Underworld Office, a primary reason for making such a decision was that they all felt the Spirit Masters had demonstrated immense power and might genuinely be able to topple the behemoth that was the Underworld Office. As the earliest factions to align themselves, once the Spirit Masters replaced the Underworld Office, they would certainly reap astonishing benefits.

And then there were some factions that explicitly declared their stance and unequivocally chose to side with the Underworld Office. However, these factions were few in number and none of them were super-factions possessing deities.

Furthermore, as more and more local Underworld Offices were annihilated, coupled with the constant olive branches extended by the Spirit Masters, the already scarce factions standing with the Underworld Office naturally dwindled even further.

Without the assistance of major factions, with local Underworld Offices operating openly and Spirit Masters acting in the shadows, it was hardly impossible for them to be annihilated by the Spirit Masters with thunderous methods. In Yang Haoran’s view, it was highly probable that this was the case for most of the annihilated local Underworld Offices.

Whether some major local factions were willing to assist the Underworld Office still depended on how the Underworld Office interacted with them on a daily basis. After all, none of the super-factions possessing deities had issued orders prohibiting aid to the Underworld Office. So, as long as local Underworld Offices maintained decent relations with these local factions, they could still receive their help. As for whether the higher authorities would trouble these factions afterwards, that remained unknown.

As an Underworld Official of the Underworld Office, Yang Haoran naturally felt a degree of unease upon seeing the increasingly disadvantageous situation their office was in. After all, this was directly tied to his own interests; if the Underworld Office were to collapse, he too would suffer.

He looked closely and saw that the situation in other continents was relatively better; the most dire belonged to their Jingling Continent. From the data over this single week, the losses suffered by their Jingling Continent Underworld Office were the greatest.

As for why their Jingling Continent suffered the greatest losses, not only were the Underworld Officials of Jingling Continent aware, but those from other continents also knew it in their hearts. Even the major factions who weren't privy to these statistics understood what was going on.

The reason was simple: the Jingling Continent Great Emperor of their Jingling Continent Underworld Office had been overthrown by the Spirit Masters. At the same time, two Guardians were also overthrown, which led to their Jingling Continent Underworld Office's strength suffering a devastating blow.

The Spirit Masters also knew that the Jingling Continent Underworld Office was currently the weakest, and thus their attacks on it were the strongest, which led to the Jingling Continent Underworld Office suffering the greatest losses, far exceeding those of other continents.

Putting away the Underworld Iron Tome, a smile still lingered on Yang Haoran's face, though it now held a hint of helplessness.

"Heh, if this continues, our Jingling Continent Underworld Office’s losses will only grow larger, and perhaps in the end, it might even be annihilated by the Spirit Masters. ”

Yang Haoran murmured to himself. It wasn't unreasonable for him to have such thoughts. The reason was simple: setting aside the fact that the Jingling Continent Underworld Office no longer had a Great Emperor, and two fewer Guardians—after all, this matter had been ongoing for some time, and its widespread impact was evident for all to see.

Leaving that aside, let's just talk about the Emissaries of Death. A significant number of Emissaries of Death in the Jingling Continent Underworld Office have died in battle. After their deaths, new Emissaries of Death will undoubtedly have to be promoted from among the Night Watchers. Initially, it might be somewhat manageable, as many Night Watchers have already opened their Heaven Souls but had no opportunity to become Emissaries of Death, thus remaining in their Night Watcher positions. Besides those who died in battle, there must still be some of these Night Watchers alive.

Therefore, promoting this batch of Night Watchers who had already opened their Heaven Souls to Emissaries of Death wouldn't show much impact, and work could proceed normally. However, once this batch of promoted Night Watchers also largely perished, it would be difficult to promote more Emissaries of Death from among the Night Watchers. Even if a way were found to force these Night Watchers to open their Heaven Souls, it would merely be like "forcing a duck onto a perch," achieving little effect. After all, Night Watchers who had just opened their Heaven Souls, even if they became Emissaries of Death, wouldn't possess much strength and would be utterly incapable of shouldering heavy responsibilities.

At that time, the losses of the Jingling Continent Underworld Office wouldn't merely increase; they would undoubtedly multiply, and it wouldn't be impossible for the entire Jingling Continent Underworld Office to be annihilated in the end.

It was precisely because Yang Haoran had considered this point that he uttered these words now. And as an Underworld Official of the Jingling Continent Underworld Office, if the Jingling Continent Underworld Office truly reached that stage, then it went without saying that his days would not be easy, and it was not out of the question that he too might fall in battle.

Just as Yang Haoran's muttered words faded, he suddenly sensed something. His expression shifted slightly, and the Underworld Iron Tome, which he had stored in his independent space, was inexplicably taken out by him once more.

However, this time, after being taken out, the Underworld Iron Tome was not as quiet as before; instead, it vibrated violently and emitted a buzzing sound.

Watching the Underworld Iron Tome violently vibrate above his palm, the smile on Yang Haoran's face receded. His eyes narrowed slightly, and his expression became somewhat serious.

The reason for his change in expression was that, currently, if the Underworld Iron Tome reacted in such a way, it meant a major event had occurred within their Underworld Office—an event that would affect their entire Underworld Office.

In the past, such a reaction from the Underworld Iron Tome did not necessarily mean that some earth-shattering event had occurred within the Underworld Office. Important information, or even information that wasn't too significant, would still cause the Underworld Iron Tome in an Emissary of Death's hand to react this way once the Underworld Office released it.

But now, things were different. Only when a major event capable of shaking the entire Underworld Office occurred would the Underworld Iron Tome vibrate. Yang Haoran faintly remembered that the last time the Underworld Iron Tome reacted like this was when the Jingling Continent Great Emperor and two Guardians fell.

Watching the Underworld Iron Tome continuously vibrate above his palm, Yang Haoran couldn't help but subconsciously consider a possibility.

"Oh my god, could another Great Emperor have fallen? ”

Yang Haoran rarely showed such an astonished expression nowadays, and murmuring to himself in such a surprised tone was even rarer. From this, one could tell just how unsettled his heart was at that moment.

However, despite the surprise in his heart, he still opened the Underworld Iron Tome, and the information released by the Underworld Office immediately appeared before his eyes.

Upon seeing it, Yang Haoran's expression instantly stiffened, and his gaze was filled with shock, for the content the Underworld Office had just published through the Underworld Iron Tome was truly beyond his wildest dreams.

His direct superior, Luo Yao, had become the new Jingling Great Emperor of the Jingling Continent Underworld Office. This news alone was shocking enough, but besides this, there was another piece of news that astonished him even more: Huo Laoban had become a new Guardian of Jingling Continent!

Either of these two pieces of news was absolutely a bombshell for the entire Underworld Office, destined to shock all Underworld Officials and ignite a frenzy among everyone. Yang Haoran, of course, was no exception.

Staring at the content on the Underworld Iron Tome, the shock in Yang Haoran's heart lingered, refusing to subside. He didn't know how long it took before he finally snapped out of his astonishment.

Putting away the Underworld Iron Tome once more, Yang Haoran took out a cigarette, lit it for himself, and took a deep drag. His expression was extremely serious.

Luo Yao becoming the new Jingling Great Emperor of Jingling Continent was undoubtedly a good thing for Yang Haoran, as he was, after all, Luo Yao's man. Although he couldn't yet be considered Luo Yao's confidant or right-hand man, the fact remained that he was part of Luo Yao's faction. Furthermore, Luo Yao's impression of him was quite positive. With Luo Yao now serving as the Jingling Great Emperor, Yang Haoran, as an Underworld Official who followed Luo Yao and was personally promoted by him, would naturally see his status rise accordingly. It was entirely possible that Luo Yao would place him in a position of greater importance in the future.

When a person ascends, even their household rises to prominence. Thus, Luo Yao's appointment as Jingling Great Emperor brought Yang Haoran only advantages, with no drawbacks.

However, Huo Laoban becoming a new Guardian of Jingling Continent was far from good news for Yang Haoran. After all, Huo Laoban was not on his side, and the animosity between them was considerable.

Huo Laoban had tried to kill him. Even now, Yang Haoran still didn't know Huo Laoban's motive, but it was a fact that Huo Laoban wanted him dead, and Wu Junior had lost his life because of it.

Although he had later eliminated one of Huo Laoban's subordinates, a very important figure to Huo Laoban at that, his score with Huo Laoban wouldn't be settled just like that.

By the same logic, since he had taken out a crucial subordinate of Huo Laoban, Huo Laoban undoubtedly harbored a deep, burning hatred for him. The animosity between them had naturally deepened and wouldn't be easily forgotten or forgiven.

Now, Huo Laoban had become one of Jingling Continent's Guardians, a rank one level higher than his own Emissary of Death. Though it was only a single step up, the difference was as vast as heaven and earth; they were entirely different matters.

In the past, Huo Laoban's attempts to eliminate him weren't easy. Not only did they have to be clandestine, but success wasn't guaranteed. At least, Yang Haoran personally believed Huo Laoban wouldn't have succeeded at all, because Huo Laoban had no idea how formidable Yang Haoran's true strength was. Sending people to eliminate him would merely be sending them to their deaths.

But now that Huo Laoban had become a Guardian of Jingling Continent, eliminating Yang Haoran would be considerably simpler. After all, Huo Laoban's status had undergone a seismic shift. As a Guardian, it wouldn't be "as easy as turning one's hand over" to remove him, but at the very least, he had many more methods at his disposal, and the success rate had consequently increased significantly.

If it were an ordinary Emissary of Death facing the retaliation of a Guardian, there would be absolutely no chance of survival. The reason Yang Haoran didn't believe he was doomed was because, with his current strength, he wasn't someone just anyone could overturn and kill. His current strength had grown quite formidable. Even if Huo Laoban had become a Guardian, covertly eliminating him wouldn't be easy, though it wasn't entirely impossible either.

Therefore, in the future, his troubles would likely only multiply, and among them, Huo Laoban's shadow would certainly loom. As long as Yang Haoran lived, these troubles would surely flow ceaselessly. So, even with his formidable strength, he couldn't guarantee with absolute certainty that he would survive every encounter unscathed.

Yang Haoran clearly understood how disadvantageous Huo Laoban's new position as Guardian was to him, which was why his expression had grown so serious.

However, Yang Haoran didn't get bogged down in this issue. Although he was shocked and deeply displeased, he quickly adjusted his state of mind, and a faint smile reappeared on his face.

"Heh heh, this truly comes as a bolt from the blue for me. Oh, Huo Laoban, Huo Laoban, I truly admire you. You really do have impressive methods, managing to climb into the position of Guardian. It seems I'll have to prepare in advance to face your stormy retaliation."

Yang Haoran spoke with a faint smile. Although he very much wanted to know what methods Luo Yao had used to become the Jingling Great Emperor, and whether Huo Laoban had been personally promoted by Luo Yao to become a Guardian, the thought of the numerous troubles he would soon face dispelled his interest in these two matters. Compared to his own life, these two things were far too insignificant.

To preserve his life, he had no choice but to consider appropriate countermeasures. Just as he had said, he absolutely had to prepare in advance, lest he end up dead without even knowing how.

He had to dedicate all his thoughts to the matter of survival; naturally, he had no mind to ponder how Luo Yao had become the Jingling Great Emperor, or how Huo Laoban had ascended to the position of Guardian.

How to contend with Huo Laoban's upcoming stormy retaliation was not as simple as one plus one equals two. Therefore, he needed to spend some time to prepare more defensive measures for himself, and even then, these measures might not necessarily prove effective.

Over the next few days, Yang Haoran prepared a number of tactics for himself, all intended to deal with Huo Laoban. However, in his view, these methods were far from sufficient, as he couldn't be certain how many of them would actually prove useful.

Thus, he had to prepare even more measures for himself. The more tactics he had ready, the more he would be able to employ when real trouble struck.

And today, he was in a room in his courtyard, drawing talismans. The talismans he was drawing were, without exception, all Black Talisman-grade Lock Yin Talismans.

Huo Laoban was an Underworld Official just like him, and the power within their bodies was Spirit Power. The Lock Yin Talisman, however, was a bane to such power. Whether it was the Underworld Office's Spirit Power or a ghost's Ghost Qi, the Lock Yin Talisman had an extremely strong suppressive effect. Therefore, he wanted to draw more of them to keep on him for self-defense.

However, with his current cultivation realm, he could only draw Black Talismans, not the higher-grade Gold Talismans. After all, he wasn't a Gold Talisman Master, and was still a long way from reaching that realm.

For advanced talismans like the Lock Yin Talisman, successfully drawing them was even more difficult. If it were ordinary talismans, such as common fire talismans or Communication Talismans, even if they were Black Talisman grade, drawing them wasn't difficult for him, and the success rate was quite high.

However, advanced talismans like the Lock Yin Talisman were different. With his current capabilities, drawing Black Talisman-grade Lock Yin Talismans was considerably strenuous, and the success rate was quite low.

Nevertheless, to ensure he had more Lock Yin Talismans on hand for self-defense, even though he knew the success rate was low, he continued to wield his talisman brush.

Just as Yang Haoran was fully engrossed in drawing talismans, he suddenly sensed something. His talisman brush abruptly paused, and the Lock Yin Talisman, which was on the verge of completion, became a useless failure due to his sudden distraction and halt.

Given Yang Haoran's character, he would absolutely not allow himself to be distracted, much less abruptly stop, at such a crucial moment during talisman drawing. It was just like the last time Gao Xinxing suddenly arrived at the Death God Temple; he had sensed the Talisman Spirit Power emanating from Gao Xinxing and knew Gao Xinxing was there to cause trouble, yet he hadn't stopped his talisman brush, continuing to draw the unfinished talisman instead.

However, his actions now were completely different from last time. From this, it could be seen that what he had sensed at this moment was no trivial matter, leading him to abandon the nearly completed Lock Yin Talisman and stop his brush immediately.

Not only did Yang Haoran stop his brush, he didn't even spare a glance for the scrapped Lock Yin Talisman. With a wave of his hand, he swept everything on the table into his personal spatial dimension – whether they were finished Lock Yin Talismans, failed ones, or various talisman-drawing materials, all were gathered into his personal space. Then, he transformed the Spirit Power Seed within his body, immediately lifted the spatial restriction in the area, and vanished from his spot in a flash.

His body flashed repeatedly, leaving trails of distorted afterimages. Each flash covered a considerable distance, and when he finally ceased flashing, he had already arrived at the main hall of this temple.

Within the main hall of the temple, naturally, a Death God Statue was enshrined. After all, this was the Death God Temple; besides the Death God Statue, absolutely no other divine statues would appear here.

The main hall of the temple was as bustling as the plaza, with a constant stream of worshippers. Besides the worshippers, there were, of course, Night Watchers standing guard here. After all, this was the temple's main hall; apart from the towering Death God Statue in the plaza, this hall was the most important, as it concerned the "face" of their Death God Temple. Hence, quite a few Night Watchers were stationed here, precisely to prevent any unforeseen incidents.

Upon arriving at the main hall, Yang Haoran's gaze was immediately drawn to a scene: the Night Watchers stationed there were bowing respectfully to two individuals, while the worshippers present were performing a grand prostration towards them.

These two individuals were no strangers to Yang Haoran. They were none other than Luo Yao, who had just a few days prior become the new Jingling Great Emperor of the Jingling Continent Underworld Office, and Huo Laoban, with whom Yang Haoran shared a life-and-death feud, and who had also been promoted just days ago to become one of Jingling Continent's nine Guardians.

As the two entered his sight, Yang Haoran's heart was utterly shocked.

The reason he had so abruptly and unusually stopped his talisman brush earlier was precisely because he had sensed powerful individuals suddenly descending through a spatial rift into his Death God Temple. There wasn't just one, but two. Furthermore, the power emanating from them was familiar to him: it was their Underworld Office's unique Spirit Power.

He knew that powerful experts from their Underworld Office had arrived, but he didn't know who they were. Not only had he not expected Luo Yao, who had already become the Jingling Great Emperor, to personally descend here, he had even less expected Huo Laoban, the newly appointed Guardian, to also arrive!

Though shocked, Yang Haoran's reaction wasn't slow. He immediately strode forward.