Chapter 1233: Upcoming Guardian Selection
Yang Haoran pledged his utmost loyalty to Luo Yao. In his opinion, this was an excellent opportunity to demonstrate his allegiance. If he missed it now, no one knew if such a chance would ever present itself again.
Perhaps it would, perhaps it never would. If it were the former, it would be fine, but if it were the latter, it would be too great a loss. Yang Haoran didn't want to gamble. Since the opportunity was at hand and the conditions were ripe, he naturally didn't want to let it slip by.
His declaration of loyalty was spoken with utmost sincerity. However, how much of it was true and how much was false, only he himself knew.
When Huo Laoban saw Yang Haoran pledging his loyalty to Luo Yao at this moment, he was naturally quite displeased. He knew perfectly well that this was an excellent opportunity to show fealty to Luo Yao, and Yang Haoran seizing it was not good for him.
However, despite his inner discontent, he did not speak, but instead watched everything silently, a smile plastered across his face.
"Heh heh, with your words, I won't have to worry about whether you'll be resistant when I entrust you with difficult tasks in the future," Luo Yao said with a smile.
"Great Emperor, please rest assured. No matter what task you assign to your subordinate, I will not have a single word of complaint, much less any resistance! " Yang Haoran replied with a respectful demeanor and sincere tone.
"Mm, very good. Having ability is a good thing, but if you have ability yet are disloyal to me, then no matter how capable you are, I won't favor it. I've already seen your abilities, and I'm very satisfied. As for your loyalty to me, that can't be determined by one or two events; it requires a long period of testing to confirm," Luo Yao said, smiling.
"Your subordinate is willing to accept any and all trials from the Great Emperor, and is also willing to use time to prove his loyalty to the Great Emperor, be it ten years or a hundred, your subordinate is willing! " Yang Haoran said respectfully.
Luo Yao's words revealed something to Yang Haoran.
If Luo Yao's words were sincere, it meant Luo Yao intended to cultivate him. However, he would first need to pass Luo Yao's rigorous tests; only when Luo Yao was convinced of his absolute loyalty would he be fully nurtured.
Furthermore, Luo Yao's words also revealed a piece of information: Luo Yao now had no close confidants left by his side.
Huo Laoban was certainly promoted by Luo Yao. As for whether Huo Laoban counted as one of Luo Yao's close confidants, that was hard to say.
According to Luo Yao, his previously cultivated confidants had either died at the hands of Spirit Mediums or lost their lives in this recent operation. Yang Haoran could easily understand the former; for the latter, after a moment's thought, he also understood what it meant.
The "recent operation" Luo Yao referred to very likely meant the struggle for the Emperor position.
Where there were people, there would be conflict—this was an eternal truth. And this conflict was not only external; it was also internal.
When the previous Jingling Great Emperor fell, the entire Jingling Continent Underworld Office appeared calm on the surface, but secretly, turbulent waves surged, not because of Spirit Mediums, but because of the position of Great Emperor.
At that time, including Luo Yao, there were still seven Guardians in the entire Jingling Continent Underworld Office. Yang Haoran couldn't be sure if all seven Guardians desired the Emperor's position, but he was certain that the number of Guardians who *did* want the position outweighed those who had no interest in it.
Precisely for this reason, the Guardians who wished to ascend to the Emperor's throne were bound to engage in open and covert struggles. And this conflict was just as bloody and cruel, with just as many casualties; it was no less brutal than external warfare, perhaps even more so.
Luo Yao had successfully contended for the position of Great Emperor. Yang Haoran naturally didn't know the exact details, but he could easily imagine that Luo Yao must have paid a heavy price in that process. It was only natural that his close confidants would have lost their lives during it.
"One general's success is built upon ten thousand withered bones"—this saying couldn't be more fitting to describe Luo Yao's current situation.
Although Yang Haoran had guessed some things in his heart, he wasn't foolish enough to voice them, nor did he show the slightest hint on his face. Instead, he maintained a serious expression, exuding an aura of complete loyalty.
"Your Excellency, please rest assured, your subordinate believes that day will not be far off! " Yang Haoran declared, his tone filled with confidence.
"Good, I await that day!"
Luo Yao responded with a smile. At this point in the conversation, he suddenly recalled something and spoke to Yang Haoran again.
"Oh, right, before you came to Gu Mo City, I once promised you that once you revitalized the Gu Mo City Underworld Office and allowed our Underworld Office to re-establish itself there, I would naturally reward you. Now, not only have you accomplished this, but your achievements are far better than I had envisioned, so this reward will not only be substantial but also much greater than what I initially prepared!"
As he spoke, Luo Yao waved his hand, and more than a dozen small, delicate boxes suddenly appeared, floating in the air before Yang Haoran.
Yang Haoran was no stranger to these boxes, as they were used by the Underworld Office to store Soul Pills. His gaze swept over them, and he instantly counted the number of boxes before him.
There were eighteen boxes in total, meaning Luo Yao had rewarded him with eighteen Soul Pills this time.
Eighteen Soul Pills were no small sum for an ordinary Emissary of Death, as this could amount to several years' salary for one.
However, for Yang Haoran, although eighteen Soul Pills weren't few, they truly didn't amount to much. Leaving aside the Soul-Refining Cauldron, just the profits his Jingran Pharmacy in the Underworld brought him wouldn't allow him to feel even a shred of excitement over eighteen Soul Pills.
"Heh heh, each of these eighteen boxes contains one Soul Pill. These eighteen Soul Pills are your reward this time," Luo Yao said.
"Thank you for your generosity, Great Emperor, it's just that. . ."
Yang Haoran did not put the eighteen boxes containing Soul Pills into his spatial storage. Instead, he respectfully bowed to Luo Yao, hesitating to speak further.
Seeing this, Luo Yao wasn't angry. He seemed to have suddenly thought of something, and the smile on his face deepened.
"Heh heh, it seems you're not entirely satisfied with the reward I've prepared for you. And rightly so; you also have an apothecary in the Underworld, what was it called. . . the Jingran Pharmacy, I believe? Its business seems quite good. For a big boss like you, a dozen or so Soul Pills probably aren't much to look at."
Yang Haoran's expression instantly changed drastically. The reason for his change in expression wasn't because Luo Yao knew about the Jingran Pharmacy's existence. Not to mention Luo Yao had already become the Jingling Great Emperor; even before ascending to the throne, as one of the nine Guardians of Jingling Continent, it wouldn't have been difficult for Luo Yao to discover that he owned a Jingran Pharmacy in the Underworld.
Moreover, he hadn't concealed the matter at all. Not only did he not hide it, but he had even openly told other Underworld Office agents who visited the Jingran Pharmacy that he was its owner. It was even less surprising that Luo Yao knew about it.
Therefore, the drastic change in his expression at that moment had nothing whatsoever to do with Luo Yao knowing he had a Jingran Pharmacy in the Underworld, but rather with the implication of Luo Yao's words at that very moment.
Although Luo Yao wore a smile, Yang Haoran knew that Luo Yao was surely feeling somewhat uncomfortable. After all, as a Great Emperor, he had bestowed a reward upon Yang Haoran, a mere Emissary of Death, and Yang Haoran had not accepted it. This was undeniably a slight.
To prevent Luo Yao from continuing to misunderstand, Yang Haoran quickly began to explain.
"Great Emperor, you've misunderstood your subordinate. Eighteen Soul Pills are indeed a significant sum for your subordinate; how could I possibly disdain them? Let alone eighteen Soul Pills, even if the Great Emperor were to bestow just one Soul Pill upon your subordinate, I would be overjoyed, for it is a form of affirmation from the Great Emperor, a recognition of my abilities. I am too grateful to even think of being so ungracious."
Yang Haoran's words conveyed such a sense of grievance, he was practically on the verge of crying out for justice.
"Heh heh, then what is your intention in not accepting these Soul Pills? " Luo Yao asked with a smile.
"Your subordinate truly desires the Soul Pills, but I have a favor to ask, so I dared not accept them and then make my request," Yang Haoran said.
"Oh? What is it? Tell me. If I can do it, helping you is no trouble at all," Luo Yao said with a smile.
"Your subordinate wishes to exchange these eighteen Soul Pills for an Emissary of Death quota! " Yang Haoran stopped beating around the bush and directly revealed his thoughts to Luo Yao.
If an ordinary Night Watcher wished to Open their Heaven Soul, even a newly recruited one, they wouldn't need such a vast number as eighteen Soul Pills. However, opening one's Heaven Soul didn't necessarily mean one could become an Emissary of Death; to become an Emissary of Death, one needed to find someone with the authority to grant that status. Therefore, for those Night Watchers aspiring to become Emissaries of Death, the value of eighteen Soul Pills was certainly not as precious as an Emissary of Death quota.
Yang Haoran's decision to exchange eighteen Soul Pills for an Emissary of Death quota at this moment was primarily not because he felt the quota was more valuable than eighteen Soul Pills, but rather because he urgently needed an Emissary of Death quota. If not for this pressing need, an Emissary of Death quota would truly be less valuable to him than eighteen Soul Pills, as he was already an Emissary of Death himself.
"You want an Emissary of Death quota? Why, is it for one of your subordinates? " Luo Yao asked with a smile.
"To answer the Great Emperor, yes, it is indeed for one of my Night Watchers. He has followed me for many years and is now old and frail, with not much life left. So, I wish for him to become an Emissary of Death, so his physical body will no longer continue to age," Yang Haoran respectfully replied. The person he was speaking of was none other than Old Master Wu.
"To become an Emissary of Death, the prerequisite is that he must have Opened his Heaven Soul. If he became an Emissary of Death without having Opened his Heaven Soul, it would likely invite ridicule," Luo Yao stated.
"Great Emperor, please rest assured. He has already successfully Opened his Heaven Soul, and his strength is quite decent, and his mind is sharp enough. He definitely won't bring shame to the Emissary of Death group," Yang Haoran guaranteed.
Luo Yao didn't ask Yang Haoran anything further, but simply nodded decisively.
"No problem. It's just an Emissary of Death quota; it's not a major issue. I agree to it."
Upon receiving Luo Yao's approval, the smile on Yang Haoran's face deepened considerably. This time, his smile was not feigned, but came from genuine happiness.
"I can grant you a quota, but you should still accept these eighteen Soul Pills. After all, our Jingling Continent Underworld Office is currently short on Emissaries of Death, so granting you a quota is nothing. If I were to reclaim these eighteen Soul Pills just for an Emissary of Death quota, wouldn't that make me appear too petty?"
Since Luo Yao had put it that way, Yang Haoran no longer insisted. Continuing to do so would not only bring him no benefit but might also displease Luo Yao, and he certainly didn't want that to happen.
"Your subordinate thanks the Great Emperor!"
After bowing to Luo Yao once more, Yang Haoran finally put the eighteen Soul Pills Luo Yao had bestowed upon him into his spatial storage.
For the next little while, Luo Yao had Huo Laoban gather some basic information about Old Master Wu from Yang Haoran. Once they returned to the Underworld, an appointment decree could be issued, and Old Master Wu's physical body could be transformed through the rules of Heaven and Earth.
After Huo Laoban recorded the necessary information about Old Master Wu, Luo Yao prepared to leave Gu Mo City with him. Since he had seen all that needed to be seen and dealt with all that needed to be dealt with on this trip, he naturally wouldn't linger there. After all, he had just become the Jingling Great Emperor, and there were many matters he needed to arrange and handle; he couldn't afford to waste too much time in Gu Mo City.
Space ripped open, and Luo Yao prepared to leave with Huo Laoban. However, just as he was about to step into the spatial rift, his steps suddenly paused.
"There's one more thing I almost forgot to tell you. Currently, our Jingling Continent Underworld Office has two vacant Guardian positions. I want to fill these two positions as quickly as possible. So, in one month, I will convene a martial arts competition for all Emissaries of Death in our Jingling Continent Underworld Office who have Opened their Heaven and Earth Souls. From them, two individuals will be selected to fill the vacant positions. If you can Open your Heaven and Earth Souls within this month, you can also come and try then. With the eighteen Soul Pills I've given you, plus the Soul Pills you already possess, I think it's not impossible for you to successfully Open your Earth Soul if you fully refine them within this month."
After uttering these words, Luo Yao did not wait for Yang Haoran's reply, but stepped into the spatial rift. Huo Laoban followed closely behind. Yang Haoran bowed respectfully as he saw the two off, and only straightened his body after the spatial rift had completely closed.
Gazing at the spot where the spatial rift had vanished, Yang Haoran's expression was solemn, unlike his usual faint smile. After pausing for a moment, he walked to the main seat in the reception hall and sat down, deep in thought.
The words Luo Yao had spoken before leaving forced him to treat the matter with caution. From Luo Yao's words, it seemed Luo Yao still didn't know that he had already successfully Opened his Heaven and Earth Souls.
However, Luo Yao must surely know about the strength he displayed during the battle at Ancient Demon Palace last time. After all, many people witnessed how formidable he was then, so it wouldn't be difficult for Luo Yao to learn of it.
However, to outsiders, the reason his strength was so formidable at that time was entirely because Wan Wu Yi had awakened his inner demon through the Heart Demon Flute, allowing his power to reach the level of Opening his Heaven and Earth Souls. Luo Yao presumably knew about this as well.
Judging from Luo Yao's words as he departed, although Luo Yao didn't know he had already Opened his Heaven and Earth Souls long ago, in Luo Yao's view, he must have been close to Opening his Earth Soul, which was why he told him to push hard this month.
Opening his Heaven and Earth Souls within a month placed no pressure on Yang Haoran, as he had already done so long ago. The real question was whether or not to participate in the martial arts competition a month later to contend for those two vacant Guardian positions. This was a dilemma for him.
If he could become a Guardian, it would naturally be a great boon for Yang Haoran. Not only would his status and position undergo earth-shattering changes, but the power he wielded would also be incomparable to his current level.
Most importantly, once he became a Guardian, he and Huo Laoban would once again be on the same rank. This way, Huo Laoban couldn't dream of using his Guardian status to eliminate him.
Of course, if he truly became a Guardian, the benefits he would gain would be far more than just these; there would be many other advantages of all kinds.
However, becoming a Guardian was also not simple. Luo Yao had just made it very clear that he would gather all Emissaries of Death in the entire Jingling Continent who had Opened their Heaven and Earth Souls and then select two individuals from among them.
Yang Haoran didn't know how many Emissaries of Death in the Jingling Continent Underworld Office had currently Opened their Heaven and Earth Souls, but in his opinion, the number shouldn't be small. After all, Jingling Continent was vast, and the number of Emissaries of Death was astonishing. Many of them were old antiques who had been working for untold years; even if they only collected their paltry fixed salaries each year, it would probably be enough for them to Open their Heaven and Earth Souls.
Emissaries of Death like these would undoubtedly be quite formidable in strength. They simply hadn't had the opportunity to become Guardians; it didn't mean their strength was weak. Perhaps some Guardians wouldn't even be their match. With such powerful Emissaries of Death participating, it was easy to imagine how difficult it would be to seize a Guardian position from them.
If Yang Haoran could unleash his full power, he might not be 100% guaranteed to defeat these old antiques, but his chances of winning would certainly be greater. However, he dared not unleash all of his strength.
The reason was simple: in Luo Yao's eyes, although Yang Haoran hadn't yet Opened his Earth Soul, he was not far from it. As long as Yang Haoran was willing to use a portion of his Soul Pills for refinement and absorption, a month's time should be enough for him to successfully Open his Earth Soul.
From what Luo Yao said when he left, he likely estimated it this way. As for why he didn't doubt the speed of Yang Haoran's power increase, it was because he knew Yang Haoran also had an apothecary in the Underworld, and its business was quite good.
With an apothecary generating wealth for Yang Haoran, the number of Soul Pills he possessed was naturally incomparable to that of ordinary Emissaries of Death. It was perfectly normal for his strength to increase faster than theirs.
Luo Yao could be certain that Yang Haoran still had a large number of Soul Pills in his possession. Besides the profits from the Jingran Pharmacy in the Underworld, there were also the vast quantities of souls Yang Haoran had acquired in Gu Mo City, especially the souls of Spirit Mediums. These souls had been exchanged for an astonishing number of Soul Pills in the Underworld, a fact Luo Yao was also aware of.
It was precisely for this reason that Luo Yao didn't grow suspicious of Yang Haoran's rapid increase in strength; he simply hadn't anticipated that Yang Haoran had actually Opened his Heaven and Earth Souls long ago.
But if Yang Haoran participated in this martial arts competition and used his full power, the formidable strength he displayed would be far beyond what an Underworld Office agent who had just Opened their Earth Soul could possess. How would he explain himself then, when faced with doubts?
Therefore, if he were to actually participate in the competition, Yang Haoran dared not use his full power. At least, he wouldn't do so until he found a way to resolve this issue.
If he didn't use his full power, then in Yang Haoran's view, his participation in the competition would be meaningless, because the ultimate victory wouldn't belong to him; going would just be a waste of time.
But if he didn't go, he would miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. After all, Guardians didn't die every day, so Guardian positions weren't always available.
From the time the world fell into chaos until now, their Underworld Office had only lost two Guardians, and both were Guardians of their Jingling Continent. Under other Great Emperors, no Guardians had yet fallen.
In other words, Guardians generally wouldn't fall easily—at least that was the case for now. As for whether Guardians would still be so difficult to fell when the war between Spirit Mediums and the Underworld Office escalated in the future, that was another matter entirely.
Therefore, once these two Guardian positions were filled this time, who knew how long he would have to wait for such an opportunity again.
Honestly, Yang Haoran truly didn't want to miss such an opportunity, yet he couldn't unleash his full strength. This left him at a loss for what to do.
At that moment, he sat in the main seat of the reception hall, deep in thought, pondering how to deal with this problem. However, he sat there for a long time without coming up with a suitable solution.
The next day, Yang Haoran saw through the Underworld Iron Tome that Old Master Wu had been appointed the new Emissary of Death for Lecheng. Although Yang Haoran was not surprised, he was still very happy.
Because since Old Master Wu had been appointed the Emissary of Death for Lecheng by the Underworld Office, it meant Old Master Wu's physical body had undergone transformation by the laws of Heaven and Earth. From then on, Old Master Wu's physical body would be like his own, immune to natural death and aging, possessing an immortal body from that point forward.
After so long, he had finally settled this matter for Old Master Wu, and Yang Haoran was naturally very pleased.
Why he wasn't surprised was, of course, because he had already communicated with Luo Yao the day before. Old Master Wu becoming the Emissary of Death for Lecheng was also a result of his request to Luo Yao.
If he hadn't communicated with Luo Yao in advance and secured his agreement, and instead allowed Huo Laoban to handle the matter, Yang Haoran could have easily guessed that Huo Laoban would secretly cause trouble, perhaps even transferring Old Master Wu away from Lecheng and then finding some way to eliminate him.
In Yang Haoran's opinion, such a possibility was not out of the question. Given the enmity between him and Huo Laoban, Huo Laoban had every motive to do so. Therefore, for safety's sake, he had made an early request to Luo Yao, hoping that Luo Yao would keep Old Master Wu in Lecheng, while he himself continued to remain in Gu Mo City.
Luo Yao had agreed to Yang Haoran's request, so even if Huo Laoban wanted to play tricks regarding this matter, he wouldn't dare. Doing so would only give Yang Haoran leverage, and if Yang Haoran were to report him to Luo Yao, it would only put him in a passive position and might even land him in trouble.
Therefore, Huo Laoban did not mess around with this matter but, in accordance with Luo Yao's instructions, appointed Old Master Wu as the Emissary of Death for Lecheng.
After Yang Haoran confirmed through the Underworld Iron Tome that Old Master Wu had become Lecheng's new Emissary of Death, he also obtained another piece of information from the Underworld Iron Tome: the matter Luo Yao had told him about yesterday. In one month, the Jingling Continent Underworld Office would hold a martial arts competition. The Underworld Office agents participating in the competition had to have Opened their Heaven and Earth Souls; this was a strict and the only condition.
This news instantly set the entire Underworld Office abuzz, creating an impact second only to the recent announcement that Luo Yao had become the new Jingling Great Emperor.
Especially for the Underworld Office agents of Jingling Continent, the shock this matter brought them naturally far surpassed that of agents from other continents, as this was, after all, an affair of their Jingling Continent Underworld Office.
The most shocked and excited, however, were undoubtedly the Emissaries of Death in Jingling Continent who had already Opened their Heaven and Earth Souls. They had been waiting for such an opportunity to become Guardians, but it had never materialized. After the previous Jingling Great Emperor and two Guardians fell, they saw hope, believing their chance to become Guardians had arrived.
But to their surprise, there had been no follow-up on the matter, which left them both anxious and eagerly anticipating the arrival of this day.
Today, the matter finally had a resolution. How could these Emissaries of Death, who had waited so long for this, not be happy, not be excited?
Compared to the excited Underworld Officials, Yang Haoran was much calmer. He didn't even feel a hint of surprise, having already learned of the matter from Luo Yao yesterday, so it was only natural that he felt no shock.
As for the location of the martial arts competition, it had been set in the Underworld's martial arts arena. The decision to hold it in the Underworld rather than somewhere in Jingling Continent naturally stemmed from careful consideration.
If the competition were held in Jingling Continent, no matter where it was chosen, there would always be cities located a great distance away. Emissaries of Death from these distant cities would inevitably spend a significant amount of time traveling to the destination. After all, the entire Jingling Continent covered a considerable area.
With the world in chaos, the battles between the Underworld Office and Spirit Mediums had never ceased. If the Emissaries of Death left their respective cities to travel too far, and Spirit Mediums seized the opportunity to launch an attack, they would certainly be unable to return in time, which would undoubtedly lead to immense losses, even devastating blows.
However, if the competition was set in the Underworld, it would be different. Because when Underworld Officials entered the Underworld through the Ghost Gate, they could choose to return directly to the place where they opened the Ghost Gate when coming back from the Underworld.
This way, even if Spirit Mediums launched a surprise attack in their absence, they could rush back in the shortest possible time upon learning of it.
Apart from this reason, there was another reason for setting the martial arts arena in the Underworld: it was safer to hold the competition there, and it was less likely to reveal the current combat strength of their Jingling Continent Underworld Office.
If the competition were set in a specific location within Jingling Continent, it might be fine if the news didn't leak. But once it did leak, and Spirit Mediums took notice, they might gather enough experts in advance for an ambush. In that scenario, not only would the competition fail, and no Guardian be selected, but they might very well be wiped out completely. By then, the Emissaries of Death participating in the competition would truly be "sent to their graves."
But holding the competition in the Underworld carried no such risk. After all, Spirit Mediums could not enter the Underworld through the Ghost Gate; it was no simple feat for them to enter the Underworld, and attacking the Underworld itself was even more difficult.
No matter the circumstances, the Underworld was always the safest place for the entire Underworld Office. If the Underworld itself were to fall one day, it would signify that their Underworld Office had truly reached its end.
Yang Haoran wasn't sure if the competition location was chosen and decided by Luo Yao, the Great Emperor of Jingling, but he thought it was highly probable. As for why the location was set in the Underworld instead of Jingling Continent, he had already roughly guessed the reasons with a brief thought.
Putting away the Underworld Iron Tome, Yang Haoran lit a cigarette, preparing to continue pondering the competition and possible countermeasures. He had racked his brain yesterday without finding a suitable solution, so today he had no choice but to continue.
However, he had only taken two puffs and hadn't yet adjusted his state of mind; his thoughts were still a mess when he received a Communication Talisman from Old Master Wu.
Old Master Wu was ecstatic, extremely emotional, and expressed a great deal of gratitude to him.
Yang Haoran knew why Old Master Wu was so agitated. It was naturally because Old Master Wu had finally become a legitimate Underworld Official, shedding his Night Watcher status, and from then on, possessing infinite lifespan, no longer worrying about his physical body aging day by day.
Although Old Master Wu wasn't in Yang Haoran's presence, Yang Haoran could still feel the intense joy in Old Master Wu's heart through the Communication Talisman. He had been fretting and even somewhat annoyed about the upcoming competition, but upon feeling Old Master Wu's profound happiness, his own mood brightened considerably.
Yesterday, after Luo Yao and Huo Laoban left, Yang Haoran had informed Old Master Wu via Communication Talisman that he was about to become an Underworld Official and would serve as Lecheng's Emissary of Death. At that time, Old Master Wu had already expressed his gratitude through the talisman, and while he was excited then, his excitement was still a few shades weaker than it was now.
Yang Haoran sent a Communication Talisman back to Old Master Wu, offering congratulations and informing him that he would return to Lecheng in a while to celebrate properly.
After much thought, Yang Haoran still couldn't come up with a feasible solution he deemed satisfactory. Unable to find a viable method, he naturally remained undecided.
Just as he was worrying about this matter, he suddenly thought of someone.
"Heh heh, it's been a long time since I last saw her. I should go see how she's doing lately, and I can also ask for her opinion on this matter."
Yang Haoran murmured to himself, a faint smile reappearing on his face. Then, his body vanished from where he stood. After making arrangements for his close associates, he tore through space and left Gu Mo City.
Gu Mo City was relatively stable now; not only was there no trouble, but under Yao Guozhi's leadership, it was developing rapidly. Furthermore, with the subsequent issues of the various major factions resolved, and with Emperor Luo Yao backing him, he had no worries about the situation in Gu Mo City. He no longer felt uneasy about leaving the city, unlike before; now, he could leave Gu Mo City without any pressure at all.
After leaving Gu Mo City, Yang Haoran continually tore through space, expending some time and Spirit Power, distancing himself from Gu Mo City and successfully arriving at Ancheng, Lecheng's neighboring city.
The reason he chose to come to Ancheng was, naturally, to see Xu Meijing. He hadn't seen Xu Meijing in a very long time. Although they often communicated through Communication Talismans, meeting in person and communicating via talisman were two entirely different things.
This time, the competition had left him somewhat agitated, and combined with the long absence from Xu Meijing, he decided to visit Ancheng to see her, rekindle their bond, and coincidentally ask for her thoughts on the upcoming competition.
Xu Meijing was a very strong-willed person. From his understanding of her, she definitely wouldn't want to miss this opportunity, because he felt that Xu Meijing wanted the Guardian position even more than he did. As for what Xu Meijing would do, he couldn't guess.
Having not been to Ancheng for a long time, the changes in the city greatly astonished Yang Haoran. It wasn't because Ancheng had improved, but because it had become even more dilapidated than when he last visited. Collapsed buildings, potholed roads, and broken bridges—the scars of battle were visible everywhere.
In addition, within the ruined urban areas of Ancheng, gaunt ordinary people wandered, living like zombies as refugees, rummaging through garbage for food or useful items. However, these garbage heaps had long been scoured countless times; anything edible or useful had long been cleaned out. They knew this too, but they continued to do so purely out of a glimmer of hope, hoping they might be lucky enough to stumble upon some newly discarded trash from wealthy families.
The entire city of Ancheng felt desolate, and even the air was permeated with a foul stench. Its former vibrancy was gone, leaving behind only the empty shell of a city after a great war.
Ancheng now was somewhat similar to Gu Mo City when Yang Haoran first arrived, though at that time, Gu Mo City was significantly worse than Ancheng was now. But the situation had reversed; Gu Mo City was slowly improving, its various facilities were being restored, and the ordinary people managed by the Underworld Office were living relatively better lives.
Conversely, Ancheng grew more dilapidated, and ordinary people struggled even to get a meal, which highlighted just how miserable Ancheng had become.
Of course, not everyone in Ancheng was struggling for food. There were still a few wealthy families who not only ate their fill and dressed warmly but also indulged in plenty of fine wine, leading very comfortable lives. Compared to the pitiful people rummaging through garbage for food, their treatment was like heaven and earth.
Such wealthy families were few, extremely rare, and they all had backing. To put it bluntly, they had someone protecting them, which was why they could live in such opulence even under such harsh conditions.
Ancheng's current plight indeed surprised Yang Haoran, but it was not something he could change. After all, he was not Ancheng's Emissary of Death, nor was Ancheng's Administrative Council under his control. Even if he wished to alleviate Ancheng's misery, it would be impossible.
Living in this chaotic world, there were simply too many miserable, pitiful, and innocent people. This was a certainty, and also something that not everyone had the ability to change.
Yang Haoran shook his head, feeling quite helpless. He took out some food from his independent space, left it behind, and then headed towards Ancheng's largest Death God Temple.
These edibles were not precious to him; he kept them in his independent space merely for occasional indulgence or a craving, nothing more. However, to the ordinary people endlessly sifting through garbage, constantly searching for food, these edibles were a rare delicacy on earth, their lifeline. Thus, when the food descended from the sky and landed before them, their eyes lit up, and they immediately snatched it all, some even fighting fiercely to seize food from others and claim it for themselves.
When Yang Haoran stopped, he had already arrived at Ancheng's largest Death God Temple. Before even entering, he sensed the fluctuations of power emanating from within the temple.
These powers were all Spirit Power, which indicated that they were likely emanating from the Night Watchers within the temple.
Yang Haoran didn't know if Xu Meijing was in this temple, but he decided to go in and see. If Xu Meijing happened to be there, he could give her a pleasant surprise.
If Xu Meijing wasn't in the temple at the moment, he could inquire among the Night Watchers there to find out her whereabouts.
Yang Haoran hadn't even stepped into the temple when he heard a whooshing sound, and several figures suddenly blocked his path. These individuals were dressed in black robes and exuded a strong Yin Qi, making it clear they were Night Watchers from this Death God Temple.
With his path obstructed, Yang Haoran showed no sign of annoyance, maintaining his faint smile.
"Yang. . . Yang Emissary, why have you come!"
Comments