Chapter 1256: Show of Strength
The sudden attacks by the Emissaries of Death under Wen Hexuan and the other two Guardians resulted in some participants being eliminated. Most of the remaining participants, those not yet eliminated, felt a surge of intense anger, some even cursing out loud.
Despite their fury, the remaining participants reacted swiftly, immediately distancing themselves from others to avoid being ambushed.
At this moment, although Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing hadn't separated, their reactions were identical to most other participants: they instantly put distance between themselves and everyone else.
What they were guarding against now was not just the Emissaries of Death under Wen Hexuan and the other two; all other Emissaries of Death were also targets of their caution. In such a situation, they could trust no one completely except each other, not even the Emissaries of Death who weren't allied with Wen Hexuan's faction.
"Heh, it looks like these three Guardian Lords intend to clear us outsiders out first. "
Yang Haoran said with a faint smile to Xu Meijing. Although the incident was sudden, the smile on Yang Haoran's face didn't falter. However, for safety, the two now stood back-to-back, as this allowed them to better counter incoming attacks and prevent anyone from ambushing them from behind.
"For now, let's ignore Wen Hexuan and the other two. We'll deal with their Emissaries of Death first! "
Xu Meijing remained as aloof as ever, her face showing neither excitement nor fear. As she spoke, she gripped her Soul Armament, Killing Blade, in her right hand, while her left hand reached into a swirling mass of Yin Qi at her side to retrieve her Earth Soul Armor. The moment the mask settled on her face, a series of crisp clicks echoed, and Xu Meijing was instantly encased completely in sturdy armor.
Yang Haoran naturally understood Xu Meijing's decision. In the current situation, dealing with the Emissaries of Death under Wen Hexuan and the other two first was indeed the wisest approach.
Moreover, dealing with the Emissaries of Death under Wen Hexuan and the other two was far easier than confronting the three powerful Guardians themselves.
In Yang Haoran's view, the fewer participants there were, the greater the chances he and Xu Meijing had of becoming Guardians. Even if Wen Hexuan and the two other Guardians remained on the platform and he and Xu Meijing were powerless to resist, if only the two of them remained, those two Guardian positions would still be theirs.
Yang Haoran knew that Xu Meijing's decision at this moment surely aligned with his own thoughts, so he raised no objections, deciding to follow her lead. After all, it was precisely what he had been thinking.
No sooner had Xu Meijing donned her Earth Soul Armor than a series of grotesque ghost heads suddenly materialized above them. These ghost heads let out a shrill, piercing cackle before lunging at the two of them, looking as if they meant to tear them to shreds and devour them.
Yang Haoran was all too familiar with these ghost heads; this was the Ghost Art, Ghost Fiend Soul Chain. Facing an attack of this caliber, Yang Haoran gave Xu Meijing no chance to act. With a thought, Remnant Moon howled forth from the violently swirling Yin Qi at his side, piercing through the Ghost Fiend Soul Chains with lightning speed.
The massive ghost heads fell one by one, and their colossal bodies plummeted from the sky. However, both the ghost heads and the bodies of the Ghost Fiend Soul Chains dissipated into Yin Qi and vanished before they even hit the ground.
No sooner had they dealt with the Ghost Fiend Soul Chain than two Soul Armaments appeared before them with lightning speed. Behind these two Soul Armaments were two figures, an Emissary of Death wielding a large broadsword charging towards Yang Haoran, and another with a wolf-tooth club charging towards Xu Meijing!
From this scene, it was clear that the sudden appearance of the Ghost Fiend Soul Chain was likely unleashed by one of these two. The Ghost Fiend Soul Chain's attack was merely an appetizer, not meant to truly harm them, but to divert their attention. Their real attack came from the Soul Armaments they manipulated with their thoughts, and the Soul Armaments held in their hands!
The power fluctuations unleashed by the two were extremely formidable; though they hadn't reached the mid-stage Earth Soul realm, they were not far off. Such strength was undoubtedly something ordinary Emissaries of Death could only aspire to, but in the eyes of Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing, this level of power was merely average.
The two were incredibly fast, and their attacks were chained seamlessly. So, by the time Yang Haoran had resolved the Ghost Fiend Soul Chain, the Soul Armaments they were controlling with their minds were already upon them.
"Hmph! "
A cold, disdainful snort escaped Xu Meijing's lips. With a swing of Killing Blade, the Soul Armament before her was effortlessly swatted away with a single-handed strike. But immediately after, the opponent's wolf-tooth club came crashing down on her head.
Boom! ! !
With a massive thud, chaotic Yin Spirit Power raged wildly. Xu Meijing's body remained completely still, and her Earth Soul Armor showed not the slightest damage. This sight momentarily stunned the attacking Emissary of Death.
He had thought his continuous assault, even if it couldn't directly eliminate Xu Meijing, would at least severely wound her. Then, a quick follow-up strike would send Xu Meijing out of the competition. But the scene before him was the exact opposite of what he had envisioned. Xu Meijing had taken his blow head-on, not only remaining unharmed but her armor showing no cracks or dents. Completely unprepared, he was truly shocked by this display.
"Tch, useless. "
Xu Meijing's aloof voice emanated from beneath her mask, snapping the stunned Emissary of Death back to reality. However, before he could react, or even summon back his Soul Armament that Xu Meijing had struck away with his thoughts, Xu Meijing swiftly swung her Soul Armament, Killing Blade, twice.
Splat! ! !
Blood spurted. The Emissary of Death holding the wolf-tooth club found a gaping wound torn across his chest. His eyes bulged fiercely, whether from shock or intense pain. At the same time, his wolf-tooth club shattered into two pieces and dissipated into streams of Yin Qi.
Xu Meijing had swung Killing Blade twice very quickly; one strike had cleaved the Emissary of Death's Soul Armament, the wolf-tooth club, and the other had slashed his body. Because her speed was so incredible, it seemed as if she had only swung once. Those whose strength wasn't sufficient couldn't even discern the two strikes, let alone defend against them.
The Emissary of Death who had targeted Xu Meijing was precisely due to his insufficient strength. When facing Xu Meijing's two strikes, he was utterly incapable of counterattacking, or even fleeing. A gruesome wound was torn across his chest by Xu Meijing.
Xu Meijing did not aim to kill him. After tearing open his chest with a strike, she followed up with a kick to the Emissary of Death's body, directly sending the stunned individual off the martial arts platform.
While Xu Meijing was engaging the Emissary of Death with the wolf-tooth club, Yang Haoran, who stood behind her, had also made his move against the Emissary of Death wielding the broadsword.
Yang Haoran's approach to combat was entirely different from Xu Meijing's, owing to their differing Soul Armaments. Xu Meijing dared to allow her opponents to approach her because her Earth Soul Armor possessed astonishing defensive capabilities; those lacking sufficient strength couldn't possibly harm her. Furthermore, her Soul Armament, Killing Blade, was also a close-combat weapon, so she typically opted for close-quarters fighting.
Conversely, Yang Haoran lacked the sturdy Earth Soul Armor, and his Soul Armament, Remnant Moon, was not a close-combat weapon. Therefore, when facing an enemy, he usually avoided close combat. If he could prevent the opponent from getting close, he would do so. The only exception was when there was a huge disparity in strength, making it difficult for the opponent to even break through his protective Yin Qi; in such cases, he wouldn't mind.
So, when Yang Haoran faced the Emissary of Death wielding the broadsword, his first action was to release a large amount of Yin Spirit Power, blocking the Soul Armament this Emissary of Death controlled with his thoughts. Then, before the man could get close, he immediately manipulated Remnant Moon to launch an attack.
Remnant Moon's speed was incredibly fast. Before the man could even react, several gruesome wounds appeared on various parts of his body, left by Remnant Moon. Blood spurted as he collapsed to the ground, falling into a coma. He hadn't even managed to get close to Yang Haoran before Yang Haoran sent him off the platform with lightning speed, eliminating him from the competition.
Perhaps seeing Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing's capabilities and knowing they were not easy opponents, after they dispatched the two Emissaries of Death, more opponents immediately lunged at them, their number having precisely doubled.
Before, there were two opponents, so they each only had to face one. Now there were four, but they didn't each face two. Instead, all four simultaneously targeted both of them, meaning these four didn't fixate on either of them individually, but considered both as attack targets, allowing them to switch targets at any time depending on the situation.
Moreover, the strength of these four was clearly superior to the previous two. After setting Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing as their targets, the four did not rush at them in a chaotic swarm. Instead, they showed clear division of labor and tacit understanding (tacit understanding): some cast Ghost arts from the rear, some manipulated soul arms for ranged attacks from the rear, and others charged directly at them.
The four simultaneously unleashed powerful techniques, creating quite an astonishing display. And Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing's techniques were equally impressive, even surpassing the four, causing the battle in their area to become even more spectacular.
The martial arts platform of the Underworld Arena covered a vast area. Because of this, even accommodating over two hundred participants simultaneously today, the platform did not appear crowded at all.
Due to the sudden ambush by the Emissaries of Death under Wen Hexuan and the other two, participants dared not gather together. Consequently, the battles on the platform were not concentrated but split into many large and small areas. In some areas, two people were engaged in a one-on-one fight, in others, multiple people were fighting amongst themselves, and in still others, a group was ganging up on a single individual. The number of people, their strength, and naturally, the commotion in each area varied.
Although the number of combatants in the area where Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing were fighting was not large, the momentum and commotion they created were considerable, attracting the attention of many. Besides drawing the eyes of a large audience, it also captured the gaze of some participants on the platform.
Even Luo Yao on the black cloud and Huo Laoban seated behind him were now looking towards the battlefield where Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing were located. However, their expressions and reactions were entirely different.
Luo Yao's face initially showed surprise and delight, because the strength Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing displayed was simply too powerful, far exceeding his expectations, so he couldn't help but reveal a look of pleasant surprise.
But the surprise on his face did not last long. Soon, it vanished, replaced by a look of bewilderment. His confusion also stemmed from the strength of Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing.
Both Xu Meijing and Yang Haoran had been promoted by him personally. Although he hadn't heavily relied on them before, he had impressions of both, especially Yang Haoran. After Yang Haoran successfully managed the Gu Mo City Underworld Division, Luo Yao's impression of him improved considerably, and he even considered fostering Yang Haoran more. Thus, he was very clear about when the two of them became Emissaries of Death.
It was precisely because he knew this that he became confused by their strength.
According to his estimation, Yang Haoran's participation in this martial arts competition should result in him successfully opening his Heaven and Earth Souls without issue. If Yang Haoran's strength was at the early Earth Soul realm, he naturally wouldn't be surprised, as this was within his expectations.
However, the strength Yang Haoran was displaying now was far beyond what one who had just opened their Earth Soul could possess. From the power fluctuations Yang Haoran was currently emitting, his strength had fully reached the mid-stage Earth Soul realm, and was even considerably stronger than the average mid-stage Earth Soul practitioner.
Yang Haoran's strength had already greatly astonished him, but what shocked him even more was Xu Meijing's strength, because the power fluctuations Xu Meijing was emitting were on par with Yang Haoran's!
He had previously investigated Yang Haoran, knowing that Yang Haoran owned a thriving pharmacy in the Underworld. Furthermore, in recent years, Yang Haoran had submitted a surprising number of souls, with an especially astonishing number of Spirit Mediums' souls, and even many Spirit Master souls. The quantity of Soul Pills obtained from these souls was equally astounding, so it was normal for Yang Haoran's strength to increase much faster than ordinary Emissaries of Death.
But, Xu Meijing became an Emissary of Death not much earlier than Yang Haoran. How could she possibly raise her strength to this level in just a few short years?
As he felt astonished, confusion naturally arose in his heart.
In truth, Luo Yao didn't know that although Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing were both displaying mid-stage Earth Soul strength, they hadn't even fully unleashed all their power. If he knew, his shock and confusion would undoubtedly be even more intense!
"Could I have mistaken them for someone else? Is this woman not the An City Emissary of Death I promoted? "
Luo Yao pondered secretly, his disbelief so strong that he even questioned if he had recognized the wrong person. But then he dismissed the thought.
"No, I haven't mistaken her. I remember that woman's arrogant, condescending demeanor. "
Xu Meijing's cold aloofness and her constant air of haughty indifference confirmed to Luo Yao that he hadn't mistaken her. Although Xu Meijing was now fully covered by her Earth Soul Armor, Luo Yao vividly remembered her appearance before she put on the armor.
Xu Meijing's strength caused Luo Yao intense bewilderment, but he temporarily set this confusion aside. After all, he couldn't resolve his doubts at the moment. He certainly couldn't halt the competition just to clarify this matter; that was clearly impossible.
Moreover, the stronger Xu Meijing's displayed strength, the better it was for him. Because the four opponents Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing were currently fighting, as well as the two who had just been directly eliminated by them, were clearly Emissaries of Death under Wen Hexuan and the other two. As long as the Emissaries of Death under Wen Hexuan and his allies were all eliminated, the two vacant Guardian positions would not fall into their hands. This was indeed a good thing for him, the newly appointed Jingling Continent Great Emperor.
Furthermore, Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing were both Emissaries of Death he personally promoted, and after becoming Emissaries of Death, they had always followed him. The stronger their strength, the greater their chances of securing the two Guardian positions this time. Once they truly outshone the competition and successfully claimed the two Guardian positions, he, the newly appointed Jingling Continent Great Emperor, would gain two more useful Guardians.
Whether the two would be completely loyal to him after becoming Guardians was uncertain for now, but at the very least, they absolutely wouldn't defy him like Wen Hexuan and the other two, constantly plotting to depose him. In his view, if Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing became Guardians, they would be far superior to Wen Hexuan and his two allies!
A new emperor brings new officials. Now that he, Luo Yao, had ascended to the position of Great Emperor, some people would undoubtedly need to be replaced. Only by having his trusted confidants in important positions could he feel at ease.
Back then, when the previous Jingling Continent Great Emperor ascended to the position, he exhausted every means to solidify his status, taking a long time until he had replaced all nine Guardians with his own trusted subordinates. It was then that he, Luo Yao, had secured his position as a Guardian.
Now that he had become the Great Emperor, he naturally wanted to stabilize his own position and wished for all nine Guardian positions to be held by his own confidants!
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