Chapter 1140: What a Pity
After Yang Haoran issued his third command, some Soul-Sowers, driven by self-interest, immediately came to support Tongyou City. However, based on Ding Tianhua’s detailed report on the current situation, Yang Haoran knew that ordinary assistance simply wouldn't be enough for Tongyou City to overcome its present predicament. That's why he decided to come to Tongyou City himself to resolve the issues it was currently facing.
As for why he collected information about Ding Tianhua before coming to Tongyou City, it was because he wanted a deeper understanding of this veteran Soul-Sower. He sought to gain insight into his mind and cultivate him into a trusted subordinate. After all, a mid-stage Earth Soul Soul-Sower was incomparable to an ordinary one; reaching such a realm required massive resources. If he could have such a powerful individual among his trusted confidantes, the benefits would be significant.
That was why he decided to gather information on Ding Tianhua; only with a comprehensive understanding of the man could he take targeted action and increase his chances of winning him over.
Yang Haoran appeared to be strolling leisurely, yet his body was as elusive and fleeting as a bodiless spirit body. Each step was a flash, and in mere moments, he vanished without a trace.
When he stopped, he was already in an unassuming corner just outside Tongyou City.
During this time, Yang Haoran's gaze remained fixed on the two sets of information in his hands. By the time he stopped, he had already meticulously read through both.
Compared to Shui Ling’s collected data, the information Tang Shi had gathered was far more comprehensive and detailed. Yang Haoran, however, had no intention of blaming Shui Ling, for he understood. After all, Shui Ling had fewer subordinates than Tang Shi, and their strength couldn't match Tang Shi's. Furthermore, the Second Division, which Shui Ling managed, had not been established nearly as long as Tang Shi's Myriad Ghost Grotto. It was only natural for it to be inferior to the Myriad Ghost Grotto in various aspects.
Moreover, the information Shui Ling had collected wasn't entirely useless. Although her data wasn't as comprehensive as Tang Shi’s, the parts she had gathered matched up with Tang Shi’s, indicating that there was no issue of authenticity. This point greatly pleased Yang Haoran. If, for the same issue, Shui Ling and Tang Shi's information didn't match at all, it would have been quite troublesome for him, as he would have had to find a way to discern whose information was factual.
“Heh heh, I never expected Ding Tianhua and Huo Laoban to be friends. They even met secretly in Tongyou City before our Jingling Continent Underworld Office competition. What a pity. He only sought my help now. I initially thought he was too proud to ask for help, given his seniority and strength, but it seems I was mistaken in my thinking. ”
Yang Haoran spoke with a faint smile. As his words faded, the two sets of information in his hands simultaneously turned to ash.
He looked up at the sky above Tongyou City, where dark clouds now covered the sun. Streaks of lightning danced within them, followed by continuous, deafening explosions. The clash of techniques, furious shouts of battle, and cries of pain and terror echoed ceaselessly through Tongyou City. Even from outside the city, these sounds could be clearly heard.
It was clear, even without thinking, that an earth-shattering battle was currently raging within Tongyou City.
“Heh heh, no matter what, Tongyou City is ultimately my territory. Of course, I cannot tolerate other forces riding roughshod over our Underworld Office, especially Spirit Masters. ”
Yang Haoran spoke with a faint smile. As his voice resounded, a visible surge of Yin Qi emanated from his body. Under the shroud of this Yin Qi, his Death God attire instantly transformed. Its distinctive features were hidden, becoming an ordinary black form-fitting long coat.
As for the power fluctuations emanating from him, they hadn't been strong since he stepped out of the spatial rift. Even when ripping open space, he hadn't caused much commotion, using only a tiny fraction of his power, with the vast majority contained within his body.
Although power fluctuations did emanate from his body now, in the current situation, no one would notice him; the fluctuations simply weren't significant enough.
Of course, if he were to fully unleash all of his power, that would be an entirely different matter.
With a few flashes, Yang Haoran entered Tongyou City, his arrival unnoticed by anyone.
Within Tongyou City, everywhere Yang Haoran looked was a scene of devastation. Shattered and collapsed houses, pockmarked ground, and in some places, even incomplete corpses were visible. The air was thick with a nauseating stench, the utterly revolting smell of decaying corpses.
Besides the stench, there was also a faint scent of blood in the air. To be precise, the scent of blood wasn't truly faint; it was just that the overwhelming stench of decaying corpses obscured it, making the blood scent seem subtle.
Yang Haoran was currently on the outskirts of Tongyou City, not its heart. If even the periphery was destroyed to such an extent, it was unimaginable how much worse the heart of Tongyou City must have been laid waste.
Not far from Yang Haoran was a collapsed house. On top of it, several monsters intermittently leapt and looked around cautiously, as if searching for something.
Yang Haoran's appearance immediately drew the attention of these monsters.
These monsters had hideous faces, were clad in ragged, blood-stained clothes. Some were missing limbs yet were considered relatively intact, while others even had incomplete facial features.
Dense Yin Qi emanated from these monsters. From their appearance, they resembled zombies, but Yang Haoran recognized at a glance that these were not zombies, but Resentful Spirits refined through secret arts.
Judging by the powerful fluctuations emanating from these Resentful Spirits, they possessed strength fully comparable to ordinary Evil Spirits. Although their power fluctuations were only on par with ordinary Evil Spirits, in terms of destructive power, ordinary Evil Spirits simply couldn't compare to these Resentful Spirits.
The reason was simple: Evil Spirits possessed their own thoughts. Although Evil Spirits harbored intense resentment and employed ruthless methods, they also had people or things they feared or cared about. Therefore, in some situations, Evil Spirits would still have some reservations when acting.
Resentful Spirits, however, were different. They had no concept of fear, nor did they care about people or things. When they acted, they not only had no reservations whatsoever, but they also proceeded with bloody cruelty, functioning entirely as killing machines—killing machines controlled by their refiner. In this aspect, they were exactly like zombies below the Corpse King level. Hence, the destructive power of Resentful Spirits of the same rank far surpassed that of Evil Spirits.
It was undeniable that the destructive power of Resentful Spirits was superior to other ghosts of the same rank. Whether the strength of these Resentful Spirits before him was great or meager depended entirely on the observer. In the eyes of ordinary Evil Spirits, their power was absolutely formidable, but in Yang Haoran’s eyes, these Resentful Spirits were no different from ants.
After discovering Yang Haoran, the Resentful Spirits were startled for a moment. They could barely believe their eyes that someone would be so audacious as to brazenly appear before them, let alone show not a trace of fear on his face. This was something they rarely encountered.
Their stupor lasted only an instant. The Resentful Spirits then reacted, baring their fangs at Yang Haoran. Some even fiercely roared at him, revealing mouths full of sharp fangs and spewing forth a nauseating stench.
Their actions weren't merely a threat for Yang Haoran to leave; they were directly challenging him and declaring war. No sooner had their roars ceased than the Resentful Spirits abandoned their search on the collapsed house and immediately designated Yang Haoran as their new prey. Carrying a powerful stench, they lunged ferociously at Yang Haoran, looking as if they wouldn't rest until they tore this reckless fool to shreds.
Faced with this situation, Yang Haoran showed not the slightest panic or fear; instead, a faint smile appeared on his face. With a wave of his hand, he conjured a Soul-Gathering Bead. Immediately, arm-thick chains shot forth from within the bead like streaks of black lightning, binding the attacking Resentful Spirits tightly. The chains were so incredibly fast that the lunging Resentful Spirits didn't even have time to react before their bodies were bound as tightly as a bundle.
The chains clattered loudly as furious roars erupted from the Resentful Spirits' mouths. While roaring, they struggled fiercely, their bodies sometimes exploding into Yin Qi, and sometimes re-coalescing into solid forms. But no matter what methods they used, they were unable to break free from the chains' restraint.
Although the bodies of Resentful Spirits weren't as powerful as a Ghost King’s, they shared one commonality: their bodies could be both illusory and solid. They could disperse into Yin Qi, and likewise, coalesce into a solid form.
Under normal circumstances, if a Resentful Spirit was controlled by ordinary means, it could indeed achieve its escape by dispersing its body into Yin Qi. However, the chains shooting forth from this Soul-Gathering Bead were formed from Yang Haoran’s Spirit Power. These chains possessed a fundamental difference from ordinary ones and held a strong restraining effect on various ghostly entities. Thus, even if these Resentful Spirits dispersed their bodies into Yin Qi, they still couldn't escape the chains' control.
The chains quickly retracted into the Soul-Gathering Bead, and the Resentful Spirits were naturally pulled rapidly towards them. No matter how the Resentful Spirits roared or struggled, it had not the slightest impact on the chains, much less caused them to pause.
Yet, in the blink of an eye, amidst furious and unwilling roars, these Resentful Spirits were forcibly dragged into the Soul-Gathering Bead by the chains.
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