Chapter 1144: Fist Shatters Dharma Body
The words of the two Night Watchers caused the smile on Yang Haoran’s face to recede slightly, for the losses currently suffered by the Tongyou City Underworld Office were far greater than he had imagined.
He was about to offer a word of comfort, to tell them not to be so pessimistic, but at that very moment, a deafening explosion echoed from the sky. Although explosions had been continuous within Tongyou City, this particular blast was far more intense and astonishing than any before it. Even the ground beneath Yang Haoran and the two Night Watchers trembled from its force.
Their gazes were immediately drawn by the explosion. Not just the three of them, but many people throughout Tongyou City paused their struggles, casting astonished glances towards the skies above the city center. RA & nobes
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, two figures appeared above the Tongyou City center. Above these two figures, there were also two colossal and bizarrely shaped Spirit Aspects: one was the Underworld Office's Death God's Law Aspect, and the other was a Spirit Medium's Spirit Aspect. The two Spirit Aspects clashed, and the thunderous roar that had just reverberated across Tongyou City originated precisely from their collision.
After the first explosion, another followed immediately, for the two Spirit Aspects did not cease fighting after their initial clash, but continued to launch attacks at each other. The trembling ground had not yet settled, and the second collision of the two Spirit Aspects made the trembling even more violent.
"It's our Grand Spirit Master!"
One of the Night Watchers beside Yang Haoran fixed his gaze on one of the figures in the sky, then spoke with a worried tone. The person he was looking at was none other than Ding Tianhua, the Emissary of Death of Tongyou City.
"Indeed, it's our Grand Spirit Master, but his current state. . ."
Although Ding Tianhua was high in the sky, Yang Haoran and the two Night Watchers were already close to the center of Tongyou City, and their vision, being non-ordinary people, far surpassed that of common folk. Thus, they could see Ding Tianhua in the sky with perfect clarity.
Ding Tianhua’s face was pale, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and his highly defensive Death God's uniform was now tattered. His aura was extremely weak. Although he had successfully summoned the Death God's Law Aspect, after only two brief exchanges with the Spirit Aspect, his summoned Death God's Law Aspect became unstable. It was clear that he was already an arrow at the end of its flight; if this continued, defeat was only a matter of moments.
It was entirely reasonable for the two Night Watchers to worry about Ding Tianhua. Leaving aside whether they held him in high regard, simply considering their identities – they were both Tongyou City Night Watchers, and Ding Tianhua was the Emissary of Death of the Tongyou City Underworld Office. The primary reason their Tongyou City Underworld Office had not yet been wiped out was due to the crucial role played by Ding Tianhua, the Emissary of Death. But once Ding Tianhua tragically died at the hands of the Spirit Medium, then death for these surviving Night Watchers would not be far behind.
So, none of them wanted Ding Tianhua to be defeated and die. However, from the current situation, Ding Tianhua was not far from that tragic end. How could they not be worried?
No sooner had the Night Watcher finished speaking than the Spirit Aspect in the sky launched its third attack against the Death God's Law Aspect. The Spirit Aspect threw a punch, and the Death God's Law Aspect raised its arm to block. The Spirit Aspect's punch was indeed blocked, but the Death God's Law Aspect could not withstand the terrifying destructive force unleashed by the punch.
Boom! ! !
With a thunderous explosion, facing the Spirit Aspect’s punch, the arm that the Death God's Law Aspect used to block the punch instantly exploded, utterly failing to truly defend. After the arm exploded, the power of the Spirit Aspect’s punch remained undiminished, fiercely landing on the Death God's Law Aspect’s chest.
Boom! ! !
Another deafening roar resounded. The Death God's Law Aspect’s chest was pierced by the Spirit Aspect’s punch. The immense destructive power caused the colossal body of the Death God's Law Aspect to instantly be covered in cracks, then it loudly shattered, transforming into a vast amount of Yin Qi that dispersed into nothingness.
Pfft! ! !
Ding Tianhua spat out a large mouthful of blood, his face so pale it had no trace of color. His body swayed precariously, his aura becoming even weaker than before, as if he could collapse at any moment.
For the vast majority of Underworld Office agents, summoning the Death God's Law Aspect was their last resort, and Ding Tianhua was no exception. If he hadn't been pushed to the brink, why would he have summoned the Death God's Law Aspect? The main purpose of summoning the Death God's Law Aspect was naturally to turn the tide of battle. However, from the current situation, his attempt to turn the tide had failed.
Before summoning the Death God's Law Aspect, Ding Tianhua's injuries were already quite severe. His state at the time made summoning the Death God's Law Aspect very difficult, but having been pushed into a corner, he gritted his teeth and forcibly summoned it. This act was tremendously damaging to his already gravely injured body, worsening his wounds. Thus, even if he successfully summoned the Death God's Law Aspect, the power he could exert was quite limited.
Conversely, his opponent's situation was clearly much better, otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to defeat the Death God's Law Aspect he summoned so quickly.
With the Death God's Law Aspect dissipated, the Spirit Aspect still remained. Without the Death God's Law Aspect to block, the gravely injured Ding Tianhua was instantly exposed to the formidable Spirit Aspect.
Under the opponent's control, the Spirit Aspect threw a punch down at Ding Tianhua below. In Ding Tianhua's current state, it was impossible for him to withstand a single punch from the Spirit Aspect. Not only could he not block the Spirit Aspect's punch, he couldn't even dodge it. One reason was his severe injuries making movement difficult; another was that Spirit Aspect attacks inherently possessed a certain binding force, making evasion impossible without sufficient power. Both reasons ensured that Ding Tianhua could not escape this punch.
Once that punch landed, there was no doubt Ding Tianhua would be pulverized into mangled flesh, his physical body utterly destroyed.
Ding Tianhua watched the punch hurtling down at him, his eyes bloodshot, a strong sense of unwillingness rising within his heart. Even before the punch landed, he felt an immense oppressive force. His body was squeezed by the power, causing a tearing pain throughout, as if his body were about to be ripped apart.
Just as the punch was about to land on Ding Tianhua, at this critical moment, a figure suddenly appeared above Ding Tianhua. Without a word, this person threw a punch directly at the descending Spirit Aspect’s fist.
Two completely disproportionate fists collided, unleashing an earth-shattering roar. A violent wave of air swept outwards, even shaking the very space around them. The ground below was also significantly affected; numerous crumbling buildings collapsed under the force, and some weaker individuals were sent spurting blood from the shock.
The suddenly appearing figure was not sent flying. Although he was as tiny as an ant before the Spirit Aspect, and his fist was vastly different from the Spirit Aspect's, he still used his own fist to block the Spirit Aspect's destructive punch.
This scene left everyone dumbfounded. For the vast majority of people, the visual impact of this moment was simply too strong.
The two Night Watchers rescued by Yang Haoran also had their eyes fixed on the figure that had suddenly appeared above Ding Tianhua. Looking at this figure, they both felt a sense of familiarity. Then, something dawned on them, their eyes widening abruptly, before they looked towards Yang Haoran's location.
However, Yang Haoran's shadow was nowhere to be seen beside them; he had quietly departed without them noticing. The two exchanged glances, seeing shock in each other's eyes. Neither spoke, instead turning their gazes back to the figure that had suddenly appeared above Ding Tianhua.
As they looked back up and fixed their attention on the figure, its body began to sink, seemingly unable to withstand the Spirit Aspect's enormous fist.
But then, a terrifying power fluctuation erupted from this figure. His body abruptly stabilized in mid-air, no longer sinking. Dense Yin Qi surged from within him. Two violently churning masses of Yin Qi appeared on either side of his body, and the black robe he wore underwent a significant transformation amidst the swirling Yin Qi, becoming the unique Death God's uniform of their Underworld Office. A large character, "Nine," became prominently visible on the back of this Death God's uniform, drawing all eyes.
Many people’s expressions changed drastically upon seeing this Death God's uniform. Their faces changed because they recognized the uniform and understood what the character "Nine" on its back signified. As for those whose expressions didn't change much, they simply didn't recognize the uniform and didn't understand the meaning of the "Nine" character on its back.
However, those whose expressions did change were divided into two categories: one group was emotionally excited, their faces filled with joy. The other group, conversely, had very grim expressions, their emotions far from happiness. The first group consisted almost entirely of Underworld Office personnel, while the second group were enemies standing against the Tongyou City Underworld Office.
As for who was closest to this figure, it was naturally Ding Tianhua, the Emissary of Death of the Tongyou City Underworld Office. When he saw the character "Nine," symbolizing status, on the back of this figure's Death God's uniform, his expression also changed significantly, first with shock, then with delight replacing the shock.
Given his position, he naturally knew who this person, who had suddenly appeared and blocked a fatal blow for him, was. Because in the entire Jingling Continent Underworld Office, only one person was qualified to wear this Death God's uniform, and that person was Yang Haoran, the Guardian of the Ninth District.
Ding Tianhua had not mistaken him. The person who had suddenly appeared and blocked a punch from the Spirit Aspect for him was indeed Yang Haoran.
Earlier, Yang Haoran, from below, had witnessed Ding Tianhua being beaten, and although it was brief, it clearly indicated that Ding Tianhua was on the verge of collapse. However, he had not immediately intervened.
Whether or not to step in and save Ding Tianhua’s life was something Yang Haoran had considered for a moment. If it were any other Underworld Office agent from his Ninth District, he wouldn't have hesitated in such a situation; he would have immediately gone to their rescue.
The reason he paused when it came to Ding Tianhua was naturally because Ding Tianhua was a close friend of Huo Laoban.
Since Ding Tianhua and Huo Laoban were good friends, saving Ding Tianhua made it unclear whether he was saving an ally or an enemy. That was why he deliberated whether to act when Ding Tianhua faced danger.
If he didn't intervene, Ding Tianhua would surely die tragically at the hands of the Spirit Aspect, and this matter would not affect him, because Ding Tianhua would have died at the hands of a Spirit Medium, not his. Getting rid of Ding Tianhua in such a justifiable manner, using a Spirit Medium's hand, could not be blamed on him at all.
If he did intervene to save Ding Tianhua, and if Ding Tianhua were to team up with Huo Laoban against him in the future, that would be somewhat ironic. Regardless of whether Huo Laoban and Ding Tianhua's combined efforts could truly eliminate him, even if they couldn't, he would certainly feel extremely uncomfortable.
Yang Haoran did not ponder this question for long; in just a brief instant, he made up his mind, and that decision was to step in and save Ding Tianhua.
If Ding Tianhua were to disregard this life-saving grace in the future and still choose to join Huo Laoban against him, then he would have no psychological burden whatsoever in eliminating Ding Tianhua, the Emissary of Death.
Moreover, since he already knew the relationship between Ding Tianhua and Huo Laoban, he would certainly pay close attention to Ding Tianhua, secretly dispatching people to monitor his every move. In such a situation, if Ding Tianhua made even the slightest move detrimental to him, or showed any inclination to do so, he would proactively eliminate Ding Tianhua. Thus, it would not be easy for Ding Tianhua to successfully team up with Huo Laoban against him in the future.
Although he had made up his mind, Yang Haoran still did not act immediately. Instead, he waited until the Death God's Law Aspect shattered, and Ding Tianhua was on the verge of dying from a single punch of the Spirit Aspect, before he intervened. There were, of course, reasons for his calculated delay.
Because intervening at such a critical moment would create a greater impact on Ding Tianhua's mind, making him deeply remember the life-saving grace. If even this couldn't break through Ding Tianhua's inner defenses, and Ding Tianhua still decided to harm him in the future, then Ding Tianhua truly deserved to die. At that point, even if he personally killed Ding Tianhua, he would not feel the slightest guilt.
Ding Tianhua possessed Earth Soul mid-stage strength. Although he had only just entered the Earth Soul mid-stage, it was indeed Earth Soul mid-stage. If he were in his peak condition, he would not have been defeated by the Spirit Aspect before him, because the power fluctuations currently erupting from this Spirit Aspect were simply not enough to suppress an Earth Soul mid-stage Underworld Office agent to the point of being utterly defenseless.
The main reason Ding Tianhua was no match for this Spirit Aspect, and nearly died from one of its punches, was primarily due to his severe injuries.
Before he acted, Yang Haoran already had a rough estimate of the Spirit Aspect's power level in his mind, which was why he dared to meet its punch with his bare fist. Otherwise, how would he dare to use his own fist to directly counter the Spirit Aspect's punch?
Although his fist only blocked the Spirit Aspect’s punch for a short while, and his body then slowly sank under the Spirit Aspect’s fist, as he opened his Heaven and Earth Souls, releasing more power from within him, his body immediately stopped sinking. Instead, he stabilized in mid-air, blocking the mountain-like Spirit Aspect with the body of an ant.
Yang Haoran chose this method to resist the Spirit Aspect's descending punch, rather than using a Ghost Art or a Soul Armament to replace his fist, not to show off in front of others, but for other purposes.
He had two objectives for doing this: the first was to deliver a stronger psychological blow to the enemy, making them wary of his strength. The second was to boost their side's morale. With him, the Guardian of the Ninth District, personally present, and demonstrating formidable strength and barbaric methods, the morale of his subordinates would undoubtedly be galvanized.
Just now, the two Night Watchers had told him that the Tongyou City Underworld Office had suffered heavy losses, with two-thirds of their people tragically dead, and only one-third remaining alive, almost all of whom were injured. In such a situation, morale would inevitably be very low, which was why he wanted to use this method to raise their spirits.
Judging by everyone's reactions, his objectives were achieved, both of them. Because many among the Spirit Medium's side indeed became wary due to his appearance, and their morale was no longer as high as before.
Conversely, the Tongyou City Underworld Office, whose morale had been low, immediately saw their spirits lift due to the personal presence of their Guardian, coupled with his simple and brutal method of blocking the Spirit Aspect's attack, demonstrating his formidable strength.
After successfully blocking the Spirit Aspect's descending punch, Yang Haoran did not remain idle, nor did he intend to waste time in a prolonged standoff with the Spirit Aspect. Under his mental command, Remnant Moon whistled out from a violently churning mass of Yin Qi beside him. With a hum, Remnant Moon's size instantly expanded, then it shot towards the Spirit Aspect with extreme speed.
Since the Spirit Aspect was directly in front of him, and Remnant Moon's speed was incredibly fast, maintaining astonishing velocity even after expanding, the Spirit Medium behind it didn't even have time to control the Spirit Aspect to dodge. Both of the Spirit Aspect's heads were sliced off by Remnant Moon in an instant.
The Spirit Aspect had no physical form; it was merely a condensed form of power. However, this did not mean other forces could not harm it. After its two heads were instantly severed by Remnant Moon, the Spirit Aspect immediately became unstable, appearing on the verge of collapse. Yang Haoran seized this opportunity, forcefully punching forward with his arm. Powerful Spirit Power surged out from within him, not only shattering the Spirit Aspect’s colossal fist, but also causing the headless body of the Spirit Aspect to loudly fragment under the assault.
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