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Chapter 1175: The Spirit Land

Yang Haoran's quick reactions and foresight left Huo Laoban feeling helpless and regretful. In that situation, had Yang Haoran's reaction been even slightly slower, or if he hadn't foreseen what was about to happen, or if he had seized the opportunity to kill Ding Tianhua directly instead of merely shattering the Death God Pendant on Ding Tianhua's forehead, then Yang Haoran would have been unable to obtain any information from Ding Tianhua.

Huo Laoban believed he had accounted for everything, but ultimately, he didn't achieve his desired outcome. It was inevitable for him to feel helpless and regretful.

Chun Yang listened to Huo Laoban's words, thought for a moment, then spoke.

"Since Ding Tianhua was a potential threat, it was indeed a wise move for the Emissary to eliminate him in advance. However, now that Yang Haoran has obtained a lot of information from Ding Tianhua's soul, this matter will likely have a significant impact on the Emissary."

Huo Laoban smiled and nodded, then replied.

"Heh heh, it's certainly going to affect me, but fortunately, Ding Tianhua's soul has already dissipated. Even if Yang Haoran knows this information, he won't be able to cause much of a stir. After all, he has no evidence, so the impact on me won't be too great. Besides, regarding this matter, I just had a flash of inspiration and thought of an excellent solution. If this method goes smoothly, Yang Haoran will be in deep trouble."

By the end of his words, the smile on Huo Laoban's face grew even wider, as if he could already envision Yang Haoran plagued by problems.

Chun Yang saw that Huo Laoban had no intention of continuing, and he dared not ask further. However, knowing Huo Laoban, his Emissary, he understood that the method Huo Laoban spoke of was definitely not something honorable, and judging by the deep smile on Huo Laoban's face, he was very confident in this method.

After the world fell into chaos, the Spirit Mediums who had been lurking in the shadows emerged one after another. Coupled with their frantic recruitment of new members, the number of Spirit Mediums worldwide surged.

With their numbers increasing, it became necessary to establish a rigorous organizational structure for easy management and execution of various tasks. In this situation, secret bases belonging to Spirit Mediums emerged across various continents. These secret bases were named "Spirit Land" by the Spirit Mediums. As the name suggests, they were their secret strongholds.

The existence of the Spirit Land was no secret throughout the New Beginning Realm, but their exact location remained a secret. Apart from Spirit Mediums themselves, no one knew the precise whereabouts of each continent's Spirit Land.

Let alone outsiders, even within their own community of Spirit Mediums, only a handful of individuals knew the exact location of the Spirit Land, and these individuals were, without exception, major figures among the Spirit Mediums.

However, knowing the exact location of the Spirit Land and being able to freely enter and exit it were two different matters. Spirit Mediums who knew the precise location of the Spirit Land could naturally, without exception, freely enter and exit the Spirit Land of their respective continents. But not everyone who could freely enter and exit the Spirit Land knew its exact location.

This might sound contradictory, but in reality, it wasn't at all. This was because Spirit Mediums qualified to enter the Spirit Land didn't do so by finding its specific location. Instead, they used a Spiritual Art to summon a formation and enter the Spirit Land. Thus, some Spirit Mediums could freely enter and exit the Spirit Land, but they had no idea where it was located.

Of course, not all Spirit Mediums understood this secret art, as not all Spirit Mediums were qualified to enter the Spirit Land.

This method of entering the Spirit Land through a secret Spiritual Art was strikingly similar to how Underworld Office agents opened the Ghost Gate to enter the Underworld. Not only were their entry methods similar, but both also had strict requirements for entry.

Not everyone in the Underworld Office was qualified to enter the Underworld. Night Watchers, for instance, were not allowed to summon the Ghost Gate to enter the Underworld; one needed to achieve the rank of Emissary of Death to be qualified.

Similarly, not all Spirit Mediums were qualified to enter the Spirit Land. One had to become a Spirit Master before being qualified to perform the corresponding secret Spiritual Art to enter the Spirit Land.

Among Spirit Mediums, it was quite normal for those who could enter the Spirit Land not to know its location, just as how many Underworld Office agents who could enter the Underworld actually knew its precise location?

After the war between the Underworld Office and the Spirit Mediums erupted, many Underworld Office agents died, but likewise, many Spirit Mediums also perished. Among them, a considerable number of Spirit Masters died at the hands of the Underworld Office, with their souls even falling into the Underworld Office's possession. However, the Underworld Office couldn't obtain the exact locations of each continent's Spirit Land from their souls, the reason being that these Spirit Masters themselves didn't know where the Spirit Land was.

At this moment, a large number of Spirit Mediums were gathered within the Spirit Land of Jingling Continent. All of these Spirit Mediums were, without exception, Spirit Masters, because only by becoming a Spirit Master were they qualified to enter the Spirit Land.

The Spirit Land was vast; although its area couldn't compare to the Underworld Office's Underworld, it was comparable to a medium-sized city. Furthermore, like the Underworld, this Spirit Land had residential areas for Spirit Masters to rest, and commercial areas selling various items.

Here, Spirit Masters could sell unneeded items, buy necessary ones, and there were even areas specifically for Spirit Masters to exchange items with each other. As for the specifics of the exchange, that was entirely up to the two parties to negotiate.

At the center of this Spirit Land was an area where only Grand Spirit Masters were qualified to enter. Spirit Mediums below the rank of Grand Spirit Master were not allowed to set foot there. This was the high-level meeting room of the Spirit Land.

At this moment, the high-level meeting room was densely packed with people. They weren't sitting neatly and upright like soldiers. Their postures varied: some leaned back in their chairs, dozing; some had their legs crossed, constantly shaking; others smoked and drank; there were even some clipping their nails. All sorts of poses and all kinds of people could be seen.

Although their postures were undignified, they were all, without exception, Grand Spirit Masters. Any one of them, if they stepped forward, would be a rare powerhouse in this world. They were well aware of this, and thus each carried a certain degree of arrogance. Therefore, even in this setting, their postures and attitudes were very casual. To make them sit neatly and upright like soldiers would be impossible; they would absolutely not take such a demand seriously.

This Spirit Land also had a leader. This leader might not be the strongest among all Grand Spirit Masters, but they certainly held the most power. This leader paid no mind to the postures and attitudes of these Grand Spirit Masters, because what he wanted from them was not their sitting like well-behaved soldiers in their seats, but their strength and their battle achievements.

As for minor issues like sitting posture, in the current situation, he couldn't be bothered to manage it, and he knew he couldn't. Since they were all at the Grand Spirit Master realm, and there were quite a number of them under his command, if he were to correct such a minor issue, he knew without thinking that he would receive many eye-rolls, achieve no effect, and even hinder the progress of attacking the Underworld Office.

For this leader, as long as they didn't contradict him in public, the Grand Spirit Masters' dignified or undignified sitting postures didn't matter. Moreover, apart from their undignified postures, these Grand Spirit Masters weren't loudly boisterous; the entire meeting room, if not silent enough to hear a pin drop, was at least quiet.

"I've gathered everyone here today primarily to announce the recent major battles our Spirit Mediums have engaged in on Jingling Continent. Out of five major battles, we won four and lost one."

The speaker was an elder in the main seat. He had white hair, a face covered in wrinkles, and even his eyes were slightly cloudy. From his appearance, he looked at least in his late nineties, but his true age was probably known by only a few people present, apart from himself.

This elder was the leader of the Jingling Continent Spirit Land, named Jia Feitian. Because he was the head of this Spirit Land, some also called him Secret Master Jia.

Besides the title Secret Master Jia, some Spirit Mediums who were at odds with him would also call him Landlord Jia, though this epithet was usually used behind his back. In front of Jia Feitian, even his rivals rarely addressed him this way, unless they were truly provoked.

After Jia Feitian announced the recent battle results, some Grand Spirit Masters' faces broke into smiles, clearly showing a hint of triumph. From their expressions, it was not difficult to tell that they were likely Grand Spirit Masters who had participated in and returned victorious from those battles, or who had contributed significantly to those four victories.

Not all Grand Spirit Masters present wore smiles. Some showed no reaction at all after hearing Jia Feitian's words, continuing whatever they were doing, as if the matter had nothing to do with them and they didn't care.

There were also Grand Spirit Masters whose faces showed expressions of disdain or displeasure. Judging from their expressions, it was highly probable that these Grand Spirit Masters, who had won the four recent battles, were at odds with each other, and perhaps even harbored grievances. This was why they showed expressions completely opposite to those of the victors.

Among all the Grand Spirit Masters present, only one person reacted differently from the rest. This individual had a gloomy face, eyes radiating cold killing intent, and an overflowing inner rage that was entirely visible.

Although this person's rage was intense, clear for anyone to see, her aura was quite weak, and her face was terribly pale, utterly devoid of color.

"Let's set aside the four victories for now. I'll first talk about this defeat, the only defeat in these five recent major battles: the Battle of Tongyou City!"

It was still Jia Feitian speaking from the main seat. As soon as his previous words fell, he immediately followed up with this statement. While speaking, his expression hadn't changed, but his tone had noticeably intensified. Anyone who wasn't deaf could hear it.

As Jia Feitian uttered these words, many Grand Spirit Masters present turned their gaze to the same spot, the same person. This person was none other than the one among all the Grand Spirit Masters present whose face was pale and extremely grim, and whose aura was weak but filled with killing intent.

If Yang Haoran were here, he would certainly recognize this person, for she was the Grand Spirit Master Cold Yue, who had secretly fled during the Battle of Tongyou City.

During the battle in Tongyou City that day, Cold Yue saw that defeat was inevitable. If she continued to stay in Tongyou City, she would certainly become a soul beneath Yang Haoran's blade. Unwilling to lose her life so easily, she chose to abandon her companions and flee Tongyou City. The Lean and Tall Man and the Eyepatch Woman had, coincidentally, bought her precious time to escape.

If she hadn't been cornered and in such desperate straits at the time, she would never have secretly fled. She would have even fought Yang Haoran to the death, like the Lean and Tall Man and the Eyepatch Woman. But she was precisely at the end of her rope, not only severely wounded and on the verge of death herself, but even her Guardian Spirit had been forcibly taken by Yang Haoran.

Not only had she lost her combat capability, but she had even lost her Guardian Spirit. How could she possibly fight Yang Haoran in such a state?

Cold Yue knew that she couldn't continue fighting Yang Haoran, she had even lost the qualification to desperately struggle against him. She understood this clearly in her heart, so even though she wished she could kill Yang Haoran, she ultimately chose to secretly flee, because she didn't want to lose her Guardian Spirit and then lose herself as well.

Sneaking away and leaving the difficult situation to the Lean and Tall Man and the Eyepatch Woman didn't cause Cold Yue much psychological burden, because she already held a grudge against them both. If they had provided support immediately when Yang Haoran appeared, instead of leaving her to hold out alone for that short while, their situation would have been three Grand Spirit Masters facing Yang Haoran simultaneously. In her opinion, it would not have become passive, nor would she have lost all her combat power, let alone her Guardian Spirit.

Therefore, Cold Yue held a grudge against them. Even though the two had helped save her, her anger towards them had not diminished in the slightest. Her decision to disregard their lives and secretly flee also stemmed from this reason.

Feeling numerous gazes cast upon her, Cold Yue's face became even uglier. To her, these gazes were like sharp knives, easily cutting through her skin and reaching her very bones.

Although Jia Feitian was old, he wasn't senile, and his eyes were fine. He naturally saw Cold Yue's pale and grim face, and could feel the intense killing intent emanating from her. He had originally intended to openly scold Cold Yue, but he dismissed that notion. He decided to stick to the facts and not mention her directly, lest Cold Yue go berserk and do something extreme.

"In the Battle of Tongyou City, we paid a huge price. Not to mention the considerable expense incurred to win over various forces before the war, just the losses on our Spirit Medium side during the battle were terrifying. Many Spirit Mediums tragically died, and we even lost two Grand Spirit Masters. Every Grand Spirit Master is crucial to us Spirit Mediums, no matter which continent's Spirit Land, and losing two Grand Spirit Masters at once, the magnitude of that loss is imaginable."

Jia Feitian knew that his words would still provoke Cold Yue, but it was impossible for him to say nothing about the matter. After all, with so many Grand Spirit Masters present, if he remained silent on this issue, then in the future, when similar problems arose, would he also have to choose silence? If he always did this, what would be the point of him being the leader?

Not naming or shaming Cold Yue, or detailing her wrongs, was already being very considerate of her feelings.

Although Jia Feitian didn't name her, Cold Yue was no fool, nor were the other Grand Spirit Masters present. They all knew that Jia Feitian's words were aimed at Cold Yue.

Cold Yue was seething inwardly, but it was difficult for her to erupt, because she knew she was in the wrong. Exploding now would not only fail to help her salvage any face, but would also make others laugh, especially those who had always been at odds with her; they would surely humiliate her in public. So, she forcibly suppressed the anger in her heart and remained silent.

Of course, those Grand Spirit Masters who were at odds with Cold Yue wouldn't let her off just because she kept quiet. This was a prime opportunity to attack and suppress Cold Yue, and these Grand Spirit Masters certainly wouldn't miss it.

"Heh heh, the Spirit Mediums indeed suffered heavy losses in this Battle of Tongyou City. However, if some people hadn't abandoned their companions and deserted on the battlefield, our Spirit Medium side might not have lost this battle. I don't believe that three Grand Spirit Masters working together couldn't handle a newly appointed Guardian."

A middle-aged woman looked at Cold Yue and spoke, her tone somewhat passive-aggressive, and even carrying a hint of barely perceptible resentment.

Cold Yue glanced at the middle-aged woman. She recognized who this middle-aged woman was and knew why she was targeting her. It wasn't just because the middle-aged woman wasn't on her side; another reason was that the fallen Eyepatch Woman had been this person's close friend.

Now that she had returned to the Spirit Land, while the Eyepatch Woman had died in Tongyou City, it was only natural for the middle-aged woman, as the Eyepatch Woman's friend, to speak ill of her.

Cold Yue still didn't speak. She gritted her teeth and suppressed the anger in her heart. If it were peacetime, facing such cold sarcasm, she would certainly not remain silent. She would definitely retort, even if it led to a big fight, she would be fearless.

However, rationality now told her absolutely not to do so. This wasn't just about her being in the wrong; there was a very important reason: she was currently weak, and with her Guardian Spirit taken by Yang Haoran, her greatly diminished power meant she had no right to challenge anyone present. If she continued to argue with her opponents as before, she would only be the one humiliated in the end, not anyone else.