Chapter 1204: Absolute Disadvantage
When the Talisman Order officially declared their allegiance to the Spirit Mediums, the Underworld Office likewise announced that it considered the Talisman Order a hostile force. They immediately notified every Underworld Official of the break between the Talisman Order and the Underworld Office, and Yang Haoran was naturally no exception.
However, unlike other ordinary Underworld Officials, Yang Haoran, as a Guardian, naturally possessed more knowledge. Most ordinary Underworld Officials only knew the general outline of the matter; they were unaware of the undisclosed details.
Furthermore, for the vast majority of ordinary Underworld Officials, they had no prior knowledge of this matter, not even the slightest rumor. Therefore, when the Underworld Office made the announcement, it delivered an incredibly powerful shock to their hearts. Had it not been published in the Underworld Iron Tome, it's highly likely they would never have believed it was real.
The negotiation between the five Great Emperors of the Underworld Office and the high-ranking members of the Talisman Order was one of those details unknown to ordinary Underworld Officials. Not only them, but even some Guardians were unaware of it.
However, from the current situation, it was obvious that the negotiations between the five Great Emperors of the Underworld Office and the Talisman Order had completely failed. The reason was simple: if the negotiations had succeeded, the Talisman Order would not have officially declared allegiance to the Spirit Mediums, nor would the Underworld Office have officially announced its break with the Talisman Order and designated them as a hostile force. Even with the slightest room for maneuver, neither side would have acted this way. Since they did, it could only mean that the negotiations had utterly failed.
The moment the Underworld Office declared the Talisman Order a hostile force, Yang Haoran received an order from Luo Yao, instructing him to immediately report to the Underworld for a meeting. He dared not delay, knowing that a meeting convened under such circumstances was certainly of great importance. So, he dropped what he was doing and immediately rushed to the Underworld.
This meeting was indeed extraordinary. In the past, when Luo Yao summoned Yang Haoran to the Underworld for a meeting, it was either just Yang Haoran alone, or only the three Guardians personally promoted by Luo Yao. At most, nine Guardians would gather. But this time was different. This time, all five Great Emperors of the Underworld Office were present, and all forty-five Guardians were in attendance. Since becoming a Guardian, Yang Haoran had never witnessed such a grand assembly, which clearly demonstrated the gravity with which the Underworld Office viewed the Talisman Order's allegiance.
Considering the current situation, the Underworld Office truly had no choice but to take it seriously. If they failed to do so, and to formulate targeted plans and countermeasures, then their destruction was likely not far off.
As for the severity of the current situation and the immense pressure facing the Underworld Office, the Guardians already understood without the five Great Emperors needing to elaborate. Thus, the five Great Emperors saw no need to waste time on such matters.
As to why the negotiations with the Talisman Order had failed, the five Great Emperors did not conceal the truth. They believed the failure stemmed from the fact that their Yin and Death God had yet to appear, while the Spirit mediums had offered far more substantial stakes than the Underworld Office. Hence, the negotiations ended in failure. However, the five Great Emperors remained unaware of precisely what benefits the Spirit Mediums had offered to make the Talisman Order so utterly unwilling to change its stance.
When the Death God would emerge from seclusion, the five Great Emperors could not give a precise answer, for it was not something they could decide. Nevertheless, the five Great Emperors issued a death order to the Guardians concerning this matter: no matter what means were employed, they must hold out until the day the Death God emerged from seclusion. For only when the Death God, a True God, appeared, would the situation have a chance to turn around again.
Both the five Great Emperors and the forty-five Guardians were acutely aware that the Underworld Office was now facing more than a mere threat; it had reached a point of life or death. After all, the Spirit Mediums alone had already caused them immense headaches, and now with the addition of another super-force, the Talisman Order, the magnitude of the pressure was unimaginable. To say they were at a critical juncture of survival was no exaggeration.
When only facing the Spirit Mediums, the Underworld Office merely felt threatened. In terms of overall strength, they absolutely crushed the Spirit Mediums. If the Spirit Mediums hadn't operated in the shadows, they would have been utterly annihilated by the Underworld Office long ago. So, at that time, the Underworld Office only considered the Spirit Mediums somewhat troublesome, not believing that the Underworld Office would fall into their hands, nor did they feel the urgency of a life-or-death situation.
However, the Talisman Order's alignment with the Spirit Mediums had changed everything. Anyone with a modicum of sense could perceive the impending crisis. If they failed to devise a way to resist the combined assault of the Spirit Mediums and the Talisman Order, then the Underworld Office's destruction would only be a matter of time, and that time would not be long.
The five Great Emperors of the Underworld Office were well aware of this. Therefore, to prevent the Underworld Office from being annihilated under the combined assault of the Spirit Mediums and the Talisman Order, the five Great Emperors formulated some targeted defensive measures.
First and foremost was the consolidation of their forces. Certain cities had to be abandoned. If their power remained as dispersed as it once was, it would only accelerate the Underworld Office's demise.
Previously, in every city across the New Beginning Realm, regardless of size, wealth, or poverty, there existed a local branch of the Underworld Office. Their presence served two purposes: to recruit more believers and to guide Wánglíng. Thus, they wished to overlook no city.
It was precisely because a local Underworld Office existed in every city that the Underworld Office's power in the mortal realm was relatively dispersed.
Strictly speaking, at the time, this regional management didn't constitute dispersion; it was merely standard procedure. However, in the current situation, it was different. They could easily be defeated piecemeal by the enemy.
Therefore, the five Great Emperors of the Underworld Office decided to consolidate the Underworld Office's power in the mortal realm. Certain cities had to be abandoned to avoid losing sight of the larger picture.
Of course, the cities slated for abandonment were not exclusively small ones. Some major cities, if their forces were insufficient and entirely unable to contend with hostile factions, were likewise within the scope of abandonment.
As for how to determine which cities should be abandoned and which were not yet at that point, the five Great Emperors naturally wouldn't handle it personally. The New Beginning Realm contained countless cities, large and small; even if they wanted to manage it, they couldn't. Furthermore, they had many other important matters to attend to. Thus, this task naturally fell upon their subordinate Guardians, to be handled by them.
Next was the search for allies. Given the Underworld Office's current strength, it was clearly impossible to simultaneously confront the Spirit Mediums and the Talisman Order, especially since the Spirit Mediums also had the support of other forces. Therefore, for the Underworld Office to survive this life-and-death struggle, they absolutely needed to seek external assistance.
Although the Underworld Office currently received some external support, this aid was simply insufficient to contend with the combined forces of the Spirit Mediums and the Talisman Order. Moreover, after the Talisman Order officially aligned with the Spirit Mediums, it was uncertain how many of the previously supportive factions would remain; some "fair-weather" allies would very likely defect. Therefore, for the Underworld Office to avoid annihilation, they had to seek even more external assistance.
However, with the Underworld Office currently in an absolutely disadvantaged position, successfully securing more external assistance would be no easy feat. Even a fool could see that the once domineering and glorious Underworld Office was now on the verge of collapse. Wouldn't choosing to align with the Underworld Office be tantamount to seeking their own demise?
Therefore, it would be very difficult for the Underworld Office to find more powerful support, unless they offered enough bargaining chips. Perhaps only then would some forces be willing to take the risk and support the Underworld Office.
For this task, the five Great Emperors kept a portion to handle themselves, while the other portion was delegated to the forty-five Guardians.
The New Beginning Realm boasted powerful factions beyond just the Underworld Office and the Talisman Order. The mission of the five Great Emperors was to exert every effort to win over other major factions, securing their support if possible, or at the very least preventing them from becoming enemies of the Underworld Office.
If even one major faction were willing to lend strong support to the Underworld Office, then while the Underworld Office might not immediately turn the tide, the crisis they faced would certainly diminish significantly. However, major factions were not easily persuaded, especially with the Underworld Office currently in an absolutely disadvantaged position. Convincing other major factions to align with the Underworld Office and gain their strong backing was an extremely difficult task. Thus, the five Great Emperors did not assign this mission to their subordinate Guardians, but decided to handle it personally.
The direction and targets for support sought by the forty-five Guardians differed from those of the five Great Emperors. While the five Great Emperors focused on major factions whose power spanned the entire New Beginning Realm, the forty-five Guardians targeted medium and small factions, as well as individuals.
Although the power of medium and small factions could not cover the entire New Beginning Realm, their combined strength, if integrated, was likewise not to be underestimated. Some medium and small factions were not weak themselves; they were even local powerhouses. Even if major factions came to their territory, they would have to show them some respect. These factions couldn't become major ones because their scale wasn't large enough, they lacked their own deities, and their numbers were far from meeting the standards of major powers. Thus, they remained medium and small factions, but this didn't mean they lacked strength.
If the Underworld Office could win over enough medium and small factions, even without securing a major force like the Talisman Order, it would still bring immense help to the Underworld Office, alleviating pressure and gaining more time to recuperate.
Recruiting individuals operated on the same principle as recruiting medium and small factions. Although the strength of one person was limited, if thousands of individuals were integrated, it would likewise form an extremely formidable force, providing self-evident help to the Underworld Office in its current predicament.
To secure more support and overcome the current difficulties faced by the Underworld Office, the five Great Emperors of the Underworld Office even specifically emphasized that people of any race or faith could be targets for the Underworld Office's appeal for assistance. As long as they were willing to align with the Underworld Office and contribute resources and effort to support them, then those individuals or factions would be friends of the Underworld Office!
This decision by the five Great Emperors of the Underworld Office would strike anyone familiar with the Underworld Office's past conduct as somewhat ironic. The five Great Emperors themselves felt it was a bit of a slap in the face. Yet, in the current climate, to preserve the Underworld Office, they had no choice but to make such an incredibly humiliating decision!
Comments