Chapter 1223: Death Valley
Yang Haoran's analysis made Bai Xue understand exactly what was happening.
Bai Xue was no fool; on the contrary, she was very intelligent. It was just that after following Yang Haoran, she often couldn't be bothered to use her brain for many things. If something was unclear or she wasn't sure, she would simply go directly to Yang Haoran, and there would never be any problem. Over time, this had made her dependent on Yang Haoran.
Beyond this dependency, there were many times when she didn't want to show her cleverness in front of Yang Haoran, and of course, she had her reasons for doing so.
"So that's how it is. But when will this Apotheosis Platform appear?"
Bai Xue regained her composure and then asked Yang Haoran. Yang Haoran, upon hearing her, gently shook his head, a wry smile on his face.
"I don't know when the Apotheosis Platform will appear, but I don't think that day will be too far off. After all, the New Beginning Realm is chaotic enough as it is. Apart from a very few factions that haven't gotten involved yet, all the other forces have successively joined in. This great war has evolved from the initial conflict between the Spirit Masters and our Underworld Office into a full-blown war among numerous factions."
As Yang Haoran explained this to Bai Xue, he was actually thinking about something else: where had the Death God, who had only appeared once, gone?
He naturally thought of this question because of Bai Xue's recent inquiry. However, he truly had no way to answer Bai Xue, as he didn't even have a direction for speculation, so how could he explain it?
Upon hearing Yang Haoran's analysis, Bai Xue's large eyes lit up.
"Brother Underworld Officer, if the Apotheosis Platform truly appears, do you have any ideas?"
Bai Xue winked at Yang Haoran, her expression seemingly saying, "I know what you're thinking."
Bai Xue knew Yang Haoran was an ambitious person. When Yang Haoran had asked her about Faith Power, she knew he must have had some thoughts on the matter, which was why she asked him this question now.
Yang Haoran's expression remained unchanged, a faint smile still on his face. He shook his head quite decisively.
"What ideas could I have? My only idea is that after the Apotheosis Platform appears, I will do everything in my power to prevent the Spirit Master False God from stepping onto it and becoming a True God. Once he gains a God Position and becomes a True God, our Underworld Office's situation is likely to become even worse than it is now. As a Guardian of the Underworld Office, my life won't be easy, and the dangers I face will likely be far greater than they are now. So, my only goal is to prevent the Spirit Master False God from setting foot on the Apotheosis Platform."
Yang Haoran's words were truly heartfelt, but Bai Xue had known him for more than just a day or two; she understood him quite well, so she didn't believe a word of his nonsense.
Although she disbelieved him internally, Bai Xue didn't voice her disbelief. She merely pursed her lips, using it to express her inner feelings at the moment.
Yang Haoran, of course, could tell that Bai Xue completely disbelieved his words, but he had no intention of explaining further.
Seeing that Yang Haoran was unwilling to explain, Bai Xue also decided not to press him. She turned her gaze towards Ancang City in the distance, a charming smile returning to her face.
"I can already sense the powerful energy emanating from the siblings Jing Qi and Jing Miao. It seems they've not only successfully entered Ancang City but have also engaged the enemy."
Bai Xue said with a charming smile. Yang Haoran gently nodded, as he, too, had sensed the power fluctuations released by Jing Qi and Jing Miao.
"Should we really not go in and take a look?"
Bai Xue asked, but Yang Haoran didn't immediately respond.
Yang Haoran's main objective for this trip was the four Grand Spirit Masters secretly heading to Ancang City. The reason he lingered here was because he was waiting for news, waiting for the latest intelligence from Tang Shi. Even if it was just verbal information, without detailed data, it was still better than having no intelligence at all. However, he hadn't yet received Tang Shi's Communication Talisman.
Of course, up until this point, he and Bai Xue hadn't actually lingered here for very long.
Now, hearing Bai Xue ask again if they should go into Ancang City, Yang Haoran hesitated slightly before shaking his head.
"No need. If you and I enter the city, we might expose our whereabouts. With Jing Qi and Jing Miao providing support in Ancang City, plus the Underworld Division and the Demon Hunters from the Demon Hunter Guild branch, dealing with the Spirit Master faction shouldn't be too much of a problem. As for us, we have a more important target. If we expose our whereabouts before then, this operation might end in failure."
Upon hearing that she and Yang Haoran had a more important target, Bai Xue immediately perked up. Then, seeing Yang Haoran describe the consequences of exposure as so severe, she grew even more curious about the operation.
"Alright, I'll listen to you, Brother Underworld Officer. But I'm very curious about this so-called 'more important target. ' What exactly is it?"
Bai Xue couldn't suppress her curiosity, asking Yang Haoran with a look of anticipation.
"Heh heh, don't be impatient. You'll know soon enough."
This time, Yang Haoran didn't directly tell Bai Xue the main objective of their trip. Seeing that Yang Haoran wouldn't budge, Bai Xue immediately became a little displeased. She was about to make a few sarcastic remarks to Yang Haoran when, at that moment, Yang Haoran received a Communication Talisman. After processing the information within the talisman, Yang Haoran's brow furrowed slightly.
Bai Xue had been with Yang Haoran for a long time, but she rarely saw him frown. Now, seeing him frown, she knew something unexpected must have happened, so she quickly asked:
"Brother Underworld Officer, what's wrong?"
A faint smile returned to Yang Haoran's face. He shook his head upon hearing her question.
"Nothing, it's just not quite as I expected, but it doesn't matter, it's not a big problem. Come on, let's depart immediately and head to our new destination."
Yang Haoran said with a faint smile. Bai Xue then pointed to her face and asked Yang Haoran:
"Do I need to wear a mask?"
At this moment, Bai Xue was not wearing a mask. As her strength grew, she wore a mask less and less often, because the stronger she became, the less threat she would face. Moreover, with Yang Haoran, the Guardian of the Underworld Office, behind her, not just anyone dared to covet her beauty.
Because of this, unless she was leaving the Guardian District for a mission, she generally wouldn't wear a mask when interacting with Yang Haoran and his close associates within the Guardian District.
Earlier today, during the discussion in the war room, since everyone present was Yang Haoran's trusted subordinate, she naturally didn't wear a mask. As a result, she hadn't even left the war room when she was brought directly here by Yang Haoran in a daze, so her face was still without a mask.
Yang Haoran heard her and gently shook his head.
"Heh heh, for a few dying people, there's no need to be secretive."
...
Within Ancang City's territory lies a famous Death Valley. It was given this name because this valley was once the place where the Ancang City Administrative Courtyard executed death row prisoners.
Over the years, countless death row prisoners were executed in this valley; to describe it as piled with bones would be no exaggeration. Precisely because of this, the valley was not only extremely heavy with Yin Qi but also perpetually shrouded in resentment, leading to frequent strange occurrences.
Whether it was the nearby villagers or some bold adventurers who came to explore, intentionally or unintentionally, anyone who entered this valley almost never came out alive. Even those who miraculously escaped all became insane, without exception.
Over time, the valley's fearsome reputation spread far and wide. Fearing it, nearby villagers successively moved away from their homes. Even the Administrative Courtyard, after multiple strange incidents during executions, which caused both panic and significant losses, abandoned continued executions in this valley and moved to other areas. Apart from those fearless or ignorant adventurers who occasionally came to deliver their heads, virtually no one else dared to set foot in this valley.
Since entering this valley meant certain death, its original name was gradually forgotten, and it was given a new name: Death Valley.
Although there are many valleys called Death Valley across the New Beginning Realm, there is only one Death Valley within Ancang City's territory!
Death Valley had long been untouched. Since the world plunged into chaos, ordinary people found themselves living in dire straits. In such circumstances, there were naturally no more adventurers eager to explore Death Valley. After all, demons, monsters, and ghosts had all emerged. They had witnessed many with their own eyes, and some had even suffered persecution. Living in extreme fear every day, even staying at home might invite ghosts and monsters to their doorstep, so why would they need to venture into places with extremely heavy Yin Qi?
With no one stepping foot inside, Death Valley became overgrown with weeds and dense with trees, perpetually shrouded in Yin Qi and intense resentment. Such a location required no set design for a horror film.
However, in this extremely terrifying place known as Death Valley, an intruder suddenly appeared. A spatial rift abruptly opened, and then a figure rushed out of the spatial rift, tumbling into the dense undergrowth.
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