Chapter 1129: Who is whose prey (Part Two)
The first piece of intelligence Yang Haoran received from Tang Shi stated that the four Great Spirit Callers mentioned were precisely Cold Yue and the other three. However, in that initial report, Tang Shi only speculated, based on the gathered information, that Cold Yue and the others' target might be Ancheng. That was why he secretly rushed towards Ancheng.
Since the intelligence was not yet comprehensive, after secretly delivering the first report to Yang Haoran, Tang Shi did not give up his continued pursuit of Cold Yue.
Yang Haoran likewise couldn't be certain that Cold Yue and the others were secretly heading towards Ancheng with Ancheng as their destination, nor could he be sure if it was related to the Spirit Masters' attack on Ancheng. Therefore, he did not immediately enter Ancheng. He only sent Jing Qi and Jing Miao, the siblings, to support the Ancheng Underworld Office, while he himself stayed far outside the city with Bai Xue. This was, on one hand, to secretly observe the situation in Ancheng to see if he could discover anything, and on the other hand, to await Tang Shi's new intelligence.
When Yang Haoran received the Communication Talisman from Tang Shi, he gained a more accurate understanding of the situation, because Tang Shi provided him with a detailed report of all the latest information he had uncovered within the talisman.
Of course, this so-called "more accurate understanding" was only relative.
Tang Shi certainly couldn't fully investigate the entire sequence of events in such a short time. However, one point was certain: Cold Yue and the others, after secretly arriving in Ancheng, immediately headed towards Death Valley.
The Spirit Master faction and the Underworld Office faction were already locked in a fierce battle in Ancheng. In such a situation, Cold Yue and these four Great Spirit Callers did not rush to Ancheng for support but instead immediately headed to a place called Death Valley. This clearly indicated that their purpose for this trip was not the major battle in Ancheng.
In Tang Shi's report to Yang Haoran, he mentioned how he knew about this matter and the existence of Death Valley. That was because the person secretly monitoring Cold Yue and the others also possessed special tracking methods. However, this person dared not approach Cold Yue and her group, as all four were Great Spirit Callers. Once they got too close, they would surely be exposed, not only ending up dead but potentially causing even more trouble.
After Cold Yue recovered from her injuries, she and the other three rushed into Ancheng territory. The person monitoring Cold Yue also arrived in Ancheng territory, but then Cold Yue and the others used spatial teleportation to travel to Death Valley. The monitor initially didn't know Cold Yue's destination was Death Valley; he learned it by sensing their precise location and then cross-referencing it with the map of Ancheng.
In other words, the person monitoring Cold Yue had no idea what the situation was like in Death Valley at that time. If even he didn't know, Yang Haoran naturally knew even less.
Given the formidable intelligence-gathering capabilities of Tang Shi's subordinates, Yang Haoran believed that if he gave Tang Shi a little more time, Tang Shi would certainly be able to investigate the matter thoroughly. However, in the current situation, he couldn't possibly remain idle and wait for Tang Shi to gather the latest intelligence; by then, it would be too late. So, upon learning that Cold Yue and the others had headed to Death Valley, he immediately took Bai Xue and likewise rushed to Death Valley.
Yang Haoran had never been to Death Valley. He was able to ascertain the valley's location in the same way the monitor of Cold Yue did: through the map of Ancheng.
However, when Yang Haoran and Bai Xue first arrived at the outskirts of Death Valley and saw the situation in the sky above the valley from afar, he couldn't help but feel a headache. Besides Cold Yue and her three companions, there were actually two more Great Spirit Callers and a Blood-Clad Ghost King in the sky above Death Valley.
With his current Earth Soul late-stage peak cultivation and Bai Xue, who was a Demon King, Yang Haoran felt confident he could handle two mid-stage Great Spirit Callers and two early-stage Great Spirit Callers without any problem. But adding two more Great Spirit Callers made things a bit complicated.
First, there was the White-Haired Old Woman. From the power fluctuations emanating from her, Yang Haoran could tell that she was a late-stage Great Spirit Caller. If one only considered cultivation and not methods, a Great Spirit Caller of her realm was not far from his own power.
Then there was the Crippled Elder. Although the Crippled Elder hadn't made a move and the power fluctuations subtly emanating from him weren't strong, the fact that he could be in the company of a late-stage Great Spirit Caller like the White-Haired Old Woman indicated that his strength was definitely not inferior.
As for how Yang Haoran knew the Crippled Elder could be with the White-Haired Old Woman, it was because the intelligence he received didn't mention the Crippled Elder and the White-Haired Old Woman being separate, which suggested they were highly likely together.
Furthermore, based on Cold Yue's respectful attitude towards the Crippled Elder and the Crippled Elder's casual response, the Crippled Elder's strength should be above Cold Yue's. Cold Yue was already a mid-stage peak Great Spirit Caller, so if the Crippled Elder's strength was above hers, he would be at least a late-stage Great Spirit Caller.
Based on these details, Yang Haoran made a judgment in his heart: the Crippled Elder's realm was very likely the same as the White-Haired Old Woman, both late-stage Great Spirit Callers, and his strength might even surpass the White-Haired Old Woman!
Six Great Spirit Callers: two late-stage Great Spirit Callers, two mid-stage Great Spirit Callers, and two early-stage Great Spirit Callers, plus their Guardian Spirits – this was not a small force, but an immense one. Even Yang Haoran had to take such a powerful force seriously and felt a headache facing it.
Yang Haoran also noticed the young girl fighting the White-Haired Old Woman. However, the girl's face was obscured by her disheveled hair, and the distance between them was too great for Yang Haoran to see her appearance clearly. Yet, there were two points Yang Haoran could discern clearly, which, despite the distance, did not affect his judgment.
The first point was the girl's identity as a Blood-Clad Ghost King. The second was the fact that the girl was currently no match for the White-Haired Old Woman.
If the girl were powerful enough to suppress the White-Haired Old Woman and still have energy to spare for the other five, Yang Haoran wouldn't mind hiding in the shadows to watch the show, waiting for both sides to fight to the death before performing "The praying mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind."
The problem was, the girl was simply not the White-Haired Old Woman's opponent. At this moment, Yang Haoran didn't yet know that the White-Haired Old Woman's Guardian Spirit had already been devoured by the girl. So, in his eyes, if the White-Haired Old Woman could suppress the girl without even summoning her Guardian Spirit, how could the girl possibly be her match?
Moreover, besides the White-Haired Old Woman, there were five other Great Spirit Callers eyeing her menacingly. Under normal circumstances, the chances of the girl turning the tables in such a perilous situation were almost zero. For Yang Haoran to play the oriole in the shadows was clearly unfeasible.
Bai Xue also clearly saw the situation in the sky above Death Valley and was likewise startled by the display of six Great Spirit Callers. With a surprised look, she turned her gaze to Yang Haoran, just as she noticed his somewhat unnatural expression.
"Brother Underworld Office Official, they. . . they seem to have quite a lot of people."
Bai Xue said with a smile, though her tone and expression were somewhat awkward, even a bit stammering.
"Heh heh, you didn't misread. They do have quite a lot of people."
Yang Haoran replied with a faint smile, his gaze still fixed on Death Valley without turning his head. Bai Xue naturally understood that Yang Haoran was deliberately teasing her, and her expression became even more awkward for a moment, but then she quickly returned to normal.
"Even though they have many people, with you here, Brother Underworld Office Official, I'm not scared at all. Just say the word, and I, Bai Xue, will immediately rush into the valley and teach these Spirit Masters a lesson!"
Bai Xue said with a fawning smile. Yang Haoran, however, did not immediately respond. He gazed at Death Valley, lost in thought, his mind elsewhere.
After a short while, Yang Haoran gently shook his head, then finally responded to Bai Xue.
"The Blood-Clad Ghost King won't last much longer. If the two of us just barge in, we'll have to face six Great Spirit Callers, and possibly their Guardian Spirits too. In my opinion, that's a bit too risky."
Upon receiving Yang Haoran's reply, Bai Xue showed neither joy nor disappointment. A fawning smile still graced her face.
"Then. . . then should we quietly retreat as we came?"
Bai Xue asked with a smile. This time, Yang Haoran didn't hesitate and immediately replied.
"Retreating immediately is certainly unrealistic. We've come all this way for more than just a glance before leaving. If word of that got out, I'd lose all face. We'll just quietly watch the show from here, like going to the cinema to see a movie. Because I still want to see if they'll disperse after this Blood-Clad Ghost King is dealt with. If they all leave Death Valley together via spatial teleportation, then this trip of ours would have been for nothing. But if they don't leave together and choose to split up, then we'll still have a chance to play the oriole."
Bai Xue detected the subtle hint of unwillingness in Yang Haoran's tone. She didn't object to Yang Haoran's plan, simply hummed in agreement, then nodded emphatically.
"Heh heh, I'll follow all of Brother Underworld Office Official's arrangements. Whatever you say, I'll do, without any complaints!"
Just as Bai Xue's words fell, the young girl fighting the White-Haired Old Woman finally couldn't hold on any longer. With one strike from the White-Haired Old Woman, she was sent flying, spitting out a large mouthful of fresh blood.
The girl stabilized herself in mid-air, her aura instantly becoming weak. Just as she was about to pay a huge price to change her desperate situation, she suddenly sensed something!
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