Novels online

Chapter 1151: A Shift in Attitude

The battle in Ancang City ended in a decisive victory for the Underworld Division, while the Spirit Masters suffered heavy losses. This news, like a tornado, quickly swept across the entire Jingling Continent. Although nearly all the Spirit Masters involved in this great battle met a tragic end, many from the Underworld Division survived, and thus the entire course of the battle began to spread. Two points from the widely circulated account of the battle were particularly shocking, and this shock wasn't limited to the Underworld Division; it profoundly affected the Spirit Masters as well. The first was the small gift Guardian Yang Haoran of the Ninth District of the Jingling Continent Underworld Division presented to all the Spirit Masters present upon his appearance: the corpses of six Grand Spirit Masters, two of whom had even reached the late Grand Spirit Master realm. Apart from Yang Haoran and Bai Xue, no one else knew that the Crippled Elder had, in fact, forcibly elevated his realm to that of a Spiritualist King through a secret art during his battle with Yang Haoran. If they had known this, Yang Haoran's "small gift" would have been even more shocking. The second point was the bloody slaughter enacted by the siblings Jing Qi and Jing Miao, especially after Jing Miao blew the Heart Demon Flute. That scene not only caused extreme shock but also instilled intense fear in those from the Underworld Division. As for the Spirit Masters and their allies from other factions who were outside the Heart Demon Flute's range of influence, they were consumed by a profound sense of despair. Beyond these two points, while the entire battle had other notable aspects, the gap was simply too vast when compared to these two. Consequently, these two points circulated with the most detailed accounts, even containing elements of exaggeration. This great battle not only elevated the infamous reputation of the siblings Jing Qi and Jing Miao to an even higher level, but also brought great renown to Yang Haoran, the Guardian, shrouding his strength in an even deeper veil of mystery. Previously, Yang Haoran already held a certain degree of fame in Jingling Continent. On one hand, this was due to his identity as a Guardian; that position inherently required him to be known. On the other hand, it was because the Ninth District of the Jingling Continent Underworld Division, which he managed, had more victories than defeats. Specifically, in the major battles where he appeared, he never suffered a single loss. Although his appearances were few, each time he showed up, it was for a major conflict, and each ended in victory, allowing him to accumulate a certain reputation. This battle in Ancang City caused his reputation to skyrocket. Originally, the top-ranked districts of the Jingling Continent Underworld Division were the primary focus and targets of the Jingling Continent Spirit Land. However, things had now changed. Both Yang Haoran himself and the Ninth District under his management had become the main focus of the Jingling Continent Spirit Land. They no longer acted with unrestrained abandon but became exceedingly cautious. This was the Jingling Continent Spirit Land's changed attitude towards Yang Haoran and his Ninth District after the Battle of Ancang City. As for the Jingling Continent Underworld Division's attitude towards Yang Haoran and the Ninth District, it had also undergone considerable change. Ever since Luo Yao began to take Yang Haoran seriously, he had shown favor towards him. As Yang Haoran accumulated more and more merits, both great and small, Luo Yao grew to value him increasingly, even beginning to groom him as a trusted confidant. Therefore, Yang Haoran's immense contribution this time naturally delighted him, and his esteem for Yang Haoran surpassed all previous levels. As for the other eight Guardians, with the exception of Xu Meijing, who harbored no ill will towards Yang Haoran and was genuinely happy for him, the attitudes of the other seven Guardians varied considerably. For the Guardians who were already at odds with Yang Haoran, it was obvious they couldn't be happy. In fact, they felt an immense headache, as the more merits Yang Haoran accumulated, and the greater those merits were, the worse it was for them. As for the Guardians who had no prior grievances with Yang Haoran, although they had secretly kept an eye on him, their attention was far less than that of the former group. After all, Yang Haoran was just a newcomer in their eyes, and with no animosity between them, they naturally wouldn't devote excessive energy to observing him. However, the battle in Ancang City made them look at Yang Haoran with new eyes, and their level of attention towards him significantly increased compared to before. To put it more directly, these Guardians' previous limited attention on Yang Haoran was because they perceived the threat he could pose to them as very small. Now, they no longer thought so, and naturally, their level of concern for him changed. As the entire Jingling Continent experienced daily outbreaks of wars, both large and small—not just the Ninth District managed by Yang Haoran, but all other districts as well—the Guardians of each district were incredibly busy. Thus, following the Underworld Division's triumphant victory in the Ancang City battle, Luo Yao did not convene a meeting with his nine Guardians. Instead, he praised Yang Haoran through the Underworld Iron Tome and sent people to deliver substantial resource rewards to Yang Haoran, with Soul Pills forming the bulk of these rewards. After all, for them, the Underworld Officials, Soul Pills were the best and most useful reward in these times of war. As for Soul Crystals, which were even higher grade than Soul Pills, such a reward was simply beyond consideration. While the war led to daily casualties among the Underworld Officials, the Soul Pills distributed by the Underworld Division through various incentive programs were also continuously forging experts, filling the void left by fallen officials. Many Underworld Officials even saw their strength advance by leaps and bounds due to the major battles, as it was far easier for them to acquire Soul Pills to improve themselves during wartime than in peacetime. The higher echelons of the Underworld Division naturally understood this principle, so whenever rewards were issued, Soul Pills almost always formed the primary component. It wasn't just the Underworld Division; other factions, including the Spirit Masters, had very similar reward systems, primarily offering items that were most practical and could quickly enhance one's strength. Upon returning to the Guardian District, the first thing Yang Haoran did was head to the combat briefing room. As he was still concerned about the war situation in the Ninth District's other cities, the combat briefing room became his first stop after returning. Although everyone in the combat briefing room was busy, everything was running normally. Apart from the recently concluded Ancang City battle, their Ninth District had not yet experienced any major conflicts or troubles significant enough to alarm him. As for the news of the victory in Ancang City, Shui Ling's subordinates had already used a Communication Talisman to report it to her before he returned. Thus, everyone in the combat room was aware of it, which could be seen from their joyful or excited expressions. Therefore, he merely mentioned it in passing, without elaborating. Seeing that his presence wasn't immediately required in the combat briefing room, Yang Haoran took Bai Xue and the siblings Jing Qi and Jing Miao to the Medicine God Society. All four of them had sustained significant injuries, with Bai Xue's being the most severe. Receiving treatment from the Pharmacists at the Medicine God Society would, of course, lead to a recovery rate far superior to simply consuming Dānyào and healing on their own. In just a single day, Yang Haoran emerged from the Medicine God Society. A single day was certainly not enough for his injuries to fully heal. Even with the formidable Pharmacists at the Medicine God Society, it was impossible for his wounds to completely recover in such a short time. One day only allowed Yang Haoran's injuries to recover slightly; he was still far from a complete recovery. If he could, he would, of course, have preferred to receive longer, professional treatment at the Medicine God Society. However, there were matters he absolutely had to attend to, and time would not wait for him. Therefore, to handle urgent affairs, he had no choice but to leave the Medicine God Society. Naturally, given that he was leaving the Medicine God Society before his injuries had fully recovered, Xiang Chuan, as the vice-president, certainly wouldn't feel at ease letting him go just like that. Thus, he specially selected some Dānyào that would greatly aid his recovery and instructed him to take them. As long as he took these Dānyào on time, even if he didn't deliberately refine them to fully unleash their medicinal effects, his recovery speed would still accelerate significantly. In Xiang Chuan's view, no matter how busy Yang Haoran was, he couldn't possibly be so busy that he didn't even have time to take a single Dānyào. Yang Haoran, of course, also knew that he wasn't *that* busy, so he took the Dānyào prepared by Xiang Chuan and left the Medicine God Society, leaving Bai Xue and the siblings Jing Qi and Jing Miao to continue their recovery. He then returned to the combat briefing room. The combat briefing room was as busy as it had been when he left it a day earlier. Fortunately, over that day, no other major incidents had occurred, apart from the detailed account of the Ancang City battle sweeping across the entire Jingling Continent. Although Shui Ling had received the news of the Underworld Division's decisive victory in Ancang City immediately the day before, she didn't know the detailed circumstances. If even she, a professional responsible for intelligence gathering, didn't know, then others were naturally even less informed. Shortly after Yang Haoran departed the combat room with Bai Xue and the siblings Jing Qi and Jing Miao, Shui Ling's subordinates delivered a written account of the detailed process of the Ancang City battle into her hands. This document not only astonished Shui Ling but also shocked everyone else in the combat room. Their shock stemmed from two points: first, just how strong their boss, Yang Haoran, truly was; and second, how incredibly powerful the siblings Jing Qi and Jing Miao had become! Unlike outsiders, their shock was replaced by excitement, enthusiasm, and even boiling blood. Outsiders, after their initial shock, were instead pondering how to deal with Yang Haoran and how to handle these two newly emerged formidable generals under his command – or, more accurately, these two killing machines! Yang Haoran's unfathomable strength intensified the awe and reverence his trusted subordinates felt towards him. At the same time, the attitudes of these confidants towards the siblings Jing Qi and Jing Miao also underwent considerable change. Even the most unruly and arrogant individuals now dared not disregard Jing Qi and Jing Miao; some even harbored a faint sense of fear towards the pair. This fear stemmed partly from the siblings' power and partly from their brutal methods of slaughter!