Novels online

Chapter 1156: Rare Shock

If anyone else had faced such a situation, they might have been startled, but Yang Haoran was already mentally prepared for it. So, when Zhong Siyu, her face contorted in ferocity, lunged at him, he showed no panic, meeting her attack with composure. Their powers intertwined, Yang Haoran's body remained utterly still, while Zhong Siyu was repelled. "Hehehehe, well, I'll be! I didn't expect your strength to have reached such a formidable level! " Zhong Siyu steadied herself, a sinister grin on her face as she stared at Yang Haoran and spoke. As soon as her words fell, she prepared to launch another attack. Seeing this, Yang Haoran quickly spoke to stop her. "Wait, wait, wait! No matter what, I saved your life this time. You wake up without even a word of thanks, and immediately try to kill me? Isn't that a bit inappropriate? " Yang Haoran said with a wry smile. His intervention indeed had an effect. As his words left his mouth, Zhong Siyu did not attack him again. However, Zhong Siyu's fighting stance remained unyielding, the sinister grin still present on her face, and especially in her blood-red eyes, a clear blaze of fury was visible. "You locked me in a Soul-Gathering Bead and you still expect me to thank you? Are you not fully awake? " Yang Haoran felt a bit speechless inside, but he still offered an explanation with a smile. "Heh, if I hadn't taken you into the Soul-Gathering Bead, how else was I supposed to bring you here from Death Valley? Besides, if I truly wanted to trap you inside the Soul-Gathering Bead, why wouldn't I have set up a seal on it? " Yang Haoran's words served as a wake-up call for Zhong Siyu. It was only then that Zhong Siyu realized her surroundings were no longer the Death Valley where she had fallen unconscious, but a luxuriously decorated, yet messy, room. As for why the room was so messy, she didn't give it much thought. From her current location, Zhong Siyu confirmed that she had indeed been moved from Death Valley. And it was this realization that allowed her to regain a bit of her rationality. She also began to carefully consider the words Yang Haoran was speaking. Perhaps it was due to a subconscious trust in Yang Haoran, or perhaps it was because Yang Haoran's words at that moment were indeed very logical. Zhong Siyu not only refrained from attacking Yang Haoran again but also withdrew her fighting stance. As Zhong Siyu withdrew her fighting stance, her blood-red Blood-Clad transformed back into a white minidress. Although the sinister grin still lingered on her face, the rage in her eyes had vanished, and her blood-red eyes returned to their normal color, no longer appearing so eerie and terrifying. "Although I'm awake, my injuries are still severe, so I need a quiet place to recuperate. " Zhong Siyu evaded Yang Haoran's question. With a sinister grin on her face, she brazenly made a demand of Yang Haoran. At that moment, although Zhong Siyu still bore a ferocious smile on her face, compared to when she had just attacked Yang Haoran, this ferocious smile had undergone a subtle change, losing a bit of its raw, undisguised killing intent. In truth, even without Zhong Siyu saying anything, Yang Haoran could sense her current weakness. Although Yang Haoran's own injuries hadn't fully recovered either, he was in a much better state compared to Zhong Siyu. "Of course, no problem. But before that, shouldn't we have a good talk? This time, because I saved you, my companions and I nearly left our lives in Death Valley. I'm sure you can feel that I, too, am somewhat weak at the moment. " Yang Haoran agreed to the first part quite readily, but his subsequent words revealed the reservations in his heart. "Hehehehe, how do you want to talk? " Zhong Siyu asked with a sinister grin. The rage that had seemingly vanished from her eyes now showed signs of resurgence. Although Yang Haoran's expression remained unchanged, he felt a hint of helplessness inside, because Zhong Siyu's reaction at that moment confirmed that his worries were entirely accurate. This Zhong Siyu was capricious. She would display killing intent at the slightest disagreement, and might even attack directly. She was indeed a dangerous entity, so he had to be even more cautious. However, caution aside, there were some things he absolutely had to clarify, because only then could he make more accurate judgments and find the most suitable way to deal with Zhong Siyu. So even if his current approach would displease Zhong Siyu, he still had to do it. Besides, although a flicker of rage had reignited in Zhong Siyu's eyes, it hadn't erupted. Moreover, Zhong Siyu's white minidress hadn't turned blood-red, nor had her eyes. This indicated that the rage in Zhong Siyu's heart wasn't intense at the moment. "Heh, we haven't seen each other in so long, of course, I want to talk about our. . . *feelings*, and incidentally, understand why you were hunted all the way to Death Valley. Beyond that, I also want to know what your next steps are. " Yang Haoran chuckled faintly. His tone was gentle, his demeanor courteous, looking less like an Underworld Official facing a ghost, and more like he was meeting an old friend he hadn't seen in ages. When facing Yang Haoran, Zhong Siyu lacked Yang Haoran's shrewdness. Although entering the Ghost King realm had allowed her to regain a physical body and also taught her a bit about controlling her emotions, no longer being as controlled by emotions as she was when she was an Evil Spirit, this was only relative. Therefore, she didn't overthink Yang Haoran's words. Instead, under the influence of the Enchantment Art, she believed Yang Haoran was genuinely concerned about her. So she didn't hide anything, telling Yang Haoran everything, exactly as it happened, regarding why she was hunted. After all, it wasn't much of a secret to her; even telling Yang Haoran wouldn't be a big deal. Perhaps for her, nothing was much of a secret. It was simply that she was willing to speak to some people and unwilling to speak to others; whether she spoke or not depended entirely on her mood. According to Zhong Siyu, the reason she was hunted by Spirit Mediums was because she had set her sights on the Guardian Spirits of Spirit Mediums, especially the Guardian Spirits of Great Spirit Callers, whose realms were not low. Once devoured, they could bring her a significant boost in power. So, she acted on this idea and benefited greatly. But precisely because of this, she was targeted by some Great Spirit Callers, ending up being besieged. She finally escaped to Death Valley, which was the scene Yang Haoran had witnessed. As for why Zhong Siyu had discovered him, hidden in the shadows, at that time, Yang Haoran also asked Zhong Siyu about this. And Zhong Siyu gave her reply, which was that a Ghost Art she cultivated allowed her to sense the presence of Underworld Officials within a certain range. Although the answer was simple, it successfully resolved Yang Haoran's confusion. However, when Yang Haoran asked Zhong Siyu about her next steps, Zhong Siyu didn't immediately respond. Instead, she wore a pensive expression, seemingly deep in thought about the question. Seeing Zhong Siyu's contemplative look, Yang Haoran didn't interrupt her. Instead, he lit a cigarette for himself and quietly waited for Zhong Siyu's answer. He had just lit the cigarette when Zhong Siyu, with a sinister grin, gave her reply. "As for my next steps, I haven't quite decided yet. What I want to do most right now is to quickly recover from my injuries, and then use a secret art to unseal the power within me, to see if my efforts during this period can elevate my cultivation directly to the late Ghost King realm! " There wasn't a hint of bragging in Zhong Siyu's words; her tone revealed nothing but excitement and anticipation. However, after Yang Haoran heard Zhong Siyu's words, having just taken a puff from his cigarette, he immediately choked and coughed violently. The reason Yang Haoran reacted so strongly lay entirely in the last four words Zhong Siyu spoke: late Ghost King realm! The cultivation realms for ghosts were quite different from those of Underworld Officials. Especially the Ghost King realm; it could be directly compared to the Earth Soul and Life Soul realms of Underworld Officials. A ghost who had just entered the Ghost King realm could contend with an early Earth Soul Underworld Official. However, a ghost at the peak of the early Ghost King realm was nearly impossible for Underworld Officials below the mid-Earth Soul realm to handle. Even a mid-Earth Soul Underworld Official might not necessarily be able to deal with them. The Crippled Elder's Guardian Spirit that day was at the peak of the early Ghost King realm. When it faced Yang Haoran, it was as weak as an ant. That was because it encountered Yang Haoran. If it had been another mid-Earth Soul Underworld Official encountering it, it was hard to say who would have won. Once a ghost reached the mid-Ghost King realm, Underworld Officials below the late Earth Soul realm would find it nearly impossible to be their opponent. Whether a late Earth Soul Underworld Official could be its match would depend on their overall combat power. At the peak of the mid-Ghost King realm, a ghost would directly dare to challenge late Earth Soul or even peak late Earth Soul Underworld Officials. Who was stronger or weaker would also depend on overall combat power, and of course, whether they were Blood-Clad. Upon reaching the late Ghost King realm, Underworld Officials below the Life Soul realm were virtually no match. A Ghost King at this realm corresponded to an early to mid-Life Soul Underworld Official. And a Ghost King at the peak of the late Ghost King realm corresponded to a late to peak Life Soul Underworld Official. Although these comparisons were merely a reference and not absolute, this reference was quite practical for most situations. To put it simply and plainly, early to mid-Ghost King realm corresponded to Earth Soul realm Underworld Officials, while the late stage corresponded to Life Soul realm Underworld Officials! As Yang Haoran, a Guardian of the Underworld, he naturally understood what a Life Soul realm Underworld Official meant. They were an existence that could absolutely crush him. Although opening the Life Soul realm didn't necessarily mean one could become an Emperor, even without becoming an Emperor, among the forty-five Guardians of the Underworld, they were absolutely an existence of extraordinary status. Other Guardians would definitely be a head shorter in front of them, and even Guardians at the peak of the late Earth Soul realm were no exception in their presence. This showed how high the status of an Underworld Official who had opened their Life Soul was within the Underworld. Yet, Zhong Siyu now said that after her injuries healed, she would unseal her power to see if she could elevate her realm to the late Ghost King realm. How could this not shock Yang Haoran! Indeed, it was shock, not simple surprise!