Chapter 1159: The World Landscape Drastically Changes
Though Yang Haoran was deeply concerned that Zhong Siyu might cause trouble while staying with him, since he had already agreed to let her temporarily reside in his Guardian District, he could only do his best to prevent such issues from truly arising. Therefore, to better manage the situation, he secretly resolved that while Zhong Siyu was in the Guardian District, he must pay close attention to her. Should she show even the slightest inclination to stir up trouble, he must nip it in the bud before she could explode! Finally, Yang Haoran considered the question of Zhong Siyu's departure or continued stay. To be honest, if Zhong Siyu wasn't a Blood-Clad Ghost King, and one on the verge of breaking through to the late stage at that, he might very well have tried to keep her, using various methods to persuade her to serve him, as the power of a Ghost King cannot be underestimated. Even if her identity made it inconvenient to keep her by his side, it wouldn't matter; he could at least hand Zhong Siyu over to Tang Shi. After all, he had countless spiritual entities under his command, and he wouldn't mind one more. If she couldn't be openly utilized, she could be kept in the shadows. But the problem was that Zhong Siyu was not only a Blood-Clad Ghost King but also one on the verge of breaking through to the late stage. A Ghost King of such a caliber was not easy to manage. The main reason for this difficulty was that no one in Yang Haoran's team could suppress her, not even Yang Haoran himself, the very leader. Blood-Clad spirits inherently possess extreme resentment, and this intense resentment makes their tempers extremely violent. Once enraged, they find it difficult to control their emotions. While not entirely identical to the Demonic Nature of the Demon Cult, there are similarities. If Zhong Siyu's strength could be suppressed by Yang Haoran, it wouldn't be an issue; if Zhong Siyu went berserk, he would be able to stop her. But his strength was inferior to Zhong Siyu's, and once she went berserk, he might not be able to successfully stop her. It was precisely because of these factors that Yang Haoran had no intention of trying to keep Zhong Siyu. After careful consideration, Yang Haoran still felt it was most appropriate not to keep Zhong Siyu. After all, Zhong Siyu was a bomb that could explode at any unknown moment, and keeping her was simply too dangerous. Therefore, he decided that after Zhong Siyu finished healing, he would test her intentions. After all, Zhong Siyu had never said she wanted to stay in his Guardian District; perhaps she had never even considered staying. If Zhong Siyu had already decided to leave, then he would have no need to find another way to send her off, as such an action would be too offensive and might even infuriate Zhong Siyu. If Zhong Siyu did not want to leave, then he could always find a way later. With his decision made, Yang Haoran stopped thinking about the matter and instead activated a Communication Talisman. Hidden within the Guardian District were also some experts Yang Haoran had cultivated by expending Soul Pills. While their strength couldn't be compared to top-tier figures like Bai Xue and Ye Zhiqiu, they were significantly more powerful than ordinary Emissaries of Death. Moreover, their primary ability wasn't combat; it was stealth and observation. Their main task was to constantly monitor any disturbance within the Guardian District. Since these individuals belonged to the Second Division, which was under Shui Ling's jurisdiction, the Communication Talisman Yang Haoran now activated was specifically sent to Shui Ling, and the message he conveyed was simple: secretly monitor Zhong Siyu's every move. Although Yang Haoran harbored no ill will towards Zhong Siyu and was willing to provide a place for her to heal, Zhong Siyu was, after all, a dangerous individual. He had to take precautions to prevent her from causing trouble that even he couldn't resolve; by then, it would be too late for regret. To prevent Zhong Siyu from causing major problems in the Guardian District, Yang Haoran not only made ample psychological preparations but also implemented a series of countermeasures. Only after doing all this and ensuring no oversight did Yang Haoran dare to attend to other matters, which clearly showed the extent of his regard for Zhong Siyu. A year passed in a flash. The great war between the Spirit Masters and the Underworld Office continued, with more and more forces and people successively drawn into it. The entire New Beginning Realm consequently became even more chaotic, resembling a living hell. Over this year, the Spirit Masters and the Underworld Office suffered the most devastating losses. The Spirit Masters lost many Grand Spirit Masters, while the Underworld Office not only lost numerous Earth Soul experts but also saw five Guardians successively perish. Five might not seem like a large number, but considering there were only forty-five Underworld Office Guardians in total, losing five within a year was, from that perspective, quite a substantial figure. If the Underworld Office lost as many as five Guardians, there's no need to mention the number of other Earth Soul experts and ordinary Emissaries of Death who perished. Of course, the Spirit Masters, who also lost many Grand Spirit Masters, fared no better in terms of losses compared to the Underworld Office. As for the allies of both factions, they also suffered considerable losses. However, they were merely auxiliary forces; until the final crucial moment, they naturally wouldn't be so foolish as to unleash their trump card forces. Hence, the losses incurred by these factions were considerably smaller relative to those of the Underworld Office and the Spirit Masters. Furthermore, the entire world landscape of the New Beginning Realm underwent earth-shattering changes within this year. Before the world fell into chaos, every city, to varying degrees, had several factions. Larger cities had many, while smaller ones had relatively fewer, but almost no city was controlled by a single faction. If there was one, it would only be the Administrative Council, as the New Beginning Realm was nominally governed by the Supreme Administrative Council at that time, and other forces, though present, rarely showed themselves openly. A year ago, with the world's chaos having persisted for quite some time, and large and small wars erupting daily, some local forces were annihilated or withdrew due to wartime necessity, leading to many cities transitioning from being governed by multiple factions to a single one. However, this was only the case for a portion of cities; most cities still had a mix of factions, with constant overt and covert struggles, because no one wanted to abandon their city, as abandonment meant loss. A year later, such a situation is virtually unseen. All forces, regardless of size, have consolidated their dispersed powers as much as possible. Within their controlled territories, no other forces are allowed to exist apart from their own. Even if an ally from their own side appears in their territory, it is only for support, with no right to interfere in the management of that area, let alone lay claim to its resources. Such massive changes occurring in just one year were entirely forced by circumstances. Take the Underworld Office and the Spirit Masters, for example. If they hadn't done this, their respective sides would not only find it difficult to win the war but would also incur immense losses. After all, dispersed forces are easily defeated one by one and are extremely difficult to manage. For other forces, if they didn't do this, they would not only struggle to gain sufficient benefits from this great war but might even plunge their own forces into an irrecoverable situation. After all, not all forces can be compared to major powers like the Underworld Office and the Spirit Masters. If even major powers chose to act this way, and they didn't consolidate their forces, they would quickly be eliminated by this war and become a mere footnote in the history of the New Beginning Realm. For major powers, the consolidation of forces meant a reduction in territory, which in turn meant a reduction in resources. Although they understood that doing so would cause considerable losses to their side, the exigencies of war demanded it; otherwise, the losses would be even greater. However, for the smaller forces, being able to concentrate their power and gain a territory of their own was a stroke of immense luck. After all, they previously had no territory of their own; even when coexisting with larger powers in a city, they were merely suppressed entities. Not only were the resources allocated to them meager, but they had absolutely no say in the management of their areas. Often, even when they contributed manpower and effort, they received no benefits whatsoever, having to endure their grievances in silence. But with their own territory, everything changed completely. All the resources within their domain belonged solely to them. They could exploit them as they pleased and use them as they wished. They could completely develop their forces within their own territory and become a local emperor. Therefore, the changes in the world landscape over the past year have made these small and medium-sized forces the biggest beneficiaries. While the major powers did not wish to see this situation unfold, they had no choice but to accept this reality. On one hand, their own forces needed to be consolidated, and on the other, the major powers also needed the support of the small and medium-sized forces. It was the general trend, leaving them no choice in the matter. Amidst such colossal changes, the Underworld Office lost nine-tenths of its territory. Aside from the Underworld itself, the four continents of the mortal realm were left with only one-tenth of their former territory. Actually, saying this is somewhat inaccurate, because before the world plunged into chaos, while the Underworld Office's influence spread across cities big and small throughout the four continents of the New Beginning Realm, with a local Underworld Office in every city, that was ultimately not the Underworld Office's exclusive territory, but rather territory shared with other forces. Aside from the Underworld, the Underworld Office had no exclusive domain of its own. Although it now possesses only one-tenth of the territory, this one-tenth is entirely exclusive to the Underworld Office, with no other forces intermingling. This is a completely different concept from the territory it possessed before the world fell into chaos. Moreover, this one-tenth of the territory is by no means small, as it represents one-tenth of the total area of all four continents of the mortal realm. When considered this way, one realizes this territory is actually quite vast! Apart from the Underworld Office occupying one-tenth of the territory across the four continents, the other major and minor forces carved up the remaining nine-tenths. Of course, whether it's the Underworld Office or other forces, big or small, no one can say for sure if the territory they currently hold will remain theirs indefinitely. After all, wars are breaking out daily. If this territory is yours today, and someone seizes it tomorrow, it naturally becomes theirs. Who can hold onto their territory can only depend on their respective capabilities!
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