Chapter 1203: The Grand Gathering!
The Emissaries of Death from the Ninth District bowed to Yang Haoran, their superior. This was the most basic etiquette, and also the fundamental rule for junior Yin Division members when facing their superiors. Regardless of the circumstances, this rule could not be broken.
Yang Haoran didn't put on airs. Facing the respectful salutes of his Emissaries of Death, he immediately returned a smile.
At this moment, Yang Haoran no longer appeared as solemn as before; his face had regained its usual cheerful smile. This change wasn't because his heavy emotions had improved, but because he didn't want his subordinate Emissaries of Death to feel as burdened as he did, and certainly didn't want them to lose what little confidence they had left.
Yang Haoran scanned the Emissaries of Death present, noticing they fell into three categories: one group was quite agitated, another was subdued, and a third group had expressions filled with confusion.
Evidently, the first and second groups already knew about the manifestation of the Apotheosis Platform and understood why they had gathered here.
For the first group, knowing that the great war stemming from the Apotheosis Platform's appearance was about to begin, why would they show excitement? In Yang Haoran's view, they must be warmongers like Lu Wu, who not only felt no fear towards battle but were extremely eager for it, even to the point of disregarding the consequences, giving no thought to their own side's chances of victory.
The second group's subdued mood was likely due to their realization that this great war would be significantly disadvantageous to their Yin Division. Furthermore, they had probably guessed that this battle would undoubtedly be incredibly bloody, with many perishing, possibly including themselves, hence their extremely heavy spirits.
As for the third group, their puzzled expressions clearly stemmed from their unawareness of the Apotheosis Platform's manifestation. Moreover, the Yin Division had demanded all Yin Officers gather at the Underworld Plaza within twenty minutes, leaving them with no time to inquire about what had happened.
However, to a certain extent, to relax the taut nerves of his subordinate Emissaries of Death, and to instill more confidence in them for this upcoming great war, Yang Haoran, despite the heaviness in his heart, still restored his usual confident and serene smile to his face.
Yang Haoran's faint yet confident smile indeed affected his subordinate Emissaries of Death. Some who were initially quite heavy-hearted felt their spirits immediately settle upon seeing his smile. This was because Yang Haoran was their pillar of strength, and his emotions could directly influence theirs.
Moreover, as one of the Yin Division's Guardians, the information Yang Haoran possessed was certainly beyond what these Emissaries of Death could know. There were some things Yang Haoran, as a Guardian, knew that they, due to their insufficient status, could not. So, seeing Yang Haoran's composure, they concluded that perhaps the situation wasn't as dire as they had imagined, and their tense emotions consequently relaxed to a certain degree.
However, what they didn't know was that Yang Haoran's apparent ease and confidence at that moment were entirely feigned. If they had known, their disappointment would likely have been far greater than mere disillusionment.
Yang Haoran observed all this, sighing inwardly. Though these Emissaries of Death were not his direct confidantes, they were still his subordinates. Of course, he didn't want to see his people march to their deaths, but as Yin Officers, they had no choice but to go. Therefore, he could only silently pray for these Emissaries of Death under his command, hoping that more of them would return alive from this battle.
As for all of them returning alive, any fool knew that was utterly impossible, and Yang Haoran certainly harbored no such naive thoughts.
More and more Yin Officers continued to arrive at the plaza, including, naturally, those from Yang Haoran's Ninth District. Yang Haoran paid no mind to the later arrivals, as Xu Meijing also arrived at the plaza shortly after him. The two reunited and began whispering to each other, having no mind to bother with anyone else.
However, their whispers weren't flirtatious banter, but rather a mutual exchange of information and understanding. They discussed how best to respond if the worst outcome materialized. Although Yang Haoran already had plans and had made targeted arrangements, he didn't know Xu Meijing's intentions, so he needed to understand her thoughts and offer his own opinions.
When only one minute remained, no one else was arriving at the plaza from outside, and the plaza had become a sea of people due to the influx of Yin Officers.
Time ticked by, second by second. When the twenty minutes were up, Emperor Luo Yao appeared in the plaza. The bustling plaza instantly fell silent, and all the Yin Officers present focused their gazes on Luo Yao. Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing ceased their whispers, returning to their designated areas to await Luo Yao's command.
However, among the five Emperors, only Luo Yao had appeared at this moment; the other four remained absent. Why this was the case, even Yang Haoran, a favored subordinate of Luo Yao, didn't know, let alone the ordinary Yin Officers.
Tens of thousands of Yin Officers were gathered in the plaza, neatly arrayed according to their respective continents and districts. Luo Yao hovered in the air, his gaze sweeping over the multitude before he spoke with a stern face.
"Take out your Underworld Iron Tomes!"
No one had expected Luo Yao's first words upon appearing to be an order for everyone to retrieve their Underworld Iron Tomes. Although they didn't know the meaning behind Luo Yao's command, not a single Yin Officer present defied him. They all promptly retrieved their Underworld Iron Tomes, including the Guardians like Yang Haoran.
After the Yin Officers produced their Underworld Iron Tomes, Luo Yao then took out a golden page. The page was entirely golden and floated suspended before Luo Yao. Luo Yao formed a hand seal, and the golden page immediately lit up, erupting in a burst of golden light that formed a massive golden screen in the sky above.
The golden screen was covered in dense text. Some sharp-eyed Yin Officers quickly noticed that these characters were actually names of places and people, with the place name first and the person's name second, forming a single entry. However, at this moment, both the place names and personal names were dim and lifeless, like extinguished oil lamps.
Seeing that all the Yin Officers had retrieved their Underworld Iron Tomes, Luo Yao's hand seal changed. As the seal shifted, the Underworld Iron Tomes held by the tens of thousands of Yin Officers present suddenly vibrated violently. The densely packed, dim names and place names on the golden screen instantly lit up as the Underworld Iron Tomes trembled.
However, a very small number of names remained unlit. When all the surrounding names illuminated, these unlit names stood out starkly, easily discernible at a glance.
At this moment, the Yin Officers finally understood the significance of Luo Yao ordering them to retrieve their Underworld Iron Tomes. The reason for their immediate retrieval was to conduct a massive roll call for all tens of thousands of Yin Officers in an instant.
Yang Haoran witnessed this scene and couldn't help but inwardly feel relieved. Fortunately, he had forcefully quelled that sliver of luck (luck/hope) in his heart. If he had been so clever as to leave his trusted Emissaries of Death in the Guardian District, they certainly wouldn't have been able to escape Luo Yao's grand roll call using the golden page!
"Yin Officers whose names did not light up are simply not here. According to our Yin Division's order, any Yin Officer who failed to arrive at the plaza within the stipulated time, regardless of the reason for their absence, will be regarded as a traitor to our Yin Division and will be hunted down by our Yin Division for the rest of their lives!"
At Luo Yao's words, the expressions of many Yin Officers present drastically changed, some even revealing disbelief. Their change in expression stemmed from their shock that the Yin Division was actually serious, truly intending to brand all Yin Officers who failed to arrive at the plaza as traitors and hunt them for life.
Amidst their shock, some, like Yang Haoran, felt a surge of relief, as they had harbored the same thought as him: that given the vast number of Yin Officers in the entire Yin Division, a few missing individuals would likely go unnoticed. Thus, they had considered simply hiding and not participating in this operation.
After some consideration, they had deemed the venture too risky and ultimately chose to rush to the plaza.
The current reality told them their choice had been correct; otherwise, this grand roll call would certainly have branded them as traitors to the Yin Division, subject to a lifetime of pursuit.
Whether the Yin Officers present were shocked or relieved, Luo Yao paid no mind. After announcing that absent Yin Officers would be deemed traitors, he immediately continued speaking.
"The Apotheosis Platform has appeared, and our final battle with the Spirit Mediums has begun! All of you, follow me to Snow Fox Mountain in Jun Prefecture! Fight for the honor of our Yin Division! Every Yin Officer who participates in this battle will receive rewards. The more enemies you kill, the greater your merit, and the richer your rewards will be!"
Upon hearing Luo Yao, the Yin Officers who were still unaware of the situation all turned pale. They hadn't expected the Yin Division to gather them because the Apotheosis Platform had manifested—how could they not be shocked?
After a brief motivational speech to the Yin Officers, Luo Yao disregarded their reactions and instead turned his gaze directly to a secluded corner of the plaza. A row of black-robed figures stood there. Their black robes bore some resemblance to those of the Night Watchers, yet they were not entirely identical. One thing, however, was the same: they were completely shrouded in their black robes, their faces, and even their body shapes and genders, were indiscernible.
"Set up the formation!"
Luo Yao commanded sternly. Upon hearing this, the black-robed figures first bowed to Luo Yao, then ascended into the air, arranging themselves in a specific pattern above the plaza.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, these black-robed figures, working together with extreme speed, erected a grand formation over the plaza. It seemed they had already prepared a series of arrangements in advance, allowing them to swiftly complete the entire formation within just a few breaths.
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