Chapter 1228: An End, Also a Beginning
The Grand Spirit Master's soul had just been pulled by Yang Haoran from the headless corpse. Before Yang Haoran could utter a single word, the Grand Spirit Master immediately begged for mercy, even promising to serve as Yang Haoran's beast of burden, his voice anxious, even clearly laced with pleading.
Yang Haoran, of course, wouldn't believe the Grand Spirit Master's nonsense. Setting aside their opposing stances, simply considering how this Grand Spirit Master died, it was impossible for him to truly do so.
This Grand Spirit Master had died tragically under Yang Haoran's Soul Armament Remnant Moon. To say this person harbored no resentment or venom towards his killer—Yang Haoran wouldn't believe it even if he were beaten to death. How could he be foolish enough to accept such a person serving as his beast of burden? He wouldn't keep a venomous snake beside him that sought his life at every moment.
Therefore, the promise offered by this Grand Spirit Master held no appeal for him; he simply ignored it.
“Heh heh, I'm truly sorry, but I don't need you to serve as my beast of burden. However, I appreciate your good intentions. ”
Yang Haoran refused with a smile. Upon hearing this, the Grand Spirit Master immediately panicked. Disregarding his image, he began to beg for mercy again. Yang Haoran turned a deaf ear, and amidst a chorus of pleas, he forcibly placed the Grand Spirit Master’s soul into his Soul-Gathering Bead.
Yang Haoran had seen too many people beg for mercy at the last moment. While he didn't despise such individuals, he found those who could be so flexible and adaptable even more dangerous. Thus, he certainly couldn't keep such a person around, much less take them on as a subordinate.
With both Grand Spirit Masters slain, their Guardian Spirits were also collected. Since neither had exploded into a separate spatial pocket upon death, there was nothing much to deal with on-site. Yang Haoran casually tossed a few ordinary fire talismans to ignite their corpses, then tore through space and departed the area.
Yang Haoran certainly didn’t dare to hunt a Spiritualist King. Not to mention that his injuries had not fully recovered over the past month, severely diminishing his strength, even if he were at his peak, he wouldn't be so arrogant as to pursue a Spiritualist King. However, hunting Grand Spirit Masters gave him no such qualms, even late-stage peak Grand Spirit Masters. Moreover, all the Grand Spirit Masters he pursued were severely wounded, their injuries far worse than his own, so he naturally had nothing to worry about.
This selective hunting not only prevented Yang Haoran from suffering an unexpected reversal but also brought him immense gains. Setting aside the Guardian Spirits of these Grand Spirit Masters, their very souls were a huge fortune to him. Submitting them to the Underworld would bring him both fame and fortune.
It wasn't just Yang Haoran who spent the past month hunting Spirit Masters; most of the Underworld Office, whether Underworld Agents in the mortal realm or Ghost Officials in the Underworld, participated in this pursuit. However, not all of them achieved as great gains as Yang Haoran. For various reasons, some gained little, and some even lost their lives.
Of course, some Underworld Agents gained more than Yang Haoran. These Underworld Agents were almost all Guardians of the Underworld Office. The gains of Emissaries of Death certainly couldn't compare to a Guardian like him, who had preserved his strength during the great war. Only Guardians stronger than him would possess such capability.
Yang Haoran had left Snow Fox Mountain that day to hunt two Grand Spirit Masters, and he did not return to Snow Fox Mountain afterwards. The great battle at Snow Fox Mountain also concluded several days after his departure.
In other words, the contest between the Death God and the Talisman Ancestor continued for several more days after Yang Haoran left Snow Fox Mountain before finally ending. The Death God ultimately failed to slay the Talisman Ancestor as he wished, and the Talisman Ancestor also lacked the ability to eliminate the Death God. Both sides ended up severely wounded, their injuries too grave to continue fighting, which forced the great battle to conclude.
The Ghost Officials and Talisman Masters remaining on Snow Fox Mountain suffered significant further losses during those few days, bringing immense casualties to the Underworld Office and the Talisman Order. The Underworld Office lost two Life Soul realm experts, and the Talisman Order similarly lost three Jade Talisman Masters.
In normal times, whether it was the Underworld Office losing Life Soul realm experts or the Talisman Order losing Jade Talisman Masters, it would certainly cause a huge sensation within both factions. However, at that time, it caused no sensation at all, because the number of experts who died in this great war was simply too high, so much so that both sides had become numb to it.
Moreover, given the situation at the time, the struggle between the Death God and the Talisman Ancestor had reached its critical final moments. Everyone's attention was focused on the battle between the two True Gods, because the outcome of their fight determined their own lives and deaths. Thus, it was difficult for them to shift their attention to other matters, including the deaths of Life Soul realm experts or Jade Talisman Masters.
As the Talisman Ancestor had said that day, True Gods were not so easily slain, and indeed, his words proved true. Even with all his methods exhausted, the Death God did not succeed in slaying the Talisman Ancestor. Of course, the Talisman Ancestor also paid a considerable price for this, with several special techniques he hadn't wanted to use until critical moments being unleashed one by one under the Death God's fierce assault.
By the end of the great battle, both True Gods were left severely wounded and unable to fight further. This weakened state immediately attracted other True Gods. These True Gods had not appeared initially, but only emerged when the Death God and Talisman Ancestor were both gravely injured and incapacitated. Their purpose was self-evident.
However, they seemed to have temporarily reached some agreement, which was why they didn't seize the opportunity to attack the Death God and Talisman Ancestor while they were heavily wounded. As for the exact nature of this agreement, few people knew the inside story apart from themselves.
Yang Haoran learned this information from Luo Yao. As Luo Yao, an Emperor, was present at the scene, he naturally had a clear understanding of the events. And since Yang Haoran was gradually developing into his confidant, Luo Yao did not conceal this matter from him. When Yang Haoran tentatively inquired, Luo Yao considered it for a moment before recounting the events of that day to him.
However, as for what agreement was reached between the True Gods after the other True Gods appeared, leading to them not taking advantage of the Death God and Talisman Ancestor's injuries, Luo Yao did not elaborate to Yang Haoran.
Yang Haoran couldn't be sure if Luo Yao truly didn't know or if he knew but deliberately concealed it due to the significant implications. He also didn't dare to ask too many questions. After all, asking Luo Yao inappropriate questions would not only bring him no benefit but would also cause Luo Yao to be displeased with him. He wouldn't do such an unrewarding thing.
Of course, he couldn't just give up on understanding the matter because of this. He could still learn about it through other methods and other people. After all, Luo Yao wasn't the only one present that day. If this matter was known not just among True Gods but also by others, then it was possible for inside information to be leaked.
Yang Haoran didn't know if he could uncover useful information, but he definitely had to try. If he really did uncover something useful, he could then make targeted preparations in advance to avoid being used as a pawn without realizing it.
With the two True Gods, Death God and Talisman Ancestor, severely wounded and unable to fight, the Underworld Office and the Talisman Order also temporarily ceased hostilities.
Although this great battle had forged deep enmity between the Talisman Order and the Underworld Office, both sides had no choice but to temporarily end the war, because both had been crippled, their strength less than a third of what it was before the war. In such a state, if they continued the war, both sides would most likely exhaust their last soldier, allowing others to reap the benefits.
The death of the Spirit Master False God successfully rid the Underworld Office of a major hidden danger. Although the Underworld Office now similarly loathed the Talisman Order and wished to erase it from this world, the Underworld Office was willing but unable. The losses incurred by this war were simply too great; they couldn't endure further turmoil in the short term.
The Talisman Order also suffered enormous losses in this great battle and similarly couldn't endure further turmoil. Furthermore, their greatest ally, the Spirit Masters, were now crippled, their combat strength less than a tenth of their peak. Without this ally, it was impossible for them to eliminate the Underworld Office. So they, too, chose to temporarily end the war and recuperate for a period.
Since both superpowers had chosen to temporarily end this war, the other smaller and medium-sized factions involved naturally dared not protest. Even with the immense losses suffered by the Underworld Office and the Talisman Order, they were still not entities they could provoke. So, no matter how unwilling they were, they could only choose silence.
It was precisely because of this that the great war initiated by the Spirit Masters concluded with the death of the Spirit Master False God. However, many people understood that the end of this war was certainly only temporary, and no one knew when it would erupt again.
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