Chapter 1264: An Exceptional Decision
Yang Haoran's words left Ma Ling completely stunned. The psychological impact they had on her was simply too profound. Even though Yang Haoran spoke with a solemn expression and a serious demeanor, without a hint of jest, she still couldn't shake the feeling that he was joking with her.
It was indeed very normal for Ma Ling to think this way; after all, it was simply too preposterous for her to believe. Although the Corpse Sect couldn't compare to a superpower like the Yin Division or the Talisman Order, it could definitely be considered an upper-middle-tier force. Before the great world war, the Corpse Sect could even barely be counted among the major powers. The world war had also significantly impacted the Corpse Sect, which was why it now only ranked as upper-middle-tier.
Yet, even an upper-middle-tier force possessed strength that shouldn't be underestimated, with complex personnel and an intricate network of connections. If a superpower were to act, eradicating them from this world within a few days would certainly be no difficult feat. But if it were merely an individual taking action, the difficulty would be considerably greater; no matter how strong they were, a significant number of stragglers would inevitably escape. Once there were too many stragglers, it naturally wouldn't count as having completely erased the opponent from this world.
"Brother Yang, you. . . you're not joking with me, are you?"
Ma Ling's expression was one of shock, but her tone carried strong skepticism.
Yang Haoran, who had initially been serious and solemn, regained his faint smile after hearing Ma Ling's words and seeing her incredulous expression.
"Heh heh, of course I'm not lying to you."
Even after receiving Yang Haoran's affirmative and straightforward reply, Ma Ling remained utterly incredulous.
Ma Ling tried to say more, but Yang Haoran gently waved his hand, cutting her off.
"There's no 'but' about it. You don't need to worry about me, nor do you need to ask me how I'll do it. You just need to see the result in a few days. Although this matter is very troublesome, it's merely troublesome; it's far from being beyond my ability to handle. If anyone else were involved in this, I certainly wouldn't interfere or willingly shoulder this burden. But your Ma Family is different, and you are different."
Yang Haoran replied with a faint smile, his tone radiating a powerful confidence. This confidence directly affected Ma Ling, making her heart pound uncontrollably.
In truth, Yang Haoran wasn't tricking Ma Ling. Since he had made a promise to her, he would certainly see it through. With the power he currently commanded, eradicating the Corpse Sect was no trouble at all. Saying it was "very troublesome" was merely for Ma Ling's ears, intended to convey that he would make a great sacrifice to accomplish this, yet he was still willing to do it.
However, Yang Haoran had always believed in settling scores with the direct perpetrator. If he had a grievance with someone, he wouldn't vent his anger on others. If he were Ma Ling, he would certainly eliminate Fu Yan, the murderer. Like Ma Ling, he would use every means necessary to avenge himself, but unlike Ma Ling, he wouldn't direct his anger at the entire Corpse Sect.
If it were purely up to Yang Haoran, he actually didn't want to destroy the entire Corpse Sect. However, he could see and feel that if the entire Corpse Sect wasn't eradicated, the resentment in Ma Ling's heart would absolutely never dissipate. Therefore, after weighing the pros and cons, he decided to make an exception and do something against his own inclination this one time.
Her accelerated heartbeat made Ma Ling's face flush slightly. She was about to speak again when, suddenly, a rather strong energy fluctuation emanated from outside the cave. The appearance of this energy fluctuation silenced Ma Ling, and all three of their gazes simultaneously turned towards the cave entrance.
"Heh heh, someone must have arrived here via spatial teleportation. You don't need to worr—"
Yang Haoran smiled faintly, but before he could finish speaking, several more energy fluctuations appeared simultaneously outside the cave. A series of rumbling sounds reached their ears, and even from inside the cave, they could feel a slight tremor in the space around them.
Given that even the space within the cave experienced a slight tremor, it was clear that the spatial fluctuations outside the cave must be far more intense.
All three understood that there was only one explanation for this situation: multiple spatial rifts had appeared outside, and the extent of the spatial tearing was considerable, otherwise the space wouldn't react so violently.
"Heh, such a huge commotion. The space outside is practically being shattered. From the looks of it, quite a lot of people seem to be coming."
Zhong Siyu spoke with an excited expression. Having been sitting by idly with a bored look, she immediately sprang up, looking eager to jump into action.
Ma Ling's face changed drastically. She didn't need to think to know that the newcomers were definitely targeting them. Moreover, she sensed strong Corpse Qi and Yin Qi, indicating that the arrivals were certainly from the Corpse Sect. The sheer scale of their arrival clearly meant they came prepared, filling her with deep worry.
Her worry, however, was more for Yang Haoran and Zhong Siyu. After all, they had no relation to this matter and were only involved because of her. She didn't want to bring harm to Yang Haoran and Zhong Siyu because of her own issues, especially Yang Haoran.
"Brother Yang, the arrivals must be from the Corpse Sect! Although I don't know why they know we're hiding here, from the current situation, their target for this trip must be us. Before they force their way in, let's quickly leave this place. I don't want to implicate the two of you because of me."
Ma Ling urgently urged him, but Yang Haoran paid her no mind. Upon hearing Ma Ling's words, Zhong Siyu immediately became displeased.
"Hmph, what do you mean, 'hiding here'? We're merely making a temporary stop to rest. Is a mere Corpse Sect worth all this sneaking around? If it weren't for some people being too timid, I would directly head to the Corpse Sect's Corpse Ancestor Mountain to rest. Who would dare do anything to me? Who *could* do anything to me?"
Zhong Siyu's words were incredibly arrogant, but Ma Ling had witnessed Zhong Siyu's prowess and knew she truly possessed the power to be so brazen. Thus, she was speechless for a moment, unsure of what to say.
"Heh heh, don't worry, it's not a big problem. Just rest well here; I'll handle everything else."
Yang Haoran spoke with a faint smile. After his words fell, he paid no attention to Ma Ling's anxious expression, glanced at Zhong Siyu, and then strode towards the cave entrance. His steps were slow and his demeanor calm, giving the impression that he wasn't going out to fight, but rather taking a leisurely stroll in his own backyard.
Although Yang Haoran said nothing when he looked at Zhong Siyu, Zhong Siyu understood his meaning. She grinned, excitedly licked her lips, and followed closely behind Yang Haoran. However, as she passed Ma Ling, she paused, turning to face her.
"I never expected Yang Haoran to value you so highly. This truly surprises me. Now I can't help but wonder how profound your achievements in formation arts truly are, enough for Yang Haoran to deem it worthwhile to annihilate the entire Corpse Sect for you. It seems the Corpse Sect's date of being erased from this world is about to be moved up!"
After speaking, Zhong Siyu's figure flickered and vanished. Compared to Yang Haoran's leisurely stroll, she was far more impatient.
After Zhong Siyu left, she left behind a stunned Ma Ling. The reason for Ma Ling's shock was that she had understood many things from Zhong Siyu's words, one of which was that Yang Haoran indeed possessed the ability to erase the Corpse Sect from this world, and could do so in an extremely short amount of time.
She suddenly realized that the Yang Haoran of today was no longer the Brother Yang she had first met.
Although Yang Haoran started walking towards the cave entrance before Zhong Siyu, Zhong Siyu exited the cave first. The reason was that his steps were slow and unhurried, while Zhong Siyu darted towards the entrance in a great rush, as if afraid she would miss something if she were slow.
Stepping out of the cave, Yang Haoran's gaze first fell upon a massive light barrier in the distance. This barrier appeared as an arc, enveloping everything below it.
He knew in his heart that the light barrier wasn't actually arc-shaped; it was merely because his vision was obstructed that he could only see a portion of it, thus it appeared as an arc. With just a slight sensing, he confirmed that it was a circular light barrier, and that it had enveloped several miles of terrain, centered around the mountain cave where he was located!
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