Chapter 1296: Third Soul Armament (Part Nine)
Facing Yang Haoran, who was at the peak Earth Soul realm, Ulan directly opened her Heaven, Earth, and Life Souls. While she didn't believe she would be unable to defeat Yang Haoran even if she suppressed her cultivation to the peak Earth Soul realm—on the contrary, she had full confidence in her strength and believed she could still slay Yang Haoran even then—she saw no reason to do so.
Why should she? She possessed overwhelming power and a higher realm than Yang Haoran, so why bother suppressing her cultivation to his level?
If suppressing her realm still left her significantly stronger, then there would be no need to go all out. However, suppressing her realm to his would put them on equal footing, and in her eyes, that was completely unnecessary. She saw no reason to take such a risk.
Therefore, she directly opened her Heaven, Earth, and Life Souls.
The power surging from Yang Haoran at this moment was exceptionally formidable, yet compared to Ulan, a colossal gap remained. The peak Earth Soul realm and the Life Soul realm were simply not on the same level. Yang Haoran, originally radiating immense power, now seemed insignificant before Ulan, like a child facing an adult.
It wasn't entirely impossible for a child to defeat an adult, but that depended on the circumstances. Under normal conditions, a child could never hope to overpower an adult.
As torrents of power erupted from Ulan's body, her aura rapidly surged. The sheer intensity of this power caused the surrounding space to subtly tremble, and a chilling wind howled as her Death God robes rustled fiercely. Both in terms of power and aura, she now completely overshadowed Yang Haoran.
Most people in such an absolutely disadvantageous situation would panic, but Yang Haoran remained unfazed, a faint smile still gracing his lips. This sight grated on Ulan's nerves.
Ulan said coldly. After speaking, Ulan suddenly thought of something, and a sneer appeared on her previously unpleasant face.
"Yang Haoran, as one of the Underworld Office's Guardians, you actually collude with ghostly entities to murder our Underworld agents. If this matter were to spread throughout the Underworld Office, not only would your fate be tragic, but even that lucky fellow Luo Yao would certainly be implicated. He might even lose his position as Emperor because of it. Originally, I intended to send your soul to Soul Transformation right here, but now I've changed my mind. I will preserve your soul completely intact. I want everyone in the Underworld Office to know that a Guardian of the Jingling Continent Underworld Division colluded with ghostly entities to harm Underworld agents, and your soul will be the best evidence!"
Ulan's intention was clearly to target not just Yang Haoran, but the entire Jingling Continent Underworld Division. If, as she said, the news of Yang Haoran colluding with ghostly entities to kill Tong Continent Underworld agents were to spread, the entire Jingling Continent Underworld Division would be severely impacted. After all, Yang Haoran was no ordinary Underworld agent; he was a Guardian of the Jingling Continent Underworld Division, and his identity naturally meant a different scale of impact.
Moreover, given the current state of hostility between the Tong Continent Underworld Division and the Jingling Continent Underworld Division, the Tong Continent Underworld Division would certainly fabricate stories and blow them out of proportion when publicizing this matter. The impact would naturally be even greater, as Ulan stated—it was possible that Luo Yao, the Jingling Emperor, could even be overthrown!
As for why Yang Haoran's soul could serve as evidence, that was easier to understand. Seeking a deceased person's past from their soul was the Underworld Office's signature ability. Once it was confirmed from Yang Haoran's soul that he had colluded with ghostly entities to kill Underworld agents, then any other lies fabricated by the Tong Continent Underworld Division would become even more convincing.
"Heh heh, hearing you say that, it seems I absolutely cannot die by your hand today. Otherwise, my soul might be tortured by you for countless years, and the Jingling Continent Underworld Division would face a drastic change because of me."
Yang Haoran paused, shook his head gently, and continued to smile.
"That's too terrifying. That's not the outcome I want, so no matter what, I absolutely cannot die by your hand today."
Only Yang Haoran himself knew how many secrets he harbored. If he truly died by Ulan's hand, too many people and events would be implicated. Anyone connected to him would likely face a grim end, and that naturally included Xu Meijing.
If Ulan knew that Yang Haoran's secrets were far more numerous and far more insane than she imagined, and that under Underworld Office law, Yang Haoran wouldn't die enough even if he perished a thousand times over, then Ulan would undoubtedly be far happier than she was now. This was because she had absolute certainty of slaying Yang Haoran. Once Yang Haoran died and these secrets were spread, and then properly exploited, Luo Yao, the Jingling Emperor, would be even more implicated, and she would reap even more benefits. How could she not be happy!
"Whether you die by my hand isn't for you, Yang Haoran, to decide. It's for me, Ulan, to decide. If I say you die today, then you will surely die. Unless you can make your Jingling Emperor Luo Yao personally come here; he might be able to exchange a few blows with me and save your life, which isn't entirely impossible. But unfortunately, I won't give you such an opportunity!"
At this, Ulan let out a disdainful cold snort. Then, her hands rapidly formed seals, and she chanted softly. In just a single breath's time, both her chanting and sealing concluded.
"Ghost Art, Absolute Prohibition!"
A cold, low cry emanated from Ulan's mouth, and with the sound, a restrictive barrier took shape!
This restrictive barrier was black and emitted visible dark energy, though this was only observable from within the barrier. If one were outside, nothing would be visible.
Compared to the restrictive barrier released by the large array in this place, the one Ulan conjured with her Ghost Art was slightly smaller. Precisely because of this, this restrictive barrier did not collide with the array's barrier, and for the same reason, this area now had a dual layer of restrictive barriers!
"Hmph, seeing your unfazed expression, I'm certain you know nothing about this Ghost Art. Otherwise, you wouldn't look like that. Anyway, we have plenty of time now, and there's no need to worry about others disturbing us. I'll explain it to you. Only then can you truly experience what despair feels like!"
As Ulan said, Yang Haoran indeed knew nothing about the Ghost Art Absolute Prohibition. But this was hardly surprising; there were countless Ghost Arts in the Underworld Office, and Yang Haoran only knew the tip of the iceberg, so not knowing about Absolute Prohibition was perfectly normal.
However, Ulan was mistaken about one thing: his unfazed expression had nothing to do with whether he knew about the Ghost Art Absolute Prohibition. But since Ulan wanted to explain it and make him feel despair, he wouldn't refuse. He was curious to hear what was so remarkable about this Ghost Art.
"Absolute Prohibition is one of our Underworld Office's high-level Ghost Arts. Once enveloped by this restrictive barrier, no matter what means you employ, it's impossible to contact anyone outside. Even if you have special items that can pinpoint your location and alert allies, at most they'll only know you're in trouble; external allies won't sense your precise position."
Ulan paused here. As she spoke, her gaze remained fixed on Yang Haoran, observing his facial expressions, not missing even the slightest detail. But Yang Haoran remained unfazed, which greatly infuriated her, making her voice even colder as she continued!
"Furthermore, this restrictive barrier is immune to all external damage. For one hour, any attack on this restrictive barrier will be ineffective; it won't cause any damage, let alone break through it. Also, during this one hour, no one from outside can enter, and no one from inside can leave, including the caster themselves. Only after one hour will the restrictive barrier dissipate on its own. Do you understand what I mean by that?"
Yang Haoran listened to Ulan's explanation, nodded gently, and responded with a smile.
"I understand. Thank you."
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