Chapter 1399: Fanaticism
Before the blood-red light appeared, Zhu Rong, Lu Wu, and the others all wore grim expressions. They knew perfectly well that there was no hope of escaping this place; they simply couldn't break through the restriction barrier that held them captive. They could only remain trapped within, at the Tong Continent Great Emperor's mercy, like lambs to the slaughter. Anyone in such a situation would feel incredibly frustrated, and their faces would naturally reflect that. It had nothing to do with courage.
Yet, despite their grim expressions, no trace of panic showed on their faces. From this, it was clear that even in their desperate straits, they had not lost their will to fight.
However, with the sudden appearance of the blood-red light and the violent shaking of the restriction barrier, they saw a glimmer of hope once more. Perhaps even lambs to the slaughter might still burst out of the sheepfold!
Conversely, the Tong Continent Great Emperor's face turned grim in that instant, his brows furrowing slightly. The powerful energy fluctuations erupting from the blood-red light made him sense a hint of threat.
The Tong Continent Great Emperor paid no heed to the violently shaking barrier's light screen. Instead, his gaze fixed on the distant area where the blood-red light had erupted. There stood an unremarkable two-story building, and this sky-piercing blood-red light was precisely emanating from it. Although he was still a considerable distance from the building, he could already smell a strong, pungent scent of blood!
"Sky-piercing blood-red light, a pervasive stench of blood—this is a treasure of the Demon Cult!"
The Tong Continent Great Emperor's eyes narrowed slightly as he spoke in a deep voice. Through the sky-piercing blood-red light, the potent scent of blood, and the unique nature of this powerful energy fluctuation, he judged this building to surely belong to the Demon Cult.
No sooner had the Tong Continent Great Emperor's words fallen than the sky-piercing blood-red light vanished. The two-story building shot up from the ground, enveloped in dense blood-red light, streaking into the air. In the blink of an eye, it halted at the same altitude as the Tong Continent Great Emperor, forming a standoff.
Seeing Yang Haoran appear, Zhu Rong, Lu Wu, and the others instantly showed pleasant surprise. Many of them even displayed fanaticism.
Zhu Rong had initially feared that Yang Haoran might have met with misfortune, which was why she had given the Death God attire, symbolic of his status, to Old Master Wu and ordered Old Master Wu to command all Lecheng personnel to evacuate immediately. Although it was merely her conjecture, it had brought no small negative impact to her emotions. She had simply kept her inner negative emotions hidden.
Now, seeing Yang Haoran present and without a single scratch, the stone hanging in her heart finally dropped. Her negative emotions were swept away, replaced by profound pleasant surprise that manifested directly on her face.
Before Yang Haoran's appearance, many present had shared Zhu Rong's conjecture. Precisely because of this, seeing Yang Haoran safe and sound, they felt the same pleasant surprise as Zhu Rong. Those whose faces showed fanaticism not only fully revealed their inner joy but also their reverence for Yang Haoran. Lu Wu was one of them.
The Tong Continent Great Emperor's reaction was the opposite of Zhu Rong, Lu Wu, and the others. Yang Haoran's appearance momentarily stunned him. Especially when he discovered that Yang Haoran was completely unharmed, while his two Guardians were nowhere to be seen, his face grew even grimmer, and his brows furrowed tighter and tighter. This was completely different from what he had expected!
However, the Tong Continent Great Emperor was, after all, a Great Emperor of a major continent; his psychological fortitude was incredibly strong. Although he was incredibly displeased at that moment, he still managed to compose his grim expression, and his tightly furrowed brows relaxed accordingly.
"I'm surprised you're still alive."
The Tong Continent Great Emperor looked at Yang Haoran and spoke coldly. His tone held surprise, but even more so, killing intent.
Yang Haoran remained expressionless. He didn't immediately answer the Tong Continent Great Emperor. Instead, he looked towards Old Master Wu's location, then, without a word, raised a hand and clenched it in the air towards the skeleton figure. Boom! ! !
The skeleton figure, which had been swinging its great blade, about to strike Old Master Wu, suddenly paused abruptly. Then, with a loud boom, it exploded, its body dissolving into specks of Yin Qi. At the same time, the great blade, which had been moments from hitting Old Master Wu, also dissipated into Yin Qi.
This scene shocked everyone present, including the Tong Continent Great Emperor.
Although the skeleton figure was merely a construct casually summoned by the Tong Continent Great Emperor, its formidable strength was evident to all present. Old Master Wu, facing this skeleton figure, had been utterly crushed without any ability to retaliate, which clearly showed how powerful this skeleton figure was.
Yet, such a powerful entity was now crushed into dust by Yang Haoran with a single clench of his hand in the air. Moreover, from Yang Haoran's casual demeanor, it was clear he had accomplished this without expending much effort. How could this not shock people? They had never imagined Yang Haoran had grown so powerful.
This sight filled Yang Haoran's subordinates with immense excitement. Their gazes and expressions became even more fanatical; they even forgot what they were supposed to be doing at the moment.
Yang Haoran ignored the crowd's shock. After dispatching the skeleton figure for Old Master Wu, he shifted his gaze back to the Tong Continent Great Emperor and responded to him.
"In the Great Emperor's opinion, your two Guardians should have appeared at this time, not me. What a pity, you've been disappointed."
Yang Haoran spoke indifferently. His voice brought the Tong Continent Great Emperor back from his shock, but the revived Great Emperor's gaze was now different from before. While killing intent was still present, it now bore a seriousness and vigilance that hadn't been there before.
"To so easily break my technique—this is not something an Earth Soul realm expert could accomplish. Have you already broken through to the Life Soul realm?"
The Tong Continent Great Emperor's voice was grave. He had initially been dwelling on why his two Guardians hadn't appeared, while Yang Haoran had appeared completely unharmed. But now, seeing Yang Haoran demonstrate such a feat before him, he became more concerned with Yang Haoran's true strength.
He understood the technique he had employed better than anyone present. Although he hadn't opened all three souls—Heaven, Earth, and Life—he was, after all, a Life Soul expert. There was a fundamental difference between him and Heaven Soul or Earth Soul realm individuals. Thus, even without Open Soul, some special techniques he employed were not something Heaven Soul or Earth Soul realm individuals could withstand.
And the current Yang Haoran had also not used Open Soul to unleash his full power, as there was no Yin Qi around him indicating the gestation of a Soul Armament. For Yang Haoran, in this state, to destroy the skeleton figure he had conjured with a single clench of his hand in the air, in his view, there was only one possibility: Yang Haoran had already entered the Life Soul realm.
Furthermore, only this possibility could explain why his two Guardians hadn't appeared and why Yang Haoran was completely unharmed. Even if his two Guardians were formidable, they were still only Earth Soul realm experts; facing a Life Soul realm expert, only death awaited them. Without special techniques, they wouldn't even have the right to fight to the death against a Life Soul realm expert.
He knew his two Guardians were definitely dead, and they had died at Yang Haoran's hands. Yet, this result was difficult for him to accept. He found it hard to accept the death of his two Guardians, as he had expended a vast amount of effort and resources cultivating them, and he still needed their power to acquire greater benefits. Now, their deaths were not only his loss but also a loss for the entire Tong Continent Yin Division.
There was an even more important reason why he found this outcome hard to accept: Yang Haoran had only been a Guardian for a very short time. For a Guardian, even after decades in office, one could still be considered a newcomer, yet Yang Haoran's time in office was far from decades. By what right had he broken through to the Life Soul realm? This was the most unacceptable and unbelievable aspect for him.
In this brief instant, the Tong Continent Great Emperor had, in fact, already reached his own conclusion internally. He simply refused to believe it or accept it. Thus, he couldn't help but question Yang Haoran, feigning composure, hoping to discern a flaw in Yang Haoran's reply that he wished to see.
However, Yang Haoran did not answer his question. Instead, he looked towards Old Master Wu in the distance.
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