Novels online

Chapter 1400: Stalling for Time

The violently trembling prohibitive barrier gradually stabilized as the blood-red radiance vanished, and Old Master Wu was relieved of a fatal threat by the skeleton man's explosion.

Had Yang Haoran not appeared in time and eliminated the skeleton man, he would, in all likelihood, have suffered Soul Transformation by now.

At this moment, Old Master Wu's aura was weak, and his face was pale and utterly devoid of color. However, for him, this was already quite fortunate; at the very least, it was infinitely better than Soul Transformation.

From the moment the skeleton man exploded until now, it had been but the span of a single utterance. Yet, this brief interval proved invaluable to Old Master Wu, for he, who had been utterly suppressed, finally gained a moment to breathe.

When Yang Haoran's gaze fell upon Old Master Wu, Old Master Wu sensed it and looked back at Yang Haoran.

"Old Wu, please continue with your unfinished mission."

Yang Haoran spoke lightly. Old Master Wu, of course, understood his meaning.

"As you command!"

Old Master Wu paid no heed to his severe injuries, nor did he ponder how he would complete his mission, or what methods he would use. Aside from other challenges, merely breaking the prohibitive barrier set by the Tongzhou Great Emperor in this Guardian District was beyond his current capabilities. Yet, facing Yang Haoran's command, he did not hesitate and immediately gave an affirmative reply.

The instant Old Master Wu's voice faded, the Unnamed Small Tower beneath Yang Haoran's feet suddenly trembled violently. Immediately after, several thick, blood-red light pillars, carrying a dense, bloody scent, shot out in all directions with blinding speed, leaving no time for reaction. Furthermore, the power fluctuations released by each of these blood-red light pillars were no weaker than the blood-red radiance that had erupted earlier.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Booming sounds echoed one after another. The prohibitive barrier, which enveloped the entire Guardian District, shattered explosively. Previously, a single blood-red radiance from the Unnamed Small Tower had caused this barrier to tremble violently; now, simultaneously assaulted by multiple blood-red lights, it was naturally impossible for the barrier to withstand the onslaught any longer.

"Retreat! ! !"

Old Master Wu wasted no time. Seeing the prohibitive barrier shattered, he immediately ordered Zhu Rong, Lu Wu, and the others to retreat, while he himself streaked towards their location.

The prohibitive barrier was forcibly shattered, creating a powerful shockwave. Zhu Rong, Lu Wu, and the others were positioned at the edge of the barrier, and due to the suddenness of the event and their close proximity, they had no time to dodge. However, the shockwave caused by the explosion did not harm a single hair on their bodies, as it was blocked by a thick, bloody mist.

Had it not been for the bloody mist blocking the shockwave, stronger individuals like Zhu Rong and Lu Wu would likely not have suffered much harm. But for those with weaker cultivation, the situation would have been different; some would have been severely injured, and some might even have lost their lives!

Escaping death by a hair's breadth caused many to momentarily lose their wits, but Old Master Wu's voice instantly snapped them back to reality. Without hesitation, and with no time for lingering fear, they rushed out of the Guardian District. Soon, only Yang Haoran and the Tongzhou Great Emperor remained in the sky above the Guardian District.

After shattering the prohibitive barrier, Yang Haoran did not immediately attack the Tongzhou Great Emperor, for his current priority was to buy as much time as possible for Old Master Wu and all the personnel in Lecheng. He certainly wouldn't actively attack and expend his own strength unless absolutely forced to.

The Tongzhou Great Emperor did not stop Old Master Wu and the others from fleeing, for in his eyes, they were nothing more than ants. He had no interest in these ants. And even if these ants escaped, it would only be temporary. Once Yang Haoran was dealt with, discovering where these ants had fled would be simple, and he could then round them all up. There was no need to waste time on such insignificant beings in this current situation.

At this moment, all his attention was focused on Yang Haoran, and the Unnamed Small Tower beneath him.

"Yang Haoran, you truly surprise me. Since becoming the Tongzhou Great Emperor, I have never been as astonished as I am today. I originally thought your clandestine mass rearing of ghosts was audacious enough, but it seems I underestimated your boldness. You actually dared to betray the Underworld Office! " the Tongzhou Great Emperor spoke coldly, his gaze like daggers, his killing intent towards Yang Haoran utterly unconcealed.

Yang Haoran did not immediately respond. He glanced at Old Master Wu and the others, seeing that they had all left the Guardian District, moved a great distance away, and were already tearing space to transfer personnel. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief. His previously expressionless face finally returned to its usual demeanor, revealing a faint smile.

His face regaining its smile was partly due to his relief, and partly to deceive his enemy, preventing them from discerning his true thoughts through his facial expressions. This smile had nothing to do with whether he had victory in his grasp; in fact, the opposite was true—he had no confidence whatsoever in facing the Tongzhou Great Emperor.

Retracting his gaze from Old Master Wu and the others in the distance, Yang Haoran refocused on the Tongzhou Great Emperor and responded with a faint smile.

"Heh heh, your subordinate is not audacious, your subordinate was merely forced into a corner, which is why I resorted to such a desperate measure. As for who drove your subordinate to this state, I believe no one is clearer than the Great Emperor himself."

The Tongzhou Great Emperor's face darkened. Yang Haoran's attitude made him very uncomfortable, and Yang Haoran's words made him even more so. He had not intended to show his inner fury on his face, but at this moment, the anger in his heart was too intense, causing his expression to involuntarily sink.

"You're trying to say all of this was my doing, aren't you? Heh heh, how laughable. If you hadn't secretly reared ghosts, would you have fallen to such a plight? Rearing ghosts already violates our Underworld Office's laws. As a Guardian, you knowingly broke the law, making your crime even graver. All of this is merely your own doing. How can you say you were forced? Did anyone force you to rear ghosts?"

The Tongzhou Great Emperor sneered in rebuttal, but Yang Haoran's expression remained unchanged.

"Heh heh, as for violating the Underworld Office's laws, I imagine the Great Emperor has done far more than your subordinate. Why bother talking about the Underworld Office's laws? If you were to simply say your subordinate picked the wrong side, and shouldn't have followed the Jingling Continent Great Emperor Luo Yao, your subordinate would find that much easier to accept."

Yang Haoran chuckled faintly. The Tongzhou Great Emperor's cold sneer intensified upon hearing this.

"Hmph, you are quite direct. But you're right, you certainly shouldn't have followed that fool Luo Yao, or you wouldn't have ended up in this situation today."

At this point, the Tongzhou Great Emperor suddenly paused, then changed the subject and continued to ask,

"My two Guardians, I presume, have already died at your hands, correct?"

Yang Haoran nodded, not denying it.

"The Great Emperor guessed correctly. They have indeed died at my hands."

As these words fell, without any discernible movement from Yang Haoran, two blood-red mists suddenly sprayed forth from within the Unnamed Small Tower, then shot rapidly towards the Tongzhou Great Emperor.

The Tongzhou Great Emperor's expression remained unchanged, his suspended body unmoving, as if he had no intention of dodging, allowing the two pungent, bloody mists to swiftly approach him.

The two blood-red mists did not directly collide with the Tongzhou Great Emperor. They stopped several meters away from him.

The mists dispersed, revealing what they had enveloped: two corpses, but they were bloodless, desiccated cadavers. Moreover, both of these dried corpses wore the Death God uniforms unique to Underworld Office Guardians!

Although the original appearance of these two dried corpses was utterly unrecognizable, the Tongzhou Great Emperor still identified them by their Death God uniforms. These two were none other than the two Guardians who had accompanied him to Yang Haoran's Guardian District today.

"All their blood drained, not a single drop remaining. Our Underworld Office doesn't seem to possess such methods. This must be the masterpiece of that demon treasure beneath you."

The Tongzhou Great Emperor spoke coldly. The sight of the two Guardians' corpses did not cause a significant change in his expression. This was partly because of his strong psychological fortitude, and partly because he had long anticipated that his two subordinates had died at Yang Haoran's hands.

However, when he realized that no souls could be detected within the two bodies, his brow involuntarily furrowed for a moment, but then quickly returned to normal.