Chapter 1425: Rushing to Phoenix Fall Mountain
The Blood-Clad Man who had appeared earlier was, in fact, the form Yang Haoran took after Soul Fusion with Zhong Siyu. When successfully performing Soul Fusion with a Guardian Spirit, some individuals undergo a change in appearance, while others do not; Yang Haoran and Zhong Siyu belonged to the former category.
Yang Haoran's looks were ordinary; while not ugly, they certainly had no connection to handsomeness whatsoever. Zhong Siyu, however, was different; her beauty was extraordinarily high. After their Soul Fusion, their combined appearance leaned towards Zhong Siyu's, which resulted in Yang Haoran's post-fusion appearance being remarkably feminine.
Nevertheless, Yang Haoran's ordinary features did not detract from their post-fusion appearance. After all, certain aspects of his own looks possessed advantages; it was just that these advantages were so inconspicuous on his face that they couldn't possibly salvage his plain features. However, these very advantages were fully showcased after the Soul Fusion, not only preventing a decrease in their combined attractiveness but actually enhancing it significantly.
Since both Yang Haoran and Zhong Siyu were already severely wounded and extremely weak before the Soul Fusion, the power unleashed afterward was not at its peak. This remained true even after Yang Haoran subsequently opened his Heaven Soul. Yet, it was still far superior to the power of the similarly gravely injured Tong Continent Great Emperor. It was precisely for this reason that the Tong Continent Great Emperor was instantly killed by Remnant Moon in a single strike.
Their post-Soul Fusion form did not last long; to be precise, it persisted for only a fleeting moment. This, too, was due to both of them being too weak from their severe injuries. If not for that, Yang Haoran's body would not have trembled or developed cracks after the Soul Fusion.
Prior to Soul Fusion with Zhong Siyu, Yang Haoran had never experienced anything like it. He could only make a rough guess as to the extent of their combined power. However, it utterly astonished him that he had still underestimated the increase in strength gained from his Soul Fusion with Zhong Siyu.
Before the Soul Fusion, he wasn't entirely certain he could slay the Tong Continent Great Emperor, only believing that this approach would have a high success rate, far surpassing other methods. It was only after the Soul Fusion that he realized his mistake: it wasn't just a strong possibility that he could kill the Tong Continent Great Emperor; he could, in fact, instantly slay him.
Of course, this was predicated on the Tong Continent Great Emperor being severely wounded. If the Tong Continent Great Emperor had been at his peak, or even slightly less injured, Yang Haoran might not have been able to kill him instantly.
Although he had successfully slain the Tong Continent Great Emperor as he wished, Yang Haoran's injuries had become even more severe, leaving him so weak that speaking was an extreme effort. In such a state, he naturally had to quickly take a dānyào to recover, or else his physical body would truly perish here today.
"Hehehehe, the taste was exquisite!"
Zhong Siyu extended her tongue to lick the blood from the corner of her mouth, a twisted grin on her face as she spoke. Though she had been equally weak just moments ago, she had already recovered significantly. This was because she had successfully devoured the Tong Continent Great Emperor whole, which not only healed a considerable portion of her injuries but also substantially boosted her power.
The benefits the Tong Continent Great Emperor brought Zhong Siyu extended far beyond this. Although she had successfully devoured him completely, she had not yet fully refined his fundamental power source. Due to the unsuitable circumstances and limited time, she had only refined a minuscule portion. Once she fully refines the Tong Continent Great Emperor's power source, she will gain even more advantages, and her strength will increase by no small margin; after all, the fundamental power source within an Underworld Office Great Emperor is no trifling matter.
Zhong Siyu was, of course, well aware of this, which was why she wore such a satisfied expression. If it had been another Guardian from the Underworld Office, even after devouring them completely, she wouldn't have felt such contentment.
With a flicker, Zhong Siyu appeared beside Yang Haoran. Seeing him floating cross-legged, recovering from his injuries, she asked with a twisted smile,
"I'm done. You're not planning on just healing here indefinitely, are you?"
Yang Haoran maintained his posture, his eyes remaining closed. He replied weakly,
"Once the Absolute Prohibition vanishes, we'll leave this place immediately."
The dānyào Yang Haoran had consumed was quite effective, but in such a short time, even the best pill had limited effect on his recovery. It couldn't compare to Zhong Siyu's speed of recuperation through devouring others. Thus, Yang Haoran's injuries hadn't healed much, and speaking remained arduous, though it was considerably better than before.
"Alright, I'll wait for you here. I just finished devouring that fellow, so I can use this time to refine his fundamental power. I'll refine as much as I can. " Zhong Siyu grinned, her face alight with excitement, and she eagerly sat cross-legged in the air beside Yang Haoran, beginning to refine the Tong Continent Great Emperor's fundamental power source.
According to Yang Haoran's estimate, the Absolute Prohibition was about to disappear. However, he did not stop Zhong Siyu from doing this. One reason was that he didn't want to speak, as every word was a significant burden for him in his current state. Another reason was that Zhong Siyu was idle anyway; the more of the Tong Continent Great Emperor's fundamental power she refined, the more she would recover, and the more Zhong Siyu recovered, the better she would be able to handle any potential dangers they might face next.
Besides these two reasons, there was an even more important one: even if he tried to stop Zhong Siyu, she might not necessarily listen.
A short while later, the Absolute Prohibition covering the area vanished. The moment it disappeared, Yang Haoran and Zhong Siyu simultaneously opened their eyes.
"The Absolute Prohibition is gone. Where do we go next? To Phoenix Fall Mountain?"
Zhong Siyu asked Yang Haoran. At this moment, Zhong Siyu had retreated from her battle state, her blood-red attire having vanished, replaced by a pure white sundress. Although the smile on her face still felt somewhat morbid, she was far more refined compared to her Blood-Clad state.
Yang Haoran did not immediately reply. Instead, he surveyed the situation across Lecheng, wanting to check on the progress of the city's evacuation.
Wu Laoyezi's efficiency was beyond reproach. Under Yang Haoran's perception, there was no clamor or chaos throughout Lecheng, nor any spatial distortions from tearing forces. There was only a deathly silence.
From this, it was clear that Lecheng's evacuation had proceeded smoothly. The profound silence in Lecheng indicated that during his battle with the Tong Continent Great Emperor, Wu Laoyezi had successfully transferred all of Lecheng's residents.
Achieving this was no easy feat. After all, Lecheng was the city of Yang Haoran's Guardian District; to be more direct, it was Yang Haoran's main base. Because of this, Lecheng was no longer the small town it once was, but the largest and most populous city in the Ninth District. Transferring all of Lecheng's residents in a short time was indeed not a simple task.
Yang Haoran was not particularly surprised or astonished by this, as he was well aware of Wu Laoyezi's capabilities. The time he had risked his life to buy for Wu Laoyezi, while not extensive, was indeed enough to successfully transfer all of Lecheng's residents, provided everything was handled properly and no unforeseen incidents occurred.
"This place is not suitable for prolonged stay. We must immediately rush to Phoenix Fall Mountain and rendezvous with the others."
Yang Haoran spoke weakly. His injuries were too severe; even with a short period of recovery, the time was simply too brief, so his wounds hadn't healed much, and he remained very weak overall.
However, given the extent of his recent injuries, it was already a blessing that his physical body hadn't been rendered useless. Being weak was always better than being dead. It was precisely because his injuries were so critical that such a short period of recovery could not lead to any significant improvement.
"Heh, it seems Lecheng's evacuation went very smoothly. That old man really does have some tricks up his sleeve; you didn't misjudge him. However, you poured so much effort and financial resources into building up Lecheng. Surely there's a good deal of wealth that wasn't transferred in time. Are you really willing to abandon it and leave?"
Zhong Siyu asked with a chuckle, her tone full of teasing.
"Heh, wealth can be earned again if it's lost, but if your life is gone, then everything is gone. Stop teasing me; let's just leave quickly."
Yang Haoran responded with a faint smile, his tone tinged with a touch of regret.
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