Chapter 1435: Unprecedented
On the other side, Luo Yao, the Great Emperor of Jingling, wanted to use the Underworld Iron Tome to figure out why Yang Haoran's Ninth District had become empty. The moment he opened the Underworld Iron Tome, his expression immediately shifted, becoming exceptionally grim!
Everyone's gaze was already fixed on Luo Yao. They had expected Luo Yao to reveal some feasible solution after taking out the Underworld Iron Tome, but they hadn't anticipated that the moment he produced it, his face would turn so utterly ashen.
“Luo Yao, what's wrong now? ” the Underworld Emperor demanded, his face dark, his tone decidedly unfriendly.
At this moment, Luo Yao was seething with anger. He no longer cared whether his tone or expression was appropriate. With an equally dark face, he responded in a deep voice. “Take out your Underworld Iron Tomes and check our Underworld Office personnel roster. You’ll see. ”
The personnel roster Luo Yao referred to was naturally the one for Underworld officials. Night Watchers were not qualified to be on this list. Only living Underworld officials whose physical bodies had been transformed by the rules of Heaven and Earth, along with Ghost Officials from the Underworld, were eligible for this roster.
The three Great Emperors were perplexed, as Luo Yao had not offered a detailed explanation, merely telling them to retrieve their Underworld Iron Tomes and see for themselves. After exchanging glances, they each, still harboring their doubts, took out their own Underworld Iron Tomes. Although they didn't know what exactly had happened, since Luo Yao had spoken thus, they surmised there must be something to discover within the Underworld Iron Tome.
Following Luo Yao’s prompt, the three Great Emperors opened their Underworld Iron Tomes and entered the exclusive page for the Underworld Office personnel roster. At first, they found nothing unusual here. The Underworld’s own personnel roster showed no changes, and the nine Guardian Districts under the other three Great Emperors also had personnel within normal parameters. It was only when they reached the Jingling Continent Underworld Office's Ninth District that the situation underwent an earth-shattering change!
In the Ninth District, governed by Yang Haoran, the number of Emissaries of Death who had undergone the baptism of Heaven and Earth’s rules astonishingly approached seven thousand. Among these individuals, aside from a very small number with identity information, the details for everyone else were completely blank, a clean slate. Some didn’t even have names, just an empty field of a special color. Most importantly, these six thousand-plus individuals had received the baptism of Heaven and Earth’s rules today, and only a short while ago. The timing indicated that all six thousand-plus had undergone this baptism simultaneously, meaning they had all become Emissaries of Death at the same time, and all of them were Emissaries of Death for Yang Haoran’s Ninth District!
After these Guardians entered the Underworld Office personnel roster page, their reactions varied. Some turned as terrifyingly dark as the four Great Emperors, while others wore expressions of utter disbelief. Whether it was the four Great Emperors or the Guardians present, their ability to gradually rise to their current positions indicated that, without exception, their minds were sharp enough. Therefore, upon seeing the highly abnormal personnel roster for the Jingling Continent Underworld Office's Ninth District, suspicions arose in all their hearts. Despite these suspicions, none of the Guardians present spoke rashly. Instead, they directed their gazes towards the four Great Emperors, for this matter was of immense importance, and speaking out carelessly might invite trouble. Moreover, with the four Great Emperors present, they had no right to speak, so they all chose to remain silent, appearing ready to heed the Great Emperors' arrangements, as this, in their view, was the most rational approach.
“At the same time, Yang Haoran’s Ninth District astonishingly had so many people simultaneously undergo the baptism of Heaven and Earth’s rules and become Emissaries of Death—over six thousand individuals! Such a thing has never happened since the establishment of our Underworld Office. It’s absolutely outrageous, simply beyond brazen! ” the Jun Prefecture Great Emperor roared, his eyes fixed on the Underworld Iron Tome in his hand, his inner fury clearly etched across his face.
“To appoint an Emissary of Death and enable them to undergo the baptism of Heaven and Earth’s rules, making them a true Underworld official – to achieve this, within the entire Underworld Office, only our Sǐshén and the Five Emperors, as well as Guardians, possess this qualification. Even if others obtain an Underworld Iron Tome, they lack the authority to use it, let alone appoint an Emissary of Death and have their physical body undergo the baptism of Heaven and Earth’s rules. This is because an Underworld Iron Tome with such authority can only be activated by its true owner. From this, it appears Yang Haoran is not only alive but has also leveraged his authority to appoint over six thousand Emissaries of Death in one go. This Yang Haoran truly has guts; he’s been hiding deep, and he’s utterly mad. He truly lives up to being the Jingling Great Emperor’s hand-picked confidant! ” the Underworld Emperor stated, his face grim, his voice cold as he looked at Luo Yao. Luo Yao, meanwhile, was so consumed by inner rage that his face had become contorted, for he could tell that the Underworld Emperor’s words were not praise for him, but a stinging insult!
“Underworld Emperor, why utter such words? Do you truly believe Yang Haoran did this? You know the Tongzhou Great Emperor’s strength very well, and so do I. You couldn’t possibly think Yang Haoran is capable of killing the Tongzhou Great Emperor, could you? No matter how much Yang Haoran might have concealed his power, no matter how formidable he might be, his realm would not exceed the Earth Soul. How could he possibly contend with the Life Soul realm Tongzhou Great Emperor? Facing a powerhouse like the Tongzhou Great Emperor, Yang Haoran would simply be instantly killed. Let alone slaying the Tongzhou Great Emperor, Yang Haoran couldn’t even escape from his grasp! ”
Luo Yao understood the Underworld Emperor’s meaning and retorted furiously. Although he wished to ease relations with the Underworld Emperor at this critical juncture, this matter was of a different nature. If his stance wasn’t firm enough, he would only become more passive.
However, the Underworld Emperor did not agree with Luo Yao’s assertion just because of his furious rebuttal. He let out a cold snort, then spoke. “Hmph, of course I know Yang Haoran is certainly no match for the Tongzhou Great Emperor. But what if Yang Haoran colluded with external enemies? ”
The Underworld Emperor’s words left Luo Yao speechless, for he too knew that such a possibility was not out of the question, and given the current circumstances, it was the most likely scenario.
Seeing Luo Yao’s grim expression and silence, the Underworld Emperor continued, his face still dark. “The entire Jingling Continent Underworld Office is your territory, Luo Yao, and this Ninth District is Yang Haoran’s territory. To directly appoint an Emissary of Death to the Jingling Continent Underworld Office’s Ninth District, besides our Sǐshén, only you, Luo Yao, as the Jingling Great Emperor, and Yang Haoran, as the Guardian of the Jingling Continent Underworld Office’s Ninth District, can do it. Do you believe our Sǐshén would do something so trivial and inexplicable? Aside from our Sǐshén, only you and Yang Haoran remain. Since you don’t believe Yang Haoran did this, and even doubt he’s still alive, then could it be that *you*, Luo Yao, are responsible for this? ”
“You! ! ! ” These words from the Underworld Emperor made Luo Yao’s expression turn even fouler. Luo Yao, his face contorted with rage, pointed a finger at the Underworld Emperor’s nose, managing only a single "You! " For a moment, he couldn't think of any strong rebuttal!
“‘You’ what? Haven’t I made myself clear enough? Do you mean to suggest someone is coercing Yang Haoran into doing this? ” The Underworld Emperor was relentless, showing no intention of letting Luo Yao off the hook. Luo Yao’s face went black with fury, yet he was utterly helpless against the Underworld Emperor.
“Enough,” the Qing Shan Great Emperor interjected, his face solemn, “arguing here will only harm our collective harmony. It is a fact that the Tongzhou Great Emperor is dead, and as a result, only four of us Five Underworld Emperors remain. Under these circumstances, we absolutely cannot afford internal strife, lest our enemies exploit our weaknesses. ”
The Qing Shan Great Emperor, having said this, turned his gaze to Luo Yao. “I recall that a Great Emperor’s Underworld Iron Tome has a locating function for the Underworld Iron Tomes of their nine subordinate Guardians, provided the Guardian’s Underworld Iron Tome hasn’t been stored in a separate dimensional space. Try it, and see if you can pinpoint Yang Haoran’s current location. ”
Moonlit Night God
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