Chapter 1488: The First Throne
There was something Yang Haoran didn't explicitly tell Old Master Wu. If the Underworld Office located their Great Night Empire's precise position, given the current level of hatred the Underworld Office held for Yang Haoran, the first thing the Underworld Office might do would not only be to sever the Great Night Empire's soul transport via the Reincarnation Platform, but also to dispatch troops to directly attack the Great Night Empire.
Considering he didn't want to put too much pressure on Old Master Wu, Yang Haoran kept this to himself. However, he also knew that Old Master Wu was a sharp individual; even if he didn't say it, Old Master Wu would likely figure it out with careful analysis.
Although the Great Night Empire was currently powerful, there was still a considerable gap when compared to the Underworld Office. Yang Haoran was keenly aware of this. Therefore, to change the Great Night Empire's passive situation against the Underworld Office, they could only do so by increasing their strength: boosting their own individual power while simultaneously enhancing the Great Night Empire's overall might.
This was a long process that required a significant amount of time. So, Old Master Wu was right about one thing: the later the Underworld Office pinpointed the Great Night Empire's exact location, the better, because that would give the Great Night Empire more time to develop.
Under Bai Xue's leadership, the Flock of Demons Society expanded outwards, centered around the Great Night Empire. Within just a few months, the Great Night Empire's territory significantly widened, gaining several islands of varying sizes. Once these islands became part of the Great Night Empire's domain, the Night God Palace quickly dispatched professional management personnel to take over, and employed various means to truly integrate these islands into the Great Night Empire's territory.
Each of these islands boasted its own advantages and resources. Previously, these islands had been claimed by powerful sea demons; some sea demons ruled alone as kings, while others led groups of subordinates. Regardless of their former status, they all became part of the Great Night Empire.
Bai Xue knew Yang Haoran's purpose for expanding the Great Night Empire outwards, so she did not disobey his command to slaughter the sea demons. Instead, she tried her best to subdue the sea demons she encountered. Only those truly obstinate and seeking death would she order to be slain, lest they incite other sea demons and cause chaos.
Precisely because of this, while Yang Haoran gained more believers, the membership of the Flock of Demons Society also increased to a certain extent. After all, the number of Flock of Demons Society members who died in battle was far less than the number of subdued sea demons. Moreover, among the subdued sea demons, there were quite a few experts. This led to the Flock of Demons Society's strength not weakening due to the campaigns, but rather growing stronger.
Before arriving at Half-Moon Island, although the Flock of Demons Society had the most members, its overall strength was not the greatest. At that time, Yang Haoran's strongest organization was, of course, the Myriad Ghost Grotto.
This expansion of the Great Night Empire once again boosted the Flock of Demons Society's strength. The Flock of Demons Society's top position within the Great Night Empire was not only unaffected but solidified, and the gap between the Myriad Ghost Grotto and the Flock of Demons Society widened considerably once more.
The rapid growth of the Flock of Demons Society brought both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage, naturally, was an increase in combat power; the strengthening of the Flock of Demons Society's combat power meant an enhancement of the entire Great Night Empire's strength, which was a good thing.
The disadvantage, however, lay in the excessively rapid increase in the number of sea demons joining the Flock of Demons Society within a short period. These newly integrated sea demons had not undergone prolonged ideological education and thus lacked a strong sense of belonging to the Great Night Empire. Consequently, their thoughts were highly unstable. It would be fine if they weren't incited by ill-intentioned individuals, but once stirred up, or if someone even took the lead in instigating them, then significant trouble would surely arise, potentially even leading to acts of betrayal against the Great Night Empire – this was the drawback.
As the president of the Flock of Demons Society, Bai Xue naturally saw the pros and cons of this situation with crystal clarity. Therefore, after she led the Flock of Demons Society to conquer another island, while the army was resting, she prepared to return alone to the Great Night Empire. Her purpose was to give Yang Haoran a detailed report on the current issues facing the Flock of Demons Society and let Yang Haoran, the Great Emperor, make the decision.
Although Bai Xue was campaigning abroad, it was no difficult task for her to rush back to the Great Night Empire to report to Yang Haoran. After all, she possessed the ability to tear through space, and with her strength, each spatial tear for teleportation could cover a considerable distance. Thus, even while on campaign, it wouldn't take her much time to return to the Great Night Empire for a work report to Yang Haoran.
Why didn't Bai Xue report to Yang Haoran via a Communication Talisman? On one hand, Communication Talismans had certain limitations, making it difficult to fully explain some matters through them. Of course, this wasn't the primary reason. The main reason was that Bai Xue hadn't seen Yang Haoran for some time, and she wanted to return to the Great Night Empire to see him.
Upon returning to the Great Night Empire, Bai Xue successfully met Yang Haoran. The moment they met, smiles simultaneously bloomed on both their faces.
Yang Haoran's smile was as natural and casual as usual, conveying nothing but a gentle warmth, betraying no other emotions. Bai Xue's smile, however, was somewhat different; besides being alluring and charming, it also carried other emotions.
Compared to several months prior, Yang Haoran noticed significant changes in Bai Xue. The malevolent aura surrounding her had clearly intensified, and her gaze had grown considerably sharper. She had shed some of her allure, gaining more heroic spirit.
This change surprised Yang Haoran somewhat, but he didn't let his astonishment show on his face.
Without even needing to deliberately ponder, Yang Haoran understood why Bai Xue had undergone such a transformation. It was surely because, over these past few months, Bai Xue had constantly been immersed in a baptism of blood, leading to these changes.
As Yang Haoran noticed Bai Xue's changes, Bai Xue likewise perceived his. She felt the Power of Faith shrouding Yang Haoran growing stronger and stronger, a power she was intimately familiar with, having once possessed it herself.
Feeling the Power of Faith shrouding Yang Haoran had significantly increased compared to months ago, Bai Xue was delighted, and even felt a little proud. After all, her own contributions were indispensable to this, as she had subdued a vast number of sea demons over the past few months. Under her command, these sea demons had, as expected, become Yang Haoran's believers.
To enable Yang Haoran to gain more Power of Faith in the shortest possible time, she had taken a large quantity of Death God Pendants before setting out on campaign. Each time she subdued a group of sea demons, she would distribute a batch of Death God Pendants. Furthermore, she mandated a specific time each day for Flock of Demons Society members to offer devout prayers to the Death God Pendants. This applied to both long-standing members of the Flock of Demons Society and newly subdued sea demons, without exception; it was a daily requirement for all Flock of Demons Society members.
Bai Xue was deeply convinced that her approach had provided considerable help in boosting Yang Haoran's Power of Faith. Thus, now sensing the significant increase in the Power of Faith shrouding Yang Haoran, she felt both joy and a touch of pride.
Her joy stemmed from feeling that everything she had done for Yang Haoran was meaningful, while her pride came from believing that her actions had brought him considerable assistance.
The happiness in her heart made a smile spontaneously bloom on Bai Xue's face. This smile was as beautiful as a flower or a painting, like a stunning landscape, truly enchanting.
"Hehehehe, Underworld Official Brother, it's been a few months, have you missed me?"
When they were alone, Bai Xue still preferred to address Yang Haoran as "Underworld Official Brother," because she felt it was more intimate. In formal settings, or when Yang Haoran's other trusted subordinates were present, she would no longer use this address.
As Bai Xue spoke these words, the atmosphere suddenly shifted. Although the malevolent aura still enveloped her, the heroic spirit she had recently gained vanished completely, replaced by a soul-stirring charm. Every frown and smile seemed capable of ensnaring one's very soul.
Fortunately, Yang Haoran's willpower was strong enough, and he was already accustomed to her antics, otherwise, he might have made a fool of himself.
"Hehe, yes, I have, but mostly, I've been worried."
Yang Haoran replied with a faint smile. Upon hearing his words, the enchantress's charm on Bai Xue's face intensified rather than diminished. She mischievously blinked her eyes, then smiled and asked Yang Haoran:
"Worried about what? Worried that I wouldn't be able to complete the mission successfully? Or worried that I would die on the campaign?"
Yang Haoran shook his head with a wry smile. He knew Bai Xue understood what he meant; she was, of course, teasing him with her questions.
"Hehe, why even ask? Of course, I was worried about your safety. Successfully completing the mission would naturally be for the best, but compared to your safety, whether the mission is perfectly accomplished isn't so important anymore."
Although he knew Bai Xue was teasing him, Yang Haoran still gave an affirmative answer.
Although Yang Haoran's answer didn't surprise Bai Xue, a strong surge of warmth still welled up in her heart upon hearing it.
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