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Chapter 1527: Still Alive, Surprisingly

In Yang Haoran’s view, the fact that the Talisman Order chose to ally with Spirit Masters, whether before the Spirit Master Uprising or now, indicated that Spirit Masters had their merits. Otherwise, with the formidable strength and status of the Talisman Order, they would surely disdain allying with Spirit Masters.

Based on this alone, it showed that even if the Spirit Masters’ current strength hadn't fully recovered to what it was before the Spirit Master Uprising, it shouldn't be too poor. Yang Haoran was actually very clear on this point in his heart. However, speculation was ultimately just speculation. If he had a choice, he wouldn't judge the truth of a matter based solely on guesswork. Therefore, to ascertain the Spirit Masters’ approximate current strength, he still needed to conduct an investigation to get results.

Especially regarding the new leader of the Spirit Masters mentioned by Yuan Ji, he was very interested in this person. He wanted to know everything possible about this individual.

Blindly investigating Spirit Masters would be like looking for a needle in a haystack, as current Spirit Masters were hidden in the shadows, naturally increasing the difficulty of investigation. However, with the information provided by Yuan Ji, the difficulty of investigation would consequently decrease, and coupled with the Myriad Ghost Grotto's capabilities in this area, the problem became even smaller.

Yang Haoran naturally trusted Tang Shi's work efficiency. Over so many years, Yang Haoran knew better than anyone just how fast Tang Shi's work efficiency was. Yet, even so, when Tang Shi delivered the collected intelligence to Yang Haoran's hands, it was already a month later.

This expenditure of time was a bit more than Yang Haoran had anticipated. However, Yang Haoran didn't doubt Tang Shi or the Myriad Ghost Grotto's abilities because of it. One could only say that the Spirit Masters were truly hidden deep, otherwise, it would have been impossible for Tang Shi to take so long.

The time spent exceeded his expectations, which somewhat surprised Yang Haoran. However, what surprised Yang Haoran even more was the content of the intelligence Tang Shi had gathered.

According to the intelligence, the Spirit Masters’ current overall strength, although not comparable to an entity like the Great Night Empire, nor on par with the Underworld Office or the Talisman Order, could indeed rank among the major powers. If one were to compare the current Spirit Masters to their state during the Spirit Master Uprising, then the Spirit Masters had at least recovered more than half of their strength from that time.

Spirit Masters differed from other factions. Because Spirit Masters had Guardian Spirits with whom they had signed contracts, the Spirit Masters would benefit from their Guardian Spirits’ improvements. By the same token, when Spirit Masters improved, their Guardian Spirits would also benefit. This led to Spirit Masters improving much faster than other factions.

Yang Haoran had deeply experienced this point. Ever since he signed a contract with Zhong Siyu, his cultivation speed had more than doubled compared to his time in the Underworld Office. This "speed" referred to the pace when consuming an equivalent amount of external cultivation aids, not the effect of consuming too many cultivation aids, because as Zhong Siyu improved, he also benefited considerably.

Similarly, he frantically devoured Soul Pills, and later directly absorbed and refined Soul Crystals. While his strength rapidly increased, Zhong Siyu, as his Guardian Spirit, also achieved rapid improvement. Not only could he deeply feel this, Zhong Siyu could also feel it.

Strictly speaking, Yang Haoran could be considered half a Spirit Master. Therefore, he was very familiar with this aspect. Hence, when he learned that Spirit Masters had surprisingly recovered more than half of their vitality, he easily understood why.

The speed of the Spirit Masters’ recovery surprised Yang Haoran somewhat, but it was only a slight surprise, and he quickly understood the reason. However, another piece of information in the intelligence truly shocked him beyond words, even causing him to lose his composure on the spot.

This information was that the Spirit Master False God was surprisingly still alive. The current leader of the Spirit Masters was precisely the former Spirit Master False God!

This information left Yang Haoran dumbfounded. In his impression, the Spirit Master False God had already been finished during the Apotheosis Platform War. Logically, he should have been Soul Transformation. How could he still be alive? Losing his composure, Yang Haoran immediately sent a Communication Talisman to Tang Shi, telling Tang Shi to come see him at once.

The reason Yang Haoran lost his composure like this wasn't just the shock of the Spirit Master False God being alive. It also involved another, even more crucial matter.

Each time the Apotheosis Platform appeared, there was only one God Position. To put it simply, each time the Apotheosis Platform appeared, either only one person could step onto the Apotheosis Platform, successfully obtain the God Position, and become a True God, or no one would succeed, and the Apotheosis Platform would disappear until its next appearance.

If the intelligence Tang Shi gathered this time was accurate, and the Spirit Master False God was indeed still alive, then the next time the Apotheosis Platform appeared, the Spirit Master False God would certainly contend for the God Position again. Yang Haoran believed the Spirit Master False God would definitely not want to miss such an opportunity, which had no fixed time and whose next appearance was unknown.

However, Yang Haoran also had the same idea. Although he didn't know when the Apotheosis Platform would appear next, he was certainly going to make all sorts of preparations before then. Once the Apotheosis Platform appeared, he would definitely go all out to step onto the Apotheosis Platform and contend for the God Position that could make him a True God. In other words, at that time, he would inevitably have a life-and-death bloodbath with the Spirit Master False God.

If the two sides hadn't formed an alliance, such a situation wouldn't be a big deal. But the problem was that the Great Night Empire had already allied with the Spirit Masters, and also with the Talisman Order. The three parties had already become allies!

Yang Haoran could foresee that when the Apotheosis Platform appeared, he would inevitably have a life-and-death bloodbath with the Spirit Master False God. The Spirit Master False God could also foresee this point. Since both understood that the other was very likely to become a stumbling block to their own path to godhood, then the alliance between them was simply a joke.

After Yang Haoran saw the intelligence and learned that the Spirit Master False God was still alive, what he thought of first wasn't why the Spirit Master False God was still alive. What he first thought of was that when the Apotheosis Platform appeared in the future, he would have a formidable obstacle to becoming a god, because his concern for this matter far surpassed the former.

It was precisely because this matter concerned his future godhood that Yang Haoran lost his composure and immediately sent a Communication Talisman for Tang Shi to come see him.

The moment Tang Shi received Yang Haoran's Communication Talisman, he immediately put down all important matters at hand and went to see Yang Haoran at once. Since both were in the Night God Palace, shortly after Yang Haoran sent the Communication Talisman—Yang Haoran had only taken a few puffs of his cigarette—Tang Shi appeared before him.

At this moment, Yang Haoran's face lacked its usual faint smile. His expression was very serious. After seeing Tang Shi arrive, he didn't beat around the bush; he even forgot to ask Tang Shi to sit down first, and directly asked.

"This intelligence, are you sure there's no problem with it? Other details aren't important. What I care about is whether the Spirit Master False God is truly still alive."

Because Tang Shi wore a mask, his expression at that moment couldn't be seen. However, his gaze showed no change whatsoever. No surprise, no astonishment. It appeared exceptionally calm. From this, it could be seen that his face beneath the mask must have remained unchanged, and regarding Yang Haoran's current inquiry, he also showed no surprise, as if he had long anticipated Yang Haoran asking this.

"Replying to your Majesty, the Emperor, through repeated verification by your subordinate, it has been confirmed that the content of this intelligence is absolutely true."

Tang Shi didn't beat around the bush either. He immediately gave Yang Haoran an affirmative reply. After Yang Haoran received Tang Shi's affirmative reply, his brows couldn't help but furrow.

The reason Yang Haoran frowned wasn't because he was dissatisfied with Tang Shi's answer. Rather, it was because this answer filled him with worry.

In fact, after Yang Haoran saw the content of the intelligence, he knew that the Spirit Master False God being alive was definitely true. Because he understood Tang Shi's character, for such an important matter, Tang Shi would not have delivered this intelligence to his hands without repeated verification. Since this intelligence had reached his hands, it meant that there was an eighty to ninety percent chance the content was accurate.

Calling Tang Shi even though he understood in his heart was partly out of a glimmer of hope. On the other hand, he wanted Tang Shi to offer advice and strategies, to see if Tang Shi had any good suggestions.

Seeing Yang Haoran frown, puffing on his cigarette one after another, Tang Shi didn't dare speak. He stood honestly in place, quietly awaiting Yang Haoran's next words.

"What is the Spirit Master False God's current strength like? To what extent has he recovered?"

The cigarette burned out. Yang Haoran heavily exhaled a puff of smoke. As he extinguished the cigarette butt, he asked Tang Shi.

After saying this, Yang Haoran vigorously poked his face with both hands. The worry on his face vanished. He regained a serene smile, though it seemed somewhat forced.

"Currently, we can only confirm that the Spirit Master False God is still alive. Why he is alive, and to what extent his strength has recovered, this information is not yet known."

Tang Shi said. Yang Haoran didn't speak after hearing Tang Shi's reply. Instead, he took out another cigarette and lit it. Seeing this, Tang Shi continued to speak.

"The Spirit Master False God's return from the dead, in your subordinate's view, might be due to the use of some secret art, or the use of some heaven-defying treasure. Otherwise, it's difficult to explain why he would return from death. As for why we don't know the extent of the Spirit Master False God's current strength recovery, the reason is that his existence is inherently a secret. Very few people know of his return from the dead. Furthermore, since his revival, he has never made a move, nor has he erupted with powerful energy fluctuations. Therefore, it's impossible to make an approximate judgment of his current strength."

After these words fell, Tang Shi looked at Yang Haoran. Seeing that Yang Haoran still had no intention of speaking, he quickly continued.

"Your Majesty, please rest assured. Now that we know the Spirit Master False God is still alive, then with enough patience, we will certainly be able to find out the extent of his strength recovery. As long as Your Majesty grants your subordinate some time, your subordinate will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly."

Tang Shi gave his assurance. Yang Haoran didn't remain silent this time. He first nodded, and then spoke.

"This matter is of great importance. So you must keep a close eye on it. By no means miss any detail. You must do your utmost to investigate this matter thoroughly for me in the shortest possible time."