Chapter 1529: Three-Party Meeting
Ever since Yang Haoran learned of the Death God's existence, the Death God seemed to have never concerned himself with the affairs of the Underworld Office. Even during the great Spirit Master Rebellion, when the Underworld Office and the Spirit Masters clashed so fiercely, the Death God only appeared at the very last moment, entering seclusion after a battle with the Talisman Ancestor.
In Yang Haoran's impression, the Death God never seemed to oversee the major or minor affairs of the Underworld Office, entrusting everything entirely to the Five Emperors of the Underworld Office. Even the appointment or removal of an Emperor seemed to be without the Death God's involvement; for instance, when Luo Yao, the Jingling Continent Emperor, was to be dismissed, or when Huo Laoban, the Tong Continent Emperor, was appointed—the Death God was nowhere to be seen in any of these matters.
While Yang Haoran wasn't a hundred percent certain that the Death God had no involvement in any of this, based on his understanding during his time as a Guardian in the Underworld Office, and the various intelligence reports Tang Shi had gathered for him, he believed it was highly probable.
If the Death God truly participated in the operations of the Underworld Office, then its high-ranking officials would absolutely not be able to engage in open internal strife for such prolonged periods. Disagreements among high-ranking officials are normal, but resorting to killing colleagues for personal gain is something no leader could ever tolerate. Therefore, the chaos within the Underworld Office could only indicate one thing: the Death God had not intervened to stop it before.
"Heh heh, how I wished the Underworld Office's high-ranking officials would continue their internal struggle forever. That way, the Underworld Office might have been destroyed by its own people. But alas, the Death God, who never meddles, actually emerged from seclusion at this crucial moment, shattering my illusions."
Yang Haoran smiled faintly, his expression and tone both conveying a profound sense of regret.
"In my humble opinion, it must be that some high-ranking official within the Underworld Office clearly saw how perilous the Underworld Office's situation had become and realized that continued internal strife would surely lead to its downfall. Thus, they must have used some method to report to the Death God. Otherwise, the Death God would not have emerged from seclusion at this critical juncture."
Tang Shi voiced his opinion. Yang Haoran nodded slightly upon hearing it, seemingly agreeing with Tang Shi's analysis.
Tang Shi naturally understood the meaning behind Yang Haoran's words. If the Emperor who reported to the Death God was truly considering the Underworld Office's well-being, they wouldn't have waited until now to report. They would have immediately informed the Death God when the internal strife began, asking the Death God to emerge from seclusion to take charge and prevent the conflict from escalating.
However, this individual did not do so, which indicates that they, too, harbored intentions of internal struggle and similarly sought to gain more benefits through it. The outcome, however, was unsatisfactory; in this life-or-death struggle, they suffered a devastating defeat. If they hadn't found a way to stop this internal conflict, their life would have ended within it. Therefore, to preserve their own life, they resorted to special means to report to the Death God, asking the Death God to intervene and halt the continuation of this internal strife.
The result was evident: as soon as the Death God emerged from seclusion, the entire Underworld Office was quelled, and the internal strife among its high-ranking officials was forced to end. Naturally, the defeated party in this internal conflict would not lose their lives due to their loss.
Although all of this was merely speculation between Yang Haoran and Tang Shi, based on the intelligence they currently possessed, this speculation might very well be the truth.
"Although the Death God's emergence from seclusion has halted the Underworld Office's internal strife, it will undoubtedly take some time to properly clean up the current mess within the Underworld Office. This is not something that can be accomplished in a day or two. During this period, we cannot afford to be idle; we must make preparations. Because once the Death God finishes tidying up the Underworld Office's mess, he might personally lead an expedition to eradicate hostile forces. After all, over the years, the Underworld Office's territory has shrunk, and the Death God's followers have dwindled. Fewer followers mean less Power of Faith for the Death God. This directly concerns the Death God, and since he has emerged from seclusion, he certainly won't turn a blind eye to this matter."
When Yang Haoran spoke these words, he appeared calm and unconcerned, but Tang Shi could feel the deep importance Yang Haoran placed on the matter. Indeed, Yang Haoran truly regarded this issue with extreme seriousness. The Great Night Empire was a hostile force to the Underworld Office, and if the Underworld Office were to act against hostile forces, it would naturally include the Great Night Empire. If the Death God didn't personally intervene, Yang Haoran wouldn't fear it; given the Underworld Office's current strength, the Great Night Empire was fully capable of handling them, especially since the Great Night Empire also had the Spirit Masters and the Talisman Order as allies.
However, if the Death God were to personally lead the campaign to eradicate hostile forces, the situation would be entirely different. Yang Haoran had the confidence to resist the corrupt Underworld Office, but he had no confidence in resisting the divine wrath of the Death God, for that would be a veritable dimensionality reduction strike.
"How does His Excellency the Emperor plan to respond?"
Tang Shi likewise realized the gravity of the situation and understood the consequences should the scenario Yang Haoran described come to pass, so he couldn't help but ask.
"Heh heh, you should continue doing what you're doing, but you'll need to keep a closer eye on the Underworld Office than before. As for the Great Night Empire's defensive arrangements, just leave that to Old Master Wu and the relevant departments to handle. As for me. . . I plan to speak with the leaders of the Spirit Masters and the Talisman Order. I believe they, too, are suffering from a headache due to the Death God's emergence, and likewise wish to speak with me."
In truth, Yang Haoran had left one thing unsaid: he also wanted to seize this opportunity to gauge the current strength of the False God of the Spirit Masters. However, considering that such a statement might provoke Tang Shi, he refrained from speaking it aloud.
After Tang Shi departed, Yang Haoran conjured several Communication Talismans, briefly explaining the situation. These were sent to his subordinates. Afterward, he conjured two more Communication Talismans; these were dispatched to the leaders of the Spirit Masters and the Talisman Order.
The leader of the Spirit Masters was, naturally, their current head, the False God of the Spirit Masters, who had returned from the dead. However, the leader of the Talisman Order was not the Talisman Ancestor.
The Talisman Ancestor was the True God of the Talisman Order. Beings such as he rarely concerned themselves with the internal affairs of the sect, much like how the Death God rarely concerned himself with the affairs of the Underworld Office. However, comparatively, the Talisman Ancestor's involvement in the Talisman Order's matters was slightly more frequent than the Death God's involvement in the Underworld Office's. Otherwise, the Underworld Office wouldn't have devolved into its current state, whereas the Talisman Order's situation was significantly better.
Precisely because a True God like the Talisman Ancestor rarely concerned himself with the major or minor affairs of the Talisman Order, he was not its direct leader. Yet, he was an existence transcending the leader. If he did not speak, everything in the Talisman Order was decided by the leader. But the moment he opened his mouth, he could easily erase everything belonging to the leader, including the leader's very life. As for why the Talisman Ancestor didn't personally assume the leadership but instead appointed one, it was because True Gods simply disdained such a position; in their eyes, it was perhaps nothing more than child's play.
The reason Yang Haoran and the False God of the Spirit Masters were the respective leaders of their factions, unable to relinquish their positions like the Talisman Ancestor, was because they and the Talisman Ancestor were fundamentally not beings of the same world. There was an essential difference between them; they naturally could not be compared to True Gods. If they wished to transform into True Gods, they had to personally handle many matters and make public appearances. True Gods, conversely, were the exact opposite: unless their sect faced a crisis of life and death, True Gods typically did not interfere in internal affairs.
Just like this time with the Underworld Office, if its high-ranking officials hadn't engaged in such irreconcilable internal strife, swiftly pushing the Underworld Office towards ruin, the Death God would absolutely not have appeared to deal with the matter.
Originally, Yang Haoran had intended to proactively send Communication Talismans to the Spirit Masters and the Talisman Order. According to his initial thoughts, he wanted to wait for these two parties to contact him first, so as not to reveal his inner urgency and prevent them from exploiting that to their advantage.
However, after some consideration, he felt that doing so might give others the impression that he was putting on too many airs, leaving a bad impression. Since they were allies, he decided to show some sincerity, humble himself, and take the initiative to contact the Spirit Masters and the Talisman Order first.
After Yang Haoran sent his Communication Talismans, he soon received replies from the False God of the Spirit Masters and the Talisman Order Master. Judging by the speed and content of their replies, it proved Yang Haoran's guess was correct: both the False God of the Spirit Masters and the Talisman Order Master knew about the Death God emerging from seclusion to take charge of the situation, and both were suffering from severe headaches because of it.
After an exchange via Communication Talismans, the three decided to meet in person to discuss countermeasures. After all, such matters couldn't be resolved with a few words through a Communication Talisman; a face-to-face discussion was absolutely necessary. The meeting location was set at the largest Talisman Ancestor Temple within the Talisman Order's territory!
The Talisman Order's territory was considerable, and Talisman Ancestor Temples within its domain were as numerous as ox hairs. However, there was only one largest Talisman Ancestor Temple, which was the temple where the current Talisman Order Master resided. This temple was not only the most spectacular and magnificent among all Talisman Ancestor Temples but also the place with the highest concentration of Talisman Order experts.
The reason for choosing the largest Talisman Ancestor Temple within the Talisman Order's territory as the meeting place was undoubtedly due to the subtle intentions of all three. Although the three factions were now allied, the alliance was still too new, having not yet undergone a baptism of blood, and its foundation was not yet firm. It was only natural for them to harbor their own private thoughts and cautious considerations.
Let alone newly allied partners, even within the same faction, colleagues would harbor their own subtle intentions and personal calculations, let alone allies who had only recently formed their bond.
All three were old foxes, so none of them exposed the others' true intentions. Pointing out another's thoughts would only embarrass them, which was not beneficial for allied relations, especially when they all currently wished for their alliance to grow stronger.
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