Chapter 1531: Tournament to Select an Emperor
In just a few short months, the Death God used thunderous means to stabilize the chaotic and corrupt Underworld Office. Many suffered as a result, and even the four Great Emperors of the Underworld Office were punished to varying degrees. If not for their critical importance to the Underworld Office, their punishments would certainly not have been so light; an Emissary of Death, in their shoes, would have died a hundred times over.
Although the Death God rarely concerns himself with the affairs of the Underworld Office, large or small, this does not mean he is indifferent to its survival. This time, he was clearly enraged, and the consequences of his anger were severe: not only were the existing four Great Emperors of the Underworld Office punished, but several Guardians were also removed from their posts. The unluckiest, however, were those Guardians he killed as a warning, making an example of them.
When the Death God truly became serious, his efficiency was astonishing. He quickly set the Underworld Office back on its proper course, though this was all built upon his formidable strength.
After successfully bringing the Underworld Office back on track, the Death God did not retreat into the background as he usually did. Instead, he continued to oversee the Underworld Office. However, he did not launch an attack on rival forces; instead, he decided to personally select the next Tong Continent Great Emperor.
Over the years, the severe internal strife within the Underworld Office, which had even seriously impacted its foundations, largely stemmed from the coveted throne of the Tong Continent Great Emperor, as the other four Great Emperors all wished to claim it for themselves.
Upon emerging from seclusion, the Death God used various methods to clarify the entire situation. Therefore, after stabilizing the Underworld Office, the first thing he did was not to vent his anger on rival forces, seize more territory, or gain more believers, but rather to select a new Tong Continent Great Emperor.
One reason he acted this way was, of course, to sever the ambitions of the other four Great Emperors, preventing them from making any covert moves to contend for the position of Tong Continent Great Emperor behind his back.
Another reason was that the Tong Continent Yin Division required a Tong Continent Great Emperor to manage it. The longer the Tong Continent Yin Division remained without a Great Emperor, the longer it would remain in disarray. This chaos wasn't limited to the mid and lower ranks; the high-ranking Guardians of the Tong Continent Yin Division would also resort to every possible means to claim the throne of the Tong Continent Great Emperor. While they wouldn't dare openly, they would certainly be unable to resist acting covertly. Therefore, to thoroughly resolve this issue, a new Tong Continent Great Emperor had to be selected as soon as possible, the sooner, the better.
Of course, this exclusion of "all Underworld Officials" did not include Night Watchers. In the eyes of the Underworld Office's high command, Night Watchers were not true Underworld Officials. To put it nicely, Night Watchers were the fresh blood of the Underworld Office, as Emissaries of Death were almost exclusively chosen from among them. To put it less nicely, Night Watchers were merely cannon fodder who ran errands. After all, the vast majority of Night Watchers, even if they worked themselves to death, would never become Emissaries of Death; such lucky individuals were simply too rare.
The competition's content, besides personal strength, would also test the contestants' intellect. The intellectual test encompassed many aspects, such as judgment and analytical skills, problem-solving ability in unforeseen circumstances, and leadership capabilities, among others.
In other words, simply being strong, even the strongest among all contestants, would not guarantee victory. Only the person with the strongest overall capabilities could sit upon the throne of the Tong Continent Great Emperor.
As this matter was not classified, Yang Haoran received the intelligence from Tang Shi immediately after the Underworld Office issued this announcement. This intelligence contained not only the detailed time and location of the Underworld Office's tournament but also every specific competition event.
When Yang Haoran saw this intelligence, he simply smiled and said, "Her chance has arrived."
The "her" Yang Haoran referred to was, of course, Xu Meijing. He knew Xu Meijing well, knowing that she also harbored immense ambition. Xu Meijing had long coveted the position of Great Emperor but had never found a suitable opportunity.
Although Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing had been apart for many years, his attention to her had never waned during that time. He had consistently arranged for Tang Shi to secretly monitor Xu Meijing's every move. This wasn't surveillance, but rather a desire to understand everything about her and to be able to offer assistance if Xu Meijing truly encountered trouble.
Precisely because of this, Yang Haoran had a clear grasp of Xu Meijing's every action over the years.
According to the information Yang Haoran had gathered, Xu Meijing participated in the previous two internal struggles among the Underworld Office's high command for the throne of the Tong Continent Great Emperor, but her involvement was minimal. She participated entirely due to Luo Yao's command, which she couldn't refuse. If she hadn't been compelled by Luo Yao's orders, Xu Meijing would not have participated in either of those two internal conflicts for the imperial throne.
Given Xu Meijing's ambition, she logically shouldn't have missed such an opportunity to contend for the imperial throne. Yang Haoran could roughly guess why she was unwilling to participate, based on some intelligence he had collected.
One reason was that his own defection from the Underworld Office had made Xu Meijing's position within the Underworld Office very sensitive. There were things she wanted to do but dared not; once done, it would bring significant negative consequences upon her, perhaps even causing her to lose her Guardian position.
Another reason was that Xu Meijing must have known that even if she participated, her chances of ascending to the throne of the Tong Continent Great Emperor were slim. It wasn't because of her own insufficient strength, but rather because the help Luo Yao could provide her was truly limited.
Besides these two reasons, in Yang Haoran's view, there might have been other factors at play. It was for these reasons that Xu Meijing did not truly participate in the previous two internal struggles for the throne of the Tong Continent Great Emperor.
The situation was different now. This selection for the Tong Continent Great Emperor was personally presided over by the Death God. No one could use backdoors, no matter how influential their connections in the Underworld Office. To win, one could only rely on their own abilities. For Xu Meijing, this was undoubtedly a heaven-sent opportunity, one she naturally wouldn't miss.
From Yang Haoran's perspective, he certainly wanted to help Xu Meijing win the championship, but he couldn't intervene in this matter. After all, the Death God himself would preside over this competition. If Yang Haoran interfered, not only would it have little effect, but it might even harm Xu Meijing.
Furthermore, with Xu Meijing's capabilities, Yang Haoran couldn't say with 100% certainty that she would win, but her chances of winning were extremely high. Therefore, he did not intend to intervene in this matter, but he would closely monitor it.
Shortly after Yang Haoran received the news that the Underworld Office was about to hold a tournament to select an Emperor, he then received Communication Talismans from the Spirit Master False God and the leader of the Talisman Order. The messages were largely similar, both urging him to quickly go to the largest Ancestral Talisman Temple where the three parties had last met.
Yang Haoran didn't know why the Spirit Master False God and the leader of the Talisman Order were so eager to see him, but he guessed it was very likely related to the tournament the Underworld Office was holding. After all, their seeking him out at this particular time made it hard for him not to associate it with the Underworld Office's impending tournament to select an Emperor.
After signing the forbidden art contract with the Spirit Master False God last time, their alliance had deepened considerably. Therefore, upon receiving their Communication Talismans, Yang Haoran wasted no time and swiftly headed to the destination.
Although their alliance had deepened, Yang Haoran wouldn't become careless because of it. He still maintained necessary precautions. Thus, on this trip, he also brought along the siblings Jing Qi and Jing Miao, and additionally, Zhong Siyu.
The previous experience had been quite unpleasant for Zhong Siyu, so she had no desire to participate in this trip whatsoever. When Yang Haoran found Zhong Siyu and explained the situation, Zhong Siyu flatly refused.
Fortunately, after so many years together, Yang Haoran had long understood her temperament and knew how to handle such situations. After a series of promises, Zhong Siyu's face lit up with joy, and she trotted happily after Yang Haoran, leaving with him.
When Yang Haoran returned to the Great Night Empire, he immediately convened a meeting of all high-ranking officials. After the meeting, Bai Xue dispatched a significant number of members from the Flock of Demons Society, led by two Demon Saints, who then departed from the Great Night Empire.
A month later, just as the Underworld Office was holding its tournament to select an Emperor in the Underworld realm, the Underworld Office's territories in the mortal realm came under fierce assault. The attackers were primarily composed of three major factions: the Great Night Empire, the Spirit Callers, and the Talisman Order. In addition to these three, there were also various affiliated forces of the Spirit Callers and the Talisman Order.
As for the Great Night Empire, since it had no affiliated forces whatsoever, it naturally wouldn't have any participating in this surprise attack.
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