Chapter 1533: Chaos Reigns (Part One)
When the Death God handed this task to Xu Meijing, though her expression remained unchanged, her heart trembled nonetheless.
Xu Meijing did not refuse outright, nor did she dare to directly defy the Death God’s command. She merely gave a subtle report to the Death God, stating that the Tong Continent Underworld Office was now gravely wounded, its strength less than two-thirds of its peak, and required a period of recuperation to recover to a certain extent.
Furthermore, it wasn't just the Tong Continent Underworld Office; the entire Underworld Office's strength was less than two-thirds of its peak. Therefore, both the Tong Continent Underworld Office and the Underworld Office as a whole needed rest and recovery.
Here, "peak period" referred only to the time before the Underworld chaos, not the Underworld Office's absolute zenith. After all, under such circumstances, Xu Meijing wouldn't compare it to the Underworld Office's most prosperous era.
From a normal perspective, the Underworld Office indeed needed to recuperate and recover, but the Death God rejected Xu Meijing’s suggestion. The Death God's reasons for refusal were threefold.
First, Yang Haoran was originally one of the Underworld Office's Guardians; not only did he betray the Underworld Office, but he also consecutively killed two Tong Continent Emperors. During the last attack on the Great Night Empire, the Underworld Office even fled in disarray. The Underworld Office had never suffered such a loss at the hands of any individual, nor had it lost so much "face" before any faction. Therefore, they absolutely had to reclaim their lost "face" and make Yang Haoran and the entire Great Night Empire pay a painful price.
Second, during the competition for selecting an Emperor, three major factions attacked the Underworld Office's territories in the mortal realm and successfully seized a significant amount of land and resources. This grudge absolutely had to be avenged, and the lost territories and resources had to be reclaimed.
Third, although the current Underworld Office was severely weakened and its overall strength had plummeted, even if other factions were slightly better off than the Underworld Office, they were certainly not much better. Therefore, there was no need to fear other factions; once fear set in, other factions’ attacks on the Underworld Office would only become more ferocious. Offense was the best defense.
The Death God’s meaning was clear: he would not alter his decision simply because the Underworld Office was currently gravely wounded.
Left with no choice, Xu Meijing could only accept the Death God’s command. Stubbornly resisting the Death God would yield her no benefit; it was entirely possible that her position as the Tong Continent Emperor, which she had barely settled into, would be summarily revoked by a single word from him. Having finally seized the opportunity to ascend to the throne of Tong Continent Emperor, she naturally had no desire to lose it.
The Death God’s decision to have Xu Meijing lead the attack on the Great Night Empire also had an unspoken reason: he was aware of Xu Meijing’s past relationship with Yang Haoran. Having Xu Meijing lead a solitary assault on the Great Night Empire could reveal much, and perhaps even achieve an unexpected victory.
It took Xu Meijing two full days to gather her forces. Some found this duration quite reasonable, even quick, but others felt it was too long, arguing that it shouldn't have taken so much time if she were truly serious. This led to suspicions that Xu Meijing was intentionally dragging her feet.
Xu Meijing’s public explanation for this was simple: she wasn’t sufficiently familiar with the Tong Continent Underworld Office, having only recently taken over. Her understanding of its current state was limited, and given that the Tong Continent Underworld Office was gravely wounded, selecting suitable personnel for a surprise attack on the Great Night Empire would naturally require some time.
As for the Great Night Empire, Yang Haoran had received intelligence two days prior, learning that Xu Meijing, the newly appointed Tong Continent Emperor, would personally lead a surprise attack on the Great Night Empire.
Upon hearing this news, Yang Haoran wasn't overly surprised, but he did find it rather troublesome. He knew this was undoubtedly the Death God's deliberate maneuver.
If any other Emperor had led the surprise attack on the Great Night Empire, Yang Haoran wouldn’t have found it troublesome; he might even have been pleased. In his eyes, it wouldn't be the Underworld Office's revenge, but rather a gift from them, allowing him to acquire valuable resources from these Underworld Officials. However, with Xu Meijing leading the charge, things became difficult, because he simply couldn't bring himself to kill her.
Let alone killing Xu Meijing, he couldn't even bring himself to harm her. Yet, if he ignored Xu Meijing's assault, the Great Night Empire would inevitably suffer damage, which was not something he wished to see. That was why he felt such a headache.
Just as Yang Haoran was still pondering this predicament, something completely unexpected occurred: the Administrative Courtyard actually launched an offensive against the Underworld Office’s territory, striking fiercely and without warning, catching the Underworld Office completely off guard.
Although the Administrative Courtyard no longer governed the entire New Beginning Realm as it did before the Underworld chaos, it had, through years of development and evolution, grown incredibly powerful, becoming one of the truly formidable major factions.
However, the Administrative Courtyard had always maintained a low profile, rarely engaging in conflicts with other factions. It had quietly expanded its own strength, never before taking the initiative to attack the Underworld Office, and the same applied to other factions as well.
The Underworld Office was wary of the Talisman Order, wary of the Spirit Mediums, and wary of the Great Night Empire. But towards the Administrative Courtyard, which was not considered a hostile faction, the Underworld Office had very few defenses. Its high-ranking officials had not anticipated that the Administrative Courtyard would be so audacious as to actively challenge the Underworld Office, specifically choosing a region that was both the weakest in defense and the most secretive within the Underworld Office's territory to launch their attack.
The reason this area was considered secretive was that, on the surface, it did not appear to be a weak point. Only the internal high-ranking officials knew that its outward appearance of strength was merely a facade designed to deceive enemies.
Precisely because this area was strong in appearance but weak in reality, it was utterly unable to resist the Administrative Courtyard’s sudden, unannounced attack. It was beaten back step by step, and the situation became extremely unfavorable for the Underworld Office. If reinforcements weren't sent quickly, this region would fall before long.
The Administrative Courtyard, which had previously maintained such a low profile, suddenly made such a move, bewildering not only Yang Haoran but all factions, including, of course, the Underworld Office itself.
Although the Administrative Courtyard's intentions remained unclear, this turn of events was precisely what the Underworld Office's rival factions most desired. Upon learning of the situation, both the Spirit Mediums and the Talisman Order recognized a prime opportunity and immediately launched fresh surprise attacks on other Underworld Office territories.
The term "fresh" was used because not long ago, the Spirit Mediums, the Talisman Order, and the Great Night Empire had already launched a coordinated surprise attack on the Underworld Office. However, in this latest assault, the Spirit Mediums and the Talisman Order did not consult with the Great Night Empire first; instead, they seized the moment and struck directly.
With the Spirit Mediums and the Talisman Order making their move, the Underworld Office's pressure naturally intensified. Xu Meijing had originally gathered her forces, preparing to launch a surprise attack on the Great Night Empire. With this new development, the Death God immediately canceled the plan to assault the Great Night Empire and instead ordered Xu Meijing to go directly to support the front lines.
The Death God canceled the plan to attack the Great Night Empire, not because he intended to spare them, but because the front lines urgently needed reinforcements. Otherwise, the Underworld Office would inevitably lose more territory in a short amount of time.
Additionally, there was another reason: the Great Night Empire was located in the center of the Eastern Sunrise Ocean, extremely far from the Tong Continent Underworld Office. It would take Xu Meijing and her forces some time to reach it, whereas a fraction of that time would be sufficient to reinforce any attacked area of the Underworld Office closer by. Therefore, after careful consideration, the Death God decided that extinguishing the immediate flames was paramount, to prevent greater losses for the Underworld Office.
Xu Meijing, of course, did not object to the Death God’s decision. Upon receiving his command, she wasted no time and immediately led the selected Underworld Officials to the nearest attacked region.
The Death God didn’t only make arrangements for Xu Meijing; he also gave orders to his other four Emperors. He even instructed one of his subordinate Emperors to contact the Demon Hunter Guild and request their military assistance.
The Demon Hunter Guild and the Underworld Office were allies. With such a sudden development, the Underworld Office naturally required strong support. The Demon Hunter Guild was an excellent choice of ally, not because the Underworld Office had been depleted of manpower and desperately needed aid, but because it was always best to share such burdens with allies. If they truly waited until there was no one left before seeking allies, it would be questionable whether those allies would still remain allies at all, let alone whether they would send troops.
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