Chapter 1534: Chaos Throughout the World (Part 2)
Upon receiving the Underworld Office’s plea for aid, the Demon Hunter Guild wasted no time. They immediately dispatched a large number of their top experts to reinforce the Underworld Office. The two factions were staunch allies, their destinies intertwined by immense shared interests—to flourish together or perish together. With the Underworld Office besieged by multiple forces, the Demon Hunter Guild could hardly stand by and do nothing. If the Underworld Office fell, the Demon Hunter Guild, as its ally, would certainly not fare well. The only exception would be if their alliance was already on the verge of collapsing, prompting the Demon Hunter Guild to defect to the enemy’s side before the Underworld Office’s downfall.
As things stood, the Demon Hunter Guild showed no signs of severing its alliance with the Underworld Office. Furthermore, the Underworld Office’s assistance to the Demon Hunter Guild undoubtedly surpassed the Demon Hunter Guild’s help to the Underworld Office. Since the Underworld Office had not actively dissolved the alliance, the Demon Hunter Guild would naturally not do so either.
Since they wished to maintain their alliance, aid was, of course, due when an ally was in distress. Thus, the Demon Hunter Guild not only sent numerous experts to support the Underworld Office but also mobilized its subordinate forces to participate in the relief effort. The scale was immense, solidifying their stance as a steadfast ally.
Over the years, the Underworld Office had similarly brought several small and medium-sized factions under its wing as subordinate forces. While these forces lacked a large number of peak experts, their overall numbers were substantial, and they certainly possessed competent practitioners. They were perfect for cannon fodder. Therefore, the Death God did not allow these subordinate forces to remain idle; instead, he had them join this great war. With free cannon fodder at his disposal, there was no reason for him not to use them.
The outcome the Death God desired was not merely to repel the enemy. He sought to simultaneously strike a heavy blow against them, and ideally, even advance to their strongholds. To achieve this objective, he had deployed virtually every ounce of strength the Underworld Office could muster.
The reason for the Death God's furious disposition was his observation that the Underworld Office's deterrent power was steadily diminishing. Anyone dared to challenge the Underworld Office now, which infuriated him. If he didn't cripple the hostile forces this time and make them pay a heavy price, the Underworld Office's deterrent power would undoubtedly plummet, a significant blow to both himself and the entire Underworld Office. This was, of course, not what he wished to see.
In the initial phase, the Administrative Courtyard, the Spirit Mediums, and the Talisman Order launched overwhelming assaults on the Underworld Office, driving it back repeatedly and seizing considerable territory and resources. However, as the Underworld Office’s reinforcements arrived, the momentum of the three factions immediately waned. In some areas, they even found themselves unable to resist.
Consequently, the Spirit Mediums and the Talisman Order contacted Yang Haoran, hoping the Great Night Empire would send troops to support them. Not only that, but the Spirit Mediums and the Talisman Order also mobilized their subordinate forces to join the battle. The Administrative Courtyard naturally wished for its own subordinate forces to participate as well. Unfortunately, the Administrative Courtyard had no such entities. This was because the nature of the Administrative Courtyard differed from that of sects: any faction willing to submit to the Administrative Courtyard fully integrated into it, becoming an integral part of the Administrative Courtyard. Hence, the Administrative Courtyard had no separate subordinate forces.
By then, the situation would become utterly chaotic and uncontrollable. In such a state, the Apotheosis Platform might just reappear!
Through years of effort, the number of Yang Haoran’s followers had steadily grown, and they were all exceptionally devout. The citizens of the Great Night Empire, in particular, were the most pious, as they constantly reaped various benefits bestowed by him, their Emperor.
The more devout his followers, the greater the Power of Faith Yang Haoran received. Thus, over these years, he had accumulated a considerable amount of Power of Faith.
Bolstered by this Power of Faith, once the Apotheosis Platform appeared, he could attempt to ascend it. If his Power of Faith proved sufficient to withstand the platform’s pressure, that would be ideal, and he could then strive for a God Position without hesitation. If his Power of Faith was unable to resist the pressure unleashed by the Apotheosis Platform, he could still gain experience, laying the groundwork for his next bid for a God Position.
Moreover, the Apotheosis Platform would only appear once the world had descended into a certain degree of chaos. During this period, he still had time to accumulate Power of Faith. When the Apotheosis Platform truly manifested, he might not necessarily be unable to withstand its pressure.
All in all, the more chaotic the current situation, the more advantageous it was for him. If sending his own troops could further destabilize the situation, he was naturally more than willing to do so.
The Great Night Empire’s intervention indeed plunged the situation into deeper chaos, and the great war, precisely as Yang Haoran had hoped, showed no signs of ending. As the conflict dragged on, more and more factions became embroiled in it. Even the Saint Mother Sect, which had always opposed bloodshed, was no exception; it too became entangled.
As the war progressed, nearly every major and minor force across the New Beginning Realm became involved. The New Beginning Realm, which had enjoyed relative peace for many years, once again descended into utter turmoil. To describe it as "chaos throughout the world" would be no exaggeration at all.
Although numerous factions participated, this great war differed significantly from the Spirit Mediums' Uprising. The Spirit Mediums' Uprising was primarily a war between the Underworld Office and the Spirit Mediums, with other factions, even if involved, often passively revolving around these two major powers. However, this time the situation was different; many factions actively joined for their own respective interests.
Many factors contributed to this situation. One such factor was that during the Spirit Mediums' Uprising, many factions simply dared not provoke powers like the Underworld Office and the Spirit Mediums, lest they invite utter annihilation.
While these factions still feared powerful entities like the Underworld Office, which boasted a True God, that fear was no longer as profound as before. This led to the current great chaos in the New Beginning Realm, where many forces sought to fish in troubled waters, hoping to seize as many benefits as possible. It was precisely for this reason that the current situation in the New Beginning Realm was even more chaotic and complex than during the Spirit Mediums' Uprising!
The turn of events far exceeded Yang Haoran’s expectations. Everything was proceeding even more smoothly than he had imagined, and the outcome was exactly what he had hoped for. Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to be entirely joyful, because the great war between their three factions and the Underworld Office had already dragged on for seven years.
During this period, the Great Night Empire had given rise to many experts, but similarly, some had lost their lives in the war. Although their deaths wouldn't inflict significant damage upon the Great Night Empire, as fresh blood would fill the void left by their demise, Yang Haoran still felt a pang of heartache. For they were all citizens of the Great Night Empire, his devout followers. If he could, he wouldn’t wish for a single one of them to die, but that was clearly impossible. For where there was war, there was death, and to gain, one must understand loss.
However, this was merely one reason he couldn’t truly be joyful. The other reason was that everything had progressed too smoothly—so smoothly, in fact, that it felt eerie. He couldn't shake the feeling that someone behind the scenes was deliberately orchestrating these events, thereby leading to the present state of widespread chaos.
It wasn't until a piece of intelligence from Tang Shi and a Communication Talisman from Ye Zhiqiu finally made Yang Haoran understand what was truly happening.
Ye Zhiqiu’s Communication Talisman contained a simple message: "He wants me to tell you that the gift I sent you has begun, but it has not yet ended."
As for the intelligence Tang Shi had gathered, it concerned Xiao Kang. The reason the world had transformed into its current state, with virtually all factions in the New Beginning Realm involved, was largely due to Xiao Kang. Through Tang Shi’s clandestine investigation, he discovered Xiao Kang’s hand in many of these factions.
While it was impossible to ascertain what methods Xiao Kang had used to persuade or incite other factions to participate in this great war, it could not be denied that he was involved. Even the Administrative Courtyard’s proactive assault on the Underworld Office years ago had a direct connection to Xiao Kang. And Ye Zhiqiu’s Communication Talisman fully corroborated that the intelligence Tang Shi had collected was accurate.
Upon receiving Tang Shi’s intelligence and Ye Zhiqiu’s Communication Talisman, Yang Haoran was deeply shaken. Although he had suspected that the current chaos in the New Beginning Realm was deliberately orchestrated by someone behind the scenes, he had never, in his wildest dreams, imagined that the instigator would be Xiao Kang—and that Xiao Kang had set this war in motion specifically for him!
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