Chapter 1541: The Battle of Apotheosis (Part Three)
The roar in the Demon Hunter Guild Leader's heart was quickly answered. As time passed, more and more people arrived at this location, including those from the Underworld Office, Spirit Mediums, and, of course, members of the Demon Hunter Guild.
Regardless of their faction, the ability to arrive here in such a short time indicated their extraordinary strength, for without sufficient power, achieving this would have been impossible.
At this moment, multiple islands of the Great Night Empire, including Half-Moon Island, had been concealed and relocated under the effect of the national protective grand array. While not entirely foolproof, as long as this Battle of Apotheosis didn't completely overturn the Eastern Sunrise Ocean, the likelihood of these islands being affected would be very small.
This was good news, yet the Great Night Empire at this moment felt not a shred of joyful atmosphere. Especially the high-ranking officials of the Great Night Empire, who were currently locked in a heated argument in the Night God Palace. The reason for their dispute was that one faction wished to immediately lead forces to the Apotheosis Platform to support Yang Haoran, while the other vehemently opposed it.
The high-ranking officials who wanted to immediately bring people to support Yang Haoran were, of course, driven by concern for him. No matter how formidable Yang Haoran might be, two fists could hardly contend with four hands. With their support, Yang Haoran's pressure would be significantly lessened, and his chances of securing the God Position would greatly increase.
The opposing high-ranking officials believed they should obey Yang Haoran's orders and act only after he gave the command. Rushing to his aid without explicit instructions could very well disrupt Yang Haoran's plans, and not only would they fail to help, but they might even hold him back.
Both sides had their own valid points, and neither could persuade the other, nor were they willing to concede, which led to such a fierce dispute.
Old Master Wu observed all of this. He knew that if the two sides continued to quarrel, it might escalate the conflict, and it wouldn't be surprising if a fight broke out right there in the Night God Palace. To prevent such an event from actually happening, Old Master Wu spoke up and halted their argument.
Old Master Wu, of course, wasn't foolish enough to directly state which side was more reasonable, because no matter which side he chose, he would offend the other. Such an approach wouldn't resolve the conflict, but rather intensify it.
However, Old Master Wu did not simply placate both sides; instead, he offered his own suggestion.
Old Master Wu first employed a Ghost Art to conjure a projection. This projection depicted Yang Haoran's arduous climb up the Apotheosis Platform. With this projection, all the high-ranking officials of the Great Night Empire present could clearly see Yang Haoran's current situation.
Following this, Old Master Wu presented his suggestion: the Great Night Empire's combat personnel should temporarily remain on standby, awaiting Yang Haoran's next instructions, as Yang Haoran had previously issued such an order to him.
As soon as these words were uttered, the expressions of the high-ranking officials advocating for immediate support to Yang Haoran changed. Some even wished to voice their objections, but before they could speak, Old Master Wu stopped them with a wave of his hand, for he had not yet finished.
Old Master Wu's continuation was this: if Yang Haoran's situation were to worsen, then even without direct instructions from Yang Haoran, he would defy Yang Haoran's orders and go to his aid. Should Yang Haoran later assign blame, he would bear all responsibility.
Upon Old Master Wu's declaration, neither side voiced any opposition, for this indeed offered a compromise. Since neither faction could persuade the other, they had no choice but to accept Old Master Wu's conciliatory solution.
Seeing that neither side objected, Old Master Wu breathed a slight sigh of relief. He had been somewhat concerned that both parties might not agree to this suggestion, a possibility, though small, that had indeed existed.
As the arguing factions accepted Old Master Wu's suggestion, the once boisterous scene instantly fell silent. However, this quiet was not comforting; rather, it felt tense and oppressive.
None of the high-ranking officials spoke. All pre-battle preparations had long been completed, and they merely awaited Yang Haoran's next instructions. Thus, everyone watched Yang Haoran in the projection with grave expressions, ensuring they would receive his command at the earliest possible moment; they didn't wish to miss even the slightest movement.
This tense and oppressive atmosphere did not last for long. Under the watchful eyes of the Great Night Empire's high-ranking officials, Yang Haoran, who was on the Apotheosis Platform, suddenly raised his right hand and made a gesture. Every high-ranking official of the Great Night Empire present witnessed this, and Old Master Wu was, of course, no exception.
The other high-ranking officials of the Great Night Empire might not have understood the meaning of Yang Haoran's gesture, but Old Master Wu understood it perfectly. The moment he saw Yang Haoran's hand signal, his expression immediately changed.
"The Emperor has given his command! All selected combat personnel, follow me immediately to the Apotheosis Platform to support His Imperial Majesty! We have toiled for so long, all for this very day. Whether the Emperor can achieve godhood also hinges on this day. Even if we are utterly shattered, we must clear all obstacles for the Emperor. Do you understand?"
Old Master Wu, his face stern, loudly questioned the high-ranking officials of the Great Night Empire. His inquiry was immediately met with a resounding and affirmative response from them all.
"Understood! ! !"
After receiving the high-ranking officials' affirmative and resounding reply, Old Master Wu did not continue with any pre-battle morale boosting. Everything that needed to be said had been said countless times before. Thus, he directly led the selected combat personnel out of the Night God Palace.
On the Apotheosis Platform, Yang Haoran continued his arduous ascent. At this point, he was not far from the platform's peak. However, the Power of Faith imbued within his physical body was ultimately still somewhat weak, causing every single step he took to be incredibly strenuous. Despite the seemingly short distance remaining, it felt as vast as the heavens.
Yang Haoran did not give up because of this. Having endured countless hardships to reach this point, he would absolutely not abandon his efforts until the very last moment. Moreover, he hadn't yet reached the end of his tether; there was simply no reason to give up. Even though his pace had become painstakingly slow, he continued to persevere with all his might.
As experts from various major factions successively arrived, this sea region transformed into an enormous battlefield. Dazzling treasures clashed, a myriad of arcane techniques emerged endlessly, and deafening explosions resonated without pause. The entire battlefield resembled an apocalypse, its momentum utterly astonishing.
All battles erupted around the Apotheosis Platform, whether it was multi-person brawls or one-on-one duels. The Apotheosis Platform was the epicenter of this grand war; the closer to it, the fiercer the slaughter. The fighting further from the Apotheosis Platform, however, could not merely be described as fierce; brutal and desperate would be a more fitting term. This became increasingly apparent as more and more people arrived and joined the fray.
If he could, Yang Haoran would have preferred not to deploy a single soldier from the Great Night Empire, but this was clearly impossible. Neither the Talisman Order nor the Spirit Mediums were fools; it was easy to imagine what they would do if the Great Night Empire didn't even send out a single combatant. Furthermore, it was Yang Haoran himself who was climbing the Apotheosis Platform, not someone from the Talisman Order or the Spirit Master False God. If he didn't unleash the full might of the Great Night Empire's forces, there would be no possibility of him obtaining the God Position.
Therefore, as more and more experts from various factions arrived at the scene, to prevent his allies from growing discontent and to ensure his own grand plan wasn't disrupted, he conveyed his orders to Old Master Wu through a hand gesture. Although he wasn't with Old Master Wu in the Night God Palace, he trusted that his every move was under Old Master Wu's watchful eye, and that commands could still be given via gestures.
In a short while, numerous spatial rifts appeared around the periphery of the Apotheosis Platform, and Old Master Wu arrived on the battlefield with the Great Night Empire's forces.
Old Master Wu didn't waste time on empty declarations. In an environment filled with continuous explosions, rhetoric held no meaning. With Old Master Wu's command, the Great Night Empire's combat personnel joined the battle, each identifying their targets and launching their attacks against the enemies!
Comments