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Chapter 195 Power Drives One Mad

Yang Haoran watched Deng Feng's actions, his expression exceedingly grim. This grimness wasn't feigned; it came from the depths of his heart.

At this moment, he was certain that once the souls of these deceased Night Watchers had been completely extracted, it would be the turn of those unfortunate souls who were still alive.

In mere moments, the souls of the dead Night Watchers were entirely consumed and absorbed by the Death God Seals. Each Death God Seal now emanated Yin Qi interwoven with streaks of blood.

With a wave of Deng Feng's hand, several blood-laced Death God Seals transformed into streaks of light, flying towards him and then hovering suspended around his body, as if awaiting their master's next command.

Ignoring the Death God Seals hovering around him, Deng Feng fixed his gaze upon Yang Haoran and the others.

It wasn't that he didn't want to attend to the floating Death God Seals; rather, he was too weak at the moment and needed a little more time to recover.

Seeing Deng Feng's gaze shift, one Night Watcher mustered his courage and asked Deng Feng, "E-Emissary of Death, their souls. . ."

Deng Feng waved his hand, cutting off the Night Watcher, a smile on his face. He said, "Aside from Haoran, all of you have followed me for many years. After such a long time, not to mention people, even a dog would develop feelings. So, before I make my move, I'll tell you some secrets, to ensure you don't vanish from this world with any lingering doubts."

At these words, the expressions of the surviving Night Watchers present immediately varied.

Yang Haoran's expression was grim, no different from before. The moment Deng Feng began collecting the first Night Watcher's soul with the Death God Seal, he knew Deng Feng would undoubtedly turn on the living Night Watchers next. Thus, he wasn't surprised by Deng Feng's current words.

As for his grim expression, that was certainly to be expected.

Jiang Dashi's reaction differed from Yang Haoran's. His face wasn't grim; it held only regret and sorrow.

Among the Night Watchers present, no one else showed an expression like his, not even a similar one. Instead, there were two others with grim expressions like Yang Haoran's.

Beyond that, most felt panic and terror. Though they usually appeared like gods before ordinary people, their reactions to facing death themselves were no different from anyone else's.

Fear rapidly spread through their hearts. One Night Watcher, no longer possessing the courage to remain and face Deng Feng, screamed in a broken voice, "I don't want to know any truth! I don't want to die! Emissary of Death, please, I beg you, spare me! I swear I won't tell anyone what happened tonight, not even my own mother!"

Deng Feng's only response was a shake of his head.

Despair filled the Night Watcher's face. Then, as if something occurred to him, a sliver of hope appeared on his desperate countenance, and he looked at Yang Haoran with a pleading expression.

"Little Yang—no, Brother Yang! You're the Emissary of Death's most valued Night Watcher! Please, plead for me! Please, I beg you, plead for me!"

The Night Watcher now begging Yang Haoran was the very one who had treated him most contemptuously outside the Ghost Building, who had looked at him with the deepest disdain and scorn.

Yet now, to survive, he held no trace of disdain or scorn for Yang Haoran; in fact, he pinned all his hopes of living on Yang Haoran.

How ironic, how absurd, yet precisely how real.

Only, this Night Watcher, pleading for his life, never dreamed that all of this was merely a misunderstanding.

In his eyes, Deng Feng regarded Yang Haoran with considerable importance. He believed his eyes hadn't deceived him, but often, eyes can be deceiving.

Faced with the Night Watcher's plea, Yang Haoran's expression shifted. Before he could even speak, Deng Feng interrupted him again.

"At a time like this, stop shouting. Quietly listen to me explain," Deng Feng said coldly, his words betraying a hint of impatience.

Yet the Night Watcher, like a stubborn child, persisted, screaming in utter collapse, "No! I won't listen! I won't listen! I don't want to die! I—"

His words were cut short, his voice abruptly silenced, and a terrified expression froze on his face.

A Death God Seal appeared on his brow, then, emitting black Yin Qi, it detached from his forehead.

The instant the Death God Seal left his brow, not only did all power fluctuations cease in his body, but his life signs vanished as well.

Just like the previously deceased Night Watchers, his soul was forcibly extracted by the Death God Seal and consumed.

The moment his soul was devoured by the Death God Seal, his corpse lost the power of levitation and plummeted downwards.

Under normal circumstances, even if an Emissary of Death were to withdraw a Death God Seal planted within a Night Watcher, the Night Watcher would, at most, lose all their power; their life would not be threatened.

However, Deng Feng's Death God Seal had clearly been tampered with; it was different from the Death God Seals other Emissaries of Death planted in Night Watchers, which was why the current scene unfolded.

Deng Feng waved his hand, and this Death God Seal returned to his side. Around his body, another Death God Seal now floated suspended.

"He was simply too noisy, so I had no choice but to use this method to shut him up. You all must not follow his example."

Deng Feng said with a cold laugh, looking less like someone who had just killed a subordinate who had followed him for years, and more like someone casually slaughtering a domesticated fowl he had raised.

No one spoke again, nor did anyone dare to. At this moment, apart from Yang Haoran and Jiang Dashi, everyone else was racking their brains, using the opportunity while Deng Feng spoke, to figure out how to escape.

Deng Feng paid no mind to what the Night Watchers present were thinking; he simply began speaking to himself.

"Years ago, by a stroke of luck, I opened my Heaven Soul and fortunately became an Emissary of Death. The excitement, the joy I felt at the time, was indescribable, for becoming an Emissary of Death meant becoming a true Underworld Official. From then on, as long as I wasn't struck down by external factors, I would be immortal and ageless."

"Once one's status, position, and power reach my level, you realize that the pleasure power brings is something no woman can provide. For women bring but momentary pleasure, while power brings a pleasure that is eternal."

"Having tasted the sweetness power offered, I sought even greater strength, because only with power could I live better and more gloriously in this world, only then could I do more of what I desired. . ."

"To quickly elevate my strength to the next level, I diligently performed my duties as an Emissary of Death, hoping to open my Earth Soul through this method. Once the Earth Soul was open, my power would multiply."

"But years later, I realized I was wrong. If I merely relied on Soul Pills gained from performing my duties to increase my strength, who knew how long it would take to successfully open my Earth Soul. So, I decided to take a dangerous shortcut, to play a little close to the edge."

"Doing so inevitably carried risks, but the rewards were equally bountiful. As long as I didn't go as mad as the previous Emissary of Death, the danger would be very low. After all, my targets were almost exclusively the Night Watchers under my command. The higher-ups wouldn't concern themselves with the lives of Night Watchers. As long as I kept things clean and neat, I wouldn't have any trouble."

"At that time, I happened to acquire a secret art, and this art could precisely be applied to the Death God Seal. So, according to the records in this secret art, I made some modifications to the Spirit Power Seed within my body."

"Everything went smoothly. I successfully made the Spirit Power Seed in my body different from those of other Emissaries of Death. Whether I implanted Death God Seals into Night Watchers afterward or had already done so previously, the moment the Spirit Power Seed in my body successfully changed, the Spirit Power Seeds within them would also subtly change."

"From then on, whenever I wished, upon retrieving the Spirit Power Seed I had implanted, I could forcibly extract the target's soul and vital energy, and then allow the Spirit Power Seed to devour and absorb them. . ."

"After the Spirit Power Seed devoured the target's soul and vital energy, the soul would be converted into Yin Qi, multiplying in quantity under the effect of the secret art, and the consumed vital energy would also multiply. . ."

"The Yin Qi converted by the secret art isn't truly Pure Yin Qi; while it contains some impurities, it's far superior to ordinary Yin Qi and can be absorbed and refined by us from the Underworld Office, though afterwards it requires a significant amount of time and effort to purge the impurities from one's body. As for the vital energy forcibly extracted from the target, it has no flaws whatsoever; once absorbed and refined, it's a great tonic for one's physical body, bringing only benefits and no harm."

Having spoken all this in one breath, Deng Feng looked at Yang Haoran and the others with interest, a mocking expression on his face. He asked, "Do you know why I protected you all tonight, so afraid you might lose your lives?"

No one answered Deng Feng, but he didn't get angry. He smiled and said, "Because when the souls and vital energy of living people are forcibly extracted, more Yin Qi and vital energy can be converted. If extracted after the target's death, the effect is greatly diminished."

"Furthermore, the stronger the target, the more powerful their soul, and the more abundant their vital energy, the more benefits I gain. Aside from Haoran, I've also nurtured all of you for many years; your strength is quite considerable compared to the recently joined Night Watchers."

"With you all, plus the Spirit Medium Du Da, and the Blood-Clad Evil Spirit Zhong Siyu, I will undoubtedly succeed in opening my Earth Soul in one fell swoop this time. As for the impurities remaining in my body, once I've opened my Earth Soul, I'll have all the time in the world to expel them. . ."

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, this secret art of mine can be applied not only to you Night Watchers but also to other living people, or those who have just died, or even powerful Spirit Bodies. However, in these three cases, the chosen target must be strong enough; otherwise, the effect will be very poor, yielding fewer benefits than you provide."

"The Spirit Medium Du Da, and the Evil Spirit Zhong Siyu—their strength is clear for all to see, both quite formidable. They are ideal targets for me. Tonight, having them accompany you on your journey, you won't be at a disadvantage."

The more Deng Feng spoke, the more excited he became. He glanced at Du Da's corpse on the ground, then at Zhong Siyu, trapped by the Death God's Law Aspect, and couldn't help but burst into laughter.

When his laughter subsided, he asked Yang Haoran and the others, "Now do you understand why I brought all of you here tonight?"

Still, no one responded to Deng Feng, for he had already made the answer abundantly clear.

"Originally, I had another method to break through to the Earth Soul realm: Xu Meijing."

At Deng Feng's mention of Xu Meijing, Yang Haoran's brows involuntarily furrowed.

"Xu Meijing possesses a Supreme Yin Body. This constitution, once her virginity is lost, will generate Supreme Yin Qi, and this Supreme Yin Qi holds immense benefits for me to open my Earth Soul. It was precisely because I discovered this constitution of hers that I made her a Night Watcher."

"At that time, my strength was still a long way from opening my Earth Soul. If I impatiently broke her virginity to take the Supreme Yin Qi, the success rate for me to open my Earth Soul would be negligible. For me, that would simply be a waste; I naturally wouldn't commit such a foolish act as killing the goose that lays the golden eggs."

"By making Xu Meijing a Night Watcher, as her strength increased, the Yin Qi within her would grow denser. Then, when her virginity was broken, the Supreme Yin Qi produced would be correspondingly enhanced, and the benefits I reaped would also increase. Therefore, I decided to wait until just before she was about to open her Heaven Soul to break her virginity and seize the Supreme Yin Qi."

"I originally intended to spend vast resources to cultivate her quickly, but I feared she might grow suspicious, and also worried that my own strength increase wouldn't keep pace with the ideal progress. So, I let her develop freely and gradually. When she, through her own efforts, was close to opening her Heaven Soul, I believed I would also be drawing closer to opening my Earth Soul. At that point, breaking her virginity and taking her Supreme Yin Qi would maximize my chances of opening my Earth Soul. . ."

"To prevent this cooked duck from flying away, I've worried myself sick over the years. Anyone who actively approached her, or anyone she actively approached, regardless of gender, I secretly eliminated them all, to ensure her virginity remained intact. But man proposes, God disposes; in the end, this cooked duck still flew away."

As Deng Feng uttered these words, Yang Haoran's expression changed once more. He recalled his conversation with Xu Meijing before coming to the Ghost Building tonight.

At the time, Xu Meijing had told him that any man who got even slightly close to her disappeared. Back then, he hadn't quite understood what Xu Meijing meant. Now, hearing Deng Feng speak of it openly, he finally understood.

So, all along, Deng Feng had been secretly pulling strings, and his goal was to obtain Xu Meijing's Supreme Yin Qi. . .

"Actually, you all didn't have to die. Anyone would feel a bit of pity having to personally slaughter dogs they've raised for years, and after all, I still needed you to work for me. But there's no other way; I'm already impatient to open my Earth Soul as soon as possible, so I can only ask you to lend me a hand, to play this last crucial role. You don't have any objections, do you?"

Still, no one answered, and Deng Feng, seemingly having anticipated this, didn't mind. He gave a cold laugh, then fixed his gaze on Yang Haoran.

"Speaking of which, I must especially commend Haoran. Your cunning and deceit have been a great help to me this time. However, a talent like you is simply too dangerous. I think it's better for you to die, to prevent you from harming others. What do you think?"