Chapter 214: Witness and Evidence
Yang Haoran wanted to conceal the matter of him swallowing the Death God Seal, or at least modify the story. After all, it wasn't a glorious deed to devour another Night Watcher's Death God Seal to enhance his own power; it was bound to leave a bad impression on the formidable figure before him.
However, after some thought, Yang Haoran decided to be honest about it. Otherwise, it would be difficult to explain how he, a newcomer who had only joined the ranks of Night Watchers a few months ago, managed to open his Heaven Soul.
Although he revealed the truth, to minimize any negative repercussions, he did his best to portray himself as a victim.
He was indeed somewhat of a victim at the time, but the reality differed slightly from his current narrative. Back then, he had willingly swallowed the Blood-Red Eyeball; otherwise, how could Zhong Siyu have possessed him?
He naturally omitted this detail. He wouldn't be so foolish as to reveal his clandestine cooperation with Zhong Siyu to the man before him. If he did, he worried he might follow in Deng Feng's footsteps.
Regardless of the reason, collaborating with an Evil Spirit was never a commendable act for an Underworld Official. And joining forces with a ghostly entity to deal with one's own people? That was even more heinous.
"At that time, I was struck by Spirit Medium Du Da's Soul Dispersing Needle, which should have been a fatal blow. Yet, unexpectedly, it allowed me to seize the opportunity to successfully open my Heaven Soul."
"The Evil Spirit, sensing I was about to open my Heaven Soul, tried to intervene, but she was too entangled in her struggle with Spirit Medium Du Da to free herself. In the end, although she successfully killed Du Da, I managed to open my Heaven Soul. In a fit of rage, the Evil Spirit devoured Spirit Medium Du Da's soul, and finally had no choice but to leave my body."
"After successfully killing Deng Feng and then eliminating Spirit Medium Du Da, the Evil Spirit was greatly depleted. Meanwhile, I had just opened my Heaven Soul and was in much better physical condition than her. Knowing she couldn't gain anything by staying, she decisively chose to flee."
"Alas, I must confess, I truly believed I wouldn't escape that night. Yet, unexpectedly, I opened my Heaven Soul. It all happened so suddenly that I was completely stunned, taking a long time to react. By the time I came to my senses, the Evil Spirit had already fled. Otherwise, perhaps I could have detained her, or at least held her off until your arrival, Lord Emissary."
Yang Haoran's story sounded utterly convincing, yet the Black-Clothed Man frowned deeply, seemingly not entirely convinced. He stared at Yang Haoran with a solemn expression, as if trying to discern something from him.
Yang Haoran noted the Black-Clothed Man's reaction. He didn't rush to explain, choosing instead to remain silent.
Say what must be said, firmly refrain from saying what shouldn't be said, and if less can be said, then certainly don't say more.
After a moment, the Black-Clothed Man finally spoke: "If everything you've said is true, then Deng Feng truly deserved to die."
The Black-Clothed Man was clearly more concerned about Deng Feng, the Emissary of Death. As for how Yang Haoran opened his Heaven Soul, or how the Evil Spirit Zhong Siyu escaped, he didn't seem particularly bothered.
Detecting the doubt in the Black-Clothed Man's tone, Yang Haoran quickly assured him: "Lord Emissary, everything I've said is the truth, not a single falsehood."
At this point, Yang Haoran deliberately changed his expression, as if something had just occurred to him.
"Ah, right! Someone can attest that everything I've said is true, absolutely without a single lie!"
Upon hearing Yang Haoran's words, the Black-Clothed Man's eyebrow twitched. Before he could even ask, Yang Haoran retrieved a soul from his Soul-Gathering Bead.
This soul was none other than Jiang Dashi.
"At the time, when Deng Feng attacked us, Jiang Dashi didn't resist. Unwilling to see Jiang Dashi's soul devoured by the Death God Seal, I used a Black Talisman borrowed from a friend. Because I was a little slow, I only managed to protect his soul."
Seeing Jiang Dashi's eyes still tightly shut in slumber, the Black-Clothed Man waved a hand, directly waking Jiang Dashi from his deep sleep.
From his demeanor, it seemed he wanted to immediately ascertain from Jiang Dashi whether everything Yang Haoran had said was true.
Yang Haoran remained calm, without a hint of panic. Everything Jiang Dashi knew perfectly aligned with Yang Haoran's report to the Black-Clothed Man. The slight alterations Yang Haoran made were precisely what Jiang Dashi was unaware of.
Furthermore, judging from the current situation, the Black-Clothed Man seemed more concerned with whether Deng Feng's actions as an Emissary of Death were as Yang Haoran described. As for other matters, he didn't appear overly concerned.
The irony was that regarding Deng Feng's actions, Yang Haoran had indeed spoken the truth, without any embellishment.
And the parts he had slightly altered were precisely what the man before him didn't care about. This naturally eased many of Yang Haoran's concerns.
Of course, daring to act this way meant he had certainly prepared thoroughly. Even if the Black-Clothed Man *had* cared about the parts Yang Haoran altered, it wouldn't have thrown him off balance.
Jiang Dashi's soul was forcibly extracted by Yang Haoran from his corpse and coalesced into a spirit. Under normal circumstances, it would take at least seven days for his soul to awaken.
Yet, with a mere wave of his hand, the Black-Clothed Man awakened Jiang Dashi's soul. This feat was beyond even Yang Haoran's capabilities, despite having already opened his Heaven Soul.
After his soul awakened, Jiang Dashi's face showed a bewildered expression. He looked at the Black-Clothed Man, then at Yang Haoran, seemingly unable to grasp what was happening.
This bewildered state didn't last long. Within a few breaths, the confusion on Jiang Dashi's face gradually faded, and the scenes leading up to his death surfaced in his mind.
In the following moments, the Black-Clothed Man first revealed his identity, then proceeded to question Jiang Dashi extensively.
From start to finish, Yang Haoran didn't interject, listening quietly instead.
Everything unfolded as he expected. Jiang Dashi didn't intentionally malign Deng Feng. When questioned by the Black-Clothed Man, he simply recounted everything he knew without reservation, and what he said was no different from Yang Haoran's earlier account.
Before Jiang Dashi appeared, the Black-Clothed Man had been half-convinced by Yang Haoran's words. He was no child, and certainly wouldn't fully believe Yang Haoran based solely on his testimony.
After Jiang Dashi's appearance, and through the information gathered from him, the Black-Clothed Man, if not completely convinced by Yang Haoran, at least believed him nine-tenths of the way.
That remaining one-tenth was still doubt, as he couldn't rule out the possibility that Yang Haoran and Jiang Dashi might have colluded beforehand.
However, after the Black-Clothed Man thoroughly examined all the corpses present, that last shred of doubt in his mind slowly vanished. His inspection confirmed that these Night Watchers had indeed been drained of their vitality and souls, leaving only useless empty shells.
He had previously inspected the Death God Seals within Wu Laoyezi and the other two individuals. The Death God Seals had indeed been altered, and as Yang Haoran described, possessed the ability to devour souls and vitality. If Deng Feng had activated the Death God Seal, it was no wonder that the bodies of these Night Watchers had ended up in their current state.
The oral accounts of Yang Haoran and Jiang Dashi, the Death God Seals within Wu Laoyezi and the two others, and the Night Watchers' corpses lying strewn on the ground—all these pieces of evidence fully corroborated Deng Feng, the Emissary of Death's, heinous acts.
The Black-Clothed Man seemed to have a headache over this outcome, but with the facts laid bare before him, he had no choice but to accept them, no matter how much it pained him.
The reason for his headache was simple: Deng Feng was *his* man.
Not just Deng Feng, but Lecheng's previous Emissary of Death, Xue Li, had also been his subordinate.
To open his Earth Soul, Xue Li had hunted and forcibly collected souls from living beings, eventually betraying the Underworld Office. Although he had vanished without a trace, he remained a prime target on the Underworld Office's most-wanted list to this day.
After Xue Li, now there was Deng Feng. No matter how outrageous Xue Li's actions were, he had at least targeted outsiders. But Deng Feng? He had directly cooped up his own people like poultry, slaughtering them whenever he desired their flesh. From the Underworld Office's perspective, Deng Feng's actions were even more vile than Xue Li's.
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