Chapter 332: The Despairing White Snake
Yang Haoran ignored the Evil Spirit's struggles, ignored its roars. He grabbed the Yin Qi that formed the Evil Spirit's Spirit Body, like a hunter grabbing a small beast, and forcefully stuffed it into the Soul-Gathering Bead.
Staring at the Soul-Gathering Bead before him, the Evil Spirit manifested a ghostly face within it, snarling and roaring menacingly at Yang Haoran.
Yang Haoran had placed a seal on this Soul-Gathering Bead; no sounds could escape from within, nor could any sounds penetrate from the outside.
Thus, Yang Haoran couldn't hear the Evil Spirit's roars at this moment, but judging by its mouth shape, it certainly wasn't uttering words like "I like you" or "I love you."
It didn't matter, though. The more fiercely it cursed now, the heavier his hand would be later, without a shred of guilt.
According to what he saw with his Ghost Eye, this particular Evil Spirit wasn't one of those naturally formed Evil Spirits. It hadn't suffered much injustice in life, and after death, it wasn't even an Evil Spirit (evil Spirit), just an ordinary spirit.
Yang Haoran couldn't perceive what happened after its death with his Ghost Eye, but for an ordinary Spirit to progressively evolve into an Evil Spirit, it must have devoured a considerable number of ghostly entities. Of course, he couldn't rule out other fortuitous encounters along the way.
"To break through from a Spirit to an Evil Spirit step by step, and remain so powerful after being sealed here for an unknown number of years. . . what a truly inspiring story,"
A smile touched Yang Haoran's face, a look of profound emotion as he freed himself from the stone wall and landed on the ground.
"Cough, cough."
With a violent cough, Yang Haoran spat out another mouthful of fresh blood. Since becoming an Emissary of Death, he had never sustained such severe injuries; today marked the first time.
Wiping away the blood from the corner of his mouth with a laugh, Yang Haoran couldn't help but sigh softly, "The first time always leaves such a deep impression. I gave my first time to you, so when the time comes, you'll surely repay me with Soul Transformation, won't you?"
As his words faded, Yang Haoran's gaze fell upon the spot where the Array Master had been, and he walked towards it step by step.
The array was destroyed, the Array Master's bones reduced to dust, but Yang Haoran hadn't sensed the Array Master's soul.
The Array Master had sealed the Evil Spirit here, and at the same time, he had sealed himself within the array. As for why he sealed himself, where his soul went—whether it was devoured by the Evil Spirit, or if he sacrificed his soul to set up the array, or for some other reason—none of these questions mattered to Yang Haoran anymore.
Yang Haoran had no intention of delving into the root cause of the great battle that had once transpired between the two parties. He approached the Array Master's former location simply to see if there was anything left to discover.
If he could find any relics of the Array Master, then his journey would yield some unexpected gains.
Previously, due to the presence of the Evil Spirit, he hadn't had the chance to check if the Array Master had left any relics. Now that the Evil Spirit was dealt with and contained within his Soul-Gathering Bead, he naturally had time to conduct a thorough search.
Imagination was beautiful, but reality was cruel. After a meticulous search, Yang Haoran found nothing. To ensure he missed nothing, he even dug open the ground beneath where the Array Master had rested, yet still came up empty-handed.
With no other choice, he gave up. After burying the dust that was once the Array Master's bones, he dismissed any lingering thoughts of striking another fortune.
The Soul Pill within his body continued to unleash massive amounts of Pure Yin Qi, and his Spirit Power was still surging wildly. Under these circumstances, Yang Haoran decided it was time to leave.
Although he hadn't gained any extra treasures and had sustained considerable injuries, the primary objective of his trip had been achieved, and Yang Haoran was quite satisfied. It was time to depart.
His decision to leave immediately was prompted by his need to heal his injuries and also to refine the Soul Pill within him.
Of course, even if he didn't deliberately refine the Soul Pill, the Pure Yin Qi it released would naturally be absorbed by his body. However, actively refining it would accelerate both the release of Pure Yin Qi from the Soul Pill and his body's absorption rate.
Yang Haoran could have chosen to do both these things on the spot, but he refrained. The reason was that his previous battle with the Evil Spirit had caused quite a commotion, and to avoid attracting unnecessary trouble, he decided it was best to leave first.
However, just as he was preparing to leave, his expression subtly shifted, and his gaze shot upwards.
The space above his head was vast and utterly empty, yet judging by Yang Haoran's expression, he seemed to have sensed something.
"Such heavy Demon Qi. . . Could the commotion I made earlier have actually attracted a demon? " he wondered inwardly, his brows furrowing slightly.
His thoughts thus, Yang Haoran's brow furrowed slightly. Then, a rift appeared in the space before him; he decided to immediately leave this place through the spatial crack.
At present, he was injured, so he had no intention of directly confronting the newcomer. If it were just a minor demon, that would be fine, but if it was a powerful demon, things would become troublesome.
It wasn't fear, but rather a sense that it wasn't necessary. Not wishing to invite trouble at this moment, he simply wanted to leave first.
Yang Haoran had just torn open space and hadn't yet stepped into the spatial rift when a thunderous crash erupted from above. Immediately after, a massive hole was torn open in the ancient tomb's ceiling, and a cascade of rocks rained down.
As this scene unfolded before Yang Haoran's eyes, he didn't hesitate for a moment, instinctively stepping into the spatial rift before him.
The spatial rift healed, and Yang Haoran vanished completely.
At the same time, rocks of varying sizes crashed down with a rumbling sound. Among these debris, a white snake as thick as a water bucket was intertwined.
The white snake hit the ground, kicking up a large cloud of dust. Some of the falling debris landed on the ground, while others struck the snake's body.
The white snake let out a painful hiss, blood streaming from its mouth and nostrils. Its serpentine body bore numerous wounds, shallow and deep, all continuously oozing blood.
This white snake was none other than Bai Xue, the snake demon who had previously departed.
Gazing at the spot where Yang Haoran had vanished, the snake demon's eyes welled with profound sadness and disappointment. As she had just fallen from above, amidst the chaotic rubble, she had personally witnessed Yang Haoran resolutely stepping into the spatial rift and disappearing.
"He. . . he still left after all," a weak voice escaped the snake demon's lips. As her words faded, she spat out another mouthful of blood, her serpentine body writhing in agony amidst the pile of rubble.
The cold, clear moonlight shone down, illuminating the snake demon's heavily scarred body, giving her an unspeakable air of wretchedness at that moment.
Simultaneously, a figure descended from the sky, landing in front of the snake demon's body.
This person was exceedingly disheveled: messy hair, a face full of stubble, and a trench coat that looked like it hadn't been washed in ages, constantly emanating a foul stench mixed with a strong reek of alcohol.
This person was none other than the slovenly man who had been searching for the snake demon in Stone Forest Town earlier today.
The slovenly man had initially expected to come up empty-handed today, but he hadn't anticipated sensing Demon Qi in the evening.
At that time, the snake demon, wanting to leave Lecheng territory as quickly as possible, had used her Demon Power. Once she released it, the slovenly man sensed her presence.
The slovenly man caught up to her, and the two engaged in a fierce battle. However, the snake demon, whose strength had not yet recovered, was no match for the slovenly man.
The snake demon was outmatched, but she refused to die like this at the slovenly man's hands. She had only just gained her freedom, and there were still many unknowns in this world waiting for her to explore; she wanted to live.
So, she thought of Yang Haoran. She knew that at that moment, only Yang Haoran could save her life. Thus, she exerted every ounce of her strength, struggling to fend off the slovenly man's attacks while retreating towards the ancient tomb.
Having narrowly escaped death to reach this place, the snake demon sensed the power fluctuations and intense Yin Qi emanating from beneath the stone forest. However, before she could even breathe a sigh of relief, she was struck by a violent blow from the slovenly man.
Her body was hit, and the immense force directly caused her body to smash a large hole in the ground, as she, along with a torrent of rocks, plummeted towards the depths of the ancient tomb.
But what she hadn't anticipated was that she had guessed the beginning, but not the end. Yang Haoran was indeed still within the ancient tomb, yet as her body plunged from high above, she personally witnessed his departure.
In that instant, the snake demon's heart shattered. She felt an unprecedented sense of helplessness and despair.
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