Chapter 337: Completely Drained
At this moment, Yang Haoran's vision blurred, his mind reeled with dizziness, and his body swayed, barely able to stand.
The Death God's Law Aspect was undeniably powerful. However, summoning it was no easy feat.
In his recent condition, merely manifesting the Death God's Law Aspect had already been a struggle. Yet, he hadn't just summoned it; he had even unleashed its formidable power.
Such an act was akin to adding insult to injury for him. But to truly intimidate the dishevelled man, he had no choice but to feign composure.
When Deng Feng had summoned the Death God's Law Aspect in the Ghost Building back then, he had only utilized its sealing power, not its destructive might. One reason was that consecutively employing both aspects of the Law Aspect severely depleted Spirit Power; once his Spirit Power was exhausted, he would be left utterly at the mercy of others.
Furthermore, there was another crucial reason: when he used the Death God's Law Aspect against Zhong Siyu, his aim was to trap her, not to kill her. If he had unleashed the Law Aspect's destructive power, he feared Zhong Siyu's soul would be scattered, which was not the outcome he desired.
It was precisely due to these two reasons that Deng Feng, at that time, refrained from employing the Death God's Law Aspect's immense destructive force.
Yang Haoran's situation, however, was different. If he had merely restrained the dishevelled man, it would have been difficult to establish a powerful deterrent. Moreover, given his physical condition, he couldn't have contained the dishevelled man for long.
Thus, he simply mobilized the last vestiges of Spirit Power within him, forcibly unleashing the Death God's Law Aspect's destructive might to confront the dishevelled man.
If he couldn't hold out long enough to slay the dishevelled man, he would consume another Soul Pill and continue until the dishevelled man was dead.
If the Spirit Power continuously supplied by one Soul Pill proved insufficient for the consumption, then he would allow two Soul Pills to simultaneously release Pure Yin Qi for his body to absorb. In this way, the rate at which his Spirit Power grew would double, and then, naturally, the situation would reverse.
However, this preparation wasn't needed, because before the Spirit Power within him was completely exhausted, the dishevelled man couldn't withstand it any longer and decisively chose to flee the area.
After the dishevelled man escaped, the Spirit Power within Yang Haoran was no longer sufficient to sustain the Death God's Law Aspect. That immense palm vanished into thin air before it could even fully descend.
Due to the excessive overdraft of Spirit Power, compounded by his existing injuries, his physical condition was now dire.
Above his head, the Remnant Moon shattered with a crash, transforming into Yin Qi and dissipating completely.
However, Yang Haoran was unconcerned. As long as he lived, the Remnant Moon would never truly vanish. Its current disappearance was not an actual annihilation; the next time he summoned it, the Remnant Moon would be perfectly intact.
"Brother Underworld Official, are you alright? " the snake demon's weak voice drifted from behind him.
Yang Haoran took a deep breath, trying to steady himself, then looked at the snake demon and asked with a bitter smile, "Do I look alright in this state?"
At that, the snake demon was at a loss for words.
"Damn, that Demon Hunter has some skill. I need to rest for a bit, then we're leaving this place immediately."
As he finished speaking, Yang Haoran simply flopped onto the ground, pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag.
The first puff made Yang Haoran choke into a fit of coughs, even spitting out blood.
"In your current state, I think you shouldn't be smoking," the snake demon said, hesitatingly offering a word of caution.
"Indeed, smoking is hazardous to health," Yang Haoran replied weakly, and after saying so, he took several more fierce drags.
Yang Haoran's words and actions were two entirely different things, leaving the snake demon once again at a loss for how to respond.
After several drags from his cigarette, visible Yin Qi slowly began to materialize around Yang Haoran's body. With his Spirit Power having been completely exhausted just moments before, the Yin Qi surrounding him had likewise dissipated.
Now, with no further techniques being employed, and the Soul Pill within him continuously releasing Pure Yin Qi, the Yin Qi around his body reappeared.
The reason Yang Haoran hadn't immediately left was precisely because he lacked Spirit Power within him, making it impossible to tear open space. Thus, he sat on the ground smoking, waiting for more Spirit Power to regenerate within his body.
He still had one Soul Pill left. If he were to consume this one, then two Soul Pills simultaneously bursting forth with Pure Yin Qi would immediately resolve his current predicament.
However, he did not do so. Soul Pills were simply too precious to him. They were not merely items to enhance his strength, but also life-saving treasures for critical moments. Aside from the one he allocated for his Night Watcher subordinates' "wages," he now only had one left, and he intended to save this Soul Pill for a crucial juncture.
As for whether the dishevelled man would return for a counterattack during his recovery, Yang Haoran had considered the possibility, but he didn't dwell on it.
Although the dishevelled man had successfully escaped, he was also severely wounded, making the likelihood of him returning for a counterattack small.
Of course, the possibility wasn't entirely nonexistent. If the dishevelled man truly did return, he would have no choice but to grimly consume his last Soul Pill and engage in another fierce battle with him.
What he worried about now was attracting other powerful entities.
Once his cigarette burned down, Yang Haoran's Spirit Power had recovered slightly. He stood up, turning his gaze towards the snake demon behind him.
At the sight, Yang Haoran's expression subtly shifted, for the snake demon was completely still, lying motionless on the ground like a dead snake.
Yang Haoran initially thought the snake demon had died, but after sensing its aura, he realized it had merely fainted from severe injuries, and only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.
"Sigh, couldn't you have held on a little longer before fainting?"
Yang Haoran couldn't help but sigh, shaking his head with a look of exasperation. Then, he tore open space, and a wisp of Yin Qi wrapped around the snake demon's massive body, sending it into the spatial rift. He followed closely behind, entering the rift himself.
With Yang Haoran's departure, the severely damaged Ancient Tomb finally collapsed, unable to support itself any longer. Numerous stone pillars and peaks from above crashed down, completely filling the tomb.
The stone pillars and peaks within the Stone Forest scenic area were, in fact, one of the methods the Array Master used to suppress evil spirits back then. They complemented the formation that trapped the evil spirit. The moment the formation's barrier shattered, the Stone Forest also lost its intended function.
Lecheng's famous Stone Forest scenic area ceased to exist with the collapse of the Ancient Tomb.
In a remote area within Stone Forest Town, a spatial rift suddenly appeared, and Yang Haoran along with the snake demon were ejected from it.
Indeed, they were ejected, not simply stepping out or being sent through.
Yang Haoran had visited this location once before. His current reappearance here wasn't a desire to revisit old places, but rather because the scant Spirit Power within his body had once again been depleted, forcing him to temporarily settle here.
His body hit the ground, and Yang Haoran coughed violently, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.
He paid no mind to the blood seeping from his lips, nor did he try to get up, for he truly had no strength left to pick himself up from the ground.
He turned his head to glance at the snake demon beside him. Although the snake demon was still unconscious, its aura persisted. Only after confirming it was still alive did Yang Haoran avert his gaze.
After several deep breaths, Yang Haoran pulled out another cigarette and lit it. Though the cigarette couldn't alleviate the intense pain wracking his entire body, it offered him a measure of psychological comfort.
After a few drags, feeling slightly better, Yang Haoran retrieved his phone from his personal dimension. Once the signal successfully reconnected, he dialed a phone number.
The phone rang once before it was immediately answered. Old Master Wu's voice came through from the other end.
"Boss, has the matter been handled? " Old Master Wu asked respectfully.
"It's handled," Yang Haoran said, chuckling weakly in response.
Upon hearing Yang Haoran's words, Old Master Wu immediately knew that Yang Haoran's trip had likely not gone smoothly, as his voice sounded very weak.
"What happened? Do you need backup? " Old Master Wu quickly asked.
"Yes, very much so. Quickly bring a few trusted brothers over. If possible, a large truck would be best – let our own people drive it. Don't let ordinary people come; I'm afraid they'll be scared to death."
Although Old Master Wu didn't know what major event had transpired, he didn't ask further questions.
"Alright! Boss, where are you right now?"
"I'll send you my location via a chat application."
"Okay, okay, okay! Please wait a moment! I'll bring people over right away!"
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