Chapter 382: Still Halfway There
At the Place of Extreme Yin in Blackwater Pool, Yang Haoran gazed at the Soul-Refining Cauldron suspended before him, a hint of helplessness in his expression.
The Soul-Refining Cauldron had undergone significant changes. First, its color had shifted from its original stone-grey to a faint black. Second, its surface, once rough, had become considerably smoother.
Such changes to the Soul-Refining Cauldron would ordinarily be cause for joy, but Yang Haoran found himself unable to feel pleased. This was because the Soul-Refining Cauldron remained a mere half-finished product, far from truly refined. Instead, the Yin Qi of this place had been completely absorbed by the cauldron, leaving not a trace behind.
This was precisely what frustrated Yang Haoran: the Soul-Refining Cauldron had yet to be successfully refined, while the Yin Qi of Blackwater Pool, a Place of Extreme Yin, had already been depleted.
He truly hadn't anticipated that refining the Soul-Refining Cauldron would demand such an immense amount of Yin Qi. He had initially believed a single Place of Extreme Yin would suffice, given how dense the Yin Qi was in such locations, even thinking that the cauldron might not be able to exhaust all of it.
But facts proved him wrong; he had been far too naive. The Yin Qi required for refining the Soul-Refining Cauldron was vastly greater than he had imagined; the Yin Qi of a single Place of Extreme Yin simply couldn't meet the cauldron's demands.
In other words, if he wanted to continue refining the Soul-Refining Cauldron, he would have to find another location. While it wasn't strictly necessary to find another Place of Extreme Yin, he needed to at least find a place with a relatively high concentration of Yin Qi.
Of course, a Place of Extreme Yin was still the top priority; finding one would be ideal. This was because a place with merely concentrated Yin Qi might not necessarily be sufficient for the Soul-Refining Cauldron's needs.
Sighing, Yang Haoran offered a helpless, bitter smile. With a wave of his hand, he stored the Soul-Refining Cauldron away in his spatial dimension.
With a sigh, Yang Haoran gently shook his head, then straightened his body in the void. For nearly half a year, he had maintained a cross-legged sitting posture in the void. Now, as he stood, a series of crisp cracking sounds immediately echoed throughout his body.
Stretching his rusty body, Yang Haoran's gaze drifted down towards Blackwater Pool.
Since the Yin Qi was no longer present, the waters of Blackwater Pool had also changed, no longer ink-black as before, and had returned to their normal color.
Yang Haoran didn't activate his Ghost Eye, but with his abilities, even without it, he could naturally sense with precision whether Yin Qi was present. Under his perception, the area was now devoid of Yin Qi and had become clean.
Although Blackwater Pool was now free of Yin Qi, the area still seemed lifeless and desolate, a true dead zone, due to its prolonged exposure to Yin Qi's corrosive effects.
This situation, of course, wouldn't last forever. With the Yin Qi gone, Blackwater Pool would no longer be affected by it. Over time, plants and trees were bound to grow again, allowing the area to regain its vitality.
"If nothing unexpected happens, I probably won't be coming back to this place ever again in this lifetime."
Withdrawing his gaze, Yang Haoran dispelled the restrictive barrier. He then tore open space, decisively departing Blackwater Pool.
Nearly half a year had passed. Although he had some regrets about not fully refining the Soul-Refining Cauldron, at least half of it was complete, and no other unforeseen incidents had occurred during this period. In Yang Haoran's eyes, this was still quite good.
He chose to leave Blackwater Pool immediately because it was now devoid of Yin Qi, making any further stay meaningless.
Furthermore, he hadn't shown himself for nearly half a year, which meant the Night Watchers of Lecheng hadn't received their salaries for that entire period.
Despite such a long time without pay, Old Master Wu hadn't called to report the situation. Yang Haoran knew it was likely because Old Master Wu had already handled everything.
Given Old Master Wu's capabilities, handling such a minor matter wouldn't be an issue. Yang Haoran naturally trusted his competence.
However, trust was one thing, but salaries still needed to be paid. He hadn't had the time before, but now that he was free, he naturally had to deal with this matter to prevent his Night Watchers from getting anxious.
Moreover, a few days ago, Guan Hai had called him, informing him that he and Xia Mo had already registered their marriage. As for the wedding banquet, after discussing it, the couple had set the date for the first of June this year.
It was already late May, with only a few days left until June 1st. Therefore, he had to return to the city. Given his relationship with Guan Hai, even if the Yin Qi here hadn't been completely absorbed, he would still make the trip to offer his blessings to the newlyweds.
Leaving Blackwater Pool, Yang Haoran returned directly to his villa study.
Things were different now. His strength had increased significantly compared to when he first left the villa. Thus, returning from Blackwater Pool to the villa, he only had to tear a single spatial rift to reach his destination.
The villa was as quiet and desolate as when he had left it. While it wasn't quite a ghost house, it certainly didn't look like a place where people lived, no matter how one looked at it.
This was because there was Yin Qi here, and also a faint presence of demonic aura. How could an ordinary person possibly live in such a place?
Inside the villa, Yang Haoran didn't sense Old Master Wu's aura, nor Bai Xue's presence. He only detected Xiao Kang's location.
"This little fellow is truly diligent, studying in the study again."
Under Yang Haoran's perception, he discovered Xiao Kang was in the study, and a smile involuntarily appeared on his face. He stepped out of his own study and walked towards Xiao Kang's.
To surprise Xiao Kang, he made no sound, even sealing away all the fluctuations of his power and aura.
However, to his surprise, he had barely stepped out of his study when he heard Xiao Kang's excited voice.
"Uncle Yang, is that you? Have you returned?"
Xiao Kang, his face full of excitement, ran out of his study. Upon seeing Yang Haoran, the fervent expression on his face grew even stronger.
"Uncle Yang, it really is you! You're back!"
Seeing that it was indeed Yang Haoran standing outside the study, Xiao Kang excitedly dashed towards him. His speed was remarkable, even leaving afterimages as he rushed towards Yang Haoran.
This scene surprised Yang Haoran. Xiao Kang's speed was simply not something an ordinary person could achieve, let alone a child. He distinctly felt that Xiao Kang had used Spirit Power.
Long ago, he had left a Death God Seal within Xiao Kang's body. The reason for doing so at the time was simply to prevent Xiujuan's Yin Qi from affecting Xiao Kang.
Before leaving the villa, Yang Haoran had instructed Xiujuan, hoping she could let Xiao Kang learn some true skills, as it would benefit him in the future.
At the time, Xiujuan had agreed to Yang Haoran's suggestion. As for whether Xiujuan would actually follow his instructions, to be honest, Yang Haoran didn't know.
However, from the current situation, it seemed Xiujuan had indeed followed his wishes and had Xiao Kang learn some abilities that ordinary people did not possess.
In the blink of an eye, Xiao Kang had rushed up to Yang Haoran. Still surprised, Yang Haoran picked up Xiao Kang.
"Oh, little fellow, you've gotten heavier and grown a lot taller," Yang Haoran said with a smile, habitually patting Xiao Kang's head.
"Uncle Yang, you're finally back! Xiao Kang missed you so much!"
At that moment, Xiujuan also floated out from within the Soul-Gathering Bead.
"Emissary of Death, you've finally returned," Xiujuan said, her face also breaking into a joyful smile.
"I was tied up with some very important matters, which is why I was gone for nearly half a year," Yang Haoran replied with a smile.
At this, Yang Haoran looked at Xiao Kang and continued, "The power fluctuations from your body are decent, and your speed just now was good too."
"I have the Death God Seal that Uncle Yang planted in me, so I also have Spirit Power. But I didn't know how to control this Spirit Power before; it was Grandpa Wu who taught me. And also, Sister Bai Xue taught me some skills too, but I'm not very proficient yet. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't."
Xiao Kang was very excited. At this moment, he simply wanted Yang Haoran to know that he had worked very hard and learned many skills during Yang Haoran's absence.
He didn't want to disappoint Xiujuan, nor did he want to disappoint Yang Haoran.
"Very good, keep studying hard. Once you can skillfully control the Spirit Power within you, Uncle Yang will get you some Pure Yin Qi to enhance your strength," Yang Haoran said with a smile.
Receiving Yang Haoran's affirmation was Xiao Kang's greatest joy. At this moment, it was as if he had an endless stream of words, and he continued to speak to Yang Haoran.
"Just now, I was reading in my study, and I suddenly sensed a power fluctuation coming from your study. I guessed it must be you back, and I never thought it really was you, Uncle Yang, back!"
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