Chapter 650: Improving Strength
Why hadn't the Spirit Masters appeared? At this very moment, Yang Haoran finally conceived a possibility.
The Spirit Masters had thrown the world into chaos to usher in the Apotheosis Platform. Only with the Apotheosis Platform's appearance could the Spiritualist God in their hearts have a chance to ascend to godhood.
Furthermore, for the Spiritualist God in their hearts to ascend, the Apotheosis Platform alone wouldn't suffice; they also needed sufficient Faith Power. Without enough faith, even if the Apotheosis Platform materialized, the Spiritualist God they worshipped could not become a true god.
To acquire more Faith Power, they absolutely needed more followers. With a greater number of disciples, their Faith Power would naturally grow.
There were numerous ways to gain more followers: they could proselytize and indoctrinate, or win people's hearts. However, one thing they absolutely could not do was act against the interests of their target, no matter how small that interest might be. Such an action was strictly forbidden.
Once they did, their reputation would be ruined. What one person knew would spread to ten, then to a hundred, and by then, recruiting followers would become incredibly difficult.
Not only must they refrain from any actions detrimental to their targets' interests, but on the contrary, it would be best to resolve some troubles for them. Solving problems without expecting anything in return, even trivial ones, could have a considerable impact and leave a favorable impression on their targets.
A bad reputation, once spread from one to ten, then to a hundred, would inevitably grow worse and worse, leading to an increasingly negative image.
In Yang Haoran's view, the reason the Spirit Masters hadn't appeared was to remain aloof, to prevent ordinary people from associating them with the world's chaos. Once the common folk gradually accepted the reality of a world plunged into disorder, they would then emerge as saviors. At that point, recruiting followers would be far simpler.
Although these were merely his personal conjectures, he believed them to be highly probable. The reason the Spirit Masters had yet to make an appearance likely lay precisely here.
“If events truly unfold as I suspect, then the Spirit Masters will surely not reveal themselves for some time yet. ”
Thinking thus, Yang Haoran decided to wait and see, to observe the situation until the Spirit Masters actively emerged. In the meantime, he needed to find a way to enhance his strength. Refining Soul Pills was only one aspect; besides Soul Pills, he also needed to figure out how to acquire some Ghost Arts.
For several consecutive days, Yang Haoran did not leave the villa. He first refined the selected souls into Soul Pills, then, while constantly monitoring the outside world, he diligently absorbed the Soul Pills within the villa to boost his power.
The Spirit Masters still hadn't appeared, which only further solidified Yang Haoran's conjectures.
Although the Spirit Masters remained hidden, demons, monsters, and ghosts continued to appear daily. Ordinary people were gradually coming to terms with the reality that such entities existed in their world, yet their fear had not diminished; instead, it had intensified. They lived in constant trepidation, day and night. Especially after dusk, no one dared to venture onto the streets except for lunatics. Every household kept its doors tightly shut, not daring to switch on lights or make any sound.
The Spirit Police had been swamped these past few days. To ensure the safety of ordinary citizens and maintain order in Lecheng, they had to fight desperately against these demons, monsters, and ghosts. Some Spirit Police officers were injured as a result, and a very small number even lost their lives.
Even at such a steep cost, they could not guarantee the safety of every ordinary person; quite a few still met tragic ends during these recent days.
Lecheng's situation remained grim. Fortunately, the Administrative Council was no longer as flustered as it had been at the outset, having implemented targeted countermeasures to ensure its operations could continue as normally as possible.
To bolster the official forces, the Administrative Council publicly recruited talented individuals, offering extremely generous conditions. Anyone with genuine ability could join the Administrative Council, gain an official post, and become a member of the government!
This approach by the Administrative Council indeed had some effect. A number of extraordinary individuals, previously hidden among the common populace, genuinely chose to join the Administrative Council, becoming official members and serving the Administrative Council from that day forward.
Just like the Spirit Police, the Lecheng Yin Division had also been exceedingly busy these past few days. Not only did they have to constantly guard against the Spirit Masters, but they also had to guide Wánglíng and subdue ghosts. Old Master Wu, in particular, hadn't closed his eyes for days and nights.
Although Old Master Wu had an inner strength sustaining him, he was, after all, quite old. Days and nights without sleep still took a toll on his body; he looked noticeably more haggard.
Today was a special day, for it marked the seventh day since the world plunged into chaos. For those who had died on the day the world descended into disorder, their souls would condense into Spirits tonight. Because of this, the Yin Division's workload tonight would be immense.
To prevent any unforeseen incidents, Yang Haoran decided to personally oversee operations tonight. Thus, after nightfall, he did not remain in the villa to refine Soul Pills, but departed.
Within a few days, Yang Haoran's strength had once again undergone a leap in improvement. The difference compared to a few days prior was significant, as he had refined quite a number of Soul Pills during this period, making it difficult for his strength not to rapidly increase.
Despite his considerable increase in strength, he did not flaunt it. Instead, as before, he suppressed the fluctuations of power within him as much as possible, appearing no different from his usual self.
Originally, Yang Haoran had intended to use the refined Soul Pills to enhance the strength of Old Master Wu and the Night Watchers under his command. However, after some thought, he temporarily abandoned this idea.
Old Master Wu and the Night Watchers' strength certainly needed to be improved, but using the Soul Pills he refined was not entirely suitable. Should any issues arise, it would be difficult for him to explain their origin.
To avoid bringing trouble upon himself and to minimize risk, he decided that only after acquiring Soul Pills from the Underworld would he then use them to enhance Old Master Wu and his other Night Watchers' strength. That way, it would be foolproof.
As Yang Haoran had anticipated, the number of ghosts in Lecheng tonight had reached an astonishing level. The entire city had practically become a ghost's paradise. Fortunately, with the assistance of the Spirit Police and Yang Haoran's personal intervention, all the ghosts were successfully subdued in the shortest possible time, preventing significant losses for Lecheng.
Otherwise, relying solely on the power of the ten Night Watchers, not only would they be unable to subdue all the ghosts before dawn, but there might also be considerable casualties. The appearance of a large number of ghosts had also attracted some powerful ones, and these formidable entities were not something ordinary Night Watchers could handle.
As for ordinary people, it went without saying. Let alone facing powerful, aggressive ghosts, even encountering common Wánglíng could very well scare them to death.
After dealing with the matter, Yang Haoran collected all the souls from the Night Watchers. However, he did not immediately provide his subordinates with Pure Yin Qi; instead, he instructed Old Master Wu to meticulously register them.
Following this, he successively tore through space to visit the Death God Temples in the towns, located the Night Watchers stationed there, first inquired about their recent situations, then offered encouragement, and finally collected the souls they held.
The souls in their possession were considerably fewer compared to those held by the Night Watchers in the city. Nevertheless, he registered them meticulously, as their rewards would be based on the number of souls they turned in.
After collecting all the souls, Yang Haoran did not return to the villa but tore through space and traveled to Ancheng.
Taking advantage of the daytime, he prepared for a trip to the Underworld. One reason was to exchange the souls he held for Soul Pills; another was to claim the reward of ten Soul Pills. After all, Soul Pills were incredibly vital to him right now; the more he possessed, the more confidence he would have.
Beyond these two reasons, he had another important matter to attend to in the Underworld: to see if he could find a way to acquire powerful Ghost Arts.
As for the precise method to achieve his desired outcome, he currently had no good plan in mind. He could only seek help from Jiang Dashi once he arrived in the Underworld. After all, Jiang Dashi was a Ghost Official in the Underworld and should know far more about such matters than he did.
The reason he hadn't summoned the Ghost Gate but instead tore through space to Ancheng was because he wanted to see Xu Meijing, to check on the situation in Ancheng and see if she needed his assistance anywhere. Then, he would casually ask Xu Meijing if she wished to accompany him to the Underworld.
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