Chapter 706: Deeply Hidden
Yang Haoran stabilized himself and looked at the collapsed old building.
Under his gaze, a movement came from a certain spot in the ruins, accompanied by a powerful surge of energy. This energy fluctuation was the Communication Power unique to Spirit Mediums.
Debris and broken walls were sent flying, and a figure emerged in the night. It was none other than the Old Town Head who had brought Yang Haoran here.
After entering the old building, Yang Haoran was concerned the Old Town Head might get hurt, so he immediately applied a protective ward to him.
When the old building collapsed just now, Yang Haoran hadn't worried about the Old Town Head because he knew the Old Town Head would be fine; the collapsing building wouldn't shatter the protective ward he had imbued with Spirit Power.
What he never expected, however, was that this Old Town Head was actually an actor, and one with remarkably good acting skills.
"Heh, Old Town Head, you're truly well-hidden. I've always thought my judgment was quite good, but today I realized I'm still too naive."
Yang Haoran looked at the Old Town Head, a faint smile on his face, and spoke softly. His expression showed no hint of anger or frustration; he remained as calm as if nothing had happened.
The Old Town Head's words seemed sarcastic, but in truth, his heart was filled with shock. According to the information he had gathered, Yang Haoran's strength was, at most, only slightly stronger than that of a typical Spirit Master. However, judging from the current situation, the information he had collected was completely inaccurate.
What counted as a typical Spirit Master? The one lying on the ground, spitting blood incessantly, was a typical Spirit Master. Compared to Yang Haoran, was he merely "a little bit" weaker?
From this, it was clear that the information he had painstakingly gathered about Yang Haoran's strength had no reference value whatsoever.
For this point, he didn't feel his information collection was incomplete; rather, it was because Yang Haoran was simply too well-hidden, which was why the collected data differed so greatly from reality.
As the Old Town Head spoke, strands of Yin Qi churned and boiled behind him, then gathered together, forming a Spirit Body that floated above him.
This was the Old Town Head's Guardian Spirit. Its eyes were blood-red, proving it had reached the Evil Spirit realm. Judging by the depth of the blood-red color, it was an extremely formidable Evil Spirit.
As his voice faded, cracking sounds emanated from the protective ward on the Old Town Head's body. Cracks appeared in the ward, then it shattered with a bang, dissolving into Yin Qi and vanishing.
This protective ward was originally placed by Yang Haoran to protect the Old Town Head, but now, Yang Haoran wanted it to become a means of restraining the Old Town Head.
However, this Old Town Head was no pushover. The moment Yang Haoran's thought even surfaced, the Old Town Head actively shattered the protective ward Yang Haoran had placed on him.
Though Yang Haoran felt it was a bit regrettable, he didn't dwell on it too much. After all, since the Old Town Head had the ability to easily shatter the ward he set up, even if he used other methods to turn the ward into a restraint, it would likely be difficult to truly control the Old Town Head.
As the protective ward shattered right before Yang Haoran's eyes, the Old Town Head's gaze held a hint of provocation.
Yang Haoran saw it all, yet his expression remained unchanged. He seemed not to even notice the provocation on the Old Town Head's face.
"You flatter me, Old Town Head. Your strength is what truly surprises me. A Spirit Master of your caliber, actually hunkering down in a small town as its head? You're truly impossible to guard against," Yang Haoran said with a smile.
"Heh, likewise, Divine Emissary Yang. You, a dignified Emissary of Death of the Underworld Office, not only impersonated someone from the Administrative Council but also became a believer in my god, even bowing and worshipping my god. If this matter were to spread, it would probably be more than just embarrassing. I'm curious, will Divine Emissary Yang be punished by the Underworld Office then? " the Old Town Head asked with a smile.
Yang Haoran smiled and nodded, seemingly agreeing with the Old Town Head's statement.
"The Old Town Head is right. If this matter were to spread, it would indeed be quite embarrassing. It would be normal for me to be punished if my superior knew about it. However, as long as it doesn't get out, it's fine," Yang Haoran replied with a smile.
"Haha, Divine Emissary Yang, if you don't want this to spread, I do have a solution. As long as Divine Emissary Yang doesn't act like you did back at the temple and sincerely joins our Spirit Medium family, I can guarantee that not a single word of this will get out. How about it, care to consider?"
The Old Town Head laughed heartily, appearing very pleased. Yang Haoran's expression remained the same, his emotions completely unaffected.
The Old Town Head certainly didn't believe Yang Haoran would join their Spirit Medium faction. The reason he said such words was purely to intentionally mock Yang Haoran.
"Heh, it seems the Old Town Head's thinking isn't entirely comprehensive. Besides your method, I have another one, and it's even better than yours," Yang Haoran replied with a smile.
"Oh really? What method? Divine Emissary Yang, do tell. Perhaps it really is a good one," the Old Town Head asked with a smile.
As the Old Town Head spoke, the Spirit Master whom Yang Haoran had nearly beaten to death struggled to his feet and moved to stand behind the Old Town Head.
Before, the Old Town Head had been respectfully subservient to him, but now their roles had reversed. It was no longer the Old Town Head who was deferential, but him.
However, neither his face nor his eyes showed the slightest dissatisfaction, because he knew that acting was acting, and reality was reality.
Yang Haoran glanced at the Spirit Master, who was weak and pale, then turned his gaze back to the Old Town Head and spoke with a smile.
"If I kill all of you, no one will know about this. Naturally, I won't have to worry about this getting out, don't you agree?"
The Old Town Head's face showed no surprise; he seemed to have anticipated Yang Haoran would say this.
Not only did he show no surprise, but he laughed heartily, as if he had heard a very amusing joke.
"Divine Emissary Yang is truly humorous. If it weren't for your good luck just now, you'd already be a corpse. I know you didn't use your full strength, and didn't even open your Heaven Soul, but do you think my attack just now was my full strength? How much do you really know about my power?"
The Old Town Head asked with a smile. It was clear he was very confident in his own strength.
Yang Haoran smiled without speaking. With a wave of his hand, he set up a restrictive barrier, enclosing all three of them within its confines.
The injured Spirit Master's expression drastically changed. At that moment, he was like a startled bird. The instant Yang Haoran erected the restrictive barrier, his first thought was to break out of it.
But then he saw the Old Town Head, steady as an old dog, neither counterattacking nor attempting to escape. Only then did he abandon the thought of fleeing, suppressing his inner unease, and remained standing behind the Old Town Head.
The Old Town Head noticed the Spirit Master's emotional shift. He smiled and said:
"Why panic? You're a Spirit Master, after all. Don't just think of fleeing every time you encounter something. In a fight, if you once conceive the idea of retreat, you've already lost the battle of wills. In that state, you'll only become more passive and die faster."
To the Old Town Head's reprimand, the Spirit Master could only nod in agreement. Although he had long since cursed the Old Town Head's ancestors for eighteen generations in his heart, he dared not show the slightest hint of it. He didn't want to avoid dying by Yang Haoran's hand only to tragically die by his own side's hands. That wasn't the outcome he desired.
Therefore, to save his life, he had to not only act respectfully in front of the Old Town Head but also keep his true emotions from showing on his face.
With the restrictive barrier successfully set up, the battle between Yang Haoran and this old seasoned actor was about to begin!
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