Extracting Information
Currently, all the villagers in this small town believed in the Spirit God, who was their current spiritual pillar.
The Spirit God Temple was where they prayed to the Spirit God, and it could also be understood as a place where they sought solace in these chaotic times.
Building this Spirit God Temple had cost the villagers time and effort, sweat and emotion—it was the fruit of their hard labor. Yet, at this very moment, Yang Haoran had reduced the outcome of their painstaking efforts to naught.
Perhaps to others, Yang Haoran's actions might seem somewhat despicable, but he himself didn't see it that way. After all, their positions were fundamentally different. From his standpoint, he had no choice but to act as he did.
If he didn't, Spirit God Temples would proliferate throughout Lecheng, and the Spirit God's followers would grow ever more numerous. Should the higher-ups investigate, he would be held accountable, and it would undoubtedly bring him negative consequences.
Having crushed the Spirit God Temple, Yang Haoran made no other moves. He tore through space, departed the area, and returned to the villa.
Back at the villa, Yang Haoran retrieved the souls of the old town head and the other Spirit Master. Their souls were currently in a state of slumber, but to extract more information about the Spirit Mediums, he forcibly awakened both their souls.
Though this method would cause a certain degree of damage to the souls, Yang Haoran didn't care in the slightest. After all, it wasn't his soul that was being harmed.
The old town head was, indeed, the former head of the town—that much was true. However, the villagers had no knowledge of his identity as a Spirit Medium, and he had never revealed it to anyone.
This was because the Underworld Office was a colossal entity, and once his identity was exposed, it would invite a deathly calamity upon him.
A few days prior, a Spirit Master had arrived in the town to secretly spread their teachings. In the presence of this Spirit Master, the old town head proactively revealed his own identity as a Spirit Master.
After confirming the old town head's identity, the Spirit Master was delighted. He then invited the old town head to serve the Spirit God, to pledge allegiance to the Spirit God, and to believe in the Spirit God.
Learning of the Spirit God's existence, the old town head was equally overjoyed. A leading figure had finally emerged among the Spirit Mediums, and under the Spirit God's guidance, they, the Spirit Mediums, might truly be able to make a comeback, replacing the current Underworld Office and becoming the new Underworld Office of this world.
Furthermore, the Spirit Master had spoken at length about the benefits of pledging allegiance to the Spirit God. The old town head, already quite pleased about the matter, consequently didn't hesitate, deciding to faithfully serve and believe in the Spirit God from that moment onward.
He learned from the Spirit Master that their primary mission at present was to recruit more believers for the Spirit God, to have more people believe in the Spirit God, for only then would the Spirit God they worshipped grow stronger.
After their secret discussion, the two decided to set a trap to make the town's villagers believe in the Spirit God. First, they released ghosts to harm people in the town, then the Spirit Master appeared to exorcise the ghosts, and finally, the old town head was responsible for indoctrinating the villagers. In the end, they successfully led all the villagers to believe in the Spirit God.
However, the old town head, as always, did not reveal his identity. In the villagers' eyes, he was merely an ordinary old town head.
Yet, in the eyes of that Spirit Master, the old town head was a formidable figure. Not only was he ruthless and cunning, but more importantly, his strength far surpassed the Spirit Master's. Thus, he held the old town head in great respect, at least on the surface.
However, to keep the old town head's identity concealed, he would respectfully address the Spirit Master as "Divine Emissary" in front of outsiders, and the Spirit Master certainly played along quite well.
The old town head had found this Spirit Master's residence for him. Just in case, the old town head had buried Formation Flags in hidden locations around the old building. If any unforeseen event occurred, these flags could still come into play.
When Yang Haoran arrived in the small town, the old town head had actually recognized him at first glance, but he hadn't let it show.
He knew that Yang Haoran's arrival was undoubtedly aimed at them, the Spirit Mediums. That's why he staged a play and led Yang Haoran to the other Spirit Master's temporary lodging, all in order to eliminate Yang Haoran in one fell swoop.
In his estimation, Yang Haoran was merely a newcomer to the Underworld Office. Although he had served as an Emissary of Death for several years, no matter how strong his abilities were, they couldn't possibly be that formidable. He had even always believed that Yang Haoran's strength was definitely inferior to his own.
He was very confident in his own strength, but he dared not proactively seek trouble at Yang Haoran's residence. That was because Yang Haoran's dwelling wasn't far from the city proper; should a battle erupt and power fluctuations spread, other reinforcements would surely arrive, which would not benefit him.
Moreover, Yang Haoran's residence was certainly protected by a Grand Array, which naturally added another layer of difficulty to eliminating him. Thus, for safety's sake, he didn't blindly pursue Yang Haoran.
Yang Haoran's offering himself up to their door was perfectly to his liking, and also within his calculations.
Because that night, when the Night Watcher discovered the Spirit God Temple, he sensed the Night Watcher's presence. Originally, he had intended to take the Night Watcher's life directly, but he ultimately refrained, instead allowing the Night Watcher to leave.
He knew that the Night Watcher would certainly report the matter of the Spirit God Temple. Then the Lecheng Underworld Division would undoubtedly send someone to handle it, and it wouldn't be too late to act then, delivering a harsh lesson to the Lecheng Underworld Division.
It was precisely due to this consideration that he chose not to act that night, instead allowing the Night Watcher who discovered the Spirit God Temple to depart.
However, what he never could have imagined was that this matter would actually draw out Yang Haoran, the very head of the Lecheng Underworld Division, and that he would come alone. At that moment, not only did he feel no fear, but he was instead filled with immense excitement and elation!
If he could kill Yang Haoran here, it would be a monumental achievement, a greater merit than converting the entire town to the Spirit God's faith and building the Spirit God Temple. After all, Yang Haoran was the Emissary of Death for the Lecheng Underworld Division.
Once Yang Haoran was dead, the Lecheng Underworld Division would undoubtedly fall into chaos in a short amount of time. A Lecheng Underworld Division without an Emissary of Death holding the fort would be nothing more than a paper tiger, and they, the Spirit Mediums, could seize this opportunity to sweep the Lecheng Underworld Division clean!
And so, he led Yang Haoran to the old building where a Grand Array had been set up in advance. This array was originally meant as a preventative measure, yet unexpectedly, it proved truly useful, making him inwardly pleased with his own cunning.
However, at that moment, it seemed to him that he might not even need the Grand Array to eliminate Yang Haoran, as he believed his own strength was entirely sufficient to do so. Besides, there was another Spirit Master in the old building.
When Yang Haoran was battling the Spirit Master, he didn't immediately join in. One reason was to gauge just how capable Yang Haoran truly was, and the other was to deliver a fatal blow to Yang Haoran through a sneak attack. That's why he chose an opportune moment to launch his ambush on Yang Haoran.
His aspirations were grand, but reality was cruel. The old town head never in his wildest dreams imagined that Yang Haoran's true strength would be so immense that he would be utterly powerless to resist. Even after exhausting all his might and launching a sneak attack with the Grand Array, he still failed to eliminate Yang Haoran. Instead, he lost his own life, and in the end, even his soul was forcibly extracted by Yang Haoran.
However, there was one thing he hadn't lied about: the other Spirit Master indeed intended to travel to other towns to spread their teachings, while the small town where the old town head resided would be left under the old town head's watchful eye.
Unfortunately, before this Spirit Master could even leave, Yang Haoran, the Emissary of Death, arrived. And it was the old town head who, brimming with smug satisfaction, had personally led him there, ultimately trapping the Spirit Master to his death.
Aside from understanding the full sequence of events from the two, Yang Haoran also gained a general grasp of various details: for instance, why Spirit Mediums hadn't emerged in Lecheng until now; the current known number of Spirit Mediums in Lecheng; how many were dispatched for missionary work versus how many were original residents of Lecheng; and how many believed in the Spirit God versus those who didn't.
After thoroughly extracting all information from the two, Yang Haoran left the villa and headed to the Ghost Cave, where he handed over both their souls and their Guardian Spirits to Tang Shi.
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