Chapter 821: It's All the Same
Yang Haoran took only half an hour to prepare. Half an hour later, he led everyone in the villa out.
For this operation, he didn't intend to bring Bai Xue and the others along, so he temporarily found a secure hiding place for Bai Xue, Feng Xiao, and Xiujuan.
As for the safest place to stay, logically, the Death God Temple would be a good choice. However, he didn't use Lecheng's Death God Temples as a temporary hiding place, because if the two Demon Hunters returned, couldn't find them at the villa, and then attacked the Death God Temple, it would be troublesome.
While this possibility was slim — after all, attacking the Death God Temple would be tantamount to declaring war on the entire Underworld Office, and as long as the two Demon Hunters weren't insane, they shouldn't do such a thing — Yang Haoran still felt it was better to be cautious and minimize the risk as much as possible.
Moreover, if he went to the rendezvous, and the Spirit Mediums seized the opportunity to attack the Death God Temples, then none of Lecheng's Death God Temples would be safe.
Bai Xue wasn't an issue; her current strength was formidable enough that it would take considerable power to defeat her. Yang Haoran's concern was Feng Xiao. Feng Xiao was too important to him, so there could be no mishaps; he had to guarantee Feng Xiao's safety a hundred percent.
The temporary hiding place he chose was a desolate, uninhabited area, and he had even set up a restrictive barrier to prevent others from discovering their presence.
Before leaving, Yang Haoran specifically instructed the three of them not to leave the barrier, so as not to attract the attention of others. He particularly emphasized to Bai Xue that she must protect Feng Xiao, and he also gave Bai Xue a Communication Talisman.
After completing all this, Yang Haoran immediately rushed to Broken Head Mountain with Old Master Wu. Although it wasn't yet the agreed-upon time, seeing Old Master Wu's anxiety, he didn't waste any more time.
When Yang Haoran and Old Master Wu emerged from the space rift, they were already above Broken Head Mountain.
Although Broken Head Mountain was missing a section, it remained the tallest peak among all the surrounding mountains. One could only imagine how towering and majestic it must have been when it was whole.
Upon appearing, Yang Haoran didn't sense any power fluctuations. He knew that the other party must have set up a restrictive barrier.
With Ghost Eye activated, Yang Haoran's eyes instantly turned an inky black. When he looked at Broken Head Mountain again with his Ghost Eye, he saw that the entire mountain was enveloped within a black barrier. The barrier's surface emitted no Yin Qi, but Yin Qi surged within, making it impossible to discern anything inside the barrier.
As for the Broken Head Mountain they had just seen with their naked eyes, that was merely an illusion conjured by the barrier, far from the mountain's true current state.
Before Yang Haoran could speak, the black barrier split open under his gaze, and a voice emerged.
"I thought Emissary Yang would stall for time, but to my surprise, you've arrived early. This truly astonishes me. It seems Old Master Wu holds a much greater significance in your heart than I imagined."
The sarcastic voice emanated from within the barrier, reaching the ears of Yang Haoran and Old Master Wu.
Old Master Wu's face was grim, his eyes erupting with palpable killing intent.
Yang Haoran, however, maintained his usual slight curve of the lips and faint smile.
From the opponent's words, it wasn't hard to tell that they were indeed targeting Yang Haoran.
"Since you're already here, why are you two still dawdling outside? Do I need to come out and personally invite you in before you'll deign to enter?"
The sarcastic voice sounded again. Although Old Master Wu's heart was brimming with killing intent and he longed to charge in immediately, Yang Haoran had not given the order, so he dared not make any move.
Yang Haoran's faint smile remained unchanged. With his hands in his pockets, he stepped into the air towards the opening in the barrier, moving with a leisurely, unhurried gait.
Seeing Yang Haoran take a step, Old Master Wu naturally didn't hesitate for a moment, following closely behind him.
In just a moment, the two arrived outside the opened slit in the barrier.
"Emissary Yang, your courage is admirable. To remain so composed in the face of danger, I am truly impressed. It's a pity our identities differ. If you weren't an Underworld Official but one of us Spirit Mediums, I believe we might even become good friends."
As Yang Haoran and Old Master Wu stood outside the opened slit in the barrier, the opponent's voice once again echoed from within. However, his words were still as sarcastic as before; Yang Haoran couldn't detect the slightest hint of mutual appreciation.
"Haha, you're absolutely right. If not for our differing identities, you and I could certainly become good friends."
Yang Haoran paused, responding with a chuckle. Of course, these weren't his sincere thoughts, but he had spoken countless insincere words throughout his life, having long ago formed a habit. How could he care about this one instance, let alone one more?
He would say whatever was useful, answer however amused him. Whether the other party believed it or not was their business, as long as he himself didn't believe it.
The reason he paused at the opening in the barrier wasn't because he had suddenly become timid, but because he wanted to take the opportunity to observe the situation inside the barrier through the opening. However, he didn't realize that the opponent had opened the barrier in a very tricky spot, seemingly having anticipated this move long ago.
Although he made no significant discovery, what needed to be done still had to be done. Yang Haoran took another step, leading Old Master Wu, one after the other, into the interior of the barrier.
As the two successfully entered the barrier, the opened slit healed itself.
Influenced by the barrier, Broken Head Mountain appeared calm and tranquil at this moment, seemingly no different from usual. Yet, within the barrier, an aura of danger constantly permeated the air.
Even before stepping into the barrier, Yang Haoran had sensed a large amount of Yin Qi emanating from its opening. After entering, the Yin Qi he perceived became even more intense.
Under his gaze, streaks of black Yin Qi rose. While it couldn't compare to the dense Yin Qi of a Place of Extreme Yin, it was in no way inferior to that of some greatly ominous places.
Broken Head Mountain's original summit had vanished long ago. Now, the peak was a flat expanse, as if sliced clean by a sharp blade.
This flat area was not small, nor was it barren. It boasted dense weeds, stout trees, and even snake-like vines, all lush and verdant, presenting a vibrant scene.
However, the dense Yin Qi disrupted the inherent vitality, rendering the place cold and desolate. There were no beast roars, no bird calls, not even a whisper of insect chirps to be heard.
Although one could still catch the fragrance of wild flowers and the scent of nature, these aromas didn't bring refreshment. Instead, they imparted a sense of extreme danger.
In the short term, the vegetation here hadn't been significantly affected. But given enough time, such heavy Yin Qi would be enough to transform this place into a truly dead land. Not only would no birds or beasts appear, but all the vegetation here would also undergo drastic changes, either withering under the Yin Qi or mutating under its influence.
Yang Haoran, having seen a thing or two of the world by now, didn't pay much mind to this dense Yin Qi. He was an Underworld Official; his very profession revolved around Yin Qi. How could he be overly concerned by such a small amount of it?
His feet touched the ground, and his gaze swept towards a certain direction. There stood a large tree, and against its trunk, a figure leaned.
The person was a man, appearing quite young. Judging solely by his looks, he seemed to be in his twenties, even younger than Yang Haoran.
As for his true age, that was hard to say. It might match his appearance, or it might not. For non-ordinary individuals like them, appearance was sometimes not the sole criterion for judging a person's age.
Yang Haoran, of course, didn't care about the man's age. What he cared about was the man's strength.
The power fluctuations emanating from this person weren't strong; they even fell short of Old Master Wu, who hadn't opened his Heaven Soul. However, Yang Haoran didn't believe this was the opponent's full strength. In his opinion, the reason the other party's power fluctuations were so weak was likely due to him having reined them in.
"Haha, Emissary Yang, what do you think of the environment here?"
When Yang Haoran directed his gaze towards the man, the man also looked at Yang Haoran and asked with a smile.
"Heh, it's just a fight anyway. It's all the same everywhere."
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