Chapter 857: Internal Strife
After returning from Broken Head Mountain, Yang Haoran had not left the villa, and neither had Old Master Wu. Therefore, he was unaware of some of the events that had transpired in the outside world over the past few days.
Of course, if the Lecheng Administrative Chief had truly died, as Bai Xue claimed, then the news had likely not yet fully spread throughout Lecheng. Perhaps only a few officials internally knew of it, otherwise, a Night Watcher would surely have reported it to him by now.
“I went out today and happened to run into Zhou Fudui. He was the one who told me this news. But judging by his demeanor, he seemed somewhat saddened by the Administrative Chief’s death. It really baffles me what there is to be sad about that ungrateful old man,” Bai Xue remarked.
“From your perspective, the Administrative Chief certainly deserved to die. But from some people’s perspectives, his death is truly a pity. After all, our Lecheng Administrative Chief did accomplish quite a few tangible things,” Yang Haoran responded with a smile.
“Then, from your position, Underworld Official, do you think the Administrative Chief’s death is a pity, or not? ” Bai Xue asked, smiling.
Yang Haoran merely smiled at Bai Xue’s question, not answering directly. Instead, he posed another question to her.
“Do you know how he died? ”
Bai Xue smiled mysteriously, keeping Yang Haoran in suspense.
Yang Haoran chuckled and shook his head, saying to Bai Xue,
“I’m not a god, how could I guess? After all, there are quite a few people who wanted to kill him and take his place. Just tell me directly, don’t mess with me. ”
Bai Xue looked disappointed. She had intended to tease Yang Haoran and keep him guessing, but he utterly refused to play along.
“He died suddenly. As for whose hands he died by, there are many theories. According to Zhou Fudui, the Administrative Chief most likely died at the hands of those two Demon Hunters. In the past few days, the Administrative Chief only had contact with these two Demon Hunters. It’s likely they stealthily left some fatal technique on the Administrative Chief’s body, which caused his sudden demise. ”
Bai Xue paused slightly, then continued,
“Of course, it’s also not out of the question that others within the Administrative Courtyard were responsible. Just as you said, Underworld Official, there are quite a few people who want to sit in that Administrative Chief position. It’s perfectly reasonable for someone to seize an opportunity to strike him down and take his place. ”
Yang Haoran nodded, remaining silent as he fell into deep thought.
When he had initially arranged for Bai Xue to join the Spirit Police, besides wanting to use the official power as a protective umbrella for her, he had another purpose: to make a grand play.
However, the world descending into chaos was unexpected and disrupted his plans, forcing him to formulate new ones. Now, the Administrative Chief’s sudden death was also unexpected, meaning his plans had to be revised yet again.
“Hehe, Underworld Official, what are you thinking about? ” Bai Xue asked with a smile, seeing Yang Haoran deep in thought.
“Nothing much. I wonder how Luo Dui’s injuries are recovering. Come with me, let’s go take a look,” Yang Haoran said, smiling, then stood up.
“Didn’t you say you were very busy? How do you have time to see Luo Dui? ” Bai Xue asked, confused.
“If we don’t go see Luo Dui now, I’m afraid you might never see him again,” Yang Haoran said, then walked out of Bai Xue’s bedroom.
His words deepened Bai Xue’s confusion. Seeing Yang Haoran already out the bedroom door, she hastily followed, still puzzled. Before stepping out, she donned her mask.
After giving Xiujuan some instructions, Yang Haoran took Bai Xue to the Spirit Police headquarters. Although he had many other matters to attend to, he prioritized the Administrative Courtyard issue.
Yang Haoran’s decision was, of course, well-considered.
With Yang Haoran’s current strength, the restrictive formation set up by the Spirit Police headquarters was as good as nonexistent to him. However, he didn’t act so high-profile; for one, it would be impolite, and furthermore, he didn’t want to expose his true strength. Of course, the latter was indeed more important to him than the former.
Arriving outside the formation, neither of them sealed their power fluctuations; they merely suppressed their strength as much as possible, appearing to be of average power, not frighteningly strong.
Although their strength was suppressed, the people inside the restrictive formation must have sensed their arrival. Yet, the two stood outside the formation for a long time, and no one came out to welcome them or send them away.
“Underworld Official, something seems amiss,” Bai Xue said, her brows slightly furrowed, to Yang Haoran.
“Indeed, something’s not right. We can’t worry about it too much; let’s go in and see,” Yang Haoran replied.
“Then. . . should I just break open the formation? ” Bai Xue sought Yang Haoran’s opinion.
Yang Haoran nodded lightly. With Yang Haoran’s consent, Bai Xue waved her delicate hand, and a green light whistled forth, streaking towards the void ahead and hitting it.
There was nothing in the void, but upon being struck, a light curtain immediately appeared. However, this light curtain, formed by the restrictive formation, could not withstand Bai Xue’s attack at all. An opening was instantly torn through it.
With Bai Xue’s current strength, she could have destroyed the entire formation with a single strike. However, she refrained from doing so, instead controlling her power to merely create an opening large enough for the two of them to enter simultaneously.
No matter what, Bai Xue had served as Spirit Police in Lecheng for a long time and held some affection for the place. Even if the deceased Administrative Chief had abandoned her for the greater good, she didn’t vent her anger on the Spirit Police organization itself; she was still very courteous to them.
This could be seen from the fact that she only tore an opening in the formation, rather than forcefully breaking it entirely.
Yang Haoran stepped into the formation, with Bai Xue following closely behind him, entering the formation together.
Upon entering, the true scene of the Spirit Police headquarters came into view. However, the headquarters at this moment was vastly different from their impression of it.
The entire Spirit Police headquarters was in a state of disarray. A chaotic and fierce battle was unfolding, involving over a dozen people. Some were engaged in close-quarters combat in the sky, while others battled with techniques on the ground. Various spells and magical artifacts continuously clashed, causing the entire Spirit Police headquarters to rumble incessantly, even making the ground tremble slightly.
Besides those fighting each other, many injured individuals lay on the ground. Some had already fainted from severe wounds, while others, though conscious, had lost all combat ability and lay grimacing in pain.
“What’s going on? Why are they fighting each other? ” Bai Xue exclaimed, a look of astonishment on her face.
Among those battling, Yang Haoran recognized some and knew them to be members of the Spirit Police. However, his impression of some others was not as deep.
“Are they all Spirit Police? ” Yang Haoran asked Bai Xue.
“Yes, they are all Spirit Police, but some of them were only recently recruited, so you haven’t had contact with them,” Bai Xue replied.
“Since they’re all Spirit Police, yet are fighting so fiercely within the Spirit Police headquarters, with some even perishing, it seems my guess was correct: something major has indeed happened to the Spirit Police,” Yang Haoran stated calmly.
“Underworld Official, did you guess that something would happen to the Spirit Police headquarters long ago? ” Bai Xue asked.
“Not that long ago. When you told me about the Administrative Chief’s sudden death, I suspected that something major might happen at the Spirit Police headquarters. So, I temporarily set aside other important matters and brought you here to take a look. As it turns out, my guess was not wrong,” Yang Haoran calmly responded.
“What should we do now? ” Bai Xue asked Yang Haoran.
At this moment, Bai Xue felt a sense of urgency, but she did not act rashly. If Yang Haoran hadn’t been there, she would have already acted according to her own instincts.
“Stop them first,” Yang Haoran said.
Although he still didn’t understand what had happened, letting them continue fighting was not a solution, so Yang Haoran decided to stabilize the situation first.
As Yang Haoran finished speaking, Bai Xue acknowledged him, then soared into the sky. A dense Demon Qi emanated from her, and powerful Demon Power surged from within her like a breached floodgate, dyeing the sky green.
To achieve the desired deterrent effect, Bai Xue no longer suppressed her internal power, unleashing all her strength.
“Stop! ”
Bai Xue stated in a deep voice, her sound echoing throughout the entire Spirit Police headquarters.
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