Chapter 936: Grandmaster Han's Objective
Naturally, Yang Haoran would not concern himself with the lives of these cult followers. His decision not to actively kill them was already an extraordinary act of mercy.
According to his usual modus operandi, if someone harbored murderous intent towards him, he would exhaust every means to eliminate them, never allowing them to survive, much less saving them. These Talisman Order believers had not only intended to kill him but had also made their intentions overtly clear. Not striking them down was already an exception; how could he possibly care whether they lived or died?
However, the heavily injured Old Black Talisman Master had no intention of abandoning these believers. The moment Grandmaster Han conjured a multitude of talismans, the old man, having recovered his senses, immediately mobilized the Talisman Spirit Power within his body. He intended to transport these believers away from the area, preventing them from being caught in the aftershocks of the battle.
Yang Haoran did not obstruct him, nor did he have the leisure to deliberately sabotage the old man's rescue efforts. At this moment, his attention was entirely focused on the vast number of Black Talismans conjured by Grandmaster Han.
The Black Talismans Grandmaster Han unleashed emitted power fluctuations significantly stronger than the Black Talismans the old man had previously used. Although both were Black Talisman Masters, there was a considerable gap in their actual strength, and thus, the power of the talismans they drew also differed immensely.
Previously, when facing the old man, Yang Haoran hadn't summoned his Soul Armament because there was no need. Even now, facing Grandmaster Han, he didn't strictly need to summon his Soul Armament to deal with him. However, if he were to defeat Grandmaster Han without summoning his Soul Armament, it would be a blatant exposure of his true strength, an outcome he wished to avoid.
Therefore, he still decided to open his Heaven Soul and summon his Soul Armament, Remnant Moon. This wasn't out of respect, but out of a need for secrecy – the secrecy of his own power.
Before opening his Heaven Soul, Yang Haoran condensed a large number of chains to intercept the talismans rapidly shooting towards him. However, their effect was minimal. The talismans Grandmaster Han had conjured were all Ghost-Slaying Talismans of the Black Talisman rank, possessing strong restraint against Yin Qi and a certain degree of restraint against the Underworld Office's Spirit Power. Since these chains were condensed from Spirit Power, they were at a significant disadvantage when confronting these Ghost-Slaying Talismans.
In just a few breaths, hardly any of the black chains remained. In contrast, fully half of the talismans conjured by Grandmaster Han were still intact.
This scene brought expressions of delight to the faces of the Talisman Masters present. Anyone could see that their Grandmaster Han held the upper hand, and it was an absolute advantage. If things continued like this, the battle would be over in a few more breaths.
They had initially expected this battle to last for some time, never imagining that Yang Haoran would be defeated in just a single exchange.
Grandmaster Han also secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If Yang Haoran's strength had been too great, then this situation would have been truly difficult to handle, and he might even have suffered losses himself.
However, judging by the strength Yang Haoran had displayed so far, his power was much lower than Grandmaster Han had anticipated. Although Yang Haoran had not yet opened his Heaven Soul, in Grandmaster Han's view, even if Yang Haoran did open it, his strength would not exceed his control.
Grandmaster Han's plan was simple: kill Yang Haoran here. As long as Yang Haoran was killed and his soul utterly dispersed, then the matter of his and Qin Yefeng's assassination attempt on Yang Haoran could be concealed to a certain extent.
Even if the Underworld Office came knocking later, he could simply claim that Yang Haoran's death was entirely Yang Haoran's own fault, and he was not to blame. Yang Haoran had come to their Talisman Order to cause trouble, destroying their temple, injuring their Talisman Masters, and killing their believers. It was perfectly reasonable for him to have accidentally killed Yang Haoran in a fit of anger; how could he be blamed?
The reason he had sacrificed a large number of talismans against Yang Haoran even before the believers had safely evacuated was to try and ensure that these believers died from the aftershocks generated by their battle.
This way, he could blame all the deaths of these believers on Yang Haoran, providing yet another reason for him to have "accidentally" killed Yang Haoran in a fit of rage.
Conversely, if he could not successfully kill Yang Haoran today, then things would become troublesome. Not only would he be unable to save Qin Yefeng, but he himself would also suffer. Therefore, he absolutely had to kill Yang Haoran, no matter the cost.
Yang Haoran's strength being much lower than he had imagined boosted his confidence significantly, making him believe that killing Yang Haoran would be no difficult task. A cold smile involuntarily appeared on his face.
However, he had forgotten one crucial detail: if Yang Haoran's strength was truly as weak as he imagined, how could the young woman under Qin Yefeng's command have died at Yang Haoran's hands? Moreover, that young woman possessed the Lock Yin Talisman, specifically designed to counter all Yin entities, yet she still failed to kill Yang Haoran. Just considering this point would reveal the "something fishy" in the situation.
At this moment, Grandmaster Han had not considered this at all. All he thought was that his strength was superior to Yang Haoran's, and thus, Yang Haoran was doomed today.
The chains shattered one after another, utterly incapable of withstanding Grandmaster Han's onslaught. Seeing this, Yang Haoran stopped condensing more chains, knowing it would be pointless and only waste his Spirit Power. So, he decisively opened his Heaven Soul.
"Heaven Soul! Open!"
A low shout escaped Yang Haoran's lips, followed by a surge of power, even stronger than before, erupting from his body.
Shouting when performing a technique was meant to boost one's aura, which could both intimidate opponents and enhance one's own confidence.
Of course, if the difference in strength was too vast, shouting until one's throat was hoarse would be useless.
Facing Grandmaster Han, Yang Haoran didn't truly need to boost his aura, but to make the performance convincing, he felt it was best to shout a few times, so as not to appear too frivolous.
With his Heaven Soul open, a mass of Yin Qi appeared beside Yang Haoran, churning violently. A black light shot out, scattering the Yin Qi. This swiftly moving black light was, of course, Yang Haoran's Soul Armament, Remnant Moon.
The incoming talismans were already upon him. With the strength Yang Haoran was currently displaying, it was unrealistic to instantly destroy all these talismans. So, he decisively chose to defend.
Under his control, Remnant Moon instantly grew massive, resembling a solid high wall, blocking his body. A humming sound resonated as Remnant Moon rapidly rotated, deflecting all the incoming talismans.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The talismans continuously struck Remnant Moon, triggering a series of explosions. Each explosion signified that a talisman's power had been exhausted.
Although the talismans were rapidly diminishing, Remnant Moon was constantly pushed back by their furious power, and most of the dense Yin Qi it released was dispersed.
"Everyone, leave quickly! Hurry!"
At this moment, the old man had already begun using Talisman Spirit Power to transfer the believers present. But when he saw that all the heavily injured Talisman Masters had stopped in place, showing no intention of scattering and instead looking as if they were watching a good show, he felt both anxious and enraged. Enduring the weakness that plagued his body, he roared at these reckless Talisman Masters.
No sooner had the old man's roar fallen than, before these Talisman Masters could even react, the chaotic power generated by the collision between Remnant Moon and the talismans spread outwards.
This scene caused the faces of these Talisman Masters to change dramatically. In such circumstances, they had no mood for watching. They retreated backward at their fastest speed, but some Talisman Masters were a step too slow. Their evasion failed, and they were swallowed by the violent energy wave, their physical bodies suffering destructive blows. They lost their lives on the spot before they even had a chance to bid farewell to this world.
Yang Haoran didn't care about the lives of these Talisman Masters; he had no interest in wasting his time on them. Grandmaster Han, the head of the An City Talisman Order, likewise didn't care about the lives of these Talisman Masters, because the power fluctuations emanating from Yang Haoran were far more concerning to him than the deaths of other Talisman Masters.
Feeling the power fluctuations now emanating from Yang Haoran, Grandmaster Han's cold smile froze. This power was considerably stronger than he had just anticipated, meaning his goal would not be so simple to achieve.
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