Realm of the Night God

Yang Haoran expected his words and actions to enrage the sloppy man, and for the sloppy man to loudly accuse him of supporting a man-eating demon as an Underworld Envoy.

However, the scene he imagined didn't unfold as expected. The sloppy man, upon seeing Yang Haoran determined to protect the serpent demon, didn't inquire further. Instead, after a few cold words, he pointed his sword at him.

Pointing a sword at someone often signifies provocation, but in this instance, the sloppy man pointing his sword at Yang Haoran was issuing a challenge.

Not immediately attacking was a final warning and reminder to Yang Haoran. If Yang Haoran agreed, the sloppy man would strike immediately.

Of course, even if Yang Haoran disagreed, the sloppy man would still attack. He wouldn't relent just because Yang Haoran disagreed unless Yang Haoran changed his mind.

Yang Haoran had no intention of changing his mind. Since he had returned to the ancient tomb, he had no intention of staying out of the conflict.

However, he also didn't intend to strike immediately, not because he was afraid of the sloppy man before him, but because he needed to give his soul pill inside him some time.

The longer he delayed, the more advantageous it would be for him. Conversely, if he attacked the sloppy man immediately, he would be at a disadvantage and might even be killed by the opponent.

While Yang Haoran remained composed outwardly, his mind raced.

"Why don't you ask why I'm protecting her?" Yang Haoran looked at the sloppy man, who was several years older and with a thicker stubble than himself, and spoke with a smile.

"There's nothing to ask. My goal is to kill her, and yours is to protect her. Our positions differ. If you can defeat me, you can take her away. If you can't, she dies!"

With those words, the sloppy man didn't give Yang Haoran a chance to catch his breath. He swung his sword!

A curved green sword energy burst forth, carrying a fierce killing intent as it slid across the ground towards Yang Haoran!

Wherever it passed, it left a deep trench in the ground!

Yang Haoran raised an eyebrow. He had wanted to delay a little longer, but the sloppy man didn't give him that chance at all.

Feeling somewhat helpless, though his actions were swift. With a flick of his fingers, the cigarette in his hand, not yet burned out, enveloped in a large amount of Yin spirit power, flew towards the sloppy man's green sword energy like a bullet!

The sword energy collided with the cigarette, the black and green powers refusing to yield to each other. After a momentous clash, with a loud bang, the cigarette turned into ashes, and the sword energy was dispersed by the Yin spirit power.

In their first exchange, it seemed they were evenly matched, but Yang Haoran secretly lamented.

Despite his ostentatious actions, this was his full strength without resorting to his soul weapon. On the other hand, it seemed the sloppy man hadn't exerted his full power.

The initial attack hadn't caused any harm to Yang Haoran. The sloppy man snorted coldly and then spoke, "Show me your full strength. Let me see what you're capable of!"

Before the words had even finished, the sloppy man's sword swiftly moved. With each swing, a sword energy whistled out, all aimed at Yang Haoran.

Yang Haoran's smile faded slightly at this. Faced with this situation, he certainly wouldn't be arrogant enough to try to catch the opponent's sword energy bare-handed.

He summoned his soul weapon, Waning Moon, to clash once more with the incoming sword energies.

The sword energies were fast, but Waning Moon was not slow either. The collision of the black and green lights emitted a deafening noise, causing the ancient tomb to tremble.

This ancient tomb, which had existed for who knows how many years, had already suffered damage tonight. Now, with Yang Haoran fighting the sloppy man, it seemed it couldn't bear much more.

However, neither of the two combatants paid any attention to whether the ancient tomb would collapse.

In just a short moment, Yang Haoran and the sloppy man exchanged dozens of blows. Yang Haoran had a few sword wounds on his body, while the sloppy man had suffered several cuts from Waning Moon.

After another intense collision, Yang Haoran retreated a few steps. As he stabilized himself, blood flowed from under his sleeve.

The blood flowed down his wrist, into his palm, and finally dripped from his fingertips.

Meanwhile, the sloppy man's hand gripping the sword trembled slightly, blood stains adorned his lips, and his windbreaker was tattered and stained with blood.

However, compared to Yang Haoran, the sloppy man seemed to be in a much better condition at this moment, which could be discerned from the fluctuations of power emanating from both of them.

"Continuing like this, I may suffer severe injuries at most, but you might end up dead at my hands. Step aside. Why risk your life for a demon? Demons are adept at deception. As an Underworld Envoy, how could you be swayed by a demon?" The sloppy man, with a composed expression, spoke to Yang Haoran.

In truth, the sloppy man didn't want to waste words with Yang Haoran, but he had to remind Yang Haoran once again, for a simple reason—Yang Haoran's identity.

Yang Haoran was an Underworld Envoy, the Burial Master of the LechengYin Division, and a prominent figure within the division. If he were to kill Yang Haoran, things would become troublesome.

Protecting the serpent demon was one thing, but if he killed Yang Haoran, it would be a different matter altogether. The Yin Division would certainly investigate the matter, causing him immense trouble.

In this world, there were many talented individuals, various organizations, and countless sects. However, aside from spirit masters, few were willing to provoke the Yin Division. Open confrontation with the Yin Division was even rarer, unless absolutely necessary.

The sloppy man didn't want to invite unnecessary trouble, hence his repeated warnings to Yang Haoran. But if Yang Haoran continued to disregard his warnings, then he would have to act decisively!

Yang Haoran's complexion was somewhat pale, but he didn't become angry due to his severe injuries. Instead, his face once again revealed his characteristic gentle smile.

"I've already said it before. I won't step back at this point," Yang Haoran said with a smile.

Yang Haoran's response furrowed the sloppy man's brow. He instinctively tightened his grip on the sword.

Meanwhile, the serpent demon, Bai Xue, spoke up at this moment.

"Underworld Envoy big brother, leave. Don't worry about me. He wants to kill me. You don't have to risk your life for me," the serpent demon's voice was weak, each word sounding extremely laborious.

Before, the serpent demon had indeed pinned her hopes of survival on Yang Haoran because she believed Yang Haoran could save her life. So when Yang Haoran returned, she was happy, and her hope rekindled.

However, now that Yang Haoran was fighting the sloppy man and obviously at a disadvantage, she believed that if they continued like this, the result would undoubtedly be as the sloppy man said—Yang Haoran would die by his hands.

She wanted to live, but she didn't want Yang Haoran to risk his life for her. Thus, she spoke up to advise Yang Haoran to leave.

Because it was her whom the sloppy man wanted to kill, not Yang Haoran. As long as Yang Haoran stopped interfering in this matter, the sloppy man wouldn't attack him again.

In this way, at least Yang Haoran's life would be spared.

However, Yang Haoran's response greatly exceeded the serpent demon's expectations.

Yang Haoran shifted his gaze from the sloppy man to her and said with a smile, "Saying such things to me at this moment could easily lead to misunderstandings. It might make people think you're trying to worm your way out. So, let's not give advice. Since I've decided to get involved in this matter, I've naturally considered all aspects, including death."

The serpent demon was stunned. She hadn't expected Yang Haoran to say such perplexing words in this situation.

Before advising Yang Haoran to leave, she had briefly considered two possible outcomes.

The first outcome was that Yang Haoran would speak out passionately, unafraid of death, and decide to stay and fight the sloppy man to the end. If Yang Haoran did this, she would be deeply moved, but that wasn't the result she wanted to see because she truly didn't want Yang Haoran to lose his life for her.

The second outcome was that Yang Haoran would compromise before facing death and refrain from getting involved in this matter further.

If Yang Haoran made this choice, she wouldn't find it strange because she understood Yang Haoran's actions. After all, in the face of death, many things seemed insignificant, including emotions.

Moreover, she and Yang Haoran didn't share much of a bond. They had only known each other for a few days, and their interaction was merely to fulfill a transaction.

Strictly speaking, they weren't even friends; at best, they were slightly closer than strangers. Therefore, Yang Haoran wouldn't risk his life for her, which was entirely reasonable.

However, Yang Haoran's response at this moment was completely contrary to what she had expected, leaving her bewildered.

However, shortly after, the serpent demon Bai Xue reacted. She smiled through tears and weakly replied, "Alright, if you die, I'll accompany you."