Chapter 164: Arrangements

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The death of Lao Zhao caught Yang Haoran by surprise, but the manner of his death left Yang Haoran even more shocked.

To die within the Death God Temple for which he was responsible, and to have his soul devoured as well, this was not something an ordinary person could accomplish.

Just as Yang Haoran was still reeling from the news of Lao Zhao's death, on the same day, two more Night Watch members died mysteriously, just like Lao Zhao, their souls also consumed.

Though there's a distinction between having one's soul devoured and having it taken away, the conclusion that all three individuals had their souls devoured was reached after Divine Envoy Deng Feng inspected the matter.

Since even Deng Feng was so certain, then there's a high probability that this matter was no mistake!

With Yang Haoran included, there were originally sixteen members in the Lecheng Night Watch. After Xu Meijing left, there were only fifteen. Now, with three deaths in a single day, only twelve remained!

Three may seem insignificant, but for a Night Watch already with a small number, each member's existence was extremely crucial, especially the temple priests responsible for the Death God Temples in the villages. They practically managed a temple each, and with their demise, the respective Death God Temples would immediately fall into paralysis!

That evening, Deng Feng summoned all the surviving Night Watch members to the main hall.

Under normal circumstances, unless there was a special urgency, the Night Watch wouldn't gather in the hall before the end of the month. But now, the situation was different. With three deaths in a single day, it was impossible for Deng Feng, as the Burial Master, to feign ignorance and act as if nothing had happened.

Compared to the end of last month, Deng Feng's expression was darker this time, and the atmosphere in the hall was even more oppressive. Besides the oppression, there was also a sense of grief.

Yang Haoran only knew the three deceased Night Watch members superficially; in ordinary person's terms, they were just colleagues, and they only met once a month. It would be unrealistic to say he had deep feelings for them.

However, Yang Haoran's lack of emotional attachment didn't mean the same for the other Night Watch members. While he was a newcomer and had little interaction with the deceased, the older members of the Night Watch had known them for many years, and some even carried out missions together. For some, they were even as close as brothers. The deaths of the three individuals caused immense pain for these people.

Yang Haoran wasn't overly sentimental, but in this oppressive and sorrowful atmosphere, he couldn't help but feel heavy-hearted.

"Today's events, I believe everyone is aware of. It's evident that they are targeting our Yin Division. Until we apprehend the culprit, I believe they will continue to strike at us," Deng Feng's voice broke the silence. It was low and filled with suppressed anger, a manifestation of his inner fury which was stronger today than when Xu Meijing left.

"Divine Envoy, do you know who's behind this?" one of the Night Watch members stood up, his emotions showing signs of agitation as he addressed Deng Feng.

"These Death God pendants have been empowered by me. Keep them on you at all times. If any of you encounter danger, immediately infuse your Yin spirit power into it. Then, the Death God pendants held by the other Night Watch members will react, and I'll be able to sense it. At that time, everyone will gather together at the fastest speed. I don't believe they can cause much trouble then!"

Yang Haoran reached out and took down the Death God pendant floating in front of him. As he held it in his hand, all power fluctuations instantly subsided, and the emitted Yin Qi disappeared, becoming inconspicuous.

The other Night Watch members had various expressions, but they all put away their Death God pendants one after another.

"When faced with an unbeatable force, use the Death God pendants I've given you. They might save your life at a critical moment."

With that said, Deng Feng looked at Yang Haoran and spoke, "Haoran, the Death God Temple is crucial for our gathering of faith. Even if something major happens, the Death God Temple must continue to function normally. You're the only Night Watch under my command who isn't a temple priest, so I need you to set aside everything else and search for the spirit master's trace within Lecheng's territory for twenty-four hours."

Yang Haoran stood up, nodding solemnly in response. "Yes, Divine Envoy!"

Deng Feng then turned his gaze to Master Jiang and continued instructing, "Withdraw three people from your temple to replace the three who died. The Death God Temple cannot close just because they're gone."

Deng Feng's words made both Yang Haoran and Master Jiang furrow their brows, especially the temple priests under Master Jiang, whose expressions changed.

With the enemy hidden and our side revealed, in the current situation, no one wanted to separate from the main force. Doing so would likely result in being picked off one by one by the enemy. Whoever took over the positions of the deceased was likely to follow in their footsteps.

Ordering Master Jiang to withdraw three people could easily be interpreted as sending them to their deaths!

Seeing Master Jiang's frown, Deng Feng's expression turned cold, and he asked sternly, "What's the matter, do you have any objections?"

"Divine Envoy, considering the current situation, I believe it's best not to disperse our forces as much as possible to avoid being picked off one by one by the enemy," Master Jiang voiced his thoughts.

Deng Feng erupted in anger, cursing, "You understand nothing! How else are we supposed to lure them out? Should we close all the other Death God Temples? If closing the Death God Temples could draw them out and eliminate them, then it would be worth it. But if they don't show up, does that mean from now on, South Lake Death God Temple will be the only one left in Lecheng?"

[Heartfelt thankyou for the support! BokuBoku]