CHAPTER 442: Complainant

After about three years, the beautiful-looking Cecilia had learned to live with a little more peace and quiet in her life, while losing some of her arrogance and unruliness. What remained the same was her beautiful appearance and her great temperament.

Nowadays, Han Shuo is more tolerant towards Cecilia than he used to be. This was partly due to her grandfather Sabakas personally setting up a transportation matrix for Brettel City, as well as her change in attitude from being so sarcastic all the time. Therefore, Han Shuo did not continue his mocking and ridiculing of Cecilia when he met her again.

"I have finished my training and came to Tariq City for some personal matters. Long time no see! How's your grandfather?" Han Shuo asked Cecilia, as he still had a certain respect for the Space Sacred Magus Sabaka.

Cecilia revealed a faint smile when she heard Han Shuo asking about her grandfather and replied, "Thank you for your concern, my grandfather is doing well. Looking around, Cecilia noticed that Han Shuo was travelling alone and she continued, "Come, let's go inside and talk.

From Cecilia's attitude, Han Shuo could tell that she wasn't as prejudiced against him as she had been in the past. This was a good development in Han Shuo's eyes. Given his current strength and status, Han Shuo would not have felt the slightest bit of fear when facing the Space Sacred Magus Sabaka, let alone Cecilia, who had become one of the three heavyweights by relying on Sabaka.

However, since everyone here was a member of the Dark Mantle, in the service of the Lancelot Empire, and since Sabakas could be said to be caring towards Han Shuo, it would be ideal if Han Shuo could get along well with Cecilia. It would do neither of them any good if a real fight broke out.

So when he noticed that Cecilia's attitude towards him had changed, he happily followed her and entered the inner part of the mansion.

When he stepped inside, it felt as if the sky and earth had rotated and space had been turned upside down. By the time Han Shuo came to his senses, he realised that he had arrived in a serene, harmonious courtyard. Apart from Cecilia, there were a few other members of the Dark Mantle in the courtyard. They seemed to be Cecilia's subordinates. All of them were sitting on round stone stools, discussing something.

"Let me introduce everyone, this is Lord Bryan, the fourth Dark Sun emissary of the Dark Mantle. You must have heard of him," Cecilia said to the members of the Dark Mantle. As soon as Cecilia entered the room, the faint smile that had just been on her face vanished, replaced by a solemn expression and a tone of voice that only a superior could have.

However, before the members of the Dark Mantle came over to greet him, Han Shuo himself received a shock. Puzzled, he asked Cecilia, "When did I become the Fourth Dark Sun?"

""Recently, during the civil war in Ossen City, you helped His Majesty the King crush the rebels, and you also managed to repel two enemy Sacred Rank experts. These contributions were cited as reasons for your promotion. Oh, right, you disappeared for three years to train, so maybe you weren't told. You can upgrade your ID tag when you return to the Dark Mantle headquarters," Cecilia explained sternly to Han Shuo. She doesn't seem to be joking.

Fourth Dark Mantle! In an organisation as huge and powerful as the Dark Mantle, any promotion would have been an extremely difficult feat. Han Shuo had never expected to rise to this position so quickly. This would also mean that in the entire Dark Mantle organisation, only the three heavyweights could bind him.

Han Shuo understood in his heart that the reason he could become the Fourth Sun's emissary so quickly was partly due to his achievements in the Civil War, but more importantly it was due to his good relationship with Lawrence and the old astrologer Madam Grace's judgement of him.

"Oh! No wonder!" Han Shuo exclaimed with a smile.

"Greetings, my lord!" After Cecilia's introduction, every member of the Dark Mantle in this place wore either a fawning or an envious face. Each and every one of them greeted Han Shuo and bowed their heads.

"Alright, that's enough. Sit down everyone," Cecilia said as she waved her hand. When she saw that the people promptly went back to their seats, she pointed to a seat next to her and said to Han Shuo, "Lord Bryan, here's your seat."

Han Shuo sat down without hesitation. He knew that the Dark Mantle was a strict organisation, and they paid close attention to where a person sat. More often than not, the seating is arranged by rank. In the Tariq City branch, Cecilia was the highest ranked member by right, and just below her was the rank of Fourth Dark Sun, which Han Shuo held. So naturally, his seat was right next to hers.

"Oh right, is there anything you need to inquire about since you visited this branch?" Cecilia suddenly asked Han Shuo after he had taken his seat.

Nodding his head, Han Shuo replied, "I heard that Sacred Knight Blount of the Church of Light is currently residing in Tariq City, so I came here to look for him. If anyone knows where Blount is hiding, I hope you can tell me."

As Han Shuo spoke, his eyes scanned the room. Involuntarily, his gaze gave off the feeling that he was looking down on weak, tiny ants. Suddenly, every member of the Dark Mantle present felt as if Han Shuo was the real person in charge there.

As the person in charge of certain things for the empire and one of the three heavyweights, Cecilia unexpectedly seemed like a subordinate under Han Shuo's command. This feeling was extremely strange, but also extremely natural.

Even Cecilia herself felt this inexplicably strange feeling. All Han Shuo did was sit and talk. He didn't make any unusual movements when he spoke, he inevitably became the centre of everyone's attention. It had nothing to do with his status or rank in the Dark Mantle.

"Sir, I know that Sacred Knight Blount was spotted in Tariq City about half a month ago, but I have no idea if he is still in Tariq City!" A member of the Dark Mantle rose from his round seat and replied respectfully to Han Shuo.

"Thank you. Do you know why he came to Tariq City?" Han Shuo asked with a faint smile.

"I think I know!" As this member of the Dark Mantle showed a dark face, Cecilia suddenly turned her head and said to Han Shuo. "It should be related to the reason I came here."

"Oh? What was it?" Han Shuo knitted his brows and asked attentively.

"Outside of Tariq City, there's a canyon called Tarrag. Tarrag Canyon is similar to the Dark Forest of the Lancelot Empire, an exotic place where magical beasts run rampant. All this time, Tarrag Canyon has been considered an off-limits area by the Brut Merchant Alliance. Except for a few true experts, the average person would never venture into Tarrag Canyon.

About three months ago, some experts who cultivated in Tarrag canyon claimed that they had been attacked by some powerful magical beasts and chased out of Tarrag canyp. It's common knowledge that most high-level magical beasts live alone, and it's rare to find those that live in packs. This has attracted the attention of many different powers. I came here specifically to investigate this," Cecilia explained to Han Shuo.

With a doubtful face and furrowed brow, Han Shuo looked at Cecilia and asked, "What does this have to do with Blount? Could it be that Blount came here to investigate as well?"

"No. Blount and his members of the Church of Light seem to be hunting for someone. This person would have to be a major heretic that the Church of Light has identified, otherwise they wouldn't have sent Blount to personally go on the campaign. The person also seems to be aware of the strange phenomenon in Tarrag Canyon. With nowhere else to go, this person pushed his luck and entered Tarrag Canyon. Probably hoping that the peculiarity of Tarrag Canyon would cause Blount and his party to give up their pursuit.

However, the Church of Light has always seen itself as God's spokesman in this world, and of course they wouldn't care about the monstrosities in Tarrag Canyon. After discovering that the great heretic had entered Tarrag Canyon, Blount and his party made their way there half a month ago. But there has been no news since then," Cecilia explained slowly as she looked at Han Shuo.

"So that's it!" Han Shuo realised what was going on and immediately said happily to Cecilia, "Thank you for the information. Alright, I'm done here. You may continue your discussions. I'm taking a trip to Tarrag Canyon."

"My lord, please be careful. Tarrag Canyon is an extremely unforgiving place. We have lived in Tarrag City for many years and know the mysteries that surround this place. Even the Lightning Sacred Magus Reynold Dila of the Brut Merchant Alliance was stranded there for a long time. When Reynold Dila learned of the abnormal behaviour of the creatures, he even forbade some adventurers to enter Tarrag Canyon. He, if anyone, should know the dangers that lurk there! The Dark Mantle member who had just given Han Shuo the information about Sacred Knight Blount hastily warned Han Shuo.

"Thank you for reminding me. I will be careful!" Han Shuo thanked him with a smile, although he did not take it to heart.

Now that Han Shuo was in the Carnal Realm, he had the confidence to defeat any Sacred Rank expert. In the demonic arts, breaking through to the next realm always meant a multi-fold increase in strength. If he were to fight Sacred Knight Blount and Earth Sacred Magus Dempus again, Han Shuo was absolutely certain that he could kill them both.

At this moment, Sacred Rank experts were no longer formidable opponents against Han Shuo who had just entered the Carnal Realm. Even for a demigod existence like the Ancient Lizard King, Han Shuo, who had just experienced an unprecedented increase in confidence, would have the nerve to fight him directly. Han Shuo believed that there weren't many things on the Profound Continent that could harm him, so he didn't have the slightest fear of Tarrag Canyon.

Part 2

"Bryan, are you going to Tarrag Canyon?" Cecilia asked suddenly.

Nodding his head, Han Shuo replied, "Yes, I'm going there to meet Blount. That guy hurt my friend the last time we met. I will not allow him to live in this world any longer."

"Well then, is it too much to ask that you come with us to Tarrag Canyon? We are preparing to uncover the secrets of Tarrag Canyon. We are all members of the Dark Mantle, serving the Lancelot Empire. Going in with you gives us a greater sense of security. We can also help you look out for news of the whereabouts of the Sacred Knight Blount. What do you say?" Cecilia looked at Han Shuo with a pleading look as she sought his approval.

His wild and impressive performance in Ossen City last time had left a deep impression on Cecilia's heart. Although Han Shuo clarified after the event that the reason for his dramatic increase in strength was because he had borrowed some other people's energy, that kind of immense strength made Cecilia feel that it was just an excuse for Han Shuo to be modest.

When he returned from his three years of training, he immediately said with unparalleled confidence that he wanted to kill Sacred Knight Blount. Even without thinking too much about it, Cecilia could tell that Han Shuo's strength must have advanced further. Otherwise, he would not have made such claims.

Having an expert like him accompany them into Tarrag Canyon will add a great deal of assurance to the safety of Cecilia and her party.

But now, given Han Shuo's current status and strength, even the king of the Lancelot Empire would have to carefully curry favour and rope him in. Therefore, if Cecilia wanted to annoy Han Shuo, her tone would of course have to be amiable instead of summarily and arrogantly giving orders as before.

After looking at Cecilia's pleading expression and the newly brightened eyes of the Dark Mantle members, Han Shuo hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded and said, "Alright!"

With the existence of his mystical demons, Han Shuo didn't need the help of the Dark Mantle members to scout after arriving in Tarrag Canyon. In fact, the members were of little useful to Han Shuo. Still, he is a fellow member of the Dark Mantle. Considering the fact that he got the information he needed from them, Han Shuo found it embarrassing to refuse them outright, so he reluctantly accepted the request.

"Thank you. We are still in the preparation phase and will leave for Tarrag Canyon early tomorrow morning. Um, if you're tired, I can show you where you can rest," Cecilia thanked Han Shuo earnestly with a very faint smile on her beautiful face.

"Okay. Please prepare a secret room for me. I will rest for a while!" Han Shuo gladly accepted. With the animosity between him and Cecilia gone, the attractive-looking Cecilia suddenly felt much more pleasing to the eye. Thinking back to the overbearing Cecilia in the past and comparing it to her current accommodating attitude, Han Shuo felt a sense of satisfaction.

"Follow me!" Cecilia walked towards a staircase that led up. As he stepped inside, he had that dizzy feeling as if the earth and sky were spinning again. The next thing he knew he was in a room made of stone. "Rest well. I will go and get ready!" Cecilia said smiling. As soon as her lovely body moved backwards, she disappeared completely from this stone room.

In this Dark Mantle branch in Tariq City, they were able to use some wonderful space refraction magic. Even though Han Shuo couldn't understand it, he will still able to destroy the boundary with brute force. After arriving at the stone room, Han Shuo used some stones he found there, and with some wood carved with strange symbols, he laid out a grimace-shaped magical matrix around the room, and finally took out his skeleton staff.

As he finished his incantation, Han Shuo closed his eyes. His soul passed through layer upon layer of space-time tunnels and emerged into the desolate land of the departed souls.

On the summit of a high rocky mountain, the Earth Elite Zombie, the Wood Elite Zombie, the Fire Elite Zombie, the Metal Elite Zombie, and the Water Elite Zombie lined up to form an arc. At the centre of the five elite zombies, rocks were being swept across the ground and sand was swirling around them. Five colours - earthy brown, woody green, fiery red, golden yellow and watery white - shot out violently in all directions. Wafts of raging, chaotic energy were released from the bodies of the five elite zombies. Earthy brown, fiery red, and golden yellow combined in a bizarre manner.

Each time the energy of the three colours mixed and converged, it formed terrifying rumbling sounds, fuelling the chaotic energy in the region at its centre and fuelling the tremendous power of this great formation of divine corpses and five elements. A series of explosions erupted from its centre, and even the majestical, huge mountain seemed to tremble uncontrollably.

The Five Elements - metal, wood, water, fire and earth - exist in every plane of existence. Since the elite zombies were nurtured and formed by the Five Elements, they could skilfully manipulate the Five Elements. The Great Formation of Divine Corpses and the Five Elements could fuse the powers of the Five Elements, greatly increasing the strength of the five elite zombies.

At the centre where the energy fusion took place, chaotic energy shot out in all directions. However, at the moment, only the Earth Elite Zombie, Fire Elite Zombie, and Metal Elite Zombie could merge their powers. As for Wood Elite Zombie and Water Elite Zombie, they couldn't fuse their powers with the three at the moment.

Riding Bone Demon, Little Skeleton stood proudly in the empty space above the high mountain. He acted like a general, carefully examining his soldiers as he watched them practise the Great Formation of the Divine Corpses and the Five Elements, constantly monitoring any fluctuations in the chaotic energy the Five produced. Occasionally, he would step in and suppress the energy that was shooting towards the ground, lest his nearby palace collapse from the tremors.

A spiritual connection suddenly leapt into Little Skeleton's soul, and his purple demon eye brightened. It stared at the distorted, empty space in front of it, which looked like ripples of water, layer upon layer, their wrinkles undulating. A mighty soul emerged from it.

"Father, why have you come here?" Little Skeleton was somewhat surprised as he asked Han Shuo, whose spirit had just descended.

"I came to see how your practice is going." Han Shuo unfolded his consciousness to cover the five elite zombies below him, who were tirelessly practising the Great Formation of Divine Corpses and the Five Elements, and observed the changes in the chaotic energy at their centre.

"Little Earth, Little Gold, and Little Fire were able to fuse their energy. Only Little Water and Little Wood couldn't get the hang of it. Father, did you come here to tell them what to do?" Little Skeleton said to Han Shuo.

"No. The Great Formation of Divine Corpses and the Five Elements were imprinted deep into their souls the moment they were born. The Five Elements is an innate ability of theirs, and I'm incapable of guiding them. It can only be done through their own practice and understanding," Han Shuo replied. After a few thoughts, with his attention focused on the Water Elite Zombie and the Wood Elite Zombie, he said, "These two have yet to figure out the technique after spending so much time. Perhaps it is because they have not yet evolved to a certain stage!"

"That might be the case. Of the five, Little Earth was the first to appear. Little Fire and Little Gold have things that can help them. Those two things seem to have helped them evolve faster. That may be why the three of them were able to master the fusion of energy so quickly. Little Water and Little Wood appeared later and didn't have anything to help them evolve faster, so they haven't been able to make good use of their innate abilities yet! Little Skeleton said to Han Shuo.

"Oh, right, how about the Pearl of Souls from the Tree of Souls. Have you tried it? What were the results?" The reason he was able to break through to the carnal realm was due to the effectiveness of a Pearl of Soul. Therefore, when Han Shuo remembered the wonderful Tree of Souls, he couldn't help but ask Little Skeleton.

"Of course. You all took a Pearl of Soul from the tree. It is indeed beneficial for increasing our wisdom. It's just that the Tree of Souls takes a long time to bear fruit, so it's temporarily out of use for the Pearl fruits needed to help Little Water and Little Wood evolve faster," Little Skeleton replied somewhat helplessly, not knowing how to help Water Elite Zombie and Earth Elite Zombie.

"Well, it seems that I must try to find a way to refine some medicinal pellets. It takes a long time to evolve naturally like that," Han Shuo replied after thinking for a moment.

"Father, with just the three of their energy fusing together, this great formation of Divine Corpses and Five Elements is already terrifying enough in power. Even for a powerful bone dragon, I think it will be destroyed once it is trapped inside!" Little Skeleton replied.

"Yes, I know. But once the five powers are combined, their power will be even more terrifying. Moreover, as the five evolve and become stronger, the power of the formation will continue to grow. I look forward to more surprises they will bring me!"

"Father, they will not disappoint you."

"Well, I must go now. Take care of them and don't let anything happen to them. Also, pay a little extra attention when they are practising the formation. They must not be reckless and careless in their practice.

"Understood!"

After seeing that Little Skeleton understood his instructions, Han Shuo did not remain in the netherworld. He called his soul back to where it was before and arrived at the Profound Continent.

Sensing for a while, Han Shuo saw that he still had some time to kill. He decided to continue his meticulous study of the three necromancy Enchantments he had discovered in the Cemetery of Death - the Enchantments of Fear, the Enchantments of Weakness, and the Enchantments of Aging. In fact, he made some progress during his intensive study and gained some insight and understanding into the subject.

It was because of his habit of studying all the time that Han Shuo was able to progress so rapidly and reach considerable heights in both areas.

Whenever he immersed himself in solving a difficult problem, time would pass quickly without him noticing. Suddenly, Han Shuo felt the formation around him tremble slightly, waking him from his contemplation.

"Bryan, we can go now." Cecilia's voice suddenly reached Han Shuo's ears.

"Ok!" Han Shuo stood up, conveniently clearing the rocks and confusing woods around him, and walked out of the room.

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