CHAPTER 742: You Shall Not Leave

Han Shuo couldn't figure out the identity of the old man his demon general had seen. Finally, through Eugene, Han Shuo was able to confirm that the old man was indeed the owner of the Godswamp Pharmacy - Hassling. It was clear to Han Shuo that the evil deeds of the Godswamp Pharmacy in the City of Shadows were sanctioned, if not ordered, by Hassling.

From the day Han Shuo exposed the evil deeds of the Godswamp Pharmacy in the City of Shadows, an irreconcilable enmity was born between him and Hassling. The feud would only get worse now that the Celestial Pearl Pharmacy had completely replaced the Godswamp Pharmacy in the City of Shadows. Even if Han Shuo didn't want to make enemies with the Godswamp, there was no way that Hassling would let him live in peace.

Therefore, having come to this conclusion, Han Shuo decided that he had to do everything in his power to bring down the Godswamp Pharmacy and eliminate the threat that was Hassling!

"Eugene, I cannot be more certain that Hassling is connected to the Godhunters. You should ask yourself if you really know him or just the side he wants you to see!" said Han Shuo mockingly.

Eugene let out a soft, disdainful groan, obviously not taking Han Shuo's advice to heart. He still thought that Han Shuo was trying to slander Hassling. His relationship with Hassling seemed to run deep.

The battle continued.

The attacking forces led by Aobashi bombarded the godhunters in the caves with ranged attacks. Another six Godhunters, who had revealed themselves at the mouth of the cave, were killed by their attacks.

"Everyone retreat!" came a roar from one of the largest caves.

The Godhunters who had attempted to attack from their caves retreated at the command. They also blocked the cave entrances with rocks. This left Aobashi and the attacking forces with no targets to attack.

"It's Brovst! He really is in there!" Erebus shouted softly. He seemed quite excited.

"The Godhunters are all in their caves. What are we going to do?" Blightsoar flew to Aobashi to consult them.

"There are forks in those caves," Han Shuo said with his eyes closed, exploring the caves with some of his demon generals. Suddenly he shouted, "There are other exits in there, it is very narrow. The Godhunters are evacuating!"

After witnessing Han Shuo's outstanding performance in infiltrating the base, Aobashi and the others had no doubt about Han Shuo's words. Aobashi hastily ordered, "Each corps will take twenty people outside the valley to find them, while the rest will enter the cave and pursue them. It wasn't easy for us to find these Godhunters, we can't let them escape!"

"Agreed!" shouted Blightsoar. He immediately turned to his men, giving instructions and nodding to Aobashi.

"Let's go!" Eugene had also given his men the appropriate instructions and began to fly towards the caves.

Andrina's figure dazzled as she charged ahead, taking the lead with Han Shuo following close behind. Aobashi, Erebus, Blightsoar and Eugene charged from four different points. Shadows streaked across the cold pool, zooming towards the caves beyond.

In an instant, more than a hundred figures were flying over the lake.

"Watch out, some of the Godhunters are returning!" shouted Han Shuo.

As soon as his voice rang out, the gravity above the lake increased a hundredfold. Those flying over the lake became sluggish. The Godhunters reappeared at the cave mouths and began to attack the group flying above the lake with difficulty.

All those floating were severely affected by the hundredfold increase in gravity. Not only did their airspeed decrease significantly, but they also used much more divine energy than usual to keep themselves in the air. After being pushed beyond their limits, a dozen or more divine guards were unable to defend themselves against the Godhunter's attacks, and fell helplessly towards the lake after being hit.

Eerie, pitiful screams came from the mouths of those who fell into the lake. A short time later, more groups of white skeletons were added to the lake.

The Divine Guards who were still on land reacted immediately, launching ranged attacks at the exposed godhunters. Some of them were hit. Their bodies fell from their caves into the lake.

"Stop them!" Brovst shouted from the largest cave, his brave and muscular form revealed.

Then Gallas and Taylin, cultivating in the energy of Darkness and Death respectively, stepped forward to stand beside Brovst. The trio's eyes suddenly focused on Andrina.

The three of them immediately attacked Andrina together, focusing all their attacks on her alone. The other Highgods were ignored.

Andrina was at the front of the charging party and the closest to the three Godhunters. The sudden attacks of the three seemed to have caught her off guard. Rings of light blossomed from her palms. She looked like a large, bright crystal shining in the air as she withstood the attacks.

"Attack these three!" shouted Han Shuo. Then, with his left hand, he threw the Green Hypergolic Dust he had refined before coming to Elysium at Brovst and his gang.

Aobashi and Erebus rushed at Brovst, Gallas and Taylin. Aobashi, her fine hair fluttering wildly in the wind, instantly formed a rapidly spinning tornado and hurled it into the cave. Meanwhile, Erebus thrust the dark pike in his hand. A bolt of dark lightning shot out like a meandering dragon.

The three who were trying to kill Andrina had no choice but to stop bombarding her with attacks and set up defences against Aobashi and Erebus' attacks. They set up layer upon layer of barriers at the mouth of the cave.

"Huh?!" The three cried out in unison. They discovered that the fine specks of green dust falling into the cave could burn anything it touched. Taylin, who had accidentally touched some of the green hypergolic dust, suddenly began to burn. The bright green flames were extremely vicious and took no time to scorch her body.

In the eyes of the Highgod's Godhunters, an attack from such a puny figure as Han Shuo would be nothing, so they had very carelessly allowed the Green Hypergolic Dust to enter the cave. However, soon after the dust began to burn, they realised that they had been wrong in their judgement.

"What the hell is this damned flame, why can't I put it out! Argh! That wretched boy, I'll kill him!" Taylin cried out in pain. It appeared that she was being severely tormented by the Green Hypergolic Dust.

Brovst and Gallas were shocked to discover that even someone as powerful as Taylin couldn't neutralise the green dust instantly. They decided to abandon their attack on Andrina and retreat into the cave.

The pressure on Andrina immediately eased. She took the opportunity to quickly jump into a cave. She was the first to cross the lake.

Since green hypergolic dust was raging in the cave where Brovst and the others had been, Andrina did not land there. Instead, she entered a cave where three midgods were standing. She immediately began her killing spree, showing no mercy. She grabbed the three godhunters with her tiny hands and threw them into the lake.

The three Godhunters were soon reduced to bones. Andrina quickly scanned the area with her eyes and flew towards another cave. She aimed for the cave with the most Godhunters, for maximum kill. As soon as she landed in the cave, her small hand began to grab and throw. In no time, another seven people were thrown into the lake.

With Brovst, Taylin and Gallas out of the way, Aobashi, Erebus and the others managed to cross the lake. These Highgod experts went to the caves with the most godhunters. Miserable screams rang out again and again. A dozen or more Godhunters were killed in an instant.

As a result, the pressure on the divine guards hovering above the lake was greatly reduced. They were able to cross the lake and enter the caves.

"Everyone disperse, search every cave!" shouted Aobashi. Then she asked Han Shuo, "Bryan, can you lead us to the Brovst Trio?"

"No problem. Follow me!" Han Shuo replied quickly. The green hypergolic dust on Taylin was still burning. Han Shuo could track it by following the unique scent it produced.

Upon hearing these words, Andrina, Aobashi and Erebus followed Han Shuo. Blightsoar, who had just crossed the lake, decided to join Han Shuo without hesitation. Eugene of Hushveil City let out a soft groan and did not follow. Instead, he went into another cave and explored by himself.

"Be careful, there might be a Late-stage Highgod in the cave!" Han Shuo reminded the group as he led them.

The tunnel grew narrower and narrower and they encountered more and more forks. They encountered a few scattered Godhunters along the way and were easily taken care of. After venturing deep inside, they suddenly found a huge, glittering, bright cavern. The walls were covered with glowing energy crystals, lighting up the area like a ballroom.

Several small tunnels stretched out in all directions. At the centre of the cave was a huge vertical shaft that went deep underground. The panicked Godhunters had burrowed into this shaft.

"There should be an escape route in there!" Han Shuo pointed to the tunnel and explained.

"Let's go!" Aobashi flew into the tunnel without thinking.

After Aobashi, Erebus followed without hesitation. However, Andrina, who had been on the front line all along, hesitated for a moment. She followed Han Shuo down. Blightsoar was the last to enter.

They fell thousands of metres into the tunnel. The shaft was completely dark. Apart from Erebus, who cultivated in the element of darkness, Han Shuo thought he was probably the only one who could see his surroundings, albeit barely.

After looking around for a moment, Han Shuo noticed that Andrina's eyes were glowing like energy crystals. Immediately, Han Shuo understood that Andrina could also see in the dark.

Finally, their feet were back on solid ground - they had reached the bottom.

Han Shuo lowered his head and looked around. He saw that below him was a huge palace that covered hundreds of thousands of square metres. The architecture was simple and solemn. Energy towers were erected in every corner, but they did not emit a single glimmer of light. The Godhunters, who appeared tiny, flew blindly around the walls like flies trapped in a bottle. It seemed they could find no way to escape.

Suddenly, an immense pressure filled the space. It was as if a huge mountain had grown above them, weighing them down so heavily that they could not breathe. An aura, seemingly filled with boundless energy, appeared out of nowhere. It gave off a primordial, eternal feeling, as if it were as old as the stars and galaxies, an eternal existence!

In the pitch-black space, an enormous figure gradually appeared. His colossal body filled the valley. Its green eyes were high in the sky, almost like two crescent moons. It stared down coldly at those standing above the palace.

"You found this place. That's surprising!" an aged voice came from the colossal figure's mouth. It echoed through the space.

"Who are you?" Erebus asked in a deep voice.

"But since you have come here, you shall not leave!" the colossal figure waved his hand. World-shattering power instantly filled every nook and cranny, and a vast but unknown number of boundaries instantly formed around the space. The energies of death and darkness in Han Shuo's body were suddenly sealed. He couldn't use any of his divine energy.

Han Shuo was alarmed. When he lifted his head and looked, he saw a blurry figure towering over him and a pair of green eyes at the top looking down at him.

Han Shuo had a strange feeling. He felt that the scene was very familiar, as if he had encountered such a situation before.

After trying hard to remember, Han Shuo was taken aback. He finally remembered when he had been in such a situation.

Back in the Cemetery of Death of the Profound Continent all those years ago, when he was exploring the second level of the cemetery, an evil god tried to brand his soul. His brain felt like it was being sliced by ten thousand blades as he resisted. It was this very colossal figure that appeared in his mind, though less clearly than now. But he clearly remembered the pair of green eyes that looked down on him with contempt.

"Submit. There will be no pain, only eternal life!" Back in the cemetery of death, the colossal figure had repeated those words in Han Shuo's mind, urging Han Shuo to surrender his soul and become his servant. Since they were many light years apart and Han Shuo had unbending willpower, he was able to resist its power.

This time, however, the colossal figure he saw wasn't just an image in his mind, and the voice he heard wasn't transmitted into his mind. Now that he was physically in the presence of this incomparably formidable being, he realised that his previous experience was not only pale in comparison, it wasn't even worth mentioning!

"Submit or perish!" the colossal being shouted. There was a strange, bewitching power to his voice.

"Who exactly are you?" Although Aobashi could not see in the darkness, the pair of large green eyes of the mysterious and incomparably powerful being glowed faintly, illuminating his enormous body.

"You need not know," the being replied. "I will ask you one last time: do you want to live or do you want to die?"

"Live!" shouted Erebus abruptly, before throwing out a scroll. An unparalleled surge of energy suddenly erupted from the scroll, instantly affecting the boundless darkness around it. It gathered into a single point and shot towards the colossal being.

"Courting death!" The colossal waved his hand. The scroll Erebus threw out disintegrated with a bang. A shaft of light shot out of its right eye and fell on Erebus. He howled miserably and was sent flying far away.

Before entering the valley, Han Shuo had repeatedly asked Aobashi and Erebus about this possible threat, and he had been assured that they had ways of dealing with a late-stage Highgod expert. However, from the looks of it, Erebus could not even defend himself!