CHAPTER 759: Out To Kill

***Fort Lasberg, House of Han.

Han Shuo had not been away for too long. After returning to Fort Lasberg, he discovered that not much had changed.

Apparently, Rose did not like being around others. She had followed Han Shuo in silence the whole time. She showed not the slightest interest in the scenery or the people there. She was as still as a stone.

Candide and others had worked hard for Fort Lasberg. These people, who had the experience of running a city, showed great enthusiasm in fulfilling their great responsibility. With the energy stones provided by Han Shuo, they had powered up several additional energy towers and boundary towers near the city gates, improving the defences of Fort Lasberg.

Han Shuo only stayed in his Han residence for a short time. Seeing that everything was running smoothly, he left for the valley where his Fifth Corps of Divine Guards were being trained.

The Eighth Desolation and Torment Formation was currently being operated by the Cauldron Spirit. Chilling winds blew and killing intent raged. Colourful streaks of light crisscrossed the formation. Mournful howls could be heard from within. The divine guards were being ruthlessly tempered by the Cauldron Spirit. They had not faltered for a moment.

Several dozen Divine Guards sat cross-legged outside the formation. They seemed to be concentrating on something. Strange radiances flashed across their bodies from time to time. Their domains of divinity were being used, but they were kept separate from each other.

Han Shuo knew at first glance that these divine guards must have greatly improved their willpower and gained new insights into the energies they cultivated after being tortured and tempered in the Formation. In order to allow these people to further improve their strength, the Cauldron Spirit had kicked them out of the Formation, allowing them to carefully and calmly digest and comprehend the new knowledge they had acquired.

Gilbert was one of these people. He sat cross-legged on a boulder. The usual daytime mischief on his face was replaced by serenity and solemnity. Gilbert had not been on Elysium long and was only in the Early-stage of the Lowgod realm. At this stage, it was very easy for him to make breakthroughs in his cultivation of the Element of Darkness. Han Shuo wouldn't be surprised if Gilbert managed to make a breakthrough after being sharpened within the Formation.

Spider Goddess Rose, who had been following behind Han Shuo without saying a word, appeared rather surprised after arriving at the valley. Before she stepped into it, she noticed that there were layers of boundaries hiding it. An average person with mediocre strength wouldn't be able to figure out the situation inside easily. And after entering the valley, Rose was even more amazed. She was very curious about the bizarre energy inside the Eight Desolation and Torment Formation. After carefully releasing a strand of her dark divine energy to probe it, she discovered that the aura within the formation was somewhat similar to Han Shuo's.

Han Shuo turned to cast a glance at Rose. He put on a faint smile and asked, "What is it?"

"Nothing... nothing!" Rose replied in a hurry. But after looking around, she asked hesitantly, "What is that thing for? I can feel your aura in it!"

"For training," Han Shuo pointed at the formation and explained, "Inside are my Fifth Corps Divine Guardians. Their strengths need to be improved. I want them to adapt to the most hostile environment as quickly as possible. Therefore, I have placed them inside to face the dangers".

"This structure can temper your men?" Rose was quite surprised. Although she could sense that there were dangers inside, she knew nothing about the wonderful uses of demonic formations.

Han Shuo smiled but did not answer. He began to communicate with the Cauldron Spirit.

"Master, these guys are pretty good material. Most of them have mastered tactical formations for fighting alongside each other. Some of them have made a series of breakthroughs after facing life-threatening dangers. It seems that they all have great potential. Your three apprentices in particular have progressed at lightning speed. They are truly worthy of being called Demonic Arts Cultivators!"

Han Shuo's heart was filled with joy upon hearing the Cauldron Spirit's report. He was immensely proud of Sanguis, Bolland, and Gilbert. The three of them will be Han Shuo's most reliable henchmen in the future. The stronger they became, the happier Han Shuo would be.

If the Fifth Corps becomes powerful, it would mean that the House of Han will finally be free from being known as just a weak merchant clan. However, no matter how great Han Shuo's strength was, this could not be achieved. His House of Han must have more than just a Highgod. He needs to fill his family clan with numerous powerful experts, just like the House of Sainte.

"Keep drilling them!" Han Shuo instructed the Cauldron Spirit. After thinking for a while, Han Shuo asked, "Instead of one of us controlling and managing the formation, can we use the Demon General created with the Highgod's soul to do the job?"

The Eight Desolation and Torment Formation was incredibly beneficial to the Lowgods and Midgods. After discovering the effectiveness of the formation, Han Shuo thought that Stratholme, Phobe, Emily, and the others should all enter it for a round of tempering. He believed it would be of great benefit to them.

Han Shuo asked the question because he and Cauldron Spirit could not stay and supervise the formation all the time.

"Yes, it will work, but the effectiveness of the formation will be greatly reduced," Cauldron Spirit replied. After a short pause, he added, "But even a low-quality Formation is more than enough to temper low-level gods. If the master's intention is to train those who have come from the Profound Continent, the Formation will be powerful enough!"

Han Shuo felt at ease after hearing the words of the Cauldron Spirit. He intended for members of his House of Han to enter the Formation after his Divine Guards had finished.

However, this valley was more than a dozen days away from the City of Shadows. It would be rather inconvenient to travel back and forth. Han Shuo began to think about dismantling the formation and rebuilding it in one of the gymnasiums of the Han residence in the city.

Time passed quickly. Half a year had passed.

Seeing that the competition between the Seven Corps was just around the corner, Han Shuo finally ordered the Cauldron Spirit to bring down the Eight Desolation and Torment Formation and let all the divine guards leave.

In this short span of half a year, a few more divine guards managed to gain new deep insights into the energies they cultivated in. The nearly one hundred divine guardians had been in the formation for more than a year. During that time, they had faced all kinds of dangers at every moment. As they emerged from the formation, their faces were grave and stern, and there was an air of serenity about them. It was as if they had been through countless wars and battles.

In just one year, the Divine Guards had acquired a whole new demeanour. Not only had their strength increased, but their hearts and minds had also become more tenacious. They had learned not to give up easily, no matter how great the challenges they faced. They would not tremble in fear, even in the face of a Highgod.

After leaving the formation, the looks of these divine guards as they looked at Han Shuo had completely changed. The former vigilance and doubtful glances were replaced with sincere admiration and awe.

Before, the divine guards did not believe that Han Shuo could lead them. But with the Eight Desolation and Torment Formation, they realised just how wonderful Han Shuo was. Even now, these people had no idea how the terrifying scenes they had witnessed were created, although they were very sure that Han Shuo was responsible.

It was more than enough for the divine guards to trust Han Shuo and for Han Shuo to earn their respect.

In particular, those divine guards who had managed to break through after the training felt sincere gratitude towards Han Shuo. These gods who lived on Elysium usually needed endless years and ages to make a small progress in their cultivation. They knew very well how much they had gained from the fierce training.

Gilbert woke up from his meditation and looked at Rose who was standing next to Han Shuo. He asked, "Master, who is this white-haired lady? Is she your new woman?"

A cold glow flashed in Rose's eyes. A strand of her hair flew out at lightning speed towards Gilbert. Before Gilbert could react, the strand of hair, which seemed to stretch to infinity, had wrapped itself around him. He was lifted into the air and slammed to the ground.

Gilbert cried out in pain, "Ouch! White-haired lady, what are you doing?!"

Radiances flashed in Sanguis and Bolland's eyes. They looked at Rose with an apathetic expression and great astonishment. Their minds automatically became cautious of this lady who was outstanding in both looks and strength.

Both Sanguis and Bollands were aware of Gilbert's strength. After seeing Rose subdue Gilbert with a single strand of her hair, they knew they had no chance against Rose. They were puzzled as to why an expert with such power was with Han Shuo.

"My hair is silver, not white!" Rose looked at Gilbert coldly and said, "And I'm not his new woman!"

Gilbert got to his feet grumpily. He knew he wasn't Rose's match. He grumbled, "If you are not my master's woman, then who are you?"

Rose hesitated for a moment. After a quick glance at the smiling Han Shuo out of the corner of her eye, she reluctantly replied, "As do you, his servant,".

"Oh?" exclaimed Gilbert. "A servant, I see. Hehe, with such a beautiful servant, I'm sure my master will have a really good time!" said Gilbert loudly as he put on a suggestive grin. The divine guards around Gilbert also smiled upon hearing these words.

"You!" Rose had obviously figured out what Gilbert's words really meant, and she could see what was going through the divine guards' minds from their hideous expressions. Her face went cold and she was about to snap again.

"Enough!" Han Shuo shouted lightly. He ordered the divine guards, "You will all return to the City of Shadows."

"My Lord, are you not returning with us?" asked Barnard immediately. After a year of training and hardship, his strength had improved greatly. He began to feel a deep sense of respect for Han Shuo.

"There are some things I need to take care of. I will return soon. Right, you will run the company while I'm away," Han Shuo replied.

"As you wish, my lord!" Barnard saluted Han Shuo and led the company of divine guards back to the city. They were reluctant to leave the Eight Desolation and Torment Formation. For the Divine Guards, the year they had spent in the formation was one of the most memorable experiences of their lives.

After the divine guards left, Han Shuo said to Sanguis, Bollands and Gilbert, "Dismantle the Formation with me. Make sure you leave nothing behind, as we will be reinstalling the Formation in the Han Residence.

Sanguis, Bolland and Gilbert were Han Shuo's most trusted aides. The three of them had some understanding of the demonic art that Han Shuo had cultivated. Han Shuo wouldn't trust anyone else with this task.

After hearing Han Shuo's instructions, the three of them immediately got to work. Every stele and stone was picked up and put away. The unique and special materials were selected and removed with the utmost care so as not to damage the materials.

After removing the formation, Han Shuo and his apprentices proceeded to remove all traces and evidence of what had happened in the valley. Han Shuo made sure that not a single clue could be found in the valley before he instructed his three apprentices, "Return to the city without me. I will be back before the competition begins."

"Master, where are you going?"

"Master, bring your dark dragon with you!" Sanguis and Gilbert said at the same time. Bollands said nothing, but it was clear from his eyes that he also wanted to go with Han Shuo.

"I will take care of a hidden threat. The situation does not allow me to take you with me. Only when you have the strength to kill Highgods will I be able to take you in and out of the dragon's lair," Han Shuo refused with a smile.

After hearing Han Shuo's refusal, the three of them seemed somewhat disheartened. However, there was nothing they could do about the harsh reality and so they headed back to the city.

Han Shuo, however, did not return to the City of Shadows. He and Rose headed towards Hushveil City.

"What are you up to?" Rose asked as soon as she realised that Han Shuo was not heading towards the City of Shadows. Doubt could be seen in her cold and clear eyes.

"We're going to murder people!" Han Shuo turned around, grinned, and said, "We are going to Hushveil City to kill several people who are a threat to my family clan."

Han Shuo was determined to eliminate Avery after Aobashi and Erebus informed Han Shuo of his whereabouts. He was even more motivated when he learned that Avery had joined forces with Hassling.

As Aobashi had warned, Avery and Hassling would never make peace with the House of Han. The two of them possessed extraordinary powers, and Hassling was even the master of the vast Godswamp Pharmacy. As long as these great potential threats were alive, Han Shuo would feel like he had a needle in his throat. Although Han Shuo wasn't afraid of Avery and Hassling's attacks, he was worried about the members of his family clan. There was no way he could guarantee the safety of all his clansmen from a sudden attack in the dark by the two of them.

Therefore, given the circumstances, Han Shuo's best course of action was to eliminate the threats before they could strike!

After all, Han Shuo currently had the power to do so!

Both Hassling and Avery were in Hushveil City. Hassling was a VIP in Hushveil City, highly respected by their City Lord. Han Shuo knew that it wouldn't be easy to assassinate them in Hushveil City. Although Sanguis, Bolland, and Gilbert's strength had increased rapidly, they had not yet reached the Highgod realm. Without Highgod strength, not only would they not be able to help Han Shuo in Hushveil City, they might even be a burden to him. Therefore, Han Shuo was determined not to bring the three with him.

Rose, however, was different. She possessed Mid-stage Highgod strength. Even if they got into trouble in Hushveil City, Rose could easily escape and keep up with Han Shuo. Besides, since he was using demon generals to observe his surroundings, Han Shuo believed that Hushveil City wouldn't be able to stop him.

"Who?" Rose was not a kindhearted person either. She showed no trace of shock upon hearing Han Shuo's words. In fact, she seemed completely indifferent to it.

"You'll know when the time comes," Han Shuo replied with a smile.

Fort Lasberg was located at the outermost edge of the City of Shadows' influence, and was relatively close to Hushveil City. The two did not speak during the journey, travelling in silence. After a few days, the two crossed the vast border between the two cities and stepped onto the ground under the influence of Hushveil City.

Like the City of Shadows, Hushveil City had large and small fortresses and settlements surrounding the city itself. After entering the city's sphere of influence, Han Shuo began to act more cautiously. The two of them deliberately avoided the crowds and divine guards of Hushveil City to avoid unnecessary trouble.

As a Highgod, Rose's terrifying aura was all too threatening. At Han Shuo's insistence, Rose withdrew her forbidding aura so that the Lowgods and Midgods around her wouldn't be so frightened and wary.

Han Shuo's ability to hide his aura was far superior to Rose's. He could easily disguise his strength simply by not using the demonic yuan in his body and allowing the aura of his Midgod strength avatars to escape. If even Rose could not discover his true strength, then an average Lowgod and Midgod would have no chance of discovering just how terrifying Han Shuo really was.

After eighteen days of travelling through the territories of Hushveil City, Han Shuo and Rose finally arrived at the city gate.

The name on Han Shuo's divine tablet was Bryan. As there were many gods on Elysium, it was not uncommon to find gods with the same name. The divine guards in Hushveil City had not even expected that this Bryan was actually the master of the Celestial Pearl Pharmacy that had been all the rage in the Darkness Dominion. They let Han Shuo in just like that.

Although Rose did not like crowded places, like any other god, she also had her own Divine Tablet. Moreover, her tablet was different from Han Shuo's - much more simple and unadorned. The divine guards of Hushveil City seemed somewhat respectful as they received and handled Rose's divine tablet. Even his words sounded much more polite - quite unlike the arrogant treatment Han Shuo had received.

Rose walked proudly into the city with her head held high. "My divine tablet is of the most ancient variety. Gods with this kind of tablet who are still alive usually have great powers! No matter where they are on Elysium, the divine guards would treat those with great power with the most respect!" Rose seemed quite proud as she said these words. It was as if she was secretly pleased and had regained some dignity by being treated better than her master.

Han Shuo didn't mind it at all. He nodded with a faint smile and said, "Then you should be very clear about the situation on Elysium. Very good. When there's time, tell me all about the ancient stories about Elysium. I'm interested in them."

"No problem!" agreed Rose. She was rather astonished that Han Shuo would seek for her knowledge.

<i >Hmm, so he does have one thing that is worthy of praise, after all.