CHAPTER 796: Winning Hearts And Minds

"Of course not!" Han Shuo hastily replied, "In my heart, I have always thought of you and Erebus as a couple... Hehe..."

After hearing Han Shuo's words, Aobashi couldn't help but turn to look at Erebus who was staring at her with eyes burning with passion. However, Aobashi felt that Erebus lacked a certain quality that attracted her. She felt that no chemistry could happen between her and Erebus. "I have no feeling for him!" cried Aobashi right in front of Erebus.

Erebus who has numbed himself to Aobashi's rejection did not seem to mind being shunned. Even his affection-filled gaze towards Aobashi did not falter by the slightest. He was behaving like a worthless creature. Han Shuo felt contempt for this behavior of Erebus'. He thought, <i >Erebus is a powerful and influential man in the City of Shadows. How could he turn into such a spineless fool before Aobashi?

"Be careful of Ralph. He's a vengeful man, and no doubt he has the strength to do so. You must not be careless in the competition between the chiefs. You must be prepared for Ralph's revenge!" Aobashi advised Han Shuo to be careful, ignoring Erebus' looks.

If Aobashi had known that it was Han Shuo who had injured Hofs, the City Lord of Hushveil City, as Wallace knew, she wouldn't have given Han Shuo such a lengthy warning. Instead, she might be worried about her own safety.

"Don't worry, I will be ready," Han Shuo said as he nodded smilingly. He found Aobashi and Erebus to be genuinely likeable. When they had first met Han Shuo, the two had not been prejudiced against Han Shuo because of their huge gap in status and identity. On the contrary, the two had been very helpful to him in various matters. This was a trait he found hard to come by.

Aobashi and Erebus did not stay long. After a few more moments of conversation with Han Shuo, they both took their leave. The battle between the Divine Guard Chiefs in three days' time was so important that even Aobashi and Erebus dared not let their guard down, lest they meet with unexpected failure.

As soon as the two chiefs had left, Gilbert, Sanguis, Bollands and Barnard came to Han Shuo. Barnard presented Han Shuo with the prizes they had won in the competition and said, "My Lord, these are our spoils of war.

Since the vast majority of the participants were cultivators of the energy of death, destruction, and darkness, the divine essences that Wallace had planted in the arena were of those energies. These Divine Essences were very useful to the Divine Guards of the Fifth Corps, but none of them had tempered any of them before giving them to Han Shuo. This was a testament to the discipline of the Fifth Corps Divine Guards.

For Han Shuo, these divine essences that could increase the divine energy he possessed were of little use. He had assimilated the divine energy of several powerful gods back in Hushveil City, and his two avatars were currently saturated with divine energy. What he needed now was deeper insight and understanding, not more divine energy.

"I don't want them. You will keep them and divide them among yourselves," Han Shuo shook his head, refusing to accept the divine essences from Barnard's hands.

Barnard's heart skipped a beat. In awe, he asked, "But my lord, these are divine essences. Why would Your Lordship not want them?"

"I don't need them," Han Shuo said with a faint smile, "I don't need to increase my divine energy for now. You and the company have done an extraordinary job in the competition. You have fought for these divine essences and obtained them with your own hands - you have earned the divine essences. Therefore, it is only reasonable that these divine essences be shared among you.

Seeing that Barnard was still reluctant to accept the divine essence, Han Shuo said somewhat impatiently, "All right, I don't want to hear any more refusals. Go and distribute them now! You are the captain. You will decide how it will be distributed!"

"Erm... Mr Bollands?" Barnard still could not believe that Han Shuo would give them the divine essences. He stared blankly for a moment before turning slightly awkwardly to look at Bollands. He remembered that Bollands had played a key role in the earlier battles and knew that Bollands was close to Han Shuo. So he asked Bollands for his opinion.

"Do exactly what my senior says," Bollands said proudly after looking at Barnard with cold eyes.

"Old man, when did you become such a verbose person? My master has spoken. Hurry up and distribute them and get it over with!" said Gilbert impatiently.

"Ay, ay..." Barnard was overjoyed. He ran excitedly to the nearest group of Divine Guards, clutching the Divine Essences in his hand and shouting, "Lord Bryan is giving us the Divine Essences! Lord Bryan is giving us the divine essence!"

Cheers rang out from the divine guards. They surrounded Barnard in an instant, their greedy eyes fixed on the divine essences. From time to time, they cast grateful glances at Han Shuo.

"When Avery was at the helm, all the valuables that the Fifth Corps had obtained had to be handed over to him. The Divine Guards would never get anything except what he had absolutely no use for," Bollands was familiar with the temperament of every Divine Guard Chief in the City of Shadows. He explained, "Senior, what you are doing is simply unthinkable to them. Everyone knows that Divine Essences are precious. Even if Senior doesn't use it, you could easily sell it for a large number of black crystal coins. But to give it all to your subordinates without a thought, I doubt if there is another Divine Guard Chief who would do that!

After hearing Bolland's explanation, Han Shuo immediately realised that he had been overly generous. With the Celestial Pearl making him an obscene amount of Crystal Coins every day, the Crystal Coins had lost most of their value in Han Shuo's eyes. Besides, Han Shuo did not need divine essences to rapidly increase his divine energy, as he could simply consume those of other experts. These were the reasons why Han Shuo was so generous.

But unexpectedly, this act of great generosity had won the heartfelt gratitude and support of his divine guards. With a single glance, Han Shuo could tell that the divine guards had become even more reverent and adoring towards him. At this rate, it would not be long before they'll became private guards of the House of Han - something Han Shuo wished to see.

After a moment's thought, Han Shuo suddenly realised that these divine guards were quite easy to tame. All he had to do was demonstrate his overwhelming strength to win their hearts, and his charisma to win their minds, along with some tangible rewards. After these simple steps, they would be obedient and submissive to Han Shuo, ready to serve him faithfully.

"Senior, they are all very talented. Given time, they will undoubtedly grow into powerful experts!" remarked Bollands. Having interacted with Han Shuo for so long, and being able to guess the thoughts of others, Bollands could tell what was on Han Shuo's mind with a single glance.

Han Shuo smiled faintly and nodded. He turned to look at Bollands intensely and instructed, "Make an effort. These divine guards, the first batch to be trained in the Eight Desolation and Torment Formation, will become the solid foundation of strength for our House of Han!"

"Understood, Senior. Soon they will no longer think of themselves as Divine Guards of the Fifth Corp, but as members of the House of Han," Bollands replied with a solemn and serious face.

Han Shuo had full confidence in Bollands' abilities. He had a brief discussion with Bollands in a low voice, telling Bollands that if they needed crystal coins or medicine, they could come to him or Phoebe directly. He thought that it was worth investing a certain amount of crystal coins and medicine to win this batch of talents.

Bollands indicated that he understood the instructions. The Divine Guards were also very respectful of him. He reckoned that the plan would succeed without a hitch.

After Bollands left, Sanguis began to tell Han Shuo about the amazing power of his broadsword. He mentioned how easy and smooth it was to use the Blood Red Broadsword, and how powerful the Bloodgod Mantra was after its power was enhanced. He could not be more pleased with the broadsword.

The broadsword made with the blood crystal was tailor-made for Sanguis. It would be a miracle if Sanguis did not find it useful!

After listening to Sanguis's excitement, Han Shuo gave him some advice and asked him to study the broadsword even more. After that, he left his camp and went to Rose.

The misty region filled with natural hot springs was occupied by the female divine guards. They had declared it their territory. Several drenched female divine guards stood guard at the entrance, lest some of the male divine guards 'unknowingly' enter the hot spring. They were especially wary of someone like Gilbert.

"Hail, Lord Bryan!" the few divine guards at the entrance immediately turned solemn and saluted Han Shuo respectfully.

Han Shuo looked at the divine guards and said, "I am looking for Rose.

Although these female divine guards were not particularly pretty, they all had fit and toned physiques with firm skin thanks to their constant training. They looked alluring, exuberant and a little fierce.

"Lord Rose is inside," one of the divine guards replied with a sweet smile. Then, as if sensing something, her gaze turned amorous. This divine guard was quite tall. When she stood up straight, her eyes were at the height of Han Shuo's lips. Although she was not outstanding in appearance, her breasts were humongous. It looked as though her immense twin peaks will soon rip out of her soft, thin robe.

This female divine guard suddenly straightened her body, causing her two massive boobs to jiggle seductively. The oscillation was hypnotical to any man. As she looked at Han Shuo with her fiery eyes, she smiled charmingly and said, "My Lord, I'm called Roxie."

<i >Dammnnn! They are hugeeeeee! cried Han Shuo internally. However, Han Shuo did not lose his poker face. He nodded and said, "Roxie. Mmm, I will remember your name."

As divine guards, they were aware of the great possibility of losing their lives in a mission. Their safety was not assured! It was for this reason that these female divine guards would be so bold and flirty. Once they identified someone they find attractive, instead of waiting around like ordinary females, they would take the initiative and strike.

To Roxie, the incredibly mysterious and unfathomably powerful Han Shuo was as outstanding as a lofty mountain. She found men as extraordinary and powerful as Han Shuo to be irresistible. She did not mind having a one-time thing with Han Shuo.

So when she noticed that Han Shuo's eyes seemed to linger on her towering breasts, the ones she was most proud of, instead of reacting shyly or angrily, she took the initiative to stick out her breasts. She was trying to seduce Han Shuo, hoping that Han Shuo would be kind enough to have a round of the most pleasurable exercise with her!

The other divine guards beside Roxie noticed that Han Shuo's eyes travelled a few more circles around their twin peaks. Resenting themselves for not having such protruding breasts, they tried to show off the most alluring parts of their bodies, also hoping to attract Han Shuo's attention and arouse him.

In the hearts of these female divine guards, Han Shuo was their god! He was the kind of man they dreamed of and longed for. All Han Shuo had to do was wave his finger and they would willingly undress, lie naked on his bed and wait for Han Shuo to fuck them!

To these women who worshipped the strong, Han Shuo was simply irresistible!