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Exalted DemonLord

Fantasy Action Adventure Comedy Harem Mature Romance Seinen

J_Ralph · Fantasy
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915 Chs
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CHAPTER 882: Coincidence?

Although the members of the House of Han had all evacuated the Han Residence, the demonic formations surrounding it remained operational. From time to time, dying cries of agony and helplessness could be heard coming from the demonic formations.

Larikson and Hofs were both trapped in a formation that was attacking them psychologically. When their worst fears came to them, they would have to use every ounce of their willpower to resist. In such a situation, with their divine souls under constant attack, Larikson and Hofs had no time to even find out what was happening to their subordinates. All their focus was on resisting their worst nightmares.

Having reached the Late-stage of Highgod cultivation, both Hofs and Larikson had minds far more tenacious than the average god. They had been able to withstand the onslaught of their worst nightmares, but only barely. Meanwhile, the weak-minded Midgods around them were driven to madness. Unable to resist the psychological onslaught, they ended up killing themselves.

Time flew. A few days passed in a flash. The yuan energies in the Han Residence were nearing exhaustion, and the demonic formations were weakening before shutting down one by one. A number of exhausted divine guards from Hushveil City emerged from the formations. They were inches from death, but survived by sheer luck.

Gradually, the yuan energy was completely depleted. The power source for the demonic formations around the Han Residence was finally exhausted.

The dense mist that shrouded the Han Residence had long since vanished. Every region and structure in the Han Residence was exposed to the bright sun.

These buildings were surrounded by towering steles and plants covered with people who had died in horrible circumstances. They were Hofs' divine guards from Hushveil City. Some were missing limbs or heads, or were deformed or twisted beyond their natural range of motion. Others were bleeding from every orifice and their bodies looked as if they had been freeze-dried.

There had been a thousand divine guards from Hushveil City who had come to attack Lasberg Fortress, but now there were less than three hundred left. Moreover, those three hundred who had fortunately survived were all tired and drained of energy.

Hofs took a moment to process the scene of utter devastation around him. A mixed feeling of sadness and anger swelled in his heart. This was definitely not the outcome Hofs wanted. Feeling completely lost and helpless, his mind was blank and he had no thoughts of pursuing his goals.

The divine guards of Hushveil City, who were incredibly lucky to have survived, seemed to be on the verge of madness. Their eyes were hollow with fear and terror. At the moment, they were all huddled together, trying their best to recover some divine energy.

Larikson was astonished. He had not expected these bizarre energies to kill so many of Hof's men. However, Larikson did not feel the slightest bit sad because none of his highods had been killed.

"Kinu, take your men and search around. See if there's anyone from the House of Han are still inside," Larikson was silent for a moment before he ordered in a cold voice while winking at Kinu.

Kinu had served Larikson for a long time and could decipher Larikson's actual order. He nodded knowingly and immediately began to carry out the order. They flew towards the tall and large buildings and began a thorough search.

With the strength that Larikon possessed after the demonic formations had ceased to function, he could instantly sense that there was no one in the Han Residence but them. His real goal wasn't to look for any remaining members of the Han family, but for any remaining treasures.

Hofs, still drowning in grief and pain, came to his senses when he heard Larikson's order to his subordinates. He knew what Larikson was planning. He suppressed the rage in his heart and shouted, "Search the residence! Kill everyone you see and bring back everything of value!"

The exhausted divine guards of Hushveil City immediately rose to carry out Hof's order with a scowl. They flew around the Han Residence at high speed like a swarm of bees around their nest.

Ten minutes later, Kinu and those divine guards from Hushveil City returned with dejected faces. It was obvious that they had returned empty-handed.

"My Lord, not a single person, energy crystal, or black crystal coin was left. Those damned members of the Han family took everything," Kinu reported back to Larikson.

Phoebe and the others had started to move their belongings since they had received information that Larikson and Hofs were going to attack them. It was obvious that they wouldn't leave them with a single valuable item. By now, the only valuable item left in the Han residence was the demonic formation, which had run out of energy. Unfortunately for Larikson and Hofs, they did not know how to use demonic formations. Even if they moved everything in the Han Residence, they would never be able to use it as a defence.

One man's treasure could be another man's trash. For Han Shuo, Sanguis, and Bollands, who were well versed in demonic arts, the materials in those demonic formations were very useful. But to Hofs and Larikson, those items were completely useless.

"They couldn't have gone far. Hmph, I'm sure Wallace must have used his forces as well. Those bastards won't be able to leave the City of Shadows so easily!" Larikson groaned coldly and continued, "They must be heading for the Death Dominion. After them!"

With so many of his troops now dead, giving up was no longer an option for Hofs. Even if not for himself, he had to kill every last one of the House of Han to justify the rest of his divine guards. Besides, the House of Han might escape with a mountain of black crystal coins. Hofs would never let Larikson enjoy the wealth alone.

Although many of his troops had perished, Hofs was still confident that he could defeat the House of Han. There were still many Highgods in his team, while the House of Han didn't have a single Highgod expert. Hofs was certain that if he could force the House of Han to fight straight, he could claim victory with just those few Highgods in his team.

"Go after them!" Hofs ordered his troops. The attackers, who had suffered heavy losses at Fort Lasberg, began another march in the direction of the Death Dominion.

*** In a bottomless valley far from Fort Lasberg, Ralph wore a dark face as he waited for the latest scouting Intel.

A shadow shot across the sky before stopping before Ralph. He knelt on one knee and respectfully reported, "My Lord, I have received Intel. Those of the House of Han are indeed on their way to us!"

Ralph was thrilled. He grinned coldly and said, "Excellent. Our waiting here has not been in vain." After a short pause, Ralph asked, "Right, what's the situation over at Fort Lasberg? With Larikson and Hofs attacking the fort, even if the Han family managed to escape, they must have suffered heavy casualties, right?"

The man shook his head and replied, "We do not know the exact situation at Fort Lasberg. Before Larikson and Hofs arrived, all civilians were forced to leave the fort. We tried to send some scouts, but they could not enter the fort. All they could hear was the tremendous rumbling of the energy crystal cannons.

"Hehe, this is wonderful. The House of Han seems to have put up a good fight!" Ralph grinned wickedly and continued, "But against a thousand divine guards of Hushveil City and a large number of Highgods, even if the House of Han had not been wiped out, I think only a few would have managed to escape!"

"Your Lordship is indeed the wisest. I believe that the riches that the House of Han has amassed over the years must be in the hands of those few who escaped," the divine guard flattered.

"It is the City Lord who is wise!" Ralph praised Wallace respectfully before instructing in a cold, evil voice, "Prepare to block the path of their airship, intercept them, and destroy the rest of them! Hehe, we will put all the blame on Hofs and Larikson. By then, even if Bryan returns, he will only go after them, while we will stay clean!

Ralph understood that his troops were still shocked by Han Shuo from the last competition between the Seven Divine Guard Corps. Even though Han Shuo had disappeared for a few years, they were still afraid of Han Shuo. Ralph had said this to boost the confidence of his divine guards, so that they wouldn't have to worry about the consequences of slaughtering the members of the House of Han.

And it seemed that Ralph's method was very effective. His divine guards seemed energised and motivated after hearing that they wouldn't have to suffer any consequences or worry that Han Shuo would seek them out for revenge.

*** As Ralph and his divine guards moved into position for the ambush, Phoebe and the others on the airship were on high alert, constantly monitoring their surroundings as they travelled. As they left the City of Shadows, they did their best to avoid the civilians and other beings. They were afraid of running into bandits.

"There are people gathered in the valley ahead," Sanguis suddenly exclaimed before explaining, "I can feel the flow of their blood. They are all very excited. They seem to be aiming at us!"

"Go around them," Emily ordered firmly. She said, "We must leave the city as soon as possible. We don't have time to fight them."

"But they won't let us go," Sanguis frowned. "They are already coming towards us. It must be us they are after. I wonder which side they are on."

"Although the airship saves us energy, it has limited speed. Running away from them is not an option," Stratholme said gravely. "Prepare for battle!"

"Get out of the airship and into battle position!" ordered Phoebe and Emily simultaneously.

A swarm of figures descended from the titanic airship. The seven hundred or so troops arranged themselves methodically. Divine weapons were drawn as they waited for their enemy to arrive.

All seven hundred and thirty-one of the divine guards had been carefully screened before being admitted. Having been tempered in the hellish Eight Desolation and Torment Formation, and trained by Bollands in the mountains near Lasberg Fort, these divine guards were not only deadly, but also mentally tough. They felt no fear as they waited for the unknown enemy.

Phoebe, Emily, Bollands, Sanguis, Gilbert and Stratholme were at the forefront of the troops. They felt a sense of pride as they looked back and saw how intrepid these elite guards of the House of Han were. They also had great confidence in the abilities of their troops.

A few minutes later, the Divine Guards of the Second Corps, led by Ralph, gradually emerged from the front of the Han family.

Ralph had brought most of his Second Corps Divine Guards with him. Six or seven hundred of them marched into view in a tight, dense formation. Ralph wore a cold face and glared at Phoebe and the others with hostile eyes. He asked in a strange manner, "Ladies and gentlemen, where are you all going? What are you up to, bringing such a big party?"

"You!" Phoebe shouted accusingly. She had not expected that it would be Ralph who prevented them from leaving. It seemed that Wallace had not only given his tacit approval for Larikson and Hofs to attack Fort Lasberg, but had also sent Ralph to make sure they succeeded.

"This is the territory of the City of Shadows, and your House of Han are citizens of our city. I wonder what you all could be up to by taking every member of the House of Han to the Death Dominion." Ralph seemed to have thought of some excuses in advance. He sneered, "Hmm, could it be that your people will betray the City of Shadows? It must be. But luckily I ran into you. Otherwise, I wonder how much damage you would have done to the City of Shadows!"

"Just happened to run into us? Hahaha, what a joke!" Stratholme said mockingly, "So it's just a coincidence that you've come to this remote, desolate mountain area thousands of miles away with most of your Second Corps of Divine Guards at just the right time and place to block our path. You call that coincidence? Haha, yeah right."

Ralph knew the excuse was lousy, but he did not care. He groaned coldly and continued his speech, "However, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and won't make things difficult for you. Turn around and return to Fort Lasberg. I will inform Lord Wallace of the incident at once. His Lordship will investigate the matter thoroughly and pass a fair sentence on you.

Ralph paused for a moment before continuing in a cold, threatening voice, "But if you insist on leaving the City of Shadows, hehe, don't blame me for doing my job!"

"Wallace? Is there any integrity left in him?" Phoebe was usually an outspoken person and did not have the patience to continue the charade with Ralph, "Don't fucking act all righteous and noble in front of me. I know Wallace sent you here to kill us. But let me tell you, we are not going back to the fort to die."

"How dare you speak so rudely of the City Lord! It only shows how determined you are to betray the City of Shadows!" Ralph gestured and ordered his troops, "Let none of these traitors live! Kill them all!"

Phoebe and the others knew Ralph's intention the moment he appeared. He had no intention of letting the House of Han live.

"Do you think you can defeat us, Ralph?" Sanguis could no longer hold back his anger. His eyes glowed red as he said, "My master may not be here, but I can defeat you just as easily!"

With those words out of his mouth, Sanguis lunged at Ralph. A mist of blood spread from Sanguis's body as the blood crystal broadsword glowed in his hand. His momentum increased as he flew towards Ralph like a blood-red meteor.

Ralph, who had come here with confidence, suddenly froze. He had long studied the strength of the House of Han. The only true experts were Han Shuo and Rose, and they had both disappeared a few years ago. Without them, there wasn't a single Highgod left in the House of Han. Because of this, Ralph was confident that he and his troops would be able to intercept the House of Han.

However, when Sanguis started flying towards Ralph, he was shocked. He suddenly realised that the intense blood aura around Sanguis contained an extreme amount of energy. Ralph felt a sense of threat from this sinister, bloodthirsty aura. It was obvious to him that this energy was greater than that of a Midgod!

Although Sanguis, Bollands and Gilbert could only defeat Midgods a few years ago, the three of them had made breakthroughs since then and now had the power to fight the Highgods in this universe.

Sanguis, Bollands and Gilbert had to abandon Fort Lasberg because both Larikson and Hofs possessed Late-stage Highgod powers, and Larikson had some Highgods with him. This power was much greater than the three of them. There was no way they could defeat so many Highgods with their current strengths.

However, Ralph was only a Mid-stage Highgod. Sanguis could fight against an expert at that level.

"Locke, Walter, I will take care of this boy. You guys take care of the rest!" shouted Ralph before charging at Sanguis, who was emitting a formidable aura.

To prevent Ralph from failing in the covert mission, Wallace had temporarily placed two Early-stage Highgods under Ralph's command. The two were Wallace's trusted aides, whom he kept out of the public eye for missions such as this. He wanted to be absolutely certain that the House of Han had been wiped out, and that no one would suspect him.

On Ralph's orders, two experts emerged from the Divine Guards of the Second Corps. One cultivated the energy of darkness, while the other cultivated the energy of earth. They were both Early-stage Highgods.

Bollands and Gilbert exchanged glances and shot forward simultaneously to intercept Wallace's two trusted aides. Although Bollands and Gilbert were not improving as fast as Sangui, they were still making breakthroughs at a much faster rate than Phoebe and the others. Against two experts who had just entered the Early-stage of the Highgod realms, Bollands and Gilbert were able to hold their own, albeit with difficulty.

"Defenders of the House of Han, march forth! Show them who the strongest guards are!" ordered Phoebe.

The number of divine guards Ralph had brought with him was about the same as the House of Han. But that didn't mean they were evenly matched. The House of Han had shown that they were the strongest in team combat in the last competition among the Seven Divine Guard Corps.

These Divine Guards had only been trained for a year when they defeated the elite troops of the Second Corps. The House of Han Divine Guards had been trained in the Eight Desolation and Torment Formation for many more years. The Second Corps stood no chance then, and even less now.