CHAPTER 725: Show Yourself!

Godswamp Pharmacy had completely disappeared from the City of Shadows, replaced by Han Shuo's Celestial Pearl Pharmacy. However, it was only after Han Shuo had actually taken over all of its operations that he realised just how much effort it took to run the big machine properly. Before Han Shuo took over the Celestial Pearl Pharmacy, the entire process of gathering the medicinal ingredients, refining the medicines, and selling the medicines was done by Han Shuo himself. However, one person was far from enough to manage the huge resources of Godswamp Pharmacy.

There were subtleties involved in collecting, storing, refining, and selling medicines, so the talents Celestial Pearl Pharmacy needed were more than just pharmacists. It took Han Shuo no time to realise that he needed more manpower, and he started another round of recruitment...

Although Han Shuo had spent a long time recruiting the talents he needed, he still could not get enough people to fill all the vacancies. People with talent in business management were especially hard to find. As someone with little knowledge of running a large business, Han Shuo was troubled by this problem.

Andre and some of the big family clans had recommended some capable candidates to Han Shuo. However, since these people were somehow related to those big family clans, and Han Shuo didn't want them to know all the ins and outs of his Celestial Pearl Pharmacy, he had reluctantly rejected their recommendations.

Han Shuo had long since moved into the large campus that had originally belonged to the Godswamp Pharmacy. The seventeen large and small shops in and around the City of Shadows had also fallen under his control. However, two months after taking over the assets, Celestial Pearl Pharmacy remained closed due to a lack of manpower.

For lack of a better option, Han Shuo temporarily closed the sixteen shops outside the City of Shadows and gathered all the workers he could to the headquarters in the city. His intention was to get the business of his main pharmacy in the city back on track while he slowly recruited all sorts of talent.

While Han Shuo was working his ass off for the Celestial Pearl Pharmacy, Avery, who had been away from the City of Shadows for a long time, suddenly appeared in one of the mountain ranges outside the City of Shadows.

Avery had been away from the city for half a year, using the excuse that he was hunting for the murderer of his children. He did not immediately return to the City of Shadows, but stopped just outside it, as if waiting for something.

Avery knew the area around the City of Shadows all too well. In addition to his extraordinary strength, he easily avoided the large number of divine guards patrolling the mountains. Behind him was a small squadron of thirty Divine Guards from the Fifth Corps. These divine guards were from the House of Lavers and were loyal to Avery.

As night fell, Avery flew up and stood on the top of a tall, ancient tree. His eyes narrowed and his face grew cold as he gazed down upon the City of Shadows.

Some time later, in the middle of the night, a shadow crept out of the City of Shadows. The shadow seemed to be afraid of being followed, and changed course several times before finally arriving in front of Avery.

The person dropped to one knee. He looked at Avery, who was standing on a large tree, and said in a low voice, "Greetings, my Lord!"

"Number Three, tell me about the recent situation in the City of Shadows," Avery said, his eyes still fixed on the City of Shadows not far away.

"In the past few days, the most talked about topic has been the Celestial Pearl Pharmacy, which is about to open for business. The owner of the Celestial Pearl Pharmacy, Bryan, has received the full support of the House of Sainte and has taken over the assets of the Godswamp Pharmacy. In addition, the House of Sainte has never let up in its surveillance of our Fifth Corps. Andre has personally visited the Fifth Corps on several occasions to inquire about Your Lordship's whereabouts. It seems they suspect us," Number Three said in a deep voice.

"Bryan... He interfered in my affairs and even managed to save that bitch's life. I won't let him get away with it!" Avery scowled. After a moment of silence, he lowered his head to look at Number Three crouching on the ground and asked, "How many of the Fifth Corps are willing to leave the City of Shadows with me?"

"Including myself, there are nine. I sounded them all out carefully, but the rest did not show much motivation to leave with Your Lordship," Number Three hesitated for a moment before answering in a deep voice.

"Only nine people, that's so..." Avery sighed softly before smiling grimly and instructing, "Nine people, then. Number Three, I want to enter the City of Shadows tonight without being detected. Use whatever influence you have left to arrange it for me!"

"Understood," Number Three replied quietly. After a moment's thought, he added, "My Lord, these few people can only be used once. After that, we have to leave the City of Shadows."

"Don't worry, we will leave the city after tonight!" Avery said, nodding. He paused for a moment and added, "If you serve under me, whether it's in the City of Shadows or any other city, you'll still be able to enjoy the same privileges you've always enjoyed. But if you stay in the City of Shadows because you worked for me, you will never be treated well.

"Your Lordship has always treated us well. Wherever Your Lordship goes, we will follow!" Number Three replied hastily.

"Good. Go ahead and complete the task I have given you. There are a few I need to kill tonight!" Avery said, gesturing with his hand.

Number Three retreated and cautiously returned to the City of Shadows. Immediately afterwards, he made contact with certain key figures from the Fifth Corps. Two of them were guarding the eastern gate of the city. With them deliberately looking away, Avery and a few elite Divine Guards from his Fifth Corps sneaked into the City of Shadows without alerting anyone.

Once back in the City of Shadows, Avery first went to the top of a building near the Laver residence. He gazed at the Laver's Residence while muttering softly, "Elder Brother, I think you should have some idea of what is happening by now. I won't return home so as not to cause you any trouble."

"My Lord, we don't have much time. What shall we do now?" someone behind Avery asked quietly.

"There are some in the City of Shadows that I have wanted to kill for a long time. We will finish them all tonight. We will finish them quickly and quietly. We must not alert the House of Sainte. Otherwise, none of us will leave the City of Shadows," Avery instructed coldly. He took one last reluctant look at the Laver residence before silently leaving with his men.

It was a moonless night, a perfect night for assassination .

Relying on his familiarity with the City of Shadows, Avery, at the head of several elite members of his Fifth Corps, managed to avoid detection by several patrolling Divine Guards. He managed to assassinate several characters of average strength but has some influence in the City of Shadows. For example, Tuyas of the Buller family. Although his strength was nothing to write home about, his business skills were outstanding. This Tuyas had always been against the House of Lavers, but Avery dared not touch him on an average day. But this night was no ordinary day. Avery boldly slaughtered him in the largest crystal stone shop of the House of Buller.

Apart from Tuya, several others were slaughtered silently by Avery. Since Avery's strength was great, and most of his targets were mere Midgods, all the assassinations were successful and he attracted no attention.

"My Lord, it's time. We should leave!" Number Three, who had been following beside Avery, reminded him quietly.

Avery was silent for a moment before he said in a deep voice, "There is one last person. We will leave as soon as we get rid of him."

"Who is it?" Number Three asked quietly.

"Bryan from Celestial Pearl Pharmacy. This boy has been living comfortably lately, but that will end tonight! If it weren't for him, Cage and Eve wouldn't have died for Carmelita. I may not be able to get Carmelita for now, but this boy must die!" Avery said in a cold voice.

"My Lord, I have heard that the little girl who follows him is very powerful. I heard from the House of Kisa that the little girl used to fight with Rugersey and she was only slightly behind in strength," Number Three hastily reminded when he heard that Han Shuo was Avery's next target.

Although it was clear that Andrina had the upper hand over Rugersey during their battle at the Kisa residence, the House of Kisa did not like to lose face. No one in the House of Kisa dared to say that Rugersey was on the back foot in the battle, so they changed the story, telling outsiders that it was Andrina who was on the back foot. Since those directly involved had remained silent about the true story, and since Andrina was just a little girl, no one doubted the validity of what they had heard.

"She's just a little girl, how powerful can she be?" Avery said contemptuously, "Besides, Rugersey isn't as powerful as me. If he could defeat that little girl, then I can easily do the same. What is there to worry about?"

After hearing these words, Number Three knew that Avery had made up his mind, and he offered no more advice.

***

On the top of one of the tallest buildings in Celestial Pearl Pharmacy, Han Shuo cultivated with his eyes closed.

Even though Han Shuo was incredibly exhausted from the mountains of work at the Celestial Pearl Pharmacy, he never let up in his cultivation. His two avatars were not affected at all, as they were able to stay within the Cauldron of Myriad Demon and cultivate all the time.

His Avatar of Death had reached the Early-stage of the Midgod Realm, and it was slowly familiarising itself with this new realm while trying to learn several new methods of using the energy of death. His Avatar of Destruction was still studying and experimenting with the Orb of Destruction. He was becoming more and more proficient with it.

Suddenly, Han Shuo's heart pounded. His consciousness sensed the arrival of great danger.

After being severely injured the last time, Han Shuo's ability to sense danger had become even more acute. Immediately, he used the Indestructible Body Omen, which gave his body tremendous defensive power. Han Shuo did not move a muscle but carefully sensed the threat. He was shocked by what he discovered and immediately transmitted to the Cauldron Spirit, "The attacker is very powerful. Lend me the power of the Demon Generals!"

Cauldron Spirit also sensed the aura secretly surrounding Han Shuo. After hearing his instruction, Cauldron Spirit reminded him, "Take note, you will have to endure tremendous pain when the energy of the Demon Generals fills your body. In addition, your body will be damaged as the energy flows throughout your body. This cannot last too long. You must return the energy to me as soon as you feel that you can't take it anymore!

"Hurry! There's no time for caution!" Han Shuo shouted to the Cauldron Spirit.

In the next instant, a terrifying amount of energy erupted from the Cauldron of Myriad Demon inside Han Shuo's body. His body was instantly filled with immense pain. It was as if every inch of his flesh was being stabbed with a knife. But apart from the immense pain, his body was also filled with a seemingly infinite amount of energy. He wanted to scream.

The energy from the dozens of demon generals formed by the Lowgods and Midgods was beyond Han Shuo's imagination. The feeling of having so much energy was invigorating, but Han Shuo had to release it as soon as possible. Otherwise, the energy would only damage Han Shuo's demonic body.

"You need to release the energy quickly. If you let all the energy accumulate in your body, it won't be long before your demon infant is injured!" Cauldron Spirit hastily reminded.

"I know. Why isn't that piece of shit moving yet? Fucking hell!" Han Shuo cursed in his mind as he endured the pain.

Avery was indeed close by, hiding in the dark. However, after his failed assassination attempt the last time, Avery didn't dare to strike recklessly now. He watched Han Shuo and approached him cautiously, looking for the best opportunity to strike. He unintentionally hurt Han Shuo by waiting.

"Hurry and use the energy or your body will soon succumb!" The Cauldron Spirit hurried once more.

Enormous pain filled every cell in Han Shuo's body. Seeing that his enemy was still not attacking after so long, Han Shuo finally lost his patience. He raised his head to the sky and roared like a bloodthirsty beast, " Show Yourself!"

The terrifying sound waves travelled straight towards where Avery was hiding, causing tremendous waves in the area of darkness. Avery, who was about to strike, was shocked. He couldn't understand how Han Shuo had managed to spot him.

ROAR! Han Shuo let out a wild roar and charged at Avery like a wild beast. His eyes were bloodshot while the muscles and veins all over his body were swollen.

"Impossible!" Avery was shocked and cried out in surprise. He hastily gathered the divine energy of darkness into his body, forming layer upon layer of shields around him. The element of darkness in his domain of divinity was sucked clean in an instant.

Boom! Demonic blades erupted from his two hands as he charged into the area of darkness like a bloodthirsty demon. Terrifying energy travelled through the Demonic Blades and landed on the shields Avery had erected using the energy of darkness. They were destroyed in an instant.

A ruthless and powerful burst of energy struck Avery, instantly damaging his divine body. He was thrown into the air.

Han Shuo felt much better after throwing the punch and releasing some of the violent energy from his body.

Han Shuo was overjoyed to see Avery flying from his first strike. He rushed towards Avery and continued to 'greet' Avery with his cold demonic blades.

However, his follow-up attacks were much weaker compared to the powerful strike he had just made. Although Avery still had to defend himself in a frenzy, Han Shuo's attacks could not take Avery's life.

But even so, Avery was terrified.

He did not expect that Han Shuo would suddenly seem to have changed into a different person. The ruthless, bloodthirsty, insane power that Han Shuo suddenly displayed was unlike anything Avery had ever seen.

So cunning! This guy has been hiding his power all along. He is even more sinister than Andre! Avery thought as he defended himself from Han Shuo's attacks. He was looking for ways to escape.

"Bryan, return the energy to me, you cannot continue this or your demon infant will be injured!"

The Cauldron Spirit transmitted anxiously as Han Shuo enjoyed beating Avery back further and further.

Han Shuo's heart skipped a beat. He immediately detected the anomaly with the demon infant in his body. As the demon general energy flooded his body, the blood essence that nourished Han Shuo's demon infant would be rapidly consumed. The blood essence in Han Shuo's body was being used up, allowing his bones and meridians to support the flow of the Demon General Energy.

However, the demon infant also needed blood essence. If there was not enough blood essence to support the demon infant, the demon infant would be damaged and weakened. That was the last thing Han Shuo wanted to happen.

"You got lucky this time!" Han Shuo cursed in a low voice before suddenly retreating.

He hastily returned the Demon General's energy to the Cauldron Spirit.

Avery, who had been constantly bombarded by Han Shuo's attacks, finally had a chance to regain his composure. He stared at Han Shuo with wide-eyed amazement before turning on his heel and returning to the darkness. He fell back on his divine guards and quickly fled.

"How did you become so powerful so suddenly?" asked Andrina. She had arrived a long time ago and stared at Han Shuo in disbelief.

Han Shuo only dared to let go suddenly because he knew Andrina was there. He did not answer her question right away. He first returned the Demon General's energy to the Cauldron Spirit and pointed in the direction Avery had gone, "Andrina, kill this guy for me and I will give you one hundred thousand Black Crystal Coins!"

Andrina shook her head and replied, "I'm your bodyguard, not your assassin!"

"Then forget it.

Avery got away this time. But if he comes back, I will be out of luck!" Han Shuo said with a bitter smile. After fighting the attacker for a dozen or more seconds, Han Shuo managed to realise that it was Avery.

"It is he who should be afraid! With the strength you just showed, there's no way he can kill you!" Andrina then looked deep into Han Shuo's eyes, put on a faint smile and asked, "Bryan, can you please tell me what kind of energy you are using?

And how did you become so strong all of a sudden?"

"Tell me about yourself first. After that, I will consider telling you about it," Han Shuo said with a mischievous smile.

"Hmph! If you do not tell me, then forget it!" Andrina said angrily, pouted.

"Ay, what's going on?" Akley arrived excitedly and asked, "Was there a fight here just now? Where's the enemy?"

The fight between Han Shuo and Avery lasted only a dozen or so seconds. Since Akley was cultivating in a gymnasium further away, and his strength was nowhere near Andrina's level, he didn't make it in time. By the time he arrived, the enemy had long since fled and was nowhere to be seen.

"You're too late!" Andrina glared at Akley rudely, and after a short pause said contemptuously, "But even if you were on time, you wouldn't be able to do anything!"

Akley knew that Andrina's power was unfathomable.

His excitement grew as he asked, "A Midgod?

"Highgod!" Andrina replied.

"What..." Akley became dejected. He took a quick look at Andrina with worshipful eyes as he muttered, "Damn, she's a Highgod..." It was clear from Akley's gaze that he thought it was Andrina who had repelled the enemy.

"It wasn't me!" Andrina knew what Akley was thinking with just one look. She pointed at Han Shuo and said, "It was he who beat back the Highgod!"

"Save it! All right, since there's nothing here, I'll leave." Akley waved his hand, turned around, and walked away lazily. He obviously did not believe that Han Shuo could defeat a highgod.

"Such an idiot!" Andrina was in a bad mood and cursed.