CHAPTER 778: Foolish Promise

Han Shuo spent the next few days with Dagassi. They talked and recalled old stories from the Profound Continent.

Unexpectedly, Han Shuo's Godmother, the Emperor of Flames, was acquainted with the Ancient Lizard King Dagassi. She seemed very excited to unexpectedly meet Dagassi again.

The Emperor of Flames, who had called herself Yan Yan, cultivated in the elemental energy of fire. At present, she possessed Mid-stage Lowgod power. Back in the Dark Forest, she and Dagassi could be considered neighbours. Before Dagassi was sealed by the Spider Goddess Rose, he had gone to the Place of Extreme Fire where she lived and had conflicts with her.

In the Place of Extreme Fire, the Emperor of Flames had absolute superiority and Dagassi could not touch her. They could not hurt each other and somehow became friends. They did not expect to meet again on Elysium. So they were very excited and talked about interesting events from the past.

Dagassi had helped Han Shuo back on the Profound Continent. Now that Dagassi had come to his Han residence in the City of Shadows, Han Shuo would naturally give Dagassi something as a courtesy. Han Shuo knew that the House of Kiaran had treated Dagassi well, and he was not lacking in divine weapons or divine armour. After some thought, Han Shuo decided to give Dagassi some pellet medicines that he had personally refined.

Han Shuo's medicines were renowned for their value. Dagassi, who was very close to Han Shuo, spared him the polite refusal and gladly accepted the precious gift. Seeing that Dagassi and Yan Yan had a lot to talk about, Han Shuo tactfully left them alone.

Han Shuo continued to study the hybrid domain of divinity with Rose for the next few days. Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tried, he could not bring the Hybrid Domain of Divinity under his control.

The members of the House of Han diligently tempered themselves in the Eight Desolation and Torment Formation, where they had to fight through countless dangers. With the Cauldron Spirit controlling the formation, they were pushed to their limits and their hidden potential was awakened. From time to time they had flashes of insight. Their powers improved rapidly.

The Han residence currently housed a library filled with divine scrolls. The collection was acquired by men sent by Han Shuo from various major divine scroll shops. There were scrolls for every realm of every type of fundamental energy. As the members of the Han family were very close and harmonious, they shared their cultivation experiences with each other without any reservations. This saved a lot of time and effort for those who were trying to catch up.

Gradually and unknowingly, each member of the Han family's strength increased significantly.

Seeing that the competition between the Seven Corps would soon begin, Han Shuo stopped exploring his Hybrid Domain of Divinity with Rose and went to the Fifth Corps with Sanguis, Bolland and Gilbert.

After the restructuring, the Fifth Corps was much more orderly and quiet than before. The divine guards stationed at the entrance stood straight and tall. Their faces were calm and stern. There was no sound of merrymaking in or near the Fifth Corps. One could sense the solemn atmosphere even before entering the compound. As soon as the divine guards saw Han Shuo, they saluted, "Hail Lord Bryan!"

Han Shuo nodded before instructing, "Gather everyone. I want to see if my troops are ready for the competition."

"Yes, my lord. We cannot wait for the competition!" a divine guard replied.

When Han Shuo first took over the Fifth Corps, the Divine Guards had neither the will nor the intention to join the Seven Corps competition. They had no fighting spirit and were content to just get by. However, after a round of tempering within the Eighth Desolation and Torment Formation, after experiencing the terrible scenes and dangers of the Demonic Formation, their demeanour and mentality changed. Not only were they no longer afraid of such a challenge, but they also looked forward to it. They wanted the competition and to fight elite troops from other corps right then and there.

With several men passing the command, the only company of Divine Guards from the Fifth Corps gathered in front of Han Shuo in no time. Nearly a hundred strong, the Divine Guards wore stern faces and stood as still as a rock. An invisible but powerful stern aura emanated from the company.

Each Divine Guards exuded an air of indifference to life and the courage to stare death in the face. Their eyes were filled with unwavering determination and bravery. These were qualities that could only be gained by living through massacres and bloodshed.

After scanning each and every one of their faces, Han Shuo nodded like a proud father. He was very satisfied with the demeanor they displayed. He thought, <i >The Eight Desolation and Torment Formation have indeed toughened up and transformed them. Even their bearings have completely changed. They definitely will shock everyone in the Competition!

"As all of you should know, the competition between the Seven Corps will take place very soon. I have made a great deal of effort to improve your strengths as much as possible in the shortest time. This is the chance for our Fifth Corps to prove ourselves and regain respect in the City of Shadows. I hope I will not be disappointed!" said Han Shuo in a deep voice as his gaze traveled across the divine guards.

"Rest assured, my Lord! We are no longer the Fifth Corps that drinks alcohol and sleeps all day. I believe that our Fifth Corps will rank among the top in the Competition!" exclaimed Barnard confidently.

The corners of Han Shuo's lips curved to make a satisfied smile. He proudly declared, "If we are to join the Competition, then we should only strive for one goal – to win the first place!"

Under the astonished gazes of the divine guards, Han Shuo continued smiling, "Do not be surprised. I have faith in all of you. You can undoubtedly take first place! We will shake up the rankings of the Seven Corps of the City of Shadows. You will take first place in the team competition, while I will defeat Aobashi and become the highest ranking Divine Guard chief in the city. Our Fifth Corps will be the strongest army in the City of Shadows!"

Although Han Shuo's words might be ridiculous to some, they sounded bold and confident to these Divine Guards standing before him. These men worshipped true experts. For some reason, when Han Shuo made the bold claim that he would defeat Aobashi, the current highest ranking Divine Guard chief, a fire was kindled in their hearts. They could not be more enthusiastic and energetic.

"Rest assured, my lord. We will defeat the Second Corps!"

"If Your Lordship has the confidence to defeat Lord Aobashi, then we have the confidence to take first place in the team competition!"

"Do not worry, my lord. Our Fifth Corps will emerge victorious in the competition!"

The Divine Guards expressed their burning excitement and confidence to Han Shuo. They could not be more ready for the upcoming competition!

"Excellent!" Han Shuo shouted, "We will crush them all and prove that we are the strongest!"

"We are the strongest! We are the strongest! We are the strongest!" the divine guards chanted loudly. They were brimming with energy and desire for glory.

Han Shuo did not leave the Fifth Corps after that, spending all of his time with the Divine Guards in a gymnasium within the Fifth Corps.

Inside the gymnasium, Han Shuo watched coldly as the Divine Guards sparred with each other. He did not participate in the sparring, but he sent Sanguis, Bollands and Gilbert out onto the field to accept any challenges from the divine guards.

Sanguis, Bollands and Gilbert were relatively powerful to begin with. And after being tempered in the Eight Desolation and Torment Formation, their strengths were greatly enhanced. Of all the divine guards who challenged the three to a sparring match, none could defeat the three.

Even though the divine guards had never seen Han Shuo's true power with their own eyes, from the fact that none of them could defeat Han Shuo's three disciples, they knew that Han Shuo must be something special. The divine guards found Han Shuo to be a person filled with mystery, and they worshipped Han Shuo with all their hearts.

Time flew by. An official notice from the House of Saint was delivered to the Fifth Corps, informing them that the competition would be held in the Soaring Cloud Mountain Range. After receiving the notice, Han Shuo went through his checklist one last time and led the only company of his Fifth Corps away from the city and towards the mountain range.

The Soaring Cloud Mountain Range lay to the north of the City of Shadows. Han Shuo had been to the mountain range several times to gather medicinal ingredients. He was very familiar with the terrain there. The company of Divine Guards from the Fifth Corps marched majestically behind Han Shuo, naturally radiating their awesome bravery. The civilians and members of smaller family clans they encountered along the way automatically avoided them.

After the large Godhunter base that Han Shuo had discovered had been looted, the Godhunters seemed to have suddenly disappeared from the City of Shadows. It had been a long time since the gods who lived and travelled in the region had encountered a Godhunter. The mountain ranges around the City of Shadows had become very safe.

Han Shuo's original plan was to temper his divine guards by having them hunt down and kill the Godhunters. However, after searching everywhere with his demon general, Han Shuo found no trace of the Godhunters. He had no choice but to abandon the plan. The company travelled leisurely towards the Soaring Cloud Mountain Range.

Han Shuo asked Bollands to teach the less experienced divine guards the techniques of tracking, stealth and assassination. Although Gilbert and Sanguis had rapidly improved in strength, they were still far behind Bollands when it came to mastering certain special skills. Following Han Shuo's orders, they humbly asked Bollands for guidance in this area and studied with the divine guards.

Mastering the technique of tracking and stealthy stalking could not be achieved without practical training. Since no Godhunters had appeared in the City of Shadows for a long time, Han Shuo had his divine guards spread out so that they could hide from and hunt each other using the techniques they had just learned from Bollands.

One day, while Han Shuo was deeply contemplating how to bring his hybrid Domain of Divinity under his control, he suddenly saw Barnard walking towards him in hasty footsteps. After greeting Han Shuo, Barnard reported, "My Lord, it's been five days, but the two have still not returned.

Before allowing his divine guards to practice tracking and stalking each other, Han Shuo had explicitly stated that they must return to the company every four days, regardless of the circumstances. The two divine guards Barnard mentioned had not returned to the Company for five days. This indicated that they were either in deep trouble or had been in deep trouble.

"Understood," Han Shuo replied as he stood up.