Shelter of the Mystery Island

Back at the royal shelter, Han Sen asked to see Yang Manli for a report on recent happenings during his absence.

Because very few people owned high-class wings, Yang Manli was off having a quick look at the Mystery Island. They hadn't attacked the royal shelter there yet, due to their lack of the necessary strength.

There were many creatures flying down from that place, however, which had resulted in a few casualties across the ice fields. But fortunately, they had managed to kill a good number of the beasts that had caused trouble for them.

Right now, the humans that were too weak to fight were under curfew and prohibited from leaving the shelter. Elites who went out to hunt had to do so in large parties, in fear of being attacked by the rogue flying monsters.

As for the royal shelter on the Mystery Island, not much was known. No one had dared to venture near it, so it was not known what the spirit inside looked like.

Yang Manli and a few of her trusted allies were now near it, and they watched many big flying creatures circle around the spirit shelter. Following this latest reconnaissance, they decided to return.

"Let's discuss how we plan to deal with the royal shelter at a later date; for now, you should rest." Han Sen knew discussions were pointless. With the weakened forces of the ice fields, and the lack of evolvers that could fly, attacking the royal shelter would be futile no matter how many conversations were held.

Although it was a bit of a waste, Han Sen could only bring the silver fox there with him. The greatest chance of conquering the place would be to fly up there by himself, fox in hand, venture to the spirit hall, and kill the spirit residing there.

But that would still be a near-impossible task. If the spirit in the royal shelter flew away, it'd still be around the ice fields providing many resources.

"Boss, did you kill Chen Ran?" After everyone left, Zhu Ting stayed and asked Han Sen with a low tone of voice and a droopy face.

"I don't know." Han Sen did not admit it or deny it.

There was no point in denying it. Even if Chen Ran's people had not run off, there were still many people who knew he was coming after Han Sen. The most likely conclusion of what transpired would have still been the same.

But Han Sen was not willing to admit it, no matter what people thought. Besides, no one had seen Han Sen kill Chen Ran, and his body had already been cremated.

Zhu Ting, with a conflicted expression, looked at Han Sen and said, "Chen Ran was one of the few elders in the Chen family. He was a scarily powerful evolver and evil of heart. His passing at your hands would be a great shock to the Chen family. They won't dare trouble you here, in the safety of a shelter's walls, but out there? In the wild? You should be wary."

"I didn't kill him. Even if I did, would they dare to kill a member of the Alliance?" Han Sen was not afraid of the Chen family.

Han Sen was a member of the Special Security Operations Team and had since become leader of the ice fields. No matter how powerful the Chen family was, killing Han Sen was impossible.

"It may be difficult for them to deal with you, on a surface level, but you know them. There is much strife between members of the Chen family. While others are partial to doing it, many do not wish to offend the Jin and Qin families." After a brief pause, Zhu Ting continued, saying, "But Chen Ran had a real brother. He is a surpasser, and a powerful figure of the Chen family. He is the sort who is keen on the prospect of revenge. If he can't kill you publicly, there are many other ways he could go about it."

"Give me an example," Han Sen said.

"I'm not sure of any method he might try, but I just want you to be careful, that's all." Zhu Ting shook his head.

"You are from the Chen family; are you not afraid or upset that I killed Chen Ran?" Han Sen gave Zhu Ting a strange look.

Zhu Ting wore a wry smile, and he said, "I am nobody to them. I am just a faceless bastard to a family who has plenty of children and grandchildren of their own to take care of. A bastard can never be treated on the same level. Do you know why I had to learn Deadly Perfume?"

Han Sen watched Zhu Ting intently, allowing him to explain.

"The Chen family owned a country during a certain planet's era. It was ruled as a monarchy. Since time immemorial, kings have been subject to many assassination attempts. Many are killed by poison; that is why there are designated food testers. They taste the food, to confirm there are no poisons within. Deadly Perfume was taught to the people who performed that task. If what they consumed contained poison, their body would release a perfume. If the poison wasn't too strong, the tester could live due to the teachings of Deadly Perfume. If the poison was too much for the defense provided by Deadly Perfume, the tester would end up dead."

"Deadly Perfume is quite powerful; few poisons can breach its protection. Isn't that right?" Han Sen asked.

Zhu Ting shook his head and said, "Poisons used to kill kings are never so simple. The reason Deadly Perfume was so powerful is because of how often these incidents occurred. Every time a new poison was discovered, Deadly Perfume would be altered and improved to defend against it. Across the countless generations Deadly Perfume has existed, heaven knows how many deaths were sustained to bring it to where it is today."

"Only the servants of the Chen family can learn Deadly Perfume, where only real members of the Chen family can learn the exclusive Qi Gong Seven Twists. Do you still think I am considered a Chen?"

Zhu Ting sighed and proceeded to say, "Chen Jiu Ling commanded me to find a way in which I might kill you. But I know there is no way for me to do that. I cannot return with my mission incomplete and so, I will never return to the Chen family. I can only remain hidden in this shelter, never again venturing beyond its walls."

"You stay here, then. As long as you are on the ice fields, and even if members of the Chen family do show up, they won't be able to lay a finger on one hair on your head," Han Sen sympathetically said, secretly unsure whether or not this was a ploy of Zhu Ting. Was he being truthful? Han Sen did not know. But having Zhu Ting on his side was more useful than not. For now, he could continue working for Han Sen, while being comforted at the same time.

After Zhu Ting left the room, Han Sen departed the shelter. He found a place where there was no one around, summoned his wings, and flew up towards the Mystery Island with the silver fox in hand.

With the silver fox near, the flying creatures did not venture close and his passage to the Mystery Island was unhindered.

This Mystery Island was far larger than the one he saw in the First Shelter. You could see from afar a black metal shelter in the middle of it, like some crouching goliath.

It was far smaller than the royal shelter that had belonged to Princess Yinyang, and swathes of horrific beasts circled the skies around it. He could tell this spirit shelter was far stronger than the previous one he had striven to conquer.

But the creatures were merely set dressings to Han Sen, right now. Holding the silver fox, Han Sen proceeded onwards as the hordes of creatures parted to provide a path. Upon reaching the front gate, he walked inside.

Perhaps it was because this shelter was on a floating isle, but every creature that populated this island had the ability to fly.

There were giant birds, tigers with wings, creatures with four wings, and even a giant snake that writhed its way across the rooftops had a pair.