An iron fist swung over with the momentum of wanting to cut through mountains and split open rocks. The powerful force rippled audibly through the air as boundless dominance poured out like the tide, making Han Shuo's hair stand on end.
Taking a deep breath, Han Shuo circulated his magical yuan to his right hand, pushing his magical yuan to the limit and turning his hand to the colour of black jade. His bones seemed to be made of black jade as his hand glowed with a faint light. A cloud of purple magic circulated in the palm of his right hand, appearing as a spellfire.
Trunks and Emily had been shocked by the sudden development and were about to intervene when they saw Han Shuo's right hand suddenly change. They all stood there stunned, not saying a word.
After his hand changed, Han Shuo suddenly shot out from his defensive position at an unprecedented speed. He then drew back his right hand and materialised a purple and black bolt of lightning, smashing it into Laureton's oncoming punch.
A thunderous crash, even louder than when Laureton had hit the pillar with the boulder, echoed throughout the hall.
An overwhelming force travelled up Han Shuo's right hand and into his body. The power was beyond his imagination. If it weren't for the perverse level of durability his body was at, his right hand would have completely shattered and exploded from this touch.
Even so, his body couldn't help but fly backwards, crashing into a black boulder in front of the hall doors with an audible crack. His body fell to the ground, while Chief Laureton remained rooted to the ground like a rock. However, an icy presence spread from his fist throughout his body, freezing the small drops of sweat running down his body into shimmering, translucent beads. White smoke rose from his body as the freezing air enveloped him.
"Are you all right?" Emily flashed over to Han Shuo in the blink of an eye and reached out to help him up.
His arm was numb from his fist to his shoulder, and it was still shaking slightly even now. Han Shuo gasped heavily as his heart filled with shock at Laureton's strength.
"Laureton, it looks like your strength has improved once again. Don't think I can't tell, even though you've been holding back some of your power. You may have already materialised the level of Berserker three times over!" Light danced in Trunks' eyes as he stared at Laureton's body.
Han Shuo was about to comfort Emily when he heard Trunks' words. The shock in his heart grew even more. From Trunks' words, Han Shuo knew that the blow he had just received might have been fierce, but it still hadn't been Laureton's true strength. From the dominating power of this blow, Han Shuo was certain that Laureton wasn't inferior to the earth rider Clark or the swordmaster Phoebe.
That was not even his true strength! If Laureton really was at full strength, it would be even more astonishing. No wonder he was the head of the Cairo mercenaries and controlled the order of the Valley of Sunshine. Ice had covered Laureton's body when suddenly cracking sounds rang out over his body. Frozen beads of sweat fell from his body to the ground like glistening pearls, shattering into shards of ice as they hit the stone floor.
Shivering involuntarily, Laureton sneezed and wrapped a fur cloak tightly around himself, then looked at Han Shuo in surprise. "What kind of technique was that? I couldn't sense any combat aura or magic, but why did it have the power of both combined?"
"I couldn't sense any combat aura or magic from you either, but your strength is no less than a swordmaster and his combat aura. This is nothing to be shocked about!" Han Shuo shrugged and replied with a smile.
"We berserkers have a special way of training, a very special method. You're not a berserker, how can you do this? This is really very strange!" Laureton looked questioningly and shook his head.
"Alright, I guess this wasn't your purpose in inviting us here?" Han Shuo leisurely walked forward and sat down on a stone seat not too far from Laureton, calling out to Trunks and Emily as well.
After the blows they'd just exchanged, Han Shuo understood that Laureton was probably stronger than him. The Cairo Mercenary Band's biggest enemy at the moment was the Rainbow Sickle Mercenaries, so Laureton definitely hadn't invited them to come and fight them. Therefore, Han Shuo felt quite at ease.
Emily and Trunks also walked over carelessly when they saw Han Shuo so relaxed, each pulling a stone stool over to sit on.
"Harris, how is Florida now that he's back in the Rainbow Sickles?" Laureton gave an approving look at the nonchalance of Han Shuo and the others and lifted his head to look at Harris.
"Florida suddenly fell into a coma at the entrance to the valley and was taken back to the Rainbow Sickles. According to our reports, he should still be in a coma, so we don't know his condition at the moment." Harris showed Laureton the appropriate amount of respect and responded quickly.
Nodding, Laureton rubbed his shiny bald head and seemed to be thinking about something. After a while, he looked at Han Shuo and said loudly, "Your strength is not bad, I had hoped that you would consider joining our Cairo mercenary band, but since you know Trunks, you probably won't be willing to."
"I know Florida's strength, and I tested you just now. I don't think it would be possible for you to hurt him to that extent, not to mention that he had some experts on his side. Can you tell me what happened?"
"An enemy helped me. Edwin, who entered the valley today, happened to be an enemy of Florida's grandfather. Florida met Edwin on the way and they fought first, I just happened to take advantage of the situation." Han Shuo answered honestly as the truth was easy enough to decipher and there was nothing to hide.
"Edwin... Dark Grand Magus Edwin of the Church of Calamity - that old monster has entered the valley?" Laureton was startled and turned his head to look at Harris.
"That would be him. Another masked woman entered the valley after a while and is staying with him for now." Harris nodded and replied to Laureton.
"This person is very difficult to deal with, he's your enemy?" Laureton smoothed his shiny head again and looked a little worried.
"Laureton, I've never heard of you being afraid of anyone all these years. Can it be that an old man frightens you? It seems that the stronger you get, the more cowardly you've become!" Trunks seemed to know the meaning of Laureton's head rubbing and couldn't help but mock him.
"I'm not afraid of him, I'm afraid of the Calamity Church behind him. This is the most evil sect in the entire Profound Continent, and they never abide by any rules or logic. Their power is also incredibly great. They won't rest if you provoke them, and all the kingdoms on the continent are quite afraid of them, not just our Valley of Sunshine. Laureton rubbed his head and spoke with some concern.
The Church of Calamity was the disaster and nightmare of the entire continent. They had some unreasonable, fervent ideals and tried to use their power to destroy all those who didn't agree with them. Even the Lancelot Empire would react as if facing an oncoming enemy when they heard of the Calamity Church, let alone a medium-sized band of mercenaries. From this point alone, it was clear that the Church was indeed very fearsome.
"Edwin is my enemy and Florida's as well. Now that he's in the valley, I think he'll make a move!" There was not much expression on Han Shuo's face as he opened his mouth to speak dispassionately.
"I heard that Miss Phoebe of the Boozt Merchant Guild is buying a shop for you. This shop is located in a forbidden zone within the Valley of Sunshine. It's rumoured to be cursed by an evil god. Everyone who's bought this shop in the past few years has died from being drained of their blood. Do you really want to buy it?" Laureton didn't keep asking about Edwin as he moved on to the next topic of interest.
"As a matter of fact, I've never believed in a curse from an evil god. I hope Chief Laureton will sell this shop to me?" Han Shuo admitted and replied.
"Bryan, why do you want this shop? I've also heard of that place. Many people died there when the Rainbow Sickles were in charge. We even investigated once, but found nothing. It's an unlucky place, don't risk it!" Trunks was quite startled when he heard this and immediately turned around to frown at Han Shuo.
Emily was also startled. She turned to fix her gaze on Han Shuo. "No, don't risk it! I've also heard of this place, there's an incredible curse there. You can't take that!"
"There are still some unclaimed shops in the valley. I just want to know, why this one?" Laureton obviously didn't care about Han Shuo's well-being. He only wanted to know Han Shuo's motives, which was why he questioned Han Shuo.
"I have no comment on that, so I hope you can give me the shop. I'll pay you a reasonable price!" Han Shuo could tell from Laureton's words that Phoebe hadn't been successful yesterday. Laureton looked all brawn and no brains, but Han Shuo knew that he certainly wasn't as simple as he seemed on the surface. If he were, he'd have sold this cursed land to Phoebe a long time ago.
"Of course, I have no right to interfere in your personal affairs, but I do have power over the shop in the valley. I have the authority not to sell it to you." Laureton made a dashing face and laughed heartily.
Han Shuo took a deep breath and said, "All right, I won't push if you don't want to sell it to me. I guess we can leave if there's nothing else. It looks like there's not much left for us in the Valley of Sunshine, we should leave now!"
"You may have to leave, but Trunks will probably stay. Hehehe, is that right, Trunks?" Laureton looked at Trunks with a confident expression on his face.
With a cold snort, Laureton had indeed brought up a matter of importance to Trunks, who shot out a fierce glare.
Han Shuo was absolutely confident that he would get the place of extreme water. He had only pretended to leave because he wanted to bargain with Laureton. However, it seemed as if Laureton had understood something and had taken advantage of Trunks' weakness.
Laureton had been watching the expressions on Han Shuo and Trunks' faces since they'd walked in and was sure that they had a deep friendship. When he'd tested Han Shuo, Laureton had mentioned the matter of the shop. In response, Han Shuo had unleashed his full power. This had made Laureton understand that Han Shuo cared a great deal about this shop.
"I said at the very beginning that I wanted to talk to you about some business. I have just tested your strength, you do indeed have the right to sit down and talk with me. Now that Florida is in the mix, it will be a bit easier to handle. It's a win-win situation, I wonder if you're interested?" Laureton was completely unafraid that Han Shuo wouldn't accept as he chuckled.
"Say, what kind of business?" Han Shuo sat down lazily on the chair and glanced at Laureton.
"Very simple. You go about your business of killing Florida. Our mercenary band Cairo will provide you with information and can also guarantee that the Rainbow Sickles won't send their troops against you. After the deed is done, you can have the shop for free and Trunks will have his revenge. There will also be one less threat to us. Isn't that great joy all around?" ?" Laureton made a very tempting proposal. It seemed to be a win-win no matter how you looked at it, with no one being the worse off.
However, Han Shuo still didn't immediately agree. Rather, he remained silent for a while and suddenly said, "You must also provide men to help us deal with Edwin. Otherwise, our safety is not guaranteed with this person around."
"Friend, don't ask for too much. In fact, if we go to find Edwin, we might have a better partnership effect with him." Laureton shook his head and refused with a darkened expression.
"Alright, then go and cooperate with Edwin!" Han Shuo held out his hands and didn't seem to care.
The Church of Calamity was not made up of nice people. Anyone who cooperated with them had to fear going up in flames, especially since Edwin was a Dark Grand Magus. If Laureton cooperated with him, it wasn't entirely certain that Laureton could keep control of the situation.
Moreover, the Church of Calamity had always been an organisation hated by men and gods alike on the continent. If the Cairo mercenaries were collaborating with Edwin, it would be a fatal blow to their reputation if this matter were to get out. All the merchants in the valley would be furious, and the position of the Cairo Mercenary Band in the valley would be severely challenged. Han Shuo had said this because he'd deduced this point.
"We can't help you fight Edwin because it's not a wise move to offend them over Florida's matter, but we can use our advantage in the valley to provide you with information on Edwin's movements. We'll tell you where he's going in advance. That way, your safety will be increased as well. This is the best we can do, otherwise we really have no deal!" Laureton said slowly.
"Alright, then it's settled!" Han Shuo understood that this was the best Laureton could do. The threat posed by the Church of Calamity was so great that the Cairo mercenaries didn't want to make enemies of them.
"Very happy to work with you. If you're willing, please stay for lunch first!" Laureton seemed to be in a good mood now that the matter was settled, and he made this suggestion with a hearty laugh.
"No thanks, we have other things to discuss." Han Shuo hesitated and then left with Emily and Trunks.
"Bryan, do you know Miss Phoebe from the Boozt Merchant Guild?" Trunks' expression was a bit strange on the way back and he suddenly stopped in a quiet corner to ask Han Shuo.
Nodding, Han Shuo said, "That's right, our relationship is very good. She's my girlfriend, so what?"
Trunks' handsome face showed a strange light under the rays of the sun. He looked deeply at Han Shuo, "Bryan, look. The Valley of Sunshine is a wonderful place. You can start your own power if you have enough ability, and if we develop using the Valley of Sunshine as our centre of operations, we can have our own faction as well."
"You have Miss Phoebe as a friend, so you'll have enough gold. I have some experienced mercenaries on my side. We can definitely use these resources to form our own mercenary group and build our own power. With more power in our hands, we'll be able to get more and won't have to be held back by others.
"Honestly, with Lauren's strength, he doesn't need to fear that old monster Edwin. Add to that his band of mercenaries from Cairo, and it won't be hard for him to kill Edwin. He fears the Calamity Church behind Edwin. He's also wary of Florida, not only because of his own strength, but also because of the Rainbow Sickles who follow him.
"After all, one person's strength is not enough to be satisfied with one faction's strength. As long as we work hard, with the combination of our advantages and the peculiarities of the Valley of Sunshine, we can definitely form an independent power. This way, no matter where we are in the future, the volume with which we speak will be different when we have this power in our hands!
This suggestion was filled with a fervour that filled Han Shuo's mind like the finest cream. He suddenly understood something as a heart that had never been willing to be ordinary suddenly began to beat even more fiercely.
"You mean the two of us should build a power that belongs to us together?" Han Shuo's voice sounded somewhat emotional, in complete contrast to his usual indifference.
Nodding his head firmly, Trunks continued. "In fact, some of the original Rainbow Sickle Brothers are stationed in the mountain ranges around the valley after receiving my news. Though their talents are extraordinary, life has been somewhat difficult for them since they've lost the halo of the Rainbow Sickle mercenary group. However, their strength and quality are undoubtedly the best.
"I have been hunting all sorts of magical creature cores in the Dark Forest for years, and my greed has created a small stash of wealth. However, it's still a little difficult to meet the needs of a mercenary band's operations. But you have a close relationship with Miss Phoebe, and if we get the support of enough gold, we can definitely form a mercenary band with my current network. When our operations are large enough and we have our own reputation, not only will we not need additional gold, but we'll be able to accumulate our own wealth through various missions and methods to slowly build up our power".
"If our mercenary band can take control of the valley like the Cairo mercenary band to protect the merchants' profits, we'll have several hundred thousand gold coins in fees every year. With such power in our hands, our identity before any person or country will be different!
Bryan, Trunks' suggestion is a good one. The Organisation won't mind having another identity. In fact, the stronger your other identity, the more useful you are to the organisation. The speed of your promotion will be faster inside, it's a good complement. When you reach a certain size, the higher levels may send someone to help you, so you have even more power! Emily was also an ambitious woman, and her voice had become charged with emotion as the conversation progressed.
"Come, let's go back and discuss this thoroughly!" Han Shuo's decision had already been made. He spoke softly with a strange smile on his face.