Han Shuo remained calm and did not comment on Li Wei's assessment. He watched Eriksson and his party carefully.
At Han Shuo's suggestion, Donna and her experts focused all their firepower on Eriksson alone. In an instant, interwoven radiances and divine energies bombarded Eriksson.
Just as Han Shuo had predicted, Olde completely ignored Eriksson. He looked around the demonic formation and went about his futile work.
Meanwhile, emperor breathed a sigh of relief when he was no longer under attack. He took the opportunity to replenish his divine energy, ignoring the dying Eriksson beside him.
Everyone has a selfish side. It was predictable that such a mutually beneficial relationship would crack when tested by the slightest trial and tribulation.
The burden that should have been shared between Olde, Emperor and Eriksson now fell on Eriksson alone. The pressure he had to endure was multiplied many times over. Eriksson was completely exhausted and had already used up a great deal of his divine energy. And now that he had to endure the bombardment, Eriksson was on the verge of collapse.
"Keep up the pressure! Eriksson can't hold out much longer!" Bolten smiled excitedly. Seeing this Midgod called Eriksson about to be bombarded to death by their attacks, an unspeakable sense of pride rose from his heart.
"Lord Olde, Lord Olde, please help us!" as emperor saw Eriksson being hammered harder and harder while he continued to restore his own divine energy, he called to Olde for help. Olde, however, just looked around with a furrowed brow, as if he had not heard Emperor's voice at all.
The conflicts between the Druidic Order and the Shrine of Ice over on the Profound Continent had obviously affected the relationship between these two high-ranking members of the two religious organisations. Olde was certainly not a magnanimous man who would put aside past hatreds and risk his life for an enemy.
Emperor sighed as he saw Olde's indifference to his pleas. He knew he would get no help from Olde in this battle. Feeling the small amount of divine energy in his body, and witnessing the seemingly endless stream of attacks coming from this unknown source, Emperor weighed in his mind and determined that he had no assurance of self-preservation.
With this in mind, Emperor simply watched as his partner suffered torrential attacks. He pretended to have exhausted a great deal of his divine energy and acted preoccupied with his recovery. He showed no interest in intervening to help Eriksson defend against the attacks.
"It is not possible to stay in this place for any length of time. You all just stay here while I go outside and try to find a way to the centre!" Han Shuo suddenly suggested.
Donna was stunned. She looked at Han Shuo in a perplexed and confused manner before she asked, "But if you step out of here right now, Olde could discover you and kill you in an instant!"
"Don't worry, I have my ways!" Han Shuo replied confidently. After a moment's thought, Han Shuo instructed Donna, "Be careful and don't leave this place until I return. As long as you stay here, I can guarantee that none of you will be in any danger. But if you leave, you are on your own."
Donna was shocked and at a loss for words. After a moment of silence, she nodded her head heavily.
"Bryan, where are you going?" Li Wei called out softly and volunteered, "How about you take me with you! I can help you!"
"No, you can't," Han Shuo said immediately. But before Li Wei became disappointed, he added, "But if you can finish off Eriksson and the others, you will have done a great deal to help me."
Han Shuo nodded to his teammates and left the stone forest.
While Donna and her experts attacked Eriksson with all their might, Han Shuo extended the reach of his consciousness far and wide. He used the senses of his consciousness to probe the secrets that lay in the depths of the Ninth Realm Mystical Yin Harvester. As he extended the reach of his consciousness, Han Shuo felt an inexplicable call from the centre of the Ninth Realm Mystical Yin Harvester.
There seemed to be something at the centre of the colossal demonic formation, calling out softly and repeatedly, waiting for his arrival.
It was a bizarre feeling for him, so bizarre that Han Shuo thought it was just a misperception at first. But as he focused his attention to sense it carefully, he discovered that the call was directed at his expanding consciousness. It was trying to attract the attention of his consciousness.
At this point, Han Shuo could be certain that the entity using the Ninth Realm Mystical Yin Harvester had to be a senior of the school of demonic arts with transcendental powers. Although Han Shuo had no idea how this terrifying senior had made his way to the Profound Continent, he did know that everything the formidable entity had deployed here was made to target otherworldly experts who had no understanding of the demonic arts.
Since Han Shuo was a demonic arts cultivator, he was not affected by the demonic formations in this place at all. This meant that even though Donna, Olde, and the others faced danger with every step they took, Han Shuo had an unobstructed path and did not have to worry about any possible danger from the formations.
Having made such an observation, Han Shuo concluded that he had no reason to stress.
Although Donna, Li Wei and the Brook Brothers were Han Shuo's allies, as a cultivator of the demonic arts, Han Shuo had no desire to reveal his secret to anyone, and he wished to keep whatever rewards might lie within to himself alone. It was with this in mind that Han Shuo left Donna and the rest of the group. He even had his allies stay in the Stone Forest to impede Olde, Eriksson and Emperor's progress while he ventured further alone to seek the rewards of this Ninth Realm Mystical Yin Harvester.
After Han Shuo left the stone forest, Olde, who had been carefully observing his surroundings, immediately spotted Han Shuo. As someone who cultivated in the Edict of Life, Olde had an extraordinary sensitivity to all living things. Han Shuo cultivated in the demonic arts and formed a consciousness that made his life signature quite distinctive. There was no hiding from Olde.
"Youngster, where have you been?" Olde's heart was suddenly at ease when he saw Han Shuo reappear. He grabbed Kelly with one hand and flew towards Han Shuo.
Han Shuo was not at all shocked that Olde was able to spot him. He was not even worried when Olde started to approach him. He simply walked calmly towards the centre of the Ninth Realm Mystical Yin Harvester.
Under Olde's pursuit, not only was Han Shuo's figure receding from his sight, but even his life signature seemed to be hidden by layers of shapeless boundaries. Han Shuo was gradually disappearing from both his sight and the senses of his soul.
Olde was extremely surprised. He was absolutely certain that he was travelling much, much faster than Han Shuo. Not only was he having a hard time catching up to Han Shuo, but Han Shuo had disappeared from his sight. This bizarre phenomenon left Olde extremely frustrated and perplexed, despite much thought.
Of course, Olde had no idea that while Han Shuo had disappeared, a distance-altering demonic formation had been triggered. The demonic formation had violently rewritten the natural law of space, causing the distance between him and Han Shuo to suddenly increase. With no understanding of the wonders of the demonic formation, the more desperately Olde tried to catch up, the further he fell behind.
Donna and her experts, watching the chase from the stone forest, were astonished. From their perspective, they were witnessing a bizarre phenomenon. Han Shuo was walking leisurely towards the centre of the Ninth Realm Mystical Yin Harvester while Olde was chasing after him at the speed of light. Even though Olde had obviously used all of his strength to chase him, the distance between them only grew. Olde even looked like he was flying backwards. The scene could not have been stranger.
""The edict of space seems to be violently twisted here. Truly, truly baffling! Who could it be that has arranged everything here? It's as if this person is omnipotent!" Donna muttered to herself. She was terrified.
"Will something happen to Bryan?" Li Wei felt a little anxious in her heart when she saw Han Shuo enter the Ninth Realm Mystical Yin Harvester. She always had the feeling that something wasn't quite right, but even after thinking about it, she couldn't figure out what it was.
"Why, why do I have the feeling that Bryan is very much at one with his surroundings here? He doesn't get excited at all and he's always calm. It's as if this place is his own home?" Bolten unconsciously expressed his own thoughts after pondering for a moment.
Upon hearing these words, Li Wei exclaimed loudly, "That's right! That's exactly how I feel! His familiarity with this place and his performance here, it's like he's at home!"
Donna was astonished to hear Bolten and Li Wei's words. As she thought about it, the doubts in her heart grew even more.
"Don't worry about Bryan for now. Let's put it off until we finish with Eriksson!" Donna instructed.
The group wasted no words. They continued their relentless bombardment of the dying Eriksson.
In the depths of the Ninth Realm Mystical Yin Harvester, Han Shuo slowed his steps as he focused on examining everything spectacular along his path.
The deeper Han Shuo ventured, the more amazed he became. The call to his consciousness from the depths of the Ninth Realm Mystical Yin Harvester became more frequent.
All along the way, Han Shuo observed the presence of grotesque demonic formations everywhere. Although Han Shuo could recognise most of the demonic formations around him, they were far beyond his current comprehension. Of course, the deadly demonic formations in this place had absolutely no intention of attacking Han Shuo, so they allowed him a smooth and unhindered entry.
However, among these strange and bizarre demonic formations, Han Shuo discovered a dozen or more skeletal remains that were as white as ashes. Some of them belonged to humans, while others were large magical beasts. Han Shuo even found two frames that belonged to the Soul Race.
Five thousand years ago, a great war had taken place on this material plane, involving the original owner of the Skeleton Staff, the ancestors of the Soul Race, the gods of the Church of Light, and Olde's ancestor who cultivated in the Edict of Life.
The war ended in victory for the Druids and the Church of Light. From the clues surrounding him, Han Shuo surmised that these forces had come to this place and lost many of their godly experts to these demonic formations.
Han Shuo's insight into this colossal Ninth Realm Mystical Yin Harvester, and his rough understanding of the numerous demonic formations in this place, led him to believe that of all those who had attempted to explore the secrets of this place before him, not a single one of them had been able to reach the centre of the Ninth Realm Mystical Yin Harvester.
This was for the simple reason that the demonic formations in this place were simply too numerous and too deadly.
The call emanating from the centre of the Ninth Realm Mystical Yin Harvester became clearer and clearer. This intense call had completely filled Han Shuo's consciousness. It carried a sinister and exotic power that seduced the heart to rush forward.
The effect of this temptation on Han Shuo became more and more intense, so intense that Han Shuo couldn't maintain a calm mind enough to observe his surroundings.
Eventually, Han Shuo abandoned all careful observation of his surroundings. He followed the senses of his consciousness and hurried towards the calling.
Soon enough, Han Shuo arrived at the very source - the formation crux of the Ninth Realm Mystical Yin Harvest.
The formation crux was covered in abstruse and complicated symbols, as well as carvings of all sorts of demons that Han Shuo knew nothing about. The curving, meandering lines that resembled tadpoles seemed extremely profound and mysterious. Even Han Shuo had no idea what they were about.
The mysterious thing that called out to Han Shuo's consciousness was located under the formation crux.
In his heart, Han Shuo understood that in addition to these unfathomable patterns and symbols, this terrifying Ninth Realm Mystical Yin Harvester must be backed by a treasure - a treasure of unimaginable value.
As Han Shuo was about to step up to the crux of this formation, it suddenly collapsed, revealing a hole the diameter of a well. The dozen or so mystical demons that had disappeared all that time flew out of the opening.
Han Shuo was startled and jumped a few steps back.
Han Shuo reasoned that all of these mystical demons must have been the same ones he had seen when he first descended to the third layer of the underground world. They must have mutated from the souls of those who had perished in and around the demonic formation. Since some of them were divine souls, they were all extremely formidable after being transformed into mystical demons in this most mysterious Ninth Realm Mystical Yin Harvest.
Han Shuo had already witnessed how formidable these mystical demons were. Most importantly, he knew that these mystical demons were different from the demonic formations in this place in that they would attack him. Han Shuo knew that there was no way he would be able to withstand the dozens of mystical demons that would be swarming towards him at once. Therefore, he immediately prepared to retreat as soon as they appeared.
Han Shuo had expected the dozen or so mystical demons to charge at him when he stepped back to keep his distance, so he was rather surprised when they didn't. They were simply circling around the hole at the crux of the formation.
He kept his distance as he watched them carefully for a moment. When he was sure that the Mystical Demons had no intention of attacking him recklessly, he began to approach the crux of the formation again.
Suddenly, the energy that was summoning his consciousness from inside the hole undulated slightly. As if on command, the Mystical Demons orbiting around the hole flew high into the air and circled from a distance. They seemed to be clearing a path for Han Shuo.
After a moment of hesitation, Han Shuo stepped towards the hole with a furrowed brow. He had no idea what would happen to him next.
When Han Shuo arrived right next to it, before he could stick his head out to look, an energy was suddenly released from the hole. It tangled Han Shuo's body in an instant and sucked him into the hole.