Throughout the journey, Han Shuo was left to look after the badly injured Carmelita. After ingesting medicinal pellets that Han Shuo had personally refined, Carmelita's injuries began to heal rapidly. Even the cold aura in her body had been diluted.
When Carmelita learned that Han Shuo could produce medicine that was even more miraculous than any doctor, even though he was not a doctor, she thought that Han Shuo was definitely a treasure chest. She had personally experienced the magical effect of Han Shuo's medicinal pellets on her wounds. All the way home, she kept asking Han Shuo about this aspect.
The art of refining medicinal pellets wasn't just the domain of demonic arts, so Han Shuo wasn't afraid that Gu Tian Xie, the formidable enemy of the Exalted Demonlord, would find him by learning it. He concocted a mysterious story that it was an old apothecary on the Profound Continent who had imparted the knowledge to him. Carmelita accepted his story as true, and was amazed to learn that people of extraordinary talent could be found on low level planes of matter.
The distance between the Miasmic Cloud Mountains and the City of Shadows was vast. Han Shuo, carrying Carmelita, took about half a month to complete the journey. During this time, the two managed to bond rather easily. Carmelita would cluck her tongue in amazement as Han Shuo told her some interesting stories about the Profound Continent, occasionally mixing in some of his experiences back on Earth. Her dejected mood due to the loss of all her troops gradually improved.
After talking to Carmelita, Han Shuo learned that she had almost no friends due to her unattractiveness and short temper. The few friends she had were all female, one of them being Donna. Most of the males either kept their distance from her or regarded her as something of a master figure.
Han Shuo also learned that Carmelita, who was very self-conscious about her appearance, spent all of her time and effort on cultivation. Then, perhaps due to prolonged social isolation, she became increasingly short-tempered and eccentric. Because of her extraordinary strength and status, not many people dared to interact with her. As a result, she slowly became a stranger in the City of Shadows - an ugly woman feared by all.
But during this time, Han Shuo, after interacting with the injured Carmelita, discovered that she was actually a decent character.
On their journey back to the City of Shadows, the two had become good friends in the few short weeks they had been together, able to talk about anything. While tending to Carmelita's injuries, Han Shuo often took the opportunity to ask her about the Energy of Destruction. Carmelita did not know that Han Shuo also cultivated in the energy of destruction. Although she found it strange that Han Shuo was asking her questions about it, she explained her cultivation experiences to Han Shuo in detail.
It was during this time that Han Shuo realised why Carmelita was known as a prodigy in the cultivation of the energy of destruction. In those few short weeks, Han Shuo had gained a higher level of understanding of the energy of destruction from this Highgod of Destruction. Many things that had previously confused him suddenly became clear to him.
One day, during a discussion with Carmelita, Han Shuo's Avatar of Destruction, which had been stuck in the Mid-stage Lowgod Realm, suddenly experienced enlightenment. He immediately sank into a meditative state within the Myriad Demon Cauldron.
Time seemed to fly by for both of them. On the seventeenth day, Han Shuo and Carmelita arrived in the City of Shadows without even realising it.
In Carmelita's presence, Han Shuo encountered no resistance during the entire journey. He went straight to the Sainte Residence with her.
The Sainte Residence was located in the centre of the City of Shadows. It was the official residence of the City Lord. As the oldest family clan in the City of Shadows, the Sainte Residence was even larger than the Laver Residence. When the divine guards saw Han Shuo carrying the injured Carmelita inside, a huge commotion erupted.
Suddenly, the entire House of Sainte was filled with people. The elders of the House of Saints and some of the divine guards rushed to surround Carmelita and anxiously asked about her condition.
Carmelita was not a beautiful woman, but her extraordinary strength and high position in her family clan, and the fact that she was the daughter of the City Lord, meant that she was held in high esteem by her family members. When they saw that she was badly injured, the house was in an uproar.
That was until the patriarch of the House of Sainte, the acting City Lord of the City of Shadows, Wallace Sainte, arrived in a hurry. Only then did they calm down.
Wallace Sainte was Carmelita's father. As a Late-stage Highgod cultivating in the energy of darkness, Wallace had an imposing, majestic appearance. He had glossy black hair about an inch long. His deep grey eyes glowed with divine radiance. He stood over two metres tall and had a sturdy build. When he entered the room, it was as if a mountain had entered with him.
"What happened?" As soon as he came over, Wallace held Carmelita in his big hands and asked in a deep voice.
"There is a piece of Heaven's Gift in the Miasmic Cloud Mountains, our intelligence knew nothing about it. When I took the men there, we met two Highgods..." Carmelita anxiously told her father what had happened.
After Carmelita had finished, Wallace put on a grave expression and said, "You stay at home to treat your injuries. Leave the rest to me, I will send men to take care of it!"
"No, I want to be there, I want to see them die in front of my eyes!" Carmelita replied in a stern voice. It was obvious that she felt responsible for the deaths of her men.
"I have said that you will stay at home to treat your injuries, don't make me repeat myself. You are not to go anywhere until you are well again!" Wallace flatly refused the request. He turned to instruct a gentle-looking middle-aged man, "Brother, keep a close eye on her!"
"Understood, Elder Brother," Wallace's brother Andre nodded and continued with a smug smile on his face, "Don't worry, I will see that she recovers as quickly as possible. You can concentrate on your duties."
Wallace became much more relaxed and nodded at his brother's words. As he was about to leave to attend to the matter, he suddenly saw Han Shuo standing in a corner, looking around in boredom. Wallace stared blankly for a moment, and after a brief moment of thought, he asked in a friendly manner, "You must be Bryan?"
"Pleased to meet you," Han Shuo felt rather overwhelmed and excited to have Wallace, the most powerful person in the City of Shadows, strike up a conversation with him. However, he showed no signs of panic. He nodded calmly and replied in a manner that was neither submissive nor overbearing.
Wallace was rather surprised by Han Shuo's coolness. After nodding at Han Shuo, Wallace continued with a smile, "Thank you for rescuing Carmelita. Keep this emblem. If you run into any trouble in the future, take this emblem to my House of Sainte and you will have our support."
"Thank you," Han Shuo replied casually as he received the emblem from Wallace. The emblem with the symbol of the House of Sainte carved on it was made of some unknown material. It was deep black, heavy, and looked extremely refined.
"Well, I have some business to attend to and will be leaving. My daughter doesn't have many friends. If you have the time, you are welcome to visit us. I believe she will welcome your presence," Wallace said before quickly disappearing from Han Shuo's sight with a group of solemn looking divine guards.
As the most powerful man in the City of Shadows, Wallace was notorious for his vicious and merciless ways. He would not stop until his enemies and their allies were completely destroyed. He had wiped out no less than dozens, if not hundreds, of family clans. It could even be said that he had risen above others by climbing a mountain made of the bodies of his enemies. He was certainly not a benevolent character.
To his friends, however, Wallace was generous and far from stingy. He was very kind to his allies who had no conflicting interests with him. This was also the factor that helped him maintain a firm grip on the City of Shadows for so many years.
After Wallace left the party, Andre began to persuade Carmelita again and again with a smile. Carmelita also knew that although her father usually spoiled her, once he had made up his mind, no one could change his mind. Seeing that her father Wallace had left, Carmelita accepted the decree after grumbling loudly for a while. Andre then began to arrange for doctors to examine Carmelita.
"No need to invite any doctors. Bryan has already stabilised my injuries. I just need to recuperate with divine essences and within a year I will be fully recovered!" Carmelita said impatiently, telling Andre not to waste time with the unnecessary arrangement.
Han Shuo laughed bitterly in his mind when he heard Carmelita say that she wanted to use divine essence to heal her injuries. He thought to himself how lavish the life of a large family clan was, so much so that they could afford to use divine essences to heal their strength and injuries.
Little did Han Shuo know that this was only because Carmelita was a special person in the House of Sainte. A person who could cultivate to the Highgod realm in such a short time, even with a face uglier than the devil, would receive the most extraordinary treatment. Other members of her family, on the other hand, might not even get the chance to increase their strength with divine essences.
Andre obviously wasn't too sure about her claim. He advised Carmelita, "There's no harm in having your condition checked out by a doctor. After all, your friend isn't a professional doctor."
"Uncle, you are so annoying. I came back here with Bryan and I know him better than you do," Carmelita impatiently showed Andre the wound on her stomach and said, "Look. With Bryan's medicine, my wound has completely healed in only about ten days! Can an ordinary doctor do that?"
The more powerful a god was, the longer it would take them to recover from injuries. Carmelita, as a Highgod, would need at least a month to heal from the stab wound on her divine body, even if she was treated by the best doctor. The medicinal pellet that Han Shuo had made only took half that time.
"What?!" Andre immediately exclaimed in surprise when he saw the wound that was now a scar on Carmelita's belly. He looked up and down at Han Shuo in disbelief before asking, "Uh, Bryan, you are Bryan, right? Did you treat that wound?"
""Stop talking so much, Uncle. Bring me the divine essence quickly. I want to recover from my internal injuries at once!" Carmelita hurried impatiently. Andre glanced at Han Shuo a few more times in silence before nodding and leaving.
Han Shuo noticed that when Carmelita asked Andre to fetch divine essences for her, some of the members of the Sainte family standing around her revealed envious glances. It seemed that these people who weren't born gifted didn't get the same treatment as Carmelita.
"Bryan, why don't you stay at my Sainte residence for a while? I will thank you properly when I have recovered from my injuries," Carmelita invited.
"I think not. I'm not used to living in a large family clan. However, I will be in the City of Shadows for some time. I will look for you when you are fully recovered." Surely there would be all kinds of problems within such an ancient and influential family clan. Han Shuo feared conflict the most right now, so he declined the invitation.
"You rascal, don't wait until I'm fully recovered. Come and visit me every month or two. Just come and talk to me. I don't really have any friends to talk to in the City of Shadows. Even the few friends I do have seem to have other agendas when interacting with me. You, however, are definitely an exception! Remember to visit me often - don't make me go looking for you!" Carmelita did not insist that Han Shuo stay, but demanded that he visit, looking at him with threatening eyes.
Han Shuo forced a smile and nodded, agreeing to her request. Carmelita responded with a satisfied, mischievous laugh and let Han Shuo leave.
After interacting with her for some time, Han Shuo realised that she treated him without any ulterior motives and sincerely as her friend. This made Han Shuo feel very comfortable around her.
Although Donna could also be considered Han Shuo's friend, and the two of them were quite close, Han Shuo knew that Donna was doing this because she wanted to induct him into the Laver family. Her passionate and friendly treatment was mostly for her own sake, unlike Carmelita who seemed to have no underlying goal.
Han Shuo sighed at the thought. He thought it was no wonder that even the few friends Carmelita had did not befriend her for no other reason. She was the prodigy of the House of Sainte and the daughter of the City Lord. It was impossible for her friends not to think of taking advantage of her.
With Carmelita's instruction, no one from the Sainte family stopped Han Shuo from leaving. Letting his thoughts run wild, Han Shuo had unwittingly walked out into the wide streets of the City of Shadows. Suddenly, as he was wondering what he was going to do next, he felt that Little Skeleton was calling out to him.
Han Shuo hadn't heard from Little Skeleton in a long time, and he was very happy to receive the call. He went to an ordinary gymnasium, rented a field, and summoned Little Skeleton.
"Father, we have conquered the entire Netherworld. We have had a short discussion, and we all feel that it is time for us to go to this world!" As soon as Little Skeleton stopped in front of Han Shuo, he began to speak in a boy's sharp and clear voice, leaving Han Shuo shocked.