***The Sainte Residence.
Wallace was keeping Doyalo company when Rugersey carried the bloodied Portlem into the room. Doyalo was Portlem's uncle - the most important figure in their envoy.
Portlem's chest was covered in his blood. A small piece of the torn divine armour on his back was gone. Pieces of shattered wine glass still protruded from his flesh, spilling fresh blood.
Doyalo had a dark face. As soon as he saw Portlem being carried inside, he flew to Portlem to hold him. In a deep voice he asked, "What happened? Who dared to harm you in the City of Shadows?"
The expression on Wallace's face didn't look good either. Doyalo and Portlem were among the most important guests at the House of Sainte. Portlem being so badly injured wouldn't look good for them.
"They're the ones from the Celestial Pearl Pharmacy," Charlotte replied quietly.
Wallace knitted his brows. He turned to Rugersey and asked, "What happened?"
Rugersey handed Portlem to Doyalo and put on a solemn expression before answering, "There was a small incident at the Celestial Pearl Pharmacy. There seemed to be a grudge between Andrina and Portlem. They just started fighting in the banquet hall."
"So it was Andrina who hurt Portlem?" Wallace's heart sank and he asked immediately. He had heard a little about Andrina from Andre. He had taken note of this powerful little girl who used to hang around Han Shuo. Knowing how powerful the little girl was, it wasn't surprising that Wallace thought it was Andrina.
"No," Rugersey shook his head with a frown. "It was Bryan who seriously injured Young Master Portlem!"
"What?" Wallace's eyes widened. He said seriously, "Are you sure? Bryan is only a Lowgod. How could he hurt Portlem so badly?"
"It's true!" Charlotte looked astonished as she explained, "Everyone underestimated his strength. He is even more evil than Andrina. He did not use all of his power in his first strike when Portlem's defences were up, causing Portlem to drop his guard. Bryan then took advantage of the situation and caught Portlem off guard by suddenly attacking with his full strength!"
"How is that possible?!" Wallace was astonished. He turned to Rugersey and asked, "Is that so?"
Rugersey nodded and said, "It is indeed so. I expect Lord Andre will be back soon. He was there when it happened. Your Lordship can check the details with him."
This boy really does have Highgod strength! Wallace exclaimed in his mind. His eyes began to shine.
Andre did indeed know his older brother well. When Wallace heard that Portlem was injured in the City of Shadows, his first thought was to punish the attacker to appease his important guests. However, after learning that Han Shuo was the perpetrator and that he had displayed the power of a Highgod, Wallace began to perform a cost-benefit analysis in his mind.
One of the reasons why Wallace was able to wield such enormous power and influence was because he valued talent. Wallace had been concerned about the presence of the Highgod Andrina in the Celestial Pearl for a long time. When he learned that Han Shuo also possessed Highgod strength, he knew that he had to weigh his potential wins and losses carefully.
Doyalo examined Portlem's condition. After making sure that the injuries did not threaten Portlem's life, he raised his head, looked directly at Wallace, and asked, "I believe you will uphold justice for us, won't you?"
"Don't worry. I will do you justice as soon as I understand the whole sequence of events!" Wallace nodded and promised Doyalo. Then he turned to Rugersey and asked, "I know a little about Bryan's character. He's not the type to do something like this out of the blue. What actually happened?"
"This... um..." Rugersey's eyes turned to Portlem and Doyalo. He seemed rather hesitant.
Wallace's face turned dark. He shouted, "Rugersey, did you not hear my question?"
Rugersey hastily replied, "Yes, my lord! Andrina claimed that she had met Young Master Portlem on her way back to the City of Shadows. She claimed that Young Master Portlem was trying to kidnap Bryan's women." He added, "That is all I heard from Andrina. I do not know the details!"
Wallace had an idea of what had happened after listening to Rugersey's explanation. He had heard rumours of Portlem's lascivious tendencies. It wasn't at all surprising to Wallace that Portlem should be accused of such acts.
"Mister Doyalo, if it was your side that instigated it, then it's going to be quite difficult to deal with!" Wallace sighed and said, "The rules of the City of Shadows apply to everyone in the City of Shadows. If I favour your side just because you are our guests, then I, the City Lord, will surely be criticised by all the great family clans!"
Doyalo's expression turned slightly sour as he realised that Wallace was leaning towards the Celestial Pearl's side. Although the influence of Doyalo's family clan was immense, they were in the City of Shadows, outside their sphere of influence. If Wallace, the City Lord, decided not to help them, there wasn't much they could do.
"What exactly do you mean by that?" asked Doyalo.
"I will investigate the matter thoroughly and handle the case fairly - impartially and without prejudice!" Wallace said righteously.
Soon Andre returned from the Celestial Pearl Pharmacy. The first thing he did was to wink at Andre.
Wallace nodded at Andre, excused himself from the party, went into a corner with Andre and began discussing in a low voice. A moment later Wallace returned with a faint smile on his face and said to Doyalo, "The most important thing now is to treat and stabilise Portlem's injuries. I will conduct a thorough investigation of the incident!"
"I only hope that you will uphold justice for us. I have come to this city as a representative of the Church to discuss some issues with you. If you can't even ensure the safety of my envoy, then your House of Sainte is truly disappointing!" Doyalo said in a deep voice before leaving with Portlem.
After Doyalo, Portlem and Charlotte had left, Wallace scoffed and remarked, "Trying to pressure me with the Church? Dream on! Hehe, your House of Batchelder is just a little stronger than my House of Sainte. And you have no power here!"
"Brother, Bryan the boy is not to be looked down upon!" Andre said smiling.
"Youth breeds heroism. The stronger he is, the happier I am!" Wallace laughed heartily, "If he were just an ordinary apothecary, I might actually be reluctant to offend the House of Batchelder. But as it is, hehe, sorry Portlem, consider yourself unlucky!"
"But, my lord, Doyalo came here to represent the Church!" reminded Rugersey.
"He merely represents the Church, it's not as if his House of Batchelder is the Church. I have nothing to fear from him!" Wallace said scornfully, "Besides, he came here to seek my help, not the other way around. My House of Sainte serves the Overgod of Darkness. This little matter isn't nearly enough to jeopardise the position of my house!"
"Rugersey, you may go," Andre smiled.
Rugersey nodded and tactfully left the Sainte Residence.
Once the brothers were alone, Wallace asked Andre, excited and elated, "Are you really sure that the boy has Highgod strength?"
"I have seen it with my own eyes!" affirmed Andre, "On top of that, the energy he uses is unconventional and very queer, even queerer than Andrina's. This guy is really incredible!"
"Fantastic!" cheered Wallace. He continued smiling, "I don't think the House of Lavers is interested in staying in the City of Shadows. After all, someone has to fill the void they've left. If I were to allow the other three major family clans to share these privileges, they might grow too large and perhaps even threaten the position of our House of Sainte in the future. Bryan has only recently arrived on Elysium and doesn't have many foundations here. He has a good relationship with Carmelita. I think it will be a decent choice to give it to him instead. I did not include him as a candidate in the past because of his apparent lack of strength. But now it seems that he is more suited to the position than Avery!"
"Brother, you mean you want to give him the Fifth Corps?" Andre exclaimed in surprise.
"That is correct. The Fifth Corps has been vacant for a long time. It's about time someone took it!" Wallace nodded and replied.
"But we put out the word that anyone who wants to take the seat has to trade it for Avery's head. How do we get around that?" Andre said with a knitted brow.
"That's no problem - we can change the conditions. If Bryan has made a great contribution to the City of Shadows, we can use that as a reason to give him the Fifth Corps. But this is not final, and we are in no hurry. I'm just saying he could be a great candidate for the job," Wallace said.
"Understood!" Andre then lamented, "This young man could be considered an overnight success if he takes over the Fifth Corps!"
......
Half a month had passed with the snap of a finger. During this time, Han Shuo had been on high alert, fearing that Portlem's uncle would come to him for retribution.
However, Doyalo did not take a single step into the Celestial Pearl. Not only that, but under the duress of the House of Sainte, Doyalo and Portlem seemed to have accepted it as a loss, though they certainly still felt animosity towards Han Shuo.
The mortals from the Profound Continent were incredibly diligent in their cultivation. Except for Phoebe and Emily, who had to take care of the daily business of the Celestial Pearl, none of them had stepped out of their rooms.
Phoebe had once again proven herself to be an exceptional business manager. Under her guidance, most of the Celestial Pearl's operations had become smoother and more efficient. Her insight and experience in business operations and management were far superior to Gu Li's. From zero knowledge of medicine refinement, she managed to fully understand all the operations required to run a pharmacy in a short time. The suggestions she made to improve these operations were very practical and effective.
Emily had worked on recruiting certain rare talents. She managed to get new human resources to work in the Celestial Pearl Pharmacy branches. With the help of his two extremely capable women, Han Shuo had almost no work to do in his business. He would check the profits from time to time and leave the rest of the business to them.
During this time, Wallace, the City Lord of the City of Shadows, had personally come to visit the Celestial Pearl Pharmacy. Although he claimed that he was there to investigate the Portlem incident, he had made it clear to Han Shuo during the visit that he admired him. He had even told Han Shuo not to let the incident affect his mood.
Even though Han Shuo had been doing business in the City of Shadows for a long time, if Wallace had any business for Han Shuo, he would have Andre talk to Han Shuo on his behalf. Wallace had never been to the Celestial Pearl Pharmacy, not even on its opening day.
However, just a few days after the devastation in the banquet hall, the esteemed Wallace came to visit the Celestial Pearl in person. It was clear that his attitude had changed.
Soon after Wallace, the patriarchs of the other three major family clans visited the pharmacy one after the other. Not only did they strongly condemn Portlem for his depraved deeds, they even praised Han Shuo for his actions in the hall!
With Wallace pressuring Carmelita to cultivate, she had not stepped out of her private gymnasium during this time. Therefore, she had no idea of the recent events in the City of Shadows.
Erebus went to look for Han Shuo the very day he returned from a trip. He was extremely surprised to learn of the power Han Shuo had displayed that day. He assured Han Shuo that with his understanding of Wallace, nothing would happen to him.
After much observation during this time, Han Shuo had long been aware that Wallace intended to defend him. Erebus' words had further confirmed his conclusion. Erebus had also invited Han Shuo to a friendly match, which Han Shuo had to decline because he could not use the Cauldron Spirit's energy for too long. If he accepted the friendly match, it wouldn't be long before his exaggerated image as a powerful expert, as believed by all the great family clans, would be shattered.
Fortunately, Erebus did not insist. Having seen that Han Shuo was not interested in a friendly match with him, he did not push any further. Before he left, he indirectly hinted to Han Shuo that his Celestial Pearl would have an even more solid position in the City of Shadows with his mighty strength.
Han Shuo had recognised this fact from the sudden change in attitude among the family clans.
Compared to the past, the members of the large family clans who came to the Celestial Pearl to purchase medicine now showed much more sincerity and respect. After learning that the Celestial Pearl Pharmacy had two Highgods with unfathomable powers, and that they were absolutely ruthless when it came to killing people, they no longer dared to think of the Celestial Pearl Phamacy as just an above-average pharmacy.
With everything running perfectly, Han Shuo had much more free time to cultivate.
Inside the Celestial Pearl's gymnasium, Han Shuo and Akley fought under a gravity-enhancing field. Akley, a man thirsty for battle, believed that he could build up his strength the fastest by constantly engaging in fierce battles. Recently, he had often fought Han Shuo in the gymnasium.
While fighting Akley, Han Shuo would use the energy of his Avatar of Destruction. He would condense several Orbes of Destruction with his two hands and bombard Akley with the orbs, which travelled in orbits according to the Edicts of Destruction.
The Orb of Destruction was made by condensing the Divine Energy of Destruction. They could hold an astonishing amount of power. Akley was overwhelmed by the attacks. He moved at such a high speed in the gymnasium that his figure became a blurred shadow. As soon as he escaped the confines of the orbs, he would immediately launch his powerful counterattack.
Boom! Boom! Boom! The sound of fierce battle rang out. Before long, Akley was exhausted and defeated.
"Dude, you really are a freak. You cultivate in so many different energies at once, but for whatever reason, you actually managed to cultivate each of them to such an advanced level!" praised Akley.
Han Shuo's demonic body was much harder than Akley's divine body. Moreover, his Avatar of Destruction was on the verge of becoming a Midgod after absorbing the divine energies of the Godhunters. Besides, Han Shuo had more divine energy than Akley. Therefore, it wasn't too surprising that Akley would lose in a fight against Han Shuo.
"Alright, now step aside, Akley. It's my turn!" Andrina walked over with a giggle when she saw Akley defeated. She waved her two small fists in front of Han Shuo as she asked, "What's the rule for today?"
"The same old rule - we will fight for exactly three minutes, not a second more!" replied Han Shuo. He could only last for about three minutes if he used the Cauldron Spirit's energy to boost his strength. If he exceeded this time limit, his Demon Infant, the very core of his cultivation of the Demonic Arts, would be injured.
Han Shuo had also recently engaged in friendly combat with Andrina. He discovered that flooding his body with the Cauldron Spirit's immense energy, though painful, was a good way to temper his body. He had a vague feeling that he was about to make a breakthrough in his practice of the Invincible Omen Body.
At this point, Han Shuo was able to use the Invincible Omen Body through conscious thought. The next development of this demonic skill was to automatically deploy Invincible Omen Body when the body was attacked. Han Shuo had been trying to achieve this for a long time, but he hadn't been able to.
Every time he fought with Andrina, his body would be stressed by the Cauldron Spirit's energy. Although this was incredibly painful, his body was strengthened each time. He knew this from the fact that he could withstand the Cauldron Spirit's energy longer with each battle. Even though it only added a few seconds each time, it was clear to Han Shuo that this practice was very beneficial to his cultivation.
"I really can't figure you out. Not once have you been able to last longer than a few minutes!" Andrina pouted her tiny mouth. As soon as she finished those words, she began to attack Han Shuo without warning. Dazzling radiance shot out of her body and flew towards Han Shuo in the form of a vortex.
Having fought Andrina many times in the gymnasium, Han Shuo had become familiar with her attack methods. As soon as he saw the dazzling vortex approaching, he unleashed the Demonic Blades in both of his hands. Streams of dark, dense gas flowed from the gaps between his fingers. The dark gas was formed by the energy of the Demon Generals. It looked like dark ribbons had grown out of his hands.
The ribbons of dark dense gas intertwined to form a huge web in front of Han Shuo. The giant web would creak and vaporise as the dazzling radiance fell into it.
At that moment, Han Shuo and Andrina, separated by the glowing vortex and the giant dark net, launched attacks at each other. Shimmering lights shot out of their hands.
Pow! One of Andrina's attacks landed on Han Shuo. His imposing being took a hit. As usual, Andrina took the opportunity to push forward. Han Shuo had no choice but to defend himself.
Andrina was much stronger than Portlem, a fact that Han Shuo had learned from fighting her many times. Since the energy she cultivated in was unique, Han Shuo hadn't been able to figure out Andrina's actual strength until now. However, Han Shuo estimated it to be at the Mid to Late Stage of the Highgod Realm.
Pow! Andrina gently pressed her small, tender hand on Han Shuo's chest and dealt him a blow.
"Eh?!" Han Shuo was knocked back three steps, but he seemed to be enjoying it.