The valley was dark. Strange bird creatures flew overhead. It was early in the morning and a thick fog had settled over the valley. It was difficult to make out the situation in the valley.
Although the heavy fog had made it difficult for the attacking army to observe the valley below, it had helped them to conceal their presence.
Aobashi, Erebus, Han Shuo and Andrina were together. Blightsoar from Mirage City and Eugene from Hushveil City, each leading their own troops, travelled on either side of the City of Shadows forces.
Gradually, they approached the valley.
After ordering his men to maintain formation, Blightsoar quietly walked over to Han Shuo. He asked quietly, "The valley below is what we are after, right?"
Han Shuo nodded and replied quietly, "It is. Please tell your men not to get too close, lest they trigger the energy towers."
Blightsoar had no prejudice against Han Shuo. On the contrary, he admired Han Shuo. Having heard the advice, he gestured to his troops from afar, ordering them to stay where they were.
Around the foggy valley was a mountain range with peaks high above the clouds. The mountains surrounded the valley in an arc. Han Shuo and his party were crouched on top of one of the mountains, stealthily peering over the edge and down into the valley.
"I can't see much of what's in the valley. What's the situation there?" Aobashi asked Han Shuo quietly.
Han Shuo stretched out his index finger and began to carve a crude diagram into the hard rock nearby. Using the carving, he began to explain, "I have carefully examined the area before. There are energy towers and boundary towers disguised as trees here, here and here. There is only one entrance, which is here. There are also Godhunters hidden here, on guard duty. And there are boundaries at the top of the valley. We will be discovered as soon as we approach the valley."
Aobashi looked at Han Shuo in astonishment and asked, "How is it that you are so clear about the situation down there?"
Han Shuo did not answer her question but continued, "Even though it is heavily guarded, it is still possible to infiltrate the valley undetected. By quietly killing the guards and avoiding the energy and boundary towers, we can enter without alerting the Godhunters."
"Where are the guards? Are you sure of their location?" Blightsoar was also astonished and incredulous.
Han Shuo stopped his briefing. He raised his head, looked at Aobashi and Blightsoar calmly and said, "If you trusted me enough to come here, please continue to trust me for the rest of the mission and not question my words. Otherwise, you may take your men and charge straight down the valley.
At such a critical moment, Han Shuo couldn't care less about their status.
"As long as you can get me close enough to the energy and boundary towers, I can disable them!" whispered Andrina.
Han Shuo was aware of this special ability of Andrina's and it was the main reason why Han Shuo had brought her along. He thought for a moment and said, "Eugene is prejudiced against me. Maybe he and his men should stay outside. After we enter the valley and engage the Godhunters, they will try to break the siege and escape. Let's let Eugene be in charge of stopping the Godhunters from escaping.
Han Shuo would always be very calm in critical moments like this. Accustomed to giving orders, he unwittingly played the role of leader again. Aobashi, Erebus and Blightsoar found this rather strange, but they said nothing as they saw how much confidence Han Shuo had shown. It was as if he knew every blade of grass and every tree in the valley.
"Okay. I will tell Eugene to keep him and his men outside!" Blightsoar knew that Eugene wouldn't listen to a word from the City of Shadows, so he volunteered to convince Eugene.
After Blightsoar left, Aobashi put a grimace on her pretty face and said to Han Shuo, "Bryan, please, don't make a mistake! We have over four hundred divine guards from three cities. Any negligence could mean the death of many. Our lives are at stake!"
"Bryan, are you sure about this?" asked Erebus. He looked worried and nowhere near as confident as Han Shuo.
"As long as you listen to me and move slowly, I'm confident I can get you all into the valley without being discovered," Han Shuo assured solemnly. After a short pause, he continued in a relaxed manner, "At least it's better than just charging blindly straight into the base, right?"
"Attacking blindly also has its merits - it would greatly boost the morale of the army". Aobashi smiled faintly and said quietly, "If we are discovered in the middle of infiltrating the base, it would weaken our morale. That must also be taken into consideration."
"I understand," Han Shuo nodded. After hesitating for a moment, he asked, "If there is a Late-stage Highgod in there, how do we deal with it?"
Aobashi and Erebus remained silent. After a long time, Aobashi broke the silence: "We are more numerous. We will lay siege to him!"
Han Shuo frowned, "Even you have no way to deal with this possibility?"
"We had to hurry, so there wasn't enough time to get the City Lord's help. But don't worry, if there is one, I expect he will be trapped with my divine guards setting up boundaries together! There's nothing to fear!" Aobashi assured. Glancing at Erebus, she continued, "Besides, Erebus has an enchanted scroll given to him by the City Lord. I know the power contained within that scroll. When released, not even a late-stage Highgod could withstand its power. We can use it in an emergency."
After hearing Aobashi's words, Han Shuo knew that she had considered the possibility of finding a Late-stage Highgod. With that, Han Shuo stopped asking her how they would deal with the possible threat. In his mind, he thought, "In any case, if the situation goes south, I know I can preserve my own life.
Blightsoar returned to the group and said quietly, "Eugene has agreed. We can begin the operation!"
Han Shuo stood up and ordered, "Follow me. Tell your men to be extra careful and not make a sound!"
Then he glided straight down into the valley and landed at the front of the valley near the entrance. Aobashi, Erebus and Blightsoar followed in Han Shuo's path after giving instructions to their men.
Several Boundaries covered the top of the valley. Since the energy source of these barriers was deep within the valley, even Andrina couldn't temper with them. Therefore, the group's only option was to infiltrate the valley through the only entrance.
The element of wind swirled around Aobashi as she floated gracefully down. She appeared nimble and agile, as light as a feather.
Han Shuo had long since discovered that Aobashi cultivated in the elemental energy of wind. Her fine long hair would form miniature domains of divinity as it fluttered and danced. These characteristics were unique to gods who cultivated in the elemental energy of wind.
The demon generals had long since moved into position, hiding and watching from the darkness. Having visited the valley twice before, Han Shuo knew the area very well. Although the morning mist would hinder the observation of an average person, it was a natural barrier for Han Shuo, allowing him and his demon generals to be even more stealthy.
Han Shuo waved and moved forward in a strange and seemingly erratic path. He easily avoided the dense growth of shrubs and thickets without making the slightest noise.
Following Han Shuo was Aobashi. She gazed at Han Shuo with complex and mixed emotions, as if in awe of Han Shuo's miraculous performance. She had a feeling that this young man who had recently arrived in the City of Shadows might have many more secrets!
Behind Aobashi was Andrina, followed by Blightsoar and Erebus. Although Andrina was probably more powerful than Aobashi, as a god who cultivated in the energy of the wind, Aobashi was better at flying and more agile than Andrina. Therefore, Andrina travelled behind Aobashi.
The group remained completely silent. They cautiously looked around as they followed Han Shuo as he advanced as if it was his own backyard.
Gradually, their confidence in Han Shuo grew. They saw that it had been almost effortless for Han Shuo to navigate through the area of shrubs and trees, venturing forward as leisurely as if it was the back of his house. They finally believed that Han Shuo had surveyed the area and knew it well.
Suddenly, his agile figure froze. He turned and gestured to his partners to move very slowly.
When they finally caught up with Han Shuo, he pointed to a large tree in front of him and whispered, "The third branch from the bottom is hiding a watcher. Who will get rid of him?"
"I will," Aobashi said and floated silently to her target like a weightless ghost.
In a fraction of a second, Aobashi arrived at the spot Han Shuo had indicated. She gently patted the branch with her pale left hand. The tree creaked slightly and swayed.
Her lips curled into a slight smile. She turned to Han Shuo and gave him a nod, signalling that it was done.
Erebus and Blightsoar had broad smiles on their faces. Their glances at Han Shuo were filled with admiration and approval. Aobashi's signal was direct confirmation that Han Shuo was not mistaken, that there was indeed a person hiding in the tree. They no longer had any doubts about Han Shuo's abilities.
"Well done, young man!" Erebus praised quietly as he stuck his thumb out at Han Shuo.
"Let's move on. Follow me," instead of preening, Han Shuo walked forward with a calm face after waving to Aobashi.
The group then repeated the same action several times, silently murdering seven godhunters. Those Godhunters who thought they were well hidden died without even realising what had happened.
Once again, Han Shuo suddenly stopped moving. He said gravely, "From this point on, there will be boundaries and energy towers. We are counting on you, Andrina!"
"Don't worry, not a single message will be transmitted from the energy towers," Andrina said proudly.
"Alright then, let's continue," Han Shuo nodded. He would point out the direction of the energy towers to Andrina as they moved forward. Andrina did not disappoint. She only had to close her eyes for a moment and the energy tower Han Shuo pointed to would be deactivated.
Using this method, the group managed to infiltrate the valley. Inside, they saw a huge pond filled with a cold, dark liquid. On the walls surrounding the pond were numerous deep caves that looked like honeycombs from a distance. They roughly counted that there were several dozen caves on those walls.
They could see human figures in some of the caves, while others were blocked from the inside, revealing only a fine crack.
"We have arrived!" Han Shuo announced quietly. Shortly after, he knitted his brows and said, "The Godhunters should be inside these caves. It would be difficult for us to check the holes one by one. I have brought you this far and will leave the rest of the mission to you all!"
Having brought the Highgods into the valley without alerting a single Godhunter, Han Shuo had completed his mission to perfection.
"This Godhunter's base seems a bit strange and quite different from the ones we have captured before. It seems very likely that this capture will be huge, hehe!" Erebus licked the corner of his mouth. He seemed quite excited.
"Wait, do not attack until all our men have arrived," Aobashi wore a calm face as she said quietly, "Bryan, you have done a great job. After the event, I will make sure to mention your great work to the City Lord. You will surely be well rewarded!"
"Let's leave this topic for later, after we have wiped out those Godhunters," Han Shuo said with a calm and indifferent face. His mind was not affected in the slightest by Aobashi's words. He continued to watch the caves with cold eyes as he moved the demon generals into the valley.
A few minutes later, the divine guards who had been trailing behind finally caught up with them. The divine guards hid in silence, watching the activities around the pond from a distance.
Andrina looked angry. Her little face was as cold as the pond water as she said angrily, "I'm going to kill all those damn Godhunters today!"
"There are many caves. It's not possible to check them one by one. Besides, we do not know if there are forks in the caves. How should we proceed?" Blightsoar asked the group after a moment of silent thought.
"It seems that the Godhunters are all in these caves. How about we get Eugene over there? He also commands a hundred divine guards. I think the battle is unlikely to spread outside the valley, so we might as well concentrate our forces," Han Shuo suggested after thinking for a moment.
The others thought for a moment and nodded. Then Blightsoar noticed that everyone else was looking at him. He knew exactly what they were thinking. He turned to a divine guard behind him and commanded, "Go back the way you came and ask Eugene and his army to join us!
The divine guard said nothing and hurried away. About ten minutes later, Eugene and his men arrived.
Eugene needed only one look at the caves to realise that Han Shuo's words were indeed true - this was indeed a Godhunter base. Although Eugene was curious as to how they had managed to enter the valley so silently and undetected, he did not question it. Instead, he rubbed his hands together and asked, "What are we waiting for? Let's storm the place!"
"There are too many caves. It seems unwise to rush in without knowing the situation inside. What if we force them out of their caves and fight them out here?" suggested Erebus.
Obviously, most of the group felt that Erebus' suggestion was more feasible. Aobashi, Blightsoar, Han Shuo and Andrina all nodded in agreement.
"First, let's disperse our troops and place them around the entrance and guard all the exits. Then we will force them out!" instructed Aobashi.
The divine guards dispersed. Once they were in position, Aobashi ordered Erebus, "You may now knock on their doors!"
As the group watched, Erebus pulled out a dark pike and filled it with his divine energy. The Dark Pike, now glowing with dark radiance, was hurled. It flew like a streak of dark light, heading for the largest cave!
Rumbling... The pike plunged straight into the cave, sending shattered rocks everywhere. An earth-shaking explosion echoed through the valley.
"We're under attack!"
"Fiddlesticks!"
"What the hell?!"
Cries of panic rang out from the caves. Immediately, human figures appeared at the mouth of the caves. These people had fierce and merciless eyes. It was clear from their appearance that they were evil and malicious characters. They were undoubtedly the Godhunters the army was after!
"There they are!" shouted Blightsoar.
"Launch ranged attacks!" shouted Aobashi. Suddenly, several gusts of wind, so fierce and piercing that they seemed capable of splitting rocks and demolishing mountains, blew towards the caves.
The fierce winds whistled loudly, as if trying to burst everyone's eardrums. The ancient, hundred-metre-tall trees in their path were snapped. The bushes looked as if they had been mowed down.
The wind moved extremely fast, travelling several hundred metres in a few instances, and gushed violently into the caves. Two Godhunters were killed instantly. Three were violently dragged from their caves and thrown into the cold pool below.
The few remaining Godhunters screamed in fear and panic as they fell uncontrollably towards the pond.
Splash! The Godhunters fell into the cold pond and their bodies immediately began to fizz and emit thick smoke. Their screams grew louder and more pitiful as their flesh separated from their bodies and rapidly disintegrated. Within seconds, they were reduced to three shiny white skeletons that sank to the bottom of the pond.
The attackers who witnessed the scene were startled. Their eyes were filled with horror as they stared at the pond. Some of those who had originally intended to charge the caves stopped in their tracks for fear of being struck by the Godhunters in mid-air and falling into the pond.
"Beware of the pond! Use ranged attacks!" Aobashi shouted again.
Streaks of light, piercing bone spears and clouds of dark mist shot out of the dense bushes and towering trees where the Divine Guardians were hiding, towards the Godhunters at the cave entrances. In the blink of an eye, another dozen or so Godhunters were killed. Two Godhunters seemed to be trying to escape the valley when they were hit and fell into the pool. In an instant, they were transformed into a pair of eerie white skeletons.
Han Shuo paid little attention to the fierce battle, gazing intently at the pond instead. He said quietly, "The poison in the pond is the same as the one produced by the Godswamp Pharmacy in the City of Shadows. My suspicions are indeed correct, the Godswamp Pharmacy is connected to the Godhunters!"
Erebus's face darkened and he asked hastily, "Bryan, are you sure that the pond contains poison made by the Godswamp Pharmacy?"
"I've seen their poisons before and I'm absolutely sure!" said Han Shuo with absolute confidence. He glanced at Eugene, whose expression did not look good, and said darkly, "It seems that the master of the Godswamp Pharmacy is a dubious character!"
"Slander!" cried Eugene, "The poisons found in the City of Shadows were concocted by Steiss. Hassling had nothing to do with it!"
"Does Hassling have a head full of white hair and skin as translucent as jade?" asked Han Shuo.
"Have you met him? Hassling has always kept a very low profile. How did you manage to meet him?" Eugene asked puzzled.
So it is him! thought Han Shuo.