The Goddess of Destiny was the most mysterious of the Twelve Overgods. Her Dominion of Destiny had always taken no sides and was permanently neutral. It was said that her words represented the wishes of the Creator. She did not usually interfere in the affairs of Elysium, only appearing to mediate peace when the fighting between the Overgods had gone too far.
The Goddess of Destiny was such a unique being that the remaining eleven Overgods always listened to her advice.
Knowing that even the gods who cultivated in the edict of destiny rarely had a chance to meet Her, Andre was surprised that Erebus and Aobashi were so fortunate to have the opportunity.
After hearing Andre's explanation, Aobashi and Erebus carefully recalled the scene they witnessed back then. Suddenly, as though they had realized something, their faces jolted and were obviously overwhelmed with shock. Han Shuo, who have been secretly observing their expressions, immediately realized that Andre's words were likely true. The being who abruptly materialized before Aobashi and Erebus was very likely the most mysterious Overgod on Elysium.
If it is true that the Goddess of Destiny is Andrina's mother, then her status is shockingly noble! However, why would Andrina, the daughter of the Destiny Overgod, show up in the Darkness Dominion? Also, why would Andrina hate the godhunters so much?
Han Shuo pondered and pondered, and yet he came no closer to a plausible explanation.
Han Shuo was convinced of Andre's guess about the identity of Andrina's mother. That would explain why Andrina owned a crystal so miraculous that it could shatter the clone of the godhunter's boss. If her mother was the Goddess of Destiny, it would make sense that Andrina could come into possession of an overgod divine weapon. Only an overgod divine weapon bestowed by an Overgod with the Quintessence could unleash a power that terrifying!
"Bryan, if I guessed it right, that Andrina is the daughter of the Goddess of Destiny, then Andrina will definitely be alright!" Andre consoled Han Shuo. "Before the Goddess left, She asked Aobashi to pass you her gratitude. Bryan, you are such a lucky one. You actually made a good impression on the Goddess of Destiny!"
Aobashi and Erebus looked at Han Shuo with admiration and envy. The Twelve Overgods were existences far beyond the reach of most humans, especially the most mysterious Overgod. Han Shuo, who had arrived on Elysium not too long ago, had unexpectedly won the favour of the Goddess of Destiny, and even formed a friendship with her daughter, Andrina. What a luck!
"As long as Andrina is well, I'm happy," Han Shuo said with a smile. He had not expected Andrina to have such a noble identity.
"Everything we discussed in this room must stay in this room. Do not speak of what we have discussed to anyone else," Andre warned after a moment of thought.
Han Shuo, Aobashi and Erebus nodded to Andre.
"All right, discussion of other matters shall be postponed until my elder brother returns. You are all dismissed!" said Andre smiling. However, just before Han Shuo was out of his sight, he softly called out, "Bryan!"
Han Shuo immediately stopped in his tracks. Aobashi and Erebus appeared as if they had heard nothing and continued to walk quietly.
"Yes?" Han Shuo turned around and looked at Andre with a puzzled look, "Is there anything else I can help you with, Lord Andre?"
Andre smiled warmly and said, "Bryan, my elder brother is very pleased with your performance. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he will be appointing you Chief of the Fifth Corps in due course. I'm telling you this so you can prepare yourself mentally!"
Han Shuo was elated. He said sincerely, "Thank you!"
"You're welcome. Not only have you made a tremendous contribution to the City of Shadows, but you have also amply demonstrated your strength by bearing the energy that even Erebus could not overcome," Andre praised with a smile, "Go back and make some preparations. You might want to start recruiting some gods. After all, you can't lead the entire Fifth Corps on your own, can you?"
Han Shuo nodded and said nothing more. He bowed to Andre and left the Sainte Residence in complete satisfaction.
Although Aobashi and Erebus did not consider their raid on the Godhunters a success, Han Shuo felt that the mission had ended beautifully. Not only had he made breakthroughs in his cultivation of the Demonic Arts and the Edict of Destruction, but he had also obtained seventeen giant poison fangs. He also learned of the relationship between the Godswamp Pharmacy and the Godhunters, not to mention having demonstrated his abilities.
Apart from the fact that Andrina went home with her mother, the affair resulted in a big win for Han Shuo.
After returning to Celestial Pearl, Han Shuo was briefed by Phoebe and Emily on the latest situation of his company. Thanks to the harsh words of his two ladies, all of Celestial Pearl's branches throughout the City of Shadows were open for business. The branches were just as popular as the head office in the city. By this time, Celestial Pearl Pharmacy had taken over seventy percent of the entire pharmacy market in the City of Shadows, eclipsing all other competing pharmacies.
Now that most of Celestial Pearl's operations were on autopilot, running according to established, streamlined procedures, even Phoebe and Emily were freed from constant work, allowing them to spend more time cultivating.
The mortals who had come from the Profound Continent had basically not stepped out of their rooms. They spent all their time improving their own strength with the enormous resources Han Shuo had provided them. Having been able to cultivate to the peak in an environment as poor as the Profound Continent, these people were able to make tremendous progress on Elysium, where resources were abundant and the elements were hundreds of times more intense.
In a short time, they all managed to increase their strength by several classes. Stratholme the Old Monster, Ayermike Cotton and a few others had advanced to the Early-stage of the Lowgod realm. Candide and Emma, whose strengths were relatively low among them, rose through several realms. They will soon reach Basegodhood.
Before leaving for the Third Corps, Han Shuo had not only provided them with the Rebirth Pill and the Tranquility Pill, which he had personally refined, but he had also given them some crystal coins to purchase the divine weapon and divine scrolls they needed. This helped them tremendously.
Even Phoebe and Emily, who had to spend time running the Celestial Pearl Pharmacy, will soon reach the realm of the Basegodhood.
Han Shuo could not be happier with what he heard from Phoebe and Emily. Although Han Shuo knew that their strength was growing by leaps and bounds, he was still shocked to learn that they had managed to break through one or more realms within a few months.
"Bryan, at this rate, we will all enter the realm of the Lowgod in just a few years!" said Emily smiling.
"Wonderful!" exclaimed Han Shuo. "Wallace wants me to take over the Fifth Corps. I was worried about where to get trustworthy experts, but it seems I have nothing to worry about! As soon as all of you from the Profound Continent have reached a decent level of strength, you can fill the key positions in my agency. I will have a much easier time with your help!
People like Candide and Emily were once high-ranking members of the Dark Mantle on the Profound Continent. The duties and responsibilities of the Divine Guard Corps of the City of Shadows were similar to those of the Dark Mantle of the Lancelot Empire. Someone like Candide, with a little time to learn and adapt, could easily do the job well, and perhaps better than the others.
Ayermike Cotton, Stratholme the Old Monster and the others were all experienced characters. Once they become Lowgods, they will be of great help to Han Shuo in various businesses. They will be the pillars of Han Shuo's future family clan!
It was because of their outstanding talents that Han Shuo spared no effort to bring them from the distant Profound Continent to this plane of gods, in addition to providing them with a generous amount of Black Crystal Coins to increase their strength!
Upon his return to Elysium, Han Shuo, with various matters to attend to, in addition to cultivating diligently to increase his strength, which he felt was lacking, had spent less than the desired amount of time with his women.
After giving Han Shuo a brief report on the current situation in Celestial Pearl Pharmacy, Phoebe and Emily wanted to hurry back to their cultivation. After watching Han Shuo's strength grow, and fearing that the distance between them was growing, they put all their efforts into increasing their strength.
"Don't you want to stay a little longer? It's been a while since we last..." Han Shuo said with a leering smile as he held Phoebe and Emily's hands.
"Sorry, but you will have to wait until we have reached lowgodhood before any of us will make love to you," Phoebe replied.
"We ladies have agreed that we will not make love to you until we have reached the realm of Lowgod!" said Emily giggling, "This is hard for us to bear as well. But we have to, to close the gap in our strength. Sigh, even a child on Elysium would have at least demigod or basegod strength. We will not be looked down upon any longer!"
"I have to go, I have a premonition that I'm going to break through to the realm of the basegod. There's no time to lose!" Phoebe and Emily struggle to free themselves from Han Shuo's drag and leave, leaving only their melodious giggles behind.
Not just Phoebe and Emily, but even Fanny and Helen, were staunch in honoring their pact.
Fanny, fearing that she wouldn't be able to resist Han Shuo's seduction, wouldn't even open the door for him.
Dang, how long do I have to practice abstinence for? Han Shuo smiled bitterly and sighed.
For lack of a better option, Han Shuo decided to spend his time on cultivation instead. For seven days straight, Han Shuo went on a shopping spree, visiting various divine weapon stores in the City to purchase material there were bizarre to most ordinary people. After that, he left the City of Shadows alone and located a secluded valley nearby to stay there temporarily.
Han Shuo, not wanting anyone to discover him refining demonic weapons, carefully deployed concealment formations around the valley. He then took out the fangs, arranged them in front of him, and stared at them as he pondered what demonic weapon he should turn them into.
"These seventeen fangs are very tough and their tips are very sharp. They can be refined into offensive weapons like flying swords! As the material itself is excellent, the process will be straightforward. All you need to do is polish them a little before fusing your blood essences into the fangs. In no time, you will have a new, dominant demonic weapon! The Cauldron Spirit transferred into Han Shuo's consciousness.
"Then I will transform them into seventeen flying swords!" after a moment of thought, Han Shuo came to a decision.
"I will give you the instructions to modify the flying swords so that the demon generals can attach themselves to the sword. The seventeen swords will then be able to form a sword formation. Add to that the intense corrosive power of this material, this demonic weapon will be more vicious and destructive than any you have made before!" said the Cauldron Spirit.
"That would be the best!" Han Shuo was thrilled to hear these words. For him, the more deadly the weapon, the better. And obviously, the viciousness of the weapon was not his concern.
With the help of the Cauldron Spirit, Han Shuo used the materials he had gathered earlier to create a unique formation in the valley. He placed the seventeen fangs around the formation and sat in the centre. He then released the demonic yuan in his body, connecting the fangs through the formation.
Perhaps the demonic weapon he was trying to create would be a truly powerful one, Han Shuo had to sit there for six months straight to complete the process. The seventeen fangs were submerged in a strange, deep black liquid with dark red spots.
With great difficulty and half a year's time, Han Shuo managed to infuse the seventeen fangs with the blood essences he had placed in the fluids. The process took so long mainly because Han Shuo was hindered by the fangs' formidable corrosive power.
Now that the fangs were filled with Han Shuo's blood essences, Han Shuo began to add all sorts of materials to the pools of dark water in which the fangs were immersed. Thick fumes quickly formed. They did not dissipate, but lingered over the pools.
A year passed like the blink of an eye. Han Shuo began feeding the fangs with demonic yuan to alter their internal structures. He also followed the Cauldron Spirit's instructions to carve miniature demonic formations into each fang. Once the magnificent symbols had been carved into the fangs, a transformation took place. They became seventeen piercing and terrifying flying swords.
The flying swords not only possessed an intense corrosive power, but they also carried a chilling aura. It could hinder the enemy's movement just by being near the enemy. And once the flying sword pierced the enemy's flesh, the enemy would be affected by the corrosive power and the chilling aura at the same time. It would be a total nightmare for the enemy.
After the fangs had transformed into the shape of flying swords, Han Shuo spent time connecting with the seventeen flying swords. He manoeuvred them to fly and dance around him. Then, with the Cauldron Spirit as his instructor, Han Shuo practised the 'Avici Godslaying Sword Formation'.
The Avici Godslaying Sword Formation was a terrifying sword formation made possible by the unique marks, symbols, and miniature formations carved on the seventeen flying swords.
It was very difficult to operate the complex Avici Godslaying Sword Formation. Even Han Shuo, with his absurdly powerful consciousness and the guidance of the Cauldron Spirit, had taken five years to fully master the formation.
But it was well worth the effort, for the power of the sword formation was formidable. Han Shuo needed only one thought and the seventeen flying swords flew in bizarre trajectories in the valley. Immediately after, several mountains collapsed with a loud rumble.
The hilly terrain was transformed into a flat plain filled with rocks!
"Now that you have mastered the Avici Godslaying Sword Formation, you can kill Early-stage Highgod experts without using my energy!" The Cauldron Spirit transmitted the day Han Shuo mastered the sword formation.
Han Shuo was elated. He could feel the Demonic Yuan in his body becoming purer and more condensed as he practised the Avici Godslaying Sword Formation. Seven years passed like the blink of an eye. On the day he finally stepped out of the valley, the state of his Omen Realm was better than ever, and his confidence was higher than ever!
After seven years of absence, Han Shuo finally returned to the City of Shadows.
Although seven years was a long time for mortals, it was only a short time for the gods of Elysium, who could practically live until the heat death of the universe.
Therefore, when Han Shuo returned to the City of Shadows, he found that the city had not changed much. No one felt that Han Shuo had been away for too long. Everyone in the city was still very respectful of Han Shuo.
When he returned to the Celestial Pearl Pharmacy after seven years, he was greeted with a great surprise - all those who had come from the Profound Continent had attained lowgodhood!
Among them, Ayermike Cotton, Stratholme the Old Monster, and a few others had amazingly reached the realm of late-stage lowgods! Outstanding talent combined with unlimited resources and tireless hard work had produced a miracle. He could hardly believe how much progress his friends had made.
Although their progress was shocking, Han Shuo was even more surprised by the progress made by Gilbert, Sanguis and Bolland!
Sanguis was close to mastering the Bloodgod Mantra. Although there was no classification of realms in the Bloodgod Mantra, at present, Sanguis could easily defeat Ayermike Cotton and Stratholme the old monster. He had become one of the most powerful experts in Celestial Pearl Pharmacy.
The Bloodgod Mantra that Sanguis practised did not rely on the concentration of elements in the environment, and he had made good progress on the Profound Continent. The Bloodgod Mantra was best suited for someone with a Sanguis body, someone like Sanguis, to practice. Having received proper guidance from Han Shuo after arriving on Elysium, it was reasonable for him to make such rapid progress.
As a cultivator of the God-Slaying Devil Path, Bollands could release and withdraw his killing intent at will. In fact, he had been arranged to work under Erebus. During the seven years, he had brutally murdered countless opponents. His desire to kill became more and more intense. It was so overwhelming that once it was unleashed, his weaker opponents would tremble in fear before the battle had even begun!
After becoming a Lowgod of darkness, Gilbert, whose body had been rebuilt and forged like a demonic weapon by Han Shuo, had a unique divine energy of darkness and divine soul compared to an average Lowgod. Not only was his body incredibly tough, but his divine energy was also astonishingly powerful. Although Gilbert had only reached the Early-stage of the Lowgod realm, he was able to defeat Late-stage Lowgods like Stratholme and Ayermike in the gymnasium.
In Celestial's Pearl Pharmacy, Sanguis, Bollands and Gilbert had vaguely surpassed their friends who had only cultivated in the energy of that universe. They became a most unique and amazing combination.
Sanguis and Bollands cultivated in branches of demonic arts. As to Gilbert, before his body was rebuilt and had merely his soul, he was forced by Han Shuo to practice a demonic skill that strengthens his soul. Those were the reasons that the trio could grow so tremendously in such a short time.
What an assembly of talents! thought Han Shuo.