The loss of two Divine Guards had put Han Shuo on high alert. He immediately ordered his divine guards to stay close and to stay within a hundred miles of the Company at all times. Han Shuo's demon generals could only reach a maximum of one hundred miles from him. As long as his divine guards were within a hundred miles, Han Shuo could use his demon generals to quickly assist them if they ran into trouble.
The divine guards also became cautious and alert. Han Shuo used his demon generals to probe the terrain around him while searching for the two divine guards who had suddenly disappeared. However, Han Shuo could find no trace of them.
The company continued on its course towards the Soaring Cloud Mountain Range, but now travelled even slower. Under Bolland's guidance, the divine guards had improved their tracking and stalking skills. They too had searched for the lost Divine Guards, but had found nothing.
Using the far-reaching visions of his demon generals, Han Shuo saw many merchant caravans passing by, as well as members of small family clans going into the mountain range to temper themselves. He watched them for a long time, but there was nothing suspicious about them.
Han Shuo was at a loss. He racked his brains over what could possibly have happened to his two missing divine guards. He wondered if some unknown force was out to get him or if the two divine guards had provoked someone they shouldn't have.
Another five days passed. The two missing Divine Guards had still not returned. This meant that they had most likely died.
With that, Han Shuo began to think about who among his enemies might have killed them. Han Shuo had been on Elysium for a long time and had made a lot of enemies. Among them, the most likely ones would be Hofs that he had recently offended. However, with Hushveil City still in disarray, Hofs, who had not yet fully recovered from his injuries, would be fully occupied suppressing rebellious voices and his political enemies in the city. Even if he found out that Han Shuo was behind the attack on Hushveil City, he wouldn't have the time or energy to travel all the way to the City of Shadows to deal with Han Shuo.
After Hofs, the Godhunters would be another powerful enemy of Han Shuo's. However, Han Shuo had not made himself conspicuous to the Godhunters during the attack on the godhunter base. Even if the Godhunters were to retaliate, they should target the House of Sainte first, not Han Shuo.
After much thought, Han Shuo could not think of any enemy who had the ability or motive to attack him at this time. Since Han Shuo could not find any clues at the moment, he had no choice but to leave the matter unresolved. The company continued to travel towards the Soaring Cloud Mountain Range.
Three hundred miles away from Han Shuo was a huge waterfall. Its rushing water sparkled as it cascaded into a huge bottomless pool at its feet.
In front of the bottomless pond were several huge boulders that had been polished by the water. Several gods with dark faces stood on them.
The patriarch of the House of Lavers, Felder, wore a dark face as he glared at a worried Doloxis. He scolded, "Why have you struck without my permission?"
As the House of Lavers withdrew from the City of Shadows, Doloxis and his family clan also left the city. He never forgot his grudge against Han Shuo, however, and had carved it into his heart and bones.
"Patriarch, I was just trying to reduce their strength bit by bit," Doloxis replied with his head bowed. He seemed rather nervous.
"Fool! This will only alert that cunning youngster!" Felder scolded loudly, "I have told you many times not to act rashly. What you've done is not only self-destructive, you've also jeopardised our mission to avenge your uncle's death!"
"I'm sorry, Patriarch!" Doloxis hastily admitted his mistake after being angrily scolded by Felder. But after a short pause, Doloxis asked hesitantly, "Patriarch, is he really the one who attacked Hushveil City? I've met him several times before, but he didn't seem so terrifying.
"If he can't even fool you, how is he going to be able to replace our House of Lavers in the City of Shadows?" Felder groaned coldly and said, "Donna knew him much better than you. She knew it was Bryan as soon as she heard the details of the incident. Back in the low level material plane, Donna had seen the unique life form that appeared in Hushveil City. It was definitely him!"
"Patriarch, why doesn't Elder Sister Donna join us? Considering how much she knows about this guy, our mission would have a better chance of success!" asked Doloxis after hearing Felder's explanation.
Felder let out a soft sigh before replying, "I don't know why, but Donna just wouldn't agree to harm the boy. In fact, I have to hide what we are doing from her."
It seemed that Doloxis had a grudge against Donna. He thought that Donna was the main reason why the House of Lavers had declined. If Donna hadn't recommended Bryan to the City of Shadows, their House of Lavers wouldn't have suffered so much. If Donna hadn't been Felder's daughter, Doloxis might have proposed that Donna be ousted by now.
"Patriarch Felder, with your House of Lavers joining our City of Gorging Clouds as per our agreement, we will do everything in our power to eliminate this fellow for you," said a short and short middle-aged man with dark skin and thick sideburns. The short man had overheard Felder and Doloxis talking. He paused for a moment before continuing, "But you should also be aware of certain unwritten rules in the Darkness Dominion. Although the City of Shadows is far less powerful than our City of Gorging Clouds, we do not wish to alert the House of Sainte. We can only assist you in this matter of yours in the darkness."
"Lord Lakrisen, our House of Lavers has lived in the Darkness Dominion for many years and knows all the unwritten rules of this Dominion." Felder was quite respectful towards the short man with the sideburns. "I know that Your Lordship must not openly oppose the House of Sainte and risk the wrath of the Overgod. All I ask is for the boy's life. If it hadn't been for the incident in Hushveil City, I wouldn't have bothered Lord Lakrisen to help us in this matter!"
Lakrisen nodded and replied with a smile, "Thank you for your understanding. And don't worry, Hofs of Hushveil City is the weakest city lord in the Dominion. We have more than one expert with greater strength than Hofs in the City of Gorging Clouds. Even if it is true that the boy was behind the incident in Hushveil City, we still have more than enough to finish him off!"
Although the House of Lavers had left the City of Shadows, they had managed to retain most of their strength. The House of Lavers possessed not only elite divine guards, but also a vast reserve of wealth. They were sought after by every other city in the Darkness Dominion. Before the Lavers family withdrew from the City of Shadows, Felder was secretly approached by representatives of the city lords of many other cities.
After considering the strengths of these city lords, Felder finally decided to lean on the strongest city in the Darkness Dominion - the City of Gorging Clouds. Felder did, of course, discuss some terms with the city before joining. His family clan joining the city will make it even stronger, while the city will protect the interests of the House of Lavers.
Asking the City of Gorging Clouds to help him kill Han Shuo was an afterthought of Felder's. For the City of Gorging Clouds, winning over the House of Lavers far outweighs the possible repercussions of assassinating a promising young expert who has just made his debut. Therefore, they agreed to Felder's request without the slightest hesitation.
Felder had lived in the City of Shadows for many years and understood the situation there very well. He knew that it would be extremely difficult to kill Han Shuo in the city. Even if he somehow succeeded, he would have great difficulty escaping. He knew that he would have to wait for an opportunity to assassinate Han Shuo outside the city.
The competition between the Seven Corps would create the right circumstances for Fields. Upon learning that the Fifth Corps of the City of Shadows would be participating in the competition, Felder realised that this was the chance he had been waiting for. He used the remaining connection he had in the City to learn that the competition would be held on the Soaring Cloud Mountain Range. This allowed him to plan and prepare in advance.
"Thank you, Lord Lakrisen. As long as the boy is dead, I will convince my daughter to willingly marry your esteemed son," Felder promised in a deep voice.
Lakrisen laughed heartily. He was very pleased. In a friendly voice he replied, "We will soon be a family. Do not worry, I will do everything I can to help you!
"This boy has nearly a hundred divine guards around him. It would be difficult to kill him. What do you think, Lord Lakrisen?" After a short pause, Felder added: "According to my daughter's words, the strange life form possessed by that youngster is extremely miraculous. It seemed they could cloak themselves and be his eyes and ears. His appearance in Hushveil City had matched my daughter's description. This will not be easy!"
"It's no trouble. We came in small numbers. I can guide you to avoid the detection of these lifeforms. The divine guards will not be at his side all the time. We just have to wait for a suitable opportunity before we attack him. There is no way he can escape like he did in Hushveil City!" said Lakrisen confidently, as if he had a full grasp of the future.
"Well, if Lord Lakrisen says so, I'm at ease!" said Felder, nodding. He seemed to have complete faith in Lakrisen.
....
No matter how much Han Shuo racked his brain, he wouldn't have expected that it would be the House of Lavers, which had left the City of Shadows long ago, that would try to get him. He continued to travel slowly towards the Soaring Cloud Mountain Range with his divine guards.
Since Han Shuo wanted to further temper his Divine Guards on the journey, he had left for the mountain range ahead of other Divine Guard corps. As a result, they had not encountered any other Divine Guards on their journey. Unbeknownst to them, they were getting closer and closer to the mountain range.
One day, Han Shuo and his Divine Guards arrived at the waterfall where Felder and the others had their meeting. The Divine Guards of the Fifth Corps were not all male. The female divine guards were thrilled to see a clean pool and asked for permission to bathe in it.
Rose, who had been quietly following Han Shuo all the time, also asked to stay there for a while. As Han Shuo was in no hurry to leave, he agreed to their request. Of course, the male divine guards, including Han Shuo, must stay away from the pond where the ladies will be bathing. So they have scattered.
For some reason, Han Shuo's heart was suddenly filled with a feeling of desperation. Han Shuo had full confidence in his senses. Add to this the fact that two of his divine guards had inexplicably disappeared, and Han Shuo was immediately on guard.