Polo had lived in the Fringe for many years and was a cunning and treacherous character. He immediately ordered his followers to deal with the matter.
Soon the group of Godhunters led by Polo returned to the scene of the crime with several bodies. With a malicious smile, Kodiak told Polo, "Chief, these are the followers of the other four Sovereigns. Anyone who tries to investigate the murder will be led down a path to nowhere."
"Good. Make sure the place is cleaned up and no trace left behind," Polo instructed. Then he turned to Han Hao, smiled and said, "I did not expect you to show up. Haha, I heard about what you did outside the Omphalos. I'm sure the whole Land of Chaos is talking about you!
Han Hao raised an eyebrow at Polo and replied, "What exactly do you want to tell me?"
"Hehe," Polo smiled a bit awkwardly and said, "If you want to expand in the fringe, then as members of the Alliance, since we are on good terms with each other, it is only right that we help each other. Don't you think?"
"Yes, that is true," Han Hao replied with an expressionless face. But after a short pause, he knitted his brows and asked, "What exactly do you mean by 'help each other'?"
"We Godhunters and the Five Sovereigns have always stuck to our own business. If you want to expand your influence in the Fringe, you will inevitably come into contact with the Five Sovereigns. Yes, and based on my understanding of the Sovereigns, confrontation is only a matter of time. What I'm saying is, I'm ready to take your side!" Polo was somewhat hesitant as he said these words. Having lived in the Fringe for so many years, he knew how fierce the Sovereigns could be. It was not an easy decision for him to make.
Han Hao seemed interested. His purple demon eye glittered and he scanned Polo before asking curiously, "In what way will you be by my side? As an ally?"
"That's right, an ally!" Polo confirmed.
"Oh." Han Hao's face showed no emotion again. He shook his head and replied, "We do not need allies." Then, with his eyes staring directly at Polo, he continued, "Polo, if you are sincere, you should surrender your followers to me and you too should serve me."
This proposal was far, far from Polo's original intention. For a long time he was stunned by this bold proposal. When he finally came to his senses, Polo frowned and said, "Han Hao, I admit that you are exceptionally powerful. However, my reputation in the Godhunter Alliance is no less than yours. Besides, I have lived on the fringe much longer than you. Are you sure you're not joking?"
Han Hao nodded solemnly. "You decide for yourself. In short, I need no allies." Han Hao felt a tiny vibration in the ground. He knew that Han Tu must be getting worried because he wasn't sure what was happening on the surface. Han Hao did not take the time to persuade Polo, but summed it up succinctly: "For helping me today, I will not make an enemy of you. Go back and think about it. Don't take too long."
With these words finished, Han Hao turned away and took to the skies without another look at the Godhunters.
Polo and his Godhunters stared foolishly at Han Hao as he flew away. Like a shadow, he vanished into the horizon in an instant. Moments later, Polo awoke from his stupor. Sullenly he remarked, "You really are an arrogant brat, Han Hao!"
Polo seemed to be in a foul mood. Given his position in the Godhunter Alliance, his strength, and the forces he commanded, Polo considered himself a generous ally to Han Hao. However, not only had Han Hao rejected his olive branches, but he expected Polo to bow down to him. Polo felt that his good intentions had been repaid with a snub.
Kodiak was furious. "Chief, this boy is an arrogant, conceited brat. We did all this for nothing!"
Polo grunted, "Let's see how he fares on the Fringe. There is no need to rush into a decision. Hmph, if he can demonstrate that level of strength, I will consider serving him."
***
On the other side, Han Shuo, Rose, and the group continued to roam the Fringe. Romon, Han Shuo's latest follower, was with the group.
Ever since Romon had emerged from the swamp, he had willingly and fully accepted Han Shuo as his master. He submitted to Han Shuo because he felt the tremendous change in his body and the benefits that Han Shuo had brought him.
In just over ten days, the capacity of Romon's body had been greatly increased. At the mere thought of it, he could turn his body into the toughest metal or transform into any melee weapon of any form. He could even spew poison. He had transformed into a very unique being, not to mention an extremely powerful one.
"Master, if any of them are unwilling to serve you, leave them to me. Hehe, I will beat them until they do," Romon said. He wanted to prove his worth to Han Shuo.
"Romon, what the hell are you talking about?" Rose whined. "They are our friends and we are here to invite them. How could you do this to your friends?"
"It is their honour to serve the Master. I'm just helping them realise it!" Every other time Romon opened his mouth, he was sure to praise Han Shuo. In his mind, Han Shuo was more of a miracle than any of the Five Sovereigns.
Han Shuo smiled, but he did not take Romon's words seriously. He asked Rose, "We're almost there, right?"
"Yes, he should be on that bald mountain right in front of us. I hope he still lives there," replied Rose, who was leading the group.
Moments later, Rose was standing on top of a completely barren mountain. She called out in a clear voice, "Zovic!
Out of nowhere, a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky. A small, thin figure appeared on the mountain. The diminutive old man had a hideous face as he looked around before he laughed out loud and said, "Rose! It's you! I heard about what happened outside the Omphalos the other day and learned that Buzz and Bertha were killed. I also heard that you were there. At first I thought they had twisted the story. But look, here you are!"
The hunchbacked old man was no more than five feet tall. He was a Mid-stage Highgods of Lightning. Despite his grotesque features, his eyes showed genuine kindness and a trace of gratitude as he looked at Rose.
"I'm glad you are still alive," Rose said with her rare smile. She then introduced him to Han Shuo, "This is Zovic. I've mentioned him before. What you see on the outside may deceive you, but I know he is good on the inside. He is honest with his friends".
After introducing Zovic, Rose was strangely shy. He glanced at Han Shuo as he said to Zovic, "This is Bryan, the master I serve now. He killed Buzz and Bertha."
Zovic was astonished. He carefully looked up and down at Han Shuo several times and found Han Shuo to be unbelievably young. After seeing those standing behind Han Shuo, he recalled the rumors about the incident outside Omphalos and he became even more surprised. He thought, Could these youngsters be the ferocious experts who killed five or six hundred Fringedwellers?
"I have heard a little about what happened at the Omphalos. Haha, I must say, I did not expect you all to be so young!" remarked Zovic. He then smilingly asked, "Little Rose, what have you come to me for?"
"Zovic, don't hole up to cultivate anymore. Work for my Master!" invited Rose solemnly.
Zovic was not astonished – it was almost as if he had expected Rose to say so. He did not immediately agree or decline but smiled. Zovic turned to Han Shuo and asked, "Of the Five Sovereigns of the Fringe, do you have the confidence to fight any one of them?"
Han Shuo stared blankly for a moment before he calmly shook his head and answered, "I have not tried it, no confidence at all." After taking a short pause, Han Shuo continued, "However, I'm not afraid!"
"You are very young. When the Five Sovereigns were your age, they definitely weren't as strong as you are now," Zovic remarked. He was somewhat taken aback by Han Shuo's openness. He thought for a while, knitted his brows and asked, "Do you have the confidence to escape from any of the Sovereigns?"
Han Shuo thought for a moment and nodded confidently. Smiling, he replied, "I'm confident of that. Not just one, but even if two or three of them come after me, I know I can escape."
"Then that's enough. As long as you can preserve your life, there's a very good chance that you'll surpass the Five Sovereigns!" Zovic seemed satisfied, as if it was enough for him to know that Han Shuo could escape from one Sovereign. "All right, because Rose saved my life before, I'm willing to serve you. If someday in the future I'm killed by the Five Sovereigns, I'd be very happy to know that there's a chance that you would avenge my death."
He sure is a strange one. remarked Han Shuo inwardly. He thought for a moment before he solemnly pledged, "I will do my best to make sure that you and my followers stay alive. But if any of you get killed, don't worry, I will take revenge for you and kill the person – no matter who he is."
"That's enough!" Zovic laughed happily. "Please don't mind it, I'm the kind of person who thinks about the escape route before anything. I know that against any of the Five Sovereigns, all escape routes would be useless. If something unfortunate were to happen to me, I would die at peace knowing that someone will avenge my death."
"Don't you worry about it, I'm certain that our Master will be triumphant! Hmph, I'd like to see just how strong the Five Sovereigns are!" Romon's confidence had swelled after his strength soared. He had become so arrogant that no one else mattered other than Han Shuo and Han Jin.
Han Shuo looked at Romon but said nothing. He turned to Rose and said, "Let's continue."
Over the next few days, Rose led Han Shuo and the group to every corner of the Fringe. Unfortunately for them, Rose's friends had either been killed or relocated. They made no further discoveries.
But Han Shuo was not discouraged. Instead of returning to Omphalos, he decided to continue to scour the Fringe in search of a suitable location for his new base. Of course, Han Shuo would only choose an area suitable for the deployment of demonic formations. After wandering for a few days, he finally found a secluded valley.