Hofs and Larikson thought that there was nothing in the Han Residence that could harm them. They assumed that Kinu's Highgod Thunderbolts had destroyed any defences after seeing the residence revealed.
As the fog lifted, the members of the House of Han were revealed. They seemed anxious and frightened. For Hofs and Larikson, this was further proof that the House of Han had run out of tricks. If Hofs and Larikson, the strongest and most experienced experts in the army, could be fooled, then the rest of the army would be even more clueless.
So at Hofs' command, all of Hushveil City's divine guards and Larikson's elite experts charged towards the Han residence as it emerged from the mist.
This time, however, it was not the divine guards of Hushveil City who were on the frontline, but Hofs, Larikson, and the Highgods Larikson had brought with him. Unlike the previous battles, the strongest were at the front. Perhaps the dazzling wealth that the House of Han had amassed over the years had blinded them.
These experts had remained passive throughout the attack. But when the Han Residence appeared defenceless, driven by greed, they rushed to the front, intent on plundering all the wealth and resources the House of Han possessed.
The gang led by Hofs and Larikson entered the Han Residence in an instant. With the same goal in mind, they flew to the tallest and most magnificent building where Phoebe and the others were.
"Hahaha! Welcome to the slaughterhouse!" Gilbert laughed maniacally before shouting, "Reactivate the formations!"
All around the Residence, beams of eerie purple-red light suddenly erupted from the ground and shot into the sky. It was as if a giant vortex was being created with a tremendous suction force. The fog that had dissipated was instantly reconstituted. The Han residence was once again shrouded in a thick fog.
At the same time, a cold wind began to blow fiercely as deafening screams filled the air. In an instant, the Han Residence was flooded with all sorts of sinister energies. The energies engulfed every living thing within range, allowing none to leave the giant meat grinder.
Hofs immediately sensed that something was terribly wrong. "Oh shit! Everyone retreat at once!"
But his command came too late. Most of the remaining Divine Guards he had brought from Hushveil City had entered the Han residence. There were only a dozen or so left outside the residence. They were the weakest of the army, and were being dragged far behind by their comrades.
Larikson was stunned. The ferocious energies flooding the area made him feel threatened. He also realised that he had once again fallen into his enemy's trap, as if he were their puppet. It was a terrible feeling.
Strange, eerie sounds began to emanate from each region before bizarre energies suddenly manifested. The demonic formations had begun to work. The hallucinatory, corrosive and soul-attacking effects erupted from these formations and tightly enveloped the intruders.
It was as if a giant meat grinder had been turned on. Bizarre columns of light began to fly in all directions, covering the formation like a giant spider's web that could rip its attackers to shreds. At the centre of the formations was the Han Residence, where the members of the House of Han were watching. From the top of the tallest structure, they could see the terrible situation around them. They were pleased to see the intruders being torn to pieces.
The members of the House of Han were gathered in a meeting room where they could safely observe the lethality of these demonic formations without being affected. Torn bodies, limbs and organs could be seen splattered everywhere. They also saw the attackers in their final struggle and heard them scream in agony as they perished.
At that moment, all the brave-looking divine guards of Hushveil City seemed as weak as newborn babies. They were helpless against the countless attacks and energies they had never seen before. Resistance was futile.
"Brilliant! Simply brilliant! That's what they deserve for invading our Han residence!" laughed Gilbert as he watched the carnage. He also explained the wondrous properties of certain demonic formations to Stratholme, Candide and the others.
Apart from Bollands, Gilbert and Sanguis, no one else in the room had any real understanding of the demonic formations used around the Han residence. Even Phoebe, Emily and the others had no idea how to operate them. Before the demonic formations had been activated, the members of the House of Han had been somewhat apprehensive, although they had confidence in the defences Han Shuo had set up.
But now, after witnessing their destructive power for themselves, they finally understood why Gilbert and Sanguis were so optimistic.
By this time, Stratholme, Ayermike, Phobe and the others were so astonished that they were at a loss for words. They had once again witnessed Han Shuo's magic and had come to believe that Han Shuo was a supernatural being who would always perform miracles. They were even more convinced of Han Shuo's invincibility.
"Hehe, although it is satisfying to watch them die, it is even more satisfying to kill them with my own hands!" Sanguis said with a malicious grin before suddenly jumping into one of the demonic formations and slaughtering the visitors with his blood-red glowing broadsword.
Following Sanguis, Bolland flew into the demonic formation without a word. Killing intent erupted from his body. A long, slender flying sword flashed and sliced one of the hallucinating divine guards in two.
Stratholme, Ayermike and the others were excited and wanted to join Sanguis and Bollands. Fortunately, Gilbert stopped them in time: "Don't go in there! The demonic formations can't tell friend from foe. It could kill you!"
"Huh? Then how come Sanguis and Bolland are doing so well in there?" asked Phoebe with a raised eyebrow.
"Before Master left, he taught the three of us how to traverse the demonic formations without being affected. It's very complicated and you can't make a single mistake. The two of them had learnt everything by heart. That's why they could walk around the formations without being affected. Then Gilbert smiled sheepishly and said, "As for me, well, I couldn't remember all those steps and directions. So I'm not going down there. And neither should you all."
Stratholme, Emily and the others stared blankly for a moment. After hearing the explanation, they looked at each other and decided against entering the demonic formations.
They had seen the terrible condition of their attackers. Even Larikson and Hofs were unable to escape the effects of the demonic formations. They realised that they should not take any unnecessary risks.
"Bryan is truly amazing. Hundreds have died in the demonic formations. I guess we have nothing to worry about," Phoebe said smiling. She finally seemed to be at peace.
The group nodded and smiled at her words, as if the formidable threat had already been neutralised.
"Do not lower your guard! The demonic formations are supported by the Yuan Energies and the Demon General Energy that Master placed before he left. Master had said that the demonic formations couldn't run indefinitely. If Sanguis and Bolland have had enough fun before the formations run out of energy, we will still have to evacuate," Gilbert warned.
The momentarily relaxed group immediately returned to a tense mood. They understood the dire situation they were in.
"Gilbert, how long can the formation hold?" asked Stratholme, his eyebrows furrowed.
"That's hard to say. It depends on how fast the Yuan Energy is consumed. In any case, the demonic formation only has a limited amount of energy, and it will stop working once it's used up. We need to leave before it runs out of juice while Hofs and Larikson are still trapped. The sooner we leave, the better.
Gilbert suddenly sighed and muttered, "Hell, I wish Master was here. Then all these motherfuckers would be dead! Sigh..."
"Then we have no time to lose. Gilbert, inform Sanguis and Bollands that we will activate the airship and leave Fort Lasberg as soon as we have gathered everyone," Emily ordered gravely.
"Don't worry, Sanguis and Bollands know we have to leave," Gilbert said as he nodded.
Emily, Phobe, Stratholme and the others then hurriedly issued orders, gathering everyone in a secret underground chamber beneath the building.
Several shadows shot around the building and into each room, gathering every divine guard of the House of Han into the secret chamber, which was connected to an evacuation tunnel.
Meanwhile, Sanguis and Bollands traversed various regions of the demonic formation. Avoiding Larikson, Hofs and the other Highgods, they slaughtered those attackers who only possessed Midgod strength.
Sanguis and Bollands looked ferocious, drenched in the blood of their enemies. They enjoyed the killing.
Just as they were about to lose it, Gilbert shouted from the building, "Sanguis, old man, it's time to go! The two soon regained their senses and flew back into the building. Then they went with Gilbert to the underground tunnel.