After the House of Han left, Witherbone City was busy for a while. They weren't busy upgrading their defences or repairing the damage, they were busy expropriating the wealth and assets of the House of Kiaran.
The world is cruel and unforgiving. The House of Kiaran was once one of the leading family clans in Witherbone City. But after their patriarch, Sha-t'o, and five high gods were murdered by Han Shuo, and hundreds of their divine guards were killed by the House of Han, their power and influence took a nosedive. They just plummeted to the bottom.
With all of their top experts now dead, the House of Kiaran was unable to protect their vast assets. The other powerhouses of Witherbone City, who had coveted the wealth of the Kiaran family, began to plunder as soon as the House of Han left the city.
Sha-t'o and the House of Kiaran had worked faithfully and diligently for Hill, the City Lord. Morally speaking, Hill should at least have intervened to prevent these robbers from robbing the House of Kiaran.
But in reality, Hill was one of the first to rob the Kiaran family!
Using his position as City Lord, Hill took over most of the lands and businesses of the House of Kiaran, claiming that this was their punishment for making the city such a powerful enemy. Vast amounts of the Kiaran family's wealth were seized by Hill in a single night.
But to keep the other clans happy, Hill did not take all the bounties for himself. The remaining interests of the Kiaran Family were expropriated by the great and small family clans of Witherbone City.
While Sha-t'o was alive, the rivals and enemies of the House of Kiaran never dared to touch the members of his family clan. But immediately after his death, these people began to hunt down the members of the Kiaran family to take their revenge. It seemed as if they wanted to wipe out the House of Kiaran.
After seeing their patriarch, Sha-t'o, humiliated to death, the divine guards of the House of Kiaran felt that the family clan had been branded with shame and disgrace. Many of them left the House of Kiaran and joined other family clans.
This great family clan, which had flourished in Witherbone City for tens of thousands of years, was destroyed virtually overnight.
Anyone with the surname 'Kiaran', young or old, was hunted down by their enemies. In a matter of days, this ancient bloodline was all but wiped out. There were only a few left in Witherbone City.
Ninety percent of the Kiaran family was killed in the hunt. But there was one person no one dared touch.
*** The northern district of Witherbone City was a dilapidated glory. Li Wei sat huddled on the ground, staring intently into space. She was clutching a box of ashes as she mumbled incoherent words.
Next to her was Dagassi. He wore a pitiful expression and sighed repeatedly as he combed Li Wei's tangled hair.
The last three months had been hell for Li Wei. She had watched her father Sha-t'o flayed to death, her brothers, sisters and cousins mercilessly murdered, raped and enslaved. She saw her large and loving family destroyed.
After witnessing the countless tragedies and being overwhelmed with grief, her mind began to crack under the strain. The proud, cheerful heiress of the Kiaran family became a girl with a psychotic breakdown, muttering to herself all day.
Although Li Wei was a member of the Kiaran family and one of the easiest targets for their enemies, she was spared because many were aware of her friendship with Bryan. Although her brother and sister were murdered before her eyes, no one dared to harm her.
All those who had met Han Shuo sternly warned their family clan not to harm Li Wei. They were afraid that Han Shuo might take revenge on them. They knew that if Han Shuo wanted to, he could wipe them out with a snap of his fingers.
"Sigh... I wish I could shoulder some of the pain for you..." Dagassi couldn't help but sigh again.
A shadow stealthily approached and landed in the abandoned shrine. He looked at Li Wei for a moment before he let out a long sigh and said remorsefully, "In seeking justice, I have done injustice to Li Wei..."
Dagassi's face shook and he was alarmed. He immediately stood up and placed himself between the comer and Li Wei. But after identifying who the comer was, he relaxed, forced a smile and said, "Why are you here?"
Han Shuo's original plan was to begin his slaughter as soon as he returned to Witherbone City, but then he suddenly thought of Dagassi and Li Wei. Han Shuo still remembered the soul signatures of Dagassi and Li Wei. Given his extraordinary strength, it could not be easier to locate them by sensing their souls. He hesitated for a moment before deciding to search for them first.
Han Shuo's heart ached when he saw the Li Wei who had been driven to madness. Although the House of Kiaran and Sha-t'o had betrayed the House of Han, Li Wei was innocent. She had even tried to help the House of Han. Although her efforts had been in vain, Han Shuo still considered it a favour.
"What happened to her?" asked Han Shuo.
"The world was not kind to her. After seeing too much horror and suffering too much pain, her spirit crumbled," Dagassi sighed before continuing, "When I returned to the House of Kiaran, I discovered that my original master had perished. No one in the House of Kiaran would bat an eyelid at me. Li Wei, however, had been kind to me. Bryan, can you please find a way to treat her?"
Han Shuo thought for a moment before answering, "I can erase some of her memories and make her forget everything about the House of Kiaran," he paused briefly before continuing, "A fresh start, that's the only solution I could think of, it's all I could do for her."
"It would work, as long as she could be happy again. She wouldn't be plagued with so much pain after forgetting the House of Kiaran," Dagassi agreed after nodding.
Han Shuo stepped forward and placed a hand on the back of Li Wei's head. His consciousness swam into her mind and gently enveloped her soul. Then it began to flow through the webs of shimmering, disembodied strands, searching for every memory related to the House of Kiaran. Han Shuo's consciousness would then wrap around those strands and erase them.
If Sha-t'o, a Late-stage Highgod of Death, could extract memories from another person's soul, then Han Shuo, who had reached the Skybreak Realm in the demonic arts, could do it without breaking a sweat. He had a far greater understanding of the soul, and his consciousness was far more suited to the task. This memory erasing procedure that Han Shuo had surgically performed would not leave any side effects.
A few minutes later, Han Shuo took a deep, gentle breath and withdrew his hand from Li Wei, who appeared to be fast asleep. He turned to Dagassi and said, "When she wakes up, she will remember nothing of the House of Kiaran. Don't stay here any longer. Go with her to the Celestial City of the Space Dominion. You can take shelter at the Celestial Pearl in the city.
Dagassi nodded and replied, "Yes, I have thought about leaving this place with her. The Ethereal City is indeed a decent place."
"I am sorry. It is I who caused her all this suffering," Han Shuo suddenly lowered his head and sighed again. He felt responsible for destroying Li Wei's life.
Dagassi patted Han Shuo's shoulder and said, "Don't be too hard on yourself. If anyone is to be blamed, it should be Sha-t'o and the others. I've seen how they've treated your House of Han. You weren't wrong to give them justice.
Han Shuo felt a little better after hearing Dagassi's words. He thought for a moment before asking, "Very well, tell me everything you know about it and the names of those who were involved in the oppression of my House of Han."
Dagassi stared blankly for a moment. Suddenly he realised something and his face jerked. "Bryan, you didn't come back to the city to look for us, but to kill Hill?"
Han Shuo nodded and said, "Correct. Hill is the mastermind and I won't let him go!"
"But Hill is the City Lord of Witherbone City and his soul has a brand bestowed by the Overgod of Death! If you do that, you could bring the wrath of the Overgod upon you and..." Daggasi became worried and tried to dissuade Han Shuo from this idea.
"I know. Don't worry, I'll be fine," Han Shuo was touched. He was grateful to have made friends on the Profound Continent who truly cared about him.
Seeing that Han Shuo was unyielding, Dagassi stopped trying to dissuade Han Shuo. He forced a smile, shook his head, and said, "When I first met you in the underground world of the Profound Continent, you were just a tiny little necromancer. Who would have thought that in just a centurie you would have risen to such prominence on Elysium? Not to mention that you would soon be provoking an Overgod... It's true what they say - you never know what the future has in store for you".
When Han Shuo heard Dagassi's words, his mind automatically flashed back to the time he ventured into the Underground World. Back then, he was just a weak necromancer, no match for Dagassi. But in just a hundred years, he had risen to become an Overgod, even establishing a rapidly growing powerhouse on Elysium.
"Well, as far as I know, apart from Hill and Sha-t'o, there are..." Dagassi began to tell Han Shuo the names of those who had been involved in oppressing the House of Han.
"You should quickly leave for the Space Dominion with Li Wei. Witherbone City is about to become chaotic," Han Shuo said, his eyes glowing with ice-cold light. He was ready for a slaughter feast.
"Be careful," Dagassi said when he saw Han Shuo leaving.
Han Shuo made no reply and vanished from Dagassi's sight in an instant. It was much faster and more stealthy than leaving by ripping space-time.
*** In the City Lord's Mansion of Witherbone City, Hill had summoned the patriarchs of all the major family clans. They were discussing who should succeed the head of the Third Corps of the Divine Guard, which had previously belonged to the House of Kiaran.
Suddenly, a cold, dark energy enveloped the City Lord's mansion. All the Patriarchs, who were in the middle of a discussion, were jolted from their seats and looked around in fear.
They had felt the energy before, and they immediately realised a terrifying fact - the demon had returned!