In Han Shuo's absence, not much had changed on the fringe. Murder, plunder, massacre, rape, it all went on as it always did in the Land of Chaos. Battles, large and small, could easily be found on the outskirts of the Fringe.
The major and minor factions took notice as soon as the House of Han entered the Fringe. However, when they realised that the person leading them was Han Shuo, they hid and ran as far as they could.
Han Shuo was simply too notorious in the Fringe, and no one dared offend him.
Sanguis, Bolland and Gilbert were like apex predators introduced to a flock of lambs. They would often venture out on their own, away from Han Shuo's protection, only to return with scratches and injuries.
The three who cultivated demonic arts understood that they must temper themselves with bloodshed if they were to rapidly increase their strength, and that the fringe was the best place for them to do so. The more they fought, the stronger they became.
Sometimes they would strike together, and sometimes they would strike alone. They would only attack forces that weren't too strong and improve their strength through the death of their victims.
Han Shuo had allowed them to venture out on their own because he knew that the three had decent strength and were very treacherous. The injuries they had suffered were minor and they would recover completely in a day or two. He thought it unlikely that they would be defeated by the forces of the Fringe.
After a few attacks on their own, they began to bring in a few squadrons of House of Han guards. These House of Han guards, who had been tempered for ages, were also bloodthirsty. With these guards, they were able to destroy many more forces along the way. Many of the forces would avoid them.
"The Fringe doesn't seem as frightening as they told us. All the ones we've met aren't that powerful," remarked Sanguis, who had been in high spirits for the past few days. After killing a Mid-stage Highgod in a duel, his confidence had soared. He had become overconfident.
"Haha, we are just too strong! The Fringe is truly chaotic. Not only are there huge battles everywhere, but each Fringedweller is more ferocious than the next. This is truly a wonderful place for our House of Han," Gilbert said. He was also very pleased to finally be able to unleash the energy in his body and kill to his heart's content. It was obvious that he liked the Fringe very much.
Bollands, however, didn't share their overconfidence. He swept his cold gaze over them and said, "The Fringe are notorious on Elysium for their dangerousness. The most dangerous and treacherous criminals of all the Twelve Dominions reside here. We have not encountered a truly formidable enemy because we have not ventured into the deeper parts of the Fringe, and the real powerhouses know of our origins. They are afraid of our Patriarch's power and have therefore avoided us. Don't be so presumptuous as to think that the Fringe are not dangerous and let your guard down.
Bollands had come to regard the two as his closest friends since what they had been through in Witherbone City. Had it been anyone else, Bollands would have just puffed coldly in disdain instead of giving a long, insightful lecture.
Sanguis and Gilbert, being young and reckless, did not take the advice to heart. Sanguis smiled mischievously and said, "What you said makes some sense. But I still think that apart from the Four Overgods, there aren't any other particularly powerful forces in the Fringe. I'm sure that even without using the Master's reputation, we could still establish ourselves in the Fringe!"
"That's true. The leaders of most forces only have Early-stage Highgod power - nothing to write home about. The three of us, in addition to fifty guards, could easily gain a foothold. Right, why don't we go to Omphalos first? I think we can reach the centre easily on our own," Gilbert suggested excitedly.
Sanguis's eyes lit up and he agreed enthusiastically: "Exactly! We should get there before the others. With Master protecting them, our matriarchs and the others would be fine without us."
"No! If anything bad happens, how would I explain myself to Senior Brother?" Bollands knitted his brows and rejected the suggestion without thinking.
"Come on, old man. Don't be so paranoid, everything will be fine. Come on, let's go. We will wait for them in the Omphalos. At least we know the general direction." Sanguis laughed heartily and continued with the plan, playing down the dangers ahead.
Gilbert laughed mischievously, went and pulled Bollands along, saying, "It's all right, Master will not be angry with us. Come on, don't spoil the mood!"
If Sanguis and Gilbert had not risked their lives to stand up for Bollands in Witherbone City, Bollands would definitely have stopped them and brought them back to the company.
But Bollands now considered Sanguis and Gilbert to be the people he trusted the most after Han Shuo. Seeing their enthusiasm, Bollands was reluctant to spoil the mood. After a moment's hesitation, with Gilbert dragging him along, Bollands went along despite his gut feeling telling him no.
With that, Sanguis, Gilbert, Bollands and fifty House of Han guards, separated from the main House of Han company, made their way to the centre of the Fringe - the Omphalos.
At first they encountered relatively small forces led by Early or Mid-stage Highgods . With Sanguis, Bollands, and Gilbert easily defeating these Highgod leaders, and the terrifying team combat strength of the House of Han guards, the party was able to easily crush their enemies and move deep into the Fringe without much resistance.
Sanguis and Gilbert became even more excited and overconfident. They had forgotten that the deeper they ventured into the Fringe, the more dangerous it would be. They shouted and cheered as they went.
But their luck was about to run out. When they got very far from the main House of Han company, some of the great and fierce forces deep in the Fringe took notice of them. They were unaware of their connection to Han Shuo because of the distance, and Gilbert and the others had even avoided revealing their connection to Han Shuo because they wanted to prove their power.
Eventually, a group of Fringedwellers led by a Late-stage Highgod expert intercepted them on a mountain.
And there was more than one Late-stage Highgod!
The enemy forces consisted of a Late-stage Death Highgod, a Late-stage Wind Highgod, a number of Early and Mid-stage Highgods, and a number of Midgods. They numbered in the hundreds. Their strength far exceeded that of Bollands, Gilbert, Sanguis and their fifty guards.
"You seem to have indulged in indiscriminate killing. Hehe, attacking the followers of Sovereign Logue, how brazen!" the Late-stage Highgod of Death said with a mocking smile. He looked at Sanguis, Gilbert and the others who had been surrounded, and immediately gave them an ultimatum: "You have two choices - you can bow down and pledge allegiance to Lord Logue, or you can fucking die!
It was only now that Sanguis and Gilbert realised that the Fringe was nothing like the Dominions of Darkness and Death, that the Land of Chaos was indeed filled with extremely formidable experts, and that they were extremely brutal.
Sanguis, the strongest of the three, was confident that he could defeat a Mid-stage Highgod expert. However, he had no chance against a Late-stage Highgod.
Their opponent had two Late-stage Highgods and six to seven Early and Mid-stage Highgods. It was clear that they had no chance of winning.
Sanguis and Gilbert suddenly looked at each other with a hint of desperation in their eyes. They finally regretted not heeding the advice and being too arrogant.
"Friend, we are members of Pandemonium's House of Han!" Bollands suddenly stepped forward and said in a moderate manner. Unlike Sanguis and Gilbert, he remained as calm as usual. The mind that he had tempered through overcoming perils and hardships had proved useful during critical moments.
"What? Pandemonium? House of Han?" the face of the bald Late-stage Highgod that had a mocking smile suddenly jolted. He asked, "Who are you to Lord Bryan?"
"This is his disciple," said Bollands as he pointed at Sanguis.
Bollands heaved a sigh of relief after seeing the person's reaction. He thought, Senior Brother indeed has a terrifying reputation in the Fringe. I guess with his name, we would be out of danger.
The bald Highgod made a grave face and looked at Bollands, Sanguis and Gilbert for a while, as if weighing his options. Then suddenly he shouted, "Kill them all! Leave none of them alive! Otherwise, if Bryan finds out, we will cause the Lord a lot of unnecessary trouble. If any of you fail and they manage to escape, I will skin you!"
"You dare?" shouted Bollands in a wild voice. He was alarmed.
"Haha, why don't we? Do you think we are afraid of you just because you are associated with Bryan? Hahaha, with all of you dead, he will have no idea who killed you. How is he going to find out that it's me? Let me tell you outsiders something, we Fringedwellers are all fucking crazy. There's nothing we're afraid of," the bald Highgod said, laughing wildly. He really did look like a madman.
After a good laugh, he gestured and commanded, "Attack!
Bolland's heart leapt. He knew they were in deep shit.