GDK 694: Drawing a line
Doloxes cultivated in the energy of darkness and possessed late-stage lowgod strength. After Han Shuo agreed to a duel, his smiling expression was suddenly replaced with grimness. An austere, somber aura immediately emanated from his body.
Han Shuo walked to the center of the gymnasium step by step. He transferred and assembled the energy of death from his avatar to his main body. Soon enough, an aura of death that treated life with contempt started exuding from him.
The energies of death and darkness were known for their sinister characteristics. Han Shuo and Doloxes showed no intention of engaging in melee combat. Doloxes took the lead and gently swayed his body, turning himself into a shadowy figure. At the next moment, the shadowy figure split into five duplicates. They were all filled with complete darkness and intense divine energy of darkness.
As soon as the five shadowy figures appeared, they began to hover towards Han Shuo. They would produce even more blurry shadowy figures in the gymnasium as they made their way. It was a bizarre scene.
Those who cultivated in the energy of darkness were best at hiding their bodies and presence. In a battle, they would usually impede their opponent’s vision using darkness and hide among the darkness. Next, they would take advantage of the fact that their opponents had no way of accurately detecting an incoming threat to launch the fatal strike. Their opponents wouldn’t know what was coming until it was too late.
Doloxes seemed to be very good at employing this technique. Multiple dark, blurry figures constantly circled around Han Shuo and closed in on him inch by inch.
Han Shuo remained on the same ground and stood as straight as a ramrod. He stared at the blurry phantom images that constantly went across in front of him with calm eyes, not at all disturbed by the phantom images. It was when the dark figures started getting closer that he deployed the three trump card boundaries of the energy of death. Clearly, he was employing defensive measures.
Doloxes produced more and more phantoms that would fly and wander all around the gymnasium. They moved faster and faster before suddenly, the phantoms that numbered nearly in the hundreds bombarded Han Shuo all at once from every direction.
Han Shuo remained stationary and on the same ground as before. He observed the phantom figures with cold eyes. Then, when the first dark figure was about to strike him, like a tree snake springing at its prey, Han Shuo suddenly made a move. His two hands crafted several tides of green waves that drowned a dozen or more phantom figures before throwing a punch right at a phantom figure floating about in the air.
Thud!
That punch of Han Shuo’s landed directly on Doloxes’ chest. All the phantom figures instantly vanished without a trace. As it was a friendly match, Han Shuo held back a little. It was just enough to stop Doloxes’ body and cause his phantom images to fail. His strike did not injure Doloxes.
“Huh?!”
“How is that possible? They are on the same realm, but how did he manage to locate Doloxes’ real body so accurately?!”
“Remarkable. His sight was not confused even with so many phantom shadows. Truly remarkable!”
The spectators around the gymnasium commented in low cries. They were all exclaiming in admiration of that inconceivable punch Han Shuo made.
Often in a battle between two experts of the same class, phantom figures produced by the expert cultivating in the energy of darkness should be very elusive to their opponent. As the phantom figures could hold some divine energy of darkness, they could also be used to cause harm. When confronted with this kind of situation where nearly a hundred phantom figures come attacking all at once, one would usually have no choice but to take proper, solid defensive measures.
Han Shuo and Doloxes were both in the same realm of late-stage lowgodhood. He shouldn’t have been able to discover Doloxes’ real body. The scene that the crowd saw had contradicted their common understanding. That was why these observers reacted with such astonishment.
Doloxes was completely stunned. He slowly lowered his head to look at Han Shuo’s fist that was sticking to his chest and stared at it as though he could not believe the fact laid before his eyes. As Han Shuo did not add too much divine energy of death into his punch, Doloxes wasn’t injured by the slightest. After he stared blankly for a moment, the radiance of irreconciliation blossomed from his eyes.
Unexpectedly, Doloxes erupted the divine energy of darkness from his chest and sent it gushing into Han Shuo’s fist. This caused Han Shuo to suddenly let out a stifled groan.
Han Shuo’s heart was instantly filled with rage. Logically speaking, the battle should have concluded with Han Shuo victorious after his attempt at Doloxes’ chest. Doloxes at this moment should have gracefully admitted his defeat instead of seizing the opportunity to launch a sneak attack.
Fortunately, Han Shuo’s main body tempered with demonic arts was incredibly tough and resilient. Otherwise, against this sudden burst of darkness divine energy, he would have been injured.
Han Shuo coldly groaned and sent the energy of death in his body bursting out, forcibly suppressing and pushing back the darkness divine energy that Doloxes was sending into his demonic body. Then, with one thought, using a wee bit of demonic yuan, the incisive Demonic Blades violently grew out from Han Shuo’s fingernails. The chilling blade glistened with threatening radiances.
Whoosh! Han Shuo drew a complicated drawing with his left hand. Doloxes was stumped and confused. He couldn’t even make out Han Shuo’s movements before he suddenly discovered a chilling sensation on his neck. When he rolled his eyes downward, Doloxes discovered five ice-cold blades pressing against the main arteries on his neck. It was as though the slightest movement would cut them apart.
Doloxes, who intended to beat down Han Shuo in one spurt of energy, immediately discovered that Han Shuo was staring at him coldly. His eyes were just as cold and callous as those blades pressed against his neck. A tremble traveled through Doloxes’ heart. He felt as though he could be minced into pieces by Han Shuo at any moment. Therefore, he quickly raised both his hands and yelled, “I have lost. You, friend, are indeed formidable!”
“Friend there, you have already struck Doloxes with your punch just now. Why do you have to escalate it further? Don’t you think that your actions are undue?” Cage said in a deep voice as he slowly walked over. He seemed to be very displeased.
“My actions are undue?” Han Shuo cracked a sneer. While maintaining the position of his hand, he turned his head to shoot a cold glance at Cage and said, “You are a midgod. If you were observing carefully, you surely couldn’t have missed out Doloxes’ petty maneuver. It is he who did not play by the rules the first. But not only did you mention nothing about it, you are accusing me of acting unduly? Ah, so this is how your Lavers Family treats your guests?”
“Look, put your hand down first. We can slowly talk out any misunderstandings we may have!” When Cage saw that callous face of Han Shuo’s, he thought that Han Shuo would actually murder Doloxes in rage. Therefore, he hastily tried to reconcile.
“Hey, friend, there’s no need to be like this. It’s just a friendly match, why so serious!” Zico also immediately stepped forward to resolve the situation when he saw the situation turn sour.
“What are you all so nervous about? I’m not thinking about that. I just want to clarify the situation to you all!” Han Shuo sneered grimly. While staring at Doloxes whose hands were raised in the air, Han Shuo slowly pulled back his Demonic Blades without letting his guard down.
When the Demonic Blades were completely removed from his neck, Doloxes abruptly took several rapid steps backward. The expression on his face changed instantly as he shouted hatefully, “How dare you point sharp weapons towards me like that!”
“What is your relationship with Elder Sister? What is your business here in our Lavers Family?” Cage’s face quickly turned dark when Doloxes’ life was no longer threatened by Han Shuo. He stared at Han Shuo and asked.
“He’s merely a lowgod. Probably one of those who want to get a job under our family through Elder Sister. To be so daring to use such violence against Doloxes, he must be tired of living!” that attractive looking Eve stood up from her seat and remarked as she looked at Han Shuo with hatred.
“What about that?” Han Shuo took in the expressions of all those in the gymnasium with one glance. Looking at Eve with a disdainful face, he ridiculed, “If I told you that I’m not Donna’s friend, would you immediately charge at me to teach me a lesson? Heh, you all may have the same family name but compared to Donna, you bunch have absolutely no class!”
“What, what did you say?” Eve was enraged. She pointed at Han Shuo and shouted furiously, “Say it again, I dare you!”
“Ha, if you would like to humiliate yourself, I really don’t mind repeating it for you!” Han Shuo wasn’t afraid of her and repeated his words with a sneer. Then, when Eve flew into a rage and was about to attack him, Han Shuo suddenly pointed at Teng Fei who was beside her and chuckled, “Miss Eve, your appearance right now deviates from the proper bearing of a lady born in a noble family. Did you not notice that disdain and sneer young master Teng Fei is showing?”
Eve was taken aback when she heard Han Shuo’s words. It was only now that she remembered Teng Fei was right beside her. She panicked and hastily turned to look at Teng Fei who was wearing an awkward expression because Han Shuo had read out his thoughts.
“No, that is not what I thought!” Teng Fei forced a smile and explained when he saw Eve looking at him. He then turned to Han Shuo and said with a forced smile, “Friend, please don’t drag me into this. I have not offended you!”
“Zico, please seize this suspicious fella. I will personally ask my Elder Sister about him and find out what in the world this fella is doing in our house!” seeing that Han Shuo was able to defuse Eve’s attack and even create a small rift between her and Teng Fei with just words, Cage immediately felt that he could not continue to let Han Shuo act willfully and make a scene.
“This… this…,” Zico did not know what to do. He dared not to offend Donna’s friend but at the same time, he couldn’t disobey Cage’s command. He was stuck in indecision.
“I will seize him for young master Cage!” a divine guard with early-stage midgod strength cultivating in the energy of destruction, seemingly wanting to curry favor with Cage, loudly answered his command. He charged straight for Han Shuo as though determined to capture Han Shuo at all costs.
An early-stage midgod expert wasn’t one that Han Shuo could contend against with merely the energy of his two avatars. Forced to this situation, Han Shuo started to consider if he should utilize demonic arts.
It was at this moment that suddenly, Donna’s aura came into Han Shuo’s senses. He immediately realized that Donna must have come over. But strangely, Han Shuo noticed that Donna did not immediately step forward to assist him, as though having some other intention. With one thought, Han Shuo immediately understood that Donna was having doubts about his actual strength and she wanted to use this opportunity to verify her suspicion.
Han Shuo immediately abandoned his thought of deploying demonic arts. He remained where he stood as the divine guard approached. He did nothing but defend himself using the energy of his avatar of death. That divine guard did not dare to harm Han Shuo and had merely followed Cage’s instruction of capturing Han Shuo as he had no idea exactly how close Han Shuo was to Donna.
With Han Shuo deliberately concealing his true strength, in merely a few seconds, before that midgod, Han Shuo was brought still and immobile.
But when the divine guard was about to actually capture Han Shuo, Donna, who had been observing in the dark, finally took action. A streak of shadow suddenly descended in the gymnasium. Pow! That divine guard was sent flying.
Donna, standing before Han Shuo, had a furious expression on her lovable face. She glared at the divine guard that landed on his buttocks and coldly groaned, “You really have balls to dare to touch my friend. Tell me, who emboldened you?” that divine guard was shocked at Donna’s sudden appearance and he subconsciously cast his gaze at Cage.
When Cage saw that Donna was helping Han Shuo out of trouble furiously, he immediately realized that he had underestimated how close the two were. Cage tried to avoid eye contact with that divine guard before he chuckled and said, “Elder Sister, why have you come? They are just playing with your friend, what are you so angry about?”
Donna obviously held a high position in the Lavers Family. Her sudden appearance caused many of the divine guards who thought of attacking Han Shuo to abandon that idea. They were even afraid that Donna could make out their intention.
“Bryan is a friend that I managed to invite here with great difficulty. I believe he should have mentioned this to you all. But who knew that you bunch would actually dare to apprehend him. Have I become a character of no importance to you all?” Donna said furiously. Her round eyes were wide open as she stared down every last person in the gymnasium.
“This has nothing to do with me, can you not glare at me like that please?” Teng Fei put up his hands and hastily indicated his innocence in a forced smile. His gazes towards Donna contained unconcealable feelings of affection.
“You are nothing good either. All you know is to watch and laugh at others!” Donna scolded Teng Fei before she turned around and apologized to Han Shuo, “Bryan, sorry about this. I didn’t expect such a thing to happen.”
“It’s alright, I have learned about the arrogance of kids born in elite families long ago,” Han Shuo shrugged and continued with a smile, “You know what, forget about it. I think it’s better if I live outside. Honestly, I really can’t get used to staying in your Lavers Family!”
“Ah?!” Donna began to panic. She knew how miraculous and capable Han Shuo was and sincerely wanted to rope him into the Lavers Family. Therefore, when she heard those words, she hastily entreated, “Don’t be like this, Bryan. I can assure you that nothing like this will ever happen again in the future! You have come here only recently and I haven’t gotten the chance to properly receive you. How could you leave so soon!”
“My apologies, I really cannot bear to see the faces of certain people. Staying in this place will affect my mood and cultivation. I have enough black crystal coins to live comfortably even in the City of Shadows. Besides, we would have just as many opportunities to meet in the future. So don’t urge me to stay anymore!” Han Shuo said to Donna resolutely. He was determined to draw a line with the Lavers Family.
“He’s merely a lowgod. They are everywhere to be found in the city. Pfft. What’s so extraordinary about him!” Eve couldn’t help but sneer quietly when she saw that Han Shuo so indifferent to Donna’s pleading.
“Shut up!” Donna was already feeling vexed and the last thing she needed was Eve’s scornful remark. She shouted at Eve, “You know absolutely nothing but to create trouble for the family. When will you stop being so unruly and immature and grow up?!”
“Sister, you, how could you be so fierce towards me for this scum! You, you… “ Eve put on a wronged expression after being shouted at by Donna. Tears were rolling at the rims of her eyes.
“I know the way out, elder sister Donna. Please don’t see me out!” Han Shuo had started to walk away from the gymnasium while Donna was berating Eve. He turned back to tell Donna before rapidly disappearing from their sights.
“In the future, when he reveals his talent and makes a name for himself in the City of Shadows, you will all realize just how terrible a mistake you have made on this day! You bunch are…” Donna sighed as she looked at Cage and the bunch resentfully before she ran out to pursue Han Shuo. But after exiting from the gymnasium, she discovered that Han Shuo had long disappeared without a trace.
Donna knew that after this incident, after this day, Han Shuo would never consider joining the Lavers Family. Her heart was filled with remorse as she knew that the House of Lavers had missed out on this great talent.