GDK 699: You will have my backing!
Han Shuo, having been on Elysium for some time now, had heard a few things about the Heaven’s Gift. It was said that this miraculous stone, naturally formed in the rarest of conditions, usually contained the profound wisdom of all kinds of energies. Any god could learn the true essence of the energy they cultivated in from the rock and make breakthroughs.
Heaven’s Gift was even rarer than divine essences. Their value and preciousness were beyond measure. Divine essence would deepen a person’s divine energy while Heaven’s Gift could deepen a person’s understanding of the energy they cultivated in. In addition, it was suitable for cultivators of various types of energies. It goes without saying that this natural treasure was very much coveted.
That azure Heaven’s Gift was glistening with misty blue shimmer. The dazzling speckles that slowly moved following some kind of miraculous trajectory would leave any observer with an abstruse, and dreamy sensation. It was as though the stone contained a whole universe in itself.
A god who cultivated in the edict of life, as long as they cultivated while looking at the Heaven’s Gift attentively, truly making sense of the trajectories of those speckles, they would infallibly make enormous growth in their understanding of the edict of life.
There were two types of Heaven’s Gift – one could be moved while the other could only be used stationary in its place. Obviously, this stone found in this lava cave belonged to the second type – it was unmovable. Otherwise, this bunch would have towed the enormous rock away long ago instead of staying.
When Carmelita saw the Heaven’s Gift, she tried to destroy it at all costs lest the person who cultivated in the edict of life could continue to learn from it and grow even stronger.
The battle in the lava cave had reached the critical juncture. With the two highgods attacking with their full strengths, Carmelita, a legend of the City of Shadows, found herself trapped in dire circumstances. Not only that she wasn’t able to get close to that piece of Heaven’s Gift, but she also had to keep on retreating in defeat. She was even wounded.
Stupid, you should be trying to leave instead of fighting! After leaving this mountain range alive, you could just bring in a few more highgods from the City of Shadows back to this place. Victory will be in your hand that way! Han Shuo cursed in his heart when he saw that Carmelita was trying to destroy that Heaven’s Gift even when obstructed by two highgods of the same class.
Soon enough, the six midgods all of whom cultivated in the edict of life connected their formation of a six-tipped star to form a boundary, blocking Carmelita from the only exit behind her back, preventing her from leaving the lava cave.
“Mister Disca, what are you still hesitating for? If we don’t kill her now, once this mad woman escapes, you can give up all thoughts of comprehending the energy of life in this place. Moreover, it could make our escape from the Darkness Dominion very difficult!” that beautiful woman coldly cried out with her ice-cold voice while her silvery white hair fluttered about.
That old man who had been fighting with one hand behind his back, after hearing that shout, finally came to his senses and stopped being reluctant. Perhaps the temptation of the Heaven’s Gift was just too much, even as a cultivator of the edict of life who usually wouldn’t hand anyone the death penalty, he decided to suspend his love for all living things and kill. He unleashed his full strength.
With that, Carmelita who was beaten and utterly exhausted sank into an even more dire and critical situation. Tangled by that greenish vine-like threads, the callous white-haired beauty managed to penetrate Carmelita’s destruction force field, sending her chilling divine energy into Carmelita’s body. Her steps started to become unsteady.
The six midgods who created the boundary had firmly sealed off the only entrance and exit. The lava cave wall was incredibly hard. It was absolutely impossible to escape by breaking through the thick layers of hard rocks. Carmelita soon sank into a real crisis. At this point in time, not only that she wasn’t able to destroy that Heaven’s Gift, escaping alive was an issue.
It was only at this moment that Han Shuo discovered the remorse and anxiety flashing in Carmelita’s eyes. Unfortunately, this mad woman came to her senses a little too late.
Seeing that Carmelita will soon fall to the two highgods, Han Shuo hesitated for a moment and decided to rescue her. Having made up his mind, he immediately used metal elite zombie’s energy to secretly carve several pathways behind the walls of the lava cave. Those pathways were only a thin layer of rock behind the lava cave and could easily be broken. Metal elite zombie was innately gifted in such aspect. Even the two highgods were not able to detect his maneuver. Soon enough, he had everything set up in place for Han Shuo.
Han Shuo constantly flew through the tunnels around the lava cave that metal elite zombie paved for him, searching for a suitable spot for him to step in and rescue Carmelita.
Chuck! The white-haired beauty sent a slender, long icicle piercing into Carmelita’s stomach.
Carmelita screamed miserably. Her body was sent crashing towards one of the walls that metal elite zombie had altered. Han Shuo was overjoyed and immediately scuttled to that area. Boom!That thin layer of rock collapsed when her body crashed into it. Han Shuo had arrived right on time. He immediately grabbed Carmelita by the armor on her back and pulled her deep into the tunnel as quickly as possible.
Simultaneously, metal elite zombie who was well coordinated with Han Shuo used his innate talent to heal up the tunnel behind Han Shuo. Those tunnels that metal elite zombie previously made were being magically refilled with rocks.
The two highgods in the lava cave were obviously stunned for a moment, clueless as to why the lava cave wall would suddenly become so fragile. When they finally came to their senses, they discovered that the broken hole was healing up on its own. That white haired beauty suddenly shouted, “Stop her!”
Rumbles… She immediately bombarded the tunnel that metal elite zombie was fusing up. However, the rock that made up the lava cave was astonishingly resilient. Despite the loud rumbling of her efforts at the cave wall, the rock did not completely shatter into pieces. It appeared that after being constantly baked in scorching high-temperature, the rock had somehow transformed.
“Go outside and find her. That woman did not come here alone, not a chance. We have to get rid of all the others too to prevent anyone else from discovering the Heaven’s Gift!” that callous beauty cultivating in the elemental energy of water relentlessly altered her plan when she saw that she could not destroy the cave rocks. She was definitely a cool-headed and ruthless highgod.
With things having developed to this stage, Disca had no choice but to agree to her. He nodded and said, “I will stay here and guard the Heaven’s Gift alone. I’ll leave the rest to you!”
The platinum beauty nodded apathetically. She then instructed the six midgods cultivating in the edict of life, “You lot come with me. All you need to do is to stop them from escaping. Leave the killing part to me!” She knew that this group of edict of life cultivators had a problem with bluntly committing murder.
This vicious and merciless white-haired beauty lead the six midgods from the lava cave and immediately began her killing spree. These divine guards from the House of Sainte were merely midgods, and now they were also dispersed and separated. They stood no chance against this staunch highgod. Miserable shrieks echoed from the mountain cave.
Carmelita who was being carried away by Han Shuo was seriously injured by that white-haired beauty’s sharp icicle that penetrated her stomach. She had actually fallen into a semi-conscious state during this critical moment and couldn’t even walk, let alone help Han Shuo.
Han Shuo could do nothing but watch the divine guards being slaughtered one after another. With metal elite zombie’s power, he continuously extended and contracted the tunnel that had no entrance or exit as he moved towards the surface of the mountain.
Midway into his escape, Han Shuo suddenly came upon Karina the one-eyed woman escaping in a flurry. She obviously realized that something bad was happening in the cave. However, as the tunnels there were filled with curves and junctions, being in a panic, she couldn’t figure the way out and was traveling in circles.
Based on the probing of Han Shuo’s demon generals, he knew that once that highgod of water got rid of all those House of Sainte divine guards, Kalina would inevitably suffer the same fate!
Carrying two burdens is almost the same as carrying one burden. Ugh damn it! After contemplating for a moment, Han Shuo decided to rescue Kalina as well. He ordered metal elite zombie to split open a tunnel near her. Then, Han Shuo suddenly popped out from the tunnel and shouted, “Come with me!”
Kalina was jolted when she first saw a head pop up from the ground and she instinctively prepared to attack it. Luckily, she promptly realized that it was Han Shuo and stopped just in time. Kalina was completely flustered at this moment and bore into Han Shuo’s tunnel without thinking.
As soon as Kalina entered the tunnel, Han Shuo continued to wildly charge forward. Kalina, giving no thought and not a word, followed closely behind Han Shuo. Metal elite zombie who was hiding behind the cave wall took this opportunity to fuse up the hole in the cave wall.
Having previously used his demon generals to survey the situation in the mountain cave, on top of having metal elite zombie’s help, Han Shuo managed to arrive at the surface of the mountain through the shortcut tunnel very quickly. Carrying the muddleheaded Carmelita in his hands, Han Shuo continued to run for his life, flying straight ahead.
Kalina, who was following closely behind Han Shuo, discovered Carmelita as soon as they walked out from the dim tunnel. She was greatly alarmed and immediately cried out, “What’s wrong with her Ladyship? What’s happened to her?” Her voice carried sincere concern and she was obviously very anxious.
As a midgod, Kalina’s speed wouldn’t be any slower than Han Shuo. She bolted shoulder to shoulder to Han Shuo as he briefly explained the sequence of events to Kalina. Han Shuo continued, “There’s no time for words now. Here, you carry Carmelita. We must leave the mountain range as quickly as possible. There are two powerful highgods in this place as well as a Heaven’s Gift. We must enlist the help of experts to have any chance of winning.”
After taking Carmelita from Han Shuo, the plump woman flew towards the sky. She wanted to carry Carmelita away from the dangerous mountain range as quickly as possible.
“Stop! Get down!” Han Shuo yelled. He hurriedly explained to the puzzled Kalina, “The mountain range filled with miasmic air is a natural hiding place for us. The unusual miasmic air here even has the miraculous ability to hinder soul probing. Therefore, our best option is to escape within the miasmic air. If you fly high into the air, you will lose the protection of the miasmic air and will be more likely to be discovered!” Kalina’s mind was focused on saving Carmelita and did not pay much thought for possible dangers. Having heard Han Shuo’s explanation, she realized that Han Shuo was right and hastily came back to the ground. She cast Han Shuo a thankful look and continued running.
At this moment, using the surveillance of his demon generals, Han Shuo discovered that the white-haired beauty with blood-stained hands rushed out from the cave with six midgods of life. She sensed around using her divine soul and glanced all around before immediately charging towards Han Shuo and Kalina. Her speed obviously exceeded theirs.
“She’s headed this way!” Han Shuo’s face jolted. He then hastily said to the flurried Kalina, “Follow my footsteps, do not destroy any vegetation. Otherwise, she will be able to track us!” That white-haired beauty was able to determine the right direction because she discovered the trails left by Kalina’s hurried footsteps.
“I will hand the Lady to you, bring her to safety. I will draw them away!” After repeatedly committing multiple near-fatal mistakes, perhaps she came to realize that she couldn’t bring Carmelita away from the mountain range alive and seeing that Han Shuo remained calm and rational under such terrifying circumstances, she thought that Carmelita would have the best chance of survival in Han Shuo’s hands as she drew the pursuers away.
Without seeking Han Shuo’s opinion, she shoved Carmelita back into Han Shuo’s arms and proceeded to run in another direction while deliberately leaving some trails behind. Her robust figure had disappeared before Han Shuo could even stop her from taking that foolish action. A feeling of respect suddenly rose in Han Shuo’s heart as he watched Kalina leave so resolutely. He thought that although this person was cutting and blunt in her remarks, she was dependable during critical moments.
Watching her back disappear into the mist, Han Shuo knew that she probably wouldn’t make it out alive. However, this was her decision. Without spending much time in admiration, Han Shuo sent a demon general to track her and proceeded, flying in a direction opposite to hers.
With Kalina braving death to draw the pursuers away, Han Shuo found that the ice-cold woman had indeed gone chasing in Kalina’s direction. With the miasmic gas present everywhere and the visibility extremely low, the sensing power of her divine soul was greatly reduced. After separating from Han Shuo and determined to sacrifice herself, Kalina unexpectedly grew calm. She no longer made a single rudimentary mistake and using the special terrain of the mountain range to her advantage, she managed to keep a suitable distance from the pursuing army.
After three days, as the distance between the two grew ever larger, Han Shuo arrived near the perimeter of the Miasma Cloud Mountain Range. As those demon generals in the mountain range could not be too far away from the Cauldron Spirit, Han Shuo had no choice but to command his demon general following Kalina to retreat. With that, Han Shuo could no longer keep track of Kalina’s whereabouts.
Soon after exiting the Miasma Cloud Mountain Range, a vast river appeared before Han Shuo. Without much hesitation, Han Shuo took the still half-conscious Carmelita across the river. While no one was watching, Han Shuo used demonic yuan and activated the Art of the Demonic Ninth Heavens, increasing his airspeed to the maximum. He managed to cross the large river in just half a day, upon which he arrived at a swamp.
“Uhh… Uhh…” At this point in time, Carmelita who had been half-conscious for the past few days gradually awoke.
Clarity slowly started to replace the oblivion in her eyes. Seeing that her divine soul was recovering, Han Shuo placed Carmelita on a mud mound at the center of a swamp and kept a few steps away from her, waiting for her to sober up.
Carmelita was in a semi-conscious state because Disca’s energy of life had affected her divine soul, binding Carmelita’s life force. As she had also sustained serious injuries to her divine body from that cold and elegant beauty, it took her a long time to awaken.
Finally, Carmelita opened her triangular eyes. When she saw Han Shuo a little ways away, she bunched her eyebrows and asked in a rather weak voice, “Where… where is this place? Why are you alone? Where are the others?”
Han Shuo softly sighed and said, “They are probably all dead. I’m afraid that Kalina likely won’t make it…” Han Shuo sighed and described what happened inside the Miasma Cloud Mountain Range while she was unconscious.
Carmelita earnestly listened to Han Shuo’s account of the events. Although she had on a stupefied face, Han Shuo discovered feelings of dismal sorrow in her triangular eyes. “They all perished… all dead… Even Kalina is dead… This is all my fault. I did not anticipate that there would be two highgods. If I had not acted so recklessly, they wouldn’t have died…” After being dazed for some time, Carmelita started mumbling to herself. Her triangular eyes were overflowing with tears.
Although she was not very attractive by any standards, Han Shuo thought that she was a good leader when he saw her sincerely grieve for her deceased troops. Han Shuo figured he had to do something in this moment and after thinking for a while, he said in a deep voice, “This isn’t your fault, don’t blame yourself. Besides, now isn’t the time for self-blaming. We must hurry to the City of Shadows as quickly as possible, assemble experts in the city, eliminate those experts in the Miasma Cloud Mountain Range and destroy that Heaven’s Gift!”
“That’s right, blood calls for blood. We will not let them leave the mountain range alive!” Carmelita roared in rage. She suddenly stood up and was prepared to return to the City of Shadows faster than imaginable. However, it was at this moment that she discovered the wound on her abdomen had been bandaged.
“Did you bandage this? Are you the one who pulled me out from the cave?” Carmelita subconsciously felt her abdomen with her hand before turning to look at Han Shuo and asked, puzzled.
“Yes. You are heavily injured, perhaps you shouldn’t use your divine energy for now. I will carry you back to the City of Shadows as quickly as possible!” Han Shuo nodded and said.
Carmelita started sizing Han Shuo up with strange gazes. After a long while, she resolutely pledged, “From this day onwards, in the City of Shadows, you will have my protection. No matter who you offend in the city, I will be there to help you! Even if it’s Donna that you are in conflict with, I’ll back you!”
“Then I shall thank you in advance!” Han Shuo smiled. He then went over, grabbed Carmelita by her arm and flew towards the City of Shadows with all his strength.