GDK 867: Re-emergence
As one of the Sovereigns, Salas indeed was extremely valiant in strength. Only a few demonic formations could truly cause him harm. Salas was able to quickly overcome and destroy three demonic formations by means of his brute strength.
But not all demonic formations in the Pandemonium were built the same. After destroying three small formations, Salas stepped into a great formation powered using the Five Yuan Elemental Energies with a formation crux made of five highgod demon generals.
The elemental energies in the Pandemonium were much more concentrated than any other region. Salas noticed it as soon as he stepped into the Valley. He was able to access more elements of lightning which increased his power. But right now, Salas was disconnected from the elements of lightning in the environment.
A bizarre undulation spread around instantly after he stepped into the formation. Five energies surrounded him before quickly dispelling all the elements of lightning in the vicinity. Immediately, Salas knew he was in trouble.
Unable to access the energy of lightning in the Valley, Salas had no choice but to use the divine energy in his body to defend against every attack. He felt as though he had stepped into a foreign world. All kinds of attack methods he had never seen before bombarded him as though thousands of tsunamis.
Inside this space that was completely isolated from the outside world, Salas could neither sense the auras of his followers nor see a thing through the barrier. He could only passively defend himself against the constant bombardment of the Five Yuan Elemental Energies, consuming the divine energy in his body to protect his divine body and soul from harm.
Ossora who was about to step into the battle had his astonishment renewed as he discovered that Salas was not invincible to the Pandemonium. Gazing from high above the sky, he saw Salas suddenly sat cross-legged inside a region filled with brilliant lights. He was wearing a grave expression as though he was in deep trouble.
Ossora did not expect that the Pandemonium could pose a real threat to Salas. After seeing the sudden change in the situation, Ossora halted on his path and decided to not rush to be the hero. He again concealed himself and continued to observe the battle.
“Salas has fallen into a formation designed to exhaust the enemy’s energy. He is being blasted by the Yuan Energies that the Pandemonium has been gathering. Inside the great formation, he cannot use the lightning energy in the environment and is forced to utilize his divine energy to defend himself,” explained Han Mu to the party.
“I’m sure that before Salas could escape from the formation, more than half of his troops would have died. That is the price for trying to invade the Pandemonium!” said Han Huo.
Han Jin sighed and instructed Rose and the party, “Please get ready, it seems that we will have to evacuate the Pandemonium, after all. Sigh, I wonder how Father is doing and why he hasn’t returned yet.”
“Huh? Isn’t Salas still trapped in the formation? Why do we have to evacuate?” asked the confused Rose.
“Yea, look at Salas’ grave expression. It’s clear that he’s in great pressure. It might be able to trap him indefinitely!” Romon also did not understand why they were asked to evacuate.
“If the Pandemonium has existed for hundreds, or maybe thousands of years, the formation could keep Salas trapped until he exhausted all his energy. But, alas, the Pandemonium was built just two years ago and it had only managed to accumulate a tiny amount of Yuan Energies. The energy accumulated so far could only hold Salas for half an hour, at most,” explained Han Jin disappointedly.
“There’s nothing more that we can do. In half an hour, the Yuan Energies in the Pandemonium would be exhausted and most of the formations would stop functioning. But as long as we are alive, there is hope. We will take revenge when Father re-emerges!” said Han Tu before he turned to Goron and instructed, “I will open a tunnel that goes a hundred meters deeper into the ground. Ask your men to get ready to evacuate.”
Following Han Jin and Han Tu’s explanations, Romon, Rose, and the others no longer had any doubts. The Five Elite Zombies, as the co-architects and builders of the Pandemonium, knew the demonic formations inside out. Rose realized the gravity of the situation after hearing their explanation.
“Ok, right away!” replied Goron before he hastily left the command center.
“Sigh, it’s been many months. Why hasn’t there been any news about father yet?” sighed Han Shui. He knew that if Han Shuo was at the Pandemonium, using the Yuan Energy available and the thousands of demon generals in the Cauldron of Myriad Demon, Salas would likely never step out of the great formation.
“Father will return! And when the time comes, humph, it will be the death of Salas!” said Han Huo gnashing his teeth. The Five of them had taken a ton of effort and energy to build the Pandemonium. They felt very reluctant to abandon the Valley, knowing that it will soon be destroyed by Salas.
“Everyone, get ready, we are leaving soon,” said Han Mu as he gestured around. Then, suddenly, his mind jolted. He closed his eyes and carefully sensed for a moment before he opened his eyes in alarm. He shouted, “Evacuate immediately! There is a very powerful life aura hiding nearby and he is no weaker than Salas!”
Not just Rose, Romon, and Zovic, but even the other four Elite Zombies were terrified to hear that news. Facing one Sovereign was bad enough. Two Sovereigns would be disastrous.
There had been many rumors about Salas spreading around the Fringe. One of the hearsays told that Salas had gone to Logue and Wasir, and the Sovereigns had reached a certain agreement. Rose and the others, who had heard of this rumor, automatically assumed that the mighty being in hiding was one of the two Sovereigns.
“Evacuate immediately, or we will suffer great casualties!” shouted Han Tu as he pointed to a deep dark tunnel under his feet.
“Wait!” Han Mu shouted again with one hand raised, gesturing the party to halt. Han Mu turned still and closed his eyes. Everyone in the room froze and stared at him in pin-drop silence.
After a while, Han Mu opened his eyes again and said to the party in a puzzled face, “It is Ossora. He just cast his soul energy towards the Valley, wanting to know if Father is here. I have acquired a connection with him and he said he will help us fight Salas. Do you think he can be trusted?”
Han Mu cultivated the energy of life and possessed a wonderful connection with all trees and plants in the Pandemonium. His soul was also vastly different from that of an ordinary life energy cultivator. Therefore, Han Mu could sense Ossora’s soul and communicate with soul transmission.
Outside the Pandemonium, Ossora was again surprised. When he first received a reply of soul transmission, he thought that Han Shuo was hiding in the Pandemonium. The soul energy he cast towards the Valley was very faint. No one should be able to detect the very minute energy undulation, save for another expert of his class.
But when Ossora received the soul message asking ‘Who are you’, he instantly realized that the being he detected wasn’t Han Shuo. He had met Han Shuo once and knew that Han Shuo’s soul felt much more sinister and dark, vastly different from Han Mu’s energetic and jolly soul.
The two communicated using their souls and Ossora revealed his intention. He did not expect that Han Shuo would have an expert with such great soul-sensing ability. This made him even more determined to help those in the Pandemonium.
“Ossora?” Zovic raised one brow and explained, “Master once had a meeting with him in the Omphalos. He also gifted Master one of his Sovereign Shops. He seemed determined to befriend us. If this Sovereign would step up for us, we might not need to evacuate.”
“But, can he be trusted?” Han Mu seemed skeptical. He asked, “What’s his reputation like in the Fringe?”
“Hmm… He’s relatively low-profile and of the Five Sovereigns, Ossora is the most polite. I think he is sincere in helping us, “ replied Zovic.
“We cannot take this risk. Proceed with the evacuation,” said Han Jin after he thought for a moment, “Little Wood, tell Ossora that we are evacuating. If he really wants to help us, stop Salas from destroying the Pandemonium.”
“Got it!” Han Mu closed his eyes and communicated with Ossora. A dozen seconds later, Han Mu opened his eyes and smilingly said, “Ossora agreed. Let’s go!”
The party was rather perplexed. They did not understand why Ossora would take so much effort to help them. However, as they were in a hurry, they did not discuss the topic. The Pandemonians began flying into the underground tunnel that Han Tu made.
***
Inside a mountain range, several thousand miles from the Empyrean Peak was a piece of flaky dry land.
Just months ago, the land was saturated with water and sludgy. Any beasts or humans that accidentally stepped on it would sink into the mud. But now, the land was as dry as bone.
Under the cold night sky, strange cracking noises started playing from under the ground. Moments later, there was an explosion. As though a stick of dynamite was planted under the ground and ignited, dirt was sent flying in every direction and a crater was formed.
A majestic, masculine naked figure was revealed as the dust settled. He had a pair of chilling, sinister gazes but had a faint, amiable smile on his face. He carried a demonic yet bewitching demeanor.
He raised his head and gazed at the clear cold sky and said to himself, “Although the realm state is not stable and I have yet to fully comprehend my new power, it is enough to take care of Salas!”
Upon finishing those words, Han Shuo shot into the sky and flew towards the Empyrean Peak at an unfathomable speed.
The Empyrean Peak was thousands of miles away but Han Shuo took just moments to complete the journey.
However, Han Shuo discovered that there wasn’t a soul on the Mountain. He stood on the Mountain and thought for a moment. Suddenly, his face jolted and he immediately rushed towards the Pandemonium.