At this moment, Sha-t’o could not be more regretful of what he did to the House of Han. Facing Han Shuo, an opponent that he had no chance of winning, other than trying to make up excuses and hope that Han Shuo would somehow believe that it was all a giant misunderstanding, there was nothing else that Sha-t’o could do.
Hill, the Witherbone City City Lord felt dryness in his mouth as he gulped down his saliva. His heart was beating at an unusually high rate – something that had not happened to him for thousands of years. He knew from the involuntary reactions of his body that this fear came from the bottom of his heart. He was afraid that this demon from the House of Han would flatten his Witherbone City and himself.
Hill was previously informed by Sha-t’o of Han Shuo’s terrifying strength. Based on Sha-to’s description, Hill guesstimated that Han Shuo should possess late-stage highgod strength. Hill thought that even if he could not defeat Han Shuo by himself, with Sha-to’s assistance and perhaps other highgods in Witherbone City, they could take care of Han Shuo without expending too much energy.
But never in a million years did he expect that Han Shuo had made yet another breakthrough. Having ascended to the Skybreak Realm, Han Shuo’s strength was now far, far greater than that of a late-stage highgod.
Even Salas and Wasir, Sovereigns who had ruled parts of the Fringe for countless years, were no match against Han Shuo. He could squish an expert the level of Sha-t’o like an ant.
“A misunderstanding, you say?” Han Shuo had unexpectedly put on a smile. However, Hill and Sha-t’o did not feel better after seeing the smile, it only made their hair stand on end.
“It really is just a misunderstanding. We genuinely want to work with the House of Han. We definitely did not have any other ideas!” Hill was rather nervous as he said in a shaky voice, “Perhaps the House of Kiaran had been lacking in certain aspects, but this is definitely not our Witherbone City’s intention. We are sincere in cooperating with your family clan. Even this battle was started by your House of Han. I came here only to resolve the dispute. I didn’t mean anything by it!”
Every Witherbone divine guard present could see the nervousness and humbleness shown by Hill. It was as though their City Lord had been turned into a respectful servant.
“That is correct. Not only have we rescued the House of Han from Larikson and Hofs, but we have also housed them in our Witherbone City and given them the most cordial hospitality. They have inexplicably killed so many of my family clan guards but we came here only to find out what’s going on. Everything is a misunderstanding!” added Sha-t’o.
With things having come to this, Sha-t’o and Hill understood that if they were to fight, as the leaders of the army surrounding the House of Han, they would be the first that Han Shuo kills. Sensing the overwhelming strength of Han Shuo’s, the two highgods racked their brain to come up with something to avoid having to fight Han Shuo.
“Despicable!” shouted Emily furiously. She then said to Han Shuo, “Bryan, don’t listen to the nonsense spewed by these vicious and greedy bastards. They are here to exterminate the House of Han! If you had not come in time, all of us would have been annihilated!”
“Shifu, there is nothing to be argued. Let’s kill them!” Sanguis bloodthirst eyes turned to Sha-t’o before he pointed his broadsword glowing with blood-red radiance at him and said, “He had insulted Bollands and every one of our House of Han. We shall flay him alive!”
“As you wish,” replied Han Shuo.
Then, with a movement of his hand, the dark cloud which he condensed from his killing intent suddenly fell towards the ground and wrapped Sha-t’o straightforwardly. Han Shuo made another gesture and Sha-t’o was sent flying. He landed in front of Sanguis, Gilbert, and Bollands.
The dark cloud had turned into strands of smoke, bored into Sha-to’s body like countless little worms, and restrained the divine energy in his body. Sha-t’o noticed that his senses had been enhanced and were unable to make a budge.
Hill and Sha-t’o, these so-called experts, were completely helpless against Han Shuo. He had immobilized Sha-t’o without breaking a sweat.
The paralyzed and toothless Sha-t’o now laid helplessly between Bollands, Sanguis, and Gilbert. Bollands, who was once insulted and humiliated by Sha-t’o, coldly withdrew a slender and long sword and stepped forward.
Gilbert and Sanguis were going to participate in the killing but when they saw the cold look on Bollands’ face as he approached Sha-t’o, they put on sinister smirks and sat back to enjoy the show.
Bollands was calmer than everyone. He could endure Sha-to’s insult but it did not mean that Bollands hold no grudges. Among the Han Family, Bollands was known for his patience, ruthlessness, and vengefulness. Bollands might have not shown it on the surface, but he had never forgotten Sha-to’s insult. He had only been waiting for the opportunity to get his revenge.
Sha-t’o watched silently as Bollands approached him with his sword. He no longer tried claiming that it was all a big misunderstanding for he knew that no amount of words could alter his fate. As the patriarch of the House of Kiaran, Sha-t’o wasn’t one who feared death. He sighed and stared into the sky with despaired eyes, given in to the inevitable.
“Hey, hey! What are you trying to do?!” shouted the highgods of the House of Kiaran when they saw Bollands walking to their patriarch who had been captured alive just like that.
These highgods of the House of Kiaran also sensed the terrifying aura emanated by Han Shuo and knew that they stood no chance. However, after having been brainwashed under the House of Kiaran for ages, they would put the prestige of their family clan above everything else. They thought of giving a fight before Sha-t’o would be flayed.
The five highgods looked at each other in the eye. They suddenly shrieked in one voice and recklessly charged at Han Shuo.
By now, there were thousands of Witherbone City’s citizens all around the House of Han. Other than divine guards of the House of Kiaran and Hill, there were also experts from all major family clans who noticed the great disturbance.
All of them could tell just how terrifying Han Shuo was just from his aura. Upon arrival, they merely stood as a silent observer instead of trying to be helpful citizens. No one dared launch an attack at Han Shuo who was standing tall above his House of Han.
Of the thousands of gods present, only the five highgods of the Kiaran Family attacked Han Shuo. They were fighting for the prestige that their House of Kiaran had built and grown for the past tens of thousands of years.
Han Shuo turned his chilling eyes at the five. With one thought, five of his flying swords whooshed out from his nape. They streak across the sky in a flash and appear in the chests of the five highgods.
Han Shuo had very precise control over his flying swords. Instead of flying through their bodies and liquifying them, he made the flying swords stop halfway through their chests. The five dead highgods were dangling in midair.
<i>Drip… Drop… </i>
Blood slowly dripped down from the five bodies hung in midair. The crowd was so silent that the sound of the blood dripping could be clearly heard.
“AAAAHHHH!!”
While everyone had their attention on the five dead highgods suspended in the sky, a blood-curdling scream jolted the crowd and many of them trembled. Immediately, the crowd turned their attention to the source of the sound.
The person making the screech was the patriarch of the House of Kiaran – Sha-t’o.
Bollands had completely ignored the five Kiaran Family highgods and completely absorbed in his task. Using the sword that Han Shuo had made for him, he cut open the skin on Sha-to’s chest with surgical precision – not deep enough to kill him immediately but just enough to get the job done. Still wearing a composed, indifferent face, with his bare hands, Bollands calmly proceeded to tear the skin off Sha-to’s chest.
Having one’s skin torn from one’s flesh was, needless to say, an extremely painful experience. Other than immobilizing Sha-t’o, in order for Sha-t’o to savor the process as much as possible, Han Shuo had also enhanced Sha-to’s senses, boosting sensory inputs by more than ten times compared to normal.
In other words, the pain that Sha-t’o was suffering was ten folds of what he would normally feel.
Therefore, even the gritty patriarch of the House of Kiaran crumbled to the torture. He helplessly shrieked in absolute pain and agony.
Sha-t’o was among the strongest experts in Witherbone City. But there he was, totally helpless and being inhumanly tortured before the crowd, making miserable and despaired shrieks that made everyone’s blood run cold.
Thousands of Witherbone City experts were watching. Some found it a sight too horrific to behold and lowered their heads. Some gritted their teeth and glared at Han Shuo with bloodshot eyes.
However, no one dared step forward!
After all, the five House of Kiaran highgods who had charged at Han Shuo together were still hanging in mid-air. Their blood was still dripping off their dead bodies.
This kind of intimidation was more convincing than any words!
Many of the House of Kiaran members who had an urge to stop Han Shuo and save Sha-t’o would immediately give up on the idea when they looked up and saw the five highgod bodies dangling in the sky. They would swallow their anger and restrain themselves.
“Bryan, please, let him go, I beg you!” a loud tearful voice sounded. Li Wei, whose hair was rumpled, came to the front after wildly shoving through the crowd.
Li Wei had once visited the Han Residence and many of the Han Family recognized her. They knew that Han Shuo and Li Wei were close friends. During the House of Han’s stay in the Kiaran Residence, Li Wei had always tried persuading Sha-t’o to stop mistreating the Han Family and maintain their friendly relations.
However, blinded by greed, Sha-t’o did not bother listening to her opinion. In the end, when he got sick of being pestered, he got someone to lock Li Wei up. It was until now, after Sha-t’o was captured by Han Shuo, one of the House of Kiaran divine guards recalled of Li Wei’s existence. Thinking that she could alleviate the situation, he hastily released Li Wei from confinement.
Bollands halted his execution the moment that Li Wei appeared. He turned to Han Shuo and looked at him with an inquisitive gaze, waiting for his command.
Han Shuo took one look at Li Wei. He thought about the things that his family had suffered in the Kiaran Residence and he coldly said to Bollands, “Carry on!”
Bollands nodded and continued.
Sha-t’o yet again started shrieking in absolute misery. When Li Wei heard his terrible cry again, her eyes rolled up and she passed out.
