After the House of Han left, the Witherbone City turned busy for a while. They weren’t busy with upgrading their defenses or repairing the damages but were busy expropriating the wealth and assets of the House of Kiaran.
Cruel, unforgiving is the world. The House of Kiaran used to be one of the top family clans in Witherbone City. However, after their patriarch, Sha-t’o, and five highgods were murdered by Han Shuo and hundreds of their divine guards killed by the House of Han, their strength and influence took a nosedive. They tanked to the bottom just like that.
With all their top-notch experts now dead, the House of Kiaran was unable to protect their tremendous assets. The other powerhouses of Witherbone City who had been coveting for the Kiaran Family’s wealth began their plundering the moment the House of Han left the city.
Sha-t’o and the House of Kiaran had been faithful and diligent in working for Hill the City Lord. Morally speaking, Hill should at least step in and prevent those predators from robbing the House of Kiaran.
But in reality, Hill was one of the firsts to rob from the Kiaran Family!
Using his position as the City Lord, Hill took over most of the estates and businesses of the House of Kiaran, claiming that those were their punishment for making the City such a powerful enemy. Large amounts of assets of the Kiaran Family were confiscated by Hill in just one night.
But to keep the other family clans contented, Hill did not take all the bounties for himself. The remaining interests of the Kiaran Family were expropriated by those big and small family clans of Witherbone City.
While Sha-t’o was still alive, the rivals and enemies of the House of Kiaran would never dare touch his family clan members. But immediately after his death, those people started hunting down the Kiaran Family members to have their revenge. It seemed as though they wanted to exterminate the House of Kiaran.
Having witnessed their patriarch, Sha-t’o, being humiliated to death, the House of Kiaran divine guards felt that the family clan was branded with shame and disgrace. Many of them left the House of Kiaran and joined other family clans.
This major family clan that had thrived in Witherbone City for tens of thousands of years was destroyed practically overnight.
Everyone with the surname ‘Kiaran’, no matter young or old were hunted by their enemies. Within a short few days, this ancient bloodline was nearly exterminated. There were only a few of them who were still in Witherbone City.
Ninety percent of the Kiaran Family was killed in the manhunt. But there was one person that no one dared to even touch.
*** At the Northern District of Witherbone City was a dilapidated shine. Li Wei sat huddled on the ground, gazing intently at nothingness. She was embracing a box of ashes as she mumbled incoherent words.
Beside her was Dagassi. He wore a pitiful face and repeatedly sighed while combing Li Wei’s messy hair.
The past three months had been absolute hell to Li Wei. She watched her father Sha-t’o flayed to death, her brothers, sisters, and cousins mercilessly murdered, raped, and enslaved. She watched her big and lovely family destroyed.
After having witnessed the countless tragedies and overwhelmed by grief, her mind gave way under the strain. The proud, cheerful heiress of the Kiaran Family turned into a girl with a psychotic breakdown who would mumble to herself all day.
Although Li Wei was a member of the Kiaran Family and was one of the easiest targets for her enemies, she was spared because many were aware of her friendship with Bryan. Although her brother and sister were murdered in front of her, no one dared to cause her harm.
All those who had met Han Shuo would gravely warn their family clan to never harm Li Wei. They were afraid that Han Shuo might seek revenge on them. They knew that if Han Shuo wanted to, he could exterminate them with a snap of his fingers.
“Sigh… I wish I could shoulder some of the pain for you… “ Dagassi couldn’t help himself but sigh yet again.
A shadow stealthily approached and landed in the abandoned shrine. He looked at Li Wei for a moment before he let out a long sigh and remorsefully said, “In seeking justice, I have done an injustice to Li Wei… “
Dagassi’s face jolted and he was alarmed. He immediately stood up and put himself between the comer and Li Wei. But after identifying who the comer was, he relaxed, forced a smile, and said, “Why are you here?”
Han Shuo’s original plan was to immediately begin his slaughter upon returning to Witherbone City but then he suddenly thought of Dagassi and Li Wei. Han Shuo still remembered the soul signatures of Dagassi and Li Wei. Given his extraordinary strength, it could not be easier to locate them by sensing their souls. He hesitated for a moment before he decided to look for them first.
Han Shuo’s heart ached when he saw the Li Wei now who had been driven to madness. Although the House of Kiaran and Sha-t’o had betrayed the House of Han, Li Wei was innocent. She had even tried to help the House of Han. Although her effort had been futile, Han Shuo still considered it as a favor.
“What happened to her?” asked Han Shuo.
“The world had not been kind to her. After having seen too much horror and suffered too much agony, her spirit crumbled,” Dagassi sighed before he continued, “When I returned to the House of Kiaran, I discovered that my original master had perished. No one in the House of Kiaran would bat me an eye. Li Wei, however, had been kind to me. Bryan, can you please find a way to treat her?”
Han Shuo thought for a moment before he replied, “I can erase some of her memories and make her forget everything about the House of Kiaran,” he took a short pause before he continued, “A fresh restart, that’s the only solution I could think of, it’s all that I could do for her.”
“That’d work, as long as she could become happy again. She wouldn’t be plagued with so much pain after forgetting about the House of Kiaran,” agreed Dagassi after he nodded.
Han Shuo stepped forward and pressed a hand on the back of Li Wei’s head. His consciousness swam into her mind and gently wrapped her soul. Then, it started flowing through the webs made of glimmering, incorporeal strands and searched for every memory related to the House of Kiaran. Han Shuo’s consciousness would then wrap around those strands and extinguish them.
If Sha-t’o, a later-stage highgod of death could extract memories from another person’s soul, then Han Shuo who had attained Skybreak Realm in demonic arts could do it without breaking a sweat. He had a far greater understanding of the soul and his consciousness was far more suitable for the job. This memory deleting procedure surgically done by Han Shuo would leave no side effect.
Several minutes later, Han Shuo took a deep, gentle breath and withdrew his hand from Li Wei who seemed to have fallen deep asleep. He turned to Dagassi and said, “When she wakes up, she will remember nothing about the House of Kiaran. Don’t stay here any longer. Go to the Ethereal City of the Space Dominion with her. You may seek shelter at the Celestial Pearl in the City.”
Dagassi nodded and replied, “Yes, I have been thinking about leaving this place with her. Ethereal City is indeed a decent place.”
“I’m sorry. It is me who caused her all these suffering,” Han Shuo suddenly lowered his head and sighed again. He felt responsible for destroying Li Wei’s life.
Dagassi patted on Han Shuo’s shoulder and said, “Don’t be too hard on yourself. If anyone is to be blamed, it should be Sha-t’o and the others. I’ve seen how they treated your House of Han. You weren’t wrong for serving them justice.”
Han Shuo felt a little better after hearing Dagassi’s words. He thought for a bit before he asked, “Right, tell me everything you know about it and the names of those who had participated in oppressing my House of Han.”
Dagassi stared blankly for a moment. He suddenly realized something and his face jolted. “Bryan, you didn’t come back to the City to look for us, but to kill Hill?”
Han Shuo nodded and said, “Correct. Hill is the mastermind and I’m not going to let him off!”
“But Hill is the City Lord of Witherbone City and his soul has a Brand bestowed by the Overgod of Death! If you do that, you could bring the wrath of the Overgod upon you and… “ Daggasi got worried and wanted to dissuade Han Shuo on the idea.
“I know. Don’t worry, I will be fine,” Han Shuo was touched. He was grateful to have made friends on the Profound Continent who genuinely cared about him.
Seeing that Han Shuo was adamant, Dagassi stopped trying to dissuade Han Shuo. He forced a smile, shook his head, and remarked, “Back then, when I first met you in the Underground World of Profound Continent, you were just a tiny little necromancer. Who would have thought that in just a few centuries, you would rise to such prominence on Elysium? What’s more, you would soon be provoking an Overgod… It’s true what they say – you would never know what the future has in store for you.”
When Han Shuo heard Dagassi’s words, his mind automatically recalled the time he ventured to the Underground World. Back then, he was merely a weak necromancer who was no match against Dagassi. But in just a short few hundred years, he had now ascended to be an overgod and even established a rapidly growing powerhouse on Elysium.
“Alright, as far as I’m aware of, other than Hill and Sha-t’o, there are… “ Dagassi started informing Han Shuo the names of those who had participated in oppressing the House of Han.
“You should leave for the Space Dominion with Li Wei quickly. Witherbone City is about to get messy,” said Han Shuo whose eyes were glowing with ice-cold lights. He was ready to commit a slaughter feast.
“Be careful,” said Dagassi when he saw that Han Shuo was leaving.
Han Shuo did not reply and vanished from Dagassi’s sight in an instant. It was much faster and stealthier than leaving by tearing space-time.
*** In the City Lord’s Mansion of Witherbone City, Hill had summoned the patriarchs of all major family clans. They were discussing who should succeed the Chief of the Third Corps divine guards that previously belonged to the House of Kiaran.
Suddenly, a frigid sinister energy shrouded the City Lord’s mansion. All those patriarchs in the middle of a discussion were jolted off their seats and they looked all around in fear.
They had sensed the energy before and they immediately realized a frightening fact – the Demon has returned!
