Multitasking
“Are you really willing to help me?” Stratholme was actually rather shocked to see Han Shuo agree so simply. Even he himself felt absurd when he said those words as in his heart he didn’t think that Han Shuo would ever help him. After all, he was very clear as to what it meant to become a god. He felt that the friendship they had with each other didn’t run deep enough and therefore such a heavenly favor was not to be expected.
Meanwhile, Han Shuo found the old monster’s amazement to be funny. From Han Shuo’s point of view, Stratholme was just a demigod who was about to break through as a basegod. He still had an insurmountable distance to go to become a lowgod. In Han Shuo’s eyes, one basegod could certainly pose no threat to him, given that of the Demons he had in the Abyss realm, a great majority of them were in the realm of basegod – even though they did not make that breakthrough by themselves!
A mere basegod was nothing to Han Shuo who possessed two lowgod avatars. Back then in Tarrag Canyon, Han Shuo had once collaborated with Stratholme in fighting enemies. From their interactions, Han Shuo knew that the old monster was one worth making friends with. Moreover, Stratholme had been serving as a protector in the vicinity of Brettel City years by then. This made Han Shuo’s opinion about him rise even higher.
“You have formed a Soul of Element after fusing your soul with the crystal of fighting aura. To advance further, you need to concentrate your efforts on your body. You are a swordsman to begin with. The fighting aura you have been cultivating has been in your body all along. In this aspect, you have exceptional advantages. It’s very easy for you to cultivate a Body of Element,” Han Shuo slowly explained while looking at Stratholme.
After the trip to the Abyss realm, Han Shuo came to understand the cultivation methods of the two worlds. Based on his knowledge on the cultivation techniques, Han Shuo discovered that Stratholme, who cultivated in fighting aura, contrary to expectations had similar cultivation methods to those of the Abyss realm. He too would focus on training the fighting aura in his body and neglect the soul aspect just the same.
Logically speaking, after forming a Soul of Element, it shouldn’t be that hard for Stratholme to form a Body of Element. While thinking why he had yet to do so, Han Shuo slowly probed the old monster’s body condition using his consciousness. Immediately, he discovered that the old monster was indeed filled with abundant fighting aura. However, the fighting aura was concentrated in his chest and did not spread to cover his skin and skeleton.
With just one look, Han Shuo immediately came to understand where the problem lied. Stratholme was long accustomed to the fighting aura cultivation method on Profound Continent. Although he had the unique advantage of forming a Body of Element compared to an average magus, he was locked in this rigid line of thought, unable to think outside the box and see this problem in a different light.
Stratholme felt flustered when he saw Han Shuo staring at him with strange, glistening eyes without saying a word. Even though the old monster knew that Han Shuo’s certainly did so out of good will, the pressure that came from Han Shuo nonetheless made him uncomfortable. Stratholme awkwardly smiled and asked, “Is there a problem?”
Han Shuo nodded with a slight grin and hit the nail on the head, saying, “All along, you have been cultivating fighting aura using the region around your heart as the power source and would only erupt them through your limbs. However, to form a Body of Element, you need to spread that fighting aura to every cell in your body. When your whole body is filled with fighting aura, that is roughly the time your Body of Element will take shape.”
“It’s that simple?” The old monster was stunned.
“It’s that simple!” Han Shuo affirmed. But after thinking for a while, he furrowed his eyebrows and continued, “However, it’s not entirely an easy thing to spread fighting aura all throughout the body. First of all, you need to make sure that your body can bear it. You need to figure this out yourself. I’m not in the position to help you with that.”
Stratholme seemed to drift into deep thought. After a short moment, Stratholme looked rather puzzled at Han Shuo and asked, “You said that you have become a god, but why is it that from you, I can’t sense the aura a god should emanate? What’s the thing with that?”
“This is simple,” Han Shuo replied pithily. With one thought, Han Shuo’s two avatars suddenly flew out from his body and their Domains of Divinity were deployed. All that was left around them were the elemental energy of death and a strange form of edictal energy of destruction. A formidable and stifling energy enveloped Stratholme in an instant.
Stratholme became drenched with cold sweat. He was more frightened than he was amazed. Inside the Domains of Divinity Han Shuo deliberately deployed, he felt powerless and defeated as though facing against a towering mountain. Although not mainstream, closely related to the element of light and the air, the fighting aura could be considered as a type of elemental energy. When Han Shuo’s two Domains of Divinity were deployed, Stratholme immediately ceased to sense the presence of fighting aura between heaven and earth which he had been relying upon for survival. This feeling made Stratholme palpitate greatly.
“So this is the power of a god! Merely this domain of a divine being alone would be all too overwhelming for any ordinary person to resist! Truly terrifying!” after striving to withstand the feeling of helplessness for a long while, Stratholme finally remarked with a stifled-red face.
Han Shuo withdrew the Domains of Divinity and his two avatars no longer released their immense pressure on purpose. With his main body, he smiled and asked, “Do you believe me now?”
Stratholme nodded. Fervent lights again appeared in his eyes. He looked deeply into Han Shuo’s eyes and curiously asked, “But how is it that you have three bodies? Could it be that one can have additional bodies after becoming a god?”
“No, only I can do this. You mustn’t attempt that or you will be dead without a doubt!” Han Shuo shrugged and further explained, “As you know, I cultivate in another type of martial art. This martial art will bring me some rather unimaginable transformations. These transformations will happen only to me and only I can master them.”
“You are so lucky!” Stratholme looked admiringly at Han Shuo. Soon after, his gaze stiffened with resolution and he said, “Alright, I now know what I must do to make a breakthrough. Right, with you here in Brettel City, I suppose I have nothing to worry about. I will head back to Stranglethorn Valley to cultivate immediately. I hope that there will come a day when I reach your realm!”
After witnessing the terrifying power of Han Shuo’s Domains of Divinity, Stratholme had indescribable anticipation towards this realm. He was one that had an assiduous desire to seek and gain greater and greater strength to begin with. After this meeting with Han Shuo, having been shown the path, Stratholme grew rather impatient.
Han Shuo understood how the old monster felt and therefore did not stop him, letting him leave Brettel City for Stranglethorn Valley for a proper round of cultivation.
“What a shame that not one of those gods who had died in the Void cultivated in fighting aura, and I had not obtained anything suitable for you. Otherwise, I might have gifted it to you!” Han Shuo gently sighed and soliloquized after Stratholme had left.
In his expedition to the Void, his main body made a breakthrough to the Nine Changes realm after successfully absorbing the energy inside the countless boundaries, seals, and matrices. He proceeded to carefully explore the valley which had become virtually harmless, and collected some useful artefacts that got Han Shuo extremely excited.
However, there wasn’t anything suitable for Stratholme.
After Stratholme the old monster had left, Han Shuo did not have his avatars return to his main body. After weighing in his mind for a bit, he decided to leave the avatar cultivating in the energy of death underground, deep beneath Brettel City. This was so that he could silently digest the divine essence of death he had obtained in the Void. That divine essence contained a considerable amount of divine energy. For that lowgod of death avatar who had recently joined the realm lowgod, they were the most effective tonics.
Compared to slowly collecting the power of faith from the Abyss realm, it was way faster to obtain divine energy from divine essences. By Han Shuo’s estimations, the divine energy contained in one piece of divine essence was more than the power of faith he would collect from his followers in the Abyss realm over a twenty year period. Moreover, it didn’t take much time to be absorbed and digested. It was no wonder the four Demon Kings would forgo their agreement with Bechymos and get into a fight for one piece of divine essence.
Indeed, the divine essence was an extremely precious item, especially for a god. Absorbing one was the most direct and fastest way to raise one’s strength. One tiny little piece of divine essence could contain over twenty years of the power of faith from the entire Abyss realm. How frightening is that!
While the avatar of death stayed in Brettel City, the avatar of destruction would head to Lancelot Empire’s Ossen City via the transportation matrix in Brettel City. Emily, Phoebe, and Fanny had been in Ossen City for the last five years. If Han Shuo didn’t hurry up and head to Ossen City before his three ladies found out, they would surely run amok. Besides, he had to meet Lawrence.
However, Han Shuo was not about to use this body of his avatar to get intimate with his three ladies. Although his avatars could transform into clones of himself, as they were not composed of flesh and bones. Han Shuo could not get over himself mentally. He had only thought of his two avatars as two of his mightiest weapons and nothing more. When he came to the thought of this, Han Shuo knew that he had a ton of explaining to do when he saw his three ladies who would devour him bestially otherwise.
Meantime, Han Shuo’s main body returned to the Cemetery of Death using the transportation matrix under his City Lord’s manor. After returning there, Han Shuo quickly briefed Jasper and others before leaving them again in haste. He headed for the Dark Forest where the skeleton of dark dragon Gilbert was buried.
After countless years of waiting, it was finally the time to rebuild Gilbert a new body! Only the main body of Han Shuo’s that cultivated in demonic arts could perform this operation and two lowgod avatars could do nothing to help. This time, not only did Han Shuo possess the best materials, he had even obtained some divine materials from the Void. Han Shuo believed that the resurrected dark dragon Gilbert would be more powerful than ever!