GDK 600: Nine Changes
After the feast of liquor and meat, everyone started to get tipsy. Han Shuo and Trunks left for the back of the valley by themselves. They came to a secluded cliff.
The refreshing mountain breezes blew onto their faces. The two were in great moods to see each other again.
Trunks still had the strength of a great swordmaster. Having remained in the same realm for five years, Trunks’ fighting aura became purer and purer. However, perhaps because he had yet to encounter a fortuitous opportunity, he had not made a breakthrough.
Five years felt almost as if it were a lifetime ago. Especially for Han Shuo, who had turned from a mortal to an actual god during that time. Although he did not deliberately demonstrate his power, Trunks could still vaguely sense the mighty presence coming from his soul.
“Bryan, what realm are you currently at? Why is it that I couldn’t sense any aura of magic or fighting aura coming from you?” Even after carefully observing Han Shuo for a long while, squinting, Trunks still couldn’t make out what martial art Han Shuo cultivated in.
The demonic arts that Han Shuo’s main body was cultivating in gave no auras of death nor destruction. All the energy was concealed deep within his body. Therefore, it was nothing surprising that Trunks couldn’t see a clue.
Han Shuo put on a smile. He did not give any explanation to Trunk’s question and he questioned Trunks instead, “By the way, have you settled that grievance of yours with Cesar City?”
Trunks shook his head and gently sighed before he answered, “Not yet. Bradley Pillon’s Cesar City is bordered by tight security. Kasi Empire has been pressing in on us harder and harder during these years while Valen City, however, has been very passive. Although my Sunshine Valley has been growing rapidly, we are fundamentally merchants and mercenaries. Compared to a body of governance, we are still some ways behind.”
Han Shuo nodded and understood the facts. Sunshine Valley was wedged between three countries, right in the middle of a mountain range. This geography had provided them with both advantages and disadvantages. It was already a difficult feat for Trunks to grow Sunshine Valley to such scales. But to move one step further, to gain the capacity to contend against a country, that challenge would be beyond difficult.
Before Han Shuo could relay to Trunks a few words of comfort, Trunks’ expression turned eerie cold and he said in a sinister tone, “Sunshine Valley cannot contend against Cesar City. That is a fact. However, for the past five years, I have personally murdered dozens of Bradley Pillon’s next of kin. His uncle, nephew, even his wife and sons were all assassinated by me. I want him to taste and suffer the pain of losing all his family members.”
A chill traveled through Han Shuo’s heart. He took a glance at the sinister looking Trunks and thought that Bradley Pillon must have great difficulties falling asleep every night with such an enemy out there.
Bradley Pillon’s family members all died one after another. Even his woman and children he treasured the most were all killed. This kind of torment must have caused Bradley Pillon immense pain.
Han Shuo, who originally thought of consoling Trunks, knew now that Trunks definitely needed no consoling words. Looking at his face, he could see that Trunks must be very enjoying this approach of slowly hounding Bradley Pillon to his death instead of rushing to kill him right away.
“So that’s the case. You murderer, you are getting crueler and crueler!” Han Shuo laughed and ridiculed Trunks.
“That region around Dark Forest and the lizardmen of the underground world are all under the control of our Soul Destroyer Mercenary Band. You were gone for five years and might not be aware of the current situation. Let me introduce to you the current distribution of strength in our Sunshine Valley,” Trunks grinned as he explained.
“No need for that,” Han Shuo interrupted Trunks’ presentation. He looked deeply into Trunks’ eyes and said, “I have full confidence that you will handle these things well. In the future, I will not get involved with matters of the Soul Destroyer Mercenary Band.”
With his strength having reached this level, even entire countries were insignificant to him, so let alone a small power that was Soul Destroyer Mercenary Band?
If Han Shuo wanted to, he could destroy the Soul Destroyer Mercenary Band with a snap of his finger, or perhaps reestablish an influence of equal scale. As he stood higher, he saw further. The whole of the Abyss realm belonged to him, what would a mere Soul Destroyer Mercenary Band be to him?
Trunks had obviously made out from Han Shuo’s words that he intended to fully let go of his post. He silently thought for a moment and suddenly pledged to Han Shuo, “No matter what, the Soul Destroyer Mercenary Band will always be yours! Even if you won’t remember it, I will never forget!”
Han Shuo laughed his lungs out as he patted on Trunks’ shoulder and said, “No need for such words between us. Come, let us get on with drinking. Cheers!”
“Fine, tonight we will drink until we are both dead drunk!” Trunks said with a dashing smile.
Naturally, Han Shuo could not get intoxicated. On that night, most of the people were drunk. Even Trunks, whose strength had been attained to the realm of a great swordmaster, without neutralizing the alcohol using his fighting aura, was drunk. Han Shuo’s unique body, however, even without any active measures, could not sink into that kind of tipsy, muddle-headed state.
On the following day, as Trunks and the others had yet to sober up, Han Shuo located Sanguis and his women. He left them with a few instructions – to stay and enjoy themselves in Sunshine Valley for a period of time – then left Sunshine Valley by himself.
**In the depths of the Dark Forest. Outside Dragon Valley.
Han Shuo silently arrived and concealed himself outside Dragon Valley. After waiting half a day, his two avatars arrived one after another.
After absorbing the energy of destruction formed from the deaths of the several hundred thousand orc warriors at South Border City, his avatar of destruction had gained an increase in divine energy. He also gained a deeper understanding of the use of divine energy and the manipulation of the edict of destruction, laying the foundation for this avatar of Han Shuo’s to make a breakthrough.
Raising realms of godhood was an extremely long journey. A god might have to stay in each stage for tens of thousands of years or even longer before getting to the next one. A god who had stayed in a realm for long periods could, more often than not, be far ahead in the use of elemental energies or edictal forces compared to another god who had recently stepped into the same realm. Therefore, precisely for this reason, each realm of godhood was further divided into three stages – early-stage, mid-stage, and late-stage.
Of two gods in the same realm, the one who had cultivated to the apex – the late-stage – would have much greater strength than one who had just joined the realm.
Although Han Shuo’s two avatars were both lowgods, as they had only recently entered the realm, their divine energies were relatively weak, and their comprehension towards divine energy and their respective fundamental forces were not profound enough; they were early-stage lowgods. They were far from achieving the middle stage.
The reason that Han Shuo did not rush in seeking the Primordius Dragon for vengeance was that he had no clue which of those stages the Primordius Dragon was actually in. A late-stage lowgod had absolute certainty of defeating an early-stage lowgod. There was no doubt about it.
After his two avatars arrived, Han Shuo carefully inspected them for a while. It must be said that the process of upgrading to the next realm of godhood was definitely very slow. Although the avatar of destruction had assimilated the energy of destruction from the deaths of several hundred thousands orcs, although his avatar of death had absorbed the divine energy from one piece of divine essence, they were still far from attaining the level of mid-stage.
The two avatars again concealed themselves within Han Shuo’s body. Looking at Dragon Valley close at hand, Han Shuo muttered to himself irresolutely for a moment and finally made up his mind. He decided to step in there to look for the Primordius Dragon as to settle his grudges.
Although it was currently unknown to Han Shuo which stage of lowgod the Primordius Dragon was currently at, Han Shuo’s demonic arts had reached the Nine Changes realm, so he had a few special techniques up his sleeves. Even if that Primordius Dragon was in the late-stage of lowgod and Han Shuo really had no way of defeating him, he would still be able to escape easily. Han Shuo who had three souls was confident of overpowering a mid-stage lowgod. However, if the Primordius Dragon was actually in the late-stage, Han Shuo did not have full certainty of the outcome. And yet, with his demonic arts, he wasn’t at all worried about not being able to escape.
With everything thought out, Han Shuo no longer hesitated. Scrapping the low-profile, he raised his head and roared. His body turned into a streak of light that shot right towards Dragon Valley.
That boundary in the way couldn’t stop Han Shuo at all. With one stroke of the Demonic Blades on Han Shuo’s hand, the boundary was undone. It caused not the slightest obstruction to him.
Dragon Valley was alerted of the presence of a forceful intruder the very moment that Han Shuo cut open the boundary. While Han Shuo roared and charged inside, a loud dragon roar suddenly came from Dragon Valley. A silvery third-stage greater dragon meandered its enormous body threateningly towards Han Shuo. It let out a thunderous snarl, “Puny human, how dare you trespass upon Dragon Valley. Courting death!”
“Haha, lizard, let’s see who is actually puny!” Han Shuo sneered and grabbed towards that silvery greater dragon.
As Han Shuo attempted to get a hold of the silvery greater dragon, his body flying rapidly higher began to grow bigger and bigger. When his big hand finally reached the silvery greater dragon, Han Shuo had become a fifty-meter tall giant. Before the silvery greater dragon could even react, Han Shuo the giant had grabbed its head in one hand and its tail in the other.
The twenty-something-meter long silvery greater dragon, compared to the giant Han Shuo, looked nothing more than a slightly big reptile. As Han Shuo howled with laughter, he made a gentle tug. The body of the silvery greater dragon immediately ripped apart into multiple segments. Its flesh and blood sprayed all over the place.
For a demonic art practitioner, other than immense power, the Nine Changes realm also meant countless permutation. There were nine techniques to master in the Nine Changes realm – Speed Change, Body Change, Heart Change, Consciousness Change, Bloodthirst Change, Space Change, Earth Change, Heavenly Change, and Omen Change.
Each of the nine changes had their own unique uses. Han Shuo had only recently mastered Speed Change and Body Change. As for the remaining seven changes, Han Shuo was still trying to comprehend them.