Great Demon King

However, instead of exiting the barrier and attacking Han Shuo, these experts sat calmly where they were and watched Han Shuo coldly.

These experts did not recklessly attack Han Shuo because they had seen the mad power Han Shuo demonstrated as he ascended the Mountain. They were greatly intimidated after seeing Han Shuo butcher mid-stage highgod experts in just moments and that barrages of divine energies landing on his body had caused him no harm.

It was clear to them that Han Shuo’s strength had exceeded the realm of highgod. No one was about to chance with his own life when it came to facing an expert of great, unfathomable strength, not even these powerful and influential characters!

They thought themselves fortunate that Salas had deployed a powerful lighting energy barrier around the Empyrean Peak. They watched Han Shuo attentively and quietly to see if Han Shuo was strong enough to break this lighting energy barrier personally deployed by Salas!

Han Shuo stood coldly and motionlessly as he expanded his consciousness and carefully sensed the fierce energy contained on the barrier. He could even sense elements of lightning actively leaping about the dazzling electrical barrier.

The dense elements of lightning were moving around the massive barrier in a trajectory that Han Shuo could not comprehend. The elements seemed as though they were alive as they happily fluttered about, not allowing a single molecule to move across the barrier.

“Master, this lightning barrier is extremely harmful to demon generals. I cannot tear this barrier apart,” transmitted Cauldron Spirit.

Although demon generals were invulnerable to physical attacks and immune to most divine energies, the energy of lightning, however, was very destructive to demon generals. This barrier of lightning energy was simply the Achilles’ Heel of demon generals. Cauldron Spirit was, therefore, unable to destroy the barrier using its demon generals like before.

Han Shuo thought for a moment and withdrew the Cauldron of Myriad Demon back into his body. Then, he deployed the domains of divinity of his avatars of death and destruction. The two highgod domains of divinity gradually started fusing as the three souls started to link up.

A destructive energy started emanating and expanding from Han Shuo. The elements of death within the several hundred mile radius suddenly began to converge towards Han Shuo. The energy towers and rocks on Empyrean Peak were carried into the air.

The massive amount of the element of death was circulating in an orbit conforming to the edict of destruction. The destruction divine energy in Han Shuo’s avatar condensed into Orbs of Destruction. No sooner than they appeared inside the hybrid domain of divinity were they sucking in elements of death like blue whales engulfing krill patches.

As logic would have it, the energy of destruction and the energy of death should not have been able to fuse together, and the Orbs of Destruction should not have been able to absorb the element of death. However, inside Han Shuo’s hybrid domain of divinity, those rapidly revolving Orbs moving in the trajectory of destruction edict were doing just that.

After filling themselves with the elements of death, the Orbs of Destruction expanded in volume and grew to the size of a human head. The Orbs gave off a faint emerald-green glow as greyish liquid circulated within.

Han Shuo realized that that greyish fluid flowing inside the Orbs of Destruction was, in fact, the element of death condensed to several thousand times its natural concentration! The Orbs of Destruction revolved around him and accelerated. They seemed to be gradually hypnotizing Han Shuo as he let his mind get carried away.

Then, a strange sensation leapt into Han Shuo’s consciousness. He suddenly felt as though thousands of avatars had manifested in those Orbs of Destruction, as though he and the Orbs were one...

The strange but wonderful sensation lasted for just a moment before Han Shuo came to his senses. He suddenly discovered that the Orbs of Destruction orbiting around him were just like extensions of his body and soul. The Orbs seemed to carry a piece of his soul energy, or perhaps a drop of his blood essence...

More surprisingly, he sensed something similar to self-awareness from those Orbs. He could instruct the Orbs using simple, daily language with his mind and they would carry out his orders like sentient beings. It felt very peculiar and unreal.

While the Orbs continued to revolve in Han Shuo’s hybrid domain of divinity, he turned his attention back to the barrier of lightning energy ahead of him and thought about how to get rid of the barrier. Those bizarre Orbs of Destruction seemed to have read Han Shuo’s thoughts. They started talking to each other like thousands of little Han Shuos having a discussion in squeaky voices. Then, all the Orbs swarmed towards Salas’ lightning energy barrier.

“Enemy spotted.”

“Ouch! That’s some powerful lightning!”

“We need backup! We need backup!”

“Fuck those lightning bolts! Kill them!”

....

Thousands of strange thoughts swarmed into Han Shuo’s consciousness in an instant. They came from the souls on the Orbs, narrating their glorious battle against Salas’ energy of lightning...

“Dead, they are all dead!”

“We win!”

The souls on the Orbs transmitted millions of messages in less than a second. The battle between the awarenesses of different energies took just one second. And when Han Shuo heard the message “victory is ours” through his consciousness, his ears heard a deafening explosion.

Han Shuo was abruptly roused. The jumbled awarenesses suddenly vanished as though all that happened earlier was just part of his imagination.

Han Shuo calmed his mind and gathered his attention. He saw that the lightning energy barrier that enveloped the entire Empyrean Peak had vanished without a trace. Tiny thunderbolts were shooting away and scattering. When Han Shuo carefully sensed them, he discovered that those dispersing lightning bolts no longer contained that strange self-awareness, as though they had been ‘killed’ moments earlier.

Threads of greyish and greenish lights fell from the Mountain following the energy of lightning. Those threads of light seemed to contain the fusion of destruction and death energy. Han Shuo put on a bewildered face as he sensed something from those fading lights.

“Congratulations on another advancement, Master! That state of energy you formed is called ‘Emanations of the Soul’ in the universe we come from. In this universe it is called ‘Souls arising from Elements’. The names may be different, but they are basically the same thing. This will advance your cultivation of demonic arts as well as your avatars’ cultivation of Fundamental Forces! But you must now be wary. Comprehending the ‘Emanations of the Soul’ means that the Calamity is near. It could descend at any moment now!“ transmitted Cauldron Spirit to a puzzled Han Shuo.

Emanations of the Soul and Souls arising from Elements were one of the most profound methods of energy manipulation. It bestowed the attacking energies with self-awareness. Those Orbs of Destruction made of destruction divine energy and the element of death were given lives by Han Shuo’s consciousness. Even Han Shuo wasn’t sure if that was considered ‘Emanations of the Soul’ and ‘Souls arising from Elements’.

However, the firepower achieved was terrorizing. Even the barrier personally deployed by Salas, an overgod, was destroyed in one blow!

“Who, who are you?” Those followers of Salas’ on the mountain peak were greatly intimidated.

They knew better than anyone what level of expert Salas was. One who could destroy the barrier deployed by Salas must possess roughly identical strength as him. It would be a wonder if they weren’t afraid of such a mighty existence!

“Lord... Lord Salas is not around... Can I take your message... ?” asked another terrified highgod as he watched Han Shuo march up the Empyrean Peak step by step. Although he was a powerful and influential figure in the Fringe, he was still afraid of Han Shuo who had wrecked Salas’ barrier.

Han Shuo knew the fact that Salas hadn’t showed up yet meant that he wasn’t on Empyrean Peak.

“Salas personally deployed that barrier. He will know it when the barrier is destroyed, and he will rush back here as quickly as possible!” said Han Shuo smilingly before he gazed at those elite troops with cold eyes and threatened, “But I wonder if you lot will live to see him!”

“Brothers, let’s get him!” one of Salas’ followers shouted. The three hundred something experts on the Empyrean Peak immediately surrounded Han Shuo.

Some other guards at the foot and waist of the Mountain sensed the enormous disturbance at the Peak and rushed to Han Shuo. The mountain was enormous and had a huge circumference. Han Shuo had made his way up the Mountain though one of the many paths and therefore a lot of the guards did not even notice Han Shuo. All five or six hundred of them swarmed to the Peak. It was a glorious sight.

*** Over at the Glacial Peak, home to Sovereign Wasir who cultivated the elemental energy of water. The wintry Glacial Peak was layered thick with ice throughout the year. Above an icicle-shaped building on the Peak, Salas and Wasir were conversing.

Although the Five Sovereigns were in constant battle against each other, they would frequently meet in private to talk about the general situation of the Fringe. Salas had come to Wasir to resolve the dispute over a new ore deposit.

In the middle of their discussion, Salas’ divine soul trembled and he suddenly turned furious. Without saying a word, he took out a shuttle-shaped space edict divine device, tore a fissure in spacetime, and left Wasir confused and puzzled.