Soon enough, the group of godhunters led by Polo returned to the crime scene with several bodies. Wearing a treacherous smile, Kodiak reported to Polo, “Chief, these are the followers of the other four Sovereigns. Anyone who attempts to investigate the murder will be led on a path to nowhere.”

“Good. Be sure to tidy up the place properly and leave no trail behind,” instructed Polo. He then turned to Han Hao, smiled, and said, “I did not expect you to show up. Haha, I have heard about what you did outside the Omphalos. I’m sure that the entire Land of Chaos is talking about you guys!”

Han Hao raised an eyebrow at Polo and replied, “What exactly do you want to tell me?”

“Hehe,” Polo put on a somewhat awkward smile and said, “If you are going to expand in the Fringe, then, as members of the Alliance, as we are on good terms with each other, it is only proper that we should be assisting each other. Don’t you think?”

“Yes, that is true,” replied Han Hao with an expressionless face. But after taking a short pause, he bunched his brows and asked, “What exactly do you mean by ‘a(chǎn)ssisting each other’?”

“We godhunters and the Five Sovereign have always kept to our own businesses. If you wish to expand your influence in the Fringe, you will inevitably come into contact with the Five Sovereigns. Yes, and based on my understanding of the Sovereigns, confrontation is only a matter of time. What I’m saying is, I’m willing to take your side!” Polo was somewhat hesitant when he said those words. Having lived in the Fringe for many years, he knew just how ferocious the Sovereigns could be. It was not easy for him to come to this decision.

Han Hao seemed to be interested. His purple demon eye glistened and he scanned Polo before he curiously asked, “In what way are you going to stand by my side? As an ally?”

“That’s right, an ally!” affirmed Polo.

“Oh.” Han Hao’s face returned to showing no emotion. He shook his head and replied, “We need no allies.” Then, with his eyes staring straight at Polo, he continued, “Polo, if you are genuine, you should hand your followers to me and you too should serve me.”

That proposal was way, way off Polo’s original intention. He was stunned by the bold proposal for a long time. After finally coming to his senses, Polo frowned and said, “Han Hao, I admit, you are extraordinarily powerful. However, in the Godhunter Alliance, my reputation is no less than yours. Besides, I have been living in the Fringe for far longer than you have. You sure you aren’t joking?”

Han Hao nodded solemnly. “You decide for yourself. In short, I do not need allies.” Han Hao sensed a minute vibration from the ground. He knew that Han Tu must be starting to get worried because he wasn’t sure what was going on on the surface. Han Hao therefore did not take the time to persuade Polo but succinctly summarized, “On account that you have helped me today, I will not make an enemy of you. Go back and think about it. Don’t take too long.”

Upon finishing those words, Han Hao turned away and took to the sky without giving the godhunters another look.

Polo and his godhunters stared at the leaving Han Hao foolishly. Like a shadow he vanished into the horizon in no time. Moments later, Polo woke up from his daze. Gloomily, he remarked, “You sure are an arrogant brat, Han Hao!”

Polo seemed to be in a bad mood. Given his position in the Godhunter Alliance, his strength, and the forces he commanded, Polo considered himself generous to be Han Hao’s ally. However, not only had Han Hao declined his olive branches, but he expected Polo to bow to him. Polo felt as though his good intention was returned with a snub.

Kodiak was angry. “Chief, that youngster is an arrogant, conceited brat. We have done all this for nothing!”

Polo grunted, “Let’s see how he will do in the Fringe. There is no need for us to decide in haste. Hmph, if he could demonstrate that level of strength, I will consider serving him.”

***

Over on the other side, Han Shuo, Rose, and the party continued to roam all around the Fringe. Romon, Han Shuo’s latest follower, was among the party.

Ever since Romon emerged from the swamp, he had willingly and fully accepted Han Shuo as his master. He submitted to Han Shuo because he felt the enormous transformation to his body and the benefits that Han Shuo had brought.

In just over ten days, the capacity of Romon’s body was substantially raised. At the mere thought, he could turn his body into the toughest metal or transform into any melee weapon of any form. He could even spurt toxins. He had transformed into a very unique being, not to mention an extremely powerful one.

“Master, if any of them are not willing to serve you, leave them to me. Hehe, I will beat them until they do!” said Romon. He wished to prove his worth to Han Shuo.

“Romon, what the hell are you talking about?!” Rose whined. “They are our friends and we are here to invite them. How could you do that to your friends!”

“It is their honor to serve Master. I’m only helping them realize it!” Every other time Romon opened his mouth, he was sure to give praise to Han Shuo. In his mind, Han Shuo was more a miracle than any of the Five Sovereigns.

Han Shuo smiled but he did not take Romon’s words seriously. He asked Rose, “We are almost there, right?”

“Yes, he should be on that bald mountain right ahead of us. I hope he still lives there,” answered Rose who was leading the party.

Moments later, Rose was standing on a mountain completely barren at its top. She shouted with her clear voice, “Zovic!”

Out of nowhere, a lightning struck across the sky. A short, thin figure appeared on the mountain. The petite old man had a vile face that looked all around before he laughed out loud and said, “Rose! It’s you! I have heard about what happened outside the Omphalos recently and learned that Buzz and Bertha were killed. I also heard that you were there. At first, I thought that they had distorted the story. But look, here you are!”

That hunched old man was no more than five feet tall. He was a mid-stage highgod of lightning. Despite his grotesque features, his eyes showed genuine kindness and a trace of gratitude when he looked at Rose.

“I’m glad that you are still alive,” said Rose in her rare smile. She then introduced him to Han Shuo, “This is Zovic. I’ve mentioned him before. What you see on the outside might deceive you, but I know that he is good on the inside. He is sincere to his friends.”

After introducing Zovic, Rose was peculiarly bashful. He took a glance at Han Shuo as he said to Zovic, “This is Bryan, the Master I now serve. He killed Buzz and Bertha.”

Zovic was amazed. He carefully looked up and down at Han Shuo several times and found Han Shuo to be unbelievably young. After seeing those standing behind Han Shuo, he recalled the rumors about the incident outside Omphalos and he became even more surprised. He thought, <i>Could these youngsters be the ferocious experts who killed five or six hundred Fringedwellers?</i>

“I have heard a little about what happened at the Omphalos. Haha, I must say, I did not expect you all to be so young!” remarked Zovic. He then smilingly asked, “Little Rose, what have you come to me for?”

“Zovic, don’t hole up to cultivate anymore. Work for my Master!” invited Rose solemnly.

Zovic was not astonished – it was almost as if he had expected Rose to say so. He did not immediately agree or decline but smiled. Zovic turned to Han Shuo and asked, “Of the Five Sovereigns of the Fringe, do you have the confidence to fight any one of them?”

Han Shuo stared blankly for a moment before he calmly shook his head and answered, “I have not tried it, no confidence at all.” After taking a short pause, Han Shuo continued, “However, I’m not afraid!”

“You are very young. When the Five Sovereigns were your age, they definitely weren’t as strong as you are,” remarked Zovic. He was somewhat baffled by how forthcoming Han Shuo was. He thought for a bit, bunched his brows, and asked, “Do you have the confidence to escape from any of the Sovereigns?”

Han Shuo thought about it for a moment and nodded assuredly. He smilingly answered, “This, I’m confident. Not just one, even if two or three of them come for me, I know I can escape.”

“Then that’ll do. As long as you can preserve your life, there’s a very good chance that you will surpass the Five Sovereigns!” Zovic seemed gratified as though it was enough for him to know that Han Shuo could escape from a Sovereign. “Alright, on account that Rose has saved my life before, I’m willing to serve you. If someday in the future I’m killed by the Five Sovereigns, I’d be very happy to know that there’s a chance that you would avenge my death.”

<i>He sure is a strange one.</i> remarked Han Shuo inwardly. He thought for a moment before he solemnly pledged, “I will do my best to make sure that you and my followers stay alive. But if any of you get killed, don’t worry, I will take revenge for you and kill the person – no matter who he is.”

“That’s enough!” Zovic laughed happily. “Please don’t mind it, I’m the kind of person who thinks about the escape route before anything. I know that against any of the Five Sovereigns, all escape routes would be useless. If something unfortunate were to happen to me, I would die at peace knowing that someone will avenge my death.”

“Don’t you worry about it, I’m certain that our Master will be triumphant! Hmph, I’d like to see just how strong the Five Sovereigns are!” Romon’s confidence had swelled after his strength soared. He had become so arrogant that no one else mattered other than Han Shuo and Han Jin.

Han Shuo looked at Romon but said nothing. He turned to Rose and said, “Let’s keep going.”

For the next few days, Rose led Han Shuo and the party to every corner of the Fringe. Unfortunately for them, those friends of Rose had either been killed or relocated. They made no further findings.

However, Han Shuo was not disheartened by it. Instead of returning to Omphalos, he decided to continue wandering all around the Fringe to select a suitable site as his new base. Naturally, Han Shuo would only select an area suitable for deploying demonic formations. After wandering for a few days, he finally found a remote valley.