With the energies of the Five Elite Zombies removed from the gymnasium, Scarlett, Bollands, Sanguis and Gilbert could finally sense the presence of everyone in the gymnasium. After the Soul Barrier Han Shuo had used had disappeared, the four of them reentered the gymnasium together.
Gilbert and the others immediately congratulated Han Hao. Scarlett returned to Han Hao's side and was no longer worried after seeing that he was very much alive.
Han Shuo felt satisfied and could not be more proud of Han Hao's achievement. He believed that with more time, Han Hao could achieve even greater feats.
On the surface of the Pandemonium, Han Shuo's main body slowly rose to his feet. The Cauldron of the Myriad Demon , which had stabilised every demonic formation in the base, returned to Han Shuo's body.
Han Shuo was about to go back underground and ask Han Hao about his situation in detail. But suddenly he turned his focus outward, his senses piercing through the layers of mist that shrouded the Pandemonium before he began to scan a nearby mountain range.
Han Shuo sensed a spot in the mountain range where the energy of the lightning was much more intense than the surrounding area. After withdrawing his consciousness from the gymnasium, Han Shuo immediately sensed the distant and faint anomaly that no ordinary expert could detect.
The Pandemonium was basically a giant machine that gathered elemental energy from the environment, which meant that the elemental energy around the Pandemonium would always gradually flow towards the valley. But Han Shuo's consciousness sensed that somewhere deep within the mountain range, there was a spot where the element of lightning was not being drawn towards the Pandemonium, and somehow it was more intense than the surrounding area.
With a thought, Han Shuo sent a strand of his consciousness to fly stealthily towards that anomalous region.
Upon arrival, Han Shuo discovered that a mighty being was hiding there. The being emitted an aura that Han Shuo was most familiar with - it was none other than Salas!
Han Shuo let out a cold groan. His main body vanished in an instant, piercing through the layers of mist and boundaries surrounding the Pandemonium without a trace. Han Shuo had memorised the terrain surrounding the Pandemonium down to the position of every single rock. He could get anywhere within its territory with complete stealth.
Salas, oh, Salas. How foolish of you to return here and try to probe my base! Hehe, I will fulfil your wish and turn you into lettuce, Han Shuo thought with a sneer on his face.
Salas had not only joined the Godhunter Alliance Hegemons to ambush Han Shuo in the Misty Sea, but he had also cooperated with the Godhunter Alliance in their invasion of the Fringe. If Han Shuo could slaughter Salas before the impending invasion, the Fringedwellers would have a strategic advantage over the invaders.
It was obvious that Salas had come to scout the Pandemonium in preparation for the coming war. It was only natural that Han Shuo, who had accidentally found him, would not allow Salas to escape again.
Hiding in this region, Salas carefully studied the situation around the Pandemonium with his divine soul. He understood that the Pandemonium was filled with all kinds of dangers and that Han Shuo should be inside. Therefore, he had been very cautious.
His divine soul was wandering and drifting when he suddenly felt a cold wind blowing towards his soul. Salas was startled as his instincts told him that there was great danger ahead. He immediately withdrew his divine soul.
Suddenly, a burst of soul-destroying energy shot towards him. Salas felt as if his divine soul had been pierced by icy icicles, threatening to freeze and trap his soul.
Salas' divine soul was injured in an instant. Flustered, he pulled his divine soul back into his divine body as quickly as possible. In a voice that was neither loud nor soft, he said, "Who is it?"
"Hehehe..." a mocking, sinister laughter sounded from the distance and quickly approached Salas. The sound was strangely terrifying.
Salas' face jerked and he said in a deep voice, "It is indeed you. For whatever reason, Salas did not immediately try to escape, but stood where he was, as if waiting for Han Shuo to appear.
"I did not expect you to still dare to return to my Pandemonium!" the mocking voice said, getting closer and closer. An eerie breeze blew out of nowhere and Han Shuo's figure suddenly materialised in front of Salas. With a mocking smile, he asked, "Salas, do you really think I've defeated you here by mere luck? Just because you used up some of your energy fighting Ossora before I fought you?"
While Salas was taunting, the demon generals emerged from Han Shuo's body, blocking all possible escape routes for Salas. Although Han Shuo had no idea why Salas had not escaped immediately, he would not let go of the opportunity to trap Salas.
The thousands upon thousands of demon generals had filled the space around them as Han Shuo spoke. Individually, none of the demon generals could harm Salas, who cultivated lightning energy, a natural weakness of demon generals.
However, Han Shuo's intention wasn't to directly block Salas with the Demon Generals, but to use them to affect the movement of space-time, preventing Salas from using the Portal Scrolls to escape. And Han Shuo knew that he could easily overpower Salas, giving him no chance to use his lightning energy against the Demon Generals.
"I know that luck had nothing to do with it. Even if I were in top shape, I would still be no match for you," Salas stared at Han Shuo with a serious look as he said, "And after our encounter in the Misty Sea, I am even more certain that I am absolutely no match for you."
Han Shuo was quite surprised to hear this answer. He raised his eyebrows, looked up and down at Salas with puzzled eyes, and asked, "Then? What are you doing here alone?" Han Shuo grinned and asked, "Don't tell me you really have a death wish?"
"Bryan, I did not come here to fight you," Salas said firmly.
"Huh?" Han Shuo was a bit amused and curious. With the space around Salas now under the influence of the demon generals, it was impossible for him to escape. Han Shuo thought there was no harm in taking some time to listen to Salas' last words. "I flattened your Empyrean Peak and took your place in the Omphalos. But you tell me you don't want to fight me?" Han Shuo laughed and shook his head as if he could not believe what he had heard before continuing, "Well, that is interesting! So tell me, what are you here for?"
"I'm here to propose a cooperation," Salas replied. But after thinking for a moment, as if he was afraid that Han Shuo would not believe his words, he quickly added, "There is no way that I can really befriend the Godhunters, because after all, I am not a Godhunter. Besides, these Godhunter Hegemons are unreliable. I have no way of trusting them. I know Tyre and Logue very well. They are always plotting against others. There is no way I would cooperate with them."
"What about Wasir and Ossora? Their reputation in the Fringe is not so bad. Why didn't you look for them?"
"I have fought Wasir and Ossora. If they can't even defeat me, how can I trust them?" Salas had a scornful look on his face as he explained, "I, Salas, have my own principles and ways. Those who cannot defeat me are not worthy of my consideration. This is my way."
Han Shuo became even more interested in the topic after hearing this explanation. He smiled broadly and asked, "So how do you want to cooperate? What can you give me and what can I give you?"
"I can give you all the information about the Godhunter Alliance and lead them into your traps. They are not familiar with the Fringe and they will undoubtedly listen to my advice," Salas replied immediately, as if he had been prepared for this.
Then, after a short pause and a deep breath, Salas continued, "I wish to return to the Fringe. When this war is over, some of the Sovereigns will die. It may be Tyre and Logue, or Wasir and Ossora. Or maybe all of them. Until then, all you have to do is help me and recognise my position."
"As simple as that?" asked Han Shuo.
"It is that simple!" said Salas firmly.
After thinking for a moment, Han Shuo knitted his brows and looked at Salas, "Why should I trust you?"
If Salas was sincere in his cooperation with Han Shuo, he would have a better certainty about the outcome of the war. But since Salas and Han Shuo had been enemies in the past, there was a good chance that Salas would betray him at critical moments. The slightest mistake could change the entire war. Therefore, Han Shuo did not dare to take Salas' words lightly. "I can't tell you why you should either. However, if you agree to my proposal, I can give you some very critical information right now.
It will help you understand the situation better and even give you some advantages," Salas replied, seeming somewhat troubled, as if he could not think of a way to prove his sincerity.
Han Shuo hesitated for a while before nodding and saying, "All right, I will work with you. Now tell me about it."
For some reason, Salas seemed to trust Han Shuo. Not worried that Han Shuo would eat his words, he immediately said, "Dagmar knows that Han Hao has a Quintessence Shard and he has been planning to take it from him. He has brought all his experts from the Death Dominion and he's going all out.
"I also discovered that Tyre and Dhaka of the Destruction Dominion might be connected. Tyre was unusually well informed about the Godhunter Alliance's every move, and Dhaka seemed to have spies in the Fringe. He knows too much about the Fringe.
"But the connection between Tyre and Dhaka is only my own speculation. I have no concrete evidence yet. I'm telling you this so that you won't be surprised if it's true. Right, don't you think that the two of them look quite similar?"
Han Shuo looked surprised. He recalled their faces for a moment and they did look vaguely similar to Han Shuo. He also remembered that they both cultivated the energy of destruction. After thinking for a moment, Han Shuo said, "I believe we have much to discuss..."
Salas was excited. It was obvious that Han Shuo was finally convinced that he was sincere. The two set up layers of boundaries around them and held their discussion right there. Having hatched a conspiracy, Salas stealthily left the Pandemonium.