They had been completely terrified by Han Shuo. Gyál, one of the three Lightkeepers, was famous in Elysium for being the top warrior of the God of Light. He had defeated many powerful experts and was feared and respected by many. Yet, Han Shuo had managed to defeat this very person without even breaking a sweat.
And that wasn't the worst of it. Yarus, being the wise guy that he was, could tell immediately that it was the God of Light who had intervened after Gyál's body had been destroyed. The white light of the God of Light that came from Gyál's soul couldn't harm Han Shuo at all, and even praised him before leaving. If even the God of Light couldn't kill Han Shuo for the crime of killing his most loyal servant, the other gods had even less of a chance.
The thought of Han Shuo's slaughter in the Dominions of Death and Darkness and the reaction of their respective Quintessence Overgods made Yarus realise something that sent a shiver down his spine.
Talbot finally knew why Yarus was so wary of Han Shuo. Upon hearing his scream, he immediately retreated, no longer harbouring any trace of his desire to take revenge on him, completely putting Han Shuo's rampage in the City of Wraiths to the back of his mind.
The two of them exchanged glances before focusing their full attention on Han Shuo as they took one slow step after another out of the Hexopolis, fearing his attack. They might not be able to leave this place alive.
The other guards from other Domains began to tremble with fear as they saw Gyál killed in an instant. They felt even more terrified when the presence of the God of Light vanished after praising Han Shuo. Finally, some of them couldn't help but say, "Since the Godhunter Alliance is no longer here, there's no reason for us to be here either! We won't bother you anymore."
"We only came to deal with the Godhunters. We don't intend to make Pandemonium our enemy, so we'll take our leave now."
"We have other matters to attend to, so there is no need to see us off."
They all made their excuses to leave after Yarus and backed away slowly towards the exit of the city. McKinley was the only one who didn't move a step, standing excitedly as he looked at Gyál's blood. "He's finally dead... Just like that... It's finally over..."
Han Shuo, who had been basking in the euphoria of his avatars' sudden breakthrough, snapped out of it when Yarus bade him farewell. However, he didn't really pay attention to him and remained standing in place, pondering.
The twelve chief guardians of their respective realms were all powerful in their own right. Yarus and a few others were even overgods, not that Han Shuo would take them seriously. The reason he hadn't wiped them out was because he didn't want to offend the Quintessence Overgods who supported them. Not to mention that he had overheard Yarus and Talbot's conversation earlier.
With the Battle of the Gods about to begin, Han Shuo couldn't wait for them to leave and wouldn't cause them any trouble. He wouldn't be taking part in this great battle and felt that it was better for him to keep a low profile for now. With that in mind, he let Yarus and the others leave while he continued to feign deep thought.
Yarus and the others, seeing that Han Shuo wasn't paying attention, moved a little faster as they left. When they were finally out, they immediately turned tail and sped away as fast as they could. Almost immediately, the leaders with the rest of the guards left the fringe faster than they came in, fearing that Han Shuo would change his mind and come after them.
"Bryan, are you just going to let them leave like that?" Wasir asked.
Han Shuo relaxed his stiff expression and smiled. "They have Quintessence Overgods behind them. Some of them even have stigmas from them. It's not wise to keep them in the Fringe at this point. They will end up fighting among themselves anyway, so why waste my energy?"
"Are you saying they will go to war with each other soon?" Salas asked in shock.
"Of course. Just wait and see. As soon as they leave the Fringe, they will start fighting. Haha, I didn't think we were going to start the battle of the gods."
At that moment, McKinley took a deep breath and bowed. "I will remain neutral and not take part in this battle. Bryan, I have you to thank for settling my centuries-old grudge!"
Waving at McKinley, Han Shuo said, "You don't have to go that far, considering our friendship. McKinley, you should hurry back to Ethereal City soon. The battle might affect it, so you need to be prepared."
"Understood." McKinley nodded before thinking in silence and turning back to Han Shuo with a solemn look, he continued, "Bryan, Gyál's soul hasn't been eliminated yet. Was the white light that took him really the God of Light?"
"Of course. You shouldn't think too much about it. If the God of Light has decided to protect his soul, there's little I can do about it. However, Gyál was far worse off than you. While your soul and divine body were only separated, Gyál's divine body was completely vaporised. In a way, your grudge has now been settled.
"I am more than satisfied with the way things have turned out. Only I am a bit worried about you. The God of Light definitely has his eyes on you now. Will you be alright?" He furrowed his brow as he paused. "I really don't know how you cultivated to the point where you could vanquish Gyál so easily."
"It's best if you don't think too much about it. Don't worry, I can protect myself. It's best that you return soon to defend your city."
"Alright, I'll say goodbye now. Take care, Bryan!" He didn't say anything else and immediately went to where Yarus and the others had gone.
By stunning the invading guards with his nearly impossible feat, Han Shuo was able to easily resolve the threats.
"Haha, the Fringe is out of danger for now. We still have to rebuild Hexopolis. I'm going back to Pandemonium for now, so I need you to stay here. Just use the magic mirror to contact me if there are any problems and I'll come immediately," Han Shuo instructed, now that he had the luxury of getting things done without having to worry about the threats.
"Alright. We will gather the other gods in the fringe and have them help manage the place according to your plans. Rest assured, we will make sure that nothing goes wrong here," Salas said with a laugh. He seemed to be in a good mood.
From that day on, the conflicts in the Fringe decreased considerably. Without the treacherous Tyre, Logue and Ossora around, they could finally run the Fringe properly. Once the Battle of the Gods began, many more people might come to the Fringe and give it new life. It might even become more powerful than before.
"Bryan, go do what you have to do," Wasir said.
"All right. I'll leave this place to you two." He left without saying much more. At the current level of his consciousness, he would be able to sense the presence of enemies all the way from Pandemonium without needing Wasir or Salas to inform him, so he wasn't worried in the least.
...
Soon, Han Shuo returned to Pandemonium. The Five Elite Zombies had managed to restore the ruins to some semblance of their former glory, with most of the cracks in the ground now gone, allowing the eternal mist to form once again inside.
Han Shuo began to rebuild as soon as he arrived, first having the Five Elite Zombies alter some of the mountainous terrain to his liking, before using his power to forcefully alter the laws of nature. He even moved large swathes of earth to fill in the seas and gathered all sorts of materials that he lacked.
With his realm in the Diablo Realm and the power of his thirteen avatars, he was stronger than ever. He began to focus his efforts on installing the Ninth Realm Mystical Yin Harvester.
Such a thing could extract so much elemental yuan from the surrounding area that it could even pull Han Shuo into this world from another universe. If it was built in Elysium, a place where the energy was hundreds of times denser and countless times more abundant, it would surely be unparalleled.
It was a massive undertaking. Han Shuo used the powers of the Five Elite Zombies and his own insights from his new realm to gather resources from all over the Fringe, the areas near Ethereal City, and the Dominion of Destiny to fill Pandemonium, no matter how many Black Crystal Coins he had to spend.
Time passed quickly and Pandemonium had changed considerably, absorbing much of the surrounding mountains and lakes as it grew to five times its former size. The climate of Pandemonium had also changed considerably, with lightning and heavy snow becoming commonplace. It gradually became one of the most magnificent places in Elysium as the Battle of the Gods began.