The fusion of his thirteen avatars, which he had forcibly brought together, was difficult to control, hence his reticence with Donna. He was afraid that the chaotic mix of energies might destabilise her and accidentally hurt her, so he hastily explained himself when she became angry with him.
It didn't take long for her to believe him, though, as she felt the darkness energy within her rumbling slightly out of control as she approached him. At first she had thought it was because she was getting a little too excited at not seeing him for so long. Still, she was ready to give him a light hug.
Of course, she didn't get too intimate with him, knowing that it wasn't his actual body. As far as she was concerned, the Avatar was just a puppet that he controlled, a fact that made her a little uneasy.
Meanwhile, Han Shuo was deathly afraid that the chaotic energies within him would inadvertently harm her. He didn't even dare to move when she hugged him. Sensing his nervousness, Donna let go after a while and spoke of other matters concerning the City of Shadows and the Profound Continent. As he listened intently, his eyes brightened before he whispered, "Your father is here.
Blushing slightly, she said hastily, "Then hide!"
Han Shuo didn't get up and smiled. "Why should I? There's no harm in me meeting him, is there?"
Blushing even more, she stomped angrily. "Fine. I'm not afraid."
Soon Felder came to the door. Seeing the barrier in front of him, he asked, "Why did you put up a barrier? I need to talk to you about something."
Donna removed the barrier and let him in. Still blushing, she said, "Bryan's here."
Felder didn't seem the least bit surprised, contrary to what she expected. He said as he approached her, "I knew he was here. I didn't think he'd find you so quickly. I wanted to talk to you about him."
Even Han Shuo was surprised that Felder knew of his presence and sat up straight. "Have you heard of my arrival from the City of Shadows?"
Felder shook his head and sat down. "The Overgod of Darkness informed me directly."
Suddenly, Donna looked outside before hastily shutting the door. She pulled at her father's arms and asked anxiously, "What do we do?"
Han Shuo had started the slaughter in the Dominion of Darkness more than ten years ago, so it wasn't surprising that everyone, including Donna, thought he was on the Overgod's bad side. She was worried about both Han Shuo and her family.
Felder looked at her and sighed inwardly as he wondered how much his daughter would have to suffer in the future. As he thought this, he turned to Han Shuo; he knew that he had many other beauties by his side, all of whom were amazing in their own right. Donna, on the other hand, was someone from the Lavers family who had harmed Han Shuo in the past, even if they had lost in the end. It wasn't something they could just let go of. Even if Han Shuo could forgive her, what about the other women who were with him?
"Donna, what are you worried about?" Han Shuo said, "The fact that I dared to come means that I'm confident that I'll be able to leave easily. Don't worry."
"It's different. No one is able to stand against the power of the Overgod of Darkness. You were only able to leave the last time because the City of Gorging Clouds was on the border of the Dominion of Darkness. But this is Hushveil City, and my father has even received a mental message from the Overgod of Darkness himself. What shall we do?" She didn't let her guard down even though Han Shuo was completely relaxed.
Since her actual power was quite weak, she couldn't really understand the power of a Quintessence Overgod. Just as Han Shuo could detect everything within the fringe, the Overgod of Darkness could also ensure that anyone weaker than him wouldn't be able to leave his dominion, no matter what. The only reason Han Shuo was able to escape the last time was not because he left in the nick of time, but because the Overgod of Darkness went easy on him. However, Donna was too weak to really understand the dynamics at play here.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine," he comforted her once more before turning back to Felder. "The Overgod of Darkness didn't ask you to deal with me, did he? What message does he have for me?" He sounded casual, even though he was talking to Donna's father. At his level of power, social norms and hierarchies no longer bound him.
"You knew the Overgod of Darkness wasn't out to get you?" Felder seemed a little surprised.
"I came to the Dominion of Darkness at the invitation of the Three," he said with a chuckle, "not to mention that if he was going to come for me, he wouldn't have bothered to inform you first."
Although Felder was now a Late-stage Highgod, he was not the slightest threat to Han Shuo, who could easily kill him if he wanted to. The Overgod of Darkness, who had witnessed Han Shuo's power a decade ago, wouldn't bother sending Felder to take him out if that was his intention.
Hearing this, Felder smiled in resignation, knowing that Han Shuo was speaking the truth. If he could kill Gyál so easily a decade ago, not even the whole of Hushveil City would be able to do anything to him now. However, something suddenly dawned on him. "Three people invited you here? Who else is there?"
"The Overgods of Death, Destruction and Darkness invited me here. I have no idea what they have in mind."
Donna and Felder looked at him in utter amazement. These three were like mythical beings to them. They were people they worshipped in the shrines and had never seen in person. How could these people, who stood at the pinnacle of Elysium, invite him, let alone all three of them at the same time? They were obviously treating him as an honoured guest.
It was so ridiculous it sounded impossible. Quintessence Overgods were hardly known for their humility, and only got along with their own kind. The only thing this could mean was that they now perceived Han Shuo as their equal.
"You're not kidding, are you?" Donna said when she finally snapped out of it, although there was still a hint of shock in her voice.
Han Shuo knew the implications but didn't elaborate. "So, what did the Overgod of Darkness want you to tell me?"
Felder finally recovered from his shock and took a deep breath before remembering the message and making sure he got it right. "He wants you to go to the Shrine of Darkness in the next two days. I will tell you where it is."
Then he turned to his doubtful daughter and said, "I'm afraid what Bryan says is true. I'm sure I remember the Overgod of Darkness telling me that Bryan was to be treated as an honoured guest. I didn't know the reason at the time. To think that he was invited here by the three Quintessence Overgods..."
Donna looked down at Han Shuo several times before she said, "You... Have you really become that powerful?"
She knew that he was improving at a dizzying rate, but at the time they met, he was only a Lowgod who had only been in Elysium for a few short centuries. Yet now he was on the same level as a Quintessence Overgod. That was something she really couldn't comprehend.
"Haha, to be honest, even I don't know if I'm really that powerful," Han Shuo said with a shrug. "However, I do know that they wouldn't dare kill me, and even have to ask me to do something."
By now, Donna was truly at a loss for words. Her mouth was agape as she stared at him blankly, trying to comprehend how he had managed to reach the level he was at in such a short time.
"Ahem..." Felder cleared his throat and said, "Donna, leave us for now. I have something I would like to discuss with Bryan in private. The location of the Shrine of Darkness is not something you should be privy to."
With no other choice, she gave him one last look before saying, "Alright. I'll leave you two to talk."
When she was gone, Felder let out a long sigh. "If I'd listened to her years ago, the Lavers family wouldn't have suffered such a great loss."
His regrets had only grown after seeing Han Shuo become so powerful. It was all because he had underestimated Han Shuo back then that a series of events had led to the death of his brother Avery. After that, the entire Laver family had to leave the City of Shadows and were nearly wiped out in the City of Gorging Clouds.
"Where is the shrine?" Han Shuo didn't want to talk about the past, so he changed the subject.
After Felder told him the whereabouts, he looked at him deeply and said, "Bryan, treat my Donna well... Um... I beg you."
He knew that he shouldn't throw his weight around someone so much more powerful than him, so he humbled himself.
Nodding, Han Shuo said earnestly, "Don't worry. I will take good care of her."