GDK 685: Too dumb to be a godhunter
Han Shuo could roughly figure out what was going on right after listening to the woman’s explanation. Those scrolls that Rahman distributed in secret had to be producing results. Surely, a few of them weren’t able to resist the temptation and engulfed the divine energy of other destruction edict cultivators.
Han Shuo had been staying in his training field all this while and he did not release mystical demons to survey the situation in Fort Verka. However, from the fact that the House of Croton had mobilized large forces to investigate everyone who cultivated in the edict of destruction, Han Shuo could tell that the situation must have gone sour.
Han Shuo pondered about it in silence for a moment. As he was rather curious about how they would investigate, he decided to leave the training field with that woman.
Han Shuo then discovered several other energy of destruction cultivators waiting right outside. They were not wearing the unique armor of divine guards, so he figured they must have been suspects to be investigated like himself.
“Come with us. We just want to ask you a few questions. This will not take too much of your time,” the woman with fiery red long hair said after taking Han Shuo to the rest of the suspects.
“Miss Eunice, what is actually going on in Fort Verka? Why is it that recently, strange miserable shrieks can often be heard at night? Are the godhunters launching large-scale invasions?” a boorish, bulky man asked that red-haired woman concernedly.
That red-haired Eunice swooped a glance across the few lowgods of destruction and replied in a cold voice, “This is Fort Verka. Under the guardianship of my House of Croton, how would godhunters have the audacity to attack this place so openly? Hmph, but I can tell you that there are indeed a few godhunters in the fort, and they could be standing beside you right now!”
Han Shuo sneered in his heart after hearing Eunice’s reply. Having previously eavesdropped on Rahman’s conversation, he knew that Rahman did not take the House of Croton as a threat at all. In fact, that was the reason why Rahman had chosen to strike in Fort Verka. Eunice should be a member of the House of Croton. It appeared that she had no idea just how big of a trouble they were actually up against.
“Miss Eunice is right. The godhunters definitely wouldn’t be so brazen to assault this fort openly!” a third person voiced his opinion. He proclaimed in a righteous tone, “Those godhunters are truly repulsive, horrible beings. They better hope they don’t come across me because otherwise, I, Lexis, will surely give them hell.”
“Stop boasting already, you’d be lucky if you could stay alive against one. Of the deceased, one of them was a late-stage lowgod. You have merely advanced to mid-stage lowgod realm recently. You are nothing more than a prey to them,” Eunice ridiculed him disdainfully. Lexis let out a hollow laugh rather embarrassingly. He did not make any retort and seemed afraid of Eunice.
“What?!” that burly man cried out in surprise, ”Even a late-stage lowgod got murdered?!”
“That’s right. Each and every one of you better be very cautious. Don’t be so arrogant to think that you could handle one all by yourself. If you run into any suspicious person, your best choice is to shout at the top of your voice. The divine guards are on heavy patrol and can come to your assistance very quickly,” Eunice replied. After taking a short pause, she added, “But before that, I must make sure that you people are all innocent. If anyone of you is found to be a godhunter, no matter who you are, I will kill you with my own hands!”
After hearing those words, those who knew of Eunice’s identity and strength became completely silent as though they were very afraid of this red-haired woman.
“Miss Eunice, the other team has completed their investigation. We should proceed there now!” a divine guard standing beside Eunice poked a miniature compass-like device on his left wrist and said to her.
“Everyone come with me. If any of you try to leave midway, I will consider the person as a godhunter and they will be killed on the spot. You all better behave yourself!” Eunice waved her hand and lead the party towards the center of Fort Verka. The few suspects including Han Shuo followed behind Eunice without making a noise.
Soon enough, Eunice and the party arrived at the largest practice field in Fort Verka. This practice field was under the management of the House of Croton. It was expansive and contained a complete set of facilities.
After walking into the practice field, Han Shuo discovered that there were around seventy people in this place. A majority of them cultivated in the edict of destruction. Most of those who did not cultivate in the energy of destruction were divine guards under the House of Croton.
“Uncle Barnett, how are things?” upon arrival, Eunice walked to a thin and tall middle-aged man with a face overgrown with a thick beard.
“We haven’t found anything. Truly strange,” Barnett sighed. His eyes glanced back and forth at Han Shuo and the others.
“Let’s test this bunch and see how it goes,” Eunice too softly sighed and replied. She turned to Han Shuo and the others and shouted, “Line up and perform the test one by one. This device can test if the divine energy in your body is pure. Once you have demonstrated that there is no impurity in your divine energy, you may leave!”
The divine energy absorbed from another person did not immediately fuse with the beneficiary’s divine energy; it took a period of time to fully amalgamate. Before that could take place, the person’s divine energy would contain impurities. Han Shuo was aware of this fact. He looked at that miniature energy tower of Barnett’s placed on top of a table and after a moment of sensing, he understood that the device could directly absorb divine energy and indicate its purity.
One after another, the party pressed their hands on the energy tower and injected a strand of their divine energy. Once it received divine energy, the energy tower would glow with faint white light if the divine energy was clean and did not contain any impurities.
The few people that took the test before Han Shuo all passed the test with the energy tower giving off faint white light. When it was Han Shuo’s turn, he proceeded calmly and unhurriedly. With a faint smile on his face, he placed a hand on the energy tower and inserted a strand of his divine energy.
The energy tower which had been glowing with faint white light all along suddenly flickered. The white light also gradually turned gray in color.
Han Shuo was astounded. Before he could explain a thing, Barnett and Eunice simultaneously shouted, “Godhunter!”
Their shouts were ear-piercing in the quiet training field. Every pair of eyes in the training field gathered on Han Shuo in an instant. Barnett and Eunice surrounded Han Shuo in a well-coordinated manner. The divine guards in the distance rapidly gathered towards him as well. Han Shuo suddenly found himself heavily surrounded.
“How did that come about? Didn’t you tell me that all impurities in the avatar of destruction have been removed?” Han Shuo hastily transmitted to Cauldron Spirit to figure out what was going on.
After two seconds, Cauldron Spirit replied, “That avatar of yours definitely does not have any impurities. Your avatar is formed using Demonslayer Edge and the weapon still contains your blood essences. It must be because of the blood essence that the crappy stone would glow.”
Han Shuo immediately came to his senses after hearing Cauldron Spirit’s explanation. That avatar of his was indeed formed from the Demonslayer Edge. The blood essence of a demonic arts cultivator, which the Demonslayer Edge contained, was extremely unique. Therefore, it was to be expected that the energy tower would detect Han Shuo’s divine energy to be impure.
Han Shuo had not anticipated this situation at all and therefore he was so at ease with inserting a strand of his divine energy into the testing device. Who knew that he would end up in such a huge blunder.
After the conversation with Cauldron Spirit, Han Shuo found himself heavily encircled. Barnett and Eunice wore gloomy faces as they stared fixedly at Han Shuo. Barnett proceeded to ask in a cold voice, “How many accomplices do you have? As long as you cooperate with us, I will grant you a more comfortable death.”
“This is a misunderstanding, a big misunderstanding!” Han Shuo forced a smiled and explained. He did not know if he should laugh or cry as he looked at those divine guards that formed a few layers around him.
“The evidence is undeniable. This cannot be a mistake!” Eunice coldly shouted. “For the last few months, there were altogether thirteen destruction edict cultivators killed by having their divine energy drained. The tower has shown that your destruction divine energy is not pure. How could this be a misunderstanding?”
“Kill him! Kill this damned godhunter!”
“Miss Eunice, kill him in the cruelest way possible. It is his bunch who murdered my wife!”
“My brother died to them!”
Everyone in the training field glared furiously at Han Shuo. Some of those people who had lost their family and friends to godhunters were even charging towards Han Shuo with sheer vengeance. If the divine guards were not holding them back, they would have tried to kill Han Shuo.
Han Shuo could sense the fury of all those around him. It was now that he truly recognized why godhunters would always do things surreptitiously and refrain from big cities. He knew that if he doesn’t give a good explanation and exonerate himself immediately, he might not be able to walk out from this training field. Even if he were to escape using demonic arts, with the presence of divine tablets, he wouldn’t need to think about having a foothold on Elysium.
“I can assure you, this is a misunderstanding!” facing the furious crowd, Han Shuo explained with a bitter smile.
“Youngster, you have been exposed and there is nothing to be disputed. If you would like to do it the hard way, I can slowly kill you and extract every little secret from your soul!” Barnett, a midgod cultivating in the energy of death, said as he sneered grimly.
“I’m not a godhunter!” Han Shuo said with a bitter smile.
“Then how do you explain the anomaly on the energy tower?” Eunice was starting to get impatient and seemed like she could strike at any moment.
“I cultivate in two energies and my body contains two types of divine energy. That’s why it gave a false alarm!” Han Shuo hastily explained. Immediately, he transferred the divine energy of his avatar of death to form a domain of divinity around him. Then, after a short while, he turned the domain of divinity from the energy of death to the energy of destruction.
Every last person in the crowd gasped and looked at Han Shuo up and down with strange gazes. Barnett too gestured at his divine guards to disperse.
“I really did not expect that someone could be as foolish as you to simultaneously cultivate in two energies. Not only will you go nowhere with your cultivation, if you slip up, the two energies will clash with each other and you will die in no time,” Eunice said to Han Shuo while looking at him like an idiot. Shortly after, she turned to Barnett and said, “Uncle, someone as dumb as him cannot be a godhunter, right?”
“He’s definitely not one!” Barnett nodded and agreed with Eunice. He then said to Han Shuo, “Alright, you may leave!”
Han Shuo smiled speechlessly. He was prepared to return to his training field and continue to research the Orb of Destruction when he suddenly discovered that Rahman had brought some people over. Just like Han Shuo, those people had previously read that special scroll from his store.