Han Shuo and Han Hao didn't stay too long in the ruins of Pandemonium. Too much had happened here, and they didn't know if the Godhunter Alliance was still on the outskirts, or how Wasir, Salas and the other members of the House of Han were faring.
Their first priority was to get a clear picture of the current status quo, starting with locating Sangius, Bollands, Phoebe and the others and ensuring their safety. They would also need to go to Omphalos to scout it out and find out what the circumstances were behind Tyre's disappearance. Finally, Pandemonium would have to be rebuilt to accommodate the Ninth Realm's mystical Yin Harvester. There were too many tasks to attend to, so he had no time to waste here.
Even though Han Hao now had his own Quintessence, he still couldn't use it to its full potential. Still, it should be more than enough to deal with the likes of Overgods like Tyre and Logue. So Han Shuo sent Han Hao back to his base near the mountains where Dhaka, Asser and Dagmar had lost many of their men to gather some of his godhunter subordinates before going after Logue and Tyre. He was also asked to look out for the other Hegemons who had just left.
Han Hao was now full of confidence; his acquisition of a Quintessence had made him one of the most powerful beings on Elysium. He quickly left through the underground tunnels after Han Shuo gave him the order.
Han Shuo then expanded his consciousness to contact the Five Elite Zombies before heading in the opposite direction. Now that his realm state was in the Diablo Realm, his consciousness could spread out boundlessly like the sea, allowing him to clearly perceive anything and everything within it's vast reach. By magnifying the signals between the five elite zombies, he could easily locate them.
Han Shuo suddenly realised that his consciousness had completely changed due to his elevated realm state. It was as if he could vaguely sense the souls of every single living being in the fringe. The more powerful the life form, the more clearly he could discern its telltale life aura.
Gradually, as he focused his senses, he began to pick out many familiar signals, including those of Tyre, Logue, as well as Wasir, Salas and so on. He smiled at this new mastery he had acquired. His new realm state hadn't quite stabilised yet, but he'd already had a taste of how powerful the Diablo realm was, and it would only get better from there. It was as if he could see through everything now.
He decided to consolidate his men first, starting with Wasir and Salas, who were closest to him. He immediately flew towards them at a speed almost undetectable to the naked eye. Soon he reached a cold pool. "Come out, Salas, Wasir," he called to the crack in the cliff.
The two of them were worried that Han Shuo wouldn't be able to escape the grasp of Judas and the others. As soon as they heard his voice, they burrowed out of the crevice with joy.
"Are you all right, Bryan?" Salas seemed genuinely glad to see him.
Wasir, on the other hand, didn't say much, just looked at him as if to see if he was hurt in any way.
Seeing these two again made Han Shuo feel a little strange. When he first came to the Fringe, these two had been the most hostile to him. He also had an unfortunate grudge against them and had almost killed them.
However, they had become some of his closest allies. They were proud and had a bad temper, but they were honest people, unlike the shallow traitors like Ossora, Logue and Tyre.
"Haha, I'm fine. However, the threat still looms over the Fringe. The Godhunter Alliance hasn't left yet. We need to find the rest of my house first. Once we've reassured them, we'll go to Omphalos together. I have a feeling that Logue and Tyre are there now with the last of their forces. It seems they're up to something."
"We'll follow your plan then!" Salas said casually, "After the last battle, I'm convinced. Only someone like you can inspire my confidence, not Logue or Tyre."
Wasir didn't say what was on his mind like Salas, but he gave a silent nod, agreeing with what Salas had said. Even if they didn't officially pledge their allegiance to Han Shuo, it was still a sign that Han Shuo would replace Logue and Tyre as the ultimate ruler of the Fringe.
...
Omphalos had lost much of its former splendour. Not only had the rulers left, but many of the businesses there had closed down. All that remained were people who didn't belong anywhere else.
Everyone knew that a terrible battle was about to break out in the Fringe. Not only did the Godhunter Alliance have the advantage of sheer numbers, but they also had many elites. Even the merchants who feared the power of the Sovereigns weren't too confident that the Sovereigns could resist the Godhunter Alliance's invasion.
Back then, their safety in Omphalos was all but guaranteed, but now things were very different. Word from the Fringe was that the Godhunter Alliance had the upper hand, and the people of Omphalos feared for their safety. If they weren't fugitives from the Divine Dominions, they would have left Omphalos long ago. Most of the shops had already closed, leaving only the Celestial Pearl Pharmacy.
These days, the Celestial Pearl Pharmacy had become an important source of information for the Poison Brewers about the remnants of Omphalos.
Akley had been left in charge of Celestial Pearl Pharmacy. He was the first person Han Shuo had met when he first set foot in Elysium. Back then, Akley's mastery of the energy of destruction was at the Lowgod stage. He had grown a lot since then, thanks to the many divine essences he, Han Shuo and the House of Han had obtained. He was now an Early-stage Highgod.
At first, Han Shuo hadn't wanted to leave Akley in such a dangerous place as Omphalos, but he had said himself that being in constant danger had helped to refine his state in the Edict of Destruction, with the constant fear and threat of destruction that loomed over Omphalos. He had insisted on being allowed to remain in the Celestial Pearl apothecary.
"Tell all the poison brewers to join the House of Han. We can see them safely through these troubled times," Akley told an old man as he leaned lazily in his beast-skin chair, popping one shiny grape after another into his mouth.
"Lord Akley, the others are all nervous. Strangers are showing up in Omphalos a lot these days, and it seems like the Godhunter Alliance will be here any minute. It's not just them, even I'm afraid. Don't you think we should at least lay low for now, Lord?" The old man wiped nervous sweat from his face.
He was just a pharmacist Han Shuo had hired from Ethereal City, so fighting was not his forte. With things the way they were now, everyone could see that it wasn't safe in Omphalos, and those who could had already evacuated Omphalos. Only Akley seemed to remain there, like a fool who didn't understand the true extent of the Godhunter Alliance's threat.
"Scared my ass!" Akley spat out the last grape seed and said, "Tell the poison brewers that Bryan of the House of Han promised them they would be kept safe as long as they worked for Celestial Pearl Pharmacy!"
"How are we going to assure them of their safety?" The old man must have thought Akley was mad.
Akley huffed and said, "The Godhunter Alliance suffered heavy losses in Pandemonium, so the Hegemons all fled in a hurry. I don't think they have much time left. The days of Logue and Tyre are long gone. From now on, the entire Fringe belongs to the House of Han!"
"You can't be serious!" The old man couldn't believe what he was hearing. Today, as far as he knew, Akley was feasting and drinking himself into the sky. It didn't help that his words sounded like the ravings of a madman.
"Fool! Don't you know that every member of the House of Han has a spatial mirror?" He rolled his eyes, got out of his chair and walked outside, muttering, "This is a chance you can use to convince those guys. After the danger is over, it'll be hard to get any concessions out of them..."