After examining Han Hao for several dozen seconds, the mysterious and handsome man shook his head in disappointment, let out a soft sigh and muttered to himself, "Not this one either...". He turned and disappeared into a cloud of dust.
Soon Tyre, Wasir, Logue and Ossora returned to the Omphalos. As Han Hao had expected, they failed to capture Dagmar.
Once Dagmar had flown out of the Omphalos, there were no boundary or energy towers to stop him using a Portal Scroll. By the time the four Sovereigns found Dagmar, he had already passed through the space-time tunnel and the space-time rift was beginning to reassemble.
The four were a little late and could only watch as Dagmar escaped. Nevertheless, Dagmar had paid a heavy price for his reckless intrusion into the Omphalos. The divine bodies of nearly all of his most elite Highgods had been destroyed, and he had suffered injuries after Wasir's frigid aura had entered his body.
After this incident, Dagmar's power and strength had greatly diminished. It could even be said that Dagmar would no longer be much of a threat to the Sovereigns in the coming war for the Fringe. Dagmar suffered the consequences he deserved for his irrational and foolish actions.
By the time the four Sovereigns returned to Han Hao, Nestor, the Overgod of Death, had left the area in disappointment. They did not know that Nestor had visited Han Hao in their absence.
Whatever the grudge between them, as rulers it was only right that they should visit the Fringedweller, the victim of an attack by an outsider within the Omphalos.
"Han Hao, are you all right?" asked Ossora. He looked very worried.
"I'm fine. Did you get Dagmar?" Although it was obvious from their dejected expressions that they had failed, Han Hao knew enough about social norms to ask the obvious.
Ossora grimaced and shook his head before he sighed and said, "Dagmar is so ruthless that he would sacrifice the bodies of his followers. The corpse explosion used on several of the Highgod's Divine Bodies was powerful enough to cause a crack in the barrier around Omphalos, allowing him to escape. Otherwise, we would have surrounded him, and he definitely wouldn't be alive now!
"Oh, what a shame. If only some of you had arrived sooner..." Han Hao said as he looked at Tyre and Logue. He then said to Ossora, "But anyway, a very strange fellow came to me just now. He examined me thoroughly with his soul before he left, shaking his head. I wonder who he is..."
Tyre and Logue's faces jerked at the same time and they exchanged glances. Logue then smiled mischievously and asked Han Hao, "A guy probes you with his soul but leaves without a scratch? That is very strange indeed! I'm very surprised to hear that. Since when did you become a pacifist?"
Wasir and Ossora turned their attention to Han Hao. They were also very interested in the matter.
"Well, I have no idea who this guy is, but I can be sure that his command of Death Energy surpasses even yours," Han Hao looked at Logue with an emotionless face as he calmly said, "I know that I have no way to resist such a powerful entity, and thus silent cooperation is my only option. Hmm, I've heard that Lord Logue has also been visited by a very powerful stranger. I could not be sure of the merits of rumours, but it sounded as if Lord Logue was much more... cooperative than I was?"
Logue's face turned rather dark after hearing Han Hao's comeback. He let out a cold groan but made no reply. Logue knew from Han Hao's words that the mysterious visitor was the Overgod of Death. Since he hadn't been told by Tyre that Han Hao possessed the Quintessence Shard, he wasn't too surprised that Han Hao had survived the visit.
Wasir and Ossora also had no suspicions. They were just surprised that the Overgod of Death was so powerful that he could learn of Han Hao's appearance in the Omphalos so quickly.
Only Tyre had a pensive look on his face. He looked deeply at Han Hao, as if he wanted to see everything in Han Hao's body and soul.
Why? Why didn't he kill Han Hao? Could it be that Elder Brother was wrong? How is that possible? Tyre was very shocked and confused. He thought that Han Hao would be slaughtered when the Overgod of Death visited him and found the Quintessence Shard on him.
"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave," Han Hao said, no longer pretending to be polite to the Sovereigns after getting the information he wanted from Tyre and Logue. He stood up and instructed Polo, "Let's go.
Han Hao then left the scene. Before he left, he took a furtive look at the ice-cold Wasir.
"Let's disperse. If Dagmar dared to invade the Omphalos on his own, it must mean that the Godhunter Alliance will attack very soon. Time to return to our bases and stand by for the invasion," Tyre said before taking his leave as well.
***
As soon as Han Hao left the region, he and his gang went to the House of Han Sovereign Shop, pretending to buy Celestial Pearl's medicine, but actually using Han Shuo's secret chamber.
Han Shuo and Han Hao had kept their relationship so secret that even the ordinary servants of the House of Han had no idea about it. The manager of this Celestial Pearl branch, however, was aware of the secret. After politely ushering Han Hao into the secret chamber, he dismissed himself and instructed their private security to watch out for intruders.
Han Hao had chosen this secret chamber, where Han Shuo usually cultivated when in the Omphalos, because it was protected by unique formations and matrices. Once inside, he would have no fear of being spied upon or disturbed.
After sitting on the bed with his legs crossed, Han Hao gradually opened his soul while hiding the aura on his body.
At that moment, his main body, far away in the Destiny Dominion, was also sitting cross-legged. His eyes suddenly opened and shone, with strings of tiny inscriptions flashing through his pupils. A bizarre energy began to emanate from his body, affecting the Death Element in the area...
Nestor, the Overod of Death, had not yet left the Omphalos. His head was lowered as he racked his brain, wondering if he had missed something. Then his eyes suddenly lit up and he stared in the direction of the Destiny Dominion.
Han Hao was the last person on his list. When Nestor did not find a Quintessence Shard on Han Hao, he was incomparably disappointed. He even began to doubt his investigative skills. He couldn't understand why he had come up empty, even though he had examined every energy of the death experts in the Fringe.
The sudden activation of the Quintessence Shard in the Destiny Dominion had startled Nestor. His eyes glistened as he muttered to himself, "So it turns out that guy left the Fringe... Yes, of course he would... How would he have the guts to stay here if he felt I'm nearby?"
Nestor started to leave immediately. With a thought, he soared into the sky and disappeared. The dome above the Omphalos had not the slightest effect on him.
"Finally!" Tyre and Logue looked at the sky and let out a collective sigh.
The domed boundary above the Omphalos was deployed by the two Sovereigns together. The ground boundary was deployed by Ossora, while Wasir applied his frigid energy to the city walls. As the Overgod of Death pierced the dome boundary, Tyre and Logue, who had deployed it, sensed something. They could tell that Nestor was gone, even without seeing him.
For characters like Tyre and Logue, who were used to controlling the lives of others, it was very uncomfortable to have an even more powerful being who could end their lives at a moment's notice anywhere near them. They desperately hoped that the Overgod of Death would leave the Land of Chaos and never return.
Tyre took a deep breath and calmed himself. Then he left the Omphalos and returned to the same volcano, dialled his brother Dhaka and told him what had just happened.
"Got it. Dagmar has just returned. He also said that he found no aura from the Quintessence Shard on Han Hao. This is very strange. I wonder what he did with the shard," Dhaka remarked, also surprised and confused. He couldn't figure out what was going on, since logically, anyone who obtained a Quintessence Shard should keep it in their possession and never part with it.
"Forget it, let's stop worrying about Han Hao," Dhaka asked with a knitted brow, "Are you sure the Overgod has left?"
"He should have. He had examined every expert in the fringe and I don't think he had any more reasons to stay in the fringe. And based on my senses, I can vaguely tell that He went in the direction of the Destiny Dominion. Perhaps he will seek the advice of the Goddess of Destiny," Tyre replied after a moment's thought.
"Very well," Dhaka nodded before giving a cold grin and saying, "Then we can begin our operation. You should prepare yourself. Tomorrow will be the day when we, the Godhunter Alliance, officially invade the Fringe. You will face the Hegemons of Wind and Lightning. They are the weakest of us all, so don't worry too much. As for Bryan, he will face me, Dagmar, Asser and Salas. I will raze his Pandemonium to the ground!"
"Haha, after this war, we brothers will be the most influential and powerful existences after the Twelve Overgods!" said Tyre with a maniacal laugh.
***
Over in the Destiny Dominion, Han Hao, who had deliberately released the energy of the shard, sensed that Nestor was rushing towards him from the fringe. He grinned and thought, "So what if you're the Overgod? You get fooled just the same! From now on, I just have to be careful, and you will never know that I have the Shard. And once I have fused the Shard's energy with demonic arts, I will take the Quintessence from you!
Sensing that Nestor was on his way, Han Hao once again concealed his aura. He slowly got to his feet, ready to take a detour back to the Fringe.
At that moment, a petite figure suddenly appeared in front of Han Hao. She stared at Han Hao with an astonished face and asked, "Is it you who just released that energy?"
Han Hao was startled and his face quickly turned cold. He looked around cautiously before asking, "Who are you?"
Han Hao had sensed a very unique soul undulation coming from the little girl. Her soul was much more powerful than even Late-stage Highgod like Polo. Han Hao also sensed that she was no ordinary life form. This made Han Hao feel threatened.
"I am Andrina. This is Destiny Dominion - my home!" Andrina's eyebrows furrowed slightly as she assessed Han Hao. They suddenly turned into a frown and she asked in a cold voice, "I feel the aura of a Godhunter on you. You are a Godhunter, aren't you?"
"Indeed I am. What are you going to do about it?" Han Hao pulled out his bone spear and held it in his hand. He took an alert stance.
"That's all I need to know," Andrina said with an ice-cold face. Her hand suddenly glowed with the glorious radiance of crystals and she struck at Han Hao.
Han Hao was quite surprised that he couldn't sense any of the Twelve Basic Powers on Andrina. The glowing radiance in her fist contained only the purest power of energy crystals, as if her fist was a blast of energy coming from an oversized energy crystal cannon. It was not only terrifying, but also very agile.
Han Hao did not know who Andrina was and had no idea that she and his father were close friends. Andrina didn't even know that Han Shuo had children. Han Hao considered Andrina a formidable opponent whenever she launched an attack.
With a wave of his bone spear, the elements of death drawn to the area by the Quintessence Shard were energised. The Boundaries of Weakness, Fear, and Aging that enveloped the entire region were instantly formed.
At the same time, a thin greyish film formed in front of Han Hao. Tiny streams of the Energy of Death gently circulated on it.
"Oh?" Andrina exclaimed in surprise. She had not expected Han Hao's power to be so powerful. He was far more powerful than almost any Godhunter expert she had met.
Andrina immediately unleashed her full power. The glowing radiance on her hand turned into matter. A large energy crystal formed, with a glowing spheroid embedded in its centre. It emitted searing rays as if it were the core of a star containing almost infinite energy.
The Goddess of Destiny had taken good care of Andrine. Her strength had increased considerably since she had been brought home from the Darkness Dominion.
The shield that Han Hao had formed with the energy of death was defeated by Andrine's full attack. She tore a huge hole in Han Hao's shield. The energy crystal that had been consolidated from the radiances was propelled by its core. It spun and rolled towards Han Hao with an enormous power.
The boundaries of Weakness, Fear and Aging had no effect on a life form as unique as Andrina!