Without Cecilia and the others weighing him down, Han Shuo sped deeper into Talaga Gorge. Along the way, more and more herds of magical beasts swarmed past, with high-level beasts now visible everywhere.
But once Han Shuo reached the area where the Xuan Demon had stopped, not a single magical beast remained in sight. That region, where he could sense no magic elements at all, had an eerie air that made everything feel profoundly wrong.
Surveying his surroundings, Han Shuo saw thousands upon thousands of magical beast footprints, but little else of use. The powerful presences his divine sense had detected inside earlier told him that those within possessed enough strength to threaten his life.
Still, with no one beside him to hold him back, Han Shuo believed that, given his current strength, even if he could not deal with those inside, escaping unharmed should not be too difficult as long as they did not surround him. It was precisely this confidence that gave him the courage to venture in alone.
He did not linger outside for long. The strange force that had kept the Xuan Demon out had little effect on an expert of Han Shuo's caliber. With a flicker of movement, he easily passed through the liquid-like barrier and continued deeper, guided by his divine sense.
Not long after Han Shuo entered, National Preceptor Stassom of the Verdun Dynasty arrived at the spot where he had stood. Old Monster Stassom had muttered all along the way, saying who knew what nonsense, and only stopped when he reached the place Han Shuo had just occupied.
With a soft "Hm?" the old monster clearly noticed the force barring ordinary people. He waved a hand, then lightly pressed his elegant left hand against empty air and pushed it aside as though