Late at night, outside Shadow City.
In the middle of a thicket of carnivorous shrubs, a dark figure suddenly appeared with a thud, landing squarely on a swaying man-eating flower and snapping it in two.
A pungent smell of blood suddenly spread from the dark figure. It seemed to hold an irresistible allure, exciting every carnivorous plant in the thicket.
Tough branches covered in sharp thorns and broad leaves dripping with highly corrosive fluid suddenly sprang into motion, all wrapping around the dark figure. In an instant, the figure disappeared beneath layer after layer of entangled branches and leaves, which enclosed it in a human shape.
The night was cool, and time passed in silence...
The carnivorous plants wrapped around the dark figure writhed and tore frantically, tightening their grip as though they meant to strangle, grind up, and devour the creature inside...
Crack, crack... Strange sounds came from the center of the human-shaped mass. The tough branches that had been tightening their grip gradually went limp, then withdrew even faster.
Crack, crack... With those sounds, the slower branches, leaves, and flower roots suddenly shattered, scattering fragments all over the ground.
Slowly, Han Shuo moved his limbs. Every bit of strength took ten times the effort to exert, and even his eyelids seemed many times heavier. Merely keeping his eyes open had become extraordinarily difficult.
He finally managed to sit cross-legged where he was and recover a little strength. With a thought, both External Incarnations flew out of his body, taking positions on either side and watching their surroundings warily.
Rather than returning to Shadow City immediately, the two External Incarnations carried his main body into the many mountain ranges outside the city and found a secluded underground cave. After carefully concealing every trace, they made further arrangements outside