Super Gene

Brother Fist and Fang Jingqi insisted on providing Han Sen a share of the shelter’s future income. After a contract was signed, the terms were for them to pay out a lump sum at the end of each year.

Han Sen remained at the shelter for one night, but rejected Brother Fist and Fang Jingqi’s request that he stay for longer. Upon leaving, he returned to the Goddess Shelter.

Aside from Prince Steel, Han Sen had also managed to obtain the giant snake’s beast soul. It was a sacred-blood class Metal-Bone Snake beast soul that took on the shape of a spear. It was a decent weapon.

Of course, Han Sen had no use for sacred-blood beast souls anymore, and so he decided on selling it or at least trading it sometime down the line, if an alluring proposition or item caught his interest.

Han Sen rode his Golden Growler across the Icefield. In his hands, a blue metal bell rested.

This was the Death Knell’s beast soul, and it was a pet beast soul. When Han Sen held it in his hand, it looked like a toy bell. Seeing it there now, no one would ever comprehend what it must have been like to witness such a thing killing the blood-centipede in the manner that it did.

When Han Sen first got this pet, he wondered how he would feed it. He didn’t think it could consume meat.

After conquering the shelter, Han Sen tried to drip the blood of sacred-blood creatures onto the bell. The results seemed a success, as the blood was absorbed by the bell, which soon after started to glow.

That was when Han Sen realized the bell drank blood.

But it didn’t drink any-old blood. It only seemed to react to blood from sacred-blood creatures. Similar to the little angel, it was a picky eater.

Han Sen wondered if, like with the little angel, sacred-blood blood would not be enough to compel its evolution. He thought it would most likely require super-creature blood to evolve into a battle mode pet.

"If this guy evolves into battle mode, could it be as scary as the original Death Knell?" Han Sen’s heart was hopeful at the thought.

For Han Sen, felling super creatures was no longer an impossible feat. Therefore, attempting to evolve the Death Knell through the method he theorized wouldn’t be an all-too difficult task.

On his return to the Icefield, Han Sen ran into Wang Yuhang. Or rather, Wang Yuhang caught sight of Han Sen and then ran up to him.

"Bossman, might you kindly sell me the Life Geno essence?" Wang Yuhang asked, with a look of hope.

The monster that guarded the blood spring was slain by Princess Yin Yang after Wang Yuhang drew it away. No body was left behind, only a Life Geno essence.

"Sure. You still haven’t cashed in your thirty percent from before, and after the latest hunt, you are owed an additional twenty percent. It’s yours, if you can cough up the other fifty percent of what it costs. But you must also keep the item a secret. You cannot tell anyone that you practically stole it from the Zhao family. If they were to learn we stole their super creature, I can’t imagine they’d do anything kind to us," Han Sen said.

"I understand. I will tell the tale that this Life Geno essence belonged to a creature we both found and fought together. I will tell this to my family, as well. Aside from you and I, nobody else can possibly know," Wang Yuhang said, with a voice coated in excitement.

Han Sen rolled his eyes. Zero was present, and she was most certainly aware of which creature had dropped the Life Geno essence. He seemed to have forgotten about her existence.

But regardless, Han Sen believed he wouldn’t admit the truth to anyone. His own hide would be on the line if he did, not to mention his possession of a Life Geno essence taken from the Zhao family would hurt his own family, if the truth were ever revealed.

That was not to suggest Han Sen was afraid of the Zhao family.

Han Sen looked for Huangfu Ping Qing for assistance and brought a map of the Second God’s Sanctuary with him. The shelter was enormous, and even with the powers of the Ares Martial Hall, it was difficult to compose such a map. There were a few hundred thousand miles of uncharted regions, as well.

Many known places were marked as danger zones, and lengthy journeys were only made longer due to the detours travelers had to make to avoid such treacherous places. These alternate routes often tripled the length of a journey. But unfortunately, there were many places that could not be avoided at all.

The Ares Martial Hall paid hefty prices of blood for the cartography of such areas. Few people returned from exploratory ventures of such places, and once mapped, no one ever dared return.

When the cartographers spied the presence of a super spirit shelter, they would creep past them as best they could. They were wretchedly dangerous places for even elites to venture, and ordinary travelers and evolvers could never hope to traverse the danger-fraught terrain that encompassed super spirit shelters.

Han Sen was more accomplished, of course, but even he would have to exercise caution when traveling across super spirit regions. At least with super creatures, there was every chance he could either kill or evade them.

The closest danger zone to the Icefield, where no one was advised to visit, was called the Black Desert. This place was unavoidable, and it had earned an association with certain death. The weather there was terrible, and it was populated with countless horrible monsters.

The only way to avoid venturing through the Black Desert was a detour that would take six months to traverse. But even then, the alternate route would require the evasion of one spirit shelter. In many ways, this alternate route was more dangerous than the Black Desert itself.

Han Sen was making preparations to travel across the Black Desert, as it would be too much trouble for him to take the detour. Cutting directly across would be much safer for him, and he wouldn’t have too much trouble if there weren’t any super spirits about.

It would be a long time before he reached another human shelter, however. It was for this reason that he told Ji Yanran he would be absent for a long time.

The presidential election was over, and Ji Ruozhen had become president of the Alliance. Even Ji Yanran was now busy, following it.

Han Sen spoke with her for some time, but she was too busy to talk for long. Messages constantly popped up, requiring her attention, and there was much paperwork to be done.

Han Sen sat down with a cup of tea to watch Ji Yanran work. When he did this, he noticed he had never done it before. He had never sat down and simply watched her work.

Although Ji Yanran was not very talented when it came to the arts of combat, that did not imply she wasn’t talented, at all. She was talented in many different aspects.

In fact, Ji Yanran was quite remarkable. She was very good at handling things and was not far off having all the traits of a fantastic leader. Great fighting skills were the only thing she lacked.

Watching her work busily, he thought having a future comprised solely of him drinking tea and watching her work, would not be an ill fate.

While Ji Yanran was working, she was attractive in a different way. She was not just a pretty woman, or a lover that was weak and reliant on her man; she had a strong self-given, self-borne momentum that drove her.

"Why are you watching me like that?" Ji Yanran enquired, noticing Han Sen’s curious stare.

"It’s good to have you near me." Han Sen walked in front of Ji Yanran and gave her a deep kiss on her forehead.

Ji Yanran’s cheeks blushed, and she responded by asking, "What makes you say that, all of a sudden?"

"It is merely because of how I feel. I feel this way, and so, I am inclined to say it." Han Sen pinched Ji Yanran’s nose and then continued by saying, "How much more work?"

"I have been tasked with the depletion of an inexhaustible well of work, it would seem. I have worked until midnight every night. If you are tired, you should return first," Ji Yanran said.

"It’s fine. You continue how you are; I will sit here in the meantime. I will return when I am tired." Han Sen reclined on the chair with his cup of tea and resumed his observation of her work. He was feeling quite relaxed.

After a while, the red color in Ji Yanran’s face had yet to subside. She chased Han Sen out and said, "I can’t work when you look at me like that."