Chapter 943 - Thrown the First Punch
Faced with An Yunian’s threats, Su Lan showed no sign of hesitation or willingness to compromise. “If the Dark Faction’s future is in your hands, then I’d rather leave it altogether. From this day forward, I’ll have nothing to do with the Dark Faction ever again!”
An Yunian was so furious that veins bulged across his forehead. “Fine. Since you’ve chosen to leave the Dark Faction, there’s no place for you here anymore. When you’re out there getting torn apart by wild beasts or tortured by the Light Faction, don’t regret this decision!”
“I won’t!” Su Lan declared.
An Yunian immediately moved to expel her from the shadow space.
At that moment, more than a dozen members of the Dark Faction stepped forward to intervene, pleading on Su Lan’s behalf.
“Young Master An, you can’t just abandon Su Lan on Paradise Island like this. She has contributed so much to the Dark Faction. Even if she has chosen to leave, the least we can do is bring her out of here safely.”
“Young Lord, the Goddess of Enchantment is speaking out of grief over the God King of Darkness’ death. If you throw her out now, it’s no different from killing her.”
“An Yunian, if you insist on kicking Su Lan out, then I’m leaving too!”
Instead of making him reconsider, their pleas only fueled his killing intent. “How wonderful. You really are the elite my father cultivated. His corpse isn’t even cold yet, and you’re already defying my orders to defend some woman who’s screaming about leaving the faction. My Dark Faction has no need for traitors like you!”
With a single thought, An Yunian expelled Su Lan and every member who had spoken up for her from the shadow space.
Han Wu had been sprinting at breakneck speed when several figures suddenly tumbled out of his shadow. Among them was his mentor’s wife, Su Lan. He slammed on the brakes and stopped. Jia Gui, who had been slung over his shoulder, flew five meters from the abrupt stop.
Han Wu ignored Jia Gui and turned to Su Lan. “What happened?”
An Yunian poked his head out of Han Wu’s shadow and answered instead. “Don’t worry about it, Brother Han Wu. These people left the Dark Faction on their own. No need to concern yourself with whether they live or die. Let’s keep moving.”
Han Wu frowned, dismissed An Yunian’s words entirely, and approached Su Lan. “Ma’am, what’s going on?”
Su Lan glared at An Yunian’s head protruding from Han Wu’s shadow. “We left the Dark Faction, so we were kicked out of the shadow space.”
“See, Brother Han Wu? She admitted it herself. They’re no longer Dark Faction members. You really don’t need to bother with them. Just get us safely off Paradise Island,” An Yunian said confidently. “As the future Darkness God King, I will never forget what you’ve done for the Dark Faction.”
Han Wu turned back toward An Yunian and flashed a bright, cheerful grin. “The future God King of Darkness, huh? Kiss my ass!”
Han Wu stomped down hard on his own shadow, and the shadow space attached to it shattered on impact. An Yunian and the rest of the Dark Faction members were forced out of the shadows and into the open.
An Yunian was mortified. “Brother Han Wu, what is the meaning of this?”
“Who are you calling brother? Who’s your brother? Who am I to call myself a brother to the future God King of Darkness? Give me a break,” Han Wu said.
“Han Wu, I’d advise you not to burn any bridges. The Dark Faction may have lost this battle, but it’s still ten times the size of the Wisdom Faction. I’m giving you a chance to help the Dark Faction here. Don’t push your luck!” An Yunian’s voice was menacing, as though refusing to help them would be Han Wu’s greatest loss.
Han Wu scoffed and turned back to Su Lan. “Ma’am, let me get you off Paradise Island first.”
Su Lan felt a surge of satisfaction as Han Wu stood up for her. She finally understood why Xu Hai valued him so highly. He spoke well, acted with integrity, and even she, his Ma’am, had been won over.
“Han Wu, is there any way you can bring all of us out together?” Su Lan asked.
The dozen or so people behind her had been expelled from the shadow space precisely because they had spoken up for her. She couldn’t be as heartless as An Yunian.
Those former Dark Faction members were deeply moved. They all felt that they had made the right choice. Following Su Lan was far better than following An Yunian.
Before Han Wu could respond, An Yunian mocked them from a distance. “You idiots, you’re counting on him to get you out? Does he even have the ability? With his strength, he’ll only be able to take Su Lan. The more people he brings, the greater the chance of being spotted. Dragging along a bunch of dead weight is a death sentence. Don’t look at me like that. I’m telling you the truth. You guys are gullible idiots!”
An Yunian’s taunts drew Han Wu’s attention. Since An Yunian had already thrown the first punch, Han Wu saw no reason to hold back.
“Is your stupidity hereditary, or did you develop it yourself? When the God King of Darkness decided to have kids, did he throw away the baby and raise the placenta instead?” Han Wu jeered.
“Han Wu, I’d advise you to show me some respect. I am the future God King of Darkness!” An Yunian shouted.
Han Wu shook his head. “If you become the God King of Darkness, the Dark Faction will never see the light of day.”
An Yunian was livid, but he quickly composed himself. “I see. You’re just jealous of me. Jealous that I’m better than you. Even without your help, I can use my Shade Jurisdiction to bring every member off Paradise Island. Can you do the same?”
That remark unsettled the former Dark Faction members behind Su Lan. Very few abilities could open pocket spaces under a spatial lockdown. Now that their relationship with An Yunian had completely fallen apart, asking him for help was out of the question. Escaping Paradise Island on their own strength alone was nothing more than a pipe dream. They were truly screwed.
Han Wu let out a snort of laughter.
“What are you laughing at? Stop laughing!” An Yunian barked, certain that Han Wu was mocking him.
“It’s just a shadow space. What’s the big deal?” Han Wu replied.
Su Lan’s eyes widened. “Han Wu, do you have the Shade Jurisdiction too?”
Han Wu shook his head. “No.”
Su Lan’s expression fell. If Han Wu didn’t have the Shade Jurisdiction, what was he talking about?
“What I do have is an ability that can copy the Shade Jurisdiction’s effects.” Han Wu muttered as he activated Replicate.
His aura shifted immediately, becoming strikingly similar to An Yunian’s. When An Yunian had attached his shadow to Han Wu’s, he had already fulfilled the contact requirement for Replicate. As a precaution, Han Wu had copied An Yunian’s Jurisdiction. Still, he hadn’t expected to need it so soon.
“See? Shade Jurisdiction. I’ve got it now.” As he spoke, his shadow expanded rapidly and engulfed Su Lan and the former Dark Faction members. One by one, they sank into the darkness.
An Yunian stared in shock. It took him a long moment to recover before he pointed at Han Wu and demanded, “How do you have the Shade Jurisdiction? That’s my Jurisdiction!”
Han Wu scoffed and dropped into a sprinter’s stance. Jia Gui dusted himself off, hopped onto Han Wu’s shoulder without needing to be told, and resumed his role as a portable Concealment charm.
“I wish your Dark Faction all the best,” Han Wu said, glancing back at An Yunian. “Assuming you make it off Paradise Island alive.”
He shot forward like an arrow toward the outer perimeter.
As Han Wu disappeared, the native creatures caught the scent of An Yunian and the other weakened members and came swarming in.
An Yunian had no choice but to gather what remained of the Dark Faction and flee, though they moved at a painfully slow pace compared to Han Wu.