Chapter 53: The Demons’ Conspiracy, a Shocking Outcome

“Hey, kid, I’ve got some bad news for you—something you’ll find interesting!” That day, after recovering from his training, Rod didn’t receive the usual orders from the man in black to continue his pursuit. Instead, he saw the man standing right in front of him, staring at him, before hearing those words.
“What is it?” Rod asked, puzzled, frowning slightly. Bad news? It seemed there was no such thing left for him now!
“No!” Suddenly, as if struck by an idea, he frowned deeply and pressed further, anxious. For him, bad news usually meant something had happened to his brothers. They must have been training outside with Horri during this time. Though he didn’t know what they were doing, it was certain they weren’t in a safe situation—danger was likely, and encountering threats was only natural. So Rod immediately thought of that possibility.
After all, no one else was like him. What he once thought to be an extremely difficult training process had now become dull and unexciting. No danger, no thrills—far from what he had imagined.
“Hehe, kid, I really don’t know if you should be excited or frustrated. Anyway, I’m quite excited. This continent has fallen—into the hands of those demons! It’s not about your brothers; you can rest easy!” The man in black glanced at Rod. With such drastic changes, he wasn’t a fool and surely guessed Rod’s thoughts. But what he said next left Rod even more confused. The demons had outwitted the continent—could something truly serious have happened?
Hearing this, Rod grew even more puzzled.
“Hehe, it seems you can’t guess either. Not just you—probably no one on the entire continent could have predicted such an outcome. Those demons have truly risen now. I wonder what kind of genius exists in their tribe to come up with such a plan.” Ignoring Rod’s words, the man in black stood there, muttering to himself, frowning in apparent confusion.
Knowing that nothing had happened to his brothers and that Nightingale and the others were safe, Rod wasn’t as anxious anymore. But the man in black’s expression and words piqued his intense curiosity. “What exactly happened?” he couldn’t help but ask again.

“Everyone on this continent has been deceived—me, you, everyone, including you! This time, the demons, vampires, werewolves, and their army of monsters have staged a shocking lie for everyone. Do you know? We’ve all been deceived, and badly at that. Iron Bar Town… hehe… will become a laughingstock. It’s the biggest joke now. The demons… I never would’ve thought.” At this moment, the man in black was gesturing wildly in front of Rod, excited like a child, clearly filled with enthusiasm.

“You don’t know, do you? Iron Bar Town is nothing but a cover for the demons. The so-called beast horde is just a decoy they used—everything is a lie, absolutely everything! Only Huaye City is their real goal, their ultimate aim.”

Seeing Rod’s puzzled expression, the man in black decided not to keep him in the dark and began to explain straight away. His excited demeanor was such that saliva flew from his mouth!

Yet, instead of being clearer, his explanation only made Rod’s head feel even more confused—lies, the demons’ astonishing lies, Iron Bar Town being deceived, and now Huaye City… Rod was completely lost and didn’t understand anything.

“What’s going on exactly? Explain clearly!” Realizing this matter must be complicated, Rod quickly grabbed the man in black and asked seriously how it was connected to Huaye City. He knew about Huaye City too—it was a town in the Tarot Kingdom, a small kingdom bordering the Lance Empire. The Tarot Kingdom was weak, located on the edge of the Corinth Forest, and served as an important military stronghold at a strategic crossroads, giving it a very special and significant status. Although many countries coveted it, and the Tarot Kingdom itself was not strong, such a country should have disappeared from the continent. Yet, due to the interests and conflicts among various nations, a balance was maintained, allowing this country to survive to this day.

Though it was on the edge of the Corinth Forest, it was different from Iron Bar Town. Here, peace had reigned for hundreds of years, with no incidents occurring, so people even overlooked its status as a small town on the forest’s edge.

What could possibly happen in such a small country? Huaye City is one of their only three towns, and it’s also the strongest one. If anything goes wrong in Huaye City, then the entire Tarot Kingdom will be in trouble… What exactly happened? Thinking of this, Rod began to worry.

“Tielan Town, do you know? The so-called beast horde is nothing but a deception created by Tielan Town—it’s a lie fabricated by the demons to lure people back to the continent.

This is when the lies start to unravel. The so-called vampires and werewolves—yes, they’ve returned under the control of the demons. But their target isn’t Tielan Town. Why are there so few people from the Dark Race in Tielan Town? Why do they hide whenever they appear? Why do they choose to retreat just as reinforcements arrive?

It’s all part of their scheme. Tielan Town has drawn the attention of almost everyone on the continent, capturing the focus of all the strong warriors, attracting most of the powerful armies to defend it, and gathering a large number of reinforcements—almost exhausting the continent’s resources! This is the scheme. After that, the demons launched their attack. They chose a city on the other side of the Corinth Forest, in the opposite direction of Tielan Town—Huaye City. For a thousand years, it had never faced any threats and was considered the safest town on the edge of the Corinth Forest. Then, without any preparation, they launched a sudden assault, breaking through Huaye City’s defenses in the blink of an eye.

In just one day, they captured three layers of defenses. Now, the entire Tarot Kingdom is completely under their control. It has become a land of darkness and also the first stronghold for the Dark Race to declare their return.

Now, their influence is spreading everywhere. The demons, vampires, and werewolves have shown their immense strength, sweeping through the surrounding areas with terrifying power! It wasn’t until then that people realized they had been deceived. But ahead of the invading army lies the vast army of magical beasts in the Corinth Forest—there’s no time to reach Huaye City. The countries surrounding Huaye City are too weak to even defend themselves, let alone help them. The situation is extremely critical!”

Looking at Rod, the man in black sighed and explained. This time, he had explained things quite clearly. After understanding, Rod stared at the man in black in disbelief. Only after confirming for a long time that he wasn’t lying did Rod fully believe it.

The man in black still seemed excited, panting heavily; even through his mask, one could guess his flushed, excited face. His heavy breathing was audible!
Watching this scene, Rod was secretly surprised—truly a bombshell. This news was completely beyond his expectations. Just as he had said, the demons had indeed told a huge lie, deceiving everyone on the continent.
Yet, as the man in black had said, after hearing this news, he didn’t know whether to be happy or disappointed. It seemed as though, for a moment, he had become an observer, free from any burden.
“What about the continent and the church now?” After pondering for a while, Rod couldn’t help but ask.
“The church is reacting fiercely. The Crusaders were deceived and sent to Iron Bar Town. It’s the first time in a hundred years that the Crusaders have gone on a campaign only to be deceived—of course they’re not happy. So they’re rushing there at full speed, taking shortcuts. The church has invested heavily. Other church priests and officials are also gathering there; it’s said that cardinals and archcardinals have arrived too. The lineup is terrifying!
The continent is also reacting strongly. Several empires have started sending troops on a large-scale campaign, and kingdoms are setting aside their differences to form a defense wall against the demons’ invasion! The continent is more united than ever before!” Thinking of these news reports, the man in black felt an urge to laugh—a bunch of ignorant people who only knew how to make up for things when it was too late. Could such a situation continue? Wouldn’t things change this time? Especially the church, which had always prided itself on being holy warriors and guardians of the continent—now they were being played around and became the biggest joke.
“The demons! It seems they’ve returned!” After hearing all this, Rod lowered his head in thought, then looked up at the man in black, his gaze once again filled with the determination and seriousness he showed during cultivation: “Let’s continue practicing. This matter has nothing to do with us. If they want to fight, let them. We still have our own tasks to do!”
Rod wasn’t unwilling to get involved, but he didn’t have the ability yet. Improving his own strength was the most important thing. He knew how to prioritize, and now he understood why Horie had indicated in the information he gave him that the war couldn’t be resolved within three years.

Perhaps this organization already had information about the demons and knew what might happen, which is why they made such a judgment. The more he thought about it, the more surprised Rod became. Being able to obtain such information was truly astonishing. So who exactly is behind this organization? How can they possess such extraordinary abilities? It leaves one filled with doubt!