Chapter 142: Counter-Encirclement

Pfft… After a fierce collision, Rod felt a tightness in his chest and spat out more blood. His internal organs seemed to be burning, causing intense pain. His face had turned pale.
Before he could catch his breath, another middle-aged man charged at him from the left. His long sword, accompanied by a terrifying sword energy, swept down with overwhelming force, its long trail of energy resembling a waterfall that blocked all of Rod’s escape routes.
With enemies ahead and pursuers behind, plus his own injuries, Rod was now in a desperate situation with no way out.
“I’ll use you all as practice for my sword today!” Rod roared in defiance as he found himself in a corner.
His hair fluttered in the wind, and under the dim light of dawn, he appeared eerily demonic.
With a shake of his wrist, the Dark Dragon seemed to sense Rod’s final struggle. With a loud howl, it seemed to be inspired by Rod’s fighting spirit, emitting a terrifying evil aura that instantly enveloped the entire Ming Lake. The accumulated killing intent and evil energy over thousands of years burst forth with immense power.
The sky suddenly darkened, and everyone experienced a brief blind spot as their vision went dark. The sudden surge of power caused the attackers to change expressions, showing shock.
The terrifying killing aura was awe-inspiring. It seemed as if a giant black skull appeared above the Ming Lake, its mouth wide open, ready to devour everything.
At that moment, the attackers who were charging at Rod hesitated for a split second. Seizing this chance, Rod smirked eerily, giving off a bloodthirsty vibe.
In the next instant, the Dark Dragon in his hand suddenly moved, creating a long shadow that formed a massive barrier around him.
Gusts of cold wind blew, and his steps seemed unstable, but in that brief moment, he managed to dodge their attacks. The Dark Dragon emitted a deep humming sound, as if roaring to claim every life around it!
Three thousand drops of blood were needed to cultivate such power—now that he was so close, how could he give up any chance?
The sword swung down toward his forehead. The sword energy had already torn a small cut in his skin, and blood flowed down, staining his face red—fierce and eerie!

It was both early and late—in the blink of an eye, Rod let out a fierce roar, took seven steps forward in one go, using the posture of stepping on the Big Dipper, shook his wrist, and let out a long howl. He left all defensive duties to the now-embarrassed Fen Tian and focused all his energy on the enemies ahead.

Those seven steps were taken in an instant, with successive crisp collision sounds. After seven steps, all of his attacks were deflected, and in that moment, he moved like a ghost behind that mid-stage quasi-divine warrior. Shaking his wrist, he swung the Dark Dragon from bottom to top. With a soft sound, under everyone’s astonished gaze, the Dark Dragon pierced the warrior’s body, emerging with blood flowing through it.

He quickly pulled it back, took three more steps as if shortening distance, and in an instant was beside another person. Holding the Dark Dragon sideways, he swung it like a scythe, causing blood to spray everywhere. Before the victim could even scream, another life was lost, falling into Ming Lake.

By taking out two lives in a row, Rod created a breakthrough. Not wanting to engage further, although he had killed five, there were still eight enemies lurking around, putting him in a precarious situation. Retreating was the best choice.

With a flash, his figure swelled as he reached his maximum speed. Like lightning, he streaked across the sky, moving nimbly through the forest, leaping repeatedly, seemingly about to disappear at the end of the woods!

“Chase him! We can’t let him get away!” Out of breath and wiping the blood from his face, Da shouted at the people around him. Today, the Nash family was determined to kill this guy—blood for blood. They couldn’t let the incident of killing the young master go unaddressed. They led two teams to surround him; if he escaped again, they wouldn’t have the face to report back.

On the other hand, Rod’s terrifying combat prowess today had filled several people with fear and concern. Someone at the mid-stage quasi-divine level could unleash such terrifying strength. If they became enemies with such a person, their only option was to kill him before he fully matured—otherwise, he would pose an endless threat in the future.

As soon as those words were spoken, eight figures rushed forward like ghosts in pursuit.

Yet Rod’s speed was beyond comparison to theirs. Without the encirclement, his speed was fully unleashed. Like a ghost, he vanished at the end of the woods in an instant.

His presence had vanished completely, leaving no trace for those pursuing him from behind—A Da and the others could find no signs at all. With no way to track him, they had to stop their pursuit. Standing there, their expressions changed rapidly as they panted heavily, filled with rage. Sending out two squads only to have the target escape their sight was an utter humiliation.

“Damn you, bastard!” he cursed fiercely, then turned to the group behind him. “Search everywhere—leave no place unexamined. Notify us as soon as you find him!” They couldn’t just go back like this; if they did, both their squads would suffer heavy losses.

As soon as A Da spoke, the eight of them scattered in different directions to start searching. These people were quite skilled. Although no single one of them could defeat Rod, they believed that as long as they could locate him and alert their allies while buying time, it wouldn’t be a problem.

……

“That kid is pretty good. It seems this trip was in vain. The Nash family? Hmph… This time, you’re going to suffer heavy losses…” As everyone left, a man appeared out of nowhere in a hidden spot by the Ming Lake. Gazing at the forest ahead, he smirked coldly and spoke softly. He was Hei Yao, sent by the Black Phoenix clan. Seeing Rod successfully escape, he nodded in approval and murmured to himself.

He wasn’t worried at all about these people’s attempts to surround Rod. With so many failing to succeed, those few remaining soldiers wouldn’t be able to achieve much. Most importantly, spreading out was a failed strategy—such an approach would only lead to Rod defeating them all one by one and wiping out their entire force.

“The Purple Wing Thunder Eagle clan… Do you really intend to get involved? It seems you want to break this balance!” Then he turned his head toward a hidden corner, a cold glint in his eyes, and muttered to himself before continuing to chase in Rod’s escape direction.

As the man in black left, a disturbance appeared in the air, and another man in black appeared out of nowhere. He watched the departing figure for a moment before disappearing again.

“Young master… we…” In the distance, a few people were observing the situation from hiding. They asked the young man in the middle in a low voice.

“No rush. Follow him. He’s injured and can’t run far! I didn’t expect this guy to be so resilient—still alive after all this. It’s fine. Let them fight first; we’ll intervene last!” With a cold smirk, the leader spoke calmly, looking confident.

He had originally planned to intervene last to stop Rod from escaping, but later he changed his mind. He loved the game of cat and mouse—the act of killing his enemies slowly was far more thrilling than doing it in one go. Torturing them to death slowly was the best form of revenge.

What was most terrifying for a person wasn’t death itself, but the feeling of despair—a belief he held firmly. Rod was now as weak as a drawn bowstring and posed no real threat. It was a good opportunity to further weaken the Nash family!

There was one more thing this young man had to admit: Rod’s strength just now had shocked him. He wasn’t sure he could stop him at once and feared losing his own strength in this confrontation. He needed to wait for an opportunity to strike a fatal blow!

…

Hidden in a large tree, Rod panted heavily, finally free from his enemies. He breathed a sigh of relief. But any movement caused pain from his wounds, making him gasp. His injuries left him immobile. “Damn it!” he cursed fiercely. He had been on the verge of death just now. The thought sent a shiver down his spine—he had almost lost his life in Dark Moon City. With a bitter smile, he realized his strength still wasn’t enough. He hoped these people wouldn’t chase after him again. His internal combat energy was nearly depleted, leaving him unable to sustain another large-scale battle. If forced into one, he would surely die.

Sensing a presence approaching, Rod smirked coldly. These guys had followed him, yet they chose to split up and chase him—pure suicide. If they couldn’t handle him all together, surely one person could, especially since this guy was only at the late Saint level. Rod was confident he could take him down.

“If you want to play, I’ll play to the end!” With a cold snort, Rod made up his mind instantly. He would launch a counterattack, eliminating them one by one. As many as he could kill—no one would get away!

This was the perfect chance to crush their fighting spirit. The Nash family—though perhaps not the most powerful force, they were certainly strong and held significant influence within their family. Eliminating them all would surely cause those guys a lot of pain for a while. With these thoughts in mind, Rod held his breath, concealing his presence as he waited for his prey to fall into his trap.