Chapter 211: Killing Intent

The injuries on his body seemed to recover significantly at the moment of his breakthrough, hardly affecting his movements. Rod was overjoyed—after just two months, he had truly achieved such a breakthrough. Hard work pays off; it was as if fate had favored his efforts.

Feeling the abundant combat energy, Rod began practicing vigorously right where he stood. His movements were unstructured, bold and aggressive, yet filled with meticulous care and comprehensiveness. His figure flashed as he moved swiftly, and by the end of the practice, he was drenched in sweat.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead and smelling the foul odor emitted from his body due to the physical breakthrough, Rod smiled bitterly. He quickly grabbed a piece of clothing and put it on before heading outside. This time, that damned Melon should have no reason to stop him, right?

“Hmm, where is he?” Upon arriving outside the cave and slowly adjusting to the light, Rod looked around in confusion. There was no sign of Melon. Too tired to worry further, his most urgent need now was to take a good bath—he hadn’t bathed in a month, and his whole body felt grimy.

He rushed to the riverbank, stripped off his clothes without hesitation, and dived in headfirst. The refreshing sensation spread throughout his body instantly, making Rod let out a satisfied groan.

By the time he finished washing up, it was already evening. Suddenly, a strong energy fluctuation came from the direction of his residence. Sensing this, Rod’s expression changed drastically. Thinking something might have happened, he quickly got dressed and rushed over at top speed, moving like a swift swallow.

In moments, he returned to where the fluctuation originated. There, Melon stood solemnly at the cave entrance, looking expectant. Upon seeing Rod, his eyes lit up with excitement and relief.

“Kid, you’re back!” Before Rod could speak, Melon greeted him first. Looking at Rod now, he could see obvious changes compared to a month ago—his sharply defined face had a somewhat sickly pallor, a result of living in darkness for too long.

Although he was wearing simple clothes, they couldn’t hide the otherworldly aura emanating from him—a presence that came from within after reaching the mid-stage divine level.

His expression was somewhat cold. Though not as muscular as himself, he gave the impression of being a wolf or tiger bent over, with astonishing explosive power, ready to pounce on its prey at any moment. Melon was naturally very satisfied with all this, except for one thing that made him frown slightly.

Kill intent—yes, a cold aura of killing intent could be faintly sensed around Rod at that moment. It was sinister and ruthless, penetrating to the bone, as if the surrounding environment had cooled down several degrees under its influence.

A month of fighting had honed his kill intent while also fully unleashing it.

“Hm, what’s going on with that energy just now?” Unaware of Melon’s expression, Rod looked into the cave and asked in confusion. Even now, he still sensed a strange energy inside.

“The guy you trained with—you should give him something in return. Give him a Transformation Pill so he can properly transform. Having him with us will be of great help! This competition is special; one more person means more strength and more confidence—there’s no downside!” Melon answered Rod’s question simply and directly.

“Him? I see!” Rod was secretly surprised. A Transformation Pill was a precious item cherished by even the Dark Source and the four major families. He never expected Melon to give one just for him. He secretly thanked Melon for his help, knowing he now owed this damned guy another favor.

“Your kill intent is too strong, and your murderous aura is rampant. Be careful not to fall down the path of darkness!” The conversation turned back to Rod, and Melon gave him instructions.

“Yeah, I know. There’s been too much killing this month, and it’s hard to control right now. I’ll make sure to restrain it!” Rod nodded, his face grim. How could he not be aware of this? Even if Melon hadn’t said anything, he would have had to be careful. Excessive kill intent could affect his mindset, causing trouble. Moreover, in a place filled with such strong opponents, letting his kill intent leak out would make him a target for everyone. In a fight, his aura would be detected immediately—wouldn’t that be asking to get beaten? He wasn’t that stupid. Controlling his aura was absolutely necessary.

“Good to know. Everything that exists has its meaning and purpose, and killing intent is no exception. I don’t know what exactly you’ve been through, but the killing intent you emit is terrifying—probably unmatched in this world. If you can control and utilize it properly, you’ll achieve unexpected results!” Melon murmured, frowning slightly. Rod’s killing intent was extremely strong, as could be judged from even the faint traces of it.

How could he know how Rod had spent these years? He had spent almost all of his time killing—especially during his time in Iron Bar Town. Faced with armies of magical beasts, dragons, demons, vampires, and werewolves, he had slaughtered countless people and drenched the land in blood. He had slain dragons, demons, vampires, and werewolves, not to mention magical beasts!

All he knew was that the three thousand drops of blood required by the Dark Dragon had already been collected. Once his own blood was added, the seal could be broken immediately. He had felt the Dark Dragon’s irritability lately, as if urging him to break the seal quickly.

It was easy to imagine that the number of beings he had crushed under his feet was no less than three thousand. If the saying “Killing one makes you a hero; killing ten thousand makes you a hero among heroes” was true, then Rod could be considered a hero among heroes at this point.

“Can killing intent be utilized?” Rod asked doubtfully after pondering for a while. He still didn’t know how to use killing intent.

“Yes, of course. First, learn to control it. I know a bit about this. Once you’ve mastered controlling it, I’ll teach you some basic uses. As for the more advanced techniques, I don’t know either—you’ll have to figure it out on your own!” Melon nodded affirmatively, seemingly expecting something—perhaps the birth of a new martial art.

Another stir came from the Dark Dragon in his arms. Frowning, Rod hesitated one last time. Back at the Dragon Clan’s estate, he had decided to break the seal on the Dark Dragon to enhance his own strength. It was because of that he left the estate resolutely, bidding farewell to Sognar, Lilith, and the others.

But now? He had already reached the mid-stage of the divine realm and achieved his goal. Was it still necessary? Was it worth taking the risk? Doubt arose in Rod’s heart.

“What? Hesitating? Are you hesitating about breaking the seal on the Dark Dragon?” At that moment, Melon’s voice beside Rod made him nearly jump.

With a look of shock in his eyes, he turned to Melon and asked, “You already know?” Rod had no idea how Melon knew about the Dark Dragon. He didn’t know when Melon had learned of it, but it seemed nothing could escape his notice.

“Don’t worry. I have no such intentions. If I did, the Dark Dragon would no longer belong to you. It seems this Dark Dragon has accompanied you in killing many people, huh. It looks like the seal is about to be broken. Three thousand lives—already sufficient. How rare! Everything is ready except for the final push. It’s indeed a good choice!” Nodding, ignoring Rod’s shocked expression, Melon continued to murmur to himself.

“Keep it for now. You can’t control it at the moment. Don’t think about breaking the seal right away. The only outcome of doing so now is that you’ll be controlled by the Dark Dragon and fall into darkness. Is that what you want?” Then, with a serious expression, Melon gave his instructions in a deep voice.

“When will it be possible?” Although he didn’t understand why Melon knew so much, from his words, it was clear that Melon understood the Dark Dragon extremely well—better than himself. With his help, Rod believed his chances of success could increase several times over. Immediately, Rod dropped his guard and began to ask questions.

“First, learn to control your killing aura. Once you can use it, you’ll be able to control the Dark Dragon. With my assistance as well, there should be no problem. So you must master controlling and utilizing your killing aura in a short time! There’s still half a month left until the competition. It’s being held in Wuyou City. If we travel there by riding two mounts, it will take about ten days. If we slow down a bit, fourteen days will suffice! One day for rest is enough!

During these fourteen days, you must master controlling and using your killing aura so that you can have a better chance in the competition. The power of the killing aura is beyond your imagination. It might even help you win by surprise!” With a look of anticipation, Melon explained to Rod.

Rod gladly accepted Melon’s requirements and began to study earnestly. It had to be said that Melon had extensive knowledge. Under his guidance, Rod felt as if he had entered another world, a brand-new realm. He realized that the killing aura had such uses—he had underestimated them before. It was a double-edged sword; used well, it could harm others; used poorly, it could harm oneself. It wasn’t until late at night that Rod finally managed to learn everything Melon knew. After digesting it, he finally had a basic understanding and was filled with anticipation for the future. He imagined what it would be like to use the killing aura.

In the dead of night, another intense surge of energy was felt inside the cave. Soon after, the sky began to change, with elements around them suddenly rushing toward them as if drawn by some force—seemingly all the elements in the world were being pulled together. And the target was clearly the cave inside. Seeing this, the two exchanged glances, realizing the most critical moment had arrived. They nodded at each other, focusing on the fierce winds caused by the surging elements to hold off the intruders at the cave entrance. The people inside could not be disturbed under any circumstances; otherwise, all their efforts would be in vain, and their lives might even be at risk.