Chapter 275: The Three Trials of the Netherworld

After a night of chatting, Rod and his group decided to stay at the Dragon Clan’s residence. With rooms available here, why stay at a hotel? More importantly, it allowed them to maintain contact and discuss entering the Netherworld in a few days.

Additionally, they learned that the opposition would also arrive in Ice City the next day, which might make things more lively. Sognar and the others had heard about the recent rumors. When it came to the York family, everyone acted indifferent—thinking they could challenge the powerful without realizing their own limitations. Could such a minor disturbance really overturn a giant ship?

Naturally, the matter of the Netherworld became the most important topic. After all, the Dragon Clan had a quota to enter the Netherworld every year, and over a thousand years, they had accumulated vast experience. Rod believed the benefits of their guidance were self-evident!

According to Sognar and the others, when the Netherworld opened, there were eight spots for the demons, four for the four major families, and two more from competition tournaments—making a total of fourteen spots. This meant fourteen people would enter the Netherworld, and they had to pass three trials to reach its core. For decades, no one had succeeded in passing all three trials! This had become the hottest topic every time the Netherworld opened.

The first trial tested the defensive barrier of combat energy. It wasn’t just about having strong combat energy—it required it to be pure, resilient, and continuous, allowing one to control it freely. One had to use this combat energy to reopen the barrier and proceed to the second trial!

Though seemingly simple, this trial had stopped nearly half of those who tried it over the past thousand years.

The second trial was a psychological test, assessing a person’s mental strength and resolve. One would be placed in an illusion to test their psychology. This trial was extremely dangerous, and those who failed often suffered severe consequences. Usually, no more than three people passed this trial, with at most five passing at any one time. In recent decades, it was said that only six people had succeeded in this trial.

As for the third challenge, it’s combat! It’s a strange realm where an exact copy of oneself appears, possessing all one’s abilities. The task is to defeat this copy. Needless to say, very few can pass this stage—even at its peak, only three people have managed to advance to the core area, usually just one or two, with a success rate of less than half. In thousands of attempts over the centuries, less than half have succeeded! Failure often means death.

In all these centuries, fewer than 500 people have passed this challenge, and not a single one in recent decades—proof of its extreme difficulty.

Melon and Gary, who had previously passed through the Netherworld, also shared their views. Knowing Rod and Sognar well, they weren’t worried about the first challenge, nor even the second. If anyone was concerned, it was Sognar. Everyone knew Rod’s determination well, so there was no issue there.

As for the third challenge, neither of them had much to say—only that it depended on performance on the spot. How well one performed determined the outcome, as no one could predict it with certainty. Even they, at this point, weren’t sure they could pass it if they tried again.

Rod and Sognar were surprised that Melon and Gary, both having gone through all three challenges, had hidden their skills so well. On the other hand, they guessed that perhaps it was because they had passed the trials and entered the core area that they had reached such a high level.

After giving them some key tips, Melon and Gary didn’t say much more. That was all they could do; the rest depended on them to figure it out on their own. Success hinged entirely on them.

……

It was deep night, yet Ice City remained bustling. Such a scene might only occur once a year. Unlike the other towns, which held events like auctions, trade fairs, or warrior competitions every month or at regular intervals, attracting many visitors, Ice City was different. It was already a trade and exchange center, so constant movement was normal. Ice City was unique.

Ice City is located in the southernmost corner of the Source of Darkness, at a high altitude with low temperatures year-round. The difficult access conditions have kept it relatively deserted. If not for the Existence of Darkness in this area, it might be even more isolated! The permanent population is less than half that of the other cities, truly a place of desolation. Such a bustling scene like this can only be seen during the period when the Existence of Darkness is open each year.

Once the Existence of Darkness opens, everyone disperses, and Ice City falls back into silence. At that time, the streets are crowded with people. In the center of Ice City, not far from the city lord’s residence, stands a massive mansion. Although its architectural style is similar to ordinary houses, its size is a hundred times that of a regular residence. This is the home of the York family, one of the top five families among the demons, aside from the royal family.

Inside a room deep within the mansion, a young man sat at his desk with a gloomy expression, looking at a middle-aged man in front of him. “Well? Is everything arranged?”

“It’s arranged. Zi Yang from the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagle has some problems and hasn’t joined. The rest have been taken care of. We can cause trouble these days, and I guarantee Rod won’t have it easy! Also, part of our York family’s forces have been deployed!” the middle-aged man replied slowly after hearing the young man’s words.

“Hmm. You’re in charge of this entirely. I expect the desired results. Know the consequences if you fail!” The young man glared at the middle-aged man, but a faint smile finally appeared on his face.

“I understand. Don’t worry, young master. But the family head… and the Great Ancestor…” The middle-aged man hesitated slightly, looking worried as he spoke to the young man.

“Don’t worry. Father and Grandfather won’t take any action. Rod? Hmph! News of this has spread everywhere these days. Damn it! How will I face people from now on? Don’t Father and Grandfather care at all about the loss of face for the York family? Their silence now is only because they’re worried about the Dragon clan and the Black Phoenix clan. That Rod isn’t anything! How could they not know about our actions? Would any family dare to deploy forces to help us without their permission? Do you really think it’s that simple? Relax. They’ve given their approval. You can imagine the benefits of doing this cleanly and efficiently!”

“They’re behind the scenes now. If things really go wrong, they can claim they weren’t involved. It’ll be a good opportunity for them to turn against us, you know. As for the rest, if you shouldn’t know it, then you don’t need to!” At the mention of his father and grandfather, a slight smile appeared on the young man’s face—a thrilled smile. The family was willing to help him, to use their influence for his sake; surely those two must have put in a lot of effort.

“Go. I don’t want to see that guy enter the Netherworld!” Waving his hand, the young man spoke slowly.

Hearing the young man’s words, the middle-aged man lowered his head and slowly retreated outside. It wasn’t until he left the room that he raised his head again and glanced at the young man inside. With a cold smirk, he turned and left.

……

“Kid, what’s the matter? What are you thinking about? Surely not your Lucy, are you? Well, it’s true—that girl is really adorable. If it weren’t for the fact that I’m not in the same generation as her, I might have already gone crazy and proposed to her from the Black Phoenix clan!” As the cool breeze blew in the dead of night, Sognar came up behind Rod and spoke.

At that moment, Rod had just finished practicing and was enjoying the moonlight in the backyard of the dragon clan’s residence.

There’s a saying: “Look up at the bright moon, and down you think of home.” How long had he been away from his hometown? He really felt a bit nostalgic! Unconsciously, he had fully immersed himself in this world. What about his original world? It was inevitable to feel nostalgic. On the other hand, he indeed thought of Lucy and wondered how she was doing. His worried heart wouldn’t settle.

“Hehe, there’s no need to be embarrassed. I went through the same thing. Back then, when I was a handsome and mighty black dragon, I was incredibly popular—so many girls were crazy about me, but I ignored them all, except for one younger white dragon! Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned. She… Ah, those old memories are better left unremembered!” Ignoring Rod’s reaction, Sognar spoke wistfully.

Hearing his words, Rod almost spat out his drink. He never expected this guy to have such a past.

“What are you laughing at, damn it? The ideals of a dragon are beyond your understanding. Talking to a fool! It’s hard to explain. You idiot hurt my feelings. But you don’t need to worry either. Lucy will definitely be fine. Otherwise, those old guys in her clan wouldn’t be so calm. They must be crazy already over something else! Relax. Besides, I think that little girl, Ada, isn’t bad either. She’s interested in you. Why not give it a thought?”

“Tsk tsk tsk, that pair of sisters, Ada and Eileen—hehe, it would be wonderful if we could have them both, don’t you think?” Sognar continued talking nonsense. Rod paid no attention at all! Feeling the coolness of the night, he simply ignored him. Soon, a glint appeared in his eyes as he turned to look at Sognar. By then, Sognar had also stopped talking and looked at Rod, smiling at each other. “It seems we have guests arriving—hehe, lively now!” Sognar said slowly, glancing intentionally in a certain direction. Rod nodded in resignation. Having encountered trouble on his first day in Ice City, it was obvious what had happened.