Chapter 277: Destruction

The courtyard was dark, with no lights at all; one could only rely on the silver moonlight to see their surroundings. Before Rod could figure things out, he was taken to a small room at the back—completely pitch black!
A moment later, a light suddenly appeared, illuminating the room brightly. Soon after, several figures appeared before Rod—almost all of them familiar faces.
Leading them was the young man he had met in Yorktown, Jokel, the young head of the York family. Following him was Ao Ying, the young leader of the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles! These two must be the masterminds behind this.
“Oh… isn’t this our great hero Rod? What brings you here? How did you end up in my private residence? Hehe, are you here to apologize to me?” Jokel said mockingly as he looked at Rod, then walked over to the desk in front of him and sat down.
“Hehe, Knight Rod, you never expected this day to come, did you?” It was Ao Ying next, staring at Rod with a fierce expression. The destruction of his clan had turned him from a high-ranking young leader into a servant of someone else. He had to sacrifice his dignity to save his life—the contrast was unimaginable. And at the root of it all was Rod.
Seeing Rod lying on the ground like a dead dog, Ao Ying felt a surge of revenge filling his body.
“Ao Ying… hehe… I… I never thought I’d see you here too!” Rod said with a bitter smile as he looked up at the two of them.
“Yes, the world is small. I told you—you’ll eventually kneel before me and admit your mistakes. Today is the day I fulfill my promise!” Ao Ying said coldly as he stepped closer to Rod, his veins bulging with fury.
“You don’t deserve that!” Rod said disdainfully, turning his nose up. He could kill this guy in an instant, but it wasn’t yet time.
The big fish hadn’t appeared yet; these were just small fish. There was no need to go all out now—sparking a fight prematurely wouldn’t be wise.
“You…” Ao Ying, enraged by Rod’s contempt, raised his hand to strike him.
“Enough, Ao Ying. Why rush? Can’t you see how he is now? Hehe, we have plenty of time. Take your time—once the time comes, you can do whatever you want!” Just then, Jokel grabbed Ao Ying’s hand before it could land, speaking calmly.

He then crouched in front of Rod and looked at him, “What’s the matter? Weren’t you so mighty a few days ago? Now you’re just lying here in front of this young master? Where did all that arrogance go? I see you’re nothing special after all. Those blind fools in the Dark Source have made you out to be some kind of hero—what a pity for them!”
“What do you think would happen if Knight Rod’s body were hung on the gates of Ice City with a fabricated crime attached? Would it shock the entire Dark Source? Could we then outshine him?” Then, as if thinking of something amusing, Jokel said this to the Proud Eagle and his guards beside him.
Looking at Jokel before him, Rod didn’t know what to say. With someone like this as the young clan leader, perhaps the Jokel family would follow in the footsteps of the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles—annihilation was only a matter of time!
Killing himself was one thing, but going out there to show off—didn’t he realize that this meant the Jokel family was just one step away from destruction? Didn’t he understand that such actions were pushing his family to the edge of the cliff?
Would the Dragon clan remain indifferent if he died? Would the Black Phoenix clan stay calm? What about the Scorpion King clan? And the opposing royal family, including Melon and others—what would they do? Things might get interesting then.
“Now, I’ll give you a chance. Kneel in front of me, crawl under my legs, and lick my toes. Maybe, if I’m pleased, I’ll spare your life!” Jokel looked at Rod playfully, becoming even more unrestrained after confirming that he had been drugged with the sedative.
“Hahaha, right—lick our toes and then crawl into our pants. I really want to see what you, the so-called best of the younger generation, look like doing such things!” Jokel’s words immediately drew the Proud Eagle’s agreement as he laughed loudly.
……
“What do you think will happen to Rod?” Sognar asked Lilith beside him, looking at the seven or eight guards outside the mansion.
“It’s fine. He’s stronger than you!” Lilith wasn’t worried at all. Perhaps by now her emotions had calmed down, and her anger had dissipated, so she adopted an observational attitude.
“That kid? If it were me, those guys inside would have been dealt with by now. He really won’t get into trouble; there shouldn’t be any problems!” After expressing his dissatisfaction with Lilith’s words, Sognar also agreed with her view.

After aligning their views, the two of them simply waited quietly outside as if nothing had happened. Unlikely would they decide to take action today.
…
“Is this how you invite people? Is this how your old master treats guests?” Hearing Ao Ying and Yoker’s words, Rod asked with a mocking smile filled with anger. The big fish behind them hadn’t shown up yet; otherwise, he wouldn’t have hesitated to deal with these two kids right away.
“Behind us? Who’s there behind us? Let me tell you, it’s this young master who invited you here. Does someone like you really need the old master to intervene? Ridiculous!” Yoker said arrogantly, sneering at Rod.
“If I’m not mistaken, aside from the people from the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagle, it seems the Yoker family is also involved today. Don’t tell me you can mobilize them without your family knowing anything!” Rod continued, sneering at Yoker.
“Don’t try to get information out of me. If I say it’s my decision, it’s my decision. No need for nonsense. Hurry up and do as I say, or, hehe, don’t blame me if I become ruthless!” Hearing Rod’s words again, Yoker seemed to think of something as well. After showing a rare cold smile, he spoke.
“Hey, fine. If that’s the case, there’s nothing else to do!” With a sigh, Rod said helplessly.
“You’re sensible. Hurry up!” Seeing Rod sigh, Yoker quickly stepped forward, ready to enjoy himself, when suddenly, something unexpected happened.
Boom… A dull sound echoed. Before anyone could react, Rod, who had been lying weakly on the ground, suddenly leaped up and rushed at Ao Ying. With Ao Ying’s astonished gaze, Rod punched him in the stomach. Blood spilled out, and before Ao Ying could even scream, he flew backward like a kite with a cut string, crashing heavily into the wall behind him with a loud noise.
Then, Rod’s feet seemed to sprout lotus flowers. By the time the guards reacted, he had reached his maximum speed. In a flash, he disappeared from everyone’s sight, only to reappear with over a dozen of his clones.
Bang bang bang… Several consecutive sounds sent the guards flying in all directions.
“Rod, you…” It was only then that Yoker and Ao Ying finally reacted, but it was too late. Rod had already subdued the two of them, holding them tightly in his grasp!

“How is it that you’re not poisoned!” Ao Ying asked in shock. Qili Xiang was something he had brought from the Purple Wing Thunder Eagle Clan—it couldn’t possibly fail. But now… utterly puzzled, he asked anxiously.

“Qili Xiang? It’s nothing special!” Rod dismissed their questions with disdain.

Boom… The door was kicked open violently. The guards outside, hearing the commotion inside, rushed in immediately. Seeing Yoker and Ao Ying under Rod’s control, their expressions changed drastically.

“Rod, you… let go of my young master right now!” one of the guards shouted angrily.

“Rod, do you want to die? Let go of my young clan leader! The Purple Wing Thunder Eagle Clan can spare your life!” the members of the Purple Wing Thunder Eagle Clan shouted loudly.

“Purple Wing Thunder Eagle Clan? Nothing but scoundrels! How dare you threaten me?” Rod’s words left them utterly silent and unable to respond!

If it had been the Purple Wing Thunder Eagle Clan in the past, they might have had the audacity to say such things, but now? Hmph. Not even Rod would hesitate to deal with them, let alone ordinary people. Threatening Rod? It was pure nonsense.

“Get lost all of you! Find someone who can negotiate and come to the Dragon Clan’s mansion to claim them, or… I won’t mind spilling a little more blood!” With a cold snort, Rod showed no hesitation. He pulled the two of them outside with force.

Amid their screams of pain, the guards didn’t dare say anything more and could only retreat obediently. After all, their master was in someone else’s hands. If they provoked Rod further, he might do anything—and they would all suffer the consequences.

Outside, hearing the noise from the mansion, Sognar and Lilith exchanged a glance and smiled. The kid had finally started taking action. Then the two slowly walked toward the mansion.

Just then, Rod stepped out of the mansion, followed by a group of guards who were useless. Holding Ao Ying and Yoker like objects, he exuded overwhelming dominance.

“Tsk tsk tsk… Kid, you’re really something!” Sognar said in amazement as he approached Rod and saw the two men in pain.

“You came early, huh? Stop talking nonsense and hurry up!” Rod rolled his eyes. He knew those two had been there the whole time—probably since he was taken out of the Dragon Clan’s mansion. It was surprising they hadn’t intervened yet.

“Hey, you brats! Remember, when the ones behind you come to my Dragon Clan’s residence to demand someone, bring sincerity!” Sognar shouted at the guards, his eyes gleaming.