Chapter 282: The Opening of the Netherworld

Hearing this voice, Rod became excited and quickly turned to look in that direction. By now, not much time remained until noon. The Black Phoenix clan had finally arrived at the last moment. Would the familiar figure appear here?
Leading the Black Phoenix clan were Hei Yin and Hei Yao—one elegant and the other stern and serious—their distinctly different styles standing out sharply. Following them was Rod’s familiar Grand Elder of the Black Phoenix clan. Among the other members, however, he didn’t see the familiar figure. His heart skipped a beat; a sense of foreboding arose in him.
After what felt like an eternity, another group appeared further back. There were more people, and Rod’s plummeting spirits soared once again.
Looking up, several women from the Black Phoenix clan appeared next. Seeing this, his heartbeat accelerated rapidly. If the women were here, then where was Lucy? She should be here too, right? These people must have come for him—otherwise, according to the rules, women had no status in the Dark Source. Of course, aside from Aida and Eileen, the opposing royal family unfortunately only had them two as heirs. Naturally, under such prominence, it was undeniable that they were striking.
Suddenly, Rod’s heartbeat sped up. The entire square fell silent. Everyone on the platform also grew quiet, their gazes fixed on one person. A woman from the Black Phoenix clan had appeared, capturing everyone’s attention. Her presence changed the atmosphere entirely.
Breathtakingly beautiful, unparalleled, like a goddess descending from heaven—her appearance left everyone in awe, drawing them involuntarily into her world.
Dressed in a light red Rosa gown, with bright red lips, white teeth, charming eyes, and a graceful demeanor, her beauty was beyond description. Especially the aura she exuded—comforting and wonderful.
“Lucy!” Perhaps Rod was the only one still somewhat clear-headed. His racing heart brought him back to reality as he murmured to himself. Yes, the woman who appeared was indeed Lucy! After just half a year apart, she no longer carried the innocence of before; instead, she now exuded maturity and grace.

It’s hard to imagine someone undergoing such a dramatic change in just half a year, which also made Rod feel a sense of strangeness! There was a slight sense of disappointment in his heart—was it because she was no longer the Lucy he knew half a year ago?
The place was eerily quiet; all that could be heard was people’s breathing, with no other sounds at all.
Everyone watched as Lucy stepped forward toward the platform, and it wasn’t until she stepped onto it and cleared her throat that everyone snapped back to reality. At that moment, the place erupted in chaos.
“That must be Miss Lucy from the Black Phoenix Clan, right?”
“I heard she’s Rod’s fiancée. No wonder—she’s indeed beautiful. It seems the rankings of our Dark Source’s ‘golden flowers’ will change again!”
“Yes, who else could compare to her? Rod is really lucky!”
There was much chatter—some expressing admiration, others envy. As for Rod, he was involuntarily dragged into this situation, feeling helpless. There was even more jealousy toward him. When a rumor spreads far enough, it seems to become reality. Now, Rod had become the rival in the hearts of all the young people, while Lucy became the princess in everyone’s eyes.
With those intense gazes and even the sound of them swallowing saliva, Lucy remained composed, aloof, unlike any ordinary woman.
“Hehe, Miss Lucy, you haven’t changed much in half a year!” Prince Gu Yi was the first to speak.
“Prince Gu Yi, you’re joking. What merits does Lucy have?” Lucy replied with a slight smile, her demeanor leaving countless people utterly captivated.
“Miss Lucy, your blood pressure is high!” Gu Yi said with a wry smile. He, who had never shown much interest in women, found himself unable to maintain his usual composure around her.
“Brother Rod, you’re here too!” Slowly walking up to Rod, Lucy flashed him a bright smile. It was in that smile that Rod finally sensed a hint of regret for her.
“Mm, you’ve achieved a lot in these six months!” Rod said with a wry smile as he stared deeply at her.
He had always thought of himself as a genius and been proud of it. But now, seeing Lucy, he realized it wasn’t true—there are always those better than us. Lucy was a genius even surpassing his own.

Half a year ago, she was just a saint-level mage. But now? Now, it’s even hard for me to gauge her true strength—she must have reached god-level at the very least. Or perhaps something is masking her true aura? Even if she’s only at the early stages of god-level, her progress rate is terrifying. In just half a year, she rose from saint-level to god-level on her own—almost as if she had endured the God-Annihilation Thunder Tribulation! I feel a bit ashamed thinking about it.

“Hmm, I’ve gained something. I still need Brother Rod’s help during today’s journey to the Netherworld!” Lucy said politely.

Frowning slightly, Rod felt that Lucy gave him an unusual impression. He nodded.

“The sixteen members entering the Netherworld, step forward!” Finally, as time approached, an old demon from the faction responsible for opening the Netherworld shouted loudly.

Instantly, the members sent from various factions stepped forward quickly—Sognar from the dragon clan, Lucy from the Black Phoenix clan, Rod, a middle-aged man from the York family, two middle-aged men from the pro-war faction, Zi Yang from the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles, two members from the opposition faction, two from the neutral faction, a middle-aged man from the Scorpion King clan, and a masked man from the Mi Jiao clan—sixteen in total, none missing! After all, no one would miss such an opportunity.

“It’s about to begin. Who do you think will succeed this time?”

“Miss Lucy—there’s no doubt about it!”

“Yes, Miss Lucy will definitely succeed!”

Lucy, who had just appeared, suddenly became the most popular candidate, with unanimous support from the men—some of them clearly influenced by external factors.

“That’s impossible! It must be Zi Yang who succeeds!”

“Rod—it has to be Rod!”

……

Chatter followed, mainly from some sober-minded men and women. In short, it was extremely lively.

On the stage, the old demon announced the rules for entering the Netherworld before slowly walking toward its entrance.

At that moment, the entire crowd fell silent again. The sun in the sky moved slowly, nearing its highest point—noon was approaching, and the Netherworld was about to open.

“Midday has arrived! The Netherworld opens!” Finally, under the gaze of everyone, midday came, and the Netherworld was about to open. With the old man’s shout, the pyramid, hundreds of meters tall, suddenly emitted a loud roar, and soon a gate appeared out of thin air, slowly opening with a grating sound that was extremely harsh. Yet at this moment, everyone’s heart was filled with excitement.

As the gate fully opened, what appeared before the group was a pitch-black space, so dark that one couldn’t see the bottom or discern anything inside—it was like a black hole.

“Please enter, contestants. Wishing you success on this journey!” the old man said slowly to the group.

Everyone’s face turned slightly red with excitement. After bowing to the old man and the members of his faction, they quickly rushed into the interior space.

“Let’s go together—be careful!” The first obstacle was right behind this gate: a magical barrier that could only be passed through with personal strength. Of course, it wasn’t that simple. It was said that only ten spots would be granted, meaning six people would be eliminated at this stage. So everyone rushed in eagerly, competition fierce.

Rhode said this to Sognar and Lucy for a reason. On one hand, being together might allow them to assist each other. On the other hand, in such a competitive situation, some might resort to underhanded tactics to hinder others’ progress and achieve their own goals. Rhode was mainly worried about Lucy. Although she had made significant progress, her strength might still be insufficient among the group, and her experience was even scarcer. Experience was absolutely crucial in such an environment.

If anyone intended to target Lucy and he wasn’t there, she might easily fall victim.

The two didn’t object to Rhode’s plan and rushed inside swiftly. As everyone entered the Netherworld, the outer gate suddenly closed, isolating them from the outside world—no one outside could sense anything.

Upon entering, they were surrounded by darkness, endless darkness—so dark that they couldn’t see their own hands. This situation caused brief panic, but after all, these people were elites from the Source of Darkness. So, after the initial confusion, they quickly adjusted. Especially those who had previously entered the Netherworld and failed to exit—they had ample experience.

And then there was Rod, utterly steady. At this moment, the results of his long-term training in that dark space he had sought out at Mellon showed themselves—the dark space couldn’t stop him at all; it had not the slightest impact on him here!
“Follow me, walk slowly!” Rod said to Lucy and Sognar, who were somewhat surprised behind him, with his eyes closed.
“Hehe, Rod, let’s see what you can do this time!” Meanwhile, from another side, a gloomy voice spoke upon seeing this scene.