Chapter 288: The Tragic Bernard

Seeing the hint of panic in the other man’s eyes, Rod smiled—a charming smile—as he stepped closer. “Hehe, it seems you’re not in a position to move forward right now. How about I give you a ride?”
“You, don’t do anything reckless! I’m from the York family. If you dare attack me, you’re declaring war on the entire York family. Have you thought about the consequences?” Hearing Rod’s words, the middle-aged man understood exactly what Rod intended.
His situation was dire; he had no strength to resist. There were only two outcomes: either he would be killed here or kicked out by Rod. The Hall of Demons had one characteristic—when an individual’s life was under severe threat and beyond redemption, they would be automatically expelled from this place.
Looking at the door behind Rod, he saw that beyond it lay the third challenge. Passing it would lead to the core area everyone dreamed of. Entering there meant taking a step into the realm of darkness, with time being the only remaining factor—and it certainly wouldn’t take long.
Having come this far, he refused to give up. He wouldn’t let Rod kick him out like this, nor would he die here.
“If you spare me, we’ll cancel out our grudges. The York family will never bother you again!” After thinking for a while, he spoke firmly as Rod approached.
“Is that necessary? You don’t represent the entire York family!” Rod said disdainfully, wrinkling his lips.
“Then die!” The moment Rod finished speaking, the situation took a dramatic turn. The man suddenly lunged forward, throwing a punch at Rod, no longer showing any signs of weakness.
“Overestimating yourself!” Rod sneered. With a slight movement, he stepped sideways, allowing the man’s fist to pass by him before kicking him with a charming smile.
“Goodbye!” he muttered. A scream was heard, followed by a flash of white light—as the man disappeared from sight. Clearly, already at his limit, he was kicked out of theHades after Rod’s attack.
“Rod, I won’t… spare you!” A faint voice came through, filled with resentment and hatred.

“Rod, I’m going to kill you, you damned bastard! I’m not done with you!” Shouting loudly, hearing the uproar around him, the man from the York family finally calmed down and looked around. He felt dizzy—had he really been kicked out of the Netherworld?
“Ah… Rod, I’ll never tolerate you!” Roaring in fury, all his hopes were destroyed. Was it easy to secure a spot this time? Now that victory was within reach, such an incident made him utterly unwilling to give up.
“Bernard, what happened?” The members of the York family saw their representative come out as well, shouting Rod’s name, and immediately sensed something was wrong. With a dark expression, Merkel, the patriarch of the York family, came over and asked.
“Rod, it’s all his fault! I had passed the second level and was about to enter the third, but… he attacked me from behind and kicked me out of the Netherworld! This debt must be repaid!” Seeing the patriarch appear, Bernard spoke resentfully, his eyes filled with anger, breathing heavily and gritting his teeth.
“Rod, it’s really him!” Hearing Bernard’s words, a cruel look flashed across Merkel’s face. Clenching his fists, he growled fiercely. His family members had passed the second level only to encounter such a thing—that damned Rod! Did he really think the York family would fear him? If so, then this feud was settled.
At the same time, those around them exchanged glances in disbelief. First, it was the members of the Mi Jiao clan, and now the York family. Both groups had been dealt a setback by Rod—one kicked out in the first level, the other in the second. It was hard to believe that Rod was truly born to be their enemy. It seemed unbelievable.
But soon, more people showed expressions of schadenfreude. The York family wasn’t any better, nor was the Mi Jiao clan. Now that they were enemies with Rod, how could they not look forward to the drama to come?
The audience below also erupted in excitement after learning what had happened.
“I told you Rod had the best chances this time. See? He’s already dealt with both opponents!”
“Pervert, monster! Truly a monster! This time, both the Mi Jiao clan and the York family are doomed!”
“Hehe, maybe Zi Yang will also get kicked out soon. Then there’ll be even more fun to watch!”

“Rod, you’ll definitely make it to the final stage!”
Chatter filled the air, but at this moment, it seemed everyone was on Rod’s side, supporting him, with only a very small fraction criticizing him!
Inside the Netherworld, watching Berna of the York family disappear, Rod let out a sigh and gave a faint bitter smile. Because he had used his combat energy to fight, his defensive barrier had vanished, leaving him unprotected.
Glancing at Zi Yang across from him and Sognar beside him, and then at the door behind him, he hesitated before staying behind. Though he knew he could enter the next stage by stepping through that threshold, he was worried about Sognar.
Zi Yang’s condition seemed to be improving continuously, while Sognar would likely take even longer to recover. Rod was afraid Zi Yang might turn on Sognar then, and staying by his side could at least be of some help!
Sitting cross-legged beside Sognar, Rod slowly regulated his combat energy to restore his strength. He waited quietly. During that time, he saw two more figures vanish in a flash of white light. Including Berna, who he had kicked out earlier, four people had already been eliminated, which made Rod even more at ease—almost completely relieved. There were six spots in the third stage, and even if all the remaining people entered, it would be just enough. There was no need to worry about competing for spots.
In the distance, a streak of purple light flashed. Zi Yang opened his eyes at that moment and immediately saw Rod and Sognar in the distance, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.
“I advise you not to take action—it won’t benefit anyone! There are exactly six spots in the third stage; there’s no need to fight over them!” As if guessing Zi Yang’s thoughts, Rod said calmly.
“We have two people here. If you don’t mind, I wouldn’t mind competing with you!” he added with a smile.
“See you in the third stage!” Rod’s words made Zi Yang hesitate for a long time before he took a deep breath, spoke coldly, and strode toward the third stage.
Not long after Zi Yang left, Sognar also left the Heart Demon Hall’s test in a flash of black light, successfully escaping! Seeing this, Rod was slightly stunned before showing a hint of excitement and enthusiasm—mostly gratitude, of course. Seeing Rod standing by his side to protect him, how could he not understand what had happened? But since the two men were already together, there was no need for many words; it was better to keep some things in mind rather than saying them outright.
“Where’s Lucy?” Sognar asked, looking at Rod in confusion.

“She’s ahead of all of us—she’s already reached the third stage.” Thinking of Lucy, Rod said with a bitter smile. This underestimated girl had shown terrifying strength and abilities, leaving them utterly shocked.
“How many have entered that girl already?” Sognar asked, looking at Rod with a bitter smile.
“Three—Lucy, Zi Yang, and someone else whose identity I don’t know. Including us two, that’s five. There’s one more over there, so if everyone enters, it’ll be six in total!” Rod said after a moment of thought.
“Not bad. It seems this competition will be fierce. Truly worthy of being called the strongest batch. It’s a shame for those who were eliminated—that guy from the Mi Jiao clan and the one from the York family both failed, right?” Thinking of those two enemies, Sognar asked doubtfully. Those two didn’t seem that weak.
When the topic came up and Rod thought of those two, he was at a loss for words. Should he say they were both kicked out by him? Or…?
“Ahem… Well, that guy from the Mi Jiao clan competed with me for the last spot in the first stage and got kicked out. The guy from the York family woke up after I did and I just kicked him out as well!” Rod said helplessly, pouting.
Sognar stared at Rod with wide eyes, filled with disbelief. Those two guys were actually taken care of by Rod like that? It seemed exaggerated, but it seemed to be the truth!
“Hehe, not bad. You’ve improved, kid. I like it!” But soon, he reverted to his carefree attitude, smiling broadly.
“Let’s go in!” Rod said, glancing at the last middle-aged person still left in the distance.
The two quickly headed toward that door. What seemed like a short distance actually took them quite a while! Finally, they arrived at the door.
It was impossible to see what was behind the door—only a white light was visible, with no scenery at all. Glancing back at the Hall of Heart Demons, they nodded and stepped inside together.
The next moment, the sky suddenly changed. The two felt as if they were traveling through a time tunnel. Everything around them was blurred, with the world spinning wildly, leaving them dizzy. After what felt like an eternity, everything slowly came to a stop.
Immediately afterward, the two felt as if they were falling from great heights!

With a dull thud, both of them fell to the ground, creating two deep pits. Struggling to open their eyes, they saw a brand new world before them.