Chapter 321: The Forbidden Land of Divine Sorrow (Part 1)

“I wonder how Rod is doing!” The environment inside the Source of Darkness became increasingly complex, and Sognar, Lilith, and the others couldn’t help but think of Rod. This guy had been out for almost two months with no news at all—could something have happened? Especially in a dangerous place like the Battlefield of Death, it was hard not to worry.
Even the four of them didn’t dare enter the Battlefield of Death lightly. Heibin and Heiyao were even more concerned about Lucy, the future ruler of the Black Phoenix clan and its hope for the future.
“He should be fine. Don’t you know him? What could possibly go wrong?” Lilith reassured Sognar. Though she was worried too, she still had full confidence in Rod—after all, he had never disappointed her.
“The Nether Flower isn’t that easy to find!” Heiyao said with a bitter smile after taking a deep breath. If it were that easy to find, there wouldn’t be a shortage of it!
“Just wait. We’ll know when they return!” Sognar said in a deep voice after pondering for a moment.
The group then divided up their next tasks, ending the small meeting. Their task for now was to monitor the movements of the main combat faction. What worried them even more was that the neutral faction seemed to be making some moves as well, though they still didn’t know their intentions.
The neutral faction was one of the three forces among the demons and also the most mysterious. No one could accurately assess their strength, but one thing was certain: their strength was definitely on par with, if not greater than, that of the opposition faction.
……
“Go!” A fierce shout came from below the Death Gorge. A figure rushed upward swiftly, only to seem to freeze mid-air, its ascent slowing down again.
“One last time. This time, we’ll try to break through by tomorrow!” After stabilizing himself, Rod said to Lucy behind him. These two were Lucy and Rod. After nearly twenty days of climbing, they were finally approaching the top of the cliff! Rod had made remarkable progress during this time—exhausting his combat energy every day before restoring it. Such trials were beyond what most people could endure, but overcoming them brought endless benefits. Rod faintly sensed that his physical body was on the verge of another breakthrough, and his combat energy had reached the peak of the upper stage of the Yin Yellow realm! All of this was beyond imagination—even Lucy had improved significantly, nearing the peak of the lower stage of the Yin Yellow realm.

Meanwhile, their efforts and coordination over this period had become increasingly refined. The height they could climb each day increased from 100 meters at first to 600 meters today, a more than six-fold rise that greatly improved their climbing speed. The sheer height of this cliff also left Rod in awe! Preliminary estimates suggested it was at least 10,000 meters high—no wonder such a deep chasm became an absolute death zone, with no one able to escape alive, not even with the effect of that gravitational pull! If it weren’t for Xuanyuan, Rod and Lucy would likely have already turned into piles of bones here. After several consecutive jumps, with the cliff seemingly just above them at a distance of less than 100 meters and little combat energy left, Rod and Lucy dug a cave to rest in, hoping to reach the cliff by the next day. They needed to conserve some combat energy—above was the Death Battlefield, and if they ran out of energy upon reaching it, they might face certain death. A day later, with a loud cry, a miraculous scene unfolded in the Death Valley: two figures soared into the sky before landing firmly on the cliff face of the Death Valley! It was a man and a woman, both looking a bit disheveled, breathing heavily as they looked at each other, yet with broad smiles on their faces. They enjoyed the sunlight to the fullest. How long had it been? Probably two months since they’d last experienced such warmth. The winter sun wasn’t as scorching as that of summer or autumn, but it was warm and comforting. A cold breeze blew, refreshing the air, and in an instant, the two felt as if they were in heaven. After 21 days of hard work, they finally broke free from the Death Valley and returned to the surface! “Let’s go, leave this place!” Rod said to Lucy after looking around at the desolate surroundings. Immediately, they followed the map toward the other side of the Death Battlefield, which also led to the Sacred Forbidden Land. After traveling about a thousand meters, they arrived by a small river! It was hard to believe that such a clear stream could exist in such a desolate place. Having stayed in the valley for so long without bathing, they were excited to see the river. Especially Lucy, who naturally loved cleanliness, was delighted at the chance to wash up. Yet even so, they didn’t idle away time. After circling the area to ensure no magical beasts were around, Rod allowed Lucy to wash, while he stepped back about 100 meters, facing away from the river, staying vigilant.

Looking at Rod in the distance, Lucy’s face turned red. After hesitating for a long time, she took a deep breath, quickly removed her clothes, and jumped into the clear river to wash herself.

A long time later, Rod heard Lucy calling out from behind him! Turning around, he was stunned. At that moment, Lucy was dressed in pure white clothes, her long black hair flowing behind her. With a hint of moisture on her face from bathing, she shone brightly under the sunlight. Her small mouth, large eyes, and porcelain-like skin made her absolutely stunning—beyond compare!

“Big brother, what’s… what’s wrong with you?” Lucy asked softly, her face turning red as she saw Rod staring at her.

“Nothing… nothing at all! Hehe, are you done washing? Then let’s rest for a while. I’ll go wash up too. We should leave this place as soon as possible!” Rod replied awkwardly, having developed a strange feeling for Lucy lately. He often found himself lost in thought when looking at her face. Though he didn’t realize this was the beginning of danger, he knew it wouldn’t lead to anything good, so he tried to avoid her as much as possible.

He walked past Lucy and headed toward the riverbank. The familiar surroundings brought a sense of comfort—the cool water, the warm sunlight, and the leisurely life—it was just as perfect as life could be.

After getting used to the place, he felt refreshed. Putting on black clothes, he became full of energy.

When she saw Rod, Lucy’s face was red, and her eyes sparkled with something unusual. At that moment, Rod stood upright, his sharply defined face showing signs of experience, which only enhanced his unique masculine beauty. His determined gaze was like a black hole, exuding endless attraction. His upright posture, accentuated by his black robe, made him even more energetic—Lucy was utterly captivated.

“What’s wrong? We should leave!” Seeing Lucy staring at him in a daze, Rod felt warmth in his heart. He quickly dismissed his thoughts and agreed with her.

Hearing Rod’s words, Lucy’s face turned red again as she quickly lowered her head and agreed. It seemed Rod’s allure over her had reached an uncontrollable level.

The two walked side by side, leaving that place swiftly. In any place where water was scarce, areas with water were the most dangerous, as they attracted countless magical beasts and creatures. So in a place like the Battlefield of Death, the riverbank was undoubtedly full of peril.

The sun gradually sank to the halfway point of the mountain, and the sky began to darken. Rod and Lucy sped up their pace even further. This time, they chose a simpler method of moving forward—both released all their energy while summoning Burn Heaven. The majestic aura emanating from Burn Heaven, combined with their own powerful auras, created a tremendous pressure.

The magical beasts in the surroundings hardly dared to approach, as they sensed these three auras. Those foolish enough to try would be easily absorbed by Rod and Lucy. Under such circumstances, as long as they didn’t encounter powerful magical beasts, they wouldn’t face any trouble. Their progress was exceptionally smooth, and before long, before nightfall, Rod and Lucy had advanced nearly ten thousand meters, reaching the other side of the Death Battlefield—close to the Sacred Land of Divine Sorrow.

Finding a safe place, they settled down. After dark, it was no longer time for them to move; it was the turn of another group of magical beasts to be active.

Meanwhile, the Death Battlefield was far from peaceful that day. The combined powerful auras of Rod, Lucy, and Burn Heaven attracted the attention of countless magical beasts, causing panic among some smaller ones and concern among the larger ones.

Normally, such behavior would have incurred punishment—releasing their auras was like showing off to the rulers of that land. Yet, the two didn’t do anything outrageous and left as quickly as possible. Since they sensed no malice, the powerful magical beasts also didn’t want to provoke them, so no action was taken. Of course, the main reason was that the two had lived in the Death Valley for nearly two months, during which their auras had unconsciously changed, taking on a strong dark aura that gave them the traits of the creatures of the Death Battlefield—something that proved extremely helpful to them.

They spent the night resting without any troubles, unaware of how many times their auras had saved them that night.

The next day, they continued moving at full speed using the same method. Hidden by their aura of control, their journey remained smooth. If someone else had tried this, they would likely have died many times—so it could only be attributed to their good luck.

Finally, on the fifth day, the two reached another edge of the Death Battlefield, at the boundary between it and the Sacred Land of Divine Sorrow.