Chapter 338: The Nether Mountain Range

Looking at the vast deep mountains before him and feeling the fresh air, Rod couldn’t help but take a deep breath. It was incredibly comfortable.
He never expected that the habitat of the Black Phoenix clan would be in such deep mountains. This seemed somewhat inconsistent with the status of their four major clans. But upon reflection, it didn’t really matter. At this level, appearance was no longer what mattered—only the demon clans could build their habitats in such a prosperous and grand manner.
“Let’s go in!” Melon reminded Rod, who was still in a daze.
This time, it was Lucy who took the lead, guiding the group skillfully deeper into the mountains. Soon, several members of the Black Phoenix clan appeared. Upon seeing Lucy, they were overjoyed and quickly came forward to greet her, leading them toward the Nether Mountain Range.
One of them rushed off eagerly toward their clan, determined to deliver the news of Lucy’s return as soon as possible.
Sure enough, after walking for a short while, they saw over a dozen figures ahead. Leading them was the eldest elder of the Black Phoenix clan, whom Rod had met before. Several others following him were also familiar faces—Hei Yao, Hei Yin, and two even more well-known individuals: Lilith and Sognar.
“Hey, you finally came back. Damn it, I thought something happened to you!” Sognar muttered with a frown.
Lilith rolled her eyes. “It’s good that you’re back. How was it? You must have gained a lot, right?”
“Mm, not bad,” Rod nodded, looking at Lilith. A glint appeared in his eyes. “You…”
“Yeah, I reached the Yin Huang realm some time ago!” Seeming to guess Rod’s thoughts, Lilith replied cheerfully.
This surprised Rod greatly. He hadn’t expected her to have truly reached the Yin Huang realm. But then again, when he first met her, she was already at the edge of the initial stage of the Yin Huang realm. After such a long time, it wasn’t really surprising that she had reached this level.
Sognar, on the other hand, also reaching the Yin Huang realm was somewhat surprising.
“Those two have brought thunder disasters upon our Black Phoenix clan. Damn it, luckily we were prepared; otherwise, our clan would be destroyed!” Hei Yin complained unhappily.
Of course, what annoyed him even more was that the two who used to be on par with him now far surpassed him and reached that enviable level. That was the real source of his dissatisfaction.

His words brought laughter from everyone, and Rod was also secretly surprised. He hadn’t expected both of them to reach the Yin Huang realm at the same time on the side of the Black Phoenix Clan. Could it be that the Black Phoenix Clan had helped them in some way? It made people think deeply.

“Lucy, you…” After exchanging pleasantries, the Grand Elder’s expression changed drastically as he looked closely at Lucy. He gasped and spoke excitedly, his body trembling slightly.

“Yes, with the help of Brother Rod, I reached the Yin Huang realm. I gained some advantages in the Death Battlefield and advanced to the middle stage!” Lucy revealed without any hesitation.

These words were like a bomb, causing everyone’s expressions to change dramatically, their eyes filled with complexity.

In just half a year, reaching the middle stage of the Yin Huang realm? What kind of concept was that? Even among the Black Phoenix Clan, she must be among the strongest—certainly not inferior to the Grand Elder.

At this moment, everyone’s gaze toward Lucy had completely changed! It was even more respectful and admiring than before, and their looks at Rod also shifted, with a hint of reverence added.

They could still understand the implication in Lucy’s words. It seemed that Rod must be even stronger than Miss Lucy now. In an era where strength was revered, those who were powerful naturally deserved respect from others.

“Enough talk. Let’s hurry up—everyone has arrived!” The Grand Elder interrupted their speculation and gave orders.

Led by him, the group rushed toward the habitat of the Black Phoenix Clan.

At their speed, it wasn’t long before they reached the interior of the Hundred Thousand Deep Mountains, with the Abyssal Mountain Range appearing before their eyes. It was a massive range of towering peaks, majestic and imposing, exuding a strange aura that made it stand out sharply.

Entering the mountain range, they didn’t feel the chill of the Abyssal Hell; instead, there was a sense of heat! Perhaps this was the effect of the flames of the Abyssal Hell.

A cobblestone path led from the foot of the mountain up to the towering peaks. It wasn’t grand, but it made Rod feel as if he were in a paradise, extremely comfortable.

Following the cobblestone path, the group moved slowly along the winding trail. As they progressed, a faint smile appeared on Rod’s lips. Truly worthy of being one of the Four Great Families—indeed, they had deep roots. Even after traveling less than half the distance, they could already sense that there were at least thirty people hiding in the shadows, guarding this mountain range.

There were no lack of strong fighters—among the thirty, ten were at the mid-stage divine level, forming the first layer of defense. The second layer consisted of fifteen strong fighters at the late-stage divine level. Even in the place they had just passed, five strong fighters at the peak of the late-stage divine level were secretly guarding it! With such a formidable defense force, it was likely that fewer than a handful of people from the Dark Source could even attempt to reach the Nether Mountain. And this was only after halfway there—what about the rest of the journey?

On the second half of the journey, Rod became even more vigilant. A hint of shock flashed in his eyes. There were only three guardians left, but all three were top-notch fighters, all at the Yin Yellow realm. It seemed that the number of strong fighters at the Yin Yellow realm within the Black Phoenix clan must be no less than ten. Was this the foundation of the four great clans? Indeed impressive. There might even be more strength hidden that Rod hadn’t discovered yet. But one thing was certain: they were no worse than the Wolf Clan, at least not much different.

“Kid, you’re in trouble this time. Good luck to you!” Just as they were about to reach the Black Phoenix clan, Sognar said something incomprehensible to Rod with a sly smile on his face.

Could this matter have anything to do with him? He had merely come to take a look. When he looked at Sognar again, the latter said nothing, leaving Rod utterly confused.

He decided to laugh it off, thinking it was just Sognar joking. Little did he know, Sognar’s warning would soon become reality.

Before long, the group arrived at a large mansion on the mountain side. Perhaps this could even be considered the foot of the mountain, as there was another towering peak right beside it, as if it had sprung up right there, magnificent beyond description.

A huge mansion came into view, exuding an ancient atmosphere—blue bricks and black tiles! It was immense, radiating an air of authority.

People came and went inside the mansion. Nearly a thousand members of the Black Phoenix clan lived here, showing its scale.

Lucy’s return drew countless gazes. Everyone treated her with respect, but it was also evident that many young men looked at her with admiration.

At the same time, upon seeing Rod’s arrival, a faint hostility arose. Rod had a keen sense, and he was sure about this feeling—it couldn’t be wrong. He wondered if, as Sognar had said, he really was in trouble.

After some thought, he quickly figured out why. Looking at Lucy, who was holding his hand closely, he gave a wry smile.

Inside the hall, all the members of the Dragon Clan had gathered—still those familiar faces, most of whom Rod recognized. There was also the opposition, led as usual by Aida and Eileen; these two seemed to have become the symbols of the opposition. “Brother Rod~!” Upon seeing Rod arrive, Aida greeted him warmly with a bright glint in her eyes. The atmosphere became incredibly cozy at that moment, and the long-lost sense of warmth and familiarity returned to Rod’s heart. After half a year in the Death Battlefield and the Divine Weeping Forbidden Land, they finally saw these familiar people again. Surprisingly, even the Scorpion King clan sent representatives—two elders from that clan, Locke and Lorraine, appeared. Though just two, their presence said a lot. “Kid, you’ve made quite progress!” The two greeted Rod without pretense, patting his shoulder affectionately. “Alright, since everyone has just arrived, let’s rest first. We’ll discuss things tonight!” said the eldest elder of the Black Phoenix Clan with a smile. It seemed these people had just arrived as well. Rod inwardly sighed that he had returned just in time. After settling everyone down, they were placed in a separate courtyard behind the Black Phoenix Clan’s residence. Only then did Rod realize the enormity of the estate—probably tens of thousands of square meters in size, practically a small society in itself. With green mountains, clear waters, and fresh air, it was a truly wonderful place. In the afternoon, Rod was naturally dragged around by Sognar in the courtyard! By the small lake, the cold wind blew fiercely, adding to the chill at this halfway up the mountain. “Have you got everything?” With only the two of them, Sognar didn’t need to hide anything and asked directly. “I have it—good tea and the items from the pro-war faction!” Rod nodded. Sognar wasn’t surprised. “It’s okay. The operation will start soon!” Sognar said with a frown, seemingly relaxed but clearly worried. Without his usual teasing, it was evident that this matter brought great pressure on them. “Mm, hurry up and improve your strength. Things are likely to change soon~!” Rod said thoughtfully with a nod. Peaceful days were rare; turmoil was about to begin again. The two stood by the small lake, neither speaking—everything was understood without words. It wasn’t until Aida joined them that the silence was broken.

Seeing Aida arrive, Sognar gave Rod a suggestive smile, then wisely left the lakeside to give the two of them some privacy. It was obvious to anyone that the relationship between them was special, making it hard not to wonder about their connection.