Chapter 340: Borrowing Fire

A puff of murky breath was expelled from Rod’s mouth, forming a white arrow that shot forth! Looking outside the window, dawn had already broken. He stretched lazily, hearing crisp cracking sounds from every joint in his body.
A faint smile appeared on his lips. Another day had begun. Thinking of what Locke had said to him the previous day, Rod felt a sense of anticipation—who would come? It seemed they had a close relationship, and a slight thrill stirred in his heart.
After washing up, Rod stepped outside. It was still early, and there was no one in the courtyard. Drawing Xuanyuan, he practiced his sword techniques. The cool weather allowed him to quickly immerse himself in the practice.
His movements were light and fluid, like clouds drifting and lotuses blooming with each step. Sharp sword energy filled the courtyard, accompanied by a roaring sound, exuding great power.
After completing the routine, Rod felt refreshed and smiled in satisfaction. The smoothness of the movements energized him greatly.
“Not bad, not bad!” Applause and footsteps came from behind him.
Turning around, he saw Lilith and Sognar standing there somehow! Approaching him, Sognar said with envy, “You’ve improved a lot since we last met! Hmm, not bad at all. You truly live up to my expectations. You have potential—work hard, and I believe you’ll soon surpass me!”
He said this without the slightest blush, which was infuriating.
“Save you? I think Rod could take care of you with just one hand now!” Lilith was more direct, adding a sarcastic eye roll.
The atmosphere was harmonious as the three of them chatted and laughed together. A rare sense of warmth filled Rod’s heart.
“Kid, this is a critical moment. What are your plans?” After pondering for a while, Sognar finally became serious.
Seeing Rod’s gaze on Lilith, Sognar smiled slightly. “Don’t worry. We’re all on the same side. She knows about the matters of the Netherworld!” Realizing Rod might be worried about something, Sognar reassured him.
This made Rod even more puzzled. How could Lilith know about these things? Then, with a fierce look at Sognar, he thought, Damn it! Could this guy really be so reckless as to reveal everything about the Netherworld? Isn’t he afraid of being hunted?

The people within the Netherworld might not be able to do much, but outside the Netherworld, within the Source of Darkness, there are seventeen messengers. If his assumptions are correct, they should all be at the Yin Yellow realm level, and Melon is surely one of them. Although they maintained a tacit understanding and didn’t speak of it, if Sognar revealed the secret… Thinking of this, Rod couldn’t help but feel some concern.

The atmosphere suddenly became somewhat strange, yet no unusual expression could be seen on Sognar’s face.

“What, Rod? Do you look down on me?” It was Lilith whose expression darkened as she spoke unhappily.

Immediately afterward, she took out a black object from her bosom and threw it in front of Rod. “With this, you shouldn’t have any concerns anymore!”

Upon seeing the black object clearly, Rod’s expression changed drastically, followed by a bitter smile. “A Netherworld Life Card!”

That’s right. He knew this thing. He had been specifically informed when leaving the Netherworld that each of the seventeen messengers possessed a Netherworld Life Card! He never expected Lilith to have one.

With this, her identity was clearly revealed—Lilith was indeed one of the seventeen messengers. Judging from her strength, she was at the peak of the Divine Realm’s Great Perfection stage, not having entered the Yin Yellow realm. How was that possible?

“If I wanted to enter the Yin Yellow realm, I could do so in just a hundred years. But is the Yin Yellow realm really what we’re striving for?” Sensing Rod’s thoughts, Lilith gave a faint bitter smile before speaking calmly.

Then, a pill appeared in Lilith’s hand—it was the Fenxuan Pill, unique to the Netherworld and only available to those who entered its core. Lilith actually had it.

Seeing this, Rod had a sudden realization. If he couldn’t guess the reason now, it would be foolish of him.

The Fenxuan Pill proved that Lilith had entered the Netherworld’s core and been recognized. Naturally, she knew everything about the Netherworld! Moreover, she had obtained a Netherworld Life Card, making her one of the seventeen messengers outside the Netherworld.

As for why her strength, at the advanced stage of the Divine Realm, still hadn’t allowed her to enter the Yin Yellow realm, it was simple. From her words earlier, it was clear that Lilith’s ambitions went far beyond that. How could such a proud person sacrifice a greater future for short-term gains?

With this understanding, it became clear why Lilith had reacted that way when she first saw him, and why she had helped him so much in the void space—everything was because she already knew his identity. No wonder she had been so moved when she saw the box left by his father; she already knew about it and recognized his identity. This was also one of the reasons why she tried so hard to help him. After figuring this all out, Rod’s gaze toward Lilith changed slightly, filled with a hint of admiration! Perhaps even he, with his grand dreams, would keep the Fenxuan Dan and not consume it. Yet, over a hundred years, Lilith hadn’t reached the Yinhuang realm. Most people would have given up long ago and used the Fenxuan Dan, after all, its temptation was hard to resist. No one would miss such a good opportunity, and no one could resist such a great temptation for a hundred years. But Lilith succeeded. “What, still doubting?” Seeing Rod’s expression, Lilith frowned in displeasure. “No… not at all. Just a bit surprised. Heh, it was well hidden—almost fooled us too,” Rod said with a wry smile, shaking his head. “With the current chaos, all we need to do is prevent the demons from taking action. The Wolf Clan is an unknown variable we must be wary of. We can put aside matters on the continent for now. If the enemy doesn’t act, we won’t either; if they do, we’ll act first. We just need to make proper arrangements. The opposition will surely be the first target of the war faction. For now, we’re not in danger. Our top priority is to find the Heart of Earthfire! That’s the most crucial task! Of course, I can handle that! What you need to do is unite the remaining families that haven’t been swayed by the war faction to resist them and prepare for the return of the Troll race. At the same time, contact the seventeen messengers—it’s time to take action!” With these plans, Rod took a deep breath and spoke slowly, frowning slightly. The Heart of Earthfire—he was determined to obtain it! The return of the Troll race was imminent! There was indeed a lot to do. “Can you do it alone?” Sognar asked skeptically. The war faction wasn’t easy to deal with. Even by uniting several major families, it might not be possible to get the Heart of Earthfire—after all, it was a top-tier talent reward. “Have you found the Seven-Colored Ice Spirit?” Lilith asked calmly.

“Well, in half a year, after going to the Battlefield of Death to obtain the Nether Flower, Lucy and I went to the Forbidden Lands of Divine Sorrow, and finally got some Rainbow Ice Spirits!” Rod nodded and smiled slightly.
Hearing this result, Sognar and Lilith exchanged glances, both seeing a hint of shock and disbelief in each other’s eyes.
They really found it? Those were Rainbow Ice Crystals, things said to exist only in myths. This guy is really… At this thought, the two could only exchange wry smiles.
“It seems the only thing left is the Heart of Earthfire. Can you really do it alone?” Sognar asked, not giving up.
“Some things can’t be obtained just by force. Don’t worry, I have my own ways. You just do your part. If nothing goes wrong, the next time the Nether Realm opens, it will be the time the trolls return!” With a fierce killing intent in his eyes, Rod spoke each word carefully, leaving Sognar and Lilith deeply moved.
“Then hurry up. We don’t have any problems here. Even if the wolf clan shows up, they can’t cause much trouble in the Dark Source in such a short time!” Lilith said confidently.
“By the way, I plan to use the Nether Hellfire to train. I still need to consult the Black Phoenix clan to see if there’s a way to get their consent.” After pondering for a moment, Rod shared his thoughts.
He knew that the Nether Hellfire was the Black Phoenix clan’s most precious treasure and would never be lent to outsiders, so he was somewhat worried. But to improve his strength, he had no choice but to try.
“It’s hard. Those old guys probably won’t lend it to you! The Nether Hellfire is their treasure. Not to mention outsiders, even those within their own clan find it extremely difficult to borrow it. It’s said only those carefully nurtured by the clan can borrow it, like Lucy!
You probably have no chance. Of course, if you have some connection with Lucy, it might be different. You know Lucy’s status in the Black Phoenix clan…” Hearing Rod’s words, Sognar and Lilith frowned and shook their heads. But soon, Sognar wore a lecherous smile and sneered at Rod.
“Well, it seems this is the only option!” Unexpectedly, the usually proper Lilith also nodded in agreement, forcing Rod to smile bitterly. It seemed this was indeed a difficult problem.
But anyway, they had to give it a try. If they tried, they had a 50% chance. If they didn’t, there was no chance at all.

“Then it’s settled. I’ll go see the leader of the Black Phoenix clan later. You guys should get ready too—we need to act quickly; there’s less than half a year left!” Thinking about this, Rod could only sigh.
“Don’t worry, nothing will go wrong on our end. You’d better worry about your little lover instead. It’s said the opposition side has been quite unstable lately—her days are tough!” Looking at Rod insinuatingly, Sognar continued speaking nonsense.
His words made Rod’s heart tighten. Ignoring his sarcastic tone, Rod frowned deeply. He knew the person Sognar was referring to was Aida. No wonder he felt something was off when adding her yesterday—seems there really were some problems.