Chapter 353: The Great Battle Approaches

“The pro-war faction has indeed started taking action against the opposition!” Lilith frowned and said in a low voice as she watched the group hurrying away.
“I wonder if the opposition can hold out this time!” Lucy murmured anxiously, watching Ada leave.
The group leaving was the opposition’s delegation. Just yesterday, they received news that the pro-war faction had gathered a large force and was marching toward Dark Moon City, where the opposition was based! Upon hearing this news, everyone was shocked, realizing what was about to happen—only they hadn’t expected it to come so suddenly and swiftly.
This time, the pro-war faction had mobilized most of their forces, along with those from the Mi Jiao clan and the Wolf clan, to march on Dark Moon City. Meanwhile, wars on the continent had been put on hold. A stalemate had been maintained, with the Vampire and Wolf clans tasked with holding off the enemy, while only a small number of troops remained there to oversee matters, shifting focus inward toward the Source of Darkness.
“Hei Yin, get your people ready. You’ll set out tomorrow!” Merk whispered to Hei Yin, glancing at the sky, which was already darkening. Now, the Black Phoenix clan, the Dragon clan, and the opposition were all tied together—they had to act together. They certainly couldn’t stand by and let the opposition suffer. If the opposition were absorbed by the pro-war faction, their strength would soar, while the Black Phoenix clan and the Dragon clan would weaken. The balance was clear.
If it weren’t for the approaching darkness, making it difficult to gather troops quickly, Merk would have ordered Hei Yin to lead his people to Dark Moon City with Ada right away.
Now that it was getting dark, Ada couldn’t wait any longer and led her people back first. The Black Phoenix clan could only set out tomorrow.
As for the Dragon clan, half of the twenty members who had come with them had already been sent ahead by Sognar to assist Dark Moon City, while the other half stayed behind under Lilith’s leadership to finish some matters. Once those were resolved, they too would head to Dark Moon City immediately!
Back at the Dragon clan’s headquarters, someone must have passed on the news as well. It wouldn’t be long before their troops arrived at Dark Moon City as well.
The balance of power at the Source of Darkness had been completely disrupted. The emergence of the Wolf clan had overturned everyone’s predictions, bringing this war forward at full force—threatening to reshape the entire landscape.

“The Wolf Clan has also sent members to fight this time. It seems they must have reached an agreement with the pro-war faction and are now on the same side!” Lilith said worriedly, frowning. The most troublesome ones were indeed the Wolf Clan.

With the Wolf King leading the way, possessing the strength of the Yang Xuan realm, and gathering sixteen Wolf Kings along with sixteen powerful warriors at the Yin Huang realm, they were originally scattered across different places. Though strong individually, it was difficult for them to achieve great things alone. But now that these forces have been united, things are completely different—strands tied together can exert several times greater strength.

“Those guys from the Scorpion King Clan!” Merk also frowned, deep in thought. What annoyed him the most was the matter involving the Scorpion King Clan. They came here without discussing anything and left right away, neither declaring an alliance nor refusing one, simply sending some forces to assist Dark Moon City! Although it seemed they were on the same side, the gap between them was huge.

For now, it could only be said that the Scorpion King Clan had temporarily chosen to side with them for self-protection. If anything went wrong or the pro-war faction gained an absolute advantage, the Scorpion King Clan could easily switch sides at any time.

It could be said that the Scorpion King Clan was by far the most unstable factor right now.

“There shouldn’t be any problems. Rod is over there. It seems he has a good relationship with the Scorpion King Clan, and he’s also one of their honorary elders. Let him go and ask what the Scorpion King Clan thinks!” Lilith said, frowning and sighing after hearing this. Right now, Rod was the only one who could help.

“Yeah, Brother Rod has a very good relationship with the Scorpion King Clan. I heard from Sister Nightingale that Brother Rod received a lot of help from them back then. He was originally supposed to accept their help too, but somehow ended up coming to our side on his own! But Sister Nightingale and the others were trained by the Scorpion King Clan!” Lucy added.

“That’s the only explanation! It’s a pity that kid is still training and we don’t know how things are going. I hope he comes out soon—there’s not much time left!” Merk sighed, looking toward the mountain top.

He knew that all too well. Otherwise, would he think the Black Phoenix Clan would really lend him the Nether Hellfire for training? Society is realistic—the debt the Black Phoenix Clan owed him wasn’t big enough to require repayment with Nether Hellfire.

It was precisely because they knew of his relationship with the Scorpion King Clan that the Black Phoenix Clan decided to lend it to him.

“Alright, everyone, go back and get ready. This time, things are really about to change!” Waving his hand, Merk said calmly to those behind him.
With heavy steps, he headed toward his study, deep in thought. Lilith also left the spot, along with the dragon clan members, all filled with concern.
“Big brother, did you succeed? When will you return? If you come back, the situation will surely change, right?” Lucy murmured to herself, gazing toward the Peaks of Darkness.
She knew Rod’s strength. With this attempt, he would surely reach the Yangxuan realm. If he succeeded, the consequences would be obvious—the Wolf Clan would no longer be a major threat. The Wolf King could have Rod hold them back! Then everything would be much easier.
“Miss Lucy, let’s go too!” As the cold wind howled, Nightingale stepped beside Lucy. The rest of the Reaper Scythe Squad gathered around her. Though they knew this was the Peaks of Darkness and danger was unlikely, they remained highly vigilant. It was Rod’s instruction before he left—to protect Lucy at all costs.
It was as if this group had been temporarily entrusted to her care.
“Do you think Big Brother Rod will succeed?” Lucy asked, looking at Nightingale.
“Yes, he definitely will!” Nightingale replied firmly, taking a deep breath. The others behind her also showed confidence. In their eyes, Rod was a god; nothing was impossible for him.
“Are you going to help Sister Ada?” After a brief silence, Lucy asked curiously. A hint of excitement appeared on her lips. Right, how could she forget? Nightingale and the others around her were all strong fighters. If they could go to Dark Moon City, it would be much easier for Sister Ada!
Thinking of that day, of Nightingale, and the two brothers, Viski and Cael, Lucy still felt excited. What powerful people they were! Especially the aura they exuded—Lucy knew that at least within the Black Phoenix Clan, it would be hard to find a team that could match them.

“We can’t go. Our orders are to protect you. We can’t leave until we receive new orders!” Hearing Lucy’s words, Nightingale smiled slightly and said jokingly. After spending time together and interacting more, she also realized that she had unconsciously developed a sense of care for Lucy—a pure and kind woman whom no one would want to bully and whom everyone would want to protect. No wonder Rod felt so relaxed and happy around her.

“Really not? I’m safe here. No one can come and hurt me. Besides, I now have the strength of the Yin Huang realm. Not many people can hurt me. You don’t need to worry!” Lucy pressed further.

“We won’t leave without orders from above,” Thiel seemed unwilling to continue the argument and refused before Nightingale could.

“Oh, I see. Then I just hope Brother Rod will return soon!” Lucy said disappointedly, pouting.

Thiel’s cold tone made her feel uncomfortable, and it reminded her once again that this team was completely beyond her control.

……

The next day, at dawn, in the courtyard, Hei Yin stood at the front, with fifty elite members of the Black Phoenix clan behind him. Even the weakest among them had reached the quasi-divine level, with eleven members at or above the divine level—two at the middle stage of divinity and one at the later stage. This was all the strength the Black Phoenix clan could muster at the moment. After all, the Dark Source was in chaos, so they had to worry about themselves. If they sent most of their forces out while the main combat team feinted, the consequences could be disastrous.

He believed the Dragon clan would make a similar arrangement. This force might not be much against an attacking enemy, but it could still hold off the main combat team for a while. Especially since many of these fifty people were magicians, whose power was immense in group battles.

Seeing the high morale of the group below, Hei Yin nodded. “Everyone knows the purpose of this mission, right?”

“Yes!” The voices of the fifty people rang out loudly as if shaking the sky.

“Do you have confidence?”

“Yes!”

“Good. Then let’s get ready to set off!” With high morale among them, he was satisfied. His gaze shifted to Lilith, seemingly signaling her to speak.

“Alright, let’s go. There’s nothing more to say; we can discuss everything on the battlefield!” Lilith said with a smile, yet the worry in her expression was hard to hide. They had finished discussing everything that needed to be addressed overnight last night, and fortunately, everything went smoothly as everyone reached an agreement. So today, Lilith had no intention of staying any longer. She planned to head to Dark Moon City with the dragon clan members along with Hei Yin, hoping to arrive there before the main combat faction did.