Chapter 374: Storm (3)

From afar under the night sky, Rod gazed at Wuyou City with a faint smile on his lips. It had been a year since his last visit here. Back then, he had earned the right to enter the Netherworld. Coming here again now, his mindset was completely different. This time, his goal was to take control of Wuyou City.

The Neutral faction was indeed well-hidden. If not for his accidental discovery of this huge secret back then, they would have remained in the dark forever. Now? With the Neutral faction suddenly switching sides, the outcome was predictable. It was inevitable to feel a bit scared. As for the Pro-War faction, their failure this time could only be blamed on their bad luck.

Rock had already led hundreds of men, divided into dozens of groups, to sneak into Wuyou City. According to the plan, dawn would be the time for them to act. It was as if fate was on their side—Wuyou City was completely unaware that danger was approaching. Unaware of the threats around them, they even sent troops to Dark Moon City to assist the Pro-War faction! Did they really think everyone in the Source of Darkness was stupid enough not to realize this?

If they wanted to aid the Opposition, it shouldn’t be at this moment; they should have sent troops earlier. The reason for sending troops now was obvious to anyone who thought carefully about it.

“Brother Rod!” Lucy’s voice came from behind.

Turning around, he saw Lucy and Nightingale standing behind him, their faces slightly red as they looked at him. Rod didn’t know when these two girls had become so close. He couldn’t figure out what secrets lay hidden between them—after all, women’s hearts were as inscrutable as the depths of the sea.

“How did you two come here?” Rod asked with a smile. No matter when he saw them, he felt at ease, as if nothing could stop him.

“Come and take a look. What, aren’t you allowed?” Nightingale said unhappily, pouting.

These words made Rod smile faintly. “No, of course not. It’s cold, and the wind is strong here. Let’s go back.”

“It’s okay. Brother is probably thinking about Wuyou City, right? Don’t worry. Grandpa Rock and the others will definitely handle it well. With Wuyou City’s army away, we can definitely take it!” Lucy said confidently, looking at Rod.

“Well, I hope so!” To be honest, there was really no need to worry about taking over Wuyou City. With this force of two thousand people arriving, plus the nearly thousand already lurking inside the city, that made a total of three thousand troops. With internal and external cooperation, and the neutral faction sending large groups to Dark Moon City as well, it would be hard to justify failing to capture this town under such circumstances.

After speaking, there was a brief silence. All three gazed at Wuyou City in the distance. As night fell, the city was brightly lit, as if it were day, with a dazzling array of colors, truly beautiful.

The cold wind blew, revealing the ancient charm of this town that had stood for a thousand years. Yet beneath the bright lights, its signs of weariness could not be hidden. Perhaps it was truly tired—thousands of years of accumulation demanding release all at once.

He felt a soft touch on his arm. Looking down, he saw that Lucy had somehow taken his hand. This made Rod quickly glance at Nightingale, feeling quite embarrassed!

“What’s wrong? Can’t Sister Lucy borrow your hand for a moment?” Unexpectedly, Nightingale said such a thing.

Lucy, on the other hand, blushed. She knew about the relationship between Rod and Nightingale, so she felt somewhat reserved in front of Nightingale. But thinking of what Nightingale had said to her that night, she wore a sweet smile, her heart pounding like a deer’s.

The atmosphere remained tense. Nightingale also took hold of Rod’s other hand. With two beautiful women on either side, they dominantly surrounded Rod! Fortunately, it was quiet at night, and no one noticed what was happening. Otherwise, such a scene would have made many men jealous.

Time passed by. Footsteps came from behind, startling the three of them. They quickly turned around and saw Moke and Dolon approaching. Seeming to notice Rod and the others’ earlier posture, Moke and Dolon gave Rod a somewhat ambiguous look, an indescribable expression.

“Ahem… Um, Chief Moke, Elder, what brings you here so late?” Seeing their expressions, Rod felt uneasy and decided to speak first.

“Come and take a look. How does it look? It’s getting late, and the time for action is approaching. How confident are we this time?” From the moment Rod appeared and saved the Black Phoenix clan, the entire clan placed absolute trust in him. So when he proposed attacking the Mi Jiao clan and privately approached them along with Elder Doron to wipe out the Mi Jiao clan and then gather all available forces to attack Wuyou City, they agreed without hesitation.

Although both of them were somewhat incredulous upon hearing about attacking Wuyou City, they accepted it after Rod’s explanation and cooperated wholeheartedly. As for the chances of victory, they were unsure, as they had never imagined becoming enemies of the Wu You clan and thus hadn’t considered such possibilities.

“Over 80%! Wuyou City won’t pose much of a problem. The real trouble lies ahead—once we capture Wuyou City, we’ll have to face the war faction head-on!” With a sigh, Rod said with a bitter smile. Wuyou City indeed posed no difficulty to him; the real challenge was the war faction! With so many powerful fighters, it was certainly beyond the capacity of the Black Phoenix clan to resist. A direct confrontation could lead to disastrous consequences. Now, all he could hope for was that things on the Dragon clan’s side were already in order.

“The war faction!” At these words, Merk and Doron exchanged glances, seeing a hint of concern in each other’s eyes.

A hundred thousand troops, thousands of powerful fighters, plus the Wolf clan—this was indeed a huge threat. If they launched a full-scale counterattack, could the Black Phoenix clan withstand it?

With war imminent, a sense of heaviness settled over everyone’s expressions.

The five of them stood on a high vantage point overlooking Wuyou City, each lost in their own thoughts. In the distance, the Death Scythe Squad stood guard rigorously, ensuring no one could threaten Rod—truly a first-class escort team.

In the dead of night, the lights in Wuyou City gradually dimmed, leaving only a few nightclubs still lit. In the quiet darkness, a storm was about to break.

“Let’s get ready!” Checking the time, Rod said to the group.

Merk and Doron looked solemn, nodded, and turned to start preparing for the attack.

Returning to the main force, after some arrangements and organization, the troops were divided up. As time passed unnoticed, everything was ready. Under the cover of darkness, the group began to move toward Wuyou City.

Dawn was approaching; the sky was pitch black, though a faint grayish hue had appeared. At this moment, most people in Wuyou City were still asleep, unaware that a great battle was about to unfold. Hidden 300 meters outside Wuyou City, the group waited for a signal from inside the city. Locke and his men must have already started their action—hoping to disrupt the city’s defenses and create better opportunities for them.

…

“It’s almost time!” Nightingale whispered beside Rod.

“Wait—let’s head straight for the city lord’s mansion!” Rod ordered firmly. As planned, Rod led the Death Scythe Squad and members of the Black Phoenix Clan straight to the neutral faction’s residence, while leaving the outer guards to those smaller clans and Locke’s group. In other words, the success or failure of Rod and his team would determine the outcome of the entire battle.

Time seemed to stand still. Waiting was especially slow—every second stretched endlessly. The wait was painful, especially in such a tense atmosphere.

Silence, utter silence. Rod could even hear everyone’s heartbeat and breathing.

Suddenly, a brilliant red fireball appeared in the sky! Everyone’s spirits soared. The surprise vanished, replaced by excitement.

“Attack!” Rod roared, charging toward Wuyou City first, with Merk and the others following closely behind.

The attack inside the city had succeeded—this fireball was Locke’s signal.

300 meters wasn’t much time for these powerful warriors. In just a few flashes, they reached the city gates. Noise and fighting sounds came from inside, as the gates slowly opened with a screeching noise!

Boom… Rod swung his sword, and with a loud crash, the gates collapsed into pieces.

Wuyou City was completely exposed to everyone’s eyes. The lights that had been extinguished inside were lit again. The once peaceful night was shattered, replaced by the sounds of battle and brutality.

The battle had begun—stormy times had arrived! This night would surely be sleepless.

Perhaps because too many people had been sent to assist Dark Moon City, Wuyou City’s defensive forces were weak and easily overwhelmed. Under Locke’s leadership, the enemy was completely suppressed, with no strength to fight back. Cries of pain filled the air, as people fell every second.

Although the demons have the largest number of members, their strength is weak. These guards are only at the imperial level, with the stronger ones at the sacred level; at most a few are at the quasi-divine level leading the troops. Such a force is utterly unable to stop Rod and the others from advancing. Wherever they pass, blood flows, screams fill the air, and limbs and corpses lie scattered everywhere. The road to the city lord’s mansion has been soaked with blood and lives.