Chapter 378: Waiting

In the next moment, everyone in the arena’s gaze was once again drawn to Rod. All eyes were fixed on him.
A breakthrough? That thought flashed through everyone’s minds simultaneously, their faces filled with disbelief. How could it be? Rod’s strength had already been witnessed by all—after all, it was the strength of the Yang Xuan realm. And now he was to advance further? To the middle stage of Yang Xuan? What kind of concept was that? Perhaps it could even compare to the Wolf Emperor, who was considered the strongest being right now! It was unbelievable!
There was also awe—reaching such a level at such a young age. It was hard to imagine how far he might go in the future. Perhaps he could even reach that legendary realm—the Xuan Huang realm!
The elements raged violently, unleashing their fury centered around Rod. Yet Rod, standing at the heart of it all, wasn’t aware of anything amiss. His eyes remained closed as he delved into a strange state.
As the elements flowed into his body, replenishing his combat energy and cleansing his meridians, he felt utterly detached. It seemed as though his soul had left his body and floated high in the sky, overlooking the world below. Wuyou City was entirely within his sight, while below lay his own body—so real, so clear, utterly mysterious!
At this moment, he had achieved the ability to project his consciousness outside his body and soar among the stars—a feat only possible at the middle stage of the Yang Xuan realm. Feeling this, Rod was overjoyed. He knew that several tough battles in recent days had finally allowed him to break through his limits and reach this stage.
He had expected this day to come, but not so soon. During his trials in the Netherhell Fire, he had already touched the threshold of the middle stage of Yang Xuan realm. Unfortunately, a lack of opportunities had prevented him from advancing further. But these recent battles had provided him with such an opportunity. Perhaps this was the effect of his potential being unleashed!
Suppressing his joy, Rod looked around. At this moment, he felt as though he stood above all, overlooking all living beings and everything else, ruling the world!
Lost in this wonderful sensation, Rod became somewhat indulged. Yet he quickly regained his senses. His body below was still undergoing intense transformation. If he ignored it now, unpredictable consequences might arise.

With that, he suppressed his joy and excitement, allowing his spiritual consciousness to slowly return to his body. He controlled his combat energy to cleanse his meridians, strengthen his body, and channel it into his dantian for consolidation! Over and over again, with each cycle, Rod had no idea how much time had passed; he only felt that his combat energy had reached a saturated level, equivalent to that of the middle stage of Yang Xuan. At least a day and night must have gone by.

Now, he had entered the most critical phase. The combat energy within his dantian was being continuously compressed and integrated into the core of combat energy. Only by completely transforming this core could he truly advance to the middle stage of Yang Xuan; otherwise, it would not be considered complete. This process was extremely complex, and any mistake could lead to disastrous consequences.

Rod could no longer pay attention to what was happening outside. He was fully focused on his own body. As for the battle, with Carter eliminated, the Neutral Faction no longer had the strength to resist. What awaited them was the same fate as the Mi Jiao clan—erasure from the history of the Dark Source.

…

“Big brother, are you okay? It’s been two days!” Lucy asked anxiously, looking at Rod, who stood motionless in one place.

Two days had passed. By now, calm had returned to Rod’s surroundings. Since yesterday afternoon, the elements around him had ceased their turmoil. Seeing this, Lucy knew Rod must have completed his breakthrough, but since he still hadn’t awakened, she couldn’t help but worry.

As for the battle, it was over. With Carter eliminated, the Neutral Faction was in disarray, with no ability to resist. Those who surrendered had been captured, while those who resisted were all wiped out. The Neutral Faction was destroyed, and Wuyou City fell under the control of the Hei Huang clan and the Scorpion King clan. The battle was over.

The streets were somewhat deserted. Perhaps due to the great battle, there were very few people around. Wuyou City no longer had its usual hustle and bustle.

But this didn’t mean much. It was believed that everything would return to normal in another ten days or half a month. After all, the residents here were not members of the Neutral Faction—they were just small families or individuals. Wuyou City was merely a place for them to live. To them, it probably didn’t matter who ruled the city, as long as they could live a peaceful life in a good environment. Under such circumstances, they simply wouldn’t dare to resist!

The facts also prove this—today, these people seem to have accepted the change of ownership of Wuyou City and have begun to resume their normal lives!
The street where Rod is located has been sealed off to prevent any interference; only members of the Scorpion King clan and the Black Phoenix clan are allowed to enter. They are all waiting for Rod to return, waiting for him to lead them in the next steps.
“Don’t worry, he’ll be fine! After this breakthrough, he might truly be at the peak of the Source of Darkness!” Nightingale said with a smile, patting Lucy’s shoulder, her heart filled with complex emotions—excitement and joy, as well as a hint of disappointment. Excited because Rod was about to achieve a breakthrough, and her man was about to become the strongest. Disappointed because the gap between her and him had widened again to a terrifying extent, leaving her unable to help him with those difficulties in the future.
Looking at the members of the Reaper Scythe Squad around her, who among them wasn’t feeling conflicted? She believed they felt the same way! For two days, the members of the Reaper Scythe Squad had stood tall by Rod’s side, guarding him—how many understood their feelings?
“Mm, Big Brother will definitely be fine! Mid-stage Yangxuan realm? He’s really already the best!” Lucy nodded and said softly, “The Wolf King can’t even be Big Brother’s opponent now, right?”
“The Wolf King? Maybe,” Nightingale replied doubtfully, glancing at Lucy. No one knew the true strength of the Wolf King.
“Let’s go back. You’ve been here for two days. If Rod wakes up and sees you looking so pale, he’ll feel heartbroken!” Taking a deep breath, Nightingale said to Lucy. Since the battle ended, Lucy hadn’t left Rod’s side at all, and two days had left her somewhat pale.
“It’s Big Brother who should feel heartbroken—you’ve been here for two days too!” Lucy blushed slightly and retorted, then showed a hint of melancholy as she gazed at Rod, seemingly lost in thought.
Though these subtle gestures were slight, Nightingale noticed them all and smiled knowingly. “You like Rod, don’t you?” In fact, it was obvious to everyone, but no one had brought it up. Naturally, Nightingale wouldn’t miss it—it was the first time she had asked such a question.

“No… there’s nothing! Sister, don’t overthink it! I… I just consider him as an elder brother! Besides, he already has you as his sister!” Suddenly hearing Nightingale’s words, Lucy showed a hint of panic in her eyes, her face turning red as she hurriedly explained. By the end, her eyes were filled with tears, making it heartbreaking to watch.

“Alright, alright! I was just asking casually, see how worried you got! Hehe, actually, you don’t need to explain. Everyone can see that he’s a good man. There aren’t many men like him these days. If you really like him, seize the chance—don’t wait until failure comes before you regret it!” With a sigh, Nightingale patted Lucy’s shoulder and said with a smile, “A man like him can’t be kept by just me. You should be able to see that Princess Ada from the opposition has special feelings for him! Can I really keep him by my side? All I desire is to be by his side for a lifetime!”

“You… Sister, you…” Lucy looked at Nightingale in confusion, unable to understand why she said such things. She wasn’t stupid—how could she not grasp the subtle meaning in Nightingale’s words?

“Alright, think about it carefully. Sister will always support you!” Without continuing, Nightingale took Lucy’s hand and headed toward the lord’s mansion, which had become their base.

Hearing Nightingale’s words, even if Lucy were stupid, she knew what she meant. Her face turned red with shame, her heart pounding. She kept her head down, not daring to look at Nightingale’s expression, and let her lead her toward the lord’s mansion, lost in her own thoughts.

…

“It’s been two days. When will we take the next step?” In the quiet of the night, in one of the rooms in the lord’s mansion, Locke frowned and spoke in a deep voice.

Time waits for no one, especially in battles where speed is crucial. Delaying would be extremely disadvantageous for them.

“Rod is still trying to break through and hasn’t regained consciousness. We’ve almost finished preparing here. As soon as he returns, we can immediately take action!” Taking a deep breath, Mork said with a bitter smile. This wasn’t something he could decide or was willing to see happen.

“There’s nothing else to do but go ahead. Let’s see; it’s the last day tomorrow. This damned kid takes so long to make a breakthrough. It’s already this late—by now, news of the Neutral faction being destroyed will likely have spread. If the War Faction and those from the Neutral faction who went to Dark Moon City find out about us, we’ll be in trouble. Dark Moon City is behind us, and Water Curtain City is ahead—both are unfavorable for us! If all else fails, we can set off the day after tomorrow and head to Dark Moon City for support as planned! As for Rod, we can just leave some people here to wait for him!” Locke said seriously after pondering for a moment.