Chapter 453: Heading to the Ice City

At this moment, inside the room, Rod was in a wonderful state—his entire body bathed in the elements. Elements continuously flowed into his body, refining it as they circulated through his meridians before entering his dantian, bringing a warm and comfortable sensation that was truly delightful. Rod became utterly immersed in it.

The room was now enveloped in a faint yellow glow, with gentle breezes blowing through, giving off a cool sensation.

After practicing in this state for an unknown length of time, Rod’s combat energy had circled through his meridians eighty-one times before he finally felt it reach a saturation point—having reached a peak state.

It was only then that Rod stopped practicing. Looking at his purple-golden combat energy, he smiled in satisfaction.

Feeling comfortable all over, this was exactly what the later stages of the Yang Xuan realm should feel like—this was the true essence of the later stages. His combat energy had reached a saturation point, allowing him to control it effortlessly. An indescribable sense of ease filled him as he let out a long sigh and smiled contentedly.

Suddenly, his senses sharpened. Smelling a foul odor, he quickly opened his eyes and frowned. Reluctantly, he realized the smell came from his own body.

At that moment, his skin was covered with a thin layer of black solid matter, already dried. Drawing on past experience, Rod knew this was waste matter emanating from his body. This practice had once again refined his body—each cell, after being purified, released residual substances that were expelled from his body.

It was now dawn. Full of energy from his practice, he stretched lazily. After getting familiar with his surroundings, he felt even more comfortable—indescribably so.

Opening the window, he took a deep breath of fresh air, slightly cool. The sun slowly rose above the horizon, casting a unique red glow.

Excited, he went outside the courtyard and drew out Xuanyuan, beginning to dance with it. His movements were fluid and graceful, like lotus blossoms emerging from water; sword shadows covered the entire courtyard, creating beautiful patterns. The edge of his sword was fierce and powerful.

Every move was unpredictable, leaving everyone in awe. Outside the courtyard, several people stood there—Wolf King, Merk, and others—now awakened by Rod’s swordplay.

Watching Rod’s swordsmanship and experiencing those exquisitely intricate moves, the few of them exchanged glances, seemingly seeing him train early in the morning for the first time. It seemed that yesterday’s events had also lifted his spirits greatly. The entire demonstration of swordsmanship took up almost half an hour, and with a slight sweat on his forehead, Rod turned to look at the four people outside the door. “You’re here?” Earlier, absorbed in the subtleties of swordsmanship, Rod knew they had arrived but hadn’t greeted them. Only now, having finished, did he take the time to address them. “Heh, I’ve fully grasped the mysteries of the way of the sword. It’s truly profound!” Merk said with admiration as he stepped into the small courtyard. “Are you leaving?” Rod asked, noticing the Wolf King’s attire. “Yes, it’s time to go! Ice City is waiting for you!” the Wolf King replied thoughtfully. The matters in Water Curtain City had come to an end, and it could be said that the situation throughout the Source of Darkness had stabilized as well—the great war was over. It was unfortunate, though, that new troubles had arisen, prompting sighs of regret. “I’ll go there in a few days,” Rod said after some thought. He needed to ensure the Great Prince was settled before leaving, otherwise he wouldn’t be able to do so with peace of mind. … By noon, the Wolf Clan’s army set off from Water Curtain City, heading toward Ice City. The massive army of nearly ten thousand people moved with great momentum. With their departure, Water Curtain City seemed to fall silent instantly, giving people a sense of discomfort. Yet for the commoners, this might have been the best news possible. The battles of the previous night had been terrifying, leaving them in fear that more disasters would strike. Just as they were worried, the Wolf Clan’s army left. This was undoubtedly a message to everyone: the battles in Water Curtain City were completely over, and the time for recovery had begun. Life would return to normal. Beyond the commoners, the small families and merchants were the happiest. They had suffered heavy losses during the battles, and now that peace had returned, it was only natural for them to celebrate. So starting that very noon, the streets became lively as people began to go out one after another. Firecrackers rang out continuously, and shops opened one by one. Water Curtain City recovered much faster than expected. Although it still couldn’t compare to its peak prosperity, it was already quite good. It was believed that it would soon return to full normalcy. Truly, as the largest city, it had a large population, and its liveliness was beyond imagination. …

In the following days, Rod stayed mostly indoors, leaving the task of watching over the Crown Prince largely to him, spending over half of his time keeping an eye on things. The demon general seemed to gradually calm down as well, realizing he could not escape after being bound by the divine aura and understanding his fate, so he accepted it calmly. He ate well and slept well every day, seemingly waiting for the day of his exile, untroubled. It was somewhat surprising, but Rod also admired such a mindset.

Staying together, Rod and the demon general inevitably had some conversations. After talking, they found they got along quite well, having many common topics. Rod was impressed by the demon general’s boldness and attitude, while the demon general valued Rod’s strength and character. Since ancient times, the strong have been respected—since you are strong, you deserve respect. Of course, Rod’s straightforward personality also suited the demon general’s taste.

The two felt as if they had met too late, and they had pleasant conversations, deliberately avoiding topics related to the war between gods and demons, as they were still enemies in that regard. Through their interactions, Rod developed a bit more respect for the demon general. After all, not many people could make him feel this way. Having experienced so much, Rod still failed to see this—many people seemed gentle on the surface with smiling faces but were capable of the worst deeds behind closed doors: killing, looting, burning, and plundering. Could such people be better than the demon general?

“Kid, since you seem decent, I’ll give you some advice!” one day, the demon general said to Rod during their conversation.

“What advice?” Rod asked, puzzled.

“If you meet the great general, it’s best if you run away right away!” he said, then burst into laughter. It was the first time they had discussed this topic.

His words left Rod feeling both amused and annoyed. Was he really that bad? It was a harsh comment, and most importantly, Rod could tell he wasn’t joking but was serious.

“If you still have the strength from back then, run! You’re no match for him. Hehe, I’ll keep you around to fight when I return and avenge myself!” the demon general said with emotion, still resentful about what had happened. If it weren’t for the appearance of the divine aura, the outcome might not have been the same.

“What strength can he recover to?” Rod asked tentatively.

“It won’t be worse than mine. Be careful! By the way, here’s another piece of info for free—if you’re not afraid of death, go check out the mainland. He’s there!” With a smirk, Mo continued speaking.
These words made Rod tense up, thinking to himself that things were bad—he hadn’t expected that guy to have gone to the mainland. It seemed the search would be much harder now. His expression grew serious as he nodded at Mo in thanks for the information.
“Is this considered betraying the Heavenly Demon Clan?” Rod asked jokingly, as if thinking of something.
“It doesn’t matter. There’s no such thing as betrayal or not. We’re still enemies. I just thought you seemed decent, so I gave you some advice. Even the commander won’t care!” Mo remained calm about this. In the Heavenly Demon Clan, things weren’t like in the outside world, where such things were taken seriously. For them, as long as you had strength, you were the leader; with strength, there was no need to fear. Revealing such information was a trivial matter to them.
“I’ll go to Ice City tomorrow, then check out the mainland. I really am not afraid of death!” Rod said to Mo in a joking tone.
“Hehe, save your life for when I come for it. The God’s Lament Forbidden Zone—that damned place. I have to go there again!” The Mo General complained unhappily, recalling the last Great War between gods and demons.
Rod just laughed it off and didn’t press further.
…
Two days later, Rod set off for Ice City with the members of the Death Scythe Squad. Of course, Biano, Lucy, and Aida were also along, along with Sognar and Lilith. These two hadn’t even thought of returning to the Dragon Clan but instead chose to go to Ice City together, leaving Rod amused and exasperated. They probably even forgot where the Dragon Valley was. The Dragon Clan was really too lenient, allowing them to act recklessly outside.
As for Biano, she had been in a state of anxiety these past few days—a kind of excited anxiety. Perhaps after waiting nearly twenty years, she finally saw this day arrive, and her excitement was impossible to hide.
By the time the group set off for Ice City, Water Curtain City had completely calmed down. In fact, even the entire Dark Source had settled. The war was over, and the pro-war faction had been destroyed. Now, the Dark Source had returned to peace. Though it wasn’t as prosperous as before, it would surely recover soon—and even better.

As for the people of the Black Phoenix clan, Merk said they would set off in a few days. It’s quite close from here to Ice City; one could even reach it in a day if desired. Of course, although a large group moves more slowly, three days is always sufficient.