Chapter 211: Crisis
Back in his room, with nothing much to do, Rod decided to start practicing. He let his combat energy flow through his body repeatedly, enjoying the rare comfort, with a faint smile on his lips.
At that moment, outside the Black Market City, a group of about dozens of people was rushing toward Black Stone City. Upon reaching the city gates, a young man at the front showed a black token, and the guards immediately became respectful, stepping aside to allow them to pass.
“Are you sure you saw him staying there?” one middle-aged man asked in a low voice to a man beside him as they looked at an inn in the distance.
“Absolutely. I followed him into that inn—there’s no mistake!” The previously listless, thin man suddenly showed determination as he replied.
“Good. Inform the guards of Black Stone City to prepare to cooperate. You go first and surround the inn—don’t give him any chance to escape. Yanmu, take some men to clear the area and get everyone out of here!” After getting a definite answer from the thin man, the middle-aged man gave a sharp look and quickly issued orders to everyone around him.
A storm was brewing—dark clouds loomed, and the situation was perilous. Yet Rod was completely unaware of the terrifying crisis approaching him, still immersed in his practice!
The comfortable sensation was hard to resist. As his combat energy reached saturation, he felt a faint cold aura in his dantian beginning to move, circling around it and absorbing his combat energy. With each rotation, he felt a significant amount of his energy being drawn away, yet the aura showed no change after absorbing it.
Learning from the previous experience, Rod dared not resist or test further. In such a situation, he could only continue to absorb external elements to replenish his lost energy.
As the cold aura kept absorbing energy, it took some time before Rod felt it gradually stop. By then, it seemed even larger than before—what had once been as thin as a hair thread might now be as thin as a needle. Though the increase was small, it was still noticeable.
Everything stopping finally allowed Rod to breathe a sigh of relief. Just as he wanted to complain, his expression froze—his entire focus had been on that aura earlier, and he hadn’t realized he had improved somewhat after this training session. It wasn’t an increase in strength, but rather the refinement of his combat energy. Compared to before, it was even purer. Although its quantity hadn’t changed, Rod knew that as the combat energy became purer, the power it could unleash when using techniques would increase, and the time it could be sustained would also grow! This was why sometimes two people with identical strengths could still have one gain a decisive advantage in battle—the key lay in the purity and control of their combat energy.
“Kid, did you notice it?” Xuan Yuan’s teasing voice came to his mind. Rod knew he must have noticed it as well.
“What’s going on?” With some confusion, Rod asked Xuan Yuan. He remembered not having purified his combat energy earlier. At his current level, he had already reached the limit of purification, and continuing wouldn’t bring any benefits, so he hadn’t bothered with it. Yet, under such circumstances, his combat energy had somehow been refined?
After hearing Rod’s words, Xuan Yuan pondered for a moment before saying uncertainly, “It might be that aura. We still don’t know exactly what it is, but it certainly can’t harm you. Didn’t it absorb your combat energy earlier? I guess it sucked out the impurities from your energy, indirectly helping to refine it!”
Rod’s expression turned alarmed. That aura? Xuan Yuan’s words left him stunned, but after thinking it over, this seemed to be the only possibility. Could it be true? Though he still didn’t believe it, he had no choice but to accept this explanation for now. That aura? The thought made his head ache. Everything seemed to be becoming more and more mysterious, as if there was a huge secret hidden within his body.
“Alright, you don’t have time to overthink this. Put it aside for now—you’ll understand eventually. For now, focus on figuring out how to get out. There’s a whole group of people outside ready to attack you. If you don’t leave now, I guess today you’ll…”
In response to Rod’s confusion, Xuan Yuan hurriedly interrupted him. A group of people was approaching outside, and along with some strange behaviors he had noticed himself, he guessed that someone surely intended to attack Rod, so he quickly warned him. Among those people were many strong fighters—he could sense that at least three of them were as powerful as Knight Rod at the imperial level, while most of the rest were at the golden warrior level. There were also thousands of soldiers. Even a saint-level warrior might find it difficult to break through such an encirclement, let alone Rod, who was still only at the late stage of the golden warrior level. Hearing Xuan Yuan’s words, Rod’s expression changed drastically. Had his identity been exposed? But he had been very careful since entering Black Stone City, and nothing seemed amiss. He rushed to the bed, cracked it open slightly, and looked outside. Sure enough, the hotel he was in was now completely surrounded—filled with soldiers and a few martial artists who clearly weren’t amateurs. The shops around had all closed their doors tightly. What had once been a bustling and lively place was now empty, with only endless soldiers everywhere. Rod knew these people must be targeting him, and the poor people around must have been evacuated. Suddenly, his eyes lit up as he saw a figure, instantly realizing why all this was happening! Frowning inwardly, he realized he had acted a bit too slowly. Indeed, among the crowd, Rod saw a familiar face—one of the bandits he had met that day. Others might not remember, but Rod remembered him clearly—the scar running across his face was quite striking. “Damn it!” Rod cursed silently upon seeing this. He grew anxious. Surrounded as he was, he wouldn’t have noticed anything without Xuan Yuan’s warning. He smiled bitterly, realizing he had focused all his attention on observing that mysterious energy inside, ignoring what was happening outside. He saw clearly that there was no way to escape. Going down would only lead to death. He looked through another window, only to find it also completely blocked. Frowning deeply, he racked his brains desperately, hoping to find a chance to escape.
“Knock, knock, knock…” A dull knocking sound came from outside the room, making Rod’s heart skip a beat. He quickly drew out Dark Dragon and gripped it tightly, then cautiously approached the door, raising Dark Dragon slightly, ready to strike at any moment. The knocking grew more urgent. Seeing this, Rod took a deep breath and swallowed hard. He could feel sweat forming in his palms. Reaching the door, he frowned and abruptly pulled it open, immediately swinging Dark Dragon outside with a whoosh! “It’s me!” The figure seemed prepared, dodging Rod’s fierce strike with a quick movement before stepping forward, grabbing Rod’s arms and shouting loudly. It turned out to be a royal-level powerhouse. From the red combat energy he emitted, Rod could tell of this person’s strength. A cold sweat instantly covered his back. It was so easy for someone to grab his arms—no chance to resist. Even a royal-level fighter shouldn’t be this straightforward. Looking at the burly man before him, Rod felt lucky that he didn’t seem hostile; otherwise, even a hundred of him would likely be dead at his hands. Seeing this somewhat familiar face, Rod grew puzzled, as if he had met this guy somewhere before. “We meet again. Forgot? I’m Hori! There’s no time for nonsense. Get ready quickly—I’ll take you out together!” Letting go of Rod, Hori quickly closed the door and said anxiously. “Hori? It’s you! Why are you here?” Hearing this name, Rod remembered—wasn’t this the member of that mysterious organization? He had come to find Rod before, seemingly sent by the first man in black he encountered. He never expected it to be this person. How did he end up here? With doubts in mind, Rod asked anxiously. “The master sent me. There’s no time. Get ready to escape. The master will explain the rest later!” A bit anxious, Hori rushed to the window, peeked outside through the crack, and urged Rod again. “How do we get out? Do you have any plan? If we just charge in, we won’t be able to get out!” The situation was critical. Rod couldn’t afford to worry too much. Putting his doubts aside for now, he asked Hori. For now, all he needed to know was that Hori had no ill intentions toward him—otherwise, he wouldn’t be here!
“Later, when they charge over, we’ll jump over there and fight our way out. That’s their weakest point. Don’t worry, someone will come to our rescue. After you go, just run toward where Collins Forest is. Someone will contact you then. I and the others will cover your retreat! Remember, run in the direction of Collins—the lord said you’ll go there!”
Frowning and continuing to watch the situation outside, Hori said without turning around. His words left Rod speechless, as if every word and action of his were under the other’s control, even his thoughts could be guessed. At this thought, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of horror—terrifying opponent, were the words that popped into his mind.