Chapter 110: The Source of Darkness

“Don’t compare yourselves to that monster—he’s an anomaly!” Looking at the few who looked disheartened, Lilith smirked bitterly as she spoke to them. That guy was indeed someone beyond criticism. She then turned her gaze toward Rod, her expression somewhat strange.
Her eyes held a hint of hope, and a faint smile graced her lips. If she remembered correctly, this guy was only twenty years old. Demons were also a race with a relatively long lifespan. At twenty, he could already reach the divine level—seemingly on par with that monster from back then. The two of them could be compared!
In fact, at that moment, Lilith secretly wondered if this guy might bring her some surprises and surprises. What heights could he reach? What achievements could he make?
“We don’t need to rush to the demon realm, nor the Netherworld. Rod, your strength isn’t enough yet. You must train faster and make progress, otherwise we won’t achieve anything even if we go! It would only be a waste of time. Remember your responsibility. Before entering the Netherworld, you must at least reach the middle stage of the divine level! There’s at most a year left. If I’m not mistaken, it’s only been a year and a half since you entered the Void Space. A year and a half ago, you were an imperial-level warrior, and today, you’re already a divine-level warrior. You should understand what this means. With another year, you should be able to reach the middle stage of the divine level. I believe in you!” Interrupting the others, Gary finally spoke, his gaze toward Rod complex.
Achieving this in just a year and a half was truly astonishing. Even that monster back then wasn’t that extreme. He had the potential. Deep in his heart, he sighed—this burden was indeed heavy. He hoped this guy wouldn’t be crushed by pressure and could turn it into motivation.
“You… what? Teacher Gary, this guy in just a year and a half…?” Reese, Oli, and Phil stared at Rod in disbelief. Going from an imperial-level warrior to the divine level in a year and a half was truly unbelievable. This was the first time they’d heard about it! That’s why their reactions were so extreme. Even those like Sognar, who already knew the truth, couldn’t help but feel bitterness when thinking about it again. Truly an extraordinary guy.

For a moment, the way those people looked at Rod changed—no longer filled with doubt and disdain, but instead with awe and approval. It was indeed not a problem for someone like him to advance by a level in just a year. Of course, if they had known that Rod was only at the beginning stage of the Imperial rank a year and a half ago, and that during that time he had also acquired both Fire and Dark attributes for his combat energy, they wouldn’t know what to think or feel. Likely, if that were the case, those people would go crazy!

“We need to go back first. Don’t forget our identities. Have you forgotten how long we’ve been away from the Void Space? We must return to handle this matter and seal off the entrance to the Void Space. You should be aware of the consequences if anything goes wrong!” Gary continued, looking at everyone.

“Mm, we do need to go back. It must be dealt with!” Xuanfeng agreed.

“We do need to go back, but what about Rod?” Lilith asked, slightly puzzled and worried. At the level of a near-god, Rod would face constant danger in the Source of Darkness—any carelessness could cost him his life, as there were too many powerful enemies there.

“He can train by himself for a while. Once we finish handling things over there, we’ll come look for him. It’s a good chance for him to explore the Demon Clan on his own. If he can’t even handle this, there’s no point in us following him on adventures!” Gary said, completely unfazed by Lilith’s concerns.

These words once again plunged the scene into silence, especially for Rod, who felt a heavy burden on his shoulders. Reaching the middle stage of the Divine rank in just a year was indeed an enormous challenge, but he had to take it on!

“It’s okay. You go ahead. I’ll head to the Demon Clan first to get familiar with the place and train a bit. Don’t worry, nothing will happen!” After a moment, Rod spoke in a deep voice, his gaze more determined than ever. Just as Gary said, if he didn’t even have the ability to protect himself now, then there was no reason to stay here or ask them to accompany him on adventures. If he couldn’t even handle this, he didn’t deserve to continue.

“Be careful then. Hold this item—we’ll find you as soon as we’re done! I hope you won’t disappoint us!” Gary said with a smile, handing a reassuring crystal to Rod, his eyes showing a hint of admiration. It was the first time he had met someone who could remain so calm and determined upon arriving at the Source of Darkness.

After giving some final instructions, the group headed in another direction under Gary’s leadership, leaving Rod alone. He stood there, holding a map, and sighed. This map was left to him by Lilith—it was a map of the interior of the Source of Darkness. His goal was the area a hundred miles to the left ahead, where the demons resided! To get there, he would have to cross a vast forest full of dangers.

“Demons, I’m coming! Netherworld, wait for me!” Taking a deep breath, Rod clutched the map and reviewed it in his mind before speaking softly to himself. Then, he drew out his Dark Dragon and rushed forward toward the left, determined to enter the demons’ territory as quickly as possible and integrate into their lives in no time.

“That kid is not bad!” Gary smiled slightly upon sensing Rod’s departure direction, expressing his admiration for the first time.

“Yeah, he’s quite good—has that person’s demeanor,” Xuanfeng said.

“That kid’s not bad, hehe… has my demeanor. But Sognar, I say your Dragon Soul isn’t complete yet, and yet you dare stay so far away from him. Even if Lord Gary created a barrier for you and that kid gave you a drop of his essence to sustain you, it can only last three months. Hehe, aren’t you afraid something might go wrong by then…?”

“Shut up, Oli! You bastard! Don’t think you’re so great—what right do you have to mock me? Hmph! If it weren’t for your lucky break getting residency in the Dark Realm back then, you’d be worse off than me! Don’t think you’re so awesome! Damn you! What’s the big deal about three months? Three months is enough. Besides, once I finish that task, I can get my Dragon Soul back. What do you think? Bastard…” Like a cat with its tail stepped on, Sognar immediately snapped to anger at Oli’s words and started cursing loudly. Bringing up that topic only angered Sognar further.

His dragon soul had been absorbed by Rod’s Dark Dragon, so logically speaking, he couldn’t leave a radius of one kilometer around Rod. Even with Gary’s help, he couldn’t escape. Thus, Gary had to use an ancient method along with his vast divine powers to create a barrier while obtaining a drop of Rod’s life essence—though this could only last for three months. The matter of his dragon soul remained a constant pain in Sognar’s heart. When Oli mentioned it, it immediately triggered this dangerous situation, leading to a massive explosion.

“You two, shut up! Time is tight this time. That old relic probably won’t give in so easily, so there’s a lot for everyone to do. We have only two months to complete one task, and in the last month, we still have other things to handle! No one can afford any mistakes—remember that!” Frowning deeply, Xuanfeng shouted sternly at their argument. As their senior, he hated seeing such scenes! His voice gradually faded until silence settled in. Seven figures rushed forward at terrifying speed toward the right front.

……

Leaving the Void Space, Rod felt incredibly light, free from the constraints of gravity. It was then that his terrifying speed became apparent. Wherever he passed, not even a trace of his presence remained, not even a shadow—only a faint flash of black light could be seen! Having lived in the Void Space for over a year and a half, his speed had reached a terrifying level under the pressure of constant struggle. He didn’t realize that anyone who came out of the Source of Darkness was a powerful warrior of their time. Even his current speed was enough to surpass an ordinary mid-tier divine-level warrior. If someone saw this speed, they might even be stunned blind.

He raced through the forests like a cheetah—truly befitting the Source of Darkness. The weakest magical beasts he encountered were already royal-level! And they were royal-level Earth Bears, namely the King of Earth Bears in Collins Forest—beasts even more terrifying than ordinary Earth Bears. The rest of the magical beasts were mostly mid-to-high-tier sacred-level creatures. Along the way, Rod sensed several terrifying auras, likely belonging to those who had reached the divine level. And this was just the outskirts—what about the interior? Rod didn’t dare imagine.

Yet even so, Rod encountered no attacks or assaults along the way. The reason was simple: Rod had pushed his speed to itslimit. Even if magical beasts detected his presence and tried to attack, they couldn’t keep up with his speed and were left far behind, eventually giving up. That day, an interesting scene took place in this forest—a dark shadow flashed by swiftly, while the magical beasts in the forest roared in anger, helpless. This continued for three full days. By the end of those three days, when Rod stopped to rest once again, he had unknowingly entered the interior of the Source of Darkness.