Chapter 111: A Romantic Encounter or Bad Luck (Part 1)

Sitting cross-legged on the ground, Rod suddenly opened his eyes and exhaled a puff of foul air. A tangible white mist emerged from his mouth and nose before dissipating into the air. Since reaching the divine level, his physical body had been constantly tempered and strengthened through daily training, so what he exhaled were the impurities within his body.

As he opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashed like a solid object before vanishing in an instant. With a faint smile on his lips, the days of travel had left him feeling tired, but after this session of training, he had fully recovered. It was the first time since reaching the divine level that he had been able to unleash his speed so unrestrainedly, filling him with great satisfaction.

If at the imperial level he could only maintain full speed for two or three hours, and at the sacred level for a day, now he could sustain it for three days—showing just how terrifyingly advanced he had become.

Standing up, he took a deep breath and looked around. He was now deep within the Heart of Darkness. Around him was a forest of towering trees that reached straight up into the sky, their dense canopies blocking out the light. Breathing in the fresh air and the scent of soil, he felt refreshed. Taking out his map, he studied it carefully, his expression growing serious. He was likely in the territory inhabited by the demons. About a kilometer ahead should be their stronghold. If Lilith’s map was correct, the nearest area belonged to the faction within the demons who opposed war—the rebels! And this area was the protective forest surrounding their stronghold—the Tianyun Forest.

Putting away the map, Rod slowed down and walked forward cautiously. There was no need to rush here. By extending his consciousness, he could sense faint auras around him—probably magical beasts living in this forest.

After arriving at the Source of Darkness for a few days, Rod had come to understand the horror of this place. He couldn’t help but sigh inwardly—since when had saints become so worthless? Along his journey, he had sensed hundreds of auras. Aside from a few powerful auras at the divine level, the rest were at least at the early saint level, with almost all being at the middle or late saint level! Hundreds of saints—such a force, if they launched an attack, would be impossible for even two divine beings to withstand, not to mention those divine creatures! No wonder it was called a forbidden zone; it was truly terrifying.

Feeling these auras, Rod became even more cautious. He could only hope for good luck and avoid encountering those pack-hunting creatures—those pack-based saint-level magical beasts gave him chills just thinking about them.

Suddenly, Rod’s gaze turned cold as he stopped and stared at the woods on his left. “Get lost! Or die!” he snapped, followed by a cold roar.

Not long after waking up from his cultivation and setting out, he had sensed this aura following him. It was strong—likely a late saint-level magical beast. The fact that it had been tracking him for so long meant it surely intended to attack him, seeing him as food.

The moment the cold roar was uttered, Rod’s aura surged like a rising tide, spreading powerfully in that direction, enveloping the area completely.

“Roar…” A roar came from the shadows. Realizing it was no match for Rod’s formidable aura, the beast slowly retreated into the distance after a few roars, disappearing after a while. Noticing it had left, Rod smirked slightly. Late saint-level magical beasts, having reached such a level, were quite intelligent. Knowing they were no match, they wouldn’t rashly attack and risk their lives, so they chose to retreat—saving Rod the trouble. Otherwise, not only would the battle be troublesome, but it might also attract other magical beasts to spy, especially those powerful auras that even he found daunting—probably no less formidable than Sognar.

It was not until the monstrous beast was completely far away that Rod took another step forward, concealing all traces of his presence. At that moment, he reverted to his ordinary identity once again. Yet no one who saw him would ever consider him ordinary—a normal person could they really have the ability to move forward alone deep within this source of darkness? Likely, they would perish within the beast’s belly in less than fifteen minutes.

After walking hundreds of meters, Rod finally arrived by a clear stream. The water flowed gently, surrounded by green trees and blooming flowers. The air was fresh, and birds sang incessantly—this place could easily be called a paradise. It was the first time Rod had experienced nature’s beauty in such a way! Calling it a fairyland on earth was no exaggeration.

The sun shone brightly, and sweat had begun to appear on his forehead without him even realizing it. A feeling of hunger crept in. With a wry smile, he realized it was time for lunch. He decided to stop by the stream for now, took out from his magic bag the things that made him feel a bit scared, and started eating. These were slices of roasted meat brought from the void space—his only source of food at the moment. After eating them for over a year, Rod could only swallow them with a frown, hoping that once he reached thedemon race’s habitat, his diet could improve.

After lunch, he cleaned himself up thoroughly, getting rid of his disheveled appearance and putting on new clothes, which instantly lifted his spirits. It had been a long time since he had enjoyed such comfort.

He continued to walk slowly along the stream. If his assumptions were correct, the upstream of this stream should be thedemon race’s habitat, less than a thousand meters away. The thought filled him with excitement, so he quickened his pace.

After walking a short distance, Rod arrived by a small lake. With towering mountains and flowing water, waterfalls cascaded down from the mountains like the Milky Way, crashing into the lake and creating loud waves that sounded like thunder. It was truly magnificent, as if the Milky Way had fallen from the sky.

Suddenly, Rod’s eyes narrowed sharply, and his expression became strange. In that greenish water, there was a girl bathing! She was less than five meters away from him—almost right in front of his eyes.

Her purple hair, like three thousand strands, hung vertically over her shoulders. Wet from the water, it clung to her body, highlighting her fair skin. With her back turned to him, he couldn’t see her face, but she was almost completely submerged in the water, leaving only her smooth back visible. Yet, by intuition, Rod could tell that she must be extremely beautiful.

“Damn it!” Swallowing hard, Rod cursed under his breath as he quickly retreated backward, determined to leave this troublesome place. How could someone be ordinary if they could bathe here? It was obvious from the get-go that this woman was no ordinary person. Besides, this area was close to the demon tribe’s habitat. If nothing went wrong, she must be one of those demons. It was better to avoid trouble, so Rod resolved to leave this damned place before he got caught, as then there would be no way to clear his name.

For this reason, Rod didn’t dare look too long and quickly held his breath as he stepped back slowly.

Snap… A breaking sound came. Rod’s face paled. In his haste to retreat, he accidentally stepped on a dry branch on the ground, causing it to snap crisply.

Cursing silently, he sped away. Such a sound might go unnoticed by most people, but could someone like her really fail to hear it if she paid even a little attention?

“Aileen! Help me poke my back!” A charming voice rang out at that moment—it was the woman who had been bathing. Hearing this, Rod’s heart skipped a beat. Trouble!

Taking a deep breath, he turned around. The woman didn’t look back at him, probably thinking he was one of her companions. Feeling slightly relieved, he ignored her and turned to continue retreating.

“Aileen, are you there? What are you doing?” A lazy yet charming voice called out. It had to be admitted—it was truly enchanting, making Rod’s heart tremble. Sighing at the trouble caused by beauty, he quickened his pace to flee. Two consecutive calls with no response would surely arouse the woman’s suspicion. If she turned around and saw him then, things would get very complicated.

“Sis, I’m coming, I’m coming…” Just then, a clear voice came from ahead. But this voice was completely different from the woman’s earlier one. While the former’s voice was charming and mesmerizing, making one feel utterly relaxed, this one was full of youthful energy, like a gentle breeze that brought a sense of comfort.

“Damn you!” A figure quickly appeared in his line of sight ahead. Rod couldn’t help but curse. With people in both front and back, he immediately darted to the side—there was only one way to escape.

He acted on his thoughts without the slightest hesitation or delay; delaying even a second would mean his doom. In a flash, he darted into the bushes like a breeze, crouched low to the ground, held his breath, and hid there temporarily. Continuing to flee would only make him easier to spot. Rod could only hope those two damned women would leave soon! He didn’t want such an “adventure” — it was more like bad luck than anything else.
“Sis, did you call me for something?” After a moment, the girl with a youthful voice appeared before him and walked over to the woman bathing, asking.
As she passed by him, Rod got a clear look at her. She wore a long gown in goose yellow that fluttered in the breeze, looking extremely beautiful. Her fair skin seemed almost liquid, and her long purple hair flowed down, dancing in the wind. Her slender waist seemed easy to grasp, and her figure had perfect proportions, strikingly beautiful at first glance.
Upon closer inspection, she had bright teeth, skin as smooth as jade, delicate and beautiful features, and a petite, adorable appearance, exuding a pure charm that captivated everyone’s heart. Rod was momentarily distracted — it was the first time he’d seen such a beauty! She was naturally beautiful, without the slightest trace of pretense or coquetry, completely opposite to the seductive woman before her.