Chapter 137: Turbulent Times

After the two members of the Dragon Clan left, Rod’s heart was filled with turmoil. This matter seemed far from simple. He sighed inwardly, thinking that if these people had ill intentions toward him, he would have died countless times by now. Fortunately, they had no such intentions, especially the Dragon Clan, who still treated him the same way even after learning his identity. He felt secretly fortunate.

Feeling the slightly cool wind and confirming that no one else was around, he sat cross-legged and began to cultivate. As elements were gradually drawn into his body, Rod felt a sense of warmth. Dark red combat energy flowed slowly through his meridians, nourishing everything it passed, making every cell full of vitality. Gradually, Rod once again entered the state he had been in during battle.

His six senses became extremely sharp; everything around him seemed to be under his watchful eye, and he could clearly sense the form and nature of each element. Under these conditions, the combat energy in Rod’s body began to move on its own, faster and faster, repeatedly cleansing his meridians. This wonderful sensation filled Rod with joy. He knew that the opportunity for a breakthrough had arrived. If he seized it, he would surely reach the intermediate stage of the quasi-divine level today.

If others knew of this speed, they would be astonished. After all, it had only been a little over a month since he entered the initial stage of the quasi-divine level. Ordinary people would need at least three to five years to reach the intermediate stage, yet he had achieved it in less than two months. Such speed would likely shame many martial artists to death.

In fact, aside from his natural talent, the reason Rod’s cultivation progress was so fast was mainly due to his year-plus stay in the Void Space. The benefits this time brought him were immeasurable. As the saying goes, surviving a great disaster brings good fortune. Through over a year of life-and-death trials, Rod’s body had been tempered to an terrifying degree. After meticulous refinement, he was like a dried sponge or an exhausted ocean—only needing to absorb everything. One could imagine just how fast his progress was.

Another factor that couldn’t be ignored was the immense role played by his mutated dark red combat energy. The dual-element combat energy, composed of fire and darkness, had gone beyond ordinary imagination after mutation, so its cultivation speed naturally couldn’t be measured by ordinary standards.

Just as Rod was on the verge of making a breakthrough, in a luxurious room within the trading hall of Dark Moon City, several elderly people sat in the uppermost positions, their silver-white hair revealing their age. Yet their faces were rosy, and though their bodies seemed shaky, the aura they emitted from time to time made it clear that these people could not be ignored—they were undoubtedly top-tier warriors. At that moment, a black figure swiftly entered, approached them, bowed respectfully, and then said to the elders, “He has won. All those people were killed. The Black Phoenix clan and the Dragon clan didn’t intervene. The girl from the Black Phoenix clan was taken away! He seems to be slightly injured and is resting at the scene to recover!” The man in black then respectfully recounted in detail what had happened. After he finished speaking, the elders suddenly opened their eyes, a glint flashing through them before they reverted to their usual dazed state, making it hard to tell them apart from ordinary people. They exchanged glances and smiled slightly. “Hmm, not bad. A martial artist at the early stage of quasi-divine level defeating an intermediate divine-level fighter, another at the early divine level, along with a late-stage sacred-level fighter and a mutant who reached quasi-divine level—how young he is! It seems it’s time for us old fossils to retire!” “Indeed. As a descendant of that clan, Zi Xing VIP truly lives up to his status. His future is promising!” “Well, it’s likely that people will discover what happened soon. By then, the Nash family won’t give up so easily. Shadow, follow that boy and offer help if necessary. It’s time for the Demon clan to be put in order. If things continue like this, they will eventually be destroyed by our generation!” The last elder sighed, his eyes filled with concern as he spoke to the man in black. “The Nash family? Hmph. They’ve become quite arrogant in recent years. Not long ago, they even asked us for the title of Zi Xing VIP, which we refused. They must still hold grudges. These past few years, they’ve become increasingly lawless, ignoring us old folks. Relying on the royal family’s support for the war faction, they even disregard the Kailis family. Well, then, let’s start with them!” The first elder, whose frail appearance moments earlier suddenly gave way to a powerful aura, spoke coldly. There was no trace of weakness left—his invisible presence made it clear that he was a towering figure.

“Go ahead, act when necessary! We’ll handle the rest. Hehe, the Dragon Clan won’t stand by idly. Those old guys know just as much as we do. How could those guys from the Void Space have emerged without their permission? It seems even they can’t hold back anymore! All four major clans are stirring. Will the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagle Clan be able to withstand the wrath of the Black Phoenix Clan?” Waving his hand, the second old man spoke to the man in black, then murmured as if to himself.

“The Purple-Winged Thunder Eagle Clan is in great peril!” Those simple words from the second old man seemed to reveal the future of the clan.

Turbulence reigned in Dark Moon City; the interior was in turmoil, and so too was the Source of Darkness. At that moment, several people in both the Dragon Clan’s group and the Black Phoenix Clan’s group issued similar orders!

Of course, Rod, the instigator of it all, had no idea at all. He wasn’t aware that his presence had disrupted the balance here, bringing about an era of chaos and turning the world insane earlier than usual.

By now, the combat energy within him had reached a saturated state. In that state of emptiness, he was completely unaware as his body slowly expanded like a balloon, his complexion alternating between red and black, sweat streaming down his cheeks like rain. A glint of white light appeared above his head!

As time passed, dark red blood and stains began to appear on his skin. At this moment, Rod’s body was undergoing another round of tempering.

Rod was completely unaware of what was happening outside. He felt his consciousness floating upward, in direct contact with nature, merging with it. He could sense most of Dark Moon City as if he were a shadow overlooking everything from above. A gentle breeze blew, surrounding elements interacted affectionately with him, allowing him to perceive the feelings and thoughts of these tiny beings.

His keen senses even enabled Rod’s consciousness to penetrate three feet underground, sensing the dynamics of the space below.

Without pain, without worry, without troubles, Rod now felt a sense of transcendence.

The combat energy around him grew increasingly dense, reaching a critical point. The core of combat energy within his dantian began to spin rapidly. Fen Tian appeared beside Rod at some point to protect him. Inside the core, a black-red dividing line gradually formed in the very center, standing out sharply! Combat energy poured wildly into the core. After what seemed like an eternity, when the core reached another critical point, a second line appeared, aligned neatly beside the first.

Boom… Finally, at the moment it surpassed the critical point, a violent shock rippled through Rod’s body, nearly forcing him to spit out blood. He immediately regained consciousness, his mind returning to his own body!

After the massive explosion, everything returned to calm. The color of the combat energy deepened further, becoming so thick it almost took on a solid form, spreading through his meridians and dantian.

Rod clearly saw two additional dividing lines in the core, but he didn’t understand what they meant. There was no time to investigate. He felt he had succeeded, entering the mid-stage of the quasi-divine realm. The core had grown slightly larger and become more solid. More importantly, Rod noticed that the thin layer of mist surrounding the core seemed thicker now, almost about to envelop it entirely.

With a thought, the core began to distribute combat energy throughout his body like an ocean, with his meridians acting like rivers. It was utterly miraculous!

Without wasting time, as his combat energy weakened briefly after the breakthrough, he plunged back into cultivation, absorbing elements from the world to replenish himself.

After another three hours of cultivation, Rod finally felt his combat energy had reached saturation. He let out a sigh of relief, exhaling a puff of stale air, feeling instantly refreshed and invigorated.

If his combat energy before was like an endless river, it was now comparable to the Yangtze River—there was no difference at all. It was then that Rod joyfully realized this breakthrough wasn’t just a simple entry into the mid-stage of the quasi-divine realm; it had taken him straight to the edge of the late mid-stage, a full level up that greatly enhanced his strength. If he encountered his previous opponent again, Rod was confident he could defeat him effortlessly without any danger. For a moment, he felt immensely proud, as if he were the only one in the entire world.

With a mere thought, the surrounding environment instantly entered his mind. The enhancement of his mental power was particularly evident; his six senses were now extremely sharp, far surpassing what they had been before. As long as no one far more skilled than him was hiding nearby, Rod believed he could easily detect and identify them. A sense of relief filled his heart, prompting Rod to let out a long howl that carried powerfully toward Dark Moon City at the foot of the hill.