Chapter 144: Transformation of the Thunder Clouds

As soon as this purple light appeared, it rushed like lightning toward Rod’s meridians. In the blink of an eye, it flowed through entire meridians. Wherever it passed, those meridians seemed to be nourished by warm water—the tearing sensation caused by lightning vanished, replaced by a gentle softness and tingling sensation. It was as if thousands of ants were crawling on his body, and the tingling made Rod couldn’t help but let out a groan.

At that moment, the sensation of lightning striking his body seemed to disappear. The energy from external lightning, driven by this purple light, poured into Rod’s body in large quantities. It then mixed with the purple light and, like combat energy, flowed through his meridians before entering his dantian.

The combat energy core floating within his dantian absorbed all this energy without any resistance. The dark attribute of the combat energy played a crucial role here. After merging with demonic energy, the dark combat energy became even more terrifying, as if it had its own life, absorbing the lightning-like energy that flowed into its dantian! It was like a dried-up ocean, endlessly absorbing terrifying energy, which was then transformed within the combat energy core to form its own energy. Only the purest part remained, absorbed by the purple light to strengthen it.

The sensation of thousands of ants crawling spread to every cell, forcing Rod to cry out. To outsiders, it sounded like extreme pain. He fell to the ground, enduring the lightning strikes, rolling around and screaming. It gave listeners chills.

Yet only Rod knew that it wasn’t the magic that caused harm but rather a mutation within his own body. The combat energy core had mutated after the influx of demonic energy, along with that purple energy that had somehow hidden within it!

These two energies now controlled Rod’s body, which functioned like a machine, spinning and operating rapidly. Rod didn’t even know what was happening or what outcome it would lead to. All he could feel was the lightning continuously striking him, but he didn’t feel any pain. Those energies seemed unable to cause any further harm; they all flowed into his body and were almost entirely absorbed by his dantian to become his combat energy, with some also merging into that purple light.

In just a moment, Rod clearly felt his combat energy return to 50-60% of its original level—so quickly that it was astonishing. The purple glow, having absorbed so much energy, grew from the size of a strand of hair to that of a silver needle. Though the change was slight, it was still evident that its contained energy had increased exponentially.

Under these circumstances, Rod’s body got a good chance to rest and recover quickly with the help of magical energy, returning to its best state. Yet none of the outsiders could see this!

To those people, Rod was in agonizing pain, emitting continuous screams and terrifying roars, on the verge of death. Ao Ying showed an excited smile, while Da and the others breathed a sigh of relief—this guy was about to die, and they had achieved their goal. In their eyes, Rod was now at the end of his rope and doomed to die.

Uninterested in what others thought, Rod felt as if he had entered a wonderful realm. The danger was gone, and even as the four members of the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagle clan frantically cast spells at him, he remained immersed in that wonderful sensation. His combat energy recovered rapidly, reaching 80-90% in the blink of an eye—almost reaching his peak condition. He felt energetic and extremely comfortable, though the tingling sensation made him unable to help but grunt.

Fen Tian had been forcibly taken back into Rod’s body. Due to this strange change, Rod was no longer afraid of lightning, but Fen Tian was different. Its glow dimmed, showing its exhaustion and injuries—it needed to rest as soon as possible!

“Bomb him! Turn him to dust!” Seeing Fen Tian taken back into Rod’s body, Ao Ying’s face showed extreme excitement. The pleasure of revenge filled his body, and the humiliation and frustration from days ago seemed to return in an instant. Watching Rod suffer and hearing his agonized screams, he shouted loudly with red eyes, determined to reduce Rod to ashes—this was his only thought now.

He even couldn’t resist joining the battle himself. Spells like “Nine Heavens of Lightning,” “Nine Turns of Heavenly Thunder,” and “Descension of the Thunder God” were unleashed one after another. All sorts of lightning descended from the sky and struck Rod. His excited laughter spread throughout the forest in an instant.

“That kid doesn’t seem to have a chance. Purple Wing Thunder Eagles—they really invested heavily!” In the shadows, upon seeing Rod’s appearance, Hei Yao frowned deeply and sighed inwardly. As expected, he still couldn’t resist. The people sent by the Nash family might not be able to deal with Rod, but with those from the Purple Wing Thunder Eagles joining in, it was completely different. Five quasi-divine-level magicians, each with considerable strength, fighting alongside these warriors—not to mention Rod, even someone at the early divine level might not be a match. Even for someone like himself, a mid-stage divine-level warrior, winning would be no easy task.

Taking a deep breath, Hei Yao vanished in a flash, ready to act. He couldn’t let Rod die here. Not only because Rod had done favors for Miss Lucy and the Black Phoenix clan, but also because of his status as a Purple Star VIP, he simply couldn’t be allowed to perish here.

The trade fair was jointly established by their four major clans and the demon race. Hei Yao knew all too well what it meant to be a Purple Star VIP. If someone like him died here, their four clans, the demon race, and the trade fair itself would become a laughingstock.

With that thought, he moved swiftly and arrived in the combat arena. “Stop!” With a furious roar, a wave of black light surged forth, sweeping toward everyone. A violent wind blew, and in the next moment, Ao Ying and the others were flung aside!

“Who… who are you?” Seeing Hei Yao appear suddenly, Ao Ying and the others were shocked. The same was true for Da and the others—this was a powerful warrior! His aura deeply shook their hearts. With just one move, he had repelled five quasi-divine-level warriors and stopped their magic. One could imagine how terrifying he must be.

“My Nash family is hunting down an enemy. This man killed my young master. I hope the senior won’t act rashly and interfere, lest it damage our relations.” Upon seeing Hei Yao’s true appearance, everyone was shocked—it was the Black Phoenix clan! Hei Yao carried distinct characteristics of the Black Phoenix clan. Like the dragon clan, they couldn’t take human form until they reached the late divine level, unless they used the Transformation Grass. Of course, another way was to rely on the energy of a senior to stabilize their human form, though this would leave some characteristics of the Black Phoenix clan behind. Only when their strength reached the late divine level could those characteristics be resolved.

“Hmph, the Nash family and the Purple Wing Thunder Eagles—it seems you’re getting more and more unruly!” Before Hei Yao could respond, a rough-looking middle-aged man suddenly stepped forward from another direction, his body covered in faint scales that shone brightly.

“Dragon clan, you’ve come too!” With a cold expression, looking at the man who had appeared suddenly, with his typical dragon clan features, Ao Ying and the others felt even more disheartened!

“The Black Phoenix Clan and the Dragon Clan—did you come here for this guy? He killed the young master of the Nash family. Our Purple Wing Thunder Eagle Clan merely helped hunt down the murderer. Do you want to protect him?” An icy snort came as the Proud Eagle asked coldly.

“I don’t care what grudges he has with you, but he… you can’t kill him!” Watching the Proud Eagle’s group coldly, Hei Yao stepped beside Rod and guarded him, saying this.

Surprisingly, despite such terrifying lightning, Rod wasn’t harmed at all. Aside from his torn clothes, nothing else had changed, and even his wounds seemed to have healed somehow. If it weren’t for him writhing in pain and groaning at that moment, no one would have guessed that he was the one who had endured such brutal attacks earlier.

Rod, lying on the ground, suddenly sensed the disappearance of the lightning’s power and realized someone had arrived. In his daze, he saw Hei Yao and a middle-aged man. Seeing them, he breathed a sigh of relief, thinking perhaps he might be saved today. The turbulent energy within his body was raging, but he couldn’t return to normal to deal with the situation. He focused entirely on controlling this energy inside him.

“Heh, you can’t touch him. Purple Wing Thunder Eagle Clan, if you’re sensible, leave now. As for that guy from the Nash family, tell your master—if he wants to kill him, he should come to the trading hall!” The middle-aged man spoke bluntly, issuing a cold snort without sparing them any dignity.

“You…” Hearing their words, especially the middle-aged man’s lack of respect, the Proud Eagle and the others’ faces darkened as they roared in anger.

“What? Do you still want to fight? Have you forgotten your identities?” Looking down on the Proud Eagle disdainfully, the middle-aged man snorted coldly and asked with a sneer.

Hearing the middle-aged man’s words, the Proud Eagle’s expression kept changing, and he grew even more hateful toward the Dragon Clan. Yet he couldn’t lash out—not only was the opponent powerful, but the Dragon Clan’s terror was also beyond what their Purple Wing Thunder Eagle Clan could withstand.

Boom… Boom boom boom… At that moment, several loud booms interrupted their conversation. The thunderclouds of lightning that the Purple Wing Thunder Eagle Clan’s members had gathered earlier still hadn’t dissipated. Somehow, several of these clouds merged together, forming a terrifying black cloud filled with immense power. It began spinning uncontrollably, with deep rumbling sounds emanating from within.

In an instant, the dark cloud’s energy reached an extremely terrifying level, enveloping the few people above, swirling and roaring as if ready to erupt at any moment. This sudden change left everyone stunned, unsure of what exactly was happening.