Chapter 148: Destruction and Rebirth (Part 1)

Yet, the seemingly peaceful forest was actually filled with danger. The area was saturated with elements left over from lightning storms, making it difficult for ordinary warriors and magical beasts to enter. With a scream, an imperial-grade magical beast circling in the sky crashed to the ground, turning into a pile of charred remains.

The newly formed lake, though much smaller than Ming Lake, had its own unique charm. It would later become a distinctive feature within the Dark Source—what came to be known as the Sun Lake and Moon Lake. The original Ming Lake was divided into two: the former Ming Lake became the Sun Lake, while the newly formed lake was honored as the Moon Lake.

At that moment, Rod stood at the bottom of the Moon Lake, holding his sword. The energy sword manifested from Xuanyuan still stood upright. Around Rod, an electric barrier formed like a cocoon, driven by electrical energy, creating a water-free zone around him.

Black lightning streaked across Rod’s body, and an immense amount of energy raged within him. His internal mechanisms were rapidly being destroyed and restored, with demonic energy flowing swiftly and expanding. His recovery speed grew faster and faster. The purple lightning, once the size of a silver needle, had now turned into a black lightning bolt as thick as a little finger, flowing swiftly and merging with the raging electrical energy within him.

The dark and fire attributes of his combat energy fully merged under the influence of lightning, forming a new type of combat energy—fierce and cold. Its devouring power not only remained strong but grew even more formidable due to the integration of fire energy. The lightning elements were being swiftly consumed.

The cool and majestic energy emitted by the Xuanyuan Sword Spirit also formed a unique path within his body. These four types of energy flowed wildly, helping Rod overcome this unprecedented crisis while strengthening the Xuanyuan Sword Spirit within his combat energy core. Under the influence of this immense energy, the Sword Spirit visibly solidified and expanded slightly, which could be clearly felt.

With his eyes tightly closed, Rod concealed all his senses, fully immersing himself in this strange world within his body. He used these four types of energy to counter the threat of death and gradually restore his body. He paid no attention to the outside world and had no idea about the current situation!

……

“It’s over!” In front of Dark Moon City, Hei Yao and the others stared at the now silent forest in the distance and murmured to themselves.

“I don’t know him…” Before long, Lucy also arrived here. Staring at the distant forest with reddened eyes, she spoke, but tears silently slipped down before she could finish.
“The Nash family, the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles—you must give an explanation to the Trading Guild! Otherwise, you know the consequences!” With a cold snort, three elders who had appeared one after another here shouted grimly. The Purple Star VIP of the Trading Guild had been killed together, and that too outside their Dark Moon City. Knowing this was tantamount to slapping the Trading Guild in front of the whole world. Although it wasn’t unheard of for a Purple Star VIP to die, no one had ever died in such a humiliating manner. This filled the elders of the Trading Guild with rage. They all knew that from now on, the Trading Guild would be the laughingstock of everyone for a long time!
“Our Dragon Clan demands an explanation! Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles, blood for blood!” The middle-aged man from the Dragon Clan and the elder who appeared later also shouted grimly. Though they knew Rod wasn’t a member of the Dragon Clan, outsiders didn’t. Everyone regarded Rod as a Dragon Clan member, and he indeed had a Dragon Clan ID card given by Sognar. Sognar held a high status among the Dragons. Even though he had been imprisoned in the Void Space for a thousand years, no one had forgotten his brilliant days in the Source of Darkness.
“The Black Phoenix Clan won’t just let this go!” Before Hei Yao and the others could speak, Lucy said through gritted teeth. At this moment, she no longer resembled a pure maiden at all—her expression was cold, filled with murderous intent, as if she wanted to kill the Proud Eagle.
“The same goes for our Royal Family! Give an explanation to the Trading Guild!” No one noticed that two princesses from the Royal Family of Dark Moon City had appeared outside the city at some point. Princess Ada gazed at the distant forest, sighed, then coldly uttered those words.
Her resentment was no less than anyone else’s, but she couldn’t express it directly, so she had to use the Trading Guild as an excuse.
As for the Scorpion King Clan, the Mi Jiao Clan, and members of some smaller clans who had rushed over upon hearing the news, although they didn’t speak, their cold expressions made it clear to everyone that they had their eyes set on the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles and the Nash family.

The trade fair was jointly established by the four major families and the demon race, and everyone knows how prestigious the status of a Purple Star VIP is. Now that the Purple Star VIP has been killed, the four major families surely won’t stand by idly. Although two families haven’t spoken out, it’s obvious what they would do if necessary.

The atmosphere became strangely dull. The other powerful individuals without their own factions exchanged glances. The statements from various factions filled them with sighs; they could only look at the members of the Purple Wing Thunder Eagle clan and the Nash family with pity and sorrow, praying secretly for them. Faced with such pressure, these two families might well suffer utter destruction this time.

Of course, they couldn’t step in to help—such help was impossible, and they weren’t willing to either, as they might get dragged into it themselves and unable to withdraw. On the other hand, they were also puzzled about the young man struck by lightning. Who was he? What was his status? It was said he only had quasi-divine strength—how could he draw so much help and attention, obtain the status of a Purple Star VIP, and summon lightning capable of bringing about a near-destroying divine thunderstorm? These people weren’t fools; they knew that imposing this situation on these two families, especially the Purple Wing Thunder Eagle clan, was unfair. Even ten Purple Wing Thunder Eagle clans combined couldn’t summon such a divine thundercloud; otherwise, the Sixth Family would already have become the dominant force, as strength ruled in the Source of Darkness.

Despite the injustice, the major factions couldn’t just ignore this matter. It could only be said that the Purple Wing Thunder Eagle clan and the Nash family were unlucky, having served as catalysts that brought about the divine thundercloud. Rod’s identity suddenly became a huge mystery!

The two families under interrogation turned pale and remained silent, unable to respond. No one believed Rod could have survived such attacks. The pressure from the major families filled them with despair—these two families had suffered utter destruction.

“This matter has nothing to do with my Nash family. We merely wanted to capture Rod to ask why he killed my son. Our Nash family may not be as powerful as the major families, but my younger clan leader isn’t easy to kill either. We didn’t know about the status of the Purple Star VIP before; otherwise, we would have sought justice at the trade fair instead of capturing people!

Moreover, it wasn’t my Nash family that summoned the thundercloud—it was the Purple Wing Thunder Eagle clan. It can be said that those who killed Rod are the Purple Wing Thunder Eagle clan, and my Nash family seems unrelated.”

According to the rules, we only need to provide a reasonable explanation and appropriate compensation to close this matter. Besides, everyone must understand that my son lost his life because of this! Or perhaps…” Taking a deep breath, the head of the Nash family stepped forward and spoke in a firm voice.
Secretly groaning in frustration, he realized that the one who killed his son was a VIP from the Purple Star clan. His son must have offended such a person; if he had known this beforehand, he would never have sought revenge.
“You… the Nash family…” The middle-aged man’s words made the Proud Eagle anxious. He had helped them capture Rod, only to be framed and blamed for everything. How could he accept that?
The members of the Purple Wing Thunder Eagle clan stood there with red eyes, filled with hatred, wishing they could pounce on those ungrateful wretches!
Suddenly, the two clans stood off each other, ready to fight at the slightest provocation. The Purple Wing Thunder Eagle clan had caused a lot of trouble, amusing many of the hostile forces present.
“Hmph! The Nash family didn’t ask for your help, and everyone knows what you’re up to!” With a cold snort, the Nash family quickly distanced themselves, preferring to break ties with these people rather than get dragged into this mess.
“You…” Out of breath, the members of the Purple Wing Thunder Eagle clan were red-faced but speechless. It was indeed they who took action, with their own motives—what could they possibly argue?
“Hmph, Nash family, this isn’t that simple. Have you figured out why your young clan leader was killed? The Dragon clan knows, and so does my Black Phoenix clan. Your young clan leader targeted the items Rod acquired, as well as Miss Lucy from my Black Phoenix clan. They gathered people to plot something evil. If not for my daughter fighting to the death against Rod, she would still be standing here. Everyone knows how this should be handled per the rules! Let’s drop this matter for now. We’ll meet again at the trade meeting! I’m going over there to take a look!” With another cold snort, Hei Yao stepped forward and spoke firmly, causing a stir among the crowd. The Nash family members froze, feeling as if they had been dragged back to hell from heaven.
Without saying more, Hei Yao and the members of the Black Phoenix clan rushed toward the previous location, followed by the Dragon clan and various other forces. There was no way to escape—there was no need to rush. Could two such large clans just vanish into thin air? The priority was to see what was happening over there.

With their own thoughts in mind, the group disappeared before Dark Moon City in just a few moments and entered the forest.