Chapter 159: Confession Brings Leniency, Resistance Brings Severity

After the discussion was over, that enigmatic dragon with his long face led another member of the demon race out of the hall, leaving only Rod, Sognar, and Lilith—those three old acquaintances—inside.
“What the hell is going on with you, kid? Spill it already! Damn you, you managed to survive the God-Annihilating Thunderstorm! That’s an almost impossible feat. What kind of luck do you have? Why doesn’t heaven strike you down so you can’t continue causing trouble in this world? Look at what you’ve done to the girls from the Black Phoenix clan—she went crazy over you, determined to destroy the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles, and even secretly contacted our dragon clan to join forces against them.” As soon as the eldest dragon left, Sognar completely changed his attitude—no longer the honest guy he had been before. He rushed over to Rod, excitedly asking questions.
His gaze toward Rod was even more strange. The God-Annihilating Thunderstorm, a legendary existence—someone actually survived it, and not just that, but a being at the early stage of quasi-divine level. Worse still, instead of dying, he gained tremendous benefits from it, breaking through three barriers in one go to reach the early stage of Dao-Deus level. His combat energy even changed. Rod had suffered greatly in their recent fight. He felt both envy and jealousy, yet also a hint of relief for Rod.
“Lucy…” Although he knew Lucy wouldn’t easily let go of the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles for his sake, he didn’t expect things to escalate this much, to the point where even the dragon clan was aware of it. Rod grew anxious and quickly pressed Sognar for answers. A warm feeling welled up in his heart.
“Heh, kid, what’s wrong? Already worried about your sweetheart? I admire you. I know that girl—she’s the treasure of the Black Phoenix clan. Those old guys treat her like something precious, afraid she’ll get hurt or melt away. And yet, you, a mere kid, managed to win her over silently? Impressive. When will you teach me too?” Sognar said with a smirk, his eyes filled with envy and jealousy toward Rod as he thought of Lucy’s status in the Black Phoenix clan.
“Stop talking nonsense and tell me what’s happening to her now!” Rod interrupted Sognar, impatiently demanding an answer. Sognar’s replies were completely irrelevant.

“Enough, Sognar. Don’t you consider your age? Are you still thinking about old bulls eating young grass or something? Stop it. Lucy is the pride of the Black Phoenix clan—how can you even think of her? She has reached the mid-stage of the Saint level at such a young age, with a talent on par with that monster. What more do you want?” Seeing the two arguing over this topic, Lilith could no longer stand by!

Watching them, she said with a wry smile, “That girl has been as kind as she can to you. This time, the Black Phoenix clan doesn’t intend to go to war with the Purple Wing Thunder Eagle clan, but that girl is stubborn and refuses to back down! Perhaps knowing full well that this trial won’t end well, she used her power to bring several top fighters from the Black Phoenix clan to Dark Moon City some time ago, causing the Purple Wing Thunder Eagle clan to suffer heavy losses—killing over a dozen of their strong members and even auctioning off their core energies! You have no idea the uproar this caused; it almost led to war between the two clans.

Inside the Source of Darkness, this was a blatant provocation and declaration of war. Fortunately, the Purple Wing Thunder Eagle clan was in such a precarious situation they had no energy to really deal with it, so it was temporarily suppressed. But this feud is now settled—war is only a matter of time!

The Purple Wing Thunder Eagle clan’s decisive decision to break away from the Black Phoenix clan and form an alliance today is likely related to this incident. Anyway, that girl is now driven by a bit of crazy revenge.

You’re not bad, kid. No wonder Sognar is jealous. Seize the chance—having her in your grasp will save you decades of struggle at least. As for this matter, it also gives you a better chance of success. What do you say?”

“Tonight, people from the Black Phoenix clan will come here to discuss some matters. That girl will probably be there too. It would be nice to give her a surprise then!” Initially thinking Lilith had come to uphold justice, Rod was left speechless with a wry smile as he realized she had started teasing him as well.

Listening to all the things Lucy had done for himself during this time, Rod felt both moved and a bit pained. The image of the innocent girl he used to know came to mind—the little brat who followed him around calling him “Big Brother Rod,” the beautiful girl with a naive smile on her face every day! It seemed impossible to reconcile her with the cold and heartless girl he saw today, that tough woman. This girl must have gone through a lot for her own sake during this time! It made him feel somewhat guilty for seeing her change so much, as she had always been treated like a precious treasure.

“Don’t worry, it won’t be long. You’ll be able to return to how you were soon. I’ll take care of the rest!” Rod clenched his fist and muttered to himself.

“Hey, what are you thinking about? Already drifting off to that girl? You don’t have to overdo it, right?” Someone tapped him on the shoulder, followed by Sognar’s exaggerated voice pulling Rod back to reality.

“Idiot!” Rod rolled his eyes in frustration.

“By the way, Rod, don’t you also know those two princesses from the demon opposition?” Without replying, Lilith asked Rod with a puzzled look.

Feeling uncomfortable under that gaze, Rod instinctively avoided it. Why would Lilith ask such a question? Had they shown something? Or did Lilith already know something? Otherwise, why would she suddenly bring this up? Feeling uneasy, he said he didn’t know them. From Lilith’s expression, it was clear she wouldn’t believe him; it would only make things worse.

“Hey, right about those two princesses… well, I have to say they’re both absolutely beautiful. You’re really lucky, Rod. Don’t tell me you don’t know them—lie to me? I, Sognar, have lived for thousands of years. If I can’t tell such things, then I’ve lived in vain. But then again, those two girls are quite nice. I envy them. May lightning strike this damned guy! Why does everything good go to him? In less than a month, he’s already picked three flowers from the Source of Darkness. If this continues, will any other men be left alive?” Sognar complained, pounding his chest in outrage.

“Cough, cough… Are they Princess Ada and Princess Eirwen?” Over these days, Rod had more or less learned about the names of these two princesses.
“That’s right, these two princesses—known as the Two Bright Moons representing the rising strength of the opposition. They’re also among the five golden flowers of the Dark Source, alongside Lucy! Now, explain how you got to know them. Otherwise, why would others go to such lengths as to clash with the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles and the Nash family over you?” Lilith and Sognar glared at Rod with mocking smiles, pressing him for an explanation.
This situation made Rod think of interrogating a prisoner—the feeling was unmistakable. Could he really say he got to know them because he was caught spying on them bathing and then chased? They must hate him to the core, almost to the point of wanting to devour him.
“Save me? They’ve clashed with the Nash family and the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles over me?” Realizing something was wrong, Rod turned to Lilith with wide, incredulous eyes.
“Nonsense! You’re too lucky to appreciate it. Would I lie to you? Over the past few decades, the divisions within the demon race have become increasingly clear. The forces of the opposition and the neutrals have grown weaker. The neutrals are still okay—they pose no threat to the war faction, so they’re not in trouble for now. But the opposition is different. The war faction sees them as a serious thorn in their side and wants to eliminate them as soon as possible. The Nash family and the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles are close to the war faction. Unless necessary, the opposition would never want to offend these two families. For example, over the years, despite the Nash family’s arrogance, the opposition royalty has turned a blind eye, unwilling to break this last link of relationship. But now, because of you, led by those two princesses, the opposition has directly clashed with the Nash family, almost causing a major incident! And you say they don’t know you?” Sognar said slowly, staring at Rod.
These words made Rod frown again. What exactly did these damned women want? They should be celebrating their own victory—why would they risk breaking decades of balance over him and the Nash family? Could there be some hidden secrets or motives behind this?
“If I say I really don’t know you, you definitely won’t believe me, right?” Rod said helplessly, looking at them with a bitter smile.

“Nonsense! Spill it now, including everything about you and that little girl from the Black Phoenix clan. Confess and you’ll get a lighter sentence; resist and it will be worse.” At this moment, Lilith and Sognar, who were originally at odds, stood on the same side and shouted in unison.