Chapter 166: The Scorpion King Clan’s Demands

Under the cover of night, Rod followed the two bald men from the Scorpion King Clan swiftly toward the outskirts of the city. In the blink of an eye, the three of them arrived by the Ming Lake outside Dark Moon City—perhaps it would be more accurate to call it the Twin Lakes of Sun and Moon at this point.
Under the night sky, the two lakes reflected each other, mirroring the beauty of the starry heavens. A gentle breeze blew, accompanied by the chirping of cicadas. Stars dotted the sky, and from time to time, the roars of wild beasts could be heard—giving the forest a unique charm.
Upon reaching the lake, the three stopped, seemingly having arrived at their destination. Looking at the two bald men beside him, Rod had no idea why they had brought him here. Killing him to silence him was certainly not possible—so what could be the purpose?
This small lake was the one that had formed when he endured the so-called God-Annihilating Thunder Tribulation. He still felt a sense of fear when thinking about it. With a bitter smile, he turned to the two elders of the Scorpion King Clan and asked, “Elders, I wonder why you brought me here?”
“Heh, kid, not bad. To survive such a powerful attack—I really wonder what kind of monster you are!” Without answering Rod’s question, the bald man on his left gazed at the lake thoughtfully.
“It seems the God-Annihilating Thunder Tribulation brought you some benefits after all. It’s a case of misfortune turning into fortune! Do you still harbor hatred toward the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles or the Nash family?” The other elder asked with a smirk.
Their words were hard to decipher, hiding some deep meaning.
“It would be a lie to say I don’t. Even if I didn’t hate them, the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles and the Nash family probably wouldn’t see it that way. They would rather see me dead.” Taking a deep breath, Rod said with a bitter smile. It was impossible not to hate them—his relationship with the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles and the Nash family had descended into a never-ending conflict. It might seem calm on the surface, but once he appeared and everyone found out, the consequences would be beyond imagination, with too many complex factors at play.
Especially the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles would never let him go. Even if they pretended to treat him kindly and act as if nothing had happened, who knew what might happen in secret?
“Hmm, this is indeed troublesome. Now that the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles, the main war faction of the Demon Clan, and the Mi Jiao Clan have allied, the situation is becoming increasingly complex. Their alliance has shattered the balance that has existed in the Dark Source for thousands of years!”

The Mi Jiao clan and the Dragon clan have a long history of enmity; the two clans are utterly incompatible. If it weren’t for the desire to avoid being severely weakened after a great war and giving others an opportunity, the two clans would have already destroyed each other long ago—they simply want to see the other side gone.

As for the relationship between the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles and the Black Phoenixes, there’s no need for much explanation—you probably already know something about it. These two families are also locked in a deadly feud now. The Black Phoenixes won’t let the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles be happy, nor will the former allow the latter to live easily. In any case, it’s a fight to the death!

The existence of these two relationships will undoubtedly put the Dragon clan and the Black Phoenixes on equal footing. Unless something unexpected happens, the Dragon clan and the Black Phoenixes will surely unite as well.

As for the intentions of the opposing Demon clan, it’s hard to figure out. It’s unclear whether they’ve already allied with the neutral Demon clans. But in any case, they are the most troublesome party—and they might also form an alliance with the Black Phoenixes and the Dragon clan!

If that really happens, the formation of these two alliances will create a new force of darkness! These two forces will maintain a completely new situation, and the existing balance will continue to exist. That’s actually a good thing!

For some reason, the first thing the two said was this, leaving Rod deeply puzzled. This matter seemed unrelated to him. Had they brought him here just for this reason?

“You Scorpion King clan…” Rod frowned slightly as he looked at them. The Scorpion King clan surely didn’t bring him here just for this reason. It seemed they wanted him to take a message back!

“Our Scorpion King clan cannot ally with either side. Some things aren’t as simple as you think. Go back and tell the old ones of the Dragon clan that our Scorpion King clan won’t pose any obstacles to either side!”

“Pass a message? It seems you can just say it yourselves—there’s no need to have me deliver it, right?” Rod looked at them in confusion. There seemed no need for him to do that at all.

“It’s just an extra task. We brought you here for other reasons!” The elder on Rod’s left slowly spoke, his gaze suddenly sharpening—completely different from before, making one think they were two different people.

“Young man, you’re quite bold. You must know the relationship between our clan and the Red Scorpion clan. Now that one of their elders has been killed, how do you think our Scorpion King clan should handle this?” The elder named Locke spoke first, with a cold smile on his face.

Hearing these words, Rod thought to himself that what had to happen finally had happened, and he sighed inwardly: “It was that guy who started it against me; otherwise, I wouldn’t have acted. Do I really have to just stand there and take hits without being able to fight back?” Rod knew well that he couldn’t show weakness now—any sign of weakness would only make the other party more arrogant. “Heh, so now you think you have a point? Should we apologize to you?” Locke asked, looking at Rod with a mocking smile, leaving Rod confused about what these two really wanted. One thing was certain, however: they had no intention of truly pursuing this matter—they must have other motives, though what those were remained unclear. Thinking this way, Rod decided to change the subject: “If the two elders have anything to say, just say it directly. There’s no need to beat around the bush. I, Rod, am ready to deal with it!” As soon as he finished speaking, the two elders clearly frowned and were momentarily stunned, before both revealed an indescribable smile: “Young man, should I say you’re smart or foolish? You should know your position right now—saying too much directly isn’t in your best interest! Here, smart people usually die faster!” “It’s not intelligence; not saying certain things only leads to an even quicker death!” Rod replied with a slight smile. For a moment, the three of them stared at each other, the atmosphere becoming extremely tense. “Alright, then let’s be direct. You’re not a member of my Dark Source, nor are you part of the Dragon clan. Perhaps you’re from another continent. We don’t know what your purpose here is, nor do we know what your intentions are regarding the Dragon clan and the Black Phoenix clan. We can pretend that you killed one of our Red Scorpion clan elders never happened and won’t pursue it! What do you think?” The other elder, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke, his expression toward Rod somewhat strange. These words made Rod’s heart skip a beat—he realized things were bad; it seemed the other party knew quite a lot about him, even too much. Immediately on guard, he frowned slightly and asked, “How did you know?” “We don’t need to explain how we know. You don’t need to worry—just know that we won’t harm you!” Clearly, they had no intention of answering Rod’s question.

“What are your demands and purposes! There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Rod knew well that the other party wouldn’t say such things without any demands—since they spoke up, they must have their own goals.”
“It’s simple. After you complete what you need to do, leave my Dark Source immediately. Also, ensure that my Scorpion King clan isn’t drawn into this storm. No matter what happens in the future, my Scorpion King clan must have a foothold in Dark Source or on the continent. As a reward, if necessary, my clan might even lend you a hand!” Locke said, staring intently at Rod, emphasizing each word.
After those words, silence fell once again. The three of them looked at each other, lost in their own thoughts.
After a while, Rod finally exhaled. “No matter what your goals or intentions are, I, Rod, just want to say one thing: I have no intention of doing anything to you or even Dark Source. I pose no threat or harm to you. Even if I wanted to, I don’t have the ability—you know that well!”
“It doesn’t mean it won’t happen in the future!”
“Fine. If that’s the case, I’ll agree to your terms. If such a day ever comes, I definitely won’t touch a single thing belonging to your Scorpion King clan, nor will I take any action against Dark Source!” With a bitter smile, Rod looked at the two of them, unsure whether they had come just to say this. Was that all the Scorpion King clan wanted? What did they know? And why were they even willing to use their clan’s power to help him?
He had a vague sense that there was some hidden secret behind this matter. It certainly wasn’t the will of those two elders. Perhaps someone powerful was manipulating the situation behind them. Someone capable of making such elders speak and make such decisions must hold a high status. And there were only a few people of such status in the Scorpion King clan. Rod gradually began to understand.
“That’s good. If you have time, come visit my Scorpion King clan. I’m sure it won’t disappoint you. You might even gain something unexpected!” Locke said with a half-smile as he tossed a deep red scorpion token in front of Rod.
Rod caught the token and looked up at the two of them, puzzled. This token didn’t seem ordinary at all.

“This is the token of the Honorary Elder of my Scorpion King clan. This is the first one issued by our clan in a hundred years—treasure it well; it can be of great help when necessary! I believe you’ll need it. Additionally, this token can summon ordinary members of my Scorpion King clan and those from allied families. You should know its power! Remember to visit my Scorpion King clan when you have time, preferably within half a year.” Sensing Rod’s confusion, Locke said calmly, “Then I thank you!” His doubts deepened. It seemed this token was indeed extraordinary, and the status of the Honorary Elder was even more lofty. Why could he obtain it so easily, especially after killing an elder of the Red Scorpions? What was the purpose of going to the Scorpion King clan? Could there be something or information he needed there? Puzzles abounded, and Rod felt increasingly unable to understand many things. “That’s good. We’ll be leaving now. Remember our words!” With that, the two elders turned into two faint shadows and swiftly dashed into the distant forest, disappearing from Rod’s sight in an instant. Once again, Rod was left alone by the lake under the night sky.