Chapter 178: It Has Just Begun

“No, believe it or not!” Rod replied to Sognar’s doubts as he fled at top speed into the distance.
“Damn it, what’s going on?” Sognar frowned, clearly unconvinced. After all, Rod’s monstrous abilities were indeed astonishing. Ignoring lightning-based magic meant he was either born a member of the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles or the nemesis of all lightning mages. How could such a person even be allowed to live?
The two rushed toward the dragon clan’s residence at full speed, talking the whole way. Sognar was extremely jealous of Rod’s unique skills. He kept pressing for answers, his fierce gaze terrifying. If he could, he would surely have pounced on Rod to dissect him.
Not long after they left, several figures appeared at the site of the previous battle—among them was the third elder of the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles.
Seeing the three corpses on the ground, the third elder was stunned. Like the others, he was filled with shock, followed by anger. With red eyes, he roared, “Bastards! Who did this? Who killed my people of the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles? I swear eternal revenge!”
The three were elite warriors, nearly godlike in strength, with one even at the advanced stage of godlike power. Yet they all died here, in such a miserable and tragic way. This drove him to the brink of madness.
Although they were in the Land of Darkness, filled with powerful warriors, these three near-godlike fighters could still be considered top-tier. Even for a powerful clan like the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles, losing three members at once was a huge blow.
While the third elder was enraged, those drawn by the battle were secretly astonished and sighed at the brutality of the killer. The three had died heroically—two with their chests crushed, clearly from fatal blows, and the third killed with a single sword strike. Clean and decisive, with no unnecessary wounds.
This revealed one shocking fact: the perpetrator was incredibly powerful, enough to leave these three near-godlike warriors with no chance to fight back.
Some even gloated at the third elder’s madness, taking pleasure in the losses of the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles.

Before long, another group of Purple Wing Thunder Eagles arrived at the scene. Seeing the gruesome sight, their faces turned red with anger. Was this blatant provocation, aimed at challenging their entire clan? “Bastards! It must be the Dragon Clan and the Black Phoenix Clan—definitely them!” one irritable middle-aged man shouted loudly. It was easy to guess that the culprits were enemies of the Purple Wing Thunder Eagles. Who else could be their enemies besides the Dragon Clan and the Black Phoenix Clan? Even if there were other enemies, they wouldn’t have the audacity to kill three of their strongest members at once. Only the Dragon Clan and the Black Phoenix Clan had such capability, and since they harbored resentment toward the Purple Wing Thunder Eagles, they must be the ones behind this. Anyone present who wasn’t foolish could somewhat figure this out! Add to that the fact that the Purple Wing Thunder Eagles had lost over a dozen members due to secret attacks by the Black Phoenix Clan earlier, and now, in just a month, they had lost nearly twenty more members in Dark Moon City—almost one-tenth of their strength. It was easy to imagine the fury of the Purple Wing Thunder Eagles at this point. “Investigate! Find out who did this. The Purple Wing Thunder Eagles will remember this grudge!” With a cold snort, the Third Elder said to a few members of his clan before leaving quickly. He needed to inform the Mi Jiao Clan and the Demon Clan as soon as possible. Faced with revenge from these two powerful clans, he had to seek their help to counter the Dragon Clan and the Black Phoenix Clan; otherwise, the Purple Wing Thunder Eagles would be doomed. … Meanwhile, the Purple Wing Thunder Eagles were frantically trying to track down the killers, but Rod and Sognar had acted so cleanly that no clues were left, driving them crazy. On the other hand, after leaving the scene, Rod and Sognar strolled leisurely toward their residence. “Hey, kid, do you think those guys are going crazy right now seeing that scene?” Sognar asked jokingly, looking at Rod’s relaxed expression. He could even imagine the Purple Wing Thunder Eagles’ reaction upon seeing the three corpses. Losing three quasi-divine-level warriors at once—not to mention the Purple Wing Thunder Eagles, even the Dragon Clan would be furious. “It’s just the beginning. Take your time. They’ll be a hassle. Let’s see how long they can hold on!” Rod said indifferently, smirking slightly as he crossed his arms behind his head, already planning his next moves.

Seeing Rod’s sinister smile, Sognar felt an inexplicable tightening in his heart, realizing just how terrifying this guy was. He began to silently mourn for the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagle clan—seemed like they were in trouble this time.

The two walked and chatted, soon returning to the dragon clan’s residence. At that moment, Lilith and Lucy along with the others had also returned to the estate and quickly came forward upon seeing Rod and Sognar back.

“Kid, did you finish it?” Lilith asked after examining him carefully.

“Big brother, are you hurt?” Lucy asked worriedly, fearing Rod might have been injured in the battle.

“Hey, little girl, what about you? I was there too, but I didn’t see you asking me!” Sognar complained, looking at Lucy with displeasure and frustration.

“Hehe, Big Brother Sognar, are you okay?” Lucy smiled awkwardly, realizing her mistake, and added.

“Never mind. Since you don’t seem too concerned, don’t worry. A few little pests can’t possibly hurt your sweetheart! With me, Sognar here, few will be able to harm this kid!” Sognar said proudly, sighing reluctantly. He indeed had reason to be proud—a divine-level late-stage dragon, and a dark-type dragon at that, certainly worthy of arrogance.

The mention of his “sweetheart” made Lucy’s face turn red as she blushed shyly.

“Was it taken care of completely?” Lilith asked seriously, interrupting their conversation. Ada and Eileen also watched Rod and Sognar curiously. There wasn’t a single trace on those two—had they failed to achieve their goal?

“It’s done. One early-stage quasi-divine, one mid-stage quasi-divine, and one late-stage quasi-divine! All killed!” Rod slowly spoke, finally showing a satisfied smile. The pleasure of revenge filled him with joy. It wasn’t that Rod loved killing, but these enemies truly couldn’t be kept alive—they were like keeping tigers as pets; in the end, only oneself would suffer.

“That’s good. I guess the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagle clan must be crazy now!” Lilith murmured, looking away in amusement.

“Yeah, this has defused their anger for now. Let’s see if they still act arrogantly!” Ada said excitedly. The Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles were their common enemy, and weakening their strength meant strengthening their own—truly something to celebrate.

“Don’t worry, this is just the beginning, as this little guy said! I reckon the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagle clan is in for trouble this time!” Sognar added opportunely. Looking at Rod with a satisfied expression, he said, “Kid, remember to take me with you. Since I have nothing to do, I’ll just act as your free bodyguard!”
Sognar’s words moved Rod deeply. Of course, he knew it wouldn’t be that simple! Sognar was just worried about what might happen to him; at least with him around, he could escape if he couldn’t win. Otherwise, Sognar wouldn’t go out of his way to confront the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagle clan when he had nothing better to do. If this matter were exposed, it could trigger a war between the dragon clan and the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagle alliance.
“Do you still want to continue?” Clearly, Lilith was also surprised.
“Yeah, I will. As I’ve said, our relationship is one of endless conflict. This matter won’t end easily. If I don’t kill them, they’ll kill me. I can’t give them a chance to catch their breath. Kill one after another!” At this moment, Rod’s expression turned icy cold, his eyes gleaming with a fierce light, giving off a strange aura. This version of Rod was almost unrecognizable.
Especially for Aida, seeing Rod like this pained her deeply. When had the man who used to feel fear even after killing someone and who would cry at the sight of his comrades dying become so cold-blooded? Had he grown up or matured, or was it the heavy burden on his shoulders driving him mad?
“Hey, there’s no need to rush. If you want to continue, I don’t object. But Sognar, try to fight less—treat it as an opportunity for him to train! He still has half a year before he must make a breakthrough to reach the mid-stage divine level. Only killing at the edge of death can push him further. Consider it practice.”
“Rod, I’m giving you three months. Kill as many as you can in that time. After three months, you must return. You need to attend a competition within the Source of Darkness to secure a spot!” After thinking for a moment, Lilith instructed seriously.
“Three months?” Rod frowned in confusion. What kind of competition was this one he had to attend after three months? Was it necessary for him to participate and compete for what spot?
Suddenly, his brows furrowed, and a thought popped into his mind: “The qualification to enter the Netherworld?”
Aida had mentioned this yesterday. Each clan had its own quotas for entry, and he naturally couldn’t get those. To obtain them, he would have to compete for the remaining spots.

“Well, it’s exactly that. You’re not a member of our Dragon Clan nor the Black Phoenix Clan, so we can’t give you a spot. Not only would the members of our clans be dissatisfied, but even if we did, it wouldn’t be recognized. The Troll Clan has also disappeared; otherwise, given their status, it wouldn’t be hard for them to assign you a spot! Since none of these paths are viable, there’s only one last hope left—after each clan selects its own members, they can recommend two people to participate in the competition. A few more spots will be determined after the competitions in the four demon towns. Of course, neither our Dragon Clan nor the Black Phoenix Clan has any of these spots; it’s an internal matter of the demons. We’ll have to rely on Aida and Eirwen for help!” With a sigh, Lilith said helplessly that these were not decisions she could make.