Chapter 191: Encirclement

“Kid, where do you think you can run to?” A few elders behind him had now also caught up to Rod. They stood a few meters away from him, watching him warily, though they didn’t seem intent on attacking right away.
With obstacles ahead and pursuers behind, Rod was in a desperate situation! He had really overreached this time. No wonder he had felt something was off when he rushed out of the inner courtyard earlier—no wonder no one had tried to stop him. It turned out they had deliberately left a gap for him to escape. Clearly, this was a trap they had set long ago. The dozen or so people in front of him were all skilled members of the Purple Wing Thunder Eagle clan, all strong fighters. It seemed the Purple Wing Thunder Eagle clan had sent quite a few experts this time.
“Kid, why aren’t you running anymore?” With a cold snort, an elder from the Nash clan stepped forward and spoke in a sinister tone.
“You must be the one who attacked my Nash clan last time!” he demanded through gritted teeth.
Rod simply ignored his question, treating it as if he hadn’t heard it. Of course, he wasn’t stupid enough to answer such a question at this moment. Not answering was equivalent to agreeing.
“Rod?” Seeing that Rod was surrounded, the grand elder of the Purple Wing Thunder Eagle clan also didn’t intend to attack right away. He watched Rod leisurely before asking softly, “Is it you?”
“Yes!”
At Rod’s reply, there was an uproar. Although none of the people present had ever seen Rod in person, everyone knew his name. The man who was thought to be dead was now standing right in front of them—how could they not be surprised?
“It really is you. You’re truly fortunate—you’re the first to survive the God-Annihilating Thunder Tribulation! It seems this tribulation has brought you great gains!” The grand elder didn’t show any surprise, only nodded and stared at Rod deeply.
“It’s all thanks to your two clans!” Rod said sarcastically with a cold smile. His words made some of the people present feel uneasy, as they knew more or less how this had happened.
“Anyway, you can’t get away today. Hand over what you stole from us, and come with us. I promise you won’t die if we forget about the past,” the grand elder said after pondering for a moment, squinting at Rod.

The two of them instantly became the focus of the scene. Hearing these words, everyone was filled with confusion. Someone like Rod should be killed right away; keeping him around would only bring disaster. Why would the Grand Elder say such things? Didn’t he know the consequences of letting a tiger return to the mountains?

Only the old man from the Nash family seemed to guess something, his expression changing slightly as he turned to gaze deeply at the Grand Elder, lost in thought.

“Impossible!” Holding the Dark Dragon and with the Heaven-Burning Sword at his side, Rod and the dragon stood tall between heaven and earth. He firmly rejected the other party’s request—only a fool would do such a thing.

He knew that he and the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagle clan were now locked in a fight to the death. To obediently follow them? That would be seeking trouble and death. Fighting back might still give him a chance! As for the old man’s promises, he didn’t take them seriously at all. He dismissed their words as nonsense and chose not to listen.

“That’s seeking death! You won’t survive tonight!” Rod’s refusal made the Grand Elder radiate murderous intent—no trace left of the seemingly frail old man from before.

“It’s not up to you to decide whether I live or die. Let’s see!” Taking a deep breath, Rod adjusted his stance and then roared loudly.

Without giving the other party time to react, he charged at those surrounding him. Although there were over a dozen people there, most were at the early stage of the divine level, with a few even reaching the pre-divine level. Though they were in number, they were far inferior to the three old men behind. Rod would rather face these guys.

“Dragon Roar!!” With a fierce shout, his speed reached its peak, his sword energy surged, and black light flashed as he moved like a strange meteor.

“Since you refuse to understand, then kill him!” With a cold snarl, the Grand Elder said angrily upon seeing Rod’s sudden change.

On this side, Rod’s sudden attack was incredibly powerful. The might of the Dragon Roar was beyond anything that mere pre-divine-level warriors without preparation could resist.

A muffled groan came, followed by a killing strike, as he continued charging forward.

Chaos erupted immediately—swings of swords and blades, continuous roars, and dazzling combat auras added color to the night sky.

Amidst the sword energy, blade energy, and combat auras, a sort of energy shield seemed to form around the battlefield, trapping that area and preventing rain from penetrating through.

When they reached a certain height above and around, they were as if subjected to a powerful centrifugal force, shooting out in all directions with terrifying force. Some of the raindrops that hit the surrounding walls even caused small dents in them.
“Thunder Nine Heavens!” Thunder rumbled in the sky. Under such weather conditions, the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagle became even more powerful, with its magic strength greatly amplified. Each lightning bolt emitted a hint of white light, astonishingly intense.
Rod didn’t know whether it was sheer courage or a desperate gamble, but he boldly attacked those who were not too weak, ignoring the magic spells that struck him.
The spells landed on him and immediately spread throughout his body, enveloping him like an electric grid. Electric snakes slithered around him before sinking into his body.
The black lightning energy within him circulated rapidly, helping to digest the terrifying energy that flowed in, while the magical energy helped him recover his strength!
Truly worthy of being the great elder of the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagle clan. Truly worthy of being at the peak of the divine realm—his magic power was far beyond what those like the Proud Eagle could match. It caused Rod great suffering, leaving him utterly helpless during those pauses. His entire body went numb, greatly reducing his agility and speed. Several deep wounds were left on his body, and the excruciating pain tore at every nerve, blurring his consciousness.
“Damn it!” He had already survived the God-Annihilating Thunder Tribulation. If he were killed by a spell like Thunder Nine Heavens, it would be a humiliation. Rod didn’t want to die here; there were still so many things left unfinished. How could he let himself perish here?
“Heart-Stirring!” The sword energy solidified, as if it had a life of its own, and eighteen solid sword beams were shot out in all directions. Rod didn’t care about anything else. This was another sword technique he had mastered only after reaching the divine realm. It was his first use—not because he didn’t want to, but because this technique consumed over a third of his entire combat energy. Unless it was a desperate situation, Rod would not resort to it.
As the name suggested, “Heart-Stirring” meant the sword energy piercing through the body. Its power was no less than any other sword technique, even more so in terms of spiritual energy and versatility.
As soon as the eighteen sword beams were unleashed, they rushed toward several targets like eighteen bolts of lightning.
The first to be hit was a member of the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagle clan closest to Rod. He was about to cast a magic attack when, before he could react, a sword beam flashed past and pierced his heart, killing him instantly. He collapsed to the ground, dying without even a twitch.

This scene made many people gasp in shock. Such power, such speed—this was the pinnacle of kendo. It was unimaginable that someone so young could achieve such feats. The greater this was, the heavier the eldest priest’s mood became. Knowing that this guy now had an irreconcilable feud with the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagle clan, he resolved to kill this boy right here today; otherwise, the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles would never know peace again. “Break through!” With murderous intent, seeing that Rod had managed to kill two and injure one in such a short time despite their siege, how could he just sit idly by? The strength of a late-stage divine being was truly formidable. After a fierce roar, several bolts of lightning appeared out of nowhere, striking each of Rod’s sword energies with tremendous force. The collisions were earth-shattering, with waves of energy rising one after another. Each encounter resulted in mutual damage, and after more than a dozen collisions, all of Rod’s sword energies were shattered—perfect! The strength of this late-stage divine being exceeded Rod’s expectations. “Those below divine level, retreat! The rest, block the back routes! Leave this to me and Old Nash, Sixth Elder—seal off the exits!” After breaking through Rod’s sword energies, the eldest priest immediately made what seemed the most rational decision. Instantly, the chaotic battle situation became clearer, leaving only three people in the arena. For him, keeping more people around wouldn’t help but would only get in the way. Under his command, no one objected or questioned. They quickly began retreating in perfect unison, clearing a space for the three of them in an instant. “Kid, you’re quite skilled—truly worthy of being called a genius. It’s only fitting that members of my Nash clan die at the hands of someone like you. But today will be your doom!” After the battle, seeing Rod’s achievements and his still-proud demeanor despite being severely injured, the old man from the Nash clan couldn’t help but admire him. What could be expected from such a young man? It was a pity he would die here now. If anyone was to be blamed, it was him for choosing the wrong opponent. “Stop talking nonsense! If we’re going to fight, let’s do it!” Spitting out blood, Rod roared fiercely.

At this moment, Rod’s expression darkened as he realized things were bad. A chaotic battle was still somewhat better—maybe he could fight his way out in the confusion. Moreover, although those old men were incredibly powerful, there were too many of them, all of his subordinates, so he couldn’t engage in a full-scale fight, which severely limited their abilities. Now, they had all retreated to the periphery, watching warily. Those two old men could fight freely now, and even if he somehow managed to break through their encirclement, he would still face those skilled fighters outside, with no chance of escape.
“If you want to die, I’ll send you to death!” The Grand Elder of the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagle snapped coldly, his hands moving swiftly as bizarre and complex seals appeared one after another. Energy surged wildly across the sky and earth as a massive spell began to take shape.
“Is this my fate?” Rod roared inwardly in frustration. With such a situation, two powerful divine-level warriors teaming up against him—did he really still have a chance to survive by luck? It was hard, extremely hard!