Chapter 222: Longing

The night was deep. Rod stood alone by the pond in the backyard, gazing at the starry sky and listening to the croaking of frogs from the pond. A gentle breeze stirred the water, creating ripples that spread outward, taking on a faintly dark hue—quite beautiful.
Unaware of it, he had been in this Land of Darkness for nearly half a year. Time passed quickly. Reflecting on these years, it seemed he had been living in endless battles—fighting, fleeing—until it became a routine.
Sometimes, when bored, one truly feels exhausted! Taking a deep breath, Rod knew he had to persevere despite the fatigue.
He couldn’t be defeated by exhaustion. Even if he couldn’t hold on anymore, he must stand and smile—never crawl in sorrow! That was Rod’s requirement for himself. With so many burdens on his shoulders, he sometimes felt powerless.
Sometimes, Rod even wondered how much longer he could hold on, how much longer this endless life would continue, and when his dreams would finally come true.
In Fire City, he had always thought that a Saint-level warrior could dominate the world and laugh at all others. Only after leaving Fire City did he realize how narrow his vision had been! A lowly path, despised and scorned—yet in just a few years, he had reached the Imperial level.
During the Battle of Iron Bar Town, he realized his own weakness—how vulnerable he was. In the face of Saint- and God-level warriors, he was nothing but an ant. So Rod knew he had to become strong—strong enough to earn everyone’s admiration! To stand at the pinnacle of the world.
He resolutely followed that mysterious organization, leading his few companions into this place, then into the Void Space, where he met Sognar, Lilith, and others. Finally, he entered the legendary Land of Darkness—up to now! It seemed time had passed in the blink of an eye through all these stages.
He thought of Lucia, the first mercenary mission he took on; Nightingale and the others who tried to assassinate him; the proud Miss Alice; and now Lucy, Ada, and the rest.
Nightingale—the woman who, even now, he would rather face the whole world than be apart from—just thinking of her made a faint smile appear on Rod’s lips, tinged with nostalgia! It had been over two years. He wondered—had the agreed time arrived? What progress had they made? Were they waiting for him now?
“Kid, what’s wrong? Deep in thought?” Sognar’s teasing voice from behind pulled Rod back to reality.

Looking back, Sognar had somehow arrived beside him, standing with his hands behind his back, letting the breeze blow through him. It had to be admitted—he was indeed a very charming man, capable of winning the hearts of many young women.

“I was just thinking about some past things and friends!” Rod said softly with a sigh.

“I miss them a lot, really, really miss them!” he added, with a hint of sadness.

The atmosphere seemed to darken, taking on a sense of desolation and sorrow.

“Heh, not bad. You haven’t lost yourself yet. Missing them is normal. You’re alone—everyone has emotions. There’s no need to worry too much. If you think about them, just think about them. When the time comes, you can find them again!” Sognar nodded, surprisingly without mockery or teasing, speaking slowly.

“Not now. There are too many things left unfinished. I’ll go look for them after dealing with these. This magnificent land is waiting for us. Then we can enjoy its beauty together!” Rod took a deep breath, his eyes flashing with an unprecedented sharpness and dominance.

Sognar, watching him, couldn’t help but become lost in thought. How much determination and faith must it take to create such a person? He didn’t know. At least he couldn’t imagine it.

Looking at Rod’s slightly frail frame and his weathered back, no one could guess how much hope and burden he carried on his shoulders.

“Alright, then I’ll accompany you to see this magnificent land as well!” Sognar said bravely, seemingly influenced by Rod’s spirit.

“I understand your thoughts, but this can’t be rushed. Our Dragon Clan and the Black Phoenix Clan are also preparing. We still need to wait for a while. In the meantime, you should strengthen your cultivation and enter the Netherworld. After that, we’ll take action together! It’s time to go out and see the outside world!” Sognar added, his eyes filled with longing. Having lived in this source of darkness for a thousand years, he longed intensely for the outside world.

“What about the Demons…” Rod grew worried thinking of the pro-war faction. Perhaps they were the biggest obstacle to their plans.

“It’s troublesome. It seems they have a plan in the works. We need to be careful. Don’t worry. We’ll discuss it after entering the Netherworld. Who knows? You might gain something unexpected there. Things might work out naturally then!” Sognar said mysteriously, keeping things unclear.

Under the gentle breeze, in the darkness of night, the two stood by the small lake, no longer speaking but simply enjoying the breeze and the night air, as if they wanted to merge with the world around them.
…
Early in the morning, Rod was pulled by Sognar and Lilith toward the heart of Wuyou City. The competition venue for this grand event was there, and since the competition would start the next day, today was just for drawing lots. In fact, there was no real need to come at all, as the outcome would be the same whether they attended or not. Yet, Lilith insisted on coming, citing the saying that “knowing yourself and your enemy ensures victory in every battle.”
Wuyou City was bustling today, with people coming and going. Of course, the hottest topic was undoubtedly about Rod himself. His appearance in Wuyou City yesterday had caused a huge stir—he had offended the Fiers family, and then the Nash family and the Purple Wing Thunder Eagle family joined forces to attack him, but they were powerless against him! It even drew the attention of the demon race, the Black Phoenix clan, and the dragon race. Even stronger warriors from the Yin Yellow realm joined the fight! It was truly astonishing, but in the end, all that happened was the destruction of a row of streets.
Rumors could be terrifying, and Rod had experienced this before; today, he experienced it again. Word spread quickly, becoming more and more exaggerated with each retelling. By the end, various stories emerged—some said Rod had stolen the wife of the Purple Wing Thunder Eagle’s young clan leader, while others claimed Rod had taken the fiancée of the Fiers family’s young master, leading to conflict between the two families. There were all kinds of stories! As for the battles, the versions were even more fantastical. The most exaggerated claim was that Rod, alone, had fought against two major families yesterday and forced them to surrender. Listening to these rumors, Rod felt like rolling his eyes.
It’s better not to see to stay calm, and not to hear to stay peaceful. Rod simply enjoyed the bustling scene around him, ignoring the rumors. Sognar and Lilith, on the other hand, seemed very interested, listening and discussing while occasionally letting out exaggerated laughs that drove Rod crazy.
Fortunately, the distance wasn’t far. In the blink of an eye, the group arrived at the competition venue. The vast arena stretched as far as the eye could see, resembling a giant stadium. It was said to be able to accommodate five hundred thousand people at once, showing just how enormous it was!
What was even more striking was the ancient atmosphere of the venue. Standing there, one could feel its thousand-year-old heritage.

Walking inside, standing among those people was like being a lone boat in a vast ocean—completely unnoticed. At that moment, quite a crowd had gathered in the arena! Most of them were members of various family factions, especially those from families participating in this competition, all present. Rod saw members of the Fields family, the Nash family, and the Purple Wing Thunder Eagle clan. The expressions on the faces of the people from these three families when they saw Rod were somewhat unnatural and resentful, filled with murderous intent, causing the others around them to instinctively make space for them.

Of course, there were also many members of other factions that Rod didn’t recognize, but it didn’t matter; he believed he would meet them soon enough.

Faced with these three families, Rod felt no pressure or discomfort. Here, they wouldn’t dare to act, and even if they did, he didn’t care. Could someone barefoot be afraid of those in shoes? He would defeat them all. Yes, these families had many strong members, but were they all strong?

The atmosphere was awkward and somewhat stagnant, extremely dull. In contrast, some of the spectators on the stage were cheering loudly. With so many strong fighters, such an event only happened once a year—missing it meant waiting another year.

The grouping went smoothly. Rod’s opponent was a martial artist at the peak of the intermediate divine level. His luck was fairly good—considered an excellent draw. Rod was somewhat relieved; it seemed fate favored him. At least he wasn’t being tricked.

The competition used a knockout system, so the sixteen participants would need only four rounds to determine all the winners and losers! There could be no mistakes. After the grouping, some rules were announced, but Rod didn’t care about those. He already knew what he needed to know, and they wouldn’t reveal anything he shouldn’t know!

Once everything was done, Sognar and Lilith took him back to the mansion to provide information about his opponents.

It seemed Sognar and Lilith knew quite a lot about these opponents. Although this intermediate divine-level martial artist was still at that stage, his strength was comparable to that of those at the advanced divine level—extremely powerful. His moves were grand and forceful, known for their immense power! A series of detailed introductions gave Rod some understanding. At least he wouldn’t be caught off guard by his opponent. As for his opponent’s strength, Rod didn’t care. If he could match those at the advanced divine level, wasn’t he good enough? It was just comparable—not yet at the same level. If he couldn’t handle such opponents, it might be better not to participate in this competition at all.