Chapter 232: Madness and Chaos!

Many things only make one regret them after they happen, and it’s the same with people. As long as one hasn’t reached the brink, they hold onto hope. It’s only when despair sets in that one realizes they’ve made a fatal mistake. After anger, madness follows—almost always striking a person or family.

This was exactly what was happening in one of the mansions in Wuyou City.
Staring at the corpse before them, the members of the Nash family were utterly shaken. The atmosphere was oppressive, with some even shedding tears.

“Rod, damn you, Rod! I’ll tear you to pieces!” roared the Nash patriarch, his face twisted in fury.

To secure a spot in this competition, the Nash family had sacrificed everything—surrendering themselves to the war faction of the demons just to get a chance, moving their home, and joining their ranks.

Not to mention, the entire family had come here hoping to see the Nash family shine. After all, they had been brutally suppressed by that damned Rod recently, suffering humiliation so severe that they couldn’t even hold their heads high in the Dark Source, facing endless mockery and scorn.

This time, they had to prove their strength and existence, wash away past shame, and regain their former status. That’s why they were willing to fully submit to the war faction, even going to great lengths to bring back Quinde—the most popular and powerful member of their family, the patriarch’s brother whom he disliked.

It was all for this competition. For it, the patriarch was even willing to set aside past grudges and accept Quinde, the man who had once competed with him for the patriarchate and was later exiled after his defeat.

They were willing to sacrifice all pride as long as they could stand out in this competition. But now? Now he was dead.

Worst of all, he died at Rod’s hands—the Nash family’s number one enemy, its arch-nemesis, who had killed yet another top fighter from the Nash family, arguably their second-strongest warrior! How could such events keep the Nash family calm? Anger showed on everyone’s face.

Old Nash, once the greatest expert of the Nash family, is now in a state between human and ghost. Then, the second-best fighter, Kunde, died, leaving no chance at all. Moreover, three-fourths of the Nash family’s strength was destroyed by him, leaving the family in name only!
It’s all thanks to Rod. Everyone’s face showed anger, eager to take action. No one expressed dissatisfaction with the clan leader’s outburst and fury; they were all filled with resentment, clearly determined to unite and seek revenge together.
Looking back at his father, whose eyes were empty and lifeless, the Nash clan leader couldn’t help but feel pain again, a hint of compassion flashing in his eyes.
“We must not let Rod leave Wuyou City this time!” he said in a deep voice moments later, every word dripping with hatred.
“The Dragon Clan, the Black Phoenix Clan, and the opposing Demon Clan…” an elder said worriedly.
As long as Rod was with those people, it seemed they had no chance to act. Not to mention how powerful those people were—just Rod alone already caused them so much trouble. How could they possibly face these three major forces together?
“The people of the Purple Wing Thunder Eagle Clan might be able to help us avenge ourselves!” another elder hoped.
“They’re unreliable. It’s good enough if they take care of themselves!”
“What about Zi Yang?”
“He? Maybe he can be useful!”
Instantly, the Nash family members in the room began discussing.
“Hmph! The Dragon Clan, the Black Phoenix Clan, and the opposition! Those damned bastards! Remember them well!” With a cold snort, the Nash clan leader ordered firmly.
He then gathered the key members and headed to the backyard, clearly intending to discuss ways to deal with Rod. As for Kunde’s body, it was left in the hall.
…
At the same time, in another mansion in the distance, the Purple Wing Thunder Eagle Clan members were also gathered in a meeting room. Several leaders from their clan who had come to Wuyou City were together, discussing Rod as well.
“This boy must not be allowed to grow stronger. His power is already terrifying, and if he continues to grow, the consequences will be unimaginable!” The third elder said gravely, frowning as he recalled the changes over the past few months. Even he couldn’t help but feel some worry and sorrow.
“Wuyou City must become his grave. If we give him more time, our Purple Wing Thunder Eagle Clan will face endless troubles! Disaster will strike!” Another elder sighed.

A young man, a man in his early twenties, has caused such a huge stir. Few might believe it if told, but it truly happened. Two major families are deeply worried about him, and many others are watching the situation closely.

“The second prince of the pro-war faction seems to be getting very close to him lately!” sighed the eldest elder helplessly.

“Damn those pro-war fools! What exactly do they want? We agreed when we joined, yet now they abandon us and cling to Rod! These bastards!” Thinking of the members of the pro-war faction, the fifth elder began to roar in fury.

“Anyway, we must kill Rod this time. I’m sure the Nash family will be happy to join forces with us!” suggested the third elder confidently.

“Well… you guys continue discussing. I have some matters to attend to. I’ll be leaving first!” At that moment, Proud Eagle stood up, spoke softly to the group, then walked out, looking somewhat panicked, which made the expressions of several people darken once again.

“Hey, the future of my Purple Wing Thunder Eagle clan…” The third elder couldn’t help but sigh upon seeing Proud Eagle’s actions.

The group was filled with concern. How could such a young master achieve greatness? Clearly, he was terrified of Rod—just hearing his name made his face change drastically.

…

The next day, Wuyou City was in an uproar, as was the Source of Darkness. Rod, this man who kept creating miracles, brought turmoil to everyone.

Wuyou City was buzzing with talk about this competition. Rod was the undisputed hero. No one expected this man, who wasn’t highly regarded at first, to reach such a level. Two battles—two brilliant battles! Both could end in a knockout, exciting everyone greatly.

Out of the sixteen contestants, only four remained. Only Rod possessed mid-divine-level strength. He was the only one who had defeated and killed advanced-divine-level opponents with such ease and decisiveness.

The old grudges between the Nash family and the Purple Wing Thunder Eagle clan were once again brought up by opportunists, causing further chaos.

The final battle became the most anticipated match. If he won this battle, Rod would become the third person in the history of the Source of Darkness to qualify for the Netherworld based solely on his mid-divine-level strength! The first two were both terrifyingly strong and had achieved great dominion. Thus, many placed huge hopes on Rod.

As for the final match, almost everyone believes it will be a battle between Rod and Zi Yang from the Purple Wing Thunder Eagle clan! The conflict fueled by their mutual support seems to be the most eye-catching aspect. If Rod manages to win, he will become the second person in history to claim the title with his god-tier intermediate strength! The first was the legendary Blood Army from a thousand years ago—a fearsome warrior unmatched by thousands!

These elements have instantly heightened the excitement around this competition. For the semifinals, 500,000 tickets were sold out within just one day of going on sale, leaving countless people who couldn’t get tickets sighing in frustration as they searched everywhere for scalpers to no avail. Tickets became as rare as gold.

As for the finals, tickets will go on sale ahead of time, right after the semifinals end. Already, many who failed to buy semifinal tickets are lining up to purchase them!

In their words, if they can’t get semifinal tickets, they’ll definitely get the finals tickets. Although the tickets are expensive, that doesn’t dampen people’s enthusiasm and obsession!

The once-in-a-century spectacle in Wuyou City has given its guards a headache.

The betting odds outside the arena are also unprecedentedly high—Rod’s odds have dropped from 10-to-1 at the start to 1-to-1 now! Yet this still can’t stop people from trusting him.

The amount of money gathered through betting is astonishing, and a special section for Rod’s bets has been created to make purchasing easier, much to the delight of the big players!

In short, Wuyou City is crazy, the public is crazy—this competition has been thrown into chaos by Rod’s presence.

Contrastingly, Rod remains calm. His battle with Kunde left him with some injuries, but two days of rest have allowed him to recover most of them.

During these two days, Rod didn’t go to see Sognar or the others, who wisely stayed away to avoid disturbing him and gave him enough space and time for training.

At dawn, Rod got up and stepped outside, gazing at the vast sky. The colors of dawn and night sky are always particularly brilliant. The competition starts today—success or failure hinges on this one attempt. Gathering his strength, Rod waits for his breakthrough.

Gently touching the Dark Dragon beside him, Rod senses its fierce fighting spirit, as if it’s about to burst free, with a faint scent of blood spreading in the air. Its overwhelming killing intent remains undisguised by its sheath, driving Rod forward with an arrogant aura, as if he could look down on all others.

“Three thousand drops of blood, how much have you drunk? It should be enough. Don’t worry; after this competition, it will be the time when you see the light of day again. Don’t be impatient—be happy, it’s almost here!” After a moment, Rod murmured to himself, his expression focused.