Chapter 246: Reuniting with Old Friends, Full of Confusion

“Melon, I never expected you to truly reach the Yin Huang realm. It must be the result of entering the Netherworld that time!” Looking at Melon, it was clear that both Locke and Robby recognized him—perhaps even had a close relationship. Their gazes toward Melon were extremely complex, as if telling people that they once shared some past connection. Fortunately, since they were all men, it didn’t lead to any unnecessary speculation. Most importantly, no one noticed any harmful habits in Melon.
“Hehe, Locke and Robby, you two old guys are still stuck at this stage? Time is running out. You should know what consequences come from failing to break through after a hundred years of transformation!” Instead of answering their words, Melon calmly retorted.
“Yes, time is indeed running out. Hehe, Locke still has some hope, but I don’t have any!” Unexpectedly, Robby sighed bitterly.
Rod and the others were already aware of this. Once transformation occurred, one could only remain at the same stage for a hundred years without breaking through. In other words, if one entered the upper stage of the divine realm but failed to reach the Yin Huang realm within a hundred years, death would be the consequence! Cultivators inherently defied heaven’s will, and heaven would punish such defiance. The chance of surviving the once-a-century punishment was extremely low; failure meant death.
As for Lilith and Sognar, they were among the lucky ones. In the Void Space, this special place helped them hide from the world and survive for a thousand years. But now that they had emerged, they still faced this problem, though there was still plenty of time.
“Speak up. What’s the matter?” Seemingly reflecting on his past self, Melon asked with a sigh.
“There’s something. It won’t harm him. Don’t worry. I’ll bring him back unharmed within three days!” Without giving a reason, perhaps due to some unspeakable reason, he made this promise.
After a moment of silence, Melon stared at the two for a long time before exhaling and looking at Rod, as if seeking his opinion.
Nodding silently, Rod agreed. He believed nothing bad would happen. If they had intended to harm him, they would have done so back in Dark Moon City long ago—why wait until now? They wouldn’t have given him a chance to grow like this. For them, it would only be like raising a tiger to cause trouble later.

“Alright, three days—just three days. If you’re not here after that, don’t blame me for being ruthless. I’ll personally go to your family and take what I want!” Taking a deep breath and nodding, Melon said in a grave voice.
His domineering words left Locke and Robby with nothing but bitter smiles. What else could they do? It was truly unbearable to hear such fierce threats from a powerful warrior at the Yin Yellow realm. If he went mad, the consequences would be severe—everyone knew that. Smaller families would surely be wiped out, while larger ones would suffer heavy losses.
“Kid, come with us!” Nodding in agreement, the two turned to Rod.
“Wait for me!” Looking at the worried expressions of the people behind him, Rod gave a faint smile to comfort them. Then he quickly followed Locke and Robby outside.
After running most of the way through Wuyou City, they finally arrived at a secluded mansion. Inside, it was utterly silent—no one in sight!
“What’s going on?” Rod asked doubtfully upon entering a spacious hall.
“Heh, kid, you’re pretty good. Didn’t I tell you to visit my Scorpion King clan within half a year? I even gave you the token for free,” Robby said coldly, staring at Rod.
“Heh, I just didn’t have time. As you know, a major competition is approaching, and I’ve been preparing. With my current strength, it would be hard to qualify for entering the Netherworld. The battle took so much time, and I was seriously injured in the last match, forcing me to give up the finals. It took me days to recover!” Rod hurriedly made excuses, though he still felt somewhat ashamed.
He had almost forgotten about this matter. If those two hadn’t come to remind him, he doubtless wouldn’t have visited even in a year, let alone half a year.
“Hmph, excuses. If I hadn’t come to find you today, you probably wouldn’t have shown up even in half a year!”
“Not at all, just joking. I was actually planning to visit these days, really!” Rod lied smoothly, his words flawless.
“Anyway, since you’re here now, let’s take care of some matters!” Ignoring Rod’s words, the two had been through so much over the years—they could see through anything. If they didn’t want to explain, that meant it.
“A few people want to see you!” Locke, who had remained silent until then, said. Then, with a glance, he signaled Robby to leave, likely to inform those inside.

Looking at Locke in confusion, Rod couldn’t think of anyone who would want to see him. It seemed like he had no connection to the Scorpion King’s clan. How…?
“Don’t ask me. You’ll know soon enough. I’m leaving now. Don’t leave this area—or if anything happens, it won’t be our problem!” Sensing Rod’s puzzled gaze, Locke rolled his eyes and left the hall with a casual remark, leaving Rod stunned and confused.
Looking around the antique hall, with several ancient tables and chairs neatly arranged, a grand painting hung on the front wall—a majestic depiction of the universe, incredibly realistic, surely the work of a master artist. There were no unnecessary decorations; it was simple, in line with the Scorpion King’s clan’s low-key style.
Frowning slightly, Rod sat down on a chair and waited quietly, releasing his mental energy to observe his surroundings, waiting for the person who wanted to see him. He was filled with doubt, unable to figure out what was going on.
Before long, he heard faint footsteps approaching. As they got closer, Rod secretly mobilized his fighting spirit, preparing for the worst. After all, he knew nothing about this strange environment, so it was better to be cautious. Otherwise, he might not even know how he died.
Finally, a figure appeared before him after his wait. When Rod saw this figure, he was stunned.
His eyes were filled with disbelief. There was only one person—yes, just one person—but they seemed so unreal, completely unexpected. He never thought it would be him.
A long black robe, a silver mask—such familiar attire, such a familiar face. Where had he seen them before? Weren’t they the members of that mysterious organization that had helped him many times on the continent? And those dressed like this held high status—more than one, at least two, as Rod had seen.
How could he be here? What connection did he have with the Scorpion King’s clan? Could there be some astonishing secret behind this? His mind was filled with doubts, and he was utterly confused.
“You’ve come! I didn’t expect you to arrive so quickly!” The man in black showed no emotion at Rod’s shock and confusion. Perhaps he had anticipated such a reaction, so he got straight to the point.
It was a familiar voice—the one of the man in black he had met the first time, the direct superior of Brother Hori.

The Source of Darkness and the continent seemed to be combined in him. How mysterious was the Scorpion King clan? It appeared that this low-key family had indeed been overlooked by people—he was the most terrifying existence. Upon closer inspection, Rod finally saw clearly the strength of this man in black: mid-stage divine level. He was actually a mid-stage divine powerhouse. His previous assumptions had underestimated him.

“See that? Heh, that’s right. I’m from the Source of Darkness. Our organization belongs to the Source of Darkness. Of course, only a few of us are true members of the Source of Darkness; Hori and the rest are talents we’ve trained outside.” Before Rod could speak, the man in black spoke directly.

“The Scorpion King clan?” Rod asked in confusion. Could they all be from the Scorpion King clan?

“There are those in the Netherworld who will tell you about these things. We originally thought you wouldn’t enter the Source of Darkness in ten or eight years, but you were faster than any of us expected. Two years ago, in Collins Forest, Number Three lost track of you. We guessed then that searching within the Source of Darkness for two years would yield nothing. It wasn’t until a few months ago, when a young man named Rod became famous, that we felt somewhat relieved—only to find that you still came after all.

At the peak of mid-stage divine level, on the verge of entering the later stage of divine level, you’re now qualified to be among those at the later stage of divine level. We can’t compare to you. Truly, you’re the descendant of that person!” The man looked at Rod with emotion and awe, his heart filled with turmoil.

“What do you want? What’s your purpose? Why help me?” Rod kept asking, refusing to give up. His doubts grew more and more; it all felt unreal.

“The Netherworld will tell you everything! Well, there’s no need to overthink it. We’re here today to tell you that you must enter the core area at all costs to obtain the heritage. Don’t disappoint us; we don’t have much time left. The war faction is eyeing us closely. If it’s too late, everything will be lost!” The man in black still kept the focus on the Netherworld.
Looking at the man in black before him, Rod knew he couldn’t get any more answers. Full of confusion, was he sent here just for these words?