Chapter 256: Return

As the members of each group left, only Rod and a few others remained in the bloody valley. At this moment, they all looked in terrible condition—except for Melon, who was relatively fine, the rest were in a pitiful state. Heibin no longer had his usual elegance, Heiyao his usual composure, Sognar his former charm, and Lilith was disheveled. As for Rubio, his clothes were tattered, and Rod was covered in wounds.

Looking at one another, they all forced weak smiles. Today’s battle had been extremely dangerous; they had almost died. Thinking back, they still felt terrified. If it weren’t for the timely arrival of the reinforcements, they wouldn’t be standing here now. Likely, it would be those bastards from the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles standing here laughing.

“We should go back. It was the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles who started this conflict. Our Black Phoenix clan won’t sit idly by. It’s time to teach them a lesson!” With a sigh, Heibin spoke first.

Since the day the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles declared independence, the Black Phoenix clan had been at odds with them. Due to various reasons, they had held back from taking action. But now that the situation had changed and the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles had acted first, the Black Phoenix clan would no longer tolerate it. It was time to show them what a true master-slave relationship looks like and the consequences of crossing limits. Especially after today’s battle, when the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles were severely weakened, this was the perfect opportunity.

Strike while they’re weak. Why wait any longer?

“Kid, I’m leaving too. Hehe, I’ll go back with Lilith. Don’t worry, I’ve taken care of the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles for you. By the time we meet again in Ice City, you might not even hear of that family anymore!” Sognar said with a slight smile. Unnoticed, he had already reached some kind of agreement with the Black Phoenix clan. A glance between them said it all.

“Hmm, that’s good. Then I’ll follow Brother Melon. See you in Ice City in two months!” Without hesitation, everyone had their own tasks to attend to. Time was tight, and Rod didn’t have much left. He needed to hurry.

Lilith didn’t say anything, but her gaze remained fixed on Rod. After staring at him deeply, she followed Sognar into the distance.

As for the Grand Elder, the Third Elder of the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagle clan, and the head of the Nash family, they were taken away by the Black Phoenix clan. It seems they have some big plans in mind, and no one objects to this—especially not Rod. He’s happy to leave these troublemakers to others.

With the great battle over, the members of the three factions set off on separate journeys.

…

Ten days later, at Dark Moon City, three weary figures finally appeared outside its gates. Seeing the familiar gloomy surroundings, the three of them exhaled in unison, a faint smile appearing on their lips.

“We’re not going in. We’ll head straight to Sun and Moon Lake. Heh, you want to slack off? Carrying all this stuff!” Before the two younger ones could speak, the older middle-aged man snorted coldly and said to one of them with a sly grin.

“Brother Melon, no need to be so harsh!” Rod looked at Melon with a bitter smile, feeling like crying but having no tears left.

Glancing at the dark object beside him, he frowned deeply. Yes, these three were Melon, Rod, and Rubio. After ten days of travel, they had returned to Dark Moon City, their old stronghold.

During that time, Melon somehow obtained this object for Rod to carry.

Damn this thing! Rod had no idea what it was. It seemed to be small enough to hold in both hands. If it were an ordinary stone, it might weigh a few hundred pounds. But due to its unknown structure, Rod estimated its weight to be a terrifying thousand pounds, or at least two thousand pounds. He really had no idea what material it was made of.

With Rod’s mid-level divine strength and his fifth level of the Demon Race’s physical cultivation, this object shouldn’t have been a problem. Although carrying it was somewhat strenuous, it shouldn’t have caused too much trouble.

But the problem was that this damned thing could suppress the flow of his combat energy, allowing him to use less than one percent of his usual strength. Even Rod, who had come from that hellish Void Space, was complaining inwardly—this was no less than ten thousand times gravity.

Worse still, the object was extremely cold, constantly irritating Rod’s body as if thousands of silver needles were piercing every pore of his skin, causing unbearable discomfort. With his combat energy suppressed and his body under constant strain, this object was nothing short of a devil for Rod.

Not to mention running continuously for ten days with this burden on his back, while also being scolded by Melon from time to time, Rod’s situation was utterly miserable. Rubio, watching from the side, dared not say a word for fear of getting involved. Seeing Rod in such pain, all Rubio could do was pray secretly. Just imagine—Rod’s abnormal body was beyond even his own control, and he was suffering so much; what would happen to him if he had to carry it? Every time he thought about it, Rubio would be terrified and drenched in cold sweat.
“What’s the problem? Not convinced? It’s good for you to carry it. If you want to enter the Netherworld, better carry it obediently!” With a cold snort, Melon spoke with apparent righteousness. This only made Rod’s situation worse—he was left crying without tears.
Without entering Dark Moon City, Rod had no choice but to carry the stones and quickly follow the two of them around Dark Moon City toward Sun and Moon Lake.
…
Ten days was enough for many things to happen, enough for the events that took place in the valley outside Carefree City to spread to every corner of the Source of Darkness. At this moment, the entire Source of Darkness was once again shaken by an earthquake. The Purple Wing Thunder Eagle Clan, along with several other clans, tried to ambush Rod, but instead attracted the help of the three major clans. Not only did they fail, but it also led to a confrontation between dozens of god-tier warriors. In the end, the Purple Wing Thunder Eagle Clan was utterly defeated, suffering heavy losses. It was said that they lost one-third of their clan’s strength in this battle!
It makes sense—although this was the Source of Darkness, were god-tier warriors really that worthless? Dozens of god-tier warriors—even if each of the four major clans had only dozens—this battle was equivalent to destroying the strength of an entire major clan.
After this battle, the Purple Wing Thunder Eagle Clan hid themselves, and no one from them was seen again. Even those outside rushed back to their clans immediately, perhaps out of fear of retaliation.
As for the Nash Clan, that poor guy became the first to be sacrificed. A few days ago, the Black Phoenix Clan, together with the Dragon Clan, swiftly wiped out the leaderless Nash Clan, erasing it from history. This also showed everyone the strength of the four major clans. The Nash Clan had no chance to fight back!
Everyone in the Source of Darkness lived in fear, especially those clans that had participated in the ambush on Rod. They stayed indoors, creating a highly tense atmosphere.

As for Rod, it seemed he had once again become a hero, elevated to mythic status. No one believed he was just a mid-tier divine-level warrior; everyone was speculating about his origins and background, which showed how much the three major families were willing to help him. He had now been placed among those who must never be offended—no one wanted to anger such a terrifying existence.

As the person involved, Rod was still unaware of everything. Carrying that dark object, he struggled forward in pain. Ahead, Melon kept complaining about his slow pace, while Rubio looked at him with sympathy.

“Kid, what level is your physical body at now?” Finally, after the group returned to Melon’s lair, Melon asked skeptically, looking at Rod, who was panting heavily on the ground.

Originally, this object was supposed to be given to Rod only when he reached the later stage of the divine level. But for the sake of the journey to the Netherworld, Melon had no choice but to reveal his ultimate technique early.

He had initially thought it would be remarkable if this guy could hold on for three to five days, but now that he had persisted until now yet still only appeared tired, it seemed nothing had reached his limit. This once again shocked Melon deeply, prompting him to ask in confusion.

“Fifth level. Damn it, what’s the problem?” Rod frowned, frustrated.

“Fifth level?” Melon exclaimed in surprise, staring at Rod with disbelief, his brows tightly knitted.

But that expression was quickly concealed, and he maintained a calm demeanor, saying, “Hmm, not bad. Keep working hard and try to reach the sixth level sooner!”

Yet his occasional glances at Rod carried a hint of strangeness and complexity. Rod didn’t bother to pay attention to these things; he didn’t have the mood to deal with so much.

“Let me take a look!” After a long silence, Melon walked over to Rod.

Then, as if swatting a fly, he started slapping Rod violently. Rod cried out in pain, gasping for air.

After a while, Melon’s furrowed brows finally relaxed slightly, and a look of shock flashed in his eyes, though it was well hidden. “Hmm, I see. Do those guys from Sognar already know about you?” Melon asked after pondering for a moment.

“Yes!” Rod rolled his eyes and said with a bitter smile, quickly stepping back a few steps, fearing that this sadist would start slapping him again. He couldn’t take it—it would cost him half his life. Did this guy really not know how strong his force was, or was he pretending not to?

“No wonder! It seems this matter is getting increasingly interesting!” With a faint smile on his lips, Melon murmured in a voice barely audible to others.
“What matter is interesting?” Rod asked doubtfully, having heard only a faint hint.
“Nothing. Well, it seems you’ll need to train hard during this time before advancing to the higher stage of the divine realm! Hehe, hellish training begins again—kid, I’ve got faith in you!” Waving his hand without answering Rod’s question, Melon wore a terrifying smile as he spoke slowly, leaving Rod terrified.