Chapter 259: A Change of Circumstances
A breakthrough at a certain level often brings immeasurable effects, especially after reaching the divine realm, where each breakthrough leads to a qualitative leap. Feeling the surge of combat energy, Rod became as light as a swallow. With a single jump, he reached the edge of the pond and dashed off, arriving at Melon’s lair in the blink of an eye.
“Back already? Good. You’ve reached the later stage of the divine realm!” As if he had known Rod would return, Melon stood at the entrance of the cave and spoke to him.
Rod wasn’t surprised at all. The elemental fluctuations caused by his recent breakthrough could likely be felt not only by Melon but also by the magical beasts within a hundred miles—such energy fluctuations were impossible to conceal.
“Yeah, I’ve broken through!” Rod said after stepping beside Melon and taking a deep breath, still feeling a hint of excitement.
Finally reaching this level, what excited him even more was that two things he had been waiting so long to start could now be undertaken. Though he had expected this outcome, hearing Rod confirm it in person still filled Melon with a sense of shock. He looked at Rod with a complex expression before finally exhaling and smiling slightly. “That’s good. After a month and a half of training and three days of breakthrough, there’s still some time left. Get used to it, then it’s time to head to Ice City!”
The time until the opening of the Nether Realm was running out. It would take nearly eight days to reach Ice City from here, leaving them only about fifteen days to stay.
After Melon spoke, silence fell. Rubio had gone out to train today and hadn’t returned yet, so only the two of them were there. Looking at Melon, Rod hesitated for a long time before finally lifting his head.
“I have things to do these days!” Rod said slowly.
“Hmm, that’s fine. Time is limited—manage it wisely!” Though he didn’t know what Rod’s plans were, Mellon agreed without hesitation. Since their goal had been achieved, what did a few extra days matter? As long as they could make it by the opening of the Nether Realm, everything would be fine. Besides, he knew Rod wasn’t the kind of person who lacked a sense of time.
“When are you leaving?” Melon asked after pondering.
“Today. Right now.”
“Aren’t you going to see Rubio?”
“No need. He’ll be back within three days, if nothing goes wrong.”
“Alright, then go. Be careful.”
The conversation between the two was very brief. After a short while, Rod turned and left. He came here mainly to inform Melon about this matter, so that he wouldn’t think Rod had disappeared without reason later on. Watching Rod’s retreating figure, Melon’s thoughts wandered; he wasn’t sure what he was thinking. With one final sigh, he turned and headed back into the cave.
…
On this side, Rod had made progress, but outside, things were also extremely lively. It seemed no longer this bustling in thousands of years—truly a time of turmoil. Ultimately, everything was related to Rod, with the incident of the ambush in the valley that day being the catalyst. As for Rod himself, he had no idea at all.
Not to mention the Nash family, the Dragon Clan and the Black Phoenix Clan swiftly destroyed them in just a few days with lightning-fast speed. Immediately after, the Dragon Clan and the Black Phoenix Clan turned their attention to the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles—a clan they had long wanted to target. Due to various reasons, they had been unable to act until now, but the time had finally come.
With solid reasons, the Black Phoenix Clan and the Dragon Clan joined forces to issue a challenge to the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles—a life-or-death duel. Even if the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles tried to avoid it by calling back all their members to the clan’s core area, they still couldn’t escape this disaster.
The combined attack of the Dragon Clan and the Black Phoenix Clan was unstoppable. That seemingly simple group of a hundred people actually represented most of the strength of both clans. Clearly, they were determined to destroy the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles clan this time.
Although the Mi Jiao Clan and the militant faction of the Demon Clan were allies of the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles, they were unable to intervene when they saw this. The Mi Jiao Clan was held back by the Scorpion King Clan, using the incident in the valley as an excuse. As for the militant faction of the Demon Clan, the opposition and neutral factions surprisingly helped to hold them back.
The people of the Dark Source went mad. Seeing these events unfold, anyone with even a little sense knew that the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles were doomed this time. It seemed that neither the militant faction of the Demon Clan nor the Mi Jiao Clan was fully committed to helping them, as if they had given up on this constantly humiliated clan.
Under such circumstances, the plans of the Dragon Clan and the Black Phoenix Clan progressed smoothly. In less than twenty days, they reached the core area of the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles clan. Within just twenty days, the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles suffered another severe blow. Their strength was now perhaps less than one-third of what it used to be—they were struggling to survive.
Those vassal families of theirs turned against them at critical moments, joining forces with the Black Phoenix clan to strike down their former masters. These families were originally already vassals of the Black Phoenix clan; perhaps their decision to follow the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagle and leave the Black Yellow clan’s grasp was part of a conspiracy aimed at him, one he was unaware of and even took pride in.
Later, in the central area, the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagle took advantage of the complex terrain and unique features of the region to engage in a stalemate. The two sides clashed back and forth, but nothing major happened. Yet, at that moment, all eyes from the Dark Source were focused on this place. The destruction of the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagle was only a matter of time; their desperate struggles were merely a way to buy time—something no one doubted.
This stalemate didn’t last long. Finally, today, the Dragon clan and the Black Phoenix clan mobilized most of their vassal forces to launch a siege. Surrounded from all sides with the encirclement tightening with each step, perhaps one life of the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagle was lost with every advance. Blood was shed everywhere, filling the entire valley with a bloody scent.
…
“Damn it, Dragon clan, Black Phoenix clan! You’re going too far!” In the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagle’s council hall, over a dozen of its highest-ranking members sat with grim expressions, the atmosphere heavy with tension. After a long silence, the clan leader shouted loudly.
Reports of battles kept coming in. It was clear that the Black Phoenix clan and the Dragon clan had no intention of sparing them this time. They slaughtered everyone, pushing them into a desperate situation. People kept dying, people kept getting injured!
Think back six months ago, when the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagle was at its peak. Its clan membership numbered nearly 500—enough to rival the Dragon clan and the Black Phoenix clan. Among them, there were nearly a hundred god-level members, 300 quasi-god-level members, 50 saint-level members, and 50 emperor-level members. But what about now?
Looking at the latest statistics, the clan now had fewer than 200 members left. Among them, the god-level members consisted only of those over a dozen in the hall and four elders fighting outside to resist the enemy—less than 20 in total. The number of quasi-god-level warriors also dropped to under 100 after successive attacks. The rest were saint-level and emperor-level warriors. With such a lineup, not to mention becoming the sixth clan, they wouldn’t even be able to rank as the top vassal clan, let alone among the top three.
His expression was filled with bitterness. All of this was because of the appearance of a certain Rod—that damned bastard. It was all his fault, as well as that of the Dragon Clan! The fierce battles between the Dragon Clan and the Black Phoenix Clan had pushed them to the brink of destruction. The clan leader spoke sternly, and the others present remained silent, staring angrily at the young clan leader standing by his side. It could be said that this guy was the cause of everything. If not for him, perhaps the Purple Wing Thunder Eagle Clan would still be the renowned sixth clan. Instead, they were now at their wits’ end, forced into a desperate situation, and treated like a joke by everyone from the Dark Source. This good-for-nothing had led the entire clan into the abyss of destruction.
“Fight to the end!” After a moment, the middle-aged man at the head slammed the table and ordered loudly. The group began to express their opinions—some favored fighting to the death, while others suggested peace, leading to a flurry of discussion.
……
“Hmph, Black Phoenix Clan, are you scared now?” A thousand meters away, in the council hall of the Black Phoenix Clan, the allied forces of the Dragon Clan and the Black Phoenix Clan finally stopped to rest. During this period of attacks, they had slaughtered countless enemies, suffering only two losses and over a dozen injuries on their side. It seemed the Purple Wing Thunder Eagle Clan was nothing but a name without substance.
“Sognar, don’t get too proud. Wait until you’ve taken down the entire Purple Wing Thunder Eagle Clan. Don’t forget, we don’t have much time left. You know the Netherworld is about to open. Hehe, with Ziyang in the way, it’s really a tough nut to crack. How about you give it a try?” Before Sognar could be pleased, another man spoke disdainfully.
“Hei Yin, you think you’re strong? Then why don’t you go? That pervert Ziyang—really, I can’t believe the Purple Wing Thunder Eagle Clan could produce such a freak! Damn him! There’s still almost a month before the Netherworld opens. Why rush? Let’s destroy them first and then go to the Netherworld together!” Sognar said, pouting as he spoke of Ziyang. His eyes flickered briefly before he continued.
That Ziyang had left a deep impression on everyone these past few days. If not for him, the Purple Wing Thunder Eagle Clan might have already been destroyed. With his divine-level power, even Lilith couldn’t defeat him, and he still suffered severe injuries. Damn him! Had he entered the Yin Yellow realm? But no! Now, Ziyang had become the most troublesome figure.
As for Sognar and Heiyin, after returning to their respective families this time and forming a plan, they never expected to be chosen as leaders in charge of attacking the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles. That is precisely why they are here.