Chapter 278: Hostages

The guards behind were clearly shocked by the appearance of Sognar and Lilith. It was only upon seeing them that they stopped in their tracks, realizing it was impossible to rescue the hostages today and could only feel helpless.

At that moment, someone in the crowd sneered coldly, staring at Yoker and Ao Ying being taken away, his eyes icy as his lips curled slightly upward.

With the help of Sognar and Lilith, Rod successfully brought the two back to the Dragon Clan’s residence. Seeing Yoker and Ao Ying’s panicked expressions, Rod found it amusing—could these two even know fear? Had they not considered the consequences before acting?

“What do you want, Knight Rod? Let me tell you, this is my Ice City. If you kill me, you won’t be able to leave!” Back in Rod’s room in the Dragon Clan’s residence, Yoker forced himself to suppress his panic as he spoke to Rod and Sognar. Ao Ying, on the other hand, was too terrified to say a word.

“Heh, whether I can leave or not isn’t something you need to worry about. As for you? I’m not interested in killing you—it would dirty my hands. Don’t worry, once your masters step forward, you can go!” Rod said indifferently, ignoring their words.

These two were merely pawns on the surface; what he needed were the real masterminds behind this. In simpler terms, it was the Yoker family. From his observations earlier, he had noticed that not all the guards belonged to the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles clan—they included members of the Yoker family. Without the Yoker family’s support, those guards wouldn’t have dared act. A major family wouldn’t be so disorganized. Once something like this happened, it had to be resolved. Without revealing the masterminds, the issue couldn’t be solved. Rod didn’t want to keep dealing with troubles. More importantly, the Netherworld was about to open in a few days, and he didn’t want any more complications—he wanted to focus entirely on cultivation and preparation.

If these people hadn’t taken action today, he might have pretended not to notice. But unfortunately, they did!

“You… This was done by us alone. There are no masterminds. What exactly do you want?” Yoker grew anxious when talking about the masterminds. Although his father and grandfather had given their silent approval, would they step forward now that trouble had arisen? And what would happen if they did? He couldn’t help but worry.

“You don’t need to worry about that. Hehe, you two just have to endure a bit these days and stay here for now.” With that, Rod ignored the two guys and walked out alone.
“Hehe, kid, you can leave once your family brings enough chips!” Sognar still took the time to leave a message for the two youngsters. Seeing their panicked expressions, he felt somewhat disappointed. Had the descendants of prominent families all become like this? Could these guys still stand firm if they inherited the family businesses in the future? It seemed those families’ days were numbered—they would inevitably perish sooner or later.
Outside, it was already deep at night, with the silver moonlight illuminating the land. Rod went to a stone table in the small courtyard and sat down, closing his eyes to rest.
“Should we go inform the guys from the York family?” Sognar and Lilith approached Rod and asked.
“No need. The guards will inform them for us. They don’t have the courage to hide this. Perhaps the entire York family already knows by now.” Rod wasn’t concerned at all about their worries.
Indeed, although those behind the scenes weren’t directly involved, they must have been watching. They would definitely find out right away if something went wrong. There was no need for him to go through the trouble. On top of that, Rod knew that even if he went to inform them, it wouldn’t achieve the desired effect.
“Those guys will come to us obediently tomorrow morning. Just wait and see!” Lilith said confidently.
The three of them chatted under the moonlight. If anyone heard what they were discussing, they would be shocked—they were discussing how much reward they needed to release the hostages.
The York family wasn’t a small family. With the addition of the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagle, it might now rank as the second most powerful family among the demons, aside from the royal family. Its profound heritage went without saying. It was a rare opportunity—how could they let it pass without gaining something in return? That would be a waste.
At the same time, in another mansion in Ice City, a pale figure stood under the moonlight, gazing into the distance. Behind her stood a man in black, seemingly reporting something.
“As expected, the York family isn’t that great. You’ve done a good job. Come back after this is settled. There’s no need to stay there anymore!” After listening to the man in black’s report, the woman in white said indifferently.

“The situation over there…” The man in black pondered for a moment before speaking doubtfully. “Does the young lady not show the slightest reaction?”
“Just watch. When two tigers fight, one will surely be hurt. It’s a pity—the York family is nothing but a paper tiger. It’s good to see what they’re capable of this time!” The girl sighed after a long while.
A moment later, the man in black bowed and slowly retreated, disappearing from the courtyard in an instant. His movements were eerily mysterious, as if he had vanished out of thin air, leaving everyone puzzled.
Tonight, the York family must be the most bustling. They learned of Yoker and Proud Eagle’s capture right away. At this moment, almost all of the York family’s high-ranking members were gathered in their meeting hall.
Hearing this news, shock filled everyone’s faces. Rod—again him? The very man who had brought shame to the York family. Today, the young master had fallen into his hands. As for Proud Eagle, they didn’t care much; his life seemed to have little to do with the York family.
“Damn it, Purple Wing Thunder Eagle… They’re really a bunch of people who can’t do anything right!” one of the elders snapped. The fact that a well-planned operation had turned out like this said it all.
“That bastard Rod! This is our Ice City, not a place for him to cause trouble! We can’t let him get away with it!” another elder said.
“The young clan leader is still in his hands, and the young clan leader of the Purple Wing Thunder Eagle is also in his grasp. We need to be careful. If we handle this poorly, it’ll be troublesome!” Some cautious people voiced their concerns.
It’s Rod—who doesn’t know his name? He’s ruthless; there’s nothing he can’t do. He once single-handedly invaded Nash’s mansion and the Purple Wing Thunder Eagle’s estate, causing chaos that no one could stop. Moreover, he has a powerful ally at his back—someone at the Yin Yellow realm. He’s also a honored elder of the Scorpion King clan and a friend of the Dragon and Black Phoenix clans! All these backing forces mean we must think carefully and not act rashly.
If handled poorly, the York family could face hostility from these forces! That would be when real trouble begins.

“Who exactly is this Rod?” someone wondered. He wasn’t the only one with this doubt; everyone had it. Since his appearance, he had done a series of sensational things. If he were an ordinary person, he would have died long ago. How could he still be alive? Moreover, three families were helping him, and he even obtained the status of a Purple Star VIP at the trading club. Not to mention that now he had a powerful warrior at the Yin Yellow realm as his personal bodyguard. What was this all about? Warriors at the Yin Yellow realm were extremely rare even in the entire Dark Source. The fact that he had such a powerful warrior as a bodyguard seemed to hide too many secrets.

Yet, no one could find an answer to everyone’s doubts, and the mystery remained unsolved. Perhaps only when he himself revealed it someday would things become clear.

“The Sognar from the Dragon Clan probably means to exchange ransom!” After a long silence, one middle-aged man spoke up.

“Bastard! Ransom? Is he some kind of thug trying to extort money?” Some of the older generations were outraged. This was outright insult, a blatant threat.

“We started this first. It’s only fair for him to do the same. If word gets out, it will cause even more trouble.” Although the York family was a major family, they weren’t as carefree as one might think. The demon race wasn’t as peaceful as it appeared from the outside. Even allies within the same faction were scheming against each other, let alone their enemies. Who knew if they wouldn’t exploit this situation to completely ruin the York family’s reputation?

“I’ll go take a look tomorrow. I have some acquaintance with Gary from the Dragon Clan. He’s leading this mission! Let’s go see!” Finally, an old man sitting in the far corner spoke up. Though his seat was awkward and remote, his status seemed high. As soon as he spoke, everyone agreed without hesitation!

……

Dawn was breaking as Rod recovered from his cultivation. He stretched lazily, feeling the pleasure of his bones rubbing together, and couldn’t help but let out a long howl. Another new day had begun. There were still three days left before the opening of the Nether Realm. The opponents should arrive in Ice City today, and the Scorpion King clan and the Black Phoenix clan would likely arrive around the same time.

More importantly, the York family should show up today. What kind of scene would it be? Rod was quite looking forward to it. He glanced back at the room behind him, where faint sounds of struggle could be heard from time to time. Those two really had perseverance—could they not get tired after a whole night?

With nothing to do, Xuanyuan was drawn and he began to swing it around in the yard. If the Dark Dragon had been Rod’s most suitable weapon before, then Xuanyuan was now the weapon that matched him best. The third level of sword intent was fully unleashed, bringing about a fierce and powerful swordsmanship—every move was perfectly timed. With Xuanyuan in Rod’s hands, he was able to exert his greatest strength.