Chapter 283: The First Challenge

“Kid, don’t worry about us. Worry about yourself instead. Be careful—someone might be watching you. As for us? Hehe, such an environment can’t affect us!” As Rod finished speaking, Sognar beside him sneered in disdain.
Even Lucy let out a light laugh, though her gaze at Rod was intensely passionate.
Realizing this, Rod smiled awkwardly. He had forgotten that Sognar and Lucy were members of the Magical Beast Clan. What were the characteristics of Magical Beasts? Their greatest trait wasn’t their ability to see around in complete darkness? Such darkness couldn’t affect them at all. Even if the darkness here was somewhat eerie, they could still faintly see their surroundings! They weren’t inferior to Rod at all.
It was fortunate that Rod had been overthinking and fearing something might happen to them. Since all three could see, Rod simply walked alongside them.
In the pitch-black environment, Rod, Sognar, and Lucy moved slowly forward. It was a vast space, completely open with no obstacles—like a huge dark plain. It was hard to imagine that a pyramid that seemed so small on the outside could have such a vast interior world. Truly, there was much more to it than it appeared.
This must be an independent space. Thinking that this Netherworld was created by the Trolls back in the day, Rod couldn’t help but sigh. To what extent were the Trolls powerful enough to create their own space? If they had such strength, why did they disappear? Creating such a space required at least a group of experts at the Yin Yellow realm and a few at the Yang Xuan realm working together. Could such strength really vanish? What exactly had happened here?
Gusts of cold wind whistled in their ears, sending a chilling chill through everyone’s body. Clutching his Xuanyuan tightly, Rod kept a close eye on his surroundings as he moved forward. Here, they weren’t afraid of anything else but of someone taking the opportunity to attack them.
The path ahead remained pitch black, with no end in sight. It was unknown where the barrier of the first challenge lay! The three of them moved cautiously, putting some distance between themselves and the others.

Just because they don’t have other intentions doesn’t mean others don’t. At this moment, the battle had already begun. In the distance, Zi Yang, who was hundreds of meters away from Rod and his group, watched them slowly advancing with a cold gaze. A slight smile appeared on his lips—this was finally the chance for revenge. Rod, Lucy from the Black Phoenix clan, and Sognar from the Dragon clan were all enemies of their Purple Wing Thunder Eagles. Now was the perfect time for revenge. Looking at the icy-faced members of the York clan around him, as well as a middle-aged man from the Mi Jiao clan, it seemed the three of them had reached some kind of agreement. They nodded slightly before quickly moving toward Rod and his group.

They moved cautiously and soon reached less than fifty meters away from Rod and his group. Suddenly, the three of them accelerated sharply, shooting toward Rod like arrows released from a bow. The man from the Mi Jiao clan went after Lucy, the man from the York clan after Sognar, while Zi Yang headed straight for Rod.

Rod, Sognar, and Lucy also changed color in an instant. They turned around abruptly, and Rod drew his sword and swung it at their pursuers.

Whoosh… A deep whooshing sound, like space being torn apart, left a trail of white light. Zi Yang’s fierce face appeared before Rod. Seeing that Rod reacted so quickly, he quickly drew his weapon to block the attack.

“Zi Yang, the Mi Jiao clan, and the York clan—what do you want?” Sognar demanded loudly with a stern expression.

“Hehe, we don’t want anything. Just leave Knight Rod here. The two of you can go on. We won’t hinder you at all!” The man from the York clan said in a cold smile.

Rod was their target for this mission. Of course, they also knew that if Sognar and Lucy stayed by Rod’s side, it would be extremely difficult for them to attack, with very little chance of success. If they could separate the two, Rod would surely die.

“Don’t even think about it, Mi Jiao clan. Do you also want to get involved in this?” With a cold snort, Sognar glared at the man from the Mi Jiao clan and asked sternly.

“Sognar, you should know very well who I am, Dek. I’m just doing what’s entrusted to me. Sorry about that!” The man from the Mi Jiao clan said with a slight smile after hearing Sognar’s words.

Obviously, he was determined to participate in this! The situation here was also noticed by the others in the distance right away, but no one paid attention. In the Netherworld, everyone had their own tasks to carry out, and the people from both sides weren’t very familiar with each other. Even if they knew each other or their families had good relations, they still wouldn’t get involved in this! The fiercer the battle between these people, the better it was for them. After all, there were only ten spots available for the second round, and six people were already fighting over there. If that was the case, the remaining ten could enter the second round without any obstacles—why not take advantage of it?

“Good. Dirk, you’re great. Then stop talking nonsense and get started!” Sognar shouted angrily at Zi Yang and his group, his fighting energy surging around him, creating a gust of wind. In an instant, he appeared beside Lucy, shielding her behind him and blocking Dirk’s attack path.

Rod also stepped back beside Lucy to block another direction. Lucy was the weakest and a mage, so she needed to be protected at all costs.

“Brother Rod, don’t worry about me. Punish them—I’ll support you from behind!” Lucy said calmly, feeling inexplicably confident looking at Rod standing in front of her. As long as Rod was there, she felt utterly secure. It seemed like time had gone back more than half a year—hadn’t this figure always stood in front of her to protect her from every danger? In that instant, it seemed to grow many times larger.

“Stop talking and attack!” Zi Yang could no longer hold back. Seeing that the others were speeding up while they were busy fighting here, he knew what was coming and said anxiously.

If they delayed too long here, it would be troublesome. Failing to enter the second round would definitely be a loss for them.

As soon as he spoke, figures flashed, and three silhouettes rushed toward Rod and the others like the wind.

“Fire Dragon Descends!”

“Flames of Destruction!” A clear voice rang out, and the dark space suddenly lit up. A fire dragon, as big as a bucket and dozens of feet long, appeared out of thin air. Immediately, the entire ground turned into a sea of flames—endless flames with a pale color and low temperature, yet carrying a deadly sense of danger.

It was Lucy. In such a short time, she had cast two spells in succession—one above and one below, instantly sealing off all space in front of them.

“Don’t get entangled with them. Let’s hurry to the first level—there’s not much time left!” Lucy said immediately, pulling at Rod and Sognar’s sleeves.
The two finally realized what was happening. When they looked at her again, their expressions had changed, filled with complexity.
The power of those two spells was astonishing; even Rod didn’t dare to confront them head-on. Those cold flames must be the ultimate form of fire—far more powerful than ultimate spells. Could they even be at the level of near-prohibited curses? The thought made them feel somewhat ashamed.
“Hurry up. Don’t waste time on them. We can discuss it after reaching the second level—there will be plenty of time then!” Lucy said helplessly, smiling slightly at their reactions.
“Yeah, you’re right. Let’s go quickly before those guys get ahead of us!” Sognar nodded in agreement with Lucy’s suggestion.
Under normal circumstances, he would have stayed to fight to the end, but now it was different. They needed to compete for spots and had more important things to do. Fighting here would only benefit those who wanted to watch them suffer—why let others reap the benefits?
After they left, the flames and flickering figures behind them gradually faded. Rod, Sognar, and Lucy smiled slightly as they rushed forward, leaving behind chaos and a fire dragon, along with three others whose paths were blocked as they roared in anger.
It took some time before the flames extinguished on their own. Zi Yang and the others looked horrified, their faces dark and disheveled. It turned out those spells were at the level of prohibited curses—they had clearly underestimated that little guy from the Black Phoenix clan! They had almost suffered a huge loss.
“Chase after them!” Frustrated by their defeat, they quickly chased in the direction Rod and the others had gone. Partly out of concern that someone else might take their spots, and partly to avenge themselves.
The two groups moved forward rapidly, one after the other. After about five or six minutes, the scene ahead suddenly changed. The darkness vanished instantly, replaced by a brilliantly bright world.
It was a vast grassland under a blue sky, with green grass, birds singing, flowers blooming, and a small river—truly a paradise on earth. It was hard to believe such a beautiful place existed.
Continuing forward, they finally saw a colorful barrier ahead, like a layer of water standing between heaven and earth, its surface shimmering beautifully. The colorful light kept flashing, incredibly enticing.

“We’re here!” Sognar exclaimed excitedly upon seeing this scene. Rod and Lucy also smiled; they had finally arrived. This must be the so-called barrier. To reach the second level, they would have to pass through this barrier.
When they arrived at the barrier, there were already seven or eight people trying hard to cross it, each with a worried expression on their face. Upon seeing the information displayed on the barrier, Rod and Sognar exchanged glances, both seeing a hint of disbelief in each other’s eyes—someone had already crossed this barrier and reached the second level? And it wasn’t just one person, but two! Who could be that strong?