Chapter 285: Robbers

As he fully merged into the barrier, Rod felt various elements floating around him. He had some affinity with fire elements, dark elements, and lightning elements as well, but he couldn’t fully summon them—seemingly because something about him made them dislike him and keep their distance.
Feeling this, Rod smiled bitterly. Things seemed troublesome; no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t gain recognition. As time passed, he grew increasingly anxious. He absolutely couldn’t afford any problems here. Hadn’t he been preparing to enter the Netherworld all this time? Couldn’t he find answers to everything he wanted to know here? Now that he was inside, how could he be stumped by the first hurdle? At the thought of this, Rod became even more agitated.
Outside, there was a stir. Vaguely, Rod heard that another person had entered the second stage. Only one spot remained—he absolutely couldn’t give up.
He had to find an answer immediately, or everything would be lost. There were still seven people outside, with only one spot left, and less than an hour left! Everything seemed highly unfavorable for Rod.
“Damn it, Xuanyuan, is there any way?” In desperation, Rod turned to Xuanyuan in his hand, hoping it could guide him. He was helpless with his current combat energy—though powerful, it was like a bomb. It could be very helpful in battle but was now causing him huge trouble.
“Don’t rush. The origins of all things are the same. This barrier is fascinating. You’re too anxious right now. This can’t be rushed. The more anxious you are, the more likely you are to fail. Think carefully about what you’ve gone through—maybe it will help!” After a moment, Xuanyuan pointed out a path for Rod.
Anxious? Origins? Lowering his head in thought, “Cultivating the Mind” played a crucial role at this moment. This set of mental techniques, originally taught to Rod by Xuanyuan and once considered useless, once again demonstrated its unique effectiveness, calming Rod’s mind in no time.

Everything originates from the source; indeed, all things stem from one unity. If traced back to the ultimate origin, it’s all the same existence. What about various elements? They’re still just different forms of that same existence. How much hardship has one endured on this journey? How can one be defeated by such things?

Vaguely, Rod seemed to grasp something, a flash of insight crossing his mind, and suddenly, an expression of ecstasy appeared on his face. “Right, how could I almost forget this?” With that thought, Rod’s confusion cleared.

Leaving the barrier, in the distance, another person seemed to have understood the truth and began to merge into the barrier. The person who entered earlier was actually a member of the York family. Now, Dek from the Mi Jiao clan was also gathering elemental energy, on the verge of success. This made Rod’s heart skip a beat. No, time was running out; he had to hurry. He had just started, while the other person had already completed part of it. He must surpass him in the shortest time possible, or everything would be lost.

Indeed, at this moment, Dek from the Mi Jiao clan seemed to have obtained his last chance. He began gathering elements. Once the elements were gathered, with a single punch, he would merge with them and open the gate. He was ahead of Rod. Once he entered, ten spots would be filled, and the rest would be sent back to the outside world.

Rod quickly calmed himself down. Panicking at this moment wouldn’t bring any benefit. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and merged himself with the universe. Then, guided by his mental power, he entered the barrier in this state. This time, a completely different scene appeared.

The universe was full of mysteries. At this moment, Rod felt like he was part of the universe, returning to its original source. The surrounding elements suddenly changed, losing all attributes and becoming a form of chaos. At this moment, Rod finally began to draw closer to them, slowly communicating and transforming. Eventually, these elements fully merged with Rod, gradually changing. In an instant, one side of the scene turned gray-green, and these elements took on exactly the same attributes as Rod’s internal combat energy.

The universe changed, with winds rising and clouds swirling. As Rod entered this state, the world around him paled in comparison.

Outside, Dek watched as his gate was about to be completed. A smile appeared on his lips. He would succeed! The changes in Rod’s location also caught his attention!

“It seems too late to realize this now!” he muttered to himself with a cold smirk. He would take the last spot for himself—there would be no chance left for Rod!
“Concentrate…” With a loud shout, a green glow burst from the gate before him—the wind-element gate had finally taken shape! At that moment, everyone despaired. The gate was open, and Dek was just one step away from entering the second stage. As for them, they would be sent back to the outside world. Everyone’s faces were filled with frustration, resentment, and anger.
Dek had gathered all his combat energy in his fist, ready to strike at the formed element. After that punch, he would take the step that would lead him forward.
But just then, when everyone thought everything was settled, when everyone was in despair, something strange happened between heaven and earth. Winds rose, clouds gathered, and the entire sky darkened suddenly.
Immediately afterward, everyone could clearly feel endless elements converging toward Rod’s location. Strong winds blew, the barrier trembled, and ripples of energy danced through the air.
Seeing success just within reach, with the second stage right before him, Dek’s expression changed drastically. He was shocked to find that the gate he had painstakingly created was rapidly dissolving, with the dissipating elements rushing wildly toward Rod’s location.
In front of Rod, a multicolored gate was forming—he had managed to summon seven elements to open a path to the second stage.
“No… It can’t be. How… Damn it, it’s impossible!” Dek panicked. Rod’s gate was rapidly taking shape, while his own gate, which was ready to lead him to victory, was dissolving quickly, no longer strong enough to open the threshold to the second stage.
His expression shifted violently as he glared fiercely in Rod’s direction. Helpless, he could only quickly calm himself down and desperately channel his combat energy in an attempt to stabilize the unstable gate.
Filled with resentment, anger, and frustration, he could do nothing but watch as the gate continued to dissolve.

“No…” Roars of fury and resentment reached everyone’s ears. The entry ticket he had in his hands was snatched away at the most critical moment—just as if a man had stripped a woman naked and was about to complete his deed when another appeared, pushed him aside, and took his place! Leaving him to watch as someone else did that to the woman he loved right in front of him.

Deck was going crazy. Who was this Rod? Some kind of monster? Why? Why did he have to ruin his plans? He hadn’t listened to Zi Yang earlier and decided to kill him first before proceeding. Now he regretted it.

Boom… Thunder rumbled in the sky. Rod floated mysteriously in mid-air, surrounded by swirling colors of elemental energy. A multicolored gate had formed before him. At that moment, he opened his eyes, a faint smile on his lips. It was a serene, warm smile that made one feel drawn into it.

At that instant, Rod was one with heaven and earth—he was heaven, he was earth, he was everything.

Then, he casually raised his fist and punched the gate. With a calm strike, the gate opened, revealing a brand new world. Looking back at the people below and at the enraged Deck, whose face showed madness and despair, he smiled slightly before turning and slowly stepping into the gate.

“No… Rod, you damned bastard, you thief! You can’t take my spot! Get out! Why? Why did you take my place? No, absolutely not!” As Rod disappeared from sight, Deck screamed frantically, his anger uncontrollable. He rushed toward the gate.

Whoa… Unfortunately, the next moment, he found himself on a plaza, atop a platform outside the Netherworld.

His movement stopped abruptly. Hundreds of thousands of people saw every expression and word he said. His face turned red, his eyes bloodshot. He had been banished? Really banished? Rod had gone in? Had he really taken his spot? Everyone had seen everything he had done? Instantly, fury surged within him. Resentment and anger made him scream to the sky, venting his rage.

He was on the verge of success, about to achieve it when Cheng Yaojin appeared and stole everything from him. How could he accept this! How long had he fought to earn the right to enter the Netherworld this time? Why, why did he fail in the end? When would there be another chance? Perhaps never in his life. Then wouldn’t his entry into the Yin Huang realm be indefinitely delayed? Anger, resentment, and desolation filled his entire being at that moment. His eyes gradually lost their focus, eventually filled with a violent aura—everything was witnessed by everyone around him.
Yet Dek remained immersed in his own world of loss and resentment. Elements surged around him, his eyes turned red, and his hair moved as if in a breeze. At this moment, he appeared utterly eerie.