Chapter 379: Intermediate Stage of Yang Xuan

“Alright, if nothing else works, we’ll just leave first!” After hearing Locke’s words, Merk spoke in a deep voice after a brief silence.
Under the current circumstances, every minute was precious for them. Speed was crucial—wasting time at this point would be the greatest waste and could even push them all into an irreparable situation.
Leaving Rod behind was merely a last resort, not abandoning him! Moreover, they believed that even if Rod stayed behind, he wouldn’t face any danger. After all, in the entire Dark Source, there were hardly anyone who could harm him.
“How is your side prepared?” Merk asked after pondering for a moment.
“Everything is ready. Aside from the 500 people staying here and your 500, the rest can set off at any time!” Locke said seriously. Wuyou City, a city they had fought hard to capture, couldn’t be given away easily. So, after negotiation, the Black Phoenix Clan and the Scorpion King Clan each selected 500 members to stay and guard the area. These people were mostly from minor vassal families, while their main forces were prepared to head to Dark Moon City to assist the rebels.
The task of those staying behind was simple: to delay any reinforcements that Water Curtain City might send! Holding them back outside Water Curtain City for a while would be sufficient. Otherwise, facing attacks from both sides, they would be in a difficult position.
“That’s good! By the way, any news from Dark Moon City and Water Curtain City? What about the Dragon Clan?” Merk continued, seemingly recalling something. He was most concerned about the movements of Water Curtain City and Dark Moon City.
As for the Dragon Clan, it was what puzzled him the most. With the Wolf Clan’s army approaching, both sides still remained stuck in a stalemate, with no large-scale war breaking out. The Dragons refusing to emerge was incomprehensible.
Given those arrogant guys’ nature, they would have already charged out to fight the enemy long ago, not avoid battle like this. It didn’t fit their character at all. Besides, according to Tianjiao Hong’s words, there seemed to be traitors within the Dragon Clan. Under such circumstances, it was even less likely for the Dragons to remain so calm. This made Merk feel something was off—there seemed to be some inscrutable tricks at play, possibly a huge conspiracy.
As for the Wolf Clan, it was also puzzling. Those warlike guys wouldn’t just let the enemy avoid battle like this. Given their nature, they would have already charged in long ago, not remain stuck in a stalemate!

Both sides are warlike; how can we feel at ease with such calmness now? Merk isn’t worried about anything else—actually, a stalemate between the two sides is a good thing. It’s definitely in their favor that the Dragon clan is delaying the powerful Wolf clan. What he’s worried about is whether the Wolf clan and Dragon clan have reached some kind of agreement. Right now, it seems like just an act. If that’s the case, the Black Phoenix clan and the Scorpion King clan will be in trouble. The most terrifying thing is that the Dragon clan seems to have sided with the pro-war faction—that’s the real problem.

“The situation in Dark Moon City remains stagnant; no major battles have taken place, but small skirmishes happen every day! The opposition hasn’t faced any major threats yet thanks to Dark Moon City’s defensive advantages, but there have been many casualties. It’s said that thousands have died or been injured so far. The pro-war faction hasn’t gained any advantage.”

“Water Screen City remains calm, as if staying out of it. We don’t know what they’re thinking. But judging from the current situation, Water Screen City probably doesn’t have much strength left either. If they had sent out their armies, they would have left only a small force to defend the city. Otherwise, they would have sent their armies long ago, especially with the current stalemate, and wouldn’t risk revealing their identity by having neutral forces deploy.”

“As for Ice City, it’s not much different from Water Screen City!”

“The main issue is the Dragon clan. We don’t know what those guys are thinking—they haven’t shown any movement. There’s no major action, just a state of tension. We wonder if something’s wrong.”

“It’s not just us who’re confused; the pro-war faction seems to not know the reason either. They’ve sent people multiple times asking the Wolf clan to end the conflict quickly, but the Wolf clan ignores them! I guess they’re anxious too. Maybe we can feel a little more at ease now!”

Speaking of the Dragon clan, Locke wore a bitter smile—clearly, this was also what worried them the most.

“If that’s really the case, it’s good! Hopefully so! We should prepare well. We’ll set off the day after tomorrow, whether Rod is back or not. There’s not much time left!” Hearing Locke’s words, Merk felt a little more at ease, though he still had some doubts. Overall, it was a good sign.

“What’s going on?” Hu Ran and Locke said, their expressions changing drastically. They looked at Merk, who also had a serious expression, staring into the distance anxiously.

Just as the two were about to leave, a powerful aura spread everywhere, enveloping the entire Wuyou City. It gave them a sense of supreme dominance, making them feel compelled to worship. Not only them but everyone in Wuyou City felt the same way. Some weaker individuals couldn’t help but collapse to the ground or kneel in worship.

The animals in the city all lay on the ground, heads bowed in the same direction, emitting low murmurs as if worshipping their deity. Fortunately, this imposing aura vanished in an instant, and the intense pressure it brought with it disappeared as well.
Ahow…
A long howl pierced the tranquil night of Wuyou City, filled with excitement and dominance!
“It’s him!” Merck exclaimed with ecstasy upon hearing the howl.
“Yeah, it’s that kid!” Locke said excitedly too.
They both recognized it—wasn’t that Rod’s voice? Clearly, this howl marked his return; the earlier imposing aura had been emitted by him, no wonder it was so strong.
It was obvious that he had successfully reached the middle stage of the Yangxuan realm! He had advanced smoothly.
“Let’s go and take a look!” Locke and Merck said at the same time. Hearing each other’s words, they exchanged smiles, vanished in a flash, and rushed toward the distant place.
Meanwhile, in another room, Lucy and Nightingale, who were sleeping, were awakened by this aura and howl. After hearing the voice clearly, they too showed ecstatic expressions and quickly got up to dress.
“That’s right, let’s hurry over!” Nightingale said to Lucy. At that moment, both of them’s hearts raced, their faces filled with joy—Rod was safe; he had advanced. This was undoubtedly the best news.
Not only them—countless people in Wuyou City were unable to sleep at that moment, shocked by what had happened, and rushing toward that direction.
……
Feeling dozens of auras rushing toward him, Rod smiled faintly, standing still as he waited for them to arrive.
“Hahaha… Kid, you’ve broken through?” Locke’s cheerful voice came first. Soon after, his figure appeared, along with Merck, the leader of the Black Phoenix clan.
“Yeah!” Rod replied simply. Perhaps because he had entered a new realm, he now exuded a natural aura—pride! It was the pride inherent in a strong person like him.

“Haha… Good, I knew you were something special, tsk tsk tsk… Look, it’s only been a short time. I remember when I met you two years ago, you were just a quasi-divine-level kid. And now? Hehe, the Yangxuan realm—amazing! Such speed…” Getting a positive response, Locke sighed with emotion. Recalling the first time he met Rod, Rod had seemed weak as an ant in front of him, but now he had grown into an absolute powerhouse. He was filled with emotion.

“Give you a few more years and you’ll be unstoppable!” He curled his lips, speaking with a hint of resentment. After all, he had practiced for hundreds of years yet was still only at the peak of the divine realm. That was already considered a good pace. Over the past few decades, he had struggled to reach the Yinhuang realm. But look at Rod—having accomplished in two years what others couldn’t achieve in hundreds or even thousands of years. How could that not make one feel frustrated?

“Not bad, it’s great that you’ve broken through!” Merk’s words were simple but practical.

“Big brother!” Lucy’s excited voice came from afar. He was part of the second group to arrive here, accompanied by Nightingale. As for the members of the Death Scythe Squad, they had always been by his side, so they naturally knew about Rod’s breakthrough right away and rushed to stand behind him.

Seeing Lucy and Nightingale approaching, Rod’s eyes softened. Gone was his previous arrogance; instead, there was only a look of indulgence and affection. There were probably not many people in this world who mattered to him, but Nightingale and Lucy were definitely among them—and the most important! In fact, if they wanted stars, Rod would find a way to fetch them for them.

Then, another dozen figures rushed over and entered the area. Elder Dolon, along with several elders from the Black Phoenix Clan and the Scorpion King Clan, as well as some elders and clan leaders from smaller but powerful families, had all come here.

Rod’s aura attracted them. Upon seeing him, their eyes lit up—they knew right away that he had succeeded in breaking through. They congratulated him, their eyes inevitably showing a hint of envy. Wasn’t this the realm those warriors strived for their entire lives to reach? But how many of them could actually achieve such a level?

Rod had done it, and at such a young age. It was unimaginable. More importantly, having a superpowerful warrior like Rod boosted their confidence immensely. The impact of such a strong figure was beyond imagination.