Chapter 388: Fighting Five Alone (Part 1)

“You all shall die!” Rod said coldly, staring at the group. Nightingale’s injuries intensified his murderous intent; the killing aura he usually kept under control now began to leak out unconsciously. His icy killing aura enveloped a radius of dozens of meters around him, making it hard to breathe.

Gu Xun and the others were horrified, clearly frightened by Rod’s killing aura. They never expected him to possess such intense murderous intent and wondered how he could have it. At the same time, they inwardly lamented realizing too late that their previous actions had completely pushed Rod to the enemy’s side. Blinded by greed, they now faced consequences they didn’t want to see. As the saying goes, greed clouds one’s judgment—this was probably what it meant. Standing opposite Rod and feeling his overwhelming killing aura and presence, the group looked distressed.

Looking behind them, a monstrous beast that appeared out of nowhere was incredibly powerful, having even reached the Yin Yellow realm. No one behind them could resist; casualties abounded, and wherever it passed, a sea of fire erupted, illuminating the dark night.

Seeming to sense their thoughts, Rod smirked slightly. This must be the first battle for Fen Tian after awakening from the Nether Hellfire. Having slept until a few days ago, Fen Tian now possessed mid-stage Yin Yellow realm strength. Rod wasn’t worried about any problems on Fen Tian’s side—after all, even if Gu Xun and the others went there personally, they might not come out unscathed!

“Want to run?” Seeing an old man beside Gu Xun preparing to retreat, Rod snorted coldly, stepped forward, and charged at him with his Sky-Piercing Sword. At that moment, the sword emitted a terrifying aura that made Xuanyuan tremble, producing a buzzing sound as its blade shook violently. A blinding green light burst forth.

“Kill!” Since they had already lost face to Rod, there was no way back. Seeing Rod take the initiative, Gu Xun wasn’t someone who would sit idly by. With a roar, he led three elders at his side to attack Rod.

Four warriors at the Yin Yellow realm might normally be a formidable force, but in Rod’s eyes, they were nothing now. As he grew stronger, warriors at this realm seemed insignificant to him. Though the four of them working together might cause some trouble, it wasn’t enough to stop him from fighting back.

The people behind him forced him to pull back Xuan Yuan and turn to sweep forward, the sound of swords whistling as it stirred the air and created a whirlwind. Instantly, Rod was drawn into the chaos. Under the attack of five people, he felt overwhelmed. This was likely the third difficult battle he had faced recently—the first was against Jiao Hong, the second against the neutral faction’s leader Carter, and the third was today’s fight against these people. Although each of them was weak individually, together they exerted terrifying combat power, forcing Rod to retreat repeatedly, which surprised him greatly. As for the old man in the pseudo-Yang Xuan realm he encountered at first, Rod didn’t take him seriously at all. With his limited strength, he couldn’t fully utilize it, so he had no reason to fear him.

He sighed inwardly at the depth and strength of the pro-war faction. Such strength indeed gave them the confidence to face even those at the Yang Xuan realm. After all, he was currently at the middle level of the Yang Xuan realm. If it were him a few days ago, still at the beginner level, he might really have lost in such a battle.

The dull footsteps behind him grew louder. In the blink of an eye, a sea of people appeared before his eyes. Seeing them, Rod breathed a sigh of relief and threw himself fully into the battle. The newcomers were none other than Merck and his group who had rushed into the city. Lucy’s striking white clothes and her appearance, like a fairy descending from heaven, made her easily recognizable.

Rod knew that the arrival of this group had sealed the fate of today’s battle. There was no longer any suspense; the final outcome was almost certain. Their arrival would leave the pro-war faction even more unable to fight back—defeat was inevitable. Now, it was just his side left. As long as he could deal with these people, Shuimù City would be doomed!

“Sister Nightingale!” Watching Rod and Gu Xun fighting together in the distance, Lucy was worried. But as she got closer and saw the members of the Death Scythe Squad and the barely conscious Nightingale, she panicked and screamed.

It was the first time she had seen Nightingale so weak. In her eyes, Nightingale had always been a powerful figure—how could she have ever seen her so helpless? Her face was pale, blood kept flowing from the corners of her mouth, her eyes were lifeless, her body cold, and large drops of sweat streamed down her forehead—all signs indicating that Nightingale’s condition was extremely poor.

“Miss Nightingale, what’s wrong?” Merk also hurried over anxiously. He knew exactly how important Nightingale was to Rod—what would happen to Rod if something happened to her!
“What’s going on?” The people behind him were already dealing with the scattered remnants of the White Burning Heaven forces. Seeing that the situation was largely under control, Merk focused all his attention on Nightingale.
Who was he? At a glance, he could see that Nightingale was on the verge of death. Even an ordinary person, or even himself, would have died from such injuries—her internal organs were all shattered; there was no chance of survival.
The only reason she was still alive was because she must have used some rare treasure to temporarily sustain herself, allowing her to hold on. Without it, she would have died long ago.
“She was injured by that person. Now… Chief Merk, you must have a solution. Please save my sister quickly. If something happens to her…”
“Mm, Chief Merk, please think of a way for us. Nightingale… she must not suffer any harm.”
Seeing Merk, everyone placed their hopes on him and pleaded with him. In this desperate situation, they had no choice but to rely on him. After spending so much time with them, none of them felt better than Rod did.
Some regarded Nightingale as a sister, while others saw her as a brother—there were bonds of brotherhood and sisterhood among them.
After hearing what they said and observing the situation, Merk frowned deeply and fell silent. The situation was worse than he had imagined. He sensed a strange, powerful energy flowing within Nightingale’s body—it was the energy that kept her alive.
“What did she eat just now?” Merk asked, frowning.
“We don’t know. Our elder brother gave her something to eat. It seems to be… it seems to be a Rainbow Ice Essence. I heard those people shouting it!” Viski was visibly panicked for the first time. For countless days and nights, it had been Nightingale who encouraged him to persevere and helped him grow. Otherwise, he might have given up on those tough training sessions and returned to the capital long ago.
“Rainbow Ice Essence!” Not only Merk but also Lucy exclaimed in surprise. Merk was amazed that Rod had such a precious item and had given it to Nightingale without hesitation.

As for Lucy, she calmed down after her initial surprise and showed a slight smile. It was good that her elder brother had left one behind. This was truly a precious treasure! With its help, Sister Nightingale might indeed have a chance.

“Father…” Seeing that her father remained silent, Lucy couldn’t help but call out.

“The Rainbow Ice Essence is amazing, but it might only be able to keep her alive for now!” With a sigh, Moke said bitterly. Though these things were indeed miraculous, their effects weren’t that great.

“How could this be, Father?” Lucy became anxious immediately and called out urgently.

“Give this to her first. Whether she can pull through depends on her own strength!” With another sigh, he took out a thumb-sized pill from his bosom and handed it to Lucy. The pill was about the size of a thumb, dark red in color, emitting a gentle fragrance that brought great comfort.

“The Dragon Yang Pill!” Lucy exclaimed.

The Dragon Yang Pill was a unique treasure of the Black Phoenix clan, even comparable to the Fen Xuan Pill—a sacred medicine for healing. Unfortunately, it was very rare; even among the Black Phoenix clan, there were only ten of them! They had been crafted by an ancestor thousands of years ago. No matter how severe the injury, taking it would allow one to recover fully by the next day. It was usually not used, so it was surprising that her father brought it out today. Weren’t all of them already used? How was there still one left?

“It’s not a Yang Xuan Pill. It’s a failed attempt at making one. When that ancestor tried to create ten Dragon Yang Pills, he produced a few unfinished ones. This is one of them. For healing, it might be an absolute miracle drug, but for Sister Nightingale’s current injuries, it’s… completely not on par with a Yang Xuan Pill. If it were a Yang Xuan Pill, Sister Nightingale might be fine by now!” With a sigh, Moke said bitterly. The last Yang Xuan Pill had been used a hundred years ago.

“Then…” Her hopes were shattered at that moment, and Lucy asked anxiously again.

“It depends on her own strength. There’s some hope, but…”

He didn’t continue. Moke sighed inwardly. A sliver of hope—such a tiny hope. After all, this wasn’t a Yang Xuan Pill. The chances of survival were really very small.

He said this only to give them a little more hope, to prevent them from despairing.

Boom… Loud explosions could be heard behind them. The intense battles created strong winds in the area, with combat energy spreading even to those far away.

“Ah… Brother Rhode!” Turning around and seeing the situation clearly, Lucy couldn’t help but cry out in shock.