Chapter 412: The Traitor

It took an entire day for the white smoke hovering above Dark Moon City to gradually disperse. By evening, a faint glow of the setting sun could finally be seen. The acrid smell in the air also began to fade, restoring a sense of clarity. Yet beneath this semblance of peace, an even greater storm was brewing—calm was about to be shattered.

On the city walls, Rod and Lilith were inspecting the soldiers’ guard. Nothing seemed amiss. As the sky grew darker, the night deepened—a perfect time for killing. Rod wanted nothing more than to storm into the enemy’s camp alone and behead their leaders. Without leaders, they would become mere insects, insignificant pests.

But could a hundred-thousand-strong army be easily conquered? Beheading enemies might be possible against an ordinary army, but where were they now? The Source of Darkness. What strength did these soldiers possess? Even the weakest were at the level of Golden Warriors, with most exceeding the Imperial level. Not to mention the thousands of quasi-divine and divine-level warriors. Against such a force, even Rod, who was currently at the Yang Xuan realm, would need to think carefully—even if he reached the Xuan Huang realm.

“The storm is coming again!” Rod sighed heavily. After a day of calm, darkness returned, giving the enemy another chance to attack.

“Yes. It’s coming again,” Lilith said bitterly. Where there is war, there is bloodshed and death. Unless forced, who would want to fight to the death and shed tears?

“What’s there to fear? If they come today, we’ll show them our strength! What’s so special about some ancient sword? It wasn’t even born when I was killing people!” Sognar snapped irritably. Granted, in terms of age, he was indeed far older, but after all, he was a dragon, a member of the magical beast race. With their long lifespans and difficult evolution, their progress was several times slower than ordinary people. Otherwise, wouldn’t the magical beast race have already taken control of the world? Perhaps this was fate—opening one door while closing another.

As for Sognar’s words, Rod and Lilith were already used to ignoring them outright. They exchanged a smile and turned to head toward the other city gate! Glancing back at the West Gate, concern flashed in both of their eyes. The plan seemed simple, but once put into action, it wasn’t so easy after all.

Night completely covered the land, with dark clouds filling the sky, suggesting more storms were on the way. It was the height of spring, the season for spring rains, and it wasn’t easy to enjoy a few days of fine weather.

Sure enough, roars erupted in the pitch-black night, followed by the sound of clashing weapons and thundering hooves, with dust flying everywhere. The scent of blood once again filled this already battered city.

It was still the North Gate, South Gate, and East Gate that faced the enemy from three sides, while the West Gate remained quiet.

As soon as the battles at the three gates began, Rod, Sognar, and Lilith rushed toward the North Gate, where the fighting seemed most intense. As for Lucy and Ada, those two girls, they had disappeared at that moment, their whereabouts unknown.

The battle was fierce. Rod fought alone on the city wall, wielding his sword against soldiers who charged at him recklessly. There was no mercy—each one fell under his blade. He couldn’t count how many had died at his hands, his body covered in blood.

Chanting and the clashing of weapons filled the air, like a deadly symphony claiming lives one after another.

Of course, he also encountered some powerful opponents—those commanding officers! Their strength was almost at the divine level, or even beyond. They might not be a threat to Rod, but to ordinary soldiers, they were extremely formidable. If such officers reached the city wall, it would cause chaos. Fortunately, each wall was reinforced by reinforcements sent by major families and the city’s own strong fighters, so there wasn’t much of a problem for now.

The situation was perilous. A vast army below the city walls charged recklessly at them. The gates were bombarded continuously, with each impact echoing loudly, sending shivers down everyone’s spine.

After all, the enemy had a numerical and strength advantage. Soon, all three gates began to face crises. More and more enemy soldiers climbed the walls, and the city walls were piled high with corpses. Blood pooled into small rivers, flowing down the stairs into the city, filling the air with a sickly scent.

Everyone was fighting hard, yet no one noticed that the city lord’s mansion, once quiet, was quietly changing. At the same time, a group of about several hundred people was slowly moving toward the West Gate. Amidst the chaos, such a group failed to draw anyone’s attention.
…
“Third Prince, look at the time!” Watching the attack from outside the city, an officer stood beside Gu Jian and asked in a low voice.
“Hmm, it’s almost time. It’s time to act. Send the signal!” Nodding in satisfaction, Gu Jian smirked coldly as he spoke. Glancing inside the city, he let out a deep sigh—finally, the final moment had arrived. The more than half-year-long siege was about to reach its conclusion.
Hearing his words, the officer’s eyes flashed with joy and excitement. He quickly stepped back, climbed onto a small mound, and took out a bamboo tube from his bosom. Lighting the fuse, sparks flew, and soon, accompanied by a dull explosion, thick smoke billowed out as a fireball shot into the sky, vanishing into the heavens in an instant.
“Boom…” A deafening sound erupted, and a brilliant fireworks display bloomed high in the sky, dazzlingly bright and especially striking in this battlefield.
…
“They’ve started!” Seeing the fireworks and hearing the noise, Lilith, who was fighting fiercely, came to Rod’s side and said in a low voice.
“Let’s go, over there!” Throwing aside his weapon and killing the last few enemies around him, Rod stopped fighting and rushed toward the city below. At the same time, not only he and Lilith but also about twenty or thirty others, including Sognar, Heiyin, Heiyao, and others, left their positions on the city walls and rushed in the same direction.
On the other side, the quiet West Gate appeared eerily silent compared to the three other battlefronts. There was not a sound, yet those stationed here could hear the noises from the battlefield clearly—the screams were chilling. The silence here contrasted sharply with the intense fighting elsewhere.
The sudden appearance of the brilliant fireworks naturally caught everyone’s attention. Below the city walls, a small group of several hundred people stopped in their tracks upon seeing the fireworks. Each wrapped a white silk scarf around their sleeve.
“Miss, it’s begun!” An old man at the front said in a low voice to the woman beside him.
“It’s begun. Hehe, yes. Tomorrow, this Dark Moon City will belong to me!” Glancing at the silent Dark Moon City behind her, the woman sneered.

He then turned to look at the crowd behind him and said, “Give orders that all our men at Ximen wrap silk scarves around their right arms. Prepare to open the gates to welcome the Wolf Clan and the main battle faction’s army. Those who refuse will be killed without mercy!” His voice was cold and cunning, filled with a fierce killing intent. Soon, the order reached every guard at Ximen. Without hesitation, they took out the silk scarves they had prepared earlier and wrapped them around their right arms. Then, all of them left their posts and rushed down from the city walls like wolves and tigers, radiating a deadly atmosphere. The gates slowly opened with a creaking sound, revealing the dark night sky and steep cliffs outside… Outside Ximen, hidden among the cliffs, was an army of tens of thousands. These people lay hidden between the cliffs, waiting quietly. When the sky lit up with brilliant fireworks, they became excited—after two days of hiding and waiting, this moment had finally arrived. “The city gates are open!” The news brought by scouts ahead made them even more excited. With the gates open, the plan could finally begin. “Let’s storm into the city!” shouted a man in armor at the front, standing up first and drawing the sword at his waist as he charged forward. Roar after roar echoed as tens of thousands of people rushed forward like wolves and tigers. The city gates were just ahead; it would take no more than fifteen minutes for the army to enter. The gates opened without any resistance, and the vanguard entered the city to join the troops who had already been prepared. Their right arms were wrapped in white silk scarves, making them easily recognizable. “Everything is ready!” whispered the woman inside the city who was coordinating the operation upon seeing the army enter. “Good… Hahaha, great! Dark Moon City is doomed today! Brothers, let’s kill!” Hearing her report, the man in armor was extremely excited, his face red as he shouted loudly. With the army entering from the outside and an internal siege from within, even if the opposition had great skills, there was no way they could escape—only death awaited them. “Kill!” he shouted, drawing his long sword, and rushed forward. “Elder, I leave Rod in your hands. Hahaha, I’ll go take those thieves’ lives!” After giving instructions to the old man beside him, the man in armor led his troops swiftly into the city. In the blink of an eye, nearly ten thousand soldiers had entered the city. The nearly twenty thousand troops left outside also rushed in one after another.