Chapter 448: The Demon General (1)

The night was pitch black. The summer sky gave off a sense of boundless depth, with countless stars scattered across it—a sight perhaps only visible at the source of darkness.
As the night deepened and the moon rose higher, it was the perfect time for killing. Unfortunately, Rod and his companions were not there to kill but to capture someone.
Inside the city lord’s mansion, Rod, the Wolf King, Mork, and others wore solemn expressions. For safety reasons, Sognar, Lilith, Dolon, Melon, and others had already taken the lead, setting up ambushes around the city to prevent any problems.
Last time, in the government office, Aida and the others mentioned that the crown prince had suddenly changed. After reflecting, Rod guessed that it was likely because his divine essence had appeared at that time. The presence of his divine essence made that man realize his identity had been exposed, prompting him to rush out of the office. Otherwise, staying inside would have been safe—far safer than now.
Rod was afraid that the reappearance of his divine essence might alert the other party, causing them to rush out in desperation and suffer unnecessary losses. So he ordered Melon and the others to prepare countermeasures first.
“Let’s begin!” the Wolf King and Mork, standing beside Rod, said in deep voices.
“Hmm, let’s start!” Rod nodded seriously. He took a deep breath and stepped forward.
Immediately afterward, he closed his eyes. In the next moment, his combat energy began to surge, and his mental power sank into his dantian, touching his sacred divine essence. Sensing Rod’s mental power, the divine essence, which had previously lain quietly beside the core of his combat energy, stirred, as if responding to Rod’s mental power—a connection beyond imagination.
Guided by Rod, the divine essence gradually emerged from his body and hovered in front of him. This miraculous scene left the Wolf King and Mork in awe. They felt envious of what they saw.
Rod didn’t waste time. Following the method Andrew had taught him, he established a delicate connection with the divine essence. In an instant, Rod felt as if the divine essence was a living being, not just a treasure or a mere divine entity. It was like a child, sensing Rod’s presence and feeling extremely close to him.
With the help of the divine essence, Rod felt as if he were a supreme god, standing high in the air and looking down upon all beings. Everything beneath him seemed tiny, and the entire Water Screen City was enveloped by his mental power.
The sacred aura merged with his mental power, bringing an indescribable sense of majesty.

Standing beside Rod, the Wolf King and Merk immediately sensed this powerful pressure. Their expressions changed at the same time, filled with shock. If not for their own strength reaching such a level, they might have knelt before Rod at this moment. No one else could possibly stand in front of Rod under his pressure.

At this moment, Water Screen City was once again moved; everyone within it was stunned.

The aura they had felt that day—a sacred and inviolable presence, exuding an air of authority—perhaps due to their cultivation of dark combat energy, made these people particularly sensitive to such sacred auras, even feeling some aversion, as it subtly suppressed them.

This was where sacred and dark auras clashed, and it was also why the Church could always gain the upper hand when dealing with dark races—through fundamental suppression.

At this moment, everyone’s gaze involuntarily turned toward the city lord’s mansion, filled with reverence. It must be that man; no one else in this world could emit such an aura, everyone knew that.

……

“Damn it, it’s another divine aura!” In a corner of Water Screen City, a man’s expression changed drastically after sensing an aura, filled with an indescribable strangeness.

Under this powerful sacred aura, his body began to change, as a black mist slowly formed and surrounded him.

“Damn it, divine aura! What does Rod want?” The man cursed inwardly, his heart pounding.

A hint of panic appeared on his face as he wondered if he had been discovered. Then, he grew puzzled—he had felt this power a few days ago and thought his identity would be exposed, which led him to take risks and break through the encirclement. What about now? Should he strike first again?

With these thoughts, the man’s expression became conflicted, his heart struggling and hesitating.

Finally, a fierce look flashed in his eyes: “Damn it! The outside is surrounded—how can I escape?” he muttered to himself. Over the past few days, he had gained a rough understanding of the situation outside and knew it was too dangerous to act rashly. Escaping the city was impossible. Knowing well about divine auras, he understood that if he couldn’t get out, staying inside was useless. The best option was to stay put.

If they are found, there’s only one option: a life-or-death battle. If not found, it’s considered good luck. Besides, we need to find an opportunity to break out of Water Curtain City. Staying here forever isn’t a solution; we must find a way to get out!

Finally, he arrived at the side of two people in a state of despair—a old man and a middle-aged man. The two who had provided him with blood for two days now looked terrifyingly emaciated, their skin stretched taut over their bones.

With a cruel smile, the man stepped closer to them.

“Hmph, already feeling this aura? The thing the demon souls fear the most. Soon, someone will come looking here!” The old man said calmly upon seeing the man’s fierce expression.

“Let me go! Please, let me go!” The middle-aged man continued to plead desperately, his eyes filled with fear as he looked at the man. Those two days had been like hell, making life worse than death. All he wanted now was to leave this place as soon as possible—even death would be better than this life.

“Then kill me! Kill me, you devil!” Seeing no reaction from the man, the middle-aged man shouted loudly, drawing on some unknown strength.

“Hehe, no need to rush. You’ll die anyway. Since you’re going to die, at least contribute to me!” With a cold laugh, the man stepped in front of them. Under their astonished gazes, he let out a light snort.

In the next moment, a dark red gas covered his hand, enveloping it like mist, filled with a bloody scent.

“Ah…” A shrill scream echoed, utterly pitiful and terrifying.

The old man and the middle-aged man rapidly changed amidst the screams, withering away quickly, like a deflating balloon, in a bizarre manner.

The screams filled the air; even the old man couldn’t help but cry out, struggling desperately, but his efforts were futile. His body continued to wither rapidly until he became skin and bones. Then, a horrifying scene unfolded—their flesh began to decompose, absorbed as energy and flowing into the man’s body through his hand.

In just a moment, the two living people turned into two pale, lifeless skeletons, utterly cold.

After finishing this, the man showed a cold smile. Without even glancing at the skeletons, he turned and walked forward. “Fools are just fools. With such a tiny amount of energy, these two could only restore me to the Yang Xuan realm! It seems this isn’t a solution!”

……

Inside the city lord’s mansion, Rhode was now floating in mid-air, surrounded by golden light, resembling a celestial deity.

Suddenly, the originally calm and serene divine light burst forth violently, as if trying to break free from Rod’s control and fly away into the distance, displaying extreme brutality!
“I found it!” Below, the Wolf King clenched his fists tightly and muttered to himself, while Merk beside him was equally excited.
“I found it! Let’s go quickly!” At that moment, Rod suddenly opened his eyes, a flash of light passing through them as he shouted loudly. He then transformed into a streak of light and rushed toward the western part of Water Screen City, with his divine essence guiding the way at a speed no less than Rod’s own.
“Hurry up and follow!” Seeing this, the Wolf King didn’t dare delay and quickly told Merk beside him, then vanished in an instant, chasing after Rod.
The group moved forward side by side at high speed, reaching the western area of Water Screen City in just a few seconds.
……
“Damn it, we’ve been discovered!” At that moment, the man in the hidden place woke up from his meditation, his expression cold as he snapped angrily.
He accelerated the process of refining, quickly consuming the life force absorbed from his body.
Boom! At that instant, a loud roar came from outside, followed by flying debris, as a beam of light pierced through the dark basement.
With a cold snort, the man left his original sitting position like a fluttering bird and rushed outside.
“Finally, you’re coming out?” Rod asked coldly as he saw the Crown Prince appear before him.
He really went to great lengths—this guy had created such a hidden cave here. Without the help of his divine essence and another three months, Rod might not have been able to find it either. This made Rod feel somewhat ashamed.
“Naitrod!” The Crown Prince’s voice was somewhat hoarse as he spoke to Rod coldly.
At that moment, his eyes were red, giving off a strange and terrifying aura, with a murderous glint in them.
Whoosh… After a few gusts of wind, the Wolf King, Merk, and the others arrived at the scene. Upon seeing the Crown Prince, they were initially stunned, then their faces lit up with joy as they dispersed around him, quickly surrounding him in the center.