Chapter 500: Conclusion

“It’s finally over. After all these days of working hard on the components, and now that the alliance is established, it’s time for us to go back!” With a long sigh, Rod looked up at the starry sky and spoke with emotion.
Hearing Rod’s words, everyone let out a deep sigh of relief. This trip to the continent hadn’t been in vain—everything had gone smoothly, much easier than expected! Now that the biggest issues were resolved, everything was complete.
The remaining minor tasks could likely be finished soon. Once the alliance headquarters was set up, all the powerful figures on the continent would gather here, and the Source of Darkness would also send people over. By then, things would truly be on track.
“Alright, let’s go back and rest. We’ll discuss this again tomorrow,” Rod said with a relieved smile.
……
“We can take some time off after all this, right?” Nightingale said thoughtfully as she followed Rod back to the courtyard.
Years of traveling and hovering on the edge of death could exhaust anyone. Now that they finally had a chance to rest, and with everything coming to an end, they couldn’t help but feel emotional.
Hearing Nightingale’s words, Rod froze for a moment before giving a faint bitter smile. “Yes, I hope so.”
A hundred years was too short for them. Could things really be as easy as they hoped? Could peace truly last for a hundred years? As such days approached, Rod felt a hint of worry.
That’s how people are—only when what you desire is right in front of you do you realize just how afraid you are of losing it.
“Don’t worry. It will be fine. At least half of that time can be spent in peace. The alliance here is settled. It’s best that you weren’t part of it—it saved us more time!” Nightingale said with a sigh, still shaken.
In fact, Rod not joining the council was exactly what she wanted. Now that it had happened, she felt a little happy. This way, Rod’s burden would be lighter, and he wouldn’t have to do things he didn’t want to do anymore, allowing him to live a simple life.
“Then, with Lucy, Ada, and Sister Lilith, we can go live in the Ten Thousand Mountains for a while,” Nightingale said, her eyes filled with longing as if she could already see their future life.

Seeing this scene, Rod couldn’t help but feel distressed; he sensed a sense of sorrow. Over these years, he had truly owed her too much, causing her to miss out on so many wonderful moments in life. Others only saw the achievements she had achieved on the surface, but he, having struggled alongside her step by step, knew how much hardship she had endured—even more than he had. She had borne tremendous pressure, and it was time for her to relax properly.
…
The next day, preparations for establishing the alliance began. Rod wasn’t involved in this process; instead, the council formed to take care of it. The opposition sent Aida as their representative, mainly to discuss minor details—nothing significant needed to be decided. The trolls were left in Andrews’ care. The troll patriarch had already set off for the Source of Darkness, aiming to return there first. There were two tasks ahead: first, to inform the various noble families about the alliance so they could prepare and send representatives to the continent; second, to seal the Demon General in the Sacred Grounds of Divine Tears!
The Demon General’s power was too great—even the current patriarch couldn’t seal him for long, unless he could reach the Xuanhuang realm, endure the Xuanhuang Thunder Tribulation, and truly become a powerful being in that realm. Even then, he would no longer be able to use his divine essence.
This was the sealing process: one divine essence corresponded to one demon soul. Only when all divine essences had sealed their respective demon souls would the battle end. As for how many people would survive was another matter.
The small town was chosen as the site for establishing the alliance, and everyone rushed to start building. Rod, on the other hand, became idle. Yet, he was happy with this leisure time. He took the opportunity to spend these days touring Autumn Waters City and the towns across the Dark Duchy with Lucy, Nightingale, and the others, enjoying some peaceful time.
The Death Scythe Squad remained in Autumn Waters City to maintain order and assist the remaining members of the vampire and werewolf clans in organizing the Dark Duchy. Everything was progressing smoothly, and the sudden ease made it hard for some to adjust.
Over the course of a whole month, the group explored the entire Dark Duchy and took in the beauty of the continent, leaving Lucy and Lilith, who were seeing such scenery for the first time, deeply impressed.

A month later, the army from the Source of Darkness arrived in the Dark Duchy. It was a sizable force—exactly a hundred people, including three powerhouses at the Yin Yellow realm, with the rest being at the divine level—once again demonstrating the overwhelming strength of the Source of Darkness, which was truly astonishing.

These people went straight to that small town, avoiding unnecessary panic. Over the course of a month, the town had efficiently completed its initial plans, achieving fairly good results.

Members of the Mage Guild and the Warrior Association had already begun planning the relocation of their headquarters, and the implementation phase was about to begin. The Church had also started taking action gradually.

With these developments, the continent trembled once more. Three of the largest organizations were relocating to the Dark Duchy at the same time. Even though the Church wasn’t moving in directly, its presence nearby inevitably led to many speculations.

Opinions varied widely—everyone sensed something unusual. Although they could guess that something major was about to happen, they didn’t know exactly what it was and could only speculate in silence.

Many believed that these three organizations were moving here mainly to prevent changes in the Source of Darkness. Rod and the others ignored these discussions; it was sufficient for them to focus on their own tasks. External comments would fade over time if ignored and wouldn’t cause any significant impact.

In Autumn Water City, things continued in an orderly manner. The alliance had been established, the parliament had begun to function, and the selection of the first batch of talents had started. It was believed that they would gather in Autumn Water City in a short time.

Rod no longer cared about any of this. They had already begun preparing to return to the Source of Darkness! After finishing matters here, the Wolf King and the others wouldn’t stay either; they would only come here regularly for meetings. Those with their own positions, such as the deans of various academies, would return to their respective places to carry out their duties, with only the rest remaining.

…

The night was deep. It was late summer, and the evening breeze already brought a hint of coolness.

At this moment, in Rod’s private courtyard, several women and members of the Death Scythe Squad had gathered there.

Rod’s expression was somewhat serious, causing everyone to feel a sense of surprise.

“Leader, what’s wrong?” Seeing Rod’s expression, Viski’s first reaction was that something had gone wrong.

The others also grew solemn upon hearing this. What else could possibly happen at this time? How could they not know?

“I’ll be returning to the Source of Darkness in a few days!” Rod sighed deeply as he looked at the group, speaking with emotion. Things here were now on track, and it was time for him to go back; staying any longer wouldn’t help much.

“We’re all ready to set off at any time!” Those who had known about this long ago breathed a sigh of relief. They looked at Rod, somewhat puzzled—was this really it?

“You don’t need to go back. Stay here!” Sure enough, before anyone could ask, Rod’s words shocked everyone!

Glancing at Nightingale, Rod smiled slightly. “That’s right. You don’t need to go back—stay here!”

“What’s going on? Why should we stay here instead of going back?” Skora asked anxiously. Sambik, Kambi, and the others also rushed to ask questions, creating some chaos.

Seeing their reactions, Rod took a deep breath. “It’s over. There’s no need to return to the Source of Darkness. You’re all from this continent, with your own families and friends. Your future isn’t in the Source of Darkness but on this continent, where the skies are broader! This place needs you more—you can stay to help with the alliance’s daily affairs, practice here, or return home to rest properly!” After thinking for a moment, Rod spoke with emotion.

As he said this, he felt his throat dry out, finding it extremely difficult to speak. This was the result of discussions he and Nightingale and the others had had over time. The members of the Reaper Scythe Squad all came from this continent. Now that everything was over, and the War between Gods and Demons wouldn’t start for another hundred years, they shouldn’t be forced to follow him back to the Source of Darkness. They deserved their own lives and families to take care of.

“Leader… I…”

“I’ll go back with you!”

“Leader, do you no longer want us?”

The scene was chaotic, and everyone was shocked by his words, becoming anxious immediately.

“No need to argue. This is my decision. Are you going to spend your whole lives like this—without starting a family or building a career? Your future is bright. There’s no need to follow me back. After I return, I’ll retire and rest properly. If by then your strength has grown enough for the War between Gods and Demons, we’ll fight side by side again!” Rod spoke, putting an end to their chatter.

“Viski, your family is still in the capital, right? Don’t you plan to go back and see them? And you guys, Sambik, Kambi, haven’t you always wanted to be mercenaries and live a carefree life? Now that the Swift Wind Mercenaries are here, you can join them and live the life you desire! And you too…” Then, Rod looked at each of them one by one and spoke to them.

The atmosphere was extremely dull; everyone fell silent at that moment. Indeed, they had many things to consider. The continent might be their best choice. Though reluctant, they couldn’t find any excuse to refuse.

“Stay here, whether in Autumn Water City or go back—live a good life. We’ll meet again in the future!” Patting each of them on the shoulder, Rod said with a sigh.