While Lin Lei and his companions were adventuring carefree in Hell, far away on the Muya Continent, in the silent and dark Kodesen Mountain Range...
Night fell.
In a hidden cave on an unnamed peak of the Kodesen Mountain Range, a disheveled man with long hair sat cross-legged. In the dim light of the cave, his terrifying, bloodshot eyes were faintly visible.
"Arlotte, I, Brody, swear it! I swear that one day I will make you die, make you die!!!" A low, hoarse voice tore from the man's throat, filled with endless resentment. His fists were clenched so tight they trembled.
Furious, the disheveled man couldn't help but smash a fist into the stone floor.
"Crack—" The stone split with a fissure.
Though this 'Brody' was seething with rage, he was also cautious. His divine domain had long been deployed, isolating a ten-meter radius around him from the outside world. Even if he smashed stones or roared, no sound would escape.
"That Arlotte is a Highgod, how can I possibly take revenge? How can I save Veronica?" Brody's mind was in turmoil. Back then, he and his wife, 'Veronica', had come to Hell driven by curiosity about the Highest Plane and hopes for their future life!
Brody was absolutely a peak powerhouse on his home material plane, for he was a Midgod! And he already had two Midgod clones plus a Saint-level main body!
A Midgod was virtually invincible on the material plane. But when he brought his Lowgod wife to Hell, after being randomly deposited by the Muya Continent's army and arriving at the Rotte Tribe, Brody had still harbored dreams. He would work hard to cultivate, and also strive to earn enough money to reach the cities. After all, even within a tribe, one faced raids from others.
Everything had been proceeding according to plan...
But who could have imagined that the Rotte Tribe's chief, 'Arlotte', upon seeing his wife 'Veronica' once, would actually covet her? Without a word, he simply abducted her!
For countless years, the husband and wife had been together, having come from the same material plane. In Brody's heart, his wife was more important than his own life! Although he had heard that some powerful figures would forcibly abduct weaker women, Brody hadn't expected it to happen to him.
Actually, after becoming gods, appearance no longer mattered. Gods could change their forms at will. However, the aura that emanated from one's soul was unique to each person. Some female gods might have ordinary appearances, but a particular temperament could attract powerful beings. A reasonable powerhouse might slowly court them, but a domineering one would simply take them by force.
Back then, when Lin Lei, Dilia, and Bei Bei arrived in Hell, someone had also warned Lin Lei to be careful.
However... Lin Lei wasn't as unlucky as this Brody.
"What do I do?" The thought of his wife being abducted sent Brody into a frenzy of pain.
He had tried to find a way to rescue her. But his plans... were a joke in the face of the chief's immense power and influence. Later, Brody had risked his life just to escape the pursuit. That was only because Chief 'Arlotte' hadn't deemed a Midgod worth his attention.
"Tonight there's no moon, it's pitch black outside. It's time to leave." Brody's current plan was simple.
He would reach the city, use the meager savings he'd accumulated over these years, and register for the Demon Examination. Once he became a Demon, he, Brody, could traverse Hell and hone himself in life-and-death battles!
"One day, I will become a true powerhouse and return to this Rotte Tribe," Brody vowed silently in his heart. Then his figure blurred, becoming a black phantom that slipped out of the cave and melted into the night, beginning to move at extreme speed.
Hone himself through life-and-death battles until he could defeat Arlotte?
Brody himself understood that the possibility was almost zero. Arlotte was a tribe chief after all. In terms of strength, he was likely at the level of a Five-Star or Six-Star Demon. For him, a Midgod, to one day be able to kill Arlotte... the odds were impossibly low.
Brody used the Shadow Merging Technique, skimming along the ground as he advanced. He dared not make a single sound, fearing he would attract the attention of bandits or robbers. He, a Midgod, was a powerhouse on the material plane. But in Hell... he was like a paper boat, where even a tiny ripple could capsize it at any moment.
Suddenly—
A streak of red light seemed to flash and vanish.
"Huh?" While moving at top speed, Brody abruptly halted, frowning as he looked back.
"What was that?" A sudden premonition of danger struck Brody's heart. He couldn't help but approach the spot where the faint red light had appeared.
Amid a patch of withered grass leaves lay a rhombus-shaped red diamond.
Upon seeing the red diamond, Brody felt his very soul being drawn toward it. He instinctively reached out and grabbed it. The moment the red diamond landed in his palm, a strange, bizarre energy instantly surged through his entire being, including his soul!
"What a comfortable feeling? It seems this energy can protect the soul." Even a fool would understand that Brody had acquired a treasure.
"What kind of treasure is this?" Brody was utterly bewildered.
A Midgod who had only recently arrived in Hell, who had only ever lived in a single tribe and never even entered a city, how could he possibly know about a Highgod mission, or what the object in his hand was? Those who knew such information were either powerhouses on the level of a City Lord, or well-informed merchants like those in the Black Sand Castle.
"My soul seems to be growing stronger." Brody was secretly alarmed.
While Brody was stunned by this Red Diamond, a figure was flying high overhead, then suddenly halted. The figure was a burly man whose face was covered in green fish scales: "What lucky timing. I, on patrol, have actually stumbled upon prey!"
In bandit organizations, there were also patrol members. Most patrol members had a divine clone stationed at the bandit headquarters. Once they discovered something, the clone would quickly relay the news.
"Kid, what are you doing with that red diamond?" A mocking voice came from above.
The red diamond was very conspicuous in the dark night.
However, Brody was still shocked by the special effect of the Red Diamond. After all, Brody hadn't been living alone in Hell for long, and his vigilance wasn't high enough. He hadn't expected that in the blink of an eye, a patrol member would arrive.
"You..." Brody looked up and his expression changed.
At night, gods could still barely see scenes at close range.
"Run!" Without a moment's hesitation, Brody transformed into a phantom and shot forward.
"Too late." The patrolling bandit above mocked him. He didn't go after Brody alone, but waited for the others. Under the guidance of this burly man's divine clone, other members of the bandit lair were closing in from all directions.
"Haha, kid, you think you can leave after coming to our territory?" A burst of laughter erupted.
Brody looked up.
"You're not getting away."