### Chapter 2: Exploration (1)
“Splash!”
A bucket of icy winter water came crashing down on the unconscious Great King of the Split Land.
He shivered and woke up immediately.
As soon as he spotted a figure, he jumped in fright, bowing rapidly, “Greetings, Right Protector Sir!”
Around the Great King stood a gaggle of high-ranking officials, led by Tiger Demons and Alligator Monsters, from Black Stone City, White Feather City, and Cold Wind City armies.
They looked at the Great King with a hint of schadenfreude, barely able to hide their amusement.
The Right Protector he spoke of was a leggy beauty in a purple outfit. Her short skirt barely covered the essentials, leaving her smooth, pale thighs completely exposed for all to see.
But nobody dared show a hint of improper thoughts because this Right Protector, Lady Rong Ji, was extremely sensitive to how others viewed her.
Any sign of disrespect, and she wouldn’t hesitate to transform you into a puddle.
“Do you know what you did wrong?” Lady Rong Ji smiled sweetly, but her words sent shivers down the Great King’s spine.
“I know! I shouldn’t have surrendered to the enemy just because I faced a setback! I almost exposed our secrets!” He replied, banging his head against the ground, “Bang! Bang! Bang!” even those a hundred meters away could hear it.
Lady Rong Ji strutted over, hands on her hips. “Well, at least you’re understanding this now. Too bad you don’t have a chance anymore.”
“Nononononono! Right Protector, I’m utterly loyal to the organization and to you! I’ve never thought about betraying you, the heavens can witness this!” He backed away, his eyes wide with fear.
Lady Rong Ji leaned in, her chest jiggling as she wagged her finger. “Oh dear, you seem to have forgotten your initial vow, haven’t you?”
The Great King realized too late that Lady Rong Ji was right beside him and now regretted it more than ever.
Seeing that she clearly had no intention of letting him off the hook, he suddenly leapt up and charged headfirst into the roof, trying to fly off into the sunset.
If he ran fast enough, nobody could catch him!
Dreams are beautiful, but reality bites.
Even though Lady Rong Ji jumped after him, she outpaced him with ease, using her “Thousand Illusions Power” to block his path.
He saw an array of glowing rings ahead that looked like a spider’s web and thought, “Uh-oh.”
But he couldn’t brake immediately—he’d only been in this body for less than half a month and wasn’t fully synced.
As he screamed in terror, his body crashed right into the glowing rings and became completely immobilized.
The blinding light went dark in the night.
When Lady Rong Ji dragged the Great King’s hefty body back to the City Lord’s Mansion, everyone still stood quietly in place, as if they weren’t surprised by the outcome at all.
“Thud.”
The Great King fell unconscious again, like a dead dog tossed on the floor by the charmingly grinning Lady Rong Ji.
The onlookers fell into dead silence, as if they knew what fate awaited him.
Just as they expected, Lady Rong Ji pulled out a small ceramic bottle labeled with a number from her fitted attire.
She then crouched down slowly and popped the cap.
A black, beetle-like bug crawled out and quickly dove straight into the Great King’s ear.
At that precise moment, he woke up, going mad as he shook his head, trying to get rid of the cursed bug.
The onlookers remained expressionless, with only a few showing a fleeting hint of sympathy, but it vanished almost instantly.
“Ah…”
The Great King rolled around in agony, and in no time, he was silent.
Before long, this body, which seemed as still as a cadaver, twitched and sat up clumsily, and after a moment of confusion, he realized he had a body!
He started banging his head to Lady Rong Ji.
“Thank you, Right Protector! Thank you, Right Protector! You’ve given me a second chance! I would d*e for you!”
Lady Rong Ji waved her hand, “Get up, just don’t be as cowardly as that last useless one.”
“I swear I’ll follow you to the ends of the earth, my lady!”
Clearly, this changing-of-the-guard routine wasn’t uncommon. The high-ranking officials in the discussion hall of the City Lord’s Mansion knew their lives were firmly in Lady Rong Ji’s grip. If they wanted to live, they better listen. Those who didn’t had already been crushed under her heel, never to see the light again.
“Next up, our focus is on the Sky Tower.”
Lady Rong Ji paced around the center of the hall, hands behind her back, swaying her captivating figure and long legs in front of her subordinates.
But they dared not gaze too long, fearing angering her and getting erased again.
“The Cold Wind City army will secure the city, especially make sure to guard the entrance while we enter the Sky Tower to prevent anyone from slipping through the cracks.
Black Stone City and White Feather City will enter underground with me.
Is that clear?”
Although Lady Rong Ji kept a smile on her face, her subordinates didn’t dare slack off, responding loudly with their heads down, “Understood!”
A moment later, the Tiger Demon spoke up, “Right Protector, I’ve heard word of a female musician in the city, known for her strong combat prowess, who even defeated the Great King before. I’m worried that after you take us into the Sky Tower, she might cause trouble. We may be many, but stopping her won’t be easy.”
Lady Rong Ji chuckled, “I completely understand your concerns.
But don’t worry, we in the Ji Shen organization never take a gamble we’re unsure of.
In just an hour, Left Protector Fu will be arriving here, and with our combined forces, who would dare to covet what’s ours?”
Upon hearing that the organization’s two great protectors would meet here, everyone instantly felt reassured, chattering away.
“I’ve never heard of them teaming up before, what luck we have today. With this, Black Stone City is bound to be safe.”
“Exactly! Both protectors are top-tier figures, it seems the organization is determined to seize the Sky Tower.”
“What if the demon race attacks?”
“Did you forget? We also have our people among the demon race.”
Listening to the murmurs, Lady Rong Ji smiled faintly.
She was well aware that Fu Yetian was coming, not just to assist, but also to keep an eye on her.
After all, who knew what treasures might be hiding beneath the Sky Tower? If she stumbled upon something irresistible, it would be all too tempting to hoard it for herself.
So Fu Yetian, being the most trusted aide to the Lord, coming along with her had more than one meaning.
### Chapter 493: Exploration (2)
Trissa’s unwavering stance really had Lin Nan feeling a bit stumped.
But on the bright side, it warmed her heart to have someone willing to stay and fight alongside her.
After numerous failed attempts to persuade her, Lin Nan resigned to the fact.
Well, having someone play the bait role is preferable.
“Trissa, if you six want to stay, you must listen to my orders. Can you do that?”
Since meeting Lord Lin through a gambling game, Trissa had never heard her speak so seriously. She instinctively nodded.
“Rest assured, Lord Lin. We will definitely follow your lead!”
Lin Nan replied, “Great! Most importantly, we all have to stay alive.
Only cowards see d*ath as their only retreat; brave people face survival head-on.
Sometimes staying alive is harder than dying.”
Trissa paused, realizing she always thought being willing to d*e for a cause was the true sign of determination.
But Lord Lin’s words today gave her a new understanding of what it meant to be brave versus being a coward.
“Got it! We’ll do our best to stay alive!”
Indeed, Lord Lin’s wisdom wasn’t just about playing the harp – Trissa thought with sincere admiration and nodded fervently.
“Okay, then let’s quietly return to Black Stone City and make plans.”
Lin Nan glanced at her followers, especially Trissa’s five companions. They were all decked out in clothing unmistakably marked with demon characteristics, easily giving away their identity.
Basically, they were walking identity beacons.
Plus, the two horns on their foreheads stood out vividly.
Lin Nan couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on. These six were practically ticking time bombs. Even if they could sneak into Black Stone City, who knew when they might blow their cover?
Trissa seemed to notice Lin Nan’s concern.
“Lord Lin, you don’t need to worry about our disguise. We’ve got that covered.
After all, we, the demon race, often need to scout out the territories of the human and monster races, so we have a polymorph potion that lasts up to seven days!”
“Oh? That’s excellent,” Lin Nan finally sighed in relief.
She had forgotten that the demon race was skilled in making potions. They could even create potions to hide a griffin’s horns, so covering theirs shouldn’t be too hard.
While Trissa and her group drank the potions, Lin Nan used her “Black Robe” to change her outfit.
A sleek black night outfit, perfect for nighttime reconnaissance.
Trissa’s crew also made their preparations.
In the end, everyone was clad in black with covered faces, while the griffin was tethered about a kilometer away in the woods by the city wall.
Flying on a griffin, even under the cover of night, would be too eye-catching. Just one or two sharp-eyed enemies spotting them, and they’d be exposed.
“Lord, what’s our next move?” Trissa asked.
“Let’s check out the Sky Tower. I believe something will happen soon.”
They tiptoed over the city wall.
Perhaps due to the recent handover, the guards on the wall seemed a bit disorganized. The group easily slipped through a gap and entered Black Stone City.
Even at night, they could see the faint white silhouette of the Sky Tower.
It was like a tall lighthouse, guiding people toward the heart of the city.
At first, they didn’t feel much pressure from the patrolling guards, but the closer they got to the Sky Tower, the more patrols they encountered.
Some shouted at the residents to stay inside; those who disobeyed would be executed.
They struggled to move, and just about a hundred meters from the Sky Tower, they were completely stuck.
To bolster defenses around the Sky Tower, the Alligator Monsters had already cleared all the buildings within a hundred meters, leaving a barren area. Under the firelight, it was nearly laid bare, and not even a mouse could escape the guards’ sight.
“Oh no, this is bad,” Lin Nan muttered to herself.
Among all their plans to approach the Sky Tower, she least wanted to execute a direct assault.
After all, the army guarding the Sky Tower was from Cold Wind City, loyal to their orders and oblivious to the higher-ups’ betrayal. To them, following orders was serving Cold Wind City and the Cold Moon Great King.
At the moment, tall wooden watchtowers surrounded the Sky Tower, brightly lit, making it exceptionally clear to see.
Sneaking inside quietly was practically impossible.
Moreover, given the situation, the enemy must have left the Cold Wind City forces outside to defend while their main force was likely already underground, hastily starting investigations.
They were eager to uncover the Sky Tower’s secrets before the demon race could.
After all, from Cangyan City to Black Stone City, even with non-stop travel using griffins, it would take at least two days and nights. Not to mention the embassy had to return to report, which could easily add up to five or six days.
Given their current combined strength from three cities, conquering the Sky Tower within a week didn’t seem too difficult.
“Lord, the enemy’s defenses are so tight. If we want to go any further, we may have to…”
Trissa hesitated.
Lin Nan replied quietly, “Hold on, let’s observe a bit longer.”
Trissa’s remaining subordinates fell silent, lying low among the ruins not far from the white area.
“Look!” Lin Nan pointed to a patrol team moving toward the wooden watchtower.
Then at the tightly shut gate, they were halted, and the lead person raised his head and shouted a command that seemed like a password to the guards, and the wooden door swung open, allowing the patrol to enter.
Lin Nan lowered her head, opening her card case. She remembered there was a left-behind Extermination of Immortals squad in Cold Wind City tasked with monitoring the place while she was away.
The captain was Liuli.
“Liuli, go ask for all the codes taught in the Cold Wind City training camp.”
“Yes, Master.”
The great thing about having a master and a summon was that they could communicate directly in their minds without a system.
Before long, Liuli relayed all the passwords taught in Cold Wind City to her.
“Excellent, everything is ready, we just need the right opportunity.” Lin Nan said lightly.
Trissa had no idea what Lin Nan was up to, but seeing her deep in thought, she instantly sensed a decision forming.
That feeling of complete reassurance made her heart race every time she caught a glimpse of Lin Nan’s profile.
It was a sensation she had never experienced since birth.
