### Chapter 6: Exploration (5)
The already dimly lit night sky fell into utter darkness the moment a massive beast, resembling a celestial curtain, made its grand entrance. It was so close that people couldn’t even see each other.
The giant wings flapped vigorously, whipping up whirlwinds that swept through Black Stone City. Some shabby houses were uprooted, and the terrified screams of the populace echoed incessantly.
“Who goes there?!”
The Tiger Demon, decked out in armor with a long crescent blade in hand, threatened the huge beast floating above.
Though there was no answer from above, before long, several well-endowed women jumped down from the creature, startling everyone into brandishing their weapons.
One woman in purple landed directly in front of the Tiger Demon. Her right hand had transformed into a gargantuan claw, reminiscent of a skeleton, made only of bones and joints. If she wished, that frightening hand could wrap around the Tiger Demon’s large body in an instant.
“Are you the Tiger Demon?”
The woman in purple swayed her hips, looking down at the general of Cold Wind City with a condescending air.
The Tiger Demon suddenly realized who this group was.
He hurriedly cupped his hands together, “Might I inquire if Lord Left Protector has personally come?”
The woman in purple coldly responded, “Lord Fu has entered the Sky Tower, and you needn’t worry.”
The Tiger Demon was taken aback. “But the Right Protector said Lord Left Protector would take over the defense of Black Stone City and commanded us to cooperate fully!”
The purple-clad woman’s enormous right hand had unconsciously crept closer to the Tiger Demon’s head. “Listen well: in the name of Lord Fu, unless the Master himself arrives, he need not heed anyone else’s orders.”
The Tiger Demon instinctively took two steps back, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
“Y-yes! Naturally!” he stammered.
The woman in purple withdrew her threat momentarily, “Issue the order: from now on, increase patrols on the city walls. Don’t let a single suspicious person slip by.”
The Tiger Demon felt the power gap between himself and this woman and had no choice but to comply respectfully, “Understood!”
If he refused, he feared this woman might truly go off the deep end and even k*ll him, the general of Cold Wind City. If that happened, once the city was left without leadership, chaos would undoubtedly ensue, affecting the Right Protector’s plans, which he didn’t want to see.
The woman in purple let out a sharp whistle, and the enormous beast suspended in the air slowly moved away from the city.
Lin Nan and the others, who had witnessed the entire exchange, wore increasingly serious expressions.
Without a doubt, reinforcements had arrived, and judging by that beast, which was no less than the Dark Feather Crane, these newcomers were surely not simple folk.
At this moment, their hidden leader should have already begun to advance underground.
According to the newly unearthed ancient texts of the Demon Race, as well as Trissa’s ancestor’s will, there wasn’t much threat beyond the fifty layers underground. Even an adequately prepared ordinary person could pass through smoothly.
Thus, the enemy would quickly rush through the fifty layers, into the pivotal sixtieth layer.
However, as of now, they hadn’t even discovered the underground entrance.
As the giant beast left the skies above Black Stone City, the moonlight once again caressed the earth, outlining the figures of the crowd. Lin Nan and the others couldn’t help but feel anxious.
Taking advantage of the chaos caused by the giant beast’s arrival earlier, they had scoured the entire camp.
To their surprise, the castle was completely flat, and aside from the tightly clustered tents, they found nothing related to the entrance of the underground tunnel.
This time, even Lin Nan was dumbfounded.
Fortunately, he had overheard the conversation between the descending woman in purple and the Tiger Demon.
When the woman in purple mentioned their leader had entered the Sky Tower, Lin Nan was initially baffled. Was she dreaming? They were standing at the entrance of a palace, and not a single person was around—how could he have entered the Sky Tower?
As Lin Nan raised his head to gaze at the towering Sky Tower once more, comprehension hit him like lightning.
“I see now.”
Lin Nan immediately led Trissa and the others around to the back of the palace, where a narrow staircase coiled around the Sky Tower, winding upwards to the top.
“But, my Lord, this path leads to the tower’s peak, right?” Trissa asked hesitantly.
Lin Nan nodded, “Yes, newcomers often find this appearance confusing. In fact, I just figured it out myself.”
Trissa was even more puzzled. Not just her, but the other Demon Race members wore similarly blank expressions, completely clueless about Lin Nan’s words.
“Let me simplify it for you. Do you know why in various texts or o*al records, there’s only mention of the layers beneath the Sky Tower?”
Trissa blinked, “Maybe it’s because there’s nothing worth recording in the upper structures of the Sky Tower?”
“Not really. It’s simply because the Sky Tower doesn’t have upper layers at all,” Lin Nan replied.
Trissa’s mouth dropped open, as she looked back and forth between the towering Sky Tower and Lin Nan, clearly thinking, I recognize every word you’re saying, but I can’t make sense of it when they’re put together.
“Let’s go, we’ll talk more once we’re up there.”
Lin Nan led the ascent.
Though Trissa and the others didn’t grasp the meaning behind Lin Nan’s words, that didn’t stop them from closely following his lead.
After all, at this moment, who else could they rely on besides Lord Lin?
The seven of them climbed steadily around the steep staircase.
Trissa’s subordinates were high-ranking Demon Race warriors—handpicked by her father. Throughout the journey, they didn’t even show a hint of fatigue.
Lin Nan felt just as unfazed, yet only Trissa was gradually out of breath, her cheeks flushed; she was struggling to keep up.
“Don’t your Demon Race harpists ever work on their stamina?” Lin Nan couldn’t help but ask.
Trissa was almost too winded to form a complete sentence.
The Harpist Academy had always emphasized musical skills, not physical endurance.
After all, harpists were so precious; being able to assist from the rear on the battlefield was already commendable—how could they be sent to charge into the fray?
In the past, Trissa could never have imagined that this winding staircase reaching the sky would be so steep and long. The fact that she had made it this far was already beyond her limits.
Lin Nan frowned slightly. To save time, he turned around, grabbed Trissa’s hand, and whispered, “I’ll carry you.”
Trissa, “Ah…”
Before she could react, Lin Nan had already scooped her up.
“Hold on tight,” he instructed.
“Y-yes, Lord Lin,” Trissa hurriedly wrapped her arms around his neck, her entire body pressed closely against his smooth, straight back.
With each step he took, Trissa felt her heart race in rhythm with his movements.
“Lord Lin…”
Trissa murmured in a voice only she could hear.
If only Lord Lin were a man… Suddenly, that thought flashed through her mind.
