Chapter 123: The Ambush

Moby’s gaze was cold as he said, "Whether it was him or not, it must be investigated."

"Try touching a single hair on his head, if you dare." Millie unleashed her nether energy, and Qing and Lv, standing behind her, prepared for combat.

Moby’s expression flickered indecisively. After a moment of thought, he retreated with a squad of heavily armored nether guards. In truth, he didn’t really believe I was the traitor; he only wanted to use the pretext of my past service as Su Ge’s bodyguard to teach me a lesson. However, he hadn’t expected Millie to risk a falling-out just to protect a mere servant. He dared not cross her, so he weighed his options and withdrew.

I let out a sigh of relief. It seemed I was safe for the moment, and since Nightingale and the others hadn't been caught either, the rescue mission could be considered a perfect success. I would need to send word back so the agency could record it, which would make it easier to claim my reward. And then there was Master Moby—I had done him such a huge favor that he would surely owe me. A favor from a grandmaster was worth a fortune.

...

The entire Spirit City was in an uproar. The screening for traitors was extremely strict, and I heard that several established sleeper agents had been rooted out. Fortunately, Nightingale and the other three were unscathed.

At Millie’s manor, I was chatting with Qing.

"Big Sister Qing, how about you become my woman?" I asked with a chuckle.

Qing smiled softly and said, "We must follow the young mistress for as long as we live."

"Is that so? What if the mistress gifts you to me?" I countered.

"The mistress wouldn't do that," Qing replied with a light smile.

"That's not necessarily true," I said, then lowered my voice. "If I manage to win over the mistress, wouldn't you then belong to me?"

Qing’s expression shifted slightly; only a guy like me would dare to say such things out loud.

"Of course, that would be very difficult for me," I added.

"At least you have some self-awareness," Qing remarked.

"That's because I can't stand her," I said.

Just then, Millie appeared and demanded angrily, "Who can't you stand?"

"You, of course," I replied, figuring she had heard everything, so I might as well be blunt.

Millie glared at me as if she wanted to kill me, but seeing my indifferent demeanor, she held back. She didn't know why, but she could never truly assert her authority in front of me. As the most pampered youngest daughter of the Spirit City lord, even her five older brothers had to cater to her, yet she felt powerless before a mere bodyguard.

Millie turned to leave in a huff, but after a few steps, she looked back and said, "We leave for the Demon King Ridge tomorrow. Get ready."

Demon King Ridge? I looked at Qing and asked, "Where is the Demon King Ridge?"

"It is the legendary resting place of the Underworld Demon King. There have been unusual movements there; it is likely that the Demon King's Palace is about to open," Qing explained.

"And then? Why are we going there?" I asked.

"When the Demon King's Palace opens, the Demon King Flower will bloom. The mistress needs that flower to break through her bottleneck and enter the realm of high-level nether cultivation," Qing said.

Before leaving, I sent a message to Nightingale and the others, then set off for the Demon King Ridge with Millie.

"This nether tiger is too slow. If only we had a flying mount. The young mistress claims to have immense power, yet she doesn't even have a flying mount," I said, sitting in the cushioned canopy on the back of the nether beast, seemingly talking to myself.

Millie turned her head, furious. "A flying mount? Keep dreaming. Aside from official use, only my father in the entire Spirit City possesses a flying mount."

"I wasn't talking about you," I replied.

"You..." Millie huffed and turned away, ignoring me.

Qing and Lv exchanged smiles. They could both tell that the young mistress felt differently about this bodyguard. If anyone else had spoken like that, they would have skinned the person alive before the mistress even had to move a finger.

After three days of travel, a massive peak suddenly appeared before us—the Demon King Ridge was within reach.

Is the Demon King Ridge this high?

I gasped in amazement, then suddenly felt that the ridge looked familiar. That was impossible; I had never been here before, so why would it look familiar?

...

After thinking it over, a flash of insight struck me. I finally remembered why: the map! It was the fragment of the map I had found in my parents' photo frame—it contained the terrain of the Demon King Ridge. Unfortunately, it was only a small piece, but since it featured the ridge, it meant the map must belong to the Fifth Realm of the Netherworld.

Our party ascended the ridge, followed closely by a squad of nether guards. I was laughing and joking with Qing and Lv. Qing was always smiling and let me get away with minor flirtations, while Lv had a more somber personality, though she was still polite enough to trade a few words with me.

Just then, my heart gave a violent jolt.

Suddenly, arrows of nether energy rained down upon us. Most of the nether guards behind us were killed or wounded instantly. I deflected a few arrows and dove to the side of the nether tiger.

A group of nether cultivators swarmed us from all directions. I plunged my blade into a cultivator’s neck, while the nether tiger let out a roar, its claws tearing several attackers to shreds.

*Whoosh!*

A streak of green light shot toward my face, and I raised my blade to block it.

*Boom!*

The energy exploded, sending me flying backward, my wrist numbed.

Damn it! A high-level nether cultivator!

Are you kidding me? I thought I could walk around with impunity while at Millie's side, but that clearly wasn't the case.

After landing, I killed two more cultivators and regrouped with Millie and her two attendants. We were surrounded. On the perimeter, the last of the nether guards had been dismembered, and our transport, the nether tiger, had collapsed with a mournful roar.

"House Benny, do you have any idea what the consequences will be for angering House Raphael?" Millie shouted sharply.

"Kill them!" a middle-aged man ordered coldly.

Instantly, overwhelming attacks engulfed us. Qing and Lv emanated a green light, shielding us.

*Slash!*

In the midst of the raging storm of attacks, Qing suddenly groaned; a jet-black nether weapon had pierced her abdomen. A moment later, Lv suffered several deep wounds that cut to the bone.

"Mistress, run! Lv and I will hold them off!" Qing shouted.

At that moment, a strange green rune light appeared above their heads. In the next second, their energy spiked, doubling in strength, and they carved a path through the enemy.

Millie and I escaped the encirclement, while Qing and Lv held the cultivators back. From a distance, I looked back just as Qing turned to look at me. I saw her smile—not the polite smile from before, but a genuine one from her heart.

*Boom!*

Qing and Lv’s bodies exploded, a terrifying wave of energy drowning the cultivators. My heart felt a sharp, stabbing pain, but then I felt the ground give way beneath me, and I began to fall.

Millie let out a cry of alarm beside me, grabbed my hand, and we tumbled down together. We were surrounded by thick, black mist; I had no idea where we were falling.

*Splash!*

We crashed into a pool of water. It was ice-cold, sharp enough to freeze the blood in my veins. I pulled Millie to the surface and dragged us both onto the bank, gasping for air.

...

I breathed heavily, only to realize that Millie had lost consciousness. A thought suddenly crossed my mind: if I killed her now, that would be a great achievement. I stared at Millie—the nether woman was soaked through, and her curvaceous, devilish figure made me swallow hard. I licked my lips and reached for the hilt of my Blood-Slayer Blade.

*Slash!*

With a flash of the blade, I sliced a snake-like nether beast in two.

Forget it. A living person is likely more useful than a dead one. Take the group of cultivators who ambushed her today—Millie said they were from House Benny. It was clear that this house in the Fifth Realm was at odds with House Raphael. If Millie returned alive, the Lord of Spirit City would surely go to war with this House Benny, and we would be the ones reaping the benefits.

Having realized this, I couldn't kill her; instead, I had to ensure her survival. I picked Millie up and searched the area until I found a cave. I sat at the entrance, pulled a custom-made cigarette from my pocket, and smoked in silence. In the swirling smoke, I seemed to see Qing’s gentle smile.

I exhaled a cloud of smoke and closed my eyes, trying to shake the image of her smile from my mind. Human emotions are complex; I had flirted with her for the sake of my undercover mission, but I had to admit that even if there was no romantic love, there was an indescribable bond. She had died to save us—specifically to save Millie—but remembering that scene still made my heart ache.

Just then, Millie stirred and regained consciousness. She released a burst of nether energy, drying her clothes instantly. She walked to the cave entrance, peered outside, and then sat down beside me.

"Is this a human cigarette?" Millie asked.

"Yeah. Want a puff?" I said.

"No," Millie replied. She didn't seem to suspect anything; she just didn't like the smell.

"Why did House Benny try to ambush you?" I asked.

"Because of hatred. Our two houses have been mortal enemies for generations. However, how my movements were leaked—that is the real problem," Millie said coldly.

I flicked the cigarette butt away. "Our biggest problem right now is how to get out of here."

I stood up, intending to thoroughly explore this strange, deep valley. The valley was small, and after circling it, I found no exit. It seemed the only way out was to climb up. However, when we tried to ascend, we encountered an invisible, intangible layer of energy about a hundred meters up that blocked our path. No matter what we did, we couldn't break through—not even with the array-breaking ring. This meant it wasn't a formation, but pure energy.

After trying every method, Millie and I felt dejected. We lay in the cave, silent.

"What if we never get out?" Millie asked suddenly.

"What else can we do? Just die here," I said, closing my eyes.

Millie turned on her side, her gaze fixed on me.

"If we can never get out, perhaps we should..." Millie whispered, but then realized I appeared to have fallen into a deep sleep.

Millie stopped, sighed lightly, and closed her eyes as well.

Just then, above the pool of water, a series of nearly transparent figures began to appear. They stepped onto the surface of the water, leaving clear footprints that eventually dissolved into ripples spreading toward the edges.