As soon as Ryan Ling finished speaking, he took a deep breath, and in an instant, all the Count’s Manor experts around him were sucked into his mouth. Of course, Ryan only devoured their essence—within the blink of an eye, he had drained every last drop of Golden Immortal power from them. What happened next was almost unbelievable: all those once-mighty Golden Immortals turned into empty skin sacks, completely devoid of flesh and blood. The scene was so shocking, it bordered on pure horror.
"Th-this can’t be happening!" At this moment, the young master from the Count’s Manor was already panicking to the extreme. Truth be told, his cultivation was only mid-to-late Golden Immortal, and for Ryan, dealing with him was as easy as crushing an ant—he could kill him in a heartbeat, with zero hesitation.
"What’s possible or not—right now, I’m going to make you die!" Ryan sneered coldly. He wasn’t hesitating for even a second; at this point, since he’d already gone for the kill, he had to wipe out everyone from the Count’s Manor. Otherwise, word would definitely get out!
"You dare kill me, you—" The Count’s Manor young master screamed, his heart full of unwillingness and rage. But facing Ryan’s merciless blade, he had absolutely no way to fight back!
Seeing this, not just Lady Miranda but even Lady Melody couldn’t help swallowing hard. Obviously, Ryan was way too fierce today—after all, these weren’t ordinary opponents. Killing them just like that was basically open rebellion!
But things had already reached this point—if you didn’t rebel, you’d die, and Stan City would be wiped out. So there was no choice but to kill!
"Ryan, quit the nonsense—just take him out! Kill!" Lady Miranda shouted right away. At this point, there was nothing left to say. If you’re gonna do it, do it big!
Ryan nodded slightly. Things had come this far—if he didn’t kill the guy, he’d feel embarrassed. Without any hesitation, he slashed straight over, and with one clean cut, the so-called Count’s young master’s head flew off. The scene was absolutely exhilarating.
And right as the guy’s head hit the ground, Ryan suddenly noticed a letter hidden in the Count’s young master’s pocket. The letter bore the Northslay Gang’s insignia, and spelled out clearly that the Count’s Manor was colluding with the Northslay Gang to hunt for Ryan’s whereabouts. So even without the robbery, Ryan would’ve been hunted anyway—striking first was actually the smart move!
"Ryan, you need to get out of here! After killing the Count’s Manor young master, the whole Count’s Manor will definitely start investigating. If you stay, you’ll get dragged into it for sure!" At this point, what’s done was done—there was no way to dodge it. Ryan couldn’t stay in Stan City any longer.
"No way, I can’t just leave like this!" Ryan shook his head quickly. He knew full well this mess was his fault, and there was no way he’d dump all the trouble on Stan City. Stan City was way too weak—just a few more strong enemies could wipe it out completely!
"Exactly, we can’t just bail—we need a foolproof plan!" Lady Melody chimed in immediately.
"Alright, I’ll handle it—I’ll shift the blame eastward!" Ryan didn’t hesitate. Killing the Count’s Manor young master would definitely cause a huge stir, and the Count’s Manor would launch a full-scale investigation. So Ryan had to wrap things up perfectly. He headed south of Stan City, traveling tens of thousands of miles before scattering the bones of the Count’s Manor experts and the young master’s remains all over, making it look like they’d been ambushed by unknown enemies.
The places Ryan chose were all between several big cities, with plenty of bustling urban centers nearby—nobody would ever suspect Stan City. After finishing everything, he finally relaxed, having also wiped away all traces of the Count’s Manor group’s aura from above Stan City. Even if the Count’s Manor did investigate, it’d take ages for them to suspect Stan City, since the city was so unremarkable they’d never think to look here!
With all that done, Ryan had to think about his next move. There was no way he could stay in Stan City any longer. Even if the Count’s Manor didn’t find out right away, his rising power would attract attention sooner or later. Besides, Stan City was already too small for him—if he wanted to soar like a true dragon, he needed a much bigger sea!
Now that Ryan had broken through to Golden Immortal, his next step had to be heading somewhere higher-level—like the Count’s Manor’s own base. Since they were already teaming up with the Northslay Gang to hunt him, sneaking into their city would be the perfect move—hiding right under their noses!
Ryan had it all figured out. Sooner or later, he’d ascend to the Immortal World, but before that, he had to ramp up his strength like crazy—at least to Da Luo Golden Immortal. With that kind of power, even if he got exposed, he could charge into the Immortal World whenever he wanted. Plus, he still had Primeval Heavenwood backing him up!
And to break through to Da Luo Golden Immortal, he’d probably have to go to Demon-Dragon City, where the Count’s Manor was based. Demon-Dragon City was one of the Demonic World’s thirty-six mega-cities—an absolute top-tier place, and the kind of spot where Ryan could really level up!
"To Demon-Dragon City!" Once Ryan made up his mind, he didn’t overthink it. When he headed out, he was only bringing Lady Melody—anyone else would just draw unwanted attention.
On a snowy night, worried that Stan City would get dragged into more trouble, Ryan left that very night. The falling snow conveniently wiped away every lingering trace of aura above Stan City.
Ryan and Lady Melody quickly traveled dozens of miles out, but just as they were about to cross the edge of Stan City’s territory, someone called out to him from a remote relay station—a tiny wooden hut nearby.
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"Ryan, wait up!"
Ryan was startled—the one calling him was Lady Miranda. Wrapped in a cloak, she looked especially alluring, just like when he first met her. He’d left in a hurry without saying much, so he hadn’t expected her to chase after him in person!
"Why’d you come see me off? There’s a ton to handle in the city, and my friends and family need you to look after them!" Ryan said, feeling a little guilty.
"Forget all that—I’ve got something I need to tell you alone!" Lady Miranda glanced at Lady Melody as she spoke.
"Alright, I’ll stand guard outside. You two go in." Lady Melody was quick to catch on and responded right away.
"Thanks!" Lady Miranda nodded to Lady Melody, clearly a gesture of appreciation between women. Then she grabbed Ryan’s hand and pulled him straight into the hut!
Ryan suddenly sensed she was eager to do something—maybe he owed her. This time, he didn’t refuse; instead, he generously followed her into the shabby relay station. Inside was a huge bathing cauldron, almost identical to the one he’d seen when they first met in the City Lord’s Manor. The cauldron was filled with water and scattered with fresh flowers, giving off a light, soothing fragrance that instantly put him at ease.
"You really thought this through!" Ryan said, a little surprised. He couldn’t help feeling a bit excited—Lady Miranda was definitely no ordinary demoness. Her allure was even more provocative than Alice and Hepburn combined!
Just as Ryan finished speaking, Lady Miranda suddenly took off her cloak!
"W-what are you doing?" Ryan blurted out, hoping she’d calm down!
But Lady Miranda just smiled and said, "You’ve already seen it before—what’s the harm in looking again? Hehe!"
With that, Lady Miranda slowly stepped into the flower-filled bath and began to wash. Her seductive posture and natural charm were almost too much to handle—Ryan just stared, his heart pounding uncontrollably.
"Don’t you want to join me?" Lady Miranda asked, making a beckoning gesture—so innocent, yet so tempting…