Ryan Ling knew perfectly well that he owed her—she’d practically staked the entire future of Stan City just to save him. That kind of debt had to be repaid, and now that Lady Miranda clearly wanted this, he had no reason not to go along!
He jumped right into the bath cauldron—no hesitation, no awkwardness. The next second, he pulled Lady Miranda straight into his arms.
"Ugh, you—did you want to do this from the moment you first saw me?" Lady Miranda flushed as Ryan dove into the bath, suddenly shy and stumbling over her words.
"What do you think?" Ryan grinned. Honestly, any guy who’d seen her back then would’ve had the same urge—her figure was just that insane.
No more hesitation—Ryan hugged Lady Miranda from behind, grabbing both her hands.
"Wow, I didn’t expect a top-tier badass like you to be into this kind of play!" Lady Miranda giggled, cheeks flushed.
"That’s right—I love a sneak attack from behind!" Ryan joked, then leaned forward hard. The whole bath cauldron instantly started boiling, and Lady Miranda let out a squeal like a pig being slaughtered.
"Hmph, since you helped Ryan Ling, I’ll let you have your fun tonight—but just this once, don’t expect a repeat!" Outside in the freezing wind, Melody couldn’t help feeling jealous. Still, she knew this was probably their last time, and decided to ‘give them face’ and let it go for one night.
By dawn, the wild night inside the shabby relay station was over. Lady Miranda looked totally satisfied—her cultivation had clearly jumped up a level. Ryan, on the other hand, was wiped out; demon women really did have way more stamina than humans!
The next morning, Ryan set off with Melody toward Demon-Dragon City. Before leaving, Lady Miranda mentioned she had a relative there—not exactly top-tier, but still a major family. She suggested they could look for them as a first stop, since Demon-Dragon City was Count’s Manor territory and having a place to crash might help, especially for a first visit.
Ryan thanked Lady Miranda for the offer. Sure, it was his first trip to Demon-Dragon City, but with his current power, finding a place to stay wouldn’t be a problem. Besides, he was really here to chase bigger opportunities—if he wanted to push his cultivation any further, even burning through the Original Da Luo Core would only get him to mid-stage Golden Immortal. Beyond that, he’d need to stockpile way more.
"Ryan, I just know Demon-Dragon City has what you’re looking for! Rumor has it this place holds more treasures than anywhere else in the Demonic World—especially Count’s Manor. They say it’s basically the biggest treasure hoard in the realm. If we manage to break in, the loot will be endless!" Melody chimed in.
"Exactly my thoughts! This time, we’re aiming straight for Count’s Manor—fortune favors the bold! Even a single good find could give us a huge boost for our eventual ascension to the Immortal World." Ryan nodded. He’d already guessed as much; just from the way the Count’s son kept scrounging for treasures, it was obvious the estate was packed with loot. No way he was letting all that stuff rot in Count’s Manor, especially since it was almost certainly colluding with the Northslay Gang from the Immortal World. The Northslay Gang couldn’t enter the Demonic World directly, so they needed local help—meaning these two factions were thick as thieves. Even if Ryan didn’t go looking for trouble, sooner or later trouble would come looking for him!
"Let’s go!" Ryan didn’t hesitate. With Stan City finally safe, he could go all-in. He and Melody blasted off toward Demon-Dragon City in the east. No telling how far it was, but Ryan’s speed was insane—he could cross ten thousand miles in a blink. Even so, it was nearly sunset when they hit the city’s edge.
"Whoa, this city’s massive—like, half the size of an Immortal Domain World!" From above, Demon-Dragon City looked absolutely enormous, shaped like a demon dragon sprawled across the land. Even with Ryan’s sharp eyes, he couldn’t see the edges all at once.
And there were thirty-six of these megacities in the Demonic World! Looking back, Ryan really had been a frog in a well—there was always a bigger world out there. And this was just the Demonic World; if he ever made it to the Immortal World, the sights would be even more epic. Right now, he felt a sudden urge to ascend as soon as possible.
"Alright, let’s go in and check things out!" Ryan had wanted to head straight for Count’s Manor, but Demon-Dragon City was way bigger than he’d imagined. With an area this huge, he couldn’t just rush in—he needed to figure out the lay of the land first. Heck, he didn’t even know where Count’s Manor was yet!
Melody nodded, and the two of them disguised themselves as a regular couple and slipped into Demon-Dragon City. They wandered the streets, checking things out. Ryan quickly realized the city’s power structure was complicated as hell. But what really caught him off guard was that Count’s Manor was hosting a massive ‘long-life and blessing’ ceremony for the city lord—the thousand-year birthday bash for the Count himself. The place was packed, which meant it was the perfect chance to sneak in. With so many people around, blending in would be easy!
And judging by how festive things were, the Count’s son’s death clearly hadn’t been discovered yet. That just made Ryan even more confident he could score some loot.
"You stay outside and cover me—I’ll go in and scout first!" Ryan finally found a stretch of outer wall with no one around. He told Melody to hide and wait outside while he slipped in alone. The estate was huge, covering who knows how much land, and sneaking in together would be way riskier. This first try was just a recon mission anyway.
Melody nodded. She knew charging into Count’s Manor like this was super risky; if they managed to grab something, great—if not, at least they’d get a sense of the place. Now that they’d made it to Demon-Dragon City, there would be plenty more chances.
It was Ryan’s first time inside Count’s Manor, and the place was so huge it felt like half of Stan City. He disguised himself as a lowly servant and wandered around. The luxury was unreal—walls carved from jade, interiors decked out like an Immortal palace, and even a goldfish pond filled with Immortal Water. The extravagance was mind-blowing.
Ryan was certain there had to be top-tier treasures hidden here. If he could get his hands on them, he might even shoot straight to peak Golden Immortal—which would save him years of grinding.
But even though he could sense heavy-duty treasures inside, the defenses were nuts—Golden Immortal aura everywhere, and even Da Luo Golden Immortal energy deeper in. No way he could go wild here!
"Whoa, that’s some serious Da Luo Golden Immortal energy!" Suddenly, Ryan felt a surge of power—just like the Original Da Luo Core he’d found in the demon cave, but even stronger!
Ryan didn’t hesitate. Maybe this thing wasn’t top-tier for Count’s Manor, but for his current cultivation, it was a huge deal. He followed the energy trail, edging closer to a small, surprisingly fresh-smelling room. The aura was coming from inside, and with no guards nearby, it was the perfect chance!
Ryan slipped inside without a second thought—and was instantly hit by a wave of fragrance. On the big bed, he suddenly spotted a cute girl, tightly bound and completely naked...