Versatile Mage (Web Novel)
chapter-3145

….

MO Fan and Asha’ruiya were moving swiftly through the shadows in the ancient dark city’s royal court. They were like agile fish in the sea.

They had gathered information from the pig-faced person and conducted

Further investigation in the city. Hence, they were sure that Mu Bai was locked up within the royal court.

"Are we sneaking in tonight?” MO Fan asked.

"Yeah. We shouldn’t stay here too long. They’ll change you,” Asha’ruiya replied.

"Change me?” MO Fan did not get it.

"This city is where people give in to temptation and indulge in pleasures. You can do whatever you want here. You can gamble, drink, eat as much as you like, and pick beautiful people to service you. Soon, you’ll forget all the tough times you’ve had before, even the hard work you’ve done. You’ll just become a part of this place,” Asha’ruiya explained.

"Well, that doesn’t sound too bad for some people, does it?” MO Fan commented.

"There’s no such thing as a free ride, especially on the Dark Plane. Pleasure only lasts for a short time. Those beings we saw with pig faces, snake heads, and bull-like appearances were once like us. They used to look like humans. But after their souls blended into this place, they couldn’t leave anymore. They’ve adopted a different face and become servants here. They go against their conscience to please, deceive, and obey newcomers seeking pleasure and pull them into this foul swamp of corruption to trap them forever,” Asha’ruiya explained.

"Isn’t this similar to some of those gambling cities?” MO Fan asked.

"That’s why there have always been places in the mortal world resembling hell. They just have fancier names, and unlike here, people there don’t reveal their true forms,” Asha’ruiya said.

"Should we bring Old Zhao with us? I don’t feel comfortable leaving him alone at the inn,” MO Fan said.

"Don’t worry. As long as he stays inside the room, his willpower won’t be broken for two or three days,” Asha’ruiya reassured.

"You might not understand Zhao Manyan very well,” MO Fan added.

Just as he finished speaking, eerie music started playing on the street.

MO Fan glanced over and saw a procession of witches, temple maidens, female monsters, female demons, and other creatures.

They seemed difficult to deal with, even though they were all beautiful.

After Asha’ruiya glanced over, she shook her head in resignation and commented,

“It looks like you know your friend best.”

Zhao Manyan, who should have been in his room sleeping, ended up boarding the Dragon Duchess’s sedan chair! Did he crave female company that much? This was the Dark Plane!

MO Fan was speechless.

Great! He had yet to save Mu Bai, but Zhao Manyan had already gotten himself in trouble!

"That’s how Old Zhao is… But you can look at it from a different perspective. Think of it as Zhao Manyan acting as a distraction,” MO Fan suggested.

"Yeah. That’s a good idea.” Asha’ruiya nodded in agreement with MO Fan’s suggestion.

They were figuring out how to sneak into the Chess King’s royal court, and Zhao Manyan had given them an opening.

MO Fan was a living human being.

It was hard to conceal his presence as a human, especially from someone who was one of the Dark Kings.

This Dark King would know that MO Fan had entered his territory, but he would not be able to locate him precisely.

However, once MO Fan entered the royal court, the Dark King would surely notice him.

With Zhao Manyan being taken away by the Dragon Duchess and brought to the royal court, MO Fan could use Zhao Manyan’s presence to mask his own.

Sure enough, as soon as the Dragon Duchess and her attendants entered the royal court, they heard a voice from within.

"Who’s the living person?” the voice from afar asked.

"He’s a man I chose from the ancient dark city. He’s a bit shy. I’ve brought him back to train him,” the Dragon Duchess replied.

"The new king has arrived in our territory. Don’t go out in the next few days. I want you to greet the new king with me,” the voice instructed.

"What new king?” the Dragon Duchess asked.

"The Evil Saint King. His throne is already forming atop Hundred Realms Mountain. I’ve dealt with him before. He was just a pawn in my game back then,” the distant voice said.

"Understood. I won’t leave the royal court in the coming days.”

"What time is it?”

"It’s time for you to open your eyes,” the Dragon Duchess replied.

After that, a bright light appeared in the distance. It slowly spread through the darkness, as though the sun was suddenly rising at the end of a dim ocean.

However, unlike a regular sunrise, this immense brilliance instantly lit up the ancient dark city!

It was morning!

The sky and earth were clear and bright. But this light did not bring any vitality to the creatures of the earth like an actual sun.

MO Fan and Asha’ruiya hid in the procession that was entering the royal court. Under the sedan chair’s shade, they exchanged glances and saw the look of horror in each other’s eyes.

As soon as the Dark King opened his eyes, he brought morning to the city.

It turned out that this area of the Dark Plane had day and night because of the Dark King.

When he opened his eyes, it would become bright.

When he closed them to rest, it would become dark.

MO Fan had crossed many territories as he traveled from the Galaxy of the Yin Energy God.

The Dark King was indeed powerful, and he treated emperor-level creatures as pawns. MO Fan began to feel unsure. If he did not handle things properly, he might die there!

MO Fan and Asha’ruiya agreed that it was best not to confront the Chess King directly.

The Chess King had a bad temper and might be stronger than the Bright Blood King. It would not end well if they tried to confront him head-on.

Considering his chess skills, he did not seem very intelligent.

So, outsmarting him was the best plan.

They had to leave immediately after they rescued Mu Bai. They should not stay in the king’s territory for long.

"Let’s wait until it’s dark. It’s best not to move around during the day,” Asha’ruiya suggested.

"Yeah. I agree. I’ll hide my presence.” MO Fan nodded.

During the day, the Chess King had his eyes open, so it was best not to make any moves while he was watching.

At night was when he slept.

The Chess King was also not as perceptive as the Bright Blood King. Besides, many creatures, including living humans, were in the ancient dark city. With so many presences around, he might not detect MO Fan instantly.

MO Fan and Asha’ruiya could move about a little more. As long as they were careful, there was still a chance of success.

"Hey, Old Zhao. Wake up.”

MO Fan hid under the sedan chair and woke Zhao Manyan up.

"I wasn’t sleeping. Do you think I can fall asleep?!” Zhao Manyan grumbled. The Dragon Duchess had confined Zhao Manyan in her bedroom and ordered several attendants to watch over him.

Her lifestyle was the opposite of the Chess King’s. During the day, the Dragon Duchess slept soundly. Thanks to this, the Dragon Duchess had not done anything to Zhao Manyan yet.

"Think of a way to learn where Mu Bai is. We can’t move during the day. The Chess King knows I’m in his territory. We’ll save Mu Bai at night and leave together,” MO Fan explained.

Zhao Manyan was the only one who could move around in the royal court.

The Chess King was already aware of Zhao Manyan’s presence, and he knew that this man was not MO Fan. Therefore, he would not bother with what Zhao Manyan did in the royal court.

"I’m in this mess, and you still want me to help?” Zhao Manyan complained.

"You don’t have to help if you don’t want to. We can only wait for now. When night falls, Asha’ruiya and I will search for clues again. You just need to keep the Dragon Duchess occupied. I believe in your stamina!” MO Fan said.

"Shut up!” Zhao Manyan replied angrily.

Not only was MO Fan not saving him, but he was also expecting him to help!

It was ridiculous!

Zhao Manyan tried moving around.

He noticed that the Dragon Duchess’s attendants were all sleeping on the ground. They were not paying attention to him.

There were not many guards in the royal court either. After all, the Dark King opening his eyes was enough to scare off troublemakers.

"Hey, who are you?” Suddenly, someone called out to Zhao Manyan on the royal court’s main avenue.

"I’m a guest of the Dragon Duchess,” Zhao Manyan replied.

"Oh.” The person who spoke was also a female dragon.

She was not a giant dragon but something more like a cross between a lizard person and a dragon person.

Honestly, Zhao Manyan had never seen such a beautiful half-dragon before. From her eyes, he could tell that she was just a pure, innocent young girl with little worldly experience.

"It’s my first time here. Could you show me around? I’ve admired the royal court for a long time,” Zhao Manyan said.

"You can explore on your own,” the dragon girl replied.

"I’m afraid that I might accidentally wander into a restricted area,” Zhao Manyan said.

"There aren’t any restricted areas here, except for the Heart Palace, which is over there. My uncle doesn’t allow anyone near it,” the dragon girl said.

"Oh, thank you!” Zhao Manyan immediately smiled.

A clue at last!

Teenage girls were so easy to deceive!

Zhao Manyan then glanced at the Heart Palace.

A crimson palace was floating above the gardens of the royal court. This palace resembled a giant heart, and it was connected to the ground by what looked like blood vessels.

Zhao Manyan continued to wander around casually. He discovered that the royal court was not very large, and he soon reached its edge. The most suspicious place was undoubtedly the Heart Palace.

Mu Bai was likely trapped there!

After he returned to the Dragon Duchess’s bedroom, Zhao Manyan told MO Fan and Asha’ruiya his discovery.

"At night, the Chess King sleeps, but his daughter, the Dragon Duchess, will wake up. The Chess King specifically instructed her not to go out recently. It’s probably to prevent us from sneaking in at night to save Mu Bai,” Asha’ruiya explained.

"I’m curious about something. Does the Chess King sleep deeply?” MO Fan asked.

"I asked about it before we came. The day and night cycle here is very regular. The Chess King rarely leaves this place. Even if he does, it’s through his duplicate. The one we met before was his duplicate.”

"Let’s just think boldly for a moment. If we act at night, perhaps he won’t wake up even if we fight with his daughter here,” MO Fan suggested.

"That’s possible. After all, if the Chess King could wake up, why would he ask the Dragon Duchess to stay in the royal court?” Asha’ruiya agreed.

“Hey, hey. Don’t you think you’re taking a gamble with this plan?” Zhao

Manyan interjected.

"We don’t have many options since we’re dealing with the Dark King. The more we try to sneak around, the more likely he is to notice us. It’s better to take a calculated gamble. If we succeed, we’ll escape immediately!” MO Fan said.

"But what about the Dragon Duchess?”

"We’ll follow the original plan. You’ll distract her… with your stamina,” MO Fan said.

"Screw you!”

"We need to outsmart him. We can’t beat him in a fight, so what else can we do? You might not realize how powerful the Dark King is. Even Su Lu was just a pawn to him!” MO Fan emphasized.

"The Dragon Duchess is no different from women in the mortal world. She likes shiny things, music, and art. You don’t have to bring her straight to bed, alright?” Asha’ruiya advised.

"Yeah, aren’t you good at those things?” MO Fan asked.

"I’ve stopped doing such things for a long time,” Zhao Manyan replied.

"Anyway, focus on delaying the Dragon Duchess as long as you can. We’ll save Mu Bai as quickly as possible. You can turn against her the moment we have him. We’ll help you deal with her,” MO Fan suggested.

"Alright… Just make it quick, okay? I don’t want to ruin my reputation here,” Zhao Manyan agreed reluctantly.

Alas, he did not mind doing it.

After all, it was to save Mu Bai.

Zhao Manyan had stopped fooling around with women for a long time. But this time, he had to do it for his friend. After they saved Mu Bai, he would make Mu Bai thank him.

"Don’t worry. How could we stand by and watch you suffer?” MO Fan said.

"Only if he sees it as suffering,” Asha’ruiya added playfully.

“Hehe!” MO Fan and Asha’ruiya secretly high-fived.

"F*ck you two!”