As soon as Dai Li and the others reached Bai Ling's side, they heard her speak to them in a faint voice, "Rest assured, Chen Mohan is fine now; you don't need to worry."

Having said that, Bai Ling then turned to the residual black mist and spoke coldly, "Well? Do you still dare to claim I have no way to dispel your dark fog?" Sure enough, the mysterious Underworld voice sounded again from within the opposing black mist: "Heh, very interesting, girl. I hadn't expected your grasp of magic to have reached such a stage. You can control the power of a divine incantation so subtly—saving this boy without harming him. Even a God of Magic could only manage such precision. I retract my previous statement; I underestimated you. Among all the mages I have ever seen, you possess the most formidable magical cultivation."

Bai Ling did not appreciate the compliment, merely letting out a cold snort. The mysterious voice opposite, however, continued undeterred, "But the stronger you become, the stronger my resolve to take you as my servant. Mages of such high caliber are not found everywhere. Girl, I will seek you out again. By then, I hope you can offer me an even greater surprise. Hahahaha…"

As the mysterious person finished speaking, the black vapors (entwined) around Mohan finally vanished, revealing Mohan who had been encased in the mist. Andu, however, was nowhere in sight. But the group had no time to press the issue; it was surely the work of Hades. Seeing this, Dai Li and Murong Feixue hurried forward to check on Mohan. Fortunately, he was unharmed.

Mohan regained consciousness only after the black mist dispersed.

At that moment, Bai Ling spoke coldly toward the sky, "Do you not even have a name? If you intend to challenge me, you should at least offer your own identity. I, Bai Ling, never fight nameless adversaries."

In response to Bai Ling’s words, a voice drifted from the distant edge of the sky—the same mysterious voice from before: "Amusing girl. Remember my name is Hades. When I return next time, you must not forget me. I truly look forward to another good fight with you then."

These sounds faded into the distance, yet they resonated clearly in the ears of everyone present.

Hearing the words of Hades, the King of the Underworld, every face present changed color, including Mohan's. To think that the master of that mysterious voice was none other than Hades, the sovereign of the Underworld! No wonder he possessed such immense dark power. Hades must still be operating from the Underworld, attacking Mohan and the others through that strange black stone, yet possessing such terrifying strength. If they truly faced him, they would likely not stand even the slightest chance of victory.

Thinking this, Mohan's heart grew heavy. Having truly witnessed the power of the King of the Underworld, Mohan finally understood what true disparity meant; he feared he could never close the gap, no matter how hard he tried.

Bai Ling, however, showed little surprise upon hearing Hades’ declaration. Her expression shifted only slightly, suggesting she had already guessed Hades’ identity. Yet, hearing Hades confirm it himself still brought a jolt of shock; she had just battled a figure of divine stature, and she had won by sheer luck.

At this moment, everyone in the Tianying Mercenary Group gazed at Bai Ling with undisguised admiration. To defeat the mythic figure Hades, Bai Ling could be considered the foremost human being. Though Hades had only attacked using that strange black stone and had not exerted his full strength, even so, an ordinary person could not have overcome it. Bai Ling was arguably the first human on the Dragon Soaring Continent to achieve this feat. Even Dai Li and Murong Feixue were deeply impressed by the strength she displayed. It was no wonder the members of the Tianying Mercenary Group held such reverence for her.

Seeing that Mohan was safe, Dai Li and Murong Feixue finally relaxed. They learned from Dai Li and the others that Bai Ling had saved him, and Mohan felt a surge of private gratitude. Had it not been for her, he might truly have become Hades’ puppet, a fate far worse than death. With this realization, Mohan approached Bai Ling and offered her his sincere thanks.

Hearing this, Bai Ling maintained her icy demeanor and replied, "You don't need to thank me. You owe me so many things. If you had truly become Hades' puppet, who would I ask to repay my dues? I did this not for you; don't presume too much."

With that, Bai Ling turned and walked ahead alone, leaving a mortified Mohan standing frozen, caught between laughter and tears. This woman, he thought, she really won't give me any face. Where did I offend her this time? Why must she be so cold to me? Thus, Mohan mused internally, there must be some truth to the saying that a woman's heart is like an unfathomable needle in the ocean.

Seeing Bai Ling depart, the others did not linger. They followed the direction Bai Ling had taken, heading toward Migecheng. Along the way, however, Loliyia remained distracted and absentminded. Upon entering Migecheng, just as Mohan, Dai Li, and the others were about to find a place to rest, Loliyia abruptly requested leave.

Hearing Loliyia's request, Mohan felt a twinge of surprise, as did Vasak and the other members of the Tianying Mercenary Group. They couldn't understand why Loliyia would choose to leave at this juncture. Mohan finally spoke, "Commander Loliyia, you don't seem like someone who gives up halfway. Why are you leaving before we reach our destination? Could you tell me why?"

In response to Mohan's question, Loliyia snapped back testily, "Lord Mohan, you jest. With your current strength, you hardly need the protection of mercenaries. Previously, we were unaware of your true power, which is why we foolishly attempted to escort you to Dragon Soaring City. In fact, you saved my life and the lives of my crew members. Now that we know Lord Mohan's true capabilities, if we continue to follow and protect you, wouldn't that truly be overestimating ourselves?"

Hearing the clear displeasure in Loliyia's tone, Mohan knew she was deeply bothered by their earlier concealment of strength. He smiled faintly and shook his head, asking, "It seems Commander Loliyia is unhappy because we concealed our true strength from you?"

Loliyia replied coolly, "I wouldn't dare. How could lowly mercenaries like us blame Lord Mohan? It's simply that we feel utterly incapable of fulfilling this mission, so we are withdrawing on our own initiative."

Mohan felt a degree of helplessness at Loliyia's tone and said, "If Commander Loliyia wishes to abandon the task halfway, I have nothing to say. However, what I wish to express is this: I hired you because I genuinely considered you friends, believing you weren't the type to start something and leave it unfinished, capable of handling this task. That's why I made that decision; it wasn't to conceal anything or look down on you. Moreover, I don't believe withholding my true power from you constitutes disrespect. I simply felt it was unnecessary."

"If Commander Loliyia feels I judged you wrongly—that you are not the person I imagined you to be—then you are free to leave. Mohan will not force you to stay. As for the commission, since you completed only half the task, I will only pay half the agreed fee. Furthermore, I must say that everyone is entitled to their own secrets. Not sharing them doesn't equate to disrespecting others. Take Commander Loliyia herself; surely you have secrets of your own. Should we conclude that because you don't reveal these secrets, you are hiding things and disrespecting us? If Commander Loliyia is indeed this kind of person who abandons things halfway, then I agree we have no need to continue cooperating."

With that, Mohan calmly watched Loliyia, awaiting her response. Hearing Mohan's words, Loliyia's face flushed deeply. Mohan's words clearly provoked her anger, yet she found herself unable to refute them. The members of the Tianying Mercenary Group also looked embarrassed upon hearing Mohan's retort; he spoke the truth. If they left now, wouldn't it be the very definition of quitting halfway? Thinking this, Vasak and the others looked toward their commander with hopeful eyes, wishing Loliyia would reconsider. Loliyia understood her team's sentiments perfectly, which was why she had been elected leader in the first place.

Loliyia clenched her pearly teeth and declared with emotion, "We, the Tianying Mercenary Group, are absolutely not people who give up midway! Since Lord Mohan insists, we will exert our utmost effort to protect you. My only request is this: if Lord Mohan truly wishes to hire us for protection, then in the future, do not casually intervene to help us. Can you agree to this?" Loliyia stared at Mohan, awaiting his reply. Mohan found this amusing; Loliyia remained so stubbornly resolute to the end. With that thought, he readily nodded his agreement. Seeing Mohan nod, the members of the Tianying Mercenary Group let out sighs of relief. Truthfully, after witnessing the strength of Mohan and Bai Ling, they held nothing but adoration for them. Moreover, these past few days had been the most thrilling of their careers. To personally witness individuals capable of confronting Hades, the sovereign of the Underworld, was an opportunity few ever encountered—easily the most memorable experience of their mercenary lives. They also felt that wherever Mohan and his group went, extraordinary things were bound to happen, so they sincerely hoped to remain with Mohan and his party longer to broaden their horizons.

With the situation resolved, after settling the Tianying Mercenary Group, Mohan, Murong Feixue, and Dai Li proceeded to the City Lord's Mansion in Migecheng. Migecheng was governed by the Nangong family. Nangong Haitang, who usually resided in the capital rather than directly in Migecheng, had recently taken personal command here. This was because the Water Blue Empire and the Proud Moon Empire had jointly invaded the Dragon Soaring Empire. While intervening nations separated them, the Water Blue Empire was attacking not Migecheng directly, but joining forces with the Proud Moon Empire to assault Feiji City. Thus, Migecheng remained relatively peaceful, but the Dragon Soaring Empire dared not let down its guard, leading Nangong Haitang to personally oversee matters here.

Mohan learned all this information from Murong Feixue. He was not fully informed about the current political climate and, despite having long heard of Nangong Haitang, had never seen her in person. Since Murong Feixue had visited Migecheng before, she guided Mohan and Dai Li directly to the City Lord’s Mansion, currently managed by Nangong Haitang.

As Mohan and the others approached the vicinity of the Mansion, sudden bursts of firelight erupted from the direction of the City Lord's residence, immediately followed by the blaring sound of alarms. Squads of soldiers patrolling the perimeter rushed towards the Mansion upon seeing the signal. Witnessing this, Mohan and Dai Li felt a sharp alarm in their hearts, knowing something critical had occurred, and they immediately sprinted toward the Mansion.

Mohan and the others reached the main gate only to find the guards slaughtered. Shouts of battle echoed from within the compound. Seeing this, Mohan and Dai Li hesitated no longer and rushed into the City Lord's residence. Upon entering the courtyard, they saw several groups of masked figures clad in black fighting fiercely against the City Lord’s soldiers. The scene was chaotic, littered with the corpses of Mansion guards and the black-clad assailants, though the latter’s bodies were few; most of the dead belonged to the soldiers.