111: Chapter 111 The Final Ultimatum from the Abyss

Deep at night, dark clouds obscured the moon.

Cloud Top Palace was plunged into sleep, with only the occasional sound of insects breaking the silence.

In the maid's room in the West Wing Room, Nightingale, who had been sound asleep, suddenly opened her eyes wide. She clutched her collar tightly, curling into a ball as cold sweat instantly soaked her pajamas.

A chill from the depths of her Soul made her feel as if she had fallen into an ice cave.

It was the intuition of a top-tier assassin, and also the vibration of the unique Mental Energy communication imprint of the Abyss Sect.

A cold, hoarse voice, seemingly from the depths of Hell, crossed mountains and rivers to explode directly in her mind:

"Nightingale! You have disappointed this Seat too much!"

"A whole month! You have been lurking by that man's side, not only failing to take action but also failing to send back any intelligence!"

"Have you become addicted to being a maid over there? Or... have you forgotten the rules of the Abyss?"

It was the voice of the Abyss Cult Leader!

Even across such a vast distance, this terrifying Divine Might of an SS-rank powerhouse still made Nightingale's Soul tremble.

The Cult Leader did not know what Nightingale had experienced this past month, nor did he know that she had already been "turned" by Wang Dachui. He only knew that the mission progress was zero.

"Cult Leader... your subordinate is guilty..." Nightingale groaned weakly in her heart, desperately searching for excuses:

"It is not that your subordinate does not want to act, but... the defenses here are too tight!"

"Although Wang Dachui seems lax, the woman named Nalan Ruo by his side is an S-rank Peak wood-element user. Those flowers and trees are all her eyes and ears; she knows even the slightest disturbance."

"And that Ji Taimei, her Mental Energy scans the whole area at all times. Your subordinate simply cannot find an opportunity to strike!"

"Hmph, trash!"

The Cult Leader snorted coldly, clearly losing his patience:

"Since you are incapable, then you do not need to kill him."

"This Seat has decided that in three days, I will personally lead the Shadow Kill Squad to infiltrate Cloud Top Palace!"

"What?!" Nightingale's heart shook violently.

The Cult Leader continued: "However, that woman Nalan Ruo is indeed a trouble. Her wood-element ability merges with the surrounding plants. As soon as we get close, those plants will warn her, making it impossible to assassinate."

"Therefore, your mission has changed—"

"You do not need to kill anyone. Before tomorrow morning, find a way to make Nalan Ruo take the spirit-dissipating powder!"

"That medicine is colorless and odorless, and it will not harm her life, but it will cause an ability user to lose all Qi for thirty-six hours, turning them into an ordinary person."

"As long as she loses the ability to sense plants, we can sneak in without anyone knowing and take Wang Dachui's head!"

"If you cannot even do this..." The Cult Leader's voice rang out sinisterly, "Then you are useless. When this Seat successfully infiltrates, that will be the day you are refined into a corpse puppet!"

With the final roar, the mental connection was severed.

Nightingale collapsed on the bed, gasping for air, her face as pale as paper.

"spirit-dissipating powder..."

With trembling hands, she took out a small wax pill from the lining of her undergarments.

This was one of the trump cards she carried as a top-tier assassin, specifically prepared to deal with high-level mages.

"The Cult Leader is right, this medicine is not fatal, it just makes people temporarily lose their abilities..."

Nightingale grabbed at this last straw, frantically comforting herself in her heart:

"As long as Sister Nalan does not die, I am not harming her, right?"

"If I do not follow orders, the Cult Leader will come in three days. If he is discovered by the plants, he will definitely attack by force, and more people will die."

"As long as her abilities are crippled, the Cult Leader can infiltrate smoothly. Maybe... maybe killing just Wang Dachui will be enough? Sister Nalan and the child can survive?"

She gripped the wax pill tightly in the darkness, her eyes flickering with struggle and self-deception.

The next morning.

The atmosphere in Cloud Top Palace was still peaceful.

Under the flower trellis in the main house, Nalan Ruo and Ji Taimei were sitting together sunbathing.

Nalan Ruo's belly was bulging high due to her advanced pregnancy. She was leaning weakly against a cushion, her face somewhat pale; it was clear the morning sickness had not yet passed.

And although Ji Taimei's belly was not yet very obvious, she was also looking lazy, holding a bag of pickled plums in her hand.

"Wives, what do you want to eat today? I will have Old Zhang make it for you."

Wang Dachui was like a dedicated male nanny, circling around the two pregnant women.

"No appetite..." Nalan Ruo shook her head, "My mouth feels bitter, I want to drink some light tea."

Wang Dachui quickly gave the order. A moment later, Nightingale walked over with a tray.

On the tray were two cups of fragrant tea; one was the prenatal spirit tea for Nalan Ruo, and the other was a special sour plum soup for Ji Taimei.

"This is..." Wang Dachui glanced at Nightingale, then at the two cups of tea.

Nightingale lowered her head, not daring to look Wang Dachui in the eye, simply handing the tea to the two mistresses and making a "drink" gesture.

Her other hand was tightly clenched in her sleeve, her nails almost digging into her flesh.

The tea for Nalan Ruo had already been spiked with the proper amount of spirit-dissipating powder.

"It is just losing abilities... it is just for three days..."

"As long as she drinks it... I will have completed the mission and will not die... Sister Nalan will not die either..."

Nightingale kept hypnotizing herself in her heart.

Nalan Ruo had no precautions and reached out to take the teacup.

"Thank you, Xiao Cao."

She looked at Nightingale and revealed a gentle smile. There were no Impurities in that smile, only pure trust:

"Seeing you restless these past two days, are you too tired? Go rest for a while later, don't wear yourself out."

"That is right." Ji Taimei on the side also chimed in. She casually took off a priceless jade bracelet from her wrist and stuffed it into Nightingale's hand.

"This is for you. Seeing you busy these past few days without any jewelry, as a young girl, you need to dress up."

Nightingale clutched the warm bracelet, watching Nalan Ruo lift the teacup to her lips.

At this moment, time seemed to stand still.

She looked at Nalan Ruo's defenseless neck and the bulging pregnancy belly.

Suddenly, a terrifying thought shattered her self-deception:

"Without abilities... facing an SS-rank Cult Leader sneaking in three days later, what is the difference between Sister Nalan and an ordinary person?"

"At that time, what if the Cult Leader doesn't just want to kill Wang Dachui, but also wants to cut weeds and eliminate the roots?"

"A pregnant woman without abilities, facing an SS-rank powerhouse, is nothing but a lamb waiting to be slaughtered!"

"This is equivalent to... personally removing her armor and sending her to the slaughter!"

"How is this any different from killing her?!"

"I... I cannot do this!"

"Crack."

The shackles of fear deep in her heart were completely shattered by the radiance of humanity at this moment.

"No—!!!"

Nightingale let out a silent scream in her heart.

Just as Nalan Ruo was about to take the first sip of tea, Nightingale suddenly reached out and grabbed Nalan Ruo's wrist!

"Huh?" Nalan Ruo was startled, looking at her with some surprise, "What is it? Is it hot?"

Nightingale shook her head, her eye sockets instantly turning red, and tears streamed down.

She could not speak, nor could she explain.

She just pressed down on the cup of tea tightly, then... snatched it away!

In the astonished gazes of Wang Dachui, Nalan Ruo, and Ji Taimei, Nightingale picked up the tea spiked with spirit-dissipating powder and drank it all in one gulp!

"Gulp, gulp!"

After finishing, she slammed the cup onto the table, wiped the corners of her mouth, and bowed deeply to Nalan Ruo.

"Aba aba!" (The tea is cold! I will go get some hot ones!)

Finishing this, she turned and ran, running faster than a rabbit, with tears spilling all the way.

"This girl... why is she so rash?" Nalan Ruo shook her head with amusement, "The tea isn't cold, it was just brewed."

Ji Taimei looked at Nightingale's retreating figure thoughtfully: "Maybe she was greedy? This spirit tea is good for the body. But why was the child crying?"

"Something is wrong."

Wang Dachui's eyes became serious.

Although his Vision of God did not see the poisoning process, he clearly saw that after Nightingale drank the tea, the energy flow that had been running smoothly in her body instantly... solidified!

It was like a rushing river suddenly freezing, or a burning flame extinguished by a basin of cold water.

The poison arts in her body, along with her S-rank aura, completely dissipated at this moment, turning her into an ordinary person without any Qi!

"Ability-dissipating medicine?!"

Wang Dachui was horrified.

"This silly girl... put ability-dissipating medicine in the tea, and then drank it herself?"

"Is she protecting Ruo Ruo? Or... was she forced?"

"Bad! She has no cultivation now, she will die if she runs into any wild beast!"

Behind the mountain, deep in the dense forest.

Nightingale stumbled and ran here. At this moment, she felt her body as heavy as if it were filled with lead.

The spirit-dissipating powder had taken effect.

The poison arts in her body were completely sealed, and that familiar S-rank sense of power had disappeared without a trace, replaced by an unprecedented weakness and helplessness.

Now, she could not even defeat a strong ordinary man.

She leaned against a large tree and slumped to the ground weakly.

"Hehe..."

She gave a miserable laugh.

"It is over... completely over."

"Mission failed, all cultivation lost."

"The Cult Leader is coming in three days, and I don't even have the strength to run away now."

"But..."

She looked up at the sky, tears sliding down her cheeks, but a trace of relief appeared at the corners of her mouth.

"Sister Nalan is fine... that child is fine too."

"I... in the end, I still could not bring myself to do it."

She looked at the jade bracelet that Ji Taimei had given her on her wrist, her eyes becoming firmer than ever.

Since she had betrayed the Abyss, then she would betray it thoroughly!

She was a cripple now, unable to do anything.

The only thing she could do was tell Wang Dachui this news!

"SS-rank Cult Leader... three days later... infiltrate and assassinate..."

"This information must be told to him! Let him take Sister Nalan and the others to prepare early!"

Nightingale gritted her teeth, used all her strength, and pulled herself up by the tree trunk.

She had to go to the main house, to that man's room.

Even if she was now without the strength to truss a chicken, even if she would be killed by him after confessing her identity.

She had to go!

This was not just a cry for help, but also... atonement.

Nightingale took a deep breath, dragging her heavy steps, moving step by step toward the direction of the main house.

Tonight, she was going to confess everything!