150: Murder in the Dark Night, Love Blossoms in the Pill Tower

Li Ao's Breakthrough to Dou Zun and his astonishing conversation, though only known to the highest echelons of the Pill Tower, had invisibly altered the Pill Tower's strategy against the Hall of Souls.

More resources were mobilized to strengthen defenses, cultivate elites, and foster closer, more clandestine ties with factions like the Starfall Pavilion and the Flower Sect.

Pill City, enveloped by night, appeared as brightly lit as ever, but beneath its dazzling lights, a more stringent vigilance than before lay hidden.

Li Ao did not continue his secluded cultivation to consolidate his Realm; at his level, stabilizing one's Realm required more of a gradual effort and a deeper understanding of power.

He resided in a secluded and heavily guarded independent courtyard, specifically arranged for him by the Pill Tower Master.

Moonlight, like water, spilled onto the bluestone slabs in the courtyard.

Li Ao stood alone in the courtyard, a wisp of grayish-white Nirvana Origin Qi flow at his fingertips, like a living spirit, flexibly coiling and weaving.

After advancing to Dou Zun, his control over this power became even more adept, and he gained a deeper understanding of its implications of "termination" and "order."

He even began to attempt to integrate a trace of Nirvana Origin into his own Dou Technique, which would undoubtedly double its power.

Faint footsteps came from behind him, accompanied by a familiar, cool, and delicate fragrance.

Li Ao did not turn around, and the gray Qi flow at his fingertips silently vanished.

He could feel that tonight, Medusa's Aura seemed somewhat different from usual, with a few less traces of coolness and a few more traces of... an inexpressible complexity.

Medusa walked to his side, standing shoulder to shoulder with him, gazing at the crescent moon in the sky.

After a moment of silence, she spoke softly, her voice seeming somewhat ethereal in the night wind: "Those words of yours... about your Origin, the Hun Clan's conspiracy, are they all true?"

Li Ao turned to look at her; in the moonlight, the lines of her profile were breathtakingly perfect, her purple eyes reflecting the moonlight and his own reflection.

"They are true," Li Ao's tone was calm and certain, "I know it's hard to accept."

Medusa slowly shook her head, her purple eyes fixed on him: "I do not doubt you.

It's just... if what you say is true, the enemy we face in the future is simply too terrifying."

Even as strong as she was, upon hearing of the Hun Clan's ten-thousand-year plot and their coveting of the Dou Emperor position, she felt a tremor in her heart.

"A powerful enemy is not a reason for us to retreat," Li Ao's gaze was firm, "Precisely because the path ahead is perilous, we need even stronger conviction and... people we can entrust our lives to."

His words were pointed, and he looked at Medusa with burning eyes.

Medusa's heartbeat involuntarily quickened a few beats; she met his gaze, and in those deep eyes, she saw unconcealed affection and a nearly possessive desire.

After all they had been through, she had long understood her own feelings, but her queenly pride and long-standing aloofness had accustomed her to keeping her emotions deeply hidden.

But at this moment, under the moonlight, facing this man who had repeatedly pulled her back from desperate situations, who was willing to fight against Dou Saints for her, and potentially the entire Hun Clan in the future, the barriers in her heart finally completely crumbled.

She slightly lowered her eyelids, her long eyelashes casting faint shadows in the moonlight, her voice so soft it was almost carried away by the wind: "Do the words you spoke when I was unconscious that day still count?"

Li Ao was slightly startled, then remembered his urgent words in the Nirvana Ancient Palace when she was gravely injured and on the verge of death: "If something happens to you, my heart will not be at peace."

He took a step forward, the distance between them so close they could feel each other's breath.

He reached out and gently stroked her smooth, delicate cheek; her touch was slightly cool, yet it made his heart burn.

"Every word is sincere, never changing," Li Ao's voice was deep and magnetic, carrying an undeniable solemnity, "Cai Lin, stay by my side."

For the first time, he called her by her name so clearly.

Medusa's delicate body trembled slightly; this address seemed to carry a strange magic, shattering her last shred of pretense.

She raised her eyes, and the ice and snow in her purple eyes melted, rippling with an unprecedented shimmer and affection.

She did not answer, but responded with action.

She stood on her tiptoes, actively offering her cold yet soft lips.

Under the moonlight, two figures embraced tightly, lips intertwined, expressing emotions that no longer needed words between them.

All shared life and death, all tacit reliance, found their ultimate confirmation and sublimation in this kiss.

After a long while, their lips parted.

Medusa's cheeks were flushed, her eyes shimmering, her astonishing beauty causing Li Ao to lose himself for a moment.

She gently rested her head on his shoulder, feeling his strong heartbeat, her heart filled with an unprecedented peace and contentment.

"No matter what the future holds, I... I will be by your side," she whispered, finally dropping the self-address of "I" (referring to herself as queen), adopting an equal, lover-like posture.

Li Ao tightly embraced her slender yet powerful waist, his heart filled with immense joy and a sense of responsibility.

With such a wife, what more could a husband ask for?

However, at this tender moment, Li Ao's brows suddenly furrowed, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes!

He abruptly shielded Medusa behind him, his gaze, sharp as a knife, shooting towards the shadows in the corner of the courtyard!

"You've been watching for so long, it's time to come out, isn't it?"

A cold voice, carrying chilling killing intent, instantly shattered the night's tranquility.

In the shadows, space twisted, and a figure shrouded in a Black Robe, gaunt and ghostly, slowly emerged.

This person's Aura was extremely subtle, as if he had merged with the surrounding darkness; had Li Ao's Soul Realm not greatly improved, and had he not been particularly sensitive to the Hall of Souls' chilling Aura, he would have been almost undetectable!

"Tsk tsk, truly a loving couple, how touching," the Black Robed Man let out a hoarse laugh like sandpaper rubbing, a pair of glowing green eyes greedily sweeping over Medusa before finally locking onto Li Ao, "As expected of the fellow who could slay Soul Mie Sheng Heavenly Venerable, his perception is indeed keen.

I am Venerable You Ming, ordered by the clan to take your life, and by the way... take this rare Seven-Colored Sky Swallowing Python!"

Before his words finished, a terrifying pressure far exceeding that of an ordinary Dou Zun, like Hell descending, violently erupted from the Black Robed Man, who called himself "You Ming," instantly enveloping the entire courtyard!

Peak Five-Star Dou Zun!

Moreover, his Aura was cold and eerie, carrying strong Hun Clan characteristics, making him far more troublesome than an ordinary Five-Star Dou Zun!

Clearly, the Hall of Souls (or rather, the Hun Clan), upon learning of Li Ao's return and Breakthrough to Dou Zun, immediately dispatched a stronger assassin, directly targeting Li Ao and Medusa!

"Hun Clan scoundrels, dare to disturb my peaceful dream?"

Medusa's purple eyes surged with killing intent, and her Seven-Colored Dou Qi instantly soared into the sky; although she was only a One-Star Dou Zun, the Supreme pressure belonging to the Seven-Colored Sky Swallowing Python showed no fear of the opponent's Aura whatsoever.

Li Ao pulled Medusa behind him, facing Venerable You Ming directly, a cold arc forming at the corner of his mouth: "Five-Star Dou Zun?

The Hun Clan certainly thinks highly of me.

However, to take my life, you... are not qualified enough!"

He had just broken through and needed a sufficiently weighty whetstone to test the limits of his current strength!

And this Hun Clan Venerable before him was the best choice!

A great battle was on the verge of breaking out!