331: Chapter 331 Light Spreads Across Three Continents

At sunset, the sky full of rosy clouds dyed the flowing clouds gold and red. A flying boat leisurely cut through the horizon.

On the deck, Ling Hao stood with his hands behind his back, his sleeves fluttering in the wind.

"Supreme, may I ask..." A clear and graceful voice came from behind him, "What exactly is your relationship with Her Majesty the Empress?"

Ling Hao turned around, a gentle smile on the corners of his mouth, looking at the light cyan figure.

Gu Qingyao was dressed in a light cyan cloud-patterned ru skirt, standing gracefully.

"Why do you ask?"

Gu Qingyao stared at the man in front of her.

The Moonshadow Sect was only four or five thousand li away from the Tianyuan Capital City. With one Mahayana and one Void Tempering cultivator, their traveling speed should be faster than this flying boat. Yet he chose to travel slowly by boat, and kept standing alone at the bow, as if... waiting for something.

"Because after the banquet that night, the look in Her Majesty the Empress's eyes when she looked at you... was unusual. And when we left the Wutong Divine Tree, the way you and Her Majesty..."

She was referring to the night Su Fengyi left her and Ling Hao alone.

It was also that night that Gu Qingyao was "sold." Ahem, saying she was sold wasn't quite right. According to Ling Hao, it should be providing a better platform and a bigger stage.

As Su Fengyi's closest minister, handling government affairs made her interact with the Empress more frequently than the National Preceptor Ye Xinglan.

Since the omen of the Phoenix's cry that night, she had noticed that the Empress's attitude toward the Supreme had become subtle.

For example, she had once ordered her to take spiritual fruits to Ling Hao, only to call her back before she left. Combined with the undisguised intimacy between the two when they parted, Gu Qingyao understood that the Empress, who once despised romance and held conservative views, was likely harboring secret feelings for the Supreme.

Just like... herself?

"You observe very carefully." Ling Hao praised. "Then do you know why I directly made you the Empress of this Tianyuan Immortal Dynasty?"

Gu Qingyao probed, "Is it because of my experience assisting in the administration of the Wutong Divine Dynasty?"

Ling Hao shook his head. "If it were only for administration, I could have made you Prime Minister to assist the Empress, have the Prime Minister manage affairs, and send others to supervise—wouldn't that be equally feasible?"

Gu Qingyao widened her eyes slightly, not expecting this Supreme to have such a "exploitative" idea.

"Have you thought of it?" Ling Hao looked at her leisurely.

Gu Qingyao frowned and pondered. What other reason could there be? Her gaze touched Ling Hao's deep eyes, and the scene of walking in the Imperial Garden with a flower pinned to her temple suddenly flashed before her, and her cheeks couldn't help but flush red.

Could it be... because of that?

She had guessed the answer in her heart, but was too shy to say it.

"It seems you have guessed it, but are too embarrassed to say?" Ling Hao smiled knowingly and reached out his hand. "Give me your hand."

Gu Qingyao hesitated for only a moment before stepping forward and placing her right hand into his warm palm.

The moment their fingertips touched, she suddenly looked up!

A stream of Spiritual Qi invaded her body through her right hand, and all her Spiritual Qi and Divine Sense were completely Sealed!

At this moment, she was no different from a Mortal.

Ling Hao's smile deepened. "Now, close your eyes."

Gu Qingyao looked at him deeply and closed her eyes as instructed.

"Follow me."

Ling Hao led her to the bow of the boat, letting her stand at the very front.

His arm wrapped around her side, guiding her hands to grasp the cold, jade-like rhinoceros horn-shaped railing in front.

The flying boat broke through the air, and the molten-gold sunset afterglow gently wrapped around the two of them. Ling Hao looked at Gu Qingyao's profile, bowed his head slightly, and his warm breath brushed against her ear.

"Do you trust me?"

"I do." Gu Qingyao's voice was soft but firm.

Ling Hao gently lifted her hands, which were stacked on the railing, and guided her to spread her arms to the sides.

With her cultivation completely lost, Gu Qingyao's five senses were infinitely magnified instead. The slight pain of wind blades grazing her skin, the subtle tremors of the flying boat passing through the airflow, and the steady heartbeat and scorching body temperature of the person behind her all became incredibly clear.

"Alright, open your eyes."

Gu Qingyao's eyelashes fluttered as she slowly opened her eyes.

The flying boat broke through the top of the thick sea of clouds. The sharp metal Qi condensed at the bow split the oncoming flowing clouds from the middle, forming two surging "long corridors of clouds," and they were standing at the starting point of this magnificent corridor.

Beneath their feet was a vast, boundless sea of clouds, churning like a silver ocean.

In the distance, the outline of a magnificent and majestic giant city stood tall, like a dormant prehistoric beast.

The piercing gale was quietly smoothed out by the Spiritual Qi barrier behind Ling Hao, leaving only a gentle breeze that lifted Gu Qingyao's ink-like long hair.

Her wide sleeves and skirt were instantly filled with wind, like a green lotus blooming in an instant.

The flowing clouds were like silk and thread, passing rapidly through her outstretched fingers.

At this moment, it felt as if all the burdens of the world had been washed away by this wind of the Nine Heavens.

Gu Qingyao couldn't help but slightly lift her face, turning her head to the right, just in time to meet Ling Hao's smiling gaze.

Her heart beat like a drum.

With her Spiritual Qi and Divine Sense fully sealed, she was now just a Mortal.

Now, Gu Qingyao couldn't tell if this wildly beating heart was because of the thrill of the ten-thousand-foot altitude, or because of the person in front of her.

Ling Hao's hand rested steadily on her slender waist, gazing at her profile stained with the rosy sunset, and smiled. "Are you afraid?"

Gu Qingyao also smiled, her eyes bright. "I am not."

Ling Hao's palm slid up her slender waist and interlaced with the hands she had placed in front of her waist, holding them tightly.

He lowered his head slightly, and his warm lips pressed onto her red lips.

Ling Hao's tongue lightly tapped against her pearly teeth. A light touch and grinding, carrying the warmth of the molten-gold sunset.

Gu Qingyao's breath hitched slightly; she awkwardly parted her teeth, allowing him to explore deeper.

As their lips and tongues intertwined, their breaths merged, carrying a dizzying sweetness.

As their passion deepened, Gu Qingyao's right hand couldn't help but lift, wrapping around Ling Hao's neck, her fingertips digging into the roots of his hair at the nape of his neck, using a little strength to press him toward her.

After a long time, their lips parted.

Gu Qingyao's eyes were misty, her lips moist and slightly swollen.

"I like you."

Ling Hao smiled at the corners of his mouth.

"I like you too. By my side, you will possess a wider world. Cangwu, the Three Provinces, the Four Seas, the Nine Heavens, the Shi Continent, and even Hong Continent and Chu Continent! I want the light of the Moonshadow Sect and the Tianyuan Immortal Dynasty to shine upon the entire Three Provinces Realm!"

"Are you willing to come and help me?"

Gu Qingyao gazed at the spirited man in front of her, the throbbing in her chest no longer able to be suppressed.

She suddenly turned around from his embrace, her arms tightly wrapped around Ling Hao's neck, and took the initiative to offer her warm, soft lips.

The sunset faded away.

In the distance, the Tianyuan Capital City began to light up, outlining a magnificent silhouette in the twilight, witnessing this scene above the clouds.