"If Lord Ao Xiao truly wishes this man dead, and he does return alive, I could act on your behalf once. That way, no one would ever suspect you were involved," the masked woman said, her voice turning ice-cold.
"If he shows up, you won't need to act," Patriarch Ao Xiao replied without the slightest hesitation.
"Is that so? Does young miss Linglong already know about this person?" The masked woman seemed to know quite a bit about Silver Moon's affairs, and a note of surprise crept into her voice.
"Originally, I had kept all news of this man from Linglong. She has been by my side all along, cut off from outside affairs. But a few days ago, she suddenly received a message from an old friend from years past, who inadvertently let slip that the brat had ascended to the Human Realm and become an Integration Stage cultivator. That is why she insisted on coming along on this trip. If the boy named Han were to meet with some misfortune so quickly, even without any concrete evidence, Linglong would suspect me — and the knot in her heart would be all the harder to untie. Of course, if he dies at the hands of the demon race on his own, that would be an entirely different matter!" Patriarch Ao Xiao's expression flickered between light and shadow for a moment before he finally spoke in a measured tone.
"In that case, it does complicate things somewhat. But arranging for him to fall at the hands of the demon race — that, I believe, would not be beyond my ability," the masked woman said with a soft laugh, looking every bit as though she harbored a strong desire to see Han Li dead.
"I said no, and that is final. The great battle against the demon race is about to begin, and every Integration Stage existence is a precious fighting force. We absolutely cannot afford to squander them through internal conflict. Otherwise, far more than this man, I would have preferred to see Tiankui vanish from this world long ago — and I would not have let him keep his life until now." Patriarch Ao Xiao's face darkened, and he delivered the words in a tone that brooked no argument.
"Since Lord Ao Xiao has said so, I shall not interfere in this matter. Otherwise, I must admit I was rather interested in this so-called once-in-a-hundred-thousand-years cultivation genius of the human race," the masked woman said with a low chuckle, before relenting on the matter.
"Liaoying, how many years have you served as my shadow guard?" Patriarch Ao Xiao suddenly posed this question.
"Roughly fifty or sixty thousand years, I believe. Why does Lord Ao Xiao raise such a question all of a sudden?" The masked woman started in surprise, then asked with some bewilderment.
"Back then, I rescued you from the flow of time and space. You swore an oath of loyalty to me for a hundred thousand years and entered into a soul contract with me on the spot, binding you for that duration. I now intend to transfer the remaining tens of thousands of years to Linglong. What are your thoughts on this?" Patriarch Ao Xiao said gravely.
"Lord Ao Xiao! I entered into that soul contract with you out of gratitude for saving my life, yes, but the primary reason was that you are a Mahayana Stage existence — powerful enough in strength to earn my genuine respect. Otherwise, I would have repaid your lifesaving grace with a different method altogether." The masked woman's brow furrowed at his words, and a trace of displeasure surfaced on her face.
"What, is the sole reason for your reluctance that Linglong's cultivation is insufficient?" Patriarch Ao Xiao said flatly.
"That is correct. I watched that girl Linglong grow up from childhood — I do have some affection for her. I could overlook other conditions, but her cultivation is simply too weak. She would need to be at the Integration Stage at a minimum before I would even consider it. You know the rules of our Liao Beast clan — even I cannot lightly break them." The masked woman sighed, sounding somewhat resigned.
"If it is only a matter of strength, you need not worry on that account. This girl will break through to the Integration Stage within a hundred years, and after that, advancing all the way to the Mahayana Stage is not impossible either." Patriarch Ao Xiao smiled.
"Lord Ao Xiao, what exactly do you mean by that?" The masked woman's eyes flashed with an odd light, and she asked in astonishment.
"You are not yet aware — Linglong has awakened the Seven Star Moon Body. With this innate talent, do you still think my earlier words were an exaggeration? However, to prevent any unforeseen complications, this matter has never been disclosed to a third party aside from myself and Linglong." Patriarch Ao Xiao said with great solemnity.
"Such a thing actually exists? If that is the case, then entering into a soul contract with her would not be out of the question. However, I must personally verify what you have just told me before I can agree." The masked woman pondered for a long while before nodding with some reluctance.
"Very good. With you by Linglong's side to protect her, I will have no more worries until her cultivation has fully matured. There is no time to lose — in a few days I will make all the necessary arrangements. Once you have verified Linglong's Seven Star Moon Body, I will transfer the soul contract over." Patriarch Ao Xiao's expression relaxed as he spoke.
"If Lord Ao Xiao says so, I will naturally cooperate. But Lord Ao Xiao seems so anxious about this — could it be that you lack confidence in the upcoming battle, and are therefore arranging a fallback for young miss Linglong?" The masked woman nodded, then suddenly asked with a sly glint in her eye.
"Heh heh. If I lacked confidence, would I have come here personally? I do not know what the demon race is plotting, but this time, with our Mahayana Stage allies from several other races joining forces, our chances of victory are quite considerable. I cannot go into the specific details. What I am doing now is merely a necessary precaution. Moreover, even without this demon tribulation, I would not survive the next heavenly tribulation. Arranging some contingencies is only natural." Patriarch Ao Xiao smiled with an air of pride.
Seeing the long-haired man's expression, the masked woman's eyes flickered faintly, but she said nothing more.
At that moment, Patriarch Ao Xiao's tone grew suddenly serious as he spoke again: