Liu Lei once again became the legend of immortality—though at the time, his sole intention was to save Nia, the heir to the Tremere clan, from death. This selfless act not only spared her life but also ultimately saved the "Little Bat" himself. The King of Corpses narrowly escaped the fate of his people, avoiding their tragic destiny.
Just as he was on the verge of giving up his own life, Liu Lei suddenly recalled the meteor crystal in his Qiankun pouch. Did it not contain vast amounts of energy? Surely it could sustain the formation. He thought, *Forget it, I'll save this violent woman and then die.* He took out the crystal, broke the seal, and began absorbing the immense energy within. The energy surged into his body like a tidal wave, but what was even stranger was that as it flowed through him, it rapidly repaired his organs—far faster than his peak regeneration capabilities! The energy then formed a cycle within his body, with only a small portion feeding into the formation, maintaining its operation. Yet even this small portion was enough to make the formation draw energy from the heavens much faster than Liu Lei had been able to with all his strength. In less than ten minutes, a much thicker beam of blue light descended, striking Nia's body.
Liu Lei sighed inwardly, *Enough, enough...* The meteor's energy seemed to understand his plea, as it stopped feeding energy into the formation, but the flow into his body remained undiminished. Liu Lei, feeling increasingly overwhelmed, mentally shouted, *Enough! Enough!* But the energy ignored him, continuing to surge relentlessly through his body.
The torrent of energy raged within him, crashing through his meridians and acupoints, yet Liu Lei felt no sensation of rupture. Instead, he found it oddly pleasurable, as though his body were immersed in the sea. His meridians expanded, his acupoints deepened, allowing him to contain more and more energy, which continued to flood into him at an ever-accelerating pace.
Finally, the meteor's energy was fully absorbed, and the crystal itself turned to dust, slipping from his fingers. The enormous energy quickly circulated within him, and after completing eighty-one full cycles, all the energy began to flow toward his heart, where it condensed into a transparent golden core. The remaining energy continued to pour into it, causing the core to grow, expanding to the size of his heart. Liu Lei's heart swelled with joy—he knew he had reached the stage of breaking his golden core and refining his spirit. He was about to break through from the golden core stage to the Yuan Ying stage.
When Nia "woke up," she found herself lying on the ground. Upon seeing the pervert who had bound her standing behind her, she screamed and struck out with the delicate hand that had once caused Liu Lei to feel a pang of sympathy. She knocked him clean through the door and out of the room.
Liu Lei, just on the verge of breaking his golden core, was about to step into the ranks of the true top-tier experts. Yet with a single swipe, Nia had shattered his "dream" of achieving mastery. Fortunately, he was still only on the brink of that realm, and did not yet begin the process of breaking his golden core. He spat blood, and the remaining energy dispersed into his limbs. Relying on his powerful constitution, he managed to escape any serious injury. Had Nia interrupted him during the actual process of breaking his core, the only result would have been his explosive death—unless, of course, his body were that of a Great Luo Golden Immortal.
Liu Lei opened his eyes, near the point of fury. He stormed into the room, glaring at Nia. But then, thinking back to the events of the morning, his rage deflated, and he sighed, no longer speaking.
"Eh? Why do I feel better?" Nia, confused, looked around. "I remember using the 'Blood Ritual,' I should have been bedridden for years, but how..." She turned to Liu Lei with a pitiful expression, "You saved me, didn't you? Did I really cause you serious harm?" Liu Lei, recognizing that she had finally realized something was wrong, sighed. "Forget it, it's my fate. No need to force things..."
"Sorry," Nia said, breaking from her usual violent demeanor and showing a rare sweet expression. "I didn't know..." Liu Lei stared in shock as she walked over and gently rubbed his chest with the same hand that had knocked him out earlier. "Are you alright?"
In that moment, Liu Lei marveled at the rare tenderness she offered. *How strange,* he thought. *The same hand that delivers violence can also offer such gentle comfort.*
Years later, Liu Lei would come to understand Nia's "strategy": her great violence, paired with small acts of tenderness, made her tenderness seem all the more charming and unexpected. Though her gestures of kindness were minimal compared to other women, they left a far greater impact. He never dared voice this thought to the still violently inclined Nia, but he continued to quietly enjoy the rare gentleness that emerged amidst her overwhelming force.
After the healing incident, Nia remained as violently outspoken as ever, still calling Liu Lei a pervert. Liu Lei sighed deeply: *It's easier to change a kingdom than a person's nature!* Though she was not unreasonable, she was still far from understanding. Every day brought new small arguments, with large disputes not uncommon. The villa was a constant turmoil, and the servants stayed well clear of the pair, appearing only when summoned, for fear of getting caught in the chaos. Poor old Christopher endured for three days before retreating to the "cracks" of his secret office to work in peace. Every evening, the old mage would lament, rubbing his back, and regretting ever agreeing to "protect" Nia at Santos's behest.
One afternoon, Liu Lei suddenly woke from a nap, sensing a powerful burst of light energy erupting from the south. An ominous feeling spread through him. He quickly dressed and went to find Christopher, who, with a grave expression, had clearly felt it as well. Nia, however, did not rise. Her energy was too low to sense the burst of light from over a thousand miles away.
Liu Lei asked, "What was Santos's mission?" Christopher, without answering, said solemnly, "The mission was in the south."
Liu Lei's heart sank, and he muttered, "That..."
Two days later, Christopher brought tragic news: Santos's mission had failed. They had attempted to assassinate a Cardinal, but had fallen into an ambush. All their intelligence had been correct, but no one had anticipated the presence of a divine artifact among the enemy. None of the fourteen Duke-level warriors, five dark mages, or three third-level werewolves had returned.
Liu Lei sighed inwardly, *The divine artifact has appeared. So the demonic artifact will likely follow suit.* His fears had come true. He felt a surge of anger—did these people not realize that divine and demonic artifacts were like nuclear weapons, meant for deterrence, not war? Otherwise, the result of endless vendettas would be a final showdown between three individuals wielding divine and demonic artifacts.
In her room, Nia remained locked away. Liu Lei, pressing his ear to the door, heard nothing. He exchanged a look with Christopher, both of them helplessly shaking their heads.
Meanwhile, in the Tremere family's ancient castle, the last three remaining dukes of the family sat in a dimly lit chamber, discussing the future of the clan. Nia's father, Kude—an elderly man with graying hair and a gloomy gaze—spoke first. "Now that Santos is dead, and my brother is gone, we are all grieving, but we must take responsibility for the clan's future. We must crown a new prince to unite the family's strength and repel the other families who are aiming to destroy us." Seeing the others nod in agreement, he continued, "Nia is the heir chosen by her uncle. We must hurry to conduct the ceremony and pass on the power."
The other two dukes, wearing round spectacles, shook their heads in unison. "Kude, though Nia is your daughter, she lacks the strength and prestige to lead as prince. We should let the younger generation fight off the other families' attacks, and the one with the greatest achievement should be made the leader. What do you think?" Kude looked over at another duke, Morens, who also seemed to agree. A deep resentment filled his heart. Even now, they were fighting for power, choosing an heir without proper authority would only divide the clan, leading the Tremere family to its doom. He looked at them with a silent, defeated sigh.