A Fragrant Beauty at His Side?

Inside the pill furnace, poisonous mist condensed into the form of a Heavenly Centipede, darting wildly through the furnace with a sizzling hiss and exuding a terrifying aura that made one's scalp crawl.

Sky Centipede Poison!

This was a poison Wu Ya had spent ten years painstakingly preparing, gathering over a hundred varieties of highly toxic heavenly treasures before finally having the chance to refine it.

Once he refined this poison pill, his poison arts would rise to another level. With the origin essence of Lu Xia's Woeful Poison Body added to the mix, breaking through to Dou Zong would come naturally!

When that time came, forget the Ten Thousand Scorpions Sect—even the Chu Yun Empire's imperial family would have to show him some respect.

At the thought of that legendary supreme poison body, Wu Ya's gaze grew increasingly fervent, and he accelerated the circulation of his Dou Qi.

"Soon... It'll be done soon..."

He murmured softly, his voice filled with excitement.

Just then, the stone doors of the cave abode slowly opened.

A red figure walked in from outside.

Wu Ya's brows furrowed slightly, but he did not stop what he was doing. He merely asked in a low voice,

"Mei'er, why are you here?"

His cave abode was heavily guarded. Normally, aside from himself, only Dugu Mei had permission to enter and leave.

It was not because he trusted this woman so much. In his eyes, Dugu Mei was merely a decorative vase with the cultivation of a Dou Wang. Even if she entered the cave abode, she could not cause much trouble.

Besides, she was gentle and sensible, and served him comfortably. Giving her some privileges did no harm.

Dugu Mei stepped lightly to his side, her voice sweet and alluring.

"Husband, I saw that you had been refining for so long. I was worried you might exhaust yourself, so I came to check on you."

She leaned forward slightly, looking at the beads of sweat on Wu Ya's forehead. Just the right amount of concern appeared on her face.

She took a silk handkerchief from her robes, carefully moved closer, and gently wiped the sweat from Wu Ya's brow.

Feeling her tenderness, Wu Ya's taut nerves relaxed somewhat.

A smile curled at the corner of his lips. He glanced at Dugu Mei, and his tone softened considerably.

"You're still the thoughtful one. But this is a critical moment. I cannot leave."

"Mm, I understand. Husband, just focus on your important work."

Dugu Mei nodded obediently, put away the handkerchief, and said softly,

"Let me add some Tranquilizing Incense for you. It will help calm your mind and keep you from suffering a deviation."

As she spoke, she turned and walked toward the bronze incense burner in the corner of the cave abode.

Fine Tranquilizing Incense was already burning in the burner. Wisps of smoke curled upward, carrying a faint sandalwood fragrance that could indeed soothe the mind and calm the spirit.

This was not the first time Dugu Mei had done such a thing, so Wu Ya did not think much of it. He merely gave a grunt, his full attention immersed in the Sky Centipede Poison within the pill furnace.

With her back to him, the gentle smile on Dugu Mei's face slowly vanished.

Her heart pounded wildly, and cold sweat began to form in her palms.

She was poisoning someone right under the nose of a Dou Emperor powerhouse!

If she were discovered, she would undoubtedly die without a complete corpse!

Dugu Mei took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.

She recalled Lu Xia's meaningful smile and the wonderful future he had promised her. Gritting her teeth, she hardened her heart, and her movements instead became steadier.

She reached out and took a stick of Tranquilizing Incense. Her fingers swiftly pulled out the small white porcelain bottle from her robes, poured out a little white powder, and carefully smeared it onto the incense.

The entire process flowed smoothly, making it clear she had practiced it countless times in private.

Only after finishing all this did Dugu Mei quietly let out a breath, placing the incense back into the burner.

The smoke continued to drift upward, no different from usual.

Standing by the incense burner, Dugu Mei stared at the rising smoke for several seconds, then secretly glanced at Wu Ya, who was wholly focused on the pill furnace.

When she saw that he had shown no abnormal reaction, the weight hanging over her heart finally fell away.

She turned around and returned to Wu Ya's side, standing obediently nearby. A gentle, considerate smile once more hung on her face as she waited quietly, as though nothing had happened.

Smoke from the incense burner slowly drifted throughout the entire cave abode.

The faint sandalwood fragrance silently entered Wu Ya's nose and mouth.

Wu Ya remained completely unaware.

All his attention was fixed on the Sky Centipede Poison in the pill furnace, which was about to take shape.

He even felt that today's Tranquilizing Incense smelled especially pleasant. After inhaling it, his mind seemed even calmer.

Mei'er really knows how to take care of people...

He quietly thought to himself, becoming a little more satisfied with the gentle and sensible woman beside him.

Outside Wu Ya's cave abode.

Lu Xia stood quietly in the shadows, lightly tapping the storage ring on his hand as he silently calculated the time.

Spirit Dissolution Powder was colorless and odorless. After entering the body, it would first lie dormant in the meridians, only taking effect when the cultivator circulated their Dou Qi.

Given Wu Ya's Dou Emperor cultivation, coupled with the full exertion of refining poison, the poison would take effect in less than half an hour.

Time passed second by second.

Just as Lu Xia waited patiently, the tightly shut stone doors of the cave abode suddenly began to open.

Lu Xia's eyes narrowed. His aura instantly withdrew, and he silently retreated half a step, watching the stone doors with vigilance.

The stone doors opened, yet no one emerged.

After waiting a moment, there was still no movement.

A faint curve slowly formed at Lu Xia's lips.

Given the situation, Dugu Mei had succeeded inside and opened the restriction.

Without hesitation, his figure flashed. Like a ghost, he shot forward, passed through the stone doors, and entered the cave abode.

Inside the cave abode, the flames beneath the pill furnace had already dimmed considerably, and the Heavenly Centipede pattern on its surface had lost its luster.

Wu Ya still sat cross-legged before the pill furnace, but his body was already swaying unsteadily and his face had turned pale.

Dugu Mei stood beside the incense burner, her face also somewhat pale.

Clearly, the Spirit Dissolution Powder had already taken effect.

Dugu Mei was only a Dou Wang, and her resistance to the Spirit Dissolution Powder was far inferior to Wu Ya's.

Less than half an hour after the Tranquilizing Incense was lit, she had already sensed something wrong within her body.

The Dou Qi in her meridians seemed to be tangled up by something, making it incredibly sluggish to circulate.

She knew Lu Xia's Spirit Dissolution Powder had taken effect.

That bastard had poisoned even her!

Dugu Mei was both angry and afraid, yet she did not dare reveal it.

She knew Lu Xia was waiting outside. She could only grit her teeth, force herself to remain standing there, and silently wait for Wu Ya's poison to erupt.

Fortunately, she did not need to circulate her Dou Qi, so the effects of the poison were not obvious. As long as she did not deliberately use her Dou Qi, she looked no different from normal.

Wu Ya, however, was not so fortunate.

He was at the crucial point of refining poison, with all the Dou Qi in his body circulating madly and pouring endlessly into the pill furnace.

After entering his body, the Spirit Dissolution Powder rapidly spread through his meridians.

At first, he only felt that his Dou Qi was being consumed a little faster than usual. He assumed refining the Sky Centipede Poison was simply too draining and did not take it to heart.

As time passed, he increasingly felt unable to keep up.

The Dou Qi flowing into the pill furnace grew weaker and weaker.

The Sky Centipede Poison within the furnace had nearly taken shape, but now, due to the insufficient supply of Dou Qi, it showed faint signs of falling apart.

"What is going on?"

Wu Ya's brows drew tightly together as an ominous premonition rose in his heart.