The Reverence Made My Skin Crawl

Almost on instinct, Lin Hao sprang forward, reaching out with both hands to firmly support the Eastern Domain Lord's arm before he could bow any lower. The arm beneath his hands was warm and smooth, yet held immense power. But the power of Lin Hao's Chaos Sacred Body was flowing naturally now, and he held the man steady, preventing him from completing the bow.

"Domain Lord! You mustn't!" Lin Hao's voice carried a rare note of urgency. His face was utterly sincere, almost pleading. "You'll make me feel like a sinner! Do you want to leave me with nowhere to hide?"

He hurriedly turned to Duan Tian, Hua Xinyue, and Qiu Ya as well. "Sect Master! Elder Hua! Brother Qiu! Please, get up! What are you doing?"

At last, he whirled around. His gaze flashed like lightning, tinged with three parts helplessness and seven parts reproach. It landed squarely on King Ba Wu, who stood with his arms folded, wearing an expression that said, I knew this would happen, and trying not to laugh. The meaning in Lin Hao's eyes couldn't have been clearer: Senior Ba Wu! Did you set this up? Are you all conspiring to shave years off my life?

When King Ba Wu caught Lin Hao's "woeful" look, he didn't feel guilty in the least. Instead, he burst out laughing. The solemnity he'd been forcing vanished in an instant. He strode forward, then gave Lin Hao's other shoulder a mighty smack with his fan-sized palm, making him sway. "Hahaha! Kid, stunned, are you? Feeling awkward? Let me tell you, this is how an emperor gets treated! The Human Emperor Xuanyuan gave his word, with heaven and earth as witnesses. You're now the bona fide Sword Emperor of our Human Race! The old Domain Lord is particular about