The Underling Deacon's Harassment, System's Husband-Protecting Directive

The pressure of a three-ring Soul Elder descended heavily, pinning him down.

Su Chen's back hunched deeper, his hands clutching the back of his head. His body trembled uncontrollably, his breathing ragged and heavy, like a snake with its vital spot stepped upon.

"Heh."

The short, stout youth let out a cold snort and raised his right foot.

The toe of his hard-leather boot kicked precisely into the leg of the tea table, sending the entire wooden structure and the basin atop it toppling over.

Warm water, mixed with jagged wood splinters, splashed across Su Chen's face and body. A sharp fragment of wood grazed his cheekbone, leaving behind a thin, bleeding scratch.

Su Chen did not dodge.

He merely raised a hand to wipe the water from his face with a muffled sound, his fingers shaking so violently that he failed to wipe away the bloodstain even after three attempts.

Seeing this pathetic, cowardly display, the last shred of hesitation in the stout youth's eyes vanished completely.

The pleasure of sadism welled up from his throat, transforming into a twisted, mocking laugh.

He stepped onto the edge of the bamboo lounge chair, the legs of which let out an unbearable, creaking groan.

"Trash Su, listen well!"

The stout youth began counting off on his fingers, one by one.

"First, starting today, your rations are gone! A piece of trash who doesn't even have a soul ring doesn't deserve to eat the food of my Martial Soul Hall!"

"Second, the fallen leaves in the plaza outside Martial Soul City haven't been swept since last month. Now, immediately, get out there! You aren't allowed to rest until you've finished sweeping!"

He leaned down, patting Su Chen's soaked shoulder as if teasing a dog.

"It doesn't matter if you can't finish. At worst, we'll just throw you out of the city tomorrow. The soul beasts outside are all hungry; if you end up missing an arm or a leg, no one will care, right?"

Su Chen didn't say a single word.

He gripped the gaps in the bookshelf behind him, his body slowly sliding down until he retreated step by step into the deepest corner of the Library Pavilion.

His shoulders were hunched tight, shaking violently, until his back hit the wall with a dull "thud" and he finally stopped.

A textbook frightened quail.

But beneath his lowered eyelids, the interface of the Eye of Omniscience unfolded silently.

Binder No. 001 Dong--Current Status: Underground secret chamber of the Pope's Palace, fusion of the new soul bone complete, currently immersed in the afterglow of a surge in strength.

Su Chen huddled in the corner, motionless.

The fishing rod had already been cast.

It was time for the fish to take the bait.

The two lackeys exchanged a glance, laughing without restraint.

The short one on the left stepped forward, grabbed the collar of Su Chen's brand-new coarse cloth undershirt, and yanked him forcibly from the corner.

"Riiip—"

The rough tug tore a large hole in the new fabric.

This undershirt was one that Bibi Dong had personally helped him put on.

Su Chen's eyelid twitched violently.

On the light screen, the line of data representing Bibi Dong's status lit up without warning!

Pope's Palace, underground secret chamber.

Bibi Dong had just retracted her Eight Spider Lances and was savoring the immense power brought by the newly fused soul bone.

Suddenly!

A mechanical voice, sharp as an electric drill, exploded inside her mind!

Warning! Lord of Creation Su Chen is being subjected to malicious targeting! Mood value is continuously suffering!

A blood-red panel flickered frantically, its blinding light reflected in Bibi Dong's suddenly constricted pupils.

She stood bolt upright.

Angela had only left to convey the lockdown order less than a quarter of an hour ago!

Within Martial Soul Hall, who would dare to touch that Library Pavilion at such a critical juncture?!

The system interface refreshed.

Emergency mission issued: Immediately proceed to eliminate the threat and establish authority for the Lord of Creation, Su Chen!

Reward: Soul power increased by one level!

Bibi Dong's breathing stopped for a full beat.

Soul power... increased by one level?

For an ordinary soul master, this might only be a few years of bitter cultivation.

But for a peerless powerhouse like her, standing at the peak of the Titled Douluo realm and only a step away from the limit, this one level was equivalent to gaining half a new life!

Within her mind, that woody, refreshing fragrance that smoothed away the Rakshasa's evil thoughts emerged once more.

Bibi Dong's expression shifted in an instant from astonishment to bone-chilling coldness.

She did not tidy her disheveled robe, nor did she don the crown that symbolized her supreme authority as Pope.

With a tap of her toes, a blinding, hundred-thousand-year red spirit ring erupted from beneath her feet!

"BOOM—!!!"

The secret chamber door, cast from a mixture of refined steel and basalt, was blasted into dust by the terrifying impact of her spirit power!

Fragments of stone and debris struck the corridor walls, gouging out dense clusters of deep pits.

The two high-ranking Temple Knights outside only had time to glimpse a purple-black afterimage soaring into the sky before, the very next second, the pressure that made their souls tremble pinned them firmly to the ground!

Their knees smashed into the stone floor, their heads pressed hard against the earth; they lacked the strength to even lift a single finger!

Library Pavilion.

The short, stout youth looked at Su Chen, who was pale-faced and gripped by the collar, the curve of his mouth stretching wider and wider.

He raised his right hand high.

Earth-yellow, three-ring spirit power condensed in his palm, aimed directly at the face of Su Chen—a face that made him jealous to the point of madness.

"Does having a face like a vixen mean you can eat for free?!"

The slap descended!

Three inches.

Su Chen saw the red dot on the light screen representing Bibi Dong overlap completely with the blue dot representing himself, moving at a speed that defied the laws of physics!

Two inches.

One inch.

The next instant, the sky collapsed.

There was no warning.

A terrifying pressure that made even space itself groan crashed down from the ceiling, piercing through three floors and compressing every inch of air in the room until it felt like iron plating!

The short, stout youth's hand stopped.

It was not that he wanted to stop.

It was that his body, along with his soul, had been frozen in place by this pressure!

His eyeballs bulged from extreme terror, bloodshot and straining, while a wheezing, gasping sound escaped his throat; even breathing had become a luxury.

In that moment, he saw the Grim Reaper.

A surge of purple-black spirit power, dense as reality itself, poured down like a waterfall from the heavens, completely enveloping the short, stout youth.

The profanity he hadn't managed to spit out was forced back down his throat.

"Thud."

A dull sound echoed.

The body of the three-ring Soul Elder was seized by an invisible giant hand and, like swatting a fly, was slammed ruthlessly into the hard granite floor tiles!

The sound of bones shattering erupted like a string of firecrackers, popping and cracking in rapid succession!

Blood seeped out from the gaps in the floor tiles, pooling into a glaring, dark red stain.

The short, stout youth couldn't even manage a single scream.

The two lackeys beside him had knees that reacted faster than their brains.

Their legs went weak, and they collapsed directly to the ground, their crotches instantly soaked through.

One of them trembled for a long time, using every ounce of his strength to squeeze out a broken syllable.

"Your... Grace..."

The window lattice of the Library Pavilion shattered from the shockwave, and sunlight poured in, illuminating the figure at the entrance.

Bibi Dong stood there, her long hair unbound, her robe in disarray.

She wore no papal crown, nor had she released her Eight Spider Lances.

But the killing intent surging within those phoenix eyes was ten thousand times colder than the crown upon her head!

Her gaze swept past the three piles of trash on the floor and landed precisely in the corner.

It landed on the figure huddled there, his collar torn.

Su Chen cowered in the corner, his expression fearful, his shoulders still trembling; the thin streak of blood on his cheekbone was particularly jarring under the sunlight.

He raised his head and met Bibi Dong's gaze.

On the light screen, two numbers flickered simultaneously.

[Bibi Dong's current emotions: Killing Intent 99% / Heartache 34%]

[Favorability: 8→12]

Su Chen lowered his eyes and hunched his neck further, his voice as thin as a mosquito's hum.

"Your Eminence... this subordinate, this subordinate is fine."

Bibi Dong did not answer.

She slowly turned her head to glance at the short, stout youth still bleeding between the floor tiles, then swept her gaze over the two lackeys who had already been frightened to the point of incontinence.

Her voice was very soft, so soft it sounded like she was talking to herself, yet it caused the temperature of the entire Library Pavilion to drop to freezing.

"This Seat has said it before."

"Within three hundred paces of the Library Pavilion, those who trespass shall be killed without mercy."