She took a deep breath.
Ning Rongrong held out her trembling hands and pushed open the heavy, carved wooden door.
"Creak—"
The door gave a faint groan.
Inside, candlelight flickered, casting a warm yellow glow across the spacious room.
Tang Yu wore a loose black robe and sat on the edge of the bed, his posture imposing.
His gaze fixed on Ning Rongrong as she stepped inside.
Under that intensely oppressive stare, Ning Rongrong's whole body stiffened.
The resolve she had built up in her mind collapsed in an instant.
Her legs went weak, and she nearly crumpled to the floor.
She hurriedly lowered her head, not daring to look the man before her in the eye.
The sweat in her palms had already dampened the hem of her clothes.
"Come here."
Tang Yu's voice was calm, devoid of any unnecessary emotion.
Just two simple words, yet they carried an authority that left no room for defiance.
Ning Rongrong bit her lower lip.
She could only force herself to move, taking one heavy step after another.
The short distance of little more than a dozen steps felt as if it stretched on for a century.
At last, she made it to the bedside.
Even her breathing had grown ragged, her chest rising and falling sharply.
Tang Yu lifted his eyes and looked the young woman before him up and down.
The treasured jewel of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, usually so far above everyone else, now looked like a startled quail.
"Take off your clothes."
Tang Yu gave the order bluntly.
His tone was as casual as if he were asking her to do something trivial.
Ning Rongrong jerked her head up, her eyes full of panic and helplessness.
She had known all along what would happen tonight.
But when those two words truly struck her ears, she still felt dizzy.
There was no father here to protect her, no senior members of her sect to dote on her.
Only Prince Wuyang stood before her, a man who held sway over all and killed without hesitation.
She remembered Zhu Zhuqing's warning.
Whatever you do, don't make Tang Yu angry.
Ning Rongrong fought to hold back the tears welling in her eyes.
With trembling hands, she slowly reached for her sash.
Her fingertips had turned white from the force of her grip.
As her outer clothes slipped away, her skin, fair as jade, shimmered alluringly in the candlelight.
One garment after another.
At last, Ning Rongrong squeezed her eyes shut, and a single tear slid from the corner of her eye.
Tang Yu rose to his feet and swept her into his arms.
He carried her down onto the wide, soft bed.
The red curtains fell, concealing the room's springtime delights.
The night slowly gave way to dawn.
The system's notification rang in Tang Yu's mind right on time.
[ Ding! Congratulations, host. You have received a reward: Mysterious Heaven Divine Armor. ]
At those words, Tang Yu's closed eyes flew open.
A sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
He immediately focused his mind on the system's storage space to inspect the reward's properties.
Mysterious Heaven Divine Armor.
Quasi-Super Divine Artifact grade.
Below the divine level, its defense was unmatched.
It could not only block physical attacks and Soul Power impacts with one hundred percent effectiveness.
It could even fully defend against mental assaults, potent toxins, and even bizarre spatial slashes.
This was a true treasure of absolute defense.
Tang Yu did not hesitate.
With a thought, a streak of dark gold light surged from within him and quickly spread across his entire body, clinging to his skin.
It did not feel heavy or restrictive like metal. Instead, it was as light as a veil, completely concealed beneath his clothes.
To test the power of this quasi-Super Divine Artifact,
Tang Yu slowly raised his right hand.
The vast Soul Power of a ninety-fourth-rank Titled Douluo surged wildly within him, gathering in his palm.
Then, without mercy, he struck himself hard in the chest.
"Bang!"
A muffled boom burst through the room.
The blow, powerful enough to severely injure an ordinary Titled Douluo, landed squarely on his chest.
Yet Tang Yu's body did not so much as sway.
The devastating force of the counterblow vanished the instant it touched the Mysterious Heaven Divine Armor, like a stream disappearing into the sea.
Not a scratch.
He did not feel even the slightest pain.
Tang Yu was thoroughly satisfied.
With the Mysterious Heaven Divine Armor, no one on Douluo Continent could harm him in the slightest—except for those few elusive gods.
After concealing the Divine Armor within his body, Tang Yu turned to look at Ning Rongrong, still asleep beside him.
The first rays of dawn streamed through the window lattice.
Ning Rongrong's long eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes.
A wave of soreness surged through her body, making her draw in a small, sharp breath.
Her senses gradually returned.
The wild scenes from the previous night came flooding back to her mind.
She instinctively tried to sit up, only to find she had no strength at all.
Her gaze accidentally fell on the bed beneath her.
On the white sheets, a startling smear of red bloomed like a plum blossom.
Ning Rongrong's cheeks flushed bright red, all the way to her ears.
She bit her lip and turned to look beside her.
Tang Yu was leaning against the headboard, watching her with a deep gaze.
His handsome face, framed by sharp brows and bright eyes, was breathtaking in the morning light.
Dominant and forceful, yet radiating a sense of security she could not resist.
Looking at that face, Ning Rongrong's heartbeat skipped without her meaning it to.
She knew that, starting last night,
the Little Demoness of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had fallen into this man's hands.
That face, that unforgettable feeling—
she was destined never to forget them for the rest of her life.
The lingering grievance in her heart faded away in the morning breeze.
In its place was a sense of belonging she could not explain, even to herself.
Thousands of miles away.
Deep within the magnificent imperial palace in the Heaven Dou Empire's capital,
the oppressive atmosphere was suffocating.
Inside the imperial study,
Xue Ye held an urgent secret report that had just been delivered.
He gripped it so tightly that the veins stood out on the back of his thin hand.
"Smack!"
Xue Ye slammed the report onto the desk before him.
The precious paperweight on the desk was jolted to the floor, where it broke in two.
"How is this possible?!"
Fear sharpened Xue Ye's voice into a hoarse, piercing rasp.
He stared at the intelligence chief prostrating himself before him.
His chest heaved violently, and he breathed like a wounded old beast.
Just moments ago, he had received a highly classified report from the northwest.
Tang Yu had not only taken over the Northwest Three Provinces unharmed.
He had even made a stop at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect on his way to his territory.
Right outside the sect's gates on Seven Treasure Mountain, he had single-handedly ground Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo into the dirt.
He had forced Ning Fengzhi to lead the entire Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect in kneeling and submitting to him.
Even Ning Fengzhi's most cherished daughter, Ning Rongrong, had been given to Tang Yu as his woman.
This was utterly unbelievable!
What sort of power was the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?
It was the Heaven Dou Empire's greatest supporter, one of the Upper Three Sects, and a mighty power with two Super Douluos!
And Tang Yu had subdued them just like that, without a sound?
Xue Ye felt his legs go weak.
He dropped heavily into his imperial throne, his whole body trembling uncontrollably.