Zhu Zhuqing drew a deep breath and walked heavily toward the bed. She slowly sat down beside Tang Yu.
They were so close that they could feel the warmth of each other's bodies.
Tang Yu turned his head and let his gaze roam over her stunning curves without restraint.
"Take it off."
His tone was flat, as though he were asking her to do something trivial.
That single word struck Zhu Zhuqing's heart like a heavy hammer.
Her pale, slender hands trembled slightly as she slowly raised them and placed her fingers on the buttons of her black leather outfit.
Her movements froze there. She couldn't go any further.
A feeling of humiliation unlike anything she had ever known swept over her.
Back when assassins sent by Zhu Zhuyun had pursued her all across the Star Luo Empire, even when she had faced the threat of death, she had never felt as helpless as she did now.
Her heart shuddered violently in her chest. The air around her seemed to grow thick, and immense pressure bore down on her shoulders.
Tears welled in her eyes, but she forced them back.
At last, Zhu Zhuqing gritted her teeth, steeled herself, and forcefully unfastened the first button.
She kept reassuring herself.
Just think of it as being bitten by a dog. It's not like I'll lose a piece of flesh.
As button after button came undone, the tight black leather outfit slowly slipped away.
Tang Yu didn't waste words. He reached out and pulled her into his arms.
The sudden movement made Zhu Zhuqing struggle instinctively.
But her feeble strength against Tang Yu's solid chest was like a kitten trying to scratch an itch.
Tang Yu didn't budge. His broad palm slid down along her waist.
"You've been training so hard these past few days. How come you haven't got even this much strength now?"
Tang Yu spoke with a hint of mockery.
At his teasing, a blush instantly rose in Zhu Zhuqing's otherwise pale cheeks.
"Besides using your power to force people, what else can you do?"
She bit her lower lip, her voice filled with shame and indignation.
Tang Yu chuckled, but his hand didn't pause for a moment.
"Power?"
"In this world, strength is the only rule. If you were stronger than me, you could force me to do anything you wanted."
"Unfortunately, you're too weak."
As he spoke, his gaze traveled down the girl's slender waist and settled on her long, straight legs.
Her long legs, tightly wrapped in black stockings, were pressed together slightly with tension, their exquisite curves enough to set any man's blood racing.
Tang Yu reached out and gently stroked the black stockings, feeling their delicate texture through the fabric.
"Not bad."
"Of all the spoils the Star Luo Empire paid tribute to me, these legs are the ones I like best."
The blunt, brazen appraisal made Zhu Zhuqing squeeze her eyes shut in shame.
She tried to pull her legs away, but the man held them down with his other hand.
"Don't move around."
Tang Yu leaned close to her ear, his warm breath brushing her neck.
"Dai Mubai could see but never touch what now belongs only to me."
"You should be glad you're with me. At least you won't have to run for your life like a stray dog."
His words struck Zhu Zhuqing right where it hurt.
The last shred of hope she had held for Dai Mubai was torn to pieces in that moment.
That's right. What could that coward, who abandoned me and ran away, possibly compare to the man before me?
As the two continued their conversation, shot through with resistance and intimacy, the tension in Zhu Zhuqing's body gradually ebbed away.
Their close, intimate gestures steadily shattered her psychological defenses.
Night deepened, and the temperature in the room kept rising.
Their exquisite beauty blossomed across the bed. At last, the two crossed that line.
Two hours later.
Everything returned to calm.
Tang Yu rose from the bed and casually threw on a robe.
He stood by the window, still savoring everything that had just happened.
Although Zhu Zhuyun and Zhu Zhuqing were sisters who looked seven or eight parts alike, they were completely different in this regard.
Zhu Zhuyun usually seemed proud and aloof, but when she first served him in bed, she had been extremely accommodating, even willingly lowering herself to please him.
Zhu Zhuqing, on the other hand, had been like a startled kitten.
She had been inexperienced and resistant, but that extraordinarily beautiful face and those irresistibly alluring legs in black stockings had brought him an entirely different thrill of conquest.
Just then.
A crisp, mechanical prompt suddenly rang out in Tang Yu's mind.
"Ding! The host has completed a major milestone. System rewards have been issued."
"Reward obtained: All Soul Ring ages increased by another ten thousand years!"
"Reward obtained: One Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring, named 'Eternal Tree'!"
At the two prompts, a sharp glint flashed in Tang Yu's eyes.
Immediately afterward, an immense torrent of energy surged into his limbs and organs.
He didn't need to guide it at all. The Soul Power in his body began to rise at a terrifying rate.
Detailed information about the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring surfaced in his mind.
The Eternal Tree came with two heaven-defying Soul Skills.
The first Soul Skill was called Forest of Eternal Treasures.
It was a pure rule-based skill. Once activated, it could create an absolute domain.
Within that domain, the enemy's life force, Soul Power, and even all other forms of energy would be forcibly absorbed and converted directly into Tang Yu's strength.
As long as an opponent was below the god level, they would be utterly powerless to resist while inside the domain.
The second Soul Skill was called Life Reincarnation.
It was an even more domineering control skill.
It could directly manipulate an enemy's lifespan.
With a single thought from Tang Yu, he could toy with an enemy's body, Soul Power, and soul at will.
One moment, they could become an old person on the verge of death; the next, they could regress into a child unable to hurt a fly.
It worked on any enemy below the god level. Even a Titled Douluo standing at the peak of the continent could only await slaughter before this Soul Skill.
After reading the descriptions of the skills, Tang Yu felt a surge of exhilaration.
These two Soul Skills seemed made to crush everything in their path.
With a single thought, nine Soul Rings appeared beneath his feet.
With the system's reward, his original Soul Ring Configuration had become eight deep black Soul Rings and one dazzling red Soul Ring that glowed like blood.
Eight black and one red!
If the Soul Masters who called themselves geniuses saw such a terrifying Soul Ring Configuration, they would probably be scared out of their wits on the spot.
Feeling the immense power within him, enough to destroy heaven and earth, Tang Yu smiled with delight.
"Not bad."
"I'll have to keep finding more women like her!"
On the bed.
Zhu Zhuqing pulled the thin quilt over herself, covering half her body.
She secretly raised her eyes and looked at the tall figure standing by the window.
The man wore his robe casually. The powerful aura of authority radiating from him made her heart race.
Her body was a little sore, but that sense of humiliation had faded considerably.
In its place was a quiet acceptance of her fate.