Lu Mingfei stood before the stone door and took a deep breath.
A voice came from deep within the passage. It was cool and commanding, yet carried a trace of softness almost too faint to detect.
"Come in."
Lu Mingfei stepped inside.
The moment he crossed the threshold, the stone door closed silently behind him.
The light in the passage was soft. Glowing Soul Tools embedded in the walls bathed the entire corridor in the colors of dusk.
The passage was short. After a dozen or so steps, he reached its end.
An open door stood there.
Beyond it lay a spacious room.
Lu Mingfei walked in and saw Bibi Dong at once.
She sat cross-legged on the bed.
Bibi Dong wore a magnificent golden gown.
It was impeccably tailored from top to bottom, tracing her figure to perfection.
Intricate patterns were embroidered across the gown, and more than a hundred gems studded its fabric. In the room's soft light, they glittered with dazzling points of light.
The Nine-Twist Purple-Gold Crown rested on her head.
The gems on the crown blazed with myriad rays, making her face as impossible to gaze upon as a deity's.
Her skin was fair and nearly flawless, her features exquisite without the slightest imperfection. Most striking of all were her eyes.
Purple-gold eyes, deep and commanding.
The instant her gaze fell on Lu Mingfei, something seemed to flicker in their depths.
The intangible nobility and sanctity she exuded made others want to lower their heads.
Facing her felt like standing before a towering mountain or a boundless sea.
It stirred an involuntary urge to bow down in worship.
But the moment Bibi Dong saw Lu Mingfei, she rose from the bed.
She moved quickly, almost eagerly.
The hem of her long gown swept lightly across