The heavy sense of oppression had already dissipated, and Su Cheng only felt her body become much lighter.
However, it was probably impossible to escape at this point.
She looked at the street at the end of the long alley, as well as the figures coming and going in the distance.
"I don't accept any one-to-one score. After all, you were just ambushing me earlier. If this is some kind of competition... you should have made it clear to me beforehand."
Su Cheng said in annoyance, "Mister—"
The white-haired man casually wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
On the right side of his face, faint specks of golden light began to flow within the veins beneath his pale skin.
Gilded patterns snaked horizontally along his cheekbones to his temples, like golden vines entwining pristine white marble. Then, a scarlet halo spread outward from the corners of his eyes.
Slender golden lines trailed down his cheek, piecing together the complete image of a goblet. A cluster of plump grapes hung diagonally from the rim of the cup.
The intertwining brilliant gold and purplish-red contrasted with those wickedly bewitching green eyes. It was as if divine nectar rippled beneath his porcelain-white skin, making him look increasingly eerie and breathtakingly beautiful.
Su Cheng: "............Lord Divine Chosen."
Fuck!
It really was this guy!
The highest person in charge of the Inquisition, the Grand Inquisitor of the Holy Church, and also a Divine Chosen, which was why he bore a crest on his body.
It was deeply ironic when you thought about it.
This guy was a sadomasochist who enjoyed pain—whether inflicting it or enduring it—yet he was the one who received the favor of the God of Joy.
That was a subordinate deity who followed the God of Love.
According to the records in the books, under the command of that ancient deity, the God of Joy was the most passionate echo, as well as the gentlest blade.
It was said that stars twinkled in His eyes, and as long as mortals looked directly into them, they would drown in endless ecstasy. Moonlight lingered in His hair, and if people gazed upon it, they would fall deeply into a dreamlike trance.
The wine goblet was one of His symbols.
"You must be regretting this, Your Excellency."
The white-haired man casually brushed aside the loose hair by his ear, smearing the blood on his fingertips onto his diamond cartilage stud.
The diamond-shaped gemstones with their faint green glow were stained red, making them look even more demonic.
"You should have stated a heavier punishment just now," he said, the corners of his mouth curling up. "For example, having my soul shattered or something. That might have actually been somewhat useful."
"Is that so?" Su Cheng sneered. "Then you probably wouldn't have agreed to it, right? Since you already knew who I was, the reason you were willing is simply that you felt you wouldn't die. Wait, maybe you're just a natural-born masochist and you just wanted to enjoy it for a bit."
"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow. "So you did it on purpose... to let me enjoy it?"
Su Cheng couldn't help but show a look of disgust. "I purely wanted you to swallow needles because you lied. How was I supposed to know you wouldn't die even from that?"
"Did you really not know?"
The white-haired man stared intently at her, a cold and bloodthirsty aura pouring out from those green eyes once again.
He spoke with a hint of a smile in his tone, but there was only a chilling frost in his eyes. "Why do I feel like you knew perfectly well, or perhaps your accomplice told you—"
Su Cheng: "?"
A few seconds later, she realized that the accomplice he mentioned was not referring to those three mercenaries in the tavern.
But rather to a certain Lord Archbishop.
"...I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about," Su Cheng said in amusement. "I recognize that pattern, so I know you are the Favored of His Highness the God of Joy. That's all."
"Oh?" He didn't look convinced. "You recognize it? As far as I know, before you broke off your engagement, the environment you were in was not sufficient for you to come into contact with any related knowledge—"
Su Cheng shrugged. "His Excellency the Archbishop generously gave me a few story collections about the Divine Chosen. Although they didn't directly write about the Favored of His Highness the God of Joy, they did mention this."
"Alright," the white-haired man stared at her for a few seconds. "Then let me introduce myself. I am the Chief Director of the Divine Inquisition—"
He still had that half-smiling expression, and just as she tried to step back, he suddenly leaned in, simultaneously pressing a hand onto her shoulder.
"I believe you know what this means?"
"Yes," Su Cheng looked at the bloodstains on his clothes. "Okay, Lord Grand Inquisitor. Good day, nice to meet you. Wait, actually, I'm not that happy about it."
The man lowered his head to stare at her, his icy breath brushing past her hair. "If you and White weren't accomplices, you should be a bit more surprised right now, shouldn't you?"
Su Cheng knew very well that her acting couldn't fool him, so she had no intention of pretending at all.
She shook her head. "Yesterday, when we were eating outside, he sensed you coming. After all, you made those two earthquake-like commotions."
This was also the truth, just with the order slightly reversed.
"So I knew you were in this city, or at least you were here last night..."
Su Cheng paused for a moment.
"I need to remind you," she said in a deep voice. "The item I presented was handed over to His Highness Cessia by His Holiness the Pope, and His Highness has already made a decision. If you want to use this as an excuse to fabricate charges against me and stir up trouble without authorization, it would be a violation of the Holy Church's Sacred Canon—"
Qin Jing was slightly stunned. "What item?"
"Hmm? You don't know?" Su Cheng deliberately showed a look of astonishment. "Since you don't know, then I can't tell you. After all, His Highness the God of Purity has already—"
The white-haired man looked at her thoughtfully. "What did you think I was looking for you for?"
"That thing, the thing handed over to the God of Purity," Su Cheng said blankly. "It's a heretical item, I admit. It was precisely because I discovered it was—"
Qin Jing abruptly covered her mouth.
His fingers were incredibly cold, bloodstains still lingering between them, and a faint metallic scent immediately wafted over.
"You don't understand what my position means, do you, Your Excellency? As long as it is someone I suspect, I can interrogate them unconditionally. This decree is engraved upon the Sacred Canon!"
The man's knee pressed between her legs, the cold leather rubbing against her inner thigh. "By the way, your heart is beating really fast—"
Su Cheng: "..."
This guy was proficient in holy arts and his warrior rank was also very high. In this situation, resisting was completely meaningless and would only make him happier.
So she didn't even bother to move.
Su Cheng: "It would be problematic if I were completely calm inside and out right now, wouldn't it? An innocent person encountering someone picking a fight and slinging mud has a high probability of getting so angry their heart races, haha."
Qin Jing suddenly grabbed her hand, using his thumb to caress her soft palm, looking at the faintly discernible scales pattern on it.
"Favored of the God of Contracts," he sneered. "I know what kind of people you all are. Just like your master, you have no honor in your hearts, you are unscrupulous, and for the sake of profit, you can abandon anything, betray anything. Everything in the world can be traded."
Su Cheng frowned. "Are you serious? His Highness Klaus is an ally of His Holiness the God of Light. If you want to question—"
"I mean you people," he interrupted her, "and I'm not here to judge you. I just need to know whether you, White, and Ling Yang engaged in some kind of cooperation regarding the Succubus King's prison break—"
Su Cheng: "...?"
The Succubus King?
Is he serious?
How could that guy from last time be the Succubus King?
Higher demons possessed formidable power, and legends said that the Demon Kings were even stronger, perhaps even rivaling lesser deities.
If he truly had that kind of strength, he wouldn't have been suppressed by the Holy Church's Light-forged Binding Seal, let alone reduced to having to curry favor with her.
Su Cheng recalled the sequence of events. "...First of all, I only met the archbishop here a few days ago. Secondly, before the fugitive ran into my yard, I had never seen, known of, or contacted the fugitive or anyone related to him in any way. I never thought a demon would appear in my room, nor was it a transit point I prepared for him in advance. I can swear on this: if there is any false part in what I just said, His Highness the God of Covenants will directly take my soul."
Qin Jing narrowed his eyes and stared at her.
Su Cheng wasn't lying at all, so she met his gaze without flinching or looking away.
—The part about the demon was also the truth. She originally thought that without the bracelet, the demon wouldn't come.
She hadn't expected the residual aura to still attract that thing.
About ten seconds passed.
"You see," Su Cheng moved her right hand, "every letter is true, otherwise I would already be dead."
Qin Jing cast his eyes down at the glowing scales pattern on the young woman's right hand. "You definitely aren't lying, but I know your kind. You excel at playing with words. What you say is often only a fraction of the truth, while the more important information is buried and hidden beneath a seemingly flawless facade—"
"What?" Su Cheng rolled her eyes. "God, you're a fucking psycho! You don't know anything at all, so stop being so full of yourself! Go back and ask His Holiness the Pope for instructions first!"
Even so—
She knew this person wouldn't actually do that. Because of his special position, he often didn't need to take orders when doing things.
This guy was just as annoying as he was in the original novel!
Lin Yun was also a total idiot for actually being able to get turned on by this kind of person!
...Though it might just be because of his face, or maybe she enjoyed the abuse.
"Hahahahahaha—"
Qin Jing suddenly had another fit of madness. Seeing her reaction, he laughed joyously again and abruptly leaned in close to her.
This guy looked rather lean, but he was very tall, packed with muscle, and had a heavy, solid build.
Su Cheng felt like she was about to be crushed into a pancake.
Even breathing became difficult for her. His blood rubbed onto her collar, sticky and cold, carrying the metallic stench of rust.
His lips slowly drifted to the side of her neck, his canines lightly scraping across her pulsing vein. "Then let us see..."
The Grand Inquisitor gripped her chin, lowering his head to meet her gaze.
The world twisted in an instant.
After a world-spinning bout of vertigo, Su Cheng plummeted into an illusion.
The blood-red sky seemed to have been torn apart by invisible hands. Crimson clouds churned into a vortex, like a surging sea of blood, while the cliffs below were constantly collapsing.
At the edge of the towering precipice, she was bound to a snow-white cross, her wrists and ankles wrapped in blood-red thorns.
The sharp thorns rubbed against her flesh, scraping out fine beads of blood that watered the vines, making them even more vividly red.
Floating memory fragments surrounded her: inverted temple palaces, burning contract papers, and the flickering silhouettes of familiar figures.
—All of them were her friends or acquaintances in this world.
Su Cheng: "..."
She guessed she might enjoy the same treatment as Lin Yun, but she hadn't expected it to come so quickly.
However, the fact that he used his ultimate move right off the bat showed he was wary of her identity as a God's Favored. After all, when Lin Yun encountered "her," it was much later than now.
Timeline-wise, it must be several years later, right?
At that time, Lin Yun's rank was higher than hers was now, and her combat power was stronger, yet she was still utterly crushed.
And then came a series of rather hardcore BDSM scenes.
Su Cheng wasn't really into that kind of thing, so she had skipped many chapters, and now she couldn't help but feel a tinge of regret.
But—
She had also seen some important information.
"...Your Excellency, how does it feel?"
The white-haired man's figure emerged from the void.
Taking leisurely steps, he walked over the fragments, toying with a scarlet, thorn-covered whip in his hand.
Golden-blue runes intertwined along the whip, flashing and fading continuously, illuminating the densely packed, ferocious spikes.
Su Cheng: "...How does what feel? This is all fake."
Qin Jing glanced at her. "Indeed, but until it ends, it will feel as real to you as reality itself."
He caressed the young woman's jaw with the tip of the whip. "You can try to hypnotize yourself with the thought that 'this is fake,' and see if it helps."
The white-haired man took a few steps back and opened his arms in the air, a crazed look of excitement surfacing on his face.
Behind him was a blood-red sky, the clouds tumbling and condensing into twisted smiling faces, then dispersing into screaming ghostly shadows.
The distant mountains were collapsing. Boulders rolled down the ridges, but the moment they fell, they transformed into countless colorful butterflies, becoming a dynamic, vibrant curtain.
The cliffs split into countless intersecting fissures. Boiling champagne gushed out from the cracks, the sound of the popping bubbles resembling the snickers of millions of people.
A sickly sweet fragrance permeated the air, like overripe fruit mixed with rotting roses, making one feel both intoxicated and suffocated.
"This is my Domain of Law, 'Sovereignty of Bliss'."
He tilted his head, his emerald eyes full of intoxication. "It is also the power bestowed by the Lord of the Banquet—"
The phantom image of a castle appeared at the mountain peak. The towers collapsed, their fragments turning into scattering playing cards in mid-air, hearts and spades spinning as they fell into nothingness.
A massive clock emerged from the clouds, its hands spinning wildly before stopping at the "Joy" mark.
The entire world seemed to be celebrating an unknown doomsday feast.
Su Cheng watched him in silence.
A so-called Domain of Law was a realm of rules that operated according to certain laws.
However, in most cases, those pulled into a Domain of Law wouldn't know what those rules were.
Because the rules of every Domain of Law were different.
There were two types of Domains of Law: physical and mental. The former could affect the physical body in the real world, while the latter targeted the soul.
It seemed like the former would be more useful, but in this world, there were many powers that could resurrect a person or reconstruct their physical body in minutes.
Some enemies truly could only be dealt with using the latter.
But regardless—
The number of God's Favored was very small, and the number of God's Favored who could use a Domain of Law was even smaller.
This also had requirements for hard strength, such as mental power intensity having to reach a certain standard. Otherwise, one wouldn't last a few seconds after opening it, and their own soul would burn out first.
"Ha, it seems you know what this is. That makes it even more interesting."
The smile on the white-haired man's face grew thicker, and his breathing quickened.
He raised his hand, seemingly wanting to strike her with his whip.
Su Cheng was speechless.
Judging from the various plots in the book, fierce cursing and struggling would only make the other party more excited. Showing an unyielding pride would make him want to crush it even more, but crying and begging for mercy would also spur him on.
In short, all these reactions would only intensify his pleasure.
Su Cheng blinked and timely revealed a look of nervousness, fear, and anticipation.
Qin Jing's movements paused.
He stared intently into her eyes, looking somewhat surprised, trying to find some flaw in her expression.
However, in those clear amber eyes, though fear seemed to surge, there was also a distinct, burning excitement, as if she was longing for his actions.
Qin Jing was speechless.
Upon noticing his lack of movement, she looked a bit relieved, yet also showed a touch of anxiety and disappointment.
The motion of raising the whip completely halted at this moment.
Su Cheng curled the corners of her lips.
She took in his expression completely.
That momentary doubt, astonishment, and disbelief, along with a certain worried emotion.
"Hahahahaha!"
Su Cheng laughed out loud in delight. "Look at how you are now, Lord Grand Inquisitor!"
The blood-red thorns wrapping around her limbs began to soften, cracks appearing as her body trembled.
"You must have investigated me too, Your Excellency. I have been bullied since I was a child. After being humiliated, beaten, and scolded so much, I don't know since which day..."
The rules of every domain were different, and the unlucky souls pulled in by its master usually wouldn't know what the rules were.
However, there would inevitably be a hint in every domain, informing everyone inside about the rules of this world.
This hint could be very subtle and vague; perhaps most people wouldn't realize the truth even after seeing it.
For example, the scale of "Joy" on the clock just now.
That was the law within this domain.
All matter, energy, and even the flow of time within the domain would preferentially respond to the will of the "happier party."
Within the power range of the God of Joy, this was happiness in a broad sense.
Whether it was a simple emotional change or a deep sense of pleasure, satisfaction, and self-validation, all were included.
Simply put, inside this mental domain, whoever was happier held more power.
Therefore, once she showed a look of desiring pain and anticipating being whipped, Qin Jing hesitated.
Originally, he could derive pleasure from his sadism, but this pleasure could only continuously elevate in response to the other party's pain, despair, or anger.
However, if the other party also enjoyed pain, his pleasure would be drastically reduced.
If her level of enjoyment was even higher, the control over this domain would change hands.
That was why he hesitated.
The sound of vines snapping exploded in succession.
Su Cheng violently yanked her arms, breaking free from her restraints, and the fragments of thorns fell like ashes.
With the continuous surge of gratification in her heart, she could feel her power growing stronger and stronger.
She didn't truly desire pain.
And happiness indeed couldn't be faked; feigned happiness wouldn't take effect in this kind of domain.
However.
Happiness could be deliberately manipulated and magnified.
She had once met someone she disliked at a party. Because she didn't want to pay attention to that person, she deliberately told jokes with her friends, and they gathered together laughing very loudly, creating an atmosphere that made it difficult for outsiders to intervene.
Her friend indeed told a story that hit her funny bone.
But originally, it wouldn't have made her burst into laughter for a whole minute until her stomach hurt.
It was only after deliberately engaging her imagination, replaying the scene in her mind, and turning fragmented joy into an immersive experience that the brief flicker turned into continuous resonance, achieving a sort of strengthening effect.
At that time, she was very certain that humans could prolong pleasure by actively ruminating on enjoyable experiences, even if it was all just brain activity.
And at this very moment, the appearance of the Lord Grand Inquisitor was the sight that truly entertained her.
A top powerhouse in the Holy Church, with a lofty status and limitless power, someone countless great nobles hoped to cling to.
If they were in the outside real world, he had the martial prowess to sweep through armies; dealing with ten thousand of her would be a breeze.
Yet, out of wariness for the main god behind her, he insisted on pulling her into this domain for a confrontation.
And as a result, he was actually played by her.
This contrast was simply too thrilling.
The stronger the opponent was, the happier Su Cheng felt as she thought about it, and she did her utmost to magnify this emotion.
And most importantly, Qin Jing didn't dare to hit her for the time being.
"Why aren't you hitting me?"
The thorny vines binding her legs shattered inch by inch.
Su Cheng stepped away from the cross.
The young woman's clothes were tattered, her hair messy, and her head covered in sweat, her face flushed with excitement.
She raised her hand and tugged at her torn collar, revealing her smooth neck and chest, looking as if she was still anticipating something.
Qin Jing couldn't help but take a step back.
His action only further reinforced her happiness.
The moment she approached, he instinctively swung his whip, seemingly wanting to stop her from coming closer.
Su Cheng raised her hand and grabbed the whip, giving it a fierce yank. The white-haired man stumbled, his entire body pulled toward her.
Good.
Now she wasn't afraid of him whipping her.
Su Cheng thought as she touched the whip.
"Ha," Qin Jing let out a light scoff, speaking as if willing to concede defeat, "I really didn't expect that you were also this kind of trash."
Su Cheng looked at him with a smiling face. "Also? You mean you are one too, right?"
Qin Jing was speechless.
He had actually been trying to anger her so she would whip him.
Su Cheng directly threw the whip away. "Boring."
She definitely couldn't hit him.
This guy's love for pain was a two-way street; he got excited whether he was hitting someone or being hit.
But she couldn't derive pleasure from whipping someone. Even if she forced herself to feel a little, it definitely wouldn't be as much as his pleasure.
Once she beat him, things would get messy again.
Su Cheng raised her hand and pointed downward.
The white-haired man's knees sank, and he dropped straight to his knees on the ground.
He wasn't in pain.
He was merely subjected to some invisible heavy pressure.
"You..."
Qin Jing stared straight at her, intense malice and anger surging in his venomous green eyes.
Turning a blind eye to it, she reached out, grabbed his chin, and interrupted his words.
"I've been humiliated since I was a child, so insulting me is meaningless."
Su Cheng decided to do something that would make her even happier.
She scrutinized that gorgeous face, lowered her head, and kissed him.
