Qin Jing clearly didn't expect her to do this.
He was probably expecting her to beat him, to use her superior strength to vent her anger on him, or to cause him pain and discomfort in any way possible.
Then, perhaps, he could use that to regain the upper hand.
Therefore—
The moment Su Cheng lowered her head to kiss him, the feigned anger on his face and the anticipation in his eyes shattered.
Her fingers threaded through his messy, snow-white hair, holding the back of his head to stop his instinctive attempt to lean back and dodge.
With a casual, almost playful attitude, she very gently and nonchalantly bit his thin lips.
It was as if they were two soft petals waiting to be plucked, ready to break with the slightest force.
Su Cheng felt his stiffness and resistance. "...Has no one ever treated you like this before, Lord High Inquisitor?"
The muscles in the man's shoulders and neck tensed, his teeth clenched, and his lips were pressed tightly shut in defiance.
She let out a laugh.
"...What a pity. In my opinion, these things are much more enjoyable than those little games of yours."
Su Cheng didn't actually derive any pleasure from coercion or abuse.
She knew some people liked it, but it truly didn't spark much interest in her.
However—
She was more than happy to see someone she hated suffer.
Misfortune befalling a stranger versus someone you despise are two completely different feelings.
This Lord High Inquisitor was already highly unlikable in the book, at least to her.
Now that she had met him in person, the irritation in her heart only grew worse.
Lin Yun, at the very least, had genuinely done things to harm the Church, and more than once. The people of the Church and he were naturally enemies.
Since they were enemies, there was naturally no need to be reasonable.
But as for her own actions, even the God of Purity could understand them.
Yet the guy in front of her was being aggressive, imagining all sorts of nonsense and wanting to prosecute her.
He seemed to be looking for trouble out of nothing.
Since Qin Jing didn't like being treated this way, and since it made him show such an expression—
Then that changed things.
Su Cheng buried her face in the man's neck, taking a light bite, and then sucked and ground her teeth against his smooth skin without actually biting down.
She would absolutely not let him feel pain.
Otherwise, he would get a thrill out of it, and the control of this domain might fall back into his hands.
"You!"
The white-haired man frowned. His originally handsome and striking face was tainted with a flush of anger and humiliation.
He didn't feel the slightest bit of pain, but that only made him feel worse.
Then the young woman in front of him slowly reached out, her fingertips tracing his tense jawline with a touch of malicious gentleness.
"Tsk," she sighed softly, her gaze lingering on his eyelashes that trembled with rage. "You are truly beautiful, Lord High Inquisitor—"
Qin Jing nearly ground his teeth to dust. "Just you wait!"
Su Cheng stroked his lips, her fingertips slipping in through the corner of his mouth.
His jaw instinctively clamped shut to stop her invasion, but her slender fingers nimbly slipped inside anyway, brushing against the hot, moist interior of his mouth.
He seemed to subconsciously want to bite down, to crush that tender, slightly cool flesh, but he held back.
Because given the current gap in their strength, he couldn't actually hurt her at all. Even if he could make her feel pain, it would be more akin to flirtatious teasing.
Su Cheng realized this too.
She gently pinched the tip of his tongue with her index and middle fingers, then gave it a slight tug.
At that moment, the man's body jolted violently, as if a forbidden boundary had been crossed. His green eyes blazed with a mix of shame and fury.
Su Cheng tilted her head and stared intently at him, capturing every subtle change on his face.
A blush spread across the man's cheeks, his snow-white eyelashes trembled with humiliation, and a hazy sheen of tears flickered at the corners of his eyes.
In truth, her movements were incredibly light.
So he wouldn't feel pain.
His intense reaction right now stemmed one hundred percent from psychological humiliation.
The more Su Cheng looked, the happier she became.
After all, if she hadn't reversed their positions, she would be the one tied to that cross right now, whipped black and blue, or toyed with until she was a miserable mess.
This guy had very few boundaries when it came to tormenting people.
Especially since this wasn't the real world.
So he definitely wouldn't hold back just because she was a Favored of the Gods. After all, even if someone was beaten to the brink of death in here, their body would be perfectly fine once they got out.
"The first time I saw you..."
Su Cheng deliberately spouted nonsense, "...I wanted to do this to you."
She slowed her movements, her fingertips gently caressing his tongue, feeling its warm, slippery texture.
A muffled, suppressed whimper escaped the man's throat, the sound broken and filled with rage.
She raised her other hand and casually unbuttoned his shirt, revealing a lean, muscular male torso with smooth lines. Every inch of his taut muscles seemed to scream his unwillingness.
Su Cheng patted his shoulder, stroking his firm, bulging deltoids. "Mhm, you work out quite well. Though, by my standards, you're still a bit too skinny."
She even purposely showed a hint of disdain as she spoke.
At the same time, her fingers pressed down further, touching the highly sensitive base of his tongue.
"...But you're good-looking enough, so I suppose I can make do."
Qin Jing's body suddenly arched like he'd been electrocuted, letting out a low groan of protest.
"Look at you," the young woman's voice carried a malicious, sugary sweetness. "Do you really dislike being treated like this? I think you seem quite happy—"
As she spoke, she lowered her head. "Tsk, did I just give you a thrill again?"
Fine sweat beaded on the man's temples, sliding down his pale skin like tears.
"Hah."
He suddenly let out a twisted smile.
It was absolutely not out of happiness or satisfaction; it was more like laughing out of extreme fury.
"If that's the case," the man's voice ground out through gritted teeth, "we will settle this in the material world."
The next second, the illusory world began to shake violently, and the crisp sound of shattering glass echoed all around.
"I hope you can last a little longer."
The clocks in the air crumbled into dust, the burning scrolls turned to ash, and all the flickering silhouettes shrieked as they dissipated.
"...Miss Apprentice Mage."
Amidst the piercing ringing and shattering sounds, the entire illusion suddenly exploded into countless swirling motes of light.
Su Cheng collapsed into an alleyway, sitting on the ground and panting wildly.
She looked down at her clothes. While they weren't in perfect condition, at least they didn't look like they had been torn apart.
Su Cheng looked up. "Is that it? I thought I'd get to play in your domain a little longer—"
The white-haired man leaned one hand against the wall. His bloodstained shirt hung wide open, revealing his lean, clearly defined chest.
The next second, his figure closed the distance like lightning.
He grabbed her by the neck and pinned her against the wall.
—He even deliberately controlled his strength, as if afraid she might enjoy it, not daring to use too much force.
Su Cheng suppressed a smile and gave him a disappointed look. "Aren't you going to say something, Your Grace?"
Qin Jing stared at her coldly.
Scattered golden flames suddenly burst from his pitch-black, slit-like pupils, igniting his emerald irises into a field of fire.
It seemed he didn't dare speak to her any further; he immediately began chanting a holy spell.
"Listen, the veil of falsehood crumbles here! The shackles of truth shall punish the tongue of lies—"
This was a type of holy truth spell.
Once cast, liars would suffer an extremely agonizing punishment.
Countless gold and blue flames leaped into the air, weaving themselves into thorn-like chains that spun rapidly around the two of them.
Then, they shot fiercely toward the black-haired girl.
Crack!
A streak of golden light sped over from afar, crashing into the thorny light chains!
The golden chains shattered in midair, turning into millions of specks of light dust that fluttered down.
"...God's favored are always the exception."
A tall figure appeared at the entrance of the alley.
The golden light in the air swirled back, falling into his hand and transforming into a warhammer wrapped in a brilliant golden ribbon of light.
Forged from mithril and dragon spine, the triangular hammerhead was as massive as a deer's skull, covered in gleaming, icy spikes, radiating a fierce and brutal aura.
The newcomer held the hammer in one hand, looking at them calmly.
"Even you, Your Excellency, cannot interrogate a favored of the allied chief god of His Holiness the God of Light in such a manner without a decree."
"Hmph," Qin Jing looked back at him, "You certainly moved fast."
It was normal for them to be sensed after using divine power twice in succession.
Not to mention that His Eminence the Archbishop was also a favored of the gods.
Su Cheng exchanged a distant glance with the newcomer, various speculations flashing through her mind, and slowly turned her head back.
"I suppose this isn't the first time something like this has happened, Lord High Inquisitor."
She paused. "You often act with disregard for the holy scriptures, relying solely on the fact that ordinary people can't control you, and those who can are too lazy to bother with you. After all, you're like an annoying bedbug."
Qin Jing's gaze landed on her face, watching her with a subtle, scrutinizing look, but he did not speak.
"You're afraid," Su Cheng grasped the hand he had pressed against her neck. "You don't dare to answer, do you? Afraid of falling into my trap, afraid of being played by my words?"
Her slender fingers gripped the man's bony wrist.
From an angle the other party couldn't see, the crest on her forearm grew brighter.
"All subjects of the vassal states must act according to the laws of the land. Those who receive holy orders and bathe in divine grace must also strictly abide by the decrees. Should there be any violation—"
Ripples appeared in the girl's amber eyes, radiating fine golden light.
The golden light surged along the winding veins of her irises, like magma rushing down a dried riverbed, until the entire ring of patterns was plated in flowing gold.
Her eyeballs seemed to swell as well, the edges of her irises seeping out threads of light like honey.
The pitch-black, round pupils suddenly twisted and deformed.
Golden patterns intertwined and extended within her pupils like living creatures, forming a falling gavel on the left and an open law book on the right.
"—they shall suffer the penalty."
Her fingers suddenly tightened.
Accompanied by a crisp sound like snapping dead wood, the wristbone that originally couldn't be encircled by one hand began to shatter.
The strong muscles and bones wrapped in solid battle aura were as fragile as paper in this moment.
The man's wrist twisted backward, bending at almost a ninety-degree angle. Jagged bone fragments pierced through the skin, and beads of blood splashed between her fingers.
The moment Su Cheng let go, the other party's entire right hand snapped completely, separating from the arm and falling to the ground.
The white-haired man looked at her in disbelief. "You—"
Zane approached slowly, silently handing over the hammer in his hand.
Su Cheng immediately took it. "Weren't you going to duel me in the material world?"
The sleeve on her arm shredded in the fierce wind, revealing the gavel mark burning with golden light, and the crests in her eyes grew even more brilliant.
Golden light wandered down from the corners of her eyes, crawling all over the girl's delicate and bright face, revealing a somewhat grotesque and ferocious malevolence.
She lifted the hammer backhanded and smashed it upward, the hammerhead crashing into the white-haired man's chest.
The warhammer shrieked as it tore through the air, runes swirling with blinding golden light across the hammer's body.
A shockwave exploded with a boom, drowning out the sound of shattering bones as rubble and blood mist sprayed out simultaneously.
Qin Jing had been half-kneeling on the ground, but this blow sent him flying directly into the air.
The surrounding air was smashed into layers of ripples; the stone walls of the alley shattered with a loud crash, bricks and stones disintegrating and scattering in the air.
Without even time to make a sound, he was smashed into the sky, streaking past the densely packed rooftops of the commercial district and disappearing among the layers of clouds.
The golden light in Su Cheng's eyes suddenly extinguished.
She suddenly felt extremely exhausted. The warhammer in her hand seemed to become infinitely heavy, dropping to the ground with a heavy thud.
The surrounding earth and stone instantly split apart.
More than half of the hammerhead was embedded in the ground.
Su Cheng: "..."
She had originally wanted to smash downward from above, but this area was a residential district.
If she had struck like that, an area ranging from a kilometer at the very least to dozens of miles or even further could have been affected.
It was just that—
This power also faded quickly.
Now that the hammer was on the ground, she bent down and grabbed the handle, trying to lift it, only to find she couldn't do it even with all her strength.
She couldn't even make it budge.
"Ahem," Su Cheng straightened up and turned around with a serious expression. "Thank you for providing the tool, and I'm sorry for getting it dirty."
The Archbishop smiled slightly. "I should also thank you. After all, it is a rare opportunity to witness the might of His Highness the God of Law."
Su Cheng sighed softly and made an apologetic gesture toward the void.
"I apologize, Your Highness the God of Joy."
She said casually, "For hitting your favored one. If you are watching this, you should know it was entirely him asking for it first—"
Zane couldn't help but laugh. He had wanted to say something, but his expression suddenly changed.
Su Cheng's words also came to an abrupt halt.
A sudden, inexplicable, and intense throbbing surged in her chest.
Her heartbeat quickened abruptly.
Immediately after, a soft and gentle white light suddenly poured down from the sky, landing in the gloomy alley.
Su Cheng's breath caught in an instant, her pupils dilating uncontrollably.
In the sea of light that resembled smoke and mist, a slender and elegant figure appeared.
His face was blurred, and he had curly hair of flashing gold and flowing silver that hung down like molten metal, sliding down to his waist in lazy, elegant curves.
His pure white skin was covered with a hazy, jade-like luster, as if soaked in moonlight.
Translucent silver-white gauze wrapped around his shoulders and arms, with gold and silver threads woven into grapevine patterns that meandered down his chest and abdomen.
It was bound by a slender chain inlaid with emerald cat's-eye stones, looping around his lean waist. The dangling pendants were pieced together from various green-toned agates and jades, falling onto the hem of his garment which was slit up to the hipbone.
The sheer fabric was like two hanging clouds, and his flawless, snow-white long legs were faintly visible within the mist.
The anklets on his ankles bore silver bells resembling exquisite lilies of the valley, emitting a melodious chiming as he moved.
Behind the figure was a halo composed of prism fragments.
Millions of polyhedrons floated in the air, constantly changing angles, each facet refracting a different color.
Magnificent carmine red, melancholic deep sea blue, intense emerald green, and the most dazzling, joyful pale gold right in the center.
Millions of happy, smiling faces emerged in the colorful lenses.
Countless humans, orcs, elves, and other races—
At banquets, in beds, on battlefields, and inside theaters, their different faces seemed to be cast into a sea of fire, spinning and burning amidst laughter, eternally frozen in this very moment.
"Come."
He spread His beautifully contoured arms. Cobweb-like silver chains wrapped from His fingertips up to His shoulders, biting into His bulging muscles.
The nails on His hands shimmered with the iridescent glow of a seashell's inner lining, further accentuating His long, beautiful fingers.
"My little pearl bird."
Su Cheng looked at Him in disbelief.
He was like a living work of art sculpted from moonlight, gemstones, and flowers, with every pore exuding a dizzying fragrance.
His scent was intoxicating, bringing to mind ripe, honeyed fruits and the morning dew of early summer, richly fragrant but not overly cloying.
The moment He spoke, her head spun even more.
An indescribable, ultimate sense of euphoria burst forth from the depths of her heart.
Surging joy rose like the tide, drowning her rationality.
Immediately after—
Su Cheng heard a gentle, melodious laugh.
The sound was as beautiful as a heavenly chorus, as if drawing her soul to the far shores of eternity.
A kiss as light as a feather fell upon her cheek.
All her worries, exhaustion, and dark emotions seemed to vanish into thin air in that instant, leaving behind only an endless sense of bliss.
Everything before her eyes seemed to be bathed in a dreamy halo.
The filthy alleyway behind the tavern appeared to transform into heaven. The moss-covered walls and sludge-filled gutters suddenly glowed with a radiant light.
The corners of her mouth curled up uncontrollably, all her thoughts submerged in this intense jubilation.
It all happened in a few brief seconds.
The brilliance in the alley quickly dissipated, returning to its original dim and desolate state.
At the same time.
Zane saw a gleaming golden-purple chalice emblem surface on the dark-haired girl's gorgeous face.
