The gently driven air currents stirred slightly, and every sweep of the Holy Light was accompanied by thunderous cheers from below.
Su Nian stood on the terrace atop the tower, her golden hair lightly fluttering in the wind at the peak of the Saintess Tower, the wind and snow completely dispelled by the gentle Holy Light.
She was a noble, powerful, and inviolable symbol of purity.
In the eyes of millions of people, she was the divine spokesperson walking among mortals.
However, a figure, whose presence had been utterly erased by some kind of supremely profound magic, stood less than three steps behind her.
He was clearly there, yet he did not exist within this space.
Even light would naturally bend around him, leaving not the slightest trace.
Who else could the invisible man standing behind Su Nian be, if not Chu Tian?
Last night, the “surprise” that Horned Demon Bastard had whispered in her ear was precisely this.
That man had declared today’s plan in a tone that brooked no refusal: while she was conducting the Blessing Ceremony, he would use the most special method to enter this Saintess Tower, which was covered in numerous magic arrays, heavily guarded, and utterly impossible for ordinary people to set foot in.
At this moment.
Su Nian could clearly feel that with every lift of her arm to cast a spell, with every slight sway of her cloak’s hem, the gaze from behind her grew more scorching, filled with aggression and possessiveness.
That gaze seemed to possess tangible heat and weight, piercing through the holy cloak, branding itself onto every inch of her skin.
Su Nian slightly lowered her eyelids, concealing the flash of shame and indignation in her eyes.
What made her feel even more ashamed was… this wasn’t all.
Right now, beneath this Saintess’s Cloak she wore, which possessed powerful defensive and purifying abilities, she was also wearing the clothes her Horned Demon Master had “designated” for her.
They were clothes prepared for her, black silk outlining the most suggestive curves.
The smooth, soft fabric clung to her skin, constantly reminding her of this absurd situation.
“Star-Moon Saintess!”
“Thank you for your blessing!”
The tsunami-like cheers and prayers rising from below, which now sounded in Su Nian’s ears, had become the sharpest irony.
They praised her purity, unaware of what depraved secret lay hidden beneath that purity.
They revered the Holy Lady’s strength, unaware that this powerful Saintess was being dominated by a man in a special way, who was controlling every aspect of her being.
Fortunately.
This Saintess’s Cloak itself was a powerful magic item, capable of blocking all prying eyes.
Not only the crowd below, but even that Horned Demon Bastard behind her could not see through to the true scene beneath the cloak.
However, Chu Tian didn’t care at all.
He didn’t need to “see.”
He only needed to “know.”
Merely “knowing” this fact—knowing that the pure and noble Star-Moon Saintess before him was wearing the clothes he had designated, bearing this shame known to no one, performing miracles before millions of believers… the sense of conquest tinged with his own color was enough to grant him a vast amount of “Annoyance Value” and satisfaction.
This extreme contrast, this sense of conquest from pulling the Saintess down to the mortal world and staining her with a color unique to him, made him currently curl the corner of his mouth, his eyes filled with a playful and smug gleam, as he appreciated her forced performance of purity.
Su Nian could even imagine the expression on that man’s face right now.
This thought caused her fingertips to tremble slightly, nearly causing the Holy Light gathered in her palm to dissipate.
She immediately collected her thoughts, focusing all her attention on maintaining the magic.
She absolutely could not make a mistake before a million people.
The more perfectly she played the role of the Saintess, the stronger the sense of satisfaction in the heart of the man behind her, and the deeper the humiliation in her own heart.
‘Why did such a sacred ceremony have to be made so shameful by that Horned Demon Bastard!’
Su Nian took a deep breath, forcing herself to focus on the Blessing Ceremony before her.
She couldn’t let the millions of people below notice anything amiss.
“Long live the Star-Moon Saintess!”
“Thank you for the Holy Lady’s blessing!”
“We will unite as one and defeat the Demon Race!”
The tsunami-like cheers rising from below made Su Nian’s feelings even more complicated.
These devout believers would never know what kind of humiliation their perfect, flawless Holy Lady was enduring at this moment.
‘Horned Demon Bastard!’
While maintaining the sacred, compassionate smile on her face, Su Nian used every word she had ever learned in her life, cursing the man behind her a thousand times over in her heart.
That guy was obviously doing it on purpose.
He had to do this kind of thing during the Blessing Ceremony…
She still remembered when she tried to protest, that bastard’s utterly matter-of-fact expression—
‘Creating a special contrast during a sacred ceremony is a great opportunity for me to gain emotional value and grow stronger.’
‘Only this way can I become stronger faster, to protect you, right?’
He said it so righteously that it choked off all her rebuttals in her throat, unable to utter a single word.
The Blessing Ceremony continued.
Su Nian divided her focus to use magic to probe, but she still couldn’t accurately see the other’s form.
Clearly, it wasn’t ordinary optical invisibility, but a profound ability she couldn’t comprehend, one that seemed to be integrated with the Space Law.
She could even vividly imagine that bastard’s expression right now.
It must be that slightly upturned corner of the mouth, eyes filled with smugness, playfulness, and satisfaction.
He was hidden right behind her, using those pitch-black eyes to scrutinize her wantonly, fantasizing about the breathtaking scenery beneath her holy cloak…
So infuriating!
Su Nian felt a tightness in her chest, the sense of humiliation almost overflowing from the depths of her heart.
Just then.
“Ding! The host conducts a Blessing Ceremony before the populace and her Master with a secret unknown to others, Humiliation Value +300,000!”
“Ding-dong, Annoyance Value increased by 300,000.”
The System’s cold notification sounded in her mind.
Fortunately, this humiliation wasn’t entirely without value.
Three hundred thousand Humiliation Value.
Su Nian’s mood improved slightly in the face of this substantial “harvest.”
However, Su Nian did not know that this meticulously planned “punishment” was far from over.
Just as the Blessing Ceremony was nearing its end, about to conclude, that originally hidden, vague presence behind her, which had merged with the void, suddenly drew closer.
The flow of air changed in an extremely subtle way.
An extremely faint, unique scent belonging to that man, mixed into the warm air after the Holy Light had dispelled the wind and snow, forcefully invaded her nostrils.
‘No.’
‘This distance… it’s too close.’
Alarm bells rang loudly in Su Nian’s heart.
‘Wait!’
‘I’m currently conducting a blessing atop the Saintess Tower in the city center.’
‘Below are millions of fanatical believers.’
‘Their gazes converge into a sea, each one carrying the warmth of reverence and faith, placing me high upon the altar.’
‘He wouldn’t want to… at a time like this…’
‘…Absolutely not.’