77: This is a disgrace to the nation.

Cao Bu couldn't be bothered to pay him any mind; he reached out, hoisted him off the bed, and tossed him three meters away before lying down next to Qin Bingyao.

His fingertips brushed aside the messy hair near her cheeks as his gaze lingered on her alcohol-flushed skin, his tone carrying an indisputable dominance:

"So what if you are an Empress? The majesty you hold on the Dragon throne is nothing more than ordinary scenery to me."

"When awake, you control the world; when drunk, you shall naturally follow my will."

"There are thousands upon thousands of beauties in this world; if I, Cao, want one, I will not miss out."

"This status of the Supreme Sovereign must, of course, be treated well."

Meanwhile.

The System's roar exploded in Lu Chen's mind: "Host! Wake up! Someone is touching your woman!"

The voice of the instant kill great emperor system was filled with urgency and terror: "This System is not lying to you! He's already kissed her, and he's even starting to pull at her robes..."

The instant kill great emperor system watched the scene on the bed with wide eyes, its voice becoming increasingly distraught: "No!"

"Host, wake up! If you're any later, it'll be too late! This System really doesn't want to become the laughingstock of the System world!"

Before long, the System's wails almost overturned Lu Chen's Sea of Consciousness.

"Why?"

"I, the instant kill great emperor system, have served three hundred and sixty-eight Hosts, and this is the first time a bound Host has been cuckolded!"

"No—!"

【Ding! Detected that the Host's mission to woo Qin Bingyao has failed. Punishment is now in effect.】

"A System's disgrace! This is the shame of a System's life!" the System roared frantically in Lu Chen's mind. "I want to unbind! Unbind immediately!"

On the bed, Cao Bu felt a surge of majestic energy suddenly pour into his body.

In an instant, his Meridians boiled, and his body expanded at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Is this the foundation of a Quasi-Emperor?" His expression changed drastically as pea-sized beads of sweat broke out on his forehead. "If this continues, I'm going to explode and die!"

Cao Bu grit his teeth and pushed the Primal Yin-Yang Art to its limit.

With a crisp "crack," the previously stagnant bottleneck was shattered by this violent energy.

"Divine Ability Second Layer!"

"It's done!"

He let out a muffled groan as the aura within him surged again, with even more turbulent power pushing him forward.

A tearing pain came from his Meridians, but after every bout of intense pain, the spiritual energy in his Dantian grew a bit thicker.

In just three breaths, the barrier to the Third Layer broke, followed by the Fourth and Fifth... the speed of the energy's wash grew faster and faster. He didn't even have time to savor the mystery of the Realm leaps; he only felt spiritual energy erupting from every pore of his body.

The moment the Sixth Layer barrier shattered, a faint golden halo appeared on the surface of his body—a sign that his spiritual energy had been refined to the extreme.

Until the Seventh Layer barrier was forced open, Cao Bu snapped his eyes open, a brilliant light shooting from his pupils. The spiritual energy in his body surged like a river, and every movement carried the power to shake mountains.

Divine Ability Seventh Layer!

"It's done!"

He looked at the still-unconscious Qin Bingyao, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips. Feeling the unprecedented power within him, he chuckled low: "The foundation of a Quasi-Emperor level is actually this deep. It seems this Empress can help me quite a lot."

Glancing at the sky outside the window, Cao Bu asked in a heavy voice, "System, how long has it been since Qin Bingyao took the three drunken deep slumber brew?"

【There are still three hours until she wakes. Host, please seize the opportunity.】

"Three hours is enough," Cao Bu chuckled.

one Kun hour later.

Cao Bu carefully tidied everything in the room.

This was Qin Bingyao's first time experiencing such a thing, so he didn't dare leave even a trace behind, even smoothing every stray strand of hair back into place.

As for whether she would suspect others upon waking, he wasn't entirely sure. Ultimately, this matter carried both opportunity and risk, so he could only try his best to clear himself of suspicion.

After finishing all this, Cao Bu paced over to Lu Chen, pulled out the rebirth brick, and slammed it toward the other's forehead.

In the next instant, a pale green light shield blocked the attack.

Cao Bu put away the brick, his expression not showing the slightest surprise.

Since the instant kill great emperor system could help Lu Chen be immune to the wine, it could naturally protect his safety as well.

He only did this to verify the conjecture in his heart.

"System, this Lu Chen has a System protecting him. Does that mean I can't kill him?"

【Ding! The protection of the instant kill great emperor system only targets those below the Great Emperor Realm and above the Great Emperor Realm. The Host only needs to Breakthrough to the Great Emperor Realm, and this layer of protection will naturally disappear.】

Cao Bu's mouth twitched: "This is the instant kill great emperor system. If I Breakthrough to the Great Emperor Realm, won't he just crush me with one finger?"

【Rest assured, Host. If your strength is comparable to a True Immortal after you Breakthrough to the Great Emperor Realm, he will not be able to do anything to you. Conversely, you will be able to kill him.】

Cao Bu shook his head and turned to leave.

For now, he could only temporarily let Lu Chen go. The priority was to become stronger as quickly as possible.

He couldn't really let the other person crush him with a finger in the future; that would be far too poor a bargain.

Not long after Cao Bu left, Lu Chen slowly woke up.

Just as he opened his eyes, he heard a familiar crying sound coming from his Sea of Consciousness—a sobbing that made one's heart tighten.

"System? Is that you crying?"

【Wuwu... Lu Chen, let's unbind. You've disappointed me too much.】

"What's going on? You have to give me a reason, right?"

Lu Chen was completely bewildered. Could it be that he had said something bad about the System before he passed out drunk, and this petty System was holding a grudge?

【Wuwu... You've been cuckolded and you're still completely in the dark!】

Lu Chen felt as if he had been struck by lightning; his brain went blank for a moment.

The System choked back sobs as it recounted everything that had happened over the past two days.

After Lu Chen finished listening, his face turned deathly pale.

He suddenly remembered something, yanked open his waistband, and looked down.

Boom!

As the world spun around him, his vision went black, and he fell straight backward, fainting once again.

Not long after Lu Chen lost consciousness, Qin Bingyao also slowly woke up.

As soon as she opened her eyes, she felt a sharp pain sweep through her entire body.

She glanced down, and in that moment, it felt like five thunders had crashed into her head.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible," she murmured to herself. "My first time, actually...?"

Her gaze suddenly swept to Lu Chen on the floor, and killing intent instantly ignited in her eyes: "Lu Chen, it must be you! I will kill you!"

Her longsword left its sheath, the tip spitting cold air as it pressed against Lu Chen's neck.

But seeing his completely motionless state, doubt crept into her heart.

Could it not be Lu Chen?

Was it really that she had lost control after getting drunk?

After hesitating again and again, she finally withdrew her sword and tried to recall every detail from before she passed out.

But her mind was a complete blank; there was nothing else.

Right at that moment.

Qin Bingyao suddenly realized that the toxins that had been deep within her body for many years had disappeared without a trace.

"What is going on?" she frowned and whispered. "I wake up from a sleep, and my purity is gone, but the toxins are gone too."

She pondered for a moment: "Could it be because of that cup of wine?"

"Dammit, who on earth took my body!"

She gave Lu Chen a resentful glare, turned, and slammed the door as she left.

If it weren't for Lu Chen, how would she have fallen into such a state?

Although she hated the person who stole her purity, she hadn't reached the point of wanting to end her life.

Shortly after Qin Bingyao left, Lu Chen slowly woke up again.

Just as he opened his eyes, a cold notification sounded in his Sea of Consciousness: 【Unbinding process 89%, 90%, 91%...】