[Ding! Time Pause Activated!]
With that chillingly cold system notification echoing in Gong Shangyu’s mind, all sound around her abruptly vanished, and the dimly lit chamber instantly fell into complete silence.
As the traces of time froze, the flickering azure barrier shimmer solidified like glass; the snarling living corpse trapped in the distant cage remained frozen mid-lunge, the medicinal liquid pouring from the alchemist’s hand and the drifting specks of dust in the air—all movement in the world was utterly suspended.
At this moment, in this frozen tapestry of halted time, the only being still capable of moving normally was none other than Gong Shangyu herself—the originator of this stilled space.
The Time Pause System: Gong Shangyu’s greatest hidden advantage and reliance in this life, aside from the memories of her previous life.
It was also the fundamental reason for her rapid rise, the formation of the vast Dan Ding Pavilion, and her swift advancement to the early Foundation Establishment stage.
Beyond that, it was the secret weapon that allowed her to crush her rivals in the alchemy realm.
Even Lu Li’s earlier poisoning and unconsciousness owed their resolution to this Time Pause System!
Gazing at Lu Li, frozen by time, a deeply satisfied smile blossomed across Gong Shangyu’s face, laced with obsession and intoxication.
Her pale pink eyes shimmered with a fervor wilder than the fiercest flames in the world.
“Hehe… Master, now… it’s finally just the two of us here…”
Gong Shangyu murmured softly, her voice resonating chillingly clear in this suspended space.
She extended her slender fingers, still faintly scented with medicinal herbs, and began to explore Lu Li’s body with a mocking smile.
Slowly, Gong Shangyu lifted Lu Li’s palm, tracing every inch of his skin with a possessive tenderness, as if committing every delicate contour and knuckle to memory.
Then she took Lu Li’s hand in hers, intertwining their fingers like a lovesick girl, carefully comparing the size of their palms.
“Hm, Master’s hands are still so perfect~”
Gong Shangyu said dreamily, as if admiring a long-lost masterpiece.
Her gaze suddenly froze, instinctively drawn to Lu Li’s lips—slightly pursed, pale, and impossibly alluring.
“Ah… Master’s lips, so beautiful! I want to taste them!”
She gently caressed his lips, her eyes growing ever more enamored.
Like a magnet pulled by opposite poles, she gravitated closer and closer to Lu Li’s mouth.
Yet, at the critical moment, her deeply ingrained inferiority complex kicked in, forcing her to stop.
Those lips, so close and seemingly charged with some invisible allure, attracted her like a magnet, but the cold, piercing self-loathing and extreme self-contempt within her mind dashed her fleeting infatuation like a bucket of icy water.
Startled as if scalded, Gong Shangyu jerked back, her heart pounding wildly with fear and shame.
“What… what am I doing…”
Her voice trembled violently as she stared at the time-frozen Lu Li.
“How can someone as despicable as me dare to overstep?”
“After all, he’s Master…”
He was the Master whom her past self had spent a lifetime only able to admire from afar!
At that thought, a surge of intense inferiority and guilt flooded Gong Shangyu’s heart, clearing her mind and stabbing her with bitter pain.
Still, her deepest yearning for Master unconsciously compelled her to continue exploring his body.
Unaware, her touches gradually grew bolder.
First, her fingers brushed the hollow of Master’s throat, feeling the warmth of his skin.
But that warmth didn’t satisfy her, so her fingers moved to Lu Li’s collar, deftly undoing the top brooch to reveal the defined collarbone and a small patch of firm chest beneath.
Her fingertips traced the hollow of his collarbone, feeling the heat and texture of his skin; her eyes blazed with desire.
“Ah… Master’s chest! I love it so much!”
She murmured softly, burying her head completely against his chest, her breath growing slightly uneven.
Her palm slowly drifted downward, silently touching Lu Li’s toned abdomen.
Through the fabric, her fingers cautiously pressed, sensing the firm but not exaggerated muscles, full of latent strength.
“Hehe… I never expected Master to have some abs…”
“Well, it makes sense—Master’s always been devoted to cultivation; some muscle is only natural~”
Gong Shangyu chuckled lightly, a faint unnatural flush coloring her cheeks, a proud smile betraying the discovery of a great secret.
She toyed with Lu Li’s abs, greedily inhaling the scent emanating from him.
But the closer she got, the more insatiable her possessiveness became.
Suddenly, Gong Shangyu’s eyes widened as she shifted her gaze back to his lips.
“Ah~ I can’t resist anymore.”
“Anyway, Master won’t even know!”
With that, she seemed to make a firm decision, gently cupping Lu Li’s face, a trace of inexpressible guilt rising in her eyes.
“Sorry, Master…”
“Your lips are truly beautiful…”
“So… even if Shangyu wants to taste them, it must be reasonable, right?”
Without waiting for an answer, she leaned in, hands trembling but resolute, pressing her lips deeply against Lu Li’s warm mouth.
After a long moment, Gong Shangyu let out a satisfied, blissful sigh, reluctantly pulling her cherry lips away, leaving a faint sheen of moisture on the corner of her mouth.
She wiped her lips lightly, then gave Lu Li a strange smile.
The fervor in her eyes betrayed the lingering sweetness she tasted, clearly far from enough to satisfy the desire and obsession accumulated over two lifetimes.
Her gaze grew darker and more intense.
Having confirmed through earlier “experiments” that her “mischief” had gone completely unnoticed by Lu Li, Gong Shangyu summoned a nearly blasphemous courage; her fingers trembling yet firm, they moved toward the binding at Lu Li’s waist.
Just as her fingertips were about to cross the final boundary—
“Hey! Witch! Let go of my Master!”
A sharp sword light flashed, accompanied by a fierce shout laden with boundless rage, exploding like thunder in this otherwise silent space!
Caught off guard by the sudden sword aura from behind, Gong Shangyu, at Foundation Establishment stage, casually parried and easily dispersed the flurry of spiritual energy.
She spun around sharply, her pupils contracting with confusion written all over her delicate face.
Time was clearly still frozen!
How could this be…
Looking up, she saw a girl dressed in black nightwear, with violet eyes and black hair appearing three or four years younger than her, furiously wielding a spirit sword wrapped in silver threads, charging straight at her!
Those dark purple eyes burned with an uncontrollable, indescribable fury!
Hmm?
Fifth Junior Sister?
It’s her?
And why is she unaffected by the time stop?!
Wait… what did she just call Master?
The one Wu Yi mentioned earlier—the black-haired swordsman always by Master’s side—could it really be her?
A surge of shock and anger at being caught and having her scheme ruined instantly overwhelmed Gong Shangyu’s possessive heart!
At this moment, Gu Qingying’s eyes were bloodshot with rage—what exactly had she just seen?
That pink-haired witch had Master tightly in her embrace, their clothes disheveled, and her fingers… in such a place…
That was her precious Master!
After all this time spent with him, she had never entertained such thoughts nor dared to disrespect him like that!
She hadn’t even dared to kiss Master’s lips directly!
Yet… that witch!
That witch actually—
“Ahhh! I’ll kill you!”
Gu Qingying’s head practically glowed green with fury, her heart consumed by a wrath as fierce as the one she felt in her past life when she saw Gu Hongchen forcibly absorb Master’s essence into dust before her very eyes!
As her anger peaked, her left eye uncontrollably glowed red, and the spirit-thread sword in her hand trembled violently.