When Zhu Zhuyun heard the words "bet", her heart skipped a beat.
The first time she met Lu Feng, she thought he was just a weakling with no spirit power, only good at sweet-talking. Yet, he had the audacity to claim he could cancel Zhu Zhu Qing's engagement to Dai Mu Bai.
Of course, she didn't believe him.
That's why she made the bet with him.
If Lu Feng lost, he would become her slave.
It was all just for fun and a way to suppress Zhuqing, her direct rival at the time.
But who could've predicted that Lu Feng would awaken a god-level martial soul during his second awakening?
The Star Luo Emperor immediately called off the engagement between Dai Mu Bai and Zhu Zhuqing.
Looking back, it almost felt like she'd been played by this kid.
Yet, she had no proof.
After all, who could predict what kind of martial soul they'd awaken?
Later, Lu Feng, who had won the bet, never brought it up again.
He left to absorb a spirit ring in the Black Forest and then disappeared for over half a month.
Since Lu Feng didn't mention it, Zhu Zhuyun herself had nearly forgotten about it.
But now that he was bringing it up, she felt a pang of nervousness.
Back then, she had been so sure of her victory that she carelessly agreed to the stakes, "I'll do whatever you want."
If she admitted defeat now, she had no idea what Lu Feng would demand. The thought made her uneasy.
Maybe I can just brush it off…
Avoiding Lu Feng's piercing gaze, she feigned indifference and said, "What bet? Right now, we're talking about how you disappeared for so long. Do you even care about my little sister?"
Lu Feng wasn't about to let her change the subject. With a smirk, he replied, "Zhu Zhuqing and We are fine, no need for your concern. Let's get back to the bet. I remember very clearly you said if you lost, you'd do whatever I wanted. So…"
Zhu Zhuyun cut him off sharply, "When did I ever say that? I don't remember!"
Lu Feng raised an eyebrow. "Are you trying to go back on your word? That's not very fitting for a future Empress, is it?"
Zhu Zhuyun lifted her chin haughtily. "Since you know I'm the future Empress, how dare you speak to me like this? I don't recall anything. Maybe I'll remember later."
She didn't outright deny it, though.
Zhu Zhuqing had been there too, if Lu Feng called her as a witness, she could always ask her sister to back her up. Now that their rivalry had cooled, their relationship was slowly improving.
With Zhu Zhuqing's help, Lu Feng wouldn't dare make any outrageous demands.
That way, she could weasel her way out of this bet.
Her plan was simple: deny, delay, and deflect.
Seeing her defiant "What are you gonna do about it?" attitude, Lu Feng chuckled and said calmly:
"Big sister, your attitude is really ruining my mood. Whether you admit it or not, I'm putting this out there, you will honor the bet. I want you to be my slave. Out of respect for Zhu Zhuqing, I'll make it short, just three days. But if you keep refusing… then it'll be three months. Or three years. Depends on my mood."
Zhu Zhuyun couldn't take it anymore. Her eyebrows furrowed in anger. "How dare you! You know I'm the future Empress, yet you still speak like this? Do you really think you can do whatever you want? Fine, I'll teach you a lesson myself!"
With a furious glare, she summoned her Nether Spirit Cat martial soul.
"First Spirit Ring ability, Netherworld Pounce!"
Before the words even fully left her mouth, her claws gleamed with a cold light as she lunged at Lu Feng like a black shadow.
If status couldn't intimidate him, and words couldn't outmaneuver him, then she'd use force.
Power was the true language of authority.
Zhu Zhuyun's spirit power was close to level 40, far surpassing Lu Feng's.
From what she knew, Lu Feng was a control and support-type spirit master, while she was an agility-attack type, which, in theory, hard-countered him.
In team battles, the primary target of an Agility-Attack-type Spirit Master was always the opponent's support or control-type fighters.
Of course, teammates would also prioritize protecting their own support and control members.
But in the next moment, Zhu Zhuyun realized—Lu Feng was nothing like the vulnerable support-type she had imagined.
"Second Spirit Ring ability—Light of Life!"
All she saw was a flash of green.
A verdant glow enveloped her, and instantly, her movements slowed. Worse, the light carried a toxin, subtle but relentless, steadily draining her vitality.
At almost the same time—
Rustle!
Thick, vine-like tendrils burst from the ground, coiling around her ankles.
Zhu Zhuyun's expression darkened.
This kid is ridiculously overpowered.
She should've studied his abilities more carefully.
Back when Lu Feng was absorbing spirit rings in the Black Forest, he'd taken an unusually long time. She had observed him for days, to the point where it interfered with her own training.
Eventually, she stopped going as often and never participated in sparring sessions with him.
All she knew was what Zhu Zhuqing had vaguely mentioned: his skills included control, poison, detoxification, recovery, and stat boosts.
Her mind raced, but her body reacted faster.
"Netherworld Hundred Claws!"
With a sharp swipe of her claws, she severed the roots snaking up from the soil.
Spirit power flared under her feet as she pushed off, her long legs propelling her backward—
Whoosh!
In a blur of speed, she darted into a nearby bamboo grove, using the dense thicket for cover.
At the very least, the terrain would make it harder for Lu Feng's vines to chase her.
His starlit tree's azure-gold tendrils were already stretching toward her, unnervingly fast.
If I don't move now, I'll be immobilized.
But if she could just evade this counterattack, she could activate her third spirit ability—Netherworld Descent—a mental assault technique.
She was absolutely confident she could reverse the situation, seizing control over Lu Feng instead.
Not only that, she'd pry into his mind, uncovering his secrets and weaknesses.
And then, she'd exploit them to crush him.
A moment later,
Zhu Zhu Yun successfully slipped into the bamboo grove, a flicker of triumph in her chest. She allowed herself the tiniest sigh of relief.
But just as she was about to unleash Netherworld Descent—
Something felt… off.
The light around her suddenly dimmed, and a shadow loomed overhead—thick, twisting branches swooping down like a net.
But it wasn't just from above.
All around her—left, right, even beneath her feet—vines and roots surged forward, weaving into an inescapable prison.
It was as if the very forest had turned against her.
"H-How…?!"
Zhu Zhu Yun's cat-like pupils, gleaming like topaz, contracted sharply in shock.
She'd underestimated the horror of Lu Feng's first spirit ability.
This wasn't just his martial soul's vines at work, he could command every plant in the vicinity.
"Netherworld Pounce! Netherworld Hundred Claws!"
Desperate, she unleashed both spirit abilities in rapid succession, slashing wildly to carve an opening.
Shredded leaves and severed tendrils rained down around her—
But her movements were already sluggish, weighed down by the lingering green glow sapping her speed.
Thankfully, her higher spirit power lessened the slowdown, and she could resist the toxin's life-drain for now.
I can't drag this out. I need to finish it fast.
Then,
Clang!
Her claws struck one of the azure-gold vines—
But this time, they didn't cut through.
Instead, her attack left only a shallow white scratch, sparks flying uselessly.
The vine was tougher than steel.
"Oh no—"
Panic flared in her chest,
Too late.
In the next heartbeat, the vines coiled around her, tightening like serpents.
Her voluptuous figure, usually a weapon of allure, was now helplessly bound, every curve cinched by unyielding tendrils.
And then, she was hoisted into the air, dangling from a branch like a captured prize.