Chapter 223: Succession Ceremony

Chapter 223: Chapter 220: Succession Ceremony

That evening, Sang Mo was wearing a sleep robe, its belt tied loosely around his waist. It was hard to tell if it was by design or on purpose, but the collar formed a deep V that plunged nearly to his abdomen. Not only were his pectoral muscles half-exposed, but his V-lines were also tantalizingly visible.

He had also deliberately slicked all his hair back, revealing a clear forehead. This accentuated his deep-set eyes and brows, making him look handsome, radiant, and dashing.

Hearing the bathroom door open, he looked over.

When Bai Zhi emerged from her shower, she was greeted by this vision of masculine beauty. She couldn’t help but gulp, and as she raised her eyes, her gaze met Sang Mo’s.

Bai Zhi: “…”

It just goes to show that when people get embarrassed, they really do fidget a mile a minute. Bai Zhi forced a smile. “I’ve never seen you wear this robe before. Is it new?”

Sang Mo arched a brow, giving her a meaningful stare. “Mm. It looks like it’s having the right effect. Money well spent.”

Hearing this, Bai Zhi gave an awkward laugh.

‘On the one hand, his robe is revealing,’ she thought. ‘But on the other, it’s just a normal sleep robe, maybe cut a little deeper in the front. That doesn’t necessarily mean anything.’

But to say it wasn’t revealing… it was making her blush and her heart race.

Just then, Sang Mo suddenly walked toward her. As he moved, his robe shifted, offering tantalizing glimpses of other areas.

Bai Zhi’s eyes had been darting around in embarrassment, but this new development made her gaze flicker. She suddenly had no idea where she was supposed to look.

It was as if Sang Mo’s icy eyes had thawed, a faint smile softening their depths. You couldn’t even tell the difference without looking closely.

‘He hadn’t expected that buying this robe on a whim would be so effective. It seemed his fur wasn’t the only thing that could attract her.’

Sang Mo suddenly knew just how to seduce her.

Perhaps it was the robe, or perhaps something else, but Bai Zhi’s reaction gave Sang Mo a taste of a new kind of triumph. He became a little lost in it, and his demands later were fierce.

As a result, Bai Zhi learned the consequences of failing to resist the temptations of a handsome man—she slept straight through to noon the next day.

Sa Lei was quick with the preparations. While Bai Zhi was still asleep that morning, he had already come by to announce that the succession ceremony would be held the next day. He also extended a sincere invitation for Hu Yan and the others to attend.

But Bai Zhi was unaware of this. It wasn’t until she was brought to the site of the succession ceremony the following morning that she found out what was happening.

For Sang Mo’s succession ceremony, Sa Lei had even commissioned the construction of a new palace. Despite the tight schedule, the palace was sizable and lavishly decorated. It was clear that the full might of the Black Domain had been mobilized to make this day a reality.

Many of the items inside had been looted from Brutus’s and Hades’s possessions.

Sang Mo’s attire had been made on short notice, but the quality was excellent.

The group arrived at the new palace. Gazing at the magnificent structure, Bai Zhi thought that if she hadn’t already witnessed the construction speed here, she would have been utterly shocked. To build such a massive and beautiful palace in just a few days was astounding.

A huge crowd had gathered—it seemed like the entire Black Domain had turned out. When Bai Zhi and her group arrived, all they could see was a sea of heads. Fortunately, they were led along a different path; otherwise, they would have had a hard time even squeezing through the crowd.

After they went inside, Sang Mo separated from them.

At ten o’clock in the morning, sharp. This was a time specially chosen by Sa Lei.

Because Bai Zhi was Sang Mo’s female, their seats were very close to the front.

To the sound of a solemn announcement, Sang Mo appeared. He was dressed in a high-quality black suit, his ink-black hair meticulously styled. He possessed an indescribable something that made him seem even more dashing than usual.

“So this is Lord Sang Mo? He’s so handsome.”

“Who on earth said Lord Sang Mo has a bad temper? He seems perfectly fine to me.”

“Lord Sang Mo’s aura is so strong. I don’t even dare to stare.”

Amid the low murmur of the crowd, Sang Mo walked step-by-step toward the stage.

He wore his usual cold expression; not a single trace of a smile appeared on his face just because it was his succession ceremony.

The lights illuminated Sang Mo’s face. He merely lifted his eyes and swept his gaze over the crowd. Such was his commanding presence that everyone’s hearts leaped into their throats, and the noisy chatter below ceased in an instant.

Bai Zhi didn’t register anything Sa Lei said from the stage after that. Her attention was focused entirely on Sang Mo.

Occasionally, she could hear Yue Junxiao’s exclamation from beside her, “Sang Mo looks really handsome today.”

Then, in an envious tone, “He comes back for revenge and ends up the ruler of a whole domain. Why don’t I have that kind of luck?”

Sang Mo, on the other hand, kept frowning on stage. He clearly despised this kind of attention. If he weren’t forcing himself to endure it, he probably would have walked right back off the moment he stepped on.

By the time Sa Lei was halfway through his speech, Sang Mo’s expression had grown thunderous. Noticing his impatience, Sa Lei quickened his pace.

Even so, the ceremony still took another half hour to conclude.

The moment Sang Mo stepped off the stage, he eagerly headed straight for Bai Zhi.

The group had arrived discreetly, but on their way out, all eyes were on them because of Sang Mo. Sensing the stares, Sang Mo shot the crowd a cold glare. At once, everyone looked away, not daring to stare at them directly, much less approach.

Sang Mo had only agreed to attend the succession ceremony itself; Sa Lei was responsible for everything else.

And Sa Lei, having been a strategist for many years, truly lived up to his reputation, handling everything in perfect order.

After Sang Mo’s group departed, Sa Lei immediately got busy with his various duties.

On the way back, the envy in Yue Junxiao’s eyes was hard to hide. “Congratulations, Sang Mo.”

Yan Yichen added, “Congratulations on becoming the head of the Black Domain. Today was a great success.”

Lang Qiu chimed in approvingly, “It’s rare for you to tolerate being on stage that long. You held up well.”

Sang Mo just gave a slight nod in response to their words.

Bai Zhi nodded along in support. “That’s right. You were very handsome, and your presence was very powerful.”

Hearing this, the corners of Sang Mo’s lips curled up slightly. He recalled how Bai Zhi’s gaze had been fixed on him the entire time. That feeling was deeply gratifying, and it was the only reason he had been able to stay on stage for so long.

Being praised by Bai Zhi put Sang Mo in an excellent mood. He made a rare joke, “So, I’m not usually handsome or powerful?”

Bai Zhi quickly explained, “You’re always handsome and powerful. You’re just even more so today.”

Sang Mo hummed in satisfaction, but then he turned and his gaze met Hu Yan’s.

The smile in Sang Mo’s eyes faltered. Hu Yan nodded at him and offered his congratulations. Still in a good mood, Sang Mo gave a rare, “Thanks.”

Only the two of them knew about the undercurrent between them.

Sang Mo was very busy for the next day or two. While he wasn’t a hands-on ruler, some matters still required his approval, especially now that he wanted to strengthen the Black Domain.

He would give the orders, and Sa Lei would supervise their implementation.

Because the recent conflict between Sang Mo and Hades had caused considerable losses to the Black Domain, Sang Mo gave each family 10,000 Star Coins as compensation.

He had possessed many Star Coins before leaving the Black Domain, and Hades and his cronies had a considerable amount as well. After confiscating everything, Sang Mo’s net worth was now in the billions of Star Coins.

Even after providing compensation to every family, he still had more than enough Star Coins for Bai Zhi to buy anything she wanted.

After this period of reorganization, the Black Domain quickly recovered.