Chapter 96: Bath

“A warrior has his secrets,” I said, a playful wink accompanying the words as I slipped one of the obsidian rings onto my own finger, holding the second one out toward her. “Take this, too. It’s a spatial ring. Drop a drop of your blood onto it later to bind it. It’ll hold whatever you need it to.”

She reached out with a trembling, hesitant hand, quickly snatching the ring before pulling her arm back. “Thank you… but… I am a complete mess right now.” She looked down at her skin, which was still glistening with a fine sheen of dried sweat and the sticky, white remnants of our intense cultivation loop. “I cannot put on something this beautiful while I am covered in this dust… and… and your… this. I need a bath, Barry.”

“Yeah i also think the same,” I grinned, standing up and stretching my limbs. The sheer weight of my new Meridian Stage power felt absolute, grounding me perfectly. “But until we find water, you’ll have to make do.”

Gritting her teeth and blushing furiously, Qing Yan refused to put on the divine red gown yet. Instead, she reached into the shadows of the cave, gathered her old, torn slave clothes, and hurriedly slipped them back, The ragged fabric was singed and barely held together, but it was enough to cover her as we prepared to leave.

We stepped out of the mouth of the cavern together.

The suffocating, dark purple fog that usually choked the Necis Forest had been completely blasted away for miles by the explosive shockwave of our double breakthrough. Bright, pristine morning sunlight filtered through the massive canopy, painting the forest ground in streaks of brilliant gold.

After walking through for about half an hour, the sound of rushing water echoed from behind a massive, towering stone mountain. We rounded the bend, and there it was—a crystal-clear, deep mountain pool fed by a small, sparkling waterfall. The water looked pure, untouched by the demonic corruption of the outer world.

“Oh, perfect,” I said, unbuttoning the collar of my shirt with a happy smile. “A double bath. I can wash your back, you can wash mine, we save time—”

“Absolutely not!” Qing Yan snapped, her face instantly turning into serious and little angry tone. She pointed a finger toward the opposite side of the massive central rock structure that divided the deep pool. “You will go to the far side, behind the mountain rock. You will stay there, you will not look, you will not use your spiritual sense to peek, and you will promise me you won’t make a sound!”

“Alright, alright! Wow, the Peak Genesis

attitude is real,” I laughed, raising my hands in mock surrender. “I promise. No peeking. I’ll be on the other side keeping guard.”

I walked around the divide, the rock wall completely blocking our views of each other. The water on my side was icy and refreshing. I thoroughly washed away the sweat and grime of the previous night, feeling the pristine energy of the mountain stream re-energize my muscles.

Once done, I accessed my upgraded inventory one more time, pulling out a fresh set of, high-grade white and blue cultivator robes this time because they are more comfortable. I slipped them on, tying the leather bracers around my forearms, feeling incredibly sharp.

Sitting on a rock near the edge, I waited. Five minutes passed. Ten minutes. Fifteen.and with that half hour passed and then I realised that i bath room quickly.

“Hey! Qing Yan!” I called out, my voice echoing over the rush of the waterfall. “Are you getting ready or did you drown over there? Why are you not coming? I’m dying of anticipation over here! I chose those clothes specifically because they were the most expensive option, so you look best! Should I come to you or are you coming?”

“No stay here and Be quiet, you arrogant brute! I am coming, can’t you keep silence!” her voice rang out, filled with a mixture of extreme shyness and irritation.

A moment later, soft, light footsteps crunched against the pebbles.

I turned around, and the words completely died in my throat. My jaw went slack, my eyes widening in pure shock.

She had removed her all previous torn clothes completely, letting her long black hair fall straight down her back like a cascading silk waterfall, frame-perfect around her flawless facial features.

She was wearing two long, delicate gold earrings that comes with the bundle,dangled from her earlobes, swaying gently against her neck with every movement.

The Divine Vermilion Phoenix Robes fit her like a glove. The top of the dress was structured with gold, feather-like filigree that curved beautifully around her full chest revealing her upper chest and, accentuating her narrow waist before cascading down into an elegant, long red skirt that brushed the grass. But the most striking feature was the deep, elegant slit running up the side of the long gown. Every single time she took a slow, hesitant step forward, the translucent crimson fabric parted perfectly, revealing the smooth, endless length of her beautiful legs all the way up to her mid-thigh.

She stood there, her hands clasped tightly in front of her, her face a shade of pink as she refused to meet my eyes. The sheer, absolute beauty radiating off her was enough to bring an entire empire to its knees.

“Uhm…Well?” she whispered, her voice trembling slightly as she shifted her weight, her long leg peeking through the slit of the silk dress once more. “Why are you just staring like an idiot? Is… is it ugly?”

I finally forced my jaw close ,a slow, dangerous grin spreading across my face as I stepped toward her. “Ugly? Qing Yan… if the Demon Lords see you in that, they won’t even try to fight us. They’ll just surrender the world to you out of sheer respect.you are looking the most gorgeous and beautiful girl in–… This world.”