Chapter 168 Mission Completed

Feeling her response and hearing her single word of affirmation, his suspended heart finally settled.

Yue Hanzheng hugged Qiao Suluo tightly, no longer suppressing his desire and love for her as his lips descended.

He savored her inch by inch. Even though just being close to her made his self-control teeter on the edge of collapse, he still wanted to serve her gently. He only wanted to care for her feelings.

“Wife, I love you. I love you so much,” he murmured softly.

His words were laced with an intense, profound affection.

Qiao Suluo felt as if the tip of her heart had been scorched. His crisp, pleasant scent completely enveloped her. Gradually, her body went soft in his embrace.

Restraining himself, Yue Hanzheng held her and whispered, “I’ll take you somewhere.”

In a daze, Qiao Suluo clung to him as he picked her up, leaping past the forest trees until they arrived at a hot spring in a valley.

“Is this a hot spring?” Qiao Suluo’s face lit up with pleasant surprise when she saw the steaming water.

“The water here is warm. You won’t freeze here, Wife.”

The night air was a bit chilly now. If she took off her clothes in the open, she would inevitably catch a cold. Yue Hanzheng had been worried she would freeze.

He looked down at her, his eyes brimming with unmelting tenderness. Reaching out, he tucked a stray lock of hair, dampened by the mist, behind her ear. His voice was as light as the fog hovering over the spring. “This place is secluded. No one will disturb us, so put your mind at ease.”

Qiao Suluo nodded, blushing slightly at his thoughtfulness.

Yue Hanzheng moved with extreme slowness as he carried her into the hot spring. He let the warm water rise past his ankles and calves until it enveloped more than half of their bodies. The temperature of the spring dispelled the evening chill of the mountain forest.

Qiao Suluo instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her cheek against his warm chest. Leaning into his embrace, she could clearly hear his steady heartbeat, seeming to intertwine with the burbling sound of the spring.

Sensing her shyness, Yue Hanzheng lowered his head and tenderly kissed the top of her hair. The faint fragrance of her locks mingled with the warmth of the hot spring lingering at the tip of his nose. He gently wrapped his arms around her waist, slowly tightening his grip to let her rest completely against him.

Fine ripples spread across the pool. His fingertips trailed lightly down her spine, bringing with them the soothing warmth of the spring water. It made her tremble slightly, and the face buried in his chest grew even redder.

When Yue Hanzheng looked down, he saw that her soaked clothes perfectly accentuated her exquisite curves.

The corners of his eyes flushed a faint red. Bending his head, his lips brushed against her ear. “Wife, don’t be afraid. I will be gentle.”

Hearing this, her face burned hotter, but she murmured a soft response, “Mhm.”

Yue Hanzheng took a deep breath and carefully untied her outer robe. The pure white fabric slipped off her shoulders, revealing her delicate collarbones, which gleamed with a smooth luster in the hazy light.

His movements were indeed gentle.

However, as the mist from the hot spring curled upward, blurring their silhouettes, it could not conceal the pool overflowing with tender affection and sweet intimacy. In the silent mountain forest, it brewed into a lingering, moving moment in time.

Later that night.

After truly forming a Contract with Yue Hanzheng, right as Qiao Suluo finally drifted into a deep sleep, she felt as if some restrictive force had suddenly vanished.

Her body seemed to become much lighter.

The Spiritual Energy in the mountain forest surged toward her like a vortex. Her strength was elevating, breaking through its previous limits.

Even Yue Hanzheng felt the changes in his body.

The Abnormal Power he had awakened seemed to have leveled up. His body felt much more comfortable, as if he could automatically sense the power of the surrounding Spiritual Energy.

At this moment, the System spoke up excitedly in Qiao Suluo’s mind, “Congratulations, Host! You have completed the mission to save this Beast World.

“The five villains who were destined to undergo darkening have had their Darkening Value completely eradicated. The Beast World has returned to normal, and the aura of the Heavenly Dao has been fully restored.

“The previous natural disasters will also disappear, and the Beast World will regain its favorable weather. You have accumulated great merit this time and now possess a dense Power of Faith.

“Moreover, my System Power has also upgraded…”

The System excitedly chattered away in her ear. Qiao Suluo had been sleeping groggily, but upon suddenly hearing the System’s enthusiastic rambling, she lost all her drowsiness.

Her consciousness entered the space. “System, what exactly did you just say?”

“Host, you formed a Contract with your five Beast Husbands and dispelled their Darkening Value!” the System said with exhilaration. “They are no longer villains and will not destroy this Beast World. Now that they have been moved by your love, they hold nothing but love for this world in their hearts. Therefore, you have saved this Beast World and completed the mission.

“Actually, after my upgrade, I realized that this Beast World had been rebooted many times—meaning it had been destroyed many times. Now that you’ve saved this Beast World, it’s equivalent to saving all of its living beings.

“Even the natural disasters and wars that were supposed to happen will vanish. The astrological signs also show that a new Emperor Star has appeared in the Da Jing Dynasty, and this star is incredibly bright…”

The System was overly excited and rambled on at length.

Qiao Suluo digested this barrage of information and finally understood what it meant. “So, I’ve finished my mission.”

“Yes! Congratulations, Host. The mission is complete! This time, the System has directly rewarded you with countless points. From now on, you can freely redeem items in the Space Mall.

“However, the redeemed items can only be used by you and your family. They cannot be used to damage the established order and rules of this world, nor can they be used for profit…”

The System rattled off a bunch of rules.

Qiao Suluo went to check her system points. Seeing the long string of zeros at the end, her eyes lit up.

If that was the case, she could redeem a massive amount of food from the mall. They wouldn’t have to worry about a lack of food for the rest of their journey.

She also noticed that her Wood Element Ability and Purification Ability had both improved significantly. Her Wood Element Ability had reached the Third Rank, and her Purification Ability was now at three stars.

The System chimed in, “Host, a three-star Purification Ability can purify the dark aura of an entire mountain forest. It can return the mutated plants and mutated animals in the area back to normal.”

“That’s great,” Qiao Suluo said. “I can give it a try in a bit.”

If the vegetation and animals in this mountain forest returned to normal, the villagers would be able to hunt and forage for food freely. They wouldn’t be short of food on their way north, nor would they need to stop at towns to buy supplies.

Just then, a thought struck her. “By the way, System. Since you said I’ve completed my mission, does that mean I can return to my original world?”

In her original world, she also had a family that doted on her—her parents and three older brothers. They loved her dearly. If she never went back, they would definitely be worried.

The System replied, “Based on the completion level of your mission, you can go back, but it requires an opportunity. You will need to borrow an incredibly powerful force to make the return trip.

“But if you go back, what will happen to your Beast Husbands? If you leave, they might undergo darkening once again.”

“I have already developed feelings for them,” Qiao Suluo said. “I have bonds in this world, as well as children. I just want to go back to take a look, explain things to my family, and then I’ll return.

“I hope I can borrow that opportunistic power to travel back and forth.”

The System breathed a sigh of relief. “As long as you come back, it’s fine.”