Under such circumstances, the Ninth Princess found herself completely captivated, whether or not a soul mark was present.
She had long enjoyed being with Rowan.
Especially with someone like Rowan, whose commanding presence and dominance somehow enthralled her. It made her heart race uncontrollably, and her body softened as if all her strength had been drained.
But just as she indulged in this intoxicating feeling, Rowan released her. The sudden distance left the Ninth Princess momentarily stunned. Yet, as she recalled Rowan's earlier bold behavior, her pride as a royal surged back immediately.
"You… how dare you! I will "
"I'm telling you, if you ever speak a single word of defiance, there will be no place for you in my household. I mean what I say. If you want to be my woman, you must follow my arrangements. I despise your old, stubborn ways," Rowan said, cutting her off without giving her a chance to speak. His tone left no room for negotiation.
The Ninth Princess, who had been ready to retort, froze instantly.
Looking into Rowan's eyes, she realized he meant every word. She had already tested this man's resolve. He did what he said.
It left her uncertain, unsure of what to say.
Did she like Rowan? Perhaps not love, not yet.
But she truly enjoyed his commanding nature. Even while being dominated, she felt an inexplicable satisfaction. She had never experienced this sensation with anyone else, and it was exactly the kind of partner she had long dreamed of.
Unlike the men who surrounded her before flattering, submissive, lacking even a shred of masculinity.
"I will count to three. You must give me a clear answer. If you do not answer, it means you refuse to stay by my side. From that moment, we are strangers. I will give you a fifth-tier original energy weapon, and our paths will never cross again."
Rowan pulled a Celestial Fire Wheel from his storage space, a top-grade fifth-tier psychic original energy weapon, worth an astonishing thirteen trillion cosmic credits.
"I…"
"One… two…"
"I will! I will follow you!" The Ninth Princess grabbed Rowan's hand, her former arrogance completely gone.
Seeing her pleading eyes, Rowan smiled. He pulled her into his embrace again and pressed a soft kiss to her lips.
"That's right. To be my woman, you must be obedient. Remember, you are mine. Outside our home, you can be strong with anyone else, but with me and my family, you obey.
"If anyone in the royal family dares to harm you, tell me, and I will eliminate them. If you wish to ascend to emperor, I will help you. Whatever my woman desires, I will give her.
"One more thing. Besides you, I have other women. You must treat them sincerely as sisters. Any scheming or attempts to harm them will not be forgiven. I may even kill you. These are my conditions. Can you accept them?"
Seeing the moment was right, Rowan did not hold back, laying all his cards on the table to prevent any future complications.
The Ninth Princess felt a pang of jealousy when she learned of his other women, but thinking of this domineering man, she understood that no single woman could tame him entirely. Her heart eased, and she nodded obediently to every condition he laid out, utterly compliant.
"Impressive!"
"What a talent!"
"Being domineering is one thing, but dominating in romance and taming such a fiery woman? If we weren't sworn brothers, I'd want to take him as my master!"
Nearby, Rowan's companions Rofeng, Hong, and the Thunder God looked at him with renewed respect, marveling at his prowess.
Rowan felt a quiet pride. With strength comes influence. Any woman can be won with confidence.
On the spaceship, Hargrove's eyes widened. He had naturally noticed that Brolin's soul mark had been erased. He had expected her to be furious, demanding he kill Rowan, but instead, she was completely obedient, like a gentle wife.
No trace of her usual fiery temperament remained.
Unbelievable.
"Enough. In the Inter-Realm, have you obtained the triple password for the inheritance crystal?" Rowan asked.
The Ninth Princess nodded and explained that the second password had already been claimed by the Three Axes Mountain faction.
"Don't worry. I'll get it back for you."
Now that she was his woman, Rowan naturally wanted to protect her. Even if the inheritance crystal was fake, the performance had to be convincing.
The Ninth Princess obediently smiled at him.
"Now, do you want to return to Earth with me, or back to the palace?"
"I want to stay with you!" She loved being by Rowan's side. There was a strange sense of security in being with such a commanding man.
"Good. Then I'll take your granddaughter away myself," Rowan said. By taking the Ninth Princess with him, he effectively cemented their bond. He waved to Hargrove and then boarded the Black Dragon, vanishing in a flash.
Hargrove froze at hearing Rowan call him grandfather, then laughed heartily. Initially, he had not taken Rowan seriously, but now he felt this young man had truly won his favor.
Returning to Earth would only take a few days. During this time, Rowan retrieved the second layer of the password from Three Axes Mountain and handed it to the Ninth Princess. She happily relayed the news to Hargrove, who was deeply moved.
Hargrove had wanted Brolin to accompany him to examine the inheritance crystal, but Brolin refused, insisting on staying with Rowan. Hargrove was frustrated but ultimately went alone to the Cosmic Galaxy Bank to attempt the triple password.
The result? Predictably disastrous. The crystal was fake, and Hargrove nearly exploded with rage.
Rowan, however, remained calm. Everything had gone exactly as he anticipated.
The rest of the time, Rowan focused on inventorying his spoils. He and Rofeng had already tallied their cosmic crystals, amounting to nearly sixty chaotic units. Including weapons and equipment, Rowan estimated his total assets at about a trillion cosmic crystals, roughly one chaotic unit.
They had killed nearly thirty thousand enemies a remarkable feat. The remaining treasures would be sold. Rowan also retrieved all the treasures he had exchanged in the Inter-Realm.
"Second Brother, this is the Star of Thunder. Consuming it will enhance your grasp of laws, helping you enter the domain of mastery faster," Rowan said, presenting a dark-gold fruit crackling with lightning. Ordinary humans would be instantly incinerated by its deadly energy.
Before the Thunder God could react, Rowan produced another fifth-tier original energy weapon, the Heavenly Fire Thunder Cloud Blade, powered by both Fire and Lightning Laws.
Human souls had unique adaptability. Under Rowan's modifications, learning new laws was twice as efficient. Given the Thunder God's open-minded nature and Rowan's mastery of Fire Law, teaching him would be simple.
"This weapon is exquisite. It even bears the traces of the Fire Law and Lightning Law origins. Just a glance feels overwhelmingly profound. I probably can't even wield one percent of its power!" Thunder God marveled, clutching the blade.
"Big brother, this Death God Silver Spear requires Time and Metal Laws to unleash its true potential. Perfect for you!" Rowan handed a silver spear to Hong, weighing around ten thousand tons. On certain planets, with gravity up to 4,600 times Earth's, the weight would soar to 46 million tons.
For a Stellar-class warrior, such a weapon was nearly impossible to wield. But the spear's intricate design embedded with both laws meant Hong could eventually master it.
In the original plan, Hong and the Thunder God each mastered only one law, yet Hong reached the Void True God level and followed Rofeng to the Origin Continent. The Thunder God became a True God, though a relatively ordinary one.
Rowan intended to cultivate them to elite standards, for the Origin Continent would demand formidable allies to confront each powerful enemy.
Hong hefted the spear, feeling its immense potential. With time, he would be able to unlock its full power. Rowan planned to auction the remaining treasures at the Cosmic Galaxy Bank, as selling them directly would be difficult.
Four years remained until the Virtual Universe Genius War. Every moment counted. Rowan's Star-Shattered Sky Blade was still missing, and his Time Law had yet to reach its origin. With his current strength, he ranked among the top one thousand warriors across the first five cosmic nations. Every second mattered.
Rowan also gave Brolin a fifth-tier psychic weapon, the Blazing Wind Nine Blades, requiring mastery of the Wind Law and the law's threshold to unleash its full potential. Though mid-tier among psychic weapons, its price exceeded ordinary warrior weapons. Brolin, initially unable to fully harness it, trusted that with practice she would.
Two days later, they finally arrived on Earth.
"How beautiful!" Brolin gazed upward, marveling at the planet's rich ecosystems, sprawling cities, and fresh air. She was completely enchanted.
At Hongning Base, as the spaceship landed, Yao Rao and the others arrived promptly.
Yao Rao immediately noticed the Ninth Princess, Brolin, walking with Rowan. He smiled faintly, having accepted Rowan's multiple relationships, and recognized her strength.
Even at planetary rank eight, the Ninth Princess exuded an overwhelming presence, like an immovable mountain.
Rowan introduced them: "From now on, treat each other as sisters. This is Brolin, the Ninth Princess of the Black Dragon Empire, and this is Yao Rao, my woman."
The Ninth Princess extended her hand politely. Yao Rao froze, surprised that Rowan had brought a royal princess along. Fully aware of the Black Dragon Empire's might, he recognized the extraordinary status of the Ninth Princess and the sheer audacity of Rowan's actions.
Even a royal of that caliber had become Rowan's partner. It was simply astonishing.