Harem Master: Seduction System

Chapter 363: Heading Out Of Secret Realm

The journey out of the icy cavern was a slow, torturous, and for Alaric, incredibly pleasurable affair.

The path leading away from the secluded cave where Yun Lan had sealed herself was treacherous—a narrow, winding trail carved into the side of a sheer cliff, slick with frozen condensation and battered by winds that carried the biting chill of the high altitude. Under normal circumstances, a cultivator of Yun Lan’s caliber would have simply flown out, her Qi wrapping around her like a protective cocoon. But now, she was burdened. Not by the weight of the man on her back, but by the crushing weight of her own guilt.

Alaric, the handsome "traveler" who had sacrificed his cultivation to save her, was draped over her back like a broken doll. His arms were wrapped loosely around her neck, his chin resting on her shoulder, his chest pressed firmly against the silk of her back.

"I... I am heavy..." Alaric rasped, his voice weak and laced with a theatrical tremor. He let his head loll to the side, his lips brushing against the sensitive skin of her neck, sending a shiver down Yun Lan’s spine that had nothing to do with the cold. "You should... leave me... Sect Master..."

"Silence," Yun Lan commanded gently, her voice thick with emotion. She adjusted her grip, her hands hooking under his thighs to hoist him higher. "You saved my life. I would carry you to the ends of the earth if I had to."

Alaric smirked, his face hidden in the crook of her neck. ’Oh, you will, my dear. You will.’

He was enjoying this immensely. The "crippled" act gave him license to do things that would otherwise get his hand chopped off by an ice blade. As Yun Lan navigated a particularly slippery patch of ice, her body jolted. Alaric used the momentum to "slip," his hands sliding down from her shoulders to clutch desperately at her chest for support.

His hands landed squarely on her breasts—massive, soft mounds of flesh that yielded under his grip. He squeezed, his fingers digging into the white silk robes, feeling the heat and the weight of them.

"Ah!" Yun Lan gasped, freezing in place.

"S-sorry!" Alaric stammered, pulling his hands back slightly, but not removing them. He kept them hovering just over her chest, his thumbs grazing the peaks. "I... I slipped... my hands... they have no strength... I just grabbed..."

"It... it is fine," Yun Lan whispered, her face flushing a deep crimson that was visible even against the snow. "Hold on tight. Do not let go."

"You are so warm..." Alaric murmured, burying his face back into her neck. He inhaled deeply, filling his lungs with her scent—winter lilies and the subtle, intoxicating musk of a mature woman. He pressed his groin against her lower back, letting her feel the heat of his body, establishing a physical intimacy that shattered the boundaries between strangers. "The cold... it feels like it is eating my bones... only you... only your warmth keeps it away..."

Yun Lan’s heart ached for him. She believed every word. She believed that the residue of her Absolute Zero Ice was ravaging his empty meridians. She channeled a gentle, non-combative stream of Yang Qi into her back, trying to warm him, unaware that he was simply absorbing it like a parasite while enjoying the feel of her ass rubbing against his crotch with every step she took.

They continued like this for miles. Alaric played the part of the dying invalid perfectly, alternating between pained groans that elicited waves of sympathy and bold, delirious compliments that made the former Sect Master blush like a maiden.

"Your hair..." he whispered, blowing a strand away from her ear. "It smells like... salvation."

"Alaric, please..." she murmured, her focus wavering.

Suddenly, Alaric stiffened. He forced his body to convulse, a violent shudder wracking his frame. He let out a choked cry of pain, digging his fingers into her shoulders.

"Nngh! The... the cold! It’s seizing... my heart!"

"Alaric!" Yun Lan cried out, panic flaring in her chest. She could feel his body temperature dropping rapidly—a trick of his blood manipulation magic—turning icy against her back. "Hold on! We are too slow! Walking is too slow!"

She couldn’t worry about being gentle anymore. She couldn’t worry about the wind shear. If they didn’t get out of this high-altitude zone immediately, his heart would stop.

With a thought, she summoned her personal artifact.

Shing!

A magnificent, translucent blue sword materialized in the air before them. It radiated a chilling, lunar beauty—the Frost Moon Blade, a High-Tier Earth Grade weapon that had been her companion for decades.

"We fly," she declared.

She stepped onto the blade, balancing effortlessly. She adjusted Alaric on her back, pulling his arms tighter around her neck, securing him.

"Hold on to me," she ordered, her voice fierce. "Bury your face in my shoulder. Do not look up. I will shield you from the wind."

"Yes... Yun Lan..." he whispered weakly.

The sword surged forward. They rocketed into the sky, leaving the snowy peaks behind in a streak of blue light.

The sensation was exhilarating. The wind roared around them, but Yun Lan created a protective barrier of Qi, a bubble of calm air around the sword. Within that bubble, it was just the two of them, pressed together in the sky.

Alaric took full advantage. As the G-force of their acceleration pressed him against her, he molded his body to hers. He wrapped his legs around her waist, locking his ankles, pulling himself so close that there wasn’t a breath of air between them. He could feel every curve of her back, the dip of her spine, the flare of her hips.

He moved his hands again, sliding them under her arms to clasp them over her stomach—and then, "accidentally," sliding them higher until his forearms were bracketing the undersides of her breasts, lifting them, feeling their heaviness.

Yun Lan didn’t stop him. She was too focused on flying, too focused on saving his life. And deep down... in a place she wouldn’t admit to... the contact felt good. It felt anchoring. For years, she had been the icy, untouchable Sect Master. Now, she was just a woman carrying a man who needed her.

’Fly, my little bird,’ Alaric thought, a dark, possessive grin hidden against her neck as he kissed the sensitive skin below her ear. ’Fly us away from your hero. Fly us away from your past.’

They shot through the barrier of the Secret Realm, the spatial ripple washing over them.

As they emerged into the real world, the sunlight of the Celestial Dragon Empire hitting them, Alaric relaxed slightly. The first step was complete. The physical separation was absolute. Feng Xiao was trapped in the jar, and Alaric had run off with the prize.

Meanwhile, deep in the valley of the Secret Realm, the "hero" was fighting for his life.

The Dragon Carp Falls had been turned into a hellscape of boiling water and shattered rock.

Feng Xiao leaped through the air, his black heavy sword trailing a comet tail of Blue Lotus Flame. He looked every inch the war god, his eyes burning with determination, his clothes torn and bloodied but his spirit unbroken.

"Heavenly Flame Art: Tsunami of Blue Fire!"

He swung his sword, unleashing a wave of blue flames that crashed into the central lake. The water hissed and evaporated, creating a blinding fog of steam.

From within the fog, three massive heads lunged.

The Abyssal Hydra Kings.

These were not mindless beasts. They were cunning, ancient creatures that had guarded the Azure Sea Soul Grass for centuries. They coordinated their attacks with terrifying precision. One head spewed a jet of corrosive venom; another shot a pressurized water cannon; the third lunged with jaws capable of crushing diamonds.

"Damn it!" Feng Xiao gritted his teeth, twisting in mid-air. He barely dodged the venom, the acid sizzling past his ear, burning a lock of his hair.

He was strong. Incredibly strong. But he was a 1st Stage Martial King fighting three 5th Stage Beast Kings, plus their retinue of Blood-Tooth Sawsharks and Armored Crab Generals.

Lin Ruoli watched from the shadows of a distortion formation on the ridge above. Her heart hammered in her chest. She was a Martial Grandmaster, weaker than Feng Xiao in raw power, but she was an assassin at heart. She saw the openings. She saw the moments where Feng Xiao overextended, where his defense faltered as he prioritized offense.

Her hand drifted to the daggers at her waist.

’I could kill him,’ she thought, a surge of killing intent rising in her gut. ’Right now. While he is distracted by the Hydra. A poisoned blade to the kidney. A shadow strike to the throat. He is exhausted. He wouldn’t see it coming.’

She took a step forward, her shadow lengthening.

’Do not.’

Alaric’s voice echoed in her mind, transmitted through the soul slave seal. It was cold, authoritative, and carried the weight of absolute command.

’Do not kill the goose that lays the golden eggs, Ruoli. Killing him is not simple. Fate protects him. If you strike now, you will miss, or his flame will react instinctively and burn you to ash. Or worse... he will survive and evolve. He is not ready to die. I need him. I need his destiny.’

Lin Ruoli froze. She bit her lip until it bled, forcing the killing intent back down. She didn’t understand. Why keep a threat alive? Why play with fire? But she feared Alaric more than she feared death. Her Master’s wisdom was absolute.

"As you command, Master," she whispered to the empty air.

She turned her gaze to Ya Su.

The auctioneer was standing near the edge of the battlefield, partially hidden by a large boulder. She was watching Feng Xiao with wide, tearful eyes. Her hands were clasped over her chest, her knuckles white. She looked like a woman whose heart was being torn in two.

The slave seal on Ya Su’s womb throbbed, a rhythmic pulse of dark magic that reminded her of Alaric’s threat. The poison. The curse. If he touches you, he dies.

Lin Ruoli moved. She didn’t walk; she melted into the shadows, using the Jade Serpent’s secret movement technique, "Serpent Steps." She appeared silently behind Ya Su, grabbing her arm.

"Sister Ya," Lin Ruoli whispered, her voice cold and devoid of sympathy. "The Master has spoken. It is time to go."

Ya Su jumped, nearly screaming. She whipped around, her eyes wide with terror. She looked back at Feng Xiao, who was currently wrestling with a Hydra head, his muscles straining, blue fire roaring.

"But... he is fighting..." Ya Su whispered, her voice trembling. "He is outnumbered. If I leave now... if he looks back and I am gone..."

"If you stay, the Master comes back," Lin Ruoli threatened, tightening her grip on Ya Su’s arm. "Do you want that? Do you want Lord Alaric to come down here and introduce himself to Feng Xiao personally? Do you want him to tell your ’Brother Xiao’ exactly how you spent the last week? How you screamed his name while Alaric filled you?"

Ya Su paled, the blood draining from her face. The image of Alaric and Feng Xiao meeting—of Feng Xiao finding out about her defilement, of the "curse" activating and rotting Feng Xiao from the inside out—was a nightmare she couldn’t face.

"No..." she choked out. "No... I will come. I will come."

"Good," Lin Ruoli said. She looked down at the battle. "But we cannot just walk away. He is perceptive. If he senses your aura vanish, he might investigate. We need a distraction. A big one."

She reached into her spatial ring and pulled out a black, metallic sphere. It hummed with a violent, contained energy, purple sparks dancing across its surface.

The Thunder-Prison Pearl.

A one-time-use artifact Alaric had crafted specifically for this moment. It contained the compressed essence of a heavenly tribulation lightning bolt, stabilized by Void magic.

"This won’t kill him," Lin Ruoli thought, weighing the heavy sphere in her hand. "But it will hurt. And it will buy us the time we need."

She waited. She watched Feng Xiao with the cold, calculating eyes of a viper waiting to strike.

Down in the lake, Feng Xiao roared. He had found his opening. The central Hydra head had lunged too far.

"Heavenly Flame Art: Lotus Annihilation Slash!"

Feng Xiao gathered every scrap of his Blue Lotus Flame into his sword. The blade turned into a pillar of blue fire, extending fifty feet into the air. He leaped up, exposing his entire body, sacrificing defense for a single, earth-shattering blow intended to decapitate the Beast King.

It was a heroic, all-or-nothing move.

"Now," Lin Ruoli hissed.

She threw the Thunder-Prison Pearl.

It flew silently through the air, a black blur against the chaotic background of fire and water. It didn’t aim for his body; it aimed for the space directly above his head.

Just as Feng Xiao reached the apex of his jump, just as he began to swing his sword down... the pearl detonated.

CRACK-BOOOOM!

There was no fire. Only purple, blinding light.

The pearl dissolved into a net of high-voltage tribulation lightning. It expanded instantly, forming a dome of crackling electric energy that slammed down on Feng Xiao like the hammer of a god.

Feng Xiao didn’t even see it coming.

"AAAAGGHH!"

He screamed as the lightning invaded his body. It wasn’t just electricity; it was a suppression domain. It drilled into his meridians, seizing his muscles, locking his joints. The Blue Lotus Flame on his sword sputtered and died, the connection to his Qi severed by the paralyzing shock.

His attack failed. The momentum vanished.

He hung in the air for a split second, a statue of agony, purple arcs of lightning dancing over his skin, smoke rising from his robes.

’What?!’ Feng Xiao’s mind reeled, panic flooding him. ’A sneak attack? From where? A Lightning Beast King hidden in the clouds?!’

He couldn’t move. He couldn’t channel Qi. He was a stone.

He fell.

He plummeted straight down into the churning water of the lake.

The Abyssal Hydra Kings were confused for a microsecond, but beasts did not hesitate. They saw the enemy paralyzed. They saw the fire gone.

They lunged.

Three massive jaws snapped shut on the space where Feng Xiao had been a second before.

Feng Xiao hit the water with a massive splash, sinking like a rock. The lightning still ravaged his nerves, keeping him paralyzed. He watched through the murky water as the Hydra heads dove after him, their teeth gleaming.

He was forced to burn his Blood Essence—the very core of his life force—to forcefully break the paralysis. He coughed a cloud of blood into the water, summoning a weak, desperate flame barrier just as the jaws clamped down.

CRUNCH.

The barrier held, barely, but the force of the bite smashed him deeper into the abyss, breaking bones.

In the chaos on the ridge, Lin Ruoli didn’t waste a second.

"Now!" she barked.

She grabbed Ya Su by the waist, hoisting the auctioneer into the air.

"Brother Xiao!" Ya Su cried out, reaching back toward the lake, tears streaming down her face. She had seen him fall. She had seen the lightning. "He... he’s hurt! We have to help him!"

"He is a great talent," Lin Ruoli said coldly, activating her own movement technique and shooting away from the battlefield at top speed. "And talents like him don’t die that easily. But you will, if you don’t serve the Master."

She dragged Ya Su relentlessly through the forest, using the noise of the exploding water and the roars of the beasts to mask their escape.

"I’m sorry..." Ya Su sobbed, her body limp in Lin Ruoli’s grip, her heart shattering. "I’m sorry, Brother Xiao... I’m sorry..."

"Save your tears," Lin Ruoli said, her voice hard but tinged with a dark satisfaction. "You have a new Master to serve tonight. And he does not like weepy sluts."

By the time Feng Xiao managed to blast the Hydra back and surface, gasping for air, blood leaking from his nose and ears, the ridge was empty.

He scanned the area with his spiritual sense, panic warring with pain.

"Sister Su?" he croaked.

There was no answer. No aura. Just the roar of the angry beasts preparing for round two.

"She... she must have fled," he told himself, coughing up blood. "She saw the lightning... she ran to safety. Good. Good. She is safe."

He didn’t know. He couldn’t know.

He gripped his sword, his eyes burning with a new, desperate fury. "You damn lizards! You tried to ambush me! I’ll skin you all alive!"

The hero turned back to the monsters, convinced he was fighting a hidden beast, never suspecting that his "loyal" financial backer was currently being flown miles away to warm the bed of the man who had orchestrated his humiliation.

High above the clouds, miles away from the Secret Realm, the journey was much more peaceful, and far more intimate.

Yun Lan stood on her Frost Moon Blade, her hands forming a seal to maintain the flight spell. Behind her, Alaric clung to her like a limpet.

The wind whipped around them, but Yun Lan’s barrier kept the air inside calm and warm.

"Are you... holding up?" she asked, glancing back over her shoulder.

"Barely," Alaric lied, his voice weak. He pressed his face into the curve of her neck, his lips brushing the sensitive skin there. "The cold... it comes in waves. I feel like... I am freezing from the inside out."

"I am transferring Qi to you," Yun Lan said, increasing the flow of warmth into her back.

"It helps," Alaric whispered. "But... the contact... helps more."

He shifted his grip. His arms were wrapped around her waist, his hands clasped over her stomach. He let them slide up, just an inch. Just enough so that his forearms were pressing firmly against the undersides of her breasts.

It was a bold move. A violation of decorum.

But Yun Lan didn’t stop him. She couldn’t. He was dying. He was clinging to her for life. To push him away would be cruel.

’He doesn’t mean to,’ she told herself, her heart beating a frantic rhythm against her ribs. ’He is weak. He is just holding on.’

But the heat of his body against hers... the hard planes of his chest pressing into her back... the way his breath tickled her ear... it was awakening something in her. A hunger she had suppressed for decades in the name of cultivation and sect honor.

"We are heading to Snow Moon City," Yun Lan said, her voice slightly breathless. "It is the closest major city in the Northern Prefecture. There is a famous physician there, Grandmaster Wang. He has treated my sect before. He is a genius of the medical path. He will know how to fix your meridians."

Alaric smirked against her skin. "I trust you completely, Yun Lan. My life... is in your hands."

He secretly tapped the communication talisman in his sleeve again.

’Phase Three,’ he signaled to Lin Ruoli. ’Snow Moon City. Grandmaster Wang. Buy him. Threaten him. Own him. I want a diagnosis that serves my needs.’

He felt Yun Lan shiver slightly under his touch.

"You smell nice," he murmured, acting delirious. "Like... winter flowers."

"Rest, Alaric," she said softly. "Save your strength."

"I don’t want to sleep," he whispered. "If I sleep... I might not wake up. I want... to keep holding you."

He tightened his arms, pulling her back against him, closing the gap until they were molded together. He could feel the softness of her ass against his groin. He had to exercise immense control not to get hard, though a part of him wondered if she would even notice, or if she would mistake it for a weapon hilt.

"I won’t let you die," Yun Lan vowed, her voice fierce.

Alaric closed his eyes, enjoying the ride.

He had separated the hero from his support. He had isolated the damsel. He had set the stage for a medical "necessity" that would force them into a bed together.

The trap was closing. And it was going to be delicious.