Chapter 26: The Holy Son's "Rescue" and the Empress's Refusal
The sky above the Northern Void didn't just darken; it turned into a blinding, sterile white. A massive chariot made of pure jade and pulled by four Qilin descended from the upper clouds, radiating an aura of unbearable "Righteousness."
On the deck of the Imperial Flagship, the guards squinted against the light. A man stepped off the chariot, his robes shimmering with the symbols of the Seven Heavens Cathedral. This was Holy Son Sheng Tian, a man whose reputation for "purifying" evil was known throughout the realms.
"I sense a foul, seductive energy coming from this vessel!" Sheng Tian's voice boomed, amplified by his Light-Mandate Physique. "And I sense a stolen soul—the Alchemist Empress—being held in bondage!"
🦢 The Righteous Intrusion
Inside the Imperial Suite, the "Seductive Aura" from Su Yan's tonic was still in full swing. Xu Yanluo was lounging on a pile of cushions, with Hu Ruyan currently using his chest as a pillow and Su Yan herself feeding him spiritual grapes.
The doors were suddenly blown open by a wave of holy light.
"Fear not, Alchemist Empress! I, Sheng Tian, have come to liberate you from this villainous—"
Sheng Tian stopped mid-sentence. His eyes nearly popped out of his head. He expected to see a woman in chains, weeping for mercy. Instead, he saw Su Yan draped over Yanluo's lap, her semi-transparent silks clinging to her curves, looking more relaxed than a cat in the sun.
"Master," Su Yan muttered, not even looking at the Holy Son. "Who is this loud person? He's ruining the atmosphere of my tonic."
👅 The Cold Refusal
Sheng Tian's face twisted in confusion. "Empress! Do you not recognize me? I am the Holy Son! I am here to return you to the Cathedral where you belong! Come, leave this lecherous prince and regain your dignity!"
Yanluo didn't even stand up. He just toyed with a lock of Su Yan's golden hair. "Well, Su Yan? The man says he's here to 'rescue' you. Want to go back to being a 'Holy Tool' for a bunch of monks?"
Su Yan finally turned her head, her gaze icy. "Dignity? In the Cathedral, I was a slave to the furnaces. Here, I am a Queen of the Bedroom. I get to research the highest forms of 'Vitality Alchemy' directly with the Prince. Why would I ever leave a man who can survive my strongest tonics for a boy who probably faints at the sight of a bare ankle?"
"You... you've been brainwashed!" Sheng Tian roared, his holy aura flaring. "Xu Yanluo! Release her, or I shall purify this ship and everyone on it!"
👊 The "Purification" of the Holy Son
"Purify me?" Yanluo laughed, finally standing up. As he did, the golden-red "Charm Aura" exploded outward, clashing with the Holy Son's white light.
[System Notification: "Ling"]
[Target: Holy Son Sheng Tian]
[Cultivation: Sovereign Ascension (Early Stage)]
[Passive: 'Virgin's Shield' — High resistance to mental attacks. Weakness: Extreme arrogance.]
"Ling," Yanluo whispered. "Activate the 'Admin Command: Reverse Hypocrisy.'"
Before Sheng Tian could swing his holy staff, Yanluo was in front of him. He didn't use a sword. He used a simple, open-handed palm strike infused with Chaos Qi. [Technique: Heavenly Void Shatter].
BOOM!
The Holy Son's "Virgin Shield" didn't just crack; it shattered into glowing glass shards. Yanluo grabbed the Holy Son by his golden collar, pulling him close. "You talk about 'Dignity,' yet you barge into a man's bedroom uninvited. In my world, we call that a 'Peeping Tom.'"
"I... I am the voice of Heaven!" Sheng Tian gasped, his holy light flickering like a dying lightbulb.
"Heaven is busy," Yanluo smirked. He turned to Yao Qingxue and the Goddess Tian Ling. "Ladies, he wants to 'purify' things. Why don't you show him what 'True Destiny' looks like?"
The Goddess of Fate stepped forward, her eyes glowing with starlight. "You claim to follow the Mandate, little Holy Son? Let me show you your actual future." She touched his forehead, and Sheng Tian's eyes rolled back as he saw a vision of himself becoming Yanluo's footstool for the next thousand years.
⛓️ The New "Imperial Janitor"
"I won't kill you," Yanluo said, tossing the trembling Holy Son toward the Imperial Guards. "We already have a potato peeler. We need someone to scrub the deck. Give him a mop made of 'Holy Silk' and make sure he keeps the ship shining. If I see a single speck of dust, he gets a 'back-shot' with the spiritual rod."
"Yes, Your Highness!" the guards grinned, dragging the weeping "Holy Son" away.
As the "Rescue" party ended in total humiliation, Yanluo felt a tug on his sleeve. It was Su Yan, her eyes dark with a new alchemical curiosity.
"Master... the tonic's secondary effect is peaking," she whispered, her hands sliding up his chest. "I think we need to conduct a... practical experiment on the bed. For science, of course."
Hu Ruyan and Ye Ziyun immediately jumped in. "We're scientists too! We want to help!"
Yanluo laughed, pulling the Alchemist Empress and the Fox into his arms. "Science it is, then. Ling, turn off the notifications. We're going to be busy."
[Author's Note: The Holy Son is now the Holy Janitor! Su Yan is 'fully' integrated into the harem! But as they approach the center of the Northern Void, an ancient seal is breaking... something much older than the Empire is waking up.]