441-450

Chapter 441 - The Cause Of Hal's Disability. Part 1

Hal gulped as it proved impossible to resist the hold of Kirill who stared at him,

"So, what did you think?" He prompted Hal when he said nothing.

"Honestly, I felt it was way too long. It seemed to just go on and on. I thought it would never end" he said, doing well to hide his fear.

And who could blame him for feeling fear?

He was in the clutches of a saint!

That said, Hal knew he had been guided to this hall by Svetlana on purpose and she was not going to let her father kill him.

Artyom frowned at Hal and Ivan looked him over,

"What the hell are you doing here?" He asked in an angry voice.

Hal rolled his eyes at him,

"Not like it's any of your business but I came here to pick someone up. It turns out she's not here so if your grandpappy can let me go now, I'll search for her elsewhere" he said in a surprisingly calm voice.

Kirill paused,

"Hahaha, gutsy, I like" he said and then looked closely at the resemblance this Doxon boy seemed to have with his daughter,

"What's your name boy?" He asked still not loosening the hold he had on Hal.

"My name is Hal, and before you ask, I am not a Doxon" Hal said and this time, Kirill actually let him go.

The Doxon family patron raised a brow at Hal's words, before saying,

"If you say so. My name is Kirill if you did not already know and these are my useless sons, Kohen and Elian, and their sons, Ivan and Artyom." He said.

Hal was a little surprised that Kirill was introducing himself and his family to him after he already 'eavesdropped' on a private discussion. But he did not really feel like picking at the little details.

He barely acknowledged Kohen or Elian but he did smirk at Ivan and then Artyom who snarled,

"Bastard"

Hal rolled his eyes,

"Still pissed? It's just a fruit, let it go" he said.

Kirill looked at Ivan and then Artyom and finally back at Hal,

"You were at the Garden of Peril? You got the Primal Fruit?" He asked.

Hal smiled,

"Wonderful deductive reasoning" he said with a bit of mocking as he felt it was funny that Kirill could deduce that but did not seem to have deduced the relationship between Hal and Svetlana yet.

Then he looked back at the lady who had led him here as she came up behind him and bowed to all those seated,

"Patron, Master Kohen, and Elian. Young masters Ivan and Artyom, I apologize for the intrusion" she said.

Hal rolled his eyes at her as this ended the little pitstop Svetlana must have planned ahead and then she said to him,

"Young master Hal, come with me, the Duchess is waiting"

That seemed to finally strip away the veil of denial and let it click in Kirill's mind as he stood up,

"You're... Lana's kid?" He asked having been thrown off mostly by the cultivation he could sense coming from Hal. A nineteen-year-old in the Cosmic Phenomenon realm.

A true Genius.

Hal smiled lightly and looked back as he followed after the lady who led him not towards the entrance to the hall but a door over to the side of it that was not far from where the Doxons were seated,

"The one and only" he said and walked out of the hall behind the stoic lady.

The eyes of Kohen and Elian were widened in surprise that borderline shock. This was the first they were ever heard of their sister having a son.

Ivan who had already suspected it was still surprised to see it admitted with such candor and Artyom still looked to be struggling with denial.

As for Kirill, he sat back in his chair with a faraway look in his eyes and it was clear that there was a lot on his mind and a lot he needed to ask his daughter...

...

Kirill Doxon was not the only one who wanted to question the Duchess. Hal was pissed off at the whole charade of having him present to hear the conversations between the Doxons but he had a feeling she had not orchestrated him going there to listen to the conversation, she had orchestrated it so he would meet the rest of the family.

And it was a meeting Hal would have very well-preferred not to have.

The door to the lounge was opened and there were two female guards guarding the entrance.

Hal could see a pattern forming, clearly, Svetlana was the type to have those closest to her be women.

When he saw Svetlana lounging on her sofa, actually having an engaging conversation with Rita, Hal allowed his eyes to trail over her wonderful figure while the stoic lady announced that she had brought him as requested.

Svetlana looked up at him and smiled but before she could say anything, Hal said,

"You tricked me"

"Whatever do you mean?" The duchess asked still in her lounging position.

"I came here to get Rita and not to listen to annoying conversations that have nothing to do with me" Hal said.

"Oh, but they do have something to do with you. Without the past, there can be no future" Svetlana said.

Hal rolled his eyes,

"Real deep of you but there are some pasts that I will do well to ignore. Anyway, you said we should have a chat, so make it quick, I'm on a tight schedule" Hal said and sat on a seat opposite the sofa.

Rita came over to him and sat on his lap where Hal stroked her back while she hugged her arms around his neck.

"Tight schedule? What, are you so eager to use the Primal fruit?" Svetlana asked with a smirk.

Hal took her comment in stride with a shrug,

"What's the point of dilly-dallying? Besides, there are many waiting eagerly and I will hate to keep them waiting too long.

So why don't you start with the Garden?"

"The Garden of Perils? Why that?" Svetlana was confused.

"I was just curious" Hal said.

Svetlana furrowed her brows,

"I found some notes a few years ago that spoke of its creation. How it was meant to be a legacy left behind by Harold Doxon, the tenth Doxon King.

My... Our Ancestor.

History tells us that he was never able to become a Demigod and was stuck at the ninth star of the Cosmic saint realm but did become a Divine Runemaster.

The legendary Rank nine.

The only one to have ever done so in the history of the Haron continent.

He drew the Divine Array that brought the Garden of Perils to life and he did so to help the Doxon Duchy or as it was called back then, the Doxon Kingdom grow.

Not only by providing quality hard-to-find cultivation herbs but also to present challenges and strengthen the resolve of cultivators who decided to journey into it.

But... As I said, he was never able to become a Demigod and then become a god and gain immortal life so eventually he died.

Or at least that is what history says.

He left the kingdom in his final days and that's the last anyone ever saw or heard of him.

The Array which he had named 'Embryo' in the sense that it was his child, his creation took it all as an act of abandonment while getting saddled with responsibilities it no longer felt like having so it has been getting more overboard in its antics.

It hates Doxons the most but is also a tad bit sentimental to us as well." Svetlana paused thinking Hal was about to make an input and he did, just not what she had expected,

"He named a Divine Array he created, 'Embryo'?" He asked in an incredulous tone.

Svetlana shrugged,

"Probably thought it was clever"

Hal shook his head slowly,

"Moving on, let's talk about what I actually want to know; How did I become disabled at birth?" He asked.

The question about the garden had loosened things up enough that they could and should proceed to more important matters.

Svetlana's seating went from relaxed lounging to serious as she sighed and stretched her hand forward with her palm facing upward.

A blue light shone from her palm and the orb appeared floating above it with the golden balls revolving slowly inside.

Svetlana got a faraway look in her eyes as she said,

"It's because of this"

Chapter 442 - The Cause Of Hal's Disability. Part 2

"When I first saw the chrono-spheres in the Payne family vault, they called to me, and in their call, I saw hope. Hope that I could have my life back.

But I had been taught well enough by my master on the Art of inscribing and Artifact maintenance and repair to know the Chrono-spheres were not complete.

The core was present but now it needed housing.

So I got it out of the vault and I left Salmon city..."

At this point, Svetlana paused and looked at Hal who motioned for her to continue while he looked confused at her decision to stop.

Svetlana took a deep breath as she seemed to feel the urge to explain herself,

"It could have never worked between Gregory and me. He was good enough to take the edge off. A brief moment for me to forget my troubles but I could never build a family with him."

"And you are telling me this, why?" Hal asked.

"I thought it best you know why you could never grow up in a whole family. With a mother and a father. Well, except if you consider your stepmother as your mother" Svetlana said and Hal rolled his eyes.

"I didn't ask for this, Svetlana. I asked why I was born defective."

Svetlana searched his eyes and then continued,

"Within my master's notes were techniques to create an Artifact which was practically what I was going to have to do to create a housing for the spheres but such techniques are considered forbidden.

And that is because they sacrifice the life force of the Runemaster who creates them, or alternatively, the lifeforce of others can be used as a substitute for the Runemaster's.

I saw the alternatives in the form of those still after me.

I had attendants with me and together we stopped running but instead focused on setting traps and picking them off one by one.

While I was at the time, a Rank 6 Runemaster and at the Cosmic Pagoda realm, it was far from easy.

For one, those sent after me were also in the Cosmic Pagoda realm and were battled hardened enough to not move separately or underestimate a daughter of the Doxon Duke.

However, I and my attendants did succeed in getting one by himself, and right where I killed him, I used him to power up the start of the creation of the housing.

From then, it took two months of playing cat and mouse with the bastards before I finally got enough to complete the housing..."

Once again, Svetlana paused but soon continued,

"Since I had all I needed, I took all precautions to avoid complications through the backblast of energy that was coming off what was sure to be a very powerful artifact but it was not enough.

The backblast was due to the spheres resistance with a housing -Orb- they felt was unworthy of housing them.

Even all I had done had not been enough.

The blast went right through me and left me uninjured due to the spheres already choosing me but the same could not be said for you."

There was a pause in which Hal paused his stroking of Rita's back,

"Hmm, interesting" he said with a slight smile.

"I knew what had happened the moment it did but it was far from being the time to cry over what I could not change. I had to focus on what I could change which would be the fate my brothers had forced on me. On my family."

Hal nodded his head almost absentmindedly,

"I see. But what about the fate you had forced on me through your experiments and Quest for power."

Svetlana frowned slightly,

"I did not plan for it. I had no idea I would not be able to defend against the backblast"

"And if you had known?" Hal asked.

"What?" Svetlana seemed confused.

"If you had known my meridians would be damaged, would you still have done it? Would you have still chosen power if you had known what the results would be beforehand?" Hal asked.

Svetlana opened her mouth to speak but Hal interrupted,

"And don't lie" Hal said.

Svetlana frowned,

"I wasn't going to. I was going to say yes, I would still have done it."

Another moment of silence... one in which the two looked at one another and Rita frowned at the tension in the air while Hal's lips were twitching occasionally as though he was holding back a smile.

Eventually, Svetlana looked away,

"I don't expect you to understand my reasons for doing so. At the time I had no idea what would be the outcome but if I got to do it all over again, I would do the same. The whole Duchy and my family's legacy was at stake.

It was about to go from Doxon Duchy to Borel Duchy."

Hal shrugged,

"You're right, I don't understand your reasons and you know why? Because they are not any of my concerns. I have no part in this family and I have no interest in it.

I could quite frankly care less about some legacy because I am only striving to establish my own. The only thing that truly concerns me is that while the Doxon family prospered, I was disabled.

Made useless.

And left with my asshole of a father who tried to kill me"

Svetlana looked at him suddenly and then at Rita,

"Gregory did? I can't believe him. The only reason I did not keep you with me was because of the danger I felt you would face in such a competitive and high-powered region.

If you could live your life peacefully anywhere, I believed it would be with him in Salmon city and... He tried to kill you?

The nerve!"

Svetlana's blue eyes flashed but Hal rolled his,

"Settle down mama bear, Gregory already got what he deserved and then some."

"It's not nearly enough! I thought the mere thought of me would keep him from doing something stupid but clearly it was not"

"Would you calm down and stop all this false display of care? You were partially to blame. You broke the man's heart and stole his balls, how did you want him to react to the offspring of his mistake. Trust me, you did not think it through."

There was another pause and then Hal asked the only other question he had in mind right now,

"Who is Elsa and why is she stalking me?"

Svetlana looked a little turned around at the sudden change in topic,

"Elsa is a family friend. She's an Evgeny. A powerful family in the Doxon Duchy. And she is not stalking you, just... Surveying you from a distance."

"That's stalking. And why, pray tell, is she 'surveying' me?" Hal asked.

"Curiosity. Elsa was there when you were born and is one of the few who know you exist. She also knows you cannot cultivate. Or you could not.

When she heard that you could, she was curious and decided to see you 'in your element'. I wanted to know what you were up to so I saw it as a win-win.

Her full name is Elsa Evgeny and her family and the Doxons have always been quite right knit. In fact, it goes even further than my father's friendship with Anton Antonov."

Hal nodded to the information and then said with a chuckle,

"You're not about to tell me I'm betrothed to her, are you?" He asked.

Svetlana's eyes widened slightly,

"What? No no. There is hardly anyone who knows you exist and those who do, believe you can not cultivate. Surely, no one is going to be selecting partners for you."

Hal nodded at how reasonable that sounded but he had nodded too fast as Svetlana added,

"But that is subject to change now that you've shown yourself as a cultivation genius"

Hal who had been looking away suddenly snapped his face back to her,

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Chapter 443 - Is It Not Obvious?

Svetlana shrugged,

"Nothing. Instead, I have answered your questions so why not answer some of mine?" She said.

Hal furrowed his brow,

"What do you want to know?" He asked.

Svetlana grinned,

"I want to see your artifact"

Hal's heart actually skipped a beat before he calmed himself with the faith he had in Grimoire and its ability to stay hidden from all senses.

"What Artifact?" He asked in a confused tone of voice.

Svetlana rolled her eyes,

"You were able to fix damage to your meridians which should have been impossible. And considering the damage came from the energy blast from a Divine Artifact, I think it is fair that I conclude that it was all due to an Artifact.

And not a weak one either.

It must be Divine just like the Chrono-spheres" she said.

In his mind, Hal praised her deductive mind while he reasoned that many others were sure to suspect the use of an artifact. But they did not have the information she did which was regarding what had caused this defection in the first place.

"I have no idea what you are talking about" Hal said.

Svetlana furrowed her brows,

"Are you still trying to deny it? What about the snake and its disappearance into a portal. Unless you have gained insight into the Ordinance of space like the Dane Patroness, it must have been the work of the artifact.

I am your mother. Surely you can trust me" She said.

Hal looked taken aback and even Rita took another incredulous look at the Duchess,

"Today is the first time I am ever seeing you so there is no way I can trust you. Of course, there are ways to speed up gaining of trust." Hal said with a wolfish smile.

"And what would that be?" She asked with a frown.

Hal grinned and ran his eyes over her form again. This time with her seeing his lustful expression and feeling a warmth despite herself as he said,

"Simple, you surrender yourself to me, body and soul. Only in true surrender can there be complete trust"

Svetlana's eyes widened in near shock as she said,

"I am your mother!"

Hal rolled his eyes,

"Changes nothing. No one gets a free pass. The payment for entry into my blanket of trust is the same for all beautiful women" he said.

Svetlana paused as she wondered if he was just saying that to make her uncomfortable and throw her off her game or if he was being perversely serious.

If it was the former, then he had failed somewhat as she was feeling warm and weirdly flattered rather than uncomfortable. It would still have thrown her off her game though but she was able to get back to her senses quickly.

After all, she was centuries older than him and was not going to be outdone by his silver tongue.

She leaned back in her sofa and crossed her legs, highlighting her delectable calves as she smiled sweetly and brushed back a stray lock of her beautiful black hair,

"Every man should have limits. A point they draw the line"

Hal shrugged,

"As you are starting to see, I don't have them. That said, today I will give you a free pass into secrets only those in my inner circle could ever have privy to. Scan me with your senses... I assure you that you will find nothing" He said with confidence.

'She will find nothing right?' He asked Grimoire,

'Relax. She will not be able to sense anything' Grimoire assured him.

Svetlana paused and then did indeed scan him but she was not disappointed to find nothing.

She was proud because that showed he was even better at hiding his hand than she had thought.

"Okay then, keep your secrets. I will find them out sooner or later" she said with a grin and her eyes bright with the challenge.

Rita stood up from his laps knowing it was time to go,

"I highly doubt that" Hal said.

The Svetlana addressed Rita,

"You will return to visit me won't you dear?" She asked

Rita smiled,

"Of course. If I ever can, I will be sure to drop by. When all is said and done, I owe you my life and the way it is right now."

Hal said nothing to their exchange of words. He was not so insecure as to deny Rita whatever she wished to do.

...

Minutes later, they were in a carriage driven by the lady who had led Hal to Svetlana and she drove them to Sensual palace.

With a seal from the Duchess, she was allowed quick entrance and then proceeded to drive them to the core of the Palace where Emily and Amelia's joint residence was.

She dropped them close by and without a word to them, she turned the carriage around and left.

"Now that's just rude" Rita said towards the retreating carriage.

Hal chuckled and then sensed something close by.

Rita sensed it as well and they looked in the direction it was coming from,

"Delaney?" Hal called to the silhouette who stepped into the moonlight and indeed was Delaney.

"Hey Hal, could I have a quick word?" She asked.

"Alone?" She added when Rita did not move.

Even then, Rita remained where she was and Hal smiled at her,

"Go on. I'll meet you at the residence" he said.

Rita nodded and did indeed leave.

After all, if there was danger, Hal could contact her with their telepathic connection.

Once Rita was gone and he could no longer sense her without the use of his wide range Astral perception, Hal asked Delaney who looked to be battling with herself,

"So Delaney, what's up?" He asked with a smile.

"I'm sorry, Hal, they made me an offer" Delaney said after mumbling for a few seconds and charged up a cosmic phenomenon.

Hal's expression did not change,

"Ah, yes. What did THEY offer you?" He asked as he could now sense three other individuals, all females, moving closer.

"A piece of the Primal Fruit" Delaney admitted.

Hal nodded,

"A reasonable offer" he said as a scroll suddenly slid out of the shadows to just two feet away from him.

At the same time, Delaney tossed an Attack to him which he sent out a Cosmic Phenomenon of his own to intercept.

And then faster than he could react (at least that was what his ambushers thought) the scroll glowed a bright yellow and he was suddenly bonded with Astral energy and found it impossible to move.

All through this, Hal smiled,

"Wow, a binding Array, quite ingenious" he said as his ambushers stepped out of the shadows.

They were none other than the Antonov sisters, Nicole, Vanya, and Jelena. With Nicole leading the charge.

"Haha, gotcha. How quickly you forget my words. Or did you think I was not adding you when I said If 'Get the fruit for me, chow it down and let me suck it right our if you'" she said as Vanya stepped closer to Hal and withdrew a pill from her spatial ring.

A pill he was sure was refined recently and most likely from the herbs she had picked in the Garden of perils.

Clearly she had not just been picking potency herbs and must have been planning something of this nature.

"This will knock you out and once you are awake, you will be susceptible to suggestions" she said and puckered his lips to shove the pill into his mouth.

The pill dissolved immediately,

"Is that so?" Hal chuckled as he had confirmed through Grimoire that that was indeed the pill's effects.

Then his eyes closed and he blacked out.

...

When Hal woke up, he was lying spread-eagled on a bed with his shirt pulled open while Jelena stroked his rock-hard abs and well-sculpted chest.

As she caressed, she licked and then said,

"Perfection. You are absolutely perfect. A little dumb though. Who would have thought that would be enough to get you?"

Hal tugged at the restraints that held him to the bed. Restraints that were glowing with rank five runes which should be enough to hold him down.

Vanya stepped closer looking as indifferent as ever,

"That's enough Jelena, get off him." She said and Jelena did.

Hal looked around and the Antonov sisters were present as well as Delaney who seemed to have made peace with her part in all this.

"Hal, Give me the Primal Fruit," Vanya said while everyone watched with bated breath.

Wondering if her pill worked.

Hal flicked his hand and withdrew the Fruit from his Inventory where he had transferred it to while in the carriage ride over here.

Sassy had been getting too friendly with it and he did not want to know what would happen if she ate it.

To them, it seemed he had taken it out of his ring, and the ladies jubilated even as he still clutched the fruit in his hand.

Then Hal chuckled and all eyes turned to him as it turned into boisterous laughter,

"Hahaha hahaha. Oh, you girls are so silly. But thank you though for gathering yourselves and saving me the trouble." Hal said and strained against his bonds.

Right before the eyes of the shocked ladies, Hal's skin turned crimson marred with black lines and two sinister-looking horns grew out of his forehead as he grew claws on all ten of his fingers.

The wings were absent in his transformation into the Mid-World Devil Form and this time, it was not a strain in his attempt to free himself. Just lifting his arms and legs snapped the bounds as the ladies took terrified steps back.

"Who... What the hell are you?" Nicole asked.

Hal grinned as Grey Devil pheromones leaked from him as he said,

"Is it not obvious? I'm the Devil who will fuck the four of you into senselessness"

Chapter 444 - Torturous Pleasure. Part 1. R-18

Hal stood from the bed and took off his shirt completely to allow them fully bask in the glory of his well-muscled form and then with a flick of his wrist, he sent the Primal fruit into his inventory and then joined his palms together only to separate them and reveal a red and black pentagram which signaled the use of his Devil Bloodline energy to cast a Devil spell.

The four ladies were already feeling the warmth of arousal slowly creeping over their whole being due to the Devil pheromones they were breathing in.

As it washed away all their inhibitions, they soon forget to fear Hal's transformation as the lust they already felt for him skyrocketed and quickly had their juices flowing.

"W-w-what is happening?" Vanya asked as she clamped her legs together in a failed attempt to hold in the juices that threatened to leak right through her underwear.

Her question was shared by the others who showed their agreement with their eyes.

Hal ignored the question and all four of them in general as he finished casting his spell and then slammed the Pentagram into the center of the room full where its energies spread all about the room's walls.

The spell was to keep all his Devil presence inside the room and would not let it leak out.

It would not matter how powerful the senses were, as long as they were not gods and did not enter into the room, the presence of a Devil in the Sensual place would go completely unnoticed.

That said, there was nothing actually stopping anyone from entering the room, however, due to the moans that were sure to be sounding very soon, Hal doubted anyone would actually come in here.

Privacy was still a much valued and respected thing.

With the spell now in effect, Hal grinned at the ladies and it seemed to finally be what broke whatever self-discipline they still had as the session truly began in full swing...

First up was Delaney as she was quick to strip her clothes and cross the small distance between herself and Hal to pull down his pants and reveal his large but flaccid crimson cock beckoning to her and releasing a scent she felt was both manly and sweet.

It was enough to entice her even if the grey pheromones had not already been in play.

Hell, she had been attracted to him since she first met him.

Her first hold and stroke of this hefty tool, she hoped would soon wreak havoc inside, was tentative and reserved but once she gripped it and gave it three strokes, her arousal took over.

*Fap* *Fap* *Fap*

While she stroked with one hand, the other crept lower towards her wet pussy which she began to stroke vigorously in a vain hope of relieving a little of the itching arousal she was feeling.

She was not the only one following that train of thought as the Antonov sisters had now stripped themselves and were vigorously rubbing at their own pussies but it did practically nothing to ease the ache.

All three looked at Delaney with disappointment coloring their faces as they had not gotten there before her. The most disappointed looking of them all was Jelena.

Meanwhile, Delaney was getting frustrated.

She had been stroking and stroking Hal's flaccid member but so far there was still no reaction.

She looked up at Hal and put on a pouty face to which Hal rolled his eyes,

"You're not doing good enough. You need to really impress me before you can truly be rewarded. No half-assing this and splitting your attention" he said in his mellifluous voice that had more than a little authority in it.

It sounded like music to the ladies' ears but also sounded like an order they could not hope to disobey.

They had kidnapped him in an attempt to rape and rob him, he was not going to make things easy for them.

No, they would really have to work for it.

In the sexy and erotic fashion of course.

Delaney's eyes widened slightly in understanding as she took away the hand teasing and rubbing her pussy to join the one stroking the still-flaccid cock and she began working her way over it.

It took minutes of continuous stroking before Hal finally decided to reward her efforts with the slow and steady hardening of his cock and Delaney's eyes brightened at the sight as she stretched her tongue to give it a tentative lick.

A tentative lick that had her wanting more and soon saw her gobbling up his cock to slobber it up and get it pulsing even harder than it was right now.

She could not help but make comparisons, even as she sucked, on how even though Hal's cock was not yet fully erect, its size already surpassed Vihaan's.

And then she berated herself for her foolishness for even thinking of such a comparison when the mere sight of Hal was something no man could ever hope to compare to.

*Slurp* *Slurp* *Slurp*

Went her lick and worship of this magnificent organ which was finally at its full length and,

"By the gods!"

She could not help but exclaim as she saw, for the first time, the crimson cock in its full glory.

Her ministrations stopped as she was caught in indecisiveness between her attention to the organ and its intimidating size.

Wondering if she could actually take it all inside her pussy.

She looked up at Hal smiling down at her with his horns looking as sinister as ever and then his hands were underneath her arms and picking her up to drop her, effortlessly, on the bed.

He had her legs hanging off the side and knelt between them.

Then he licked his lips at her wet and delicious-looking pussy before he delved in and began licking as vigorously as he could.

"Mmnngghhh"

From the moment his lips touched her, Delaney was already moaning but before long, Hal paused and raised his head to say, while smiling devilishly,

"Oh, before I forget, no matter what I do to you, you are not allowed to cum. You are absolutely forbidden. Leak your juices all you want but you will never feel the relief and pleasure of release... Until I say so"

Delirious with pleasure as she was, Delaney was about to nod in agreement but Hal did not need her nod or her agreement as he passed Devil energy into her pussy which then spread liberally throughout her body.

Through this, he would use the Primeval Devil Authority to 'command' her body not to cum and Delaney would not be able to do so even if she wanted to.

"Consider that your punishment for even thinking of conspiring with those numbskulls to rob me." He said with an evil smirk before delving back into her pussy.

It took barely a minute of his licks and sucks before Delaney was thrusting her hips at him to get even more traction and when Hal thrust his tongue into her pussy, she went wild.

"Mmmnnghh... Oh, Hal right there. Yes, yes lick me more. Lick me much much much more"

Hal obliged gladly and now began teasing her clit which saw her spraying juices into his mouth but this was not due to a mini-orgasm as she quickly found her body incapable of that, it was just because of the abundance of juices her pussy had leaked just from being pleasured.

For a quarter of an hour, Hal continued his ministrations and it soon went from Delaney asking for more to her asking for release as she was tortured with pleasure.

She began to groan, she writhed and twisted while grabbing onto Hal's horns to ride her pussy against his delectable mouth but even then, her pleasure only increased, she was never able to climax.

It just kept bottling up and torturing her as her mouth leaked pleasure moans constantly and then she began to plead,

"Please... Mmnnghhh... Please... Let me cum... I need to cummmmm"

Hal raised his head and raised an eyebrow while he smiled sinisterly,

"Do you?" He asked.

Breathing heavily, Delaney nodded,

"Yes... Yessss I do" she moaned.

Hal shrugged and then stood to his feet before he pulled her up to make her assume the position with her on all four with her ass thrust towards him.

As soon as she was in position and knew what was to come, Delaney prompted Hal who still remained silent to her request,

"So... Can I? Can I cum?" She asked with a bit of whimpering.

*Smack!*

For an answer, Hal spanked her ass with a resounding sound that instantly reddened her ass cheek.

Weirdly, while she should have probably felt pain, the spank actually had Delaney's pussy get even wetter as she moaned at how the pain was making her feel pleasure.

Clearly, Hal's torture had her so on the edge that she was feeling a little masochistic.

Then Hal answered,

"No, you can not. You can not cum and will not until I give the say so" he said with a grin and thrust his hardened crimson Devil cock into her pussy to the hilt in one push.

Delaney's eyes widened at how wide her pussy was stretched and how full she felt and even then, she thrust back even more against him as she groaned,

"Oh yes Fuck me. Fuck me, Hal"

Hal more than willing to oblige pulled his cock out, reveling at how her tight pussy clung to him on the way out and only left his head inside her pussy before he thrust in again with a resounding smack of his pelvis against her wonderful pliant ass.

And then the thrust began to speed up,

*Pah* *Pah* *Pah*

With the Antonov sisters watching on at the sheer animalistic sexual energy about it all while admiring the rippling of Hal's lean muscles on his perfect body that saw their pussy getting wet at a faster rate.

They all wanted it now.

Even more, than they did before.

They wanted to feel what Delaney was feeling.

Torture and all.

They wanted to be fucked by the Devil.

Chapter 445 - Torturous Pleasure. Part 2. R-18

"Ahhnnnnnn"

Delaney let out a long drawn-out moan which was not unlike the many others she had let out all through the hour Hal had been pounding into her from behind while she tightened her snatch around him as hard as she possibly could.

It felt good.

Incredibly good...

But she could only imagine how much better it would feel if she was not being denied climax.

While she moaned and groaned in pleasure, she also whimpered and pleaded for release but the wickedness in Hal's eyes only seemed to increase the more she pleaded as he got ever closer to spewing his seed inside her.

"Please, please let me cum" Delaney pleaded, and like always, for an answer, Hal spanked one of her ass cheeks with both actually already bright red.

Getting close to matching the hue of Hal's Devil skin.

And then, Hal decided he had punished her enough... For now, as he leaned forward on her back and grabbed her perfect breasts to squeeze them and then pinch her nipples from where he withdrew the Devil energy he had passed into her body.

The removal of the Devil energy finally took away the block that was stopping Delaney from Climaxing and every feeling, every climax, both minor and major, that had been held inside her came pouring out.

The Dam had been broken and made way for a flood.

And oh... What a flood it was.

"AHNNNNNNN, OHHHHHH YESSSSSS, FINALLYYYY, I'M CUMMMINNNNGGGGGG!!!!!!"

The Sensual Palace being a place for sexual relationships in the form of Dual cultivation, it became a custom for many to have Noise-canceling runes on hand.

Whether drawn by them if they were Runemasters or purchased from Runemasters of they were not.

Of course, the ones actually pounding each other were hardly ever to make use of their own noise-canceling runes as there was no rule forcing them to do so and also because they liked to show off their sexual prowess.

However, those in their vicinity who did not wish to be disturbed, usually because they were not dual cultivating at that moment themselves would make use of their noise-canceling runes to insulate their residence from such disturbances.

So loud were Delaney's moans that it became all the more essential for those in neighboring residences and beyond to activate noise-canceling runes.

While Delaney's body made up for all the held up orgasms, her pussy tightened even harder around Hal's cock but that was more than welcome as Hal had been at the edge of climax himself and with a groan of satisfaction, he poured his signature copious amount of sperm into Delaney's tight quivering snatch which happily received it.

In fact, it enhanced the orgasmic experience for her.

*Whump*

With all her energy spent, Delaney fell forward onto the bed with Hal's rock-hard cock still inside her.

He pulled it out and her legs relaxed and crumbled to the bed as well as his seed now began to seep out in great amounts now that his cock was no longer plugging her hole.

By the time Hal was away from the bed and Delaney's limp, sexually satisfied body, Jelena was already there on her knees and sucking off his cock which was coated with a mixture of his cum and Delaney's pussy juices.

While she was there, Vanya had already approached Delaney and was watching the cum seeping out of her pussy like it was a new unique ingredient she had never seen before and was curious to try out.

And she did indeed try it out as she stretched a finger to the puddle that was quickly pooling up on the bed and scooped up a little to taste and get eyes brightened.

It was easily like nothing she had ever tasted before... In a good way.

In barely a second she was turning Delaney on her back and thrusting her lips into her inner thighs, ignoring everything else going on around her, her whole attention became focused on getting as much of it as she could.

Nicole watched her sisters getting their jollies on while she stood in place and stared with wide eyes while stroking her pussy as hard as she could even though thanks to the last hour, it was already a proven fact that it could not relieve her ache.

Clearly, she needed to be more proactive.

Jelena was still pleasing herself by sucking off Hal's crimson cock when she felt another presence joining her in that region.

Nicole was now on her knees beside her sister and her hand was cradling Hal's large balls which she massaged while her sister continued to lick.

Then Nicole took one of his balls into her mouth because she could contain the two and she began to suck.

Jelena exhaled sharply through her nose with Hal's cock still in her mouth as she felt her sister had made the right choice by not trying to hone in on her fun.

Now she could focus on attempting to gobble up Hal's cock.

Like her sisters, Jelena had never been the one partner type and quite enjoyed yo play the field although she was not as extreme in her antics as the other two were.

She preferred erotic seduction to blatant domination.

That said, she had always loved giving head because of the power it gave her over whoever her partner was.

And so she was no stranger to blowjob or deep throat.

But Hal's massive organ was one she was not sure she could take into her throat and even as she attempted it tentatively, she was already coming to the conclusion that Hal's cock was to be fucked not swallowed.

She took it out of her mouth to take a break while still stroking it only to feel someone (Nicole) smack her hand away and quickly replaced her by taking Hal's cock into her mouth.

Jelena gasped and made to shove Nicole in annoyance but Hal raised a hand,

"Leave her" he said and Nicole took a break from sucking to look smugly at Jelena before she returned to her project of attempting to swallow Hal's cock.

Not even waiting to let her get comfortable and move at her own preferred pace, Hal grabbed Nicole's head and pulled her closer until the whole of his length had slid into her throat and Nicole's nose was touching his pubes.

He held her there where she tried to calm herself even as her eyes watered and she was close to begin gagging.

Hal took his sweet time enjoying her constricting throat around him and then pulled back slowly only to thrust back in.

It started slowly but soon, the pace picked up as he began to fuck Nicole's face with every bit of vindictive pleasure he could muster.

He was not just going to fuck this lady and make her feel pleasure, no, he was going to break her.

He had already decided to take every one of her holes today even before she hijacked his cock from Jelena who was going to get hers too.

Nicole began to gag but Hal did not let up and fucked her face until he climaxed and groaned as he dumped his seed down her gullet.

Only at the end of his seed spewing did he pull back and let a smaller portion, Still enough to be a mouthful, pool in her mouth.

Even as she could now breathe more freely with Hal's cock no longer in her throat, Nicole was much more preoccupied with the delicious taste of the seed inside her mouth.

She could feel herself getting addicted but Hal could not care less.

He was far from satisfied and he pulled her up and just like Delaney, he had her on all fours.

Nicole rejoiced as she knew what was to come next.

However, when she felt the head of Hal's cock at her puckered backdoor, her eyes widened, her perpetual cold expression long forgotten, leaving behind nothing but worry,

"W-w-w-what...? I've never had anything in there..." She stammered.

Hal grinned,

"Oh really? Well, that's perfect. Let me be your first" he said and as his cock was already lubricated with her spit thanks to her very wet (due to salivation) deepthroat, he pushed forward and buried one-third of his very large cock into Nicole's tightest hole....

Chapter 446 - Torturous Pleasure. Part 3. R-18

*Pah* *Pah* *Pah*

"Ahhnnn... Ahhnnn... Ahnnnn" Nicole moaned as Hal drove his cock to the hilt inside her ass and would pull out with only the head remaining inside her only do it again and again.

Quickly gaining speed.

Needless to say, such level of filling and fulfillment, she had never felt as long-forgotten was the fact that mere thirty minutes ago when he had just pushed his cock inside her, she was still an Anal virgin.

Now, even her asshole was making her feel as good as her pussy ever had.

Said Pussy was even leaking juices that instantly wet her inner thighs while it got the way she knew it to always get when she was close to climax, however, it only kept building up.

Even though she was barely hanging on to lucid reasoning, she knew the situation must be similar to Delaney's.

And she was right.

Hal had passed Devil energy not only into her body but the body of the other three as well, including Delaney who was starting to come to just two feet from where Hal was drilling Nicole's ass while starting to enjoy the feeling of Vanya eating her out to get all of Hal's seed out her pussy.

*Pah* *Pah* *Pah*

"Oh yes, Fuck my Asssssssss" Nicole moaned while groaning out the last word.

Hal's thrusts suddenly picked up in speed as he reached ever closer to his climax and soon he groaned and dumped an immense amount of seed right into her puckered hole.

As she felt the burning warmth of his seed inside her, it sent Nicole into a whole new area of sexual stimulus. An area that would have normally seen her climax.

However, as she was still being denied that, she had to settle for arching her back and having her eyes roll into the back of her head as her icy look was long forgotten and replaced with the lustful look of a woman in heat,

"Ohhhh cum in my Asss... YOUR CUM FEELS SO GOOD IN MY ASSSSS"

Then Hal pulled out of her ass which tightened around him in reluctance to let him go before he turned her over on her back and lined his cock to her twitching and soaking wet pussy and thrust inside to the hilt in one push.

*Pah* *Pah* *Pah*

An hour-long, Hal fucked Nicole and finally, he leaned forward in her chest and grabbed one of her nipples into his mouth and sucked on it while kneading her other breast, and freed her from the torturous pleasure she was feeling by allowing her to cum.

Just like Delaney before her, Nicole yelled out her joy of climax for all who could hear to hear and tightened her pussy as hard as she could around his hefty cock right as Hal was pouring his seed into her pussy.

All through her climax, Nicole grabbed his head to her chest but once it was over, her strength was spent and she went limp and fell unconscious with a smile on her face while twitching occasionally on the bed.

Seeing as his session with Nicole was at an end which was marked by him being on his feet, Jelena grabbed his cock but Hal did not give her the time to stroke his still hard cock as he picked her up.

Jelena wrapped her arms around his neck and Hal grabbed her ass to support her weight before dropping her on his cock and let her sink down on it until she had taken it all within her snatch.

At this point, Vanya had sourced all of the seed which was in Delaney's pussy, made easier by the amount of juices Delaney leaked which pushed it all towards Vanya's eager mouth, and now watched as Jelena and Hal played the game of 'hide the long fuck stick'.

*PAH* *PAH* *PAH*

The sounds of the thrusts were loud and resounding and so were Jelena's moans,

"Oh yes, right there. Who needs multiple partners when you have the best? Oh, I want to feel this for the rest of my life. Oh yes Hal, Fuck me, FUCK ME HARD!"

Hal grinned,

"I absolutely will" he said and stared into her wild-with-lust eyes with his nightmarish dark ones before the Antonov lady buried her face into his chest as his cock continued to wreak havoc within her insides and drove her insane with pleasure.

And yet, she could not get rid of an irking frustration that stemmed from her need to climax which was a luxury that was still denied her.

*Pah* *Pah* *Pah*

The session went as aggressive as it could as Hal soon had Jelena's back pressed to the wall while he continued pounding into her while she clung onto him as hard as she could all through the ride.

Jelena began to question everything she ever called pleasure and laughed at herself for her ignorance.

Clearly, everything she had enjoyed so far and had been pleased with was not true pleasure. True pleasure could only be felt in the hands of this handsome devil drilling his crimson cock into her pussy and getting her mind numb with pleasure.

She began professing her eternal devotion to him and with her new primary goal in life being to enjoy this and this alone.

The cultivation boost of having such a virile partner would just be a bonus.

And she let that be known through her loud moans and groans of pleasure.

They continued for a half-hour before Hal groaned and came inside her pussy while allowing her to climax as well. Something she absolutely appreciated and showed with her many weak mumblings of gratitude as she slipped into blissful slumber.

Delaney had left the bed now recovered enough to get herself back on that pole and she knelt in preparation to grab his cock for a blowjob but Hal denied her.

Instead, he went over to Vanya who was now on the spot Delaney had vacated with her Ass pointed at him and shaking from side to side in an attempt to entice him. Something he found amusing considering her making a point to act indifferent to him before.

Clearly, the pretense was over.

A dose of devil Pheromones to reveal what is truly in the heart.

Hal thrust into her pussy while grabbing her wonderful ass as he began to pull back only to thrust back in as fast and hard as he could.

It was while he was pounding Vanya and reveling in how her tight pussy held him and squeezed him pleasurably, that he looked sideways to see that Delaney had positioned Jelena in such a way that her legs were hanging off the side of the bed.

Then she buried her face in the Antonov lady's pussy to do to it as Vanya had done to hers.

She had started it only as a pastime to wait out Hal's session with Vanya but found herself loving it and indulging in it more and more.

...

Meanwhile, away from the residence where Hal was happily indulging in the bodies of the four ladies, a young man named Vihaan was in his residence allotted to him as an inner disciple of the Sensual palace.

Although it was more of a furnished room in a residence with multiple rooms which he shared with Delaney, his Dual cultivating partner.

He had awaited her return for hours and had been having an unsettling feeling ever since he heard a moan that resembled hers coming from the core of the Sensual palace.

He had not heard it for hours since and it had long been replaced with the moans of other ladies but he could not shake the feeling especially since Delaney had still not returned when they were to be comforting themselves in failing to get the Primal fruit.

Eventually, he decided to go to the source of the moans which was still sounding even now.

Fortunately, he could visit the core of the Palace but would just need to be careful where he went.

He couldn't just remain here unknowing and worried...

He just needed to make sure.

Chapter 447 - Blinded By Rage.

It was two hours later before Hal was totally done with the ladies at which point they had all had one or two more rounds with him and now all lay in a tangle of limbs.

Before they all fell unconscious of course they had gladly signed a contract with the Devil, a contract that had them surrender control of their souls to him.

Now he looked at them, with fucked silly looks and copious amounts of seed seeping out of their pussies and smiled to himself.

A job well done indeed.

He had just returned his skin to its normal hue and pulled on his pants when the door opened and in walked Vihaan with widened eyes as he beheld the scene before him.

Battling with the indecision of whether to come and see or not, had made him take his time coming here. There were even instances where he paused and stopped moving only to get back up and back on the road.

And now that he was here, he truly wished he had not come.

Four beautiful ladies with incredible bodies lying in the fairly large bed with cum seeping out of their pussies and he could not help but notice Delaney, his Delaney, in the mix.

With a satisfied look on her face, she had never had after their sessions.

And then there was the only man in the room right now... Besides himself.

The man that was clearly responsible for all this and was now smiling sinisterly at him with darkness now coloring his sapphire blue eyes.

Something at the back of Vihaan's mind told him to run.

To turn away and never look back.

To save himself because Hal was dangerous but he did not listen to that part of his mind.

No, his rage blinded him.

As Vihaan prepared to yell, Hal cast a noise-canceling rune to keep it contained,

"I'll kill you!" Vihaan yelled.

Hal smirked,

"Will you?" He asked and his eyes turned nightmarish dark as he unleashed Devil energy which revolved around Vihaan before smacking him face-first into the ground.

*Bam!*

Vihaan groaned and rolled to return to his feet quickly before charging a cosmic phenomenon that he tossed at Hal who waved his hand and formed an orb of Royal blue Astral energy that enveloped the phenomenon.

It exploded inside the orb before the Orb itself fizzled out.

While Vihaan paused briefly due to shock, Hal closed the distance between them in barely a second and kneed him in the stomach.

Vihaan doubled over but an elbow to the back of his head had him smacking once again into the ground. And once again he went face-first.

When he attempted to roll over and return to his feet which ignoring the pain of a few cracked ribs and his broken nose, Hal kicked his side and sent him smacking into the room's wall.

*Bam!*

*Bang!*

Vihaan's eyes were rolled back into his head and only the whites could be seen as he was close to blacking out but Hal sent Devil energy into his body and shocked him back to his senses... Right at the time he picked him of the ground and started punching him...

*Bam* *Bam* *Bam*

When Vihaan's face was bloody to his satisfaction, Hal let him go and then kicked him in the stomach before he could slump to the ground and it sent him smacking to the other side of the room where he became encased in the wall.

*Cough* *Cough* *Cough*

With each cough, Vihaan spat blood but it was his pride that had been wounded the most.

He had not even been able to do anything.

His defeat had been an exhibition of Hal's dominant prowess.

Hal walked over to him with casual steps while he finally put on his shirt and covered up his muscled upper body...

"You... Bastard" Vihaan croaked.

Hal raised a brow in what seemed to be surprise,

"Oh, you can still speak. I thought I broke your jaw already" he said as he slammed his palm against Vihaan's chest and branded him with the Devil mark after which his eyes returned to normal and he deactivated the noise-canceling rune as well as the Devil spell.

He left Vihaan's mind untampered with and just left him to know through the Mark that his soul was no longer his.

And then Hal grabbed a fistful of Vihaan's hair and used it to yank him out of the room wall and then proceeded to drag him out of the room while he said,

"I can't let them wake up from their joyous slumbers to your ugly muck of a face"

Once they were outside and well away from the residence which belonged to Nicole and was quite scanty in terms of guards and maids, Hal dumped Vihaan on the ground, retrieved a mending pill from his inventory, and shoved it into Vihaan's mouth.

As Vihaan felt his injuries healing, he croaked,

"Kill... Me..."

Hal looked at him and made no secret of the fact that he thought he was pathetic as he said,

"You're not worth the effort. You are already lucky that I was willing to fight with you, don't let it get to your head..." He was not yet done talking that a cosmic phenomenon came pelting towards him.

The phenomenon did not come alone and was accompanied by a Cosmic attack from another direction and the attacks all left him with only one direction to leap to which was up.

Leaping up, however, proved not to be as good an idea as he would have expected as his attackers had clearly planned for that which was shown by how there was an attack waiting for him when he leaped.

*Bang!*

Hal surrounded himself with cosmic energy for protection and so the attack only served to send him back to the ground as opposed to hurting him.

After that, the identities of his attackers became clear when Cheslav and Boryan came out of the shadows.

They looked in the direction of Nicole's residence and it was clear that the moans were what had attracted them here which was to be expected as his name had been yelled out a lot in the throes of pleasure.

"I cannot believe they slept with you. No shame at all roughing it up with a commoner scum" Cheslav said and summoned his War hammer cosmic Armament and there was a laser focus to his stare and stance that showed he meant business.

"Hand over the Primal fruit" Boryan said.

Maybe normally they would accept if someone else got the fruit especially considering the terrible events of the day, namely the death of many and the brothers almost dying themselves.

They looked at the bloody Vihaan on the ground and assumed he came for the same thing they had but had failed terribly.

But they were not worried.

They were two and clearly had the advantage.

They could do this and they would do this.

They were bustling with confidence but everything changed when Hal yelled,

"Hey, idiot. You've rested enough, get up!"

The Antonov brothers wondered who he was talking to but then Vihaan stood up with a grunt and summoned his Cosmic Armament,

"Yes" he said and Hal grinned,

"Yes, who?"

"Yes Master" he said with a disgruntled voice and Hal nodded,

"Good boy" Hal said in a tone ole would use for a dog and then focussed on the brothers who shared a look that said all that was in their mind right now:

'What the Fuck is going on?'

Chapter 448 - Overcoming The Stagnation.

The fight did not take long at all and with Vihaan mostly being the one that got hit by the Antonov brothers while Hal remained unscathed, Boryan and Cheslav's defeat was relatively easy.

The fight gave Vihaan a hard dose of reality on what being branded by Hal really meant in the sense that even in attacks Hal could avoid, Hal would remain in place and leave the responsibility of remaining safe in the hands of Vihaan who would usually put himself in-between Hal and his attacker.

Such that at the end of it all, he was just as injured as the Antonov brothers but this time he took a mending pill he had inside his spatial ring so he would be strong to return to his residence right as Hal left the scene without another look back.

There was no point in staying.

Of course, he made sure to take advantage of having the Antonov brothers beaten down to unconsciousness by branding them with the Devil mark.

He mostly did it because it would be pointless not to.

It was already late at night and about time he went over to his ladies who he knew were waiting patiently for his arrival.

When he got to Emily and Amelia's joint residence, Emily, Amelia, Rita, and Karmen were there and cross-legged as they cultivated to while away the time to his return which from the moans they had heard gave them a gist of why it was taking him so long.

The moment he entered the room, their eyes opened and they looked at him and before he could even say a word, Emily opened a portal to the Harem space which they were able to do as long as they were close to him and pushed him through it with the others following close behind.

The pleasures that would last for many hours in the Time warped Mansion began at the pool where they all took off their clothes as well as Hal's and washed up while things got steamy pretty quickly.

Soon, Hal retrieved the Primal fruit from his inventory and began chowing down on it.

He ate most of the fruit but left a sizeable piece uneaten which he sent back to his Inventory to be used when he reunited with Melinda in the Silva Duchy capital.

He felt the effects soon enough with his cock getting as hard as it possibly could and the Orgy began.

...

Many hours later,

The Orgy finally ended with the last of the ladies in the Mansion slumping off into blissful slumber.

The Primal fruit had had even more of an effect on him than normal which was because even without it, he already had a practically insatiable sex drive which it doubled and nearly tripled.

Hal sighed with satisfaction as his cock finally softened and he left the Orgy hall to go to his room in the Mansion where he sat cross-legged and began refining all the essence he had gotten in this orgy as well as the one with the Antonov sisters and Delaney.

Thanks to the Primal fruit, the essence he had reaped from the ladies after he ate it and the essence he had dumped inside them had been enhanced beyond belief and even before Hal was done refining it all, he already broke through the mid-stage of the cosmic phenomenon realm to the late stage.

He had finally crossed the stagnation and still had a lot of essence to refine and progress even more.

Of course, because he had crossed this stagnation did not make him complacent as he knew there were more to come as cultivation would only get more strenuous the stronger he got.

He was already breaking normal rules with this level of advancement at his age.

He feared that when the next stagnation would come, he would be forced to cultivate for a century before crossing that realm.

It would still be quick and a speed many would akin to monstrous but it would not satisfy him.

He needed a Time warping Array that would warp time more than the ten times he had right now.

However, Grimoire insisted that was the only rate of warping in its pages which Hal could purchase at the moment.

Attempting to draw one himself was out of the question as he was far from strong enough, cultivation or Astral sense wise.

Speaking of which, he would do well to spare some time to refine his Astral sense and get to the Fifth rank as soon as he could.

Then there was the Ordinance of fire he had still not been able to comprehend.

The annoying part was that he actually felt an affinity with the Ordinance.

There was just something stopping his Comprehension.

Something he could not quite put his finger on.

Eventually, he sighed and returned his focus to his cultivation.

...

It was late afternoon in the outside world and Hal was still in the Harem space and had only just completed the refining of all the essence he had inside him.

And with it, he successfully broke through to the peak stage of the Cosmic phenomenon realm but was far from being ready to attempt a breakthrough to the Cosmic Aurora realm and wondered if the piece of fruit with him would be enough to advance.

Although he doubted it.

He stood from the bed and cracked his stiff muscles from sitting in one place for so long before spreading his senses about the Mansion to see that everyone was awake and refining the essence they had gotten.

Those already facing starvation could see hope to overcome it and were working diligently.

Since they were clearly still going to be at it for much longer, Hal took a soak in the pool and freshened up before he left the Harem space.

He could only imagine how impatient Ehrlich was right now and while it was definitely amusing, he decided he might as well end his misery.

-

"Where the hell have you been?!"

The moment Hal entered Roxy's shop, Ehrlich was in his face yelling at him.

Hal rolled his eyes at him,

"Get away from me, will you?" He said and took a step back before withdrawing the map from his Inventory.

With the map in view, Ehrlich paused and his expression became serious reverence.

He might not know what the map led to but he had seen how much the princess wanted to get her hands on it and that told him it was very important.

He took the map from Hal and tossed a spatial pouch to him which Hal collected to inspect and saw it contained 150,000 Blue gems.

A smaller amount to what he had gotten for his first mission in Black lagoon but his reward back then had been that high due to circumstances and Tanya herself had said it would not be a regular occurrence.

"Hold out your merit token" Ehrlich said and when Hal did so, he clinked it with a token he had retrieved from his spatial ring.

Following the clinking came an addition of 600 merit points to the 1000 already on the Token.

Inwardly, Hal rolled his eyes at the small increase,

'Typical' he thought just as Ehrlich put the map in his spatial ring and walked to the door,

"That concludes our business for now" he said while pulling the door open but before he could walk out of it, Hal called to him,

"Hey Ehrlich, I'd like to speak to the Princess"

Ehrlich sneered,

"For what? To ask where the map leads to?" He asked.

Hal shrugged,

"Maybe" he said.

"Her highness is busy. When she requires your services, SHE will contact you. Until then, go back to what you do.... Whatever that is" Ehrlich said and chuckled before closing the door behind himself.

Chapter 449 - Out Of Seclusion.

One week later...

During which, Nicole, Jelena, Vanya, and Delaney isolated themselves from the world while refining the essence Hal had dumped inside them during that passionate night.

The results at the end of the week were so surprising that they wondered if they were not imagining it.

All three had advanced a stage higher in their cultivation... After that one session.

Such a thing had never happened to them, and they were pretty sure most would count it as impossible should it be heard.

Once they had stabilized their advancement and were craving the touch of their man who they knew they were linked to, body and soul, the four finally rejoined society.

Only to discover that Hal, Emily, and Amelia were missing.

It had been a week and no one had seen any of them. Even Rita and Karmen who were with Hal were missing as well and it was thus easy to conclude that they were all together.

Where they were was the stumper.

Anton and his sons were far from worried as they could easily guess what the cause of the disappearance was.

When they were done, they would surely return to the outside world was what they concluded.

However, when they began to receive visits from an individual they couldn't possibly ignore, it became a bit lore paramount to find them and at least inform Hal that the Patron of the Doxon family, the Ex-duke of the Doxon Duchy wished to speak with him.

Kirill had had a seat down with his daughter which had gone a little like this:

"Why... Why didn't you tell me he could cultivate?" The Doxon Patron had asked in a deep menacing voice that would normally cause many to tremble in fear.

For Svetlana however, it seemed to her as though her father was throwing a fit over nothing,

"And that would have made a difference?" She had asked.

"When he turns out to be a cultivating genius, yes, it makes a Difference" Kirill had said.

"Oh really? Cause I remember quite clearly that just being born of a Silva was enough of an insult to the Doxon name" Svetlana had pointed out,

"Well, that hasn't changed. It's still an insult. But one I am very ready to overlook in face of accomplishments" Kirill had retorted.

"Accomplishments? You know nothing about him!"

"He can cultivate when I was certain he could not. I checked him myself, Lana. His meridians were damaged. And somehow they are now healed. I think that counts as an accomplishment. Besides, when all is said and done, he remains my grandson" The Doxon Patron had said in the calmest voice he could muster.

Svetlana rolled her eyes,

"Oh spare me. So because he can now cultivate, all of a sudden he's important to you? Now he's your grandson? How two-faced can you get?" She said with her voice raised a tiny bit.

There had been a brief moment of silence before Kirill chuckled,

"Oh yes, my dear daughter, I AM two-faced, especially when I finally have hope and don't have to rely on those two dingbats born of bigger dingbats and disappointments to further the Doxon legacy.

When I don't have to look to the branch families to find someone who will uplift the Doxon family prestige, yes, in these situations, I will be Two-faced when I have to be"

Svetlana then told him where she knew Hal to be staying during his time in the Doxon Duchy.

So he had been seeking Hal since then but whenever he came, the young man was nowhere to be found and he was getting impatient.

Unfortunately, as he had no idea where Hal was and with his wild ranged powerful saint senses useless in locating Hal who seemed to not even be in the Duchy at all, he could only wait till he showed up.

In the meantime, he took precautions to make sure that if Hal ever showed up at any teleportation circle in the Doxon Duchy, he would be held there while he (Kirill) would be contacted immediately.

Essentially, as long as it involved Hal, the Duchy was on lockdown.

Even then, Hal did not turn up for another week afterward, and only at the end of the second week after the events in the Garden of Perils did he exit the Harem space.

In the Harem space, it had been twenty weeks (Five months) and it had been time which Hal and the ladies put to good use.

He had added more drops to his climb towards advancing to the Cosmic Aurora realm while the ladies had seen advancements in cultivation.

Even more so since Hal was available for dual cultivation at any time of the day.

Amelia and Karmen had advanced to the Cosmic Phenomenon realm and were at the early and mid-stages respectively.

Rita had advanced to the late stage of the Cosmic Phenomenon realm and was very close to advancing to the peak stage.

Lillian and Olivia were at the Late and mid-stage of the Cosmic Phenomenon realm respectively with Lillian having had more of a headstart as she had been in the Early stage of the Cosmic Phenomenon realm even before Hal brought her into his fold.

Irina and Camilla were both now at the mid-stage of the Cosmic Phenomenon realm and among the ladies who were once a part of Pleasure inn, only one other shared their cultivation, and she was the break-out star of them all, Naveah.

All others were now at the Early stage of the Cosmic Phenomenon realm having worked hard to catch up to the four rising stars, Naveah, Nina, Kyla, and Opal.

However, while they indeed caught up to the other three, Naveah remained out of their reach... For now.

They recognized that there was work to still be done and Hal was pleased with the level of (usually) healthy competition among them.

Emily only advanced one stage and a half as she finally reached and crossed the mid-stage and was now at the late stage of the Cosmic Pagoda realm.

Adding another floor to her illusionary pagoda.

However, the one who had the most advancement of them all was none other than Marla.

She ended her cultivation seclusion three months ago (Warped time) with her Dark Maelstrom Physique now at the Vetted Mastery and her strength increased.

An increase that was even more evident with her cultivation, at the time, having been at the late stage of the Cosmic Armament realm.

Once she was out of seclusion, it would be quite an understatement to say she was sexually starved as she made sure to make up for lost time, and even without the Primal fruit, she still saw her cultivation increase to the early stage of the Cosmic Phenomenon realm.

Of course, while it was the main focus of their time in the Harem space and while they did it mainly for the pleasure of it, sex was not the only thing that went on in the Harem space during the warped Five months.

They all trained to hone their skills further.

Either to better use the succubus bloodline or to better use the Fiendish bloodline or simply to better their weapon skills.

They organized spars, competitions with the top reward always being more time with Hal who sat down on a throne and overlooked it all with a perverted smile on his face.

Emily was the only one not really participating in the competition on account of her very superior cultivation.

That said, as the most experienced one present, she did give tips and lectures to help them all and was usually sparring with Hal.

Most of the time, she would limit her cultivation to his level during which he would not be allowed to fight with anything other than cosmic energy-based attacks.

And then there were the rare occasions where he would ask her to not limit her cultivation and spar with him as a cultivator at the Cosmic Pagoda realm while he was allowed to make use of his bloodline.

He always lost.

Woefully.

At the Cosmic phenomenon realm, even if it was the peak stage, he still stood no chance against a Cosmic pagoda realm expert and certainly not those higher.

However, he did confirm that if he could get his Devil energy into the body of a Pagoda realm expert, he could have a window through which he could manage an escape by transitioning into the Shadow Demon Bloodline.

The time they all spent in the Harem space, secluded from the world was incredible and it was very well advocated that it continue that way.

However, at the end of the fifth month which had only been two weeks outside, Emily, Amelia, Karmen, Rita, and Hal finally exited the Harem space.

Once outside, Emily went to see her father along with Amelia.

Anton made sure to ask where they had been for the past two weeks, especially since no one had seen them leave or return into the Sensual place grounds but the two claimed they would rather not say.

They were speaking to him in what was the conference hall the Sensual palace head used to meet with the elders of his sect and Emily's brothers were present as well.

Then Anton noticed the increase in cultivation and while he said nothing and only outwardly narrowed his eyes, in his mind, he yelled,

'What the hell is this?!'

And who could blame him?

In the space of two weeks, his daughter had advanced to the late stage of the Cosmic Pagoda realm when he was sure she was still at the early stage before her two weeks disappearance.

And his granddaughter was now at the Cosmic Phenomenon realm when she was still at the Cosmic Armament realm also two weeks prior.

'What the hell is that kid made of?' He asked himself and the 'Kid' obviously referred to Hal.

And then the doors to the hall opened up with a bang and in an instant, Kirill Doxon was beside his Friend's chair which he grabbed the back of as he eyed Emily and Amelia with scrutiny before he said,

"So, you finally show yourselves. Tell me, is that unfilial grandson of mine finally ready to stop avoiding me? To stop hiding away from facing me?"

Chapter 450 - Get With The Program...

Emily and Amelia's joint residence...

Hal had just stepped out of the room with Rita and Karmen by his sides as he took a deep breath of outside world air with a smile on his face.

He would leave the Doxon Duchy today.

In truth, he actually still had one week, according to Devon Dane (Melinda's father and his reluctant future father-in-law) before the Expedition but he might as well head there early.

There were those he would like to spend time with in the Silva Duchy before the Expedition.

Emily and Amelia were planning to remain in the Doxon Duchy which Hal did not mind. After all, thanks to the Harem space, he had been able to spend five months with them.

He would make sure to return as soon as he could though.

Anyway,

He was standing in the courtyard mulling over some things when a presence got close to his wide range Astral perception which he had let out to alert him in case of trouble.

However, before he could even make to turn or react to the presence, he was already snatched off the ground and soaring through the afternoon clouds much faster than his brain and eye could comprehend.

And then as fast as it had started, when Hal was preparing to wrench himself from the presence by any means necessary, he stopped moving.

When his eye adjusted to the sudden stop, he was standing on a tall mountain completely out of the boundary of the Doxon Duchy capital.

How did Hal know?

Well, it was pretty easy when he could see the whole of the Doxon Duchy capital!

Actually, the Duchy capital was so wide that even as high as they were, he could still not see it all.

But he could definitely see the Duchy palace as well as the Sensual Palace that was not too far away from it.

And then someone said,

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

The voice caused Hal to turn and come face to face with Kirill Doxon who was looking right ahead at the view,

"I love this spot. It's not the tallest mountain in the Doxon Duchy but among the tallest mountains, it's the closest to the Duchy capital.

When I was a Duke, I came here many times. Here, I feel closest to the deceased rulers of this region. Especially the one the mountain is named after, Harold Doxon.

This is really surprising since we have little in common. I am not a Runemaster like he was. It's an ability that tends to sometimes skip one or two generations in the Doxon family. Not helped by me not birthing Lana with a Runemaster or at least someone from a Runemastering ancestry..."

"Is there a point to all this?" Hal interrupted with impatience.

Kirill kept looking ahead but said,

"It's rude to interrupt elders when they are speaking"

Hal rolled his eyes,

"No, it's rude to drone on and on and on to someone you just kidnapped and could not care less about any of this crap"

This time, Kirill faced Hal as he said,

"You lack manners"

Hal shrugged,

"I never had a mother to teach me"

Kirill paused,

"Fair point, but you could have taught yourself"

Hal shrugged again,

"Too much of a hassle" he said.

Kirill sneered,

"Well, since you are a cultivator and one who has traversed from the Silva Duchy to the Doxon Duchy, you should know when to keep your mouth shut so you don't anger someone who can crush you without even trying"

As he said this, the Ex-Duke's eyes narrowed menacingly and he released an oppressive pressure which he kept radiating around himself and did not use to oppress Hal directly... Yet.

Even as Hal felt that pressure which was causing the very mountain top to vibrate as though it would shatter from any further oppression, Hal rolled his eyes and chuckled,

"Oh please. Save your intimidations for someone who cares. I think I can tell quite well when someone wants me dead" he said and waved off Kirill's attempt at intimidation.

"You can tell? Boy, are you stupid?" Kirill asked and the pressure got even more oppressive but was now slowly targeting Hal directly but Hal smiled,

"It's all a bluff and if it's not, go ahead and try killing me" he said and spread his arms in what looked to be surrender, but mockingly so.

Kirill paused and stepped closer to Hal who began to sweat from the pressure but held his ground and refused to cower,

"You are betting on Lana, aren't you? Betting on her interference." The ex-duke noted.

Hal sneered,

"Having a mother has to be good for something right?" He said.

And there was a pause before Kirill burst into laughter as he rescinded his pleasure,

"Hahahahaha kid, you are quite something. A Doxon through and through. Your guts are a telltale of the Doxon blood flowing through your veins" he said.

Hal who was quite relieved with the pressure being rescinded rolled his eyes at the Ex-Duke's words.

Meanwhile, Kirill continued,

"You are right though, she is sure to be watching you like a hawk. The range of her perception is truly frightening"

The Doxon patron took the time to shiver slightly before he said,

"Now Boy, are you ready to accept your place as a Doxon? To be awarded the respect and honor it garners. To finally replace the two idiots strutting about the Duchy like princes as your mother's heir and successor of her power as leader of the Doxon family and ruler of the Duchy?"

Hal shook his head,

"Hard pass"

Kirill raised a brow at how quickly that negative reply had come,

"Excuse me what?" He asked.

"Are you deaf, old man? I said Hard pass. Get straddled with the responsibility of leading a family that means shit to me? No, thank you"

Then he added,

"Besides, you forget, I am not a Doxon"

Kirill now turned his attention back to the view of the Doxon Duchy capital,

"Boy, if I say you will do it, then you will. Deny all you want but Doxon blood flows through your veins."

'Actually, it does not' Hal thought and of course referred to how the only blood that flowed in his body right now was that of the Primeval Devil queen.

"Now, while you may have my stamp of approval, there will be opposition. Namely, your uncles and their sons..." Kirill continued and Hal was quick to interfere,

"Man, are you going senile?" He asked but Kirill acted as though he had not heard him as he continued,

"Of course the Elders are mostly in their favor since there were no alternatives. But once they hear of you, I am sure there will be many ready to jump on your bandwagon. A lot of them owe me favors..."

"Dude, I already said I was not interested. I will not lead the Doxon family and I will not be Duke" Hal said.

This time, Kirill looked at him directly and a nasty grin spread over his face,

"Well, you and I both know of your disinterest but my stupid sons and grandsons don't." He said.

Hal narrowed his eyes,

"So, I'll clear up the misconception" he said.

Kirill sneered,

"Oh really? You will walk up to them and announce you have no interest even when, I, the Doxon Patron has endorsed your candidacy.

As long as I say I want you to be the next Duke and Patriarch, the whole of the Doxon family will become divided. Your stand won't mean jack.

Many who have been seeking a banner under which they can oppose my two idiot sons will naturally rally behind you.

Ever heard of a reluctant ruler? Well, that's exactly what you will be"

Hal swelled and for the first time since this chat began, he looked to be swelling in anger and losing his cool,

"You old bastard" he snarled as he could see the ex-Duke had backed him into a corner.

Kirill took great joy in Hal's enraged expression as he laughed,

"Haha, it's just politics boy and if you want to survive, you best get with the program."

Hal took a deep breath to calm himself before he said with a frown,

"You can't force me to do what you want"

Kirill grinned,

"Force you? Now, why would I do that? You are free to do whatever you want.

But you should know though that there are many dangers if you do decide to leave the Duchy as I and your mother will be unable to protect you" he said.

"Oh? When have you ever protected me?" Hal asked.

Kirill shrugged,

"Fair point. But now I am actually interested in protecting you... As long as you remain here. In the Doxon Duchy. Once you leave I can not, no, I will not protect you.

And trust me, you will need it.

Many will seek your life.

As the poster boy of a faction in the family, your death would return hope for unification."

Suddenly Hal who had been clenching and unclenching his fists in anger froze as he thought of something,

"You... You already did it, didn't you? You've endorsed me already."

Kirill looked mildly impressed,

"Right you are. Even at this moment, the Doxon family has begun taking sides while your idiot uncles are working to get more support, their main point being that your father is a Silva but that does not really hold any ground when your talent is taken into consideration.

So, Hal, everything has been set in motion. Whether you like it or not.

So don't fight it.

Accept it.

Come on Boy, what do you say?"