Looking at the woman struggling with her life, Pure Yang Lord's heart winced as he tried to persuade her.
"I don't know why you're so antagonistic towards me," he began, his voice laced with frustration. "But I'm willing to overlook your previous deeds and help you. If you don't let me resolve this problem with your body, you'll definitely die."
She clearly understood the severity of her worsening condition but she still didn't trust him or explain why she hated him so much.
"Then, let me die in peace."
He said with a last trace of hope. "What can I do to make you trust me?"
She barely spoke in a whisper, "I'll only trust you if you dare to receive the slave seal."
He recalled her slave seal… it was eerily similar to the one given by the system.
'System, is there a way I can save her after receiving the slave seal?'
[Once the seal is fixed inside you, you cannot go against her will. So, if she resists, you won't be able to place your own seal to save her.]
'What if I act before the seal completes itself?'
[During the sealing process, both of you will be immobilized until the seal completely establishes itself. However, if you prepare your own seal in advance, you can wait for her to begin the process and simultaneously place the seal over her. Then, using your superior soul power, you can establish your seal faster than her, gaining control over her. Once your seal is established, you can force her to break the process before she enslaves you.]
It was still risky to accept her slave seal despite the assurance from the system. And trusting the system itself was a gamble.
He took a deep breath, deciding to take the chance. "Alright. I'm willing to receive the seal."
She was stunned by his response but finally relented unable to bear the suffering for so long, grasping at the last hope to survive. "Come closer. But remember—I can still detonate my body with a single thought."
He went close enough for her to touch but she weakly beckoned. "Help me stand up."
With a tensed heart and nervous mind, he prepared the soul seal in his right hand as he bent down to help her stand up. Just as his right hand connected to her back, she suddenly thrust her left hand forward, blazing with a black seal into his chest starting the process.
At the same time, he released his soul power and the slave seal burst with golden light onto her back. Though both had started the process at almost the same time, the speed of his seal was much faster than that of her.
A strange scene occurred where a man and a woman were frozen looking at each other in the eye, each putting their all to complete a mysterious seal.
Soon, Pure Yang Lord's seal overtook her and established first, allowing him to have control over her. But strangely, he couldn't stop her from completing her seal or rather he didn't.
Neither of them realized that their meeting and actions would set in motion a change that would reshape their world.
With the completion of the golden seal, Princess Sara's body glowed with golden light and the black spots receded revealing her beautiful body. She closed her eyes entering a meditative state, being enveloped by golden light.
He was stupefied to see that she was experiencing a rare opportunity that could further elevate her cultivation.
'When did getting enlightenment get so cheap.'
Soon, the complete seal on Pure Yang Lord acted but he started experiencing great pain unlike anything he had experienced before in his life. Dark spots appeared on his body similar to the earlier situation of Princess Sara. His teeth clenched in agony.
Now it was his turn to writhe in pain on the ground.
His mind couldn't process why there was a disparity in treatment between them after receiving the slave seal—he received terrible pain while she got a rare opportunity to increase her cultivation.
'Damn, system. Did you work in cahoots with the princess making use of me to help withstand her after-effects while also improving her cultivation further,' he cursed internally.
[The system is not working with Princess Sara. She doesn't even know of its existence.]
After a few minutes, Sara woke up and saw him in a situation similar to what she experienced.
A conflicted emotion appeared in her heart including surprise, guilt, determination and something unknown.
She kept her dilemma aside and decided to help him come out of this predicament. But the situation was further aggravated when she tried to use her energies to help him. She could only look on helplessly as he experienced the agony not knowing what to do.
She looked at him with great worry now that the situation between them had reversed.
But then, a pure golden light started blazing inside of him and a great struggle between yin and yang energies ensued.
After a few hours of desperate struggle, both the yin and yang energies vanished. The pain subsided, allowing him to move and breathe a sigh of relief.
Both of them looked at each other with a faint sense of connection between them due to the seals, allowing them to feel each other's thoughts.
He felt an unknown force probing his memory but before he could stop it, she gave him a tight slap on his face without using too much force.
Stunned by the sudden slap, he momentarily lost focus, allowing her to read a portion of his memories.
Before he could regain his exposure, she pounced on him, giving him a tight hug with tears streaming in her eyes.
Confused and caught off guard by the situation in front of him, he delved into her surface thoughts.
Beneath her confident and vicious exterior, she was still a frail, young girl—frightened and overwhelmed. He could feel that after realizing he saved her with pure righteous tendencies without any ulterior motive, lust or manipulation, a portion of her heart had melted.
His heart raced, feeling the warmth of her embrace—his first intimate contact with a woman in this world. After a few minutes, her tears stopped and she came out of his embrace, her expression softer, even shy.
From being hated to the bone to being caressed almost like a lover, the sudden reversal was too illogical.
Just as Alister began to process the whirlwind of emotions, Sara suddenly grabbed his head and planted a kiss on his lips. The suddenness of it left him dazed, not knowing how to react.
"Holy crap! My… my purity!" he thought in an aggrieved state.