Free Web NovelChapter 441: Chapter 74: Xiaoyan’s Pregnancy, Primordial Meets the Goddess
It was more than enough to accommodate the Sandalwood Merit Ancient Buddha, the True Phoenix, and the Great Sage Who Pacifies Heaven.
Lu Xuan exchanged a few more words with Li Changgeng and Big Black Bull, then turned around.
"Second Master..."
Before he could finish, Lu Xuan froze, slightly stunned. At some point, the middle-aged Daoist had placed a Celestial Crown upon his head.
Strings of pearls and jade dangled from the crown, completely obscuring the middle-aged Daoist’s face.
"I’m fine."
The middle-aged Daoist’s voice was muffled, and he kept sucking in sharp breaths. He said in a low tone,
"That personage wishes to see me, does she not? Since you and Little Jiangxue are now married, let’s go visit her together."
As he spoke, he sucked in another sharp breath. Beneath the beaded veil, his face seemed to be shifting.
The techniques of both Taiqing and Shangqing transcended all Years, piercing through every one of his bodies...
In other words, every time the two Daoist Palaces smashed into a certain Blind Daoist, the impact was mirrored on the middle-aged Daoist...
Though Lu Xuan was confused, he didn’t ask any questions. He and Xiaoyan bowed. After Yan Jiangxue had a moment to speak with Old Yan,
he grabbed Ben Bo’Erba and departed on a cloud with his Second Master and Xiaoyan.
Only after the four of them had vanished did the crowd before the Daoist Palace collectively heave a sigh of relief.
The Little White Dragon couldn’t help but ask,
"That... personage... why has he appeared in this world? And who are they going to see? I can’t imagine anyone who could compel him to pay a personal visit..."
"Do not ask what you should not," Li Changgeng said calmly, then turned and nodded to the pensive Sandalwood Merit Buddha.
"Ancient Buddha, what exactly happened with Sun Wukong?"
At these words, a conflicted Old Yan pulled his gaze back from the distance. He, along with the Old Celestial Master and the others, looked on with curiosity.
’Sun Wukong?’
’Could that be the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong, from those fragmented ancient texts?’
The Sandalwood Merit Buddha’s expression merely darkened. After a long silence, he simply shook his head and said nothing more.
.........
「Beneath the Stone Stele.」
"Careful now, a little slower."
The exquisite woman rose to her feet, dragging the Three Thousand Divine Chains as she moved forward to support Xiaoyan. She spoke with a gentle smile,
"You must be careful now."
"Mother, I don’t understand..." Xiaoyan was completely bewildered. Not far away, the middle-aged Daoist, standing in focused silence, felt his eye twitch. ’Mother?’
At that moment, in the vast and desolate world, the Emperor Corpse on the cliff and the Dying Buddha on the scorched mountain peak were both watching from a distance.
’Their expressions were both solemn. He had actually come, and as one of his most important True Self Incarnations, no less—the Pangu Daoist!’
Meanwhile, the exquisite woman gave a dazzling smile, extended a delicate, jade-like finger, and gently tapped Xiaoyan on the head.p>
"You don’t know yet, do you? I suppose it makes sense. The aura of life hasn’t fully bloomed yet. Oh, you..."
Xiaoyan was even more bewildered. She tilted her small head up, her face a mask of confusion.
Even Lu Xuan was taken aback, unable to grasp what was happening. Just as he was about to ask, the middle-aged Daoist cleared his throat.
"I... may have tampered with Cause and Effect a little, so..."
Beneath the beaded veil, his eyes darted about evasively.
The exquisite woman shot the middle-aged Daoist a cool, indifferent glance before turning her head back. She said with a smile,
"You two... well, you’re going to have a child of your own soon."
"Huh??"
"What??"
Lu Xuan and Xiaoyan were completely floored. Their eyes widened in unison, their expressions a mixture of shock and horror.
’A... a child??’
Lu Xuan’s head was spinning. ’A child? Already??’
’But we’ve only been together once!!’
The quickest to react, however, was Ben Bo’Erba. With a cry of "Yoh!", he used the Touching Stone into Gold magic technique to transmute matter, creating a peach wood chair out of thin air.
He immediately scurried forward, chair in hand and a fawning smile plastered on his face:
"My Lady, you mustn’t stand for long! Please, sit, sit..."
In the distance, the Emperor Corpse raised an eyebrow. ’This little demon... he’s a sharp one.’ ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
After a moment’s thought, he cleared his throat and spoke in a ghostly tone:
"And it’s no ordinary child. I have observed a great shift in the Heavenly Dao. The one being conceived is, I fear, an Innate Divine Demon."
An Innate Divine Demon?
The words left Lu Xuan and Xiaoyan utterly perplexed.
Xiaoyan was the first to recover. She shot Lu Xuan a sharp glare, then slowly sat down on the chair Ben Bo’Erba had brought. She absently caressed her stomach.
"I’m... having a child..."
It was all too sudden; she wasn’t prepared for this at all.
The middle-aged Daoist said in a low, solemn voice:
"Logically, an Innate Divine Demon cannot be born in the Postnatal era. But some Profound Mystery has occurred between you two, Xiaoxuan. You have both caused each other to sublimate, transforming into Innate Divine Demons. It is only natural, then, that your offspring would be one as well."
Lu Xuan’s expression flickered. He said pensively,
"I had a feeling before... as if I had grasped a Dao. But it was very indistinct, the Dao itself quite blurry."
"You have only just achieved this state; your Daos have not yet manifested. They need time to incubate," the exquisite woman said with a light laugh.
"Still, this is a good thing. You must be careful, though. When both of your Daos fully emerge, you will automatically transform into Innate Immortals, but only at the [Middle Grade]. Therefore, Xiaoxuan, you must pick up the pace."
Lu Xuan’s expression grew serious. After a moment’s thought, he asked,
"Lady, roughly how long until our [Daos] emerge naturally?"
"One year. However, you can choose to suppress it, delay the birth of your [Dao], and only release that suppression after you’ve achieved Immortality on your own terms."
With that, the exquisite woman gave the two a brief explanation of what an Innate Divine Demon was.
Xiaoyan was fine, listening in a bit of a daze, but Lu Xuan’s heart pounded with shock.
’According to the Lady, nearly all existing Dao Fruit holders are Innate Divine Demons, born to command and symbolize a specific Dao.’
’Among the Innate Divine Demons, some are stronger than others. The most powerful at present are my Three Masters.’
’Second Master symbolizes the transition from nonexistence to existence, Third Master symbolizes the transition from existence to nonexistence, and First Master... he symbolizes [Existence] itself...’
The middle-aged Daoist now spoke up, a smile in his voice.
"Though I don’t know the reason, this is indeed a good thing—a monumental opportunity, one might say..."
He paused, his expression growing serious. Looking at the exquisite woman, he changed the subject.
"That said, Goddess, for what purpose did you wish to see me?"
The vast world fell silent. The Emperor Corpse narrowed his eyes, the Dying Buddha listened intently, and Ben Bo’Erba, knowing his place, covered his ears and sealed off all six of his senses.
The exquisite woman lifted her head slightly and said coolly,
"Primordial, I needed to see you with my own eyes to be certain that your intentions toward Xiaoxuan are genuine."
"And now, Goddess, you have," the middle-aged Daoist replied calmly.
Lu Xuan and Xiaoyan glanced at each other but didn’t interrupt, listening quietly as the exquisite woman spoke again.
"Yes. Though you are petty and not what one would call a good person, you can be considered a good teacher."
With that, the exquisite woman rose gracefully to her feet.
"Xiaoxuan is about to re-enter the era of the Qin Dynasty. Taiyi has a scheme in motion. He intends to turn fiction into fact, to transform the falsehood that you and Shangqing have woven into reality."
She paused, her tone softening as she stared at the middle-aged Daoist, whose expression had changed drastically. "You know what this implies, but it is also an opportunity for Xiaoxuan to achieve his Dao Fruit... I want to make a deal with you."
The middle-aged Daoist’s expression shifted uncertainly. ’Taiyi...’
After a long moment, he nodded.
"Goddess, please speak."
"I have not seen Houtu and the others for a long time, so I don’t know their exact situation. Nor have I seen Taiyi’s true form, so I am unaware of his specific goal."
The exquisite woman flicked her sleeve, settled back into a seated position, and continued,
"But those three Enlightened Ones are making their moves, as is Taiyi. I have also seen traces of a mysterious figure connected to you called the Demon Ancestor... Primordial, I want to join forces with you to play a game of our own. Perhaps we can even include Haotian."
"I’m listening," the middle-aged Daoist said grimly.
