Immortal of the Ages

Chapter 754: A Child's Duty

In the midst of a river of starlight, a woman dressed in a black gown, her garment swirling with celestial luminescence, darted toward the nebulous frontier before her.

Above this river, the waters shimmered with dreams and illusions. It was here Zhao Xuanran awoke, slowly rising from the cosmic flow.

"My child…" she murmured, her heart fluttering as she peered down at her clasped hands.

Upon unfurling her fingers, a tiny black furball, now much reduced in size, lay in her palm, resembling an egg adorned with six golden, spiral eyes that hung listlessly, hinting at exhaustion.

"Mom, I'm alright," the six-eyed creature reassured, gathering its eyes on the side facing Zhao Xuanran, though its voice bore a tinge of melancholy.

"Are you truly okay?" Zhao Xuanran lifted the furball to her eyes, brimming with concern.

"Yes... but the disguise is fading."

As it spoke, the creature's body began to change, its physical form dissolving into pure black essence, akin to a soul, minuscule and embryonic...

A fetal soul!

"My child," Zhao Xuanran whispered, cradling the tiny soul in her hands, her eyes filled with worry and deep affection.

"Don't worry, it's fine!" Despite its small size, the fetal soul's spirit was robust, as it declared through its miniature mouth, "This attempt might have failed, but once we reach the Heavenly Deity Stellar River, I can temporarily gain strength again. Then, we'll secure the Six Paths Heaven Heart!"

"Alright, alright..." Zhao Xuanran nodded earnestly, her gaze fixed tenderly on the tiny figure in her palm, her heart nearly melting.

Her eyes slightly reddened, she lamented, "How did it come to this?"

"It's not surprising, given the fundamental difference between you and him. That thing, and you were never meant to conceive a child. Yet, by some twist of fate, here I am—how could there not be complications?" the fetal soul said with an air of weary wisdom.

"How could you call him a thing? He's still your father," Zhao Xuanran countered, her headache intensifying.

"Mom, I don't want to argue," the fetal soul retorted, rolling its eyes.

"Fine..." Zhao Xuanran continued her swift passage through the river of starlight, her expression troubled as she addressed the fetal soul in her palm, "My child, is your body really struggling to hold on?"

"Nonsense! Do you know you had an ectopic pregnancy? I managed to struggle back on my own, but it's still not sustainable. My development has nearly ceased; without change, I'm done for. What a troublesome gestation!" the fetal soul complained with a grimace.

Amidst the swirling starlight, Zhao Xuanran recited softly to herself, her voice barely a whisper against the cosmic winds. "To secure your birth, we must take the Dao Source as your body, and the Primordial Coffin as your soul. Only then can you be preserved. Now that the Primordial Coffin has become your soul, we just lack the Dao Source..."

These cryptic necessities were all revealed to her by the small being within her. How could she, Zhao Xuanran, have known any of this on her own?

"It seems he still has some conscience, giving you that lotus. My soul secretly absorbed some of its essence to escape with you, and to steal that coffin for us—otherwise, I'd have been doomed," the fetal soul chattered optimistically, still bouncing in Zhao Xuanran's grasp. Its voice and tone suggested it might be a girl.

"To grasp the Six Paths Heaven Heart, and to merge the world of the Six Paths of Reincarnation with the Primordial Coffin inside me—only then can the pregnancy be sustained."

Zhao Xuanran loosened one hand to touch her belly, her face clouded with bewilderment. Who among her family could possibly understand? To birth a child, she had to devour an entire magnificent world.

"You're not even three months old; how do you understand all this?" Zhao Xuanran asked, half in tears, half in laughter.

"I don’t know; maybe it has something to do with my old man. Even when he was still in Azure Spirit, I had already formed a consciousness, absorbing and observing everything about the world," the fetal soul declared with confident pride.

"What?" Zhao Xuanran recalled the romantic escapades she had with Yun Xiao before she even realized she was pregnant. The embarrassment nearly choked her then.

What kind of mysterious child was this?

"And how do you know about the Six Paths of Reincarnation, Six-Eyed Pandemonium, and Heavenly Deity Stellar River?" Zhao Xuanran was filled with questions.

From the moment it appeared, this entity claimed to be her unborn child, needing her help to survive, then proceeded to devour the old Six-Eyed Pandemonium, destroy the Reincarnation Bastion, and attempt to seize the Six Paths Heaven Heart. Throughout it all, she felt utterly bewildered.

"The Primordial Coffin and Six Paths of Reincarnation are a pair, containing a vast amount of useful information about the Samsara Galaxy. The celestial formation that brought us here was also within that Primordial Coffin," the fetal soul explained nonchalantly.

"Alright then!" Zhao Xuanran felt somewhat relieved by the explanation.

But the more she thought about it, the more mystifying it seemed. She then asked, "Why didn't you tell everything to your father? With his help, surely we could manage faster."

"Faster my foot, he’s too slow, and I can't hold on much longer. There’s no time to explain," the fetal soul scoffed dismissively.

"He's slow?" Zhao Xuanran could only laugh and cry at her predicament.

That fellow had soared to the heavens in haste, yet still, he found himself looked down on.

However, moments ago, the fetal soul had devoured the Six-Eyed Pandemonium and then wreaked havoc in the Six Paths of Reincarnation with alarming speed. Had it not been for its failure, all issues would now be resolved. But evidently, its powers were grossly unstable, leaving the fetal soul utterly exhausted and fragile after its efforts.

"Why do you seem to despise him so much?" Zhao Xuanran asked softly, her voice laced with curiosity.

"Shouldn't I? That man is too arrogant, surrounded by a slew of women! I despise him—utterly and completely," the fetal soul exclaimed, hands on hips and huffing with irritation.

"Is that the reason?" Zhao Xuanran pressed.

"Yes, and that’s why I used the Primordial Coffin to frighten him—to scare him to death!" the fetal soul boasted proudly.

So, it seemed this child was determined to fend for themselves, unwilling to seek help...

"That’s not right." Zhao Xuanran gazed down at the fetal soul. "When we left, you deliberately left the celestial formation for him. Deep down, you still hoped he would come to your aid, didn’t you?"

"Not at all." The fetal soul shook its head.

"And you knew he had a body double in the Six Paths of Reincarnation. Even if you couldn’t get the Six Paths Heaven Heart, he would, and then he'd come looking for you," Zhao Xuanran continued.

"I’ll get there before him," the fetal soul argued stubbornly.

"That's not certain. His abilities far surpass yours. Once his true self reaches the Six Paths of Reincarnation, you’ll be out of the picture," Zhao Xuanran stated confidently.

"Hehe, who said he could reach the Six Paths Reincarnation?" the fetal soul scoffed.

"What? You altered the direction of the celestial formation?" Zhao Xuanran was taken aback.

The fetal soul smiled mischievously, its silence a clear affirmation.

"Where are you sending him?" Zhao Xuanran asked nervously.

"To a sect filled with heavenly Immortal beauties!" the fetal soul replied with a cold laugh.

Zhao Xuanran froze, biting her lip. "Silly child, isn’t this just—?"

"Don’t worry, mom. I’ve made sure; that sect is full of devilish women. He likes to spread his affections around, doesn’t he? This time, they’ll strip him down a layer or two."

Zhao Xuanran was stunned. "You’re not even born yet, and already dealing with such matters, that’s tough on you."

The fetal soul puffed up its chest, declaring, "Punishing that scoundrel of a father is the child's duty!"

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