Qing Yanjing fixed her gaze on the black egg for a long time, carefully studying the faintly scorching aura that carried both destruction and the pulse of life.
Knowing that Liu Xi came from the lower realm, she softly explained, "This should be the Nirvana Egg of the Nine Nether Bird. Interestingly enough, this race, like you, also originates from the lower realms. They are the descendants of the Ancient Undying Bird and currently inhabit the Nine Nether Realm within the Nine Nether Continent."
"In the Great Thousand Worlds, their clan counts among the first-rate powers, divided into three evolutionary branches — the Nine Nether Dark Sparrow, the Nine Nether Flame Sparrow, and the Nine Nether Frost Sparrow."
"Among them, the Nine Nether Dark Sparrow bears the Undying Bird bloodline and even has the potential to evolve into a true Ancient Undying Bird. This egg likely came from one that failed its Spirit Transformation attempt, relying on its bloodline to form this Nirvana Egg in hopes of revival. Once it gathers enough Spiritual Energy, it will resurrect and gain another chance to undergo Spirit Transformation. But…" she frowned slightly, "Why would a Nine Nether Bird attempt Spirit Transformation here? Within their clan's territory, surrounded by kin, the chances of success would've been far higher and much safer. For one to end up like this is… strange."
Even Qing Yanjing, the daughter of the Buddha Clan's Clan Leader, couldn't hide her confusion. For her to know this much about the race already spoke volumes — the Nine Nether Birds were far from ordinary.
At their peak, they were guarded by true Ancient Undying Birds, and even the Phoenix Clan — one of the two most ancient Divine Beast bloodlines — regarded them with wary respect.
As for the egg itself, Liu Xi recognized its nature but had no idea why a Nine Nether Bird would appear here of all places. Still, in this world, not everything needed logic — sometimes fate simply arranged such things.
Liu Xi smiled faintly, gently taking Qing Yanjing's hand while glancing at the egg. "Since fate brought us together, why not… raise it?"
"We'll raise it… together?"
Qing Yanjing's slender hand was already caught in his grasp, her cheeks slightly flushed. His casual tone and ambiguous phrasing made the air between them subtly charged. Yet, she didn't refuse.
"Alright… let's raise it."
Half out of shyness and half out of warmth, she nodded. The sweetness in her chest grew — after all, this would be the first… "life" they nurtured together.
Liu Xi's smile deepened. The Nine Nether Bird's potential wasn't small. If raised properly, it might evolve into an Ancient Undying Bird — and more importantly, it gave him the perfect excuse to grow closer to her.
Their emotional bond would naturally deepen; what remained was finding the right moment to take that next step.
Waving his hand, Liu Xi released a stream of Spiritual Energy that swept up the black egg from the scorched pit. The egg trembled faintly, as if resisting, but before his overwhelming power, it could only shiver obediently.
The Nine Nether Bird was currently too weak — after its failed Spirit Transformation, its strength had fallen to the Divine Soul Stage, barely a shadow of its former self.
After collecting it, Liu Xi surrounded the egg with strands of azure flame, letting faint traces of the Azure Lotus Flame entwine around it, helping it adapt.
The Azure Lotus Flame's might was terrifying; even a wisp could reduce the egg to ashes. Yet within it also lingered the essence of the Ten Thousand Beast Flame — a nurturing force that could temper its bloodline and strengthen its Undying Fire. Under his guidance, this Nine Nether Bird's future would surpass its kin by far.
Satisfied, Liu Xi smiled. His mood was excellent — especially after realizing this continent was the Hundred Spirit Continent.
Mu Chen's birthplace!
Of course, in this altered timeline, that future was long gone — especially since Mu Chen's mother had now been "stolen" by him. Thinking of this, Liu Xi looked at Qing Yanjing with a warm grin.
She returned it with a sweet smile of her own.
After being "moved" by Liu Xi's tale of hardship and perseverance, Qing Yanjing had unconsciously opened her heart to him. Their connection was growing naturally; her gentle, maternal aura only made her even more irresistible.
Without hesitation, Liu Xi wrapped an arm around her soft waist again, leaning close enough that his warm breath brushed her ear as he said softly, "Let's go. You haven't fully recovered yet, so we'll rest and explore this continent for a while. Once you're well, we'll decide what comes next."
His breath against her skin sent a shiver through her. Qing Yanjing's cheeks burned crimson, her body turning faintly weak, but when she looked into Liu Xi's gentle eyes, she remembered his supposed hardships and couldn't bring herself to refuse.
And so, she simply let things flow naturally.
With her in his arms, Liu Xi soared through the sky. Naturally, this meant plenty of "close contact," and though he shamelessly took advantage, he didn't go too far — knowing that rushing might frighten her.
After some time, they arrived at the nearest human city. Liu Xi suppressed their auras, blending them in among the locals. On this secondary continent, in an unremarkable city, no one recognized either of them.
They wandered freely — eating, drinking, laughing, and playing. The handsome man and beautiful woman drew stares everywhere they went, and whenever trouble arose, Liu Xi handled it effortlessly.
Here, anyone at the Divine Soul or Three Heavens Stage was already considered a powerhouse; a Sovereign was akin to an ancestral founder. In such a place, no danger could possibly threaten them.
Meanwhile, back in the Buddha Clan, chaos was brewing.
Mo Tong and Xuan Guang had led their men into the space storm — though it was unlikely to kill Heavenly Sovereigns, their whereabouts became completely unknown.
This caused an uproar. Both men were branch leaders of the Mo and Xuan Lineages, and along with the four Spiritual Grade Heavenly Sovereigns under them, they formed a large part of the clan's core strength. Losing them all at once would spell disaster.
Fortunately, their soul lamps still burned, proving they were alive. Still, the clan became wary and quickly withdrew all search teams sent after Qing Yanjing.
Under Liu Xi's concealment, she had vanished without a trace — as if she'd evaporated from the world.
Only the Maha Ancient Clan refused to give up. They sent scouts everywhere to hunt for her, even diverting resources from searching for Liu Xi himself.
After all, Maha Tian's main goal in marrying Qing Yanjing had been to defeat Liu Xi and restore his own lost prestige. But now, with both of them missing, the man's fury reached its peak.
He had lost his chance at a Saint breakthrough, had been publicly humiliated by Liu Xi, and now — his would-be bride had escaped him.
For the clans across the Great Thousand Worlds, it became a scandal.
The proud Clan Leader of the Maha Ancient Clan, who had sought to marry the daughter of the Buddha Clan's Clan Leader, had been rejected — the bride had run away!
After being defeated by Liu Xi, his power remained, but his reputation was shattered.
Across the Great Thousand Worlds, the once-illustrious aura surrounding Maha Tian had been torn away — and in his humiliation, a dangerous darkness began to fester within him.
(End of Chapter)
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