Douluo Continent: My Martial Soul is the Black Dragon, I am the Lord of the Gods

……

The figures of the goddess of life and the god of kindness disappeared into the sky, and tranquility returned to the area beneath the waterfall.

Feeling Xuanming's even and steady breathing in his arms, the Ice Dragon King knew that he was truly and completely relaxed this time.

She looked down at his sleeping face, which had shed all its fatigue and wariness, his icy blue eyes filled with tenderness.

She reached out her finger and gently brushed away a strand of silver hair from his forehead, her movements as soft as if she were afraid of waking a sleeping baby.

After embracing each other quietly for a long time, the Ice Dragon King seemed to suddenly remember something. A playful smile appeared on his lips, and he asked in a seemingly casual tone, "Hey, little brother."

"Hmm?" Xuanming mumbled a response with his eyes closed.

When are you planning to have a child?

Xuanming's body visibly stiffened, and his tightly closed eyelids twitched involuntarily. He slowly opened his eyes, looking at the Ice Dragon King with a speechless expression: "...What did you say?"

“I said,” the Ice Dragon King repeated, his tone somewhat matter-of-fact, “when are you planning to have a child? Look around you, there’s a whole bunch of beautiful women around you, Gu Yuena, Bibi Dong, Poseidon…aren’t they all stunning beauties? If just those few had a child with each of them, our God Realm would have several more second-generation God-Kings out of thin air.”

"Not to mention Xiao Wu and her group." She counted on her fingers, "If you include them all, just if each of them were one, the God Realm would be teeming with gods who are guaranteed to be at least level one. At that time, do you think anyone would dare to cause trouble in our God Realm? We could just overwhelm them with the second-generation gods."

Xuanming's lips twitched as he listened, completely losing his sleepiness. He sat up, looking at the Ice Dragon King with a wry smile: "Sister Ice, what kind of nonsense are you thinking about?"

"What nonsense! This is called long-term planning!" the Ice Dragon King declared emphatically. "Procreation and the continuation of bloodlines are the most normal principles in the world. How come they're considered nonsense by you?"

Xuanming rubbed his forehead, looking somewhat troubled, and said, "I'm not interested in having children."

"Why?" the Ice Dragon King asked curiously.

"For no reason, I'm just not interested," Xuanming said somewhat vaguely. "I'm almost eternal, and life has no end for me. Children don't mean much to me."

Seeing his insincere expression, the Ice Dragon King suddenly burst out laughing.

"Alright, stop pretending." She reached out and pinched Xuanming's cheek, her eyes full of understanding. "You think you can hide your little schemes from me?"

Xuanming was somewhat helpless as she pinched him, and could only let her "torture" him.

The Ice Dragon King looked at him with amusement and said slowly, "You're not uninterested in children, you're just worried about them, aren't you?"

Xuanming's eyes flickered slightly, but he remained silent.

The Ice Dragon King withdrew his hand, his voice softening: "You know very well that not all the girls around you are suitable to have children with you. Or rather, not all of them can bear the consequences of having children with you."

"You treat many of them more out of a sense of responsibility, a sense of indebtedness, and a desire to protect them; you see them as family rather than lovers."

"Right now, although the relationships between everyone are complicated, we can at least maintain a delicate balance. But once you have a child, things will be different."

"Children are the continuation of bloodlines and the most direct crystallization of emotions. Whoever gives birth to your child, their place in your heart will naturally become different in the eyes of everyone else."

“At that point, relationships that were previously fairly even will immediately become very close or distant. This is an invisible and cruel form of harm for girls who don’t have children.”

The Ice Dragon King's words were like a key, precisely unlocking the heaviest lock in Xuanming's heart.

He was silent.

The Ice Dragon King was right; that was his truest thought. He already owed them too much, and he didn't want to create an irreparable rift between them because of his own actions.

Seeing his silence, the Ice Dragon King reached out and ruffled his hair, as if comforting a child who had done something wrong.

“However,” she changed the subject, returning to her casual demeanor, “I didn’t intend to advise you. These things are ultimately a matter of mutual consent. If you like it and want to do it, then do it; no one can stop you. If you don’t like it and don’t want to do it, then don’t do it; no one can force you.”

“Besides,” she yawned and said lazily, “there’s no rush for this. We have plenty of time, time that never ends.”

After saying that, she lay down again, patted the spot next to her, and gestured for Xuanming to lie down as well.

Xuanming looked at her, and the turmoil and heaviness in his heart quietly dissipated in her words. He smiled with relief and lay down beside her again.

Yes, they have plenty of time. This time, he truly fell into a deep sleep, completely unprepared and without any dreams.

……

I do not know how long it has been.

When Xuanming awoke again, he found that the Ice Dragon King was no longer beside him. He sat up, stretched, and felt refreshed.

This was the most restful and peaceful sleep he had ever had.

He stood up, preparing to go find the Ice Dragon King, when he noticed a golden figure standing quietly behind the waterfall not far away.

It is Qianrenxue.

Xuanming stopped moving, and the ease on his face gradually faded.

What was supposed to come finally came.

He didn't go over; he just stood there quietly, waiting.

A moment later, Qian Renxue slowly emerged from behind the water curtain. She had changed out of her divine king armor and put on a simple white dress, her long golden hair casually draped over her shoulders.

Stripped of her divine majesty, she looked like an ordinary, beautiful, and somewhat haggard girl next door.

She walked up to Xuanming and stopped.

The two looked at each other speechlessly.

The atmosphere became somewhat heavy for a moment.

Finally, Qian Renxue broke the silence first. Her voice was somewhat hoarse and trembling, but it was exceptionally clear.

"I... I understand now."

She raised her head, and those golden eyes that were once full of pride and stubbornness now resembled a calm lake, reflecting Xuanming's figure.

“The Ice Dragon King came to see me,” she said. “She told me a lot.”

Xuanming didn't speak, but listened quietly.

“I admit she’s right.” A bitter smile appeared on Qian Renxue’s lips. “I can’t let go of my obsession with you, and I can’t... just stand by and watch you and those women, especially... with her and my mother, being all lovey-dovey.”

With each word she spoke, her heart felt as if it were being pricked by a needle.

"That feeling was worse than being killed."

She took a deep breath, as if using all her strength, and looked directly into Xuanming's eyes.

"So, I don't want to lie to myself anymore. I don't want to argue with you anymore, and I don't want to be your enemy anymore."

"I came here to ask you an answer."

Her eyes became incredibly serious at that moment, even carrying a hint of humble pleading.

“Xuanming, come and tell me.”

What kind of relationship do you hope there is between us?

"Friends? Siblings? Or... strangers?"

"You said that as long as you give me an answer, whatever it is, I will listen to you."

"From now on, I will never bother you again, nor will I ever make things difficult for you again." (End of Chapter)