Many children, many blessings: Stealing the offspring of powerful figures to cultivate immortality.

The arrest warrant bearing the Regent's seal arrived even faster than Jiang Yining had anticipated.

It could even be said that it was everywhere.

Even in this remote teahouse where only a few hunters stayed, her portrait was pasted on the wall. The painter was extremely skilled, capturing her seemingly delicate, innocent face, yet with a mocking glint in her eyes, with remarkable realism. Below the portrait was a dizzying string of zeros for a bounty, enough to make any desperate outlaw's eyes turn red with envy.

"Have you heard? This guy stole the Regent's most prized possession."

At the next table, two rogue cultivators carrying large swords were picking their toes and shouting loudly.

"What kind of treasure is worth so much money? It's probably stolen from the Imperial Seal of the State!"

"Hey, who knows? I heard that the living devil even deployed the Imperial Guards to catch her, and even the charlatans from the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion were mobilized, saying they wanted to deduce the woman's location."

Sitting in the corner, Jiang Yining pressed down the straw hat on her head.

Holding the sleeping Jiang Lei in her arms, with half a hardened sesame seed cake in her hand, she listened to the discussions, and the mocking smile on her lips reappeared.

The most precious treasure?

It is indeed very important.

She glanced down at her still flat stomach.

Containing within is the essence of that Confucian and Taoist semi-sage, the human race's imperial tutor. That day in the illusion, the Myriad Spirit Divine Tree nearly drained Chu Jinglan dry, like a starving ghost reincarnated. That was genuine "Imperial Dragon Qi," the most domineering and purest energy in the world.

"vomit……"

A strong feeling of nausea suddenly surged up.

Jiang Yining's face turned pale. She threw the sesame seed cake back onto the plate, covered her mouth, and rushed into the woods behind the teahouse.

This vomiting caused him to feel completely disoriented.

There was nothing in my stomach; all I vomited was acidic water.

[Hungry...This tastes awful...I don't want this...]

In my mind, that childish voice started making a fuss again, carrying a spoiled and disdainful air.

I want that golden...that fragrant man...

"Shut up."

Jiang Yining wiped the sour taste from the corner of her mouth, leaned against the tree trunk to stand up, her face frighteningly pale. "That man now wishes he could skin me alive and make a lantern. You want to eat him? You'd better see if your mother has the luck to do so."

The symptoms of this pregnancy are much more severe than when I was pregnant with my first child.

When Jiang Lei was pregnant, the boy would accept anything that contained spiritual energy, whether it was poison or spirit stones, he would put it in his mouth and chew it.

But the second child in her belly is practically a tyrant.

It inherited Chu Jinglan's bad habit of "not being too particular about the finest food and the most delicate preparation of dishes".

It doesn't care about ordinary spiritual energy at all; it breathes in as much as it exhales, only wanting high-level energy with an "majestic" attribute.

Ideally, it should be the aura of an imperial dragon.

Jiang Yining gave a wry smile.

Where can I find the Imperial Dragon Qi for it? Should I sleep with Chu Jinglan again?

That's not suicide, that's food delivery—delivering the person and the food together to the door.

"Mother."

A chubby little hand tugged at the hem of her clothes.

Jiang Yining looked down. Jiang Lei had woken up sometime earlier and was staring at her with his purplish-gold vertical pupils. Although the little guy looked to be just over three years old, the calmness in his eyes, beyond his years, was exactly the same as Ji Lingxiao's icy face.

He handed me a water bag.

"drink."

He was concise and to the point, not uttering a single extra word.

Jiang Yining felt a warmth in her heart, took the water bag and drank two mouthfuls to suppress the churning in her stomach.

"Da Bao, we need to find another place." Jiang Yining hung the empty water pouch back on her waist and looked at the distant, endless mountain range covered in dark clouds. "We can't stay in crowded places anymore. Chu Jinglan's reach is too far."

That is the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains.

The border between the human race and the demon race.

There were no laws, no imperial power, only the most primal laws of killing and survival. It was a place where even the Regent's wanted posters couldn't get pasted.

It's also the most suitable place for her to hide right now.

……

half a month later.

On the edge of the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains, three hundred miles outside the Demon Suppression Pass.

This is an abandoned, rocky wasteland. It used to be a small village, but it was leveled by a horde of monsters, leaving only ruins. The weeds grow taller than a person, and the roars of low-level monsters can be heard from the bushes from time to time.

"Bang!"

A huge bluestone slab was violently overturned.

Jiang Yining dusted off her hands, pointed to a cleared area in front of her, and said to Jiang Lei, who was carrying a log thicker than himself, "From now on, this will be our home, called Jiang Family Village."

Jiang Lei nodded expressionlessly, and with one hand, he planted the several-hundred-pound log into the ground, three feet deep, and it didn't budge.

With that strength and accuracy, anyone who didn't know better would think he was an old monster who had been training for decades.

Jiang Yining is not in a good state right now.

The picky second brother was frantically draining her spiritual energy. Because there was no Imperial Dragon Qi, the Myriad Spirit Divine Tree had no choice but to force Jiang Yining to hunt high-level demonic beasts and use their demon cores to make up the difference.

The violent energy within the demon core, though not as pure as dragon energy, was still powerful enough.

"Mommy, I'm hungry."

Jiang Lei pointed to Jiang Yining's belly, then to the roar of a tiger coming from the distant mountains and forests.

What he meant was: The little brother (or sister) in my belly is hungry, so I'll go get you some food.

After saying that, the boy drew the wooden sword from his back and strode into the woods with his short legs.

"Don't run too far!" Jiang Yining shouted, but didn't stop her.

Although the child is young, his innate sword-wielding talent is no joke. In the past two weeks of travel, he has dealt with almost all the second-tier demonic beasts they encountered with a single sword strike. His wooden sword looks tattered, but it is imbued with a sharp sword intent capable of cutting through anything.

While Da Bao was out hunting, Jiang Yining sat cross-legged on a slightly flat rock.

She took out a still-dripping demon core from her storage bag.

This is the inner core of a third-tier Crimson Flame Lion that was just slaughtered yesterday. It's still steaming hot and has a strong, fishy stench.

[Disgusting...stinky...]

The sacred tree in my mind was so disgusted that its branches and leaves were trembling.

[If you don't eat, you'll starve to death.]

Jiang Yining sneered, closed her eyes, and swallowed the fist-sized demon core as if it were poison.

boom!

The demon core entered her stomach and instantly transformed into a violent fire-type spiritual power, rampaging through her meridians.

If it were an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator, they would probably be dead by now, their meridians severed. But the Myriad Spirit Divine Tree in Jiang Yining's dantian, though verbally complaining, was not slow at all.

Countless transparent roots instantly enveloped the violent energy, like a meat grinder, crushing and filtering all the impurities and malevolent energy in the demon core, leaving only strands of pure, pale golden energy, which were then transported into the gestating life in the womb.

"Well……"

Jiang Yining groaned, cold sweat pouring down her forehead.

This forced refining process is no less painful than scraping the bone to remove poison.

Half an hour later.

She opened her eyes, her complexion slightly rosier, but the weariness in her eyes was impossible to hide.

That bottomless pit has finally calmed down for the time being.

But this is only temporary.

As the baby grows in her womb, its energy needs will increase exponentially. A third-tier demon core can manage for now, but what about later? Fourth-tier? Fifth-tier?

Those kinds of monsters are all kings of their own mountains; they're not so easy to kill.

Moreover, simply consuming demon cores is not enough.

This child inherited Chu Jinglan's Confucian and Taoist talents. Strength alone is not enough; he also needs the nourishment of treasures with "luck" or similar qualities. Otherwise, he would be born with congenital deficiencies and be mentally challenged.

"Money..."

Jiang Yining looked up at the sky and sighed.

Raising children is really expensive.

Especially those who raise such fathers are considered to be powerful "divine offspring".

"Mother."

The grass rustled.

Jiang Lei dragged back a burly bull, five or six times his size, made of iron. The bull had only a thin line of blood on its neck; it was dead from a single blow.

He tossed the bull in front of Jiang Yining, its little face dirty, but it tilted its head back, its bright purple-gold eyes looking at her.

I need praise.

Jiang Yining's heart softened, and she used her sleeve to wipe the mud off his face.

"Great! Let's have beef hot pot tonight!"

As she gazed at the desolate, rocky hills, her eyes gradually hardened.

Since Chu Jinglan has blocked the way, she will fight her way out of this godforsaken place.

Need money? Then earn it.

Lack of resources? Then rob them.

Although the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains are dangerous, they are also the place with the most rare and precious natural treasures.

Moreover, this place is very close to Zhenyao Pass.

A large number of human cultivators are stationed in Zhenyao Pass, along with countless independent cultivators and mercenary groups who come here to seek their fortune. Where there are people, there is conflict; where there is conflict, there is a need for elixirs, talismans, and other life-saving items.

While Jiang Yining may not excel at other things, her talent for alchemy and talisman-making, bestowed upon her by the Myriad Spirit Divine Wood, is truly unique.

If handled properly, this place can be her biggest ATM.

"Da Bao".

Jiang Yining looked at her son, who was squatting on the ground studying how to dissect a bull, and a fox-like smile appeared on her lips. "Starting tomorrow, I'll teach you how to draw talismans. We're going to do a big business here."