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

Jiang Lei raised his heavy sword, but this time it was no longer a simple slash. He stirred up the lingering tribulation clouds in the sky.

"The Nine Heavens Mysterious Temple transforms into divine thunder. Its majestic heavenly power is drawn forth by the sword!"

This is Ji Lingxiao's signature move—the Divine Sword Thunder Control Technique! Jiang Lei can only use a fraction of it now, but with the added power of the calamity, this sword strike is enough to change the very fabric of the world.

The remaining tribulation clouds were completely drawn away, converging into a giant sword of lightning, which, with Jiang Lei's movement, slashed down towards the red-robed elder!

"No--!"

The red-robed elder only had time to let out a short scream before the skull banner he had summoned turned to ashes on the spot, and he was completely swallowed by the lightning sword, leaving not even a trace behind.

With a single sword strike, the late-stage Golden Core cultivator was annihilated, body and soul destroyed.

Those originally imposing cultivators were all frozen in mid-air, unable to advance or retreat.

That was Blood Hand Butcher, a ruthless character who had roamed Zhenyao Pass for decades, and he was killed by a three-year-old baby.

"Who else?"

Jiang Lei stood in the void, holding a heavy sword. The thunderclouds behind him gradually dissipated, and there was complete silence in front of him.

That small figure, at this moment, bore a striking resemblance to the legendary swordsman Ji Lingxiao, a figure nine-tenths more impressive. No, even more arrogant and domineering than Ji Lingxiao, for he possessed not only the bones of a sword but also the heart of thunder.

"It's a misunderstanding! It's all a misunderstanding!"

"Young master's divine might is unparalleled! We are merely passing by! Passing by!"

The remaining cultivators then realized what was happening, and a chill ran down their spines. They turned and ran, wishing they had two more legs.

Jiang Lei watched the fleeing figures but did not give chase. His body swayed slightly, and his face visibly paled. That sword strike had almost emptied his body, which had just reached the Foundation Establishment stage.

"Da Bao!"

Jiang Yining leaped into the air and caught her son as he fell.

"Mother... I chased the bad guys away..." Jiang Lei nestled in his mother's arms, his voice weak but with a stubborn plea for praise.

"Yes, Da Bao is the best." Jiang Yining hugged her son tightly, her eyes welling up with tears. She could feel the little body trembling in her arms, and her heart felt like it was being squeezed tightly by a hand.

At only three years old, an age when she should be nestled in her parents' arms, she had to risk her life to protect her family, her hands stained with blood.

Just then, the hairs on the back of Jiang Yining's neck suddenly stood on end.

She looked up.

The thunderclouds in the sky dispersed, but the sky did not clear up; instead, it became even more gloomy. Layers of thick white clouds had gathered from all directions, completely enveloping the entire city of Jiang and the surrounding hundred miles. The clouds were arranged in an extremely orderly fashion, with sharp edges, like a silent army. Above the clouds, the low sounds of war drums and the fluttering of banners could be faintly heard.

This is not a celestial phenomenon.

This is a "drawing a circle on the ground as a prison," a top-level trapping formation that only Confucian and Taoist masters can execute.

"Run? Where can you run to?"

A cold, indifferent, yet authoritative voice rang directly in her ear.

Jiang Yining froze completely.

She would never forget that voice. The man she had drained dry in the illusion, the imperial tutor who should have been strategizing in the capital.

Chu Jinglan.

he came.

Jiangcheng fell into a silence more terrifying than death. Cloud walls pressed down from all sides, turning the city into an isolated island. The refugees and cultivators within the city found themselves trapped. Whether using swords or earth magic, anyone who approached the cloud walls was repelled by a gentle yet irresistible force.

"What kind of formation is this? I can't even send out a communication talisman!" Wang Mazi held a half-burnt talisman in his hand, his face ashen.

Jiang Yining stood atop the highest point of the City Lord's Mansion, the wind tousling her long hair and revealing a bloodless face with resolute eyes. She cradled the unconscious Jiang Lei in her arms. She knew this wasn't a formation, but rather "power." The Confucian and Taoist semi-saints had sealed this space with the vast, righteous energy of heaven and earth. Here, Chu Jinglan's words were the law.

"Mother... I'm hungry..." Jiang Lei frowned in his sleep and mumbled something in his sleep.

Jiang Yining felt a pang of pain in her heart and was about to take out the pills from her storage ring.

"Thump!"

Her stomach throbbed with such force that she almost lost her balance. Immediately afterward, a powerful…excitement surged from the baby inside her. It wasn't fear, it wasn't panic. It was like a starving beast suddenly smelling the purest, most potent blood.

[It smells so good... It's here... The feast is here...]

In his mind, the branches and leaves of the Myriad Spirits Tree swayed excitedly. The towering cloud wall and the terrifying aura of righteousness, which were a dead end in the eyes of others, were, in Erbao's eyes, a feast already laid out.

Jiang Yining was stunned, then a strange smile appeared on her lips.

What's this? The father came to settle accounts, only to be mistaken for takeout by his son?

Above the clouds, a bronze chariot pulled by nine dragons broke through the clouds, revealing its form. The chariot was ancient and weathered, and its aura caused the protective array below to creak under its strain.

Chu Jinglan sat in the main seat of the chariot, dressed in a plain blue robe, his hair held back only by a wooden hairpin. He still wore his gold-rimmed glasses, and toyed with a crumpled piece of paper in his hand. It was the note left by Jiang Yining that read, "Thank you for the gift, Imperial Tutor." Although he had crushed it and then restored it with his supernatural powers, every crack reminded him of the humiliation of that day.

"Jiang Yining," he spoke, his voice piercing through the clouds and landing on the terrace, revealing neither joy nor anger, "How does the scenery here compare to the prosperity of the capital?"

Jiang Yining handed Jiang Lei to Wang Mazi behind her, instructing him to take him away to rest. She straightened her clothes, supported her lower back, and straightened her spine. She wouldn't lose face, even if she lost the fight.

"Compared to the treacherous intrigues of the capital, this place, though desolate, is free," Jiang Yining responded loudly, her voice not loud, but clearly carrying to the clouds.

"Freedom?" Chu Jinglan chuckled, tapping his fingers on the armrest. "In this world, there is no absolute freedom. There is only composure within the bounds of rules."

He leaned forward slightly, his gaze, peering through his glasses, locking onto the figure he had searched for months, the one he hated with a passion, the one he had dreamt of countless nights. She had lost some weight, but her belly was large. Seeing that protruding abdomen, Chu Jinglan's usually calm and collected heart trembled slightly. An extremely complex bloodline connection caused him to hesitate for a moment in his prepared, swift and decisive actions.

That was... his child?

"Come back with me." Chu Jinglan took a breath, suppressing the pounding in his heart, and his tone returned to its indifferent state. "For the sake of the child, I can let bygones be bygones for your previous offense."

Jiang Yining sneered inwardly, "I slept with you, drained your cultivation, and then threw you on the ground. Is that what you call an offense?"

"Go back? Go back where? Back to that cannibalistic Regent's Palace?" She raised her head, looking directly at the man in the clouds. "Chu Jinglan, we just made a deal. You gave me the 'seed' and cultivation, and I cured you of the poison. We're even."

"Even even?" Chu Jinglan's eyes twitched, and the surrounding clouds instantly churned, with a faint rumble of thunder. "You stole my essence, conceived my child, and now you're telling me we're even?"

He stood up and stepped out of the chariot, as if walking down invisible steps from the clouds. With each step, the pressure emanating from him intensified, making the air in the entire Jiang City thick and suffocating.

"Since you refuse to come with me obediently, then I, the King, will have no choice but to... take you away myself." Chu Jingjinglan stretched out his hand and grabbed at the air in the direction of Jiang Cheng.

"seal up!"

A giant golden "seal" character appeared out of thin air and enveloped Jiang Yining. He didn't want to hurt her; he only wanted to imprison her and take her away.

However, just as the word "seal" was about to be written.

"belch--"

Suddenly, a very loud and extremely satisfied burp came from Jiang Yining's stomach.

Immediately afterwards, a dazzling purple light suddenly shone from her lower abdomen. Instead of resisting, the purple light opened like a greedy maw and swallowed the large golden character containing supreme righteous energy whole!

That's right, I swallowed it! It was like eating a delicious dessert.

Chu Jinglan's hand froze in mid-air, and his expression changed for the first time.

His Confucian and Taoist teachings...were eaten?

Before he could react, the purple light seemed to have had enough and actually climbed upwards along the aura he released! Countless transparent roots mixed with purple dragon energy instantly crossed the distance of space and wrapped around Chu Jinglan's arm.

[I want more... I want to eat more...]

"Daddy...it's delicious..."

At that moment, Chu Jinglan felt the righteous energy within him surge uncontrollably towards the unborn child, like a river bursting its banks!

Jiang Yining stood still, feeling the pure energy continuously flowing into her body. Her body, which had been depleted due to pregnancy, was instantly filled with power, and even her skin became rosy and radiant. She looked at the man in mid-air whose face was somewhat stiff, and suddenly smiled, a bright and beautiful smile, with a hint of mischievous triumph.

"Your Excellency, it seems our child... really likes your 'gift'."

"Since you're here, don't rush off." Jiang Yining rubbed her belly, her eyes sparkling. "Perfect timing, the baby's been short of food lately, this is top-notch takeout delivered right to our door."

Looking at her smile, Chu Jinglan suddenly had a bad feeling.

He doesn't seem to be... here to arrest people.

Are you here to deliver groceries?