Starting From A Son In Law To Build An Long Lasting Family Chapter 1888: 489: Ling Zixiao Breaks Through to Core Formation, Azure Phoenix True Monarch Gives Birth to a Daughter! (part 2)
Previously on Starting From A Son In Law To Build An Long Lasting Family...
Following a period of closeness with Lu Miaoge, Lu Changsheng asked about the conditions at Lu Miaoyun's residence.
Now that he was back, the [Sun and Moon Taiji Mysterious Light Mirror] got stored in the Mount Sumeru Cave Heaven, allowing instant exchange of information between Immortal City and Bi Lake Mountain, which turned out to be highly useful.
Issues like the Immortal City auction and dealings with Absolute Sword True Monarch, along with Hong Lian, were all settled and taken care of.
"Has Qing Xuan sent any news back?"
Lu Changsheng pressed on with his questions.
Azure Phoenix True Monarch had escaped to a different land; it might require twenty to thirty years at minimum before she could come back, so he kept a close watch on the events in Azure Phoenix Immortal City.
Should any initial unrest break out in the Immortal City, he planned to swiftly retrieve his son.
"Thanks to the remaining power of Azure Phoenix True Monarch, as long as the Heavenly Sword Sect doesn't move against the Immortal City, things should stay stable for now..."
"That said, based on the reports from Qing Xuan, a number of top figures in the Immortal City have vanished without a trace, while plenty more have used the chance to venture out for training or enter seclusion for cultivation."
Lu Miaoyun explained in a gentle tone.
Listening to these words, Lu Changsheng found himself shaking his head involuntarily.
The initial whispers about Azure Phoenix True Monarch had reached his ears, of course.
He understood full well why this True Monarch didn't have devoted followers at her side.
As these thoughts crossed his mind, he abruptly remembered his longtime companion Li Feiyu, who had held the role of Capital Commandant in Azure Phoenix Immortal City long ago.
Forty years had passed since they met in the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range.
Without Li Feiyu's Soul Lamp or Soul Plate in his possession, Lu Changsheng remained unaware of whether his friend lived or had perished.
Still, for a Foundation Establishment Cultivator like him, avoiding the perils of the present cultivation world was tough unless one opted for a quiet withdrawal...
Besides, his old companion had always been the stubborn sort who refused to yield.
"Sigh..."
Lu Changsheng let out a quiet sigh. He spent a handful of days enjoying time with his wife and concubines back home before starting his seclusion to refine the [Heaven-replenishing Elixir].
...
Right then, deep in the Southern Wilderness Central Domain.
A colossal mountain chain stretched out, resembling a coiling Azure Dragon.
"Screech!"
A disturbance rippled through the void, and a luan bird boasting a turquoise and blue plumage, graceful and lovely, shimmering like an illusion, burst forth from the nothingness. Bathed in the sun's rays, its feathers gleamed with a rainbow-like, gemstone luster, utterly breathtaking.
A striking young aristocrat with refined looks, bold and angular contours, and a chiseled visage sat poised upon the bird.
However, the refined and poised bearing of this aristocrat clearly revealed her as a distinguished young lady!
The green simurgh spotted a place to land on a Spirit Vein, causing the woman's eyebrows to knit together abruptly.
"What's happening? We still haven't lost them?"
Azure Phoenix True Monarch's brows creased sharply like a drawn sword as she performed some finger calculations.
Shortly after, her eyes dropped to her smooth belly, where she rested her hand softly.
"Does it all stem from this after all...."
Once she separated from Lu Changsheng, she discovered her pregnancy.
For a famed cultivator of Jiang Country like her, the revelation of being with child came as a shocking surprise.
After all, conception proved immensely challenging at the Nascent Soul stage.
Yet, during her dual cultivation and recovery with Yangming True Master, she ended up conceiving against all odds.
Since a new life had already sparked into existence, she couldn't bring herself to terminate it, and now that she had advanced to Nascent Soul, the moment felt right to secure an heir for her lineage. Thus, she resolved to bring the child into the world as her successor.
Nevertheless, this unforeseen pregnancy, shaped by the Dragon Phoenix Origin, granted the unborn child exceptional gifts, seamlessly taking on her Heavenly Phoenix bloodline.
In this scenario, her cultivation realm and Heavenly Phoenix bloodline sustained the infant, impacting her own core. She sensed an underlying threat and opted for an extended seclusion.
Even after traveling vast distances from Jiang Country to the fringes of the Southern Wilderness Central Domain, the shadow of peril lingered on.
Using secret divination, Azure Phoenix True Monarch discerned that the threat arose from the baby growing inside her.
More accurately, to birth this child, she would have to carry it for three to five more years at least, or even beyond.
Throughout that span, her cultivation strength and spiritual power would keep waning, rendering her vulnerable and unable to fully conceal the secrets of heaven, which might invite a massive disaster!
Having climbed from lowly origins to Nascent Soul True Monarch status as a wandering cultivator, she never hesitated in tough spots. After careful consideration, she reached a firm choice.
Induce an early birth!
If she pressed on, the arrival of that calamity would endanger both her and the child severely!
After over a year carrying the pregnancy, the child had developed completely, though it required further time to assimilate its inherent essence and process the Dragon Phoenix Origin!
"Little Qing."
Azure Phoenix True Monarch turned to her spirit beast, the Qing Luan, instructing it to keep watch as she prepared to deliver the infant ahead of schedule.
"Yes, Master."
The luan bird, always obedient to its master's will, replied in a crisp, harmonious tone.
Azure Phoenix True Monarch gave a faint nod and stepped into a cavern she had carved out.
Three days passed.
From inside the cave rang out a pure, ringing cry reminiscent of a phoenix's song.
Azure Phoenix True Monarch, her face ashen like parchment and her brow dotted with tiny beads of sweat, looked feebly at the baby cradled in her arms.
Though delivered early and lacking in innate vitality, the child still appeared delicately formed and charming.
"Sigh..."
In the starry depths of Azure Phoenix True Monarch's eyes flickered a hint of reluctance and sorrow.
With enough time, this child could have fully claimed her Heavenly Phoenix bloodline and absorbed the Dragon Phoenix Origin, gaining the Dragon Phoenix Nirvana ability and emerging as the ideal inheritor of her heritage.
"But I, Mu Qinghuang, didn't ascend to where I am today just on unmatched genius alone."
Even after the premature delivery that drained her vital essence immensely, making her seem frail, Azure Phoenix True Monarch's angular features stayed firm and unyielding, showing no sign of weakness.
A closer look revealed a gentle, motherly glow hidden in her gaze.
Looking down at the finely crafted infant in her hold, she murmured tenderly, "Que’er, if we'd gone further, you and I both risked our lives. Though you didn't fully receive your mother's Heavenly Phoenix bloodline, your aptitude far exceeds what mine was back in those early days."