"Yi Wu is pregnant?"
Ye Chen stared blankly at the shy and overjoyed Yi Wu before him, and the confirming expressions of his two other wives beside him. In an instant, he was overcome with unprecedented excitement. He reached out a hand towards Yi Wu's still flat, jade-like abdomen. Under his unparalleled divine sense probing, he sensed a unique, albeit faint, trace of life.
Though it was still extremely weak, almost negligible, it was distinctly different.
A new life was slowly gestating within Yi Wu's belly, feeble yet brimming with vibrant vitality.
Ye Chen felt an excitement he had never known before, one he could hardly contain. Even though he had Yaya as a daughter and absolutely regarded her as his own, their bloodlines were ultimately different. The infant in Yi Wu's womb allowed Ye Chen to truly feel a sense of blood connection for the first time.
He couldn't help but hug Yi Wu tightly, as if trying to meld her entire being into his own body, and whispered softly, "Wu'er, thank you."
Yi Wu also hugged Ye Chen tightly, weeping for joy. "No, this is what I should do."
Yi Wu's pregnancy was absolutely a major event.
Half a year after the grand wedding, she had finally conceived, sending waves of excitement throughout the entire Ye Family. The Gu Lan Holy Church and the Holy Domain were both stirred, as was the Heavenly Gate. The Tai Chu Sacred Land and the Yao Chi Sacred Land also sent representatives, all offering their congratulations.
Ye Ao and Xia Wei, the couple, were especially thrilled, for they were finally going to have grandchildren. They came over immediately, with Xia Wei being particularly attentive to Yi Wu. She summoned many women experienced in caring for pregnant women to specially attend to Yi Wu's daily needs, much to the amusement and slight exasperation of Ye Chen and the others—the fuss was perhaps a bit excessive.
Yi Wu felt somewhat at a loss. "Mother, you needn't worry. The child is still small, and I am a Heavenly King. I can protect the child in my belly perfectly well. You and Father needn't be concerned."
Xia Wei glared. "How can we not worry? This is the bloodline of our Ye Family, of course we must be careful. From now on, you are not allowed to cultivate. You must rest peacefully and await the birth. Ten months of pregnancy, waiting for the child in your belly to be born, understand?"
The others felt helpless. Xia Wei was perhaps making a mountain out of a molehill. Yi Wu was a genuine Heavenly King; not only was cultivation no issue, even combat wouldn't be a problem. She could perfectly protect the new life gestating within her.
However, Xia Wei wouldn't take any risks. This was the bloodline of their Ye Family, above all else. Moreover, her authority was a level higher than Ye Chen's. Ye Chen could only nod helplessly at Yi Wu.
"Mom, this is Grandma's heartfelt intention. You should just agree," Yaya, standing to the side, also spoke up to persuade her, though a faint dimness flickered in her eyes.
Though she was doted on and cherished by everyone, she ultimately wasn't of true Ye Family blood, merely an adopted daughter, which made her feel a bit downcast.
Xia Wei, keenly noticing Yaya's dim expression, pulled her over, lovingly stroking Yaya's head and said with a chuckle, "Yaya, this is your future little brother or sister. You're about to become a big sister, so you must take good care of them and ensure your sibling is born safely. Otherwise, Grandma will have to spank your bottom."
Hearing this, Yaya's eyes brightened again. She nodded emphatically and said with a giggle, "Grandma, don't worry. Yaya will protect her future little brother or sister well."
Turning, Xia Wei looked at Zhao Jingruo and Chen'er, fixing them with a piercing gaze. "And Jingruo, Chen'er, if you can, hurry up and give Mother a few more grandchildren. Don't worry about the children. When Little Chen was young, I raised him myself, changing his diapers and all. I have plenty of experience. Mother can definitely take good care of the children. You just go ahead and have them, preferably seven or eight."
"Mother—" Ye Chen felt his scalp tingle and wanted to interrupt. How could she be so direct?
But Xia Wei glared at him and slapped the back of his head. "Go away. It took you half a year just to get one pregnant. If I didn't know you were my own son, I'd really doubt your capabilities."
"..." Ye Chen couldn't handle such a formidable mother.
Chen'er blinked her clear, large eyes, glanced at Yi Wu who was surrounded by a crowd and wearing a wry smile, then nodded her head like a chick pecking at rice. Looking at Ye Chen with an innocent expression, she said, "Qian Yue brother, when can I have a baby too?"
Ye Chen really wanted to ask, Chen'er, do you really know how babies are made?
On the other side, Zhao Jingruo had long since reverted to her naturally seductive and charming self. She giggled coquettishly at Ye Chen, batting her eyelashes with a myriad of charms, a true beauty capable of toppling cities, especially stirring one's heart.
Moreover, she secretly transmitted a voice message, alluringly saying, "Little brother, Sister also really wants to give you a child. Hehe, Sister has gotten quite a few treasured books from Wei'er. Tell me, what positions do you like? Sister wants to drain you dry."
Ye Chen couldn't help but wipe away a cold sweat.
Soon, day after day passed, and in the blink of an eye, three months had gone by. Yet, after a full hundred days, Yi Wu's belly showed no sign of swelling, remaining almost the same as three months prior.
This was puzzling, but Ye Chen had personally checked, and other experienced physicians had also come to take her pulse, repeatedly confirming that Yi Wu was indeed pregnant.
Moreover, generally speaking, signs of pregnancy are hard to see in the first three months; they become more apparent after a few more days.
Everyone could only continue to wait.
However, another three months passed, and Yi Wu's abdomen remained as flat and jade-like as ever, not showing much enlargement. In fact, the change was so minuscule it was nearly undetectable.
What was going on?
Ye Chen checked again. He found that while Yi Wu's belly wasn't growing, the new life gestating within had clearly grown many times more vibrant in vitality.
If before it was like a dim star, now it resembled a brilliant, shining star, continuously growing stronger.
But the embryo hadn't fully developed yet; only a vague outline could be seen.
Taking a full six months to reach this stage was completely inconsistent with the usual phenomenon of a ten-month pregnancy and birth. Clearly, the new life in Yi Wu's womb would likely require a much longer time than a normal infant to be born.
Time continued to slip away quietly.
Soon, Ye Chen had already stayed in the Ancient Orchid Great World for a full seven years, all the while waiting for the child's birth.
Yet, after a full seven years, the child in Yi Wu's belly still hadn't been born. Her belly had only swollen slightly more, which was astonishing.
During this period, Ye Chen had checked countless times, finding no issues. The new life was still gestating, but its vitality was exceptionally strong, which made him frown.
But he had heard some mythological tales: the longer a being gestated, the greater its potential once born.
It was said that every Imperial Son gestated for over a hundred years before being born. That's why they possessed boundless potential upon birth, directly achieving the Saint Realm, with heaven-defying latent abilities.
All this proved that the child in Yi Wu's belly had immense potential. It was just unknown how many years it would take to be born, for after seven years, it was still only that small. Without careful observation, one couldn't see any difference; it was comparable to a normal one-month pregnancy.
As time passed, everyone grew accustomed to it. Although Xia Wei and Ye Ao eagerly anticipated the birth of their grandchild, after hearing Ye Chen's explanation, they had to accept it.
Over the years, Ye Chen naturally resumed his cultivation. He did not go to the Ultimate Ancient Path, deciding to remain in the Ancient Orchid Great World to watch over the birth of his child.
This was an indispensable duty of a father.
Moreover, during these years, the Tenth Emperor's Pass had not seen any real major battles. The army that had arrived at the city gates seven years ago seemed to have been merely a feint by the alien race to intimidate. Everything remained eerily calm.
Naturally, the powerful beings guarding the Tenth Emperor's Pass did not relax in the slightest, for the intimidation brought by the alien race was too great. The most prosperous and powerful Mythical Epoch of the previous era had been destroyed in such a manner. Who dared truly let their guard down?
During this period, the Three Immortal Maidens, and even Yi Wu, had resumed their cultivation.
Unfortunately, neither Zhao Jingruo nor Chen'er showed any signs of pregnancy. Yet, both Ye Chen and they were Heavenly Kings, Supreme Heavenly Prides of the tenth heaven. There shouldn't be any physical issues.
Ultimately, it could only be said that both parties were too powerful, with extraordinary bloodlines, being Supreme Heavenly Prides.
Especially Ye Chen, who cultivated the Supreme Great Dao of Chaos and had Chaos True Blood gestating within him. Originally, the bloodline power of the Battle Saint lineage was not much inferior to that of a true Imperial Son. Now, combined with the Chaos True Blood, it was even more extraordinary, making his bloodline overwhelmingly powerful.
It was likely this factor—the bloodline being too powerful—that the heavens did not permit excessive procreation.
One must know that in the ancient Mythical Era, the Emperors and Sovereigns were among the most powerful existences in the world. Yet, mighty as they were, on par with the Heavenly Dao, they had only a few offspring, and some Emperors and Sovereigns had only one child.
It was said that the Heavenly Emperor had only one offspring, and the Battle Saint Ancestor was suspected to have none, though there were also rumors of a son, but no one in the world had ever seen him.
Precisely because the bloodline was too powerful, it was restricted by the heavens, not allowed to proliferate excessively. Thus, after Ye Chen had the offspring in Yi Wu's womb, it became extremely difficult to conceive again.
Ye Chen sighed softly and explained this to the Goddess and Chen'er. They sighed silently in response and no longer persisted.
Naturally, they would not give up. As Ye Chen's wives, they naturally hoped to bear children for him. Moreover, this was also a dream inherent to being a woman.
In the Ancient Orchid Great World, the Imperial City had long since returned to the Ancient Emperor Realm; it could not leave for too long due to special restrictions.
Although Ye Chen had not truly cultivated during these seven years, his Dao attainment had been progressing continuously, growing increasingly vast and powerful.
On this day, atop the altar of the Gu Lan Holy Church, Ye Chen sat upon the divine throne. Above his head, Faith Power, willpower, and fortune power suddenly swirled into existence, each vast and mighty, enough to make even a Heavenly King feel unmatched.
At this moment, the three forces underwent a strange transformation, manifesting as three distinct lotuses that revolved around each other. Faintly, it seemed a peculiar change was being born.
Three Flowers Gather at the Crown!
Ye Chen hadn't expected these three special powers to manifest the unique phenomenon of Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown, swirling above his head.
Clearly, this was a marvelous transformation, a new understanding and sublimation of these three special powers by Ye Chen. During this process, Ye Chen gained many benefits and insights.
Especially the appearance of the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown allowed Ye Chen to sense a new direction for cultivation, a breakthrough regarding these three powers.
One must know that previously, he had always tried to fuse world power, Faith Power, and willpower, granting him the supreme power to battle ancient Great Sages.
However, he had also long realized that these three powers could never be completely fused. Although the fused power was far stronger than any single power, during the fusion process, a significant amount of power was directly dissipated, preventing the full unleashing of the true supreme power. Otherwise, his combat power would have been further elevated.
He had researched this for a long time, ultimately discovering that it was because world power could not be completely fused with Faith Power and willpower.
World power was born from the world, while the essence of Faith Power and willpower was born from living beings. Their completely different origins prevented complete fusion.
Now, he found that Faith Power, willpower, and fortune power showed signs of being able to fuse perfectly, because fortune power was also born from living beings. Thus, all three shared the same source and could fuse flawlessly.
That said, achieving perfect fusion was not as easy as imagined. It required a great deal of time for deduction and continuous experimentation.
Thus, another three years passed. This time, it was already the tenth year after Ye Chen's grand wedding.
Yi Wu remained as before, her belly only slightly larger. Judging by this gestation speed, the child was still far from being ready for birth.
Although Ye Chen very much wanted to accompany the child's birth, time did not permit it. A full ten years had passed. Those former Immortal True Kings and Imperial Sons who had achieved the Supreme Path had likely progressed far along the Ultimate Ancient Path. He too must set out; otherwise, no matter how strong he was, he might not catch up.
He felt the time was about right; he needed to leave and head for the Ultimate Ancient Path.
Moreover, during this period, things behind the Tenfold Emperor Passes had been normal. Several ancient Great Sages had already returned to the myriad realms. They could not remain behind the Tenfold Emperor Passes indefinitely.
However, on this very day, Ye Chen suddenly looked into the distance, sensing an ill premonition unfolding.
Boom—
On this day, a tremendous roar shook the thirty-three layers of heaven, affecting all realms and startling the myriad domains.
The roar swept through the myriad realms, shocking everyone. Countless people looked towards the source of the sound, but it was too distant to perceive anything clearly.
Yet, everyone felt as if a shadow had enveloped the world. It was as if a great stone pressed upon their hearts, making it hard to breathe, accompanied by a sense of ominous foreboding.
Ye Chen felt this even more acutely. His thoughts were hard to calm. With his level of cultivation, his sensitivity to the heavens and earth was countless times greater than an ordinary person's. An ominous presence was shrouding the myriad realms. He suspected the most terrifying event had occurred.
Many forces probed the heavens and earth, trying to ascertain what had happened. Some even ventured into the endless starry sky, yet could detect nothing.
Not long after, he received the most shocking news—
The Emperor's Pass was in crisis! The alien race had launched their attack!