"My lord, may I ask what brings you here?" The black snake soul beast asked cautiously, keeping its head low before Su Bai.
Inwardly, it was utterly shocked. It couldn't believe that Su Bai had transformed into a human form without losing his cultivation. Such a miraculous feat was beyond comprehension. It would have fled like the rat soul beast if it weren't so attached to this place.
Su Bai glanced at the black snake, immediately discerning that it was on the verge of breaking through to the hundred-thousand-year mark in cultivation. He first looked at the Lake of Life and nodded inwardly.
Da Ming was right; this place was indeed extraordinary. It had to be the Lake of Life.
He spoke, "I've taken a liking to this place."
Hearing this, the black snake soul beast was filled with regret, but this was the way of survival among soul beasts. The stronger one called the shots.
"I'll leave right away," the black snake soul beast said, dejectedly lowering its head and slithering away.
"Wait!" Su Bai called out again, making the black snake soul beast shudder.
Did this mean the powerful soul beast was planning to kill it?
"You should be able to break through to a hundred thousand years, right?" Su Bai's question made the black snake soul beast's heart race with fear. It seemed there was no escape.
It had no intention of resisting. Even the Emperor Crocodile was no match for Su Bai; what chance did it have?
But Su Bai wasn't thinking about that. After a moment, he said, "You don't have to leave. If you don't disturb us, you can cultivate here."
". . . Yes," the black snake soul beast replied, feeling utterly helpless.
It thought, "Is this just a way to keep me under his watchful eye?" But there was no choice; the situation demanded compliance.
So, Su Bai and the others settled by the Lake of Life and even had Er Ming build a large wooden house for him and Xiao Wu.
A few days later.
"Su Bai, why do you keep touching my stomach these days?" Xiao Wu asked, puzzled.
Since settling by the Lake of Life, Su Bai often touched Xiao Wu's stomach and listened.
With his ear pressed against Xiao Wu's belly, Su Bai smiled and said, "I'm listening to the little life inside." "Huh?" Xiao Wu was a bit confused. "How could there be a little life inside her belly?" Xiao Wu suddenly widened her eyes as she thought of a possibility. Excitedly, she asked, "Su Bai, are you saying that I...?" Su Bai nodded. "That's right, Xiao Wu. Congratulations, you'll be a mother, and I will be a father."
"Ah~" Xiao Wu covered her mouth, her excitement uncontrollable.
Su Bai advised, "Don't get too excited. You need to stay calm for the sake of the baby."
Still in disbelief, Xiao Wu asked for confirmation again, "Su Bai, am I really... pregnant?"
"Of course it's true," Su Bai smiled. "Because we took the Transformation Pill, in ten months, you'll see our child."
"That's wonderful!" Xiao Wu leaped into Su Bai's arms. Her excitement was overwhelming, and her cheeks flushed with joy.
As time passed, with Su Bai's attentive care, Xiao Wu's belly grew more prominent each day.
Ten months later, the day of the birth finally arrived.
Su Bai, attentive to Xiao Wu and their unborn child, had already brought several midwives from a human city a month in advance.
Outside the wooden house, Su Bai paced back and forth anxiously. Xiao Wu had been in labor for two hours, and besides her voice, there was no other sound.
Experiencing fatherhood for the first time, Su Bai was extremely nervous.
"Boss, you don't need to worry. We're all soul beasts with strong physiques. Sister Xiao Wu will be fine."
"Yeah, I agree," Er Ming chimed in.
"You don't understand. When you become a father someday, you'll know this feeling," Su Bai replied.
"Master, don't worry. The mistress will give birth to the little master safely," the black snake soul beast reassured.
Since Su Bai moved in and didn't let it leave, the black snake soul beast had been living in constant fear of being killed by Su Bai. So, it pledged its loyalty to Su Bai, hoping that would ensure its safety.
Seeing its good attitude and decent strength, Su Bai finally agreed.
"Wah..." After another hour, a baby's cry finally allowed Su Bai to relax.
At the same time, the system's notification sounded in his mind.
[Ding! Xiao Wu has given birth. Rewarding host with 20,000 years of cultivation, a spirit ring simulation skill, three physique enhancement cards, two Transformation Pills, and one species evolution card.]
[Due to the host's first child, an additional reward is granted—Heavenly Holy Abyssal Halberd.]
Su Bai quickly reviewed the rewards.
His cultivation was directly increased by 20,000 years.
The spirit ring simulation skill allowed him to freely simulate spirit rings outside his body, similar to those of humans, and modify their color and quantity at will. This meant he could perfectly disguise himself as a human with this skill.
The physique enhancement cards were only effective for humans. They significantly improved their physiques and increased the years they could absorb spirit rings.
The species evolution card was only effective for soul beasts. It could evolve their species, though it was ineffective for top-tier species.
Additionally, there were two Transformation Pills.
The extra reward was the Heavenly Holy Abyssal Halberd, a divine weapon from the core of the Abyssal Plane capable of ignoring all defenses.
Impressive.
Su Bai was delighted with the richness of the rewards this time. Xiao Wu had done a fantastic job.
He quickly decided how to use these items. As he had promised them earlier, the Transformation Pills would go to Da Ming and Er Ming.
As for the species evolution card, Su Bai decided to use it on himself but discovered he couldn't. The system informed him he was already a top-tier species and couldn't evolve further. No matter, he could save it for Xiao Wu.
Buzz—
Su Bai then took out the Heavenly Holy Abyssal Halberd. Immediately, a blue-purple weapon resembling a Fangtian Painted Halberd appeared in his hand. It was covered in strange patterns and densely packed scales, exuding a dominant aura.
Note *The "Fangtian Halberd" represents a type of ancient Chinese pole weapon used in warfare, famously associated with the historical figure Lü Bu.*
After a brief assessment, Su Bai realized that if he encountered an enemy with solid defenses like the Emperor Crocodile again, he could quickly kill them with the Heavenly Holy Abyssal Halberd. It was that formidable.
However, such a divine weapon was not suitable for testing here. So, with a twist of his hand, the Heavenly Holy Abyssal Halberd transformed into a ring that Su Bai wore on his right thumb.
Creak—
The wooden house door opened, and Su Bai quickly walked inside.
"Sir, here is your child, a lovely daughter," one of the midwives said, trembling as she handed the baby to Su Bai.
"Thank you," Su Bai nodded and smiled, taking the child and gently playing with her.
"Su Bai... brother," Xiao Wu, exhausted from childbirth, spoke weakly. "Let me see the baby."