The Lava Heart Cave
Zhao Qiongman was waiting for her husband to return.
During these days, Zhao Qiongman lived in a constant state of anxiety and fear. She often had dreams—dreams where her husband died out there and never came back. These dreams didn't happen just once or twice; they recurred many times. With each dream, the ominous premonition in her heart grew stronger and more suffocating.
As time passed, Zhao Qiongman's belly grew larger and larger.
Though the branch master of the Black God Sect, Qi Hui, delivered spiritual fruits and the flesh of magical beasts to Zhao Qiongman daily to nourish her body, and even refrained from making her maintain the protective formation, she felt no relief. Qi Hui even assigned a personal maid to attend to Zhao Qiongman's daily needs.
On the surface, Qi Hui appeared to be a decent man, seemingly possessing some remnants of conscience. But Zhao Qiongman absolutely did not believe he had had a change of heart.
She harbored a deep hatred for Qi Hui and felt no gratitude for her current treatment. She knew very well that Qi Hui's kindness was entirely because the child in her womb held immense value. He wanted to see what would become of her child upon birth.
Every time this thought crossed her mind, Zhao Qiongman's emotions grew more and more conflicted.
She didn't know what kind of fate awaited her child after its birth. It might be a life of endless torment—or worse, the child could be molded into a ruthless demon, slaughtering without remorse.
No matter the path, Zhao Qiongman was certain it would be a cruel one, perhaps one that would even threaten the world itself.
Yet, she couldn't bear the thought of losing the child growing inside her.
This was the only offspring she and Shen Sheng had ever conceived.
After reaching the Cave Mansion Realm as a cultivator, conceiving a child became exceedingly difficult.
This was her first child and could very well be her last…
As time passed day by day, Zhao Qiongman's belly grew heavier, and she wrestled with the decision regarding the child.
One day, she made up her mind. She didn't want her child to endure endless suffering or become a ruthless demon.
In her room, Zhao Qiongman set up a formation that would let her unborn child pass peacefully, without the slightest pain.
She wouldn't let the child leave this world alone—she would accompany it.
If her husband returned, he would be free of the burden of her and the child. He could start anew...
But just as Zhao Qiongman was about to activate the formation, she suddenly felt the child in her womb kick her with great force.
The unexpected movement froze Zhao Qiongman in place.
For the first time, she truly felt the presence of the small life inside her.
"What do I do? What should I do?" she cried, her voice trembling. "I'm sorry, my child. Mother truly doesn't know what to do. I'm so sorry…"
Falling to the floor, Zhao Qiongman wept bitterly. Her heart was filled with nothing but despair.
Outside the door, Qi Hui, who had been preparing to intervene, turned and left.
He knew that after today, Zhao Qiongman would no longer harm the child in her womb.
He could now be completely at ease.
Four months passed in the blink of an eye.
Zhao Qiongman began to feel that something was wrong with her mind.
She had an overwhelming urge to attack others, to destroy, to turn everything around her to dust.
One day, she finally lost control of her reason and attacked several Black God Sect disciples within the Lava Heart Cave.
The incident alarmed Qi Hui.
Rushing to the scene, Qi Hui found that Zhao Qiongman had become like a raging magical beast, her eyes a deep, blood-red hue.
After stopping Zhao Qiongman, Qi Hui bound her with chains to prevent her from further losing control. He assigned people to feed her daily.
Following this incident, Qi Hui ordered her spiritual meridians and apertures to be sealed to avoid her spiritual power spiraling out of control, which could damage her meridians and jeopardize the child's birth.
Eight months had passed since Zhao Qiongman's pregnancy began. Her belly had grown significantly, and she could sense that the child inside her was ready to meet her soon.
To ensure the smooth delivery of the child, Qi Hui captured several midwives and medical cultivators.
Zhao Qiongman spent each day in fear and unease, while Qi Hui waited patiently.
As Zhao Qiongman suspected, Qi Hui wasn't sparing her out of friendship or kindness. His true intention was to witness what would be born from a human who had fused with a magical beast and conceived a child with an ordinary woman.
At nine months and one week, Zhao Qiongman was struck by excruciating pain. Amniotic fluid flowed steadily from her body.
Two medical cultivators and three mortal midwives assisted with the delivery.
The labor was agonizingly long, lasting an entire day and night. If she were an ordinary mortal woman, she would have died from complications. Fortunately, as a cultivator, Zhao Qiongman had far greater endurance. Additionally, the medical cultivators used rare treasures to sustain her life.
Outside the room, Qi Hui waited for the child's birth.
"Waa… Waa…"
When the first cries rang out, Qi Hui hurried into the room and immediately focused on the child.
After the baby was cleaned, Qi Hui examined her closely.
It was a little girl—a human, at least in appearance.
The only sign of her magical beast lineage was a pair of small horns on her head. That was all.
When the little girl stopped crying and slowly opened her eyes, Qi Hui saw they were blood-red, like two rubies.
At this moment, Qi Hui realized this girl had the least visible beast traits of any human-beast hybrid he had ever encountered.
But then again, she wasn't a fusion. She was born naturally.
The blood of magical beasts flowed through her veins, and she was something entirely unique.
The girl looked at Qi Hui.
Qi Hui looked back at her.
Their gazes locked, and a single thought crossed Qi Hui's mind:
This is the first life ever born in the Baiwa City branch. It might also be the last.
He extended his hand, and though the medical cultivators hesitated briefly, they carefully placed the infant into Qi Hui's arms.
As he held the child, Qi Hui was struck by how fragile life could be. It seemed as if even a slight squeeze from him could shatter her.
Carrying the girl, Qi Hui walked to Zhao Qiongman's bedside.
Zhao Qiongman, weak beyond measure, looked at her daughter. She reached out and gently caressed the baby's face, her eyes brimming with tenderness.
"Take one last look at her," Qi Hui said. "Give her a name. From today onward, she will belong to the Black God Sect. I will take her and raise her myself."
Zhao Qiongman softly stroked her daughter's cheek. She knew she couldn't stop him. As a mother, she had no idea what fate awaited her child.
"Shengsheng… Shen Shengsheng," Zhao Qiongman murmured.
"Sheng" sounds like "life." Shengsheng, continuous life, unending echoes—a name to remind, to remember, and to hope.
"Very well," Qi Hui said.
Qi Hui picked up Shengsheng and turned to leave the room.
"Qi Hui!" Zhao Qiongman mustered the last of her strength to call out his name.
Qi Hui paused. "What is it?"
"Please… don't hurt her. I'm begging you," Zhao Qiongman pleaded.
Qi Hui ignored her and carried the child out of the room.
After giving birth to Shengsheng, Zhao Qiongman's mental state did not improve much. The process of carrying Shengsheng had subjected her to irreversible contamination by the magical beast's bloodline. She frequently fell into fits of madness.
To prevent further incidents, Qi Hui kept her restrained with chains.
Zhao Qiongman didn't know if she would ever recover or how she and her husband could escape with their child if he returned. For now, Shengsheng was an irreplaceable treasure to the Black God Sect, and Qi Hui would never allow her to be taken away.
Fortunately, Zhao Qiongman was permitted to see her daughter every few days. For her, the only hope left in her bleak existence was "waiting for her husband's return" and "seeing her child."
"All I want is to be with my husband and child, to live a simple life together. Is that really so hard?" Zhao Qiongman realized, bitterly, just how far removed she was from the simplest form of happiness that mortals took for granted.
One day, the life lamp that symbolized her husband's fate extinguished completely within the Lava Heart Cave.
Zhao Qiongman broke down.
"You beasts! Beasts! Beasts!" she screamed, thrashing and cursing endlessly.
She didn't blame the cultivator who killed her husband. To him, perhaps death was the best form of release.
Her hatred was directed entirely at the Black God Sect.
It was the Black God Sect that had driven her and her husband to this tragic end.
It was the Black God Sect that had separated her and her husband by life and death.
It was the Black God Sect that had turned her child into what she was now.
It was because of the Black God Sect that she could only see her daughter once every few days and hold her for barely half a moment each time.
After Shen Sheng's death, Qi Hui stopped allowing Zhao Qiongman to hold Shengsheng when he brought her to visit. Who could guarantee that Zhao Qiongman, in her madness, wouldn't harm herself and take the child with her?
Years passed.
Qi Hui watched as Shengsheng grew day by day.
Compared to ordinary children, Shengsheng displayed far more aggression. At times, she was like a magical beast, instinctively adopting a defensive stance when faced with danger or provocation.
Due to the influence of her magical beast bloodline, Shengsheng's intellectual development was slower than that of mortal children.
However, unlike magical beasts—whose intelligence stagnates at a certain low ceiling—Shengsheng's intellect had no such limits. It grew steadily, albeit at a slower pace.
With enough time, she might one day match the intelligence of ordinary people.
Qi Hui also discovered that Shengsheng could cultivate like a normal human cultivator while also utilizing certain magical beast abilities.
What puzzled Qi Hui most was that Shengsheng's magical abilities were far superior to those of ordinary Bloodbat Beasts.
A Bloodbat Beast, a mere Tier Six magical beast, had power equivalent to a typical Cave Mansion Realm cultivator. It was incapable of breathing fire.
Yet Shengsheng could unleash black flames.
Searching through ancient texts, Qi Hui eventually uncovered the reason.
Magical beasts have the ability to evolve.
This evolution was not akin to the bloodline reversion seen in the demon race.
For demons, bloodline reversion occurs through cultivation or by inheriting ancient divine beast legacies to purify and refine their own bloodlines.
Magical beasts can only evolve by inheriting the remains of other magical beasts, such as hearts or magic cores. Even if their ancestors or parents were powerful beasts, they cannot revert to their ancestral forms purely through their bloodline. At most, they might gain some unique traits and greater strength.
While evolution doesn't increase a magical beast's intelligence, it significantly enhances their power.
The Bloodbat Beast must have acquired some rare opportunity, allowing it to evolve in an unusual way. If not, there is only one other explanation: the Bloodbat Beast's ancestors carried the bloodline of a powerful magical beast, and that bloodline manifested in Shen Shengsheng, granting her the ability to undergo a bloodline reversion similar to that of the demon race.
Based on Qi Hui's understanding, there are only three types of magical beasts capable of breathing black flames:
1. The Ancient Demon Dragon, now considered extinct—or at least thought to be. After all, the term "ancient" would not apply otherwise. Whether they are truly extinct is uncertain; the world is vast, and even ancient divine beasts occasionally reappear. Who can guarantee that the Demon Dragon has vanished forever?
2. The Abyssal World Serpent, of which a few remain, hidden within the secret realms of the world.
3. The Black Flame Butterfly, a rare and enigmatic creature.
As Qi Hui watched the little girl crawling on the ground, chasing after a pebble and playing, he contemplated whether to send her back to the Black God Sect.
The girl's value was immense. With her as a bargaining chip, Qi Hui could earn the sect's coveted Ziwulian herb and attempt to break through to the Jade Purity Realm.
Even in the worst-case scenario, he could rise to the position of a steward in the sect's main headquarters.
What would happen to the girl after being sent there? How she would be treated wasn't his concern.
Just as Qi Hui seemed to be firming up his decision, the little girl crawled over to him.
"What is it?" Qi Hui asked calmly.
It didn't take long for him to remember that this two-year-old child was not like other toddlers. She didn't understand his words and couldn't even speak yet.
"D-der," the little girl babbled.
"Hm?" Qi Hui's attention sharpened.
"D-der… daddy," the little girl stammered, stretching out her hands to him, holding a lizard she had caught.
"What did you just call me?" Qi Hui stared at her intently.
"D-daddy?" The girl tilted her head, as if even she didn't understand what she had just said.
"I am not your daddy."
Qi Hui took the lizard from her small hands.
"Your daddy is dead. I am the one who killed him."