Chapter 588: Nangong Mili is Pregnant, Third-Tier Pill Refiner!

Time flew by like a river.

Unknowingly, Lu Changsheng had been in the Jin Kingdom for over half a year.

Apart from hunting spirit beasts and dealing with matters of the Five Poison Sect, he spent his time cultivating with Nangong Mili and Meng Xiaochan.

After an extended period of dual cultivation, two-thirds of the Golden Core Dao Rhythm had already filled Nangong Mili’s True Core, making it almost a Golden Core.

With another six months of nurturing, it would likely advance to a third-quality Golden Core.

This effect was thanks to Lu Changsheng’s Yin-Yang Five Elements Dao Foundation, which had refined Nangong Mili’s Profound Yin Jade Fluid in the past. Hence, their dual cultivation yielded better results than others.

After his continued efforts, Nangong Mili finally became pregnant.

“Heaven doesn’t disappoint those who work hard!”

Lu Changsheng felt the new life inside Nangong Mili and was delighted.

But he had to feel sorry for his daughter, Lu Mengchan.

After all, with Nangong Mili being pregnant, he couldn’t just leave; he had to continue sealing his daughter’s presence.

Indeed, because his daughter Lu Mengchan was bored and missing her sister, Lu Changsheng and Meng Xiaochan sealed her in the Spirit Eye Spring to sleep.

They planned to release her when they returned.

So effectively, it would be like she took a nap.

“It’s a boy.”

Nangong Mili, with her cold and enchanting face, said with some disdain.

Although she accepted the pregnancy, she had been hoping for a cute and obedient daughter.

But who knew it would turn out to be a boy?

Although she felt some disdain, considering Lu Changsheng, she only voiced her feelings and wouldn’t think of aborting the child.

“A boy is great; now we’ll have both a son and a daughter.”

With one hand around Nangong Mili’s waist and the other caressing her flat, firm belly, Lu Changsheng said with a smile.

As a father of hundreds of children, he always believed it didn’t matter whether it was a boy or a girl.

“Hmph.”

Nangong Mili snorted softly and coldly said, “Just hope he doesn’t turn out like someone.”

Lu Changsheng: “???”

Damn, is she making a veiled insult?

“If he turns out like me, you’d be lucky.”

Lu Changsheng thought that if his son turned out just as excellent as himself, he would dominate the current generation.

However, Nangong Mili looked at him with nothing but disdain.

Lu Changsheng immediately realized she was deliberately provoking him again, so he picked up her seductive, devilish body.

As time passed, Nangong Mili’s pregnancy bump gradually grew.

To make up for the regret of not being by her side during Nangong Yaoyao’s birth, Lu Changsheng always stayed close and tender with her.

Watching her Master and husband being so sweet together, Meng Xiaochan felt a pang of bitterness and went into seclusion to cultivate the Divine Abilities secret technique on the “Wan Poison True Scripture.”

Although she had broken through to Golden Core Formation, she hadn’t yet cultivated the Divine Abilities or techniques.

Three months ago, Lu Family disciples reached three thousand descendants, earning Lu Changsheng a chance to draw a reward. He drew a second-tier spirit plant, which he used to upgrade his pill-refining skills.

So during this time, whenever he was free, he would refine pills for Nangong Mili to ensure a smooth pregnancy, giving their child an early advantage.

Nangong Mili was amazed by Lu Changsheng’s pill-refining skills.

She hadn’t expected this man, apart from his godlike talent and speedy cultivation, to be so remarkable in various aspects of immortal cultivation.

Not only was he a third-tier Talisman Master and dragon-seeker, but he also excelled at refining pills.

Even in the Five Poison Sect or the entire Jin Kingdom, few pill refiners were at Lu Changsheng’s level.

“This is a Spirit Nourishing Pill I refined, not only helpful for the fetus but also beneficial for your body.”

In addition to the basic inheritance from the system, Lu Changsheng had also studied quite a few formulas for pregnancy and fetal nourishment pills.

“Hmm.”

Spending so much time with Lu Changsheng, facing his gentleness and care, gradually softened Nangong Mili’s personality. She started to enjoy this world of just the two of them, finding life more beautiful.

Heaven Corpse Sect.

“Why haven’t Murong Zhui Feng and the Old Woman returned yet?”

The Heaven Corpse Sect Master asks.

Even though the Heaven Corpse Sect was a Nascent Soul-level power, their number of Golden Core Formation experts was limited, and each one was precious.

The mission of Murong Zhui Feng and the Old Woman wasn’t even a difficult or significant one, yet there was no news from them for a long time; something felt wrong.

“Reporting to the Sect Master, according to earlier information, Elder Murong and the Old Woman seemed to have uncovered something about the Heavenly Sword Sect.”

A charming woman immediately stepped forward and reported respectfully.

“If that’s the case, they shouldn’t have been delayed for so long.”

The Heaven Corpse Sect Master’s eyes were dark and deep. Sensing that something was off, he signaled her to contact Murong Zhui Feng and the Old Woman.

Half a month passed, and there was no news from them.

The Heaven Corpse Sect Master went to the Ancestral Hall and looked at their soul lamps.

Although the soul lamps were still glowing, they appeared somewhat dimmed.

He quietly watched the soul lamps for a few days and noticed something was wrong.

The lack of any fluctuations in the soul flame indicated a problem.

“It seems like they are in danger.”

The Heaven Corpse Sect Master’s dark eyes, deep as ink, seemed like two whirlpools emanating a hint of scarlet light, captivating.

A short while later, slow and heavy footsteps echoed.

An elderly man with a hunched back entered the hall, leaning on a staff. His voice was raspy as he bowed and greeted, “Gu Ming greets the Sect Master.”

“Amei{Gu Ming}, Murong Zhui Feng, and the Old Woman have gone missing. I suspect they are in danger; can you perform a divination?”

The hunched elder before him was not only a Golden Core Formation cultivator but also a third-tier divination master.

Even the Heaven Corpse Sect Master treated him with utmost respect.

As he spoke, he handed over Murong Zhui Feng and the Old Woman’s soul lamps to the hunched old man as divination mediums.

“Yes, Sect Master.”

Understanding the gravity of the matter, the hunched old man stretched his shriveled hands, took the two soul lamps, and then produced an ancient turtle shell from his robe.

“Buzz—Buzz—Buzz—”

As he made hand signs with his fingers and chanted incantations, the mysterious and intricate patterns on the shell’s surface started to intertwine, releasing a profound and heavy aura.

However, as he began to divine, the hunched old man sensed an invisible barrier of fate, making it difficult to determine the whereabouts of the soul lamp owners.

But he knew that the Heaven Corpse Sect Master expected at least a few clues!

“Hmph!”

The hunched old man groaned, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.

His already-old face seemed even more withered as strands of white hair fell from his head.

After a long time, he kept coughing up blood before stopping the divination and reporting to the Heaven Corpse Sect Master before him: “Sect Master, Elder Murong, and the Old Woman are most likely being suppressed and imprisoned in a place isolated from heaven’s secrets.”

“I used up my lifespan to only see this void; I couldn’t determine the specific location and situation.”

The hunched old man said between coughing up blood, his voice filled with bitterness.

He had just expended about ten years of lifespan to gain this vague insight.

If he had continued divining, the cost for more information might have been his life.

Though he looked old and withered now,

in reality, he was just three hundred years old. With Golden Core stage cultivators living up to five hundred years, he was still considered middle-aged.

However, due to frequently performing divinations, even after consuming many life-extending spirit pills, it would be hard for him to live beyond three hundred and fifty.

“A place that isolates heaven’s secrets…”

Upon hearing this, the Heaven Corpse Sect Master immediately looked towards the Heavenly Sword Sect in the Jiang Kingdom.

After all, the hunched old man was a third-tier divination master.

For someone to completely block his divination, it would require a fourth-tier or higher treasure that could disturb and obscure heaven’s secrets!

And such treasures are incredibly rare.

Only a few top-tier forces could possess them.

Murong Zhui Feng and the Old Woman’s mission was to ambush someone from the Heavenly Sword Sect.

“Damn it!”

Thinking about the two Golden Core Formation elders of the Heaven Corpse Sect falling into the hands of the Heavenly Sword Sect made his face turn ugly.

Then, he looked at the hunched elder nearby and gave him a bottle of pills, saying: “Amei{Gu Ming}, you’ve worked hard on this matter; go and rest.”

“Someone!”

After a moment, he ordered someone to contact the Heavenly Sword Sect to discuss the conditions for releasing Murong Zhui Feng and the Old Woman.

Although the dark and orthodox sects were in direct opposition,

the Jin Kingdom and the Jiang Kingdom clashed in the shadows often.

However, when it came to prisoners, they generally weren’t killed.

Most prisoners were used in exchange for benefits.

After all, each Golden Core Formation cultivator was incredibly valuable and could provide a lot of useful information.

If they could be persuaded to defect, even better, as it would yield significant advantages.

If all else failed, during wartime between the two kingdoms, they could directly sacrifice the opposing Golden Core experts as a message of power by displaying their heads over the battlefield.

Lu Changsheng was unaware of the Heaven Corpse Sect’s divination and hadn’t practiced the divination arts himself.

During this time, he accompanied Nangong Mili throughout.

She had been pregnant for four months.

Based on past experience, this child wouldn’t be born within ten months.

Considering the time, he had already spent a year in the Jin Kingdom.

If counting from when he first set off, it’s been a year and three months.

Although the emergency response talismans given to Ling Zixiao, Lu Miaoge, and others hadn’t een activated, Lu Changsheng was preparing to return home, having been away so long.

The main issue was that waiting for the child to be born could take another six months or even over a year.

Besides, he couldn’t just leave right after the birth, could he? That would be too irresponsible.

“Mili…”

That day, Lu Changsheng held Nangong Mili by the waist and expressed his intention to return, hoping she would come with him to the Jiang Kingdom.

“No!”

With maternal instincts and a newfound softness in her eyes, Nangong Mili’s face turned cold upon hearing this.

Although their relationship had grown warmer over these months,

she was still unwilling to follow Lu Changsheng to the Jiang Kingdom.

After all, in the Jiang Kingdom, she’d have to hide her identity, be cautious with every move, and compete with this man’s other women. There’s no comfort in serving as the Heavenly Spider Envoy in the Five Poison Sect.

Besides, no man is reliable.

Being far away in the Jin Kingdom, at least this man would feel some guilt and think about her and their son.

But if she went to the Jiang Kingdom, who knows if this man would lose interest once he found someone new.

“Sigh.”

Lu Changsheng had already guessed Nangong Mili’s response, knowing she wouldn’t come with him to the Jiang Kingdom, so he didn’t push further.

“Then focus on nurturing the baby here. I’ll come to visit you and Minghuang when I can.”

Although the child hadn’t been born, they had already picked a name.

Ming, derived from Lu Changsheng’s title ‘Yangming,’ symbolized brightness and righteousness, hoping the child would walk the right path.

Huang represented success, glory, and distinction.

In addition to having great expectations for this child, Lu Changsheng hoped that he would grow to be upright and honorable.

The reason he was so concerned about righteousness was that this child was most likely to remain in the Jin Kingdom, within the Five Poison Sect.

“Hmph, no man is trustworthy.”

Though Nangong Mili normally enjoyed Lu Changsheng’s tenderness and sweet words,

knowing he was about to leave made her feel bitter, affecting her mood.

Lu Changsheng knew he was in the wrong, so he coaxed her patiently.

He promised to prepare all the necessary pills for pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum recovery.

“I can take care of the child myself; I don’t need your pills.”

Nangong Mili said this.

However, she didn’t push too hard, knowing that Lu Changsheng was never one to be coerced.

Despite her outward nonchalance, she had grown to care deeply about Lu Changsheng.

Three months later.

Lu Changsheng parted with Nangong Mili and left with Meng Xiaochan.

Since Nangong Mili was pregnant, she needed a bit more time to advance to Golden Core Formation.

Lu Changsheng had deliberately set things up this way.

He planned to warm her Golden Core the next time he visited, to strengthen their bond.

“Screech!”

In the Nine Heavens Gale Layer, dressed in a dark ark robe and standing tall with Meng Xiaochan by his side, Lu Changsheng stood on the back of the Golden-Winged Roc.

He summoned the Michen Banner and asked the spirit inside how many Spirit Stones it would cost to teleport back from here.

“…”

After a moment of sensing, the Michen Banner’s spirit replied that ordinary Spirit Stones wouldn’t suffice; it needed supreme-grade Spirit Stones or a third-tier spiritual vein.

Moreover, its source energy may be depleted, requiring time to recover.

“Fine.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Changsheng immediately dismissed the idea of teleporting across countries.

Such a journey would essentially use up the gains he made from the two Golden Core experts from the Heaven Corpse Sect, turning it all into travel expenses.

Spending so much on just a few months of travel wasn’t worth it.

“And I still need to visit the Heavenly Sword Sect.”

Lu Changsheng sighed, recalling his deal with Lan Ruoxue.

Since the other party, a Golden Core Formation expert, had agreed, she would likely be able to secure top-quality materials like jade marrow golden fungus.

Now that he was a third-tier pill refiner, as long as he had the jade marrow golden fungus, he could refine a Condensing Crystal Pill!

Leaving the Jin Kingdom now would be a waste of those two lives in the Wuxiang Domain.

It might be better to ask the Heavenly Sword Sect if they’d be interested and sell them at a bargain, trading for some Natural Treasures.

As Lu Changsheng reached the Jin Kingdom’s border, he noticed it was much more heavily guarded compared to when he arrived, even encountering a Golden Core Formation expert patrolling.

Fortunately, he and the Golden-Winged Roc were both highly perceptive, using his Divine Ability ‘Reversal Yin-Yang Glazed Wall’ to avoid detection.

While he didn’t fear those Golden Core experts, he didn’t want to cause trouble while crossing the border.

After all, if he was attacked in this deserted and spiritually deficient area, it would be troublesome.

After a month and a half of monotonous traveling, Lu Changsheng returned to the Jiang Kingdom.

Resting a few days with the Golden-Winged Roc, he headed towards the Heavenly Sword Sect.

Meanwhile,

Heavenly Sword Sect, Sect Master’s Hall.

The Heavenly Sword Sect Master looked at the letter from the Heaven Corpse Sect.

The letter inquired about the conditions for releasing Murong Zhui Feng and the Old Woman.

“It seems that the Heaven Corpse Sect believes Murong Zhui Feng and the Old Woman have fallen into our hands.”

He had learned from Lan Ruoxue about Yangming Zhenren’s suppression of the two Heaven Corpse Sect members.

But from the letter, he instantly realized that Yangming Zhenren must possess a top-tier treasure that conceals heavenly secrets, causing the Heaven Corpse Sect to be unaware of the matter.

Otherwise, with the Heaven Corpse Sect’s methods, they could have easily divined the situation.

“Who exactly is this Yangming Zhenren? Not only is his combat power astonishing, but he also has a late third-tier Spirit Pet and a treasure that can obscure heaven’s secrets.”

In the past, they had also tried to divine Yangming Zhenren’s situation.

But without a medium, trying to divine a Golden Core Formation expert was almost impossible, so they didn’t force it.

However, with items like the soul lamps of Murong Zhui Feng and the Old Woman, even such attempts failed, indicating that Yangming Zhenren was not ordinary.

“Could it be that he is also proficient in divination like Meng Wuhen and his wife?”

The Heavenly Sword Sect Master considered the possibility, his expression becoming grave.

If that were true, Yangming Zhenren would be terrifying.

Top-tier combat power, top-tier Spirit Pet, and proficiency in divination, capable of sensing fortune and misfortune.

Even a Nascent Soul True Lord would find it difficult to deal with him unless they first blocked heaven’s secrets and set a trap.

“This person seems to hold goodwill towards our Heavenly Sword Sect. Should we ask if he would exchange Murong Zhui Feng and the Old Woman?”

“Perhaps we can use these two in exchange for Senior Brother Jiuyang.”

Although the Heavenly Sword Sect often sets traps for demonic cultivators,

they’ve also suffered significant losses in the hands of the three major demonic sects in the Jin Kingdom.

For example, the Yin Ghost Sect released false information about their Supreme Elder attempting to break through to Nascent Soul, luring them in to investigate and sabotage the breakthrough.

However, the Yin Ghost Sect used this as bait to set an ambush, leading to the capture of one of the top sword cultivators of the Heavenly Sword Sect.

When he thought of the Yin Ghost Sect’s Supreme Elder, the Sect Master’s expression grew serious.

This expert controlled the Ten Thousand Ghost Blood Pool and Ghost Dao Soldiers. At the peak of Golden Core Formation, he could barely contend with a Nascent Soul expert.

If he broke through to Nascent Soul, he would be ranked among the old-guard Nascent Soul True Lords.