Chapter 431: Chapter 68: Nuwa’s Betrothal Gift, The Celestial Emperor’s Envy, The Impending Grand Wedding

"Mother, this is good, isn’t it?"

Xiaoyan tore off a large, crispy bite of the charcoal-grilled Peng’s Wings, washing it down with juice made from Peaches of Immortality, and asked with a cheerful laugh.

"Delicious, delicious!"

The exquisite woman held a roasted sweet potato, completely unconcerned with her image. She chewed and chatted happily with Xiaoyan, looking utterly intimate.

In the distance, on a scorched black peak, the Dying Buddha’s eyelids twitched. The Emperor Corpse sulked and contemplated the meaning of life. Ben Bo’Erba’s drool puddled on the ground. Lu Xuan, sitting off to the side, blinked in bewilderment.

Xiaoyan happily finished the Peach Juice. Seeing that there were no Peaches of Immortality left, the exquisite woman turned her head and called out:

"Haotian, go back to the past Years and pick a few more of the larger Peaches of Immortality. Remember, they have to be Innate Peaches of Immortality..."

The Emperor Corpse opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but nothing came out. He answered listlessly, and with a flick of his hand, several Innate Peaches of Immortality appeared and were tossed over.

He stammered:

"This is the last of them. I can’t pick any more. In the past Years, the Immortal Mother is flying into a rage, issuing decrees to all Immortals and Buddhas to hunt down the peach thief..."

The Emperor Corpse suddenly said, grief-stricken:

"Goddess, enough is enough! I’ve become a thief, a thief!"

The exquisite woman pursed her lips, ignoring him. She waved her hand, juicing the Innate Peaches of Immortality. A drop or two of Peach Juice splattered on the ground, and the Little Catfish eagerly lapped them up, its whole body starting to glow.

"Thank you, Mother!" Xiaoyan took the Peach Juice, smiling sweetly. Her repeated calls of "Mother" made the exquisite woman beam with joy, to the point of dazedness.

She wasn’t the only one who was dazed; Lu Xuan was even more so.

He couldn’t take it anymore. He coughed twice and said expectantly:

"Lady, I’m still here..."

"Oh, I almost forgot about you." The exquisite woman chuckled, portioned out a small cup of Innate Peach Juice, and handed it to Lu Xuan, saying:

"This is all there is. Drink it sparingly."

Lu Xuan looked at his half-cup of Innate Peach Juice, then at the dozen or so full cups in front of Xiaoyan, and fell into deep thought.

After a long while, he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

"Xiaoyan, drink a little slower. Those are Innate Peaches of Immortality, they’re potent..."

"I’m fine!" The moment Yan Jiangxue spoke, a dense wave of Innate Spiritual Qi rushed out. Ben Bo’Erba stiffly moved forward to bathe in the Spiritual Qi, and its Cultivation skyrocketed again, silently stepping into the Immortal Level.

Lu Xuan coughed violently, his eyes wide:

"Where was your advancement ritual?!"

Ben Bo’Erba, now suffused with an Immortal Dao Rhyme, chuckled foolishly and said:

"Replying to the great one, I’ve been by the Lady’s side for so long that the weight I occupy in the world was already sufficient. Plus, I’m not pursuing anything special. The most ordinary Immortal is fine, so naturally, I didn’t need a ritual..."

Lu Xuan was dumbfounded.

’Good, good, good. Even the Catfish has become Immortal... Just how many good things did Xiaoyan eat before I got here??’

He glanced over, staring at Yan Jiangxue, who was gorging herself, and his eyelids twitched uncontrollably. He discovered that ninety percent of her physical shell had already transformed into the Innate...

’It took me several hundred years of immersion at The Beginning of Ancient Times to obtain an Innate Physique!!’

Glancing at the mountain-like pile of Innate Peach Skins nearby, Lu Xuan had a sudden realization. He now deeply understood what the Celestial Emperor meant by the "Immortal Mother flying into a rage"...

At the same time, on the cliff, the Emperor Corpse pointed at the mountain-like pile of Innate Peach Skins and said, grief-stricken:

"A single handful of these, if thrown into the Ancient Times, would be enough to make beings of the Celestial Realms level fight like mad dogs over them, and you, you..."

The exquisite woman rolled her eyes and muttered:

"Who eats peaches without peeling them? What kind of decent person eats the skin too?"

Lu Xuan felt a stab in his heart. In the early days of his Cultivation, he had frantically used the Mediation of Creation to devour sliver after sliver of Peach of Immortality skin and Bodhi Fruit Skin...

When Xiaoyan finished the last of her Peach Juice, the exquisite woman subconsciously glanced over at the Emperor Corpse.

His expression changed drastically:

"I can’t go! I’ve traversed a million Years, that Innate Peach Tree is nearly withered, and the Immortal Mother has almost gone mad!"

After a pause, the Emperor Corpse, unable to contain his frustration, looked at Yan Jiangxue and grumbled:

"This girl is the reincarnation of a Peach Spirit, and she’s eating peaches... Isn’t that just eating her own kind!"

Xiaoyan blinked her eyes, three question marks appearing above her head.

The exquisite woman at her side glared icily:

"These Peaches of Immortality haven’t gained sentience; they’re just inanimate objects. Haotian, do you even know how to talk?"

With that, she pursed her lips in disdain, turned around, and cleared her throat.

"Ah, Xiaoxuan, you and my Xiaoyan are set to be married next month, is that right?"

Lu Xuan nodded woodenly:

"Replying to the Lady, yes. The middle of next month, on the fifteenth, when the moon is full."

"Oh, have you prepared the betrothal gift?"

Lu Xuan nearly choked.

Xiaoyan covered her mouth, giggling, and hugged the exquisite woman’s arm, saying with a smile:

"Mother, I don’t need any betrothal gift..."

"You do. Everyone else gets one, so my daughter-in-law must have one too!" the exquisite woman declared with a grand wave of her hand. Then, as if remembering something, she slapped her forehead and looked at Lu Xuan.

"I almost forgot, you’re my child too. I should be the one preparing the gift."

Lu Xuan opened his mouth but was too speechless to retort.

Then, he saw the exquisite woman ponder for a long time before clapping her hands together.

"I’ve got it!"

She turned to look at Xiaoyan and gently tapped her on the head.

"Mother doesn’t have any other treasures, but this one is pretty good. Many with Dao Fruits have desired it and fought over it."

As her voice fell, before the Emperor Corpse’s reddened eyes, the exquisite woman tapped out a drop of blood. This was Origin Blood, far superior to the drop she had given Lu Xuan before.

The Origin Blood fell into Xiaoyan’s body, completing the final portion of Innate Material she lacked. It then proceeded to merge with her.

Silently, an incredibly profound aura emerged from Yan Jiangxue. A presence akin to [Transcendence] began to circulate around her...

"A monstrous waste of heavenly treasures, a monstrous waste!!"

The Emperor Corpse was truly grief-stricken, and the entire cliff rumbled:

"This thing... you’re using it to merge with a Physique?! What a monstrous waste of a heavenly treasure..."

He trembled with anger:

"Madness, this is madness..."

If the Innate Peaches of Immortality could make beings of the Celestial Realms and even Daluo fight wildly over them, then this single drop of Origin Blood from the Goddess was enough to make those with Dao Fruits fight to the death, until all the Celestial Realms fell into Nirvana...

And the result? This blood, which likely contained the Profound Mysteries of Transcendence and the key to achieving it, was just fused and absorbed by that girl?

’Damn it all, using this to nourish a Physique is probably as effective as chopping down the Innate Peach Tree for Alchemy...’

’It’s meant for enlightenment, for enlightenment!!’

The Emperor Corpse was so agitated that his originally gray and deathly-still face turned bright red.

The exquisite woman shot him a sideways glare:

"It’s my betrothal gift for my Xiaoyan. What are you so anxious about? When Xiaoxuan attains his Dao Fruit, you’ll naturally get yours."

The Emperor Corpse replied listlessly, his eyes vacant.

Looking at Xiaoyan, whose eyes were shut tight as a transcendent aura surged around her, the exquisite woman turned her head and chuckled.

"Xiaoxuan, I saw that you took a trip to The Beginning of Ancient Times?"

Lu Xuan snapped out of his stupor and quickly bowed:

"Replying to the Lady, that is correct."

The exquisite woman spoke with a hint of disdain:

"Can’t you learn from Xiaoyan? She calls me ’Mother’ with every other word, so affectionately. And then there’s you..."

Lu Xuan’s eye twitched. He suddenly and truly understood the meaning of "a sweet mouth gets the candy"...

The exquisite woman pursed her lips and added:

"Forget it..."

As she spoke, her expression turned solemn:

"I have seen all that you have done... This is a good thing, but also a bad thing. One misstep, and you may be doomed beyond recovery... You know what I’m talking about."

Lu Xuan also grew serious and bowed.

"Lady... Mother, I understand."

The exquisite woman beamed:

"Good, as long as you’re aware. The greater the danger, the greater the reward. I know your goal. Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible to achieve, but now, you actually have a chance."

The Emperor Corpse and the Dying Lamp were both confused. ’What kind of riddle are these two speaking in?’

Lu Xuan glanced at Yan Jiangxue, who was immersed in the Profound Principles of the Great Dao, then bowed and said:

"Mother, there is one thing. Xiaoyan said she saw many tragic scenes..."

"I know."

The exquisite woman’s expression turned stern:

"I knew from the moment I first saw this girl. It is related to Taiyi’s schemes, but I don’t know the specifics. Taiyi never appears before me, and that false body of his was also severed to become independent..."

After a pause, her gaze grew profound:

"But rest assured, Xiaoyan is my daughter-in-law, and she is quite different now... You will understand in the future."

Lu Xuan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. ’Quite different... Anyone would be "quite different" after gorging themselves like that!’

He deeply suspected that if the countless Innate Peaches of Immortality, Innate Bodhi Fruits, and other supreme Celestial Medicines from just now had been given to a peak Celestial Realms-level being,

it probably, probably would have allowed that being to take the crucial step and directly attain the Daluo level, right??

After some thought, he added:

"Mother, one last thing. My second master said he hopes you will allow one of his avatars to enter the border to attend my wedding with Xiaoyan."

"Fine."

The exquisite woman was surprisingly agreeable:

"Perfect. I can’t go out, so it’s good to have that guy go in my stead. However, after he attends your wedding, he has to leave obediently."

"Yes, Mother." Lu Xuan bowed formally. Beside him, Ben Bo’Erba was a little confused. ’Second master... Who is this great one’s second master?’

In the distance, both the Emperor Corpse and the Dying Buddha’s expressions changed. ’Is that personage going to descend upon the Current World in person?’

Just as everyone was lost in their own thoughts, Xiaoyan slowly woke up, opened her eyes, and stretched lazily.

"Mother, Xiaolu..."

She stretched her body, and with a clap of thunder, the entire world of Nirvana trembled!

Lu Xuan was a bit stunned. Xiaoyan herself was clearly startled and said, at a loss:

"What’s happening to me...?"

The exquisite woman chuckled lightly:

"Your Physique has just undergone a major transformation. In terms of your physical body alone, never mind Xiaoxuan, even some beings at the Celestial Realms level cannot compare to you."

After a pause, she added with some regret:

"Unfortunately, it’s only your Physique. It lacks the corresponding Profound Mysteries and characteristics, so you can’t fight beings at the Celestial Realms level. However, the Cultivation of your past life is stored in your Spiritual World. If you merge it with yourself at the right time, you might soar to the heavens in a single leap."

Yan Jiangxue listened with some confusion. Instead of bowing formally like Lu Xuan, she ran forward cheerfully, hugged the exquisite woman’s arm, sat down, and smiled sweetly.

"Thank you, Mother!"

Lu Xuan stared at this scene, a realization dawning on him. ’I’ve learned, I’ve learned... Ah, no, I could never do that!’

He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

The smile on the exquisite woman’s face blossomed. She continued to talk with Lu Xuan and Xiaoyan for a long time, occasionally sending Haotian and Lamp to the past Years to bring back some Immortal Fruits.

Time passed, and in a flash, nearly half a month went by.

The exquisite woman sighed softly:

"Alright, you two should go and prepare for the wedding. There are only a few days left... On the day of the ceremony, you must come and see me."

After a moment’s hesitation, she looked at Lu Xuan, her expression growing solemn:

"Mm, after it’s over, you can bring that second master of yours to see me."

In the distance, the Emperor Corpse and Lamp looked up in terror.

Lu Xuan was also taken aback and bowed:

"Mother, I will tell my second master... Hmm, my teacher and third master might also come then."

"Don’t even think about it. Impossible."

The exquisite woman rolled her pretty eyes:

"Those three teachers of yours are decent enough to you, but they are all incredibly petty with each other. It would be a miracle if your second master was willing to bring the other two!"

After a pause, she waved her hand and said:

"Alright, alright, you two go and get ready. I know you still have many questions, Xiaoxuan, but there’s no need to ask for now. We can discuss everything after your wedding."

Lu Xuan and Xiaoyan bowed to the exquisite woman and quietly took their leave.

Before leaving, Xiaoyan waved her hand:

"Mother, I’ll bring you tasty things to eat often in the future!"

"Good. When you come, I’ll have Haotian and the others prepare tasty things for you too." The exquisite woman gave a bewitching smile. The faces of the Emperor Corpse and Lamp darkened in unison.

Only Ben Bo’Erba, lying on the pile of Innate Peach Skins, was blooming with laughter.

"A great opportunity, a great opportunity!"

It gathered the Innate Peach Skins closer, laughing with immense joy.