sinovels Chapter 988: Another Promotion After Returning to the Capital!
Chapter 988: Another Promotion After Returning to the Capital!
Lin Qiye did not linger and turned to leave the council hall.
As he stepped out of the gates of the Supervisory Council, it was already getting dark. He followed the familiar path to his new residence—the official deacon area was located in the middle section of the arena, and the security was significantly tighter than in the lower sections. Each checkpoint was guarded by heavily armored guards who immediately and respectfully let him pass upon seeing his token.
The new residence was a separate courtyard, almost twice the size of the previous reserve quarters. The walls were higher, and the protective runes on them were more intricate, radiating a pale golden glow. Inside the courtyard were three main rooms, two side rooms, and a small courtyard paved with bluestone slabs. In the corner grew an unidentified gray shrub with twisted branches and dark green leaves.
When Lin Qiye pushed open the courtyard gate, Luo Sheng was sitting on a stone bench in the courtyard, mending a child's garment. Hearing the door open, she looked up and saw Lin Qiye. A hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, but then she noticed the marks of battle on his body, and her brows furrowed slightly.
"You're back?"
"I'm back."
"Is the situation at the Bone Tower very dangerous?" Luo Sheng's voice was not loud, but it carried obvious concern.
"It's more dangerous than you imagined," Lin Qiye said with a smile. "The secrets hidden inside that tower exceeded the arena's expectations. I only went to the outer perimeter, and I almost didn't make it back."
Luo Sheng's fingers lightly traced the edge of the table a few times, her gaze slightly narrowed: "So, what are your plans next?"
"Stay calm first. The Oversight Council has given me official deacon status, and my resources and authority have increased significantly. I need some time to digest this gain and improve my strength." Lin Qiye paused, his gaze falling on Luo Sheng's slightly protruding belly. "How are you feeling?"
"It's alright. This pregnancy is much more stable than the last one, and the absorption of source energy is also very smooth." Luo Sheng's hand unconsciously touched her lower abdomen, and a gentle smile appeared on her lips. "This child should be even stronger than Luo Shen."
Lin Qiye nodded, saying nothing more, but the sense of urgency in his heart did not dissipate after returning to the safe zone. The resonant call from the depths of the Bone Tower, the complex gaze of Ying before her death, and the terrifying aura emanating from the two mutated giant beasts during their battle—these were like fine thorns, piercing his heart.
He needs to become stronger.
Strong enough to ignore those threats, strong enough to protect those around them, strong enough to gain a foothold in this cruel primordial universe.
In the days that followed, Lin Qiye's life returned to normal.
Every morning, he practiced the Origin Qi Breathing Technique in the courtyard, guiding the power of the Blood Demon to further merge with the Origin Qi of the Primal Universe. Since his breakthrough in the Canggu Mountains, the invisible gate deep within his dantian had been completely opened, and the power within his body was like a newly dredged river, growing steadily every day. He could sense that he was still quite far from the next bottleneck, but as long as the bloodline feedback continued, a breakthrough was only a matter of time.
In the mornings, he would handle some affairs of the Overwatch Council—formal deacons had fixed territorial patrol duties, but Mo Yuan assigned him relatively easy tasks, clearly intending to give him more time to recover and cultivate. In the afternoons, he would return to his residence to spend time with the three women and the child, occasionally pointing out simple movements to Luo Shen—the child was only a few months old, yet already displayed strength and intelligence far exceeding that of ordinary infants, his big, dark eyes always curiously observing everything around him.
Shuang'er and Manji's bellies grew bigger day by day. Shuang'er's Frost Spirit Constitution became more pronounced during her pregnancy; the temperature around her was almost three degrees lower than normal, and even the stone benches she sat on would be covered with a thin layer of frost. Manji, on the other hand, remained as energetic as ever, practicing boxing in the courtyard every day despite her large belly, saying it was to "stretch her muscles and bones." Luo Sheng tried to dissuade her several times but to no avail, so she let her be.
The days flowed by in this quiet yet fulfilling rhythm.
Until Luo Sheng went into labor.
This delivery went much more smoothly than the last one. Luo Sheng's foundation had recovered considerably under the long-term nourishment of the Blood Demon's power, and her physical condition was far better than when she was pregnant with her first child. From the onset of labor pains to delivery, it took just over an hour, and a loud cry of a newborn broke the tranquility of the courtyard.
Another daughter.
Lin Qiye held the wrinkled little one in his arms, looking at her face that resembled Luo Sheng's, and a strange feeling welled up in his heart. The little one kicked her legs in his arms, crying loudly and energetically, her little hands flailing wildly in the air, as if searching for something.
[A new bloodline has been detected developing; bloodline feedback has begun to flow in.]
That warm energy surged forth from the depths of his bloodline once more, flowing along his meridians into his dantian. Although not as turbulent as the first time, it remained solid and pure, as if adding another solid foundation to his base.
Luo Sheng lay on the bed, her face somewhat pale, but in good spirits. Watching Lin Qiye awkwardly holding his daughter, a smile appeared on her lips: "Let's give her a name."
Lin Qiye looked down at the baby in his arms, remained silent for a moment, and then slowly said, "Lin Luoyi."
"Luo Yi..." Luo Sheng repeated softly, a satisfied look appearing in her eyes, "A good name."
A month later, Shuang'er went into labor.
Shuang'er's childbirth was several times more dangerous than Luo Sheng's. Her Frost Spirit Constitution caused her body temperature to plummet during delivery, almost freezing the air in the room, and even the walls were covered with a thin layer of frost. Lin Qiye's Blood Demon Power came into play again at the critical moment, guiding the cold energy out of her meridians, thus ensuring the safety of both mother and child.
It was a son.
Shuang'er's child inherited her Frost Spirit Physique. At birth, his entire body was enveloped in a faint icy blue halo. Upon contact with the source energy in the air, countless tiny ice crystals instantly condensed around him, illuminating the entire delivery room like an ice palace. The little one's cries were not as loud as those of ordinary babies, but rather a low whimper carrying a chilling aura. Even Lin Qiye, who was holding him, felt a bone-chilling cold spread up his arm.
[A new bloodline has been detected developing; bloodline feedback has begun to flow in.]
Another surge of power flowed into Lin Qiye's body. This time, the feedback was completely different from the previous ones—it carried an extreme coldness and sharpness, like a blade forged in millennia of ice, flowing through his meridians and further merging with the blood demon power he had accumulated before.
He named his son Lin Hanyuan.
Half a month later, the Barbarian Princess went into labor.
The barbarian princess's childbirth was incredibly powerful. She endured labor pains for less than half an hour before giving birth to her child with a loud, powerful roar. The baby's cry was like the howl of a small beast, shaking the windowpanes and startling even the patrolling guards passing by outside the courtyard.
Another son.
He named his son Lin Huang.
The child inherited the ancient beast bloodline of the Barbarian Queen. At birth, his skin glowed with a faint dark golden luster, and his limbs were thick and powerful. He kicked and thrashed wildly in his swaddling clothes with astonishing strength, bending the cloth wrapped around him askew. The Barbarian Queen lay on the bed, covered in sweat, but couldn't stop laughing: "This little brat is even more mischievous than his brother!"
Lin Qiye held the restless little guy in his arms, feeling the feedback from the third bloodline rushing into his body like a surging river.
Three new bloodline feedbacks surged in almost simultaneously, like three rivers of different colors converging and merging deep within his dantian. Together with the feedback power accumulated previously, they produced an indescribable qualitative change.
Dark golden primal energy flowed silently within his body. With each breath, he could feel his meridians widening, his bones strengthening, and even something deep within his soul becoming more solidified. He sat cross-legged in the courtyard, his eyes slightly closed, feeling that power slowly settling within him, like a seed buried in fertile soil, accumulating the strength to break through the earth next time.