Taotie was filled with self-reproach. As the First Divine General, he was responsible not only for guarding the Heavenly Court but also for resolving all of Xu Lai's troubles, be they enemy invasions or matters of the heart.

Taotie had assumed The Supreme Emperor wouldn't return to the Heavenly Court for some time, which was why he had allowed the Twelve-winged Archangel to wait there. After all, she was the Domain Master of the Western Immortal Domain; some deference had to be shown. He just hadn't anticipated this slip-up. It was a tremendous neglect of duty.

However, Xu Lai didn't blame him. He could understand Taotie's position. Dealing with official duties alone was utterly exhausting, so how could he have the energy to expel Anna? Besides, they were both in the Quasi-Emperor Realm, and Anna's power surpassed Taotie's.

"Alright, hand over the official duties to the Second Divine General, Baize, later. Tell him it's my command," Xu Lai instructed, then added, "You can go do something else for me. We're out of food at home."

That one sentence was all Taotie needed to understand.

He shot to his feet, a brilliant light exploding in his eyes as he instantly revived from his near-death state.

For Taotie, war was his favorite thing!

He clasped his fists together, his voice booming like a great bell. "This subordinate accepts your command and will not disappoint The Supreme Emperor's expectations!"

It just so happens that the Black Dragon Clan has been making some sneaky moves lately, and the Immortal Bull Clan too. Those two clans have the highest combat power, and they're also the most delicious. No... they're the most restless! For the sake of the Heavenly Court and the safety of all living beings in the Immortal Domain, I, Taotie, have no choice but to fight!

"Go," Xu Lai said, not telling him to rest.

For a brute of a Divine General like him, being sent to lead troops into battle was the highest form of praise. Anyway, blood was going to be shed. Either Taotie's or someone else's.

The other Divine Generals and Heavenly Soldiers in the Heavenly Court were tactful enough to leave as well, since this was hardly the first time this had happened.

Soon, only Xu Lai and the Twelve-winged Archangel Anna remained in the Heavenly Court.

"The Supreme Emperor, it's been five years. Do you know how I've spent these five years?" Anna bit her lip, her expression sorrowful and pitiful. "Every day I couldn't see you, I was unable to sleep."

"Is that so?" Xu Lai asked seriously. "You look like you've gained some weight. You haven't been skimping on meals lately, have you?"

Anna: "..."

He used to call me his little sweetie, and now he's commenting on how much I've eaten?

Anna pouted in silence. She took a delicate, graceful step forward, about to throw herself into Xu Lai's arms and act spoiled as she always did, only to see him actually take a step back.

Anna froze, and then her heart shattered.

For beings like them, at the Quasi-Emperor or Emperor Realm, five years was but half a day, or perhaps even just the blink of an eye. Yet after such a short time apart, a chasm seemed to have opened between her and Xu Lai, made evident by The Supreme Emperor's single step back.

In that instant, her twelve pure-white wings drooped, and the holy light surrounding her body gradually dimmed. Though her expression didn't change much, her spirit seemed to drain away in an instant... This was no Twelve-winged Archangel. She looked more like a little puppy abandoned by its master!

Xu Lai hadn't expected his subconscious action to cause so much hurt.

Anna's expression was complex. "The Supreme Emperor, you really were avoiding me and my sister. Just as the old saying goes, 'out with the old, in with the new.' Was it Fairy Qing Yuan, or that fox from Qingqiu, who's been bad-mouthing us to you?" Her expression aggrieved, she added, "And to think they said we'd be good sisters for life, helping each other out. You really can't believe a word a woman says."

"Didn't Taotie tell you? I have a daughter," Xu Lai said, spreading his hands helplessly. "If my wife finds out I've been playing around, I'll die a miserable, miserable death."

The Supreme Emperor had a child!

Anna's pupils shrank as stormy waves of shock crashed through her mind.

Throughout all past eras, almost every Emperor Realm expert had been childless. For one thing, the higher one's boundary, the more difficult it was to conceive. It was as if there were invisible shackles of law at play. The only Great Emperor to have ever had an heir fathered the child during his mortal days, and that child lived for less than a hundred years.

But now, Xu Lai had broken convention and fathered a child of the Emperor Realm.

What did this mean? It meant his child would likely become a target for all! The great Tao Lineages and Sect Gates would never allow the child of The Supreme Emperor to grow up safely. After all, even with the most average talent, one could still be raised to the Quasi-Emperor Realm using enough heavenly materials and earthly treasures. That child might even become the Quasi-Emperor who could attain the Emperor Realm Dao Fruit the fastest!

If Xu Yiyi truly followed in her father's footsteps to reach the Emperor Realm, forcing everyone to languish under the 'Xu Family' for two consecutive eras... would that be a golden age? No. It would be a disaster!

Otherwise, so many supreme Celestial Clans wouldn't have chosen to rebel back then. Being forced to submit to the Human Race meant becoming fish on a chopping block, your life and death decided by another's whim. The ancient Tao Lineages and races, with legacies stretching back dozens or even hundreds of eras, could never accept such a fate.

Anna's expression turned grave. "The Supreme Emperor, this matter must never get out. I fear it will invite calamity."

Xu Lai clasped his hands behind his back, his voice laced with infinite coldness. "I'd like to see who dares to touch my daughter!"

A tremendous thunderclap cracked across the Nine Heavens. In the blink of an eye, violent storms raged across the Four Immortal Domains.

If The Supreme Emperor was angered, it wouldn't just be millions of floating corpses; trillions of living beings would suffer!

A strange light glinted in Anna's eyes. This was the supreme confidence and dominance she loved, but times were different now.

Anna mused for a moment before saying, "How about this, The Supreme Emperor? I'll go with you to meet your daughter and offer her my blessing."

The Angel Clan was ranked sixth among all races. The Twelve-winged Archangels were the supreme divine beings of their people, and they only had one chance in their entire lives to bestow a blessing upon another. The one who received this blessing would gain an opportunity to cheat death, as well as astonishingly good fortune.

This was no simple death-substitution spell, like those involving puppets. A blessing from a Quasi-Emperor Realm Archangel could allow the recipient to survive a single attack from an Emperor Realm expert. Furthermore, it would conceal their destiny from heavenly prying, making it impossible for anyone below the Emperor Realm to see through it, and it would not incur any karmic debt. During future tribulations, they would also be favored by the Heavenly Dao Laws, which would reduce the tribulations' power by half.

It would not be an exaggeration to call the blessing of the divine Angels a vital part of their heritage, especially one from a Quasi-Emperor Realm being like Anna. Its value was simply immeasurable by any worldly standard.

"Are you sure?" Xu Lai looked deeply at Anna.

This woman wasn't blessing her own descendants or one of the monstrous prodigies from her clan, yet she wanted to bless Yiyi...

Anna waved her hand dismissively. It was no simpler for her to have children than it was for Xu Lai. Besides, after the initial shock of learning he had an heir, she felt genuinely happy for him.

After all, she had known for years about the profound loneliness he experienced at the pinnacle of power. Taotie worried that Xu Lai would pass away in meditation, but she and her sister were even more worried! Now that he had a wife and daughter, surely he wouldn't be thinking of passing away to seek reincarnation at the drop of a hat anymore, right? This was a truly joyous occasion.

And so, the two of them set off for Earth, taking with them a variety of ingredients delivered by an exhilarated Taotie, who was still reeking of the blood of battle.

Xu Lai glanced at the provisions and was extremely satisfied. It was a good haul—at least enough to eat for a month. It was just a shame there weren't many of the rare delicacies that required time to prepare.

...

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