"Pregnant?! The All-Immortal Dragon?" Yan Zaizen was truly startled by this news. Yaoguai were not known for their ability to give birth. Even in theory, it was said that they were birthed by the unique environment of the Heavenly Origin Grounds.
As for the All-Father Dragon, no one questioned if the creature, the Celestial Dragon God, had unique means to work in conjunction with the heavens to birth a Yaoguai artificially. In truth, there were many individuals who have done so to a limited degree. Of course, each of their cultivation bases were heaven-equalling in nature.
However, what was the concept of pregnancy?! It was the process of insemination of two aspects in Yin & Yang, giving form of others and bestowing it life, carrying it to term as it developed into a complete child in this cycle.
It was a mortal concept that may seem common and mundane yet profound beyond any calculable means. Even to this day, Yan Zaizen had no way to impregnate a woman with his cultivation base, outside of the normal method.
Even Heavenly Gods can only create artificial constructs. Yri was no different. Her world produced earlier had Yan Linzen born from copies of his 'false' mother and father, with her DNA extracted from him. This made the entire situation already complicated enough. As for his mother and father themselves, they only looked like them, with no true DNA relations just humans she cultured like bacteria in a dish. This was why he didn't feel connected to anyone else.
He focused his attention fully on Yri, "are you sure?"
Yri nodded deeply, her eyes revealing a solemn light. "In my time, thirty-seven billions of years ago, the All-Father Dragon had long since passed, his creation of the All-Immortal Dragon, a product of Yaoguai and Beast, was long since created before I was even born."
What?!
The shock he felt as her words were said took him by complete surprise. The All-Immortal Dragon was tens of billions of years old! This was truly a near 'Immortal' status. Who knew how long it could live, probably for eternity!
What was lifespan? For heavenly cultivators, a day was irrelevant. Those in the Heavenly Genesis Realm could live for a hundred thousand years minimum. As their cultivation base progressed, so would their lifespan, capable of reaching a million years!
Heavenly Monarchs, those who've reached the Heavenly Creation Realm, could live for tens of millions of years, but billions was completely out of the question. This had to do with the soul. While their Dao and Heavenly Shrine or Original Law and Path may exist as long as it is not destroyed or exhausted, as long as the heavens themselves, their soul was a severe limiting factor. The soul degrades, not by time, but by natural exhaustion. Just breathing itself, circulating one's life force within the body, consumes the innate soul essence.
The energy from one's cultivation path can often slow this process to an incredible degree.
Therefore, while the body or heavenly powers may be capable of existing for much longer, the soul could not. This was also why the soul of a person departs to be renewed of new essence before their bodies truly vanish. Even mortals could experience this, as their corpse would still exist even after perishing. It'll take a long time, or quickly based on the environment, but in time it'll fade into dust.
Unless one reached the rumored Immortal Soul Realm of the Soul Source Path!
Yri continued, "at the time, the All-Immortal Dragon was forcefully taken by The Lord of Dragons! Because the All-Immortal Dragon was female by nature, it's flesh and blood contained the natural traits of a female, including its ability to give birth. The Lord of Dragons and the All-Immortal Dragon had sought refuge at the Indomitable Dao Palace, my...sect. This is how I came to know."
"The Lord of Dragons wasn't the true king of Dragons, but instead a spiritual leader of the Dragons. He led them using his boundless wisdom to promote and propagate the dragon race. However, at the time, the Dragon Race was being hunted down and executed. All those with the purest blood was used for pills, elixirs, cultivation materials, or just materials for weapons or tools! A genocide had been performed."
"Only…the forces that wished to wipe out the Dragons for their own uses were profoundly powerful. It wasn't something they could resist, especially without the All-Father Dragon. He knew that his legacy and pure blood lineage would soon fail and fall to history, so he copulated secretly with the All-Immortal Dragon!"
"Later, she agreed to willingly have a child by The Lord of Dragons. After all, at her level of strength, who could truly force her to do anything?" Yri said, lamenting at the fate of Dragons.
'No wonder they were creatures of legend…' Yan Zaizen also felt some sadness. He didn't know the reason why or who was involved, but a mass genocide of a race that was so thorough that they became legends across the heavens left one with a sense of sadness that could topple the skies.
"So, she's pregnant?" As if saying it once more to confirm, Yan Zaizen asked. The odd thing was that this event would've happened billions of years ago, and she was still pregnant and had yet to give birth? While he did hear that the stronger a races natural bloodline and harder it is to carry a child to term, both in duration and difficulty, he didn't expect it to be so exaggerated!
"Wait," Yri thought for a second and recalled something, "not pregnant! She gave birth!" A burst of realization emanated from her voice. "An on-set of weakness is a common characteristic of female child-birth. The stronger one is, the worse it is, and the longer this weakness lasts. In that vulnerable state, it's possible…"
"No...the strength they have simply isn't enough. Even weakened, they will all just die, turn tails, or leave empty-handed," she said matter-of-factly.
"Oh? Why?" Yan Zaizen was shocked by her estimation. What gave birth to this rock-solid belief in the All-Immortal Dragon?
"Not to mention the fact that the All-Immortal Dragon can travel to different dimensions, even to different universes, something even Heavenly Monarchs have issues doing, but her strength may be weakened, but her physical defenses aren't nor her ability to access the essence in the Heavenly Origin Grounds for energy recovery." Yri's words revealed many issues with the plan.
Wait…
Wait.
Wait?!
"She can travel to other dimensions at will?! Is it because of her cultivation base?" Intrigued, he questioned hastily. The Chaotic Space could be considered another dimension, so can the spatial void, but universes would be like between the Thirty-Three Heavens' Vast Expanse, the Non-Verse, or Hell.
"No, " Yri shook her head, "the All-Immortal Dragon was born from the All-Father Dragon and Royal Yaoguai, you never wondered what Royal Yaoguai it was born from?" Yri, who was a part of the sect that housed and helped the relation of the Lord of Dragons and the All-Immortal Dragon, was likely the most well-informed about her in this entire universe.
After all, the All-Immortal Dragon was born tens of billions of years ago, who else could've lived so long and know so much?
"Who's the other?"
"A Royal Yaoguai of the highest, one who has mastered the Imperial Law of Spacetime!" Yri seemed fascinated by the creature as her voice shot up a few decibels.
"...Spacetime…" Yan Zaizen's words trailed like ghosts in the wind.
Spacetime.
Dimensions.
Space.
Travel.
Time.
Between.
Space...time…
Eyes so wide that the moon couldn't rival its fullness sprouted into existence on his face.
"Holy shit! Before, it was impossible, but what about now?!" Yan Zaizen felt like a bag of bricks hit him directly in the face. What was the expression of moving between dimensions? It was linked to spacetime. What universe lacked these laws? If they did, how could he link two universes?
Before, his Heavenly Cultivation base had only reached a certain level, but now his understanding of Space and Time had reached the pinnacle within the heavens, how could he not have thought of this?
His mind was so full of a one-sided pursuit for the compass from day one when the compass in itself was just created by someone with an understanding probably lesser or equal to his own!!!
Pow!
A solid palm met his face as he felt like groaning in misery. He promised a year when...he could just travel to hell now! With his own abilities!
Yri was shocked by Yan Zaizen's self-harm, puzzled by his sudden look of disappointment.
Soon after, an excited and relieved smile surfaced on his face.
"Wait for me, I'm coming."