543: Chapter 543 Protector

"Peach Blossom?"

"Why are you back?"

Liu Xuan's brows furrowed slightly, his expression becoming serious. If something had happened at Biyou Pool, he would have to start his escape plan immediately.

"Don't worry, Biyou Pool is fine. I came back on my own."

Peach Blossom's figure flickered, and she appeared beside Liu Xuan. "I originally wanted to give you a surprise, but I didn't expect to disturb you, Husband!"

She gave Yun Miao a pitiful look, putting on a small, aggrieved act.

Yun Miao didn't dare to move, caught in a complex mix of shock, confusion, and a hint of fear.

What did Peach Blossom Demon Lord mean?

What exactly was her relationship with Liu Xuan?

Wasn't she supposed to be at Biyou Pool? What did it mean for her to return suddenly? And what was the meaning of those words she just said?

Peach Blossom was no ordinary woman; she was a Peak Nascent Soul Demon Lord, a prominent figure in the entire Southern Border.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid!" Liu Xuan quickly comforted her. "She's one of us. You continue; I'll have a chat with her."

Liu Xuan reached out and pulled Peach Blossom to the side, asking, "What surprise? It's more like a scare. Tell me, what's actually going on?"

"Our child is about to be born!"

With that one sentence from Peach Blossom, Yun Miao's newly recovered senses became dazed once again.

Peach Blossom Demon Lord was also pregnant with Liu Xuan's child? How was this possible?!

"Really?"

Liu Xuan felt a surge of joy in his heart. Peach Blossom had been pregnant for ten years. According to the rule that the longer the pregnancy, the higher the child's talent, he felt she could give birth to a child with a Heaven-Defying Bloodline.

"It's true. I feel it will be born in three days, so I found an excuse to come back for a while. I plan to return once the child is born."

As she spoke, Peach Blossom showed a look of grievance again. "I thought about giving my husband a surprise, but I didn't expect you to be with this woman..."

"Stop acting!"

"I'll call you along next time, alright?"

Other women might be jealous, but Peach Blossom was different because she also liked beautiful women.

Bai Jie, Lü Luo, and those beautiful female yao from the Peach Blossom Secret Realm—Peach Blossom had never rejected women, especially beautiful ones.

She had arranged for the White Tiger Saintess Shuang Xue, Bai Jie, and Lü Luo to be Liu Xuan's Concubines. Besides her loyalty to Liu Xuan, she also had her own selfish motives.

"No fun!"

With her little scheme exposed by Liu Xuan, Peach Blossom lost interest. "Sister Yun Miao, don't be afraid. From now on, just call me Sister Peach Blossom. If anyone bullies you, just give them my name!"

She reached out and patted Yun Miao's snowy-white calf, signaling her not to worry about her. Peach Blossom leaned against Liu Xuan and said, "Once the child is born, I still have to return to Biyou Pool. True Lord Guanxin only granted me half a month. If I don't return on time, it will be hard to explain to Daoist Lord Lihuo."

"It's been hard on you!" Liu Xuan held Peach Blossom's jade-like hand and patted it, asking, "Is there any problem with the Fangcun Tower's grand array?"

"No problem!" Peach Blossom said with a smile. "I left a branch there and also asked True Lord Haoran to help keep an eye on things. Nothing will go wrong in half a month."

"If something really does go wrong, I'll have a perfect excuse not to go back."

The frontline war was gradually coming to a halt, and the Yao Race armies near Biyou Pool had all retreated. If it weren't for Daoist Lord Lihuo's decree, no one would care whether Peach Blossom was there or not.

"You two chat slowly; I'm leaving first!"

After all, it was Yun Miao's first time, and she couldn't temporarily accept others being present, so she hurriedly planned to leave.

Running to the Star Palace boundary, she found she couldn't open the boundary barrier at all, so she turned back and glared at Liu Xuan.

Liu Xuan snapped his fingers, and a gateway opened in the Star Palace boundary before her. Yun Miao's light flickered as she vanished.

"Husband, aren't you going to ask her to stay? If you make her angry, let's see how you'll coax her later!" Peach Blossom teased.

"Coax her for what? If she's angry, I'll just teach her a lesson!" Liu Xuan lifted Peach Blossom's chin. "The same goes for you. If you're disobedient, see how I'll deal with you."

"Oh my~"

"I'm so scared! I wonder how Husband wants to deal with me?" Peach Blossom wasn't scared at all; instead, she proactively leaned toward Liu Xuan.

...

After the couple shared some tenderness, Peach Blossom stopped joking and said with a slight look of seriousness, "Once our child is born, I will definitely be able to fully touch the Soul Transformation Bottleneck. The certainty of a successful Breakthrough is at least seventy percent!"

Speaking of this, Peach Blossom's eyes were full of excitement as she looked at Liu Xuan. Seventy percent was a conservative estimate; in fact, she could already clearly perceive the Soul Transformation Bottleneck. If conditions were right, even if she broke through now, the success rate would be about fifty percent.

If the child could provide feedback to enhance her Bloodline grade after birth, she would almost certainly become a Hua Shen Demon Saint.

The once unreachable dream was now within reach, and all of this was given to her by Liu Xuan.

"What a pity! I don't have a Rank Five Spiritual Vein for my Breakthrough, nor do I have a Protector. If I break through rashly, most of the risks will come from others."

Peach Blossom showed a trace of worry. Although she and Liu Xuan were considered part of the Beast Taming Sect, they had joined halfway, and there was mutual distrust between the two sides.

The Southern Border was currently in a state of war. Although the frontline fighting seemed to have stopped, the nerves of the high-level figures remained tense. Any slight disturbance could attract the attention of a Dao Lord or a Yao Saint.

The greatest difficulty for Peach Blossom to successfully break through to become a Hua Shen Demon Saint was not herself, but rather not being interfered with by others.

Whether it was Daoist Lord Lihuo, Demon Saint Xuanyu, or Old Daoist Qingxuan, none of them wanted another Hua Shen Demon Saint in the Southern Border.

Moreover, high-level Cultivators and Yao Beasts were themselves top-tier resources. Striking during the weak period right after someone's Breakthrough—even seizing a Rank Five Yao corpse—would be a huge profit.

This was the disadvantage of not having a great power to rely on. To succeed in a Breakthrough, one could only do it secretly and rely on luck.

"Don't worry!" Liu Xuan comforted her. "I will arrange everything for you. When the time comes, you can just focus on your Breakthrough."

Peach Blossom's eyes lit up, and she looked at Liu Xuan expectantly. "Can Husband ask your family elders to take action?"

"Something like that!" Liu Xuan thought for a moment and said, "Although my family elders cannot act directly, they have given me several treasures."

"You know about the Black Death Marsh, right? There is a Ghost King Lianyue there. Perhaps I can use a treasure to invite her to be your Protector."

"Will that work?" Peach Blossom felt it was very unreliable and questioned, "What if she steals our treasure? We can't beat her."

"Besides, I heard that Ghost King Lianyue is already at the Peak Middle Stage of Soul Transformation. What kind of treasure could possibly interest her?"

Liu Xuan spread one hand, and wisps of lightning flickered. "The nine heavens thunder source bead, a Rank Five top-tier Spirit Treasure..."

After briefly explaining the divine effects of the nine heavens thunder source bead to Peach Blossom, Liu Xuan said, "The main reason ghost Cultivators cannot achieve the Dao is that they cannot resist the Heavenly Tribulation during Ascension. If she fully masters the nine heavens thunder source bead, she can control the Lightning Tribulation on its behalf. She absolutely won't be able to refuse."

"Furthermore, the nine heavens thunder source bead cannot be refined by a ghost Cultivator. Even if she steals it, she won't be able to use it; she can only rely on me to help her."

"Also, I've discovered that my Yang Qi is a great tonic for ghost Cultivators; it has a fatal attraction for them."

"If all else fails, I'll just sacrifice myself and let that Ghost King Lianyue take a sip."