Chapter 256: Night Abyss and Anan 1

Chapter 256: Chapter 256: Night Abyss and Anan 1

"So small, so soft!"

Lan Cangming held the newborn Mermaid Baby, cradling her as if she were fragile, colored glass.

"They’re all like this when they’re born. Your intuition was spot on—it really is a little female cub!"

Su An’an leaned against a soft cushion, gazing tenderly at the little baby.

The palm-sized little mermaid was curled up in her father’s hand.

Her icy blue, curly hair floated like seaweed, and her chubby pink fish tail unconsciously slapped against the water.

"My dear little princess!"

Lan Cangming’s fingertip gently touched the baby’s cheek.

The little one gurgled, blowing a bubble, and with a flick of her pink tail, precisely slapped her father on the bridge of his nose.

Su An’an let out a pfft of laughter. "Looks like we have a lively one."

"Lively is good!"

The cold and proud Mermaid King broke into a doting father’s silly smile, fully entering baby-spoiling mode.

The coral baby bed was woven from the threads of fluorescent jellyfish, with a singing seashell wind chime hanging from the top.

He personally fed the baby formula every day, and even his own fish tail became her plaything.

Lei Ya secretly used his tentacles as a swing for the baby.

The Old Clam Spirit contributed a Big White Pearl for her to play with.

Pictures of the Mermaid Baby were snatched up like crazy; the entire sea region agreed she was the cutest kid around.

The young male cubs of the Sea Clan were all instructed by their parents to strive to become the little princess’s guards.

"Lan Cangming, I’m afraid your daughter is going to run rampant through the deep sea in the future."

Su An’an sat on a pearl-adorned soft couch, watching with a sense of helplessness as Lan Cangming personally wove a pearl hair chain for the Mermaid Baby.

’Is spoiling her this much really okay?’

"Of course."

Lan Cangming didn’t even look up. Though his fingers were a bit clumsy, he wove with great concentration.

"My King, this is bad!"

Lei Ya’s eight tentacles spun like pinwheels as he came rushing in, sputtering, "Executor Night Abyss has made a sudden visit! He says he has urgent business with the Queen."

Lan Cangming’s fingers paused, and his brow furrowed. "It’s not the appointed time. Why is he here?"

"Night Abyss wouldn’t come all this way for no reason."

Su An’an sat up straight. "Let him in."

Night Abyss walked in from outside.

It had been some time since they’d last seen him. The black dragon horns on his head were much duller than before, and his dark red vertical pupils held a rare solemnity.

"Something has happened."

Night Abyss spread a rolled-up parchment Astrology Map on the stone table. On it, three heart-shaped, blood-red stars were aligned in a straight line.

"The royal Astrologer Master just calculated the results. Hong Chengtian’s three hearts have finished fusing."

Su An’an’s heart skipped a beat. She hurriedly picked up the Astrology Map to examine it.

"How could it be so fast? According to the previous calculations, there should have been over half a year left."

"We destroyed two of his hearts in succession. He felt threatened and accelerated the fusion process."

Night Abyss’s voice was heavy and cold. His fingertip tapped on a chaotic area below the Star Map.

"The Astrology Map shows that in two months, world-ending phenomena will appear between heaven and earth—the seas will surge inland, and volcanoes will erupt."

"Recently, reports of entire clans disappearing from various places have started to come in."

Night Abyss’s vertical pupils swept over Su An’an and Lan Cangming. "We must gather the bloodlines of the Five Divine Beasts as soon as possible. Right now, the only one we’re missing is the Dragon Clan baby that you and I must conceive."

Su An’an’s expression instantly grew serious, her hand gently rubbing her lower abdomen.

"Two months... if the pregnancy doesn’t go smoothly, there won’t be enough time."

She turned to Lan Cangming, her eyes filled with anxiety. "The Old Clam Spirit said the Dragon Clan’s gestation period is long. Is there any way to speed it up?"

"Perhaps we can ask the Old Clam Spirit to think of something. Her Thousand-year-old Pearl contains Life Spiritual Power. It might be able to regulate the gestation period."

Lan Cangming handed the Mermaid Baby to a handmaiden and said in a deep voice, "I’ll take you to her right now."

When the three of them rushed to the Deep Sea Sand Bed, they could see the Old Clam Spirit’s giant clamshell open from a distance.

She was sitting amidst a pile of pearls with her eyes closed, recuperating. Hearing the commotion, she slowly opened her eyes.

"You’ve come at just the right time."

The Old Clam Spirit’s voice was tinged with exhaustion, yet it was exceptionally clear. "I divined the world-ending omen last night and have been waiting for you here since early this morning."

Night Abyss was clearly surprised. His dragon tail tightened slightly on the sand bed. "You’re a Divination Master, too?"

"A thousand-year-old clamshell can sense the fate of heaven and earth. Even the deep sea could feel the Energy fluctuations caused by Hong Chengtian fusing his hearts."

The Old Clam Spirit took out a lustrous black pearl.

"This is a Dragon Essence Pearl. It contains the ancient Spiritual Power of the Dragon Clan and can accelerate the formation of the embryo."

"But gestating a Dragon Clan bloodline is no small matter. The process is extremely painful for the female, a thousand times worse than morning sickness."

"No!"

Lan Cangming’s pupils constricted. His tail fin slapped against the water’s surface, creating a rapid spray.

"Is there any other way? I’m willing to bear all the pain for her."

Night Abyss also frowned tightly. "I can use my essence blood to share the burden. I absolutely will not let Anan suffer this kind of pain."

Su An’an gently pressed down on both their arms, her gaze firm as she looked at the Old Clam Spirit.

"I’ll be fine. As long as we can conceive the Dragon Baby quickly and stop the apocalypse, I can endure this bit of pain."

"But I can’t endure it."

Night Abyss suddenly spoke, his voice filled with unquestionable resolve. "If hope must be bought with your pain, then I give up on this method."

Watching the three of them argue, the Old Clam Spirit slowly said, "There is, in fact, a method of pain transference. It can distribute most of the pain to the Beast Husbands with whom you have a marriage contract."

"But it requires the simultaneous consent of all five Beast Husbands to activate the Array."

"We agree!"

Lan Cangming and Night Abyss replied in unison, not a trace of hesitation in their eyes.

Lan Cangming immediately used his Seashell Light Computer to contact Swan Seville, Red Fox Fei Zhao, and White Tiger Ying Jiuyao.

Soon, three figures appeared on the Light Screen.

Seville was holding a baby in each arm; the older swan brother was staring blankly, while the younger sister with butterfly wings playfully tugged her father’s hair.

A Fox Baby sat on Fei Zhao’s shoulder, sucking its thumb with a look of pure innocence.

Ying Jiuyao held the paw of a mischievous White Tiger Cub, whose little paws were flailing about like pinwheels.

"Female Mother!"

"Female Mother!"

The moment the cubs saw Su An’an, they immediately rushed to the Light Screen, shouting.

"Settle down."

The three Beast Husbands looked at Su An’an excitedly while simultaneously trying to soothe the children in their arms.

After hearing the Old Clam Spirit’s proposal, they didn’t hesitate in the slightest.

"As long as it helps Anan, I’d go through hell and high water for her, let alone just sharing some pain."

Fei Zhao’s nine fox tails waved anxiously.

Ying Jiuyao added in a gruff voice, "My White Tiger bloodline is the most resilient. Give me a larger share."

Seville nodded decisively.

"Tell us what the Array requires. We can start at any time."

The Old Clam Spirit nodded in satisfaction and took out five bone shards engraved with beast markings from her shell.

"You just need to drip your essence blood onto the Divine Pattern that binds you to Anan."

"After the Array is activated, most of the pain will be shared equally."

"However, as the source of the Dragon Clan bloodline, Night Abyss must bear thirty percent of the pain. This is a rule of the Dragon Clan bloodline."

"No problem."

Without hesitation, Night Abyss bit his fingertip and smeared his essence blood on the black Divine Pattern below his collarbone. "I’m best at taking damage. What’s a little pain like this?"