A mass of white mist began to coalesce around the belly of the Golden Three-Eyed Beast, spreading rapidly until it enveloped the majority of its body. (/baojian/Treasure Mirror)

Zhang Yang frowned. Although the little Three-Eyed Beast inside the Golden Three-Eyed Beast had finally calmed down from its violent movements after his soothing touch, and the mother beast’s agony had lessened considerably, the infant seemed reluctant to emerge, clearly clinging to the warmth of the maternal womb.

At this critical juncture, it could no longer afford to wait. The Golden Three-Eyed Beast’s entire system was struggling to adapt to the birthing process, undergoing transformations so complex that even the finest gynecologist might struggle to articulate them.

The one assisting the Golden Three-Eyed Beast in labor here was, after all, a descendant of the Medical Saint Zhang family. Despite having no experience delivering spirit beasts, Zhang Yang had thoroughly mapped out the beast’s anatomy and knew precisely where to place his needles.

The Golden Three-Eyed Beast was already initiating the process of severing the energy supply to the fetus within. If the small Three-Eyed Beast did not exit now, it would be cut off from nourishment and unable to breathe, destined to perish inside its mother.

Human childbirth is typically divided into three stages: dilation, expulsion, and placental delivery. However, this Golden Three-Eyed Beast was experiencing only two stages: expulsion and placental delivery.

This was the crux of its low fertility problem. Although its body was fully adapting to labor, the crucial first stage—cervical dilation—was absent, which should have facilitated the smooth passage of the infant.

The Golden Three-Eyed Beast was already one of the most powerful spirit beasts in existence; its physical structure had been honed to an extreme, so robust one could say it was harder than steel.

But what strength could a small Three-Eyed Beast, still nestled within the womb, muster to breach such an impregnable, wall-like defense and successfully enter the world alive?

This, of course, was a built-in survival mechanism for these powerful spirit beasts. Weaker fetuses, lacking the requisite strength, would fail to emerge, ensuring that only sufficiently powerful offspring would have a chance at life. This preserved the possibility of the Three-Eyed Beast lineage continuing to thrive.

It was not just the Three-Eyed Beasts; the more potent the spirit beast, the lower its reproductive rate—the principle was largely the same across the board.

The reason the Golden Three-Eyed Beast guarded the Ten Thousand Year Peach Tree was precisely to absorb the potent spiritual energy of the Peach to strengthen its developing offspring. During gestation, the mother beast prioritized channeling most of its energy to the fetus; thus, the immense spiritual energy from the Peach would be absorbed by the small Three-Eyed Beast, guaranteeing its successful birth.

“Wuying, Shandian, Zhuifeng, guard me!”

Zhang Yang roared. This was the absolute critical moment of labor, and the three little ones would only be a hindrance remaining close by.

“Chirp chirp chirp!”

“Squeak squeak squeak!”

Wuying and Shandian immediately leaped to the periphery, and Zhuifeng gave a long neigh before moving away from the immediate vicinity of the Golden Three-Eyed Beast. The three creatures formed a triangle around Zhang Yang and the mother beast, standing guard.

“Rumble!”

The sky above instantly darkened with dense clouds, accompanied by lightning and thunder.

However, the scale of this cloud cover was dwarfed by the tribulation clouds Zhang Yang had faced earlier; it possessed none of the previous destructive power.

Yet, these clouds still struck terror into the hearts of most inhabitants of the Long Family Plains, including those major sects and noble families remaining in Kunlun. The previous tribulation had shaken them to their core; experiencing one such event was enough for a lifetime; another would be unbearable.

“It’s not a tribulation cloud. It seems the Golden Three-Eyed Beast is about to give birth!”

The old man spoke suddenly from his courtyard. Master Shiming, standing beside him, smiled and nodded in agreement, “Indeed. With the aid of the Immortal Elixir and Senior Zhang’s assistance, this mother and child are certain to have a safe delivery.”

Neither of them harbored any worry for the Long Family Plains shrouded beneath those clouds.

As for the Long Family disciples who were still rebuilding the palace, along with Qiao Yihong and Qu Meilan, they quickly regained their composure. The power of this cloud was too weak; having witnessed the Nine-Layered Heavenly Tribulation, it failed to provoke any strong reaction.

“That little fellow is truly reckless. Be satisfied if you manage to ensure the Three-Eyed Beast delivers safely. With the Peach Immortal Elixir, it’s already a miracle if the mother survives. Must you really hope for both mother and child to be safe?”

In a remote mountain depth of Kunlun, an old man, previously resting with his eyes closed atop the spread branches of a large tree, opened one eye. He glanced at the disturbance over the Long Family Plains, muttered a phrase, and closed his eye once more.

Long Family Plains.

The secluded spot where the Golden Three-Eyed Beast lay, the sky above remained restless with flashing lightning.

The three great spirit beasts watched Zhang Yang intently. The white mist now completely shrouded both him and the Golden Three-Eyed Beast, leaving them visible only as vague silhouettes.

Zhang Yang had only just survived his Nine-Layered Tribulation, and his internal strength had not recovered much, causing the three companions deep concern.

Suddenly, a pure fragrance soared into the sky, seemingly dispersing the thunderous clouds above, causing their intensity to wane.

Anyone inhaling this scent would feel refreshed and delighted; even a single breath left the three spirit beasts with expressions of profound contentment. Wuying’s reaction was the most extreme; if it hadn't exerted immense self-control, its body would have betrayed it and rushed forward.

The Peach Immortal Elixir!

The jade-green ceramic bottle in Zhang Yang’s hand was now open, and a single Peach Immortal Elixir floated out, flying directly into the mouth of the Golden Three-Eyed Beast.

The silver needles embedded in the mother beast’s body buzzed almost simultaneously. Zhang Yang’s hands did not stop moving, lightly but continuously patting the Golden Three-Eyed Beast’s body, channeling his own spiritual energy into her system to aid the elixir’s digestion.

“Roar!!!”

The third eye on the forehead of the Golden Three-Eyed Beast snapped wide open, the pupil nearly bulging from the socket. In an instant, it shifted from pitch black to crimson red. With a roar, a vastly more powerful wave of Heaven and Earth energy coalesced around its body, forming a sharp sword aimed at Zhang Yang.

Regrettably, this beam of light lost its force upon entering the white mist, becoming soft and powerless. By the time it reached Zhang Yang’s back, it had faded to a mere breath of wind that failed to stir even the corner of his robe.

Time ticked by, and the white mist enveloping Zhang Yang and the Golden Three-Eyed Beast grew thicker, eventually solidifying into a pure white eggshell, completely obscuring the truth from the three guardian beasts outside.

Crack!

A hairline fissure split the eggshell, which was solidified by the energy of Heaven and Earth, and Zhang Yang slipped out, darting away from it.

Everything he could do was complete; the rest depended on the fate of the Golden Three-Eyed Beast and the infant within.

“Chirp chirp chirp!”

“Squeak squeak squeak!”

Wuying and Shandian immediately jumped onto Zhang Yang’s shoulders, chirping. Zhuifeng also approached, gazing at Zhang Yang. Knowing Zhang Yang was most informed about the Golden Three-Eyed Beast’s condition, they were asking for an update.

Zhang Yang frowned slightly, showing neither joy nor disappointment. He spoke softly, “With the Peach Immortal Elixir, the little Three-Eyed Beast is guaranteed to be born successfully, and the Golden Three-Eyed Beast will survive. But I truly hoped for the safety of both mother and child—a healthy, thriving newborn, and the mother emerging without any adverse effects.”

He looked toward the small crack in the white shell and fell silent for a moment. If the Golden Three-Eyed Beast emerged unharmed, having delivered the infant safely, her strength would not be diminished at all; she might even have achieved a breakthrough influenced by the Peach Immortal Elixir!

A long silence passed.

Crack, crack, crack…

The fissures in the eggshell, solidified by the energy of Heaven and Earth, widened. A surge of energy nearly burst through the shell, shooting straight into the heavens!

Boom!!

The ground of Kunlun trembled again, though subtly.

A look of sudden joy flooded Zhang Yang’s face, and he exclaimed, “A breakthrough! Grand Completion!”

The three spirit beasts instantly turned toward the white eggshell, equally electrified.

In the distant courtyard where Old Man Zhang Pinglu and Master Shiming were situated, both elders froze simultaneously.

“Th-this, how is this possible?”

“A miracle. This must be a miracle!”

…

In a certain place in Kunlun, the old man, who had been sleeping, suddenly tumbled from the tree, landing smoothly on his feet. He opened his eyes, looking slightly dazed.

“Little fellow, how many more shocks are you going to give me?”

At Yinlong Mountain, Changbai Mountain, and an island in the South Sea, different reactions occurred, but each subsided into calm almost instantly, unnoticed by anyone else.

In the Wild Man Mountain range, two parrots displayed expressions that humans only knew: weeping tears of joy. In fact, they had looked this way for days.

Someone in Huaxia had broken through the Fifth Layer, and that person’s aura was so profoundly familiar. The two parrots now understood that the time for them to leave the Wild Man Mountains was drawing near.

“Another spirit beast has advanced to Grand Completion.”

“Hahahaha! We can leave the Wild Man Mountains soon!”

…

…

Zhang Yang and the three spirit beasts watched quietly. The surge of energy resembled the first wave that had erupted toward the sky from Kunlun Mountain. This was the signature disturbance of a spirit beast achieving Grand Completion.

Following the gray-white Three-Eyed Beast’s advancement, this pregnant Golden Three-Eyed Beast had also successfully reached Grand Completion.

The white eggshell continued to shatter, the broken energy dissolving immediately, revealing the golden figure inside.

Sensing the life force within, the joy on Zhang Yang’s face shifted to astonishment once more.

“Why are there three life signs?”

Wuying, Shandian, and Zhuifeng froze in place.

As the energy dissipated, the Golden Three-Eyed Beast lay on the ground. Beneath her, two small beasts huddled together, shivering close to her abdomen.

Looking down at the two tiny creatures with overflowing affection, the Golden Three-Eyed Beast stretched out its tongue and gently licked them, cleansing them after their advent.

“Roar!!!”

Then, the Golden Three-Eyed Beast suddenly lifted its head and let out a long cry toward the sky.

The roar sounded like excitement, like elation, and perhaps most of all, like remembrance. It was using this method to pay tribute to the mate who had tragically died protecting the mother and child.

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