Yan Cha’s heart skipped a beat at his words, leaving her at a loss. She shifted her gaze, somewhat flustered as she pulled his hand away, wanting to say something to ease the situation.

But just as she opened her mouth, the man before her drunkenly rested his head on her shoulder, his tall frame bent and swaying unsteadily.

He was truly drunk.

Swallowing her words, Yan Cha felt relieved. The nectar served at today’s banquet was enough to intoxicate immortals. Even immortals would become drunk after drinking it, and words spoken while drunk could hardly be taken seriously.

Smiling and shaking her head, she helped Zhen Huan Gong back to his room to rest, then sent someone to inquire about the situation at the banquet.

***

Li Ye didn’t spare a glance at the consequences of his reckless entrance.

When he was about thirty feet from Er’er, he slowed his pace, retracting his killing intent and the smell of blood. Even the armor on his robe dissolved away. By the time he stood before her, he was full of gentle breeze, his expression serene.

“You’re back?” Er’er sat rigidly, forcing a smile at him.

…

…

Her face was somewhat pale, her eyes moist, which made Li Ye furrow his brow before bending down to ask her: “Want to go home?”

“Mm,” she responded softly.

Li Ye extended his hand, and a barrier descended with a rumble, isolating all the immortals who were trying to watch the drama unfold.

He sighed, no longer caring about the elaborate robe she wore, and simply picked her up, carrying her back to the Heavenly Gate.

The person in his arms clutched his sleeve, seemingly having calmed down, and said rather embarrassedly: “Leaving just like this, they’ll laugh at me now—the dignified Lord of the Nine Heavens, suddenly becoming so flustered.”

Li Ye pressed his lips together and answered hoarsely: “We have to leave.”

Otherwise, the crowd would not only discover that the Lord of the Nine Heavens was flustered, but also that he, a Supreme Lord beyond boundaries, was flustered as well.

Pregnancy might be a joyous event for mortal couples, but for immortals in the Nine Heavens, it was a gamble. An immortal child would consume the mother’s spiritual essence. If the child were sensible and took less, the mother might survive. But if they encountered some unruly demon king, the mother could lose her life.

This was one reason why naturally born immortals were rare in the Nine Heavens, and why they relied on mortal cultivators to fill the gaps.

Li Ye had no obsession with offspring; his only obsession was with the person in his arms. If she were truly harmed, he would show no mercy to whatever was in her belly.

Perhaps sensing the coldness emanating from him, the person in his arms trembled slightly, suddenly pulling at his sleeve and saying: “I’m quite looking forward to it. What will the immortal child be like when born? Will it call me mother as soon as it’s born?”

Li Ye pressed his lips together without making a sound.

Er’er pouted, reaching out to pinch his face: “Supreme Lord, don’t be so serious. I’m flustered because I’ve never been a mother before, but what are you worried about? It’s not going to eat me.”

“It better not,” he muttered vaguely as he stepped into the main hall, gently placing her on the soft couch and covering her legs with delicate blankets.

Then he sat down and placed his hand on her belly with a cold expression.

Er’er stared fixedly at his hand, afraid he might do something fierce in a fit of temper. However, after a moment, she felt a warm current spreading soothingly over her abdomen, and her tense meridians relaxed.

There was indeed a small being in her belly. Li Ye lowered his eyes, giving a light snort as his spiritual power drew a warning circle around the small being.

Newly formed immortal children tend to be temperamental. After his warning, it moved a bit defiantly.

Then it was suppressed by an even stronger spiritual power.

The immortal child: “…”

It behaved itself, curling up obediently, absorbing nutrients like a normal mortal child.

Li Ye withdrew his hand, his expression much improved: “It’s a good child.”

Er’er hadn’t sensed anything, but seeing his relaxed expression, her heart also eased. Leaning against the soft pillow, she said: “You scared me to death. It didn’t even give any warning before arriving… By the way, where did you go?”

Sitting beside her, Li Ye said: “Mount Buzhou.”

Er’er rolled her eyes: “We’ve been immortal partners for hundreds of years. You can’t fool me. No matter how clean you make your clothes, there’s still a hint of seawater on you.”

As she spoke, she leaned closer to sniff him, wrinkling her nose: “And the smell of blood.”

Li Ye was at a loss for words, raising his hand to smell his clothes in puzzlement: “Where?”

“I can smell it,” she puffed her cheeks. “Tell me honestly, did you go to the Western Sea to cause trouble?”

“No,” Li Ye answered righteously.

Er’er stared at him silently.

After a moment, Li Ye averted his gaze: “Not the Western Sea, but the Eastern Sea. I noticed there was only one koi in the Heavenly Gate pond, which seemed somewhat lonely, so I found some companions for it.”

“Oh?” Er’er narrowed her eyes. “How many companions did you find?”

“Not many,” Li Ye pressed his lips together and flicked his sleeve.

Splash—

More than twenty koi were flung from his sleeve pouch, forming a beautiful arc before all landing in the pond outside.

Er’er: “…”

Did this Supreme Lord have some misunderstanding about the meaning of “not many”?

Her chest heaving, she pressed her hand against it, trying to remain calm as she said: “The dragon clan is extremely united. If you acted against the Eastern Sea, then the dragons of the Western, Northern, and Southern Seas…”

“They’re all here,” Li Ye calmly interrupted her. “All the dragon clan members are either in the netherworld or here.”

Er’er: “…”

The great hall was dead silent for quite a while.

Li Ye glanced at Er’er’s expression, seeing she wanted to speak but didn’t know what to say. He reached out to stroke her back: “Long Xu has been quite idle lately. As the only remaining dragon clan bloodline, perhaps you should let her go down to the mortal world to take a look.”

Those Dragon Kings weren’t wrong—the dragon clan did have blood suppression over other sea species. Without dragons, the seas would be chaotic, but they didn’t need so many dragons; one was quite effective.

Er’er caught her breath, stuck between laughter and tears: “Your methods are too unreasonable.”

“It won’t cause any harm,” he said. “You focus on nurturing our child, and leave the rest to them.”

The dragon clan had been eliminated in three days. This deterrent from the Nine Heavens would keep the seas in check for a long time. As long as Long Xu could maintain control during this period, the sea domain issues could be resolved.

Such an approach was domineering, but with absolute strength, it was also the quickest and most effective method.

Er’er wiped her face, instructing people to properly feed the koi in the pond, then summoned Long Xu for a detailed discussion that lasted half a day.

Half a day later, Li Ye closed the great doors of the Heavenly Gate and sent word to the Five Great Immortal Sects that all matters would be transferred to him for the next ten months, and that the Immortal should not be disturbed.

Thus, these ten months became the most peaceful and harmonious ten months in the Nine Heavens. To avoid facing Li Ye, various major and minor issues were resolved with compromise. Even after fights and brawls, immortals from all factions would bow to each other to indicate matters were settled, requiring no further investigation.

At first, Er’er worried that chaos would ensue without her presence in the heavens, but after secretly observing for half a month, she rolled her eyes and went back to nurturing her pregnancy.

These immortals who bullied the weak and feared the strong!