Chapter 2863: Legacy

Zu An was rendered speechless.

Why is the Deity of Reproduction insisting on choosing me when I've already turned them down in every way possible?

But there was no way to resist a universal deity’s will, especially one who was already on the verge of death.

The countless wombs squirmed and squeezed out a ray of light, which manifested into a single seed imbued with iridescent colors. It felt divine.

The seed passed into Zu An’s body without him having to ingest it. He suddenly felt a burst of inspiration, as if he had experienced the birth of a universe and countless beings sprouting to life...

But as the seed fused with him, that inspiration swiftly faded.

“Take care of the Seed of Reproduction. I have processed it to temporarily conceal its powers lest the Annihilation Progenitor notices it and goes after you.” The Deity of Reproduction’s voice grew increasingly weaker, although it was uncertain whether that was because they were on the verge of death, or because they'd lost the Seed of Reproduction.

Zu An bowed. “Thank you for your generous gift.”

His only option now was to graciously express his gratitude, especially when the other party had made meticulous preparations for him.

“You can’t tap into most of the Seed of Reproduction’s powers for the time being, but it still retains two abilities. One, universal deities can no longer read your thoughts, so you don’t have to worry about exposing yourself. Two, it enhances your reproductive ability.”

Zu An was stunned.

I get the former, but what’s the use of the latter?

He hurriedly asked, “Won’t it be more suspicious if universal deities fail to read my mind?”

“Don’t worry. The ability allows universal deities to pick up unimportant, miscellaneous information, but it obscures your truest thoughts. You won’t be discovered by the Annihilation Progenitor.”

Zu An breathed a sigh of relief. With this ability, he wouldn’t feel as stressed dealing with universal deities anymore. “Thank you!”

“It’s fine if you choose not to walk down the path of Reproduction. When the time comes, you may simply pass down the Seed of Reproduction to another suitable candidate, although...” The Deity of Reproduction paused briefly before adding, “I honestly think you’re suited for this path. You have many lovers. Using your world’s terminology, you’re a stallion. You were naturally born with outstanding reproductive conditions. The more women you have, the more offspring they can bear for you. Isn’t that the heart of Reproduction?”

Zu An was speechless.

The Deity of Reproduction laughed. Then, they hummed a song that was incomprehensible to Zu An. The lyrics whispered the secrets and laws woven into the universe during its birth.

However, the song slowly softened until there was absolute silence. The countless wombs stopped wriggling, and they began withering rapidly. A breeze blew, and everything disintegrated along with the wind.

Only then did Zu An realize that a blood-red rain had started falling. It was as if the world was grieving.

So, this is the death of a universal deity...

Zu An reined in his emotions and returned to the military camp. There, he heard Zhao Xiaodie arguing with an Annihilation soldier. The Conqueror King seemed to have ordered everyone to root out the remnants of the Reproduction army. If the Annihilation soldiers discovered that Zu An wasn't in the camp, it would surely draw suspicion.

So, Zhao Xiaodie was using her identity as the Conqueror King’s daughter to stall them. But it looked like she was at her limit, as the Conqueror King had arrived in person.

“Where is he?” the Conqueror King asked.

Zhao Xiaodie shuddered under the Conqueror King’s glance.

Why does his gaze feel so terrifying today?

“He... I don’t know where he went.”

Her face paled right away. She had no idea why she'd subconsciously uttered the truth as if she had been compelled to do so.

“Oh?” The Conqueror King’s gaze turned sharp.

All of a sudden, he looked outward and saw Zu An carrying an unkempt Tang Tian’er over from the distance. He asked with a frown, “Where did you go?”

Zu An sheepishly replied, “I got

excited

and went to the forest over there...”

The soldiers gave understanding nods.

Zhao Xiaodie’s eyes reddened. Despite already knowing about their relationship, she still felt a twinge of envy hearing about it.

The Conqueror King stared at him for a long time before coldly remarking, “You’re married to Xiaodie now. Watch your attitude.”

“Yes,” Zu An hurriedly replied with an apologetic bow.

I wonder if the Annihilation Progenitor is still in his body.

As soon as that thought surfaced in his mind, he momentarily panicked as he remembered that universal deities could read minds, but he soon calmed down when he realized that the Seed of Reproduction protected him from the universal deities’ mind-reading ability.

The Conqueror King didn’t notice the drama happening in his mind. “Li Zicheng is dead, but some remnant Reproduction power has escaped. Search the area. Find the power, even if it means digging three feet underground!”

“Yes!” Zu An figured that the Seed of Reproduction must be very important to the Annihilation Progenitor, and that made him even more determined to not let the other party find it.

After the Conqueror King left, Zhao Xiaodie and Zu An went behind closed doors.

“That scared me! How did the two of you end up together?”

Tang Tian’er replied with a reddened face, “I went to look for big brother Zu while you were stalling them here. I bumped into him outside. He knew he needed a reasonable excuse for leaving the camp, so he carried me back like that.”

Zhao Xiaodie looked at the two of them with envy. “Did the two of you really do it?”

Zu An replied, “...What are you thinking? Of course not!”

Only then did Zhao Xiaodie feel slightly better.

Hmph! That woman might have a sweet smile, but I got into the household first.

Tang Tian’er couldn’t be bothered to entertain Zhao Xiaodie, so she asked, “What happened to the Conqueror King? His aura feels much more frightening than before.”

“Stay away from him from now onward. Xiaodie, you should stay with me instead of at the Conqueror King’s manor as well.” Zu An didn’t tell the two ladies about the Annihilation Progenitor. That matter concerned a universal deity’s secret; it could bring unknown danger upon them.

“All right.” Zhao Xiaodie’s eyes lit up. She would stick to Zu An all day long if she had a choice.

For the next few days, the Annihilation army searched the area and found many Reproduction remnants, but none of them held what the Conqueror King wanted.

Months passed, but there was no progress. The Annihilation Progenitor could only give up for the time being, but they weren’t too bothered. They had already sealed this world, so there was nowhere for Reproduction’s power to escape. Once they assimilated this world, that power would still be theirs.

The Annihilation faction had the absolute upper hand in this world. The Reproduction faction had been destroyed, and the Order faction was barely holding on in Southern Ming. It wouldn’t take long before Annihilation completely vanquished Southern Ming.

Taiwan’s Zheng clan could hold on for a little longer, but it wouldn’t be able to resist the tides.

Once the Annihilation faction conquered the world, the Annihilation Progenitor would be able to assimilate this world.

For now, though, the Annihilation Progenitor had more important things to attend to, such as bringing death to the Deity of Reproduction and the Deity of Order, who had lost a huge chunk of their powers.

The Annihilation Progenitor’s departure brought great relief to Zu An. Perhaps he'd still be able to deal with the Conqueror King, but no plan could possibly work against a universal deity.