“Are you sure that it’ll hatch?” Dong Li asked with a doubtful tone.

The life force she sensed from the huge black egg was so weak that it was as if it could die out at any moment.

As far as she saw it, whatever was in this huge egg was on the verge of dying. There was no way that it would ever hatch.

Nie Tian smiled. “I said it’ll hatch, so it’ll hatch.”

At this moment, Zong Zheng from the Ice Pavilion Sect flew over and landed in front of them.

Delight filled his eyes as he exclaimed, “Nie Tian! It’s good that you’re back safely! Soon after our return, we came back here to teleport to the Realm of Maelstrom to fight alongside you, but we couldn’t get that teleportation portal working.”

Nie Tian nodded. “I know. Senior martial sister Pei made adjustments so that we would only be able to come home, but not return to the Realm of Maelstrom again. She didn’t want us to be involved in the turmoils in the Domain of Heaven Python. Senior Zong, if the other experts also come here, please tell them to guard this teleportation portal with you. If any outsiders come through it, slay them and destroy the portal without hesitation.”

Zong Zheng pondered briefly, and realized what he meant. “Are you worried that outsiders may come through this teleportation portal and plunge the Domain of the Falling Stars into turmoil too?”

“Yes,” Nie Tian answered. “Also, if Uncle Hua comes, please tell him to wait here. I’ll be back soon to take him to the Realm of Shattered Earth. There’s an ancient plant that’s enormous beyond words in the Realm of Shattered Earth. It vested Mu Biqiong from the Bliss Mountain Sect with some of its power. And the coexisting flowers inside of her entered a period of rapid growth.

“Uncle Hua’s Heavenly Demonsbane was badly injured in the Shatter Battlefield. Even with the help of those berries that contain life power, it’ll be very difficult for it to recover completely.

“But I believe the power of that enormous plant will help the Heavenly Demonsbane recover within a short period of time.”

Zong Zheng’s expression flickered slightly as he said, “Okay, I will.”

“Alright, I need to take Dong Li into the palace first. There’s something I need to help her with.” With these words, Nie Tian took Dong Li’s hand naturally and walked towards the palace gate.

A sweet smile appeared at the corner of Dong Li’s mouth as she saw him taking her hand squarely in front of Zong Zheng.

CREEN!

The huge stone gate opened as Nie Tian circulated star power with the help of the three fragmentary star marks on his chest.

After the two of them went in, the stone gate closed again.

The pitch-black egg that was about two meters tall was then placed in the hall in front of Nie Tian and Dong Li.

However, instead of examining the huge egg, Dong Li threw her arms around Nie Tian as soon as the stone gate shut. In a soft voice, she said, “I was so worried about you when you were in the Shatter Battlefield. While you were gone, I’d think about you whenever I wasn’t practicing cultivation, fearing that something terrible would happen to you.”

Now that no one was around, Dong Li revealed her true feelings as she hugged and kissed Nie Tian.

Nie Tian also responded passionately.

As their breaths grew increasing rapid, Dong Li suddenly pushed Nie Tian away and said with flushed cheeks, “Umm, why don’t we take care of business first?”

Brow furrowed, Nie Tian took a deep look at her and said, “You kissed me and got me burning with desire, and now you’re backing off?”

With a chuckle, Dong Li said, “Be patient. We’ll have plenty of time for that later.

“As you know, I spent a long time in the Beast-controlling Sect. I learned many of their secret magics, but failed to find a spirit beast that suits my needs.

“None of the spirit beasts they found for me possessed dark power, so they didn’t match my incantations and cultivation attribute.

“I asked them to find me a spirit beast that was born with a dark power bloodline, like the black phoenix. However, ancient spirit beasts like the black phoenix are so rare that even the Beast-controlling Sect couldn’t find one.

“So, instead of taking one of the spirit beasts the Beast-controlling Sect found for me, I’d rather not have one for now.

“I can feel that this huge black egg contains dark power. If it can actually hatch, it’ll be very helpful to the Beast-controlling Sect incantations I practice, and my advances in cultivation. “

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure it hatches!” Nie Tian said with great determination.

Then, he separated three drops of Blood Essence from his heart, each of which looked like a blood diamond.

Shining with blood-colored light, they carried the profound truths of life power.

DRIP!

One of them dropped on the huge egg’s solid exterior.

Its hard shell instantly became soft and resilient.

The drop of Blood Essence then rapidly infiltrated it.

BOOM!

Faint blood-colored light suddenly burst forth from within the huge black egg, as if its originally weak life force was ignited by the drop of Blood Essence, and was now growing at an alarming rate.

The unhatched life within the huge egg greedily absorbed the Blood Essence, and used the rich life power it provided to strengthen itself.

DRIP! DRIP!

The other two drops of Blood Essence fell and went through the hard eggshell.

All of a sudden, a large amount of black light that was laced with blood-colored light exploded from within the huge black egg.

The black light rapidly engulfed Nie Tian and Dong Li, even stopping them from seeing each other. They felt as if they were in an arcane realm that was enveloped in total darkness. They could only hear each other’s heartbeats and sense each other’s auras.

Bits of starlight fell out of the grand hall’s arched ceiling.

It was star power channeled from the boundless starry river and infused into the mysterious spell formations in this marvelous palace, so that cultivators like Nie Tian who practiced star power incantations would be able to absorb it.

However, even the falling starlight failed to penetrate the dark light.

It seemed to be devoured by the endless darkness.

THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!

Heartbeats that were very weak suddenly echoed out from within the huge black egg.

Nie Tian didn’t even need to rely on his sight. Just by sensing with his bloodline power, he was certain that a life was growing inside the huge egg.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

At the same time, strange sounds echoed out. Dong Li’s expression flickered as she exclaimed, “It’s channeling dark power from me!”

“Don’t try to stop it!” Nie Tian said without hesitation.

The life within the huge egg was now developing. His Blood Essence had finished the first and most important step of reviving it.

However, in order for it to grow, it would require the nourishment of dark power, which agreed with its needs.

Since Nie Tian had expected this, after obtaining the huge black egg, he had only kept the weak life within it alive with a small amount of his flesh aura, instead of infusing it with his Blood Essence right away.

“You’d better try to infuse your blood and soul awareness into the egg, as well as your dark power,” Nie Tian said. “During this special period, you can create a bond with it using your blood and soul.

“Okay, I know what to do now,” Dong Li said in high spirits.

In complete darkness, Dong Li bit the tip of her finger and dripped her blood onto the huge egg.

Even though Dong Li’s blood didn’t contain life power, the dark power within it allowed the egg, which was in its incubation period, to instinctively feel close to her.

Even though her blood didn’t breathe life into it, she was still branded in the deepest part of its memories.

DRIP! DRIP!

Nie Tian could hear Dong Li’s blood dripping onto the huge egg.

Following her dripping blood, wisps of Dong Li’s soul awareness also flowed into the egg like streams to join the hatching process.

Nie Tian examined the egg with rapt attention, and discovered that the three drops of Blood Essence seemed to already be enough for that life to be born.

Therefore, he slowly backed away from it.

After backing several dozen meters away, he extricated himself from the darkness and came to a stop beside the teleportation portal that stood in the middle of the spacious, ancient hall.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

A large amount of sixth and seventh grade spirit beast meat flew out of his ring of holding to pile up in front of him, before he activated Life Drain and started channeling flesh power from the mountains of meat.

Every bit of the acquired flesh power was channeled into his heart. However, surprisingly, the green aura didn’t devour it right away.

It was as if the green aura understood that Nie Tian needed to reform the three drops of Blood Essence he had lost.

As rich flesh power poured into his heart, Nie Tian activated his bloodline talent. Soon, a drop of Blood Essence gradually came to form.

Aside from his affection towards Dong Li, part of the reason why he had so generously spared three drops of his Blood Essence was because he knew that the large amount of spirit beast meat Duan Shihu had traded for him would allow him to reform the lost Blood Essence within a short time.

However, he still hadn’t found a way to use his Blood Essence.

As he and Dong Li stayed inside the palace, powerful experts from across the Domain of the Falling Stars gradually gathered to this location after hearing about his return.

Even Lei Tianqi from the Lei Clan arrived, hoping to ask him a few questions on behalf of the Divine Flame Sect after he walked out.

Lei Tianqi had informed the Divine Flame Sect of Nie Tian’s return as soon as he had received the word.

As time passed bit by bit, more and more powerful experts gathered outside the palace.