"A thousand years?! Does it really take that long? I cannot even fathom living that long!" Yuan exclaimed after learning how long it'll take for Lan Yingying to give birth to their child.
"Yes, it takes a really long time for Divine Beasts such as myself to convert the 'seed' that you gave me into a child." Lan Yingying said.
And she continued, "It also differs for each species. Some Divine Beasts may need a few hundred years while some may even need a few thousand years."
"If I recall correctly, Dragons and Phoenixes require the most time for their child— about ten thousand years."
"T-Ten thousand years!?" Yuan was completely speechless.
Sometime later, Lan Yingying returned to her human form.
"Once again, thank you for impregnating me." Lan Yingying lowered her head and bowed to him afterward.
The two of them proceeded to spend some more time in the river before getting out and returning to the cabin.
"How was the waterfall? I hope you had fun." Grandpa Lan welcomed them back with a massive grin on his face.
"Yes! It was really fun! It also felt really good! Thank you for recommending that place!" Yuan said to him.
"It felt good, huh?" The smile on Grandpa Lan's face widened even more.
"Grandfather, Yuan has agreed to impregnate me, and I have already absorbed his blood." Lan Yingying said to him.
"What?" Grandpa Lan turned to look at her with wide eyes filled with shock, as he didn't expect things to go so smoothly!
"Hahaha! This is great news! Welcome to the family, young man!" Grandma Lan laughed out loud after hearing this news.
And she continued, "We're going to have a feast tonight!"
However, Grandpa Lan continued to stand there with a dazed face. Even though he was the one who encouraged it the most, he truly didn't think it would be successful.
"Since this is the case, you should definitely head to the Mystic Pagoda and try to leave this place with him." Grandpa Lan said to them a moment later.
"Huh? You want to leave the Mystic Realm?" Yuan turned to look at Lan Yingying with slightly wide eyes since this is his first time hearing about it.
"Yes. After we deal with the demons, I plan to take you to the Mystic Pagoda to see if you can open it." Lan Yingying nodded.
"Does this mean you know how I can become the master of the Mystic Realm?"
Lan Yingying shook her head.
"I see… Then I will also try my best to find a way to help you leave." Yuan said.
Sometime later, they sat around the table while Grandma Lan prepared for the feast.
"I just realized this, but you took off your mask. You're a pretty handsome fellow, and this is coming from a magical beast with different standards. Why do you feel the need to hide your appearance?" Grandpa Lan asked him.
"Ah, I'm not really hiding because of my appearance. I'm mostly hiding since there are a lot of people who want to know my identity." Yuan said.
"Understandable. You're a very talented young man. There are bound to be countless people who are interested in you." Grandpa Lan nodded.
A moment later, Lan Yingying spoke, "By the way, Yuan, I have been wondering, do you have a special bloodline or something? Your blood… It's not normal."
"What do you mean?" Grandpa Lan was the first to speak, asking for more context.
"When I tasted his blood, it gave my body an unusual sensation; it was unlike anything I have experienced before, and even my cultivation base increased a little." Lan Yingying described her experience with Yuan's blood.
"What? Is that true?" Grandpa Lan then turned to look at Yuan with his curiosity peaked.
"Young man… If you don't mind, can I have a drop of your blood? I want to confirm my suspicions." He then asked.
Yuan nodded, "I don't mind."
He then poked a small hole in his finger and retrieved a drop of his blood before handing it to Grandpa Lan with Qi Manifestation.
After dropping the blood onto his tongue, Grandpa Lan closed his eyes and silently analyzed the blood.
A moment later, he opened his eyes with disbelief written all over his face.
"My lord… You really have a bloodline that's at the very least Divine-grade… This is also my first time tasting something this exquisite." Grandpa Lan mumbled in a dazed voice.
"Yingying, quickly, give the young man some of your blood!" Grandpa Lan said.
And he continued, "As Divine Beasts, our blood has the property to awaken human bloodlines!"
However, Yuan shook his head and said, "I have already tried that— with Phoenix blood."
"Eh? You tried to awaken lock your bloodline with Phoenix blood… and it didn't work?" Grandpa Lan looked at him with wide eyes.
Yuan nodded.
"Hmm…"
After a moment of silence, Grandpa Lan continued, "Although Phoenixes are at the top of the Divine Beasts' ranking, their blood isn't as powerful when it comes to awakening human bloodlines."
"That's where we— Divine Serpents— come in. Our blood can awaken most bloodlines in existence unless you have a God-like bloodline."
"God-like bloodlines?" Yuan raised his eyebrows.
"Only the most powerful families in the upper heavens would have a God bloodline."
"I see… Then let's try it." Yuan nodded.
Sometime later, Lan Yingying poured her own blood into a large cup until it was completely full before handing it to Yuan.
"T-This much?" Yuan was startled by the amount of blood that was in front of him at this moment.
"You probably only had a drop of Phoenix blood, right? A human can only handle so much Divine Beast blood no matter how powerful you are. If you consume too much, it'll harm you instead. However, our bloodline is a bit unique in that aspect, as you can consume a large quantity without worrying about any harmful effects, and it'll even increase its effectiveness."
"I understand." Yuan nodded with a resolute look on his face.
He then took a deep breath before grabbing the cup of blood and chugging it down like a warrior.
After chugging the blood, Yuan could immediately feel his body heating up, similar to when he consumed Feng Yuxiang's Phoenix blood!