The Birth of Mu Jinyin

"Here, take it back." Murong tossed a storage ring to Zhou Hao.

Zhou Hao instinctively caught the storage ring and, upon closer inspection, realized it was the one left by Du Tianhong.

He was taken aback for a moment and said, "This was meant for you in the first place, why are you giving it back?"

Murong replied softly, "I only need the Spirit-Womb Art. I don't care for anything else."

She paused here and then continued, "Oh, right, you're cultivating the Metamorphosis Incantation, aren't you?"

"Mm," Zhou Hao nodded. It was obvious, as there were only two cultivation techniques in total.

Murong nodded slightly, "The Metamorphosis Incantation is even better than the Undying Divine Art, so you should be glad you're not cultivating the Undying Divine Art!"

"Really?" Zhou Hao asked in surprise, seeking confirmation.

Murong nodded, "Whether it's Spirit Beasts or Divine Beasts, evolving and transforming is extremely difficult. The fact that the Metamorphosis Incantation can help them achieve this is already remarkable."

She held the Metamorphosis Incantation in high regard, deeming it at least a top-grade Heavenly-tier technique.

Zhou Hao rejoiced inwardly. As expected, a cultivation technique praised so highly by Du Tianhong couldn't be simple. Now, with the endorsement of a powerhouse like Murong, its extraordinary nature was even more evident.

Murong continued, "You ate that Metamorphosis Pill too, right? The ingredients were very complex, and I couldn't be bothered to study them, but I can confirm one thing: it's very beneficial for your cultivation of the Metamorphosis Incantation."

"Mm, I understand." Zhou Hao certainly wouldn't refuse something beneficial to him.

He rummaged through the storage ring and paused when he saw another sword. He then took it out and handed it to Murong.

"Take it. Since we're going to be a couple, this matching Dragon-Phoenix Sword can serve as a token of our bond."

Murong gave Zhou Hao a deep look, then smiled slightly and accepted the sword.

She chuckled lightly, "Actually, I really wish I could fall in love with you."

"Huh?" Zhou Hao was momentarily stunned by her words.

Seeing his surprised expression, Murong let out a chuckle, but she didn't elaborate further.

Zhou Hao gave an awkward laugh. He felt a bit embarrassed; that old hag seemed serious just now.

It was precisely because he sensed Murong's sincerity that he didn't know how to respond, and he felt a little awkward. Otherwise, he would have already asked why.

Murong was indeed serious. She only had a thousand years of lifespan left – no, decades had passed, and she had less than a thousand years remaining.

In her remaining years, she truly wanted to experience the taste of love, so that she wouldn't have any regrets after death.

To ease his own awkwardness, Zhou Hao changed the subject, "Oh right, do you still want that Phoenix Egg?"

As he spoke, he pointed at the Fire-Phoenix Egg in the corner.

Murong glanced at him and immediately understood what he was thinking. With a gentle raise of her hand, the Phoenix Egg flew over.

She lightly plucked at the top of the Phoenix Egg, and a wave of icy coldness swept through. The next moment, the restrictions on the Phoenix Egg were broken.

Murong threw the Phoenix Egg to Zhou Hao and said, "You can have the egg, but after it hatches, it has to take my surname."

Since Zhou Yuanbao took the surname Zhou, she naturally couldn't fall behind.

Zhou Hao readily agreed. What was a name? For this Phoenix Egg, he would even sell his body, although his body was already worthless in Murong's eyes.

"Recognize me as your master!" Murong said.

She wanted to witness the moment her "daughter" hatched. That's right, she knew the little phoenix inside the egg was female.

Zhou Hao nodded and immediately formed an incantation, forcing a drop of essence blood from his fingertip.

The essence blood slowly dripped onto the Phoenix Egg. Immediately, a "whoosh" sound was heard, and the red light on the Phoenix Egg surged. Crimson flames suddenly appeared around the egg, showing a tendency to spread outwards.

Startled, Zhou Hao quickly took two steps back.

At some point, Murong appeared behind him, emanating an icy aura that shielded him from the heatwave.

She looked at the Phoenix Egg and calmly said, "It's okay, this is normal."

Zhou Hao breathed a sigh of relief and pouted, "Yuanbao didn't make this much of a fuss when he hatched."

Murong glanced at Zhou Yuanbao, who was watching from the side, then slowly withdrew her gaze and explained, "The Phoenix of Blazing Fire has a higher compatibility with Fire Crystals, absorbing more energy. Its strength will also be slightly higher than Yuanbao's."

Zhou Hao's mouth twitched, and he said sheepishly, "Then won't it be a Gold God as soon as it hatches?"

Zhou Yuanbao was already at the peak of Profound God; the next level up was Gold God.

Murong looked at the activity of the Phoenix Egg and estimated, "It should be around Gold God third level."

"Crack~"

The sound of the eggshell cracking echoed. A bird's head emerged, accompanied by a surge of scorching heat.

Then, the little phoenix completely broke free from its shell and immediately flapped its wings, soaring high and circling the secret chamber.

Zhou Hao looked at the joyful little phoenix in the air, with its dragon-like head, qilin-like hindquarters, snake-like neck, fish-like tail, dragon patterns, tortoise-like body, and swallow-like chin, chicken-like beak. It matched the description from legends on Earth.

This made him suspect if anyone on Earth had actually seen a dragon or phoenix, or if there were cultivators on Earth.

Zhou Hao knew none of these things.

Just as he was lost in thought, the little phoenix suddenly landed on his head and called out to him, "Mother."

"Pfft~"

Murong immediately burst out laughing upon hearing this, showing no regard for Zhou Hao. However, as the Empress, she still maintained some composure and didn't laugh excessively.

Zhou Hao's mouth twitched. He suddenly realized that being called "Dad" by Zhou Yuanbao wasn't that difficult to accept.

Afterward, Zhou Hao tried persuading the little phoenix from every angle, introducing Murong to it and telling it to call Murong "Mom" and him "Dad," just like Zhou Yuanbao.

Murong was generous, immediately giving several Divine Crystals. After receiving them, the little phoenix readily started calling her "Mom."

Of course, Murong didn't neglect Zhou Yuanbao either and naturally gave him some Divine Crystals as well.

Zhou Hao watched the two little money-grubbers speechlessly, sighed, and then said to Murong, "Why don't you give it a name!"

Murong propped her chin and thought for a moment, her eyes lighting up. "How about Jin Yin! Mu Jin Yin, it matches Zhou Yuanbao."

Zhou Hao rolled his eyes dramatically. With such a name, these two little ones were destined to be obsessed with money in the future.

However, since Murong chose the name, he naturally supported it. Even if he didn't, he couldn't change anything.

Once the name was decided, Murong felt a bit excited but didn't show it due to her status.

She beckoned to Mu Jin Yin and told it its name.

Mu Jin Yin had a good impression of Murong, so it readily accepted the name.

It then received another Divine Crystal as a reward and excitedly went back to play with Zhou Yuanbao.

Murong watched them, a satisfied smile on her face.

Zhou Hao shook his head. It was clear that Murong genuinely liked children, which explained why she had always wanted to have children with him.