That night, Xu Tianran woke once more.
The Soul Tool lamps in the secret chamber lit up, their harsh white light falling across his face.
He opened his eyes, and the first person he saw was Ju Zi.
"Your Majesty." Ju Zi bent close. "You're awake."
Xu Tianran said nothing. His consciousness remained trapped in that bizarre dream, unable to pull free. It was as if he had fallen into a loop, endlessly reliving the same dream and watching that miserable life replay before his eyes.
The White Tiger Martial Soul roared as it pounced. The child seated upon the throne wore the Xu Family's imperial robes, while the ministers knelt behind him. Ju Zi stood below the steps, an expression on her face he had never seen before.
That blurred face—that man from Shrek.
And the Xu Family bloodline that had been completely severed in the dream.
Xu Tianran slowly turned his eyes toward Ju Zi, his gaze cold and complicated. "How long was I unconscious?"
"Today is the seventh day," Ju Zi answered. "You woke twice before, but each time, you quickly fell unconscious again."
"Where is Tianyao?"
"Prince Ming is still on his way back to the capital."
Xu Tianran closed his eyes, his breathing growing rapid.
Ju Zi watched his pallid face. After a moment of silence, she finally said, "Your Majesty, there is something I need to tell you."
Xu Tianran glanced at her with difficulty and said weakly, "Speak."
"Your injuries are too severe. The healing Soul Tools can only delay the inevitable. You have lost the ability to father children, but the Holy Spirit Cult possesses a forbidden secret technique. It can extract bloodline essence from your life source and, with Soul Tool cultivation technology, allow me to bear you a child."
Only