Aspiring to the Immortal Path
Chapter 1120: Birth

After a long journey across the Great Stellar Chiliocosm, Tang Jie had finally returned.

All the yearning, concern, and resentment vanished the moment Tang Jie returned, replaced by joy over a long-awaited reunion.

On this day, Xu Miaoran practically became a small monkey clinging to Tang Jie, unwilling to be parted from him for even a second. She seemed closer to a child than a mighty Violet Palace True Lord. Xian Tao and Hong Yuan were somewhat better, simply keeping a close eye on that Spine Shark King, who almost wished he could simply pluck his eyeballs out.

Fortunately, the flirting finally came to an end, and Tang Jie brought her away.

Starting from this day, Tang Jie went nowhere on his own, only keeping Xu Miaoran company.

They traveled all around the Rosecloud Domain to see the sights, and life became simple yet full. While those two rascals were still in Xu Miaoran's womb, there was no hiding their situation from Tang Jie's eyes. Every day he spent with Xu Miaoran was another day he saw his two children grow, and he fully enjoyed the experience of being a father.

One day, after three years of pregnancy, the long-awaited moment came.

In a special room in Horizon Ocean Pavilion made from Soulrest Wood, Xu Miaoran began to groan in pain.

Though she was a Violet Palace cultivator, the two babies the couple had put so much care into had been blessed with incredible strength from birth. Worst of all was that they had no idea how to control this power and recklessly used it on instinct. To protect the children from themselves, Xu Miaoran had to use her own powers to resist, but also had to suppress her instinct to strike back so as to not harm her children.

This meant that there was some risk in giving birth. A mortal midwife was unable to endure the pulses of power created by the children as they emerged, so a cultivator midwife was required.

Streams of turbulent spiritual energy howled around the delivery room like miniature tornadoes, and the walls of Soulrest Wood shook and shuddered while Xu Miaoran groaned in pain.

And the mighty Tang Jie could only wait outside.

At one point, he wanted to just activate the Heavenly Dao Realm and have the two kids calm down so that they could be born smoothly, but he knew that this wouldn't be good for the children. Only a child that was born after some struggle could be considered to have a complete birth and a life without blemish. This was a principle he had comprehended through the Dao of Life, which remained even after he had become a traitor of the Daos.

Groans continued to come from the delivery room, as did pulses of spiritual energy. The process of producing a new life became a miniature war when a cultivator's strength was involved.

Finally!

"Waaaa!" The first wail rose up.

It was bursting with spiritual energy.

"It's out, it's out! It's a girl! The sister came out first!" the midwife cried in delight from the room.

Xu Miaoran's groans became somewhat softer.

The second wail soon followed.

The boy had come out.

The winds from the delivery room finally subsided.

What followed was a rinsing of spiritual energy.

There was no need for hot water or washing basins. Spiritual energy served as the cleanest liquid in the world, washing away all the filth on Xu Miaoran and the two children.

When Tang Jie stepped into the room, all of the chaos had disappeared. Two infants, swaddled in cloth made from spiritual energy, lay in Xu Miaoran's embrace.

Xu Miaoran was sitting up, no longer stricken by the pain of childbirth. Her formidable constitution made it so that she immediately recovered and seemed perfectly fine, but Tang Jie knew that the energy she had lost was not so easily restored.

Tang Jie quickly walked over and gave her a hug. "You've just given birth, so don't cast any arts. You can leave all that to me."

"A little trick like this merely requires a thought. It's no big deal." Xu Miaoran smiled. "Come and look at our children."

Tang Jie took the two bundles.

Although they had just been born, their black eyes were already open, curiously staring at Tang Jie as if asking, "Are you our daddy?"

Suddenly, the boy sneezed, a little whirlwind shooting out of his nostrils and crashing into Tang Jie, where it dissipated.

This was not wind, but a distortion of space. While it was weak, it signified endless potential.

The boy giggled.

"A mischievous little brat," Tang Jie said.

He turned to the girl, and when their eyes met, the girl started to cry, and the maids who had entered to care for the children immediately felt dizzy, some even having to back out of the room.

These maids were all cultivators, yet a girl's crying had still made them dizzy.

This was not a power that affected the Divine Soul, but Time.

The momentary distortion of Time had confused the minds of the maids.

"Congratulations, Master—your two children are both born geniuses," Xian Tao said with a smile.

As expected of Tang Jie's children, they were blessed with immense strength from birth.

Surprisingly, Tang Jie shook his head. "Children have no understanding, so being born with such immense strength is a curse, not a blessing."

He turned to Xu Miaoran, who understood his meaning and smiled. "My husband is correct. They don't need to be too strong right now. Growing up step by step is the correct way."

Husband and wife had instantly reached an accord, so Tang Jie immediately thrust his finger out, sealing off the power of the children.

This seal meant that they would temporarily lose their supernatural power, but it meant that they would have an even greater future. Most importantly, they wouldn't develop a dependence on this strength.

Xu Miaoran leaned against Tang Jie's chest and gently said, "The children are born, so it's time to give them names."

In the Great Stellar Chiliocosm, names were not given casually and were often linked to one's fortune. In this aspect, Tang Jie was more of an expert. Although Tang Jie's original body couldn't use the power of Fate, he still had his avatar. With a quick thought transmission, the avatar Tang Jie swiftly picked the ideal names for the children based on the time and location of their births.

Tang Jie said, "This sister and brother were born with special gifts. The older sister's Fate palace is located in the Violet Enclosure, and she is talented in Time. She is like the sun at dawn, so let her name be Tang Zixi (Purple Morning Sun). The younger brother is like the dragon hidden in the depths of a pool and is gifted in Space, so let his name be Xuanyu (Ascendant Universe)."

"'Tang Zixi', 'Tang Xuanyu'…" Xu Miaoran softly muttered, and then her face bloomed into a smile. "Okay; these will be the names."

Hong Yuan said, "The little master and little lady have been born! This is wonderful news that should be spread to the world so that all may offer their congratulations!"

Given Tang Jie's current status, that he now had children truly was earthshaking news. All the sects of the Rosecloud Domain would have to send people to offer their congratulations and bring gifts.

But after some thought, Tang Jie shook his head and said, "That's not necessary. Zixi and Xuanyu are both blessed individuals, but this means that we need to be even more careful with their upbringing. An infant needs a quiet environment to grow. Too much noise and activity might serve to wear away at their fortune."

Tang Jie was thinking of the long term for his two children.

It wasn't like he was wrong. For children, too much ruckus offered them no benefit. And what could they even do with a hundred divine weapons?

All it would do was wear away at their fortune.

Just how many of those who had highly celebrated births managed to last until the very end? Most of them ended up fading away, primarily because they had used up all their fortune.

Alas, not just anyone could comprehend this principle. Only those proficient in the Dao of Fate like Tang Jie could understand it. Hong Yuan argued strenuously on this point for quite a while, but she was ultimately forced to accept his decision.

On Tang Jie's insistence, Tang Zixi and Tang Xuanyu were born to little fanfare, and nobody outside of a few friends even knew that he had children.

This was the calmest period in his life. Other than cultivating, he spent his days accompanying his wife and children, watching them learn their first words and how to walk. As he experienced the maturing and growth of life, he also felt unprecedented satisfaction.

If possible, he wanted time to stop here.

But he knew that this was impossible.

One day, Tang Jie received a message.

Yun Tianlan had summoned him.

————————————

"Finally here."

Tang Jie let out a long breath as he gazed at a golden planet in the distance.

After flying for more than a year, he had finally found a world in the endless void.

This meant that he would soon be free of this silent void, but it also meant that he was about to sink into another void.

"Haha, kid, you really did it! Now, it's your turn to sleep!"

Yu Cheng's voice rang out in his mind.

That mighty figure reappeared in his Sea of Cognition and began to take back control of the body.

Tang Jie didn't resist, allowing Yu Cheng to take over and his consciousness to sink back into the Sea of Cognition.

But as he sank down, his eyes remained cold, callous, and even tinged with derision.

This made Yu Cheng extremely uncomfortable.

"What are you looking at?" he asked.

In the Sea of Cognition, a black cloud emerged, and Tang Jie's face appeared in it.

This face made from a black cloud squeezed out a smile. "I can sleep, but I will one day wake up. You won't be the master forever, Yu Cheng!"

The black cloud scattered, and Tang Jie's mind began to fall into slumber.

Yu Cheng grunted, but he didn't argue.

Tang Jie was right. After all that had happened, Yu Cheng could no longer wipe out Tang Jie.

Although his will still had the advantage, he could only seal, not purge.

Perhaps this was exactly what Tang Jie wanted.

Only when one was alive did one still have a chance.

"But I will never give you that chance. One day, I will pull you out by the roots!" Yu Cheng icily said as he flew toward that world.