Against Heaven's Will

The sun had risen considerably when Xuefeng took his wives for a refreshing shower under the waterfall. The shedding exposed a beautiful layer of scales that made them shine with an almost ethereal glow. Katherine and Xinyu couldn't get enough of caressing his body, which forced him to return to his human form, the only way to lessen their obsession.

"Let's head back to the camp," Xuefeng suggested, drying himself with a snap of his fingers. "The Earth Flame should have already consumed enough Fate Qi to return to its peak."

"You guys can go ahead first," Katherine replied, feeling a sudden urge to stretch her wings. "I'm yet to get comfortable with my new full Dragon form, so I will go stretch first. Do you want some fresh meat for breakfast? I can get you something tasty on my way back."

It was clear Katherine wanted to test her new battle capabilities now that she had a pure bloodline, and Xuefeng didn't hold her back. "I'm fine for now. Take your time and enjoy. We shouldn't be going anywhere for the next few days anyway."

Katherine only nodded and kissed him goodbye before launching herself into the sky, her body bursting with Golden Thunder. She grew rapidly and transformed into a majestic golden Dragon, her sparkling scales catching the sun in a dazzling display. With a powerful beat of her wings, she shot into the horizon, her body soon becoming a tiny dot against the vast sky.

Xuefeng watched her ascend with a fond smile, mesmerized by Katherine's beauty in her dragon form. The moment she was out of sight, he turned to Xinyu and pulled her closer, his lips meeting hers. "Let's go back."

Xinyu's arms wrapped around his neck without a word, and they flew out through the opening in the canopy. They flared with flames before their naked bodies were exposed to the world, leaving the flaming fireball with a fresh set of clothes. Xuefeng opted for a comfortable black leather jacket and matching pants, not really concerned about his defense anymore.

"I need to ask Emi to bring me some outfits from Beyond the Heaven. All my clothes offer less protection than my own scales," Xuefeng commented, his hand gliding across Xinyu's scales. Compared to him, she kept her half-dragon form and only wore a tight black qipao dress that left her shoulders and back exposed.

"Or you can just wear your scales. I don't think anyone will mind," Xinyu suggested with a wink, but Xuefeng didn't fall for her trap. "I know that, but judging by how I'm reacting to you right now, I wouldn't be able to breathe once all of you have a pure Dragon Bloodline."

Xinyu only chuckled at her husband's misfortune, feeling no pity for him. He could only blame himself for choosing to have so many wives.

The trip back was short, and they quickly found the location of the Earth Flame, its dark body towering in the distance. They flew closer and were surprised to see Lisa sitting inside the burning inferno, her eyes closed as if she was meditating.

'Xuefeng.'

His name was called in his mind, and they saw Tianshi waving at them from the ground, her job providing the Earth Flame with a constant supply of Fate Stones.

"Everything going smoothly?" Xuefeng asked as they landed, his gaze shifting between the Earth Flame and Tianshi. "It's much bigger than I expected."

Tianshi nodded as she greeted him with a kiss. "The Earth Flame is growing stronger by the minute, and it shouldn't take long to revert it to its previous state. Lisa also informed me the Earth Flame is thinking of breaking through in one go. We might end up with a Golden Earth Flame in a few days."

When it came to Earth Flames, gold rank was as high as they could go, so it was a pleasant surprise. Although there were much better flames when it came to battle capabilities, Earth Flame was one of the best for Alchemy.

"That's great news. I'm sure Lisa can't wait to get to work and create even better pills. The Soul Tempering pills she made were truly a masterpiece," Xuefeng praised as he tried to check the level of Tianshi's Soul but failed miserably. "Looks like you took one as well. What level are you?"

"I broke through twice yesterday and reached level seven. Many rose just one level, so they decided to train today as well. I felt too tired to continue, so I came to help Lisa," Tianshi replied as she glanced at the Earth Flame and paused the conversation. "Wait a second."

She closed her eyes as if she was communicating in her mind, and a few seconds later, several Earth Golems came over, carrying giant Fate Stones on their shoulders. They stepped into the flame despite melting inside and placed them all around Lisa.

"We already cleared all the Fate Stones in the area, so I have to send my Golems further away," Tianshi explained as she reached out to caress Xinyu's scales. "You must have finished refining your Bloodline since you came. Is Katherine done as well?"

"Yes, she's just stretching her wings and hunting for breakfast," Xuefeng informed as he held her hand. "I'm still gathering more Bloodline Essence, but I should be able to take on one person today. Do you want to be next?"

Now that all the Dragons had been upgraded, he could start with the ones who didn't have any Bloodline. Tianshi was the first that came to his mind, being one of his weakest and most crucial supports. She coordinated the whole group with her abilities, so she would make good use of additional defense.

"I would love to, but have you settled your husband's responsibilities already?" Tianshi asked and frowned at his confused reaction. "Don't tell me you haven't visited Nuwa? Didn't you see how upset she was yesterday? Even if she said she was fine, she was definitely not fine. She will need lots of comfort if you want to keep her happy."

"I was going to visit the camp after checking on Lisa…" Xuefeng muttered, realizing his mistake. "Where is Nuwa right now? I'll go talk to her."

"She didn't come back to the camp today, so I'm guessing she kept training without a break. You will probably find her in the diamond mine near the bottom of the mountain in the north," Tianshi said as she pulled Xinyu to her side. "Don't worry about us. Just make sure she doesn't do anything stupid."

"Alright, I will be back soon," Xuefeng promised, giving them a quick kiss before launching into the sky.

He flew towards the north with a lone mountain in the distance, his gaze scanning the area for any signs of Soul Power in the air. It didn't take him long to find the entrance to the cave, but as he stepped inside, something didn't feel right. The Soul pressure was growing the deeper he went, slowly overwhelming his senses.

"Nuwa?" Xuefeng called, his voice echoing through the tunnel.

He didn't receive any response which forced him to venture deeper, each step causing his Soul to tremble. He didn't wish to disturb her training in case she was trying to break through, so he slowly advanced, the tunnel becoming narrower until it finally opened into a spacious cavern.

"Wait… This looks familiar…" he muttered, recalling the time he spent inside the Hidden Realm.

At the center of the cavern, an island rested on a small, tranquil pond, illuminated by the soft luminescence coming from the shiny diamonds in the ceiling. The heart of the island was dominated by a single, wide tree with sprawling branches that seemed to touch the cavern's roof. But what caught Xuefeng's attention was the silhouette sitting under the tree.

Nuwa sat cross-legged on the grassy patch, her long blond hair cascading down her back. Her eyes were shut, and her face looked serene yet vulnerable. The last time he saw this scene was when he searched for Yiren and now history repeated itself.

Xuefeng hesitated as he spotted the ripples of pressure surrounding her, but he eventually stepped inside while calling her name softly, "Nuwa, it's—"

He wasn't able to finish his sentence as the whole cave suddenly shook, a few diamonds falling off the ceiling as if the Soul pressure threatened to collapse the cave. Nuwa's eyes remained closed despite the commotion, and the pressure kept increasing.

"Nuwa, you need to stop!" Xuefeng called out in alarm as he took a few more steps, but that only made matters worse.

The entire cave trembled as the pressure tried to find a way out through the ceiling, and numerous rocks began to fall into the pond, some even landing right next to Nuwa. It was clear she was completely engrossed in her cultivation and didn't even pay attention to her surroundings.

"Damn!" Xuefeng cursed as he rushed towards her, the pressure threatening to crush his Soul. It was again one of those moments where he didn't care about his own well-being and only wished to save his lover.

His body swiftly covered with scales as he activated his Dragon Bloodline to fight off the pressure and jumped on top of Nuwa just before the ceiling gave in. He was prepared to carry the weight of the entire mountain for her, but as the rocks were about to hit his back, everything came to a standstill.

Xuefeng slowly looked up to see the frozen rocks just inches away from his face and turned back to Nuwa whose eyes were open. She stared at him with a guilty expression, making him realize it was all Nuwa's doing.

"Huuu, I'm glad..." Xuefeng breathed out a deep sigh of relief, collapsing on her chest with no strength left.

"Aren't you mad?" Nuwa whispered, cradling his head in her embrace.

"Why would I be mad?"

"Because I was testing you... I wanted to see if you would still risk your life to save me in need..."

Xuefeng paused, using the last bits of strength to pull away so he could look at her. "You are my dear wife, of course, I would risk my life to save you," he replied with a loving smile. "That fact will never change. I'm sorry for making you doubt my love."

Nuwa immediately hit him while her arms wrapped around his neck. "Stupid, what are you saying? I'm the one who should apologize. I don't know what made me act like this."

"No, it's a husband's duty to make sure his wives are secure and well. I failed my job as a husband and didn't comfort you when you needed it the most," Xuefeng countered and kissed her forehead. "I know what's on your mind, and I promise to fix it. I just need you to believe in me and give me some more time."

Nuwa gazed at him with a mix of emotions, her heart pounding in her chest. She traced his ears that were no longer pointy and asked softly, "How are you going to fix it?"

He leaned down to kiss her deeply and suggested, "I will find another Bloodline that is just as powerful as the Dragon Bloodline, and we will both take it, just the two of us. No matter what happens in the future, we will always have a unique connection no one can break."

Nuwa pursed her lips, clearly liking the idea but didn't want to show it. "What if it doesn't match my Royal Elf Bloodline?"

"Then I will find another bloodline that is just as amazing, and we will both take it. If you don't like it, then we will find another one," Xuefeng replied without hesitation, his hand caressing her cheek. "I will never leave you behind, I promise."

Nuwa's lips quivered, her heart unable to resist his sincerity. She pulled him into a tight embrace and whispered, "I'm glad I followed you..."

Xuefeng smiled as he hugged her as well, but he slowly felt claustrophobic with all the suspended rocks surrounding them. "When are you going to cancel this illusion?" he asked casually, only to freeze at her response.

"What illusion?"

Xuefeng didn't say a word and looked up, his gaze filled with horror.

"This is not an illusion?"

"Nope, all the rocks are real," Nuwa replied with a chuckle, her arms wrapping around his waist. "Actually... I only said it's a test on a whim. We would be buried for real if you didn't wake me up in time."

Xuefeng was stunned, looking at her in disbelief. "Seriously... How strong are you?"