After Yasenia opened her eyes, she stood up and stretched her body. Her curvy body leaned forward in a mouthwatering pose while her tail extended backward to keep a balanced center of mass. After that, she released a sensual sigh of comfort and smiled. "That was a great cultivation session."
The dragoness gently moved her hand toward her stomach, caressing her belly. However, the second she did so, her expression shifted slightly as confusion appeared on her face. Looking down, she could only see her two breasts, so she walked to the side and stored her dress in her ring. Then, she stopped in front of the mirror while standing sideways and looked down. "Oh?"
Yasenia's eyes widened faintly as she looked at her stomach. The usual perfectly flat stomach had an almost unnoticeable bump at the bottom. Looking at it, one would think that Yasenia had become just a tad bit chubby. However, that was impossible with Yasenia's physique, so it could only mean one thing. "Ah! I have a baby bump!"
Her tail began wagging rapidly as she smiled happily. Her wings followed in excitement, flapping joyfully as she caressed the almost unnoticeable baby bump. A giggle escaped her as she joyfully looked at her stomach in the mirror. "Ah! I want to show this to Andrea and the others! I should take photos of my progress since it has started to show!"
So, Yasenia used a camera and decided to take one photo each month from now on. Her pregnancy would last many years, so taking one daily would be too much. Once a month was more than enough to show the gradual changes.
The dragoness couldn't move her eyes away from the mirror, pure happiness flooding her heart as the little life within her womb continued growing. Her mind suddenly had a slight change as she blinked. "I should build a safe nest so that I can have the baby safely later."
Her words were calm, unlike her internal excitement, as her intelligent mind began planning things out. "Hm~. It should be a place protected so that no one can interrupt me while I give birth. Then, if someone dares to come during that time, I need to have traps so that they are killed brutally and suffer… No, thinking it through, although anyone threatening my baby deserves eternal damnation, I need to be swift and decisive. What if they have something that allows them to escape? Instantly killing them is easier and gets rid of the problem. Of course, once I recover my strength after giving birth, I will go to their families and exterminate everyone they find precious so that their soul never rests peacefully."
She patted her stomach as her motherly instincts surged and her protectiveness snowballed into murderous intent. However, as her mind was becoming increasingly more ruthless, she paused and frowned. "But… What if people find my actions too ruthless and go after my baby in retaliation? I can't annihilate the entire world without putting my baby at risk, right?"
As Mama Dragon daydreamed about world annihilation just to keep her baby safe, she noticed people outside the tower who were not disciples. Her eyes sharpened for a second before relaxing. "So they are Qingzhe and Star Forge. Have they noticed that the energy around the place has evened out and come to welcome me?" Thinking of the trials that the sect wanted her to do, she suddenly had quite a lot of reluctance. "I know that baby is safe as long as I don't die… Even then, what if there is an accident?"
The reluctance turned into annoyance as her face gained a faint expression of dislike. "If the trials are too much, I guess I can always say no to them and ask for them to be changed."
She didn't want to reveal that she was pregnant, even if it would eventually be impossible to hide with her big and pretty protruding belly. As she thought of these things, she had already waved her hand to allow them to enter. Naturally, before that, Yasenia had changed into her modest, long-sleeved light blue dress with imagery of white phoenixes. This dress was not only beautiful, but also strong.
It was unable to compare to her [Celestial Cosmos Dress] in durability or enhancement, but it could work without problems.
The two women waiting outside noticed Yasenia's gesture and quickly traversed the tower, reaching the dragoness's place. Once inside, they looked at the woman sitting on the couch, eating meat drums with her hands. These meat drums were extremely delicious, crispy, full of nutrients, and easy to eat. They were perfect for her baby to get even more nutrients.
Star Forge blinked and raised her eyebrow, amused at the gorgeous woman's antics. "You seem happy. Are those drums so delicious?"
Yasenia glanced at both women, and when she did so, they suddenly felt an incredible pressure descending on them. Even when Yasenia was just sitting and calmly munching her meat, Star Forge and Qingzhe felt as if the air around them had stagnated.
"You unlocked an Intent Domain!" Star Forge exclaimed, having a relatively easy time dispelling the natural pressure around Yasenia.
Meanwhile, Qingzhe spoke with a sweat drop falling down her temple. "Um. Yasenia, can you reel back your aura? It's honestly somewhat imposing."
The Dragon woman gulped the piece of meat in her mouth and tilted her head. "What aura? I am just sitting casually."
Qingzhe's expression was a bit stiff, surprise flashing in her eyes when Yasenia spoke without any hints of deceit. Star Forge squinted and then understood. "Ah. You've unlocked the Monarch Intent Domain, right?"
Yasenia nodded as she took another bite of the half-eaten drum.
"You…"
Crunch.
Star Forge's words choked in her throat as the bone was crushed by Yasenia's tough teeth, and she ate the entirety of the drum, leaving not even the bone or cartilage behind.
Noticing their strange gazes, Yasenia gulped the mouthful and frowned. "Why are both of you acting so strange? Is something wrong?" Inside, she was a bit cautious. 'Did they discover the baby bump? It should be hidden by the dress, no?'
"No…" Star Forge answered with laughter flashing in her eyes. "I just found it strange that you eat the bone as well."
"It's nutritious." Yasenia used her tail to pick up the bucket with the meat drums and asked. "Do you want some?"
The smell was mouthwatering, and both women couldn't resist picking one of them. They've seen how Yasenia ate them, so they curiously tried to bite down on the bone as well.
Crunch.
Crunch.
The loud sound was a bit awkward when they ate, but as they munched and the flavors mixed with the pleasant texture, their awkwardness turned into faster jaw movements. Eventually, they were like squirrels, munching the meat and eating the pieces they took without saying a single word.
Only after they finished did they snap out of it. Qingzhe spoke with a frustrated but clearly embarrassed face. "Why do I always lose composure in front of you!? Also, why is it so delicious?!"
"The mysteries of the cooking path are too many for you to understand, young woman."
Seeing the serious expression but playful eyes, the three girls burst into light laughter. Only after that did they finally go to the meat of the matter.
"Yasenia, you've been in closed-door cultivation for four years, and there have been quite a few changes. We are officially entering into a war with a few Demonic Sects, and battlefields have been set up around the continent. We need all our elders to participate if available, so I want to move you to one of the battlefields."
"Oh~?" Yasenia leaned back and used a handkerchief to clean her hands. Then, she crossed her legs and leaned her chin on her palm as she supported her head by placing her elbow on her knee. "Hm… How strong are the enemy cultivators I am fighting?"
Star Forge looked at Yasenia's attitude and found it slightly different from before. A bit of hesitation appeared in her eyes as she asked. "Yasenia, remember what we talked about before you went into seclusion?"
"Naturally. I do." Yasenia smiled faintly. "And I also remember the promise I made during my meeting with your Sect Master. Still, it seems that such a promise was not enough for your Sect Master, though. Tell me, why throw me to such a sensitive place as a battlefield when, supposedly, I am not trusted enough to look over the children during the Hunt event?"
Qingzhe felt Yasenia's attitude was slightly more defensive than before, so she interrupted and spoke earnestly. "Yasenia, I think you are misunderstanding their true intentions. I don't know why you've become cautious, but I can assure you that we are not sending you where you'd have a bad time defending. We chose a place we thought suitable, taking into account your strength."
"My strength?" Yasenia knew that Qingzhe was honest, but those words were far too naive. She looked at Star Forge. "What do you know about my strength? I have yet to fight seriously in front of you, showing just some of my capabilities."
Star Forge sighed and leaned back, placing her arm on the armrest. "Yasenia, don't go in circles with us. You can trust me and Qingzhe." Star Forge spoke with a faint smile. "What is it that is bothering you? Why are you so defensive so suddenly?"
Yasenia paused and noticed her attitude becoming subconsciously more defensive and confrontational. Rubbing her forehead, she sighed and spoke. "Sorry. These years made me return to my usual self when facing unknown situations. I have yet to hear the details, and I am already acting as such. I admit I am being a bit unreasonable. Explain the situation first."
Star Forge smiled and stood up, sitting by Yasneia's side and grabbing her hand. "Yasenia, the place we want you to go to is the frontline against the [Abyssal Worshiper Sect]." She explained, her tone somewhat disgusted. "They are a cult that worships those repugnant [Abyss] monsters."
Seeing Yasenia's frown deepen, Star Forge explained. "None of their powerful cultivators have strength beyond the Third Level of the Transcendence Realm. Their Intent Domains are also stuck at the first level due to how bizarre they are. To counteract this, I chose you. Your Monarch Intent is perfectly suited to deal with those people, and supported by a good team of elders, you will be able to stop and perhaps even eliminate them from the war. All the other battlefields are somewhat balanced, so the first side to make a breakthrough will have an advantage."
The dragoness listened until the end without speaking, and after hearing everything, she sighed. "You really put me in a difficult situation. Star Forge, I've come into contact with the [Abyss] before, and I really don't want to come half a step close to anything related to it." Seeing that Star Forge wanted to speak, Yasenia raised her hand. "Wait, I am not done."
Hearing her words, they listened until the end.
"I can go to that battlefield. However, I want assurance that, if I ever feel that those freaks are trying something funny, I can run. If they have anything that can, for example, sacrifice who knows what to materialize the [Abyss], I won't stay behind and hold it back. I'll run."
Yasenia commented. "As long as you take this one step back, I'll deal with them to the best of my ability."
Star Forge looked at Yasenia's serious face and pondered for a few moments. On the side, Qingzhe didn't speak but internally found what Yasenia said reasonable.
After thinking for a little while, Star Forge nodded. "Understood. But I also have one extra condition."
"Speak."
Star Forge looked at the beautiful dragon and smiled. "I want you to take a test with me that will reveal your age and a few other personal details. I can do a Heavenly Oath not to divulge it later. I am just curious about you."
The dragoness deadpanned. "No."
"Aww!" Star Forge exaggeratedly whined. "Our friendship is this fragile—"
"I am a bit over a hundred years old."
Both Qingzhe and Star Forge froze, and their eyes opened comically wide, looking at Yasenia with an expression that was worth saving. Yasenia, amused by it, took a photo of them before they snapped out of it. "Nice faces~."