Chapter 385 160: Another 10 Years Pass

So, Xu Lei continued to hold Qing Lian.

A few minutes after they finished their Cultivation session, the River Demon came ashore.

The local villagers had been tricked by this River Demon.

They had even tied up some Child Maidens, intending to sacrifice them to this Demon.

Bai Ling acted without hesitation. A length of white silk flew out, coiling around the Demon's body and binding it tightly.

Xu Lei wasted no time either. He flew out at once, pulled out his Shotgun, and began firing wildly.

Qing Lian was also holding a Shotgun, one that Xu Lei had given her, of course.

The two of them blasted away at the River Demon.

The River Demon struggled relentlessly.

Its Magical Power surged and pulsed, resisting the bullets.

It tried to break free from Bai Ling's bonds, but it couldn't.

Because they were using Shotguns, each blast unleashed a spray of pellets, forcing the demon to constantly defend itself.

Meanwhile, the villagers on the shore were stunned, completely baffled by the situation.

"This is a River Demon, not some River God! You've all been deceived. Get these children back home, now!"

Xu Lei shouted at the ignorant villagers, all while continuing to pull the trigger and fire his Shotgun.

Only then did the villagers see the River Demon's true form; before, it had been shrouded in a bizarre Fog that made it impossible to see clearly.

Terrified, the villagers immediately scattered.

Xu Lei and Qing Lian fired their Shotguns at the River Demon for several minutes.

At last, they depleted the creature's Magical Power.

Then, they found an opening and finished it off in one fell swoop.

Bai Ling then split the Demon Core into three parts.

As she handed a piece to Xu Lei, she insisted that he take it.

"Because if you don't accept it, I still won't forgive you for what you did."

Xu Lei took the Demon Core and said, "You're reading too much into it. I told you, I never intended to ask for your forgiveness. And I never said I didn't want the Demon Core. The only reason I refused last time was because I wanted your help finding Brother Dao."

Bai Ling said nothing more. Taking her third of the Demon Core, she turned and left.

As for the River Demon's body, Bai Ling of course refined it to replenish her Human Puppet's energy.

After that, Xu Lei and Qing Lian returned home.

Qing Lian was now living with Xu Lei at his home.

Since Xu Lei possessed the Phoenix True Flame, Qing Lian no longer needed to pursue a monastic life.

「In the blink of an eye, another ten years passed.」

「On this day, ten years later.」

Xu Lei was cultivating in his Cultivation Room.

However, he wasn't engaged in Dual Cultivation with Qing Lian at that moment.

Of course, they didn't do Dual Cultivation all day long; it wasn't like that.

The two of them only practiced Dual Cultivation two or three times a day.

The rest of the time, they still had to focus on their individual Cultivation.

Then at night, their Origins would merge to harmonize their yin and yang.

On this particular day, a RUMBLE echoed through the Cultivation Room as the Qi within Xu Lei's body began to circulate.

'I've reached the Ninth Tier of the Bodhisattva Light Realm.'

A smile crept onto Xu Lei's face.

That's right. Over the past ten years, thanks to his Dual Cultivation with Qing Lian and that bit of Demon Core from before, Xu Lei's Cultivation had progressed quite rapidly.

In just ten years, he had advanced five Small Realms!

He had gone straight to Tier Nine!

He was just a step away from the next Great Realm.

However, just as a delighted Xu Lei was stepping out of his Cultivation Room, he was unexpectedly met with news from a servant that his mother had suddenly fallen ill.

Xu Lei rushed to her side and used his Magical Power to examine her, but there was nothing he could do.

After all, death comes with old age, a fate that not even Cultivators can escape.

If Cultivators can't even avoid their own death, how could they possibly save others from it?

"My child, don't be sad. Your mother is already so happy that you were able to return to secular life."

Xu Lei's mother said, "The Xu Family is prosperous once again, blessed with so many children and grandchildren. Your mother is very happy. It's all thanks to you, all thanks to you!"

His mother passed away without any regrets.

All Xu Lei could do was give his mother the best possible funeral.

"General, let us have more children. Let us bear more children for the Xu Family."

At that moment, Di Xixi, Di Mengmeng, Zhao Xiaoru, and Chu Shuhan—all of whom now looked like women in their forties—came to find Xu Lei. "Some people say that when the elderly pass away, they might be reincarnated as one of their own descendants," they said. "Is it possible that Mother will be reborn in one of our wombs? Please, let us have another child! Please let us get pregnant again!"

Over the past ten years, only one of the four women had given birth again, to two more children.

This was because they already had several sons, and Xu Lei hadn't forced them to keep giving birth, wanting to avoid excessive strain on their bodies.

But now that they were asking, Xu Lei naturally didn't refuse.

And so, the work of producing heirs began once more.

「Four months later.」

All four of them were pregnant again.

"Senior, why don't I give you a child as well?"

But one day, to Xu Lei's surprise, Qing Lian also approached him on a whim. "Perform your Charitable Giving for me, too," she said to him. "Let me carry one of your children. What do you say?"

As she spoke, she began to undress, almost taking off everything she was wearing.

Although ten years had passed, and Di Xixi and the others had all lost their girlish figures and become mature women, Qing Lian, as a Cultivator, was naturally different.

She still had a girlish air about her, only now it was tinged with a mature charm and allure she hadn't possessed before.