Unknowingly, the Serpent Empress had already developed a sense of belonging to Great Yi and the royal palace.
At the same time, it was finally confirmed that the child in her womb was still in the gestation phase. However, this pregnancy was oddly much longer than that of a typical human woman. By all accounts, she should be nearing labor, yet there had been no signs of delivery so far.
Still, this wasn't all that surprising.
Many races had lengthy gestation periods—some lasting several years. For instance, the Dragon Clan had pregnancies starting from ten years, often accompanied by various divine phenomena. So, the Serpent Empress' prolonged pregnancy didn't cause much of a stir. On the contrary, many were quite expectant; after all, the longer the gestation, the more extraordinary the child might be upon birth.
Born with greatness, an exceptional physique, and innate divine traits.
Naturally, this made women like Lian Xing envious.
As a result, Yi Tianxing found himself entangled more frequently with the women of his harem. Like a tireless Dumas, he diligently plowed one fertile field after another. What began as a simple encounter would inevitably turn into a large-scale battle involving many of the women. Each day, they exuded radiant charm and vitality.
Even women like Hua Mulan and Mu Guiying grew curious and began asking about beauty and skincare secrets.
Three months passed in the blink of an eye.
During these three months, everything seemed to sink into an eerie calm.
Only in the first month did the Beast King Court send envoys to negotiate the ransom of Pig Gut. Great Yi took the opportunity to make a lion's demand—instead of rare treasures, they requested a massive exchange: thirty million human refugees and slaves from various beast tribes.
Yes, for one totem shaman, they demanded 30 million human lives.
Of course, the Beast King Court still held more human captives, but once negotiations reached that number, they refused to go any further. They would rather abandon the ransom than increase the price. In the end, the deal was finalized at thirty million.
This was a staggering number.
Once these people were sent to Great Yi, they were immediately distributed among the various Celestial Cities. Especially the newer cities, which had previously been sparsely populated, now became bustling with life. Great Yi's total population surged to an astonishing 210 million.
With the return of civil livelihood came a surge in public morale.
These new citizens greatly enhanced the national destiny (qi fortune) of Great Yi. The daily accumulation of qi became more robust. With loyalty came natural prosperity.
Simultaneously, the Iron-Blooded Great Wall began expanding once again, rapidly enveloping new territories. It became the clear boundary of Great Yi, garrisoned by massive armies conducting daily patrols—never a moment's rest.
The new citizens quickly adapted to life in Great Yi.
They began cultivation, cleared land, planted crops, learned trades, and revived or repurposed their own skills to make a living.
The will of the people stabilized faster than anyone anticipated.
Those who had suffered understood the value of peace better than anyone. They were willing to give everything for stability. Their sense of belonging to Great Yi had never been stronger.
In these three months, Great Yi was bustling with recovery and development. All the officials selected through the imperial examination were fully deployed to the Celestial Cities, accelerating reconstruction and the establishment of public order.
At this moment, within the palace—
In the training grounds of the imperial garden—
Cai Yan and the other women sat leisurely in a pavilion, sipping fresh juice and playing with the young An Ning, chatting as they watched the scene unfold before them.
In the center of the training grounds, a lone figure could be seen practicing a set of movements.
The form was slow and gentle, like drawing circles in the air—soft and seemingly weak. Yet, an ineffable Daoist charm exuded from his every motion. Though slow, the movements caused the surrounding innate vital energy to spiral in vortexes, being drawn into the center.
"This form of boxing looks like an old man warming up, yet it holds such mysterious power. This Tai Chi Fist is truly marvelous," the Serpent Empress said in awe. Though not her first time witnessing it, each viewing still left her amazed.
"This is the boxing art our husband spoke of. Tai Chi balances hardness and softness, borrowing force to counter force. It embodies the mysteries of Yin and Yang, capable of using four ounces to move a thousand pounds—containing profound universal truths," Cai Yan said with a smile.
Indeed, what Yi Tianxing was practicing was Tai Chi Fist.
It was a martial art he had practiced even before the Great Cataclysm—a true combat form, not just the health-promoting version old ladies practiced in parks. In battle, it could unleash explosive force—balancing yin with yang, soft with hard.
Only after becoming a cultivator did Yi Tianxing fully appreciate the profundity of Tai Chi Fist. Even now, he could continue practicing it to temper both body and spirit. It helped channel his swelling internal power, smoothing and refining it. The act of practicing Tai Chi itself became a form of cultivation—drawing in heaven and earth energy to integrate into his body.
The process refined his flesh and bones.
At this stage, Tai Chi had become a body-tempering martial art with lasting value regardless of cultivation level.
When activated, his Yin-Yang Acupoint would naturally release black and white Yin-Yang Qi, which flowed through his body and formed a rotating Tai Chi diagram. This process burned away impurities, refined the flesh, and tempered the bones—keeping the body in a near-perfect state.
Heaven and earth energy flowed naturally into his flesh and bones beneath the Tai Chi diagram's influence.
"Hu—!"
After a long while, the form ended. Yi Tianxing exhaled a deep breath. The Yin-Yang Qi naturally returned to the acupoint. This unique form of refinement could only be achieved by Yi Tianxing himself.
He used Tai Chi to channel the Yin-Yang Qi from his Innate Yin-Yang Eyes, refining his body. No other cultivator could replicate this.
Most crucially, through this Yin-Yang refinement, his body gradually transformed from postnatal to prenatal—toward the physique of a primordial divine being.
If completed, the potential of such a body would be limitless.
Bang bang bang!!
Just then, hurried footsteps echoed outside the imperial garden.
It was Cao Zhengchun and Jiang Ni, rushing in.
"Your Majesty, Mr. Jiang requests an urgent audience!" Cao Zhengchun reported swiftly.
"What happened, Mr. Jiang?" Yi Tianxing asked, knowing Jiang Ni wouldn't appear so flustered without good reason.
"Your Majesty, the seismoscope has shown changes!" Jiang Ni said without hesitation.
"What? The seismoscope? Could it be that the natural disaster is already approaching? The seismoscope is connected to the Earth's vital qi. Could this calamity come from underground?" Yi Tianxing's face turned grave.
The seismoscope was a heavenly treasure, integrated with the Astronomy Bureau, capable of detecting shifts in the Earth's qi. Its accuracy was beyond question. If it detected changes, then those changes were real.
"Disaster is coming. And this first wave will likely involve the Earth's vital qi—most likely a major earthquake, or perhaps volcanic eruptions. We can't say for sure yet," Jiang Ni said after a deep breath.
He was a geomancer, not an astrologer. He had some knowledge of celestial omens, but this was beyond his full grasp. Besides, such calamities were unpredictable until the moment they struck.
"Where exactly is the source?" Yi Tianxing asked again.
"All directions—east, south, west, north, northeast, northwest, southeast, southwest—everywhere. There is no safe zone. This is a total calamity." Jiang Ni's voice was heavy.
A devastating natural disaster—that is what a Heavenly Calamity truly meant. It was inescapable, irresistible destruction.
All directions covered—this meant no part of Great Yi was spared. The disaster wasn't limited to Great Yi alone. It would sweep across the entire Eternal Continent—with no exceptions.
"When exactly will it strike?"
Yi Tianxing took a deep breath and asked once more.
"According to the seismoscope and the Astronomy Bureau, we have about half a month. After that, the disaster will undoubtedly strike—unless the instruments malfunction, which is extremely unlikely," Jiang Ni answered firmly.
"Only half a month... We once estimated ten years. Who would've thought it would begin so soon?"
Yi Tianxing's heart grew cold.
A heavenly disaster meant destruction. And he had no way of knowing whether Great Yi could survive it.
This would test not just their strength, but their very foundation.