Chapter 523: Chapter 172: Tomb Guardian, Joining the Divine Spirit, Born as Saint King, A Once-in-a-Lifetime Sunset

However, she might indeed be able to stop me, so... tie me up, gag me, and take me to watch a sunset.

Just once..."

Li Yuan hesitated.

"Once... just once."

The Wolf Mother, seen as sacred and transcendent, transformed into a little girl, pleading earnestly.

Li Yuan suddenly felt a change in the Wolf Mother before him, a sign that her Wolf Mother persona was about to return.

Riiip~~

He suddenly tore off a piece of his clothing, crumpled it into a ball, and stuffed it into the Wolf Mother’s mouth. Then he took off the belt made of sturdy animal skin, tore it in half, tied her hands with one piece and her feet with the other, and then flung her onto the back of the Ice and Snow Giant Wolf before him.

He then leaped up and straddled behind the Wolf Mother.

At that moment, a group of giant wolves suddenly surrounded them.

But they just gathered for a moment and then dispersed.

It was evident that the choice was made, the will of the youthful Wolf Mother had caused the Wolf Mother persona to stop resisting, and instead accept this harmless "violation."

The giant wolves traveled for a long, long time, carrying him and the Wolf Mother across the Eternal Night Line to the desolate mountains outside.

Unfortunately, at this time, the snow season on the Cloud Mountain Path had not yet entirely passed, and the world outside was also snowing.

Li Yuan left the Wolf Mother by a tree, removed the cloth from her mouth, untied her hands, and said, "Now that we’re out, you should be able to wait for a sunset. I’m going to hunt something to eat."

"Thank you..." said the Wolf Mother.

Li Yuan turned and left. After a while, he found a hibernating bear, cleaned the meat, gutted it, and then returned to the Wolf Mother’s side, hanging the entire piece of meat up and blowing a breath of fire onto it.

Instantly, the meat cooked quickly.

And because Li Yuan controlled the heat himself, the bear meat soon turned golden brown on both sides.

They waited for three days and nights.

On the fourth evening, the snow stopped, and at the end of the sky, a sunset miraculously appeared.

The sunset filled the sky, illuminating the world after the snow stopped.

The Wolf Mother lifted her head, staring in a trance.

Li Yuan glanced at her and then looked away.

He and she could never truly become friends, much less reach that point.

His agreement to her request was nothing more than a moment of sympathy within a safe boundary. Of course, it was also a transaction.

That was all.

Li Yuan didn’t rush her.

He knew that the sunset he was accustomed to was an indescribable miracle for the Wolf Mother, like a blind person seeing light or someone who had forgotten a place suddenly recalling some hazy past scenes.

Even if those scenes would soon be submerged in thick fog, this moment was enough.

She was the revered Wolf Mother of the Barbarian Race, yet also a pitiable wretch chosen by the Divine Spirit.

Such was fate, clear in stance.

The two stopped right there, unable to go further.

"Want more meat?" Li Yuan raised the oily paper in his hand and patted the wine jug at his side, which he had bought from nearby Suiye City the day before.

But the Wolf Mother seemed as if in a daze.

The sunset’s glow illuminated her face, as if penetrating her heart, turning into two streams of tears sliding down her cheeks.

The sunset made the tears appear crimson, like two lines of flames.

She remained motionless, watching the sunset with eyes unblinking, a sunset she had seen once in her life.

Until the sunset completely disappeared, until the world returned to darkness, she finally said: "Let’s go back."

Then added: "I will keep my promise."

...

...

When Li Yuan and the Wolf Mother returned to the Frozen Soil, they parted ways.

When Li Yuan went to the Zhenyan Clan, the cries of a newborn echoed in the clan, loud and clear, accompanied by many surprised words around.

"This child, actually has white skin and red eyes, just like us."

"Born by the fire, thus belongs to our clan."

"He has received the blessing of fire, the blessing of the Taiyang."

And that woman who had just given birth exclaimed: "The child, I want to see the child."

Soon, the midwife handed the child to her.

The woman’s face showed extreme surprise and astonishment because of the child’s skin and eye color.

However, this was indeed her child.

She thought of the formidable power of the Ice Barbarians and the pain they had brought to the Cloud Mountain Path, feeling a mix of emotions. But ultimately, maternal love triumphed over everything, for the child was innocent.

Li Yuan silently observed all this, knowing that the Wolf Mother’s words were proving true.

The fire was connected to the Yang Qi of a certain world, and this Yang Qi came from the Taiyang.

The Taiyang brought about physical mutations.

He walked on, accompanying Zhenyan Xue, telling her of his whereabouts, assuring her not to worry, and so on...

A month later, Zhenyan Xue began to feel weak all over.

Three months later, her belly was slightly bulging, with strong fetal movements inside.

Zhenyan Xue caressed her abdomen, saying: "It must be a healthy and strong child."

Just when Li Yuan thought he would accompany his wife until childbirth, Zhenyan Xue instead pushed him out, shoving him to the front of the camp.

"Go do what you need to do.

Your world doesn’t just include me."

Zhenyan Xue’s eyes shimmered with tears.

In this world, besides Yan Yu, no one knew of his immortality, yet Zhenyan Xue, through her judgment, reached a conclusion: Since embracing the Taiyang would burn life, then the lifespan of her husband, incarnate of fire, must also be short.

"Go, my husband, I will take care of our child, and wait here for your return. But you shouldn’t linger any longer..."

Li Yuan understood that the outside world was getting more chaotic; he indeed should go out and take a look. The campaign on the Western Pole Permafrost had been completed to a certain extent, and could not be pushed further.