Painting 140: The Holy Flower Maiden Has Given Birth

In advanced civilizations, as long as there are sufficient resources, even those with poor innate talent can be elevated to the peak of the Space rank.

To the high-ranking figures, anyone below the Mysterious rank is simply not worth noticing.

The laws of space and time are different, however. Throughout the entire greater universe, including the headquarters of the Divine Court, there is not a single living person who has reached the realm of the Space-Time Origin. Those in the five realms of space and time number fewer than two digits, and all of them are predecessors. Sang Hongye is the youngest, yet her potential value is the highest.

Bishop Anthony was extremely satisfied, accepting the compliments of the others with a broad smile. The envious gazes directed at him also felt immensely gratifying. Who could blame him for having such good judgment? If outsiders were to discover that a freak of nature like Sang Hongye was not a solitary case—that it was practically a buy-one-get-one-free deal, complete with an equally monstrous Heavenly Emperor whose physical combat potential had broken all records—those envious glances would instantly transform into flying daggers.

Amidst the news of Sang Hongye breaking through to the Space rank and her mastery of the space-time laws reaching the fifth realm, the news that the Saintess of a Hundred Flowers had finally given birth after being pregnant for several years managed to squeeze its way onto the headlines.

The Saintess of a Hundred Flowers was, after all, a seated saintess. Although her reputation wasn't particularly stellar at the moment, her fame was extraordinarily widespread. Moreover, the father of the child in her womb was none other than the Honored Saint of Space-Slaying.

That was the Chief Honored Saint of Space-Slaying, renowned as the God of War!

It was rumored that when the child was born, a black hole anomaly appeared in the sky above the Central Medical City, with the phantom of a colossal tree visible within the aperture. The infant possessed Star-rank cultivation the moment it touched the ground.

Someone naturally raised a question: Since the child possessed the innate Law of Devouring, a black hole anomaly was normal, but why was there the phantom of a massive tree?

A netizen provided a popular science explanation further down the thread: The greater universe is essentially a tree; the Origin Sea is the roots, the Origin Prime World is the trunk, the three thousand greater worlds are the branches, and the other medium, small, and secondary worlds are the twigs, leaves, and side shoots. It must be because the child's innate Law of Devouring reached the realm of origin that such an origin anomaly manifested.

The entire StarNet was discussing just how genius the offspring of the Honored Saint of Space-Slaying was, yet news regarding the Saintess of a Hundred Flowers seemed to be suppressed by an invisible hand, leaving no one to speak of her.

Those who had previously coveted the reproductive capacity of the Saintess of a Hundred Flowers for the sake of acquiring offspring suddenly went into deep concealment.

The true nature of the Saintess of a Hundred Flowers' origin had been exposed during childbirth: it was not fertility at all, but rather longevity cultivation!

This revelation dropped the jaws of countless individuals, especially the older seniors who had been waiting in line for children. They were so furious they could practically spit blood, wishing they could strike down with a single palm the Saintess of a Hundred Flowers, who had dared to deceive the entire world.

Furthermore, during her delivery, the origin of the Saintess of a Hundred Flowers had slipped out of control. As it erupted, her longevity-nurturing attributes were diluted, while her aphrodisiac pheromones were amplified infinitely.

As a result, on that single day, all vegetation entered its estrus period prematurely. Flowers bloomed everywhere, and wherever the pollen drifted, the libido of living beings surged uncontrollably.

Had the medical city's protective barrier not been exceptionally formidable, restricting the commotion to a small area—and had the Honored Saint of Space-Slaying not intervened—the gossip enthusiasts on the StarNet would certainly not have turned a blind eye to such an event.

Even so, within closely guarded and restricted circles, the Saintess of a Hundred Flowers had already become synonymous with a living aphrodisiac.

Aside from her true origin, all of the past actions of the Saintess of a Hundred Flowers were exposed as well, including the secret of how she utilized children to aid her cultivation.

The person who exposed this was none other than the Honored Saint of Space-Slaying himself.

Because someone had filed a formal complaint accusing the Honored Saint of Space-Slaying of forcibly using the soul of the maternal host to nourish the child without the consent of the Saintess of a Hundred Flowers, solely to enhance the child's innate talent. The results of the investigation revealed that the Saintess of a Hundred Flowers was indeed in critical condition as a result of the child's birth—not only was her soul shattered, but her origin was severely damaged as well. Conventional treatments proved entirely ineffective, and she was hanging on purely by virtue of her lingering vitality. She was likely to perish at any second, and her demise would be one from which resurrection was impossible.

Faced with the interrogation of the Tribunal, the Honored Saint of Space-Slaying had no choice but to reveal the truth.

For the child to be born, the tethering contract had to be severed. This tether possessed the attributes of a soul contract; shattering it through external force would have repercussions for both parties. The child's soul was far too fragile, making such repercussions fatal. According to the juvenile protection regulations of the Interstellar Convention, in situations where the maternal host is culpable, the child takes precedence.

The Saintess of a Hundred Flowers, fully aware of what she was doing, had deliberately guided events to cause the deaths of over ten infants, which constituted a felony. Although the actions of the Honored Saint of Space-Slaying were ruthless, they were entirely legal. Coupled with the fact that many senior figures spoke up on his behalf—while the person with the greatest grounds for objection was currently lying in a hospital bed, relying on vital force to maintain biological function with her consciousness entirely dulled and oblivious to the outside world, rendering her unable to lodge any protests—the Tribunal chose not to punish the Honored Saint of Space-Slaying.

By the time Sang Sang received the news, the matter had already settled into dust. The Honored Saint of Space-Slaying had long since scooped up the child and returned to the City of Space-Slaying, leaving only the Saintess of a Hundred Flowers behind in a special medical ward of the Medical City, while her Palace of a Hundred Flowers descended into complete chaos.

"So it truly was a life-for-a-life exchange..." Sang Sang flicked the Space-Time Myriad Law Brush. She had just finished creating her final piece of art. The Honored Saint of Space-Slaying had not told the whole truth; it wasn't merely a matter of breaking the tether—using the soul of the Saintess of a Hundred Flowers was meant to preserve the tether, completely transplanting the talent of the origin-tethered laws directly into the child, wasn't it?

"There were numerous plans formulated before the child was born, and the chosen method at the time was not this one. It was only because Bai Xing attempted to seize the child's body through soul possession that the Honored Saint of Space-Slaying temporarily altered the plan." Xena narrowed his eyes. The Space-Time Myriad Law Brush was blindingly brilliant; by visual estimation, the laws contained within it had reached five digits, making the name 'Space-Time Myriad Law' entirely well-deserved.

Was it truly just a temporary change of plan? Sang Sang mused inwardly, withdrawing the Space-Time Myriad Law Brush back into her sea of consciousness. "Is there still any hope of saving the Saintess of a Hundred Flowers?"

Xena shook his head. "It's difficult. The Honored Saint of Space-Slaying will never abandon the child. And as for seniors capable of saving her without harming the infant, they have long since retired from worldly affairs and would never be willing to risk the degradation of their own origins to rescue her."

Sang Sang rubbed her temples and handed the spatial container holding her artworks over to Xena. "Help me deliver these to Jun Shi. The ink paintings and literary scrolls in the boundless void are still too sparse; believers have responded that it feels a bit too monotonous. Adding these should improve things significantly. As for the specific arrangement and display, just let them handle it however they see fit."

The advantage of being an internet celebrity is high visibility, and high visibility naturally generates a multitude of fans. A portion of these fans eventually convert into believers. Although they are merely ordinary general believers whose level of piety is not yet profound, the sheer magnitude of the base generates an amount of faith power that cannot be overlooked, accounting for nearly fifty percent of Sang Sang's daily income.

As soon as she emerged from seclusion, she went straight into her studio and painted three thousand works continuously, corresponding to three thousand meticulously selected laws. Every single one of these pieces represented a characteristic of the Milky Way—be it landscapes, flowers, trees, birds, beasts, insects, fish, the myriad facets of human life, or local customs and cultural traditions. Having finished painting all of them, she had no desire to pick up a brush again for quite some time.

"Understood. But Your Highness should not push yourself too hard either. You are still young, and your believers are extraordinarily lenient toward you; they will not alter their faith simply because the returns are meager." Xena looked somewhat concerned. "Seeing that your mental state is not particularly optimal, should we invite a physician to take a look? His Excellency Anthony's personal physician is certainly trustworthy."

"It's fine. The breakthrough was a bit too rushed, but I'll be fine after a little while. They voluntarily provide faith freely, and I cannot simply turn a blind eye. This recent breakthrough went so smoothly precisely thanks to the faith power they provided, so I must offer something in return." Sang Sang lowered her hand. The tethering was incomplete; every time she received the comprehension of laws transmitted from her avatar, it was invariably accompanied by waves of throbbing headaches. "Should I go take a look at the Saintess of a Hundred Flowers? Perhaps a space-time reversion might prove useful?"

"Enduring the backlash of space-time on her behalf is simply not worth it." Xena refused without a moment's hesitation. He paused for a brief moment before continuing, "If Your Highness has other intentions, I can find an opportunity to have Bai Xing sent back to the Palace of a Hundred Flowers to recuperate. Her degraded, mutated longevity-nurturing origin is no longer valued; the Medical City is far more interested in Bai Xing's astral body. They have already obtained several replicas, and no one will touch the original body. Once the sensitive period passes and the Saintess of a Hundred Flowers is forgotten by the public, you may study her however you wish."