Incubation, Birth

The life-saving innate secret technique 'Clone' can be called a second body, not a simple puppet. A clone needs to be incubated within the 'Inner World,' much like a woman conceiving and giving birth, or like the legend of the universe being an egg that incubated Pangu. Similarly, through the incubation of the Inner World, the clone gradually forms into an embryo... step by step, until it fully matures.

A Golden Horned Beast can possess up to three bodies in its lifetime: one at the Planetary stage, a second at the Universe stage, and a third at the Sector Lord stage.

Since clones can also cultivate, there's no doubt that the first body incubated is the most important!

Therefore, the chosen bloodline is naturally also important.

For instance, the first clone of a Golden Horned Beast usually involves selecting an excellent bloodline. This is because the requirements for incubating an embryo are very low... a single strand of hair or a drop of blood is sufficient, as long as it contains genetic material.

“Luo Feng, are you sure you want to use your first clone slot to incubate an Earthling?” Babata couldn't help but ask. “You only need a single strand of hair to incubate it. In the future, you could easily find humans with powerful bloodlines, like Manka Star natives, for example. While body snatching is difficult, finding a strand of their hair is easy. Then, with cosmetic surgery, transforming it into your appearance, Luo Feng, would be incredibly simple.”

“I'm sure!”

“My first clone will be an Earthling,” Luo Feng stated. “And it will be incubated using my own genetic material!”

Incubating a clone is very demanding.

Because, if the body incubated in the future appears in the form of a Golden Horned Beast, the other body would need to enter the 'Inner World.' However, anyone not incubated within the Inner World would be killed upon entry! Unless... one reaches the 'Sector Lord' level, where the Inner World becomes completely like the outside world, only then can living beings enter it.

...

The original Golden Horned Beast likely deemed Earthlings or Earth's monsters unworthy of consuming its three clone slots, which is why it never incubated one.

But Luo Feng immediately began the process.

...

Inside the Golden Horned Beast's body.

A transparent crystal sphere, over twenty centimeters in diameter, covered in countless profound golden secret patterns, radiated golden light. This transparent crystal sphere was called the Nucleus, also known as the 'Starry Sky Nucleus,' 'World Nucleus,' or 'Soul Nucleus.' This Nucleus was the source of the Golden Horned Beast's essence!

Even if its head was blown off and its body exploded, as long as the Nucleus and soul remained intact, it wouldn't die.

Inside the Nucleus.

Vast as the starry sky, at its center, a dazzling, luminous sphere, like a star, slowly rotated. This... was precisely what formed after Luo Feng's spirit absorbed his teacher's 'Inheritance Soul Imprint' and devoured the Golden Horned Beast's soul!

This star-like sphere was the Soul Core.

It represented... Luo Feng's psychic energy reaching the 'Star-level First Tier'! As for the Golden Horned Beast's genetic primal energy (primal energy), it was concentrated in the golden horn on its forehead! The golden horn was the hardest part of the Golden Horned Beast's body and also where its primal energy was stored. Therefore, when it unleashed an innate secret technique, its golden horn would be the first to light up!

“Inner World.” When Luo Feng's soul was 100% integrated with the body, he also sensed...

The vast space within the Nucleus seemed to have an invisible connection, linking to another world.

...

The Inner World.

This was an independent continent, roughly ten kilometers long and wide. Ten kilometers above the continent, and all around it, was an endless expanse of golden mist. The continent itself was golden, with some hills and mountains, all made of metal.

It was a world of metal!

A world controlled by Luo Feng!

“Babata, release my previous body.” A wisp of Luo Feng's psychic energy connected with Babata outside, and then, relying on his 'Devouring' innate ability, he directly absorbed his own body into the Inner World.

Whoosh!

On a hill within the metal continent, a body appeared out of thin air—it was Luo Feng's body! As a Planetary stage Third-tier warrior, after one or two months, his body had only become stiff, bluish-black, and cold. As for the numerous items on his body, they had long since been removed. Moyun Vine? Since it couldn't enter storage space, it had been guarding outside.

“Innate ability 'Clone,' incubate!”

Luo Feng's will stirred.

Rumble~~~

The entire metal continent trembled. Luo Feng's former body was lifted by an invisible force, suspended high above the metal continent. This was one of the three opportunities a Golden Horned Beast had in its lifetime; the Inner World could only perform this a second time once it reached the 'Universe stage.' Now, Luo Feng had activated the innate ability he could only use once at his current stage, beginning the incubation of his clone!

“Hiss~~” It was as if it vaporized.

Luo Feng's body, suspended high in the air, instantly vaporized.

“Whoosh whoosh~~” The countless golden mists that had been hovering high above and beyond the metal continent surged wildly towards the center, rapidly enveloping the genetic material left behind after Luo Feng's body vaporized. In just a moment, it transformed into an oval golden egg.

“It has begun!”

After learning about his innate secret technique 'Clone,' Luo Feng naturally understood some information: the time required for incubation was related to his strength and the genetic material of the body being incubated! The stronger the Inner World, the faster the incubation. And the lower the genetic material's complexity, the easier it was to incubate! However, Luo Feng's current 'Star-level First Tier' Inner World meant the incubation speed was not fast.

Some noble and powerful races might take hundreds or even thousands of years to incubate a clone.

Why so long?

Because incubating a clone is not like giving birth to a baby. For example, if a Sector Lord-level Golden Horned Beast took a strand of hair from a Sector Lord-level human, the body incubated... would be the body of a Sector Lord expert!

Genes completely replicated! Body completely replicated!

It takes countless millennia to cultivate to a Sector Lord. To incubate one in a few hundred years is already remarkable. The premise of incubation is... you cannot incubate something stronger than yourself! At most, it can be of equivalent strength.

One day later.

“Hmm, judging by the progress, it should be successfully incubated in one or two years.” Luo Feng understood that by then, he would possess a body with identical strength to his previous one, with genetic material that was 99.99999% almost the same.

Only...

A very subtle difference. This body was incubated by the 'Inner World,' so the genetic material had extremely minute changes. But even a DNA test would likely fail to detect that slight difference between the two bodies.

...

In the cosmic starry sky, a colossal star, like a fireball, continuously emitted light and heat.

A silver-gray spaceship swiftly flew past an asteroid approximately 5 kilometers in diameter.

Inside the spaceship.

In a lounge, a handsome middle-aged man sat in a chair with his eyes closed. An indicator light on the auxiliary optical computer on his wrist glowed faintly, clearly... a wisp of the captain's consciousness had entered the 'Virtual Universe Network.' The 'Virtual Universe Network' was a truly magnificent existence.

The universe was immeasurably vast.

However, through the 'Virtual Universe Network,' even separated by tens of millions of light-years, one could meet and communicate in the virtual universe. It was 100% virtual.

“Ding.” The auxiliary optical computer's indicator light dimmed.

The handsome middle-aged man opened his eyes.

“Although it cost a bit, I finally managed to buy a star map of this void region from a million years ago in the Milky Way Galaxy.” The handsome man was incredibly excited. “A range of nearly a thousand light-years is only a few millionths of the Silverblue Empire's territory. Fortunately, there were two life-bearing planets in this region back then.”

“Two life-bearing planets? This time, I've really hit the jackpot.”

“Hmm, the closest planet is quite near; at the spaceship's current 'sub-light speed,' it will take 2 years and 8 months to reach. The second life-bearing planet, however, will take 136 years.” The handsome man was slightly displeased. Although his lifespan extended over ten thousand years, spending a century was still quite a long time.

But to gain two life-bearing planets, that's striking it rich!

“2 years and 8 months!”

“I hope there are some good goods; selling them to slave traders could also net a huge profit. If there are no good goods, then I'll just sell the entire planet.” As the handsome man thought, his eyes gleamed.

A life-bearing planet, that was very expensive!

...

Time flowed on.

While the Inner World incubated the body, Luo Feng began to study 'Absolute Space' and 'Original Universe,' and absorbed large amounts of metal by devouring them with his hooves. In fact, 'Devouring' was activated by the Nucleus, so the devouring innate ability could be performed using hooves, mouth, or tail.

It was just that Golden Horned Beasts preferred to use their mouths.

But Luo Feng felt that using his hooves was sufficient.

...

Meanwhile, that adventurous spaceship flew through the cosmos, steadily advancing towards the star system where Earth was located.

...

On Earth.

September 12, 2060.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the Jiangnan First Hospital behind me is where Xu Xin, the wife of our Yangzhou's pride among the Eight Heroes, Luo Feng, is awaiting childbirth. It is rumored that Xu Xin's maternity ward is the most luxurious VIP suite in the First Hospital, with a reservation fee alone of 2 million Huaxia coins.”

“The monthly rent alone is as high as 12 million Huaxia coins. If you add medical staff and prenatal care costs, it's estimated that Xu Xin's monthly prenatal expenses at the hospital will reach tens of millions of Huaxia coins! It is said that the director of Jiangnan First Hospital announced that Luo Feng's wife, Xu Xin, will receive a minimum 70% discount on her expenses at their hospital this time!”

...

“Friends in front of your televisions, our reporters have arrived at Jiangnan First Hospital. It is rumored that Xu Xin's delivery is likely to happen in the next few days. Furthermore, according to our internal sources and secret information obtained after discreet inquiries with relevant doctors... it is said that Xu Xin is carrying twins, and the previous talk of triplets was merely a rumor.”

...

September 15, 2060, 8:15 AM.

Xu Xin was wheeled into the delivery room.

The number of media personnel outside Jiangnan First Hospital was astonishing, with even foreign correspondents from other countries rushing to the scene. It's important to remember... among the original Eight Heroes, only Luo Feng's wife, Xu Xin, was pregnant. With Luo Feng's sacrifice and his children now about to be born, it naturally drew global attention.

Countless netizens worldwide, and even ordinary elderly folk, were speculating...

Luo Feng was already a genius to such an extent, so what about his children? What would become of them?

Though not yet born, Luo Feng's children had already become the center of attention!

...

The Golden Horned Beast, now 230 meters long, transformed into a golden afterimage, rapidly flashing through the seawater, diligently practicing 'Absolute Space'.

“Luo Feng, Luo Feng,” Babata called out urgently.

“What is it?” Luo Feng stopped.

His massive, dark golden eyes held a hint of confusion.

“Good news, great news! Xu Xin just gave birth to two children, and both mother and sons are safe! Your eldest son weighs seven jin and six liang, and your second son weighs six jin and one liang,” Babata excitedly rattled off.