However, seeing the deadly seriousness in Xuan Long’s emerald slits, An Mo sighed and raised his hands.
He began to weave the golden threads of a barrier, sealing the air around them. Once his personal dimension was complete,
An Mo picked up a gold goblet of the finest wine, leaning back to take a nonchalant sip. "There. We are invisible to the heavens. Now, what is so..."
Gulp.
Xuan Long opened his jaws. The jade green egg rolled out, glowing with a light so pure it made the place look even more celestial. Xuan Long caught it deftly with the tip of his tail, cradling it like the rarest diamond in existence.
PFFFT!
An Mo did not just spit out his wine; he sprayed it across the white wall like a fountain. He choked, coughing violently as he pointed a trembling finger at the glowing object.
"A... a Teng Clan... egg?" An Mo stammered, his nonchalant mask shattering into a million pieces.
"Yours? Brother, did you... did you steal this from the Ancestral Hall? No, wait... it is fresh. It is warm and alive."
An Mo’s eyes were wide enough to fall out of his head. He circled the egg, his jaw hanging open.
"I knew you were hiding something in the Lower Domain, but this? Since when did you have time to produce an heir? We were supposed to be the Single Eternal Brothers. We were going to be bachelors until the end of time. You traitor."
He looked at Xuan Long, then back at the egg, his brain short circuiting.
"Wait. Where is the female? Why is there only an egg? Xuan Long, do not tell me... did you actually figure out how to give birth to yourself? Is that why you stayed in snake form?"
Xuan Long’s tail tightened protectively around the jade shell. "Do not be stupid. I have a mate."
"A mate?" An Mo shrieked, his voice hitting a high note that could crack glass. "You have a female? And you did not tell me? You let me sit here fighting boring challengers while you were out there making jade level offspring? I feel betrayed. I feel used."
He leaned in, trying to poke the egg, but Xuan Long hissed a warning that made the floor tremble.
"Okay, okay. Do not bite." An Mo held up his hands, his expression shifting from betrayal to sheer, baffled awe.
"But Brother... the elders. If they find out... they will stop at nothing. This little thing has enough energy to restart the whole clan. You have brought a miracle, and a death warrant, all in one shell."
Xuan Long ignored the dramatic whining of his friend. He looked at the jade egg, his gaze softening for a fraction of a second before hardening with resolve.
"Bless it," Xuan Long commanded, his voice vibrating with an intensity that brooked no argument.
"Use your origin power. Seal the Teng aura beneath your own."
An Mo froze. His eyes shifted, both turning a brilliant, blinding white for a moment.
He was a pure Angel, the last of a celestial lineage whose power was the most refined and holy in the Upper Domain.
"Deal," An Mo said, his voice turning melodic and divine.
He reached out, and the jade egg floated from Xuan Long’s tail into his palms. An Mo’s wings wrapped around the egg in a cocoon of light.
He began to chant in an angel tongue, his holy power flowing into the shell.
For a brief moment, a tiny pair of ghostly white wings appeared on the surface of the egg before sinking into the jade, disappearing completely.
The crushing pressure of the Teng Clan was gone, replaced by a faint, peaceful low vibration of celestial energy.
The moment the ritual ended, Xuan Long snatched the egg back, tucking it securely into his throat once more. He did not say thank you. He did not even say goodbye.
"I have wasted enough time," Xuan Long hissed. He had waited two whole days in the Upper Domain for An Mo to finish his fight, which meant two weeks had passed in the Lower Domain. Two weeks without him. Two weeks for Lan Lan to wake up and find her child gone.
In a blur of emerald light, Xuan Long vanished, tearing through the space between domains to return to the forest.
An Mo stood in the silent cave, slowly folding his massive wings back into his spine. He wiped a stray drop of wine from his lip, his dark eye shimmering with a dangerous curiosity.
"So selfish, brother," An Mo whispered to the empty air. "A female who can survive bearing a Teng Clan egg... she is certainly no ordinary mortal. To keep a treasure like that all to yourself... hmph."
He looked toward the direction Xuan Long had disappeared. "I think it is time I take a stroll to the Lower Domain. I really must see this mysterious female for myself."

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