Chapter 643: Awesome, Zeus!
The Sterile Bloodline
Luke's words puzzled the three warriors. They couldn't help but ask,
"Who exactly are you, and what is your relationship with those four Humans?"
"Answer my question first: Why are you looking for them?"
Luke stared intently at Mohun. After a moment's hesitation, she slowly replied,
"It's not really a secret. We have half-Human blood in us. We are looking for those four Humans to find a way to reproduce."
"Is that the truth?"
Moyin scoffed coldly. "We have no need to lie to you. Believe it or not."
Luke looked thoughtful, then suddenly changed tack and asked an inappropriate question,
"Why can't you reproduce? Is it that you can't conceive, or are the babies you bear all stillborn?"
The faces of the three immediately changed. Their eyes widened, and they glared fiercely at Luke.
"It seems it's the latter."
"That's going to be a problem."
Luke shook his head with pity. "Your condition is a genetic issue. Demons and Gods are not the same species. Forcing them to merge will leave serious genetic defects. Such infants cannot survive. The three of you are incredibly lucky to have lived this long."
He finished speaking and turned to leave.
"Wait!"
Mohun asked, confused, "What is this genetic defect you speak of? What is a gene?"
"You don't need to know."
"Stop right there."
Mohun rushed forward and blocked Luke's path.
"You must tell me."
Luke was amused. He glanced at her impressively high chest and couldn't help but tease,
"What if I say no? What then? Are you going to tie me to a bed and crush me?"
Mohun jutted her chest out. "I don't like spirits, but if you tell me how to fix the genetic defect, I wouldn't mind having a go with you."
"Forget it!"
"I'm in soul form right now; I don't have those feelings."
Soul form?
Mohun frowned, feeling that something was fundamentally wrong the more she looked. Suddenly, her eyes widened as if she'd made an astonishing discovery.
"A soul in physical form... You... you're not an undead!"
"Who told you I was undead?"
Luke took a step forward, shifting from solid to ethereal, passing directly through Mohun's body, and walking toward the cave entrance.
"Wait a minute!"
Mohun rushed after him, her demeanor much more respectful than before.
"Can we talk some more?"
"Talk about what?"
Mohun spoke with utmost seriousness. "Ask whatever you want; I will answer truthfully and hide nothing."
Luke laughed heartily.
"I didn't misjudge you. You're very clever."
The two returned to the cave. Mohun sent her brother and sister out, beginning a private discussion with Luke.
"You are one of those four Humans, aren't you?"
Luke smiled, not answering the question, which Mohun took as tacit agreement.
Mohun gasped. "You have such incredible nerve, running around in the Valley of the Dead."
"For us, going anywhere is the same."
Mohun lowered her voice. "Do you have a way to fix our genetic defect?"
Luke countered, "What can you offer?"
"What do you want?"
"Where is the Valley of No Return?"
Mohun silently shook her head. "I advise you not to pursue the Valley of No Return. It's a dead end."
"Why is it a dead end?"
"The other side of the Valley of No Return is not the mortal realm; it is destruction."
"What do you mean?"
"You must have heard the story of the Demon-Folk. We have two bloodlines, one of which comes from the Human World. To solve the problem of our children, the ancestors of the Demon-Folk investigated the Valley of No Return, hoping to find a solution from the Human World on the other side."
"Unfortunately, none of the people who entered returned. Later, a master sorcerer skilled in soul magic left behind a warning: the other side of the Valley of No Return is destruction. He told us to stop investigating. By the way..." She paused, suddenly curious.
"How did you come to the Underworld?"
"A person named Teth Adam summoned the Gate of the Underworld and used the power of Death to bring us here."
Death!
Mohun's pupils contracted. "You were brought in by Death?"
"Yes."
"Then how are you still alive?"
"Death was no match for us."
Mohun: "..."
"What, surprised?"
Mohun let out a long breath, her voice raspy. "Are... are all Humans this strong?"
"Pretty much!"
Mohun fell silent, her heart uneasy. The thought that the person sitting across from her was a super-strong being comparable to Death filled her with the urge to kneel and worship.
Luke stopped teasing her and said directly,
"Where is the Valley of No Return?"
"Wait a moment."
Mohun got up and went to a shelf, taking out a simple map and spreading it on the table.
The map was large, recording an even larger area. The hundreds of kilometers of volcanic region looked like shelled peanuts on it.
"This is the Valley of the Dead, where we are now. Leave the Valley of the Dead and keep going right, through the Black Sea and the Grey Rock Desert. After a journey of perhaps several years, you will reach this place."
She pointed to the skull area in the upper right corner of the map.
"The God-Demon Battlefield, a land of death where countless powerful beings are buried. The Valley of No Return is on an island in the center of the battlefield. It's easy to spot; there's a plain covered with white bone flowers."
"If you truly intend to go, I advise you to prepare thoroughly. It's very dangerous there."
Luke asked curiously, "How did the Demon-Folk ancestors enter?"
"The Demon-Folk are very skilled at concealing their presence. As long as we don't initiate an attack, others find it hard to detect us."
Luke immediately understood.
Mohun whispered, "Is there anything else you want to ask?"
"I don't have any more questions..." He paused, then corrected himself. "One more thing. Who was the Human God who got involved with a demon and fathered your ancestors?"
Mohun thought for a while, answering with some uncertainty,
"I think his name was something -us?"
"Zeus!"
"Yes, that's him."
Mohun was excited. "You know him! What is he like? Is he very powerful?"
Luke's mouth twitched violently. Truly worthy of the Father-in-law. He dared to sleep with a demon and even got her pregnant. Even more outrageous, the demon actually bore him a child, spawning a new race.
Amazing!
Awesome!
Truly deserving of being the Father of Olympus—he was incredibly bold.
"Miss Mohun, my questions are finished. Now it's your turn. You want to know how to fix the genetic defect, right?"
Mohun nodded eagerly. Everything she had done so far was for this moment. The biggest problem for the Demon-Folk was reproduction; they desperately needed children, living children.
Luke said seriously, "Generally speaking, there are two ways to resolve genetic defects: one, gene editing; two, artificial cultivation. The first method requires biological technology, which the Underworld lacks, so you can only choose the second."
"The two bloodlines in the Demon-Folk cannot merge. To produce healthy infants, you must make a choice: either the Human bloodline or the Demon bloodline. Simply put, you must mate with a Human or Demon of a similar bloodline. The resulting children would repeat the process: purifying one bloodline while diluting the other. After several generations, the genetic defect will naturally disappear."
"Doing that means the Demon-Folk race will disappear."
A strongly built Demon-Folk warrior walked in, staring at Luke with an unfriendly expression.
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