Chapter 547: The Father-Son Struggle—The Fate of the Titans

After the Wind King Eagle fell into a deep slumber, a crystal egg shell formed around its body, composed purely of wind elements. This crystalline mountain towered 300 meters high. Even if it was hollow inside, the sheer amount of energy it contained was astonishing. Moreover, due to the presence of the Wind King Eagle, this mountain of wind elemental crystals was self-regenerating.

Since the Synapse energy department couldn't construct large-scale elemental pools, they focused on the Wind King Eagle. Their plan was to use the dormant Wind King Eagle as a living energy source, extracting the energy from the crystal egg to supply Synapse.

"Cancel this plan," Muria said decisively after understanding it, rejecting it without hesitation, even though several highly feasible methods were proposed.

Using a legendary creature as a living energy source was reserved for enemies. The Wind King Eagle was not their adversary. Besides, Synapse, which was being carried around the world by cloud islands, technically belonged to the Wind King Eagle. It made no sense to occupy someone else's home and then use its owner as a living energy source.

Moreover, implementing such a plan risked awakening the Wind King Eagle. Muria wasn't keen on facing the Wind King Eagle at this time. In this world, it was an overwhelming presence. Muria doubted that even a peak legendary Titan could suppress the Wind King Eagle beneath his castle.

"As you command, I'll convey this to the energy department." Mia obediently accepted the order.

"Wind King Eagle!" A strange sense of foreboding filled Muria. Almost instinctively, he vanished from his throne and appeared in the underground section of the castle, where the Wind King Eagle's egg was housed.

The Wind King Eagle's slumbering place was at the center of the core cloud island. Muria had not altered it in any way, instead building a castle over it to conceal it.

As soon as he arrived in the underground area, Muria noticed something was off. The area, which should have been silent and empty, had another presence Muria was very familiar with.

"Father!" Muria exclaimed in surprise. He hadn't expected Ansor to suddenly appear beneath his castle without any prior notification.

His father was a berserker, not an assassin who enjoyed sneaking around. Even if he did move stealthily, it would be the kind of stealth that left no witnesses.

"Muria! You've broken through to the Legendary level!" The Titan standing beside the Wind King Eagle's crystal egg turned to face Muria, his tone carrying an inexplicable melancholy that Muria couldn't quite grasp.

"Yes, I've reached the Legendary level." Sensing something amiss in his father's demeanor, Muria became vigilant. The Nine King Weapons within him stirred restlessly. The circumstances of his father's sudden and unannounced appearance were too suspicious.

"And my grandchild, or should I say, my granddaughter?" Ansor stared at Muria, his gaze heavy with melancholy, lacking the heroic spirit Muria was accustomed to seeing in him.

"Uh!" Muria was momentarily stunned, feeling increasingly uneasy. However, his blood told him that the person standing before him was indeed his father. "Father, you know I don't have a partner yet. I can't have children on my own."

"Then why did you break through to Legendary without finding a mate first?" Ansor, feeling Muria's powerful aura, grew even more dejected.

"What does finding a mate have to do with breaking through to Legendary?" A thought flashed in Muria's mind, and he tentatively asked his father, "Is there a significant connection?"

"It is of utmost importance, tied to the survival and continuity of our Titan race." Ansor sighed deeply, having already chosen suitable mates for Muria, only for his son to break through to the Legendary level unexpectedly.

"It can't be that serious!" Muria forced a stiff smile, beginning to understand the issue at hand.

"A race that cannot produce offspring is on the brink of extinction, don't you agree?" Ansor turned away, not wanting to see his son, and looked longingly at the Wind King Eagle's egg before him.

"Well..." Muria scratched his head awkwardly, knowing this issue was aimed directly at him. He could only answer reluctantly, "Yes."

"If the Titan race ever faces extinction, it will be because of you."

"Ah!" Muria couldn't help but gasp, his face twitching at the implication. "Father, I only broke through to the Legendary level a bit earlier. There's no need to pin the fate of our entire race on me!"

"Breaking through to Legendary early, huh!" Ansor snorted, and it was as if a thunderclap exploded next to Muria's ears. "You think you're special for breaking through in less than a century? Do you believe you're the only Titan of your age capable of that?"

"Cough, Father, I have never felt proud of breaking through to the Legendary level within a century." Muria felt compelled to defend himself, noticing his father's intense anger. "Moreover, I achieved this breakthrough mainly due to the divinity my grandfather gifted me. It was the fusion of the divinity that allowed me to break through the Legendary barrier so quickly. Otherwise, I might have had to wait until I was an adult."

"Your grandfather is old and senile. He muddledly gave you divinity, and you followed suit without realizing the consequences of breaking through to the Legendary level?" Ansor was furious with his father for giving Muria the divinity.

Of course, the Barbarian Lord Arkmon himself was also regretting: Wasn't it too early to give that divinity? A few hundred years later would have been fine!

"Unable to bear offspring?" Muria asked cautiously, already suspecting why his father was so angry. The reason made him feel uneasy.

"Knowing that, you still broke through?"

"I didn't think of that at the time." Muria felt somewhat aggrieved. Who considers future offspring when they're on the verge of breaking through to Legendary?

"If I weren't here, you probably wouldn't have thought about progeny at all!" Ansor stepped closer to Muria, causing him to lower his head in guilt.

"I'm not even a hundred years old yet. There's no rush to worry about progeny." Muria spoke hesitantly.

"But you are already a Legend. You are effectively sterile." Ansor's tone was filled with frustration. "Originally, your mother and I thought we didn't need to worry about finding you a partner. With your Golden Dragon bloodline, you'd naturally find a suitable mate. But we were wrong. On the continent of Noktilia, your mother noticed that you never interacted with any females and even suppressed your own desires. What on earth were you thinking?"

"I do have a crush. I just didn't want to make any mistakes." Muria carefully chose his words as he spoke to his angry father.

"If you have a crush, why not pursue her? You have the freedom to go wherever you want while traveling!"

"Unbounded Celestial Realm. Without a special teleportation array, I can't reach it." Muria replied helplessly.

"Unbounded Celestial Realm, Seraphim?"

"Yes, the girl I like is called Mikaela."

"..." Ansor fell silent and stared at Muria, making him extremely uncomfortable. After a long pause, Ansor finally spoke, "Do you ever consider the issue of progeny? Do you really want the Iapetos surname to end with you?"

"Never." Muria shook his head quickly. Long-lived species seemed to care even more about lineage because producing offspring was incredibly difficult.

"Listen, Muria. I don't oppose you being with anyone, regardless of their race. But please consider the issue of offspring. Do you think there's any chance you and Mikaela can produce offspring? I've heard she's a ten-winged genius, with a bloodline stronger than most Seraphim. And now that you've broken through to Legendary, the chances are nearly zero."

"I am still young and possess dragon blood. In theory, I still have the potential to sire offspring." Muria weakly argued. "And Mikaela and I are still..."

"It's impossible." Ansor looked down at Muria, who was almost as tall as him. "Do you know how low the probability is for a Legendary to have children? Your mother and I had to suppress our power for thirty years to have you. Only after conceiving did we dare to break through."

Muria pressed his lips together and remained silent.

"Forget about Mikaela. Your mother and I will find you another partner." Ansor's voice thundered, causing Muria to raise his head in shock. For the first time, Muria displayed a firm stance in front of his father. "No way. I refuse. I will not give up on Mikaela."

"Muria, I am not asking for your opinion. I'm informing you. If there's anyone to blame, it's yourself for breaking through to Legendary too early! Every Titan waits until adulthood and has offspring before advancing to Legendary. If all Titans did what you did, our race would be facing extinction!"

"No one ever told me about this," Muria muttered in frustration. Because of his dragon bloodline, no one had worried about his partner situation. Everyone assumed he could handle it himself.

"It's decided. Your mother and I will discuss finding you a new partner. Regardless of everything, you must continue the Iapetos and Elonsas lineage."

"Father, wait! I think I can wait until I become an Epic and then produce offspring by expending source power." Muria's mind raced as his father prepared to leave, and he finally thought of a solution.

"When the time comes to use source power for lineage continuation, it won't be your responsibility." Ansor said displeased. A spatial door formed before him, revealing a radiant, shimmering crystal castle on the other side.

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