Now up to date, Tatyana finally understood how much Yasenia had tried during the last two and a half decades. To grow stronger quickly and return to their side, Yasenia kept pushing herself, always within certain boundaries. The only reason she became the center of attention during the last Secret Realm was because of the powerful treasures capable of accelerating her growth.
Looking at it objectively, the risks she took had been worth it. The best-case scenario was far too tempting, while the worst-case one, given her defensive treasures, was still something she could manage.
'Still…' Tatyana looked at Yasenia's face, who was quietly waiting for praise, and sighed softly. She kissed her forehead and spoke gently. "Now, you have treasures to aid you in all aspects. I hope you start exercising some restraint. Too much greed will only lead to your undoing. The [Battle Formation] and [Star Breaker Realm Bead] are enough to forge your future power. And with the [Primordial Palace] in your soul to comprehend Heaven and Dao, there is truly nothing you lack."
Yasenia shrank slightly and whispered apologetically. "Sorry… I just want to catch up to Mommy."
Tatyana's eyes softened. "I know, my love. But if you rush, you will stumble. I can tell you now that you already have enough treasures to complete the entire Transcendence Realm at your top speed. Anything else you obtain will only offer minor help."
Yasenia blinked. "Really?"
The Death Empress chuckled. "Yes. Your advantages were never too obvious in the mortal realms, were they? True, you could fight across realms and even battle weak Transcendents as a mortal, but that was the result of accumulation across your many paths, not because you excelled in a single one. If you had trained the same way as others, that would have been impossible."
Yasenia nodded thoughtfully, and Tatyana continued. "But do not misunderstand. That does not mean you are not a genius in any of your paths. At an equal level, I honestly cannot imagine you losing, even if you restricted yourself to one path."
"Hm… Really?" Yasenia tilted her head. "Isn't it the passive synergy between my paths that makes me so strong in the same realm?"
"That is true as well," Tatyana replied. "But thinking that way is foolish. You would not compare yourself to a phoenix only if it did not use its flames, right? Or measure your strength against a dragon who refused to use its breath or claws? So do not judge yourself through such selective lenses."
Her words made Yasenia thoughtful. She realized how harshly she judged herself, always preparing for the worst scenario, a habit Tatyana herself had once taught her. But now, her mother was offering a new layer of wisdom.
"I understand," Yasenia said softly. "You mean that while I should not be arrogant, underestimating myself is just as bad as overestimating my strength."
"Exactly." Tatyana pressed a loud kiss against her lips. "If you underestimate yourself, you will miss opportunities that were rightfully yours. The best and hardest thing is to evaluate yourself objectively. Remember, 'Don't chew more than you can swallow' goes hand in hand with 'Fortune favors the bold.' You just need to strike a balance."
Yasenia nodded twice, listening with rapt attention. She would need some time to internalize the words and put them into practice, but at least the idea was now in her mind.
"Alright, we need to solve some things." Tatyana sighed. "I wanted to push you down right now, but since we are talking about this, let's not lose focus."
Yasenia was slightly disappointed. She honestly thought that she would be able to punish Tatyana for attracting those bees and butterflies she had heard about before. As those thoughts crossed her mind, her eyes sharpened slightly.
Strangely, Tatyana felt a chill go down her spine after she sat up. She looked back and asked cautiously. "U-Um… Is there anything wrong, Little Treasure?"
Yasenia lay down on the bed and squinted. "I don't know. You tell me."
Usually, she would've asked directly, but with her hormones flying about due to pregnancy, she just felt pouty and did not want to speak. 'She should know what I am talking about!'
Tatyana, not expecting the sudden shift in attitude, began sweating coldly. 'What happened? Weren't we surrounded by pink bubbles and lovely feelings? Why does it feel as if those pink bubbles have exploded into tiny icy needles?'
"About what, love?"
"Nothing… Hmph."
Tatyana turned around and decided to be a bit aggressive to calm down the clearly pouty dragoness. She straddled her, using her soft behind to rub the special area down below, and smirked. "Tell me~. I promise to later allow you to vent as much as possible. But only if you tell me what's wrong."
Leaning forward, Tatyana's robe loosened very slightly, revealing almost the entirety of her perky and soft breasts. Yasenia's mouth watered, the bad mood momentarily flying away. Still, she resisted the urge and humphed again. "You should know even if I don't say."
Tatyana didn't know whether to laugh or cry. 'This silly thing. What came over her so suddenly?'
Honestly, it was far from annoying, as Tatyana found Yasenia extremely adorable. How many times did Yasenia speak like this when something bothered her? More than looking angry, it felt as if the dragoness was flirting with her, wanting to be pampered.
Tatyana leaned down, placing her beautiful breasts on the jiggling, large mountains of her lover down below. The sensation of the sheer volume pressing and enveloping her own was truly magnificent. With a tempting smile, Tatyana smirked. "If you tell me what's wrong, I'll kiss you until you are satisfied."
Yasenia's soft golden eyes moved toward Tatyana's lips and saw the woman gently lick her lips. The dragoness gulped again, knowing very well that the saliva in that pretty mouth was delicious tasting.
Feeling the hardness press against her soft mound down below, Tatyana's red eyes darkened, swirling with powerful feelings. "Love, if you don't tell me, we will lose our focus~." Her waist moved back and forth, rubbing against the growing dragon and smearing it with her already dripping moistness.
Yasenia's sharp nose caught the scent, and she almost went into heat. Thankfully, there was some rationality remaining that held her back from starting a beastly mating season.
In the end, unable to resist, she looked sideways and muttered. "I heard that you are close to some emperor or something. They even say that only he can be the one who can match you…"
Tatyana was stunned. She was utterly unaware of what this girl was suddenly talking about.
Meanwhile, on the side, Cai Xue suddenly remembered Xing Jimie saying something similar in the past. Her face stiffened, lighting up another candle in her heart for her previous master. 'Lady Xing Jimie, please go easily to the other side.'
Yasenia explained what she heard from Xing Jimie with a constant pout on her lips, and Tatyana listened for a few seconds before her face darkened a few degrees. "Heh. It seems that someone is spreading useless rumors." She glanced at Yasenia with an amused look. 'Should I reverse this thing on its head? Honestly, accusing Little Treasure of a lack of trust would easily make me the one with the advantage.'
But she didn't do that. Her baby was flirting with her using jealousy! How could Tatyana bear to make her feel bad about it? Honestly, Tatyana hoped that Yasenia could become even more jealous. 'Sometimes, she is too understanding… If that's even a thing. Haha.'
"Alright, alright. Those are just rumors, love. Look at me. Do I look like someone who would go to an old man and ignore the fresh dragon girl in front of me?"
Yasenia glanced at her strangely. "That wording… could use some work."
Tatyana rolled her eyes. "Anyway, let's stand up for a second. If we continue like this, I will be unable to hold back for real."
Yasenia was lifted up from the bed by Tatyana. Once they were up, Tatyana spoke a very familiar sentence. "Now, get naked."
The dragoness blinked a few times. "Um… Okay?"
And so, she took off her clothes. Having yet to relax, the proud and large dragon was pointing to the skies, while her thighs were glowing from the dripping fluids. Her nipples were also standing out proudly, so hard that they looked as if they could pierce through cloth.
Tatyana's face became slightly awkward as her lust involuntarily increased. 'I should've thought it through a bit more. I am getting more excited by the second.'
Clearing her throat, she tried to ignore her twitching womb, and she approached with a serious look. Her eyes scanned her body, her spiritual sense easily barreling into Yasenia to check everything. "Hm… This is interesting to say the least."
"What's wrong?"
Tatyana rubbed her chin as she circled around Yasenia's naked body. "Your body has absolutely no problems… Well, there is nothing that can be considered a problem. However, your soul is really… peculiar."
The dragoness tilted her head. "Is it?"
"Yes." Tatyana pondered. "Other than some peculiarities, like your ability to shift your pregnancy from your body to your soul, the most peculiar are the effects that the complete [Soul Palace] is creating."
The dragoness didn't feel anything wrong, so she just relaxed all her defenses and allowed Tatyana to poke around undefended.
Cai Xue, glancing from the side, felt her entire body twitch as her eyelids trembled. 'What kind of level of trust is this!? Young Miss is quite literally placing her entire existence in Lady Tatyana's fingers… If Lady Tatyana were to wish it, just a thought would be enough to burst Young Miss's soul like a soap bubble!'
After prodding around for a bit, Tatyana was a bit at a loss. "Soul Core, Mind Core, and Soul Palace. All three of these are linked in one way or another… The situation is very similar to your middle dantian. However, your upper dantian, having a complete Soul Palace, should be comparable to a high-level Transcendence Realm cultivator. And yet, the soul is acting as if the Primordial Palace is not… complete?"
Yasenia answered. "Perhaps it is because some doors are still closed?"
"Hm?" Tatyana looked up and heard Yasenia's explanation of the Primordial Palace's insides. After hearing more in detail, she came to a conclusion. "So… Each door of your Palace is trying to mimic the process of creating the Soul Palace in itself? What did it feel like to comprehend those crystals, Yasenia?"
Yasenia crossed her arms under her breasts, lifting the weighty mountains. The eyes of the two other women gravitated toward it, drawn by its impactful appearance. "When I was comprehending the red crystals, each was tied to one cultivation path. The one related to the soul felt as if it was giving me knowledge of… How to explain it?"
Putting into words Heavenly comprehensions was quite difficult. That's why they usually used chants to string words and energies into realizations that then could manifest and change the surroundings.
After staying silent for a few moments, Yasenia opened her lips carefully. "It felt as if I was trying to reach deeply into myself and pull something out. That's the best explanation I can think of."
Tatyana confirmed it with that. "Alright, yeah. The crystals in your Primordial Temple have the experiences of someone or something breaking through the human paths. The first step, [Soul Paace Surfacing], is about reaching deeply into yourself and finding what you will later transform into the [Soul Palace]."
"I see." Yasenia nodded twice.
Her lack of reaction amused Tatyana. "It is practically a shortcut. But not a harmful one. If the Primordial Palace continues to grant such experiences beyond the Sixth Realm, then catching up to me will no longer be a question of 'if,' but of 'when.'