Piecing together, they gradually formed an irregular shape.

The shape continued to squirm, as if an invisible pair of hands was kneading these fragments, reshaping them.

An aerial root of the World Tree suddenly moved.

Extending from the base of the trunk, the aerial root slowly reached out toward the reshaping fragments.

One after another, Chaos-colored Law patterns lit up on the surface of the aerial root.

The World Tree was using its own method to guide the residual Ancestral Dragon's will within those fragments, helping them find a stable form.

Xiao Qing understood.

"The World Tree is helping it,"

she said softly.

The Chaos light rain suddenly grew a bit denser.

The threads of rain were no longer fluttering down casually; instead, they swirled around the cluster of fragments as their center, turning into a tiny vortex of light rain.

With each rotation of the vortex, the seven-colored immortal light on the surface of the fragments brightened a degree.

Meanwhile, that Ancestral Dragon aura gradually transformed from a flickering candle in the wind into a steadily burning flame.

Xiao Qing appeared on the other side of the World Tree at some point.

His green robes fluttered gently in the Chaos airflow, while his Eyes of the Chaos Deity calmly gazed at the reshaping fragments.

"Master."

Sensing Xiao Qing's aura, Xiao Qing turned her head.

"What is going on? Hasn't the Divine Stone already..."

Xiao Qing did not answer immediately.

His gaze rested on the cluster of fragments, Chaos light swirling deep within his pupils for a fleeting moment.

The vision of the Chaos Deity penetrated the exterior of the fragments, beholding something even deeper within.

At the center of the fragments lay an extremely faint will.

It was not a complete consciousness, but more like an ancient command etched into instinct.

It was the final contingency left behind by the Ancestral Dragon before its fall to protect Yaoyao.

Yaoyao was now safely born.

The mission of this will was mostly complete.

Yet it did not dissipate.

For it sensed that there was still one more thing it could do.

On the eve of its dissipation, the Ancestral Dragon's remaining Creation Will had sealed its last bit of Origin power inside the shell of the Divine Stone.

This bit of Origin power was far too faint, so weak that even the remnant soul of the Ancestral Dragon could not use it as a vessel to continue existing.

Yet, against all odds, it endured.

Through ten years of nourishment from the World Tree, through day after day of soaking in the Chaos light rain, and through the baptism of the heavenly phenomenon when Yaoyao was born—

—this bit of Origin power quietly underwent a transformation.

It began to devour.

It was not active devouring.

It was passive, an instinct, the most primitive Innate Law deep within the Ancestral Dragon bloodline taking effect.

Over ten years, an infinitesimally small fraction of the Chaos Origin that the World Tree had channeled into the Divine Stone through its aerial roots remained within the stone shell.

Now, this remaining Origin had become the final nourishment for that strand of will.

Xiao Qing spoke up, "This is the final gift left by the Ancestral Dragon."

Xiao Qing's fox ears twitched halfway around.

"A gift?"

Xiao Qing raised his right hand and tapped his index fingertip lightly against the the void.

An extremely fine pillar of Chaos light shot out from his fingertip, landing upon the reshaping fragments.

The instant the light pillar merged into the fragments, the irregular shape shuddered violently.

Then, it began to shrink rapidly.

From half a zhang down to three feet.

From three feet down to one foot.

From one foot down to the size of a palm.

The gaps between the fragments were filled by some mysterious force, their sharp edges smoothed out, and a fine pattern of fur emerged on the surface.

The fur was pale gold.

Yet its edges shimmered with a crimson luster.

The shape gradually became clear.

It was a small beast curled into a ball.

The small beast had its eyes closed, breathing evenly.

Covered in fine, pale-gold fur, its entire body emitted a soft, warm luster amidst the Chaos light rain.

It was very small—so small that Xiao Qing could hold it in a single hand.

It looked like a young Dragon, yet rounder.

Its tail was very short, curled against its belly.

Its four paws were tender and pink, though the tips of its claws were pure gold.

"So tiny."

Xiao Qing squatted down, extended her index finger, and poked the small beast's back ever so gently.

The small beast gave no reaction whatsoever.

It merely rolled over, revealing its soft belly.

The fur on its belly was even finer and softer than on its back, lighter in color with a faint blush of pink.

Xiao Qing couldn't help poking it again.

This time, she poked the tip of the small beast's tail.

The small beast's tail flicked unconsciously, as if swatting a mosquito.

Xiao Qing burst out laughing.

Xiao Qing walked over to Xiao Qing's side, his gaze falling upon the small beast.

Within this small beast flowed the purest Chaos Origin of the Ancestral Dragon.

Although this Origin was extremely thin—its total amount not even a thousandth of the Origin Qi within Yaoyao's body—

—its purity was extraordinarily high.

Moreover, this Origin was circulating on its own at an extremely slow pace.

With every complete rotation, a strand of Chaos Qi was drawn into its body, replenishing the ball of Origin.

It was growing.

Though its growth rate was pitifully slow, it was indeed Cultivating on its own through the instincts of an Innate Sacred Beast.

And at the core of that Origin, Xiao Qing saw the rudimentary form of a Law.

It was very blurry.

Like an unformed seed.

But Xiao Qing recognized the core nature of that Law at a single glance.

Devouring.

"An Innate Sacred Beast."

Xiao Qing's voice held a faint trace of a smile.

"Using the remains of the Divine Stone as its womb, the remaining will of the Ancestral Dragon as its soul, and ten years of nourishment from the World Tree as its foundation."

"Such an fated opportunity cannot be found a second time in all of heaven and earth."

Xiao Qing raised her head, her jade-green eyes bright and shining.

"So it and Yaoyao are... relatives?"

Chapter 475, Tuntun

"Not quite."

Xiao Qing shook his head.

"Yaoyao is a being nurtured by the Ancestral Dragon using Creation Will to gather the Tianyuan Realm Origin, making her a direct descendant of the Ancestral Dragon."

"This little creature was formed from the stone shell left behind after Yaoyao's birth; it was not actively birthed by the Ancestral Dragon."

"If I had to describe it..."

Xiao Qing pondered for a moment.

"...it's more like a little tail that Yaoyao dragged along with her when she was born."

Xiao Qing tilted her head.

"A little tail..."

She looked down at the small beast curled into a ball, curiosity deepening in her green eyes.

"Does it have a name then?"

Xiao Qing fell silent for a breath.

His gaze rested on the pale-gold fur of the small beast, then fell upon the embryonic Law of Devouring circulating slowly within its body.

"Ancestral Taotie."

He spoke softly.

"'Ancestral' inherits the Ancestral Dragon bloodline, while 'Taotie' signifies its talent for devouring."

"Let us call it Tuntun."

Xiao Qing repeated the name, her fox ears twitching slightly.

"Ancestral Taotie, Tuntun..."

She leaned down and poked the small beast's nose tip.

"Hey, little guy, you have a name now."

The small beast still gave no response.

Sleeping like a log.

Chaos light rain drifted down through the leaves and branches of the World Tree.

Falling upon the small beast curled into a ball, falling upon its pale-gold fur.

Its fur brightened slightly.

As if responding to the name.

Three days later.

Xiao Qing sat cross-legged on an aerial root of the World Tree, her green fox tail resting on her lap.

A pile of spirit fruits was laid out before her.

Red ones, purple ones, green ones, along with a few faintly glowing spars.