Chapter 774: Witch Egg and Mutant Seed

“Master, please don’t panic. This matter certainly has its dangers, but it might not be as perilous as you imagine. And on the other hand, the rewards are also immense!”

The Pope hurriedly reassured him.

Su Ze knew what was done was done. There was no use regretting it now.

He couldn’t bring himself to just throw away the Super Star he’d just acquired, especially since he’d gone to such great lengths to obtain it.

Besides, he was confident that due to their parasitic bond, the Pope would not harm him. He decided to first hear what the Pope had to say.

Still, he asked doubtfully, “Are you sure there’s a Witch Race hatchling inside the Super Star? If it’s really the offspring of an existence beyond the Ancestral Gods, why weren’t there any protective measures in place? We should have been detected the moment we got close, shouldn’t we?

“In any case, we stole this egg. They should have discovered it by now. A powerhouse who surpasses the Ancestral Gods should be able to arrive in an instant from anywhere in the universe. We ‘egg thieves’ should have been blasted to bits long ago.

“And if that Star Realm is the Witch Race’s Hatching Box, why wouldn’t they have people guarding it? We didn’t encounter a single obstacle on our way there.”

Too many things didn’t seem to add up.

“That’s exactly what I was about to explain,” the Pope said with a smile. “You know very little about the Witch Race. They are completely different from other races—the disparity is enormous. What you’re about to hear might just shatter your perceptions.”

Su Ze had calmed down. “Go on.”

The Pope said, “The five great Dominator Races in the universe all have Vassal Races serving under them, but the Witch Race has the largest number of them and also the most contact with them. This is because the Witch Race population is small, so they lack the manpower to handle many affairs personally.

“This has given our Nian Race many opportunities to interact with the Witch Race, and as a result, we understand them extremely well. The Witch Race is born with immense talent—individually, they might be the most gifted among the Dominator Races—but their reproduction is extremely difficult. Aside from the difficulty of conception, long gestation periods, and high incubation requirements, there’s another reason: a Witch is essentially god-level the moment they hatch. And the higher a being’s life level, the lower the chance of producing offspring. This is a universal rule for all life in the cosmos.

“But there is another crucial point, and it relates to the evolutionary path of the Witch Race. They are hailed as the race with the strongest soul talent in the universe. Their evolutionary direction is inconceivable, but to put it simply, they abandon their physical bodies to become pure Soul Bodies.”

Su Ze was immediately reminded of the Witch Race Sun God he had seen at the auction. That Sun God was just a floating ball of flesh, with no limbs or facial features.

“But without physical bodies, how do they reproduce?” Su Ze asked, his expression baffled.

“It’s true that they can’t reproduce without a physical body. This is an unavoidable flaw for the Witch Race. But they aren’t born without physical bodies; they gradually shed them over the course of their evolution.

“A Witch Egg absorbs energy within its mother’s body for a million years, then it’s laid deep inside a planet to absorb that planet’s energy. The moment it hatches, it’s comparable to a Star God. Its physical body is immeasurably powerful, its size is colossal, and its life force is so vigorous it can rival a Stellar Giant Beast.

“But after a Witch reaches adulthood, they begin to gradually shed their powerful physical bodies. With each part they shed, their soul grows even stronger, until they become an Ancestral God and evolve into a complete Soul Body.”

“Wait a minute!” Su Ze interrupted. “Then what about the children of Ancestral Gods you mentioned, or even Witches who are beyond the Ancestral God level? How do they conceive offspring?”

The Pope explained, “First, the Soul Body of a Witch is very special; they can copulate even in that form. Second, among the Witch Race, only female Star Gods retain their reproductive capabilities. Once they evolve into Moon Gods, they lose their reproductive organs. Therefore, for the children of Ancestral Gods, their fathers are Ancestral Gods, but their mothers are, without exception, Star Gods.

“This also applies to this Witch Egg, which might be the descendant of a being stronger than an Ancestral God—its mother is undoubtedly a Star God. In other words, the only reproductive window for a female Witch is during their Star God stage. Once they pass that stage, they can no longer bear children.

“This has led to the special status of females within the Witch Race. Female Witches hold a relatively high status and enjoy various privileges, but these perks are entirely conditional on their willingness to bear children. The more children they have, the better their treatment. If they refuse to reproduce, their lives become extremely difficult.

“To ensure the continuation of their species, the Witch Race has a mandatory internal policy: all female Witches must give birth to at least one offspring before they can evolve into a Moon God. For them, it has essentially become a duty.

“And as I mentioned before, giving birth to a single offspring takes over a million years. For female Witches intent on pursuing greater power, this is undoubtedly exploitative. They must suppress their life level, keeping it at the Star God stage for a million years. This causes them to miss their optimal window for evolution, leaving their life level far behind that of the male Witches of their generation.

“Furthermore, bearing offspring for a powerful male Witch is extremely risky. Injuries are common, and it can even be life-threatening. This has led many female Witches to resist childbirth. Some even lack maternal affection, feeling disgust or even hatred toward the child they bore and the child’s father.”

Su Ze couldn’t help but marvel after hearing all this. ‘What a bizarre race! It’s a wonder a species like that hasn’t gone extinct. Instead, they became one of the universe’s Dominator Races. It just goes to show how incredibly powerful their innate talent must be.’

“You just said that female Witches take on great risks when they bear children for powerful males. Why is that?” Su Ze asked, his curiosity piqued.