The courtyard of Yun Dingxing and Long Qianmei was exceptionally quiet.
Besides the howling of the snowy wind, no other sounds could be heard. The snow-white world was filled with a hint of chilliness that could freeze one down to the bones.
It wasn't only due to the low temperature but also due to the eerie black glow coming from the room.
Inside their room, one could see that Long Qianmei was sitting with black patches of skin coming out of her skin and fusing with Tianlong. Due to the dense network of veins, it made him look like a tree person with roots all over his body.
There was a thick aura of death coming from Long Qianmei that was being absorbed by Tianlong.
His sclera had turned completely red with black roots creeping inside of it.
Once he finished extracting another vein of her, a sudden feeling of weakness overcame him. He felt the root rapidly absorbing his cultivation base, flesh and blood to fuse with him.
He swiftly closed his eyes and sat down in meditation while suppressing the will of death inside him. His body gave off an aged aura that was difficult to describe.
"How are you feeling?" His mother asked.
While the roots were being extracted, she had to go through the indescribable pain of her flesh being torn apart. However, not a single change of expression could be seen on her face during the whole process.
Although her face was still pale, her aura became much sharper. It was like a rusted sword that slowly regaining its original splendour.
In response to her question, Tianlong took a deep breath and pressed his hands against the floor which was being heated due to the arrays that maintained the temperature of the room.
The heat in the floor surged into his body. His tanned skin turned slightly red and sweat covered him. It caused the floor to became slightly colder.
Due to the heat absorbed, the aura of death around his body started to go away.
After a minute of continuing the process, he lifted his hand and stopped absorbing. The room quickly regained its temperature.
"I'm fine." He smiled.
"Hmph, show-off!" His father mumbled beside him.
"It's just that you are jealous because I grasped this ability so fast!" Tianlong wasn't bothered by his father's words at all. "If I wanted to show-off, I would've gone to participate in the clan's competition."
"Alright! The two of you can stop fighting."
Once Long Qianmei spoke, both of them became silent instantly.
Ever since she started to regain her strength, an aura that was completely different from Yun Dingxing started to radiate from her.
If Yun Dingxing's presence gave a feeling of strength and overbearingness, then Long Qianmei's presence would be described as bloodthirsty and ruthless.
"You are at the 9th level of the Qi Condensation realm, right?"
Tianlong nodded. Although he was mainly focusing on strengthening his fleshly body the past few days, he didn't stop refining his Qi either. The continuous battles had allowed him to strengthen his foundation. He no longer needed to wait for it to stabilise.
With almost 5 million spirit stones in his possession, he could casually take out a few thousand and absorb their energy to swiftly increase his cultivation base. Even if he didn't actively absorb it, the spiritual energy released by them was enough for his cultivation level to swiftly increase.
"Do you know the origin of the Long Clan?" Long Qianmei asked.
After a moment of silence, Tianlong answered, "As far as the records go, the progenitor was a Jade Core realm expert who by chance, stumbled upon the corpse of a Candle Dragon in the Dark Edge Mountains. Upon gaining enlightenment on its will, his bloodline changed. He changed his surname to 'Long' and established this clan."
This bit of history was taught to everyone in the clan and even children knew about it. Though he didn't understand why his mother suddenly asked this, he didn't ask any questions.
"Although the bloodline of our clan originates from the ancestor, we proclaim ourselves as the child of the Candle Dragon. That's why in our ancestral hall, we only have a portrait of the progenitor but the Candle Dragon has a statue. The ancestor had a great deal of respect towards the sacred creature. This is also the primary reason that our clansmen find it easier to cultivate fire related techniques."
She opened her palm and revealed a black jade piece which revealed a chilling aura. It was carved in the shape of a lamp. Looking at it for a long time, she passed it to Tianlong. "Go and take this to the grand elder."
Once she gave the lamp to him, she once again closed her eyes.
Tianlong took the small lamp from her hands and excused himself. Although he was slightly confused, he didn't bother asking. His mother was a person of few words, he was already accustomed to her.
Even after he left the residence, Long Qianmei continued to sit motionlessly. After every treatment, she needed to make adjustments to her body. Her scattered cultivation also started to congeal once again.
After an unknown amount of time passed, a bizarre change started to occur. Her originally black hair started to dance and turned blood red. A bloody smell came from it giving it the look of a bloody waterfall.
She pointed her forefinger towards her forehead. A small crack started to appear on it which released a scorching heat. Just as the crack was about to open further, she sealed it up once again.
No one noticed that in that small duration, the sky had started to rumble with lightning. But as soon as she closed her forehead, the sky returned to its normal state as if nothing happened.
"Just a few more months." Yun Dingxing who was sitting by her side looked at the scene with rapt attention.
"Once I regain my power, all of my enemies would be able to divinate my location." Long Qianmei calmly said. In the last decade, there have been no less than 10 divinations trying to pinpoint her location.
A few neighbouring countries knew about her, but others didn't. If not for her sealing of cultivation base, she would long have been found out.
"Which just means more corpses to cultivate that Evil Art of yours." Yun Dingxing slightly smiled. He was completely unbothered by her words and from Long Qianmei's nonchalant expression, she too looked unbothered.
Long Qianmei smiled. After a moment of silence, she asked,
"Are we still going to the Nine Lotus sect?"
"Un. I don't want to leave any unforeseen dangers behind."
The room descended to silence once more. Long Qianmei's face was filled with slight reluctance and hesitation as if she wanted to say something but couldn't.
"I know what you want to ask." Yun Dingxing looked at her expression and could guess his wife's thoughts. "No, we are not taking him with us."
"But-"
Without listening to her, he continued, "Our son, we have taught him for sixteen years. Now, he's already grown up. Let him go. It's time for him to see the world. If he doesn't face hardships and always stays in our care, he would never progress."
Yun Dingxing took her hands and said in a soft voice, "Your two decades of mortal life is over. Once you recover, you'll be one of those rare few who gained their domain in the Nascent Soul realm itself. However, this strength is nothing in Suzaku. If we take him with us, we'd just be restricting him."
"Let him join the Imperial Academy of Xia. With his strength and our treasures, no one can do anything to him there. In addition, not only does that place have the Candle Dragon's right eye, but he can also use their status to go to the Forbidden Dream which will open 100 years later and enter the Devil's Nightmare.
"The two of us barely escaped with our lives but the serendipity from that place made us who we are today. Having fused with that entity, our son would need to visit that place sooner or later. And I'm sure the fortune he'll receive will far surpass us! Even if he doesn't get anything, I just hope he unveils the truth surrounding it…"
There was nothing Long Qianmei could do anymore except heaving a sigh. Her husband's words were perfectly logical. It was just that she had got used to this sort of quiet lifestyle with her family.
"His Candle Dragon bloodline has been devoured, I wonder what will happen when he sees the ancestor…"
Softly mumbling, she closed her eyes and sunk into meditation again. The red hue in her hair started to go away but the coldness that came along with it didn't. In terms of coldness, it seemed even the snow outside couldn't compare to her.
No one would believe that this cold woman who was known for her viciousness would have such a soft side for her family?