"You are elder Qianmei's son, right?"
A middle-aged man asked. As one of the elders of the clan, he was preparing for this year's competition as well as keeping tabs on the budget. It would have been like any other day if a certain someone hadn't come seeking an audience with him and given him a huge fright.
"Un, greetings senior."
Tianlong wasn't surprised that the elder had recognised him. In a clan full of humans, his demonic presence and looks were unique. It was hard for anyone to not notice him. It would be the same everywhere unless he went in a place full of demons.
"Did– Did your mother told you to bring it to me?" The elder's forehead was filled with cold sweat when he looked at the lamp in front of him.
Seeing the man's violent reaction, Tianlong became even more curious about the jade. He nodded and once again repeated himself, "My mother told me to deliver it to you."
The man looked at the lamp with a serious expression. A huge storm was raging on his heart. It was not only him but any Jade Core cultivator in the clan who would react in the same way if they saw the lamp.
"This matter, it's too huge. I need to report to the patriarch. You come with me."
The man stood up and took quick strides towards one of the innermost rooms in the building. On the way, everyone who saw the man immediately bowed and greeted him.
However, when they saw that an unknown youngster was following him, they became slightly curious about his identity. But after they recognised his features, all of them stopped their discussion.
Soon the two of them stopped before an ordinary wooden cottage.
"Patriarch, it's me Qiansheng."
The man respectfully bowed and spoke in a polite tone. Tianlong noticed his action and similarly bowed.
For a minute, no response came from inside. But then, an aged voice sounded from inside.
"Hoho, isn't it the son of Mei Er? Come in …come in."
The door soundlessly opened up. Once they both went inside, Tianlong found himself in a dark chamber that was illuminated by a single candle.
There were a few ancient scrolls attached on the walls with the depiction of different types of dragons and other auspicious beasts.
"Greetings Patriarch!" both of them said in unison.
A man who looked to be in his fifties was sitting in front of the candle while studying some sort of book. Despite the aged look on his face, it was evident that he was very handsome in his youth.
The man gave a single glance at the elder and nodded. Then his attention shifted to Tianlong. Conversely, Tianlong also started to observe him.
This was the first time he had seen the patriarch. As the supposedly strongest person of his clan, the man had to spend all his day in cultivation. It was because, without strength, his authority would crumble. Subsequently, the other clans would start eyeing their clan.
Both of his eyes reflected the light from the candle. Due to the reflection, it seemed as if two flames were burning in his eyes. If one looked at those eyes for a long time, one would find it difficult to understand whether the room was being illuminated by the candle or the man's eyes. The illusion created a silent pressure.
The elder who was standing beside them shuddered due to it and bowed down.
"Patriarch, elder Qianmei asked him to delivered this."
He quickly handed the lamp to the patriarch and respectfully cupped his hands. Despite being in the Jade Core realm himself, the pressure in the room was too suffocating for him. That's why he wanted to get out of the room as soon as possible.
"This is…"
Once the patriarch caught the black lamp, his eyes immediately narrowed. Suddenly, his hands started to tremble in excitement.
Taking a deep breath, he blew a mouthful of Qi inside it. As soon as it contacted the lamp, it released a blinding light and a crimson flame started to burn on top of it.
Both Tianlong and the elder were surprised by the patriarch's actions. When they focused their gaze again on the lamp, they were stunned. Not because of the flame, but because of the lamp.
The black lamp which gave of a sense of coldness had practically frozen by now. The chill coming from it could be felt even from the distance. It also gave off a ghastly presence that reeked of maliciousness.
However, despite the chilliness, the flame on top of it kept burning. The light radiating from it felt incredibly warm and comforting which was totally opposite the presence given off by the lamp.
"Succeeded … She succeeded!"
The old patriarch who was a half-step Nascent Soul realm cultivator started to tremble. And from his expression, it was evident that it was not out of fear but excitement.
"I couldn't do it … my predecessor also couldn't … only the third generation succeeded but he suffered the wrath of heavens and turned to dust."
The man mumbled to himself while looking at the lamp. His expression constantly kept changing, sometimes it was bitter, sometimes it showed respect and sometimes it seemed as if he understood something.
As if reacting to his violent emotions, the reflection of flame in his eyes kept flickering. Due to it, his aura became chaotic and increased the pressure on the room.
After mumbling incoherently to himself for a long time, he finally snapped out of his daze.
"You can leave."
The elder bowed and excused himself. His forehead was filled with cold sweat due to the mighty pressure. Just as he was about to step out, the patriarch once again spoke.
"Don't tell of this matter to anyone else."
"Yes sir." The man quickly replied and left. He didn't want to stay in this place for a second longer.
Now that the two of them were alone, the patriarch focused his gaze on the youngster. "Child, what is your name?"
"Junior is surnamed Yun, with given name Tianlong."
The old man nodded and said, "Tianlong …Tianlong… what a domineering name! But since you are their child, it's only natural."
Tianlong didn't reply and silently listened to the man's mumblings. After a few minutes passed by, the man stood up and gently pressed his palm on a section of the floor.
As his presence spread out on the floor, the tiles vanished to reveal an underground passage. A hot gust of wind rushed out and hit them directly in the face.
"Come with me. I'll take you to worship the flame."
Saying that the patriarch stood up and started descending the stairs. When Tianlong was in front of the stairs, he suddenly felt a strange sensation all over his body.
As soon as he took the first step, his mind jolted as he heard a faint murmur that seemed to have come from the ancient past.
"Sky is the father…"
The moment he heard those aged words, his blood started to boil. His body started to revert to his Quasi-demonic form as scales started to appear on his chest and arms.
"Patriarch, what is this place?"
"You'll see." His aged voice echoed.
Tianlong hesitated for a moment but then started to decide to follow him. With the patriarch around, he didn't believe he would encounter any problems.
The stairway was long and winded with no lighting along the path. The ground was unusually warm and waves of heat surged into him through his feet.
However, Tianlong's expression turned more and more serious the deeper they went. His mind was filled with the faint whisper that he heard in the beginning.
"Earth is the mother…"
Instantly, Tianlong's stopped in his place. The strange whisper which he had previously once again resounded in his mind.
This time he could clearly feel his dragon blood getting restless. It was like he had met a rival who was challenging his dignity. His instincts told him to silence whoever was speaking to him by letting out a roar.
Biting his tongue, he suppressed this feeling. Not to mention it was disrespectful to the entity, even the patriarch would be offended by his actions.
With a grim expression, he continued his descent into the dark. No words were spoken between the two. Tianlong was completely focused on suppressing his Dragon blood with his Roc blood.
However, the heat in the ground seemed to carry unique demonic Qi that seeped in him and made the entire process much more difficult.
After fifteen minutes of constant travelling, he saw the first ray of light.
Ancestral Hall
These words were carved on top of the gate which looked like a Buddhist shrine's gate. There were two bronze dragons wrapped on either side of the gate's pillars. Both of them looked incredibly alive.
Once the patriarch was in front of it, he bowed and started to chant a series of incoherent words and pressed his palm on the door.
When the door opened, Tianlong saw a scene that made his pupils shrink.
"It's less of a hall and more of a tomb!"