My body was burning. Not a harmful fire, but a helpful one. A forge, perhaps. My entire self, my bones, my muscles, my blood, was being reshaped. The 'Primordial Dragon God Scripture' was really a godly method. It didn't merely traverse Qi along my meridians. it seemed to be engraving the principles of the universe directly onto my soul. The spiritual Qi within this pit, which was so dense that it was like water, flowed into me like the sea received a river.
My cultivation, it just kept rising. Fifth stage of Body Refining. Sixth stage. Seventh stage!
Hahaha!
This sense of power! It was like a rush. For a person who had been entrenched at level one for years, this was like a fantasy. No, even in a fantasy, I would not have dreamed of such a thing. Wei Kun, being at level nine, was like a god to me earlier. Now? He was just like a bit of a larger bug.
"Master, you are learning very quickly," Xue'er's voice resonated within my mind. She was hovering before me, her legs folded, her cloudy robe showing off the alluring outline of her slender, white legs. "Your Primordial Dragon Lineage causes developing the Sovereign's art as easy as breathing for you."
She mentioned something that raised a question. A large one. "Xue'er. you told me I possessed the Primordial Dragon Bloodline. How could this be? My parents were mere villagers. I am an orphan." My power-up joy dwindled somewhat. The memory of my solitary existence was a painful wound.
Xue'er cocked her head, her silvery hair glinting. "Ordinary villagers? Master, a real dragon can never hatch out of a chicken's nest. Your blood is nobler than any emperor's in this world of mortals. Your parents surely must have been remarkable people."
"But. I don't recall them," I spoke gently. Wuwuw. A long-forgotten sadness began to arise.
"Memories can be sealed," she explained softly. "Your meridians were sealed, correct? That wasn't a natural state. It was a seal. A very strong one, meant to conceal the potential of your bloodline from the rest of the world, to protect you. My master's inheritance was just that powerful that it broke the seal entirely."
She flew nearer, her stunning purple eyes gazing into mine. "Let me assist you. Your blood contains memories. Let me try to bring a piece to life for you."
She laid a soft, cool finger on my brow. A pure, gentle energy coursed through my mind. The world around me broke apart and I was hurled into a whirlwind of pictures. It was a memory, but from the baby's eyes. Everything was enormous, fuzzy, and frightening.
I glimpsed the face of a man. He was pretty, with sharp brows like swords and eyes that sparkled like stars. He wore a face of sheer love and despair as he gazed down upon me. This was. my father. In the background, I could see a woman of stunning beauty, her face deathly pale, her lovely dress covered in blood, but her eyes danced with a loving tenderness that touched my heart. My mother.
"Tian, they're catching up! The Heavenly Demon Palace's hounds never give up!" my mother's voice was panicked yet resolute.
My father, Long Tian, had me wrapped in his arms. "Linger, don't fret. I will shield you and our son. Even if I have to destroy the heavens!" He emanated a sense of mastery, a king of men. A dragon.
But he was wounded. I could see a big, dark injury on his chest, giving off an evil aura.
"The central clan. they only looked on," my mother wept, tears streaming from her eyes. "They didn't even move a muscle to save us, just because you woke the Primordial bloodline and challenged the Clan Leader's position."
"Hmph! A clan of cowards! One day, our son will come back and teach them what a true Long Clan descendant looks like!" my father bellowed. "But for now, we have to keep him alive."
They were in the forest, fleeing. Behind them, dark shapes with blood-red eyes followed them, their killing intent a palpable wave of cold.
My father stopped. He looked at my mother. "Linger, there is no other way. I will use the Dragon Soul Blood Seal. It will seal Chen'er's bloodline and meridians. He will appear as a mortal with no talent for cultivation. It's the only way the hounds won't be able to track him. He will be safe."
"No! Tian, that will consume your life force!" she screamed.
"A life of a father for the future of his son? It's a good price," he replied with a sorrowful smile. He kissed her, and he kissed my baby forehead. "My son, Long Chen. Pardon your useless father. I could not bear you growing up. But you have to live. Live on, and become a dragon that rules the nine heavens!"
He started to recite an old spell. Dragon scales of gold shimmered on his body. His palm, so bright it stung my baby eyes, was pressed on my chest. I was flooded with a colossal power, and then. it was all contained. Sealed. A prison was erected within me.
The final thing that I saw was my parents' backs as they turned to confront the incoming darkness, their faces away from me, standing united as one last, impenetrable wall.
The memory broke.
I was once again in the abyss, on my knees. I was crying. Wuwuw. The voice was soft, but the agony was tremendous. It was an agony that I had kept hidden in my soul throughout my entire life. I finally knew. I wasn't an orphan forsaken by my parents. I was a child sheltered by their sacrifice.
The Azure Sky Sect. Su Mei. Wei Kun. Being rubbish my life. It was because of my father sealing my power to save my life.
And his enemies. Heavenly Demon Palace. The primary Long Clan who watched and did nothing.
"AAAAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!"
A bellow of raw, unadulterated rage tore loose from my throat. My sorrow became a seething anger that I had never known. The energy within me ran amok. My blood boiled. My eyes became blood red.
"HEAVENLY DEMON PALACE! LONG CLAN! I, LONG CHEN, OATH BY MY PARENTS' SPIRITS, I WILL ERASE YOU FROM THE EARTH! I WILL KILL ALL OF YOU TO THE LAST ONE! I WILL MAKE YOU EXPERIENCE A PUNISHMENT TEN THOUSAND TIMES WORSE THAN DEATH!"
Pffft!
The fury was so strong, so animal, my own power revolted against me. I spat out a big mouthful of blood. My eyes blurred.
"Master, relax!" Xue'er's distressed voice rang in my anger. A soothing energy surrounded me, calming my runaway Qi. "Your fury is a great weapon, but if you let it consume you, it'll kill you first before you even lay eyes on your foes!"
I let out a shuddering breath. The blood on the ground reminded me. She was right. I was still not strong. A seventh-level Body Refining cultivator. To my enemies, an ant. Fuming now was worthless. I needed strength. Cold, total strength.
I cleaned my mouth of blood. My eyes were no longer wild with anger, but cold and bottomless. The old Long Chen was really dead. He died when he was kicked into the pit by Wei Kun. He was buried when he discovered that his parents were not looking for him.
The person standing here was a man with a single goal. Revenge.
"You're right, Xue'er," I told her, my throat raw. "Help me. Tell me all you know to make me strong. Quick."
She smiled in relief. "That's the spirit, master! Now, let's discuss your other little special talent. The Myriad Flowers Dao Physique."
My pale face, bristling with rage, began to redden once more. This fairy, her timing was truly something else.
"Hee hee, no need to be shy, master," she laughed, swimming towards me. She touched her finger to my lower abdomen. "This body makes your Yang energy extremely pure and powerful. It is the perfect tonic for any woman cultivator, particularly those with unique constitutions. When you. you know. do that with them," she winked, "you will create a Yin-Yang Harmony Field. Her cultivation will develop by leaps and bounds, her body will be purified of impurities, and her potential will be realized. And you, master, will take in some of her pure Yin energy, which will increase your own cultivation way more than cultivating by yourself."
She swept her hand, and the image materialized in the air. It was an old illustration from the 'Primordial Dragon God Scripture'. It depicted a man and a woman in all sorts of. intertwined positions. My eyes opened wide and my face burned. The positions were too. artistic. And explicit.
"This is the 'Primordial Yin-Yang Dragon and Phoenix Art'," Xue'er said, utterly nonchalant. "It is the finest two-way cultivation method in all the worlds. The Dragon Sovereign came up with it, but he was too arrogant to ever employ it. What a shame! But you, master, you are not like that! You are going to have a harem that will make the Celestial Emperor green with envy! Imagine it, master. You can become stronger and make pretty fairies happy. It's a perfect situation!"
I was stunned. One part of me, the part that clung to the innocent boy who cared for Su Mei, was horrified. But another part of me. a primal, dragon-like urge brought about by my blood. was interested. My heart had turned icy towards love since Su Mei's betrayal. But this. this was not about love. It was about power. And satisfaction. It was a seductive road.
"Your Celestial Primordial Dragon Body makes you a dragon. Dragons are inherently possessive and they have a multitude of mates. And your Myriad Flowers Dao Physique makes phoenixes fall in love with you. It is your fate," Xue'er said, as if nothing was more normal. "You just need to marry the right women. Women with Yin-attributed bodies, special bloodlines, or unique physiques. The stronger they are, the better it will be for both of you."
I glanced at the humiliating photos floating in the air and then turned aside. "I get it. Power. is the only thing that counts."
"Good! Now, let's get you out of this abyss. You can't find beautiful women to dual cultivate with down here," she said cheerfully. "But first, you should spend some time in the Primal Chaos Bead. One month inside is only about six hours out here. You can reach the peak of the Body Refining realm in there."
She instructed me on how to put the bead in. With a thought, my mind was sucked into another world. It was a large area, with a small mountain peak, a bright lake, and a black soil field that was full of life. The spiritual Qi here was even denser than in the abyss. It was a cultivation paradise.
I didn't delay even a second. I sat down and started cultivating. With the 'Primordial Dragon God Scripture', my ideal body, and this ideal surroundings, my improvement was terrifying.
Eighth level. Ninth level. Tip of the Body Refining realm!
In what seemed like a month of continuous cultivation, I had finally reached the peak of the first martial realm. My flesh was as resilient as steel, and I possessed ten bulls' strength. I could sense a wall before me, the obstacle to the next realm. The Qi Condensation realm. To pierce through, I required an opportunity, a catalyst.
When I opened my eyes, I was back in the abyss. Only a few hours had elapsed.
"Great, master! You're ready," Xue'er applauded.
I stood up, crackling with power in my body. I felt as if I could break mountains with one punch. I was an entirely different person from the child who stumbled down here.
"How do we escape?" I asked. This pit of darkness was supposed to be one way in, no way out.
Xue'er laughed. "For others, it is. But for the Dragon Sovereign's inheritor, it is merely an entrance. The Sovereign's energy stays here. You can order it around. Just extend your senses, and nudge the earth."
I did what she told me to do. I shut my eyes and concentrated. I sensed a bond with the very stones surrounding me. An ancient, draconic energy slept in the ground. I forced it to stir.
Rumble.
The earth trembled. A spire of stone started pushing itself from the cavern floor, right where I was standing. It was going up quickly, lifting me, lifting me, lifting me, away from the darkness.
The wind roared by me as I climbed. My dark black hair streamed behind me. I raised my head and beheld a small pinprick of light, the gateway of the abyss. The world that I had abandoned.
A cold smile spread over my face.
Azure Sky Sect. Wei Kun. Su Mei.
Your terror begins now. I am returning.