Chapter 5 - Bond Of Light And Darkness

In the evening.

Chen family countryard, Taizun city.

Soon, the evening descended upon the bustling city of Taizun, and finally, young master Chen Shenghlei arrived home, along with little Shaodan. The boy's guilty expression was hard to miss as he had given a hard time to Shenghlei.

"Because of you, we're late. Do you understand?" Shenghlei's voice held a reprimanding tone.

"I'm sorry, big brother," Shaodan pleaded, his voice small.

Just then, the household's head maid, Laoma, bustled towards them.

"Master Shenghlei, where have you been? Even the lord has arrived, and your mother was worried sick. We sent the Dao brothers to search the entire city for you, even then we weren't able to find you."

Chen Shenghlei sighed, feeling the weight of his thirteen years on his shoulders, alongside the weight of his colossal body. It wasn't easy for him to find Shaodan, and all the pressure was on his fragile, elephant-like jade feets.

"Lead me, Aunt Laoma. Shaodan ran off, so I had to find him first."

"Alright," Laoma nodded, guiding them inside.

Entering the grand hall, Shenghlei saw his father seated, sipping spiritual tea with a smile. But suddenly, an uneasy feeling washed over him. Before he could ponder it, his mother, Zhao Yumei, stormed in from the kitchen and seized his ear in a firm pinch.

"Ouch… mother!"

"Chen Shenghlei, you dare defy your mother? Didn't I say to be back before noon? You've been out all day!" Though her tone was stern, her eyes glistened with unshed tears. The cruel cultivation world was fraught with danger, and her fear of losing her sons was palpable.

There were also rumors of a child-devouring Pedo-Demon, a demonic cultivator at the late stage Qi Condensing realm, who was hunting and killing children of all ages. As a mother, she was naturally afraid of such a fearsome thought.

Seeing his mother was extremely angry, without hesitation, Shenghlei wrapped his arms around his mother. This trick had always worked as long as you made a cute face and apologized sincerely.

Decisively, he cried and said, "I'm sorry…mother...sniff..."

As expected, Zhao Yumei's heart melted. She returned his hug, wrapping her arms around her lovely son while kissing his forehead. Her voice softened a lot.

"Son, don't ever make your mother worry like this again. If you want to travel, become stronger first. Then, mama won't stop you."

Shenghlei nodded earnestly.

"Mom, I was late because I was buying gifts for you. Look." He presented her with a packet of mooncakes that he had recently brought.

Zhao Yumei, who had given him spirit stones to spend on himself, was taken aback. "This kid... he knows what his mother likes," she thought, a smile spreading across her face. It was natural for kids in this age group to be mostly rebellious, where they rarely had time to think about their parents.

But Shenghlei had brought mooncakes for her. Thinking about this, she felt sweet in her heart. She thought her son was responsible and when she grew old, he would definitely take care of her. Soon, she tore a bite from the cake and fed it to Chen Shenghlei with her hands, cherishing the precious bond between a mother and her son..

Relieved, Shenghlei thought he had evaded punishment. Zhao Yumei, touched by the gesture, couldn't help but tease her husband.

"Look, even the kid has more sense than you. Have you ever brought me anything?"

Chen Tianglong was shocked and looked at his wife, bewildered.

"Why are you dragging me into this? Weren't you about to punish him?"

"How can a mother punish her own son? It's you who puts strange ideas in his head. It must be your fault that he has become so rebellious," Yumei retorted angrily.

"Hahaha!" Although he wanted to reply, he understood the wisdom in remaining silent. It wasn't a sign of weakness, but rather a choice made out of respect and love. After all, few things were as formidable as an angered wife, and if he truly angered her, she might deny him the warmth of her embrace.

Without being able to hold his own wife, how could he find solace in this world?

So, he chose to hold his tongue, knowing that sometimes, the greatest strength lay in restraint.

"Alright, alright... it was all my fault. Perhaps I should have taught him better," Tianglong conceded.

"Hmph, as long as you know... I won't pursue this matter, but do something about this rebelliousness or else..." Yumei replied, her tone softening slightly as her husband admitted his role in the situation.

On the other hand, Hearing them, Chen Shenghlei wanted to say, "I'm not rebellious. It was all the fault of your own nephew." But he held back; after all, he had already escaped the punishment, so it didn't matter.

At this time, Chen Tianglong also felt a longing for mooncakes.

"Alright, let's see what my son brought," Tianglong said, his tone shifting. "I  have ASLO found the solution to his problem now, it was recommended by the divine physician."

Surprised, Yumei and Shenghlei turned to him.

"Really, Father?"

Shenghlei asked, his excitement barely contained.

At this time...

Tianglong unrolled a scroll. "This is the 'Yin Scripture for Divine Hourglass Body,' a technique predominantly favored by women to enhance their figures. However, who's to say it won't work for you?"

"FATHERRR"

Chen Zhen, standing beside his mother, burst into laughter.

"Hahaha... A suitable art for a piglet. I wonder how beautiful this pig will look when mastering this technique."

"Brother, you—" Shenghlei began, his face flushing with anger.

Chen Shenghlei had experienced two lifetimes, but even so, such humiliation angered him to some extent. However, he couldn't do anything about it. Alas, he had to speed up the progress of his weight loss.

"Hey, don't bully my son," Yumei interjected, savoring a mooncake. She knew how her son was before; just because he didn't cry for months doesn't mean he won't if teasing goes too far. He might really be broken, and she would have to work hard to coax him.

"Haha... I'm not serious, son," Tianglong said with a reassuring smile.

"Actually, I found an art similar to this. It is a divine rank body-strengthening art created by the Phantom Monarch of the Green Wood Sect. Later, after his death, a rogue cultivator discovered his cave mansion. Rather than keeping it to himself, he shared the scripture with everyone in the domain. Thus, this art became a basic training art for major sects and independent cultivators in some regions. People call it 'The Yin-Yang Mountain Crushing Dragon Art.'"

Chen Shenghlei didn't know what to say. First of all, if you want to master anything other than strength, you also need comprehensive qualifications. Not that he didn't have any, but he wasn't strong as Qi condensing cultivators nor formidable in knowledge. However, he had to believe his father, and for some reason, he wanted to try it, as he had already slacked off too much.

"I'll try it, Father. I've already slacked off too much. It's time I took my training seriously," Shenghlei declared, a new resolve hardening his voice.

Tianglong smiled proudly. "That's the spirit, my son. Remember, the path of cultivation is long and arduous, but with determination and hard work, you can achieve great things. And who knows, with your dedication, you might even surpass your old man in charm and handsomeness... Haha!"

Hearing this, Chen Shenghlei couldn't help but wonder why his father was so thick-skinned.

_

Meanwhile...

In the nameless mountain peak of the evil mist forest range, a grim spectacle was unfolding. Surrounded by hazy mist, countless beasts were feasting on human corpses. While aroma of blood was thick in the air and  not far away stood a wooden eastern house painted completely in red.

Inside the house, darkness reigned as a certain male cultivator stood mercilessly.

The room was pitch-black, with a woman hanging in the air. Her red eyes glowed, contrasting with her dark hair and pale skin, stained with blood. Each of her limbs was stretched beyond its limits, tightly bound by ropes, bearing the marks of his twisted desires. Her flesh was torn and mutilated, oozing blood and raw meat.

Her screams were silenced by the gag forced upon her mouth. Her hair was disheveled, and a burning rod had skewered her ample breasts like a grotesque barbecue.

Her intimate core was impaled by a red-hot iron rod, her vagina bleeding flesh and blood, a Cruel reminder of the depths to which the male cultivator had sunk for power.

Her feet were cruelly severed at the ankles, and the flesh at her knees was torn apart, with only bones connecting her body. She lay discarded, bones protruding through mangled flesh..

The expressionless man standing there was none other than Yan Lunshen, a cultivator at the seventh floor of the Qi Condensing Realm.

Unlike his usual demeanor in front of the city lord, his eyes now bled intensely red. He was a demonic cultivator, just as Tianglong had suspected, and he had also mastered a forbidden technique called:

---Demonic Art of Immoral Possession---

This demonic art was taboo and extremely sinful. Those who practiced it were considered the most vile scum of heaven and earth.

As the name suggested, it was an art of possession.

The moment you had possessive feelings towards someone, inflicting pain upon them would cause your cultivation to soar. The more torment your loved ones or those you cared for endured, the stronger you became.

The woman hanging there was none other than his wife and biological sister, Yan Lingun. If not for this twisted bond, he would have sold her to any brothel to gain more torment value and please the deity of their family, the "Pleasure Demon."

At this moment, a red pearl-like spirit stone resting on the nearby table glowed with an amethyst color, drawing Yan Lunshen's attention.

Distracted, he dropped another iron rod he was considering where to impale.

"I greet the Patriarch," he said respectfully, picking up the vibrating pearl. It was a tool for long-distance communication, but it could only be used ten times.

"Have you infiltrated Taizun City? Has that old bastard suspected anything? How many years will it take to plant the blood seeds?"

The voice on the other end was hoarse and commanding—the Patriarch of the Yan family.

They had long coveted the resources of Taizun City, but it remained the only city they couldn't control, unlike the surrounding cities already under their bloody influence.

"Rest assured, Patriarch. I will win the trust of that dog Lu Wen. Considering I saved his wife from great calamity, he might even let me sleep with his daughter. Just that girl isn't mature yet, hahaha," Yan Lunshen laughed.

"Bastard! You're not there to cause trouble. Stick firmly to the mission. Plant as many blood seeds as possible. I want you to control Taizun within the next ten years. If you fail..."

The Patriarch didn't finish his sentence and cut off the conversation.

Boom!

Fuming, Yan Lunshen threw the pearl to the ground, smashing it. "Bastard! You think it's easy to control a city? Tianglong already suspects me. Damn it, I need a few more concubines to reach another level.

"No, I would become stronger even before war. After all, only I know the secret of the pleasure demon."

"Yes, it's only a matter of time before I become the absolute powerhouse in this region, far stronger than any pathetic Patriarch or city lord. At that time, they will all beg for death."

After pondering over his plans, he freed Yan Lingun with a thud. Her body dropped to the ground, and he leaned in to feed her a high-quality healing pill. Soon three hours passed, her scattered limbs and torn flesh mended, but she was still shuddering with fear, not daring to look at him.

"Pack up our things, wife. We will be leaving for a new city. You should be happy; from now on, you won't have to help me cultivate...Huh!...Bitch, I said stop crying."

( End Of The Chapter )