Chapter 137: The Compassion of Parents Everywhere

In the current cultivation world, the monstrous beasts belonging to the dragon race are defined as follows: those without claws or with only three claw bones are called “jiao,” while those with five are called “dragon.” A “jiaolong” is born from the union of a dragon and a jiao, usually having four claw bones.

The dragon-shaped skeleton Su Che saw was the carcass of an adult jiaolong. From this, it could be inferred that this adult jiaolong had come here injured, dug out this cave at the bottom of the river before dying, gave birth to its young, and then passed away.

“This is why that young silver-whiskered jiao suddenly appeared in the Su River over a hundred years ago.”

Su Che searched carefully but found no demon pill inside the skeleton. He guessed, “It’s only been over a hundred years—the demon pill couldn’t have disappeared; it must have been swallowed by that little jiao.”

With his current wealth, Su Che didn’t care much about a single demon pill. As he continued to search with his spiritual sense, he suddenly noticed something unusual about the jiaolong’s skull—it seemed to contain something in its mouth.

After stepping forward a few steps to the jiaolong’s skull, Su Che’s hand barely touched it when he heard the little jiao let out a loud roar. Clearly, it had sensed Su Che’s actions and was warning him with its roar not to touch its mother’s remains.

Unfortunately, it had been severely weakened by the snake woman and was too weak to stop Su Che.

Ignoring it, Su Che gently pried open the jiaolong’s jaw and took out a palm-sized scale—a pure black diamond-shaped scale.

Su Che had been puzzled earlier because the jiaolong’s carcass only had a skeleton, no scales. After all, it had only been over a hundred years, so its highly protective scales shouldn’t have decayed…

Only now, as his spiritual sense penetrated the scale, did he understand that all the answers lay within it.

This scale was the most important “reverse scale” on the entire body of this adult jiaolong. Before dying, it had exhausted all its energy to strip off all its scales and seal them together with the demon pill inside this reverse scale, turning it into a defensive artifact akin to a “life treasure.”

Moreover, it had infused a message, asking those destined to meet it not to harm its child. Along with this life treasure, it also left behind a spell for taming…

It turned out that this adult jiaolong had anticipated that after its child was born, without parental care, it would lack wisdom and knowledge, making it impossible for it to survive in this cultivation world. Even if it hid at the bottom of the river and never caused trouble, it would eventually be hunted down by cultivators who heard of it.

So, this mother planted a “subjugation spell” in her unborn child in advance, giving it to the “hunters” who came to capture the child, with the intention that by reciting the spell, they could easily subdue her son without using violent means to harm him. Additionally, she gave them this “Reverse Scales Treasure” as a gift, hoping that the “hunters” would not kill her child and instead tame it into a spiritual beast that could become a good helper to the “hunters” in the future. “How pitiful the hearts of parents everywhere…” Su Che thought to himself, “To ensure her child’s survival, this mother did everything she could think of and everything she was able to do!” These Reverse Scales, gathered from the entire body of an adult dragon, surely possessed exceptional defensive power, making them a true treasure. On top of that, they contained the essence of a mother’s entire being, along with endless pleas and blessings… “Don’t worry; you will watch it grow up gradually.” Su Che softly spoke these words to the dragon’s head, then, with a thought, he stored the entire dragon skeleton in the Immortal Prison. “Awoo~~~” Sensing its mother’s remains disappear without a trace, the seven-zhang-long little dragon let out a mournful cry. Even though it lacked intelligence, it realized that it was doomed to great disaster now. “There’s no need to fear. Your mother is always with you, and she will be in the future as well.” Su Che softly recited the “subjugation spell.” The little dragon’s gaze became unfocused, and its movements gradually slowed down. The snake woman immediately realized that Su Che had used some method to subdue it, so she stepped aside and became an observer. By the time the spell was finished, the little dragon was already lying on the ground, fast asleep. When it woke up again, it would regard Su Che as the closest person in the world, just like its mother. Whoosh! The sleeping little dragon disappeared from the cave along with Su Che’s thought. In a corner of the Immortal Prison, the little dragon lay on the ground, nestled against its mother’s skeleton, sleeping soundly and peacefully. Su Che then turned to the snake woman and asked gently, “What about you? Do you still want to return?” “Of course!” The stunningly beautiful snake woman smiled brightly. “For the past few hundred years, your place has been my home.” Su Che smiled back and, with a wave of his hand, stored her, who offered no resistance, in the Immortal Prison as well. After that, Lao He dug a huge pond in the Immortal Prison, resembling a small lake. Su Che then dived into the Su River to fetch enough water to fill the pond. From then on, this pond became the new home for the little dragon.

Of course, the little dragon wasn’t a prisoner of the Immortal Prison but Su Che’s spiritual beast. As it grew older, it would become a valuable ally to fight alongside Su Che.
Su Yunshan stood by the river, waiting anxiously for an hour, until finally, his grandson Su Che emerged from the water, carrying Su Yun Tang in his arms.
“Che, how is Grandpa?”
“He’s fine,” Su Che replied with a smile. “I’ve already used magic to heal him. His memory is damaged, but his soul isn’t lost. It won’t affect his intelligence or lifespan. However, when he wakes up, he might forget many things—maybe even not recognize me.”
“That’s impossible!”
Su Yunshan waved his hand. “It’s possible he won’t recognize me as his second brother, but to make him forget his beloved grandson? I’ll never believe that!”
Su Che nodded with a smile.
Knowing his third brother was unharmed, Su Yunshan felt relieved and murmured, “It’s still a stroke of luck despite the misfortune. As long as he’s safe, it’s fine. With so many people in the family, if each one remembers something, everything can be made up for…”
But Su Che gazed into the distance, feeling a faint sadness. “I’ve lost all true familial bonds. There’s no way to make it up for…”
Soon after, joy returned to the Su family’s estate, with laughter and happiness everywhere. A great disaster was resolved simply because of the return of the young master.
Su Che tried his best to blend into their joy and family bonds, but his parents still felt a strong sense of estrangement. Especially Su Che’s mother, who repeatedly hid in her room to cry. The way her son looked at her filled her with heartache…
But after wiping away her tears, as a mother, she felt more relief and pride: No matter how powerful he becomes, he’ll always be my son!
That night, Su Yun Tang woke up. Indeed, he had forgotten many people and things. But Su Yunshan had predicted it—he hadn’t forgotten his son and grandson…
Hearing that it was his beloved grandson who had resolved the disaster for the Su family and saved his own life, the old man pushed aside everyone and rushed into the ancestral hall. Pointing at a certain spirit tablet, he laughed loudly, “See? That’s my grandson! A hundred times better than all the sons your sons have born! Hahaha…”
Su Yunshan shook his head in exasperation, muttering to himself, “Why hasn’t he forgotten just this one thing…”

After the dinner, Su Che left behind a batch of cultivation materials for the Su family, along with five mid-tier cultivation techniques that could help them reach the Foundation Establishment stage. Some of these mid-tier techniques were seized from prisoners in the Immortal Prison, while others were purchased from the Materialization Peak. However, due to the constraints of the Heart Demon Oath, Su Che couldn’t pass on any techniques from the Tianxuan Sect to the Su family. Even mid-tier techniques were considered treasures to them. With so many techniques available, the family’s descendants could choose the most suitable ones based on their aptitudes, increasing their chances of successfully reaching Foundation Establishment in the future…

The next morning, Su Che quietly set up the jade dish, flew high into the sky, and left the Su family without a trace. He didn’t want to witness the reluctant farewell scenes, which would have made him feel extremely awkward. Moreover, having to bid farewell to various relatives one by one was enough to give him a headache. As long as he owed no karmic debts and his mind remained clear, that was sufficient.

His next destination was thousands of miles away, in the jurisdiction of one of the ten major demonic sects—the Ten Ghosts Sect. Before setting off, Su Che had already learned that within its territory there was a cultivation market called “Shocking Soul Ridge,” a fully open market where cultivators from both the immortal and demonic paths could trade. Such a market existed to facilitate disciples from immortal sects to sell items they no longer needed that were suitable for use by demonic cultivators. There were similar markets on Tianxuan Sect’s territory as well, welcoming demonic cultivators to sell items suitable for immortal cultivators—a mutually beneficial and enlightened practice. However, such markets were mostly located in lawless border areas with poor security, so trading there carried certain risks. If one didn’t even have the Foundation Establishment level of cultivation, going there would only satisfy a desire for suicide; all other goals would be unattainable.

Over a thousand miles away from Shocking Soul Ridge, Su Che landed and hid in a rock crevice, patiently waiting for his target to appear. Who was he waiting for? Any demonic cultivator would do!

Su Che planned to capture a demonic cultivator, disguise himself with that cultivator’s spiritual energy fluctuations, and then enter Shocking Soul Ridge to buy souls. In a demonic region, being a demonic cultivator was naturally safer.

After waiting for a while, a cluster of dark clouds flew in from the horizon at great speed. The shape of these clouds resembled a skull, exuding a sinister aura—clearly disciples of the Ten Ghosts Sect. “That one will do.”

Su Che thought to himself, “Disguising as a disciple of the Ten Thousand Ghosts Sect makes it easier to act here.”