Right then, Kali was just about to speak up in her fierce, determined tone. This matter has been a long time coming, and there wasn't any way she was going to back down now.
However, just as she opened her mouth, Cain beat her to the punch, asking Shi Wen first, "Grandmother….are you truly ok with us going on this journey? I will be honest, we don't want any protection for this. Meaning we can very well die no matter how insanely talented we are."
For their journey, Cain didn't want to get interrupted at all. He honestly much prefers it to struggle and grow on his own than being coddled.
Even though Kali did tell him their grandmother wasn't like this, he just needed to hear it from her own mouth.
"Oh my? Little Cain, you seem to have grown." Shi Wei only kept up a soft, calming smile in the face of Cain's direct proclamation.
With the sibling duo rapt attention on her, she continued to say,
"Then, I will make it clear. From this day onward, you two will be completely on your own for this journey. Besides what you will take from our treasury, it's up to you on how you will cultivate on a Mortal Planet. I am well aware of the possibility that you two may very well die. But, I hold the utmost faith in both of you."
As she sincerely spoke, Shi Wei started to affectionately caress both Cain and Kali's heads.
At this moment, she didn't have any bearing of a frightening Dragon Empress that can bend people's lives to her will. Instead, she simply looked like a doting parent that was insanely proud of her offsprings.
Both Cain and Kali felt warmth and coziness bundle within their chest. No matter how old they were, getting caressed like this was nice.
Cain almost didn't even see Shi Wei as their grandmother. Because she quite literally appears as a beautiful young woman only somewhere in her mid-20s, he could practically mistake her as his mother.
Although, whenever he would think of that, Cain would instinctively remember that this kind, caring woman before them is someone who had lived for numerous long millenniums.
Taking his mind off such perplexing topics, he was brought back to reality when Kali suddenly spoke up first.
"So, it's as Cain said, grandmother. We're ready to go now! No time like the present, and we really don't want anyone to know about our cultivation until we come back."
"Since you two are so eager to start, I will naturally oblige. First, I will organize a grand total scale meeting to remove all Elders from the off-limits area. Then, you two can use your methods to quickly enter the treasure room, take what you need, and leave out of here. Now remember this, I estimate, I can only use a viable excuse for your two disappearances for three months. Afterward, you must come home. Any questions?"
Shi Wei now had a firm, authoritative tone in her voice. She left no room for nonsense, giving both Cain and Kali a sharp look that couldn't be disobeyed.
Against that kind of look, an inexplicable pressure filled Cain and Kali's minds. At the same time, they both promptly bowed their heads while saying,
"Yes, grandmother!"
"Good."
Shi Wei's sharp look immediately lessened back to her calm, unwavering gaze.
She then said, "Kali keep an eye on the ring. I will be shortly informing you when it's safe to go out. Goodbye and good luck."
After saying everything needed to be say, Shi Wei's body blurred. Then, in less than a fraction of a second, she vanished into tiny traces of faint purple smokes.
"That's always so cool….she's like a ghost. Vanishing in and out all she wants. And one day, that will be use too. But, for now, we have to wait." Kali began stretching out her arms in eager anticipation.
For a brief moment, Cain wonders about their grandmother's intense reaction to his and Kali's cultivation level.
Initially, he simply assumed they must be at the same level of talent as their other siblings because of their Dragon God Bloodline.
But Shi Wei's reaction….it was a little more intense than he could ever have anticipated. Moreover, she also mentioned something about pure Dragon Essence.
Since he didn't have the chance to her ask her then, Cain turned his attention over towards Kali and asked, "Say, when grandmother mentions pure Dragon Essence, what's that about?"
Kali stilted for a second as she quickly pondered Cain's question. She tried her best to think of anything useful, but nothing was coming up.
Her expression scrunched in disappointment, releasing a small sigh. "Unfortunately, I don't know what grandmother is talking about. The lessons we had for cultivation mainly cover the basics. And I only know bits and pieces about the abilities of our Bloodlines. But never have she or grandfather discussed anything about pure Dragon Essence."
"I see….well, if it was that important, I'm sure grandmother would've properly explained it to us. But, in any case, let's just get comfortable and wait until that call."
Cain quickly dismissed the topic since they had no other leads to go off on.
Kali promptly followed in his steps, and both she and Cain relaxed in preparation for their long future ahead.
….
A few hours later, Cain and Kali were back outside their rooms, roaming the halls of their Main Imperial Palace. Just seconds ago, Kali finally received the call from Shi Wei, informing them that everyone was distracted.
Currently, there was absolutely no one in the halls beside the sibling duo.
To have such wide-open areas be utterly abandoned did look slightly eerie. However, neither Cain nor Kali were affected much by the atmosphere.
Cain was more so wondering just what kind of grand meeting their grandmother proposed that took literally everyone's time. He's aware of her tremendous weight around here but didn't think it was to this extent.
"At least this way, we're cutting all corners. Absolutely nobody can say they saw us leaving somewhere suspicious."
Kali suddenly remarked, her thoughts similarly wondering what kind of grand meeting was going on.
And it was this that got Cain thinking. Even for a God galaxy powerhouse, their family would surely have additional countermeasures if the Elders aren't around. Although, he also guessed that either Kali or their grandmother would've mentioned it before.
Still, Cain's curiosity was piqued, so he asked Kali, "Doesn't our family have any extra defenses just in case an event like this seriously happens?"
"Huh? Oh….right. Hehe~. Cain, you may not remember, but the chances of an assassin or thief sneaking in here are absolutely zero. You see, even if someone somehow managed to make it to the Main Palace, then they would have to face their Bloodlines getting scanned. And if their bloodline isn't our very specific Dragon Lineage, then, well, this will be the last place they ever see."
Kali had a slightly ominous smile when speaking.
A slight chill course down Cain's spine before he suppressed it and then asked, "I see….how does that work? Some kind of sensory detector around the whole Main Palace?"
"Hmmm….sort of. Basically, the Supreme Elders, who are masters at World Spirit Force, laid a Bloodline detection formation around the entirety of the Main Palace. Soo….yea, precisely what you guessed."
"Huh, so we're absolutely protected here, at least, from any sneaky outside forces. In any case, let's hurry it up to the room. Don't want to waste grandmother's gift."
After saying so, Kali promptly nodded and walked with an extra pep in her step.
Cain stuck close behind as Kali led them through numerous twists and turns in their Imperial Palace. In just several minutes, the sibling duo had quickly reached one of the off-limit areas.
And just like the rest of the Palace, there wasn't anybody here.
Then, without any hesitation, Cain and Kali strolled up to two enormous golden doors that had beautifully design Dragons Symbols inscribed on them.
In that instance, Cain surged his soul energy, summoning his Chaotic Emerald.
Chaotic Emerald in hand, Cain held out his other hand towards Kali while telling her, "Just hold on to me, and I'll get us through."
Needing no further instructions, Kali wordlessly complied, all the while having a broad smile that threatened to split her face.
Cain had then poured soul energy into his Chaotic Emerald and quickly grasped 5% of Chaos Energy.
Now that he's at complete Mastery of the first Chaotic Layer Link, Cain only needed a few moments at most to use the Chaotic Emerald. In an instant, a radiant green glow simmered out of the Chaotic Emerald, covering both Cain and Kali's bodies.
'Chi!'
Then, in a bright green flash, Cain and Kali teleported directly through the golden dragon doors.
Blinking his eyes a bit to reorientate himself, Cain's eyes were met with the glorious sight of the Huang Family's treasury.
Before doing anything, Cain took a second to wonder his eyes over this massively expansive room. Everything was neatly ordered in a section-by-section aisle-like design. And above each section were signs detailing the content of the insides.
From a quick scan over, Cain saw a section for Cultivation Manuals & Skill, Combat Weapons, Crystal Beads, Talisman, and Teleportation Disks.
Everything here could help prepare anybody for a long-term journey.
And making this moment feel that much better for Cain was the fact that all of these divine items are readily available for his and Kali's choosing.
"Don't know if I've been here before, but this place is amazing. With all that's here, what should we take with us?" Cain turned his focus back on Kali and asked.
Kali had only taken one brief scan over the treasury before promptly answering with, "We need to challenge ourselves to rapidly grow so we can't choose any insanely powerful weapon or armor. And we'll only take one life-saving talisman as an extra precaution. So in return for these limitations, let's choose the best cultivation manual there is and a bunch of different kinds of Crystal Beads."
No disagreement was raised within Cain. While he wanted to be a free expert, he certainly didn't want it to come at leisurely.
As strange as he thinks it is, Cain wants to work hard and experience everything this cultivation life has to offer. Otherwise, he would just be wasting his glorious chance at a luxurious second life.
Although, when looking over the Crystal Beads section again, a thought did surface within Cain's mind that he believed would prove useful for their later cultivation realm.