Serpent Ancestor

Myriad Serpent Valley, inside the underground cave dwelling.

The white serpent gazed at the group of experimental subjects before her, murmuring, ”To save all beings... I really should study this carefully.”

The spirit beasts she had captured were well-fed and healthy, with the only potential cause of death being their lifespan.

Some of these old cats and dogs had lived for over a decade, looking withered and frail, clearly at the end of their life span.

So the first issue to tackle was the problem of longevity.

”Lifespan... The lifespan of demonic beasts and humans is not long. Even at the Foundation Establishment stage, they can only live for a little over two hundred years.”

”How can one achieve longevity?”

Xu Bai took out a book that recorded all things and began to study it carefully.

She found some long-lived creatures.

”The longest-lived animals are turtles, which can live for several hundred years.””There are also some marine creatures that can live for over a hundred years, but that’s still not enough...”

Xu Bai remained silent for a long time. What she wanted to research was a pill that could break the limits of life. A few hundred years was not enough. If she was going to do it, she had to do it to the best.

Countless thoughts flashed through her mind, and Xu Bai seemed to have thought of something, her eyes suddenly brightening.

”No, the longest-lived beings are not animals, but plants! Any large tree, as long as it has ample spiritual qi, can live for thousands of years. That is true longevity.”

Xu Bai seemed to have found the right direction, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she thought more about it.

”Yes, I should combine living creatures with trees, let them live like trees, with long lifespans. That way, I can save all beings!”

Xu Bai immediately spat out a small emerald-green cauldron, directly absorbing the ”iron pot” left by Xu Hei into it.

…………

On the other side.

After leaving Myriad Serpent Valley, Xu Hei headed straight for the Wild Giant Elephant Tribe.

Along the way, he felt a bit uneasy. Was it good or bad to let Xu Bai research how to save people?

”Letting her save lives shouldn’t be a bad thing. No matter how twisted it gets, it shouldn’t harm anyone,” Xu Hei thought to himself.

He couldn’t think of a better path.

This girl had just reached the Foundation Establishment stage and had already created such monsters. If he didn’t correct her immediately, who knows what trouble she might cause in the future. He needed to set the right tone early on.

With the overarching goal of saving lives, it should develop in a positive direction.

A night passed.

By the time Xu Hei arrived at the Wild Giant Elephant Tribe’s settlement, it was already noon the next day.

It was a vast, open grassland, dotted with hot springs, but Xu Hei didn’t see a single elephant, nor were there any signs of battle.

All the elephant herds had disappeared without a trace.

”Where have they gone?”

Xu Hei was puzzled. Although elephant herds were migratory, some members should have stayed behind.

”Are you... Uncle Xu?”

At this moment, a small elephant emerged from a hidden underground hole, curiously looking at him.

Xu Hei turned to look. This small elephant was gray and only half the height of a person. He had seen it before; it was Man Jin’s child.

The entrance to the hidden underground hole was protected by a third-grade shielding formation, preventing Core Formation stage cultivators from spying. Inside, many small elephants were hiding.

”That’s right, what’s your name?” Xu Hei nodded and asked.

”I’m Man Yin.”

Upon recognizing Xu Hei, Man Yin immediately ran out, looking a bit excited.

”Where are your tribe’s elders?” Xu Hei asked curiously.

Man Yin quickly replied, ”Dad and the others went to the Wu Mountain Range. Recently, many humans have invaded Wu Mountain, as if they’ve found a treasure, and they want to clear out the surrounding demonic beast groups. Dad is very righteous and led the tribe over there.”

”Wu Mountain Range...”

Xu Hei’s eyes flashed, and he instinctively thought of that ancient tomb.

According to the ancient map, that tomb was within the Wu Mountain area.

”Could it be? That map cost me five thousand spirit stones!”

Xu Hei’s face turned grim as he looked at the small elephants, seriously saying, ”Go back inside, and don’t come out for anyone, not even me.”

Man Yin’s earlier actions were actually quite dangerous. If someone had impersonated him and brought a similar snake, Man Yin would have been in trouble.

”Okay, I understand.”

Man Yin nodded and quickly retreated into the underground hole.

”Here, take these.”

Xu Hei took out a storage bag and tossed it into the hole.

Man Yin’s trunk reached into the bag and pulled out a bunch of crystal-clear bananas, immediately overjoyed.

”Wow, it’s fruit!”

”We have fruit to eat!”

”Great, it’s been so long since we’ve had such fresh fruit.”

Many small elephants gathered around, pulling out watermelons, grapes, mangoes, and other foods from the storage bag, all preserved with spiritual qi, fresh and unspoiled.

They ate quickly, their faces filled with happiness.

”Thank you, Uncle Xu!” Man Yin gratefully bowed his head.

”Thank you, senior!” The other small elephants also thanked Xu Hei from outside.

Xu Hei felt a sense of emotion. In this world, it was rare to find such a simple and honest group of elephants.

Humans had invaded Wu Mountain, far from this place, yet Man Jin still led the entire tribe over there.

If it were Xu Hei, without any benefit, he would definitely not do it.

Xu Hei took out two more storage bags filled with food and tossed them into the hole, advising, ”Remember, don’t come out for any creature, not even your elders! Humans are very cunning!”

Man Yin seemed thoughtful and nodded, ”Got it, Uncle Xu. Even if you come next time, I won’t come out!”

”Yes, we won’t come out at all!” The small elephants said in unison.

Xu Hei didn’t linger any longer and quickly left the Wild Giant Elephant Tribe’s settlement.

Man Jin’s simple and honest nature, his righteousness, also influenced his descendants.

Such a character could be considered noble in peaceful times, but in chaotic times, it was easy to be exploited and naturally eliminated.

There wasn’t much Xu Hei could do, except warn them.

After searching the area to confirm no one was around, Xu Hei quickly left the place.

His target was the Wu Mountain Range.

…………

Wu Mountain.

As the largest mountain range in the southwest of the Chu Kingdom and now in the western Qin Kingdom, it was shrouded in mist all year round, with overcast clouds and a harsh internal environment, inhabited by many great demons.

Golden Core great demons, rare in the outside world, were not uncommon in Wu Mountain, each occupying a territory and ruling over it.

Normally, the great demons wouldn’t interfere with each other, but now, they had all united.

This was because a large group of humans had entered the deep mountains, forcing them to leave.

At this moment, in a sunken area of Wu Mountain, a group of people stood, floating high in the sky, standing on flying swords, holding various magical treasures, all exuding an imposing aura, clearly experts.

”From this place as the center, within a radius of ten thousand miles, it will be considered a forbidden zone. No demonic beast is allowed to enter!”

An old man with a menacing aura swept the area with his pressure, reaching the mid-stage of Core Formation, the highest cultivation level present.

Beside him were other Core Formation stage experts and a large number of Foundation Establishment cultivators.

They wore various robes, including members of the Snake Catchers Sect, Carefree Sect, Tai Xuan Sect, and Purple Mist Sect. Even some Nascent Soul ancestors from cultivation families had arrived at the scene.

The old man with the highest cultivation, the menacing elder, was the Grand Elder of the Snake Catchers Sect, Yin Mingzi.

This gathering almost represented the most elite forces of the Southern Region.

”A radius of ten thousand miles? Our territories are all nearby. Are you trying to exterminate us?”

”Snake Catchers Sect, such arrogance, do you really think we’re afraid of you!”

On the other side of the sky, a group of demon king-level experts faced off from a distance.

The eagle tribe, snake tribe, ape tribe, lion tribe of Wu Mountain, and even the elephant tribe from a bit further away had all gathered. No matter how much enmity they had in the past, they united against the human invasion.

Together they rise, together they fall.