Serpent Ancestor

”Hehe, fellow Daoist, you might have misunderstood me. After all, we just met by chance, and it’s natural to be cautious. I understand.”

Tianji Shangren gave a bitter smile and put away the Golden Core.

”Fate is not something to be forced. Farewell, fellow Daoist!”

Tianji Shangren cupped his hands, stood up, and walked into the City Lord’s mansion, disappearing from sight.

Liu Buqun’s eyes flickered as he asked Xu Hei, ”Did you notice anything?”

”No,” Xu Hei shook his head.

The more elusive it is, the more vigilant one must be!

Even with Xu Qingfeng, Xu Hei only dared to interact after understanding his character, and he still remained cautious. Let alone this mysterious old Daoist.

After a brief contemplation, he controlled Passerby Ding to stand up and walk to the gate of the City Lord’s mansion.

The Zhou Family elder at the entrance did not stop him, merely showing a hint of disdain in his eyes.Xu Hei took a deep breath and, following the method of refining corpse puppets from the Xuan Yin Tower, took a deep breath, absorbing the Yin Qi from the surroundings into his body, and pushed it towards Passerby Ding’s abdomen.

Gradually, a fingernail-sized corpse core formed in the Dantian.

Inside the butcher’s body, there was already a half-finished corpse core. Xu Hei merely followed the pattern, giving the corpse puppet the cultivation level of the False Core Stage.

He wasn’t sure if he could enter, but he had to try.

Xu Hei stepped forward and walked into the City Lord’s mansion. Instantly, an invisible pressure seemed to envelop him, and he immediately raised the corpse Qi to cover his body.

The pressure swept over him and then disappeared, allowing Xu Hei to breathe a sigh of relief.

This must be some sort of cultivation level check. As long as one met the standard, they were allowed entry.

Seeing Xu Hei enter safely, the crowd outside erupted in astonishment.

”Another one went in?”

The Zhou Family elder was slightly taken aback, then muttered to himself, ”Hehe, what a pleasant surprise.”

The higher-ups had instructed that the more people who entered, the better.

If not for the tight schedule and the desire to avoid attracting too much attention, they wouldn’t have only recruited three Core Formation Stage cultivators.

Inside the City Lord’s mansion, the light was bright, as if passing through a membrane and entering a grand hall.

Xu Hei focused his gaze and saw a human statue from ancient times standing ahead.

Despite the countless years that had passed, the statue remained vivid and lifelike, its features clear, its expression calm, holding a scroll in one hand and the other behind its back, exuding a scholarly elegance, faintly showing the grace of its era.

”Is this the City Lord of Wuyou City, Mo Wuyou?” Xu Hei’s heart tightened.

At this moment, Zhou Wendie, Zhou Qingxuan, and the three recruited rogue cultivators, along with Tianji Shangren, were all looking at the statue.

Upon noticing Xu Hei’s entry, a trace of surprise flashed in Zhou Wendie’s eyes as she looked at Zhou Qingxuan, seemingly seeking instructions.

”No problem,” Zhou Qingxuan said calmly.

Xu Hei did not move forward, merely observing from a distance, while also taking in the surrounding scenery.

Inside the City Lord’s mansion, though spacious, it was not luxurious in the slightest. Wooden tables and chairs were placed against the walls, and there were potted plants in the corners, though they had withered.

The bookshelves nearby were filled with numerous literary scrolls, showcasing the owner’s elegant taste.

This was completely different from a traditional City Lord’s mansion.

There were no weapons or soldiers, no strict guards, and no killing aura—only some brushes and scrolls, more like a study than a City Lord’s residence.

The statue stood in front of a desk, its gaze seemingly looking at everyone.

”It seems consistent with the ancient records. Mo Wuyou yearned for a carefree life, which was a necessary path on his journey to Divine Transformation.”

Xu Hei thought to himself, feeling eighty percent certain that this statue was indeed Mo Wuyou.

”Senior, our Zhou Family is ready. We can begin.”

Zhou Wendie walked to the statue, bowed slightly, and a wisp of soul blood flew from her forehead, landing on the scroll in the statue’s hand.

In an instant, the statue’s eyes became clear, as if it had come to life.

Seeing this scene, Xu Hei frowned slightly and instinctively took a few steps back.

At this moment, the statue’s eyes sparkled with life, scanning the crowd, and a distant voice emerged: ”Inheritor, Zhou Wendie, once the path of inheritance begins, there is no turning back. Are you sure?”

”Yes!” Zhou Wendie nodded solemnly.

Even with her state of mind, she clenched her fists tightly, unable to hide her excitement.

Xu Hei, however, detected a layer of meaning in the statue’s words.

Inheritor, Zhou Wendie... So what were they? Support? Just here to help?

”The Five Elements Inheritance, Water Realm, activate!”

As the statue’s voice fell, the scenery in the room rapidly changed, the surrounding environment twisting as if being transported, or as if in a dream.

Everyone looked tense, watching the rapidly changing environment, their palms quietly clenching.

After a long time, the scene stabilized.

The sky turned azure, the ground covered in white frost, with numerous lakes scattered around, rivers flowing endlessly.

In the distance, ice mountains stood at the edge of sight.

A rich and intense water-element Spiritual Qi rose from the heavens and earth.

This was a world of water!

”This is...” Zhou Wendie’s pupils contracted.

Zhou Qingxuan, Tianji Shangren, and the remaining three rogue cultivators all showed expressions of shock.

”This is the third path!” The old man named Cang Ming said in a deep voice.

”This is the Water Path of the Five Elements Land!” Tianji Shangren spoke.

On the way to Wuyou City, there were five paths: Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. This was clearly the third Water Path.

However, the Water Path before them showed no signs of eerie ghostly Qi; instead, it seemed like it had just been established in ancient times.

The rich water-element Spiritual Qi subtly enhanced everyone’s cultivation.

Especially for cultivators with a water Spiritual Root.

”There are a total of five inheritances?”

Zhou Wendie’s expression changed.

She had thought the inheritance here was unique, but who would have thought there were five! Doesn’t this mean others could gain the same opportunities as her?

This made her extremely unbalanced.

The Zhou Family had gone to great lengths, recruiting cultivators, sealing off information, and even risking offending the Heavenly Puppet Sect, all to monopolize the benefits, but the result was not as expected.

Zhou Qingxuan’s eyes flickered, and he couldn’t help but ask, ”Are there people in the other four inheritance lands now?”

The phantom in the sky shook its head and said, ”No, there aren’t.”

”If after a year, there are still no people, you will win directly.”

This made Zhou Wendie slightly relieved.

The ancient relic had been explored for half a year, and no one had discovered an inheritance land yet. Even most of Wuyou City’s area remained unexplored.

The Zhou Family just got lucky finding the City Lord’s mansion.

Give it another year, so what?

Moreover, a year here is only a month outside. What could be found in a month?

Zhou Wendie secretly prayed that the other four inheritance lands would remain undiscovered, so all the benefits would be hers alone.

…………

But in reality, the outside world was not as Zhou Wendie imagined.

At this moment, Wuyou City was already in an uproar!

Everyone in Wuyou City was looking up at the sky, where dim light shone down, falling on the streets and the dilapidated buildings.

Under the light, dreamlike scenes unfolded throughout Wuyou City.

Countless phantom figures walked along the streets, countless new pavilions appeared amidst the ruins.

This was a Historical Projection!

An unprecedented, city-wide Historical Projection!

Everyone was stunned, stopping whatever they were doing to watch this awe-inspiring scene, even the corpse puppets halted, ceasing their pursuit.

History was reappearing, old acquaintances returning! The scenes shifted from blurry to clear, like a mirage within reach.

Even ancient voices emerged, with the sounds of people bargaining in the market, babies crying, mothers soothing them, street gossip, and youths studying, as if right by the ear.

Everything seemed to have returned!

At this moment, a massive phantom figure appeared atop Wuyou City, hands behind its back, eyes deep, overlooking all beings.

The City Lord of Wuyou, the third-generation ancestor of the Divine Puppet Sect, Mo Wuyou!