Serpent Ancestor

This Thunder Pearl was crafted by Xie Yunfei at great cost, infused with the power of the stars. He was usually reluctant to use it, reserving it only for hunting great demons at the late Core Formation stage.

Even against a massive whale, a single Thunder Pearl could blow away large chunks of flesh, shatter bones, and even burst its head, taking away half its life.

His skill with the Thunder Pearl was precisely why the Whale Hunting Gang hired him at a high price.

What shocked him was that three Thunder Pearls exploded inside Xu Hei, yet not only did they fail to kill him, they didn’t even cause serious injury. This completely overturned Xie Yunfei’s understanding.

Especially Xu Hei’s outer dragon scales, which, although partially blown off, didn’t shatter. They merely peeled away from his body, while the dragon bone inside remained crystal clear and intact.

Moreover, there were two unformed dragon veins running through his body, also completely unharmed.

”How can this be? It’s impossible! This is unbelievable!”

Xie Yunfei took several steps back, looking at Xu Hei as if he were a monster.

No wonder Xu Hei dared to trade injury for life; he was fearless.

”You both must die!”Xu Hei’s gaze was icy as he took out a Blood Spirit Pill and swallowed it whole. This pill was the healing holy pill he had given to Bonan, and he only had one left.

Once the pill entered his body, it transformed into a powerful force of blood and energy, flowing through his meridians and, catalyzed by the dragon veins, quickly covering his wounds. The three bloody holes in Xu Hei’s body began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Upon seeing the two formidable enemies, Xu Hei immediately devised a battle plan in his mind—eliminate one at any cost, then deal with the other.

As for who to eliminate first, naturally, it was the more threatening Ye Lu. With one gone, he would have plenty of time to handle the remaining one.

In the distance, Ye Lu’s head was about to fly off when suddenly a sharp scream pierced the air.

In the next second, Ye Lu vanished, along with his Great Perfection Golden Core.

”What was that just now?” Xie Yunfei trembled all over. He seemed to have seen a shadow flash by, snatching Ye Lu’s head away.

The speed was so fast that he couldn’t even see what it was, sending chills down his spine.

”Fight or flee? Fight or flee...”

In that brief moment, Xie Yunfei’s thoughts raced.

At this moment, Xu Hei was healing, and Xie Yunfei had seen his strength, capable of killing Ye Lu, who was at the Great Perfection of the Golden Core. Although Xie Yunfei was at the late Core Formation stage and had some tricks up his sleeve, he knew that if Xu Hei recovered, he might also be defeated.

Strangely, the leader of the Whale Hunting Gang, Ye Hai, showed no reaction at this time.

Logically, after Ye Lu’s death, he should have rushed over as quickly as possible.

The fleeting shadow also filled him with dread.

With his eyes flickering, Xie Yunfei quickly made a decision. He was going all in, determined to kill this serpent and make a name for himself!

”Let me show you the big one!”

A ruthless glint flashed in Xie Yunfei’s eyes as he took out a massive black Thunder Pearl, the size of a small mountain, swung it around, and hurled it directly at Xu Hei.

Then he pinched a spell and shouted, ”Explode!”

Xu Hei remained unfazed, ready to respond, but then saw Xie Yunfei change direction and flee into the distance.

”Boom!!”

The pearl exploded, unleashing a massive wave of air that propelled Xie Yunfei’s speed tenfold, soaring into the sky and vanishing a thousand miles away in an instant.

Xu Hei was also blown away by the powerful airwave. Though it wasn’t lethal, the wind was astonishing and carried a dense fog, blocking Divine Sense detection, serving as both a smoke bomb and a shockwave.

When the smoke cleared, Xie Yunfei was already nowhere to be seen.

”Escaped?” Xu Hei’s face darkened.

This man was decisive; seeing things go awry, he fled immediately, in line with a bounty hunter’s usual style.

In fact, if he had stayed to fight, Xu Hei wouldn’t have been afraid, but killing him quickly would have been difficult.

He had just reached the mid-stage Core Formation, breaking through in a moment of crisis, which left his realm unstable.

Having just experienced a life-and-death battle, forcibly using the Diamond Suppression Technique had injured his meridians. If not for his second dragon vein, it would have been hard to swiftly kill Ye Lu.

Even the weakest at the Great Perfection of the Golden Core is not easy to deal with.

Xu Hei suspected Ye Lu had many other tricks he hadn’t had the chance to use before dying.

”Stabilize my realm first, then go after them.”

Xu Hei descended and returned to his cave dwelling, taking a large gulp of the heavy oil lake and focusing on refining it.

And the Immortal Pavilion also needed to settle accounts. He was peacefully breaking through in his cave dwelling when this happened. He wouldn’t believe the Immortal Pavilion wasn’t secretly involved.

Meanwhile, during Xu Hei’s healing process, a powerful and dark aura within the cave dwelling was about to awaken.

…………

Star Island Bay, territory of the Whale Hunting Gang.

This bay had thirteen docks of various sizes, all under the Whale Hunting Gang’s jurisdiction, each generating considerable revenue.

Yet in just one hour, eight of the thirteen docks were destroyed!

Fifteen fishing boats sank, and over a hundred cultivators died—all members of the Whale Hunting Gang!

From the Foundation Establishment Stage to Core Formation cultivators, anyone who went up died, and they didn’t even see what the enemy looked like.

It wasn’t until a mid-stage Core Formation elder personally intervened that they discovered the target was a sea serpent!

But he only managed to send back the message before dying instantly.

”I don’t care what kind of Chosen you are, killing a hundred of my Whale Hunting Gang members, killing three of my elders—today, even if the heavens themselves come, I’ll kill you without hesitation!”

Ye Hai, the leader of the Whale Hunting Gang, was furious to the extreme. Ignoring the Sea Commerce Guild’s warnings, he soared into the sky, wielding an ice spear, and charged towards the docks.

However, at the same time, his expression changed drastically.

He immediately took out a soul token, which shattered into two halves right before his eyes. This was the soul token left by Ye Lu.

”Ye Lu, has fallen?”

Ye Hai’s face turned pale as a sheet. He couldn’t believe it until the soul token completely shattered, forcing him to accept the reality.

Whether from anger or sorrow, his body began to tremble.

”Ahhhh!!!”

Ye Hai roared to the sky, letting out a cry of utter grief.

Just days ago, the soul token of Young Master Ye Kong shattered, and now Ye Lu’s token had shattered as well.

He couldn’t understand why a simple fishing trip had brought such disaster. Whom had they offended? What had the Whale Hunting Gang done wrong?

He had been established on Star Island for a hundred years, always diligent and law-abiding, never provoking anyone. Why such calamity? Why?

”Ye Hai, I understand your feelings. But cultivators prioritize profit. You can act on impulse, but you must also consider the consequences.”

In the distance, Mr. Li from the Sea Commerce Guild spoke, holding a cup of tea, his voice as calm as ever.

”As for Ye Lu’s matter, it was purely an accident. I will handle it and give you an explanation,” Mr. Li continued.

Ye Hai only shook his head with a bitter smile. Then, with a fierce look in his eyes, he wielded his ice spear and, with the core members of the Whale Hunting Gang behind him, resolutely charged towards the edge of the docks.