Serpent Ancestor

In the Penglai Sea, after being polluted by the sea god, all aquatic life perished, leaving only the island’s creatures alive. Calling it a dead sea wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

Out of curiosity, Xu Hei took the jade slip and had a look.

Inside the jade slip was a series of management plans devised by Meng Sheng.

These plans included spreading fish fry, transplanting aquatic plants, deploying spirit stones, properly handling the Demon Lord’s corpse, and inviting external demon clans to settle.

A myriad of measures was listed, extremely complex, with some principles explained that even Xu Hei found astonishing.

However, if these plans were truly implemented, reviving the Penglai Sea wouldn’t be impossible.

At least, some of the plans seemed very reasonable to Xu Hei.

At the end of the plan, it was written: ”Retrieve Xu Hei’s Simulated Combat Tower, as it is of great importance to the development of the Penglai Sea and must not be left in the hands of a junior.”

Moreover, a long list of disadvantages of leaving it with Xu Hei was detailed.

This made Xu Hei very angry.The tower was promised to him by the Demon Lord; without Xu Hei’s help, the Penglai Sea would have long been gone, leaving no chance for redevelopment.

”Generous with others’ resources, why doesn’t he contribute himself?” Xu Hei cursed inwardly.

But then, he saw the last paragraph of the jade slip.

”To achieve the revival of the Penglai Sea, I am willing to dedicate my life here, sparing no expense of all my wealth.”

”Not only revival but also progress!”

”The demonic beasts of the Penglai Sea are still in a primitive and savage state. With my mechanical skills, they can live as advanced a life as humans.”

”I, Meng Sheng, swear here.”

Meng Sheng was a master craftsman, capable of being Bai Luo’s mentor, and his skills were beyond doubt. His ability to silently steal the Four Seas and Eight Desolations Formation proved his complexity.

He indeed had the qualifications to make such a vow.

After reading, Xu Hei fell silent.

He really did contribute himself.

Originally, Xu Hei regarded Meng Sheng as a despicable person, not worth sparing, but the series of measures listed in the jade slip could indeed be of great help.

Xu Hei suddenly felt a headache.

He was not good at management, nor at handling such complex situations. He excelled at punishing evil and protecting his companions.

But he didn’t know whether Meng Sheng was evil or righteous, whether he had ulterior motives or genuinely wanted to help.

Let the demonic beasts of the Penglai Sea manage themselves?

Would it really be better than Meng Sheng?

The Penglai Sea had suffered a great disaster, and everywhere was a dead sea, urgently needing means to recover. Xu Hei couldn’t personally invest in this; he had his own matters to attend to.

As for whom to entrust with management, Xu Hei truly didn’t know.

The teacher also saw Xu Hei’s predicament and said, ”Xu Hei, you are still young. Let me handle this matter; I will never let him succeed! The territory of the demonic beasts should be governed by the demonic beasts themselves.”

Even if Xu Hei didn’t understand, how could he not understand after living for so many years?

”Did you come here with something to ask?” the teacher turned and asked.

Xu Hei shook his head, casting aside distractions, and said, ”I want to inquire about the Outer Battlefield.”

”The Outer Battlefield, then you’ve come to the right person!” the teacher smiled slightly and said, ”I am the island master who has been to the Outer Battlefield the most times, having gone five times in total!”

Then, the teacher began to talk about the Outer Battlefield.

The Outer Battlefield opens once every ten years, and each time the passage remains open for a month before closing. Those who enter can only come out when the passage opens again ten years later.

The Outer Battlefield is a fragment of the upper realm that fell into the mortal world, connecting multiple cultivation stars, not only Xu Hei’s Divine Continent Star but also other cultivation stars.

They have different customs, different spell systems, and different living habits.

The only commonality is the law of the jungle.

You don’t know if the other party is friendly or malicious, and they don’t know your character either. In short, when facing the unknown, killing is the safest option.

Over time, this formed the cruel law of the Outer Battlefield.

Because it is a fragment of the upper realm, the spiritual qi is more abundant than any cultivation star, making it an excellent place for cultivation.

It is also the only place with a chance to touch the Divine Transformation Stage. It is said that the last Divine Transformation Stage cultivator of the Divine Puppet Sect broke through in the Outer Battlefield.

Additionally, the Outer Battlefield has absolute restrictions on the cultivation level of entrants; those in the Divine Transformation Stage cannot enter the passage.

Hearing this, Xu Hei couldn’t help but ask, ”What happens if someone breaks through to the Divine Transformation Stage inside?”

”They will be repelled by the Outer Battlefield and automatically expelled when the passage opens next time,” the teacher explained.

Xu Hei nodded. In this way, as long as he didn’t encounter a siege by those at the Great Perfection of the Elemental Infant stage, he would have no problem protecting himself in the Outer Battlefield.

”However, you must be careful; no rule in this world is perfect. Even the laws of heaven have loopholes! Although the Divine Transformation Stage will be repelled, if one suppresses their cultivation and deceives the heavens and crosses the sea, who knows?” the teacher whispered a reminder.

”I understand this,” Xu Hei nodded.

He then asked about some precautions for the Outer Battlefield, and Xu Hei had a clear idea. This time, he was determined to go to the Outer Battlefield.

The teacher took out a jade slip and handed it to Xu Hei.

”I’ve been to the Outer Battlefield five times. This jade slip contains five maps I’ve recorded and some introductions to various forces, which should be useful to you,” the teacher said.

He could see that Xu Hei planned to go to the Outer Battlefield, so he didn’t hold back and wanted to help Xu Hei as much as possible.

”Thank you,” Xu Hei accepted the jade slip and bowed in gratitude.

There was still half a year until the next opening of the Outer Battlefield, and during this time, he needed to prepare well.

He also planned to gather some allies; safety in numbers.

”Xu Hei, in the Outer Battlefield, all moral constraints will cease to exist. A merciful person cannot walk out alive; you must remember this!” the teacher warned solemnly.

…………

Central Divine Continent.

A young man with purple hair, Han Te, was sitting in an ordinary tavern, with small dishes on the table and a jug of wine in his hand, drinking while cursing.

”The Qin Kingdom, how could it fall just like that?”

”Damn it! Made me run for nothing!”

Han Te slammed the table and took a big gulp, letting out a burp.

Earlier, he had brought Xu Fu’s head to the Qin Kingdom, planning to exchange it for a bounty, only to find out that the kingdom’s treasury was empty.

The bounty was offered by the First Emperor, but now the Qin Kingdom was embroiled in war, where would they find spirit stones to pay the reward? The Second Qin Emperor simply refused to acknowledge it.

The country was on the brink of collapse, so what was there to pay?

Thus, Han Te could only curse and leave, hiding in a tavern and drinking himself into a stupor.

”With those spirit stones, I could have become stronger, but now they’re gone, gone!”

Han Te lay on the table, speaking drunkenly.

At this moment, a man with deep-set eyes and a calm demeanor, with a square face, sat across from him.

He filled a cup from the jug on the table, drank it in one go, and said with a smile, ”Good wine! I wonder if I have the honor to invite you for a chat?”

Han Te looked up, drunkenly glanced at him, and mumbled, ”Who are you? No chat, no chat!”

As he spoke, he waved his arms wildly, knocking the dishes and drinks off the table, some of which splashed onto the square-faced man’s clothes.

The man was not angry at all and said with a smile, ”Why pretend, Han Daoist? This little wine shouldn’t be enough to intoxicate someone who killed Xu Fu, right?”

Upon hearing this, Han Te sobered up halfway. He had disguised himself multiple times, changed several identities, and hid in a noisy tavern, so how was he discovered?

But he remained calm, feigning confusion, ”Who... who are you?”

”I am Qin Xuanji.”

The square-faced man smiled slightly; he was none other than Qin Xuanji, the top expert of the Heavenly Puppet Sect.

”Don’t know you! And... Xu Fu... I found him, I’m just a nobody, how could I...”

Han Te still pretended to be drunk.

He moved towards the tavern door, and suddenly, he leaped towards the door, showing no sign of drunkenness.

Qin Xuanji remained calm, merely flicking his hand.

A thread appeared in the air, tripping Han Te’s legs, causing him to fall flat on his face.

”Ouch!”

Han Te cried out in pain, got up, and angrily said, ”Hey! Do you have any manners? Can’t you talk properly?”

Despite Han Te’s scolding, Qin Xuanji just smiled silently.

After a few curses, Han Te fell silent, sat back down, and said, ”What do you want?”

”The Outer Battlefield, how about we cooperate?” Qin Xuanji got straight to the point.

Han Te’s pupils shrank; he had obviously heard of the Outer Battlefield’s notorious reputation and shrank back in fear.

”Ah, come on, are you kidding? The Outer Battlefield is too dangerous. I’m just a nobody; going there is suicide. No, no...” Han Te waved his hands repeatedly.

But halfway through his words, he stopped abruptly.

Qin Xuanji had taken out a large pile of square spirit stones, placed them on the table, and beside them were two storage bags, brimming with spiritual qi.

The storage bags weren’t sealed, and a casual sweep with divine sense revealed that each bag contained five million spirit stones.

A total of five million, two bags totaling ten million!

Han Te swallowed hard, blinking several times to make sure he wasn’t seeing things.

And that wasn’t all; Qin Xuanji took out two more identical storage bags and placed them on the table.

”The previous ones were just a deposit! If it’s not enough, we can add more! I heard you like to add money, so this time, name your price,” Qin Xuanji said with a warm, sunny smile.

The tavern instantly fell silent.

Unknowingly, the noisy tavern was left with just the two of them, sitting face to face.

Han Te took a few deep breaths, grinning awkwardly, ”Actually, it’s not about the money. I’ve liked you since I was a kid.”

As he spoke, he pocketed the storage bags from the table.