Serpent Ancestor

Chaos Star City, the largest city in the Eastern Wasteland.

Recently, not only cultivators from the Eastern Wasteland have been flocking here, but also those from the Central Plains, Southern Barbarian, Northern Desert, and other regions, gathering from all corners of the world.

On his journey, Xu Hei encountered several groups of cultivators, moving in threes and fives, which further confirmed his suspicions.

Along the way, he also ran into two groups of reckless bandits. Seeing him alone, they attacked, only to be swiftly countered and killed by Xu Hei.

After each encounter, Xu Hei would change his appearance, cleanse himself of any blood aura, and continue on a different path to avoid any potential retribution from the bandits’ backers.

”Sister Ye, when we reach Chaos Star City, stay close behind me, don’t wander off, and don’t speak to anyone,” said a voice from the sky.

Two women in white robes were flying on swords, the older one leading, the younger one looking slightly inexperienced.

”Sister Gu, is Chaos Star City really the main battlefield of the ancient war?” the younger woman asked.

”The ancient war was too long ago, even our Grandmaster doesn’t know. We are here to find out,” replied the older woman.

The reasons for the Outer Battlefield’s detachment from the Upper Realm are varied and have never been conclusively determined. Many cultivators spend their entire lives researching it.The most accepted theory is the ancient war from millions of years ago.

However, who the participants were and why the war started remains a mystery.

The recent discovery of a great treasure in Chaos Star City might unravel this age-old mystery. People have come not only to seek treasure and opportunities but also to verify the truth.

Xu Hei watched the two women fly by and suddenly noticed something. He flashed and followed them.

The two women immediately sensed someone tailing them. The older woman stopped and turned, frowning, ”Fellow Daoist, why are you following us?”

A jade bottle magical treasure appeared quietly in her palm, but she didn’t activate it immediately.

She had encountered bandits before, but none had followed so openly like Xu Hei. Judging by his aura, he didn’t seem to be a bandit.

Xu Hei glanced at the jade pendants on their waists, remained silent for a moment, and said, ”It’s nothing, just reminded me of an old acquaintance. Sorry.”

Xu Hei didn’t elaborate further and turned to leave.

The two women exchanged puzzled glances.

”Sister Gu, that person was strange. Do you think he has any ill intentions?” the younger woman asked.

Gu Yunxi remained silent for a while, touching the jade pendant at her waist. The man’s gaze seemed to linger on this pendant, though it was brief.

”Sister Ye, do you remember this jade pendant?” Gu Yunxi held up the pendant.

The pendant had a vivid lotus design, exuding a faint life essence, constantly cleansing their bodies.

”Of course, I remember. It was given to us by a senior who also guided us in alchemy,” Ye Li replied.

As disciples of Medicine King Valley, having someone provide guidance in alchemy was a rare occurrence.

Gu Yunxi remained silent for a long time, then put away the pendant, ”Let’s pretend nothing happened just now. Don’t mention it to anyone.”

Ye Li nodded, ”Yes!”

…………

Earlier, Xu Hei had wanted to ask about the origin of the jade pendant but ultimately didn’t.

Even if he asked, what difference would it make? What would knowing change?

Xu Hei cleared his thoughts and continued on, taking about an hour to reach the outskirts of Chaos Star City.

Chaos Star City was unlike typical cities, with no walls, only scattered buildings and numerous mining pits.

These buildings were distributed around the mining pits, with commercial areas, residential areas, and a City Lord’s mansion, though the mansion was merely a puppet, primarily governed by three major sects, with profits equally shared.

The three rulers were the Tianhen Sword Sect, Yan Dao Sect, and Tianwang.

No single entity could monopolize such a lucrative piece as Chaos Star City, so it was jointly governed.

A newly excavated mining pit was located in the northeast corner of Chaos Star City, the most crowded area, drawing everyone towards it.

Initially, the three sects could maintain order and monopolize this new mining pit, but as more valuable treasures were unearthed, it attracted more attention.

Helpless, the three sects had to relinquish the new mining pit, leaving it for various factions to compete over, each relying on their own abilities.

However, by the time Xu Hei arrived, the new mining pit had already been sealed, with sounds of disputes occasionally emanating from the front.

”What’s going on?” Xu Hei was puzzled.

He grabbed a local Core Formation stage rogue cultivator to inquire about the situation.

”Senior, the new mining pit has been sealed. It’s said that an ancient formation was discovered, and no one dares to recklessly disturb it, so it was forcibly sealed,” the rogue cultivator explained, trembling with fear.

”An ancient formation?” Xu Hei frowned.

”Yes, two days ago...”

The rogue cultivator began to explain in detail.

With people gathering from all directions, heroes converging, the three sects were unable to manage, so they had to relinquish the mining pit.

To compete for the materials, battles erupted daily, with countless casualties, extremely brutal.

But two days ago, the Divine Puppet Sect unearthed an ancient formation, still retaining residual power, and any disturbance would trigger an explosion.

No one could discern the formation’s purpose, and no one dared to try. The various forces had to join hands to seal it, temporarily halting the excavation.

”An ancient formation from the archaic era?” Xu Hei’s expression shifted.

He leaped to the edge of the mining pit.

Though called a mining pit, its area was vast, like a sunken plain, but from beneath the plain emanated terrifying auras, chilling to the bone.

In the center of the plain stood an elderly man in purple, holding a formation disk, eyes closed in contemplation, seemingly studying something.

”This old man is quite strange; I can’t sense any aura from him,” Xu Hei thought, alarmed.

”Senior, that elder is Wu Yuan, the foremost formation master in the Central Plains. His formation skills are unmatched, only comparable to the missing Chen Zimo.”

”But it’s said that Master Wu’s cultivation has reached the Divine Transformation Stage.”

The rogue cultivator from earlier approached and said.

”Divine Transformation Stage? Isn’t it said that Divine Transformation cultivators can’t enter the Outer Battlefield?” Xu Hei asked, puzzled.

”I don’t know about that. Master Wu’s abilities are beyond my comprehension. But every force in the Outer Battlefield treats him with great respect. If he weren’t a Divine Transformation cultivator, it wouldn’t make sense!”

The rogue cultivator spoke solemnly, then lowered his voice, ”And there’s a rumor that Master Wu appeared in the Outer Battlefield three thousand years ago. If he were only at the Elemental Infant stage, he would have long since exhausted his lifespan.”

The lifespan of Elemental Infant stage cultivators is generally under two thousand years. Those exceeding two thousand are either some exotic beasts or Divine Transformation cultivators.

Xu Hei stared at Wu Yuan for a moment, suddenly feeling a strange sense of familiarity.

Wu Yuan seemed to sense something and looked back at Xu Hei.

Xu Hei quickly averted his gaze.