Serpent Ancestor

”You shameless scoundrel!”

Shen Shaopeng screamed as he was hurled towards the massive boulder in the sky.

From within the compressed boulder, a dragon claw suddenly emerged, executing a Sky-Tearing Claw that shredded Shen Shaopeng to pieces, leaving only an Elemental Infant to escape.

”Roar!!”

A deafening dragon roar echoed from the chaotic rocks, which cracked all over before exploding into fragments with a loud bang, freeing Xu Hei.

Without a word, he chased after Shen Shaopeng’s fleeing Elemental Infant. Despite Shen Shaopeng’s desperate attempts to burn his essence and perform blood sacrifices to speed up his escape, Xu Hei caught up within a few breaths and tore him to shreds.

Xu Hei quickly reverted to human form, catching a storage ring that fell into his hand.

He panted heavily, cold sweat dripping from his forehead.

”That was close, almost had to use Dragon Soul Descent,” Xu Hei said, his face pale with lingering fear.

Earlier, he had been trapped by Zhao Nanqi’s All Things in Nature, with millions of sand puppets self-destructing, nearly blowing him to bits.If not for absorbing a large amount of spiritual liquid, which caused his cultivation to soar, and using the Diamond Suppression Technique to strengthen his physical body, while constantly activating the Golden Lotus Law for protection, he would have been obliterated by that terrifying killing move.

He hadn’t expected Zhao Nanqi and Shen Shaopeng, after fighting for so long, to still have such hidden means. It was absurd! He thought they were both core disciples and their strength shouldn’t differ much.

But the reality was worlds apart, completely different levels.

If Xu Hei had come out a step earlier, facing Zhao Nanqi in his prime, the outcome would have been uncertain. Forced into a corner, he would have had to resort to Dragon Soul Descent.

Xu Hei had produced a lot of dragon blood, but it was all pitch-black demon blood. He dared not imagine what kind of dragon would be summoned with such blood.

Nine times out of ten, it would summon Tu Sen.

Though Tu Sen was strong, his demonic nature was overwhelming. Last time, Xu Hei’s physical body was nearly ruined.

”Though it was a narrow victory, at least I won. Unfortunately, Zhao Nanqi escaped, but I obtained the Creation Furnace. With his vitality severely damaged, he won’t be able to break through to Divine Transformation and is no longer a threat to me.”

”But...”

Xu Hei hesitated, looking at the empty ground.

Jiang Nine Phoenix and the other captives had been taken away by Elder Ji Qian, and the wooden sword made from the Wutong Tree branch lay in the mountains a hundred miles away.

Xu Hei hesitated about whether to rescue Jiang Nine Phoenix and the others.

He had achieved his goal, thwarting Zhao Nanqi’s plan for Divine Transformation, and gained the Creation Furnace, spiritual liquid, and Shen Shaopeng’s storage ring—a bountiful harvest.

Was it necessary to pursue Ji Qian for a mere tool?

What threat could this person pose to him?

”No matter what, Ji Qian must be eliminated. I got dragged into this mess, likely because of his meddling.”

Xu Hei’s exploits on the outer battlefield weren’t a secret, but being lured to deal with Zhao Nanqi, apart from Ji Qian’s instigation, he couldn’t find any other reason.

Xu Hei wasn’t Shen Shaopeng, nor was he Zhao Nanqi.

He wasn’t someone who only cared about profit.

Some things, even if they didn’t benefit him, he had to do!

Xu Hei’s figure flashed, arriving a hundred miles away, reaching for the Wutong wood sword.

But at that moment, Xu Hei suddenly froze.

He noticed the Wutong wood sword was slowly moving forward.

Suddenly, the sword sped up, covering a significant distance, leaving a sword mark on the ground before stopping.

After a brief pause, the sword jumped forward again, rolling and then stopping once more.

Yes, ”jump” was the right word. The sword couldn’t fly, only jump.

Like a disabled person, exerting all its strength to crawl on the ground, each time it gathered enough energy, it would make a desperate sprint.

Over and over, falling and rising, falling and rising again, moving in the same direction.

At this moment, Xu Hei finally understood why the wooden sword had inexplicably ended up a hundred miles away. He thought it was blown away by the battle’s aftermath, but it had crawled there on its own.

He looked in the direction the wooden sword was heading, which was where Tu Sen’s seal was located.

Xu Hei felt an overwhelming sense of awe.

He knew that the Divine Wutong Tree’s soul had long vanished, with only a pitiful remnant left, let alone this being just a branch, not the main trunk.

Yet, such a sliver of obsession could crawl so far.

Xu Hei bent down and picked up the heavy wooden sword.

The sword was extremely heavy, and Xu Hei could barely lift it with all his strength, showing the immense effort it took to move even a step.

Unable to control it with Divine Sense, Xu Hei could only tie it with a strap and hang it at his waist.

”Such deep obsession!”

”Alright, I’ll fulfill your last wish and rescue her.”

Xu Hei took out a flying boat and sped towards the direction indicated by his senses.

Xu Hei recalled that his enmity with Jiang Nine Phoenix stemmed from a dispute over a spiritual pool. This woman was arrogant, ignorant, conceited, and haughty, embodying all the flaws he associated with the stereotype of a noble family’s daughter.

But why was this tree so deeply attached?

Xu Hei couldn’t understand. He tried to put himself in their shoes but found he couldn’t, no matter what.

He didn’t know what had happened between them, what they had experienced, and ultimately, he couldn’t comprehend it.

Perhaps he would never understand.

…………

At the headquarters of the Divine Puppet Sect, in a hidden cave dwelling.

Ji Qian arrived on a flying boat, immediately unloading all the furnaces from the boat and, with a touch of his storage bag, took out all his resources, piling them into a mountain.

”This is my last chance. If I fail, it’s eternal damnation!”

Ji Qian didn’t know the outcome of the three-way battle over there. Xu Hei wasn’t dead, Zhao Nanqi was unfathomable, and Shen Shaopeng had his contingencies.

He wanted to maximize his benefits, so he seized the opportunity during their conflict to take what was his and make one last attempt.

As an Elemental Infant cultivator, he had lived for two thousand years, with little life span left. This time on the outer battlefield, he was tasked with protecting Ji Shu. This made him realize he was no longer valued by the sect; he was just a tool, and even if he died, the sect wouldn’t care.

Once, he too was a core disciple, full of ambition, competing for resources like Zhao Nanqi and Shen Shaopeng, giving his all.

Now, he was an inner sect elder, from a resource recipient to a contributor. But this didn’t mean he had given up; he still had ambitions.

”The ninth ancestor of our sect achieved Divine Transformation at two thousand one hundred years old, and the thirteenth ancestor broke through on the day his life span ended. If they could do it, so can I, Ji Qian!”

Ji Qian’s eyes were resolute. With a grasp in the air, five female cultivators were drawn uncontrollably towards him, becoming the Five Elemental Furnace.