Serpent Ancestor

Li Changge’s expression changed, and he said, ”Are you playing tricks on me, young friend?”

”I wouldn’t dare deceive a cultivator at the late Divine Transformation stage. It’s just that heavenly treasures naturally hold more value than this. Senior, you should know better than I do,” Xu Hei replied solemnly.

Li Changge was silent for a moment before saying, ”Alright, if it truly is the treasure you claim, I’m willing to offer the Ten-thousand-year Cold Marrow!”

Only then did Xu Hei nod. He waved his hand, and a small piece of wood appeared in his grasp.

It was a piece he had cut from the Divine Wutong Tree. Though small, it was enough to forge a flying sword.

Li Changge’s eyes narrowed as he took the wood and examined it closely. He then took out an ancient silver mirror and shone it upon the wood.

After appraising it for half the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Li Changge exclaimed, ”It really is the Divine Phoenix Wood!”

The Divine Wutong Tree ranked forty-eighth on the list of heavenly treasures and was one of the six divine trees.

In appearance, it looked no different from ordinary wood, and even divine sense couldn’t detect anything unusual. Without Li Changge’s specialized identification artifact, he wouldn’t have recognized this treasure.

Though it was only a palm-sized piece, its value was immeasurable!”Haha, it’s real! Excellent! With such a divine treasure, the power of my Heaven’s Gate Sword Formation will surely reach new heights.”

Li Changge laughed heartily, clearly excited. He carefully stored the Wutong wood and then eagerly asked, ”Young friend, do you have more of this material?”

”This junior only has this small piece, which I obtained by chance. There is no more,” Xu Hei replied.

Li Changge knew Xu Hei was holding back but didn’t press further. He took out a crimson box, its surface engraved with complex patterns. As divine sense approached, it felt chilling to the bone, as if even the soul would freeze.

”This is the Ten-thousand-year Cold Marrow,” Li Changge said.

Xu Hei accepted the crimson jade box, feeling its icy coldness. The box itself was made of Earth Core Flame Crystal, perfect for sealing the cold energy.

”Young friend, let me remind you, this Ten-thousand-year Cold Marrow is extraordinary. Before opening it, it’s best to find a place of extreme yang and make thorough preparations. Otherwise, you could easily be harmed by the cold energy. Treasures are good, but one must act within their means,” Li Changge warned solemnly.

”I understand.”

Xu Hei cupped his fists. The sensation confirmed it was indeed the Ten-thousand-year Cold Marrow, worthy of countering the Flame Demon Ancestor.

”Young friend, if you come across such heavenly treasures in the future, feel free to contact me anytime. I guarantee you’ll be satisfied with the price! This is my communication jade talisman. If you encounter danger, you can crush it to escape peril.”

Li Changge handed Xu Hei a sword-shaped jade talisman.

”Thank you, Senior Li.”

Xu Hei accepted it without hesitation and quickly stored it away.

…………

Half a day later.

At the extreme north of Moon Star, numerous figures swiftly descended.

At first glance, there seemed to be nothing unusual, but as they approached, Night Owl raised his hand, and several formation flags flew into his grasp. Instantly, a circular abyss revealed itself before everyone.

Exchanging glances, they quickly descended into the abyss.

Xu Hei’s figure plummeted rapidly. He stored the newly acquired sword-shaped jade talisman and the Ten-thousand-year Cold Marrow into the Demon God Cauldron for safekeeping.

It wasn’t that he distrusted Li Changge, but one must always be cautious. Even the most upright person can falter under temptation.

Led by Night Owl, they twisted and turned through a tunnel.

In that moment, the scenery of heaven and earth changed rapidly, and the space opened up.

Spiritual Qi surged, and the sky was filled with a rosy glow. Ahead, numerous grand architectural complexes appeared, looming in the clouds like a celestial realm.

”This place is the ancient relic, Guanghan Palace,” Night Owl said.

Everyone immediately moved forward, arriving at the front of the palace complex.

There was a large gate here, inscribed with three ancient characters: Guanghan Gate.

This was the only entrance to the palace complex ahead. As for other directions, they were all shrouded in mist, and divine sense would feel lost upon approaching, indicating extreme danger.

Xiong Yan carefully sensed for a moment and then pondered, ”Indeed! This is the place. The white light I saw that day originated from here, without a doubt!”

The Flame Demon Ancestor nodded slightly.

He stepped forward, raised his hand, and a fiery red humanoid creature flew out from his sleeve, charging straight toward the Guanghan Gate.

At the moment of contact, the fiery creature seemed to hit a spatial rift, its body torn to pieces.

”Hmph! It seems that without breaking this restriction, entry is impossible,” the Flame Demon Ancestor snorted coldly.

Li Changge looked at Night Owl and asked, ”Friend Night, I observe that someone seems to have entered this place not long ago?”

Night Owl nodded, ”Indeed, a traitor from our sect once opened the restriction of Guanghan Gate. However, after the traitor’s death, the restriction was restored.”

”Oh? Do you know how to open the restriction?” Li Changge asked.

”If I knew, I would have gone in to explore myself,” Night Owl replied.

He wasn’t lying. The traces behind Guanghan Gate were visible to everyone, hinting at what had happened that day.

”Although my Yan Dao Sect is not known for combat, breaking restrictions is our specialty. Allow me to handle this,” said a middle-aged cultivator in a yellow Taoist robe, stepping out from Yan Dao Sect. His beard was long, and purple energy rose from his head. He held several talismans, exuding confidence.

Huang Tiancheng, at the peak of the mid Divine Transformation stage, was Yan Dao Sect’s foremost formation master and the most skilled in formations and restrictions among the current Seven Stars.

If even he couldn’t handle this restriction, then no one could.

”Junior Brother Sun, Junior Sister Hua, assist me!”

”Yes!”

Huang Tiancheng and his two fellow sect members stepped forward to the Guanghan Gate, setting up formation flags and using their expertise to break the formation with another formation.

Xu Hei had no intention of using his half-key. He was curious to see if this group could truly unravel the formation.

”It’s said that Yan Dao Sect has an inheritance of formation arts left by ascended cultivators. If they truly possess some of that master’s skills, breaking the restriction at the gate isn’t impossible,” Xu Hei thought to himself.

Time passed slowly.

A week went by in a flash. During this time, the Blood Refining Sect called in another group of Elemental Infant cultivators, about twenty in total, clearly to serve as cannon fodder.

Though this move displeased many, no one said anything.

Meanwhile, the trio from Yan Dao Sect busied themselves for a week with no progress. Ultimately, they managed to create a makeshift passage using the sect’s ancestral spatial formation flags.

”This restriction is indeed troublesome. If I could study it for a few hundred years, I might make a breakthrough. But for now, this is the only way in,” Huang Tiancheng said helplessly.

Though he failed to break the restriction, his eyes were bright, clearly having gained some insight.

The Flame Demon Ancestor first sent the Elemental Infant cannon fodder into the spatial passage. Seeing they were unharmed, the rest of the Blood Refining Sect quickly followed, flying into the passage.

Others were not to be outdone and swiftly entered.

Judging by their exchanged glances, some factions seemed to have formed secret alliances. The Ancient Tomb Sect, in particular, appeared to have connections with every sect.

As Night Owl was about to move, Xu Hei hesitated and said, ”Grand Elder, with just the two of us, aren’t we afraid of falling into a trap?”