Serpent Ancestor

For Grand Elder Night Owl, Xu Hei naturally had unconditional trust, but he was also puzzled by it.

How could Night Owl be so certain?

”May I take a look?” Xu Hei asked slowly.

The shadowy figure nodded and produced an item in his hand.

It was an ancient token, engraved with many intricate patterns. Although Xu Hei didn’t recognize any of these patterns, he instinctively recognized the token the moment he saw it.

This was the Ascension Token.

Xu Hei had seen this token before in Jiang Nine Phoenix’s hand, and the one before him was almost identical to that one.

Xu Hei instinctively wanted to agree, but after a slight hesitation, he asked, ”How many can it be exchanged for?”

”One. Given the value of the Star-Seeking Beast, this is the limit.”

The shadowy figure seemed to see through Xu Hei’s thoughts and said, ”What, do you want to exchange for more to help others ascend as well?”In his view, one Ascension Token was enough; more would be superfluous.

Xu Hei didn’t think so. He didn’t care what had happened in Guanghan Palace, or whether the White Emperor had really fought against four to seize the only Ascension Token.

But as long as there was a chance to help his companions, Xu Hei would do it without hesitation.

Xu Hei took out the Star-Seeking Beast and placed it in his palm.

It was a pitch-black crow, looking no different from Night Owl’s crow puppet.

The shadowy figure stared at it for a moment, nodded, and said, ”Indeed, it is our clan’s Star-Seeking Beast!”

He handed over an Ascension Token, waiting for Xu Hei’s response.

Xu Hei didn’t take it immediately but instead brought out another item and placed it in his other hand, saying, ”The Star-Seeking Beast, plus this, how many Ascension Tokens can it be exchanged for?”

This second treasure was the brand-new transparent wings that appeared after Xu Hei fused with the Night Demon Wings.

Xu Hei couldn’t estimate the value of these wings, but they definitely far exceeded that of the Star-Seeking Beast.

Unfortunately, Xu Hei couldn’t utilize them or knew how to use them, but the other party, being from the Shadow Clan, surely knew their value.

Sure enough.

The moment Xu Hei took out the item, the shadowy figure’s previously emotionless expression finally changed.

The shadowy figure had always been indifferent, showing no trace of emotion, as if no situation could shake him.

At this moment, however, his heart was in turmoil, and his eyes showed intense waves.

”This is...”

The shadowy figure only uttered two words but stopped in time, not revealing the full name of the item.

His face darkened, and he squinted slightly, asking, ”Where did this come from?”

”This was given to me by the sect’s Grand Elder. Just tell me, how many Ascension Tokens is it worth?” Xu Hei said earnestly.

The shadowy figure shifted his gaze to the distant Night Owl.

Night Owl had also come to this shadowy area, and he and the shadowy figure exchanged glances, surprisingly without saying a word.

”Sect’s Grand Elder... I understand.”

The shadowy figure muttered to himself, then waved his hand, producing a large handful of Ascension Tokens and placing them in his hand.

Xu Hei focused his gaze and was immediately stunned.

In his hand were... eight Ascension Tokens!

”Eight Ascension Tokens for these wings. Of course, the value of this treasure far exceeds just eight Ascension Tokens, but I only have eight on me.”

The shadowy figure hesitated for a moment, then continued, ”To compensate, I’m willing to offer an additional Shadow Kill Token. As long as you activate this token in the Spirit Realm, within a week at most, an assassin from my Shadow Clan will arrive to fulfill a reasonable request for you.”

He produced another item, a token carved from black stone with the word ”kill” on it.

”The Shadow Kill Token.”

Xu Hei had never heard of it, but from the other party’s words, it was certainly not a simple item. Fulfilling a reasonable request—didn’t that mean you could have anyone killed?

Although he vaguely felt that these transparent wings were even more precious than he had imagined, possibly more valuable than the Shadow Kill Token.

But since he had brought it out, it meant that Xu Hei was determined to make this trade.

No matter how precious, if Xu Hei couldn’t use it, it was useless! Better to exchange it for tangible treasures and make the most of it.

”Alright, it’s a deal.” Xu Hei nodded seriously.

The two then proceeded with the exchange.

Xu Hei handed over the mysterious wings and the Star-Seeking Beast in exchange for eight Ascension Tokens, plus one Shadow Kill Token.

The Shadow Kill Token appeared in his hand and automatically merged into Xu Hei’s palm, transforming into a pitch-black ”kill” character, like a shadow imprinted on his palm.

Xu Hei looked at the ”kill” in his hand, deep in thought.

”As long as you inject spiritual power into the Shadow Kill Token, within three to seven days, an assassin from the Shadow Clan will appear, unless it’s a special forbidden area that cannot be reached.”

The shadowy figure cupped his hands and said, ”Since the deal is done, I shall take my leave!”

Xu Hei hesitated for a moment and asked, ”Can you tell me what these transparent wings do?”

The shadowy figure stared at Xu Hei and said slowly, ”They are useless to you, but to the Shadow Clan, they are of great significance! Just like the Ascension Token, which is worthless to Spirit Realm cultivators but priceless to mortal realm cultivators.”

He seemed unwilling to elaborate further on this topic, cupped his hands, and with a flash, disappeared into the sky.

The darkness quickly receded, and Xu Hei glanced at Night Owl, finding that Night Owl’s figure was also disappearing along with the shadowy figure.

The distance grew further and further until, in a blink, it became a small black dot.

”Grand Elder, are you leaving?” Xu Hei called out.

Night Owl looked back, solemnly cupped his fists, and said, ”Elder Xu, until we meet again in the Spirit Realm.”

Xu Hei didn’t hear a word of the exchange between Night Owl and the shadowy figure, but the two just vanished before his eyes.

The shadows dispersed, and Xu Hei returned to the sunlight.

The people below also came into Xu Hei’s view.

”Where is Grand Elder Night Owl?”

The people of the Divine Puppet Sect were astonished to find Night Owl gone, leaving only Xu Hei in the sky.

”Ancestor Xu Hei, where is the Grand Elder?” Liu Yunjing asked.

The answer was a long silence.

”Night Owl has already left; he has bid farewell to me,” Gongshu Zi broke the silence.

At this moment, everyone’s emotions were mixed and indescribable.

Divine Puppet Sect.

Daoist Sparrow had fallen, Night Owl had left, and the first ancestor, Gongshu Zi, was about to sit in meditation.

The remaining high-level members were either dead or injured, with few in the Divine Transformation Stage left.

Compared to other sects, they were not much better off.

The Blood Refining Sect was currently the most intact, at least having a group of late-stage Divine Transformation cultivators on the run, though they were doomed eventually.

Gongshu Zi sighed, looked at Xu Hei, and his expression suddenly became serious. He solemnly said, ”Grand Elder, Xu Hei, are you willing to become the 109th Sect Master of the Divine Puppet Sect?”