Serpent Ancestor

Xu Hei passed through village after village, wandering aimlessly until he found himself outside the Mountain Movers Sect.

Suddenly, Xu Hei thought of someone—Xiao Chou.

Chuyang City had fallen; this person was probably dead.

Xu Hei sighed, and on a peak outside the Mountain Movers Sect, he erected a monument and carved the name ”Xiao Chou” on it.

”I know this person best, so I should write a bit about his life.”

Xu Hei pondered for a long time, then wrote down the contents of a bamboo slip he had once read, carving small lines of text at the bottom of the stone tablet.

”Just got beaten up by Young Master Hua. I wanted to fight back, but I didn’t, because you said you liked honest people.”

”You told me to get lost. You finally spoke to me, which means you have me in your heart...”

”...”

These were all written by Xiao Chou himself, likely the best reflection of his life... Xu Hei thought to himself....

Chuyang City.

Shi Longzi, an elder of the Mountain Movers Sect and a veteran Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Today, however, he received a summons from the Grand Commander.

The Grand Commander, also known as the Grand Elder of the Heavenly Puppet Sect, Qin Xuanji, was a figure who had almost no rivals even in the Core Formation Stage.

With a heart full of anxiety, Shi Longzi entered Qin Xuanji’s palace.

Qin Xuanji sat in a chair, quietly gazing ahead.

On the ground in front of him lay a man covered in blood, on the brink of death, his breath barely detectable. The moment Shi Longzi saw this man, his pupils contracted, and his face turned deathly pale.

This dying man was none other than his disciple, Xiao Chou.

”You are this man’s master?” Qin Xuanji asked calmly.

Shi Longzi trembled all over, immediately kneeling on one knee, and said, ”Yes, his name is Xiao Chou. It’s my fault for not teaching him well...”

He knew that Xiao Chou had fought a life-and-death battle with the Qin army to protect the Xiao family, killing five Foundation Establishment cultivators. In this one-sided war, it was nothing short of astonishing.

To know that during the Qin army’s siege of Chuyang City, they had lost fewer than thirty Foundation Establishment cultivators, many of whom had died in mutual destruction, one-for-one, or even more.

Killing five was simply unbelievable!

However, what surprised Shi Longzi was that this had caught the Grand Commander’s attention. Shouldn’t his focus be on battles at the Core Formation Stage? Why pay attention to a Foundation Establishment junior?

”You don’t need to be afraid; I’m not here to hold you accountable.”

Qin Xuanji waved his hand, interrupting Shi Longzi’s apology, and said, ”I’m here to discuss taking this disciple of yours. What do you think?”

Shi Longzi was momentarily stunned.

”Am I not clear enough?” Qin Xuanji said indifferently.

Shi Longzi’s heart trembled, and he quickly said in a panic, ”No... no problem, I’ll do as you say, Senior!”

”Very well. I won’t take your disciple for free. Here, take this as compensation.”

Qin Xuanji tossed a storage bag to Shi Longzi, who caught it without even looking, hurriedly bowing, ”Thank you, Senior.”

He didn’t know why Qin Xuanji had taken an interest in Xiao Chou. Xiao Chou’s spiritual root was indeed exceptional, but not enough to attract this person’s attention.

The inner disciples of the Heavenly Puppet Sect were all more talented and brilliant.

”Go now, and make sure the survivors of the Xiao family are well taken care of. Do not harm a single member of the Xiao family, especially this person’s direct relatives. Ensure they are properly settled,” Qin Xuanji said.

”Yes! I’ll take care of it right away!” Shi Longzi nodded and bowed as he retreated.

Qin Xuanji looked at the unconscious Xiao Chou lying on the ground, not bothering to heal him, merely letting out a cold laugh.

”Reverse cultivation, interesting.”

He waved his hand and said to the shadows, ”Take this kid and dump him in some desolate mountain. Just don’t kill him.”

”Yes!”

A black-clothed person emerged from the shadows, grabbed Xiao Chou, and vanished into the air.

...

Myriad Serpent Valley.

After returning from his travels, Xu Hei sensed two powerful auras outside Myriad Serpent Valley.

One belonged to Man Jin, but the other was unfamiliar.

Xu Hei quickly returned to the valley and immediately locked onto the massive figure in mid-air.

It was a lion covered in purple lightning, its fur bristling, with wings on its back. Though slightly smaller than Man Jin, it was still a colossal beast to Xu Hei.

The void around the lion was entirely purple, with bolts of lightning crackling, exuding a terrifying aura.

”Purple Lightning Lion King!”

Xu Hei’s heart tightened.

Comparing its aura to Man Jin’s, the Purple Lightning Lion King’s cultivation was slightly higher, roughly at the peak of the early Core Formation Stage, not far from the mid-stage.

However, Man Jin, being from the Elephant Tribe, had naturally powerful combat abilities, making him not inferior to his opponent.

”I’ve been waiting for you.”

The Purple Lightning Lion King’s gaze locked onto Xu Hei as it approached.

Man Jin stepped forward, blocking its path, and said coldly, ”Speak your piece and be quick about it. Don’t just barge into someone’s home; it’s extremely rude!”

The Purple Lightning Lion King’s eyes flashed with disdain but stopped in its tracks, not forcing its way in.

It looked at Xu Hei and said, ”My wife’s body is in your possession, isn’t it?”

”...” Xu Hei was taken aback.

His wife? That Purple Crystal Thunder Lion in the Foundation Establishment Stage?

In the lion tribe, any lion with a lightning spiritual root could be called a Thunder Lion.

Xu Hei had long suspected that the lion might have a powerful mate, but he hadn’t expected it to be this strong and to come looking for him.

That lion had a leg bitten off by him, and its body was incomplete. Would it cause trouble for him because of that?

Xu Hei pondered for a moment and then feigned confusion, ”Your wife?”

”I won’t waste words with you. It’s that Purple Crystal Thunder Lion. From what I understand, she was killed by a human, but her body was taken by you. I advise you to hand it over quickly, or don’t blame me for being impolite,” the Purple Lightning Lion King said coldly.

”Rude!”

Man Jin roared and stepped forward, his powerful demonic wind forcing the Purple Lightning Lion King back half a step.

”Is this how you ask for help? Threatening people? If you can’t speak properly, go back and learn how to communicate before coming back!”

Man Jin’s voice was filled with anger. To him, Xu Hei was a great benefactor, and he wouldn’t allow anyone to threaten Xu Hei.

The Purple Lightning Lion King was stunned, his eyes filled with uncertainty.

He was just surprised why this Golden Core elephant would help a Foundation Establishment snake, trying to test the other’s attitude, but the response was so resolute.

He began to doubt the snake’s background.

Xu Hei asked in confusion, ”How did you know the body was taken by me?”

”I asked the Pangolin King and two passing eagles. They all saw what happened that day. I also caught a few snake demons to inquire. In this forest, you’re the only snake that can use spells,” the Purple Lightning Lion King explained.

Xu Hei couldn’t help but feel speechless.

He had become so famous without realizing it, to the point where people could find him just by asking any random snake.

Damn it...

Xu Hei suddenly felt that he couldn’t keep a low profile anymore, even if he wanted to.

Seeing Xu Hei’s prolonged silence, the Purple Lightning Lion King coldly said, ”You didn’t eat her, did you?”

”So what if I did? You said yourself that your wife was killed by a human. If you want revenge, go find the humans. Why are you causing trouble here?”

Man Jin retorted unceremoniously.

The Purple Lightning Lion King was utterly enraged, raising its paw to strike.

Xu Hei didn’t hesitate any longer. He quickly took out the incomplete body and used the Gravity Technique to toss it over.

The moment he saw the body, the Purple Lightning Lion King immediately stopped, rushed over, and hugged the body, wailing in grief.

”Howl! Ninth Sister, Ninth Sister!”

The Purple Lightning Lion King cried tears like rain, wailing incessantly, a stark contrast to his previous image.

”...”

Xu Hei and Man Jin were both stunned.

Damn it, you were just about to fight, and now you’re crying?

After wailing for a full hour, the Purple Lightning Lion King finally stopped, wiped away his tears, and regained his composure.

He stored the body away and said, ”Sorry, I lost control of my emotions earlier.”

”It’s fine, I understand.”

Xu Hei nodded in agreement.