Serpent Ancestor

The Chu Tian Alliance, now considered a band of rebels and traitors, was responsible for the destruction of the Mountain Movers Sect.

”Have you been to that relic?” Xu Hei asked.

”Not yet,” Xiao Chou shook his head, ”but those who have been there have summarized a few ironclad rules.”

”First, you can’t gather too many people, or you’ll attract ancient vengeful spirits looking to snatch bodies.”

”Second, you can’t have too few people either. There’s an illusory forest inside that causes hallucinations at irregular intervals. You need companions to wake you up; you can’t get through alone.”

”Third, you need at least one Core Formation Stage leader. Their cultivation level shouldn’t be too high, or they’ll attract ancient corpse puppets, but they can’t be too weak either...”

Xiao Chou went on to explain a host of precautions for the relic.

Although Xu Hei hadn’t been there, he could sense the perilous nature of the relic just from Xiao Chou’s description.

Moreover, he had a vague feeling that the relic didn’t seem naturally formed; there were traces of human arrangement.

”There are eighteen known dangers in the relic, each potentially fatal, but there are also many treasures. It’s even rumored that there’s a Longevity Pill inside, which can extend life by sixty years with just one pill,” Xiao Chou continued.”A Longevity Pill, sixty years...”

Xu Hei’s pupils contracted.

It’s important to know that Foundation Establishment cultivators can only live for two hundred years, and those in the Core Formation Stage, five hundred years. An extra sixty years of life could rejuvenate an old monster at the end of their lifespan, making countless people willing to risk their lives.

”Where did this information come from? Is it reliable?” Xu Hei asked urgently.

Whether it was the risks in the relic or the Longevity Pill, the value of the information was beyond imagination, and he didn’t think Xiao Chou could have obtained it himself.

”The information came from the Chu Tian Alliance. The dangers are absolutely true, but the Longevity Pill is just something someone claimed to have seen, not very certain,” Xiao Chou replied.

Xu Hei nodded heavily.

No matter what, he had to go this time.

He had the old ape’s key and that ancient token, both pointing to this relic, and he had various life-saving items. There was no reason not to take the risk.

”Give me a day to prepare, and we’ll set off tomorrow,” Xu Hei said.

...

Next, Xu Hei went to check on Man Jin.

A month had passed, and Man Jin had already awakened. Although his body was still weak and his Golden Core was only half its previous size, he was in much better shape than a month ago.

”Brother Xu, you’ve helped me a lot this time, I...” Man Jin didn’t know what to say.

”We’re brothers, no need to say such things,” Xu Hei said with a faint smile.

He took out a large number of pills, spiritual fruits, and spiritual herbs, placing them nearby, all beneficial to the Elephant Tribe.

Then, Xu Hei took out a jade box and handed it over, ”Take this, it should help you quickly recover your cultivation.”

Man Jin took it with his nose, opened the jade box, and inside was a fist-sized Golden Core, exuding a rich true essence.

”This is...” Man Jin was stunned.

”This is the Golden Core of that human cultivator,” Xu Hei said.

All the spoils of this battle were obtained by Xu Hei alone, and he felt uneasy not sharing any of it.

Man Jin took a deep breath, didn’t refuse, and accepted the Golden Core, saying solemnly, ”Brother Xu, I won’t say anything more. From now on, you’re my blood brother!”

”I’ll be counting on you,” Xu Hei replied with a smile.

Afterward, Xu Hei made a trip to Myriad Serpent Valley.

He went to the underground cave dwelling, intending to thank Xu Bai for her Transformation Pill.

However, to his surprise, Xu Bai was not there.

The spirit beasts she kept were still there, with plenty of food left, but Xu Bai had disappeared.

On the ground was a jade slip, which Xu Hei picked up and probed with his Divine Sense.

”Xu Hei, I’ve found a perfect place for pill refining. I’ve gone ahead. If there’s an emergency, just crush this jade slip.”

It was Xu Bai’s voice.

Xu Hei shook his head, put the jade slip away, and left the cave dwelling.

He took out the butcher puppet, entered it, and headed straight for the depths of Wu Mountain.

...

Wu Mountain, shrouded in clouds and mist all year round, had a harsh environment and was rarely visited.

But now, the place was unprecedentedly lively, with a large number of people coming and going, and a cultivator outpost had been established.

The outpost was about the size of a small town, with some simple houses and a basic magical array, located a hundred miles from the relic.

Xu Hei landed in the outpost, like a towering iron tower, causing the ground to shake slightly.

Immediately, many cultivators looked over, their gazes wary. However, this place had all sorts of strange people, and Xu Hei’s appearance was not unusual.

Inside the outpost, there were quite a few people, some trading magical treasures, others forming temporary teams, gathering in groups of three or five.

”A newly released map of the ancient relic, including strategies for all dangerous areas, only five thousand Spirit Stones. You won’t be disappointed, and it’s worth every stone!”

As soon as Xu Hei entered the outpost, he heard a shout coming from a stall.

It was a bald old man, with a scraggly beard and only a few sparse purple hairs on the back of his head, his cultivation at the early Core Formation Stage.

Xu Hei sniffed the air and immediately walked over to the stall.

”Han Te!” Xu Hei squinted his eyes.

The bald old man was momentarily stunned and shouted, ”What Han Te? Don’t compare me to that shameless scoundrel; he’s just a fraud.”

Xu Hei was noncommittal and asked, ”Do you know where Xuan Yangzi is hiding?”

The bald old man’s eyes flickered, and he quickly shook his head, ”What Xuan Yangzi? I don’t know...”

Before he could finish, his voice abruptly stopped.

Xu Hei had taken out a storage bag and waved it in front of him, his Divine Sense clearly seeing ten thousand Spirit Stones inside.

”Ahem!” The bald old man coughed twice and changed his tune, ”Xuan Yangzi is a client of a friend of mine. A client is like a god, and how could my friend betray a god? He has professional ethics...”

His voice stopped again.

This time, Xu Hei took out a second storage bag, another ten thousand Spirit Stones, and waved both bags in front of him.

The bald old man’s throat moved, and he reached out to grab the storage bag, but Xu Hei pulled it back.

”Speak first,” Xu Hei said coldly.

Han Te scratched his bald head and slowly said, ”I’ve already said, my friend won’t betray a client. No matter how much money you give, it’s useless. Besides, I’ve almost forgotten where Xuan Yangzi is hiding. I need to recall...”

As he spoke, he turned his head and looked in a certain direction, staring intently without blinking.

Xu Hei glanced in that direction, immediately understanding, and memorized the location.

Professional ethics, huh.

He had to eliminate Xuan Yangzi, but not now. He would wait until he truly had the strength to kill a Core Formation Stage cultivator, with a hundred percent certainty, before making his move.

Xu Hei tossed a bag of Spirit Stones and said, ”You only gave me the direction, not the distance, so I’m only giving you half.”

Han Te quickly grabbed the storage bag and put it away.

”Dear customer, I didn’t say anything, don’t misunderstand,” Han Te emphasized again.

Xu Hei was speechless at this man’s shamelessness. He didn’t waste any more words and picked up the map from the stall.

”These Spirit Stones are for buying this map, okay?”

”Yes, absolutely!” Han Te nodded repeatedly.

Xu Hei glanced at the map, which contained a lot of information, including the dangers and precautions within the relic, all clearly detailed, just as Xiao Chou had described.

This reassured Xu Hei.

It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Xiao Chou, but he didn’t know much about the Chu Tian Alliance, so he needed to gather information from multiple sources. Hence, the map was a must-buy.

”Thank you, Daoist Han. I wish you prosperity and wealth.”

Xu Hei cupped his hands and turned to leave.

”Hey! Wait a moment!”

Han Te quickly stood up and handed over a token, ”Dear customer, you’re practically an old client now. This is Han’s membership token. If you have any needs, just infuse your Divine Sense into it, and I’ll arrive as quickly as possible, come rain or shine.”

”Of course, there’s a delivery fee.”