Serpent Ancestor

As Xu Hei watched the opponent charge at him, he had no choice but to retreat. However, Xiong Dabao seemed to be glued to him, following him like a shadow. Even when Xu Hei used the Ever-changing Fish and Dragon technique, Xiong Dabao could still track his movements and follow closely.

”Don’t run, let’s spar for a couple of moves, just... two moves!”

Xiong Dabao’s eyes were hazy, yet his movements were astonishingly fast.

Xu Hei finally understood why Yu Jianqiu had confiscated his liquor. This guy had terrible drinking habits; once drunk, he’d even attack his own allies.

They had just dealt with a wave of demonic beasts, and the situation was still unclear. Wasting energy like this was pointless.

”Swish, swish, swish!”

With a thought, Xu Bai summoned countless willow branches to bind Xiong Dabao’s limbs, but he merely spun around, snapping the branches.

Even though it only delayed him for a moment, in a battle between experts, a moment could make all the difference.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Xu Hei moved in close, delivering a Dragon Tail Swing, enhanced by the Diamond Suppression Technique, directly slapping Xiong Dabao across the face.

”Smack!!”With a dull thud, Xiong Dabao spun several times in the air, losing a few teeth, his jaw knocked askew, and he crashed to the ground.

”You! Sneak attack! No honor in combat!”

Xiong Dabao stood up, eyes wide with anger, his dislocated jaw astonishingly healing on its own.

Xu Hei’s expression darkened, ready to get serious.

Suddenly, after taking a step forward, Xiong Dabao’s body swayed and he fell flat on the ground, face down.

This left the three demonic beasts present momentarily stunned.

Moments later, the sound of snoring filled the air as Xiong Dabao’s body rose and fell, having fallen asleep just like that.

”...” Xu Hei was at a loss for words.

He climbed forward, retrieved the wine jug, and silently vowed that if he ever let him drink again, he’d be a bastard.

Xu Hei collected the bones of the ancient demonic beast’s corpse and burned the flesh to ashes.

He glanced into the secret chamber, where Yu Jianqiu still stood, facing off against the golden skull, both sides simply staring at each other without any action.

Yet in the air ahead, sharp energies occasionally clashed, producing a metallic clang.

Xu Hei dared not look any longer and quickly retreated to a distance.

He put away the White Tooth Armor and turned his attention to the paintings on the stone wall.

Each of these paintings contained a hint of artistic conception, likely the inheritance spells of the Dragon Subduing Sect.

However, Xu Hei could only vaguely sense a bit of it, unable to directly receive it like the Azure Dragon Combat Technique.

”I’m a demonic beast; only humans can receive the inheritance,” Xu Hei thought to himself.

He considered whether to destroy all these murals.

They were all spells for slaughtering demonic beasts. Since he couldn’t obtain them, why not destroy them?

But in reality, even the Nine-Headed Worm couldn’t scratch the surface of the murals, let alone completely destroy them.

This place was terrifyingly sturdy, with the secret chamber and the entire underground cave seemingly forged from metal.

”There is a formation here, maintaining stability. My father guarded this place for five hundred years, only recently discovering it by accident, also due to the formation’s influence,” said the Nine-Headed Worm.

Xu Hei remained noncommittal. He thought for a moment and spread out his divine sense, searching the cave to see if he could find the formation’s core.

Inside the secret chamber.

Yu Jianqiu still stood quietly, a slight smile on his lips, looking at the golden skull. He smiled and said, ”What do you think of these disciples?”

”Not bad, much better than the trash I captured. In my time, they would be considered rare Chosen,” the golden skull replied calmly.

It was a very fair assessment, honest and straightforward.

”Times have changed. Your era is over. Why not let it go?” Yu Jianqiu suggested.

”Hmph! Handing over the Dragon Subduing Sect’s possessions to a bunch of demonic beasts would be the greatest joke in the world!” the golden skull responded calmly.

Since ancient times, humans and demons have been at odds, and the Dragon Subduing Sect was a leader among humans, a main force against demons. Even if he were to be utterly destroyed, he would never let the inheritance fall into the hands of beasts.

Yu Jianqiu said no more, but the sharpness in his eyes intensified.

”Draw your sword. If you do, you can end this battle quickly. Why dawdle here?” the golden skull’s tone was unruffled.

”My sword is not meant for dealing with the likes of you,” Yu Jianqiu replied.

”Oh? Then who do you intend to deal with?” the golden skull asked with interest.

Yu Jianqiu slowly said, ”The extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon.”

The golden skull fell silent.

After a while, it coldly said, ”The Demon Clan is indeed getting more cunning!”

No matter how much Yu Jianqiu boasted, he would never believe it. It was all just the tricks of a cunning fox. How could there be such a thing as an extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon?

His descendants were coming, and they were the best candidates for the Dragon Subduing Sect’s inheritance.

…………

On the Wind Sail Boat.

Jiang Chong and Xu Qingzhi had already donned ghost face masks.

These were provided by the Sea God Sect, capable of completely concealing their aura so that no one would recognize them.

Collaborating with the Sea God Sect was like seeking skin from a tiger; they didn’t want to expose their identities.

Xu Qingzhi chose to trust Jiang Chong because of their relationship. He knew Jiang Chong well; the Sea God Sect might deceive him, but Jiang Chong would never lie to him.

”Just this one collaboration. After obtaining the inheritance, we’ll be even with the Sea God Sect!” Xu Qingzhi thought to himself.

Jiang Chong remained silent.

But he knew best in his heart that once they boarded the boat and took a step forward, there was no turning back.

”Let’s just say it’s to rescue the miners.”

Jiang Chong gave himself a reason to act.

…………

In the Netherworld Mine.

The Frogman Clan had lived here since birth, born to mine.

After years of intense labor, even those at the Foundation Establishment Stage had a lifespan of only a little over a hundred years. They ate the simplest underwater plants, and absorbing a single spirit stone was a luxury.

They didn’t know what the outside world looked like, never having seen outsiders, and thought the world was only this big.

Having never seen sunlight, they could enjoy the darkness.

”We mine to ascend to the heavenly realm after death. The more we mine, the better our afterlife will be.”

This was the belief instilled in them from a young age, passed down through generations, deeply rooted.

No one felt unhappy.

They were born this way, every generation the same. Their happiness was absorbing a spirit stone and having a full meal, nothing more. Such a small request could certainly be fulfilled.

Even when the battle between the Soul Refining Demon Lord and the Nine-Headed Snake caused countless deaths, they didn’t feel much sorrow. The deceased had gone to the heavenly realm, just a step ahead.

However, when they saw Xu Hei and his group, different voices began to emerge.

”Are those the outsiders?”

”Oh my, will we become like them after we die?”

”They’re so strong, just like the Nine-Headed Worm young master!”

”What is the outside world like? Can I go out and be like them?”

Different thoughts began to arise.

In the past, elders would appear to suppress, correct, and eliminate potential instability.

But now, there was no need. The Netherworld Mine was about to be abandoned, and the Frogman Clan had lost their value. Their fate remained uncertain.