Serpent Ancestor

”Power, this power...”

Xu Qingzhi’s heart raced ten times faster than before, pounding like a drum, thumping loudly. His muscles swelled slowly, indicating a surge in strength, and his true essence rose like a tide.

Inside his body, a large amount of viscous black substance appeared, healing his injuries and simultaneously enhancing his strength, while his mental power soared to its peak.

”Heavy oil?!”

Xu Hei’s expression changed. From the blackness of the opponent’s wound, he sensed a strong contamination of heavy oil!

A contamination that ordinary people would avoid at all costs, yet it could be used by him to heal and strengthen himself! This was the bizarre nature of the Demon Cult.

Previously, Xu Qingzhi had only cooperated with the Sea God Sect. Now, he had completely fallen into the demonic path, beyond redemption.

Just as Jiang Chong had anticipated, once he took the first step, there was no turning back.

”Snap!!”

Xu Qingzhi suddenly reached out his hand like a giant pincer, tightly grasping Xu Hei’s incoming head. At the same time, his palm exploded, flesh and blood splattering, shattered by Xu Hei’s headbutt, leaving only the bones.Yet in just an instant, the black viscous substance covered his hand, which was left with only bones, and it instantly healed, growing back complete flesh.

”What immense power!”

Xu Qingzhi felt an inexhaustible power within, longing to howl at the sky.

He finally understood why the cultivators of the Sea God Sect advanced so rapidly. There were no bottlenecks; they could directly break through their cultivation using this strange black substance!

He even had the illusion that this might be more powerful than the inheritance of the Dragon Subduing Sect?

Such thoughts, like demonic thoughts, once they appeared, surged uncontrollably.

Xu Hei remained unfazed, the claw beneath his abdomen shot out like a flood dragon, aiming for Xu Qingzhi’s chest.

It was the Azure Dragon Combat Technique, the Sky-Tearing Claw!

”Rip!!”

Xu Qingzhi’s physical body was nearly torn apart, with three claw marks appearing on his chest, stretching from shoulder to thigh, piercing from front to back, even crushing his internal organs.

But in just a single breath, the wound healed at a terrifying speed.

”Get lost!”

Xu Qingzhi kicked out, striking Xu Hei’s abdomen, creating a gap in the bone armor on his chest, blasting a pit, and causing his own vital energy and blood to surge, nearly spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Yet Xu Hei did not retreat. Instead, he grabbed Xu Qingzhi’s thigh with a backhand.

”Damn it! Let go of me!”

Xu Qingzhi formed a seal with his palm, and his captured thigh suddenly exploded with a ”boom,” the massive impact sending Xu Hei flying, shattering a large portion of his bone armor, and even creating gaps in the Earth Flood Dragon’s triangular scales.

With his leg severed, Xu Qingzhi leaped into the air, heading straight for the secret chamber.

Meanwhile, Jiang Chong also broke through the Twelve Zodiac Sword Formation, sending all three demonic beasts flying.

Jiang Chong’s face showed no joy, only deep sorrow.

Xu Qingzhi’s descent into madness was something he had long anticipated, but he hadn’t expected it to happen so quickly.

Xu Hei did not act rashly. Xu Qingzhi’s strength had suddenly skyrocketed, and Jiang Chong had broken through his sword formation, ready to strike at any moment.

Even if Xu Hei wanted to kill Xu Qingzhi, he had to guard against those behind him; he wouldn’t act without certainty.

”What trump cards do I have left unused?”

”The Heavenly Demon Mirror? No, this item must not be exposed unless absolutely necessary! Moreover, the mirror has not fully recovered.”

”The swarm of poisonous insects? Would this really work against a demon?”

”The Golden Dragon Pagoda and Black Tortoise Shield, these two fourth-grade lower-tier magical treasures, don’t seem to be of much use either.”

”The Star Sword Formation also requires time to set up, and I’ve only prepared twelve flying swords.”

For a moment, Xu Hei’s methods were stretched thin.

He cursed himself for not preparing enough, not strong enough trump cards. But in fact, among his peers, who had more or stronger trump cards than Xu Hei?

Any one of these methods would be enough to make an early Elemental Infant stage cultivator drink a pot.

At this moment, Xu Hei watched as Xu Qingzhi rushed into the secret chamber.

In just that brief instant, the leg he had just blown off had already grown back to its root, resurrecting flesh and bones at such a rapid pace.

Xu Hei was ready to retreat. He felt that Xu Qingzhi was no longer human, nor even a demon.

Inside the secret chamber.

Xu Qingzhi charged in, full of excitement, and saw two silent figures.

A golden skeleton sat cross-legged in front, with two crimson ghostly lights in its eyes. Yu Jianqiu, blindfolded, sat with his head down, arms crossed over his chest.

”Junior Xu Qingzhi, the 108th generation head of the Dragon Subduing Sect, pays respects to the senior!”

Xu Qingzhi directly knelt on the ground, presenting his sect leader’s token.

At this moment, his severed leg had already grown to the knee.

Silence!

The entire secret chamber was deathly silent. Xu Qingzhi didn’t understand what was happening, but he could only keep his head down, waiting for the senior’s response.

”One hundred and eight, hehe.”

Suddenly, a self-mocking laugh came from the golden skeleton.

Back then, he had fallen while slaying the 108th demonic beast, and now the Dragon Subduing Sect had fallen to this, consorting with evil demons.

Xu Qingzhi sensed something was off, but he still braced himself and said, ”Senior, I have a blood feud with that Snake Demon. If it continues to grow, the Dragon Subduing Sect will be cut off! I beg the senior to save the sect from disaster!”

He kowtowed heavily.

However, he did not receive the response he wanted.

Huangfu Duanlong said, ”The Dragon Subduing Sect’s inheritance has already been severed. Go back!”

His voice was calm, without any hint of emotion.

Xu Qingzhi became anxious, ”Senior!”

”Go back, it’s not too late!” Huangfu Duanlong said.

His implication was that it was not too late to turn back.

Xu Qingzhi was the only seedling, and Huangfu Duanlong didn’t want the inheritance to end with him. He still held a glimmer of hope, hoping the other would realize the problem and turn back in time.

Unfortunately, Xu Qingzhi had already fallen into madness.

In his mind, a familiar voice kept echoing.

”You’ve been abandoned by the Dragon Subduing Sect, they don’t want you anymore!”

”They’d rather give the inheritance to a bunch of beasts than to a rightful heir like you!”

”He’s been bewitched by Yu Jianqiu, there’s no saving him! Xu Qingzhi, you must take back what’s yours!”

This voice kept ringing in his mind, even though no one was speaking, Xu Qingzhi could hear it.

This voice was very familiar.

It was his own voice.

Or rather, it was the voice of his inner demon, though Xu Qingzhi was completely unaware.

From the moment he accepted the Sea God Sect, he had already birthed an inner demon.

At this moment, he stood up, staring straight at Huangfu Duanlong.

The latter also looked at him.

”Thump, thump, thump...”

A series of intense heartbeats resounded, Xu Qingzhi’s heart beating faster and faster, with an endless surge of power. At the same time, Xu Qingzhi’s cultivation rose infinitely.

In just a few breaths, he went from the early Elemental Infant stage to the peak of the early stage, then, right under Huangfu Duanlong’s eyes, broke through to the mid-Elemental Infant stage!

”Yes, just like that! What the Dragon Subduing Sect can give you, I can give you. What the Dragon Subduing Sect can’t give you, I can also give you!”

”You, Xu Qingzhi, from today on, you’re the fifth protector, the Undying Demon Lord!”

”Hahaha!”

The voice in his head grew louder, laughing wildly.

Xu Qingzhi also laughed maniacally at the sky.

”Shh!”

Suddenly, his laughter stopped abruptly.

A sword, at some unknown time, had already pierced his chest, piercing through his frantically beating heart.

It was Yu Jianqiu who had made his move.

”He’s beyond saving,” Yu Jianqiu said calmly.

Huangfu Duanlong remained silent.

”No! I can still be saved! I can still be saved!” Xu Qingzhi’s eyes turned blood red, grabbing Yu Jianqiu’s sword, his body suddenly pulling back, managing to break free in an instant.

”No one can stop me!”

Xu Qingzhi roared at the sky, reaching out to grab the silent Huangfu Duanlong, intending to take his skeleton.

Even by force, he would take back what was his!

”Boom!!”

Huangfu Duanlong reached out with a skeletal hand, colliding with Xu Qingzhi in a thunderous clash, the violent sound echoing throughout the secret chamber.

Xu Qingzhi’s arm exploded, but it immediately regenerated, his hand stretching out to grab one of Huangfu Duanlong’s ribs.

At this moment, Xu Qingzhi possessed an unstoppable force, his heart pounding wildly, reaching the peak of the Elemental Infant stage, and no one could stop him.

”Finally, you appear, this is what I’ve been waiting for!”

Yu Jianqiu remained expressionless, raising his hand to point at the sky.

”Swish, swish, swish!”

Countless flying swords emerged from the void, linking together like a vast array of stars in the sky, forming a massive formation with a total of seventy-one swords.

The Great Star Sword Formation, in its complete form!

No, it was missing one crucial formation eye!

Huangfu Duanlong calmly raised his hand, and a golden saber soared into the air, landing in the main formation eye of the Great Star Sword Formation.

A massive killing formation was thus formed.

”What?!”

A voice of disbelief echoed from within Xu Qingzhi.

This formation had been set up by Yu Jianqiu long ago, only missing the final formation eye, which was left to Huangfu Duanlong. As long as he agreed, the complete Great Star Sword Formation could be formed.

All of this was prepared to ambush this newly born protector, the Undying Demon Lord!

The Sea God Sect had lost too many elders and urgently needed new blood, and the Undying Demon Lord was a crucial part of the plan!

Xu Qingzhi, the heir of the Dragon Subduing Sect, was the Sea God’s chosen candidate. Once he became the Undying Demon Lord and obtained the inheritance, he could immediately replace Xu Fu.

However, the Sea God had miscalculated.

Yu Jianqiu had long seen through his plan and revealed everything to Huangfu Duanlong. As long as the latter agreed, they could slay the Undying Demon Lord here!

But Huangfu Duanlong was not easily fooled, and he remained skeptical until the last moment.

However, when Xu Qingzhi’s aura surged wildly, reaching the peak of the Elemental Infant stage and attacking him, Huangfu Duanlong finally saw everything clearly!

This cunning fox had not deceived him!

”Die!”

The two top experts hesitated no longer, striking together, and the Great Star Sword Formation began to operate. Countless golden threads appeared in the sky, forming dense threads of sword qi, slashing down on Xu Qingzhi in an instant.

”Splurt, splurt!!”

Xu Qingzhi’s physical body vanished, turning into countless blood mist, obliterated from the world.