Serpent Ancestor

The Heavenly Demon Technique, if it’s really as powerful as the old dog boasts, being one of the strongest cultivation techniques in the world, how could Xu Hei not be tempted? Even if he didn’t practice it himself, it would be useful for reference.

”The Heavenly Demon Technique is good, but this doesn’t seem like your style. Have you been body-snatched?” Xu Hei mused.

”Fing hell, you’re the one who’s been body-snatched!”

Hei Huang snapped irritably, ”What, you don’t want it for free and insist on paying? Then give me that sword, and I’ll exchange it for the Heavenly Demon Technique.”

”Uh, forget I said anything,” Xu Hei muttered.

Hei Huang didn’t waste any time, spitting out a dark orb from his mouth, which condensed into a piece of black jade. The jade was covered with complex patterns, completely different from any formation patterns Xu Hei had seen before.

”The Heavenly Demon Technique isn’t something just anyone can practice. What I taught Xu Bai before was just the most basic simplified version, only the first level. This black jade contains the complete version of the Heavenly Demon Technique,” Hei Huang said, holding the black jade.

Xu Hei took the black jade and immediately felt an indescribable eerie power seeping from it.

This power was unlike anything he had ever seen—chaotic, twisted, and disorderly, much like the rumored demonic arts, yet Xu Hei instinctively did not reject it.

”Are you making your last will or something?” Xu Hei scrutinized him.”Fing hell, you’re the one making your last will!” Hei Huang exploded in anger, ”I only passed it to you because I see potential in you, and you curse me like this!”

Xu Hei shrank back, carefully putting away the black jade.

”Old dog, I won’t take advantage of you for nothing. How about I give you the Diamond Suppression Technique in exchange?” Xu Hei offered.

”The White Emperor’s Sutra, you think I don’t have it?” Hei Huang retorted with a glare.

”...” Xu Hei was at a loss for words.

”Hmph! The White Emperor’s Sutra isn’t bad, but it’s high in potential and low in base. Without dedicated research, it’s no different from ordinary techniques. But the Heavenly Demon Technique is different.”

”Once you master the Heavenly Demon Technique, your physical body will transform, advancing step by step until you reach immortality.”

”I didn’t pass it to you before because you weren’t qualified, your body couldn’t handle it. Now, you can barely give it a try.”

Hei Huang then went on to boast about the Heavenly Demon Technique, describing it in glowing terms, emphasizing its suppressive power against evil.

Xu Hei nodded, not hesitating to place the black jade against his forehead.

The black jade immediately fused into Xu Hei’s body, transforming into a strange power that flowed through his nine dragon veins, entering his Elemental Infant, where a pitch-black seed began to grow.

”The black jade I gave you just now is called the Demon Seed, the prerequisite for practicing the Heavenly Demon Technique. Without the Demon Seed, even if you know the cultivation method, you can’t master it.”

”So this Heavenly Demon Technique, you can’t teach it to others, you can only cultivate it yourself,” Hei Huang explained.

Xu Hei looked inside his body, where the pitch-black seed was still in its nascent form, yet exuded an eerie power, chaotic and unordered.

It was a power akin to an artistic conception, yet beyond it, indescribable in words.

If Xu Hei hadn’t developed dragon veins, he wouldn’t have been able to withstand the Demon Seed taking root.

”This Demon Seed must be valuable, right?” Xu Hei asked.

”You couldn’t buy it no matter how much you offered. There are only two in the world!” Hei Huang said proudly.

Xu Hei fell silent.

Such a sinister, chaotic, ruleless power taking root in one’s body would be unacceptable to most, but Xu Hei chose to trust unconditionally.

”By the way, where is everyone else?” Xu Hei couldn’t help but ask.

”They went to support the East Sea. The Sea God Sect is trying to annex the entire East Sea and has already begun their actions,” Hei Huang said calmly.

Though his tone was calm, to Xu Hei, it was like a stormy sea.

”What did you say?”

”I’m not joking, this is a projection,” Hei Huang handed over a projection jade slip.

Xu Hei took the jade slip and, after receiving the information within, was shocked to his core.

The three major islands of the East Sea, including the Penglai Sea, had all been attacked, and endless black water was eroding the entire ocean, polluting everything.

Without a second thought, Xu Hei prepared to rush to their aid at full speed.

He couldn’t imagine that such a major event had occurred while he was in seclusion.

But was it too late to go now?

”Why the rush? With me here, do you still need to hurry?” Hei Huang sneered.

Xu Hei stopped, staring intently at Hei Huang.

With a wave of Hei Huang’s paw, a large and complex formation appeared beneath his feet.

A teleportation array!

This wasn’t the Great Teleportation Formation, but a teleportation array capable of crossing mountains and rivers in an instant, reaching the other shore.

The art of teleportation arrays was said to have been lost long ago, with extremely harsh conditions for setting them up, making it nearly impossible in modern times. Xu Hei had only seen one in the Sea God Sect.

”Shall we depart now?” Hei Huang smiled.

Xu Hei nodded vigorously, ”Of course!”

…………

In the East Sea, on an uninhabited island.

This was the first island Xu Hei had ever landed on, the landing point of the teleportation array set up on this island.

”Buzz!!”

A flash of light, and space rippled violently. After a dozen breaths, two figures appeared on the island.

They were Xu Hei and Hei Huang.

Xu Hei spread his Divine Sense, sensing the nearby terrain, ”This place is closest to the Twin Islands, let’s head there first!”

He hovered in the air like an Azure Dragon soaring to the sky, his tail stirring the clouds, rushing toward the Twin Islands at an incredible speed.

This speed was three times faster than before his breakthrough!

…………

Twin Islands.

Ghostface, a late-stage Elemental Infant cultivator, had an innate fear artistic conception, granting him some immunity to the Nightmare Demon Lord’s techniques.

For this reason, he had been invited to deal with the Nightmare Demon Lord.

The battle had been ongoing for half an hour, with Ghostface initially having the upper hand, but gradually falling into a disadvantage.

Because the Nightmare Demon Lord simply couldn’t be killed.

No matter how many times his body was cut apart, he could regenerate a new one, and each time he was killed, his terrifying artistic conception grew stronger, until even Ghostface struggled to keep up.

”As a bounty hunter, you should know when to retreat. Some jobs aren’t yours to take!”

The Nightmare Demon Lord’s sinister laughter echoed, his twisted visage projected in the sky, filled with eyes, tentacles, and various distorted forms.

His artistic conception spread throughout the Twin Islands, inside and out.

In this short half-hour, countless residents had gone mad, driven insane, or even scared to death. Their fear was what fueled the Nightmare Demon Lord’s growing power.

He fed on fear, absorbing its power to continually strengthen himself.

The island’s residents were his prey.

”Ghostface, you and I are both practitioners of demonic arts. Why not join me in cleansing this filthy world?”

The Nightmare Demon Lord tempted, his voice like a demonic whisper, while Ghostface’s moves remained sharp but increasingly sluggish.

”Ghostface, your family perished in a fire when you were a child, leaving you disfigured. Because of your hideous appearance, the village treated you as a monster.”

”Your childhood sweetheart went mad after seeing your face at night, and your sect expelled you for your ugliness!”

”Even those you saved from drowning accused you of causing their plight, and their family wanted you executed on the spot!”

”And you, Ghostface! You chose to compromise and wear a mask!”

”The arsonist roams free, flaunting his deeds, while you hide like a rat, masked and concealed. How ironic, Ghostface!”

The Nightmare Demon Lord’s voice, like a ghost, seeped into Ghostface’s mind during their battle, shaking his once unwavering resolve.

”You are not at fault, those who burned you and slandered you are!”

As the Nightmare Demon Lord spoke, a sharp sword pierced his throat again, twisting to send his head flying once more.

Ghostface coldly replied, ”No one is at fault; this world is just like that!”

The Nightmare Demon Lord’s severed head suddenly sprouted tendrils, grabbing the broken neck and reattaching it.

”Heh, I thought you had no emotions. Turns out, you do!” The Nightmare Demon Lord smirked as if his scheme had succeeded.

Ghostface sensed something was wrong.

”Boom!!”

His mask shattered, blood spraying, revealing a twisted, ferocious face as his body suddenly ignited, engulfing him in flames.

Ghostface’s body was the perfect fuel, the fire burning ever brighter, reminiscent of the fire from his childhood, his lifelong nightmare, surrounding him with no escape!

He realized then that the Nightmare Demon Lord consumed not only fear but other emotions as well.

Any strong emotion could be devoured by him.

The Nightmare Demon Lord’s artistic conception had evolved!

”Have I... lost?”

Scenes flashed before Ghostface’s eyes like a revolving lantern.

In a battle between experts, victory or defeat often hinged on a single thought.

From the moment his memories were stirred, the outcome was sealed.

As the strongest bounty hunter, his heart had long turned cold as ice, with nothing to fear. His only nightmare was the fire that destroyed him as a child.

No one is devoid of emotion; even the strongest bounty hunter has a flaw, his sole flaw.

”It’s over!”

A monstrous maw lunged at him, swallowing Ghostface whole, as he heard the sound of his body being chewed, his bones crushed.

But suddenly, everything fell silent.

The Nightmare Demon Lord’s body froze.

Before him, a pitch-black flood dragon had appeared at some point, its dark dragon scales shimmering with a hint of purple-gold, lightning faintly crackling.

On its head were two long horns, with claws beneath its belly, eyes like a deity descending, staring at the Nightmare Demon Lord devouring Ghostface, motionless.

Even the Nightmare Demon Lord was motionless.

Not that he didn’t want to move, but he had lost control of his body!